Nothing like a busy work week to make time fly, huh? Good thing it's supposed to be about 100 degrees this weekend!
Entertainment
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5 - I had started watching this season of the show weeks if not months ago but fell off of it. After deciding to get back to it I've been enjoying it. Not that it is the best Marvel series but it does have it's moments. Although I do question how this is the show that hasn't been cancelled and the only reason that comes to mind is that Disney owns ABC thus directly owning the show whereas the Netflix shows were contract deals.
Supergirl: Season 3 - I finished the season and thought it was pretty good but I didn't start the next season. As much I like the show I still felt like I needed to take a break and watch some other stuff.
Caddyshack - It's a classic, of course I watched it again.
Games
State of Decay - I've been playing this game for some reason. It's ok but I'm struggling with how it fails to teach you the basics of the playing the game. Having to refer FAQ's and walkthroughs just to be able to play the game is kind of really bad. The game is fun to play outside of that problem but it really bums me out.
Wolfenstein: The New Order - I never played this game since it was released back in 2014 but with the hype of the new game coming I decided to play it since I had access to it via Xbox Game Pass. It really goes places but my level of patience forced me to dumb it down to easy in the last half of the game. I'm in the later stages of the game and will likely finish it soon.
Solitaire - Fuck this game. I'll go play with real cards. The ads are just too much to even deal with. They played louder than the game play even after I moved the sound sliders in the game. The last straw was that even after I muted the game in Windows Sound Mixer the ads still played audio, AT FULL VOLUME! Done.
News
Sorry, no news. There isn't much going on in the gaming world and even less that I take much interest in.
Closing Arguments
Since I was on-call last weekend I'm taking a long weekend this one. The boss man let me take off Monday so I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can.
The holiday was good but feels short-lived. Lucky for me I get to be on-call for work to help me forget about it though.
Entertainment
The Book of Eli - I wanted something I didn't have to pay a great amount of attention to but could still enjoy. Plus, Denzel Washington still kicks ass. 4.5/5
The Flash: Season 4 - It's ok, it is still about what I expect from The Flash but kept me interested enough that I started the next season. 2.8/5
Supergirl Season 3 - Again, I don't expect much but this show is entertaining. I only made it through about half a dozen episodes so I still have a while to go with this one.
Games
Mutant Year Zero: A Road to Eden - I've played more of it but I think the combat is still a bit more unforgiving than I want. Not that I want to breeze through the game but I would like to enjoy more of it rather than being stuck in the same a encounter for hours. Probably going to walk away from this one.
Into the Breach - I finally made it through the base campaign and after opening up a few of the other squads I feel that I am also done with this game. The time I spent with it I did enjoy but I feel that I can be ok with moving on.
Forza Horizon 4 - Ever want to play a game that you just don't care about what happens? Bingo. The game plays well and looks great but I'm just not invested in it in any way. It's just something I can jump in every now and then when I don't want to trudge through anything else.
Solitaire - I remember playing card games, with real cards, as a child. I've taken to playing the Microsoft Solitaire Collection just because I find it relaxing in a way that I can just play the game and not worry about what happens. Plus, I don't have to focus on it and I can keep watching Netflix.
News
Remedy owns Alan Wake - Good on the makers getting their product back it doesn't say much about what the future of the series may be.
China tariff woes - In a fairly obvious move, all three console manufactures are looking to move at least some of their operations out of China because of the possibility of a 25% tax. It's a smart move on many fronts. Even if the tax never hits it opens the companies up for geographic diversity to help them in the event of a huge environmental disaster.
Nintendo Switch Lite - It's official, I still don't want to buy a Switch. The cheaper price had me interested but the fact that you can't dock it or connect HDMI to a tv broke the deal for me. I don't do any game playing on the go and sit on my couch looking at a screen even smaller than to original Switch does nothing for me.
Closing Arguments
I had a pretty good holiday hanging out at two different parties with friends and family. Of course I ate and drank too much but I would do it all over again.
Thanks for stopping by, please come again.
(PS - I know I posted this on a different date than in the title.)
With E3 over until next year and all the information of everything has been given out and there is nothing left to do or talk about, forever. If only that were true. There are still things happening and games to play.
