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Ghostbusters: Afterlife Second Trailer

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

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

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/30/2021 at 02:19am

This looks really, really fun. I can't wait to see it!

I wasn't much of a Ghostbusters fan growing up, but of course I appriciate the cultural phenomenon it was.

I hope the Ghostbusters Theme is somewhere, even in the end credits!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/30/2021 at 03:58pm

Looks great! Grew up on the Ghostbusters. Love all the movies, and watched some of the cartoon.

Jason Reitman trailer commentary here: https://youtu.be/0cTv40aQYdM

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/16/2022 at 01:38am

I finally saw this maybe a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it! My complaint was that we didn't hear enough of Ecto-1's sirens. I think the CG at the end was well done.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 02/16/2022 at 02:27am

I finally just saw it last week and loved it!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 02/17/2022 at 05:49am

Fun movie. Glad Jason got to work with Ivan on it before he passed away.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/23/2022 at 12:19am

> Glad Jason got to work with Ivan on it before he passed away.

Agreed.

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Dune Official Trailer!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Me too.

Like Adam, this seems like a theater must see.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you think it would be better in the theater?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I never read the book. 🤣

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Very optimistic news! Thank you for sharing!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I watched Dune a few nights ago.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That said, it was fun going with friends.

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Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order Spoiler-Free Review

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

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

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Looking forward to watching it soon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Nintendo Switch OLED Model Coming Oct. 8

I found out about this a day ago and thought I'd share with you Switch lovers and owners, in case you weren't aware. A new model for the Switch (OLED) is coming on Oct. 8 at the same time the new Metroid game is coming out. The new model includes a bigger screen, improved audio, wider adjustable stand, 64GB of internal memory, and a wired LAN port. It's going to cost $350. While this isn't a 4K model with upgraded hardware like the CPU, it's still a bit of an upgrade and the 4K upgraded model may still be in the Switch's future.

I think the bigger screen sounds nice. It reminds me of when the 3DSXL came out. I really wanted to get it. I finally did buy a 2DSXL,... Read All I found out about this a day ago and thought I'd share with you Switch lovers and owners, in case you weren't aware. A new model for the Switch (OLED) is coming on Oct. 8 at the same time the new Metroid game is coming out. The new model includes a bigger screen, improved audio, wider adjustable stand, 64GB of internal memory, and a wired LAN port. It's going to cost $350. While this isn't a 4K model with upgraded hardware like the CPU, it's still a bit of an upgrade and the 4K upgraded model may still be in the Switch's future.

I think the bigger screen sounds nice. It reminds me of when the 3DSXL came out. I really wanted to get it. I finally did buy a 2DSXL, although I've barely used it. I've owned many different iterations of Nintendo's handheld, including the original Gameboy, which I got not too long after it came out. I skipped the Gameboy color, but I got a Gameboy Advance and then the SP model, which I really loved. After that, the DS came out and I bought most of the models that followed it, including the 3DS and it's iterations as well.

I'd also like to mention that I welcome most of the other upgrades. More internal memory is always a plus. I think the wired LAN port is also a good bonus. I remember buying a wired LAN adapter for my Wii. I've always believed that wired was better than wireless, but I've seen how wireless technology has significantly improved and can be just as fast as wired. The improved audio seems to be nice as well. I'm not so sure about the stand, I feel kind of "meh" about that one, but I haven't experienced the current Switch and it's stand, so maybe people who have a Switch will appreciate it.

I think it's still unsure as to how the supply will be since there's still a semiconductor shortage going on. It's been going on for a while now and is a big reason why it's so difficult to get the new XBox and PS5. It's also contributed to PC hardware prices. For example, I paid about $300 for my GTX 1660 Ti (EVGA XC Gaming, which means EVGA overclocked it) on Amazon. I've seen it on Amazon just recently for about double the price I paid. This shortage has made it difficult to find new graphics cards like the RTX 30 series and why they're also very expensive, though it may not be the only reason, because digital currency seems to be affecting the supply and demand as well, which affects prices (Econ 101).

