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Star Wars: The Bad Batch Streaming Now

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is streaming now on Disney+. I actually forgot about this, but luckily YouTube brought it to my attention recently. You may remember The Bad Batch that were introduced in The Clone Wars. They're a unique group of clones, each individual in the group looks different and has they're own specialty. The trailer introduces them and also introduces us to some characters you may recognize from other Star Wars shows or movies. Tarkin is perhaps the most recognizable as he appeared in the original Star Wars trilogy as the commander of the Death Star. He also appeared in Rogue One and had a cameo at the end of Revenge of the Sith, although with some... Read All Star Wars: The Bad Batch is streaming now on Disney+. I actually forgot about this, but luckily YouTube brought it to my attention recently. You may remember The Bad Batch that were introduced in The Clone Wars. They're a unique group of clones, each individual in the group looks different and has they're own specialty. The trailer introduces them and also introduces us to some characters you may recognize from other Star Wars shows or movies. Tarkin is perhaps the most recognizable as he appeared in the original Star Wars trilogy as the commander of the Death Star. He also appeared in Rogue One and had a cameo at the end of Revenge of the Sith, although with some film trickery since the actor died in 1994. He also appears in The Clone Wars and Rebels. You may also recognize Fennec Shand who we got to see in The Mandalorian. I think what makes her more recognizable is that she is voiced by the actress who played her, Ming-Na Wen (she was also Chun-Li in the 1994 Street Fighter movie and Melinda May in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. among many of her other credits)

I haven't watched any episodes yet, but the Internet tells me there have been two released so far and there will be a total of 16 of them. Being a Star Wars fan and really enjoying everything Star Wars, I imagine this will be a good show (at least in my opinion, which isn't too critical).

I think if we can establish that some, most, or all of us have watched some or all of it, we can, together, agree to talk about it with or without spoilers in the comments. I'm sure those of us that haven't seen any of it yet want to avoid spoilers and once I do see some of it, I'll definitely avoid giving away spoilers unless I get a general consensus that enough of us have seen it and are willing to talk about it in detail. Otherwise, let me know if you plan to watch it and what you think about The Bad Batch in general (if you saw them in The Clone Wars or just watched the trailer, if you haven't watched The Clone Wars, you may want to go do that, I thought it was a good show).

Wakanda Forever and The Marvels! (And More!)

HOLY HYPE, BATMAN (er, Nighthawk?)

Marvel just released a nice look back on the movies that came before, then shows clips of Black Widow and Shang-Chi... Then shows clips from The Eternals! Then goes on to reveal all their Phase 4 movie titles and release dates!

I cannot wait to watch all of these!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/03/2021 at 09:05pm

This gets me emotional, looks like I've shed at least a tear. This is so good, it's beyond description! That new Marvel theme music really tugs at my heart, I really love it! Every time I hear it, I get excited, because I know what follows is going to be really awesome! Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to watch all of the new stuff, too! I love Marvel! RIP Stan Lee and Chadwick Boseman. Wakanda Forever!!!! Oh and here's to hoping we see The White Wolf in Black Panther 2.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/05/2021 at 12:43am

All leading up to fantastic 4. Hopefully they get Chris Evans back as the human torch.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/05/2021 at 02:03am

>All leading up to fantastic 4. Hopefully they get Chris Evans back as the human torch.

Yes!!! And since we'll open up the multi-verse (hopefully, it's expected anyway), maybe this could actually happen. LOL I've only seen him as Torch and Cap and I think he's a good actor. I wonder how they'll deal with the Fantastic Four since we got the two movies w/ Chris Evans and then the one without him. In the latter, he was replaced by the guy who played Killmonger in Black Panther. Also, I noticed Wal-Mart is selling comics and I've hardly read any so I was surprised to see Wolverine among the Fantastic Four on the cover of one of them. Wolverine is definitely one of my most favorite comic book characters (and I wonder who might play him if and when he comes to the MCU).

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/05/2021 at 03:29am

I hope the bring back Wolverine as X-23. You would get a new wolverine and could leave Jackman's performance untouched for a while longer.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/05/2021 at 04:42am

I'm unfortunately not familiar with X-23, there's little in the comic book world I'm familiar with, even though I'm most familiar w/ the X-Men. I remember I had a Ghost Rider comic book and I watched the X-Men animated series when it was on TV. I liked Jackman as Wolverine, but I know he's done w/ it.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/05/2021 at 01:39pm

X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine. If you saw the movie Logan, she was the girl that he was helping.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/05/2021 at 06:34pm

Oh, right! I thought that sounded familiar.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/06/2021 at 02:07pm