Entertainment
Jessica Jones: Season 3 - I only watched one episode but it was good. When I get some time I'm looking forward to watching some more. Too early for a rating... NA/10
I rewatched a bunch of the Giant Bomb E3 shows. Those show run for hours so I didn't have time to watch much else. If you have limited time I would recommend the Phil Spencer interview. 10/5
Games
Mutant Year Zero: A Road to Eden - This game is a lot like XCOM and for that I both love and hate it. The game play is very similar especially since you end up dead and done with the encounter with in one turn. I took a break from it since I was stuck in one of these loops and it was just frustrating as all hell. When I get stuck like this I typically just back off for a while because I'm normally stuck in a certain mindset or strategy and taking time off from the game lets me clear my head of these. I definitely plan on coming back to this game.
Into the Breach - This game is tough. It is very good but it is very tough. I am playing on 'easy' and still not making much progress. The mechanics are a bit tough for me but I want to keep playing the game and learning how to do it better.
Ori and the Blind Forest - I'm a little late to this game but let me tell you something - this game is pretty good. Since I don't get into platformers I passed on this game when it came out but certain "conditions" were met that made me interested in playing it. The conditions being that they showed stuff about the sequel at E3 and I signed up for Xbox Game Pass. Truly enjoying this game when I am not struggling with the platforming but I am into the game enough that I want to continue with it.
News
Elon Musk - This guy is notable enough that he should be more supportive than divisive. If somebody tweets out a photo of someone else's art, for no apparent reason, the creator deserves credit. Other media such as music, movies, publications, etc. have strict rules about giving credit where credit is do. His argument that someone can find that information in seconds without him posting feels like a farce. What should I Google "that photo Elon Musk tweeted". Sure would have been better if he had named the artist, not that he had to link to the artist's Twitter or other presences, and at least acknowledge the person.
EA "surprise mechanics" - A loot box is just that no matter what name you use. Loot boxes aren't inherently bad but how they are monetized in some games is. Don't try to use words to change this. Take action by making them fair and reasonable.
Amazon Game Studios layoffs - First and foremost, best wishes to any of those affected. It sounds like they have a little bit of time and hopefully it works out for them. Makes the future of Amazon's game development feel questionable.
Destiny 2 Stadia crossplay - Apparently Stadia player can only play with other Stadia players. I didn't expect there to be crossplay with consoles but I assumed Stadia gamers would be able to play with PC players. Makes me wonder if there is a technical reason for this or some weird business/contract issue.
The Division 2 gets the Gunner specialization - It's great that this game is still getting new stuff but it just doesn't do anything to make me want to go back. They need to add something more substantial to make me pick the game back up.
Mass Effect 2 in First Person - Well, those PC moders will do about anything. I didn't need one more reason to play this game. Alex Navarro of Giant Bomb is doing his Mass Alex series with this game currently and every time I watch an episode I think about starting another play-through myself.
Tifa's 'endowment' - Why is it such a big deal that they changed her breast size? The character model looks fine. They did the same thing to Lara Croft and I didn't see this issue come up.
Closing Arguments
Phil Spencer's presentation sold me on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Despite thinking the name isn't great, the service feels like a good value to me. The down side is now my backlog looks infinite. I probably downloaded almost twenty games and I had to put a hard brake on myself to not start them all at once.
Given the price point of $15 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate I find Ubisoft's Uplay Plus to be questionable. Ubisoft has good catalog on PC but I'm not sure it compares that well with Microsoft's across both PC and console.
Well, Chuck and I recorded another episode but he has yet to post it. So...
Lot's of stuff was talked about at the E3 shows this last week. Some of it was exciting while other stuff was disappointing.
Entertainment
Captain Marvel - I thought it was good but I feel like I missed something because I just don't see how people think it was amazing. Maybe it just wasn't what I was expecting or wanted. For being just another Marvel movie that wasn't marvelous... 2.5/5
Games
Dauntless - This game feels like it is missing something. After about 10+ hours of it I'm done with it. The loop of hunting isn't doing anything for me since it is just a bunch of button mashing. I tried changing to the pistols as a ranged weapon instead of a melee weapon. It felt ok until I realized I was doing extremely less damage than my teammates. The game is still new and if they add and fix it significantly I would be willing to return.
