A.M.B.
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Posts posted by A.M.B.
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Wonder what the main event will be. Though I don't think it'll be as good of a match (It might even be mediocre) as Adam vs. Adam, DMD vs. Rosa is the biggest women's match they can do right now, and if they are trying to put the women's title on the level of the men's, this is likely their best chance to give them a PPV main event spot for the next few years till a bigger feud comes along. Given my apathy towards Cole I wouldn't mind, but then I also think no one would think Cole has a chance if him and Page aren't on last.
I think Bucks/JE/ReDragon is most likely, but I really want to see Santana and Ortiz win the tag belts ASAP. On top of just being overall fantastic, they've been on the backburner a little too long for my liking and after leaving Inner Circle they could use it to further the story that they were being held back by Jericho.
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Figured it might be best for this beast of game to have its own thread, I anticipate I'll be posting my thoughts on a regular basis, and this is the first From Software game I'll get to experience at launch and with so little info out there. I only got into the Souls games last year and am just now finishing up the last one I have left, Dark Souls 2, so my body is ready. Playing them has been a paradigm shift that has revitalized my love for gaming at a time I thought I was outgrowing them. From what I've seen this game really looks like a climax of all the games Miyazaki has designed, and aims to correct some of the imbalances of past Souls games (Like R1 spamming, I've heard). I've stayed as spoiler free as possible, but things are getting crazy tempting out there. Spoiler warnings would be appreciated for the next couple weeks.
So what are you guys looking forward to with this game? I'm planning to play as whatever the deprived class is, as it will make every piece of gear I find that much more valuable, corpse running and exploration will never feel useless, whereas with other classes you'd likely have no use for a lot of the gear you find. Scrounging together whatever I can find to survive will make the game feel like that much more of adventure, and make the refining process into a full blown warrior all the more heroic. If I screw myself and make it too hard before finding good gear I won't be too far gone to just try and start a new game with a normal class. My build and playstyle will naturally present itself, and I'm assuming there will be respec options if I need. Definitely planning on mixing melee and magic, perhaps they change things here but I find purely relying on melee to make certain parts of Souls games unnecessarily difficult, while pure ranged magic can sometimes get OP and really limit how you engage with the world. One thing I really hope they address here is the wide open nature of the terrain. DS3 was fun, but the level design made me feel like I didn't have to be as mindful of my surroundings as DS1, where precarious terrain adds another layer of complexity to otherwise simple enemies. Basically, give me some good Anor Londo and Sen's Fortress esque-environments. I'm also definitely looking to get down in co-op and PvP if anyone here is interested, I've really only been a PvE guy, though I do intend to tackle every boss 1 on 1, as I find boss summons to break the AI and make me feel like I didn't really beat the boss with any skill.
So what are you guys looking forward to about this game? Any plans on builds yet?
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Danielson’s not a bad idea, but I think MJF is probably the best guy to win the belt next, specifically because since the very beginning with the Bret Hart title unveiling segment, MJF vs. Hangman was set up as their key feud between future stars. Hangman is their biggest homegrown baby face, he should lose the title to their biggest homegrown heel.
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Yeah I just really can’t get into Adam Cole. I won’t deny he’s really over, especially his entrance, but bell to bell I don’t see much that makes him stand out, from what I’ve seen it’s a lot of superkicks and Canadian Destroyers (kudos to whoever coined it the International Transition) that come off as so uninspired to me. He also doesn’t really have the look of a top guy to me, there’s nothing that comes off as imposing to me, compared to another guy I don’t care for like Jay White, who at least seems like more of a bad ass. I think heels like Jay and MJF really benefit by keeping kayfabe, Cole just seems like a relatable friendly millennial nerd who’s playing a character. The “dial your personality up to 11” adage doesn’t fit with him. Him vs. Page will probably be a good match, I remember really loving Cole vs. Ricochet and Cole vs. Riddle from NXT and am aware he can go, but with such a limited amount of PPV matches to go around, I’d really prefer someone else.