I just realized that Richard Madden and Sebastian Stan look a lot alike. I watched that trailer the first time wondering why Bucky shows up in Eternals, but seeing the still frame I can tell that's someone else :D

Yeah I'm looking forward to all of these. I have no idea what to expect from Shang Chi or the Eternals films, and I love that. Marvel needs some variety. I think the reason Thor Ragnarok and Black Panther are my favorites is because they finally felt different.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 05/06/2021 at 03:11pm

I completely agree. Same with WandaVision. Hopefully Marvel will continue leaning into that variety.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/24/2021 at 05:57pm

New Eternals teaser trailer. Stick around for the end of it: https://youtu.be/0WVDKZJkGlY

Travis Admin wrote on 05/25/2021 at 03:36pm

The Eternals have never interfered... until now.

Thanos? Dude about to wipe out half of life in the universe? SON of an eternal himself? Nah, not our problem we'll wait for something more important. :D

I kid, I'm sure they'll touch on that in the film but it should be interesting. Kinda like how Captain Marvel never showed up for any of the massive alien invasions or anything.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/25/2021 at 05:31pm

Maybe all of the eternals got wiped out by the snap.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/25/2021 at 06:55pm

I do wonder why every super hero we didn't see in End Game wasn't there. maybe they were off camera, I don't know, but I would like to see an answer to this.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/27/2021 at 11:51pm

> The Eternals have never interfered... until now.

And Shang Chi and the folks in Black Widow and …. Modok?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/28/2021 at 02:04am

>And Shang Chi and the folks in Black Widow and …. Modok?

Exactly! I saw a New Rockstars video that theorized the Eternals, except for one, weren't aware they were Eternals, because one of them made them forget. Apparently something like this happened in a comic book. It's also possible that the snaps awakened them. As for the others (non-Eternals), I have no idea and would like an explanation.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/28/2021 at 04:27pm

They are going to explain it like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5k8ZQsZJpk

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/19/2021 at 09:03pm

Check out this new Eternals trailer! It gets into the plot of the movie, the acknowledgement of Thanos's actions, why the Eternals weren't around to help, and why they are now fighting. https://youtu.be/x_me3xsvDgk

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 08/24/2021 at 02:33am

Can't wait! I already have my Shang-Chi ticket, and I'll be seeing Eternals opening day too! (And Spider-Man! That trailer looks great!)

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/24/2021 at 05:49am

Sweet! I'm just disappointed that those movies aren't streaming at the same time. I guess it makes sense, maybe they'd make more money by putting them in theaters first. I guess I don't really want to go to the theater, I like watching things in the privacy and solitude of my own room (I really don't like the general population around here in this rural town in VA...deep red, just to say the least).

Travis Admin wrote on 08/26/2021 at 04:20am

I love the theater, absolutely adore it, but the way the delta variant is spiking… yeah I’m waiting things out. I work with fully vaxxed people who are coming down with covid and it’s honestly terrifying. It’s irresponsible of Disney not to put them up for streaming at the same time honestly. Or even delay them again if you want. I’m not trying to spread a deadly virus to see a superhero movie

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/26/2021 at 06:41am

I agree with you Travis. I'm probably not afraid of the delta variant as I should be, because I'm vaxxed, but I'm aware there are vaxxed people still getting sick, though not with a sickness as deadly as the un(or anti-)vaxxed are getting.

Travis Admin wrote on 08/26/2021 at 03:21pm

A few people I work with who are vaxxed got it, a couple of them felt really bad and one has lingering issues. Crazy times

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/26/2021 at 11:32pm

"Crazy times." I'm afraid that even to say these times are completely insane is nothing but an understatement. I'm not sure I can think of a time when things were ever even close to being this crazy.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 08/28/2021 at 01:19am

I may go to the theater at an off day at an off hour to see the Marvel movies, but I am not going opening weekend.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/22/2021 at 02:27am

Head's up, The Eternals has 2 post-credit scenes. I know nothing else, I'm not on Twitter and I avoid spoilers. New Rockstars suggests staying off of Twitter until you see the movie (Erik Voss got invited to the red carpet premier). I'd suggest staying off of Twitter and Facebook, but not just for that reason, I have many others. LOL

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/22/2021 at 11:10pm

I just recently heard spoilers from Vanity Fair have spread to Facebook. Be careful. (How many reasons to leave Facebook? Oh, let me count the ways.....oh looks like I already have. *smile*)

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/06/2021 at 12:25am

Did anyone else go see Eternals last night? I was expecting a very long line for opening night, so I went super early. It turned out I arrived much earlier than necessary (half an hour before the show starts is too early). I was still surprised later when everyone was in and there weren't very many people there at all. I live in a rural area in VA, so this shouldn't be much of a surprise I suppose, although I seem to remember more people at the Star Wars movies. I also expect to see more next month for Spider-man. If you haven't seen it, be sure to stick around because there are two post-credits scenes.