News
EA - They have a bad show every year and this was no exception. They stayed away from Anthem as much as possible. I don't care about The Sims or their sports franchises. The only thing of any interest was the Star Wars: Fallen Order but even that doesn't look great. While the game play was rolling I could only think about how much is just blandly looked like another Force Unleashed game. I'm in the minority of liking the Force Unleashed games but I admit they were terribly problematic and if Fall Order doesn't show something more endearing I just don't think I'll even buy this game. EA being EA so... 0.8/5
Microsoft - Point blank, this was the show I enjoyed the most. It's not that they showed the best or most exciting games but I think that Phil Spencer did a good job laying out the vision of where Xbox is going. Everything from the games and studios to the services and new hardware. The only game I was stoked about was one that already had me and that was Cyberpunk 2077 but how can you not love a good Keanu Reeves appearance??? Bonus points for getting half of Bill and Ted on stage... 6/5
Bethesda - Ugh... watching this show was like listening to you boss talk up the department and how much good it did this year when you really now it's struggling and things are shit. I knew they had to talk about Rage 2 and they would avoid calling it a miss. Fallout 76 should have been a straight out apology but rather than doing that they joked about it and talked it up. WTF? I don't play a lot of Bethesda game but I use to at least respect the studio... things change. For having no respect... 0.08/5
Devolver Digital - I love how they make themselves part of being E3 by panning it. This show gives me a good chuckle every year and I thank them for it. Oh, and they make games. For being the E3 hero we needed but not deserving... 10/5
Ubisoft - Their press conferences are always the most uncomfortable to watch. They talk about a bunch of games and IP that I don't care about but I can see that they are genuinely passionate about it. The next Watch Dogs game was the big takeaway but after not even playing much of the last game I don't know that I was swayed. Since they still believe... 3.5/5
Square Enix - Short version.. if you like RPG's, particularly Final Fantasy, then this was a good show. Since I don't care for RPG's I'll say I'm happy for those that do. Looks like you have a busy future ahead of you. For not trying to pull out another Tomb Raider game... 3/5
Nintendo - Look... I won't apologize for not being a fanboy here. With that said, I'm glad that Nintendo does their thing and that people are excited about it. I still don't own a Switch and don't plan to change that but it looks there is some amazing stuff coming(just wish I had an interest). Because you keep being breathtaking... 4.8/5
Closing Arguments
Others will rate the shows differently but I can only give you my take. Sure felt weird with Sony being completely absent.
Chuck and I are on what one may call "a roll" with yet another episode of The Unlikely Herocast. Feel free to listen.
As much as I like seeing E3 again I'm glad it is over. Now I want to see where all the games are and what really comes of what was said.
College Football - Hitting that time of the season where the match-ups get more meaningful. Looking forward to more of these.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - I've picked back up on my rewatch and I'm still in episodes that I am familiar with. Apparently I watched more seasons than I figure originally.
Games
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Meh, it's about what I expected. That is fine but I had some hope they would surprise me and do something interesting. Not sure I'll review this game but I probably will.
News
Telltale Games layoff - First and foremost, best wishes to those let go and hopes that they can recover quickly. But WTF Telltale? This story just kept getting more disgusting as more information came out.
Sony vs Cross-platform play - Stick a win for the people with cross-platform play going into beta for Fortnite. Don't give Sony too much credit since they are the last to the game here. There is also the tacit admission with the quote "we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required" that is was never a technical issue(which was well known) nor was it a safety issue as they tried to say it was. In the end it was always about the money. Next they'll get credit for allowing users to change their gamertags.... for a price of course.
PlayStation Now downloads - This makes the service far more attractive especially with those that don't have great Internet connectivity. The only caveat is that it still doesn't include PS3 titles, only PS2 and PS4 titles can be downloaded.
Twitch blocked in China - No game streams for you! It was only a matter time seeings how YouTube has been blocked for years.
Closing Arguments
I'm really tired but I'm staring down being on-call at work for the weekend. That will sure help me rest and relax!
Guess what it's still doing? That's right, it's raining! But don't work, the weekend will be nice since I'm on-call and can't enjoy it.
