General Discussion [ Page 3 ]

Happy New Year!

Wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! Wherever this years end finds you I hope 2022 treats you well! As a fun bonus I've included a best of games list from Digital Foundry's own John Linneman to kick off a discussion of games you played this year that top your list. Also if there are any games coming out next year you are interested in?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/01/2022 at 09:47pm

>Also if there are any games coming out next year you are interested in?

Actually, no. I read gaming news every day, but it's difficult to think of a single game I'm aware of that I'm interested in. I don't know if Diablo IV is coming this new year, but it's the only think I can think of. Ark has a new map in the summer, so that's something, too.

What about you?

Travis Admin wrote on 01/02/2022 at 04:06am

Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok top my list of 2022. Thus far anyway. Breath of the Wild 2 tops my list if it actually comes out in 2022 but I’m slightly skeptical based on what we’ve seen so far, which is very little. Still hoping it does.

Other than that, Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League are looking great. I’ve loved all the Gotham games and these seem like extensions of that kind of gameplay, with a lot of new additions.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/02/2022 at 05:51am

Star Citizen

Travis Admin wrote on 01/02/2022 at 07:06am

I was about to say, “wait that’s been out a while Will”

But I searched it out and no it never had an official release yet has it? Have you played the early access stuff?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/02/2022 at 08:46am

I have not. 2022 has to be the year!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/03/2022 at 03:14am

The only game I can think of that isn’t out yet I might get is the advance wars remake. A New Super Mario Bros game would be neat but I could just replay NSMBWUD.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/03/2022 at 03:23pm

Oh Advanced Wars! I want to play that. Maybe Elden Ring and TMNT Shredder’s Revenge.

My backlog is so huge that it is hard to get super excited about new releases. I am down with anything single player Marvel or Star Wars and Zelda. Not sure anything in those categories are being released this year.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/03/2022 at 06:05pm

Right, Shredders Revenge that’s one I’ll get day one.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/03/2022 at 09:10pm

I read an article last night about George R. R. Martin's involvement in writing the world of Elden Ring. I don't know much of anything about the game though.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/05/2022 at 05:53pm

Elden Ring sounds like a Dark Souls type of game. Looks creepy and fun.

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Peacemaker Official Trailer!

I've known about this for a while. I've seen other trailers or teasers, but haven't posted anything yet. I'm not sure why, but now's a good time since there's a new trailer with an official release date. Peacemaker streams on HBOMax on 1/13. Peacemaker, played by John Cena, was a character in this year's Suicide Squad movie, which I enjoyed. He's an interesting character and I think this show is going to be interesting. There was a post-credits scene in SS that pointed to this, so this isn't much of a surprise. Well, apparently I don't have much to say about this. I'm interesting in watching it, what about you?

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 12/05/2021 at 04:49pm

I liked Suicide Squad, but I didn't really like the character of Peacemaker. I hope the show is good, but I'll be skipping this one.

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/10/2021 at 02:35am

If Peacemaker Dad starts chasing John Connor I’ll watch it. Otherwise skip.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/01/2022 at 10:03am

Here's a pretty vulgar trailer with many "f bombs" https://youtu.be/TxQp10HrdQM

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/08/2022 at 06:14am

There's a neat new video for Peacemaker that sums up what happened in Suicide Squad. The article also has some interesting tidbits: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/john-cena-catches-you-up-on-peacemaker-ahead-of-his-hbo-max-series/1100-6499459/

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/14/2022 at 01:22am

Overall I think I like it. It is pretty vulgar. At times I like it or it doesn't bother me, but at other times it disgusts me. You could probably call this NSFW.

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Happy Thanksgiving: Now Watch MST3K Turkey Day!

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and also drop the note of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day marathon. This year the extra bonus is that they are dropping the titles of the movies they are riffing for Season 13! So far the new announced movies in Season 13 are:

Munchie, Beyond Atlantis, Robot Wars, Santo and the Treasure of Dracula & Doctor Mordrid.

There are some real gems in there and I can’t wait to see how they riff Munchie!

Disney+ Day News!

Warning! The embedded video contains spoilers for WandaVision, What If, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Black Widow and possibly others. If you're not up to date on the MCU, you might want to avoid it.

