smiles134's recent activity

  1. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    smiles134
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    I'm about 75% of the way through Star Wars Outlaws and mostly enjoying it. It's not going to win Game of the Year in any category, nor is the story particularly original or memorable, but it's a...

    I'm about 75% of the way through Star Wars Outlaws and mostly enjoying it. It's not going to win Game of the Year in any category, nor is the story particularly original or memorable, but it's a fun jaunt through familiar Star Wars locations, and it looks gorgeous.

    There are sections where I just wish they'd just gone full on Uncharted because the world and story feel so well suited toward that. There are places with really big/cool setpieces and mostly linear/scripted action with some light platforming. But everything outside of that is pretty run of the mill open world quest stuff: someone lost something in enemy territory and you need to fetch it. Someone else needs some parts for a thing, and you can bring them those parts from different places. The syndicate reputation system is neat... except it's basically meaningless. I've not found that I've needed to improve reputation with one syndicate over another so far. In fact, I maxed out my reputation with the first syndicate I encountered which made some backstabbing quests fairly trivial, without really impacting the gameplay. I think there's something there, but they didn't commit fully. Same with the story quests: if they'd either excised all the open world baggage, OR gone full into a game where you need to appropriately balance your reputation with the syndicates, taking bounties, working your way up in the underworld... either of those games would've been great. But instead we're left with this middle of the road, not overly exciting or ambitious result.

    I'm always in favor of more Star Wars games -- but I hope the industry can finally get rid of its neat to make everything as BIG and OPEN as possible.

    (As a final aside, I will say the planet hubs are definitely bustling. These cities feel lived in, even if I find myself getting lost trying to navigate them.)

    8 votes
  2. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    smiles134
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    Prey is one of my all time favorite games. I plan to go back to it pretty soon, but I've got a lot of other games I haven't yet played for the first time to get through still. But it's definitely...

    Prey is one of my all time favorite games. I plan to go back to it pretty soon, but I've got a lot of other games I haven't yet played for the first time to get through still. But it's definitely one I recommend to most people.

    2 votes
  3. Comment on Did you live in a city then move out? How was it? Did it change your energy towards the day-to-day? in ~life

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    I'm assuming based on your use of neighbours that you're not in the US. I'm not sure a place like that exists in the US tbh. At the very least, access to bus and rail in a town of 20k would be...

    I'm assuming based on your use of neighbours that you're not in the US. I'm not sure a place like that exists in the US tbh. At the very least, access to bus and rail in a town of 20k would be unheard of. I didn't have those things in a big city of 200k.

    4 votes
  4. Comment on Endweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

    smiles134
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    Yeah, I mean, that's one where you just gotta suspend disbelief haha

    Yeah, I mean, that's one where you just gotta suspend disbelief haha

    4 votes
  5. Comment on Donald Trump US tariffs would increase laptop prices by $350+, other electronics by as much as 40% in ~tech

    smiles134
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    Because it truly doesn't matter how many questions you ask. They'll evade answering, talk about something else, refuse to elaborate on how it will accomplish any of their goals, because reality is...

    Because it truly doesn't matter how many questions you ask. They'll evade answering, talk about something else, refuse to elaborate on how it will accomplish any of their goals, because reality is only something other people live in.

    Trump and his whole crew knows his base is completely brainwashed. They just need to say things that sound appealing and/or rile the base up and it doesn't matter what the outcome is.

    14 votes
  6. Comment on Endweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

    smiles134
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    I've watched quite a few movies in the last 10+ days as my wife was out of town and I had a lot of time by myself. In the order I watched them (all for the first time, unless noted): Taxi Driver....

    I've watched quite a few movies in the last 10+ days as my wife was out of town and I had a lot of time by myself.

    In the order I watched them (all for the first time, unless noted):

    Taxi Driver. I was surprised, I guess, that Bickle's rampage pretty much immediately backfires. Other than that, it plays out as I expected. The end sequence reminds me a lot of the end sequence from The King of Comedy, where it's not really clear if it's delusion or reality.

    The Usual Suspects. I've known the twist for a long time, but it's still a very compelling film. I had a bit of trouble following the plot at the start, but I settled into it after a while.

    Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Dawn is still my favorite of this series, but this one comes in 2nd, I think. I liked it SO much better than War, which I found almost silly at times. Woody Harrelson was cartoonishly villainous in that movie, and by contrast, Proximus was a much more interesting antagonist.