I still don't have a Switch, but I've recently learned (as we've mentioned here) about some games I've added to my mental list of games I'm interested in. I think years ago I became aware of the newer Switch model that had better battery life and that was the model I decided I would get, if I got one. Now, I think I'd probably go for this new model, assuming I could afford it.

This news isn't quite new with regards to Nintendo. Remember how many iterations of handhelds Nintendo released (as I mentioned above), improving on it with each. It looks like the Switch is going through that same evolution (although in my opinion the Switch Lite isn't an improvement and I refused to buy one at a discount when my local GameStop closed).

So, what do you think about this? If you don't have a Switch yet, but are planning on buying one are you going to hold off to get this new model? If you have a Switch, do you think you'll buy it? If so, do you plan to try to sell your current one or keep it around? If you plant to sell it, how do you intend to go about that? Feel free to let me know!

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-oled-announced-coming-october-8/1100-6493578/

Summer Games Done Quick 2021 IS HERE!

The Summer Games Done Quick charity speedrun has begun and if you love watching people play videos games fast and supporting incredible charities, this for you. You know, even if that might not sound like it’s your thing I’d recommend clicking the play button above to give a random speedrun a few minutes.

Summer Games Done Quick donations go to support Doctors Without Borders which is a fantastic charity that brings medical help to the places in the world that are in need. So if you have a few minutes to watch some fun runs and a few bucks to chip in make sure you do!

Summer Games Done Quick runs from July 4th - 10th.

https://gamesdonequick.com/
... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/08/2021 at 07:43am

Charity is definitely cool. This particularly catches my interest, because of GTA3. I really loved that game when it came out. I couldn't get enough of it. I had played a little bit of GTA and/or GTA2, but GTA3 really put the game in the spotlight for me. I enjoyed Vice City and San Andreas, too, when they came out. There were some GTA games for the PSP, too, which I also enjoyed. Although, I never did get my hands on Chinatown Wars.

I liked GTA4 and it's expansion packs, but I've only completed all three once on PS3. It was probably the first or at least among the first games I bought when I got my PS3. I have it on Steam now and I did start playing it at one time, but I didn't play it very long. Looking at it now, Steam says I've spent just less than 3 hours playing it. I had it installed recently, but uninstalled it since I hadn't gotten to it, found other games to play instead, and needed the storage space (my SSD is only 1TB, unlike the 2TB HDD I had for the Alienware, which unfortunately both the PC and HDD died two years ago).

Now we have GTA5 and it blew away everything else. I imagine it has to be the most popular in the series and even almost 7 years later, it remains popular. I imagine this could be in part because it was released for the next generation of consoles. That was nice, too, because it got some improvements.

Part of it's continued popularity probably also has to do with GTA Online. I played GTAO a little bit, but I was turned off by it, because of other players. It wouldn't take long for someone to kill you once you stepped out of your residence. I revisited GTAO last year, because there was a quest you could do which rewarded you with a special gun for Red Dead Redemption 2. Once I finished that, I was done with it.

Back to this, it's interesting. I still wonder how someone could speed run through the game and a simple search on Google tells me it's been done in about an hour. Wow! I didn't look into the details of how that's been done, but I still find that amazing.

I'm glad these modern GTA games are on Steam, I have them all, though I haven't played them much. I'd still like to go back and play some of them again. I remember trying to replay San Andreas when I got it on Steam, but I had an issue with the mission where you have to use the hydraulics on your car. The controls just didn't seem to work, but I later read how you're supposed to do it.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share my thoughts. I'm interested to know what anyone else here thinks about this and the series in general.

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Godzilla Singular Point Spoiler-Free Review

I was aware of Godzilla Singular Point before it was released, but I had forgotten about it until I wrote about Star Wars Visions. Star Wars Visions is an anime series coming to Disney+ this September (22nd), while Godzilla Singular Point is an anime series currently out on Netflix. Luckily, this was released globally not too long ago (Japan got it first), so my timing was about right.