On that topic, I’d really like to see AEW go to 6 PPVs a year. I just think there’s too much talent that isn’t getting the opportunity to go hog wild (especially PAC, can we please let this guy do what Bryan Danielson gets to do on a near weekly basis?), and I also wouldn’t mind a guy I’m not crazy about getting the top billing if I knew there were more spots to go around, and that I’d have better luck next time. The promotion is seemingly a logical extension of the golden age of the indies but it only gets to show that 4 times a year. All these guys became stars on the indies by getting to have longer matches on shows with no commercial breaks, no interference, and minimalist storytelling. I’m a bit tired of seeing them limited by their format. Darby/Sammy from Wednesday was the prime example of that, amazing match, shitty finish for the sake of building to the show that “counts”. I’m not saying they shouldn’t do these things, but the balance feels way off to me. Interference should be notable and unexpected, but it feels like the norm here. The only matches that don’t have some sort of chicanery are the squashes. Even when a guy does win something important, 9 times out of 10 they get 5 seconds of celebration before their next angle comes out to beat them down. I just wish things could breathe a little more. And then even when they do get to the PPV, pretty much every match will have some sort of interference that usually leads the heel getting his comeuppance, but it’s still interference nonetheless. It’s tiring to me. Again, Revolution last year, their “Wrestlemania” had interference/fuckery in EVERY SINGLE MATCH. They spent weeks building up the women’s contender in Mizunami, Shida beats her, then they have to send Nyla out to beat her up after her two seconds of celebration. Why can’t the story just be “look at how awesome Shida is, she just beat the best of the best” instead of going right to the next angle. Why couldn’t they wait 3 more days to do that bit?
Anyway, sorry for the rambling, I’ve cooled down on AEW a lot in the past few months to where I’m now starting to skip certain episodes, and just really want to see more commercial free, interference free, quality matches with clean finishes. Sometimes the angle can just be “this person was the better wrestler tonight” without someone getting buried. NXT was really good at that with their PPVs in their heyday, and I don’t think AEW has hit that level of consistency yet.
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Definitely thought Izzy won the fight. I must say, it is soooo refreshing having a champion who immediately sets up his next fight and acknowledges deserving contenders. Not like these champs don’t deserve rest but it’s pretty deflating when a guy wins and all he’s talking about at the press conference is his upcoming vacation and acts like no one deserves to face him. Woodley was the worst at this, dude was calling for GSP or Nick Diaz after one title defense and refused to talk up rising contenders. Izzy knows how to create buzz.
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Really hoping for something different creatively, I always heard rumors back in the day that the Vice City follow up would be set in the 70s. I’d really like to see that, or even the 60s, maybe in a return to Vice City, or perhaps a mid century view of a city in decline like Detroit. Maybe I’m too willfully ignorant but I’d rather not see a game set during or around the pandemic and the ugliness that is the American sociopolitical landscape, just give me subtle hints at it and social commentary from a more cleverly disguised perspective. Also I really hope they open up the mission structure more. Nakeyjakey did a great video you can find on YouTube about RDR2 and how the openness of the world completely clashes with the on rails mission structure.
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Been in limbo the past few weeks just twiddling my thumbs for Elden Ring, decided to give Spider-Man 2018 a go since I’ve heard good things and found it on sale for 15 bucks. Looks like a short enough game that I’ll be able to finish in time for the big kahuna at the end of the month.
In many ways it represents everything I detest about modern game, it’s essentially just a giant checklist where the gameplay isn’t very challenging, so I constantly have tons of extra skill points lying around without feeling much need to use them. And then there’s the constant quick time events which always end up in me failing the mission when I think a cutscene is a safe time to have a drink or check my phone. Then you gotta retry them a few times just to figure out what the stupid button prompts even mean. God I’m so tired of the quick time events. And yet… I’m actually really enjoying it. Web swinging across the city is probably the most addictive form of traversing I’ve experienced in an open world game, to where I’d rather just take the long route than fast travel. Combat isn’t difficult but there’s always enough going on to keep me engaged. I also don’t really care for superheros or Marvel movies but am finding myself engaged in the stories despite the corny dialogue. It’s also kinda funny to see in this game and other superhero movies how reliant the fight scenes are on pro wrestling moves like headscissor takedowns and reverse-ranas. I probably haven’t played more than 10 hours and it looks like I’m about halfway through, so I think I’ll actually be able to complete it. I know with other checklist games I’ve played like Assassins Creed Odyssey and Ghost of Tsushima, 20 hours in is where I hit the burnout point.
