MikeB's recent activity
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Comment on Humble Choice - July 2026 in ~games
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Comment on Vatican declares Society of St. Pius X in schism, excommunicates bishops in ~humanities
MikeB Link ParentOoo time to flex some knowledge from my weird trad catholic upbringing. Fun fact, “Kyrie Eleison” is actually Greek. (And the only part of the Latin mass that is still said in Greek… which was...Ooo time to flex some knowledge from my weird trad catholic upbringing.
Fun fact, “Kyrie Eleison” is actually Greek. (And the only part of the Latin mass that is still said in Greek… which was Greek long before the switch to Latin.)
I’ve not been to mass in many years (I’m lapsed for a billion unoriginal reasons) but the Latin mass itself always felt kind of awe-inspiring and reverential to me personally in a way the English rite never quite did, and I still miss it from time to time. (Part of that is probably nostalgia, though...)
Anyway, it’s pretty common/encouraged for people attending the Latin mass to have a missal, which has the words written in both Latin and English side-by-side so you can follow along with the priest. (And yes a daily missal’s specific translation is a big ol’ can of worms for hardcore traditionalists, there’s a bunch of different versions and editions...)
My siblings and I also took Latin classes when we were kids because our mom reeeeeally wanted us to be able to understand it all (and she was lowkey hoping we’d become priests lol). I don’t remember much now but “Amo amas amat amamus amatis amant” will forever be ingrained in my memory…
So yeah, as someone who grew up with it, it’s not at all meaningless gibberish even if I never was more than terrible at Latin. If anything it was more engaging reading along instead of just listening passively to the prayers in English.
Man, unexpected trip down memory lane. Feeling old now.
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Comment on Blizzard sues to take down another private World of Warcraft server, Project Ascension in ~games
MikeB Link ParentYo! FYI I think you shared a link with a tracking id, and clicking it is forcing me to login to see the post. The mobile Reddit app started forcing this BS awhile ago whenever you try to share a...Yo! FYI I think you shared a link with a tracking id, and clicking it is forcing me to login to see the post. The mobile Reddit app started forcing this BS awhile ago whenever you try to share a link to a post, and they made it a pain to sanitize it.
I went directly to the subreddit from my desktop browser and I'm guessing this is the post you shared, here's the clean URL: https://old.reddit.com/r/wowservers/comments/1uepbfm/nostrum_wow_has_shut_down/
On topic, some possible BlizzCon spoilers: Blizzard's version of Classic+ is almost certainly imminent and they're on the warpath shutting down all the private servers ahead of its reveal. A photo of a timeline supposedly leaked recently showing the WoW franchise's upcoming slate of projects -- the internet of course went sleuthing and... well, the tl;dr is that dates are checking out and it looks like there's something to it.Before you click the link below: "Camelot" is likely the internal codename for Classic+ and set for this fall (or at least it was last year). But there are some other Warcraft projects on that timeline too, so don't look too closely at the image if you want to potentially be surprised at BlizzCon.
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Comment on ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ reviews mixed: “Boring and lifeless” vs. “best Star Wars in years” in ~movies
MikeB Link ParentI hate him too, but what about his concept had potential? To me he’s basically an alien baby Jack-Jack (from The Incredibles). The gimmick was cute and amusing for like one season but there’s...I hate him too, but what about his concept had potential?
To me he’s basically an alien baby Jack-Jack (from The Incredibles). The gimmick was cute and amusing for like one season but there’s nowhere for him to go or grow narratively given how slowly he ages.
Like he’s a 50 year old toddler, so it’ll be what, another 50 years before he can form sentences and another 100 until he reaches early adolescence? There’s nothing interesting you can do with him in Mando’s lifespan.
The show jumped the shark when they chickened out of committing to him leaving with you-know-who.
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Comment on World of Warcraft private server Turtle WoW to shut down May 14 2026 in ~games
MikeB Link ParentFWIW, Blizzard teased a couple months ago that they'll be showing some kind of Classic+ this year, almost certainly at BlizzCon in September.FWIW, Blizzard teased a couple months ago that they'll be showing some kind of Classic+ this year, almost certainly at BlizzCon in September.