I enjoyed the movie. Some things happened that I wasn't expecting for sure. I really liked the part where Kit Harrington's character starts to reveal who he is and that he has a "family history."

*Now for spoilers!*

In the second post-credits scene we see him opening a case for the Ebony Blade, which is very special. I'm sure we'll them again as he's greeted by someone. At first I thought it was Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher from What If, but it's actually Mahershala Ali who will be playing Blade in his upcoming movie. He played a major villain Netflix's Luke Cage.

I'm surprised that the multi-verse wasn't addressed in this movie, since that's the direction Marvel seems to be going, perhaps just not all of it. It does certainly seem like we could see an Eternals 2. I remember hearing about how in the comics Eternals can actually be resurrected, so who knows if they're gone for good.

Let me know what you think!

jdodson Admin wrote on 11/06/2021 at 03:32am

> Did anyone else go see Eternals last night?

Yep. Adam and I both did.

> there weren't very many people there at all

Ours wasn't very full either. At least, it didn't feel full. Might have been we were pretty far up in the theater.

> I also expect to see more next month for Spider-man. If you haven't seen it, be sure to stick around because there are two post-credits scenes.

Spider-man should be pretty great.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/06/2021 at 05:36am

Great that you and Adam did! Did you like it? What did you think about it? I was surprised a friend of mine showed up when I did so I got to talk to her and her son and sit next to her.

Audience size is interesting. I'm not sure how to explain this one. I'm just glad there was really no line to wait in.

I think Spider-Man's going to be awesome!

jdodson Admin wrote on 11/08/2021 at 03:53am

> What did you think about it?

I enjoyed my time in the theater and based on the reviews I read before I went, I wasn't quite expecting that.

That said, it's a Marvel movie but I liked the different tone if a bit serious.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/08/2021 at 04:33am

It was a bit twisty, which caught me by surprise. It had moments that I wish didn't happen, but that's not at all a critique on the movie. These thoughts and feelings are just an expected product of what happened. I did remember what I heard on New Rockstars about the Eternals in the comics, so some things might not have really mattered. I could explain more in detail, but I'm afraid it's spoiler territory and I don't know if everyone here is ready for that yet. I'd also like to mention the post-credit scenes. I heard a voice I thought was Jeffery Wright who plays Uatu. It's been confirmed that it was a specific someone else. New Rockstars mentioned the voice sounding like Jeffery Wright, so at least my initial thought wasn't all that crazy.

I enjoyed it. I loved at least most of the characters and I'd love to see them again. I'm not really sure what I expected, but I've been obsessed w/ the MCU, so it'd be really hard to disappoint me. I agree w/ Erik Voss at New Rockstars, though. I think I've enjoyed the Disney+ shows more than the movies we got after they started. It's not that the movies weren't great, but the shows are truly epic and definitely brought out serious emotions for me.

I've clearly been watching New Rockstars all the time! It's helping to feed my MCU obsession, making it much sweeter, more fulfilling, and even more curious.

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Cryptocurrency and Gaming!

2 of my interests are colliding on Friday!

https://akash.network/blog/akashcraft-minecraft-on-the-first-decentralized-cloud/

In collaboration with the MothRuby community, we will be running a scavenger hunt for 1000 AKT in the world’s first Minecraft server hosted on Akash. Akashcraft will be the first scavenger hunt ever for a cryptocurrency in a Minecraft server hosted on a decentralized cloud. Yes, this is extremely meta. Yes, you should be excited for this historic event.

The Akash Network is a decentralized cloud computing network that runs on their cryptocurrency "AKT." I already own some AKT, so I'm biased, but I'm a huge fan of Akash and am excited to see where... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 04/27/2021 at 04:49pm

I just want more people to join us on Pi-- that seems like a responsible way to crypto, as any resource intensive mining is way bad for the environment.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 04/27/2021 at 05:12pm

I agree, Pi is going to become a fantastic tool! You should post your invite here!

I feel like a lot of cyrpto gets a bad environmental rap because of the two behemoths of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin seems like it'll always been bad for the environment, as it does use *a lot* of electricity to power the blockchain. And Ethereum is similar, but it's in the process of changing from Proof of Work (what Bitcoin is) to Proof of Stake, which requires much less energy. Many other cyrptos are already Proof of Stake and aren't the drain on the environment that Bitcoin and Ethereum (currently) are 🙂

Travis Admin wrote on 04/27/2021 at 05:51pm

That’s a really good idea Adam!