Also just picked up Hades for really cheap. Rogue-likes don’t really appeal to me, but I know that’s what everyone says before playing this one, so I’m excited for a new potential time dump.
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I can’t believe I’m 7 pages in and no one else is commenting on how bad that finish was of OC/Cole. Cole just stands there like an idiot while Cassidy gives him a lazy hug and he can’t escape? Dude sold it like he was being bear hugged. Comedy and hardcore are the worst combination in wrestling to me, and this was a prime example of how cringeworthy it can be.
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3 hours ago, Death From Above said:
Gonna blow my own horn a little: I finished Sekiro today. I've been experimenting with streaming despite having real janky internet, so if you want to watch my kill on Sword Saint you can skip to 1 hour 10 minutes into this:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1276899815
Just an incredible video game, legitimately one of the best things I've ever played. A deep, satisfying, rewarding, challenging, well crafted experience. And absolutely one of my favourite first playthgoughs of all-time. 10/10 Hesitation is Defeat
Playing Sekiro was a huge blow to my ego. I thought maybe I was “good” after beating all the SoulsBorne games without any instances of rage quitting or feelings of futility, but then I got to that god damned game. Part of my problems came from playing it like a Souls game and trying to dodge everything with some circle strafing mixed in, and while eventually I learned to face things head on with parries, any time I won an important battle it felt like I got lucky, as opposed to making skilled adjustments. Souls habits die hard I suppose. But having to balance dodge, parry, jump, or mikiri counter based on a short tell was just too much for my aging reaction times. I still want to give it another try, if a skilled player could really walk through with me what I’m doing wrong I might be able to understand things better, but overall it was a humbling experience that left me feeling hopeless, even if I was able to beat the first boss on my first try. I salute you.
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Dark Souls! I'll always be that guy and throw it out there, especially looking at the list of games you've played, it's the perfect series for a seasoned player who's looking for a paradigm shift in how games present themselves to the player. The co-op aspects are pretty groundbreaking but completely optional (and you didn't really beat the game unless you beat every boss 1 on 1 in my eyes), you're not forced to care about some melodramatic story if you don't care, you can completely ignore it but if you do want to know more it's as deep as an ocean and has hours upon hours of lore on YouTube, you don't really need to craft or grind much for gear as you can get some of the best in the starting classes, there's tons of different ways to to play depending on your preferences, and the way the world reveals itself and you come to internalize the map is unlike any game I've played before. Though they're pretty different, when I beat it I immediately thought it was the best action game I had played since RE4. For all intents and purposes it's a Metroidvania. Semi open world with save points based around finding shortcuts and beating bosses via exploits, skill, tanking, cheesing, level grinding, however you feel comfortable. I would recommend consulting a walkthrough for some of the basics, but once you get comfortable you'll be able to play the whole series blind without much need for help. I'd always recommend the first one as it's the most iconic in the series, and if you like it you'll be able to get into a game like Elden Ring easier, which is likely gonna be the game of the year.
Ghost of Tsushima is not a game I'd personally recommend, though I can totally get why people like it. The world is beautiful and there's some great ideas implemented like the guiding wind. It's huge, but I've been a little burnt out on the sprawling sandbox timedumps since beating RDR2 a few years back and am lately preferring more linear games where the enemy placement and obstacles can be curated better. Within a few hours of GoT the loop felt pretty repetitive to me. Find a camp, kill everyone, liberate peasants, loot materials. The game puts a huge emphasis on stealth in the story but in practice stealth only slows you down, it's not difficult to just storm the gates and fight everyone head on, unlike a game like Sekiro where stealth is pretty much necessary, as you won't be able to fight hordes without dying. The side content felt like mindless checklist stuff to me. Go to fox dens and push a button, go to a hot spring and push two buttons, go find a shrine and do a platforming section where there's no timing or accuracy involved so you can't really fail. Your mileage will probably vary, but I just didn't find there to be enough variety in the set pieces, enemies, side quests, or missions to keep me interested.
