The Man Known as Dan

While possible that's part of it, the bigger concern is likely that Sanders isn't a great athlete, doesn't have a great arm, has a history of throwing his Offensive Line under the bus in interviews, and there are heavy reports many teams thought he interviewed like crap at hte combine. Still possible he ends up going high if one team falls in love, of course. But a lot of the public opinion is low on him.

I’d be surprised if it isn’t at this point.

The story will obviously be the main, but I think Kidd in particular has really tapped into something by basically becoming the face of home grown pride for New Japan, and Tsuji has stepped up tremendously over the last 6 months. Doing this match and then finding a way to keep them far away from each other for a while is a logical move. Have to think the War Dogs split is coming soon, with Finlay and Kidd going different directions.

Hell of a thing. Really strong show, last 2 matches delivered heavily, and yeah, watch it.

Strong recommendation for Fujita/Desperado. Outstanding stuff overall.

That is not just a bad trade, that if I was a Mavs fan with tickets to the next game, I would show up specifically to just boo all game. That's not only the biggest trade in NBA history, but it's arguably the biggest fleece in NBA history. And Anthony Davis is real good, but Luca is Luca.

Almost stealthily, GTA has made an update that makes it so you can create random races were you can turn into any car in the game at the end of any lap, a beloved feature on various online modded servers. And it's so fucking fun.

I still am very confused how this is supposed to be him going off the rails, when the story of the feud was that Kidd basically called Omega a sellout who took the money even though his heart was still with New Japan. Hell, here were Kidd's exact comments that helped get the fans behind him. "I don’t give a shit if AEW want to sign me. What, so I can go and turn up to TV, be Tony’s new toy? Go on Dynamite, have a couple of matches and then sit and catering for 23 weeks doing fuck all, flying to Toledo, Ohio, to do what? A show in front of a crowd that have seen five hours of wrestling already? I have no interest in that whatsoever. Wrestling to me, I’m a professional, but wrestling means more to me than these guys, and I think it’s about time that someone with New Japan stepped up and has some fucking balls. We are getting our pants pulled down and dogged by the rest of the wrestling world because of being professional. So maybe it is time to be a little bit unprofessional. Maybe it is time to talk a bit of shit, and if they have anything to say about it, can come and chat to me. I have no problem pulling Tony Khan into our office and telling him what’s what. I have no problem reading him his rights and telling him what a fucking idiot he is. So that’s that," "Do I ever not speak from the heart? Do I ever talk and you think, ‘Oh, Gabe’s half-assing it today, his heart ain’t in it.’ Nah, ‘cause my heart’s always in it forever, and you left, like a traitor, like a bitch. You ran off for the money and realized that it can’t fulfill what’s inside. You don’t get that shit in Toledo, Ohio. You don’t get that shot in Phoenix, Arizona. The heart and soul of pro wrestling is in Korakuen Hall, and you know it. You made your bed, Kenneth. Now fucking lie in it. Better yet, you dug your grave, Kenneth. I’m happy to put you in it," The inherit story of the feud was Kidd stepping up to defend the honor of New Japan against a company that has been claiming their top talent, and it's made him a babyface to that fan base, with Omega actively playing heel in the match. If you think he went too far with the money mark line, fine. But the idea that this wasn't s a New Japan/AEW feud to begin with, is just straight wrong. Will be frustrating, as he's a big part of my New Japan watching.

We are getting side tracked on what my main point. My talking point was simple: Japanese fans in New Japan are responding very positively to guys trash talking the guys who left the company. Gabe Kidd has gone from the 2nd heel in a well booked stable to a guy the fans cheered over Omega, and while some of that is talent, a large part of that is also the messaging resonating with fans. I could argue about New Japan's booking (Though the complaints about House of Torture remain silly. It's a consistently well reacted too part of the shows, and it's clear it is still over with the native fans, who it is much more important to pursue for New Japan then foreign watches, especially as the more popular a wrestler gets with the US crowd, the more likely it is AEW will just sign them at the next possible moment anyway. EVIL is a draw, and is likely not going anywhere), but at the end of the day, I've largely really enjoyed their booking this year, specifically for Tsuji, Finlay, Kidd, and Oiwa, as well as their frankly banger of a junior tag division. I'm also really excited for Goto/Sabre. But all I wanted to do was mention how interesting it is that the Japanese crowd reaction so positively to Kidd basically waving the company flag, and using Inoki spots to defend it.

