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Watch The Legend of Zelda Consternation Randomizer

Randomizers in the Speedrunning community are ROM hacks that breathe life into certain old games where a random experience can create a very thrilling run. Recently Games Done Quick showed off a run by Skybilz in The Legend of Zelda Consternation Randomizer which takes the original NES game and mixes up the items with a few other fun bits. In the run you can watch above, Skybilz plays through the Zelda randomizer twice and there are some really fun turns in level 9. Randomizers really flex a Speedrunners game knowledge and require a very deep focus on all the games items, levels and what's required to get to "go mode" which is having all the items such that you can... Read All

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Spoiler-Free Review

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Wow, I can’t believe how long it’s been since FF12 was released and it was on the PS2! Luckily, Square-Enix has decided to remaster some of those now “old” FF games, including FF12. This remaster is called Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. It’s a bit obvious, but I think the main part of this remaster is the visual upgrade. I was really disappointed with the original, in that it didn’t look so great, so I believe it most definitely needed this upgrade. It looks better now. Take a look at a comparison video and you’ll see how much better it is.

Be aware though, there are other ways in which this version differs from the original, though I didn’t look to see what they... Read All Wow, I can’t believe how long it’s been since FF12 was released and it was on the PS2! Luckily, Square-Enix has decided to remaster some of those now “old” FF games, including FF12. This remaster is called Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. It’s a bit obvious, but I think the main part of this remaster is the visual upgrade. I was really disappointed with the original, in that it didn’t look so great, so I believe it most definitely needed this upgrade. It looks better now. Take a look at a comparison video and you’ll see how much better it is.

Be aware though, there are other ways in which this version differs from the original, though I didn’t look to see what they all are. However, I noticed in my Internet searches that some things or ways to get things have been changed or removed. So, if you’re playing and you’re looking for info about something, take notice that what you’re looking at applies to this version and not only the original. One example of this that I ran into was how to obtain Ribbons. Ribbons are an accessory, which makes the wearer “immune to status ailments” according to the wiki. These are rare and highly sought after. I wanted to get some, but it looked like they made some changes, so I wasn’t sure exactly which of the original ways to get them had been removed or changed. Ultimately, because of this, I decided not to spend too much time on it and I just skipped over that, even though it would have been beneficial in some side quests. I think I did see that you can use Cheat Engine (a good cheating program I’ve used in other games), but I didn’t bother with that.

In FF12, the combat system is not quite like other FF games before it. Instead of issuing commands for each character once an ATB fills up, characters will act on their own when they’re ready to act. Although, you can still switch between characters and chose an action for them to do, quite simply. This “Gambit” system allows you to select certain commands to occur on certain conditions. For instance, you could set one up that’s “Foe: lowest HP” and then set up the action to “Attack.” You could also use one that’s “Ally: Status KO” and set up the action to use “Phoenix Down” or you could set up another for the same, but have the action as “Rise” or “Arise.” The list of Gambits has a top-priority, so the lines closer to the top get executed first, as long as the condition applies, if not then the line below it is active, continuing until it finds a condition that applies. So, you’ll probably want all of your healing gambits at the top and your attack at the bottom, so you prioritize healing over attacking (it’s not good trying to attack if you’re KO’d). This may take some learning and getting used to, but once you accomplish that then it’s really not a bad system, it kind of “takes your hands off the steering wheel,” giving your characters some autonomy, even if you pre-selected actions. One thing that confused me at first was that there are different tabs where you can set up different gambits for different battles. Your characters will follow whatever page of gambits you leave it on, they don’t follow each tab, only one tab at a time, so you can create different custom gambit lists.

I love Ivalice! There are some major races, many of which are humanoid, but also like an animal. Humes are humans, as you could easily guess. I’ve never seen a male Viera, but according to the wiki, they do exist. Viera are kind of tall and skinny with very tall ears on top of their heads, which look like rabbit ears. I really love the Viera, one of the main characters in the game, Fran, is a Viera and I really love her. Nu mou have an interesting and canine-like description on the wiki. They are smaller than humes, but live three times as long. I didn’t see many of them, in fact I think the ones I did see were part of a side quest. You’ll see a lot more Bangaa, though. They have a lizard-like appearance. There are also Seeq, which look like pigs. They’re a bit shorter and stouter than humes. There are other races in the game, but these are the main ones. Oh and I can’t forget the Moogles! If you don’t know what Moogles are, you haven’t paid attention to Final Fantasy. They are still little, but now skinnier and they have rabbit-like ears, similar to the Viera, but smaller. They have a “red pom-pom” on top of their heads connected by a wire. Often in FF games, this is actually attached as a tail. They don’t talk much and you won’t see many of them there. They seem to be mostly engineers.