Disney+ Day revealed some awesome new shows. There's a lot involved. I've tried to hunt down trailers and such, with little luck, so I've decided to share with you a video (embedded) New Rockstars (my current favorite YouTube channel) posted. Erik covers the announcements and gives some background on the stories and characters involved.

Warning! I'm including things regarding Shang-Chi in the next paragraph. The spoilers are very minor, but I thought I'd give you... Read All Warning! The embedded video contains spoilers for WandaVision, What If, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Black Widow and possibly others. If you're not up to date on the MCU, you might want to avoid it.

Disney+ Day revealed some awesome new shows. There's a lot involved. I've tried to hunt down trailers and such, with little luck, so I've decided to share with you a video (embedded) New Rockstars (my current favorite YouTube channel) posted. Erik covers the announcements and gives some background on the stories and characters involved.

Warning! I'm including things regarding Shang-Chi in the next paragraph. The spoilers are very minor, but I thought I'd give you this warning, in case you haven't seen the movie (go see it!). If you just want to watch the spoiler-free trailer, click the next link.

The She-Hulk trailer looks really cool and she looks sexy! I don't really know anything about her. Mark Ruffalo returns as Hulk in both smart Hulk and Bruce forms. I'm confused because it seems his arm isn't damaged like it was in End Game and Shang-Chi's post-credits scene. Tim Roth returns as Abomination, though we don't see him in the trailer. He appeared in Shang-Chi though with a new look. You can check out that trailer here: https://youtu.be/PFpT5ZkuLlo

There's also a trailer for Moon Knight, which stars Oscar Isaac. I am looking forward to seeing him again. I first saw him in the latest Star Wars trilogy and then again in Dune. I really don't know anything about this character either. Apparently, Moon Knight suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Ethan Hawke is in the show, too, though not shown in the trailer. (As an aside, if you haven't seen him in the movie titled "Tesla," go see it!!) Check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/iFUZ1wN1ugM

There are new shows titled Secret Invasion, Armor Wars, Iron Heart, Ms. Marvel, Agatha House of Harkness, Groot, Echo, and maybe more I've missed in this list. There's an animated Spider-Man show, too. There's also going to be a Guardians of the Galaxy holiday special.

One thing I'm really excited for is X-Men '97, which is a continuation of the beloved X-Men cartoon we got in the 90's with returning cast members. I really loved that cartoon! Most of what I know about Marvel (before the movies) is from that cartoon. That's probably why the X-Men are my all time favorite super hero group and Wolverine is my favorite comic book character.

Marvel Zombies is another show coming, which is probably related to the What If episode regarding the same topic. This is one I think I'll watch, but definitely not looking forward to. In fact, I wish it'd get canceled as I *hate* zombies! They're over done and in pretty much everything. Sure, they're good fodder for things to kill, but they're disgusting. Can we please get something without zombies?!

Let me know what you think about this treasure trove Marvel is giving us a taste of. I'm absolutely obsessed with the MCU these days and everything Marvel has been giving us has been fantastic! Are you planning on watching any of these shows? What are you most looking forward to?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/13/2021 at 03:44am

ZOMBIES!!!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 11/13/2021 at 04:27am

Worst Marvel concept ever!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/13/2021 at 05:14am

lol. I am down for it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 11/13/2021 at 05:15am

Did you see that episode of What If?

Travis Admin wrote on 11/13/2021 at 09:34pm

I loved that episode of What If honestly. Plus the comics were a good romp

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Zombies

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/14/2021 at 05:34am

Yeah, the what if episode was good, and the comics are fun.

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New Morbius Trailer!

There's a new trailer for the Sony/Marvel movie Morbius, which we can see in January. Morbius is what I like to think of as Marvel's Batman, however he's physically like a bat. He's a doctor with a rare blood disease and it leads him to research into vampire bats to find a cure. He ends up doing something, which gives him a bat like appearance along with bat like abilities. He can switch forms, the bat in him wants to hunt. He gets wanted by police for a "vampire murder."