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Comment on Musketeer d'Artagnan's remains believed found under Dutch church in ~books
MikeB Link ParentI'd not heard of the BBC show and it looks awesome, went straight onto my watchlist, thanks!I'd not heard of the BBC show and it looks awesome, went straight onto my watchlist, thanks!
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Comment on Highguard | Official launch showcase in ~games
MikeB LinkAlright, so I played it a few hours last night. To preface, I loved Apex Legends back in the day, I have more hours on it than any other video game and made some incredible memories playing it...Alright, so I played it a few hours last night. To preface, I loved Apex Legends back in the day, I have more hours on it than any other video game and made some incredible memories playing it with my friends. I was excited to play this as soon as I saw the TGA trailer, because even though that yes, it's visually derivative, it still looked really well-made mechanically and I liked that it's trying to do something different. (i.e. I am the target audience.)
I kind of like it, but it needs work.
Its most critical problem is performance. It should not have released in this state. A competitive shooter struggling to hit 120 fps with frequent dips in chaotic situations on a high-end rig is just... not remotely acceptable. And there's something that just feels off, aiming feels a little sluggish. It's not terrible, it's just noticeable, and I notice it a lot in UE5 games. Which again, is not good. Competitive shooters need to feel snappy and responsive with indiscernible input latency. (For reference, I'm running a 5800X3D and an RTX 3080. Not exactly cutting edge anymore, but far from a slouch.)
Problem two, I think the looting phase is undercooked. In particular, the timing-based minigame for gathering crystals is an incredibly bad idea and slows the pace of looting down for no good reason. This is something players will be doing dozens of times each match and, if the game has any legs, people are going to start complaining about it within weeks if not days. Crystals should be mined in one quick tap (and honestly, simply shooting them would make it more fun and engaging too). I also haven't checked if this is the case or not (if it is, it's not clear), but I think the crystal currency should also be earned by killing enemy players to help incentivize skirmishes in this phase.
Stacking sets of armor also feels kinda... meh? Finding higher tier armor in Apex was exciting and rewarding because of its rarity, but in this game your current armor is lost when you die, so you need to stack a bunch of duplicates in your inventory to keep pace with the match's power creep. But this means that armor drops are incredibly common, and the droprate of higher rarities increases significantly after each raid. So the whole thing feels a little redundant in practice. So I don't know, maybe I will warm up to it with more games, but I don't love the game's economy at the moment.
But the fights are super fun. Each match you'll get a mix of close quarters combat (when raiding or defending a base) and longer range skirmishes (during loot and capture-the-shieldbreaker phases). Some people think 3v3 isn't enough players, but I disagree... With the way respawning, reviving, and abilities/ultimates are tuned, I think larger teams would lead to too much chaos.
Anyway. Just early impressions. It doesn't feel like it has the juice that Apex did back when it released, but it's not a bad game and it could evolve into a pretty good one. Unfortunately they made a couple of critical missteps (the TGA reveal and the launch performance on PC) which will be hard for them to climb back from, which is a shame.
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Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | X-Men teaser in ~movies
MikeB Link ParentI'm kind of confused about your point here, the X-Men have something like half a dozen movies establishing these characters. And Thanos barely even qualified as a character before Infinity War, he...I'm kind of confused about your point here, the X-Men have something like half a dozen movies establishing these characters. And Thanos barely even qualified as a character before Infinity War, he had a minute or two of screentime in Guardians of the Galaxy and that was pretty much it, but he still ended up being one of the all-time great comic book movie villains.
Honestly though, I think at this point I'm not going to care too much if it's a bit messy. Just the idea of seeing the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men take on Doctor Doom in a 3 hour spectacle excites me. I wish they'd built up to it better but I'm still happy it's happening.
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Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | Thor teaser in ~movies
MikeB LinkTo an extent I get some pessimism over this movie given what a mess the MCU has been since Endgame... But man if you liked the MCU up to Endgame, the Russos were very consistently delivering some...To an extent I get some pessimism over this movie given what a mess the MCU has been since Endgame...
But man if you liked the MCU up to Endgame, the Russos were very consistently delivering some of its best movies. I don't see why they'd suddenly be terrible at it.
