Doc Townsend

One of the rumors going around on social media the past few days is that Sega is getting back into the console business, but only in Japan. So this bit sort of plays into that rumor. Honestly, when i saw the GG mini on social media this morning, I did assume that it was the "revolutionary" announcement being teased. Lol. Yeah, GG Mni seems like a bad idea even at $50.

Inventing a new character to put under the hood seems wrong. I like the Kate Kane character quite a bit. On the other hand, it does them an excuse to drop Kate's family and the love interest from the show. I thought they were more of a problem than Ruby Rose (or anything else).

How'd he do that? I assumed he wanted out of the deal. Wrestling in empty arenas doesn't seem that appealing for a celebrity part-timer.

I'd give it a try. I thought it was exceptionally well-written. The major characters are fleshed out really well, and there are some issues raised that rarely get dealt with in any medium. The carnivores vs. herbivores is dealt with, but it's not a huge part of the show during the first eight episodes. It's a societal issue that doesn't touch the characters directly for most of the series, even when a murder takes place on campus (the incident is quickly forgotten and never raised again). It's a societal issue that's in the background for most of these characters. It exists and occasionally touches their lives, but it doesn't dominate their thoughts or relationships. Basically, the first eight episodes were a perceptive coming-of-age drama. About anthropomorphic animals. Then a Liam Neeson flick broke out in the last 1/3 and I lost a little interest. Maybe it will work better for you. I'm still onboard for season 2.

Watched Beastars over the weekend. Kinda have mixed opinions about it. I really enjoyed the first eight episodes. It's well-written, the animation is fine, the characters are well-defined, and I was really drawn in by the world-building. Basically, it's a slice-of-life drama set in a world populated by anthropomorphic animals (they wear close and talk) where the major social division is carnivores vs. herbivores. The story is set against the backdrop of a high school drama club and revolves around a Romeo and Juliet-style romance between a wolf and a dwarf rabbit. First eight episodes are very laid-back. The drama is generated by character relationships, with no action or violence other than a fight between high schoolers. The tone of the show changes radically in episode 9 (of 12), with an act of random violence, followed by a whole lot more violence and a couple brutal deaths It's a really schizophenic tonal shift and it took me out of the show. Granted, the violence is used to drive the primary relationship forward, but a bloody revenge quest wasn't what I wanted from the show. I wish they had stuck to the initial aesthetic. The anime in based on a manga, so I'm assuming the creators are sticking closely to the original sequence of events. Still, I thought the writing was very good, and the world they create around the characters is believable and fascinating. There's a second season planned for 2021, so maybe that will address my issues,

Lol, is this a from a skit on the show, or just Otis and Mandy Rose goofing around?

Has anyone bought a physical edition of Sonic Mania Plus lately? I was going to order a copy this morning, but I keep seeing an edition with a cardboard slipcase and an artbook. I want that edition, but so far as I can tell, there wasn't a special launch day or limited edition of the game. Does every edition of the game come with the slipcase and art book or just certain copies? Already tried Google without any luck and Best Buy has a pic of the artbook/slipcase in their listing. Wondering if I can just order from Amazon or Best Buy and get what I want, or if they'd ship me the game and plastic case and omit the extras. Thanks.

I tell myself I'm going to hold off for a bit and let the catalog buid up before I buy a PS5. That's probably a lie, or at least overly optimistic. I'm expecting there will be a triple-AAA exclusive at or near launch that will get me to buy. Or Limited Run Games and other indie publishers will start publishing games exclusively for PS5 and it will cost too much to buy a bunch of LRS' titles off eBay later on and pay $50 more for every game. My decision will hinge a lot on backwards compatibility. Sony has sent some mixed messages. I don't really expect PS1, 2, or 3 to backwards compatible. I'll be satisfied if most PS4 games run on PS5 out of the box, without having to download an emulated copy (as you do on Xbox). In theory, I'm not buying a PS5 until at least next summer, but we'll see. As far as consoles go, I'd be more interested in a next-gen Sega console. I doubt that's what the big announcement is, but the idea is intriguing.

Mid 90's. Issues #353-364.

Beverly Brothers had impressive looking, high-impact finisher. I can understand why no one else has used it though:

I guess I should watch this? I was going to post about it last night. I know almost nothing about it, beyond what Wiki tells. I've heard people talk about it sort of reverentially without quite making it clear why they love it. Oh, and it was directed by the director of Garo: The Carved Seal of Flames, which I fairly enjoyed. If anyone wants to try to sell me on the show, it'd be appreciated.

I really want a Fast and Furious game where they ride motorcycles instead of driving cars. And the game uses the ragdoll physics engine from Trials. Basically, I just want a F&F game where you can watch Vin and Tyrese get folded like an origami bird. Like Rippa said, Tyrese will be cool with this as long as the check clears. C'mon. I don't ask for much.

Same here. If we can get back crowds next year, I'm prepared to live without crowds this year, but what I expect to happen is crowds at 25-50% capacity. My family has season tickets for the local NFL team and season tickets for several fall University sports. FWIW, the NFL team already contacted us about renewing our seats and we've received emails from the University about how they're going to handle season tickets this year (since less tickets will be sold this year). Lol, even our local farmer's market is reopening tomorrow. County Commission had been adamant that the farmer's market could not go on in person except for online orders, but they did a sudden about-face yesterday.