And seriously this isn’t some scam thing and it seems private and secure, and if you know me you know I’m big on that stuff.

I am sending you 1π! Pi is a new digital currency developed by Stanford PhDs, with over 10 million members worldwide. To claim your Pi, follow this link https://minepi.com/tnewman and use my username (tnewman) as your invitation code.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 04/27/2021 at 06:04pm

I'm in Pi too, and it's worth checking out. There are around 15 million users of it already! Currently the Pi token has no value, but later this year the Pi Mainnet will be launching, and then the Pi that we've been mining on our phones will have value. So jump in now and start earning some Pi!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/27/2021 at 06:38pm

I will have to look into Pi. Kevin Smith is getting into NFTs: https://crypto.jayandsilentbob.com/

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 04/27/2021 at 06:58pm

NFTs are super interesting! Right now there's a lot of negative news about the environmental impact of NFTs, since most are on the Ethereum blockchain, but it's still an interesting concept. I have a few NFTs through NBA Top Shot myself :)
https://nbatopshot.com/showcases/e63dd45c-1a91-44aa-8cdb-b12ad251165f?isPlaying=true

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/27/2021 at 08:23pm

I get the token part of NFTs, I don't get the art side of NFTs... Seems very transient and easily reproduced.

Travis Admin wrote on 04/28/2021 at 06:13pm

Yeah I really don't get NFTs. I mean I get the tech, but not why anyone would want one. They seem to be a way to say "sure, this is digital and easily reproducible, and you may have a copy of it yourself, but I have a blockchain certificate showing that I paid for it"

I could see it working for something like digital Magic the Gathering cards or something. But then, if you're playing Magic online you're playing through their servers, so there's already a way to track it.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 04/28/2021 at 07:26pm

Agreed with both of you. I don't get NFTs either, but they're interesting lol

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 05/01/2021 at 05:11pm

*update*
There was such a massive interest in this, the server couldn't handle it, so they've postponed the game to May 8, at 9am PT 😀

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 05/07/2021 at 06:19pm

**update update**
They're stress testing the game, and the event is postponed TBD

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XBox Makes Online Multiplayer for Free-to-Play Games... Free

Recently Microsoft announced a price increase on XBox Gold, the service that allows folks to play games online. Due to the overwhelmingly negative response Microsoft kept the pricing as it was and did one more in that they said they would allow free online multiplayer for all free to play games. Put another way, you can play games like Warframe and Fortnite for free without having to pay for XBox Games Pass or XBox Gold. As someone that recently bought an XBox Series X that doesn't have Games Pass or Gold this is a very welcome change. Feels like I'm getting an upgrade for just having an XBox. I'm well aware the PC versions of these games allow free online multiplayer... Read All

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

New Marvel trailer so ... you know... here it is! This time for an entirely new set of phase four characters. Phase Four of the MCU features a lot of new characters and Shang-Chi seems to start that out with a fun chop to the face. I’m not sure how this fits into the larger MCU but something, something evil dark magic that somehow things with a character and something something cameo with existing something or other from the MCU. If that’s entirely too specific, sorry I don’t have a whole lot to go on but the trailer looks fun and I’m sure I’ll check this out when I can.

One question I’ve heard folks ask is why all these powerful folks weren’t part of the battle... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 04/19/2021 at 08:22pm

Was coming here to post this and yeah how this fits in is a mystery and honestly... if it didn't have the Marvel logo on it and we hadn't heard plans for this for ages now, I would have no clue this was a Marvel flick. And that's a good thing, I think they need some more variety. I'm hoping Eternals is way different too.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/19/2021 at 08:48pm

Sweet! Ten rings to rule them all! Erik Voss at New Rockstars says The Mandarin is his father. The Ten Rings have been there since the first Iron Man movie. Members of the group reappeared later, in Iron Man 2 and Ant-Man. That is a good question about where all these people were when Thanos was around. I'm not sure if being "blipped" is a reason, because I thought they were all returned. I dunno, hopefully that will get answered eventually. Maybe we just didn't see them??

You can see the New Rockstars reaction video here: https://youtu.be/R7CV7IyA1bk Later, or tomorrow, there will be a video going over the details of the teaser.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/20/2021 at 07:50pm

Dude yeah, I am already hyped for this movie!

