General Discussion [ Page 20 ]

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 2: Alien Covenant Special

We are back with Cheerful Ghost Radio with a special extra episode about Ridley Scott's latest horror extravaganza Alien Covenant! In this episode, we discuss our thoughts on Prometheus and expectations we had for the next installment, and then Jon and Travis discuss and review Alien Covenant itself. If you haven't seen it yet, we warn you before we go into spoiler territory.

An Ode To The CD-ROM

For many years, CD's were the best way to listen to music and play video games. Streaming seems to handle what CD's were traditionally used for but from the 80's to early 2000's CD's were the way to go. I still primarily buy music on CD and still think it's a great way to listen to music and even now I find curating my digital music collection is still something I really enjoy. Lazy Game Reviews CD-ROM Retrospective video is an interesting look in the computer CD-ROM and how that shaped PC and console gaming.

"Taking a nostalgic look back at the 'compact disc read only memory' experience! Especially in regards to computer gaming and software in the 1990s. Redbook... Read All

A Six Day MST3K Retro Marathon Is Happening Next Week On Twitch!

MST3K is coming to Twitch next week for a 6 day marathon live stream. If you have six days to spare or a job where you can put something on in the background you should head over to Twitch and watch the marathon and then after that head over to NetFlix to watch the all new 11th season!

"WE’VE GOT MOVIE SIGN!

We’re celebrating the launch of Shout! Factory TV’s official Twitch channel with a marathon of 38 classic episodes of the cult favorite TV show, Mystery Science Theater 3000. If you’re familiar, you’ll know MST3K’s hilarious movie commentaries are a perfect fit for the Twitch chat experience. If you’re not familiar, well, we could tell you more about Joel, Mike and... Read All

When Is The Right Time To Buy A New PC?

One of the great things about owning a PC is being able to update it without replacing the whole thing. Need more storage? Add a new hard drive. Graphics slowing down? Drop in a new video card. Last year I decided to replace my PC that went through several upgrade cycles with a gaming laptop. Whereas you can only really update the harddrive and RAM on an ASUS ROG laptop I felt it the upgraded cycles of my PC were complete and it was time to go with entirely new hardware. Plus a laptop is portable and the ASUS ROG is quite a speedy machine for the form factor and price. Plus if i'm being honest about the games I play on PC, I really don't play games that push the... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/06/2017 at 10:25pm

I used to build my own PCs and the time to upgrade came when I could afford to and whenever I felt the need. I stopped building my own PC when I bought this Alienware years ago. I had the money and needed a better computer. I got everything I wanted, for a hefty price, and I've loved it. Unfortunately, the GTX 690 I selected for its GPU is a dual GPU card and unfortunately not all games are able to harness the power of that setup. So, some games were only able to use half of the 690. It was Ark that made this issue apparent. I wanted to play Ark like it should be played and so I decided to upgrade the GPU to a GTX 980Ti Classified and I love it.

I think this PC is about 5 years old, I've had it for a few years at least. I still see no reason at all to replace it, it's going strong and I love it. Right now the only thing I'd like to change is the hard drive. I'd like to get an SSD, to help speed things up a bit.

That's what I love about having a "full blown gaming tower," because whenever there's a part I want to upgrade, I can do it quite easily.

Oh and I fully agree with graphic in this post, PC is the master race!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/07/2017 at 04:09am

Yeah, your Alienware PC is capable of many more years if you update the video card. The SSD would be great too but would require you to reinstall Windows on the SSD as your primary and then you could use your normal HD to have your games on. All in all that would make things load WAY faster as on my laptop I have a boot drive SSD and then spinning drive for installing games and it's wicked fast to boot.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/07/2017 at 05:18am

Honestly there's no reason to replace your PC until the CPU can't handle what you want anymore, or if you want more ram than your motherboard can handle.

That was my reasoning this last time-- the CPU couldn't cut it anymore.

But even then, if you focus on upgradeable hardware, you could even replace the mobo/cpu without replacing all the other parts and eventually get into a philosophical conundrum. If you've replaced all the parts of your PC over time, have you replaced the PC?

