PhantomBand's recent activity
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Comment on What’s something you’ve noticed about getting older? in ~talk
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Comment on BABYMETAL - Metal Kingdom (2023) in ~music
PhantomBand Link ParentIn general Japanese media just seems to be really controversial for whatever reason. Like, there's a ton of people out there nowadays who love anime, but there's also always been tons of people...I don't get why people dismiss more of their recent stuff as weeb trash, just because it's in Japanese. Rammstein sing almost exclusively German songs and English-speaking metal fans have largely embraced them, so it's defintiely not the language barrier...
In general Japanese media just seems to be really controversial for whatever reason. Like, there's a ton of people out there nowadays who love anime, but there's also always been tons of people who have this really seething, burning hatred towards anything even remotely resembling it. Same seems to be the case for Japanese music and other stuff. For some reason it just incites really strong reactions, both good and bad.
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Comment on BABYMETAL - Metal Kingdom (2023) in ~music
PhantomBand LinkI really feel like Babymetal has been pulling a Burial recently. Like, initially they have this really typical, recognizable sound that draws you in to them, and then after a while they start to...I really feel like Babymetal has been pulling a Burial recently. Like, initially they have this really typical, recognizable sound that draws you in to them, and then after a while they start to move away from what initially made them so good and then become incredibly "ok" and utterly... dull.
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Comment on Year in Review: Music of 2022 in ~music
PhantomBand LinkI literally didn't find anything good this year.I literally didn't find anything good this year.
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Comment on What's your unpopular opinion or idiosyncrasy about video games or games in general? in ~games
PhantomBand LinkI most likely have more, but my most prominent unpopular opinion is that I dislike shooters and online multiplayer stuff like MOBAs. Shooters tend to be way too thin in terms of story content...I most likely have more, but my most prominent unpopular opinion is that I dislike shooters and online multiplayer stuff like MOBAs. Shooters tend to be way too thin in terms of story content (which is one of the reasons why I love RPGs) and they tend to take place in settings I don't care for like realistic war zones (though I do like Killzone's sci-fi aesthetic), and I just don't think shooting things is very fun if that's all there is to it with no plot. As for multiplayer online stuff, while I do dig MMORPGs like MapleStory, I just dislike how quickly these games turn into P2W money sinks and I prefer just playing alone and savoring the game at my own pace.
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Comment on Let’s talk visual novels in ~games
PhantomBand Link ParentVNs definitely have a big advantage over manga due to music and voice acting, yeah.VNs definitely have a big advantage over manga due to music and voice acting, yeah.
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Comment on Let’s talk visual novels in ~games
PhantomBand Link ParentPC. I played Danganronpa 1 and 2 way back on the PS Vita, but I'm 100% PC in general nowadays.PC. I played Danganronpa 1 and 2 way back on the PS Vita, but I'm 100% PC in general nowadays.
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Comment on Let’s talk visual novels in ~games
PhantomBand LinkAs someone who doesn't love novels/books, I do have to say that I love VNs. My main problem with the former is that there's more of a "realistic" aesthetic to it (and even the more...As someone who doesn't love novels/books, I do have to say that I love VNs. My main problem with the former is that there's more of a "realistic" aesthetic to it (and even the more fantasy/sci-fi/etc stuff is still heavily westernized) while VNs are nearly entirely basically anime novels, which is perfect for me as a huge anime fan.
What I enjoy most about VNs is how they offer a more elaborate experience than anime and manga while still being in the same ballpark.
Admittedly I haven't played many yet since they're quite a time sink and I'm still an anime fan in the first place, but so far I think the Danganronpa games are definitely the peak for me.
As for an introduction to VNs, I think Danganronpa would be a good starting point. It's a bit atypical for VNs too as there's some gameplay, which might be more friendly to most. And it's just really exciting and full of twists and turns which is probably more palatable to most than a slow paced SoL.
Personally like I said before I'm not one for "regular" novels/books so VNs are far superior imo (though I get the impression that the general consensus is the other way around), and I wouldn't really compare them to games as games have an entire dimension of interactivity that is absent in most VNs (and VNs are far more elaborate in terms of dialogue the vast majority of the time).
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Comment on What's a video game that you really want to exist? in ~games
PhantomBand LinkA new Silent Hill game. That's all, lol.A new Silent Hill game. That's all, lol.
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Comment on AlbumLove recommendations thread: May 2022 in ~music
PhantomBand Link ParentAh ok, wasn't aware that he also did the Tales OSTs. Haven't played any Tales games yet so that should be a nice thing to look forward to.Ah ok, wasn't aware that he also did the Tales OSTs. Haven't played any Tales games yet so that should be a nice thing to look forward to.
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Comment on AlbumLove recommendations thread: May 2022 in ~music
PhantomBand Link ParentFun fact: YouTube uses Opus (a modern audio codec) nowadays, so if you're watching/listening to newer videos, chances are the audio is actually good, as opposed to the days of 128kbps mp3 audio....but then I realized I could probably listen to most of your recommendations on Youtube as long as I was OK with potentially worse audio quality and the occasional advertisement.
Fun fact: YouTube uses Opus (a modern audio codec) nowadays, so if you're watching/listening to newer videos, chances are the audio is actually good, as opposed to the days of 128kbps mp3 audio. Of course, old videos still have crappy audio, though. And may I recommend uBlock Origin to help with the advertisement issue? Ads will be a thing of the past if you install it (it's a browser extension).
