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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

What do YOU think is going to happen in Avengers: Endgame?

Avengers: Endgame releases this weekend, and I don't know about you, but I can't stop thinking about the possibilities. We have over ten years of movies that are all culminating in this one major event. So let's talk, what do you think is going to happen in the big finish?

Share your thoughts in the comments below, and it probably goes without saying but just in case: NO SPOILERS OR LEAKS OF ANY KIND! This is just for nerding out over our predictions.

We will be recording our review episode Sunday evening, and we will have a section of the episode where we talk about any predictions you share, so come be a part of Cheerful Ghost Radio and tell us what's going to... Read All

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/22/2019 at 07:54pm

I'll get us started, and I'm using some comic developments through the years to predict some of these, and also thinking about ways to end this whole 10 year plot while setting up the next 10 years:

I think Captain America and Iron Man will both be gone by the end of this. Not necessarily dead, but out of the picture in some way. Neither may die, both may die, who knows... but they'll be MIA.

But I bet they'll set up a kid to take up the mantle of Iron Man as a way to bring the character back in a few years. In the comics, a teenage girl is (or was?) Iron Man for a while.

And as in the comics, we'll see Bucky take over as Cap.

I do NOT think we've seen the last of Thor and Hulk. Before Ragnarok I would have added Thor to my previous prediction but I think they'll want to keep him going now.

This is one that I've been thinking since Ragnarok: Banner has been having power issues (stuck as Hulk and then can't even call him out) so I think we *may* get a setup for Banner to start working on a plan to become the smart Hulk that was in the comics for a while where they stop being two separate people, and he becomes Banner's mind in Hulk's body.

I think Loki is probably alive because he's a trickster and can seem to live through everything. At first I thought the scene at the beginning of Infinity War would make him remain dead after all this is done but I doubt that was even him. This is more wishful thinking because as much as he got on my nerves at first, I loved him in Ragnarok.

Gamora may be dead though. There are some theories that she's in the soul stone and will come back when the gauntlet is destroyed, and that's definitely possible, but then would she resurrect with Red Skull and be abandoned out there? It's messy and complicated to achieve in this movie. She may not be permanently dead but I think she still will be at the end of Endgame.

And the end of my permadead predictions: Either Nat or Clint will die, and either Rhodes or Falcon will die. I know we're getting a Nat solo movie so she's the least likely out of those to die, but that movie could take place earlier.

Some of my favorite bits of Infinity War involved some of the Guardians and Thor working together. I'm predicting we'll get a setup for a future Guardians film with Thor working with them, or a future Thor movie with the Guardians (maybe just Rocket and Groot)

I *hope* we get some Korg and Meek in this one!

I do not think that Ant Man will fly up Thanos's butt and expand to kill him. But something about the quantum realm will be important to taking him out.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/22/2019 at 07:55pm

Continued:

SHIELD will come back to more than just lurking in the shadows (which will tie into the next season of Agents of SHIELD) and they'll be put back in charge of the Avengers Initiative, thus ending the fight over the Sokovia accords. I don't recall the UN council ever giving anyone permission to fight Thanos anyway.

BUT Fury will die or retire.

I recently watched Dr. Strange and they keep warning about how time manipulation is dangerous, so I'm betting without Strange there to guide them they'll properly muck up the timeline.

In fact, based on that previous prediction, Thanos may not even be the final big bad. Something they do to the timeline may invalidate some important thing they did in the past. So I predict the first half of the film will undo the snap, and the second half will be all about fixing what they broke.

Stark will work with Wakanda to make something important. We have two massive technological powerhouses and the two of them together would be something special.

Captain Marvel will deliver most of the damage to Thanos but won't be the one to actually take the final blow, because there are about a dozen other people who have a more emotional claim to that.

Finally, and this isn't a stretch, I bet we'll see a lot of hints from the previous movies that we basically just ignored.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/22/2019 at 08:04pm

Oh and one more: Vision will somehow come back, maybe it's as easy as them putting the stone back in his body? But this is kinda easy mode predicting, like saying Spidey will survive. We know he will because there's a new movie coming out. Same with Vision.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/22/2019 at 10:51pm

It will end with Star Child from 2001.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/23/2019 at 02:02am

I will come back and read your predictions after the movie Travis. You don't know spoilers, but I want to come as fresh to the film as I can and I've really avoided most of everything.

