Well_known_bear's recent activity
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Comment on 'The Ghost in the Shell' just ended, what are your thoughts? in ~anime
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Comment on 'The Ghost in the Shell' just ended, what are your thoughts? in ~anime
Well_known_bear (edited )Link ParentYeah, Section 6 (the foreign ministry treaty review section) works for the foreign ministry. The Puppet Master, as project 2501, was being used by them for corporate investigations, intel...Foreign minister's guy was also monitoring, decided to leak the footage anyway both to bolster support for his deal with Ghorantl, and also discredit Section 9 (because he had connection with Section 6 and their puppet master project?).
Yeah, Section 6 (the foreign ministry treaty review section) works for the foreign ministry. The Puppet Master, as project 2501, was being used by them for corporate investigations, intel gathering and espionage to further their own agenda, but eventually got out from under their control after believing it was an independent living being.
The consequences of all of that coming to light are shown in the ep 8 scene where Aramaki meets with Nakamura, the head of Section 6 (dude with the half metal face). The foreign minister is forced to resign under a cover story of illness and Nakamura will face a long inquiry. This is where the foreign ministry's grudge against Section 9 comes from.
Ghorantl then basically joined in, attacked Kusanagi to put more blame on Mesamia and also stopped her from investigating their deal.
Ghorantl basically just wanted to sway public sympathy in their favour, making it easier for Japan to do the deal with them despite already having connections with the Middle Eastern oil states. They're working with the foreign ministry who also want the deal to go ahead, but it's really the foreign ministry that has the problem with Section 9.
When Kusanagi escaped, the foreign minister told Ghorantl to take her out, but it turned out he was never that serious about getting a deal with Ghorantl anyway.
The guy on the phone with Aramaki at the end is the prime minister of Japan. He has different motivations from the foreign ministry. You could interpret him as just being a shrewd political operator who reacts to whatever situation he's presented with (e.g. during the press conference immediately after the killing is leaked, he just says he has no comment at all in relation to the 'low intensity conflict').
Could you also help me on why the bomb guy tipped off Kusanagi during the flase flag attack? She said they owed Section 9 a favor but I missed how.
This guy (Sabiro) is a double agent working for Volgarena (a Russian KGB agent in the original) who has infiltrated the Ghorantl base. I don't know if Kusanagi actually knows him or is speaking figuratively when she says 'rekindle an old friendship', but the reason he helps them out is to return the favour Section 9 did for them in Iturup:
- The outgoing Volgarena diplomat hints to Aramaki that her replacement Asechinof was not chosen by their government but was put there due to general Marlov's manipulation of funds.
- Asechinof sends the cyborg Coil to Iturup and Section 9 is assigned to monitor him.
- Batou and Togusa track Coil to the geofront beneath the city which used to be a Volgarena base, discovering the gold left behind by Volgarena when they pulled out (Iturup in the real world became Russian territory following WW2 but in this setting was returned to Japan).
- Kusanagi discovers that Kagasaki, formerly of public safety, was working with Marlov to launder misappropriated public funds.
- Asechinof is repatriated and the gold is returned to Volgarena. Volgarena's government is also successful in cutting off Marlov's funds which would have been used to bolster his political ambitions.
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Comment on 'The Ghost in the Shell' just ended, what are your thoughts? in ~anime
Well_known_bear LinkDon't have a lot to add to my earlier comments except that I thought they did a good job on the scene with the Puppet Master explaining its proposal. The original is not easy to digest to say the...Don't have a lot to add to my earlier comments except that I thought they did a good job on the scene with the Puppet Master explaining its proposal. The original is not easy to digest to say the least, but the show uses imagery to make it more understandable.
Most of the political conspiracies went over my head though so if anyone can help explaining that side of the plot to me that would be great.
To limit this solely to the back end (starting from mid-episode 8):
- Japan's foreign minister (newly appointed after the fallout from the Puppet Master incident) and Ghorantl's trade delegation hold trade talks at Poseidon Industrial.
- A man in optic camo shakes down a police source to get information about a young terrorist.
- Section 9 receives an anonymous tip and sends in a team to capture the terrorist on a boat for questioning. Kusanagi kills the young terrorist in self-defence and the incident is filmed and broadcast, putting Section 9 in jeopardy.
- It is discovered that the terrorist was planning to assassinate the foreign minister. Batou mentions that the foreign minister has been pressuring megacorps to work with Ghorantl (this was originally Israel in the manga but presumably got changed due to the current political climate).
- It is revealed that the foreign minister's liaison (the blonde moustache guy) was monitoring the terrorist at the time of Section 9's strike and was responsible for leaking the footage to the media, stating that Section 9 was a thorn in their side.
- Section 9 hacks the terrorist's laptop and links the terrorist to the Mesamian embassy (originally Syria).
