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Steam Developer Days Day II - A Wrap Up To A Great Conference

Even though i'm more than a couple days late to writing about the second day of Steam Developer Days I wanted to get out my thoughts while they are still nearly fresh in my mind. Spoiler alert, day two was incredible but the drive home from Seattle to Portland that night was precarious as I had to navigate the freak storm that occurred as some remnants of Typhoon Songda hit the west coast. I feel bad for my steering wheel as my clenched fingers strangled it for many tense driving moments but the wheel and I made it home safely.

One of the most interesting parts of the second devs days was Mike Ambinder's talk on The Psychology Of Games. When the talks are released from... Read All Even though i'm more than a couple days late to writing about the second day of Steam Developer Days I wanted to get out my thoughts while they are still nearly fresh in my mind. Spoiler alert, day two was incredible but the drive home from Seattle to Portland that night was precarious as I had to navigate the freak storm that occurred as some remnants of Typhoon Songda hit the west coast. I feel bad for my steering wheel as my clenched fingers strangled it for many tense driving moments but the wheel and I made it home safely.

One of the most interesting parts of the second devs days was Mike Ambinder's talk on The Psychology Of Games. When the talks are released from Steam Developer Days I plan on featuring the talk in a post for people to watch and talk more about it. There were many standout parts to Mike's talk but the thing I thought about was how Developer choice can effect player preference. Mike also talked about cognitive dissonance and how they used that to change toxic behavior in DoTA 2. His talk also featured the hilarious picture of him and Gabe embedded above and I want to thank Mike letting me use the image in this blog post.

Another interesting talk was by Ronimo Games(the creators of Awesomenauts) about games as a service. Traditionally a game was released as a physical product and after the initial wave of sales you were done with it. You'd maybe drop a patch or two and sometimes an expansion but for the most part, after launch, developers and companies were done with the game. Ronimo takes a different approach to this with Awesomenauts as they are always releasing content in the form of game patches, heroes, skins and expansions. They've been utilizing the games as a service model since 2012 and it seems to have served them and the fans of the game well. Fans get more of what they love and Ronimo can keep the studio lights on. I found a few things out in this talk in that when players buy Awesomenauts skins one reason they often do that is to support the developers. Players see it more as a patronage of the company and want to support them as a studio. Ronimo also was straight up honest that they held back some content at launch so they could focus on post release promises and be able to fund fixing bugs. Usually companies are not transparent about this but Ronimo was pretty straight forward about the costs of running a studio and being able to keep post release commitments by having the work done in advance.

If I had one suggestion for next years Steam Developer Days it is that I would focus on more advanced topics. It's good to cover things from a beginner level but I wasn't finding each talk to be as meaty or topical as i'd of liked. The talks I highlighted in my two posts were superb but not every talk was as deep as i'd have wanted. That said, I loved that Steam Developer Days was only two days as i've had a rough time when conferences overstay their welcome. All that said, I really enjoyed this years Steam Developer Days and can't wait to head back when Valve does it again in 2018.

If you want to read up on my thoughts on the first day of the conference hit the link below

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/3127/steam-developer-days-day-1-vr-is-all-around-you

Skyrim Special Edition Looks Incredible

Skyrim Special Edition comes to Xbox One, PS4 and PC on October 28th and Bethesda has released this trailer showing off just how good the game will look. As a fun bonus if you already have Skyrim on Steam on PC it will be available to you at the ultra low cost of zero dollars. It's nice that Bethesda is making this available to owners of new consoles because if you haven't played it now is a great time. Not does it come with an incredible graphical upgrade but Skyrim will also come with all DLC included.

If you are interested in joining the Skyrim Special Edition launch hype train join the Cheerful Ghost launch event discussion below

... Read All

Red Dead Redemption 2!

*Updated header image, because that announce went rather quickly!

Rockstar Games tweeted this lovely image today (http://i.imgur.com/WDqivMq.jpg), leading many to believe it's an implication of a new, much anticipated, Red Dead Redemption game. Earlier in July, Rockstar brought XBox One compatibility to the original Red Dead Redemption, and since then a lot of fans have been champing at the bit for news of a new title in the series.