Witcher 3 is probably a safer recommendation than GoT, I've only played a few hours so far but have seen enough reviews to know it would probably scratch that open world, hundred or so hour adventure itch if that's up your alley.
Persona 5 is my favorite JRPG since Ni no Kuni (Which I'd also recommend if you like the sound of Pokemon meets Studio Ghibli). It's a huge game with components of a visual novel, dungeon crawling monster collector, and a Shibuya life sim. If you're into a good anime series this is definitely recommended, though I am far from an anime guy myself and found myself fully sucked in here. The monster fusions were really addicting to me, the battles, while old school turn based RPG, feel fast paced and emphatic, and the soundtrack is absurdly catchy. It'll stick with you for life if it clicks. I can't think of any game I've played in the last 5 years that oozes so much style and finesse, even in the little things like the UI.
Mass Effect 2, Bioshock, Last of Us, and God of War are all other games I'd also recommend despite not playing at all (Last of Us) or getting about halfway though. I'd say just play whichever one is most aesthetically up your alley.-
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6 hours ago, RIPPA said:
I downloaded Jedi Fallen Order this afternoon since I played as much as Avengers as I am going to.
Guess this will be my last pre-Witch Queen game
I really enjoyed it, probably my favorite Star Wars game I’ve ever played. It felt like baby’s first Dark Souls, in a good way. Jedi Master difficulty I found to be the perfect challenge. The world design was really cool, but the maps are a little hard to comprehend, and no warping made me get lost a bit. I don’t know if I liked or didn’t like having to backtrack through an entire level after beating the main boss, and I wish exploration was more rewarding than just acquiring new skins, but it’s definitely a worthwhile play.
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I’ve been bored looking for a new game to play so I’ve gone back to Dark Souls for a 3rd play through. Especially with a Sorcery build the game is really not that difficult, I think I’ve one shotted every boss until Manus and Kalameet in the DLC. Homing soulmass and soul spear made O&S an absolute joke. Walkthroughs also greatly mitigate the difficulty, but sorcery is no doubt the easy mode. 2 is the only Souls game I would describe as cheap and frustrating. Bloodborne is my favorite and has the best combat, but also very easy to get OP if you want, with easy exp grinding and weapon buffs in the chalice dungeons. It’s crazy to me that these games are now downright relaxing for me to play, because I usually am more into Stardew Valley type games where my brain can shut off and not get frustrated from dying. I’m super hyped for Elden Ring, it’ll be the first Souls game I play at launch, just hope it’s way more like Dark Souls than Sekiro for combat, as Sekiro was way too reaction speed reliant for me.
Pokémon Legends Arceus is the only other game on that list I know much about, I was a big fan of Pokémon and the competitive battling scene up until the 3DS era where the games started feeling really low effort and dumbed down even for a series designed for kids. People seemed hyped for this game and I have to wonder what GameFreak has done recently that would suggest anything they do is more than a lazy, technically unimpressive cash grab. I really hope it’s a good game, but there’s no reason to suggest it should be. The world looks empty and soulless, a problem I had with Breath of the Wild, and this looks substantially emptier than that.
Hogwarts Legacy seems really cool, but little info is out, and I’ll have to wait for reviews before I consider buying.
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Went to some WWE shows from 2002-2005 and have little memory of them besides Wrestlemania 21. Then a bunch of PWG from 2005-2010, then a bunch of shows at Korakuen Hall in 2010 and 2015. I guess I’m spoiled but I really can’t remember seeing anything that the crowd shat on or that struck me as a disaster match. Not the worst, but maybe the most disappointing one I could think of was Sekimoto vs. Ito in 2015, which was a main event, 15 year in the making battle of the aces, really felt like it should have been a landmark, once in a lifetime epic match for Big Japan but it was a completely run of the mill, go through the motions house show effort match. If you’ve seen one Ito match you’ve seen them all, and Sekimoto looked really uncomfortable and hesitant, like he was doing the company and a favor and just wanted to go home. That was a big tipping point for me in losing interest after being obsessed with BJW for a decade and favoring Freedoms more. I went to a Freedoms show that had Rikidozan’s grandson Chikara Momota wrestling in the opener and for some reason he of all people stood out to me as the worst, most unnatural wrestler I had ever seen. Like so bad to the point I actually thought I as a fan could hop in the ring and put on a better performance than him. The dude made Gorgeous Matsuno look like Ric Flair.
