BailerAppleby's recent activity
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Comment on The "why does this movie exist" scene in ~movies
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Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | X-Men teaser in ~movies
BailerAppleby LinkThe MCU cannibalizes the titles of its most popular storylines for name recognition, not to faithful to its legacy. So although there may be some elements that remain (i.e. heroes gathered in a...The MCU cannibalizes the titles of its most popular storylines for name recognition, not to faithful to its legacy. So although there may be some elements that remain (i.e. heroes gathered in a big crossover event), I'm making the prediction that few things from the original Secret Wars and Secret Wars II (when the Beyonder had jerry curls) will remain. There won't be a Battle Planet, there won't be a lineup of Marvel villains (that have mostly been killed off), and there probably won't even be a Beyonder.
Instead, I bet its Dr Doom who is responsible for assembling all the heroes (including bringing in the X-Men from a parallel universe). Most of the fighting action of the first movie will be the heroes fighting each other (the superhero way of dogs sniffing each others butts) to which Doom will win at the end. The second movie is the heroes finally teaming up to take on Doom and win.
More left field predictions:
- At least one hero will die, but it won't be those that deserve the send off. Instead, Marvel will squander some guy like Shang-Chi who got just the one movie and then was left out to dry. My bet is on Dr Strange, Feige's favorite, who will no longer be the franchise's anchor character now that Pedro Pascal has arrived.
- As if the announced lineup isn't enough, there will be even more teases of new characters. My dark horse pick is Squirrel Girl because Marvel knows it needs to really appeal to fans, and her IP is ripe for exploitation.
- Things are going so bad for comic book movies that I predict the impossible will occur within 5 years: Marvel will do a crossover movie with DC, and it will be with Spider-Man and Bat Man. This movie will have something that points in that direction.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentI feel like a guide will be used sometime in my life very soon, but I will resist the temptation as best I can. Glad to meet a fellow blobber, bet you harken back to the halcyon days of MS-DOS....I feel like a guide will be used sometime in my life very soon, but I will resist the temptation as best I can. Glad to meet a fellow blobber, bet you harken back to the halcyon days of MS-DOS.
Yes. I have examined myself, asked the pertinent questions, and come up with the answer that I very much want this game, please.
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Comment on The 2025 Steam Awards in ~games
BailerAppleby LinkWith Steam users spending just 14% of their playtime on games released in 2025, they need to open a retro category that appeals to the majority who, by this metric, should not be voting for the...With Steam users spending just 14% of their playtime on games released in 2025, they need to open a retro category that appeals to the majority who, by this metric, should not be voting for the Steam Awards and all of its current-year nominees.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BailerAppleby LinkThanks to @kfwyre and the Holiday Giveaway, I had the chance to play Etrian Odyssey HD and be blessed with the game's affirmation that manual mapping is the best part of dungeon crawling. Like CGI...Thanks to @kfwyre and the Holiday Giveaway, I had the chance to play Etrian Odyssey HD and be blessed with the game's affirmation that manual mapping is the best part of dungeon crawling. Like CGI to a comic book movie, automapping is a quality of feature of dungeon crawling whose mandatory inclusion actively makes it worse. This game makes an approximation of making old-school grid maps, and it directly nails what makes monster habitat spelunking so compelling.
I don't know if I have the required number of hours to put into this time sink and its massive skill tree, but I am glad all the same that cute anime girls don't seem to be the focus of this modern blobber.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentSo awesome, thank you very much for this!So awesome, thank you very much for this!
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentReceived, thank you so very much!Received, thank you so very much!
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Comment on What video games would you say have the best stories? Feel free to suggest more than one. in ~games
BailerAppleby (edited )LinkNot to discount the many great suggestions made here, but great video game stories should not be limited to epic narratives with high stakes and betrayal and convoluted twists and reveals. I...Not to discount the many great suggestions made here, but great video game stories should not be limited to epic narratives with high stakes and betrayal and convoluted twists and reveals. I played and enjoyed these types of games that had these stories, and as memorable as they may be, heroes and fantasies don't tend to be as relatable. This is very much a problem for video games that are overly populated with space marines grinding out an honest life in the apocalypse, which in turn provides a special niche for video games with small scopes and low stakes.
That's why something as underrated as A Short Hike hits so hard. It's a small indie game about exploring a mountainous island; you get to the top and you're done. It's very simple, but everything about it drives an emotional narrative in which the protagonist is irrevocably changed by the end. It's a minimalist adventure with a beginning, middle, and end that dutifully capture the struggles that the protag is going through.
