Hurlshort

No there was definitely something wrong with that trailer. Story-rich does not preclude plot-holes and contradictions. It just means it has a lot of story. Just like calorie-rich food doesn't mean it tastes good or is healthy. Anyways, BG3 is an absolute mess of story, for sure. They tried to give every throwaway NPC a backstory and it's a bit crazy. It's one thing to have a town with named NPC's and quests revolving around them, but then they named every NPC in the enemy bases. Even the forest critters seem to have backstories. I didn't stop many to ask, but I'm sure each of the squirrels running around the forests have some lengthy diatribe on their family history. Is it good story? I've said it before, if you don't like Larian's writing, then you aren't going to like that they put 1000% more in this game.

I thought you were trying to seem less snobbish. Rings of Power is definitely my bag. It was right up my alley and I can't wait for more. Which is why I'm concerned that it was badly recieved. Barbie is pretty much the opposite. It was a huge hit and well recieved. It also wasn't really geared towards me. Sure, I enjoyed it, but for my wife, her mom, and my daughter it was a powerful film that evoked their childhood and mirthfully touched on their struggles as women in this society. So yeah, I'm puzzled when people can't see outside of themselves enough to recognize that a film isn't really geared towards them.

Side note: Did you grow up with Barbies in the 80's and 90's? The movie is pretty much tailored to that audience, so it would make sense that it fell flat if you weren't exposed to that in your youth.

None of the stuff I nominated made the final list except for BG3, so I'm bummed. JA3 definitely deserved to be on the Best Game You Suck At category, and Conan Exiles is definitely a labor of love. That being said, I'm happy to put BG3 up as Game of the Year and Story Rich game. I definitely want more games in that vein. The other options have little appeal. Hogwarts Legacy was pretty good though. My kids played the heck out of that one. Starfield was a good game and I'll play it a lot more over the years, but I'm not sure how it is innovative. It is still Skyrim in Space. I haven't played the others, but looking at the list, they are all pretty unique.

The Creator - It was nice to look at. Allison Janney was pretty fun as a gung-ho American patriot. Other than that it was kind of lacking. There was a lot of chaos and violence and it was just so-so.

I've restarted about a dozen times over the years, and I've ditched most of the mods I used to use. I always have a tough time going back to old high level characters, so I've found I prefer to just start everything fresh. Granted hat means I grind through the early stuff a lot, but funcom has tightened up the early game, so it's not bad.

I thought my attacks were wonky! I'm not close to actually assaulting the fortresses. I just hit level 39 and have a pretty haphazard base setup. I think I'll need to tighten it up. I've never actually triggered a purge, but the new treasure horde dynamic makes it interesting, so I figure I'll work towards that as well.

My daughter was pretty obsessed with this movie as a kid and wanted to be a drummer because of it. We've been watching the new animated version, but it doesn't have the same magic.

I just watched Gran Turismo with the family, and it is far and away the best video game movie ever made. It's also a pretty sweet racing movie. It was extremely well done and you all need to watch it, especially @Mamoulian War. It's on Netflix.

The stronghold (maybe it isn't Stygian?) is a new thing that you can attack. It is a fully destructible fortress. As is the ability to open a bar and hire people at your bar.

Leave the World Behind - This movie had a good cast, but it was pretty boring, and everyone did stupid stuff. It kind of had that horror movie thing going where people make dumb choices. Everyone except for Kevin Bacon, apparently. Also everyone is unlikable. I don't think this is how real people act, but maybe rich people are just ****.

I'm bludgeoning my way through Conan Exiles trying to get to the place I can open a bar. I'm up to level 36. I've skirted around the Stygian stronghold a few times and I'm contemplating relocating my base nearby. Currently I'm still set up new the newbie river, so it's time, but I hate packing up all my stuff and moving. It's amazing how much I've played this game, and yet I still stumble on stuff I've never seen while exploring.

It sound like you dreamed of Empyrion.