And as much as people like to point to the importance of the ten year buildup, the actual plot buildup was little more than a vague "Thanos wants the infinity stones" which was mostly confined to a handful of short, ominous scenes (many of them post-credits...). The real build-up was all the great character work that they could lean on once the story actually kicked off in Infinity War.
Post-Endgame MCU films fumbled this aspect horribly. There have been a handful of good films, but there have been no anchors like we had with Tony/Steve, I struggle to think of many characters that have even appeared more than once.
So given the state of things, reaching back into the bag for beloved characters and making this a direct continuation of Endgame makes a lot of sense. I doubt it will hit the same highs of the previous two Avengers movies, but the Russos have yet to do anything to make me believe that they forgot how to make a good Marvel flick. And I'm genuinely excited to see what they do with the X-Men -- that's an absolute treasure trove of great, established characters that they get to tap into this time around.
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Comment on Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion in ~movies
MikeB Link ParentSeems likely, at least eventually. It's what Disney is doing with Hulu. I'm guessing the Warner Bros. movie catalog will get added to Netflix alongside a price hike, and then HBO shows will be a...Seems likely, at least eventually. It's what Disney is doing with Hulu. I'm guessing the Warner Bros. movie catalog will get added to Netflix alongside a price hike, and then HBO shows will be a premium add-on (the HBO name still carries prestige and they'll want to highlight that in some way). I wouldn't be surprised if they hike it up to at least $40 USD/mo to get everything ad-free in 4K.
Which, actually, would be cheaper than it is right now. ($25/mo for netflix, $23/mo for hbo max for the most premium plans). So maybe I'm being optimistic here.
I'm feeling pretty bummed about this whole thing. WB just had an incredible year at the box office, but this acquisition will be yet another massive blow to theaters and Netflix's reputation for worshiping algorithms and cancelling good shows doesn't instill a ton of optimism for HBO's future. Netflix is also my least favorite of the streamer apps to use, they're always moving my watchlist and "recently watched" around randomly.
At least it's not Paramount I guess, and hopefully this means Gunn and Safran are safe in their roles running DC Studios for now. But man, I really wish they didn't sell.
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Comment on What ridiculous thing would you spend billions on? in ~talk
MikeB (edited )LinkI'd buy Obsidian Entertainment and give Josh Sawyer unlimited resources to make Pillars of Eternity III on an even bigger scale than Baldur's Gate 3, make it the first billion-dollar budget CRPG....I'd buy Obsidian Entertainment and give Josh Sawyer unlimited resources to make Pillars of Eternity III on an even bigger scale than Baldur's Gate 3, make it the first billion-dollar budget CRPG.
Ah shoot, I just remembered you said we can't use clever tricks to make the world a better place...
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MikeB Link ParentI played about 20 hours of Hades 2's early access before deciding to stop and wait for 1.0. I got about as far as you did (reached the big bad, but couldn't take him down). Started playing 1.0,...I played about 20 hours of Hades 2's early access before deciding to stop and wait for 1.0. I got about as far as you did (reached the big bad, but couldn't take him down).
Started playing 1.0, and the game feels a bit easier than I remember. My save carried over and I got a clear on my second attempt (and probably would've on my first, except I got caught by a couple of crazy moves I hadn't seen yet...). Feels like I'm both dealing more and taking less damage than in the EA. If they did tweak it, it was a good change, I remember the EA feeling a bit harder than I wanted it to be.
Anyway, I'm loving it too. Hades 1 is a top 3 all-time game for me. I'm not yet sure if I necessarily like the sequel more though -- it's bigger, more polished, more systems, and probably better designed, but I still find myself missing some of my favorite things from the first game (mostly weapons, boons, and characters).
Still have a lot left to do and discover though! I've been really excited for Ghost of Yotei too, but Hades 2 grabbed me so hard I'm thinking of holding off on it for a bit.
