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Just a bit of fun from domestic Australian politics... I made the joke in the past that the liberal PM Scott Morrison was similar to Don Quixote because of his perpetual crusade against windmills (and any other form of alternative to fossil fuels) While he got the message, he's universally hated, his former deputy and old party have decided to switch to nuclear power. Again, anything that keeps the poor starving mining magnates in power and keeps renewable energy out of Australia!

Iirc, Ken Russell is a director that somehow consistently hits for both of us, which is a rarity. The anti-Villeneuve. It did stream on Criterion (which far and above is the most valuable streaming), but it's currently not on and who the hell knows when or if it will be brought back. I watched it a while ago but haven't seen it in a minute. Guess it's time to go looking. But before that...... I was going to post a pic of ole Denis but by god his face is so naturally smug that it inflicted psychic damage on me. Something tells me experimental early Soviet cinema is not quite what he has in mind by "pure image and sound".

I completed Pillars of Eternity a couple of days ago. I had such a good time, I haven't played an old school RPG for a couple of years despite it being my favorite genre and Obsidian made an absolute banger here. It had a really good story, and not having the curtain pulled back until the very end made all the reveals very impactful. I was planning to play something that's totally different between Pillars 1 & 2 so I didn't get bored with the real-time and pause genre but after the last couple of hours of PoE1 I just have to know what happens next now so I've started playing Deadfire immediately. I've basically just started, I'm about to repair the ship and leave the first island. It was a bit jarring for the first hour or so with the new UI and going from a typical medieval setting to a swashbuckling pirate adventure but it's already obvious that the quality of the writing and RPG mechanics are so much improved here. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the rest of the game.

Yeah, I do...though I'd be lying if I didn't admit that a big part of it is simply because children are disease magnets. Which is honestly probably faulty thinking, since both times I've gotten Covid, it's actually been the fault of the same stupid bastard-ass coworker whose kneecaps I want to take a sledgehammer to because she's always coming in while sick. I barely work in-person and she's not even in my department, and yet somehow this part-time moron still manages to get me (and others) sick. When I was a kid, my father literally killed one his coworkers, who he knew was immuno-compromised, by going into work while he was sick while not bothering to try to be careful (and while I wish I could say that it might've been his mind being affected by his illness, my father was, in fact, also a total bastard-ass, so I'm not much inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt). It's so incredibly negligent, especially if your job is not actually trying to make you come in to work while sick. I feel like watching fever dream movies while you're sick is like, probably the worst time to watch them, while a movie you've already seen is not nearly as big of a deal, even if it still fits the billing. Time to re-watch some Ken Russell films... Speaking of Ken Russell films, I've watched Ken Russell's The Boy Friend (1971) literally about 15 times since I first watched it early last year, so someone please send help. It's so rare that a film you watch the first time as an adult is one you can watch over and over and over like you would have as a child (or at least it is for me!), so I think I can now fairly qualify this as one of my very favorite films of all time. I've even purchased DVDs and blu-rays to give out to family and friends that I think might be interested, since it doesn't stream anywhere and I need the share the madness of this silly matinee show musical that is unlike any other I've seen...

@Bartimaeus That was a funny read...not that youre sick, just how you described it. Get well soon. :airfistbump: Knock on wood, Ive somehow been able to shuck and jive the rona this whole time, even when my wife sweating her way through a bout of it laying right next to me a few years ago. Out of curiosity, do you keep up with the booster shots? I had the first two shots whenever it all first started, and one booster after that, then I was done with it.