    Ex Machina. I enjoyed this movie but thought the entire plot was pretty telegraphed. I liked Oscar Isaac's portrayal of an egomaniacal tech bro, and the power dynamics throughout were interesting. Domnhall Gleeson kills it in basically every role he's in.

    The One I Love. I don't find Elizabeth Moss to be a very talented actress, but I'm a big fan of Mark Duplass, so I gave this a shot. I thought it was okay. I liked that they just went head on into the weirdness and the characters bought into it quickly, but there was essentially no character development whatsoever. I finished the movie not really knowing anything at all about these characters, except that he cheated on her somewhat recently, and she doesn't like bacon. Like... that's pretty much it. The conclusion was pretty obvious as soon as the doubles were introduced, and I didn't think there was really any ambiguity about the ending, though I guess there's supposed to be. In any case, Mark acting across from himself was probably the most compelling aspect of the movie.

    The Silence of the Lambs. I always avoided this movie growing up because I figured it would be gory/violent/jump-scarey as that's what I associated with "horror" movies, but it's not that at all, which probably everyone in the world already knew but me. I really enjoyed this. I couldn't quite figure out what Jodie Foster's accent was supposed to be (she sounded like Holly Hunter to me. I don't think she always sounds like that but maybe I'm wrong). Anyway -- are the other Anthony Hopkins-as-Hannibal Lector movies worthwhile? Just briefly reading their wiki pages, it doesn't seem like it.

    Bernie. I've actually seen this movie before but didn't realize it until about 20 minutes in. It was pretty forgettable the first time I watched, and I felt that way by the end this time, too. There's something interesting about the real life story it's connected to, but I don't think it really reaches that point in the movie.

    The Wild Robot. I thought this was absolutely phenomenal. The best animated movie I've seen in 10 years probably. It's dark, it's funny without being pandering or relying on innuendo (which I think it's common for animated movies for children, winking at the adults in the audience), the emotional stakes are resonant and clearly defined, the animation is gorgeous and the score was superb. It gets a tiny bit melodramatic in the middle relating to the circumstances of the adoption (especially considering how quickly that conflict is resolved), but that's basically my only criticism. I don't have children myself, but I can't imagine being a parent and watching this movie without crying. It is very very good.

    8 votes
  7. Comment on Asmongold's Twitch channel temporarily banned following racist rant about Palestinians in ~games

    smiles134
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    I had a really good friend in high school and through college who I disagreed with about a lot of things, especially politically, but I felt that he was at heart a good person who 1) liked to be...

    I had a really good friend in high school and through college who I disagreed with about a lot of things, especially politically, but I felt that he was at heart a good person who 1) liked to be contrarian and 2) was still a bit immature and working through his own beliefs, as he grew up in a pretty closed-off environment and was still a bit sheltered from things.

    But then he kept slipping further into the alt-right internet sphere and basically found his echo chamber where he could be antagonistic and get a rise out of people and get celebrated for it. He started as a Paul Ryan styled tea party/"never trump" republican and is now completely onboard the MAGA train. I haven't talked to him in over 5 years now, and I keep expecting to see him pop up behind Trump at some rally in our home state.

    At some point, saying things you don't believe just to be outrageous is no different from actually believing those things, especially online, where there's instant reward/response and those who do believe it can use it as fuel to feel empowered and emboldened.

    15 votes
  8. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    smiles134
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    I finished up Arkham Knight this weekend and despite the game's insistence on using the batmobile, I really enjoyed it. It's probably my second favorite of the series, behind Arkham Aslyum (I'm...

    I finished up Arkham Knight this weekend and despite the game's insistence on using the batmobile, I really enjoyed it. It's probably my second favorite of the series, behind Arkham Aslyum (I'm really not a huge fan of open world environments and prefer smaller settings/metroidvania style maps).

    Mark Hamill absolutely kills it as Joker, like always, and I know some people didn't like the whole "Joker blood" thing, but I liked how it manifested in the story.

    Some criticisms:

    • For like the 3rd straight game, the amount of Riddler content is exhausting. I made up my mind to not bother with the trophies early on, but finding out the "true" ending is locked behind finding all 200+ Riddler puzzles is really frustrating.

    • Batman sidelining Robin for just about the whole game felt really contrived.

    • I guessed the "twist" of Arkham Knight's identity about 30 minutes into the game. It seemed really obvious to me, and I'm not what I would consider a huge Batman lore person. (I basically know the characters from the Burton Batman movies and the Nolan Batman movies, and the characters who have popped up in the other Arkham games.) This wouldn't be such a big deal if it didn't take Batman himself the entirety of the game to surmise. I understand Batman thinks this character is dead, but he never saw a body, so...