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Comment on ‘Superman’ sequel ‘Man of Tomorrow’ sets July 2027 release date in ~movies
MikeB Link ParentYeah it's a weird situation. Publicly, Gunn has been pretty adamant about not merging the Reevesverse and that TBATB is still happening with Muschietti. It's just... strange how long it's taking....Yeah it's a weird situation. Publicly, Gunn has been pretty adamant about not merging the Reevesverse and that TBATB is still happening with Muschietti. It's just... strange how long it's taking. I think Gunn clearly respects Reeves and the art too much to force a merger but would probably be relieved if Reeves caved. Juggling two live action Batman universes simultaneously is going to risk oversaturation and possibly some confusion with the general audience.
The thing is, as long as Reeves doesn't plan to kill Bruce in Part 3 or end Part 2 on a massive cliffhanger, it shouldn't be a big deal to have Pattinson show up in other DCU projects. The bigger issue would be integrating the batfamily characters -- I'm really curious to see if any of them show up in Part 2.
Also: we know The Penguin series explicitly takes place in 2022, while Superman takes place in 2025. If The Batman Part II and Part III take place before 2025, then the trilogy is effectively a prequel, and Pattinson could show up as an older Batman in, say, Teen Titans or a Justice League movie. Again, though, those kind of timeline shenanigans might cause some confusion. Particularly if Part III doesn't release until 2030.
As for Teen Titans, Gunn has implied it's on the backburner for now since the script is unfinished and Ana Noguiera switched to writing Wonder Woman. Regardless, I don't think there's any way we'd get Teen Titans before DCU Batman debuts (whoever that ends up being).
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Comment on ‘Superman’ sequel ‘Man of Tomorrow’ sets July 2027 release date in ~movies
MikeB LinkJames Gunn is an absolute machine. In the time between The Batman Part 1 and Part 2 (2022-2027), Gunn will have released: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (writer/director) Guardians of...James Gunn is an absolute machine. In the time between The Batman Part 1 and Part 2 (2022-2027), Gunn will have released:
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (writer/director)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (writer/director)
- Creature Commandos (writer)
- Superman (writer/director)
- Peacemaker Season 2 (writer/co-director)
- Man of Tomorrow (writer/director)
Not to mention overseeing all the other DCU projects in the works. I wish I had his work ethic and creative drive.
Given their target of 2 films per year, DC's film slate for 2026-2027 looks full now (Supergirl, Clayface, Man of Tomorrow, and The Batman Part II), so it looks like 2028 will be Wonder Woman and The Brave and the Bold.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
MikeB LinkI jumped back into Octopath Traveler on my Switch 2 and I'm really enjoying it. I bought it at launch and then took a break when I was about 25 hours in. It's a testament to how well it's designed...I jumped back into Octopath Traveler on my Switch 2 and I'm really enjoying it.
I bought it at launch and then took a break when I was about 25 hours in. It's a testament to how well it's designed that, 5-6 years later, I was able to just jump right back into my old playthrough and quickly refresh myself on where all the different characters' stories are at.
It's also really refreshing to play a JRPG with such low stakes. I guess there's still time for a world-ending threat to emerge before the end, but following all these characters' small, disconnected personal journeys has been so enjoyable.
Definitely has one of the all-time great JRPG soundtracks too.
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Comment on Superman (2025) - Discussion thread in ~movies
MikeB LinkI liked it a lot -- I was surprised how much it felt like reading through a few issues of a comic book. Love how it just jumps into the world and connects so many smaller episodes into the larger...I liked it a lot -- I was surprised how much it felt like reading through a few issues of a comic book. Love how it just jumps into the world and connects so many smaller episodes into the larger plot.
The cast was great all around, but I think the standout for me was Hoult as Lex -- I was unsure of him in the trailers, but he absolutely owned every scene he was in. The promos already showed most of the best scenes for Clark and Lois, so while they were great, they never really surprised me. Partly my fault for watching those first though, I suppose.
I do agree with the comments that Superman felt too much the underdog for most of the film. An early scene where he's totally in charge would've helped sell him more as the world's most powerful superhero -- even just showing him casually stopping the war under a hail of bullets would've made a huge difference. That said, I like him being a bit more vulnerable in this iteration. Cavill's Superman was so hilariously overpowered that it made the rest of the Justice League feel inconsequential.