I'm not arguing any of the wrestlers were in the wrong, I'm arguing the perception among Japanese fans is probably pretty much hitting a point of "Every time a guy steps up to be one of our key home growns they get poached by AEW, and it really sucks." They have a talented roster, sure, but as someone watching the shit out of the company, they don't have a real clear as day top guy ready to step into being "The Man" right now, because The Man in the company as well as the top gaijin both poached in the last 12 months, on contracts they couldn't hope to match. In the last 10 years they've had to go from AJ to Omega to White to Ospreay for their top gaijin and they all got poached. But at least with Gaijin's that's kind of understandable. But I think losing Okada was kind of the nail that turned the feeling on AEW taking their guys to being something a large part of their fanbase is getting pissed about. (Also, Okada leaving without putting anyone over after how much New Japan helped make him also felt kind of shitty to me, but that's just a personal note) I'm not saying New Japan booking is perfect, but even as someone who likes a lot of the young up and comers in Tsuji, Oiwa, Kidd, Finlay, and Yuya, I also don't think any of them are ready to be the face of the company either. I think accepting a down period with Zach at the top was the smart play. But losing all their top guys in their prime in rapid succesion has to suck, and I don't blame the Japanese fans for being frustrated their company has basically became a feeder league to some son of a billionaire's fed.

The talk is going to be about Omega, but I think the fascinating thing about this show is the takeaway that I think Kidd is really great and ready to be a top act, and that I also think they hit something kind of awkward but needed with his points about guys leaving for AEW on big money deals starting to be really frustrating to the local fan base. It almost felt like this show was designed to amplify Japanese fans frustrations with the power dynamic between AEW and New Japan. AEW has given mega contracts to a lot of guys New Japan made, leaving New Japan pretty crippled with Tanahashi and Naito being the only real top draws left, both too broken down to carry the company while basically all the people they built to replace them gone. And this show featured 2 pretty highly pushed New Japan guys in Shota and Finlay get basically dominated for 75-80% of their matches before kind of just sneaking into wins, both against wrestlers who aren’t big deals in a Japan. Then the Bucks, pushed as 2 people associated with ownership of AEW beat 2 baby face tag teams to take their main tag titles. It almost felt like the show was booked to further build resentment to get the crowd even more behind Kidd. It’s really damned interesting if this was intentional or not. Kidd getting such a face reaction should be ran with, as he’s clearly ready for a real shot at the top of the card. Dude is like 08-10 Heel Kingston in his legitimacy, but even crazier.

Marvel Rivals is such an annoying game for me because it’s the type of game I have zero interest in but some of the character designs just feel so absurdly good that I want to try it anyway. That game is one Kitty Pryde away from getting me hook like and sinker, and I’m already on the border just from Magik and Psylocke (whose design is legit an all timer for me)

I always love Game Awards because I always come away more excited for some weird game that doesn't draw the attention. Dispatch is 100% my style of game.

It's good to see my general confusion with this title is common. It's the weirdest combination of "Really enjoying a lot of elements" and "completely befuddled by decisions made that seem to damage what should be an amazing title" The game's threat is dark, arguably worse then any other Dragon Age game, and sometimes the game realizes that. Other times it's goofy friends having fun.

Like they don’t kick SMU out for Bama if SMU loses.

Alabama doesn't just have 3 losses, 2 of those losses are to Vandy and Oklahoma, and just put up 3 points against one of them. Them not dropping out of the top 15 is pure brand recognition bullshit.

Pretty telling this thread has already grown so quiet. I'm still playing, still... ungodly mixed. Actually now running 3 play throughs, my first as an Elven Rogue, another as a Dwarven Rogue (And possibly the best character I've ever created appearance wise), and a Quanari Mage. I will say, I'm pretty disappointed in how little me being a Quanari pops up, especially when I'm in Tevinter, who has had a basically constant war with them. But in terms of actually playing the games, I feel they've made Rogue and Mage incredibly fun combat wise. As for companions, the writing on them is so damned hit or miss. Some feel really strong, specifically Bellara, Emmerich, Davrin, and, imo, Neve (I've seen some people aren't happy with her voice actress being so... monotone? I actually disagree with them, I like it as a character beat compared to everyone else.). Harding and Lucanis's writing feels pretty mediocre and frustrating, and the complaints about Lucanis's romance are loud and pretty justified from what I've seen. Then there is Taash, and, oh boy, Taash. I was expecting to have to defend their writing from anti-woke non sense. But I legitimately feel like they wrote Taash as an immature teenager, but then someone at EA or the writers room said "We can't have Non-Binary character in the game and let people insult them, the optics would be terrible" so instead you can't talk negatively about them acting like a dick to other squad mates at times. I want to like Taash, but they feel like the worst Bioware companion in a long time and it's rough saying that. The weirdest thing I can say about this game is I legitimately think it's better if you haven't played the previous ones.

I have such a weird relationship with this game, I swear. I’m still playing it, having fun, because I’m just pretending it’s not actually connected to the other Dragon Age games. It’s a really fun game if you ignore it seemingly trying to bury the previous games. Like, it’s both a good game overall, and the game that kind of makes me wish the studio dies before Mass Effect 5, cause if they told long term fans of DA to go fuck themselves this hard, what the hell are they gonna do to a Mass Effect game that isn’t somewhat a spin off like Andromeda?