Spoilers Ahead
A girl with a sick mother gets sent away to a provincial park. There's no reception, she can't talk to her mother, and there is nothing for her to help the situation; she's just a girl. Deprived of any agency, she sets out what she can do: brave the unexplored park outside her new lodgings and conquer its mountain. Her desire for fulfillment is the same as the player's, so we set out, encountering challenges that push the girl to her limits (as a crow, she can't fly very far, etc), all with very little dialog.But where she succeeds in the physical world by summitting the mountain is likewise mirrored in her internal journey of self-actualization, overcoming her fear of losing her mother when she finally gets a clear phone signal and gets to speak to her mother to learn that everything is alright. She didn't actually help her mother; she didn't move the needle in the real world, but this story is a beautiful coming-of-age moment for the girl crow as embodied by a transcendent flight that she was not able to perform before (it's an ending shared by the also underrated open-world jaunt Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip).
The use of a mountain as a metaphor is probably better used in Celeste, an underrated gem that I shamefully have not completed.
The minimal use of spoken dialog is also put to sublime use with Dear Esther, a great game that also features a strong, if undetermined, narrative.
Spoilers
My interpretation is that everything has to do with the protagonist: he's the murderer, he painted all those messages and set up those fires, he's experiencing all again for the first time by drugging himself with the stuff you find, he kills himself by throwing himself off the tower and is set free at last.I guess what I'm saying is that it isn't so much the story that a video game tells, but the way it is incorporated in the game itself that makes it great.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BailerAppleby LinkI was very fortunate to receive a key for DOOM 64 from @kfwyre during the Christmas Giveaway, and have been giving it a lot of playtime since receiving it. Compared to the balls-to-the-wall,...I was very fortunate to receive a key for DOOM 64 from @kfwyre during the Christmas Giveaway, and have been giving it a lot of playtime since receiving it.
Compared to the balls-to-the-wall, take-no-prisoner difficulty of mod compilation Final DOOM, DOOM 64 (as the other non-id-made creation) takes a very different approach. It's still crushingly difficult with obscure secrets, but tone takes a much different approach with an ambient soundtrack that co-mingles synthesizer tracks and crying baby sounds. Its slower pace invites players to relish the oppressive atmosphere weighing upon them, so much so that a better name might be DREAD instead of DOOM.
If it can be said, DOOM 64 is more contemplative than scary. It's more Hellraiser than Resident Evil (movies). It's an examination of dire moods as evidenced by more spooky castle levels than any DOOM game I can think of. It's a winning combination of spooks and shoots that the abomination DOOM 3: BFG Edition could only dream of becoming.
Anyways, having a blast finding the 3 runes that finally give the cheese-tastic Unmaker its proper badassery.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentI would like to request Nine Sols and take this time to tell you about a(nother) very worthy charity deserving of your attention: the Against Malaria Foundation. Malaria is one of the world's most...I would like to request Nine Sols and take this time to tell you about a(nother) very worthy charity deserving of your attention: the Against Malaria Foundation.
Malaria is one of the world's most severe public health problems that disproportionately affects Africa more than any other continent. Here, malaria is responsible for:
- 95% of the 600,000 worldwide annual deaths attributed to malaria, of which the majority (76%) are children under 5, and for which it is the #1 cause of death for pregnant women
- About $12B in lost GDP
- An absentee agricultural labor force that leads to food insecurity
- An underperforming health care system that leads to higher public service costs
The thing about malaria is that it is completely preventable and curable. There is an answer to this epidemic, and it is funding. The amazing thing is how far a donation to AMF can go.
The Against Malaria Foundation isn't looking for a cure or hosting international conferences or anything like that. Instead, all the money that goes to this charity is used to buy long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) that are distributed to those in need for free. Yes, that's right: according to charity watchdog Charity Intelligence Canada, 100 cents of every dollar of AMF public donations are used to buy LLINs, and the results are astounding.
AMF reports that:
- Every $1 million spent fighting malaria improves the GDP of Africa by $12m
- For every 600 nets in use, one child doesn’t die, and 500 to 1,000 cases of malaria are prevented
One net costs just over 2 dollars. Very recently, AMF reached a donation milestone of $789 million.
In conclusion, AMF is a high-impact charity in which your donations can really make a difference.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentMuch appreciated, a happy "ho ho ho" to you tooMuch appreciated, a happy "ho ho ho" to you too
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby (edited )LinkVery sorry for being late, but I would like to offer these games to anyone who would like them, no restrictions; simply name your request(s) in a comment below. I'll list them below with a short...Very sorry for being late, but I would like to offer these games to anyone who would like them, no restrictions; simply name your request(s) in a comment below. I'll list them below with a short description to spur your interest. Note that the bottom keys are for GoG, not Steam:
Inertial Drift: You've heard of twin-stick shooters, well now try out this twin-stick racer! Anime-styled custom imports barrel down mountain roads with races/time trials that advance a diverse multi-character story.
Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party: Rather not expose your pre-schooler to the wilds of YouTube? Choose this family-friendly game full of song and brightly coloured visuals from a trusted brand in children's entertainment.
Princess Farmer: This visual-novel-cum-match-3-puzzler lets you live out your wildest dreams as a cartoon royal rabbit through copious puzzle content and associated unlockables in this pleasing pixelated adventure.