Entertainment
Death Wish(2018) - I went into this not expecting much and I think it delivered on my expectations. Having seen the original and generally not liking remakes that is a good rating for me. The hardest part of the movie was to accept Bruce Willis as a doctor. He's a great actor but a doctor is just not what comes to mind when I think of him.
Super Troopers 2 - Much like Anchorman 2, this was a sequel that I thought never should have been done... until I watched it. It was essentially a redo of the first one but it was still highly funny and entertaining.
Enemy - If I could give Jake Gyllenhaal any life and/or career advise it would be to make some more main stream movies and move away from these dark, moody, bizarre experience films. I just feel like he may not be in a good place personally and professionally if he continues to make these movies. This film was well produced but just came off as baffling in an uncomfortable way.
Supergirl - I really enjoy this somewhat campy show for reasons I can't explain. Odd how I unexpectedly miss Calista Flockhart though.
Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity - Funny guy and good to see him using it for charity. Some of the guest comedians weren't so great but you can't go against them too much if they are helping support a charity.
Shameless - I was immensely excited to see that Netflix had the eight season of the show. The excitement died down once I started watching. There is the sense that it is trying too hard to do the things that made it unique. I'll definitely finish watching it but I hope it gets better but I'm not saying it's bad.
Games
XCOM 2 - It's over, I've completed the last mission of my second play through. The Chosen DLC adds a lot to the game but I'm disappointed that I never got to defeat the third Chosen. He kept attacking me during missions, including the finale, but the mission to finally defeat him never popped. I'm not sure if that is a glitch or I just didn't hit the steps to get the mission.
News
EA Origin Access Premier - I subscribe to EA Access on Xbox One and I wish they would add this to Xbox. Even with that I am tempted to get it on PC. The only thing I question is that it is supposed to grant access to EA's new games but the article I read stated that it will offer a 10% discount on digital purchases. Will this discount apply to in-game purchases? Will it apply to the non-EA games available in Origin?
Nintendo Switch sales - The system has sold 19.67 million units, which is about 6 million more than the Wii U. That is impressive since that Switch hasn't been out that long.
Guess what we're getting? More rain. It's like it's spring all over again.
Entertainment
Lost in Space: Season 1 - I thought this was good, not sure what some people had against this. The only issues I had with it was it felt as if thought they pushed the plot too far, too fast just to get to the place they wanted to end the season on and I don't care for where they left the last episode off at. Most of the season felt rushed but I still enjoyed it. The cliffhanger they ended on was less hopeful than I wanted although I see where they may be going with the plot I just wish they had done it differently.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Hey, I like good bad movies.
The Hateful Eight - It felt like a Western version of Reservoir Dogs but not in a good or interesting way. Maybe I missed something but I don't think I cared for this movie or at least not as much as I do Reservoir Dogs. There is the feeling that I should watch it again to see if I missed something but I lack the motivation to do so.
Blazing Saddles - Because it's a classic and I love it. They can and will never be able to remake this film.
Saban's Power Rangers - There not much to defend about this movie because it's bad. The only reason I watched it was because I worked at a movie theatre when the 1995 movie released. The two movies are equally bad in my mind but I would probably watch them again.
Games
XCOM 2 - I've probably put another 10 hours into this game and I don't feel like I'm any closer to finishing it. The longer I play it feels as though the DLC is the equivalent of another game.
Overwatch - Breaking news... this game is still good. However, after playing two rounds I lose interest. Counter point, I did this play then quit scenario three days in a row.
News
Fortnite makes money - About $2 million a day just on the mobile. I'd like to make that in my life.
No Man's Sky NEXT - The patch has people excited about it and if feel like Hello Games is committed to making the game what they wanted or could be. Personally, I still own a copy on the PS4 and ponder if I want to try it out.
Nintendo sues two ROM sites - It's not that they don't want people playing their old games, they just want to control they way it happens. It is also a legal maneuver to protect their rights to their IP.
Closing Arguments
This whole not sleeping thing is getting to be an issue. Losing track of days is a bigger problem when you think every day actually is Monday. Looking ahead, it almost doesn't pay to get it straightened out since I'm on-call for work next weekend and that will just break it again. O'well, once more unto the break, once more, or close up the week with my mind dead.