There are some interesting things that stand out in the trailer. One of those is when he walks down an alley by a poster with the Toby McGuire Spider-Man. It has the word "murderer" spray painted on... Read All There's a new trailer for the Sony/Marvel movie Morbius, which we can see in January. Morbius is what I like to think of as Marvel's Batman, however he's physically like a bat. He's a doctor with a rare blood disease and it leads him to research into vampire bats to find a cure. He ends up doing something, which gives him a bat like appearance along with bat like abilities. He can switch forms, the bat in him wants to hunt. He gets wanted by police for a "vampire murder."

There are some interesting things that stand out in the trailer. One of those is when he walks down an alley by a poster with the Toby McGuire Spider-Man. It has the word "murderer" spray painted on it. Also Michael Keaton's character Vulture crosses paths with him in police custody. You may remember him in Spider-Man Homecoming. Speaking of Michael Keaton, he's returning as his original Batman in the new Flash movie. As a side note, Matt Smith appears in this movie, too. I really loved him as The Doctor, so I'm looking forward to seeing him again. He's also going to be in the new Game of Thrones prequel show.

There are many connections to the MCU/Marvel/Sony/Spider-verse. Morbius is tied to Spider-Man, so is Venom. Maybe with what's going on in No Way home, these worlds are coming together, which may explain the post-credits scene in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The Daily Bugle paper is notable as it looks like it has in the other movies. It mentions a few things which are hints to Spider-Man villains. One headline says something about a "missing rhino" at a zoo. Another asks if black cats or friend or foe. We've already seen the Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. There are many hints going on in many of these movies that the Sinister Six members are appearing.

I'd like to see this, but I've always had hemophobia, so parts of this movie disturb me. It's all the blood stuff. I tried to re-watch the Blade series recently and couldn't make it very far into the beginning of the movie before I felt like I was about to pass out. This makes me hesitant to try to watch it again, to watch this movie, or watch the new Blade move when it comes out. Morbius and Blade do meet in the comics. He gives Blade the vampiric abilities without the disadvantages.

What do you think about this? Are you planning to go watch it? This is one where I'd definitely rather watch at home.

The Strange Clan

If you follow me on Twitter, no doubt you've seen how into cryptocurrency I've gotten. But I've withheld from talking about it in Cheerful Ghost because I didn't want to look like I was pushing something like an MLM, nor am I wanting to give financial advice lol.

But, now there's a game I can share about!

The Strange Clan is a fantasy game where players have unique NFT (non-fungible token, basically a unique digital asset that's saved "to the blockchain" to prove ownership) with which they can eventually farm, quest, explore, etc.

The game is pre-alpha currently, so there's nothing to try out yet, other than buying our characters, but the world is being built on Passage... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 10/16/2021 at 12:27am

All of the minted characters!
https://market.passage3d.com/explore

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/16/2021 at 01:40am

Huh, this is really cool. Blockchain is one of those cool technologies and wrapping that into games seems cool.

What do you think about this?

https://venturebeat.com/2021/10/15/steam-reportedly-blocks-cryptocurrency-and-nft-games/

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/16/2021 at 03:59am

This looks awesome, Adam. I kind of want to mint a character, but I feel like I probably missed the window.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/16/2021 at 04:11am

Wow, just joined the discord and it sounds like the lowest cost per character will be $250 during the auction. Count me out.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 10/16/2021 at 07:56am

About Steam blocking NFT games, that makes sense, but I don't think it really matters. The Strange Clan will be browser based, so it doesn't need any platform to distribute the game.

Also, the crypto ecosystem is pretty active on social medias, so when new projects launch, there's enough chatter that a platform isn't needed to connect the game/project to users.

And yeah, this is spendy! I hope over time I'll gain my money back, but there definitely is a high bar to entry. The whitelist for the first Town has closed, but like you saw, there's a Dutch auction on Monday, and then in a month or two there will be another minting for Town 2 :)

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 10/30/2021 at 02:33am

The Strange Clan developers had an AMA today. Some really interesting things were said, and here's a summary 😎
https://whimsical-lightning-304.notion.site/10-29-Strange-Clan-AMA-7b2d1345d6314ad6bf12c66b3259bb55

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TechSpot Explains Why Using "Ultra" Settings is "Dumb"

I found this great article by TechSpot today explaining why using "Ultra" settings (or the preset) is "dumb." I have to agree, although I'm one of those gamers that wants the best hardware to be able to easily run any game on that preset. However, this is an expensive and performance demanding preference. It's not based on logic, either. I have noticed great quality in games using only the "High" preset along with great performance. I've also noticed that the "Ultra" preset doesn't usually add anything noticeable, except for the huge performance hit.

That experience is exactly what TechSpot is referring to here. They've benchmarked the performance and quality of some... Read All I found this great article by TechSpot today explaining why using "Ultra" settings (or the preset) is "dumb." I have to agree, although I'm one of those gamers that wants the best hardware to be able to easily run any game on that preset. However, this is an expensive and performance demanding preference. It's not based on logic, either. I have noticed great quality in games using only the "High" preset along with great performance. I've also noticed that the "Ultra" preset doesn't usually add anything noticeable, except for the huge performance hit.

That experience is exactly what TechSpot is referring to here. They've benchmarked the performance and quality of some games using really good hardware. Their observations were pretty much what I just said, the quality of "Ultra" presets is usually negligible and comes with a big hit to performance. I really think this is a relevant topic here and I do strongly recommend reading the article. One of the games mentioned is DOOM Eternal and the game recommend that I don't use the highest preset, but the second highest and it was great.

Sometimes it's difficult to decide which settings to use in a game and presets are a great way to do that simply. GeForce Experience can also optionally "optimize" your settings, but I've found that while those settings are usually good, sometimes they are not. This makes me question the basis of the settings that GE chooses.

Take for example Ark: Survival Evolved. I let GE "optimize" my settings when I got my GTX 1660Ti (and other new hardware). However, I noticed the performance with those settings was unacceptable. It was pretty much using the "Epic" preset, which is the "Ultra" one for this game. Ark has been out for a while now and it's been very demanding on hardware since the beginning. This is just an example of a game where the highest preset comes with an unacceptable hit to performance while not really showing any greatly obvious quality improvement that you'd think would come as a result of the settings.

Let me know what you think about this topic. Are you one of the people that *must* have hardware good enough to run on "Ultra" presets? Or are you someone who values performance more and still enjoys good quality? Have you also noticed how "Ultra" presets don't always give really big and noticeable differences in quality, but significant performance hits?

https://www.techspot.com/article/2338-ultra-vs-high-settings/

I didn't want to leave this post w/out an image, so I uploaded a screenshot I took some time ago showing my settings for Ark. This was primarily to help me remember, since the game sometimes resets them.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/05/2021 at 07:59pm

I try to max out graphics. As long as framerate isn't horrible I am fine. 30 fps is all one needs.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/05/2021 at 08:30pm

Depending on the game, I won't settle for much less than 60. LOL That's for modern games, but some games are locked at 30 and I usually find that acceptable. More FPS makes me happy, even though I realize it's not all that great and sometimes irrelevant. I think GE helps "optimize" your settings for 30FPS, not 60. The Ark settings it gave me pretty much limited me to around 30 FPS and it wasn't acceptable, performance was still bad. Once I switched to the "high" preset, performance greatly improved along w/ my FPS. I'm still using a 60hz monitor, though I really want to upgrade. I also don't like screen tearing, so I use VSync. I am very interested in GSync especially, though FreeSync is gaining popularity and compatibility.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/07/2021 at 01:54pm

I’ve noticed the ultra settings providing noticeable quality on some games but not others. Though I usually tweak every setting to see how much benefit vs performance hit I get for each one.

Though when you’re zoned into a game I think it’s far less important.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/07/2021 at 07:01pm

Cool! Thanks for your input, Travis! I usually see if GE can "optimize" settings for a game (which it cannot do for all games) and see how that goes. I like the games that auto-detect and put me at the highest settings LOL. I've done most of my tweaking w/ Ark, as shown in my embedded screen shot. I was tweaking it years ago and I continued to tweak it even until recently.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/08/2021 at 08:42pm

I’ve found GeForce experience to be a good starting point but sometimes it gets things way wrong. Where some times it puts me in a very poorly running situation, sometimes it tries to make me play things at settings that are nowhere near as advanced as I could use without a performance hit.