That said, I think this is the first movie I've come to I've been excited to see I don't have any sense of what I want to see. I'm really OK with what they throw me. I am curious how they will continue the stories after Endgame, I think that's the biggest thing they are going to have to setup which is why the film will be three hours.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/23/2019 at 05:21am

Travis, I think you have a pretty sold list of predictions.

I had a theory about Endgame, but if it were true, it would retcon Infinity War and make it not as good of a movie lol. Basically, I wondered if Thanos was being influenced by Death to come up with The Snap. In the comics. Thanos wants to woo Death, and that's why he kills off half of everyone. So I wondered if in Endgame, we find out that Death has been pulling the strings, and another cosmic being (Eternity, Infinity or Oblivion) would have to step in to bring the universe back to actual balance. But the more I thought about the theory, it would hurt Thanos' character in Infinity War, so I dont think that will happen.

But, I could see The Avengers accidentally making things worse by playing with Time and the Quantum Realm, trying to "fix" reality, and a cosmic being needing to step in. I don't know if that would be satisfying though, as it could easily turn into a deus ex machina situation.

All I really know is that I'm super hyped for the movie! Just a few more days!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/23/2019 at 05:21am

(Both of my "predictions" ended up being reasoning why my predictions probably won't happen lol)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/24/2019 at 12:15am

I think that could help Thanos’s character honestly. If he was being influenced by someone and made the extreme decisions he did because of that, it would make them make more sense. As it is, his plan was really dumb and he was presented as this sympathetic villain but he wasn’t.

Having the thought that he did, but taking it to the extremes due to an external influence would make him actually sympathetic.

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Retro Tech: Marques Brownlee Reviews The Gameboy After Never Having Played One Before

Marques Brownlee is one of the best tech reviewers on YouTube. His focus is the latest smartphones, headphones and at times AV gear. He just released a new video in a series he calls Retro Tech where he takes a look at old tech and reviews it and in the first episode he looks at the classic Gameboy. The Gameboy has been reviewed before but Marques video is interesting because he reviews it from an entirely fresh perspective as he's never actually played one before. Along the way he interviews a lot of people in tech that have history with the Gameboy and looks at some of the peripherals of the system and its legendary indestructibility.

"The Game Boy is the most... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 55: Captain Marvel

Looking forward to Avengers: Endgame, and need some Marvel talk while you wait? Look no further, because we're wearing flannel and blasting No Doubt while aliens invade Earth in this review of Captain Mar-vell... er... Captain Marvel, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Capcom Home Arcade Brings The Arcade Home On October 25th!

Capcom is looking to get into the retro-system nostalgia movement with a very unique offering called the Capcom Home Arcade. It features some of the best Capcom arcade titles and is a dual arcade stick lapboard emulation device meant to be played with a friend. Priced at $260 it looks to be a fairly premium device for the 16 pack in titles it comes with, that said if the hardware is top notch this could be a pretty good value. The Capcom Home Arcade features 1944: The Loop Master Alien vs. Predator, Armored Warriors, Capcom Sports Club, Captain Commando, Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness, Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, Eco Fighters, Final Fight, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts,... Read All

The Mega Sg is The Latest Zero Lag 1080p Retro Sega Remake From Analogue!

If you love retro games and want a pristine HD experience usually you can buy a clone system that emulates the games well but can introduce latency or emulation artifacts you might not want. Typically Speedrunners and folk that prefer playing on original hardware play retro games as they were originally intended but those retro systems are limited to analog video, something that doesn't look great on modern displays. Analogue decided to solve this problem by not emulating the original video game hardware in software but by creating chips that recreate the original systems bit for bit. To-date Analogue has released a version of the original NES, Super Nintendo and now... Read All

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars Celebration is upon us and during the Episode IX panel Lucasfilm unveiled the new teaser for Star Wars Episode IX titled "Rise of Skywalker." One of my friends is waiting to watch the teaser until we see Endgame in the theater so I'm not going to spoil any of the teaser details in this post but we can in the comments.

