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Civilization VI: Gathering Storm Review

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Review

Recommended

New mechanics like power and climate change

New victory

New civs and leaders

Civ 6 is such an amazing game and a new expansion, Gathering Storm, was released a while ago. I’ve been too busy playing it, which is why I am now just getting to write about it. Civ 6 was the cure I needed, but didn’t think I wanted. I had gotten bored of video games and wasn’t sure what to do. I was hesitating to buy GS, because I didn’t really feel like playing a strategy game like Civ 6 and I was intimidated by the game. However, I am absolutely glad that I bought GS. Since then, I can’t stop playing Civ 6.

The theme of GS is climate change and global warming. Cities... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/13/2019 at 02:34am

Awesome review, thanks Greg!

> Civ 6 is (in my opinion) one of the best games in recent years and this expansion adds more to it, making it more playable.

That's great to hear as Civ VI is one of the top games I want to buy on the Switch. I've heard the port is really good and playing it in handheld mode is surprisingly intuitive.

> This pretty much make all achievements possible for me. I also learned how to use the command console. You need to edit a config file to enable it, but then you can hit a key to activate it. One of the commands you can use is “reveal all” which will show you everything on the map.

Cool. It's fun to play games this way and I'm glad developers still add these modes in.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 05/13/2019 at 06:59pm

I believe I read that hot seat mode is not in the Switch version. Still it's a damn good game. If you enjoyed Civ Rev you'll probably enjoy Civ 6. I may get into older Civ games as I can't seem to get enough now lol.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 05/14/2019 at 02:50am

Jon, I added a note at the end w/ some good links. I also strongly recommend watching the video I embedded in this post as it covers some things I left out, like the new scenarios (which I haven't played *yet*).

My love for this game has grown since GS came out and I want more. I found a Civ anthology collection on Steam I may buy during the summer sale.

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Star Wars Scene 38 Reimagined - Vader vs Obi-Wan

A new fan-made scene by FXitinPost of the fight between Vader and Obi-Wan at the end of Star Wars Episode IV.

It's very cool, and I love the emotion of it. Check it out and post your thoughts below!

Travis Admin wrote on 05/10/2019 at 04:01am

This is better done than I imagined it would be. By far honestly.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/13/2019 at 02:45am

Ok. I just watched this.

A couple things.

1. I don't consider this scene from a New Hope to be bad. Perhaps that's nostalgia blinders? I've heard people say it's hokey and even George Lucas seems to dog it when he talks about it. That said I've always considered it to be fine, if not a bit bland which this fixes but with a few downsides and not a lot of upside.

2. I always viewed the old New Hope fight as Obi Wan not really trying to kill Vader and it seemed like Vader was holding back too. Like Vader and Obi Wan were just talking and not really trying to kill each other. At the point in the story, Obi Wan wanted to stall Vader and let Leia, Luke and Han escape. The fight was on his terms and at no point did Vader ever "get Obi Wan" or hurt him because he couldn't. I'd argue because Obi Wan was so powerful, Vader couldn't have but winning in that way wasn't Obi Wan's goal. Frankly I think this makes Luke's last stand in the Last Jedi even more powerful it's a direct mirror of this fight in a New Hope. Luke exiting the scene just like his teacher. And this video doesn't seem to revel in that, it's just Vader being a badass and Obi Wan getting knocked around and seems to imply he's Vaders lesser, which I think isn't how I look at it.

3. When Obi Wan loses in this version it has less weight because he's simply a less talented Jedi, not because he chooses to save anyone. I think this is a repeat of 2 but it's important.

Fun fight though, thanks for sharing.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/13/2019 at 03:06am

One more thing.

I also think something else is going on in this scene. As Obi Wan is trying to stall Vader two things are happening. Firstly Vader is thinking he's toying with Obi Wan and chides him as being weak. Obi Wan stays on message and calls Vader evil, and that he failed as a teacher. I think what Obi Wan is doing is playing weak or not trying to get Vader to focus on toying with him to get him to lose interest in Leia, Luke and Han who are escaping (I didn't forget Chewie, R2 or C3PO). When he realizes they are going to be ok Obi Wan lets go. I don't read this scene as Vader is more powerful, but Obi Wan has a different goal and he's not trying to "out lightsaber Vader" and Vader actually thinks Obi Wan is weak, which I think is a trick Obi Wan is playing on Vader.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/13/2019 at 03:08am

After Revenge of the Sith, Vader would have an axe to grind in this way too BUT I imagine that wasn't as well formed when this scene was written and I still think if it wasn't my read makes sense.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/13/2019 at 03:10am

Oh and I misspelled Obi-Wan a lot so apologies to everyone reading that dying a little inside. My son has been acting up a bit today and I had to type fast to get this out.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/14/2019 at 12:58am

That's always been my read on the scene, and I think Revenge of the Sith strengthens that interpretation. But the fight has always been janky, even if their intentions were stalling/toying with each other. The first time I saw it I interpreted the fight the same as you but chuckled at the choreography a bit. As I have said before I don't have any childhood nostalgia for Star Wars so that may be a factor. The first time I saw it was the special edition in the theater and I actually fell asleep for about 30 minutes in the middle. I've come a long way :D

But I don't think anyone involved said they were trying to fix the scene at any rate, just reimagining it.