I do like the option as a starting point quite a bit though.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/08/2021 at 09:35pm

Agreed! I have the same experience.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/09/2021 at 04:40am

Someday I may have a PC with the ability to run max graphics on. That said, it feels like I do with the Series X but I know compared to some PC's out there it's not as powerful.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/09/2021 at 08:04am

I haven't been keeping up, but my perception is that this console is pretty good. They're remaking GTA 5 and Skyrim for both consoles and PC. I seem to remember some games performing much better on the new generation than last. I think Cyberpunk was one example. I'm not too surprised and I think it's good that they've reached this point. They seem to be on par with PC now. I don't know if they have Ray Tracing and DLSS though.

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Free Guy Is A Must See Movie And Is Streaming Now

Check out the embedded trailer. I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to give away spoilers. Guy, played by Ryan Reynolds, is pretty much the main character but there are other recognizable actors in it as well. The ones I noticed were Taika Waititi and I recognized the voice cameo by Hugh Jackman. You might recognize it, too. It sounds like him, but you don't see his face. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was actually the bank robber in the trailer that Guy shoots. You don't see his face, either.

What if life were a video game? Guy found glasses that opened his eyes and he began to see video game things such as health pickups, money, and missions. If you like... Read All

Hawkeye Is A Christmas Show?

I didn't expect to be excited about a Hawkeye show. I generally am not a fan of the character.

But, I *love* that this is leaning heavily into the Christmas theme! I hope the show keeps that vibe throughout!

Also, "Rogers: The Musical"? YES PLEASE

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 09/13/2021 at 05:01pm

Kinda getting Die Hard feels from this 😀

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/13/2021 at 05:21pm

Yup. Looks good.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/13/2021 at 05:34pm

Ew, I don't like Christmas. It's the most *not* wonderful time of the year, IMO. Adam's right about his Die Hard comment. I haven't dived into the Marvel comics, so I didn't know who Kate was until I played Marvel's Avengers. She also goes by "Hawkeye." I thought she was Clint's daughter, but she's simply a fan. They have an interesting relationship, though, or at least I think it's interesting. I like Kate in the game and she looks cool here, too.

I had to pause to see because the clip goes by so quickly, but I noticed a woman in red with black hair and a wine glass at a dinner table. She is Vera Farmiga and was in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. I really like her because she looks like someone I know (there's a bit more to it than that, but I'm just going to keep it simple here).

Thanks for sharing! Now I'm going to go have a Christmas barf.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 09/13/2021 at 05:51pm

Lol! Christmas is my favorite time of year, but if it's not yours, I'm really sorry about how long the season lasts!

One minor detail I saw I the trailer that's probably nothing, but in the Rogers musical, it looks like Loki is wearing a mask, and I want it to me a nod to The Mask with Jim Carrey lol

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/13/2021 at 06:05pm

Yeah, sorry to crap on your favorite time, I meant no offense to you. I guess that's part of why I didn't get into it and decided against saying what I wanted to. Funny, too, how I said your comment about Die Hard was right, but I thought Jon posted this, I later realized you did. So many details, so little I've paid attention to.

I only saw Cap in that musical, everything went by so fast. The Mask was awesome!!!! In fact, it was "smokin'!"

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/16/2021 at 03:09am

> Now I'm going to go have a Christmas barf.

After how many candy cane cookies?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/16/2021 at 03:34am

LOL Well I do like the fruity ones.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/16/2021 at 08:25am

Oh! How could I forget! I do love Nightmare Before Christmas! Also, to be fair to Christmas, there isn't a holiday that I like.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/17/2021 at 02:35am

Greg you strike me as someone who would enjoy Halloween :)

And yeah this is interesting. Definitely not what I was expecting from Hawkeye but I'm glad the tone feels very different.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/19/2021 at 09:49pm

> Also, to be fair to Christmas, there isn't a holiday that I like.

Tonight a Ghost of Christmas past will come to visit you...

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/20/2021 at 02:54am

Well it better be a Cheerful Ghost or I'm calling the Ghostbusters!