While I never finished the Redemption (I spent way too much time just riding around doing side-story missions and hunting), I'd love to see a new Red Dead come around in the very near future. Anyone else excited by that image?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/17/2016 at 12:45am

I remember reading something about "games to look forward to in 2017" and RDR2 was on that list. I'm looking forward to it as I enjoyed RDR, but I'm hoping it comes out for Steam.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/17/2016 at 03:38am

I really hope that means it's coming to PC. I've heard stuff about why that might not happen, but my PS3 died before I could play it.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 10/17/2016 at 02:30pm

This new image all but confirms it: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cu-LRSTW8AAszBG.jpg:large

It could come to PC, but I would think it unlikely. Rockstar is typically a console-first developer. It could happen, though.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/17/2016 at 03:32pm

GTA V came to PC after a bit. I mean I hope that Red Dead Redemption comes to PC as I have it on PS3 but it died before I could try it.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 10/17/2016 at 04:35pm

I see what you're saying. Yeah, it would be cool for Redemption to come to PC, and soon!

Travis Admin wrote on 10/18/2016 at 02:42am

I've seen some speculation that this is leading up to an announcement of RDR Remastered, but I would think that would be too much fanfare for a remaster. More likely that it's a sequel, but maybe it comes with the original remastered. I'd love to play that on PC.

I'm hoping for near-simultaneous release with PC. Because I don't want to buy a new console for a game, but RDR 2 might be the one that makes me do that.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/18/2016 at 05:09am

> I'm hoping for near-simultaneous release with PC. Because I don't want to buy a new console for a game, but RDR 2 might be the one that makes me do that.

If Rockstars latest release is something they will repeat going forward it seems the game gets a one year lead on consoles then a PC launch. That's a really long time to wait if you want to play the game. That said, buying a console for one game? Yikes.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/18/2016 at 07:13am

> I'm hoping for near-simultaneous release with PC. Because I don't want to buy a new console for a game, but RDR 2 might be the one that makes me do that.

I agree with Travis, in part. I have very few reasons to get a new console and honestly, I kind of want to keep it that way, I think, because there are so few console games I'm interested in. For a PS4, my only interest lies in Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts releases. I say that, yet now I will contradict myself. The new Zelda game (one single game) is tempting me to get an NX, but I want to see what that system is like and how and if the game is different between the NX and Wii U versions. I may end up just getting the Wii U version, since I already own a Wii U. Other than that, the PC (Steam mostly) has once again extremely dominated my platform preference. I'm hoping the FF games I'm interested in come to Steam, too. Then that would be even less of an excuse to get a PS4.

Back to RDR, I'm not sure if I'd buy a console for it, although if I decided to get a PS4 (I'm just not even considering the XBox), then that would be a good addition to the games to add to my very short list of ones I'm interested in.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/18/2016 at 04:04pm

Confirmed! Red Dead Redemption 2, no mention of PC.

rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 10/18/2016 at 04:09pm

And there it is: https://twitter.com/RockstarGames/status/788363842329903104

PS4 and Xbox One listed as release targets. As you guys are speculating, probably (maybe) a year or more for a PC release, traditionally from Rockstar. Anything earlier than that would be awesome, but uncharacteristically unexpected.

The PS4 isn't so bad ;). There are a number of great games available there. Maybe hold out for the PS4 Pro at this point, if you're going to take the console leap.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/19/2016 at 03:13am

Ah damn. I posted a link without the linkiness. That's what I get for not confirming!

http://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/19/2016 at 03:43am

No PC huh? Well it's not a bad launch strategy I suppose. I imagine they will get follow on purchases on PC from PS4 owners.

I mean, it sucks but it's not a bad launch strategy as limiting platforms does make launch simpler.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/21/2016 at 11:08am

Trailer! https://youtu.be/gmA6MrX81z4

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/01/2016 at 02:13am

RDR is coming to PS4 and PC next week! http://www.gamespot.com/articles/red-dead-redemption-heads-to-ps4-pc-through-playst/1100-6445850/

Travis Admin wrote on 12/01/2016 at 02:27am

WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT

Travis Admin wrote on 12/01/2016 at 02:27am

Oh come on.