So, the first game I played that was made by Obsidian was Knights of the Old Republic 2. It was to be representative of the early productions of the studio. Yes, admittedly, it was rushed, technically very flawed and was clearly lacking content that was cut to make the deadline. But it was still a gem, inserting shades of grey in the normally two-toned world of the Star Wars universe, and in doing so making the world feel that much more real and worthwhile. The characters were believable; they didn’t just exist simply to further the story, but they each had their own agenda, and they were all tied to the player character in their own unique way, as was slowly revealed throughout the story. And this is what I feel Obsidian so often manages to add to a world, whether it’s an Obsidian original, or borrowed from another’s intellectual property. They take their narratives seriously; they build their worlds to be believable and they allow their characters to live their own lives and not simply be window dressing for the main characters. I remember going through Mask of the Betrayer, the Neverwinter Nights 2 DLC, for the first time and being awed by the gravity of its story. This was a story of mythological proportions, pitting you against the laws of its universe and death itself, and in a way where you were never quite sure what exactly was the right choice to make. The ending did not offer simple black and white choices, a hallmark of the sort of Obsidian games that I hold dear, and of which I cherish fond memories. I kept following Obsidian throughout the years, and each time I would look forward with anticipation to whatever the studio would come up with next. Fallout: New Vegas was a huge success, of course. And when the studio started doing Kickstarters for their own IP, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind to throw some money their way. It did not leave me disappointed, both Pillars of Eternity games wove exactly the sort of deep narrative, rich with lore and worldbuilding, that I have come to expect from the studio. Remarkably, the studio has not lost its soul throughout the years, as exemplified by the 2022 release of Pentiment. Set in the fictional town of Tassing in historical 16th century Bavaria, this game plays like a detective story. But the catch is that actual detectiving is a fool’s errand. Whoever you end up picking as the culprit, you never have enough evidence to be certain that you have picked the right perp. Not that the powers that be mind very much; they’re happy so long as someone is seen to be executed for the crimes. You could say that the true objective of Pentiment is to unravel the underlaying plot, and to eventually confront the real thread spinner that has immersed the quiet town of Tassing in a state of chaos. But I don’t think that’s quite right. For me, the real objective of the game is to, if only for a moment, make it possible for you to transport yourself to a different time and a different place, and to contemplate what life was like for people in those days, and what kind of choices they were confronted with as the last vestiges of the old were being blown away by the winds of modernity. And now, it will not be long before their next much anticipated game will come out. I will be honest, when I first heard of the studio working on what was then still considered to be the studio’s answer to Skyrim, I was sceptical. It seemed like they might be biting off more than they could chew, and I felt the sort of formula behind Skyrim didn’t seem to play to the studio's strength. But now that I’ve seen the first previews, I’m glad to see that it’s actually nothing like Skyrim. It seems smaller in scope, less focused on a large open world, and actually aiming more for a smaller, more intimate experience. A lot has been made about the combat, and luckily the latest news seems to be that there’s been a lot of improvements on that front. But what I find more interesting is that once again Avowed looks to have characters with their own voices and their own agendas. And once again there seems to be a rich story with plenty of mysteries to unravel. I honestly can’t wait, and I’ve always taken the week after the release free from work, so I can fully enjoy it without any distractions. I’m sure I’ll have a great time.

Great blog. A very interesting and fun read!! And your gaming interests very closely mirror my own! After RPGs, it's strategy games and builder/management games for me as well.

^ I don't know about gamers vs. non-gamers, or whether I'd even be one or the other - I suspect I'm in the middle somewhere, and mostly I'm just task/order/efficiency-obsessive - but my issue with story or "realistic" RPG (vs. fast arpg's/looters) is if I realize a NPC is trying to give me a quest, I will run far away. Hence I never get anywhere in them in the long run so what's the point. It's not just combat - although that is a large factor re: whether I might even idly/briefly check something out at all - nor does it matter to me how well anything is written, I simply do not care to listen to/quest for NPC's, go away. There is generally little within most stat/gear based RPG loops - even sandboxy ones - that give me motivation anymore, outside of simple exploration/saw all the map perhaps. I wish I could still get into them but it's not where my brain travels. Death Stranding wasn't an RPG, but its gameplay loop was so different from the norm that I've experienced (well, most of it), and in some weird way it was so meditative, that I put up with a lot of stuff I wouldn't normally - like the few weird combat sequences and those mega-cutscenes, blargh - here and there. Outside of explore/build sandboxes, I need more oddball and different like that, stuff that doesn't feel like the same thing with a different skin, yet again. Man I hope DS2 doesn't suck.