If you build a house, and then over the span of 20 years take a board out occasionally and replace it until there's nothing left of the original, is it the same house? What if you simultaneously use those replaced boards to build an identical house. Which house is the original?

Perhaps I should go to bed. :D

TL;DR: If you consider the motherboard to be THE PC then the only time you need to upgrade is when you need a new cpu generation that your motherboard can handle or more ram than your motherboard can handle. And something about houses.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/07/2017 at 05:38am

Katie helpfully points out that there's already a famous thought experiment for this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

I probably read that at some point and was unknowingly channeling it in my previous comment.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/07/2017 at 06:10am

Jon, I thought the SSD would help games load faster, too. For me, Ark takes a few minutes to load, so I think putting it on an SSD would make it load much quicker. It doesn't take forever though. My PC runs fine, so I'm not in a hurry to upgrade, but right now an SSD upgrade is the only thing I can think of that I'd change. I have 16 gigs of RAM and that seems to be enough. I could look into upgrading my monitor, so I could get better resolutions, but again I still don't feel a strong need to do that.

Travis, interesting paradox! I wouldn't consider it a new PC unless all or most of the parts were different. Usually, I'd build one and over the course of a few years, I'd end up upgrading it. I've been through a few of them, in fact I think they're all still in my room. It's interesting to think about my PC history and how it evolved over time. But, the primary reason I buy or build tower PCs, because parts are more easily interchangeable.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/08/2017 at 03:46am

That is an interesting thought experiement Travis and because of it, I consider replacing the whole thing at intervals. I mean if you don't replace the case and motheboard then it's arguably the same PC but for those reasons I replace it every 5 years or so. Because at that point I have replaced many parts and I like having the old hardware around for historical reasons. For instance my last Desktop is dual booting between Linux and Windows and I use the Linux part as file storage and the Windows part if friends come over so I can play network games with them if they don't have a computer. Still a good machine but not my top notch go to PC anymore.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/08/2017 at 03:28pm

Yeah, at the point of replacing the motherboard/cpu you might as well. Honestly at that point it isn't much more money to just upgrade it all, if you take out a beefy video card from the price. I tend to get the midrange current-gen video card so it's never the big $400 purchases.

Nicholas_Biondi wrote on 05/17/2017 at 03:18am

I always by ROG. Have my 4rth gen now

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/17/2017 at 11:23pm

My ASUS ROG is a great laptop. Lots of power and the price was fantastic.

My only quip about it is the size. I'd like something a bit less bulky and when I do it again I won't get a DVD drive. It opens at odd times and it's just not as nice as i'd have thought it would be to have one in a laptop anymore.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/18/2017 at 12:16am

I actually have an ASUS motherboard to my left. I'm pretty sure it was the last motherboard I bought.

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Should We Be That Loyal To Corporations? Are Video Game Companies Our Friends?

I watched an interesting video on Kotaku the other day about questioned certain kinds of brand loyalty i've linked above. It's an interesting thing to consider and after watching it caused me to think a bit about how I approach brands and if the biggest ones really need my loyalty at all. I certainly love video games and that passion drove me to create this website and post regularly about them but that doesn't mean I need to have a blind devotion to brands. The modern reality of the Internet allows us to be connected to our favorite things all day long and I think some, perhaps, see this as a stave for actual human relationships. Not to say I haven't made friends by... Read All

Mega Ran's new music video is all kinds of geeky goodness.

Rapper extraordinaire Mega Ran released this new video which mixes chip-tunes, hip-hop, and old school Gameboy graphics. If you haven't checked out Mega Ran before I highly recommend you look into his back catalog.

You can find more of his music on Spotify or on his website: http://megaran.com/

Nintendo announces the New Nintendo 2DS XL

The mouthful that is the New Nintendo 2DS XL, will be released on July 28 for $149.99.

If you've been waiting to get into the 3DS/2DS scene, now might be the time!