That's not coming to PC.

That's Playstation Now.

I was super excited.

Travis Admin wrote on 12/01/2016 at 02:37am

Sorry Greg that's not on you, that's on the headline at Gamespot. :D

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/01/2016 at 02:46am

Oh, I think I see it now. You have to have a PS4 and you can stream it to your PC via the Playstation Now app. So, it's not coming to PC. Yeah that headline and some of the article is a bit misleading. Or wait...you can get the Playstation Now app for your PC, but you have to pay for it.

Travis Admin wrote on 12/01/2016 at 02:52am

Yeah it will be playable on PC and PS4 but you have to stream it from the net. So it's tied to an internet connection and it's a subscription service in a sense.

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Double Fine's Psychonauts 2 - Behind the Launch

I have really enjoyed Double Fine's documentary videos. It's something they started with Broken Age that has carried through each game and they are continuing it with the development of the much anticipated Psychonauts 2. The video covers the games reveal at the Video Game Awards as well as successful funding on Fig.

Jin. Whatever I Do I Do It To Protect You. Rogue One Story Trailer.

A brand new Rogue One Trailer dropped bringing us more details about the upcoming Rogue One Star Wars film. Showing more of the story it seems that Jin's father was captured by the empire and forced to build it's ultimate weapon. This trailer features the music of Michael Giacchino who replaced Alexandre Desplat and you can heard Giacchino's style front and center for the trailer. Internet people have been worried about a series of pickups for Rogue One but that's still something I am not really concerned about. Why wouldn't you want to make a movie even better?

The new Rogue One trailer story trailer is out but what do you think? Does the movie still look like... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 10/13/2016 at 10:09pm

Aww yiss. This looks tasty.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 10/13/2016 at 10:53pm

I have a feeling this will surpass Episode VII at the box office, if the trailer is any indication of the tone and atmosphere of this film. I expect to see a distant shot of the Falcon somewhere along the way. Kind of a two-ships-passing-in-the-night thing.

JaBo wrote on 10/13/2016 at 11:21pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/14/2016 at 12:25am

I'm sure I briefly saw Jeremy Irons as one of the Empire starting at 1:16 (https://youtu.be/sC9abcLLQpI?t=1m16s). He says, "the power that we are dealing with here is immeasurable." But, I don't see his name in the credits nor do I see this movie on his IMDB page. I did, however, see James Earl Jones voicing Darth Vader.

I'm not really sure what's going to happen in this movie. Ok, so Jin's father helped build the Death Star and the Rebel forces are fighting the Empire, but weren't both Death Stars destroyed within the first three Star Wars movies? So, it seems that the Rebels won't destroy it in this one, so I'm not really sure what the plot or point will be, unless maybe it's to show how it was built and their failure to destroy it the first time they try.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/14/2016 at 02:26am

Greg: remember the opening crawl to Episode IV?

"It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.

Pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy…."

This is the story of that opening crawl. In the Rogue One trailers we see the crew at the Yavin base. They strike from there against the empire and steal the plans for the Death Star to turn them over to the resistance. They do the thing they do in Rogue One, and then Leia has the plans to plant into R2 before he and C3PO end up on Tattooine.

It's interesting. We don't know the details but we know exactly what the overall outcome will be already. So we can focus on the people, and that's what I hope the director emphasizes. Based on what he did in Monsters, I think he will.

And that guy at 1:16 is Ben Mendelsohn: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578853/mediaviewer/rm1132534784

Travis Admin wrote on 10/14/2016 at 02:34am

Also with regard to "their failure to destroy it the first time they try." I highly doubt they even try in Rogue One. The dialogue in Episode IV suggests that it's basically untested. People know of it but nobody has made any attempts on it.