The “jobs” or “class” system is back. Some of these you can choose from are typical FF ones like White Mage, Black Mage, Red Battlemage, Time Mage, Archer, and Knight, but there are more. Each “job” is actually called a “license board.” You earn “license points” (LP) after a battle and you use these to activate a tile on a license board, which is called a “license.” These will give you an ability or a stat increase. This is how you become able to wear different armors, accessories, and use different weapons, magics, and skills. Each “job” uses a different weapon, there is one for Ninja Swords and another for Crossbows, just to name a couple. Each character can have two active license boards (or you can think of this as a dual-job). When you fill one up, you can activate a tile that will let you use another board, but you won’t lose the tiles you activated on the previous board. However, if you go talk to Montblanc, he can let you switch boards, but it will refund you all the LP you used and wipe everything clean. After doing, so you can select another board, fill it up, and select the second to fill up. So, you could actually have a character that’s a White and Black Mage. I changed my characters sometimes. I ended up with making everyone a White Mage first, because White Magic is the best (Arise, Esuna, Shell, Protect, etc.) and then something else. It’s really not a complicated thing and eventually you’ll have more LP than you can use. There are other skills you can learn called “Technicks.” Some of these skills include “Gil Toss” and “Steal.” Some of them are limited to certain “jobs”, so one Technick might only be available to a few different “jobs.” There are plenty of these, though I didn’t use many of them.

So, you need to active the “license” on a license board to be able to use a piece of armor, accessory, weapon, magic, technick, etc. But, you also have to find that armor, accessory, weapon, magic, technick, etc. to use. So, if you have a good sword you want to use, you’ll have to unlock it on the license board and it won’t be available to every job (Mages don’t wield swords, though you could have a White Mage/Knight combo to do so). Everything is scattered throughout the game and many of them are hidden.

I mentioned Montblanc, so I should mention clans. You get put in one automatically. Clans don’t necessarily matter, it’s what you can do in a clan. Basically, there are monsters that people want hunted, so they’ll post something on a board in a bar, for instance. You can see the posts, with limited information about the hunt. Once you’ve accepted it, you have to go speak with the person who posted it to get more details. The game will show you (on a map) where that person is, then where the monster is once the person gives you the info. These monsters are usually tougher than regular monsters. You may need to exercise some caution as some of them may be too difficult to deal with at first. After completion, you’ll have to return to the poster and get your reward. Doing these hunts will increase your clan rank. Each time you reach a new rank, Montblanc will give you a reward. You can also get rewards for defeating certain monsters or achieving other conditions. The higher your clan rank, the better things you can buy in the bazaar. I completed most of these, but not all of them.

There are a lot of things to do. As it goes with FF games, this one is also full of side quests. I don’t recall how many or which ones I completed when I first played this game all those years ago when it was released (I pre-ordered it and was even able to buy a FF12 shirt from a GameStop employee). In this play through, I made it to a point that I thought was a bit more difficult that I’d like, so I took some time away from the story to do some side quests. Eventually, I reached a point where I had to continue the story so that certain things were available. Once I returned to (and finished) the story, I found it much easier. Not long after, I reached the point of no return, which is pretty much exactly where you want to stop to do all of your side quests. The game will tell you when you’ve reached this point. So, the difficulty is like most other FF games where you just have to find better gear (including armor, weapons, magics, and abilities) and level up for things to get easier. You do earn experience points and thus levels, but I read something that said gear is more important than levels.

Oh, you might be familiar with “espers,” which is a term used in some other FF games that refers to large beings you can summon. In most games some forms of these are Bahamut and Shiva, however the only ways in which you’ll see many of those familiar summons is as an airship. However, there are others like them with similar abilities. You can summon them and they’ll fight along side the character that summoned them, the rest of your party isn’t there anymore. The esper will use it’s own abilities and you can use yours. However, your esper can get killed. If that happens, or you get killed in the fight, your esper will be “dismissed.” You’ll have some bars under your name, which shows how much power (not sure what it’s called) you have. If it’s full, you can summon an esper or use a “quickening,” if it’s empty, you have to wait. I think Ethers will restore this energy. Quickenings are pretty much what are usually called “limit breaks.” These are special large abilities characters use to attack a foe. Once one character starts using one, you’ll have a brief period of time to press a button next to a different character’s name, if successfully done, another character will do their quickening and you can try to select another character, until you miss or all the quickening/summoning bars are depleted.

I’ve now only played through FF12 twice, the first time with the original and this time. Getting back into it reminded me the two FF: Tactics games (the second was A2). Both are great games and I miss them very much, I wish they’d bring those to Steam (and consoles, I guess).

Oh and there are other, non-visual, enhancements. One of them allows you to increase the speed of the game. This could make traveling around, fighting monsters, or running away from them easier. I should also mention that random encounters aren't so random. You can see each enemy in your view on the screen or the mini-map. So, you can chose to attack or avoid whichever you want. There's no cut between starting a battle and being in it, it all happens in real-time, which is unlike some other FF games. If you defeat all the monsters in an area, usually you can get out of the zone and get back into it for them to respawn.