Eddie Murphy hasn't missed since he's come back, so I'm down. Also, Bronson Pinchot!

Huh, USA today is reporting they passed a bill with funds, but I'm not seeing many other reports on it. Weird.

But we do live under confinement. The cambridge definition you posted states: Games allows us to do impossible activities regularly. I don't figuratively cast spells in a game. I'm literally a wizard who can throw a fireball. That is the fictional setting that we are escaping into. I didn't start this nitpicky conversation. You went after Azdeus' use of the term escapism. Don't worry about being off topic, it's a random video game news thread. Words are interesting and layered, and I thought your definition of escapism was too limited. I can't say I love the Cambridge definition. This is the American Dictionary version: That feels like a clearer, simplified version. It removes the 'unpleasant or boring life' part which comes across as hard to judge. The vast majority of people enjoy escaping reality on occasion, no matter how grand their reality may be. edit: I'm completely willing to meet you halfway on the literal-figurative argument, now that I think about it. Sure, we are not literally becoming wizards when we play a game. I'm still not sure that the word figuratively fits here though. The game is allowing us to do impossible things, but it is limited only to that construct. I guess I will have to wait for the lethal VR headsets to become more common to use the term literally.

Conan Exiles is a good example for me of how to do microtransactions without making it pay to win. All of their store stuff is cosmetic. But they are so cool looking, everyone wants them. They don't affect the stats in any way. You can even play single player or your own server and cheese the system to get a bunch of the stuff unlocked. It doesn't matter that you are exploiting the system because it is just cosmetic stuff. It doesn't break the multiplayer side of the game.

I feel like you are the one using the term wrong. Escapism isn't usually considered unhealthy unless you are neglecting the real world while doing it. Most games are about constructing a new reality over the one you live in. It's a literal escape. Books and movies do the same thing.

I'm curious how Nikki Haley will do if she manages to secure the nomination. That might be the hard part. My instinct is she could beat Biden comfortably if she gets past the crazies in her party. She likely brings back the more moderate republicans that refuse to vote for Trump.

Have you been on social media? Have you been to Miami? I am pretty sure it is mostly just butt shaking. GTA has always been a parody of American excess, so I'd say they nailed the feel of Florida in that trailer.

Since Jodi Foster was mentioned, I thought I'd throw out a film called Nyad I watched recently with her and Annette Benning. It was a fantastic biopic. If you enjoy swimming, it was probably a more interesting film, but I expect it holds up well regardless. Diana Nyad is also just a complete badass. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/magazine/marathon-swimmer-diana-nyad.html

Sorry Kanisatha!

Kanisatha should probably add that she's never played BG3. The storytelling is silly, much like all of Larian's works. So it's safe to say if you didn't like the Divinity games, you won't like BG3. That being said, it is a big step up from D:OS2. What they do well in that game has been put on steroids in BG3. If you enjoy TB combat that uses a ton of environmental effects and a wide range of possibilities, this game is very impressive. It's not JA3, but it's still pretty good at that.

Pretty good mix of information, but it smacks as much of rampant nationalism and imperialism as it does white supremacy. Not that those things make it any better, but they definitely fit with the times. It's also a pretty mixed bag, with this quote: Contrasted by this: His comments on India are even more contradictory. So it's safe to say Churchill was a pretty complex case, rather than an outright bigot or racist. I'd also say it is safe to say that when it came to the politics of race, he tended to stick with what was politically expedient over any specific morality. He's not exactly a paragon of virtue, but I don't get the impression that he is seen that way by the British. That being said, I'll stick by my stance on politicians and statues.

Owning actual people is also a bit different than being racist. Not that it should be minimized. It's just good to keep it in perspective. Did his racism come across in any policy decisions? (In regards to Churchill.) My opinion is that statues of people are stupid. The exception might be sports heroes outside of their stadiums. If we are going to immortalize someone, it should be for cool stuff and not politics or war.