Texas signed a new executive order permitting crowds at outdoor sporting events beginning today. 25% capacity. NFL is currently saying there will absolutely be a season and the plan now is for there to be some sort of crowd. At least a few teams are selling season tickets. Ohio State University is selling season tickets and believes it will be allowed to fill the stadium to 50% capacity. Supposedly, the governor told them that is feasible. Florida is (was?) planning to start admitting crowds beginning June 1. Multiple other sports organizations have supposedly been told they can start admitting some sort of crowd later this year. Dunno if any of this will happen - I'm somewhat skeptical - but it's certainly not a given that your source is right.

Been playing some "under the radar' titles lately and enjoying them quite a bit. Marvel Epic Pinball Collection - digging this quite a bit. Not enough of a pinball expert to really appreciate the difference between tables so I don''t really have a favorite or least favorite. First exposure to Zen Studios and it's a positive one. Think they released a Star Wars pinball compilation on the Switch. Intend to buy that one soon. Yoku's Island Express - speaking of pinball.... Yoku's is a wacky pinball/platformer hybrid. Basically each environment has pinball flippers and you use those to slingshot Yoku through the levels. It works a lot better than it sounds. Probably one of my favorite PS4 games. Rayman - The original. I've had copies of this game in my Saturn library for years and never played much of it. Playing through it now on the PlayStation mini. Colorful, whimsical 2d platformer. I probably like Legends and Origins more, but this is still a great game. Toki Tori 2 + - this was a real surprise. I read enough reviews and clickbait articles (Best metroidvanias, best of the year, hidden gems, etc) that I rarely get completely blindsided by a game, but this one caught me off guard. Had heard very little about it until I saw a game designer praising it on Youtube. It's a sickeningly cute, very simple puzzle platformer with very simple control mechanics. Lots of ingenious puzzles involving things like causing water to flow, collecting fireflies, growing grass. Level design is ingenious in that you can basically go anywhere or do anything at any time, but you probably won't even think to try a lot of things until the tutorial leads you to try them. Maybe my favorite PS4 platformer, and PS4 has an awful lot of indy platformers I really enjoy. Got a couple of visual novels in the mail, so I'll probably be playing the Nonary games compilation next week. May pick up Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair this weekend too. Designers are ex-Rare staffers who left Rare when they couldn't get a new Banjo-Kazooie game made.

I'd probably prefer to see a Saturn mini. Though the Dreamcast has a ridiculous number of good shooters and 2d fighting games that were never released in North America. Eh, I'd buy either, really, though I honestly am a bigger fan of the Saturn. I'd love to see a new Sega console announced, but I'm skeptical. I feel like a new Sega console would have to offer gamers a lot of console exclusives to get people away from Sony and Microsoft and I don't know that they could pull that off. There's a tremendous financial incentive to makes titles available on multiple platforms. MS buying Sega doesn't seem like the sort of industry-changing news being teased. Then again, neither do Sega minis. Maybe it is a new console announcement. Segagaga 2 and Seaman: Even Creepier? I can live with that.

To this, I'd add that making a million - or even a couple million - doesn't necessarily mean you're set for life. Athletes, like most of the rest of us, spend more money when they make more money. There are probably a lot of MLB players who overextended themselves on the theory that they have a guaranteed income for the next three or five years. There are also a lot of guys who are simply bad with money, or who signed a backloaded contract. Am acquaintance of mine is related to a MLB player. The player in question made 30+ million over six years but signed his contract after only a year in the league and agreed to a backloaded contract that paid him less than 2 million a year during the first few seasons (and only a few hundred thousand in the first year), and most of the contract value was tied up in years 4-6. He borrowed pretty heavily against future earnings to build a couple houses and take care of his extended family, If play had been suspended due to an act of god before the fourth year of his contract and he hadn't continued to get paid, he would probably have been ruined financially.

Particularly since the A's told the company managing their stadium that they "have no capacity to pay" their rent. Still, I think MLB does everything it can - for now, at least - to keep anyone from filing bankruptcy and opening up their books. Some commentators think the owners are just trying to play hardball before caving and making a deal at the last moment. Though the same people think the owners estimated how the public would respond to their proposals.

Brock Lesnar?

Wild Rings 2.

Eh.... someone reminded me about that time Punisher became a black man. I didn't really need to remember that was a thing. This happened not long after the Rodney King riots, so I assume writer Mike Baron was inspired by that and wanted to try his hand at social commentary. The results were... not good. In Baron's defense.... um.... I really liked Nexus and Badger during the First Comics era. I can't decide if the above is more or less ridiculous than Punisher's turn as a Frankenstein monster. At least that had Rick Remender on the book. Mike Baron's understanding of how plastic surgery worked in the 90's was just bizarre.

Dammit, I hadn't watched the episode yet or heard that that character appeared.

Has Lacey even been on tv since Extreme Rules? (Edit: She apparently wrestled Dana Brooke on Main Event?) Also, WWE has casual fans? Where is he? I'd like to meet him.

Harvey Dent Smith? Bane Al Ghul Smith is right there.