I imagine the big battle will be a massive battle with star destroyers. Since the whole point is to get those plans so they know how to fight it, it seems unwise to go after it.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/14/2016 at 02:37am

Oh! So I forgot-- I read a book that covers this whole story and people working on the Death Star are aware of the major battle, but yeah, the first attack on the Death Star is the one in Episode IV.

Lost Stars, such a good book.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/14/2016 at 02:55am

Ok so that makes sense. Thanks for making that make sense for me. Still, it seems kind of odd that the Empire built the first Death Star, which got destroyed, so they built another one, which also got destroyed, then they built the Star Destroyer (is that what it's called in the latest movie), which also got destroyed. It seems like the Empire is really stupid. It seems a bit repetitive, too. They built all those powerful weapons, which were inevitably destroyed. It seems kind of like a weak plot, to keep repeating it. Don't get me wrong, I like Star Wars. I only recently really put some thought into this criticism.

Don't you think that guy sounded like Jeremy Irons? I thought it looked like him, too. Granted it makes sense that that's not him because he's not in the credits nor is the movie listed on his IMDB page. I did see Ben Mendelsohn a few times during the trailer, but that moment when he spoke, I swore it was Jeremy Irons.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/14/2016 at 03:02am

I didn't get a Jeremy Irons feel from him, no, but I see your point!

Starkiller Base was the one in episode VII. That wasn't the empire but a group of fanatics who basically worship the empire, so they tried to emulate them and expand on them. They thought they had fixed the design flaws.

As for the second death star, that was hubris. Basically "Oh you destroyed a death star? No big, we'll just make another. See how little we care?" Trying to show that they were more confident to keep the fear alive, because if people stopped fearing them after the first death star was destroyed, then they would lose it all. That's also why so much more was riding on that second death star, and how they used it as bait to try to destroy the rebellion once and for all.

That's how I interpreted it anyway!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/14/2016 at 04:29am

Yet again "that makes sense." :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/15/2016 at 10:58pm

> I have a feeling this will surpass Episode VII at the box office, if the trailer is any indication of the tone and atmosphere of this film.

Interesting prediction. I am both seriously excited and curious about this being the first non Skywalker Star Wars film to hit theaters. It's exciting because, well, look at it it's awesome looking. But curious because i'm not sure how well it will do. It's Star Wars so I think it has a huge built in audience but I'm wondering if everyone and more that was VII will see Rogue One?

> Still, it seems kind of odd that the Empire built the first Death Star, which got destroyed, so they built another one, which also got destroyed, then they built the Star Destroyer (is that what it's called in the latest movie), which also got destroyed. It seems like the Empire is really stupid. It seems a bit repetitive, too.

Yep. This.

If you take all the "people/persons fly into big super structure and blow it up from the inside then Phantom Menace, New Hope, Jedi and Force Awakens have VERY similar ending plots. It makes watching them all in order sort of samey and it is repetitive. At least with Rogue One they aren't blowing up the Death Star they are building it. Anyways, I made a joke on Facebook that the only think they have left is to build a "Death Dyson Sphere." Funny but i'm pretty sure they won't do that.

But yeah, I hope Star Wars can kind of drop the Death Star thing. It's fun and such but it's been covered well now. Maybe we can get some super virus that creates Zombie Troopers or something. Might be a terrible idea but at least it hasn't been done in Star Wars before.

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Steam Developer Days Day 1 - VR Is All Around You

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JwFF8GLtwvgszkXtr7JUW9-650-80.jpg

In 2014 Cheerful Ghost published it's first game Starship Rubicon, an asteroids-esque rogue lite. Working with Wick to take his game to a wider audience was a really fun experience and along the way we hit some fun milestones like releasing the game on Windows, Mac and Linux on Steam. Because of that Cheerful Ghost was asked to attend this years Steam Developer Days and we happily signed up. I wasn't sure what to expect but I figured we'd learn more about what Valve was up to and maybe play some fun games along the way.

It's All About VR Baby!

