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Steam Deck Launches To Incredible Reviews!

The Steam Deck has finally started shipping to nearly universal praise. I think they only downside to the Steam Deck I've heard of is that if you play hefty graphical games at 60fps the battery life doesn't last very long. Valve has some toggles to downscale games to get more battery life, but if you can only get an hour or two from any modern intensely graphical game.

To date, Valve has released some innovative hardware that hasn't quite achieved mainstream status. The Steam Deck seems like it might be the magic hardware that a lot of gamers may get. That said, if you signed up for the Steam Deck late in the game it might take you a long time to finally get one. Let... Read All

The Bethesda.net PC Launcher Takes An Arrow To The Knee

Bethesda sent out an email to all of it's PC launcher (think Steam but only Bethesda games) users about the service being shutdown this year. I'm wondering if this move is part of the fallout from the recent Microsoft acquisition as Microsoft already has a storefront and they are also very happy to use Steam as a platform alongside it. In a PC landscape where each large publisher builds it's own bespoke launcher it's nice to see some consolidation. Steam is the clear leader in the PC landscape so I don't love seeing everything move to one service entirely, I also don't mind seeing my Bethesda.net games move over to it.

Goodbye Bethesda.net PC launcher, we barely knew... Read All Bethesda sent out an email to all of it's PC launcher (think Steam but only Bethesda games) users about the service being shutdown this year. I'm wondering if this move is part of the fallout from the recent Microsoft acquisition as Microsoft already has a storefront and they are also very happy to use Steam as a platform alongside it. In a PC landscape where each large publisher builds it's own bespoke launcher it's nice to see some consolidation. Steam is the clear leader in the PC landscape so I don't love seeing everything move to one service entirely, I also don't mind seeing my Bethesda.net games move over to it.

Goodbye Bethesda.net PC launcher, we barely knew before ye!

You can read the whole email Bethesda.net sent to it's players below:

"We’re saying goodbye to the Bethesda.net Launcher this year. We would like to thank you for your support and assure you that all of your games are safe. If you’re not playing PC games through the Bethesda.net launcher then your work is done here. Thanks for reading! If you do have games through the Bethesda.net launcher, don’t worry. Starting in early April you’ll be able to migrate your games and Wallet to your Steam account. For more details on what this process will look like, read on.

You have plenty of time to plan and begin migrating your Bethesda.net library to your Steam account. The migration to Steam will include your game library and Wallet – meaning you will not lose anything from your Bethesda.net account. Many games will also have their saves migrated, with a few requiring some manual transfers. For games that require it, you will still use your Bethesda.net login to sign in to play. Your Bethesda.net account will not be lost and will still be accessible on our website and in-game, and we will continue supporting all Bethesda.net accounts with our future titles.

NEXT STEPS

In early April, you will be able to initiate the migration process following detailed instructions we will have available to you then.

We expect you to have a lot of questions and encourage you to take a look at our comprehensive FAQ. For those of you looking for questions specific to Fallout 76, we also have a Fallout 76-specific FAQ on Fallout.com.

Until May, you will still be able to access and play your games on the Bethesda.net Launcher, but we suggest that you start the migration process as soon as it’s available. "

https://bethesda.net/en/article/2RXxG1y000NWupPalzLblG/sunsetting-the-bethesda-net-launcher-and-migrating-to-steam

Monster Hunter Rise: PC Version 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.

Monster Hunter Rise arrived on the Switch almost one year ago. I didn’t pay attention to it, being a Switch exclusive, since I don’t have a Switch. However, it arrived on PC last month and I decided to pick it up. This version comes with many graphical upgrades including high-res textures (up to 4K) and HDR among others. I recently dived into 1440p with a new monitor, but I found out I could actually play the game at my max (not native) resolution of 4Kx2K. I found a comparison video of the version from both systems. It actually doesn’t appear to look or perform badly on the Switch.

I played MH World, so the game play isn’t new to me. That was my first MH game and I... Read All

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers... WHAT IS THIS?!?

Growing up, I loved Rescue Rangers, and the NES game is an absolute classic.

This movie... I don't know how to describe it, but it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun!

It's not a trailer that I would normally click ok, but I heard this was an experience, and I wasn't disappointed!

Dune: Spice Wars in Steam Early Access

I just found out about Dune: Spice wars and thought I'd share the video. It's in Early Access on Steam and expected to be released this year according to it's store page. It's described as a 4X RTS. It looks to me like a a cross between Civilization and Command & Conquer. The first C&C came out after Dune 2 and I loved both games. Dune 2 also got a remake with Dune 2000, though I haven't really played it much. Spice Wars looks interesting to me. I'm curious about how it all comes together.

Let me know what you think about this. Are you interested? Do you know the history of Dune and C&C games?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Gets a New Trailer and Release Date of May 6

There's a hot new trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and it's awesome! The movie comes out on May 6th. There's a lot in it and I don't want to spoil it, but there is a significant cameo. You only get to hear is voice, but I can't wait to see him! It seems a certain Marvel group will be shown. There's another Marvel character, I can point her out later who she might be.

It looks like this movie is going to tie to WandaVision and What If. I'm not looking forward to one part of it (I can explain later again). The overall look seems to be from what I think is one of the most dramatic episodes. This one should be more obvious.