    2 votes
  9. Comment on Summer Eternal - A new cooperative game studio from ex-ZA/UM devs in ~games

  10. Comment on How do you listen to your favorite obscure music that never made it onto any streaming platforms? in ~music

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    You can load local songs into Spotify. That's how I do it for music that isn't on a streaming platform. https://support.spotify.com/us/article/local-files/ I have copies on my phone and on my...

    You can load local songs into Spotify. That's how I do it for music that isn't on a streaming platform.

    https://support.spotify.com/us/article/local-files/

    I have copies on my phone and on my computer. Yes, it's inconvenient, but you can still listen to them alongside the other songs you want to listen to from your streaming platform.

    25 votes
  11. Comment on Cards Against Humanity pays you to give a shit in ~misc

    smiles134
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    I would be astounded if the Supreme Court reversed course on Citizens United

    I would be astounded if the Supreme Court reversed course on Citizens United

    8 votes
  12. Comment on Cards Against Humanity pays you to give a shit in ~misc

    smiles134
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    Whether it seems like it should be illegal or not, it is legal. A lot of this is them bringing awareness to the stupidity of our election laws.

    Whether it seems like it should be illegal or not, it is legal. A lot of this is them bringing awareness to the stupidity of our election laws.

    "This whole thing should probably be illegal—so quick, give us your money before they change the law! "

    14 votes
  13. Comment on Cards Against Humanity pays you to give a shit in ~misc

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    But they aren't paying anyone to vote. They're paying non-voters from 2020 to "make a voting plan" and make a public statement. There's no requirement that anyone actually go to a polling location...

    But they aren't paying anyone to vote. They're paying non-voters from 2020 to "make a voting plan" and make a public statement. There's no requirement that anyone actually go to a polling location or fill out a ballot in order to receive their money. It's the same reason why Musk's call for voters to refer others to register in swing states is perfectly legal.

    25 votes
  14. Comment on If WordPress is to survive, Matt Mullenweg must be removed in ~tech

    smiles134
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    Relevant/related news: Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg offered employees $30,000, or six months of salary (whichever is higher), to leave the company if they didn’t agree with his battle against WP...

    Relevant/related news:

    Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg offered employees $30,000, or six months of salary (whichever is higher), to leave the company if they didn’t agree with his battle against WP Engine. In an update on Thursday night, Mullenweg said 159 people, making up 8.4 percent of the company, took the offer.

    8 votes
  15. Comment on If WordPress is to survive, Matt Mullenweg must be removed in ~tech

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    This dude seems like a huge idiot. I don't really know any other way to put it

    This dude seems like a huge idiot. I don't really know any other way to put it

    4 votes
  16. Comment on Recommend some new(ish) metal bands in ~music

    smiles134
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    I don't listen to a lot of black metal, but some black metal adjacents I can recommend are Deafheaven (especially 2013's Sunbather which was a hugely influential album and the follow up, New...

    I don't listen to a lot of black metal, but some black metal adjacents I can recommend are Deafheaven (especially 2013's Sunbather which was a hugely influential album and the follow up, New Bermuda), and Infant Island (their album from this year, Obsidian Wreath, in particular).

    If you're looking for other kinds of metal, I can help out there, but I'm primarily in the post-hardcore, metalcore, emo/screamo, hardcore slot which it sounds like you maybe aren't all that into.

    6 votes
  17. Comment on A weakened Hezbollah is being goaded into all-out conflict with Israel – the consequences would be devastating for all in ~misc

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    So from what I read, Israel created a fake company that operated as a real company with real clients distributing real electronics and just waited for the right customer to come along

    So from what I read, Israel created a fake company that operated as a real company with real clients distributing real electronics and just waited for the right customer to come along

    10 votes
  18. Comment on Balatro Mobile coming to Google Play, Apple Arcade and App Store on September 26th in ~games

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    Thought I had an issue with my card or something. Good to know.

    Thought I had an issue with my card or something. Good to know.

    3 votes
  19. Comment on You can learn Lord of the Rings’ Elvish — just not Tolkien's version in ~humanities.languages

    smiles134
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    My undergrad used to teach a course on Elvish.

    My undergrad used to teach a course on Elvish.

    1 vote
  20. Comment on Sony State of Play September 2024 in ~games

    smiles134
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    GoT was a really great game. I enjoyed it way more than I expected to. Definitely looking forward to the sequel.

    GoT was a really great game. I enjoyed it way more than I expected to. Definitely looking forward to the sequel.

    1 vote