That might cover all the major things to talk about. Overall, I think if you like FF games, you’ll probably like this one. While it isn’t my favorite, it’s still pretty good. It does have it’s moments of “eh,” but I think overall it’s good. I definitely recommend checking this out, especially if you’re into FF games.

Let me know what you think about FF12 and this remaster. I wasn’t overly excited about it. I even hesitated to buy it for a while, but I found it at a good discount recently and got it. I didn’t think I’d enjoy playing it (again) as much as I did. Feel free to check out the embedded video for another positive review.

Magic The Gathering Arena Is Now On Mobile And Well Worth Playing!

Magic The Gathering is a classic collectable card game that continues to be the most popular of it's kind. Even during COVID it's more popular than ever and in 2019 Wizards of the Coast launched Magic The Gathering Arena to pitch the game in a new way to compete digitally with other digital card games such as Hearthstone and Gwent. I've tried earlier incarnations of Magic the Gathering in a digital form and found them to be severely lacking in that the user experience made the game a chore to play. Magic the Gathering Arena takes the Magic ruleset and streamlines the experience to make the game more accessible. I'm not an Magic expert so I'm not aware if any rules... Read All Magic The Gathering is a classic collectable card game that continues to be the most popular of it's kind. Even during COVID it's more popular than ever and in 2019 Wizards of the Coast launched Magic The Gathering Arena to pitch the game in a new way to compete digitally with other digital card games such as Hearthstone and Gwent. I've tried earlier incarnations of Magic the Gathering in a digital form and found them to be severely lacking in that the user experience made the game a chore to play. Magic the Gathering Arena takes the Magic ruleset and streamlines the experience to make the game more accessible. I'm not an Magic expert so I'm not aware if any rules were changed in the digital form but it feels like the whole Magic experience.

Magic the Gathering Arena is free to play and as such I think folks should be wary that it might fall into the trapping of more modern free to play predatory game leanings. For instance, as someone that played Hearthstone in it's original form all the way through and then left due to the game becoming more focused on needing to buy packs, Magic Arena feels more than fair if you want to play for free. Right away Magic drops you into a set of tutorial modes that familiarize you with the base game such that you can earn a pretty solid deck for each color. After that you can play quests to earn gold to buy packs and unlock dual color decks that offer you even more ways to play. Right now I have 7 decks they have given me for free and seem to be able to unlock more as I play the game. I imagine you could construct even more decks from the free cards you get too, but as a Magic newb I'm not sure i'd have great results with that yet.

If you want to checkout Magic Arena it recently came to mobile on iOS, Android and you can also play it on PC and Mac on the Epic Game Store. Not only can you unlock a hefty amount of free decks but right now you can use the code PLAYDnD to unlock 3 new packs from the Dungeons & Dragons meets Magic in the Forgotten Realms expansion.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/mtgarena-welcome

Spritual Warfare is The Most Under Rated Wisdom Tree NES Game

Recently Hungry Goriya reviewed the classic Wisdom Tree NES game Spiritual Warfare. Spiritual Warfare is a Zelda clone where a Christian Warrior takes on the evil spirits in their community and eventually goes to Hell and kills the Devil. I grew up Christian and my parents wanted me to be exposed to games with a more Christian focus so they bought me Spiritual Warfare in thick of the classic NES era. I played this game constantly as a kid so much so that I had every secret memorized and could be the game start to finish in a handful of hours. Spiritual Warfare is one of the better Zelda clones on the NES and where it's not revolutionary the items and zones are fairly... Read All

Marvel's Avengers: A Spoiler-Free Review

Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

In Marvel’s Avengers, you get to play as some of the Avengers (duh, right?). Although this is a Marvel title, it is not an MCU title. Characters are not voiced by MCU actors. The voice actors aren’t bad, though. I was most impressed with the voice actor for J.A.R.V.I.S, but I thought the one for Thor was interesting, too. Characters don’t even look like they do in the MCU. That may take some getting used to, but I didn’t think it was bad. One interesting difference from the MCU that I noticed is that Hank Pym is about the same age as most of the other Avengers. He’s also lost the ability to use his Pym Particles, but he’s also not a playable character. Other familiar... Read All

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Second Trailer

There's a new trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife and it looks awesome! It seems like it's been a long time since we've heard or seen anything about this movie, so it's very refreshing to see a new trailer out now. the movie releases Thanksgiving of this year.

The story revolves around a family, which happens to be related to Ego Spangler, one of the original Ghostbusters. They have inherited a house he lived in and his grandchildren find things he left behind, including Ecto-1!!! We get to see a scene of them going on a joy ride with it, but we also later see them using it while ghostbusting. Ghosts have returned to this town, including some familiar ones from the... Read All

Dune Official Trailer!