- The minister of justice leans on Aramaki to cut Kusanagi loose to save Section 9. Batou questions if the foreign ministry in turn leaned on him to do so.
- Aramaki speculates that if it is disclosed that Mesamia was behind the assassination attempt, this would aid the progress of the Ghorantal trade talks (in the manga, it's explained that it was a hot potato political issue for Israel to do business with Japan since they had ties to the Arab states over oil - this is less clear in the anime with the fictional countries), which would be a win for Japan's foreign ministry. At the same time, the fallout from the televised killing would also serve as the foreign ministry's revenge against Section 9 after the Puppet Master incident.
- Kusanagi investigates a Ghorantl intel Bed, but Ghorantl blows it up as a false flag operation for the above purposes, blaming it on Mesamia and making it politically easier to cinch the deal with Japan's foreign minister.
- At the inquiry over the killing, the question is raised of why Japan (Section 9) was involving itself in a dispute between the two countries, implying that the background has now been made public.
- Kusanagi flees during her trial, infuriating the foreign minister who threatens to work with the opposition to damage the credibility of the ruling party.
- The foreign ministry liaison contacts Ghorantal intelligence (dude with the red artificial eye) and demands that they take out Kusanagi. Section 9 records the call.
- Aramaki speaks with the PM, who says that the foreign ministry has obtained trade concessions from the Middle Eastern states and also made the usual promises to "make best efforts" in the talks with Ghorantal, which costs nothing, implying that he used the situation to play both sides.
- Ghorantal's intelligence agent arranges for Kusanagi to be sniped.
Yeah, it's messy, and this is the expanded version from the anime. All of this is squeezed into one chapter of around 45 pages in the manga.
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Comment on LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices in ~tech
Well_known_bear Link ParentHow about just setting the TV's wifi to a static IP, then manually setting it to point to an incorrect gateway / DNS? It'll be connected to your wifi so you can still stream media, but it won't...How about just setting the TV's wifi to a static IP, then manually setting it to point to an incorrect gateway / DNS?
It'll be connected to your wifi so you can still stream media, but it won't have internet access.
This works on my LG TV.
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Comment on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Switch 2) | Zelda 40th anniversary Direct trailer in ~games
Well_known_bear LinkI'm whelmed. Visually, it looks pretty much like I expected based on the initial reveal. Maybe a little too glossy in some places, but the redone environments like Hyrule field and castle town...I'm whelmed.
Visually, it looks pretty much like I expected based on the initial reveal. Maybe a little too glossy in some places, but the redone environments like Hyrule field and castle town look nice with an appropriate modern scale. Decent framerate is a plus too - I didn't mind playing the original at the time, but looking at gameplay footage now makes it feel pretty choppy.
A lot of the effort outside the visuals seems to have been put into gimmicky stuff like the physical ocarina, which I'm neutral on at best, but the only big quality of life issue with the original gameplay (the camera) has been fixed, so maybe there wasn't much needed there in the first place. I don't think the jump button will make a big difference one way or the other. Maybe it'll feel a bit more interactive to have to push a button instead of automatically jumping when needed?
I rarely replay games so won't be picking this up, but it looks like a good time for anyone who hasn't played the original.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear Link ParentYeah, it's definitely in CS3. In fact they changed the controls, so I'm constantly accidentally triggering it 😂Yeah, it's definitely in CS3. In fact they changed the controls, so I'm constantly accidentally triggering it 😂
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear (edited )Link ParentYou can repair / customise them in garages (might be later in the game depending on where you are). They're quite good once blinged out with decent weapons and parts and I remember using them a...You can repair / customise them in garages (might be later in the game depending on where you are). They're quite good once blinged out with decent weapons and parts and I remember using them a fair bit in the endgame (as well as on one annoying mid-game boss), but no need to use them while your regular characters are doing the job. I definitely wouldn't bother using them on regular fights - only on a boss that's otherwise proving a pain to fight.
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Comment on How do you find new anime to watch? in ~anime
Well_known_bear LinkNowadays, only: The seasonal roundup each quarter (Anilist, etc). Word of mouth from friends and forums like this one. Occasionally checking what else a creator or studio I've enjoyed in the past...Nowadays, only:
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The seasonal roundup each quarter (Anilist, etc).
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Word of mouth from friends and forums like this one.
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Occasionally checking what else a creator or studio I've enjoyed in the past has been doing lately.