The actor playing the main character is a martial artist and stuntman, so I'm expecting the fight choreography to be amazing!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/25/2021 at 01:20am

This new trailer is good, it's not just a rehash of the first, but contains a lot we didn't see before: https://youtu.be/8YjFbMbfXaQ

Travis Admin wrote on 06/25/2021 at 04:10am

Interesting-- Abomination in the cage there at the end. Tim Roth is coming back as Abomination for She-Hulk too, I wonder if that's going to get referenced.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/25/2021 at 05:55am

I noticed that, too, but I also had my doubts. It looks like he has fin-like ears, so I thought it was something else. But, other sources show it was indeed him. He is coming to She-Hulk, which I think just points to how all of the MCU, or at least many pieces of it, are woven together.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/26/2021 at 02:40am

Awesome trailer, thanks for sharing it Greg!

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Minecraft Caves & Cliffs Update Getting Separated

Minecraft devs have been working on the next update which is called the Caves & Cliffs Update. It adds new blocks like copper, which oxidizes, meaning that after some time it will turn from orange to green, though it seems we will have control over whether or not this occurs. It also adds new mobs like the Glow Squid and the adorable Axolotl, along with goats. The update is also going to include new cave biomes and change how world generation works. Because the update is adding large mountains, the height of the world is expanding. Archaeology is also in the update.

The devs have just recently announced that this update is now being split into two parts. The first... Read All Minecraft devs have been working on the next update which is called the Caves & Cliffs Update. It adds new blocks like copper, which oxidizes, meaning that after some time it will turn from orange to green, though it seems we will have control over whether or not this occurs. It also adds new mobs like the Glow Squid and the adorable Axolotl, along with goats. The update is also going to include new cave biomes and change how world generation works. Because the update is adding large mountains, the height of the world is expanding. Archaeology is also in the update.

The devs have just recently announced that this update is now being split into two parts. The first part will be released this summer and will include mobs and blocks. So, you'll see that adorable Axolotl, Glow Squid, goats, copper and more. However, because this update is making a change to world generation, this part of the update is more technically challenging and is being delayed to the end of the year. The devs want to make sure that they deliver a high quality update, they don't want to introduce new bugs (even if some are inevitable) or destroy old worlds. This means more time is needed. Archaeology is a new system within the game, which means more complexity. It will also be released in the second part of the update.

Part of the reason for the delay of some pieces of the update is the global pandemic currently going on. The company, like many others, values the health of it's employees and wants to keep everyone safe so that we can all safely get through this time together. The pandemic has affected very many people and companies world wide. Many game developers are finding it more difficult to work together by being physically separated and this has caused many games (and many other things like movies, TV shows, etc.) to be delayed.

This delay may be disappointing, but in the end it means that the quality of the update will be much better, because it won't be rushed and released too early. Many games have done this and have suffered by being a buggy mess.

What do you think about this Minecraft update? What do you think about this delay? I feel like the delay is reasonable. Ove the years my impatience for games or updates to be released has finally taken a chill pill. I find myself much more patient with things like this now. I think that's because there were things I impatiently waited for was disappointment with what I got. I also saw how the length of time of my impatience outweighed the amount of time I actually spent enjoying something. Plus, especially with all of the free games I've been able to claim and all the games I got during a great sale, I feel like I have plenty of games to play. Let me know if this is something you've experienced to.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/15/2021 at 07:09pm

Question: I haven’t been to hip to the latest with Minecraft for a bit now but I’m wondering what version these new features come to? Is it the Java Classic version or the modern multi port version? Or do they update both versions together?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/15/2021 at 07:32pm

Both. Actually I heard or read months ago that this update would be on both editions (Java and Bedrock) at the same time. I can't remember the term I've heard or read for this, but pretty much it's like parallel or something, they keep both editions updated with the same things, at least pretty much at the same time. Bedrock Edition covers Windows 10, XBox (presumably One and now Series X), PS4/5, and Switch. Also there is cross-platform play on the Bedrock Editions, so a PS user could play together with Xbox, Windows, and Switch users. Vinny has it on the PS4 and I have it on Windows 10, we could play together, but I haven't yet. Minecraft Dungeons is the same. There are differences between the Bedrock and Java Edition. I could get into that if you want, too. Basically Bedrock doesn't have the mod support, but it seems to look and perform better. It does have additional things, some of which are free (if you already own the game) like Minecraft RTX, and some you have to pay for, like a world or something (I remember there being one of these of Nintendo/Super Mario Land or whatever on the Wii U, but that's just an example I can remember at the moment). "The more you know...." LOL

Travis Admin wrote on 04/15/2021 at 08:32pm

Bedrock also covers the mobile versions. I'm definitely glad to see that rewritten in a less hungry language than Java but the flexibility is definitely better with Java. And if you know what you're doing you can get some of those paid things from Bedrock for free in the java version 👀