There's now an official trailer for Dune (embedded) and the movie is coming in October. You may recognize many faces as there are some well-known (and maybe not so well-known) actors.

You may be aware of the book titled Dune written by Frank Herbert (or you may not), but it is only the first in a series. I have Dune and at least one (some where) and at least one of the related books, but I've only read Dune. This movie centers on the first half of the first book. There was a previous movie that adapted the book. Patrick Stewart had a part in it, but it seems it wasn't received well. There have been other adaptations of the book.

You may also be aware of some video game... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/23/2021 at 06:37pm

I've read Dune a couple times, and seen various adaptations, so this feels like a theater must-watch. This isn't a new story, so I'm guessing the studio went all-in on the visuals and score (and it seems like it based on the trailers). I'm hoping this is a spectacle worthy of the big screen :)

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/23/2021 at 07:30pm

I can't wait for this. It is directed by Denis Villeneuve. He directed both Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, which imho, are some great sci-fi movies.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/23/2021 at 08:37pm

I think this looks great! From something I read, it seems that the people working on it are good at adaptations. As I said, I read that this will only cover half of the book. I hope they decide to make a sequel to cover the other half. I imagine if it's received well then they might do it. I don't really have an idea of what "half of the book" will look like, though. I am excited to see Legendary in the credits, but I'm also excited to see at least a few of the actors I recognize.

I've only read Dune once. I've probably only seen the movie w/ Patrick Stewart and Sting once, maybe twice, but I think I pretty much liked it. I have it on VHS. I think the quote of "he who controls the spice, controls Dune" is popular. At least, I remember when it was for me. Really, IMO that's the whole of Dune, that's the basic synopsis.

I thought it was funny that Paul "had a dream about a girl." I was thinking, "me, too!!!!! It looks like Paul has become a man." LOL But that dream makes him more relatable for me. Seriously.

jaelte wrote on 08/04/2021 at 03:59am

Oh, a movie? For some reason (probably the fact that it's HBO) I thought that this would be a series. Either way, I'm definitely planning to watch it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/04/2021 at 06:50pm

Me too.

Like Adam, this seems like a theater must see.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 08/04/2021 at 09:04pm

I like watching things in my own comfortable and private environment, so I'll most likely not go to the theater.

BTW, Jon, I sent you a private message days ago, still waiting for a reply. :)

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/21/2021 at 09:35pm

Was anyone else hoping to see Dave Bautista jump into a worm’s mouth like he did in Guardians of the Galaxy? I'm also curious why house Ordos wasn't involved. I think they did well with the story focusing just on houses Atreidies and Harkonnen, so I can understand that house Ordos would have only complicated the plot. It was good enough without them, yet I was expecting a plot more like the Dune 2 game where the Emperor sends all three houses to Arakkis to see who can control the planet. Even though I've seen both movies and have read the book, I guess I'm still more familiar with the game. Also, no one said the famous "he who controls Dune controls spice,...." quote. I enjoyed it though. I think they will create a part two, especially since this is "part one." I was really impressed with the cast list. There are some very recognizable names from very recent movies and it was great seeing them together. I enjoyed the 1984 movie, too. I also enjoyed the cast in that one with a few recognizable names.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/22/2021 at 01:02am

Greg, did you watch it at home or the theater?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/22/2021 at 01:04am

Home. I'll only go the theater if something isn't streaming.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/22/2021 at 01:49am

Do you think it would be better in the theater?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/22/2021 at 02:24am

"Better" is subjective. However, New Rockstars recently said The Eternals would be best viewed in an IMAX theater.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/23/2021 at 12:28am

I just watched this. So good. I want to see it in the theater. All that being said, I don’t see how this will make its budget back. I don’t see it as a popcorn flick that people will flock to.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/23/2021 at 01:27am

That's a disappointing assessment. If it doesn't make it's budget back, I doubt part two will come. I think fans of Dune will like and appreciate it. I don't remember how closely it follows the book. It's been a very long time since I've read it. I seem to recall seeing before it's release that it would closely follow the book, that whoever was working on it is really good at adaptation. Do you remember the book? Do you know how well it was adapted? Thanks for the comments and opinion! :)

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/23/2021 at 03:58am

I never read the book. 🤣

Dune fans have aged. Not sure any kids read dune anymore. Do they?

Overall it is very good sci-fi, but I would argue not as accessible as say a Star Wars or a Star Trek. It fits in well with Villeneuve’s previous sci-fi work (Arrival and Blade Runner 2049). Which I love, but the general audience did not.

Going back to the fans being older, I think the audience of this film will skew older. Given that movies have an older audience have not been doing well during the pandemic, I don’t see how this will make its money back.