What are your thoughts? Let... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 02/16/2022 at 02:26am

I am super hyped for this one! Can't wait to see all the twists and turns that will likely happen throughout!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 02/17/2022 at 05:51am

Looks great. Rumor has it that even an iron man variant shows up. The variant may be played by a certain megastar that was originally going to be iron man, way back when.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/18/2022 at 12:20am

Yup! Captain Britain, Kang or a variant, or Reed Richards could possibly be there, too. Deadpool could show up, too.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/24/2022 at 08:32pm

The author of the Dark Hold and the one who gave Wanda her original powers (pre-Mind stone), Cthon, is on the high-res poster of the movie. https://youtu.be/Ovpivz2TQTE

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/23/2022 at 08:40am

This is on Disney+ now. As much as I've enjoyed watching the MCU movies in theater lately (starting with Shang-Chi), this is for some odd reason the only one I want to see again, at least right now. I'm not into horror and I don't like some of the horror elements of this (especially the bloodiness and neck snap), but I really enjoyed it. I was thinking of Doctor Strange as my current favorite MCU character, but Ms. Marvel is taking that title these days.

Let me know if you've watched it or are going to and what you think about it!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/25/2022 at 04:31am

I just watched it again, and do really enjoy it! It's a fun change-up from typical Marvel movies and has great rewatchability 😀

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/25/2022 at 04:42am

I'm not sure why I said it's the only one I wanted to re-watch. After watching it, I began to think, "no, I wanted to re-watch this as much as the others, which isn't much." They were all great, but I gues it's just too soon. Still, I enjoyed re-watching this, especially because I was able to watch the iMax version at 2K. It was so beautiful and crisp! (4Kx2K@60 is the highest non-native res. my new monitor I got in Dec. is able to do. My native res. is 1440p.)

Also, it took a while, but I remembered that I saw it (and Jurassic World Dominion) in 3D and really enjoyed it (some how keep going at the wrong time for the 2D shows, need to verify times).

Being a parent makes Wanda so much more relatable. I'm relating to villains too much lately. (I even decided what my Sith name is.)

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Splinter Coming To Ninja Turtles Shredders Revenge

Splinter is coming as a playable character to Ninja Turtles Shredders Revenge with the original Turtle Team and April O'Neil! I hope they announce more characters you can play, personally I'd love to play as Casey Jones. That said, I imagine they might release more characters later on as DLC depending on how the games does but it would be nice to get a hefty roster at launch too.

What characters would you like to see join up?

Hotline Miami Creators Break Down its Design & Legacy

Hotline Miami is one of the best indie games to come out in the last 10 years and if you wanted to know more about it's development NoClip has released a documentary about it. The retrospective covers both games in the series along with the critiques of Hotline Miami 2.

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition Arrives April 7th

I just wanted to share a bit of news real quick. The sequel to Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross (from the PS1 days) is getting remastered as Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition. It's coming to consoles (all three current gen) and Steam on April 7th. Steam has it listed for $20, which I think is great.

I'm pretty much looking forward to this. I played Chrono Cross about two decades ago. It's a Square-Enix (or Squaresoft originally) JRPG with a lot of playable characters. I can't think of much else to say about it, but I did enjoy it.

Check out this link for more info: ... Read All

The Latest Nintendo Direct: A New Portal Collection, You Monster!

The latest Nintendo direct brought some great news for Switch fans. One new game collection to be announced was quite a welcomed surprise in the Portal: Companion Collection. Basically it's just as it sounds, Valve is releasing the Portal & Portal 2 Companion Collection on Nintendo Switch. My hope is this has a physical release, because if it doesn't i'll pick it up. I still play Portal and Portal 2 with my 5 year old son on the Series X backwards compatibility and getting a new fresh port on Switch would be awesome. My hope is Valve releases this collection on the other consoles in 4K but if this is simply a Switch port, that seems fine too. It's an interesting... Read All The latest Nintendo direct brought some great news for Switch fans. One new game collection to be announced was quite a welcomed surprise in the Portal: Companion Collection. Basically it's just as it sounds, Valve is releasing the Portal & Portal 2 Companion Collection on Nintendo Switch. My hope is this has a physical release, because if it doesn't i'll pick it up. I still play Portal and Portal 2 with my 5 year old son on the Series X backwards compatibility and getting a new fresh port on Switch would be awesome. My hope is Valve releases this collection on the other consoles in 4K but if this is simply a Switch port, that seems fine too. It's an interesting choice considering Valve is launching it's Steam Deck handheld broadly very soon.

The next news drop I found interesting was the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass DLC. Mario Kart 8 was originally released in 2014 for the Wii U with it's own DLC. That later was packaged up for the Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the game is still so popular with fans Nintendo is releasing a 48 course DLC track pass that will drop 8 new tracks at a time throughout 2022. For $25 this seems like quite the deal and Nintendo has also included it as a bonus for the upgraded Nintendo Online subscription. Interesting to see how Nintendo is adding value to Nintendo Online through normally paid DLC being included for subscribers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uZDbDoDAq4

Nintendo Switch Sports looks to be the sequel to Wii Sports I always wanted. Recently my son played Wii bowling at he was hooked. Nintendo Switch Sports looks to bring all the Wii classic sports games to the table along with some of the best games from Wii Sports Resort (the Sword Fighting game). Switch Sports drops 4/29 and it's a day one purchase for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ16-1YIRAc

Finally, Earthbound Beginnings on NES and Earthbound for SNES are coming to Nintendo online, which should bring these classic games to a larger audience. While a bit late, it's nice to see these come to the system even if I'm letting my Nintendo Online subscription lapse.