This is the first new product in the 3DS family since 2014/2015's release of the New Nintento 3DS and the XL version. The NN2DSXL (which is totally not an official initialization, but I'm going to make it a thing) comes on the heels of the Switch launch, the news of the NES Classic being canceled, and rumors of the SNES Classic coming later in the year.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/28/2017 at 08:53pm

Yeah I saw this and think this is a good idea. The catalog of the DS/3DS is huge and this isn't a very powerful system so I imagine it can be made for cheap. I've been happy with my New 3DS and think the 3D is cool but isn't a deal breaker. I like the look of this new system too. The blue buttons are sharp.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/29/2017 at 03:24pm

So much for Nintendo merging handheld and console. Also, this is a ridiculous piece of marketing voodoo. The original DS had a hinge, and since this new machine isn't flat (which is what made the 2DS 2D...) why not just call this a DS XL? Nintendo, be more like Apple and less like Microsoft!

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/29/2017 at 11:52pm

What made the 2DS 2D was the fact that it lacked 3D capability. But then that also made it sound like a previous version. DS -> 2DS -> 3DS.

So then you have the DS, DS Lite, DSi, 3DS, and 2DS. Plus the NEW 3DS and now the New 2DS. And the XL variants of some but not all of the 3DS generation. I pity parents who know nothing about which ones are newest.

Honestly, Nintendo's whole naming game is weird.

As for Nintendo merging handheld and console, that's still not out of the question. It's not super-common but it's not UNcommon for a final revision of a last-gen system to come out after the release of the next one. I imagine this is the last of the *DS line released for people who want to play the whole shebang of older games without shelling out a full $200 for the New 3DS XL.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 04/29/2017 at 11:54pm

Nintendo really needs to work on their naming conventions.

I think the 2DS was called that because it lacked the 3D feature, not because the unit itself was flat. It could play all the 3DS games just without the 3D effect. This is the 2D version of the New Nintendo 3DS.

Does that help clear things up? :P

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/30/2017 at 01:31am

I think Nintendo is hedging their bets by still not confirming a merge of handhold and console. They did a similar thing when the DS was released. They called it the third pillar, with the other two being the gameboy and the console of the time, but they were quick to kill off the gameboy when the DS did well from a sales standpoint.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/30/2017 at 02:58am

The DS was 2D, which came first. The 3DS added 3D, thus the naming distinction. The 2DS is a DS with no hinge, the board itself being "two dimensional", if you will. They should have added a suffix instead, like they did with the DSi, instead of a redundant prefix, especially since they are going back to the old form factor (but not so old that it requires marketing reinvention). As you say, pity the parents. /endpettyrant (sorry!!)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/30/2017 at 03:02am

The last half of that rant was meant to reference the new naming of the 2DS XL. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I'm typing on my phone and I only see a few lines and forget to scroll back before posting sometime 😬.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/30/2017 at 04:55am

> The 2DS is a DS with no hinge

The 2DS is way more than that. A DS with no hinges would only be able to play DS games. This can play the 3DS series too.

The 3DS is a new handheld platform altogether with much better processor/ram/graphics. The 2DS just removed that 3D capability to make it cheaper. You can't play 3DS game on a DS, but you can on a 2DS.

Compare that to the DSi, for which there are only five games that are DSi exclusive. That was just a minor hardware iteration last gen. The 2DS whether it has a hinge or not is still firmly in this generation. Calling it the DS XL or something else that just adds a suffix to 'DS' would imply that it can't play 3DS/2DS games.

The fact that it has no hinges didn't factor into the naming I don't think. I could be totally wrong but all the marketing I saw was just about it playing 3DS games in 2D. And if the naming *was* in part because of the form factor, that's just kinda weird marketing on their part.

The 2DS was marketed for a younger audience since the 3D tech was apparently bad for kids' eyes. The removal of the hinges was because kids break those.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/30/2017 at 05:16am

None of that helps the confusing naming choices though. I think the best choice would have been to call the 3DS something that didn't have "DS" in it.