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Digital Foundry Retro Covers The Epic History of Tetris!

If I was making a desert island list of games Tetris would top the list. Tetris has a very simple premise yet the core gameplay is wildly fun and hard to master. Many of you might not know but Tetris was created in Russia and that fact led to its very rocky start. DF Retro has an excellent doc video that covers all of the games historical beats including its launch on Gameboy, which was the first time I ever played it.

"DF Retro returns with a visual tour through the history of Tetris. From 1984 to 2018, John examines nearly 30 versions of Tetris across multiple generations of consoles!"

What Do You Want Peter? The New Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer Shows The Post Endgame MCU

The new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer isn't new by any stretch but I decided to post it here after Avengers: Endgame has had more time at the box office because this new trailer contains more than a few Endgame spoilers. I'm not going to talk about the implications of the trailer here, but if you want to discuss all of that, let's have at it in the comments.

All that said, I wasn't sure if I was going to be interested in the MCU in a post Endgame world and it seems from this trailer, I am. I'm not sure if this is an opening night film, but something I will want to see in theaters for sure. What about you?

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/08/2019 at 04:48am

I'm 100% buying into the hype. Spider-Man is one of my favorite characters, so I was already planning on seeing this, but after seeing this trailer, this became an opening night movie for me. I will probably avoid any more trailers now!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/08/2019 at 03:23pm

That's a really good idea

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/08/2019 at 10:40pm

At 1:53 in the video, behind Mysterio, it looks like there's some furry dude, and behind Peter, it looks like someone with horns. Might it be some European festival that's going, or perhaps a multi-dimensional bar where they're talking? It seems odd that Mysterio and Peter would be at a bar without masks on... or I could just be seeing things lol

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/09/2019 at 10:56pm

I am still all in with the MCU

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/10/2019 at 03:54pm

🕷🕸

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Before Donkey Kong Country There Was Sega Aladdin!

Aladdin on the Sega Genesis only had a six month development window but what shipped was an incredible platformer worthy of the legendary cartoon. Ben Paddon takes a look at the game as well as the other ports surrounding it as well as how Virgin Games worked alongside Disney animators to make the game look incredible. The Aladdin game was Directed by David Perry who went on to mastermind Earthworm Jim as well as a host of other classic titles and Ben talks about that and how the game engine of Aladdin was used in a lot his work and beyond.

The Design of FTL & Into The Breach

FTL: Faster Than Light is one of those games I'll be playing here and there until I'm a grey beard and the followup Into The Breach is just as incredible looking, I just haven't played it yet. I'm holding out hope that it will come to the Switch and until then I'm a fan from the sidelines. Noclip, the amazing purveyors of YouTube game documentaries recently caught up with Subset Games at GDC and filmed a design discussion of FTL and Into the Breach. It's a good teardown of both games and how developers Justin & Matthew got their start in the industry.

The Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Trailer Looks Incredibly Campy

There is quite a bit one could say about the new Sonic the Hedgehog trailer but I want to focus my thoughts down to one basic thought. I love campy movies. Movies that are intentionally or unintentionally made with a nod and wink that revel in the underlying silliness of the premise can be some of the coolest theater experiences. The first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog seems to hat tip to the fact that this movie is gonna dial the camp factor to 11. Also, I wasn't interested in this film until I saw Jim Carrey doing his "Ace Ventura but with a bit more restraint thing" and I absolutely love it. Perhaps I'm a soulless nostalgia zombie tethered always to the 90's. Or... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/02/2019 at 01:56pm

I think the problem with Sonic is that he looks like a mascot, or someone wearing a Sonic track suit. I can't get part how bad he looks in this.

But, the effects look like they'll be cool, and the sounds are perfect. Jim Carrey was my hero growing up, and he does have a lot of Ace vibes in this role, so maybe that'll eventually draw me in. My guess is this probably ends up on Netflix quickly, and I'll see it then.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/02/2019 at 04:17pm

Honestly I like campy movies and so-good-it's-bad movies so when this hits streaming services it may be worth a peek.