Back on topic though, what would you recommend if I like the Golden Sun OST? I'm only familiar with Sakuraba through his work on that, and the whole meme with the Dark Souls boss theme.
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Comment on What's something that you're pretty sure of, but can't really prove or demonstrate? in ~talk
PhantomBand Link ParentWhy not?Consciousness does not exist.
Why not?
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Comment on What's something that you're pretty sure of, but can't really prove or demonstrate? in ~talk
PhantomBand Link ParentWholesome.Wholesome.
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Comment on Predict the next five years in the US in ~talk
PhantomBand Link ParentWhy?Science fiction will become even more mainstream.
Why?
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Comment on LittleVMills - Why Is It Always An Anime Avatar!? (2022) in ~music
PhantomBand LinkWhy Is It Always Anime Avatars People Complain About!?Why Is It Always Anime Avatars People Complain About!?
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Comment on "...more than half of our members globally tuned into [anime] last year" - Netflix Anime Director in ~anime
PhantomBand Link ParentWell, One Piece is quite unusual. Haven't seen the Castlevania anime, what did you like about it exactly?Well, One Piece is quite unusual.
Haven't seen the Castlevania anime, what did you like about it exactly?
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Comment on "...more than half of our members globally tuned into [anime] last year" - Netflix Anime Director in ~anime
PhantomBand LinkGood, hopefully anime can make it into "popular enough to be socially acceptable" territory. Like, I shouldn't care if it is or not, but I'd appreciate it if anime would be more accepted by the...Good, hopefully anime can make it into "popular enough to be socially acceptable" territory.
Like, I shouldn't care if it is or not, but I'd appreciate it if anime would be more accepted by the average public. And more people enjoying anime is always good.
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Comment on Inside the fight to save video game history - Publishers and preservationists are fighting over how old video games can be saved from digital obsolescence in ~games
PhantomBand Link ParentAh, interesting. Are there still things off-limits though, like compared to say, what you could achieve if the same games were open source? Cool stuff!You don't necessarily need to get your hands on the original source code in order to alter a closed source game. You can still accomplish that without it by using reverse engineering techniques such as decryption, decompression, decompiling, or even runtime memory editing. And then combining that with either recompiling, system hooks (such as DLL injection), or buffer overflows, in order to get the game to run your code alterations. Crackers, Modders, and ROM hackers have been using those same techniques for decades to accomplish such things.
Ah, interesting. Are there still things off-limits though, like compared to say, what you could achieve if the same games were open source?
E.g. From my own personal experience. Dead Island had major issues at launch, some totally game-breaking, and many that were not really game-breaking but that I still found unbearable. So on the CheatEngine forums I hooked up with a small group of reverse engineers who had managed to decrypt and decompress the game's PAK files, which contained most of the game's assets, including its Lua scripts. And together we worked on modifying those in order to release a community patch + trainer that fixed a lot of the game's issues, and even added in a bunch more game functionality (and cheats). I personally worked on a lot of the visual elements, like adding the ability to adjust or even totally disable the game's fog, bokeh, bloom, motion blur, etc. which were originally overbearing, and not adjustable via the in-game settings or CFG files.
Thankfully we didn't have to do anything serious to force the game to load the altered assets though, since by simply putting them back in the game directory using the same file structure as was seen in the PAK files, the game prioritized loading those instead of the ones still in the PAK files.
p.s. You may have even seen the "Fist Of The Dead Star" video, which was made using our patch+trainer... and which even got so popular that the game devs clearly saw it, since they ended up adding an official game mode in the Definitive Edition which replicates elements of it. :P
Cool stuff!
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Comment on Inside the fight to save video game history - Publishers and preservationists are fighting over how old video games can be saved from digital obsolescence in ~games
PhantomBand LinkNow this bit in particular is interesting. I mean, props to them for trying to preserve games, but I already placed my bets on piracy (particulary private trackers) to take care of that problem....They even alter a game’s source code so games with online requirements can still be played after their authentication servers have gone offline.
Now this bit in particular is interesting. I mean, props to them for trying to preserve games, but I already placed my bets on piracy (particulary private trackers) to take care of that problem. This though, is beyond the scope of most, and is a very interesting bit. Not sure how they manage to get their hands on the source code though, as the vast majority of games are closed source and code of older games just gets thrown away sometimes (as Konami did with the older Silent Hill games).
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Comment on Anyone can defeat Goku now in ~anime
PhantomBand Link ParentThe problem with characters like Saitama is that in discussions like that, you're expected to actually provide proof of a character's feats and abilities, otherwise they're not accounted for. So,...Go for Saitama from One Punch Man.
The problem with characters like Saitama is that in discussions like that, you're expected to actually provide proof of a character's feats and abilities, otherwise they're not accounted for. So, while Saitama obviously seems like the strongest character imaginable, he hasn't actually accomplished much things on-screen, which makes him a bit of a dead end for discussions like these. Though if you use your imagination it'd be easy to imagine him crushing Superman into a tomato soup.
As a 23 year old my main experience is that it keeps getting harder and harder to enjoy things, hardly anything just gives that "rush" that you experience when you experience stuff for the first time during your high school years. Like, so much music and games just blew me away years ago, but now almost everything is just kinda "meh", "okay", "decent", "fine", "pretty good" and only very seldom actually great or better.
Aside from that, it's rather weird hearing some people call me "sir" when I still feel like a kid inside. A while ago a teen couple approached me and asked me for directions, and they addressed me with "sir" which took me off guard, as I genuinely still kinda felt like I wasn't that much older than them or anything. It's kinda odd.