But at this point people expect a 3DS that only plays in 2D to be called a 2DS and calling it something else would be even worse.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/30/2017 at 03:10pm

You're right about the compatibility of the 2DS. I guess I was thinking primarily of the concept (the DS already played 2D games), and the idea of going backwards (or in circles) to go forwards. Nintendo has a good thing with their handheld systems. Adding distracting titles to the naming of them is my biggest issue. I appreciate the consistency of Sony's PlayStation iterations, or Apple's mostly consistent iMac line and OS naming convention. Is it true that Nintendo has two 3DS XL systems on the market? Maybe Nintendo doesn't see the confusion, only the idea of "options." To them it doesn't matter as much, as long as people buy something.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/30/2017 at 03:25pm

There's the 3DS XL which is no longer in production, and the New 3DS XL.

Yes really. Adding 'New' to the title of something is not a good way to distinguish them since it's an adjective used to describe anything new.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/30/2017 at 09:08pm

Just look at what happened to New Coke. :)

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Star Wars Episode IX Release Date: May 24, 2019

Disney and Lucasfilm have announced the release date for the conclusion to the sequel trilogy: May 24, 2019.

This means a bit less waiting than if they'd kept the holiday release schedule, but I have to admit, after the past two movies December just feels like Star Wars season to me, and I'll miss that a little.

Not enough to make me wish it was coming out 7 months later, though :D

In addition, the fifth Indiana Jones movie will be coming out July 10, 2020. Here's hoping the new Indy movies get the same treatment as Star Wars.

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/25/media/star-wars-episode-ix-release-date/

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/30/2017 at 01:31am

I liked the holiday release dates.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/30/2017 at 04:05pm

I did too but at least we now get new Star Wars faster?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/30/2017 at 11:07pm

Is that a good thing? Will it become oversaturated? As long as the stories are good, it is a good thing.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/01/2017 at 02:27am

Marvel keeps putting out movies people want to see I think LucasFilm can do similarly but they keep trying to mine past films with the anthology movies.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/01/2017 at 02:40am

I guess my point with the anthology films like Rogue One and the upcoming Han Solo movie is that those films are based on the original trilogy. The OT is incredible but I wonder how much longer we can keep mining the OT? I guess if the movies are good then it might not be a problem but I hope the new Force Awakens, Last Jedi and SW9 can create a larger universe with characters that go in different directions.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/01/2017 at 03:26am

I don't think it's a problem (at least until I see the Han Solo movie) because I'm not sure if I'd call the Han Solo movie "based on" the OT. At least not necessarily. It's a character's origin who originated in the OT, but at the same time the prequels were based on the OT because it was Anakin's and Obi Wan's origin. Everything expands the same universe and it seems like we're getting some decent gaps filled.

Rogue One leads straight into Episode IV, so your point definitely stands on that one, but the Han movie doesn't seem (from what we know now) to tie into it that closely. It seems like it'll help bridge the gap between the two complete trilogies we have so far.

The third one was rumored to be about Boba Fett which would bridge the PT and OT (though I can't see that being interesting enough to warrant that movie-- I'd still watch it and probably love it). The one people are clamoring for is an Obi Wan movie that would bridge the PT and OT. That's what I love about these anthology films-- they're filling in gaps of story.

With the Sequel Trilogy still incomplete I doubt we get anything filling the gaps between Jedi and TFA for a while, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting some when they come.

And what I'm kinda hoping is that we don't get a core series movie for a while after episode IX. Let it stew for at least 7 or 8 years. Because at that point, with three complete trilogies and an overall arch that we don't entirely get yet, there will be some amazing things to branch off from.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/01/2017 at 03:51am

To make that clearer-- they're obviously based on the OT, but not based on them in the sense that they would have to be limited by them in any way. Rogue One was *heavily* based on the OT and had an equation it had to solve. Or rather, it had the solution and had to write the equation. There were bits that had to end a certain way. But these other one don't need to. It's a big-ass galaxy!

If there's one thing the abandoned Extended Universe of Star Wars has taught us, it's that there's basically an unlimited amount of content that can tie into the OT. As long as it doesn't feel derivative or stale we'll be solid, and with Kathleen and Pablo I doubt that's a concern.