I think it makes $30 million opening weekend. HBO max probably ate into a good portion of the money it would have made. If it wasn’t on HBO max and there was not a pandemic, I think it would have brought in $50 million opening weekend. Given the $165 million budget (that is not counting marketing money spent), I don’t see how they will make the money back domestically.

🤞that there is a sequel though, because I want to see more.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/23/2021 at 05:03am

Your opinion is more valuable to me since you never read the book. I read it some time around my high school graduation in '98. I have other books by Frank Herbert, but I haven't read them. I think I saw the 1984 movie some time after. I still have the VHS, but no way to play it.

Funny that you mention Star Trek as I'm watching Discovery now (I'm loving it). I think you're right in that Star Wars and Star Trek are both more accessible and much more popular. There's a lot more of them than there is of Dune.

I think your assessment regarding the pandemic and HBO Max is perhaps accurate. If it didn't premier on HBO Max I believe I would have gone to the theater to see it. I haven't looked into it so I don't know how streaming affects profits. This is a new world of entertainment for us. It may take some time to iron out all the kinks. Scarlett Johannsson recently settled her lawsuit with Disney and I think it is an eye opener. I'd like to believe other studios have learned or are learning from this. Still, I love streaming although I think it could lead to the death of the theater, eventually. I could be wrong, though. I'm sure the same things were said with the advent of things like laser discs, BetaMax, VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray yet it still remains. The pandemic hit the entertainment industry hard and it will be nice to see it recover, if or when we make it out of this.

I'm glad, like me, you also want to see part two.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/24/2021 at 12:27am

This article says it will end up with what about what I said it would, and that is a good thing:

https://www.slashfilm.com/641214/dune-lands-best-opening-for-hbo-max-day-and-date-release-what-does-this-mean-for-part-2/

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/24/2021 at 12:38am

Very optimistic news! Thank you for sharing!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/24/2021 at 07:23pm

Looks like it is going to bring in $40.1 million. Beat my projection.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/24/2021 at 09:48pm

Wow! I wonder how they discern profits from HBO Max, since it's not something that requires an individual payment.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/25/2021 at 11:25pm

Oh, I just learned something I don't think I knew before. The reason there are so many similarities between Dune and Star Wars is because George Lucas took inspiration from Dune. Yes, that means Dune came first.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/26/2021 at 06:20pm

https://www.slashfilm.com/643649/dune-part-two-greenlit-by-legendary/

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/26/2021 at 07:48pm

YES!!!! This means this is the most successful adaptation of Dune yet. I watched some videos about Dune in general last one (YouTube: Looper). It was very interesting, but it seems like it was a big failure, except for the book(s). Thanks for sharing this great news! I heard that these two movies are the first two in a trilogy. Supposedly the third will be based on Children of Dune.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/26/2021 at 11:27pm

I am sure they are hoping there is more than just two films. I read about an HBO Max series. Not sure what happened to that.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/26/2021 at 11:52pm

From what I saw yesterday, the 1984 movie was a big failure (although I enjoyed it). Then there was a series for Children of Dune, which I didn't watch and I don't really have much interest in doing so. If this is a trilogy, then I'll look forward to seeing all of it and it'd be cool to cover Children of Dune, since I'm mostly unfamiliar with it. I hope they bring in more well known actors to match this first movie.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/29/2021 at 04:40am

I watched Dune a few nights ago.

I saw it at an RPX theater with a good sound system and a big screen. Dune is an epic movie and I bet most people will love it in the theater. That said, it’s a longer film and I’d have enjoyed it more watching it at home. I’ve really enjoyed watching these more epic films at home as some of these films really don’t seem to require seeing them with other people. Some films are so magnetic, with a lot of energy and watching them with the audience is really special. Dune is epic, but it’s not a movie where the audience is laughing or cheering or anything and frankly was a bit more contemplative of a film.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/29/2021 at 04:59am

Cool, Jon, thanks for sharing your thoughts! You clearly value an audience more than I do. I like watching at home in the privacy of my own room where I can eat, drink, or pause to go to the bathroom. Plus, I *really* hate waiting in line to buy a ticket wondering if there are going to be any seats (or good ones) left by the time I make it to the counter. That's currently my worry with Eternals. I'd like to go see it on opening night, but I'm afraid it's going to be too crowded. It might be better for me if I can see if I can buy my ticket online. I believe I can, but I'd have print it and I can't recall if it's cheaper or more expensive. I'll have to look into that again.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/29/2021 at 06:28pm

Not going to lie, had to look up RPX. Still not sure what it is, other than probably a higher ticket price.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/29/2021 at 07:44pm

I was going to ask what RPX was, I've never heard of it before, but I also live on the opposite coast, so there's probably much over there I'm unfamiliar with.