I feel like I need to be better about dropping shows that I'm not enjoying rather than picking more up.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear Link ParentGlad to hear it! I wouldn't worry too much about the character building - the mechs are much stronger than the regular characters and those are customisable throughout the game.Glad to hear it! I wouldn't worry too much about the character building - the mechs are much stronger than the regular characters and those are customisable throughout the game.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear Link ParentI've also started Cold Steel 3 on PC. The combination of the shift to PS4 gen fidelity, being able to run at 120fps with no loading times and the general quality of life changes (speed up option...I've also started Cold Steel 3 on PC. The combination of the shift to PS4 gen fidelity, being able to run at 120fps with no loading times and the general quality of life changes (speed up option in particular) is pretty sweet!
One or two of these massive games per year definitely sounds like the sane way to go though.
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Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech
Well_known_bear Link ParentIn a similar vein, when your typing cursor is active, ctrl + right or left allows you to move forward or back one word at a time instead of one character at a time. Great for quickly and precisely...In a similar vein, when your typing cursor is active, ctrl + right or left allows you to move forward or back one word at a time instead of one character at a time. Great for quickly and precisely navigating blocks of text without needing to shift to the mouse.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear Link ParentOther than the aforementioned speeding up of the combat (1 in particular is atrocious), don't hesitate to look up how the combat works in 2 if it isn't clicking. It's non-intuitive to say the...Other than the aforementioned speeding up of the combat (1 in particular is atrocious), don't hesitate to look up how the combat works in 2 if it isn't clicking. It's non-intuitive to say the least, not well explained in-game and feels really bad if you don't understand what the game expects you to do.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear Link ParentThe setting, story and characters in Xenosaga are great, especially if you like the whole anime religious space opera with mechs thing it's going for. Fun gameplay might be stretching it, though...The setting, story and characters in Xenosaga are great, especially if you like the whole anime religious space opera with mechs thing it's going for. Fun gameplay might be stretching it, though :P
It's a lot better on emulator since you can speed through the battle animations.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear LinkTrails of Cold Steel II I've been feeling nostalgic for older games and fired up the old fat PS3 last week to finally wrap this one up. The sticks and D-pad on my controller had gone sticky (no...Trails of Cold Steel II
I've been feeling nostalgic for older games and fired up the old fat PS3 last week to finally wrap this one up.
The sticks and D-pad on my controller had gone sticky (no pun intended) from the plasticiser oozing out over the years, but a good scrub with some medical alcohol wipes had them as good as new in no time. The hardware otherwise still works perfectly and the controller even still holds a decent charge, which is a pleasant surprise.
On the game itself:
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There was a time in the 00s when I was really into the Trails series and religiously imported the games from Japan as they came out, in some cases directly from Falcom through a shipping agent so I could get the extras. Coming back to this game 11 years after the date on my 2015 save file... I had a pretty good time!
I'd forgotten a lot of the lore (and there's so much lore), but it came back to me slowly as I played and I could usually work out from context who was on what side and what their agenda was even when I'd forgotten exactly who they are. The writing is squarely juvenile shounen anime with plenty of dudes powering up and winning through the power of friendship and determination, but there's an earnestness and self-knowing confidence to it all that I still find pretty charming.
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Coming back to all of the systems was also a bit of a jump into a cold pool, but the game features a great notes system which not only has the entire manual but also the story to date and profiles for every character down to the minor NPCs, so looking stuff up was simple.
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I'd originally stopped playing in part 3 of act 2, which at the time I had assumed was just before the ending. It turns out there were about 25+ more hours to go! Most of this passed pretty quickly and pleasantly. The controls and QOL features (quick travel, quest logs, objective icons, etc are all there) are all consistent with modern games and the visuals look quite nice on an OLED TV, with a sharp and colourful image and an, uh, acceptable framerate other than whenever the NPC count exceeds around 12 or in any level with fog. Even the loading times off the HDD aren't too bad - maybe a few seconds for each area / battle transition.
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2015 me had already put in the work to build some busted characters (100% evasion Fi...), so the back end of the game was pretty breezy even with a decade of rust to shake off... until I got to the last 3 bosses:
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The first two of these bosses have an undodgeable (in one case completely unguardable) super attack which may or may not wipe a full health party in one shot depending on RNG. There are ways to counter this if you know it's coming, but this is bad game design in my book. The boss fights take a long time and it's a drag to just suddenly lose without any opportunity to respond.
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The last boss, to its credit, does not have a party wiping special, but does demand that for half the fight, you use the characters outside your regular party who you've probably been neglecting. You do get a heads up about this and it is possible, with a little juggling, to use characters who are at least decently levelled and stuff everyone who is truly garbage into the support unit slots, but once you reach this boss, you're locked out of further levelling or accessing any shops, so it's entirely possible to be stuck with badly equipped characters that make either the first or second phase of this fight a nightmare.
Still, you can just drop the difficulty for any of these fights if they're too much bother, so there's nothing show stopping here.
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This game is the 7th out of 13 in the series. I would like to complete the remainder at some point given they're now all easily accessible digitally with Japanese voice and text intact, but first I'll need to find a spare 420 hours.
