Hurlshort

Wartales - I decided to start a new run on easy. Easy combat, easy economy. I was doing fine on experienced, but it was taking a long time and there was a lot to keep track of. On easy I can just breeze through some systems and focus on the story and my fighters. I'm heading into the third area no, and my squad is pretty deadly. Easy isn't all that easy. There are still some tricky parts and you aren't going to get away with taking on stuff that is way higher than you, but it is more forgiving. Plus I'm not constantly broke.

Midnight Suns was amazing and you should just play it. I resisted for a long time too, but I was hooked after the first mission.

Roadhouse 2024 - The Patrick Swayze version isn't exactly high art, and this one is on thay same level. It basically relies on a charismatic lead character, which Jake Gyllenhaal is. So he is fun to watch while he punches people, or just looks like he is going to punch people. Connor McGregor is as crazy in the movie as he seems to be in real life. It was very much a peak into Florida life. I did hear the director was upset it went straight to streaming. He is wrong. This is a classic direct to DVD type flick. Nothing wrong with that and the production quality was good, but it was silly fun.

I know we had this conversation before, but Tim Burton hasn't even made that many movies in the last 30 years, and they've been pretty much all over the map in terms of style and content. The idea that he's somehow lost his mojo seems overstated to me. He's made 12 films since '94 and I'd say the only rough ones were Dark Shadows and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Maybe it's just Johnny Depp? No doubt Keaton will nail it with Beetlejuice, so I'm probably going to the theaters for this one.

Beetlejuice looks fantastic. Aliens looks like dumb people will do dumb things, but this time on space station, instead of an alien planet.

Wartales - I picked up the pirate expansion, but I still want to start a new game, since I have no idea what to do with my massive warband that I had before.

I passed this Space Marine living under a bridge on my way to work the other day... https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/bay-area-proud/hoping-to-lift-spirits-of-passers-by-homeless-san-jose-artist-creates-elaborate-wearable-suits-of-armor/3486632/?_osource=SocialFlowFB_BAYBrand&fbclid=IwAR3sJ2iXJsjx__gpKmnV2TbY3ithzjO5iyfqI7CmTYqJwYL68y2CVEpHAiY

I agree it's a user experience. I prefer as the use to have the time to plan out my moves, then have the computer respond, and then I get to respond and plan again. That's why I don't think you can say one is better than the other. It's like saying chocolate ice cream is miles above vanilla ice cream. They are just different flavors. I prefer vanilla, in case you need to know. But I'll put some chocolate chip on top to spice it up.

There are going to be lightsabers, so I wouldn't expect Andor. Probably more in line with Ahsoka, which I haven't watched yet. I assume it is about an acolyte.

The main thing I like about Obsidian is the writing quality. Gameplay can be hit or miss with me, but I know when I buy an Obsidian title, it will be well written. I'm pretty sure I've played them all, except that Pathfinder card game and the tank game they helped with. There are a lot of other developers that can't pull off the writing Obsidian does. Bethesda. Owlcat. Larian. The list goes on. Obsidian can write circles around them.

All those woke Enlightenment authors are corrupting the youths.

I've got some plastic bags, some floppy disks, and a dot matrix printer. I can publish it for you.

Condolences Majestic.

Goblin Stone was super grindy. It is still very charming, but I think 10 hours in, I'm going to set it aside. I don't regret the $20 I dropped on it though. I think I'll play Mount and Blade 2 for a bit.

Damsel - I sat down to watch this after a long day, and was just looking for something easy to watch for a bit while I ate dinner. It looked like a generic fantasy flick, and it definitely fit that bill. Early on it was pretty, but a bit wooden. The acting was very meh. But then it got better. It wasn't unpredictable, per se, but the twists were carried out well and a bit darker than expected. The buildup and pacing was well done, and I found myself unable to turn it off. Millie Bobby Brown went from a wooden princess to a badass and it was a solid progression. It ended on a high note (despite the last 20 seconds or so.) Anyways, I'm sure it won't be majestic enough for everyone here, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. Also, Angela Bassett also seemed out of place at first, but then she flipped the script and become my favorite character.

As expected Goblin Stone is fantastic and addicting. I haven't had much luck breeding my goblins though.

Picked up Goblin Stone, which looks delightful. https://www.orcchopgames.com/

The Show refers to making it to the big leagues. When you are a minor league player and finally get a chance to play at the top level, they say you've been called up to the show. Considering how long players can spend in the minors before sniffing an at-bat, it's a big deal. The game does a good job of recapturing that minor league grind, although some of the previous versions were better at it.

What is network TV? Is that a new streaming service?

MLB The Show is letting you create female players for the Road to the Show mode. Which, in hindsight, kind of makes you wonder what took so long. I'm sure I'll get some entertainment from dumb people arguing about realism in a video game that lets you beat every MLB record in the books.

It's before my time, but Bob Newhart is an institution. Here's a write up on it: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/newhart-last-episode/

@majesticLost was certainly a mess of story, but I enjoyed the setups and the unravelling mystery aspect. I also felt it was character driven, so I cared less about the science or lore of the island itself. How I Met Your Mother is a funny one, because there is no way the writers expected it to have the success or the run that it had. That made it pretty awkward at the end, but I'll go back to saying that show was also about characters and witty dialogue, and I thought it did all that well enough. Not every comedy can end like Newhart, even though they all probably should. That ending basically told everyone to relax, it's a comedy and the story was just a stupid dream. I think you've got this impression that I just enjoy everything. Don't worry, I too have plenty of disappoints in my media life. I just try not to dwell on them, and the stuff I put time into, I try to focus on the best parts. I'm still pissed off at Wheel of Time, if that makes you feel better. edit: I also aways saw Lost as religiously allegorical. Religions are filled with plot discrepancies, so it fit the tone.

This seems targeted at me. Loki certainly isn't bad writing. It's a serialized TV show, so it also probably isn't high art. There would seem to be a lot of wiggle room in between those two. Is Robert Howard bad writing? I don't know, I used to write stuff in college and I wanted to be a novelist. Wrapping up stories is extremely difficult. I'm a bit more forgiving of the craft, I guess. I'm watching Resident Alien and it's a mess of a story, but it's also funny and endearing, so I'm happy to enjoy the ride. Even when you say something like: It is still really just an opinion. I'm guessing the writers had a plan and didn't just throw a bunch of stuff at a wall to see what stuck. People can spend all day on the internet arguing about whether it was consistent or not, or whether the character had motivation to act like they did. And we do. We get to spend as much time as we want arguing about it online as we like thanks to the miracle of the internet. Yay.

I'm on the last of the Legacy missions for Xcom 2. They do a good job of tying the narrative together, and it is fun playing with both Bradford and Shen. I've also been getting my strategy swagger back and enjoying a few flawless missions. They don't let you save scum in these legacy missions. You can restart but you lose points, so it's a good challenge. I did have a sniper bleed out on the last mission. I felt bad, but there was no healer on the squad. It haunts me a little.

I'm not your personal shopper, so it would be troublesome for me to dig through all of the indie titles that might strike your fancy. I gave you a list of stores that you can find them in and that would seem to be enough. (I did actually list a bunch of the mainstream ones in the works, so I guess I do a little bit of personal shopping.)