Fallout (GOG): As seen on TV, but with hexagonal floor tiles.Fallout 2 (GOG): Hexagonal floor tiles accompanied by dated pop culture references.Fort Solis (GOG): Walking simulator detective thriller. In space.XCOM 2 (GOG): It's the unfair tactics game that hates you with a passion. If you've never had the pleasure before, well, here's your chance. -
Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentIf it's not too much trouble, I would like to ask for the following, if they are still available: A Plague Tale: Requiem Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Hope you are enjoying your holidays, please...If it's not too much trouble, I would like to ask for the following, if they are still available:
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Hope you are enjoying your holidays, please take your time with these, Merry Christmas
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentIf it's okay and they are still available, I would like to request the following: 58 Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition 99 Broken Sword 5 - The Serpent's Curse 104 Still There Merry Christmas,...If it's okay and they are still available, I would like to request the following:
- 58 Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition
- 99 Broken Sword 5 - The Serpent's Curse
- 104 Still There
Merry Christmas, everyone
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentPlease put me down as an entry for Slay the Spire. And, I'd like to introduce my charity of choice, War Child Canada. War Child Canada is a Top 100 charity in Canada that looks to implement...Please put me down as an entry for Slay the Spire. And, I'd like to introduce my charity of choice, War Child Canada.
War Child Canada is a Top 100 charity in Canada that looks to implement generation change within communities impacted by war. They support refugee children and families in conflict zones with protection, education, and economic opportunities.
For example, in Uganda where youth unemployment is at 80%, WCC put 1,300+ youths into apprenticeship programs last year alone while also awarding 138 university scholarships. They also provide support to Afghanistan, South Sudan, Yemen, and others.
They've been around for over 20 years and are known for their financial transparency and high demonstrated impact, so they're a good pick.
Merry Christmas, everyone
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BailerAppleby LinkI was lucky enough to finally play NORCO, and here's what I thought about it: Based on true events, NORCO is a video game full of suffering, anguish, and despair. It is not beautiful. What is...I was lucky enough to finally play NORCO, and here's what I thought about it:
Based on true events, NORCO is a video game full of suffering, anguish, and despair. It is not beautiful. What is beautiful is it as a work of fiction, a masterful creation that is exactly what it needs to be: a bold examination of the human experience under oppression and injustice.
NORCO takes the ugly and taboo and makes it palatable. It is a profane dive into magic realism, a heady concoction that permits the handing of uncomfortable truths. It distills the sacrilegious and the impossible into a playable adventure game through digestible genre tropes like fetch quests and boss battles, readily challenging players to confront themes like grief and alienation at the same time as pitting us against more familiar enemies like homicidal robots and ninjas.
But this is no typical video game; without any heroes, NORCO does not permit a hero's ending.
The game's antagonist is so big that only small personal battles can be won. It offers only temporary reprieves against a big bad whose real-life transgressions are already fulfilling its own dystopian prophecy. far from the fancy stylizations of a cyberpunk playground, NORCO is grounded in the mundane grind of a technoserf present.NORCO is weird. NORCO is obtuse and cryptic. But should you finish it, NORCO has a way of staying in your heart and brain, just as the real one has for generations.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentWhoo-hoo, I won! Thank you so much! Now I need to figure out if I should go back and complete Persona 3, which I left unfinished, or dive into this! Really appreciate it, everyone!Whoo-hoo, I won! Thank you so much! Now I need to figure out if I should go back and complete Persona 3, which I left unfinished, or dive into this! Really appreciate it, everyone!
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentSure thing. I'd like to ask for Tails Noir Preludes (as I had just won the first game) and Atomicrops too, thanks very much!Sure thing. I'd like to ask for Tails Noir Preludes (as I had just won the first game) and Atomicrops too, thanks very much!
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentI would like to request the following if they are still available: 26 Mouthwashing 39 Going Under 124 Train Valley 2 Again, thank you very much for offering, it is very generous of you, much...I would like to request the following if they are still available:
- 26 Mouthwashing
- 39 Going Under
- 124 Train Valley 2
Again, thank you very much for offering, it is very generous of you, much appreciated.
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Comment on Tildes Game Giveaway: Holiday 2025 in ~games
BailerAppleby Link ParentOne thing I am proud of accomplishing this year is that I started to code more often, and mostly without tutorials (although I still google a lot). It's just as people say: you need to find a...One thing I am proud of accomplishing this year is that I started to code more often, and mostly without tutorials (although I still google a lot). It's just as people say: you need to find a project, and commit to it. Hopefully, I can find another project to keep me busy during the winter break; maybe a game, if I'm not busy playing them, that is.
Requesting #1 Dungeons of Hinterberg, please.
Just watched the clip, and my first thought was "Those poor, harmless people are being gunned down by the one guy in a room armed with a gun." All the same, I am sure this clip is remains the best scene in the movie.