It's interesting though that a lot of people are saying that the saving grace of the trailer was Jim Carrey, and maybe he was, but the one thing holding me back from that is that Ace Ventura style Jim Carrey. Those movies are nails-on-a-chalkboard levels for me. I LOVE most of his work, and he's clearly a genius at what he does. Truman Show, Man on the Moon, The Majestic, he can play funny and heartfelt really well at the same time which can't be easy. And I loved Liar Liar, in college my roommate and I watched that like once a month. Even The Cable Guy which doesn't seem to be remembered well always gets laughs out of me. I guess at least the Ace movies aren't Me Myself and Irene which was just... ugh, I digress.

That said, Jon you described it as "with a bit more restraint" which may help. I much prefer Jim Carrey in this trailer than I did in the Ace movies so I'm optimistic for that part at least.

But yeah, I think this movie was made by fans based on some of the nods. When he goes down to slow-mo and makes a comment about his fitbit he has the pose that Sonic makes in the genesis games when you put the controller down for a while and he gets impatient with you.

So yeah I'm hoping for something fun and campy, or at least bad enough so that it's good again.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/02/2019 at 05:46pm

It actually looks kind of interesting. I love Jim Carrey, too, he's real funny.

Also wonder why they used "Gangstas Paradise" in the trailer, seems kind of odd.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/02/2019 at 06:42pm

> Also wonder why they used "Gangstas Paradise" in the trailer, seems kind of odd.

Cynic in me says because marketing for this is aiming __ALL__ of what this is on nostalgia aimed purely in the 90's. "Ohhh remember Sonic?" "Ohhh remember that Coolio song?" "Oh remember Jim Carrey?" "Oh remember Sega?"

Or maybe they just too a list of things you shouldn't do and did that. Frankly I thought the way the mixed the audio levels higher and lower based on what people said to be really distracting but then again this trailer blew up the Internet which seems like a wild success to me. Perhaps the genius of this trailer is in how bonkers it is, which anymore is a great way to get the word out.

NEXT UP A MARKETING VIDEO FOR CHEERFUL GHOST WHERE I TALK TO A BIRD FOR 1 MINUTE WHILE I PLAY SEMI-CHARMED KIND LIFE ON REPEAT WHILE EFRANKENBERRIES!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/02/2019 at 06:43pm

That might sound like a take-down of the trailer, but it's not, just honestly looking at what it is or at least how it seemed to me. Also it worked, but I'm that kind of old person that this trailer seems aimed at.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/02/2019 at 06:58pm

> NEXT UP A MARKETING VIDEO FOR CHEERFUL GHOST WHERE I TALK TO A BIRD FOR 1 MINUTE WHILE I PLAY SEMI-CHARMED KIND LIFE ON REPEAT WHILE EFRANKENBERRIES!

Shit I'd give you money for that.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/02/2019 at 09:50pm

LOL Good point, Jon. It's funny because the other day I heard Vinny listening to that song and wondered why. Now I know, he was watching the trailer. He agrees w/ me on this, too, I don't know why Jim Carrey is Dr. Robotnic and funny like Ace Ventura. Dr. R isn't a funny character, but he is in the movie because of Jim Carrey of course. It's odd, still kinda cool though.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/03/2019 at 02:20am

Looks like the power of a lot of fans complaining online has led to a design change:

https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/05/02/sonic-movie-director-vows-to-fix-hedgehog-design

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/03/2019 at 05:44am

That's great to hear!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/03/2019 at 04:30pm

Yeah, maybe. Not sure it would have meant anything for the box office and i'm not sure each person complaining means another ticket sold because they are addressing it.

What it might mean is the art team dying to make this happen in 5 or 6 months. I can see why the art team made Sonic that way, it sort of makes him human like and somewhat real-world practical. I've seen the fan renders of what they'd do and he has toothpick arms and legs. I get it why people are complaining, but it seems off to me. Like... Sonic seemed odd to me but I moved on.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/03/2019 at 07:13pm

I was fine w/ the Sonic in the trailer, but the internet really has done well to change him. Here's a pic. There may be more on this guy's Twitter account, I haven't looked too in depth. https://twitter.com/LarryBundyJr/status/1123418428906381317

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/03/2019 at 07:46pm

Now I've seen a conspiracy that this was all simply brilliant marketing, and that they weren't planning on releasing the movie with Sonic like this, but they made him look like trash for the publicity. Whilst that's highly unlikely, I want to believe it ;)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/03/2019 at 08:06pm

> Now I've seen a conspiracy that this was all simply brilliant marketing, and that they weren't planning on releasing the movie with Sonic like this, but they made him look like trash for the publicity. Whilst that's highly unlikely, I want to believe it ;)