The series (or first season) is 13 half hour episodes and I “binge watched” them, which I think is a great way to watch many shows. This is a TOHO production, which is the company that created Godzilla along with almost all of the Godzilla movies. They also created many other kaiju... Read All I was aware of Godzilla Singular Point before it was released, but I had forgotten about it until I wrote about Star Wars Visions. Star Wars Visions is an anime series coming to Disney+ this September (22nd), while Godzilla Singular Point is an anime series currently out on Netflix. Luckily, this was released globally not too long ago (Japan got it first), so my timing was about right.

The series (or first season) is 13 half hour episodes and I “binge watched” them, which I think is a great way to watch many shows. This is a TOHO production, which is the company that created Godzilla along with almost all of the Godzilla movies. They also created many other kaiju movies that didn’t feature Godzilla. I really love TOHO, because I really love Godzilla. I also really love the theme music for Godzilla and Mothra (the benevolent moth seen in some Godzilla movies, though she also stars in her own movies). Godzilla and Mothra’s music are very recognizable and I absolutely love them both. I also really love the sound of Godzilla’s roar, which is pretty much the same as it is in all the other TOHO productions. Godzilla’s roar is different in the recent Legendary movies, which I found disappointing.

Godzilla isn’t the only kaiju featured. In fact, we don’t see Godzilla for a few episodes. Rodan, the pterasaur, is the first kaiju we get to see and hearing it’s roar reminded me of watching the movies in which it appeared. That sound was the same and I really loved it! It appears frequently. Jet Jaguar is a giant robot from Godzilla Vs. Megalon, which is it’s only appearance. It also makes an appearance and is pretty much the star of the show, along with the humans. Jet Jaguar goes through an evolution, though not quite like another star of the show (“spoilers!” so I’ll be nice and not reveal that). There are other kaiju as well including Anguiris, the ankylosaurus-looking kaiju and Manda, the underwater dragon. Another named Salunga appears to be Gabara with a redesign and new name. There is one final character in the post-credits scene, but that is another spoiler I won’t reveal here.

I’ve come to realize that just because Godzilla is in something, doesn’t mean it’s great. I’ve watched and re-watched Godzilla movies and have come to the opinion that some of them are horrible, while others are fantastic. Even if a Godzilla movie isn’t great, the parts that directly feature Godzilla are and kind of make them worth watching. It’s kind of hard to pinpoint how I feel about Godzilla Singular Point. I’m not sure I’d call it fantastic, but I’m not sure I’d call it horrible either. The kaiju parts of it are definitely awesome. I was immediately impressed with the visual fidelity. The first part that really stood out to me was light. It wasn’t just basic cartoon-ish, bland light, but it looked realistic and very well made. However, I think the story was a bit too complex. I think it goes to an extreme to explain how these kaiju have shown up. It’s based on some very complex science including dimensional and temporal physics. Yes, time travel is part of it. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. My favorite human character is probably the old man that is the head of the company that built Jet Jaguar. He also pilots Jet Jaguar in the beginning.

While the series did seem to come to a finale at the end, watching the post-credits scene makes me believe that there may be more to come. If there is a season two, I’ll definitely watch it.

I think if you like anime and/or Godzilla, this might be for you. I love Godzilla, so everything Godzilla is for me. I don’t have anything against anime, I’m just not super in to it. Although there is plenty of anime I’ve seen that I love like The Animatrix (watch if you’re a fan of the Matrix), the Dragonball series, Pokemon, some Final Fantasy, and others. I was very glad that they made an English dub as I’m not fond of subtitles. I thought the voice acting was good. One of the voices in the series reminded me of the World of Final Fantasy game, though I have positive and negative feelings about it.

Feel free to let me know if this is something you’re into. Let me know if you’ve seen it and tell me what you thought about it.

Star Wars Visions Coming to Disney+ 9/22/21

I just learned about Star Wars Visions by watching a couple of videos, I've embedded one so you can take a look. This is a series of anime and all of them will be released on 9/22 (the day before my birthday!). One interesting and memorable story I heard about was a droid who dreams of being a Jedi. I think that premise is incredibly original, something I never thought of.