It might not be too surprising that Valve is focusing heavily on VR and the Vive. The main social area here at Steam Developer... Read All

Lara vs. Croft Manor

http://www.onpause.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Tomb-Raider-20-Year-Celebration-640x322.jpg

The Rise of the Tomb Raider's 20th anniversary has gone live! It's available in multiple forms. You can buy the 20th Anniversary edition, you can be a Season Pass holder, or you can buy it individually. Not only does it include skins from previous Tomb Raider titles, but it includes new Co-op modes, a new "Lara's Nightmare" mode, as well as a single-player story that takes place after the events of the primary game.

The single player story takes place in Croft Manor, and instead of combat, it's focus is on Lara re-discovering her family home and trying to save it from falling into the hands of her uncle. Lara will rediscover her childhood, remember her father and... Read All

Get Beyond Good and Evil & Dungeon Keeper Free!

Ubisoft and EA are giving away two classic games you might want to check out. Continuing with it's 30 year anniversary celebration, Ubisoft is handing out copies of Beyond Good and Evil on UPlay. EA just dropped a Peter Molyneux classic Dungeon Keeper on its Origin service for free too. If you were looking for some classic PC titles to play these might be worth checking out.

Unless you are too good for free and absolutely must pay for them and I imagine you could do that if you wanted.

Head over to Club Ubisoft to get Beyond Good and Evil:

https://club.ubisoft.com/en-US/ubi30

Dungeon Keeper on EA Origin:

https://www.origin.com/usa/en-us/store/free-games/on-the-house

Nike Finally Brings Us Power Laces. Alright!

Dreams of finally owning the self lacing shoes from Back to the Future 2 might finally be here and coming along side a very good cause.

"Almost 30 years ago, Nike inspired a future vision of footwear — an individually responsive shoe that senses the wearer and adapts on its own. The Nike Mag, famously worn on the silver screen by Michael J. Fox, quickly became a cultural icon.

Today, Nike and The Michael J. Fox Foundation proudly announce the release of the 2016 Nike Mag — a limited-edition release of only 89 pairs available globally through an online draw — to once again channel the excitement of the Nike Mag to raise awareness in the fight against Parkinson’s disease... Read All

My Review Of Plinkett's Star Wars The Force Awakens Review

I really enjoyed watching Star Wars The Force Awakens in theaters. I still enjoy watching it now and think it's a very solid addition to the Star Wars universe. With that, as I was watching it, I noticed a few things that stood out to me that I may have chosen to do differently. Some of those things are covered in Red Letter Media's Plinkett review of Star Wars The Force Awakens. The main one for me is how similar it is to a New Hope. It's nice that it "feels like Star Wars" but maybe i'd have made it less similar? I love talking about this stuff and Plinkett's Force Awakens Review opens the discussion again, which is something I can't get enough of.

The Force Awakens... Read All I really enjoyed watching Star Wars The Force Awakens in theaters. I still enjoy watching it now and think it's a very solid addition to the Star Wars universe. With that, as I was watching it, I noticed a few things that stood out to me that I may have chosen to do differently. Some of those things are covered in Red Letter Media's Plinkett review of Star Wars The Force Awakens. The main one for me is how similar it is to a New Hope. It's nice that it "feels like Star Wars" but maybe i'd have made it less similar? I love talking about this stuff and Plinkett's Force Awakens Review opens the discussion again, which is something I can't get enough of.

The Force Awakens review starts things off by covering all the time that has passed since the Revenge of the Sith Plinkett Review and all the think pieces that have attempted to put the Prequels in a positive light. It's an interesting discussion about stupid click bait articles and reviews as well as the Star Wars Ring Theory that is an interesting idea but when put up to a microscope seems a bit silly.

The Plinkett Force Awakens Review is interesting because it also contains a few notes from the past Prequel reviews. I like this because it sort of gets everyone up to speed even if you haven't watched all the previous reviews. That said, if you haven't and like the style of this review, I seriously recommend you watch them all. I'd even start with the first ever Plinkett review of Star Wars Generations because they all blend together and form a fun story that is loosely threaded together.

Plinkett forges ahead discussing Disney's acquisition of LucasFilm and George Lucas's departure from Star Wars. Originally when LucasFilm was purchased Disney said Lucas would be involved in Star Wars something that was quickly changed and Plinkett notes.