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GRWbIoIR04c/maxresdefault.jpg

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/13/2019 at 09:52am

The redesigned one has been released! https://youtu.be/szby7ZHLnkA Check out the comparison: https://youtu.be/gxoGRVKFUvg

Travis Admin wrote on 11/13/2019 at 06:15pm

Yeah it looks better. Well. Sonic looks better. The movie, eeehhhhhhhh... I don’t think I’ll see this one 😂

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 11/13/2019 at 08:04pm

I might see this just out of appreciation to the studio for hearing our complaints and fixing it :)

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Borderlands 3 Gameplay Reveal

Gearbox had a Borderlands 3 event recently where they unleashed a lot of information about the new game including gameplay. If you are a super fan of Borderlands the included video is a must watch and includes a showcase of the new Sanctuary starship hub, the first intro level with Claptrap and co-op. It seems that all the guns in Borderlands 3 have alt fire modes where you could have a pistol that fires regular bullets and it's alt fire mode shoots grenades.

Graphically the game looks like Borderlands with a bit more resolution and detail and a higher frame rate. Rand Pitchford boasted that this is the biggest Borderlands game yet, but I didn't get a sense for how big... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 56: Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame is thrilling MCU fans and dusting box office records. In this episode we review the conclusion to the Infinity Saga, make some ludicrous Star Wars Episode IX predictions, and talk about what we've been playing and watching over the past month.

Since this episode is a big one, if you want to skip around here's how to find each section:

0:00 - Intro
1:00 - What we've been playing and watching
17:08 - Star Wars Episode IX trailer reactions and predictions
34:01 - Avengers: Endgame spoiler-free thoughts
41:26 - Avengers: Endgame super-spoilery thoughts
1:03:48 - Predictions we had for Avengers: Endgame and how right we were (Thanks Will and Adam for submitting... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/01/2019 at 09:48pm

Just starting to listen to the episode, buy I looked back on the predictions, and great job Travis! You nailed a lot of it, but thankfully the movie was super surprising in how it did all of it! I dont know if we want to talk about spoilers... but I suppose you guys get into spoilers in this.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/01/2019 at 09:49pm

Now we need a GoT podcast, especially from Jon ;)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/01/2019 at 10:03pm

Yeah I started off pretty well, but I slipped as I went. Jon said I should just delete my second comment and I'd look like Nostradamus :D

And YES, Jon needs to get on GoT so we can do that!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/01/2019 at 10:05pm

On the Episode 9 trailer: since it came out just 2 weeks before Endgame, i thought it would be rad to wait and watch it for the first time in the theater... which ultimately was a bad idea. There's just no way to avoid all spoilers, so I had heard about the laugh at the end. And everyone was talking about the trailer like it was the most amazing thing they've ever seen. So I probably was *too* hyped to see it, and when I finally did, I was incredibly underwhelmed by it. It's a fine trailer, but to me it wasn't great. That said, I'll still eagerly anticipate more trailers (and watch them the second they come out, so I have no expectations) and will see the movie opening night :)

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/01/2019 at 10:06pm

It might be a funnier podcast with Jon not seeing the show lol

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/01/2019 at 10:24pm

So that's something I meant to mention-- the theater we saw Endgame in didn't play the Episode 9 trailer. I thought for sure they would.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/02/2019 at 01:45pm

I'd demand a refund Travis. Seeing that Ep 9 trailer again in the theater was really fun.

Adam: That makes a lot of sense. I didn't come with many expectations, or rather I think my expectation was (Since 9 is a JJ film) the teaser would be a couple of shots not showing much. I was very happy with what I got but if everyone spoiled it and then hyped it up, I prob respond the way you did.

Question though, was Endgame spoiled as much for you or just the episode 9 trailer?

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/02/2019 at 01:51pm

Oh no, just the Star Wars trailer was spoiled, not Endgame.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/02/2019 at 06:37pm

#DontSpoilTheEpisodeNineTrailer

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Watch All Three GrandPooBear's Speedrun Sessions in Portland!

GrandPooBear is one of the best Mario Speedrunners in the world and he recently came to Portland to the Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade for his first ever Speedrun Sessions. He brought along Oatsngoats as well as Andy to speedrun Super Metroid and Link to the Past and I was able to make it to the event with some friends. In a nutshell, it was a really fun night and watching these events live has been one of my highlights in gaming. Poo closed the event to an incredibly warm audience that was whooping and cheering as he beat Grand Poo World 2, one of the hardest Kaizo Mario games i've ever seen.

I'm sharing Poo's Speedrun Session above for Grand Poo World 2 but I... Read All