Some time ago I looked to see if I could pre-order movie tickets online and I can. I looked it up again last night and found an issue that holds me back from doing just that, a "convenience fee." I think my theater is only open during show times and I don't know if I can actually physically go there and buy a ticket early. Plus, even if I did get one, I think I'd still have to wait in line to give the person a the counter my ticket. So, unless I want to pay more than a dollar more for "convenience," I'm going to have to do the inconvenient thing of waiting in line. I could avoid waiting in line by showing up early enough, but I'm not sure how much earlier I need to be there. Ugh, I'm ready to let theaters become a relic of the past.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/29/2021 at 09:52pm

After watching Dune at home (I have a pretty good TV and decent sound bar), I have to say watching Dune in the theater was a *much* better experience. 5 seconds into the movie at the theater, I was already blown away. I think seeing Dune a second time also increased my appreciation for it.

(RPX is basically Regal Cinema's version of an IMAX theater. It's not quite IMAX, but it's bigger, sharper, and louder than a normal theater)

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/29/2021 at 10:12pm

Cool, Adam, thanks for the clarification! I figured the X meant it had to do with IMAX. I haven't experienced IMAX. My local theater is a Regal Cinema. I live in a rural area in Virginia.

I do like the huge screen and very loud sound, that certainly adds to the experience, but it's not really necessary for me. I will go see The Eternals, though, since it's not streaming. I expect to do so for the other Marvel movies, because I don't expect they'll be streaming right away.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/31/2021 at 04:05pm

Not sure why but the RPX screen looked like it had an oil slick all over it. I imagine there is some coating on it for 3D or something but it was very distracting. Also the rattling behind the seat.

That said, it was fun going with friends.

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Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order Spoiler-Free Review

Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

I’m a Star Wars fan and if you are, too, I think you’ll enjoy this game as much as I did. The main technical issue I ran into was with two cut scenes that occur on a certain planet (it starts with the letter “K”). One had choppy video and the audio in another was out of sync with the video. I found out that even people with better hardware still experienced this, so you should probably expect this, too, but it’s not a game-breaking issue and there were only two cut scenes with these issues. I also noticed very brief video choppiness while exiting hyperspace twice, but it was very minor. Other than that, the game ran very well for me on Epic settings. I ran it at my... Read All

Will The Steam Deck Be Valve’s Next Big Thing?

Steam Deck is Valve’s latest hardware announcement that looks to put a PC in everyone’s hands. Similar to the Switch, Valve is building a handheld that runs Steam + Linux and looks to allow users the ability to play their Steam library and install whatever else they want including Windows. Steam Deck comes in three SKU’s and is available for pre-order right now with a $5 initial deposit.

I’m not quite sure if I’ll buy one in the end, but I’ve already pre-ordered the 3rd option (faster storage and anti-glare screen). For quite some time I’ve been very interested in Valve consoles and for someone to make a big play in the PC space with a handheld and this seems like it... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 07/20/2021 at 06:37pm

The work on Proton makes a lot of sense now. And they say they’re working to have every game on Steam playable in Linux via Proton by the launch. If they can pull that off, I will ditch Windows.

I’m not sure I have a use case for this, I want it because “ooh new toy” but I don’t know that I’d really use it. I’m just glad it exists because the Proton work has made Linux gaming so much better in a very short time.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/20/2021 at 10:03pm

Huh. You know, if Proton does do that maybe I will too. I really keep Windows around for gaming and general web surfing. Heading back to a Linux Desktop would be killer.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/21/2021 at 06:16pm

Wait and see for me. Valve doesn't have the history of supporting their hardware for long.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/22/2021 at 12:50am

I recognize the game on the screen in that screenshot! It's Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, which I'm playing now and think I'm about to finish, so I may have my review written and posted soon.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/22/2021 at 01:29am

I loved Fallen Order, despite it being sluggish on my launch xbox one.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/22/2021 at 01:31am

One thing that's impressed me about this is the use of NVMe, which I think is great! I haven't experienced NVME vs. SSD yet, but I expect I'll be able to do so next month. I think I can imagine a day when HDDs are phased out and SSDs become more widely used, and I think the newest generation of consoles shows that. But, I can also imagine the day when NVME is used instead. From my understanding, this will greatly improve loading times and performance. From there, it's kind of difficult to imagine what would come next. Maybe they some how find a way to improve on NVME technology. (Yes, I see these are listed as NVMe SSDs and I've separated the two, because in my mind they're different, though my knowledge of the tech is a bit limited as I've begun to learn about both technologies in the last two years.)

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/22/2021 at 01:38am

I had a problem with two cinematics, but I learned that people with RTX 30 series GPUs and the game on an SSD have had the same experience. Other than that, I've only seen sluggishness maybe twice so far and I think I'm near the end of the game. Hopefully since they're showing it, it means that the system is powerful enough to play it, which will be impressive. What they should do is put it to the real test, play Ark: Survival Evolved on it. LOL!!!