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/15/2021 at 09:24pm

❤️

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/15/2021 at 10:44pm

I forgot about the mobile versions, but I do know older platforms no longer get these updates, such as the Wii U version. At least, I'm pretty sure that's right from what I last read years ago. I wasn't sure if I was clear enough on the paid things, so I'm glad Travis understood what I meant. :)

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Subnautica: Below Zero Cinematic Trailer and Release Date

Subnautica: Below Zero joined Early Access on Steam about two years ago. They've recently released a cinematic trailer for it and announced it's release date of 5/14/21 for multiple platforms. If you liked Subnautica, you might like this. I thought the trailer was really interesting and funny. It follows a brief time of a guy living on the planet dealing with some of it's creatures, though they didn't show off any of the very large ones nor did they give much details in the way of the game's story.

S:BZ is much like Subnautica, but this time it takes place on an icy planet, so if you go to the surface, you'll see plenty of snow and some of the water you can swim under... Read All Subnautica: Below Zero joined Early Access on Steam about two years ago. They've recently released a cinematic trailer for it and announced it's release date of 5/14/21 for multiple platforms. If you liked Subnautica, you might like this. I thought the trailer was really interesting and funny. It follows a brief time of a guy living on the planet dealing with some of it's creatures, though they didn't show off any of the very large ones nor did they give much details in the way of the game's story.

S:BZ is much like Subnautica, but this time it takes place on an icy planet, so if you go to the surface, you'll see plenty of snow and some of the water you can swim under is covered in ice. There are new creatures, tools, and of course a new story. The story has changed since it's launch into Early Access. I played and followed the development early on briefly before they decided to rewrite the script and hire new voice actors. I got it right away, pretty much, because I very much loved Subnautica. Now that I'm looking at the Cheerful Ghost game database, I see no one's written about it. I'm surprised I didn't write about it, since I really enjoyed it (more than I thought I would). If you're unfamiliar with Subnautica, it's a crafting, survival, and exploration game, but takes place in the vast ocean of an alien planet after your space ship has crashed. You're left with an escape pod, which has some basic survival things you'll need. One of the greatest tools in the pod is a fabricator. There's a good variety of fish you can catch with your hands. They can be fast, so you'll want to craft your first major piece of technology, which is something you hold onto that can propel you forward. You can take fish to the fabricator and turn them into food or water. Different fish are better for satisfying your hunger, but some are much better for your thirst. You can breach the ocean's surface to get some air, but there are also plants that often pump out bubbles of oxygen you can breathe underwater. However, you're going to need to go much deeper, luckily you can craft some submersibles. In the end you'll have your own submarine. You can craft things with many of the planet's resources like copper, which is good for batteries, or quartz, which is good for glass. You'll find pieces of technology scattered on the floor of the ocean. Scanning these will give you progress towards being able to craft it. Beware though there are many dangers. There is a monster that can latch onto your submersible, which performs a really good "jump scare," but it's not the only thing down there to worry about. There are also a good amount of different biomes you'll find. While exploring, you'll find the logs of other survivors. You'll also find a very small island where you can find some useful things, like garden plots to scan and plants you can collect to create your very own self sustaining garden. You can build underwater housing, too, but if you build too many pieces (like glass windows), you'll need to support them by also building some reinforcement pieces or the pressure will break your habitat, which will flood. You can use a tool to repair leaks and also to add more reinforcement, so just because your habitat gets inundated, all hope is not lost as it can be fixed and the water can be drained. There are also a few different game modes, so if you want to play without the survival requirements (like food and water), you can do that.

Let me know what you think about the trailer and the game. Also let me know if you've played Subnautica. If you like games like Terraria, Minecraft, and Ark: Survival Evolved, I think it's a game you might like. If you want to watch some good videos on YouTube of someone playing Subnautica, I recommend looking at the channels of Paul Soares, Jr. and Sl!pg8r.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 05/15/2021 at 06:29am

I found an article stating that Subnautica, "was recently made free on PlayStation consoles through Sony's Play at Home initiative." It also states that people, "can upgrade their copy to the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S version at no additional cost." If that is available to you, I think you should jump on it! It'd be a shame to pass up a great game for free.