My favorite parts of the review are when Plinkett discusses his ideas for an alternate Force Awakens storyline and each Plinkett review contains live action scenes involving George Lucas and this time JJ Abrams joins. Overall the review seems to note that The Force Awakens is a good movie but suffers from a few issues to repeated viewings. Not sure I disagree with much of what he says here but again... I really like the movie and still do.

Ultimately Star Wars The Force Awakens had an impossible job of creating a modern version Star Wars to lifelong fans as well as kids. It had a very fine dance to do in that the prequels were a thing that many longtime fans didn't love but a new generation of kids did. It had to start up a whole new universe of films as well as be a fucking great film and for that, I think it was one of the most impressive movies made in quite some time. It's not the best movie I saw in 2015 but it's one of the most anticipated and more than met my expectations considering how much was riding on it and how many peoples expectations it had to meet.

I love nearly everything Red Letter Media does and loved watching The Force Awakens Review. As someone that comes back to watch the prequel reviews multiple times i'm happy we got this review and if you watch it let me know what you think of it.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/04/2016 at 01:20pm

My Review of Jon's Review of Plinkett's Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review:

It's good. I agree with the points Jon makes and he states them well.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/04/2016 at 03:11pm

Actually I said that before even watching the video. :D I'm going to write this comment while watching.

I'm 45 minutes in and so far it's just a critique of Star Wars fans and the media around it. I kinda feel like the pacing would have been better if this was split in two-- a teardown of the lead-up to TFA, and then the review of TFA itself.

But I do like what he's saying about the politics of the prequel trilogy. As a more adult adult, I appreciate that part of the prequels more. I think it's likely that some of the political scenes were cut or trimmed down for length so it doesn't flow as well as it could, but Sidious masterfully building the Empire is great.

His criticism of the Republic/Resistance dichotomy is fair but it's also addressed. The Resistance is a semi-official military because the Republic has mostly disarmed. There were scenes cut that explain that, but again, I guess the politics was trimmed. It's also covered pretty extensively in other media, but those shouldn't be required for understanding.

I disagree with what he's saying about the OT not having much comedy outside of C3PO. The comedy is ramped up in TFA but it never felt out of place to me.

Oh man, that shot of Lucas saying "I was sort of ahead of my time with Red Tails. An all black film?" That felt so cringeworthy.

The lack of a "get the girl" plot didn't even register for me. I don't know. I don't see that as necessary at all. He really wanted Finn and Rey to kiss, but I never felt it was necessary. In fact it may have felt more derivative it if had happened.

Toward the end I felt some of these criticisms felt off the mark. Unfortunately I can't tell how many of them are the person's criticisms and how many are the character's, especially when he's talking about diversity.

I'd love it, though, if this was a guy talking about this stuff, not a guy talking about this stuff through a character with skits about being killed by filmmakers and banging pizza with a phone. It may be that in a near-two-hour video, the character and the humor just wear thin. But I've never really watched a Plinkett because of it until this one. There's great info and great critique, but I don't prefer the presentation.

That's contradictory, because I love boogie and his Francis character. LOVE him. So maybe the humor just isn't for me. But I do now see that the humor of Plinkett is worth sitting through for the content.

JaBo wrote on 10/04/2016 at 07:00pm

Can't watch the video from work, and I've never watched any, but one of my only criticisms about the force awakens, is Finn's humor. He's been brainwashed since a kid, yet suddenly he acts all normal? He should be awkward at best.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/04/2016 at 07:05pm

That's a very fair point, yeah. They touch on that in a short story that takes place before TFA, caring for others is kinda driven out of them. BUT at the same time, he's always resisted the brainwashing. Still, initial signs of the mental torment that gradually fade a bit as the movie goes on would have been great.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/06/2016 at 05:10am

JaBo: Good point. That said, that wouldn't work for the style of The Force Awakens. Finn is often comedic relief, which I enjoy but yeah when you put it that way, he wouldn't really be like that.