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/20/2021 at 11:19pm

👻

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/25/2021 at 06:42am

Disney+ never disappoints! Go watch the two episodes they gave us, "bro."

jdodson Admin wrote on 11/25/2021 at 08:50pm

Thanks for the note. Added to my watchlist!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 03:41pm

I am really enjoying this! So far the only Marvel show to not 100% connect with me was Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 04:50pm

I've liked all these shows. I'm once again at the point where there are two episodes left and I wonder how they're going to answer all my questions. It's exciting.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 05:30pm

I don't like the Christmas aspect of the show, but if you're curious as to why it's there, check this out (it has nothing to do with story details, so definitely no spoilers): https://www.gamespot.com/articles/so-why-is-hawkeye-a-christmas-show/1100-6498720/

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 08:50pm

It should have been an april 1st story! :)

I like the christmas aspect.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/09/2021 at 09:38pm

It does help with the episodic timeline. There are only 6 of these and 2 more. It makes sense, because Clint is trying to get home for Christmas.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/10/2021 at 03:15am

What if he wanted to get home before April 1st so he could pull an epic prank on his wife? I think I am on to something here. 🤣

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/23/2021 at 01:06am

Hawkeye is the most awesome Christmas ever, along with The Nightmare Before Christmas. Despite my dislike for this holiday season, I absolutely love this show! It has mysteries, a great plot, great action, and surprises! When it comes to Disney+ (and movies for that matter), the MCU does not disappoint. Be sure to stick around for a post-credits scene, it's quite enjoyable. "I can do this all day!"

Travis Admin wrote on 12/23/2021 at 03:26am

I don’t know if I’d say Hawkeye is anywhere near my favorite Marvel series, but it absolutely has my favorite finale of any Marvel show.

Which is weird because they’ve all been so satisfying. But this one is SO satisfying. The finale is probably my favorite single episode of any Marvel TV. Well. Disney Plus Marvel TV. The whole Netflix Universe and Agents of SHIELD is something else but it looks like those lines are getting blurred

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The Matrix Resurrections Trailer!

The trailer for The Matrix Resurrections is finally out and the movie will be released in theaters and HBO Max on 12/22/21. The trailer says "this Christmas" and my first thought was that is a bad idea, because Spider-Man: No Way Home comes out on Christmas and I wouldn't bet on anything getting as much attention. That's not to say The Matrix is bad, it's great in fact, but...well I'm sure you understand.

So, Neo and Trinity are back, but they don't know each other. Neo (Thomas) is seeing a therapist played by Neil Patrick Harris, because he's having weird dreams and thinks he's crazy. Jada Pinkett Smith returns as Niobe, who you might remember in the sequels. It... Read All The trailer for The Matrix Resurrections is finally out and the movie will be released in theaters and HBO Max on 12/22/21. The trailer says "this Christmas" and my first thought was that is a bad idea, because Spider-Man: No Way Home comes out on Christmas and I wouldn't bet on anything getting as much attention. That's not to say The Matrix is bad, it's great in fact, but...well I'm sure you understand.

So, Neo and Trinity are back, but they don't know each other. Neo (Thomas) is seeing a therapist played by Neil Patrick Harris, because he's having weird dreams and thinks he's crazy. Jada Pinkett Smith returns as Niobe, who you might remember in the sequels. It *looks* like Morpheus is back, but is played by another guy. It looks like this might be a younger version of himself (according to the link below). Hugo Weaving will also not return and I'm disappointed both actors will not be returning.

I found a link with some more details, especially about the actors. You can check it out here:
https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29498105/the-matrix-4-cast-release-date-plot-trailer-keanu-reeves-news/

I'm looking forward to seeing it, I've loved The Matrix movies since they came out. I'm also extremely fond of The Animatrix and if you haven't seen it, but are a fan of The Matrix, you should. As it sounds, it's anime Matrix stories. Some aren't really relevant to the overall story, but a few of them are significantly related. IMHO the best ones give us the backstory of how the Matrix was created and it's very interesting and disturbing. I loved the soundtrack as well.

I'm glad it seems this is coming to HBO Max the same day as theaters. The one great thing about COVID is that it created a significant boost to streaming services like HBO Max and Disney+. Those services have started showing movies when they release and I really love it. I think it's incredibly responsible, especially since we're currently dealing with the more contagious Delta variant and even vaccinated people are getting sick (but not mortally so). I prefer to watch something in the privacy of my own room. I did go see Shang-Chi, so obviously I've decided to go anyway, since not all movies I want to watch are streamed right away.

