smiles134's recent activity
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
smiles134 Link ParentMan, I love My Cousin Vinny. I watched it the first time only a couple years and it very immediately became a movie I'll stop and watch whenever I come across it. It's funny, the legal aspects are...Man, I love My Cousin Vinny. I watched it the first time only a couple years and it very immediately became a movie I'll stop and watch whenever I come across it. It's funny, the legal aspects are accurate, and Marisa Tomei is fantastic.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentLast night I got a 4th safe open, lit the 4th flame and explored down there, reached the antechamber/ basement for the first time and then got annoyed I had to move a mine cart previously in order...Last night I got a 4th safe open, lit the 4th flame and explored down there, reached the antechamber/
for the first time and then got annoyed I had to
basementmove a mine cart previouslyin order to advance. So that'll be my goal for tonight.I'd made it to the antechamber several times on past runs, but never on a run where I'd been able to pull the lever at some point. I spent a while recently trying to find the last two shops which had never popped up for me so finally I googled what they were last night to find out they're basically endgame rooms, so I've set that aside for the time being. I think I have 3 regular rooms to find but have otherwise found all the hallways, bedrooms, red rooms and green rooms.
Last night I also started taking notes on the chess pieces in rooms. I think I understand what I'm supposed to do with that info now that I have the four flames lit but I could be wrong. We'll see.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 (edited )Link ParentFor me: I wasn't really feeling the story or the gameplay all that much but what clinched it was the final mission. A long chase mission with few if any checkpoints and a single stumble, misclick...For me: I wasn't really feeling the story or the gameplay all that much but what clinched it was the final mission. A long chase mission with few if any checkpoints and a single stumble, misclick or moment of disorientation meant you failed the mission and had to start all the way over. I hate chase missions to begin with but this particular chase mission made my blood boil.
And to make matters worse, once you finally catch up to your target, a cutscene is triggered in which you get injured. And then you have to limp across the map, continuing your pursuit. If there's anything I hate more than chase missions, it's being forced to move slowly with no other gameplay input or purpose except to demonstrate that I'm injured. I get it! I'd get it if it was a cutscene -- which, we were just in a cutscene! Did I need to actually play this part where all I do is limp from one end of town to the other?
Finally, finally, you catch up to this guy in a bar in a different area. Finally you get to kill him.
Except: cutscene! Yep, you don't even get the satisfaction of pulling the trigger yourself. Jesus Christ why did you make me endure the chase, the limping, just to rob me of the final cathartic moment in the game?
I was so angry by the end of the game, but that wasn't even the end of it. There were ten full minutes of unskippable cutscenes, after which the game had the audacity to introduce an open world endgame section as if I'd want to keep spending my time here.
I hate AC3 lol
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 LinkSo Blue Prince has pretty much consumed me to this point. I've got pages of notes, have played about 18ish hours and solved a bunch of puzzles though I feel like I've only scratched the surface....So Blue Prince has pretty much consumed me to this point. I've got pages of notes, have played about 18ish hours and solved a bunch of puzzles though I feel like I've only scratched the surface. Finally unlocked the Apple Orchard last night, and I've got 3 safes open.
I've had to look up a couple of solutions and I am pretty confident I could not have solved those specific puzzles without assistance, but for the most part I'm avoiding finding solutions.
(Will happily accept hints, however! I've figured out the pictures in the rooms and mapped out that solution which is what I've spent a lot of time doing to this point, and now I'm trying to figure out what my next steps should be. Have been bumping up my allowance and just unlocked the outer room area last night as well.)
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentAC2 and Brotherhood are far and away the best two games in the whole series in my opinion (but to be fair I have not played a majority of the series lol). I did not love Revelations and so...AC2 and Brotherhood are far and away the best two games in the whole series in my opinion (but to be fair I have not played a majority of the series lol). I did not love Revelations and so actively disliked AC3 that I bounced off the series right there.
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Comment on Federal officers kill another citizen in Minneapolis, National Guard activated in ~society
smiles134 Link ParentI had just moved to the twin cities a few months before Castille was murdered and I immediately thought of him as well. If legally possessing a gun is reason enough for the state to kill you in...I had just moved to the twin cities a few months before Castille was murdered and I immediately thought of him as well. If legally possessing a gun is reason enough for the state to kill you in public, we do not actually have a second amendment.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentGood to know, thanks. I am someone who generally feels the need to fully complete an area before moving on, so maybe I'll be able to stop myself with this heads up.Good to know, thanks. I am someone who generally feels the need to fully complete an area before moving on, so maybe I'll be able to stop myself with this heads up.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 LinkWhen I finish a long/time-intensive game, I like to play a few shorter games in a different genre as a kind of palette cleanser. Right at the start of the year, I hit credits on Dragon Age II, so...When I finish a long/time-intensive game, I like to play a few shorter games in a different genre as a kind of palette cleanser.
Right at the start of the year, I hit credits on Dragon Age II, so I've since turned my attention to a few other games: Deliver Us Mars, INDUSTRIA, Medal of Honor (2010) and Blue Prince. Up next will be Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Before I touch on the other games, I want to write a little bit about my experience with DA II and the Dragon Age games in general.