Subnautica: Below Zero was released yesterday along with a new trailer, which is quite unlike the one embedded in this post. The new one contains a bit of story, basically the beginning parts, so no real spoilers. The game is much like the original, in that it's story driven (though you can ignore it), but this one is based in a bit more of an Arctic-like setting. There's building, crafting, exploring, and resource collecting, along with hunger and thirst, just like the original game, but with some new things. There are, however, different game modes, so you could, for instance, ignore hunger and thirst requirements. In the article (posted in the links below), it says that GameSpot gave Subnautica a "9/10". Their review says, "Subnautica's story, scares, and beautifully rendered underwater setting make it one of the most fascinating survival games around." I regret that I did not write my own review of the game, it deserves a "Must Play" Cheerful Ghost rating.

I was an early adopter of Below Zero, since I enjoyed Subnautica so much. I paid for Below Zero when it was released for Early Access on Steam and I played through it a bit in the beginning, but decided to stop and wait for development to finish. I am kind of disappointed that they decided to recast some characters and change the script, but I don't think the new cast or script is so far disappointing.

Check out the article I found here: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/subnautica-below-zero-and-free-subnautica-update-out-now/1100-6491531/?utm_source=gamefaqs&utm_medium=partner&utm_content=news_module&utm_campaign=homepage

Also, you can check out the trailer (which is included in the article) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZrjL1SzGvM

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Back The Bots: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Kickstarter GIZMOPLEX!

Back this on Kickstarter!

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is the greatest show of all time. At least to me and a zillion other MSTIE's and the show is back with a new Kickstarter after being cancelled by Netflix after two great seasons. The plan with the new Kickstarter is to fund a purely fan supported show and move away from any kind of network so the show can exist as long as the fans want it to. I enjoy this model quite a bit and as part of the plan they want to create the Gizmoplex, which is an app and community based way to release the new shows with a live streaming model. It seems the new shows will also be created with social distancing in mind which I hope they drop more details on... Read All

My Early Thoughts on the XBox Series X

Not counting Nintendo consoles the last “hardcore gamer console” I owned was the PlayStation 3. I decided on the PlayStation 3 over the XBox 360 because of the enhanced media playback it had and it’s incredible DVD playback as well as Bluray support. I ended up playing a lot of games on it, but I didn’t start out playing much more than a handful of downloaded demos. In a world where consuming media was all on CD, DVD and the fresh new Bluray format the PlayStation 3 really was a great system. Online streaming and YouTube started picking up around that time and I remember getting a Netflix streaming disc so we could try that out. All that to say, I haven’t owned a “... Read All Not counting Nintendo consoles the last “hardcore gamer console” I owned was the PlayStation 3. I decided on the PlayStation 3 over the XBox 360 because of the enhanced media playback it had and it’s incredible DVD playback as well as Bluray support. I ended up playing a lot of games on it, but I didn’t start out playing much more than a handful of downloaded demos. In a world where consuming media was all on CD, DVD and the fresh new Bluray format the PlayStation 3 really was a great system. Online streaming and YouTube started picking up around that time and I remember getting a Netflix streaming disc so we could try that out. All that to say, I haven’t owned a “hardcore gamer console” since as I felt like the PS4/XBox One era just wasn’t for me. That said, with the prevalence of 4K streaming and Bluray along with the new generation of consoles now seemed like a good time to reevaluate that.

Why Get A Next Generation Console Now?

I’m going to start out and say, for most people, you really shouldn’t get a XBox Series S, X or PlayStation 5. If you get along just fine with your 1080p TV there really isn’t a reason to upgrade and frankly, 1080p is good enough for most folks. This isn’t a dig at anyone, I just think that 1080p might be good enough for most people such that sticking to your XBox One or PS4 might be the best choice for the time being. I’ve planned on getting a 4K tv for a couple years now and have slowly built up a reasonable 4K Bluray library when a new film hit I wanted to buy, I’d put in a few extra dollars and get it in 4K. I also enjoy watching stuff in the highest fidelity possible. Again, this isn’t a thing most people care about, but I really do.

And wowee wow do 4K Bluray films look incredible on the Series X and my LG tv. The biggest difference is the color and the increased resolution really amps things up considerably. Streaming 4K off apps like Disney+ is awesome too but 4K Bluray has quite a bit more available to make things pop even more. It might seem like a somewhat expensive way to watch a movie, but the Series X seems to be one of the only things that supports Dolby Vision and for the films that do it’s quite the sight to see.

Yeah Ok Fine, But Isn’t This A Game Console?

Thanks for reminding me! I’ve been looking up what televisions pair well with consoles and the one I went with was the LG CX. The LG CX is a 4K tv that’s claim to fame in the gaming world is it supports 120hz or 120 frames per second. Film clocks in at 24 frames per second and for a lot of games in this current generation 60 FPS is quite the feat so if a console and TV combo could push 120 FPS that’s pretty wild. The Series X can push 120 FPS on certain games and one such game I picked up was the Halo Anniversary collection. I’ve never really sunk anytime with the series, so picking it up seemed like a good idea and also a good way to see how 120FPS felt. And yeah, 120FPS is really incredible paired with the fact that it’s also in 4K. Everything is so smooth, clear and vibrant it almost doesn’t seem quite possible. That said, even though Halo looks and plays incredibly that’s not really the game I’ve put the most time into.