Dragon Quest VII Reminagined
Only a little ways into this one, but I really have nothing but positive things to say. It's great!
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The tilt-shift diorama art style works really well with the content of the game, which is essentially about rebuilding the world one little island at a time. Each island is essentially a little toybox with a handful of locations and its own adventure to resolve. It feels very cosy.
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The godforsaken individual inventory from 1-3 and 11 is finally gone. You can equip stuff and use items straight from the party inventory like in every other JRPG. I'm in Nirvana due to this change alone.
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You can see the monsters on the map now (and even dispatch them directly if you're a lot stronger than them, Trails style!), so there's no longer any need to constantly keep Toheros up if you just want to explore and pick up missed items without wading through endless trashmob fights. Similarly, items on the ground are now marked with glimmers by default, so Remirama spam on every single screen is no longer mandatory. You can even use Ruura to fast travel right from the get-go. It's wall to wall QOL.
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Characters and monsters alike are fun and animated with the usual DQ charm. I expect the engine is UE, but it performs quite well and comfortably hits 90fps at 1440p on my unspectacular PC.
Out of all the modern DQs I've played this year, this is probably the one I'd recommend for anyone looking to dip a toe into the series.
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Comment on Twenty-year-old Xbox 360 game Blue Dragon now has a fantastic unofficial PC port that unlocks the FPS, goes 4K, and even adds mod support in ~games
Well_known_bear LinkWindows Defender is currently flagging the reblue-1.0.0-win-amd64.zip file as Trojan:Script/Wacatac.B!ml, and it also seems to come up for a number of vendors in VirusTotal. Possibly a false...Windows Defender is currently flagging the reblue-1.0.0-win-amd64.zip file as Trojan:Script/Wacatac.B!ml, and it also seems to come up for a number of vendors in VirusTotal.
Possibly a false positive, but thought it was worth noting.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Well_known_bear Link ParentI also had a visceral reaction to this premise but similarly found it fascinating. Most cultures have a strong taboo against 'desecrating' (including by eating) bodies of anything friend-shaped,...I also had a visceral reaction to this premise but similarly found it fascinating.
Most cultures have a strong taboo against 'desecrating' (including by eating) bodies of anything friend-shaped, but this is such an edge case where many of the usual arguments against it are negated and we're just left with a discomfort that might be entirely learned.
See also the debates around endocannibalism.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Well_known_bear Link ParentI watch Karasuma A's channel where he plays kusoge in Japanese. A while ago, not only did all of the videos switch to English auto-dub, but all of the video titles were auto-translated to English...I watch Karasuma A's channel where he plays kusoge in Japanese. A while ago, not only did all of the videos switch to English auto-dub, but all of the video titles were auto-translated to English too.
There is apparently no option in YouTube to 'play in native language voice track for this language', but I must have switched it enough times for YouTube to work it out because it usually gives me the Japanese voice track first now. Still haven't worked out how to get the Japanese video titles back, though.
To address the earlier question, the English auto-dub I was getting was a generic American male voice with no unusual accent.
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Gamescom discussion
Figured I'd make a general discussion thread since there's a lot coming out of the event. What are your thoughts on the games being shown? Are there any which you're excited to see more of or...
Figured I'd make a general discussion thread since there's a lot coming out of the event.
What are your thoughts on the games being shown? Are there any which you're excited to see more of or disappointed by?
Non-comprehensive list of trailers (long)
I made this thread on mobile, so apologies for any mess-ups.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear Link ParentI would say it's probably one of the best entry points to the genre. There are no real fail states / deadlines, none of the activities are compulsory and there are a ton of accessibility options...I would say it's probably one of the best entry points to the genre. There are no real fail states / deadlines, none of the activities are compulsory and there are a ton of accessibility options (longer days, etc) on top of the pre-existing quality of life features.
I got to the second year and have put it down for the moment as I've finished the main story quests, but I had a good time and will likely pick it up again once they add the next batch of chunky content.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Well_known_bear (edited )LinkLately, I've been craving pulpy horror manga with old school art and episodic structure. I'm talking: Itou Junji Noroi Michiru Umezu Kazuo Hiyodori Sachiko aka Uguisu Sachiko Mitsuhara Shin...Lately, I've been craving pulpy horror manga with old school art and episodic structure.
I'm talking:
- Itou Junji
- Noroi Michiru
- Umezu Kazuo
- Hiyodori Sachiko aka Uguisu Sachiko
- Mitsuhara Shin
- Takahashi Rumiko's Mermaid series
- Tezuka and Nagai Gou's horror stuff (Devilman, Ayako, etc)
Let me know if you've got any recommendations!
There's two more volumes of the manga. No idea if anyone has plans to adapt those.