I almost didn't play this game. Early last year, I played Dragon Age: Origins for the first time and honestly, truly did not enjoy it. It had so much of what I love in RPGs (my favorite games of all time are KOTOR and KOTOR 2), and I felt like I could draw a straight line from DA:O to the success of Baldur's Gate 3*, but I struggled to get through this game. The combat system was frustrating as hell to me, and I realized pretty late in the game that my preferred class (Ranger) was just about the least interesting or engaging class of character, and it was too late for me to feel compelled to start over with a new character. I eventually convinced myself to play through Awakenings with a Mage and had a much more enjoyable time, plus I'd read that DA II had a simplified approach to combat, so I finally gave it a shot.
Playing DA II as a mage certainly felt better than playing DA:O as a ranger, but oh my god was I tired of the same cities and same dungeon layouts by the end. It was extremely apparent by the second act that this game was developed on a rushed timeline. I've read that it was initially conceived of as DLC to the first game, and it would've been far more successful that way. It's a short game compared to DA:O, but it felt like one step forward in combat and two steps back in everything else for me. I think it's kind of a miracle this franchise has the reputation that it does.
Moving on to what came after:
Deliver Us Mars: I played Deliver Us the Moon a couple years ago and mostly liked the way it looked more than I enjoyed playing it. It's a simple narrative game with puzzle elements that reminds me of Tacoma but I felt that Tacoma was more successful in executing its narrative. Deliver Us Mars had some technical quirks (the climbing was unbelievably frustrating in some places) and frankly looked quite ugly to me compared to its predecessor. The narrative was way less compelling to me than even DUTM. You play as the daughter of the primary antagonist from the original on a mission (with your sister and two other astronauts) to learn about the fate of your father and potentially return him to earth to face consequences for his actions. The game really wants you to sympathize with the protagonist's desire to reunite with her father, but fails to make even the remotest case for sympathizing with his actions. You are an adult in this game and were a child when he left the moon. You don't seem to have emotionally matured enough for this mission, quite frankly. So, there's kind of a disconnect between what's unfolding and what the game is pushing you to feel. Truthfully, everyone kind of sucked as a person and I was just looking forward to the credits rolling by the midway point.
INDUSTRIA: The setting and early gameplay reminded me a little of Bioshock, with some Atomic Heart's eastern European setting mixed in. The game itself is about two hours. There's the hook of a story that is basically hand waved away in the end, and ultimately this feels like a proof of concept more than anything. Supposedly a sequel is coming, and I assume that will be a fully fleshed out game, but we'll see. There are 5 weapon types and even fewer enemy types, and that's about all of the variation you're gonna get.
Medal of Honor (2010): I'm about halfway through this. It's been a long time since I've played a straight up modern war FPS, and this hits the kind of campaign I like. Short levels, straightforward missions, no open world, no backtracking, very little need to manage ammo consumption. It's just mindless with a little story thrown in, and I appreciate that.
Blue Prince: I'm very early in this game. Like day 3 or 4. I have a couple notes jotted down, but I'm still getting the feel for what I'm supposed to be doing or looking out for. I'm doing my best to avoid looking anything up about this game and want to see how much I can learn and uncover without any outside help.
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Comment on Star Wars shake-up: Kathleen Kennedy steps down as George Lucas protégé Dave Filoni, exec Lynwen Brennan take over Lucasfilm in ~movies
smiles134 Link ParentIt does do the Filoni thing, though, of taking a character we don't know much about and exploring their backstory. But its a supremely successful example of that because it's about so much more...It does do the Filoni thing, though, of taking a character we don't know much about and exploring their backstory.
But its a supremely successful example of that because it's about so much more than Andor's history. Andor was just the character used to get to the story, rather than the entirety of the story being the character.
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Comment on US voter opinions about inflation and consumer prices look very bad for Donald Trump in ~society
smiles134 LinkStuff like this makes me wish we had a mechanism to recall federal officials. Because really, like @deaconblue said, polling this poorly does nothing to Trump. He's never going to resign. Sure,...Stuff like this makes me wish we had a mechanism to recall federal officials. Because really, like @deaconblue said, polling this poorly does nothing to Trump. He's never going to resign. Sure, the Republicans probably lose majority control in 2026, and probably lose the presidency in 2028, but that's a full year from now, or a full three years from now. Otherwise, we're stuck with this garbage that almost no one supports.
I know that impeachment is supposed to be this mechanism, but Congress has abdicated its powers thanks to the GOP sycophancy committee.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
smiles134 Link ParentInterstellar was unbelievable in theatres, but that's the last of his movies I saw on release. I'm definitely planning to go to The Odyssey, which hopefully isn't a mistake.Interstellar was unbelievable in theatres, but that's the last of his movies I saw on release. I'm definitely planning to go to The Odyssey, which hopefully isn't a mistake.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
smiles134 LinkI watched Tenet this morning, which besides Insomnia is the only other Christopher Nolan film I hadn't yet seen, and Jesus Lord what an incomprehensible movie. I wanted to think the reviews were...I watched Tenet this morning, which besides Insomnia is the only other Christopher Nolan film I hadn't yet seen, and Jesus Lord what an incomprehensible movie. I wanted to think the reviews were wrong, but the plot is too obtuse to welcome a second viewing, the first hour is almost entirely exposition -- which really doesn't help the viewer understand what's going on -- and wow the sound mixing is terrible.