Let me know what you think about this. Are you a fan of The Matrix? What did you think of the trilogy? Have you seen The Animatrix? I've got a little more to say, but I might wait and put it in the comments.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/11/2021 at 01:01am

> Let me know what you think about this.

Looks like a visually and stylistically fresh take on The Matrix. It's not too modern, but modern enough. I'm going to see this for sure.

That said, I have no idea what this is beyond The Matrix again?

> Are you a fan of The Matrix?

Yeah, very much. Re-watched the trilogy a few months ago.

> What did you think of the trilogy?

The first movie is a massive cultural milestone. It has a bit of "90's goof" but I love camp so it's awesome. I used to really _HATE_ the sequels but recently I've come around on that and find them to be pretty good. I agree with some recent takes on the sequels, they should be viewed as one complete film as they were shot back to back and really are.

> Have you seen The Animatrix?

Many times. I'd rate it the second best Matrix movie.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/11/2021 at 02:02am

I think it looks "modern," but maybe I don't understand your definition. Yeah, this does seem like "The Matrix again." Remember (spoilers!) Neo formed a truce with the machines and gave up his body. We see images of that in this trailer. It also seems as though someone is watching The Matrix via screen projection.

I don't know about "90's goof," I never felt that, but I really enjoyed it. I didn't hate the sequels, but it seems sequels never live up to the original. The movies are a true sequential trilogy, though.

I'm massively impressed you've seen and loved The Animatrix! I don't know of anyone else that has seen it.

One thing I wanted to note is that I love Neil Patrick Harris's glasses (obviously, because they're blue!). However, I came to believe they're specifically blue. This wasn't some random color the costume designers chose, they're blue as in "blue pill." I think that's real fitting (and an original thought). The blue pills make a seriously obvious come back, but we do later get to see the choice to be made again (red vs. blue).

Thanks for posting this reply, because I just posted my Shadow of War review and it looks like it pushed this down. I wanted this to have the attention, because I'm sure others here want to see this, too.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/11/2021 at 05:25am

I really loved the first matrix. I thought the other two were fun, but don’t remember much from them. I have watched some of the animatrix if not all.

This trailer slaps and kind of makes me want to see it in the theater.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/12/2021 at 05:06pm

I agree with everything Will has said here lol. Loved the first, the sequels were fun, but not great, and I'm familiar with the Animatrix, but still need to sit down and watch all of it.

And the trailer looks amazing. I have a feeling we're going to go into the movie thinking it's soft reboot, and they're going to subvert expectations very satisfyingly. 😀

Travis Admin wrote on 09/12/2021 at 06:08pm

I never disliked the Matrix sequels but they weren’t what I expected at the time. My rewatches were always better than the first time seeing them in theaters.

The Matrix was my favorite film for a while, it was the first DVD I bought when I got a DVD rom for my PC.

In a lot of ways I think the animatrix and the video game between Reloaded and Revelations are required to really feel like you have a full understanding of what the whole world is all about, which is great for people who dive into all of that but not for those who didn’t. For example I only found out this week that Morpheus is canonically dead because of the events of the Matrix Online, and the Wachowski sisters consider that fully part of canon.

Though it seems like in this revision of the Matrix, Yahya’s character is a new Morpheus.

Anyway yes I am super into this trailer and I hope covid has died down enough by late December so I can see this in theaters. But either way I’m watching it many times I’m sure.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/12/2021 at 06:46pm

Yay, Travis finally spoke up! I was waiting for that! :) I remember when we were college roommates. In my memory, I still have an image of seeing that Matrix DVD and I remember us watching it, maybe at least once. I don't recall if I saw it in theaters, but I think maybe so. I had already graduated high school by the time it came out and was in community college.

I don't recall a "Matrix Online" though I've recently seen that it existed. I think the one I was familiar with was Enter the Matrix, which I'm sure I saw in the database here. I think I remember it came out on all three consoles at the time; GameCube, XBox, and PS2 (I still have all three). I specifically remember seeing it for the GameCube. I don't recall if I played it though. I may have played a little bit of it, but not enough to get any story out of it. I seem to remember Niobe.