You know what goes well together? I don't but I know it's not heat and rain showers. Yuck.
Entertainment
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee - Rewatching the latest season has been good. The show is funny but also deep at times. It's interesting to watch the inner-workings of two comedians.
Justice League - The first hour was a drag. The second hour was ok. Overall it felt like the DC Universe just wasn't ready for this movie. There should have been more movies to set up the characters rather then cramming the almost every backstory into about thrity minutes. Better than Suicide Squad, worse than Batman vs. Superman.
Kingsman: Golden Circle - It was comparable to the first but seemed to feel a little bit more outlandish. I'd watch it again.
Nathan Fillion's Uncharted fan film - This was good. It felt almost exactly like what an Uncharted movie should be. The production value was not grade A but that is ok. It is doubtful that much if anything will come from this but here's hoping.
Games
Black Ops 3 - I haven't finished it yet because I can barely stand to play it. After about one mission I've reached my fill of the game.
XCOM 2 - The DLC completely changes the game. It also makes it much more frustrating and annoying at times. Fortunately it is just as much fun to play and that is what keeps you coming back.
News
Halo Infinite sans battle royale - Sounds like the popular new mode won't be coming to the Halo series in the next game. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. The game and franchise has seen it's popularity decline and may need to do something to make players reinvest. I'd like to see the story get back on course myself.
New Xbox Hardware! - Calm down, people took Major Nelson blog the wrong way. There is no plan to show a new console, rather bundles and peripherals. What a tease, even if unintentional.
No, the other Cayde-6 - So, apparently Cayde-6 dies in the next Destiny expansion but his voice died in production. Nolan North took the role when Nathan Fillion was unavailable. <joke>I guess Peter Dinklage didn't get a chance. </joke> Fillion seemed to be one of the staples of the game and also one of its biggest supporters. Hard to understand how he got left behind but game production has to stay on schedule and they just couldn't wait for him. RIP.
Closing Arguments
It's been a slow news week from what I see but then again I'm still struggling with sleep so that is still my priority.
On top of the daunting heat, going back to work after a Wednesday holiday felt like a second Monday.
Entertainment
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - This is a bad movie. I've watched it several times to find something to redeem it and there is nothing. I say this as a Star Wars fan.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army - I just needed something to watch after The Last Jedi and I wanted it to be something I enjoy.
Luke Cage: Season 2 - I could not finish it without falling asleep so I just picked up where I woke up and watched what was left. This was not a good season. It was slow and the plot was bad. Don't bother watching it would be my recommendation.
The Unlikely Herocast: Episode 4 - Chuck and I spent some time on the 4th of July to talk about our games we've been playing this year. He's editing it but I'll add a link when he is done.
Games
XCOM 2 - Aaaaanndddd....It's finished. That last mission was a real motherfucker and proves the game loves to make you hate it by making you hate yourself for playing it. The some DLC is on sale so I bought it but I need a break from this game.
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit - It was a short game but served as a nice setup piece as intended. It looks and feels like Life is Strange, that about all there is to say. The game itself gave me some technical issues with my screen resolution, that was frustrating.
News
Twitch Prime - Amazon is giving out 21 games this mont and some of them are relatively new. Make sure you go get them if you are a Prime member.
Twitch bans - In an effort to clean up the toxicity that is too abundant on Twitch, they have given 30 day bans to a couple streamer due to their conduct. Good on Twitch for this but this is just a drop in the bucket. Journey of a thousand steps, hopefully.
There isn't much new this week and that might be due to the holiday.
Closing Arguments
With XCOM 2 finished I'm looking into my backlog for what to play next since there is anything releasing soon that I am interested in. To that point, I've hooked my PS3 back up. It's a weird move but there are a couple games that I own for it that I never played. Rather than go buy games for the PC or current consoles I'm stepping back a console. The only problem is I still don't know which one I want to play, argh.
Quickly I remembered that is easier to downstream content rather than upstream it.
Entertainment
Westworld - What is the number for Bull Shit? I'd like to call them to discuss this finale. It Inception and combined it with Dollhouse but only used the bad parts. Did not enjoy, will not recommend.
Transformers: The Last Knight - Oh god, please let this be the last movie they make. Please cancel that Bumble Bee movie.