Unfortunate stuff, and I'm not sure if Nolan just overestimated his writing ability or what.
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Comment on The Odyssey | Official trailer in ~movies
smiles134 Link ParentOkay, so you're not just talking film, or strictly just Homer, but more so classical Greek mythology appearing in modern narratives. So much of Western culture is wrapped up, inspired by, directly...Okay, so you're not just talking film, or strictly just Homer, but more so classical Greek mythology appearing in modern narratives. So much of Western culture is wrapped up, inspired by, directly drawn from those stories that originated in Greek mythology. Shit, The Odyssey is one of the classic examples of the Hero's Journey. I don't think it's so easy to just get away from.
Shakespeare himself pulled much from mythology. Romeo and Juliet is just a modernized adaptation of the Pyramus and Thisbe myth in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Anyway, my point is I think there's a difference between overt adaptations (The Odyssey) and retellings (O Brother) and also a difference between mediums (movie vs. book vs. stage musical), and we haven't had many overt adaptations in film of Homer specifically in a long while.
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Comment on The Odyssey | Official trailer in ~movies
smiles134 Link ParentI think Troy is the only Homeric adaptation I can name and even that is very loose, and of a different story. What others are you thinking of?I think Troy is the only Homeric adaptation I can name and even that is very loose, and of a different story. What others are you thinking of?
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Comment on Statement from Mozilla's new CEO in ~tech
smiles134 LinkWhyyyyyyyyyy I've used Firefox as my daily browser for almost 15 years. I have no desire to switch but if I keep getting AI shit shoved down my throat I might have to.Whyyyyyyyyyy
I've used Firefox as my daily browser for almost 15 years. I have no desire to switch but if I keep getting AI shit shoved down my throat I might have to.
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Comment on The US Government unconstitutionally labels Immigration and Customs Enforcement observers as domestic terrorists in ~society
smiles134 Link ParentWhat has emerged to me most in the last 10 years is that the average person spends very little time or energy on critical thinking. It's far easier to just consume headlines to know what to think...What has emerged to me most in the last 10 years is that the average person spends very little time or energy on critical thinking. It's far easier to just consume headlines to know what to think or how to feel, and as long as you don't press too hard on any subject, then you won't realize the web of contradictions and outright falsehoods that lay underneath.
This is what Trump and everyone who uses Trump's abject lack of conscience discovered. They can say literally whatever the fuck they want and face very little consequences. Doesn't matter if it's true or even sounds true. Just send it out into the universe and go on doing your thing. I mean for Christ's sake, this man went on national television and said immigrant communities were eating people's pets and he got elected AGAIN.
Reality doesn't matter. If you have no morals, you can do anything you want.
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Comment on Does anyone use Ground News? in ~talk
smiles134 LinkI do -- you'll see my comment as the one @cfabbro replied to. I use to find multiple sources writing about the same topic. I don't really rely on their bias meter as I have my own sense of which...I do -- you'll see my comment as the one @cfabbro replied to. I use to find multiple sources writing about the same topic. I don't really rely on their bias meter as I have my own sense of which sources have what bias, but it can be helpful in finding local sources for stories which usually have some context the national sources miss. It's an aggregator at the end of the day
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Comment on Paramount launches a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery in ~movies
smiles134 Link ParentIt's in the linked article. It's not a claim, it's from Paramount themselves.It's in the linked article.
A filing confirms that Paramount’s tender offer is also supported by $24 billion in debt financing from sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, as well as from Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners.
It's not a claim, it's from Paramount themselves.
I watched Train Dreams last night. I read the novella shortly after I graduated college, but even as I was starting the movie last night, I couldn't remember too much of what it was about besides the fact that the main character was a logger in the early 20th century and had a dog, and that the book itself was very sad, and that not much happened. (I remember really liking the book as well.)
Very strong Terrance Malik vibes from this movie. Lots of atmosphere and intensely, deeply human and moving. No surprise that it's a sad movie. I've read a lot of people saying they cried a lot through this film -- I'm an easy crier but did not at this movie. I did, however, feel very melancholy by the end. This is a movie that sits with you for a long time.
After I watched the movie, I went back and read the novella's synopsis, and wow, the movie somehow had even less happening than the book did, which is kind of crazy cause the book is only like 100 pages. I think it's interesting that they made Robert less culpable in the opening scene with the Chinese logger. In the book, Robert is very much helping to wrangle the man up (who eventually gets away), even though he doesn't understand why they're doing what they're doing. He also believes the man puts a curse on him after. I need to think more on what the implications of this change are, but that's one difference that affects what comes after for Robert. Also: I remembered the dog having a bigger presence in the book, but I might be wrong. There's more justification in the book for Robert to think the girl who shows up and then disappears again is actually his daughter and not just a wish of his (though it's clear in the book still that she's almost certainly not his daughter).
Anyway: definitely deserves its Oscar nom, but I doubt it will win.