It's great to see things being added to the Star Wars universe. Star Wars is like the gift that keeps on giving. I could say the same about Disney+, which I've been quite impressed by with Marvel's shows (WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and Loki) along with Star Wars The Bad Batch.

I'm... Read All

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Starting July 28 2021

So, I just found out about "Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster." I watched the embedded video. Honestly, my thought is, "how many times are they going to port these original FF games?" I realize now we're talking "remaster" instead of "port," but I think my point is the same. I've played all or almost all of the FF games in the list given in the video (FFI-VI) numerous times on many different platforms. I have the original FF NES cart along with the original FF II & III SNES carts. I have different copies of the FFII and FFIII ports, though these games are confusing as they are also FFIV & VI. I have the ones that came out for PS1 and DS. Not only that, but I also... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/05/2021 at 04:23am

I think this is a really good idea. Taking an old pixel game and putting into the proper aspect ratio for your device and TV is a really nice upgrade. That said, there are a lot of version of some of these games, such as Final Fantasy IV has the SNES US, SNES JP and GBA versions and they are all different. So I’m wondering what versions they consider canonical, I suppose if it was me it would be the GBA version but some might consider the SNES US version as that’s what they remember.

Regardless of which versions they plan to pixel remaster, I prefer this approach to re-releasing the classics because its closer to what the original games were as opposed to the remakes which can vary wildly in quality. I have heard that some of the text is hard to see in these versions and that’s something for them to consider but I give a strong thumbs up to pixel remakes of all classic games.

I think Blizzard and Double Fine also did something other companies should copy which is they have the classic version you can swap to on the fly OR play the updated graphical version. It’s harder to do for sure but it’s a better way to do it as it gives you both versions to decide which you want to play.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/05/2021 at 09:38am

Yeah, it is nice, I'm just overwhelmed with how many times they've released or ported these games. As I said, it's like how many times do I have to buy the same game? Again, as I said, I'm not too fond of the bundle price. Yeah, it seems reasonable to pay less than $20 for each of these and it makes sense that putting them all together adds up significantly. So, I guess my fondness of the bundle price isn't quite logical. Still, I'm sure some day the bundle will get a major discount and be well worth it, most likely during a summer or winter sale. I am surprised these aren't going to be an EGS exclusive, since that's what they did with Kingdom Hearts and it appears they're going to do it with FF7 Remake (more on that in the next paragraph).

I do like remasters as well, they are the same games we know and love just with a nice facelift. Other than the fact that it's not on PC (Steam) yet, I haven't jumped on to the FF 7 Remake train, because I'm a bit put off by the changes that were made. I believe I saw or read that there are ghosts in this version, which were not there in the original. The original was great. It's kind of like the phrase, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Still, it seems to be really popular and it seems it may be coming to PC eventually. I read it's listed in the Epic Games Store database, which is a hint that it's coming to EGS. My guess is it's going to be an exclusive for a while. Part of my reasoning for this assumption is because that's just how EGS rolls, which is something I'm not fond of. Another part of that reasoning is that the Kingdom Hearts remasters are there, but not yet on Steam. I appreciate other companies getting in to the business and all, but I can't help that I want all of my games in one place and I really like Steam. Granted, if Steam goes away, so does all of the games I've collected with it, which is many more than any other platform.

I agree with you, I like the ability to switch between "classic" and remastered graphics. Even though I'll probably always choose the remastered version, it's nice to have that ability, especially for players who want that option. Plus, it's interesting to see how a developer has improved a game's graphics. I experienced this with the Command & Conquer remaster.

Oh and I don't believe this is coming to consoles, but I think it should. I think it would be good so that everyone who wants to experience this early FF history has a chance to. I think it could get more sales. Plus, these were originally console games, so it seems to only make sense. I don't think these games (or at least most of them) are very well known and popular, not like FF7 anyway. There are probably other FF fans out there that would like to be able to get their hands on this.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/22/2021 at 08:28am

I just found out that this will come to other platforms if enough people request it. I'm not sure how to go about that though. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/final-fantasy-pixel-remaster-collection-could-come-to-other-platforms-if-enough-people-request-it/1100-6494244/

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