Baywatch - Way better than Transformers: The Last Knight but that is a pretty low bar. I didn't expect much out of this movie and I think I got what I expected. It leaned into making fun of itself and was self-aware of doing. Please don't take this as an endorsement or support for a sequel.
Luke Cage: Season 2 - I haven't been able to finish it because I keep falling asleep while watching it. That tells you how dull the show is. I've gotten to a point where I think I'm in the late game of the season and things are starting to play out but it is failing to make me care what happens. I just want to see the end and have it be over with. This show bums me out because the soundtrack is fantastic.
The Unlikely Herocast: Episode 3 - Chuck and I sat down for another podcast. Brad and Omar couldn't join us but we look to have them back as soon as they are available. You can listen to Chuck question my movie choices here.
Games
XCOM 2 - The more I play the more I wonder how much is left. Every time I hit the point when I think it is a turning point to the finish it feels like it is just leading me down another street to yet another turn. Still into it but I feel like it needs to crescendo and start wrapping up.
News
Cross-play - Microsoft and Nintendo seem to be ganging up on Sony. Not that they don't deserve it and not that they shouldn't continue.
Sony's cross-play problem - They've at least admitted they are evaluating what they need to do to satisfy their customers' and business needs. Still, don't expect anything in the near future.
PS Now downloads? - It is still a rumor and until Sony makes it official take it as such. It would be a great move to make the service more like Game Pass since people with "not great" Internet service would then be able to make use of the service. It would even be better if it makes PS3 games playable on PS4. It would be even be betterer if it made PS3 games playable outside of subscribing to the service, say for those of us that own the game on disc or digitally. Just a thought.
PUBG drops lawsuit against Fortnite - Wait... PUBG didn't invent the battle royale mode??? I think this one just got put away because PUBG had a weak claim and if they wanted to pursue this against Fortnite then they would be obligated to sue every battle royale style game. It also could have been a backroom deal since PUBG and EPIC are sort of partners.
Fortnite patch - One of the biggies in this patch is the edit mode. The change is that panels being edit are now no longer see-through. It never even crossed my mind how much of a competitive advantage this was for a good builder and completely explains some of the things I've seen in matches. Applause for this simple but fantastic change.
Atari Box "fake news" claim - LOL. Maybe it's not a good idea to call someone out for making up news that has a recording to prove that you said what they wrote. Either way, that Atari Box looks like a hot mess.
Closing Arguments
A few weeks ago I was streaming fairly regularly. Then I hit some technical snags. Then I hit a vacation snag. Then I hit a laziness snag. After all of that I fixed the technical issues(isolator on the audio input if you need to know). After that I wasn't on vacation anymore. Finally I got over being lazy.
So this was going to be the return to streaming. Nobody watched me before so no trumpets were needed. Since I'm trying to finish up XCOM2 I decided to stream that. This was the point when the game went mental on me and stopped my stream. Look at the picture at the beginning of this post. See something wrong? Something missing? There is supposed to be an NPC there. They were straight up gone. Not only this particular one but all of the ones in my base. On top of it, no voice over audio. The base was silent and if I started a mission I could only hear gunshots and footsteps. This game had f'd me over yet again.
I tried various fixes but ultimately cancelled my stream without fanfare. I tried everything from loading different saves, quitting and restarting the game, loading different saves after restarting the game, restarting my console, loading different saves after restarting, restarting then trying one save, restarting then trying a different save, etc., etc., etc.. Nothing.
As a last ditch effort, I loaded my last save and started my next mission. It was weird hearing nothing but footsteps and gunshots for the entire playtime. Especially since it was layered on top of the normal frustration that is XCOM2. I save scummed once, still no improvement on the audio front, but I managed to successfully complete the mission. Upon returning to my base... huzzah! Everything was back to normal with full audio and NPC's.
This is yet another moment where I gain a little bit more respect for content creators because problems like these can completely derail them. Not only does your setup have to be technically sound you have to deal with the games themselves glitching out. I wonder how a pro-streamer would have dealt with this situation? Would you power through it and take the audience along with you on this garbage ride? Would you jump to another game and get it back to working? Would it just depend on how you do your content? Would you just throw your hands up in the air and curse the Gods of XCOM?
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