One Big Reason I Chose The Series X Is Because Microsoft Does Compatibility Better

I love retro games and coming back to play games I love. It’s sad when a new console can’t play the old games and it’s awesome when a new console can play a lot of old games which is what Microsoft is doing with the XBox. The Series X can play original XBox games, 360 games and XBox One games. Now the classic compat doesn’t work with everything but it’s quite a few games more than nothing, which for other consoles and past generations is what they offer. The game I’ve been sinking is Plants VS Zombies on the 360. Plants VS Zombies is a classic game that I originally played on PC that I also played on my phone. I’ve never played it on console but the 360 version is superb and the Series X adds HDR to it making it look more incredible than I remember. In fact, the Series X adds HDR to every classic game it runs and for some offers a speed boost and upscaling to increase the games performance.

I’ve enjoyed playing Plants VS Zombies and the other Popcap games that came on the disc so much (Zuma and Peggle) that I picked up a few other 360 disc collections to get nearly each classic Popcap game that came to the 360. My son has also been enjoying watching me play Plants VS Zombies so much that we actually completed it the other night. I never owned an XBox and plan to revisit a lot of it’s classic catalog through the 360, XBox One and also some modern upcoming games (the Diablo 2 remaster might look awesome in 120FPS 4k).

My First Thoughts Summed Up

The XBox Series X might be one of the best consoles I’ve owned for all the things I care about the most. Does it have a slate of incredible cutting edge games? I honestly don’t know and don’t care, it’s not really why I bought it but some day I do plan to get some current gen games made for it. I don’t regret getting it at all and for me it’s a really great way to watch movies and play some games.

Star Trek: Picard New Teaser!

Oh, I totally forgot about Star Trek: Picard, luckily a new teaser has been released, which you'll find embedded. Most of the minute long trailer has Picard speaking about how "the true final frontier is time" and that "time offers so many opportunities, but never second chances." After that, we see deck of cards on a table and the only one that's face up and out of the deck is a Queen of Hearts. It then mostly dissipates as then all we see is a black screen and all that remains is the "Q" part of the card. In this instance we hear Q (John de Lancie) say, "the trial never ends" and laughs. I guess it wouldn't be a ST:TNG show without Q!

TNG is perhaps my most favorite... Read All Oh, I totally forgot about Star Trek: Picard, luckily a new teaser has been released, which you'll find embedded. Most of the minute long trailer has Picard speaking about how "the true final frontier is time" and that "time offers so many opportunities, but never second chances." After that, we see deck of cards on a table and the only one that's face up and out of the deck is a Queen of Hearts. It then mostly dissipates as then all we see is a black screen and all that remains is the "Q" part of the card. In this instance we hear Q (John de Lancie) say, "the trial never ends" and laughs. I guess it wouldn't be a ST:TNG show without Q!

TNG is perhaps my most favorite of all of Star Trek, and I've seen almost all of it. However, I have not seen Star Trek: Lower Decks (an animated comedy) or Star Trek: Discovery (which I've heard is good). TNG ended when I was about 15 and it played on a local channel, so I got to watch it. There was a TNG video game that I had as one of the first games I got to play with my new Windows PC in '95-96. I also collected the cards for the TNG Customizable Card Game, which I played with some friends during high school. I still have some of those cards around. DS9 and Voyager also came out during this time and I really enjoyed those shows, too. I also read some books of TNG (such as Imzadi) and Voyager (especially the beginning). It wasn't until I was much older (in the last decade) that I finally watched or re-watched everything from the original and animated original series to ST: Enterprise. I've also seen all of the movies and I believe the NCC-1701-D is my favorite Enterprise. I've imaged myself in a blue TNG uniform long ago. I believed it belonged to those that worked in the field of science, which was where I saw myself if I were part of a ST crew.

I enjoyed Star Trek: Picard, I'm not sure how I forgot about it. I can't even remember if I was expecting a season two, but I'm delighted that it appears to be coming. I look forward to watching it. The fact that Q is going to be in it makes it even more exciting.

Did you see Star Trek: Picard? What did you think about it? Are you excited for season two? It looks like it'll come out sometime next year.

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-trek-picard-season-2-gets-new-teaser/1100-6489774/