Messages

31

Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: February 28, 2024, 07:47:10 am »

Dune - Part One - Clicked with me in a way it didn't previously. It is cold and dispassionate, but in a way that helps to emphasize the stellar world building and pure technical prowess on display.

Cocoon - The entire Guttenberg subplot feels like a studio note. We can't have a movie that's just about aliens and horny old people! Get Guttenberg's people on the phone!

That said, pretty much everything with the retirement home is a home run until the last act, which is way too overdramatic for the film that preceded it.

32

Off Topic / Re: What TV/Netflix show are you currently watching? (Megathread)

« on: February 22, 2024, 08:50:03 pm »

True Detective: Night Country is fine.  Better than season 2, I think but not as good as 1 or 3.  It focused a bit too much on interpersonal drama over the mystery for me, and the actual resolution came a little too out left field for my tastes.  Same with it leaning a bit more overtly supernatural than the previous seasons. 

33

Modern Video Games / Re: Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase 2.21.2024 thoughts?

« on: February 21, 2024, 10:47:09 am »

Total snoozer for me.

34

Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: February 19, 2024, 08:07:39 pm »

Battle for the Planet of the Apes - Can't believe it took me so long to watch all these original sequels. They all bring something new and interesting to the table, and Roddy McDowell is incredible across the board (it's probably no coincidence that he's not in the worst one). This last entry isn't quite as good as Conquest but still finishes the franchise strong.

The Heroic Trio - I truly have no words after that absolutely demented finale.

Rollerball (2002) - It's really bad and completely stupid, but at least it's not boring?

The Edge of Seventeen - Stands up against the great teen hangout flicks like Fast Times and Dazed and Confused plus it has a killer performance from Hailee Steinfeld at the center of it.

Grumpy Old Men - Ann-Margret is the Silent Generation equivalent of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl in this.

35

Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: February 18, 2024, 08:29:35 pm »

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes - Absolutely astounded at how good this is, but I would point out that if I were perhaps concerned about a future where apes rule the world, that I would not be purposely be breeding intelligent apes. But that's just me personally.

36

Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: February 18, 2024, 05:11:03 pm »

Lisa Frankenstein - This a lot of fun, pretty hilarious, and has a killer vibe, but I can't help but feeling like Diablo wrote herself into a corner and couldn't decide where to go with the multiple threads that have been going throughout the whole thing. One plot not coming back in any meaningful manner and just how nonplussed Lisa's father is about everything (proving that Mr. Wheeler is the same in any universe) being the two primary culprits. It does not help that the last 10 minutes to so are edited so choppily that I wasn't 100% sure if it were a dream, hallucination or what actually happened until the final shot.  All that said, I  still really clicked with this overall.

37

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: February 18, 2024, 04:50:02 pm »

19. Area 51
I finished this for the first time of my life. Cartagia was the better shot. I was a horrible marksman. And my arm got tired by the time the credits hit. Did those guns get heavier or am I just getting older? Oh well. Solid game. It felt like I was at every bowling alley ever.

Ok, my arms were getting tired too, but I didn't want to say anything!  And, as I mentioned, I played that game a lot, so at a certain point muscle memory just took over.  It was like I could see the code of the matrix.

And, kashell is also a pretty cool dude.

38

Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: February 14, 2024, 09:00:18 pm »

Planet of the Apes (1968) - It's a little clunky in spots and the "mystery" doesn't quite jive for anyone who is versed in sci-fi, but it's still a spectacularly made and bombastically entertaining film.  Even better than I remembered.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes - Not nearly as good as it's predecessor. The absolute insane last act almost makes up for what has been, up until that point, a lethargic rehash of the first film.

Escape From the Planet of the Apes - Holy hell this rocks.  Such a different vibe than the first two films bit still a terrific sci-fi parable with killer acting that more than makes up for the obviously shoestring budget.

39

General / Re: February 2024 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: February 14, 2024, 03:58:06 pm »

Best Buy keeps doing "clearance" listings, and for the most part anything at a good price is gone immediately, and what is left usually isn't a great price, but I did manage to get Shantae: Risky's Revenge for PS5.

40

Modern Video Games / Re: Xbox going third party

« on: February 05, 2024, 06:50:49 am »

Honestly, it looks like Microsoft has already picked up on what all the streaming services are finally figuring out - subscription fees (Game Pass) aren't enough to make the games profitable.  Especially big expensive titles like Starfield.  They need the full sales price.

41

Off Topic / Re: What TV/Netflix show are you currently watching? (Megathread)

« on: February 04, 2024, 03:42:13 pm »

I haven't watched Hazbin Hotel, and I've still listened to 'Loser, Baby' several times.

Finished Nathan Fielder's The Curse.  Dense and complicated, and not at all afraid to not be for everyone.  It can be a difficult watch but if Fielder has ever interested you, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Third season of 12 Monkeys is probably the most consistent overall, but the show really feels like it is spinning its wheels sometime, having character motivations just go round and round and ending up back in the same place.  It's also not nearly as clever as it thinks it is with all of its time travel.  Maybe that's just because I watched Dark already.

42

Video Game Database Discussion / Re: Duplicate List 2024

« on: February 03, 2024, 02:44:24 pm »

Star Renegades on Steam:
https://vgcollect.com/item/177900
https://vgcollect.com/item/185843

43

General / Re: January 2024 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: February 01, 2024, 10:10:01 am »

Downloaded the new free Silent Hill game last night, so I got something in under the wire.

44

Modern Video Games / Re: Palworld.

« on: February 01, 2024, 10:07:13 am »

The survival aspect is toned down by allot though, it's pretty casual in that department.

And it's mostly the start aswell, you could just focus on catching new creatures, breeding them going into battles with multiples at once.

also those mundane tasks get automated, you can get your creatures to do the dirty work while you do something else so you don't really have to that stuff later on and focus on exploration.

I haven't played, but I was following a few streamers who were, and this seems like the biggest innovation in the game.  Having all these helpers that are actually doing work of the upkeep in your base seems like a godsend.

That said, I've never been that into Pokemon or survival games (other than a stint in Minecraft), so I doubt I'll end up checking this one out.

45

Modern Video Games / Re: What are your plans when everything goes digital only?

« on: February 01, 2024, 07:00:50 am »

Not that this group needed another signal flare, but Spec Ops: The Line was removed from pretty much all digital marketplaces (it was still on GOG last I looked) without warning because the music licenses expired.  The publisher said they have no plans to relist, but knew this was coming and still said nothing until after it was removed.