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44 minutes ago, John E. Dynamite said:
I'll be that guy. Two matches in and Hook's no-selling a Fire Thunder Driver from a guy twice his size. Already we're going from really organic and fun hype to dumb, forced stuff. This isn't Hook's bad, this is troubling booking. Hated it~
Yeah, I thought the match was really bizarre. Hook not selling for small guys is one thing but this felt like a total misfire to me. The way he sold the punches in the corner looked really bad as well.
Main event was good, part of me feels bad for Sammy but the other part of me feels like he was given a chance to sink or swim and doesn’t quite have the promo ability and charisma to stand out beyond his (albeit amazing) athleticism yet, and needs more time to develop. Cody’s angle is pretty interesting to me, because it always has me wondering if they’re actually aware of how unlikeable some of the things he does are, but I’m like 90% sure that’s the point, and that they’re aware that it makes him a better heel if they insist on him being a good guy. It’s actually kinda groundbreaking and forward thinking of an angle if that’s the case. That entrance theme intro makes me cringe every time, it’s so absurdly drawn out and self indulgent for a show that always feels like they’re crunched for time.
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Still really want to play Octopath Traveller but I never see it on sale, PS Store always having sales has spoiled me to where even 40 bucks feels steep whenever I check out what the Nintendo eShop has to offer. When I see it around 30 one day I’ll probably snatch it, but I’m also so overwhelmed with my backlog I’m never in a rush to buy. Reminds me that I still need to beat FF6 one day. I love that game but have stopped around 2/3rds thru both times I’ve tried playing in the last 15 years, as it’s just soooo big. I always prefer playing it the legitimate way, but I’ve heard there’s some cool mods if you emulate it, things like making Gau’s moves a lot easier to learn and other tweaks to balance out the game, so maybe I’ll give that a go soon. Catching Covid has opened up tons of gaming time for me this holiday season.
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12 hours ago, BobbyWhioux said:
FTR should get a proper run instead of the transition run they had.
Santana/Ortiz are overdue to get a run themselves.
JE getting a run would be a good way to raise Jungle Boy's profile (which I gather is still one of their long term plans)
Barring significant injury and/or major roster shakeups (i.e. adding The Briscoes) you could probably cover the next 18-24 months with those 3 teams being Tag Team Champions in some order
Agree with all of that, but I also think the Best Friends could use a title win, even if they don’t get too far with defenses, just to give them a little more credibility.
I don’t like Pentagon much, Fenix is great but I’ve also noticed he seems to have slowed down a notch, but in general they seemed like a better team for the chase than for actually defending the belts long term. P&P are so great and have unfortunately been attached to Jericho’s act way too long, I can’t wait to see them win the tag titles and go their own way.
I would agree with JE deserving a title win and it felt like they were on track to be the ones to dethrone Young Bucks in the cage match, but obviously that spot went to Lucha Bros, and since then I’ve really soured on Luchasaurus. Dude’s just not doing it for me and hasn’t evolved at all (no pun intended)
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Has there been an update on crowds being able to cheer?
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Taz was always someone I wrote off as well beyond his prime when he was in TNA, never thought I’d enjoy him as much as I have been in AEW. Him and Excalibur are definitely their best commentary duo.
Good episode last night, but it definitely felt like they were cramming too much in and didn’t let things breathe. So a typical episode of Dynamite in other words. Found the Malakai Black angle cringeworthy, very WWE-esque. If Black had just beaten Cody in the third match he’d feel like a top star with few peers to me, now he feels like just another mid card guy. Him and Cody are both guys I really enjoy from a pure bell to bell standpoint, but outside the ring I almost always cringe at their character work.