Travis: This review has the least amount of Plinkett's character than most. The Revenge of the Sith review had the most that I remember. Anyways, I think part of the fun is the character but the humor can get super dark and VERY sick.

> Toward the end I felt some of these criticisms felt off the mark. Unfortunately I can't tell how many of them are the person's criticisms and how many are the character's, especially when he's talking about diversity.

The diversity stuff was stupid. Essentially he said something like "diversity is fine and the characters are fine but Disney added diversity for market appeal so fuck them." So it's not bad, the movie isn't bad and the characters aren't bad but because a big corporation did it it's wrong or cynical? Or they realize that we live in a diverse world and did something for everyone. This is the weakest part of the argument he makes I think.

Also he admits it's a good film so his arguments aren't from the perspective of "this movie is bad" more like "let's discuss aspects of this movie that could be bad." It's like the Plinkett review of Avatar or Titanic, he admits they aren't bad movies up front and just really talks about how James Cameron makes big tentpole movies that pander to audiences. In the end I think the best kind of Plinkett review is of a bad bad movie like The Phantom Menace or Star Trek Insurrection not a good bad movie like Troll 2 or a good movie like The Force Awakens or Avatar.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/09/2016 at 02:32am

This review was almost Episode 1 for me. I was really looking forward to it, and even had a friend over to watch it with me. And was pretty disappointed.

The first hour was an uninspired rehashing of "Prequels vs Originals." Mike/Plinkett brings up the Ring Theory, says it's dumb, then discusses it for-ev-er.

Finally at Point 5, the Force Awakens Review begins. I agree with everyone that it seems difficult to make a good Plinkett review of a movie that is pretty good. RLM was practically required to make this review, but it felt like they had to nitpick to fill time.

I did love the pizza-phone sex. Plinkett reviews need the absurdity. It was uncomfortable to watch, but that's what Plinkett does best :)

Because the first half hour filled with not much new, the review felt really long. I was ready for it to be over with 10-15 mins still to go.

I can't say much that wasn't said already about the actual points. The diversity point felt forced and the lack of "sex" was interesting, but I didn't miss it when I watched the movie.

Overall, I was disappointed in this review and won't be watching it again.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/09/2016 at 03:10am

That's too bad Adam. My first viewing had similar moments but a second time was better. I think the hype I felt for it was a bit misplaced. I don't think the phantom menace reviews can be topped. Or Babies Day Out. Or Cop Dog.

Dubb wrote on 10/09/2016 at 04:51pm

Yeah, so, it was entertaining. The beginning majority just felt like it was rehashing a lot of the things from the prequel reviews, and things that they've said a lot on Red Letter Media. Then, it felt like it just sort of dragged on after he'd already made the point. It had entertaining moments though.

Interestingly, I thought the Ring theory made some good points, but didn't redeem the prequels, in that it's a good idea, but wasn't executed in a way which made the prequels enjoyable to watch. An entertaining movie doesn't need for one to find an intellectual premise after having watched it to justify its entertainment value. You know a movie is entertaining, because you're being entertained as you're watching it.

The review of TFA part of the review of TFA, like other people have said, made some good points, but it didn't have the feeling of totally tearing it apart, like with the prequel reviews, simply because, with its flaws, it's still an enjoyable movie. It is sort of a gutless clone of A New Hope, but I felt that was sort of needed in order to reestablish Star Wars to people who felt jaded by the prequels.

Like Travis, I wasn't bothered by Ray and Finn not kissing. The race thing didn't even enter my mind. I thought it was a deliberate attempt to show that just because the main character's female, she doesn't need to fall all over the male hero. Likewise, the male hero doesn't have to be horny over her just because she's female.

I enjoyed Finn's humor. I did find it odd that the defected storm trooper seemed to be so at ease. But I enjoyed it.

I did not, however, enjoy the diarrhea scene at the end of the review. Sometimes Red Letter Media does things like that, and sometimes they don't. I prefer it when they don't. I prefer implied humor over, "let's show a long drawn out gross-out scene". I usually just tune out and imagine the pretty flowers or something.

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