After this teaser I'm more excited for The Rise of Skywalker than Endgame or any other movie this year. It's the end of the Skywalker Saga but not quite end of the Star Wars franchise. I've heard news from Lucasfilm and Disney that after this movie they are going to take a break from making films and focus on TV shows on the new Disney+... Read All

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/14/2019 at 03:27pm

Couple things to take away from the trailer:

1. Stormtrooper in jetpacks
2. Rey looks even more badass than before (tie fighter jump FTW)
3. Luke is training her still
4. LANDO!
5. Are they taking something/collecting something to the Return of the Jedi deathstar and is that Endor?
6. THE EMPEROR? Lots of thoughts about this, but wow, I was surprised and excited to see how they use him in this film.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/14/2019 at 06:48pm

https://mashable.com/article/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-movies-hiatus/#IMRqjQO_ngqJ

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/14/2019 at 07:10pm

I was waiting for someone to post this! LOL I read some articles about it, too. It looks cool. I didn't really know it was the emperor at the end, I thought it was Snook (sp?). I forgot that he and Luke died.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/14/2019 at 07:52pm

Oh yeah it’s the Emperor and I think it’s spelled Snoke.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/15/2019 at 06:28pm

Maybe they can continue the Darth Maul story line from Solo in a TV show form.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/16/2019 at 06:49pm

That would be great. I wouldn’t mind a Solo show either.

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Borderlands Game of the Year Edition Enhanced Is An Incredible Update To Borderlands!

Borderlands is one of the best shooters I've ever played. The story, loot and gameplay are fantastic and started a new wave of looter-shooters that continued with Borderlands 2, Destiny and The Division. I was elated to learn that Gearbox was going to release a new 4K remaster of the original Borderlands and the best part is that Gearbox has added new features and quality of life enhancements making it even better.

I'm gonna clip out some new features that Gearbox brought to Borderlands to make it easy to see all the new stuff:

"* A Borderlands 2-style mini-map, which you can toggle on and off, has been added to complement the original compass
* Substantial improvements... Read All Borderlands is one of the best shooters I've ever played. The story, loot and gameplay are fantastic and started a new wave of looter-shooters that continued with Borderlands 2, Destiny and The Division. I was elated to learn that Gearbox was going to release a new 4K remaster of the original Borderlands and the best part is that Gearbox has added new features and quality of life enhancements making it even better.

I'm gonna clip out some new features that Gearbox brought to Borderlands to make it easy to see all the new stuff:

"* A Borderlands 2-style mini-map, which you can toggle on and off, has been added to complement the original compass
* Substantial improvements to the inventory system—such as allowing you to “lock” weapons or mark them as “junk”—simplify item management
* Items like ammo, money, and health now auto-pick up from the ground
* Rewards Ready: With the addition of the SHiFT player rewards program, you can now use Golden Keys to unlock special in-game items and rewards. Returning SHiFT users who’ve played Borderlands 2 or The Pre-Sequel on PC will receive 75 free Golden Keys, as well as two randomly selected all-new weapons, for their first newly-created Vault Hunter.
* Added Firepower: A new set of six named, custom-skinned Legendary weapons make the base game’s arsenal even deeper. Beat bosses or gather Golden Keys for a chance to collect ‘em all.
* Badder Boss Battle: In direct response to fan feedback, the campaign’s final boss encounter has been adjusted to be more engaging, challenging, and rewarding.
* Cosmetic Customization: For the first time, you will be able to customize your Vault Hunter beyond simply selecting a color scheme. Each of the four available characters has five brand new cosmetic heads unlocked and equippable right from the start of the game."

After the new Borderlands released for free to everyone that had the original on Steam, I installed it and transferred over my original Borderlands characters. I decided to start fresh with a new character and I'm glad I did because I forgot how great the start of Borderlands is. Right away the Borderlands 2 style mini-map and auto-pickup of items is just what Doctor Zed ordered and makes the game feel so much better. Truth be told the original mechanics weren't bad, but these enhancements just make the game that much nicer. There is also a huge golden key chest in the middle of town and with 75 keys to start, you have a lot of options for some great weapon finds. That said, I don't typically use the golden keys as I've found they make the game a bit too easy, that said they are here now which is a nice addition. Gearbox is also tweeting golden keys for Borderlands often so if you want more, you can get them.

The 4K visuals are stunning and the new build of the game makes Borderlands feel like a brand new game. The addition of character skins is also really neat and already I've customized my character a bit to make the game a bit more fun. It's not something I found essential in Borderlands 2 but it's a nice way to look a bit different to friends in multiplayer.

Whenever I came back to Borderlands on PC I never felt like that version gave the game the credit it deserved and it seemed like more attention was put into the PS3 and XBox 360 versions. Borderlands 2 changed this as the PC version was first class and now, the original Borderlands is just as incredible. And frankly with all the Epic store exclusive business, maybe returning to the original adventure through is the best choice?

https://steamcommunity.com/games/8980/announcements/detail/1767008477036180317

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 54: Cowlitz Gamer's for Kids 2019

In this episode, Jon and Will Ball talk about their experience at Cowlitz Gamer's for Kids and share their finds.