Hayter/Riho was great. I get people don’t buy Riho’s offense, but she’s definitely one of the best women from a technical standpoint, never does a move she can’t execute cleanly, takes big beatings, and the size difference always lends itself to better match dynamics. And Hayter is also one of my favorites. I enjoy every little thing she does from her strut down the ramp to watching her catch girls on dives. She has a tenacity that is all too lacking in wrestling.
I get that it really cuts the legs out from Hangman, and while I love the dude, Bryan Danielson is on another level and I’d really prefer him in the champion role now. His weekly beatdown gimmick is great and would be even better with the higher stakes of being world champion. Hangman was boring me to tears last week on commentary, I don’t know if he was supposed to acting reserved and at a loss for words, but multiple times he had nothing to say when pressed. Bryan vs. anyone with world title stakes is super appealing to me, whereas Hangman would be better in a long term feud with a big heel like MJF.-
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Edit: Wrong thread, can delete
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33 minutes ago, John from Cincinnati said:
Why? The crowd is always noticeably more quiet for the women’s matches lately, and there’s tons of talent in the men’s division that’s already not getting enough TV time.
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Took me forever to really sit down and watch the show, but some late thoughts that may have been said already
-MJF/Darby was incredible, if not a little too long. The openers tend to be the best matches on the shows but seem to tire the crowd out a bit, the audience seemed quieter than expected for Danielson/Miro. Some of the synchronized spots are a bit silly to me, but they got a good reaction and helped build momentum for the nearfalls. The interference was completely unnecessary and started a trend of too many fuck finishes on a show I’m paying hard earned money for that is all to common in AEW. Apparently MJF is way better against young flashy guys. I didn’t enjoy his stuff against Cody or Jericho much, so I tend to not look forward to a lot of his matches, but him vs. Jungle Boy, Sammy, and Darby have all been bangers. He does a great job of being exciting and engaging while not doing anything overly flashy that a heel shouldn’t do, compared to a heel like Jay White who doesn’t do anything flashy but just comes off as boring and exhausting (tho maybe that’s cause I’m always watching him go over 30 minutes)
-Punk/Kingston was my MOTN, everything it needed to be and then some. With Kingston’s recent matches against Miro, Punk, and Bryan I don’t think it’s crazy to suggest he’s in the conversation for best wrestler in the company
-Young Bucks tag was fun but these kind of matches are starting to blend together for me with the thumbtack gimmicks and spots off the stage. Felt like one of their Dynamite street fight tags dialed up. They really don’t leave a lot for the other roster when it’s a PPV. I would have taken the ATT match off and moved it to Dynamite as the Bucks filled the plunder brawl void.
-Main was good, but I found the ending a bit too corny. I get what they were going for but thought they really dragged it out when it could have been more subtle. Even though he’s more over the top than his brother Nick Jackson somehow comes off as genuine and believable to me, but I cringe every time I have to watch Matt Jackson’s “acting”. Very interested where they go with Hangman as champ, and I agree that it’s intriguing that we have no idea who’s gonna get the belt next.
I enjoyed this PPV a lot more than others, likely in some part due to tempering my expectations beforehand. There’s always gonna be way too many matches with interference, matches that go too long, the need for a continuity director, and crowd burnout by the middle that maybe lasts the entire show. So I can’t say AEW’s PPVs are on the level of the perfectly curated NXT PPVs from a few years back, but at least I’m wanting to watch their TV on a weekly basis.
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6 hours ago, Technico Support said:
Spent the morning gathering hidden packages in Portland. I will say the implementation of rain in this games is godawful. Just the fucking dirt worst. Apparently, the rain is not a 3D object but rather a 2D overlay over the whole screen. Regardless, raindrops are not supposed to be thick white rectangles that fall in a perfect pattern and make it impossible to see anything.
I had three moments collecting hidden packages on Portland where the game teleported me somewhere else from the buggy jumping physics, the hill above the tunnel in the northwest corner is particularly buggy. Luckily there’s auto save, as I had one crash during some taxi missions but didn’t lose much. It really sucks, I want to like these games, and the graphics are great, but they really don’t feel complete or field tested to me. I also feel like I’ve had more issues with cars popping in abruptly with this version than the PS2 or PS3 versions, even tho technically it has better draw distance. They’ve seemingly solved an old problem and created two new ones with a lot of things. I am playing the Switch version, which is always the most buggy version of every game, but I never thought playing these I’d be considering just going back and playing my PS2 copies.