https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/afriforum-solidarity-reject-trumps-refugee-offer-we-want-to-build-south-africa-20250208 The justification for this Afrikaans " refugee" migration offer has been exaggerated There is potential future risk around both nationalization and expropriation without compensation but that doesnt exist at the moment Afriforum which represents a large group of white Afrikaners had a press conference yesterday and they made several statements and clarifications around this US EO " While the groups welcomed the political pressure placed on the ANC government, they rejected the withdrawal of aid and the classification of Afrikaners as refugees. Buys stressed that Afrikaners do not want to leave South Africa, but rather seek conditions that allow them to thrive within the country. “Our ancestors came to Africa centuries ago, but we became Afrikaners here long before South Africa was a country. Our language and culture are indigenous to Africa,” he said. He emphasised that Afrikaners are not just a language group but a cultural community with deep ties to South Africa. While acknowledging that some Afrikaners may wish to emigrate, Buys rejected the idea of mass resettlement. He said: The repatriation of Afrikaners as refugees is not a solution. We want to build a future in South Africa. "

Interesting video. Guess we will find out in a few months if Ezra Klein is right or was very naive.

Well said, though games are complex and the players' hardware and software configurations are diverse, so waiting for at least a month before playing might bring a more enjoyable experience. Still, I do believe that you will have a great time even if there are minor technical issues. I am looking forward to the game, though more accessible and environmentally-friendly system requirements would be most welcome and I shall resist the urge to pre-purchase and take a vacation.

Some people have actual trouble with visual cues/spatial awareness (in certain graphic circumstances/games), or have trouble with firmly creating too many "brain to muscle (finger?) memory" pathways for reaction timings. Or in terms of learning, they are simply like me: can't be bothered and don't get any emotive satisfaction re: "I git gud" at games that want to kill you in 1-3 hits. KCD2 looks like a nice open world wander, but at this point in my life I enjoy watching someone like Cohh play/discover it for a while, then playing it myself. I know you can avoid a lot/most combat (and probably yappy npc quests etc) if you really want to, but that wouldn't lead one to "git gud" so then the few times you might HAVE to deal with it are the times when ppl like me would turn it off and never turn it on again. From watching Cohh however, it definitely looks like a nice game for those that like the rpg gameplay style.

I'd definitely recommend checking out a few "Kingdom Come 2 + combat" videos, on say, YouTube. Apparently IGN made one as well. It's different even for first person combat... Me I'm gonna check out the brunette in the bath houses now. Friday night fever! All dressed up for it -- not that I had the coin for these fancy cloth, mind you. Robbed most of it off a rich guy's body left behind by bandits. No idea why they didn't take that hat -- has an extremely high value for "charisma" as well.

Surprised the Buckets finally traded Kate Middleton

I have some wonderful recs for fever dreams, lmk if you want to be driven (more) insane.

I am currently dying of a covid infection, and so to celebrate the occasion, I decided to re-watch Rosemary's Baby. While my temperature spikes to 102 and above over the next few days (if current evidence as well as my first bout with the miserable fake news disease that's bound to disappear - like a miracle! - any day now were indications), I'd like to think to think that my illness in some way compares to It's a great movie: shame who made it, but this at least is one occasion where I can separate the art and the artist, maybe because it feels so much like Mia Farrow's movie than anything else. Now, I must return to my fever dreams.

@thelee behold Terrorimmolationzilla (huge gifs, will prob. load forever...): against some dummies (just to show the dmg numbers) against some tigers (just to show the healing) This is a Shifter/Kind Wayfarer with 18 CON + RES and only 12 MIG. I only used Nature's Terror + Sacred Immolation mostly as spells during this test. White Flames + Inspiring Triumph is a great combo in general imo (if you are offensively capable). The added lashes provide solid melee damage, Ring of Focused Flames raises FoD and Sacred Immolation ACC, Helm of the White Void raises Nature's Terror. Scion of Flame and Heart of the Storm add some PEN, too. Could also so Bleak Walker and go for +2 PEN for FoD with Spirit of Decay, but I think the White Flames are so much more useful. Also thought about Steel Garrote, but that only profits me and I like it that White Flames could also heal my allies while I'm shifted. Edit: I just realized that I forgot to use Cat Flurry while recording, rofl...