Travis Admin wrote on 07/22/2021 at 02:57pm

Yeah my new PC has an nvme SSD and the difference is really that it isn’t slowed down by SATA standards as far as I can tell. They can keep making the drives themselves faster but they’re limited by SATA cable throughput. The nvme drive just slots right into the motherboard

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/22/2021 at 07:57pm

Awesome that you have one and yeah, I know that they go straight into the mobo. I had to look at a list of compatible ones for mine and I finally found one I'm planning to buy soon. I'm planning to clone my SATA SSD to it, but then I won't know what to do with m SATA SSD. I have an old HDD in there for files like documents. I wish my Alienware's 2TB HDD didn't die, that was a lot of storage. My SSD and the NVMe I'm getting are both 1TB, while the old HDD I'm using is 320GB.

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Marvel's What If...? Coming August 11 to Disney+

Marvel's animated show, What If....?, is coming to Disney+ on August 11. The multiverse is the big theme in Marvel these days and this show is clearly part of it. In the trailer, we can see Killmonger saving Tony Stark at the beginning of Iron Man from one of his own Stark Industries weapons. We also get to see Captain Carter, Peggy Carter with the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. Many other well known Marvel characters make an appearance such as Thor, Loki, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and T'Challa. There's also a slight glimpse at the zombie Avengers. The show is based on the comic book series of the same name and it looks very... Read All Marvel's animated show, What If....?, is coming to Disney+ on August 11. The multiverse is the big theme in Marvel these days and this show is clearly part of it. In the trailer, we can see Killmonger saving Tony Stark at the beginning of Iron Man from one of his own Stark Industries weapons. We also get to see Captain Carter, Peggy Carter with the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. Many other well known Marvel characters make an appearance such as Thor, Loki, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and T'Challa. There's also a slight glimpse at the zombie Avengers. The show is based on the comic book series of the same name and it looks very interesting. I'm looking forward to it!

Here's some interesting info from the article I found (ok I'm copying most of it):

...we see familiar characters such as Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, and Thor mixing with Howard the Duck and Captain Britain--who, in this case, is the alias of Captain Peggy Carter. T'Challa is now the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and there's a voiceover from the all-seeing Beyonder, played by Westworld's Jeffrey Wright, who teases a "journey to face the unknown."

What If...? features voiceovers from many of the actors from the MCU, including Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Josh Brolin as Thanos, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, and the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa.

Season 1 of What If...? will feature 10 episodes, and there's already a second season in the works. In an interview with Discussing Film in 2019, showrunner Ashley Bradley explained that the show will mix up the events of the movies in unexpected ways. "We will be exploring every movie in a new way, but not every episode is about one movie if that makes sense," he said.

"On the reel [shown at D23 Expo], there is this image of a Star-Lord T'Challa because we wanted to see what if the worlds of Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy collided? That was taking two universes, two to three movies, kind of twisting them in new ways."

Let me know what you think about this. Does it look like something you're into? Are you planning to watch it when it comes out next month?

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/marvels-what-if-releases-august-11-new-trailer-shows-starlord-tchalla-captain-britain-and-more/1100-6493725/

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/21/2021 at 06:17pm

Will one of the episodes be "What if DC Universe succeeded and MCU didn't"?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/21/2021 at 07:24pm

LOL! I don't see the DCU (DCEU isn't it?) as a failure, but the MCU, I think is an outstanding success! I'd rather see one of these episodes like "What if the DCU and the MCU were together?" So, what if Batman and Ironman were in the same universe fighting together. I like both DC and Marvel, but I think Marvel is my favorite. I think the X-Men are a big part of that, because I loved watching that animated series when I was a kid. I've seen a whole lot more Marvel these days than DC. I know the DC has shows on the CW, but I haven't watched them and I'm not even sure if they're worth it.

I think it's quite interesting how there are so very many actors that have played characters in both universes.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/22/2021 at 01:31am

I think you are right, DCEU. DC has my favorite character, Batman, but Marvel has more characters I enjoy.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/22/2021 at 01:34am

I think I agree with you. A few years ago, when I replayed the Batman Arkham series, my thought was that Batman is my favorite, but I still like Marvel better. I may be wrong about Batman, because Wolverine is right there at the top, too. I guess I like Batman, because he's more realistic. He's intelligent and rich (his superpower) and even though he seems to be extremely both, he's a bit more relatable.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/23/2021 at 07:25pm

Wolverine is my favorite Marvel character. Are you and I the same person, GregoPeck?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/23/2021 at 08:41pm

I don't think so! LOL But we seem to have some great things in common. (I think we're the only two Super Members here.)