Speaking of the Snyderverse, Gunn's film lacks the operatic gravitas of Snyder's. I'm not sure yet if I consider that to be a good or bad thing, but it's noticeable. I generally dislike Snyder's films and his writing, but I did at times find myself missing that epic sense of scale that he brings to the table.
I thought the humor was hit or miss (which is fine, since the film isn't nearly as joke-saturated as the typical Gunn outing), but man my theater was almost stone cold silent outside of a couple moments, which kind of muted the fun for me. I suspect his style of humor is starting to wear thin on most people, he might be wise to start collaborating more on his comedic writing.
Anyway, I hope the movie does well, because IMO this is a very solid start to the DCU. I want to see more of this world -- it feels fresh and new, and man that scene at the end has me really excited for Supergirl next year.
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Comment on Matt Reeves finally completes ‘The Batman 2’ script in ~movies
MikeB Link ParentI’m lukewarm on the film too. I liked the noir feel and detective Batman aspect, but I think it was too long and the Riddler really didn’t work for me (both the performance and the writing) — I...I’m lukewarm on the film too. I liked the noir feel and detective Batman aspect, but I think it was too long and the Riddler really didn’t work for me (both the performance and the writing) — I enjoyed the Falcone/Catwoman/Penguin subplot way more, and felt like the movie should have ended when that was wrapped up.
Mild spoilers
I also couldn’t help but laugh when Catwoman jokingly asks Batman if he wears a mask because he’s “horribly scarred underneath” and he solemnly says “yes”. Like c’mon lol.I hope the DCU’s Batman feels more like Kevin Conroy/TAS, I’m a little tired of “grounded” Batman.
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Comment on Denis Villeneuve to direct next James Bond film in ~movies
MikeB Link ParentThis is kind of surprising but I'm going back over his filmography and he hasn't really worked with any British male actors that fit the likely age range. In fact I'm struggling to find any brits...This is kind of surprising but I'm going back over his filmography and he hasn't really worked with any British male actors that fit the likely age range. In fact I'm struggling to find any brits at all outside of Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh,
Rebecca Ferguson(edit: she's Swedish), and Charlotte Rampling haha. (On that note though, I'd love to see any/all of them in this...)Personally, I'm hoping Olivia Colman gets cast as M -- I saw her in something awhile back that practically felt like an audition for this role, she'd be perfect.
Anyway, my money is on Aaron Taylor-Johnson being the next Bond. He was recently announced as an Omega brand ambassador and he's been coy when asked about what he's doing next.
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Comment on The Witcher IV | Gameplay tech demo - Unreal Engine 5 in ~games
MikeB Link ParentI really wish I could get Witcher 3 to click with me. I love the story and characters, but the gameplay, UI, inventory management, and controls are so relentlessly clunky that I've never really...I really wish I could get Witcher 3 to click with me. I love the story and characters, but the gameplay, UI, inventory management, and controls are so relentlessly clunky that I've never really had much fun playing it. I've tried so many times over the years to get through it simply for the story, but the gameplay always loses me.
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Comment on The Witcher IV | Gameplay tech demo - Unreal Engine 5 in ~games
MikeB LinkThere's a lot of general pessimism/skepticism over this (and, yeah... I get it), but this demo running on a base PS5 at 60fps with ray tracing on is incredibly impressive now matter how you slice...There's a lot of general pessimism/skepticism over this (and, yeah... I get it), but this demo running on a base PS5 at 60fps with ray tracing on is incredibly impressive now matter how you slice it -- when they cranked the crowd size up to 300, my eyebrows shot up. It's really good to see some major performance leaps in the UE5 engine because yeah, it's been a big problem this generation.
Also just wanted to point out that the old Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay reveal demo was running on a (at the time) ~$2000 PC. This W4 demo running on a standard console feels a lot more... honest, I guess? I think it's reasonable to expect the final game to look and run a lot like this. We will see though.
I was pretty excited about Sea of Stars back when it first released, but I bounced off it pretty early because of the writing. The game slams you upfront with pages of dialog from characters who lack their own voices (as in their lines all read as if they're being spoken by the same person, i.e. the writer), which is basically an automatic failing grade for me in a story-heavy RPG. It's a bummer because the rest of it looked super promising.