That's odd that Morpheus is canonically dead, because of the the events of The Matrix Online. I guess that's a bit of the Matrix lore I missed out on. And yes, it's been confirmed Yahya is indeed playing a younger version of Morpheus, if his style wasn't obvious enough. He confirmed it on Twitter.

Once again, New Rockstars (on YouTube) has a great trailer breakdown and analysis.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/13/2021 at 03:25am

Yeah I played Enter the Matrix back in the day and loved it. Gameplay was… basically just ok but the story was great. You remember correctly, Niobe was a big part.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/13/2021 at 03:25am

Thinking about playing it again if I can get it to run on modern hardware

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/13/2021 at 07:22am

Cool, man! I was about to ask about "modern hardware," but I decided to Google my question, I didn't know it's also a PC game. I'm just not sure where to buy it, I don't see it on Steam, not that that's the only place to buy games...

Travis Admin wrote on 09/14/2021 at 03:04pm

I think it was only sold physically and then basically forgotten. I still have my discs from back in the day

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/14/2021 at 03:47pm

I have Enter the Matrix on the original Xbox. My guess is Atari didn't keep the license so they no longer can release it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/14/2021 at 04:14pm

Oh, cool! I have an XBox, but the only game I have for it is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/14/2021 at 08:23pm

Looks like it averages around $6 used in box: https://www.pricecharting.com/game/xbox/enter-the-matrix

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/14/2021 at 09:31pm

That sounds good! There's a site I've never heard of before, too!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/02/2021 at 02:47pm

New trailer! This one looks very interesting as it shows the parallels between this and the first movie. It talks about making "copies" and deja vu, "it happens when they change something." This month is an awesome month for movies! It looks like I'll be going twice this month. The last time I saw two movies in the same month was probably decades ago. Check it out: https://youtu.be/IgYs_NDyaLs

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/02/2021 at 08:44pm

I hope the movie starts with the end of 3, and the matrix physically reboots itself. Maybe put a boot up screen for credits, and then we start with this reboot!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/02/2021 at 09:24pm

Awesome ideas!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/07/2021 at 05:38am

Here's a new trailer: https://youtu.be/nNpvWBuTfrc

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/07/2021 at 03:28pm

Looks like Matrix is borrowing from MST3K in the new movie and providing commentary on the old movie. I hope for a lot of funny!

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/10/2021 at 02:34am

Everyone lives in the shadow of Mystery Science Theater 3000 🤣

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/21/2021 at 05:42am

Thank goodness this movie is streaming, because my theater isn't playing it. They're only playing Spider-Man: No Way Home and Encanto, the latter is one I know nothing of. I can't blame them for continuing to play Spider-Man: No Way Home. That was without a doubt the best movie of the year, maybe even the best Spider-Man movie ever!

Travis Admin wrote on 12/22/2021 at 05:17pm

Yeah I'm glad it's streaming because I feel like it launched right at the window where I no longer want to go to the theater anymore. We were planning to go see this and Spider-Man next week in theaters but covid is at peak levels in VA now, back like it was last January before the vaccines were really available. And this damn hypercontagious omicron variant seems to be able to defeat a lot of defenses.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/27/2021 at 07:42pm

I think the best word to describe this movie is "meta" (and I don't mean that new Facebook company). I enjoyed it. If you're a Matrix fan, I don't think you should pass this up.

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/28/2021 at 02:40am

Agreed, it's quite meta. At first it was a bit much and I was wondering how meta or how deep the rabbit hole would go. In fact, the movie doesn't even quite know then they sort of answer everything and it loses a bit of the magic. That said, it's a great film I just wished it sort of broke out of the Matrix and did a huge left turn but in the end it didn't and I'm actually really happy with what we got.

That post credit scene wasn't great. Honestly felt like they could have done better there.

Travis Admin wrote on 12/30/2021 at 11:32pm

It was a movie that we didn’t need, it didn’t really add anything to the Matrix lore or anything like that, but it was fun and something I imagine I’ll rewatch. Lana Wachowski said this was a catharsis for her, kinda going back to a comfort project to help her deal with some things in life, and it shows. It’s definitely a comfort movie.

There are no plans for this to be the start of a new trilogy but I’d kinda like to see that.

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