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 08/05/2021 at 09:55pm

I found a news article with a Marvel tweet showing off some more What If...? and it looks like Steve Rogers is Iron Man. Wow! I really hope they explain how he became Iron Man. So, Peggy got the super soldier serum, I think this means Steve didn't get it. If he didn't, then shouldn't he be a little scrawny guy? If so, then I can see why he's Iron Man, he had to get into something that would make him bigger so he could join the fight against Hydra. I also wonder, what's going to happen to Tony? We'll see this month! I'm looking forward to the series, especially after seeing all the awesome stuff Marvel has been doing. Here's the link I found: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/marvels-what-if-clip-shows-steve-rogers-as-the-proto-iron-man/1100-6494767/

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 08/12/2021 at 04:16am

Episode 1: What If Peggy Carter Was the First Avenger? Out now! Wow, I've had a huge crush on Peggy (really Hayley Atwell), Captain Carter just makes her more of a badass! I still love her! She's seen in the trailer, too, talking to Doctor Strange, so we'll see her soon. An article published and mentioned by New Rockstars says that she'll return for "season two and beyond." So, she's going to be a major character going forward.

I liked that in the trailer they showed us Captain Carter and Steve Rogers. This told us that she got the serum instead of him and he's what we think of as Iron Man, but is called Hydra Smasher. Then shows us how the suit is powered. I wonder what that means for Tony Stark. We know that he gets rescued by Killmonger and doesn't get hit with shrapnel, which removes the need for him to create Iron Man, but I don't know if that happens in the same universe as Captain Carter. We may yet see.

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/13/2021 at 02:09am

Looking forward to watching it soon.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 08/18/2021 at 03:32pm

Episode 2 is a sad one as it stars T'Challa and is voiced by Chadwick Boseman (not all actors returned to voice their characters in this series). It's great that he was able to voice his character, but his untimely death is a tragedy. The end of the episode contains a tribute to him.

This episode had some serious "wow" moments. In fact, when I saw one character, I said "WTF?!" Well, I didn't say the acronym, I'm just using it here. That was certainly a surprise! I think you'll probably be surprised to see him, too, and once you do, you'll realize who I'm talking about.

There's something I wanted to note and this is the best place I can think of to express my thought about it. I've already told you that this episode features T'Challa and if you paid attention to the trailer, you'll know he is Star Lord. Since this is related to Guardians of the Galaxy, it shouldn't be a big surprise that The Collector is in it. However, it surprises me that Benicio del Toro is credited as voicing The Collector, but to me it sounds nothing like him. I can't say I'm very familiar with the actor. Other than GotG, I only know the actor from the movie Snatch. I think he's really cool and I love his accent, but I didn't hear it in this episode.

I read that this episode is some how going to tie into Black Panther 2.

Let me know what you think about this series and this episode. Do you think The Collector sounds like Benicio del Toro?

I can't wait to see more episodes of this series, though I really don't want to see the zombie episode (I hate zombies. I think they're overused and in most everything. Granted, they're an easy target to use as something to kill).

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/16/2021 at 04:08am

There's a new "mid-season" trailer! Holy cow, "mid-season?" Obviously this show is running longer than any other. The trailer contains much of what we've already seen, but it also looks like at least some episodes have a part two. I have thoughts on the series so far and if anyone wants to discuss it feel free, too.

Episode 1 was great! I love Peggy Carter and I love Haley Atwell. I also liked the Starlord T'Chala episode and it looks like he's returning. The third episode was ok.

The Doctor Strange episode was great, but I find it deeply disturbing and dramatic and even though I really liked it, I'd rather not think about it (that's how much it disturbs me). I feel sorry for Strange and I really like him. We'll see this Strange again, but I don't think he's "evil." I just think he's "emo." I think some how he managed to escape his fate (lucky for him) and I imagine he's very remorseful and regretful for what he did. Although, maybe he's made at The Watcher for not interfering when he asked him to. We'll see him again and I'm looking forward to it. I hope my thoughts about him not being evil are proven, but I won't be too surprised if I'm wrong.

The zombies episode was absolutely horrible IMO. That's because I *hate* zombies! Not only are they disgusting and disturbing, but they're in nearly everything. Could we actually get something that doesn't have zombies in it? I mean, they're great fodder for something to kill, but geez. It looks like there's a second part to it and I'm not looking forward to it. I'd like to watch the zombie episodes ASAP to get them out of the way so I can actually look forward to what's next, which IMO just about anything would be better than frickin' zombies!

The newest episode with Killmonger was cool. It looks like he's making an appearance again (along with Captain Carter, Starlord T'Chala, and "emo" Doctor Strange). Captain Marvel and Gamora are making an appearance soon as well.

Let me know what you think about this! I think it's a great show, but I've thought about that with every Marvel show so far, although I didn't like John Walker, the character nor actor. Also note, season two has already been given the go-ahead, just like Loki.

Check out the new mid-season trailer: https://youtu.be/1dOx38iLreg

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