I actually greatly disagree with this. Yeah, it's not as interconnected as Mass Effect through a shared protagonist, but every game set up the next one, and it constantly built the universe and the lore behind it (Which has been really well connected through the games to build mystery and intrigue on what is real and what isn't). Many central themes have also carried out throughout the series: The different religious aspects and how intertwined they are with the world at large, the general failure of many major organizations leading to everything to be needed to be fixed, and having to bring different people or entire groups together for a common, vital goal in spite of contrast and disagreements in between. The problem with this game, which I think is actually overall fun, is it doesn't do what a Dragon Age game does. From what I've seen 10-15 hours in, none of the factions seem opposed with each other, or even that important in the grand scheme of things in some cases (The Wardens being the major exception). We are in Tevinter, the only place in the world that supports the Black Devine, and.... it doesn't even come up? Honestly, I don't think I even talked to a single person who has a connection to the Chantry at this point. This game has seemingly abandoned all pre-existing narrative direction, is throwing all the lore at you that had been being built way too easily, and that's not even going into the discussion at the bar. It legitimately feels like they are telling the previous writers of the game to go fuck themselves, along with fans of the pre-existing lore and I just... don't get it.

So, finally recruited my last squad member. That led to one of the weirdest fucking hours of a game I've ever seen in my life. I'll give a rundown. I won't give major spoilers, but... man, what the fuck. I, uh... I had heard this game throws a lot of shit that makes you go "What were they thinking!?" but it all happened so far. I'll just... go over a loose description of what and my reaction. Consider this a play, if you will. *ahem* "So, recruited last team member, and now I have a chance to meet with a character at a Bar in Tevinter. Sure, that feels like an interesting story beat" *The Sequence of that mission happens* What the absolute Fuck!? You just included news that would infuriate any previous Dragon Age fan of ANY Dragon Age game out of nowhere like that!? What the Fuck are we even doing here!? Who thought this was a good idea!? It almost feels like it's here intentionally to piss people off. Holy Shit" Ugh. I'm tempted to turn the game off, but I can use those statue things I've been collecting. 4 of them down, lets see what they do. *Puts down 1st Statue* Well, that's a major lore drop. Kind of tracks though. Let's see the second one does. *Puts down 2nd statue* Okay, kind of tracks, but that will probably annoy a lot of Solas/Inquisitor shippers. *Puts 3rd Statue Down* ....... You.... You just dropped one of the biggest lore drops in Dragon Age history. And then had the characters talk about it and decide to tell nobody. I.... Only 90 seconds talking about world breaking information. Why are we giving away literally everything? *Puts down 4th Statue* ..... I..... So, two OTHER massive revelations in Dragon Age lore that wasn't established before. And a whopping 90 second scene talking about it. I just... Who wrote this game? Why are they both rushing out as much lore as humanly possible quickly, thus leaving no intrigue left in the setting, while also seemingly hating the series entirely before they took over as head writing? End Scene. I have no god damned clue what this game is on. I was enjoying it, but jesus, I'm so confused about the decisions that were made regarding this. And I still have 2 more statues and think they've already given waaaaaaaay too much lore already, and I'm pretty sure I'm not even through the 2nd act yet.

I can’t believe I’m typing this again, but I thought I would mention: I haven’t gotten to the ending, not even through act 2 yet, but this games ending is getting absolutely destroyed online. Like, it’s getting Mass Effect 3 reaction. We Deja Vuing in this house apparently.

So, played it most of today. Hit the inevitable first big BioWare game emotional twist with massive consequences. I don't think that's a spoiler, cause it's a BioWare game, you knew that shit was coming. This game is good. This game, imo, is really good. It's not perfect, but it has a lot of Mass Effect 2 feel and structure. I'm enjoying the combat more then I have for any DA game in it's history, and while the writing can, at times, have a silly quality, that shits been around for a while. Dare I mention "Swooping is Bad"? But I kind of like that goofiness at times. But when it gets serious, it gets serious, and doesn't fuck around with it. And that's exactly what I wanted. I'm in. You got me BioWare. You did it.

I have been hearing the games writing greatly improves as the story gets more serious. I'm already still "In" but I'm progressing slowly, doing missions in the Forest, gaining a friendship with the girls. Already played for 6 hours and still haven't even done the mission to get the 4th Companion yet.

Played it about 5 hours and was reluctant to put it down at 4 AM, which is a good sign, which is a good sign. Some early non spoilery thoughts. On PC, the game is pretty beautiful, but I'm noticing more buggy stuff then I was expecting. My character has reverted to the template the character was based on a couple times. If I go to the customization it fixes the issue. Character creation is quite good. Some complaints I've seen and at the moment, I have to reaffirm: The characters can feel too chipper, since the stakes are pretty dire. Some of the puzzles are simply too easy, and even if you turn off quest markers the companions just tell you what to do immediately. But, overall, I'm very much having a good time. Character animations look great, even if the art style might not be for everyone. The main reason to play this game to me is what it has been for a while: The Lore my Friends. Even only having 3 companions and the game is already going pretty hard lore wise. If you are a lore hound, which is like 90% of die hard Dragon Gate fans, you'll have fun with.

Downloaded and ready to go when I get off work tonight. Will be interesting to see how it fairs