mellotronrules

seems too variable to make a determination.

even setting aside the quality of a work- there are people that will always put the introduction on a higher pedestal than the development or complication. some people just like debut albums more than late-career. so i guess the answer is- know thyself??

ha, you're not wrong. but this is also TLOU, so if your player 'verbs' don't involve violence and sadness, you're not on brand, haha.

if i were a betting man, my prediction is TLOU3 is broadly a redemptive arc for Ellie (she won't save the world, but she might save some lives), while still steeped in dark melancholy and leaving the door open for new games/protagonists (because as you say, 'Video Games.'). as to whether or not the juice is worth the squeeze- that feels like a personal call most can make at this point.

but yeah, probably a whole lot more shootin, lootin and stabbing.

yeah, bit of a bummer given i really like TLOU's combat, enjoyed the bit of TLOU1 Factions i played in 2019 (went for the platinum on the PS4 remaster and it had multiplayer trophies), and was intrigued to see what potentially fresh ideas they cooked up. Factions to this day still has some interesting design with a slower, more stealth and crafting-focused multiplayer that i'm not sure has an obvious analogue.

that said i'm glad they didn't just shove a product out the door to market, closed their eyes and prayed. better to pull the plug before you reshape the whole studio in the image of a product you don't have full faith in. not releasing does suggest they care about quality, so that's a good sign.

as a fan? absolutely. i'm not clamoring- if they decided to hang up the gloves after TLOU2 i'd be alright with that. however, if they have desire to continue- particularly with Ellie- i think there's plenty for them to work with (i often daydream about what a Joel-aged Ellie would look like in that story- we don't have a lot of high-budget video game fiction that follows characters from teen to middle-aged, let alone middle-aged women as protagonist).

the good news is we know Naughty Dog is working on a new project in addition to the presumed TLOU3, so that should (hopefully) be interesting once they share.

spotify premium? though that won't save you if you're using it for podcasts. also depending how strict you are with the definition of ad- if you're including things like spotify promoting new features or artists- then that would eliminate it as well.

to be honest the only ads that are starting to drive me up the wall are podcast programmatic ads (hello, bombcast), twitch and youtube.

"what is dead may never die."

the Keighley's are made in the image of the man who willed them into being- they won't change until he wills it so. and i don't think he's even incentivized to do so.

push the DICE awards instead (which only nerds like myself will watch anyway). awards are only as good as those awarding them, and getting something from your peers in the field will always be more significant than a vague assemblage of legacy media, personalities and influencers.

@ben_h: thank you for returning that ICONIC delivery of "BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC!" back into my brain. god, i didn't know the man but i feel like Ryan would have loved BG3.

ANYWAY- the new Epilogue is very heartwarming, everyone should check it out.

ha, i deeply identify with this behavior. turns out- if something has a fervent fan base, there's usually a good reason you haven't wrapped your head around yet.

except taylor swift, who is just boring. jkjk- kinda sorta ; )

speaking for myself- tl;dr reasons. you might say some are impatient, even- so rather than immediately turn someone off with a wall of text, i figure give em 3 paragraphs- and if there still good for it, they can see the rest. it's not because it's an actual spoiler (obvi).

also i was talking about having a moment with a 20+ year old Radiohead record- not exactly on-topic or in the zeitgeist (lol sue me, i get self-conscious).

yeah, broadly i acknowledge drawing the important distinction between what's artistically successful and what's commercially viable. i don't much care for the OT's construction of "who's fault is it" as that confers some sort of implied grievance, as in "this thing is totally friggin sweet, if only the public or artist didn't screw it up." and personally i just don't think people create or consume media in that sort of framework.

however (perhaps unpopular opinion time)- i actually do think there's a place for prescriptive or curated culture. i'm that guy that tends to shy away from algorithmic recommendations- not only because they're frequently poor, but also because they're devoid of context and/or meaning. i don't want more of what i like (based on analysis)- i want something i haven't seen or heard that someone else thinks i should see or hear. that can be a bud, a publication, or an A&R suit- i don't care as long as someone thinks it has value.

likewise- (and i know there's no going home again in a post-internet world)- i do miss 'eating my spinach' because every now and then, for a variety of factors, some wild shit rises to the top.

old man personal anecdote: