EmperorPenguin's recent activity
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Comment on Xbox confirms 'Project Helix', its next-gen console that will also play PC games in ~games
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Comment on Wonder Man S01E01 - "Matinee" in ~tv
EmperorPenguin Link ParentI really liked how it was able to resolve a Marvel show without resorting to big CGI fight scenes. Wandavision for example was a love letter to sitcoms across the decades, but it ended with a...I really liked how it was able to resolve a Marvel show without resorting to big CGI fight scenes.
Wandavision for example was a love letter to sitcoms across the decades, but it ended with a superhero fight which was very different from the rest of the show.
Wonder Man spoilers
So to end this story about a man hiding a part of himself in order to keep a job, they don't make him fight some twist villain. Instead, he has a slip up, but his friend who betrayed him steps in to take the blame so he can achieve his dream. He achieves his dream, but instead of continuing to act, he uses both his star status (the thing he's worked for) and his superpowers (the thing he's tried to hide) to break his friend out of jail.
This ending has some superhero stuff without feeling like a different show. I felt it was pretty well done.
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Comment on GameDate: An anonymous LFG forum for 'dead' games in ~games
EmperorPenguin LinkA word of caution for anyone using this service: "Dead" multiplayer games may have massive security vulnerabilities. Like, for the old CoD games for example, if you so much as boot into the...A word of caution for anyone using this service: "Dead" multiplayer games may have massive security vulnerabilities. Like, for the old CoD games for example, if you so much as boot into the loading screen, a hacker can leak your IP address at best, or install spyware and crypto miners on your PC at worst. I've seen firsthand hackers join game sessions in Black Ops 3 on PC they weren't invited to or brick my account on World at War Xbox 360 to be soft locked and not able to connect to servers anymore. I heard that the Little Big Planets games had issues like this, so Sony shut the servers down, but devs don't always go through the trouble. These old games aren't getting security updates anymore, so playing them can be like using the Internet with an old unsupported OS. I recommend looking into modded clients for the PC versions of these old games that add additional security features.
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D&D Beyond will label the 2024 rules as "5.5e" to match the community's naming
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Avengers: Doomsday won't be shown in IMAX on opening weekend in the US, because Dune: Part Three already reserved the slots
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Comment on Legacy sequels and remakes you think were actually good and worth making? in ~movies
EmperorPenguin Link ParentThat's an interesting case! Since it was a TV series that never got a proper ending, rather than a self-contained movie, it's hard to argue that a revival wasn't necessary. There was a legitimate...Not a film, but does the final season of Samurai Jack count?
That's an interesting case! Since it was a TV series that never got a proper ending, rather than a self-contained movie, it's hard to argue that a revival wasn't necessary. There was a legitimate reason to do it other than just "nostalgia sells." On the other hand, it's not quite the same as the other examples I gave. It's less like returning to a hobby after a long hiatus for a new project, and more like dusting off that one project you left in the garage and procrastinated on for years to finally finish it. Either way, I also quite enjoyed it, and was happy to finally get that closure. It wasn't perfect, but I liked how they let the revival of this kid's show be more R rated with blood and stuff, while still feeling like the same series. The audience who loved it as kids are all adults now so might as well. It's kinda like meeting your childhood friend years later; you've both grown up since then.
Watchmen is a bit more in line with the prompt. It is an interesting case, since it's a legacy sequel to the source material, but is in a different medium. I will say, one thing the show made me really upset about in retrospect is that the 2009 film adaptation changed the ending. So for the HBO series, if you've seen the movie but haven't read the full comic (like me), 95% of things will make sense but when they start talking about squids you'll be really confused.
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Comment on Legacy sequels and remakes you think were actually good and worth making? in ~movies
EmperorPenguin Link ParentYeah, they're great films, but not what I was looking for. Batman (and the rest if DC) is essentially an evergreen multi-media franchise. The next Batman game, movie, or TV show adaptation is more...Yeah, they're great films, but not what I was looking for. Batman (and the rest if DC) is essentially an evergreen multi-media franchise. The next Batman game, movie, or TV show adaptation is more of an inevitability than bringing back something dormant. Compare that to The Naked Gun or Bladerunner, where there wasn't any guarantee we'd get another installment.
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Comment on Legacy sequels and remakes you think were actually good and worth making? in ~movies
EmperorPenguin Link ParentOh absolutely, but that's not quite the same thing? That's a fresh adaptation of the same source material, rather than a remake or legacy sequel of the 80s film. Blade Runner 2049 for example is a...Oh absolutely, but that's not quite the same thing? That's a fresh adaptation of the same source material, rather than a remake or legacy sequel of the 80s film. Blade Runner 2049 for example is a sequel to the original film rather than a fresh adaptation of the book.
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Legacy sequels and remakes you think were actually good and worth making?
Studios these days tend to make a lot of movies reusing existing IPs because that's what they know will sell. You have the "new entry in a long running franchise" kinda IP utilizing movies, like...
Studios these days tend to make a lot of movies reusing existing IPs because that's what they know will sell.
You have the "new entry in a long running franchise" kinda IP utilizing movies, like say Alien Romulus or the latest MCU film.
Then you have the "legacy sequel" and "remake", when there might have been only 1-3 original movies, and they bring it back 15+ years later. These are often called "cash grabs", "disrespectful to the original", "unaware of what made the first one good", or something similar. Other times, though, they can be genuinely good, if not better than the first one in some ways.
The Naked Gun (2025) is the one that inspired this post. I went in without any expectations, and I thought it was a great time. They had some really good jokes about life in the 2020s (such as Tesla door handles being death traps, for example) that I thought were delivered very well. Also, since the genre of parody movies in the style of The Naked Gun or Airplane essentially died off, having a new one felt actually necessary unlike many phoned-in legacy sequels.
Another example that comes to mind is Blade Runner 2049. Before it came out, the idea of a Blade Runner 2 was so ridiculous, I believe it was a throwaway South Park gag. People assumed that if it ever came out, it'd be a cash grab. But it ended up being so good, I've heard people argue in places like Tildes that it's better than the original.
The third example I can think of is Top Gun: Maverick. Ever since it's release I've see a lot of people online sing its praises whenever it's come up. In fact, there is a night-and-day difference in the Rotten Tomatoes score for the two films, with the original having a 59% and the legacy sequel having a 96%.
Can you think of any other legacy sequels or remakes that hold a candle to the original film(s), or surpass them? Bonus points if it's one nobody expected to be good until it released.
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Phil Spencer is leaving Microsoft/Xbox
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Comment on Hytale surges to the most-watched game on Twitch, attracting over 420,000 viewers with its long-awaited launch in ~games
EmperorPenguin LinkNot particularly interested in playing this game myself, but I think the best result of it being successful would be Minecraft having competition. I've heard that Overwatch 2 had to start making...Not particularly interested in playing this game myself, but I think the best result of it being successful would be Minecraft having competition. I've heard that Overwatch 2 had to start making good updates once Marvel Rivals came out.
Minecraft right now really feels like it's resting on its laurels in spite of demand for larger updates and massive issues plaguing the game. They've strongly committed to doing smaller updates rather than big changes like the Nether Update, even changing the game's version number system to reflect that. They have two entirely different versions of the game, where the vast majority of normal players use one version, and the vast majority of content creators on social media use a different version, and the two have massive parity issues that make building strategies, glitch exploits, redstone tech, loot tables, and even the combat system you'd see in videos nothing like what the viewers see in their own game. And each update, they fix a few of these issues but continue to add even more. One of the versions has a game breaking server-client error in single player and constantly pushes microtransactions on every menu screen, while the other is 17 years old but still doesn't have official friends lists, a way to join a friend's world for a small multiplayer game without paying for a whole server, or even official controller support. I'm sure it's also no accident that the version that younger children will find and be most able to play with their Switch or smartphone is the one full of microtransactions and dark patterns, and the version played by all the content creators who own a decent PC doesn't have those issues so they can be ignored. For it being the "best selling game" and as beloved as it is, it has a lot of issues, and doesn't show a lot of interest in fixing any of them.
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Comment on Looking for Backroom games with something to do in them other than walking in ~games
EmperorPenguin Link ParentYes, I'm fairly confident that OP is referring to games with a similar vibe to the Backrooms 4chan post and the subsequent fandom built around it. In case anyone hasn't heard of it:...Yes, I'm fairly confident that OP is referring to games with a similar vibe to the Backrooms 4chan post and the subsequent fandom built around it. In case anyone hasn't heard of it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Backrooms
A note for whoever can edit tags:
"genres" and "games.backroom" aren't really appropriate tags. This thread is about games with a particular aesthetic. "Backroom" isn't a game genre. I assume mycketforvirrad wasn't aware of the Backrooms concept when tagging the post. I would replace both of these tags with a "The Backrooms" tag. -
Fitness tracker smart watches that work well without a smartphone app?
A family member of mine recently got a cheap smart watch online. They weren't planning to use it with a phone app for privacy/security reasons. They thought using it without a phone would be fine,...
A family member of mine recently got a cheap smart watch online. They weren't planning to use it with a phone app for privacy/security reasons. They thought using it without a phone would be fine, since they just wanted it for the time and for the health features like steps, blood pressure, blood oxygen, sleep tracking, etc. and didn't need to see their texts or other notifications on the watch.
Unfortunately, when we tested the watch, we found that basically all of the features required connecting to a shady no-name company's app. You couldn't even set the time! You can't set the time on a watch without an app!
Also, the watch was a bit bulky for their wrist, and they would prefer a slimmer one.
People of Tildes, do you know of any smart watches that allow you to use the health tracking features without ever connecting to a smartphone? If so, are there any that are slimmer instead of being bulky?
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Comment on Hollow Knight: Silksong | Sea of Sorrow teaser in ~games
EmperorPenguin Link ParentAll very good points! But I doubt this: The $89 million number for all platforms was as of last year, and when I checked the article's source (vginsights), they've made $23 million from just Steam...All very good points! But I doubt this:
they're definitely only in the seven digits apiece.
The $89 million number for all platforms was as of last year, and when I checked the article's source (vginsights), they've made $23 million from just Steam in the past year! As CptBlueBear mentioned, besides from selling units, they're also getting some money from Game Pass. Then there's also merch, which as George Lucas knew, and Spaceballs famously satirized, is a great revenue source. Then you can't forget the soundtrack. You might not think a ton of people buy those game soundtracks on Steam, but I just checked and I have 3 friends who've bought it. They even have a separate soundtrack available for one of the DLCs.
All this without saying, they just released another massive hit, Silksong, which was the #1 most wishlisted game on Steam, and crashed all the big storefronts at once. If they didn't have $10 million before, they probably do now.
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Comment on Hollow Knight: Silksong | Sea of Sorrow teaser in ~games
EmperorPenguin Link ParentI researched how much money the original Hollow Knight made for another thread. Looks like it made $89 million! All that split among only 3 developers! Anything extra they do is just for fun at...I researched how much money the original Hollow Knight made for another thread. Looks like it made $89 million! All that split among only 3 developers! Anything extra they do is just for fun at this point.
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Comment on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes first indie game to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards in ~games
EmperorPenguin Link ParentIt was funded by Kepler Interactive, who are a partnership of several different indie studios. That sounds like a lot of money, but when you consider how many years it took to make the game, how...It was funded by Kepler Interactive, who are a partnership of several different indie studios.
That sounds like a lot of money, but when you consider how many years it took to make the game, how many devs worked on it, and how much labor costs, it's really impressive they made it for so cheap!
I definitely think there should be a separate term for "made without corporate ownership" and "made by 1 or 2 guys on no budget", but at the moment those two types of indie games share the same category. The "debut indie" category tries to make that distinction, but it doesn't really work when new studios are able to secure funding.
And congrats on making it into the Game Awards! There's a gazillion indie games released each year, so that's no small feat.
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Comment on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes first indie game to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards in ~games
EmperorPenguin Link ParentNo, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice won in 2019. Looks like Disco Elysium wasn't nominated for GOTY. It did win best indie, best debut indie, best RPG, and best narrative.No, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice won in 2019. Looks like Disco Elysium wasn't nominated for GOTY. It did win best indie, best debut indie, best RPG, and best narrative.
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Comment on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes first indie game to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards in ~games
EmperorPenguin Link ParentMovies, TV shows, and video games are expensive to make to modern standards. If you assemble a 30 person team of programmers, musicians, 3D modelers, etc. for a 6 year project like Expedition 33,...Movies, TV shows, and video games are expensive to make to modern standards. If you assemble a 30 person team of programmers, musicians, 3D modelers, etc. for a 6 year project like Expedition 33, then hire a few voice actors, paying everyone's salary adds up. Getting 10 programmers who make, say, 100k a year, for a 6 year project is roughly 6 million dollars.
As mentioned in a few other comment threads, that 8 million budget is a lot lower than other indies like Hades 1 and 2, which were closer to 15 million.
To make a game with less budget than this, it basically needs to be a tiny game with bad graphics, or it needs to grow over time with updates.
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Comment on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes first indie game to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards in ~games
EmperorPenguin (edited )Link ParentWhenever a game I love loses, I always ask this myself. Sadly, this is the fundamental flaw of a "best [media] of a particular year" contest. If the question you're asking is "which is the best...If it had released last year would it have won more?
Whenever a game I love loses, I always ask this myself. Sadly, this is the fundamental flaw of a "best [media] of a particular year" contest. If the question you're asking is "which is the best game that happened to release during 2025", then really good games getting snubbed is what you're signing up for. Let's say in year x, the GOTY is a 97/100, and in year x+1, the GOTY is a 99/100, and there's a 98/100 game that came out in February and lost to the 99/100. It got snubbed, yes. But what can you do? Delay the game unnecessarily 10 months and make fans wait, or rush it 3 months early and ruin the quality? Just for an awards show? Not worth it.
More fair competition of games on their own merits is better served by stuff like critic review scores. If you make a "best games of all time" or "best games of the decade" contest, you no longer have games getting snubbed for release date reasons, but instead you have to weight stuff like how good games were at release vs how their legacy held up, and how economic situations like COVID or 2008 affected the game. If you stick to 1 year, all the games don't have a legacy let, and released in the same market.
As for the categories, IMO handicapping the GOTY would make the award's name disingenuous. If GOTY also happened to have the strongest soundtrack, it should get that award. If a game only wins best soundtrack because the actual best soundtrack was handicapped, then the name of the award should really be "best soundtrack (excluding GOTY)."
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Comment on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes first indie game to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards in ~games
EmperorPenguin Link ParentAs discussed in another thread, it's definitely in line with the other big indies in the competition: The budget was under $10 million. Hades 1 and 2 both had an estimated 50% larger budget than...a lot of money behind it
As discussed in another thread, it's definitely in line with the other big indies in the competition:
- The budget was under $10 million.
- Hades 1 and 2 both had an estimated 50% larger budget than Expedition 33 ($15 million).
- Hollow Knight made $89 million for a team of 3 devs, which means each individual developer who made Silksong has a higher net worth than the budget of Expedition 33.
It seems like these days, if a rumor is big enough for the video game journalists and all the YouTubers to talk about it over some extended period of time, it's true.
The few times that huge leaks have not been true, it was very plausible that plans just changed due to market conditions at that time such as parts shortages, labor strikes, or poor sales of another product.
It makes me wonder how often big leaks like this are actually someone breaking an NDA, and how often the companies are purposely releasing into to build hype for big announcements or soften the blow of less popular announcements.