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On the topic of best wrestling video games, I don’t think I ever dedicated more time to a game than Day of Reckoning. I feel like if more people played the series and they had the same modding capabilities as No Mercy it would have taken that legendary status that No Mercy or HCTP holds, because to me it was way better than both. It basically had a refined No Mercy engine where you could actually throw people through tables or onto ladders with whatever move you wanted, unlike the PS2 games, and the creation suite was much better. I also loved that you could easily create some Japanese wrestlers with the pre set designs, I learned who Misawa was from the tights pattern in the game. There used to be thing called NoDQ CAW back in the day and tons of CAW leagues that would always run on DOR, it was the golden age of simulation and fan engagement with wrestling games to me. Wrestlemania 19 was also great for this since it was the same engine and had tons of bizarre gimmicks and skyscrapers to throw your opponent off of and whatnot. I would spend weeks recording my own league on VHS tapes to be sent through capture card and edited in god forsaken Windows Movie Maker, and had notebooks full of CAW formulas and booking plans. Those were the days.
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During the pandemic I 100 % competed every GTA from 3 on. I wish I had known these remasters were coming out, as they look pretty faithful to the originals which are still pretty fresh in my mind. Kind of underwhelmed by some minor things, as I’d really like to see changes like 3 having more durable cars and the inclusion of bikes, nothing game changing like swimming, but it doesn’t seem like they’ve made any gameplay improvements at all. I also don’t understand the use of San Andreas SFX for the maps in all three games, it’s really jarring in Vice City especially. Despite some complaints, I’ll still be getting them and 100%’ing Vice City first, as it’s a fun little 25 hour romp.
I will say after completing every game, GTA 5, which I loved when it came out, lost a lot of appeal to me on replays and I found the linearity of the missions to really clash with the open world presentation. After the PS2 games where you can beat a mission any way you feel like tackling it, 5 just feels way too restrictive and on rails for me. I hated IV when it came out and had never made it past the first few hours, but finally playing it in 2020 made me appreciate it a lot more, even if it felt like I was driving on ice the whole game. That’s where the series really traded the fun factor for realism, and it made the whole game feel like I was slogging through a swamp. IV does a better job than V at feeling a little more open with how you beat missions though but the PS2 era games are still the best to me, some I’m glad they didn’t change the physics in the new ones and kept the same chaotic speed of the gameplay.
Also LCS really stood out to me as being the most underrated of the bunch. It’s basically a polished GTA 3. I love that it rewards you for doing side content with some of the best stuff in the game, unlike GTA IV where you get absolutely nothing for painstakingly hunting down 200 pigeons. The side missions are also some of the hardest I’ve played in the series, Bumps and Grinds specifically took me days.
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All things Elden Ring
in COMPUTERS & GAMES & TECH
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I mean it’s hard for me to say now, but from the impression I get this game won’t be any different than the other SoulsBorne games in how it tells its story. The story and lore is there, and incredibly deep, but it’s not told explicitly in a linear narrative through cutscenes like most games do. It’s much more about piecing little bits of info together from NPCs and item descriptions. Some theorize the item descriptions are the thoughts of the main character. It’s not for everyone, but I really like it, since I mainly just play games for fun gameplay and can try and fill in what I missed with fan made lore videos on YouTube. Sounds like George RR Martin’s role wasn’t much beyond some character and world design, it’ll be a Miyazaki story through and through.
It might be worth a try if you couldn’t get into DS1 (that’s the Switch one), personally I find DS1 the best game of the series to start with, but to some it feels a bit dated. If you’re not into the cryptic game mechanics, a walkthrough can make all the difference. Understanding what a viable build looks like is probably the first step to success, and eliminating lots of trial and error. Every game has basically the same system of an HP stat, stamina, endurance for managing equipment weight and how fast you can move with certain gear, strength for heavy slower weapons, dex for lighter fast weapons, attunement for how many spells you need, intelligence for mostly offensive sorceries, and faith for mostly support miracles.