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What Games Made You Rage Quit?

Metal Jesus has a new video out about games that made him rage quit. A couple games they mention are Trigger Happy Havoc, Destroy All Humans, Grand Theft Auto Flying Levels & Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival. As I was watching the video one game came to mind for me which is the original Binding of Issac. When I saw the game I thought it was just a really unique retelling of Zelda but when I played it was one of the first rogue-likes I played and as such was very hard and unforgiving. I wasn't sure why you couldn't save your progress and that when you died everything you collected went away. Later on I realized that rogue-likes do that and have come to since really... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 04/23/2017 at 05:21am

The GTA flying levels are definitely up there, though GTAV improves on them enough so that I don't despise them anymore.

Most recently my ragequits happen when a bug makes me lose significant progress. Whether it's that I haven't saved in a while and I get a crash (partially my bad for not saving often enough), or worse, when a game has a game-breaking bug that leaves you unable to finish a crucial part and you have to lose hours of progress.

Oh and also Monopoly.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/23/2017 at 05:56am

I agree with the GTA Flying missions, learning to fly, trying to achieve those goals. It was tough and it sucked. I think I've done it twice now and I always tell myself that I never want to go through that again.

Some of my rage quits include Hearthstone and Faeria, because of forced PVP in which I really suck. Mario games can be like that, too, sometimes I get so annoyed with them.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 04/25/2017 at 04:25am

Koudelka on PS1.

It was a shitty RPG to begin with, but the really rage inducing thing was that all your equipment could (and frequently did) break. There were no item shops in that game, all equipment had to be found or drop off a monster. After I had to fight through a string of battles with no weapons at all I finally got a spear to drop. I equip it, and it broke on the next fight. I turned the game off and traded it in for something else the next day.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/26/2017 at 02:39am

Breath of the Wild had items that break but at least they last more than one hit.

Travis Admin wrote on 04/26/2017 at 05:39pm

Breakable items are OK as long as they aren't prohibitively hard to replace or repair. It adds another sense of depth when done well.

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Stop Playing Games With My Heart Nintendo! Rumors Of A SNES Reboot You Won't Be Able Buy.

Rumors are circulating today about Nintendo launching a SNES Classic this Christmas in the same spirit as the NES Classic reboot that was so popular it was later cancelled before I could buy one. It's a great idea and something Nintendo should do but... you know... if we can get one. Hopefully Nintendo will be able to meet demand but if they don't and I don't really hold out hope for that, it should be another strange disappointment ride with a very abrupt end.

Because you know, that's how Nintendo rolls sometimes. The SNES Classic is rumored to launch sometime around Christmas and I am interested in hearing what you think about the prospect?

... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/19/2017 at 05:42pm

I feel that this one might even be harder to get than the NES Classic, if that is even possible. If everybody is expecting another NES classic, people will be scooping up multiple units of these just to sell them at a high price.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/19/2017 at 05:42pm

OBLIG Backstreet Boys - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug88HO2mg44

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/19/2017 at 05:43pm

> I feel that this one might even be harder to get than the NES Classic, if that is even possible. If everybody is expecting another NES classic, people will be scooping up multiple units of these just to sell them at a high price.

Yeah, that's my thought too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3IJQXwah0E

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/19/2017 at 05:45pm

I hope Nintendo approaches this with a longer lifespan in mind. I would love to see it be upgradeable with new games. And if they can get a lot of the 3rd parties that supported SNES to release their games, that would be awesome too!

Travis Admin wrote on 04/19/2017 at 09:51pm

Oh god, my emotions can't handle this again.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/20/2017 at 12:17am

I'd like to see this happen, but I'm unhappy that Nintendo's discontinuing the NES Classic, I kind of want one.

Travis Admin wrote on 04/20/2017 at 01:07am

Honestly, what I always wanted more than an NES Classic was an SNES Classic. Please do this one right, Nintendo!

Timogorgon Member wrote on 04/20/2017 at 09:37pm

Just as long as they actually produce enough units this time, I am on board!

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