Lurker > Bartzyx

That's investing, not spending

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At least your mother tipped well

ShatteredElysium posted...

No because it's supposed to be a stimulus check not a benefits check.

Except they've found that households that make more than 78k are very unlikely to spend the money, with the average estimated to spend only $105 of the $1400 check.

So it doesn't even function well as a stimulus at higher incomes.

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At least your mother tipped well

#9 Super Metroid (SNES, 1994)

I am very surprised that I am the first one to rank this one. Either this really isn't the Metroid crowd, or everyone else who is ranking it is also saving it for the top. The latter would make sense, as it is a top game.



Super Metroid is the inspiration for an entire genre and then some, and yet, is still somehow better than pretty much all the games it inspired. I don't know how Nintendo got it so right on the first go (yes I know it's not the first Metroid game but it's the first "Metroidvania"). The length is perfect. It will take hours and hours the first time, and yet can be beaten in around an hour with some practice. Even subsequent casual playthroughs will still only clock in at a few hours if you just play straight through. The game lets you explore the world, but subtly guides you on where to go next. The design leaves you always with a new area to go back to and explore once you run into a dead end, and the first time through it all feels very organic.

The atmosphere is another stand-out part of Super Metroid. Planet Zebes is dark and mysterious, and the music reflects that mysterious and wondrous feeling of exploration perfectly. Each area of the world feels unlike the others, and finding the secrets within each area and filling out the map/inventory is a lot of fun.

Of course, it's also a great game mechanically. Samus has a lot of options for how to dispatch enemies and traverse the environment, and like the map, her abilities are all surfaced very naturally. Just through using her items you get a feel for their potential and how you can use them to your advantage. It was very empowering and made me feel like a genius.

Super Metroid is also one of the most classic speedrunning experiences, and maybe the definitive one. The Super Metroid race is I think still the headlining event at GDQ gatherings. It's probably my favorite to watch of the most-run games.

Writing this is making me want to play it againIt's actually been over a decade since I last did it. I should find some totally legal way to play it and see how well I do after all this time.

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At least your mother tipped well

#10 Final Fantasy XII (Playstation 2, 2006)

Final Fantasy XII is the latest mainline Final Fantasy that I have played. It was a bit of a departure for the series, going from what had always been somewhat turn-based to something close to real-time combat. And although Final Fantasy X had dispatched with the overworld map, XII took that a bit further with the interconnected open world. Or at least as open a world as anything that the series had seen to that point.



It's a very divisive title. I think most people who tried it out either love it or hate it. Not a secret then where I fall on that divide. I love almost everything about it. The setting goes for something more "normal" than what you usually see in the series, and that makes the story and characters much more grounded (Vaan's cartoon six pack aside). For the first time since VI, it feels like a true ensemble, with no true focal character, although Penelo becomes invisible partway through. I hear a lot of griping about all the focus on political machinations, but I could say the same about the typical Final Fantasy tropes; different strokes, blah blah blah. Like Tactics, regrettably, the climax of the story veers again towards the world-ending crisis that the series can't get away from, but I have accepted that. It's probably the weakest aspect of the game, but still pretty good, all things considered.

Where Final Fantasy XII really shines is how it plays. The designers ditched the random encounter system that had been used up to that point, so combat and exploration are seamless in transition. Not revolutionary even for its time, but a stark change to the series formula. You can choose to avoid most enemies in the world, which is nice. The areas are pretty non-linear, and often the only thing stopping you from going anywhere you want is the strength of your party. That's a really nice throwback to the first few games in the series, where you could just explore and then "whoops" you're getting killed in one hit in an area you're not supposed to be in yet. I really like those moments. Feels "old-school" like a lot of games from my childhood.



Another change is that you control just one character at a time, and basically program your allies using a series of priorities. You can still assume control at any time, but it's fun to be able to set some routines and watch them play out. Makes the grind a bit less of a grind, not that you really need to grind in this game, at least not until the post-game. Speaking of which, Final Fantasy XII delivers post-game content in spades. There are several extra dungeons to explore, superbosses to fight, and so on. It's probably the most that the series had delivered up to that point in terms of this kind of content.

The game looked good enough, but the voice samples were compressed which was very unfortunate. The soundtrack was not compressed though, and remains one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time. But I've said before that I prefer Sakimoto to Uematsu, so this is not a surprise. I really like all his Final Fantasy scores.



I first played this game I think four or five years after it first came out, on a tiny CRT in an apartment that I lived in by myself for a few weeks. I had moved to a new city for work and my then-fiance had yet to follow me out there. So I would go to work, come home, and just engross myself in the game. It was a fun few weeks and one of my favorite video game experiences, just something really magical. So, Final Fantasy XII has its place in my top ten through a combination of nostalgia for that sweet time, and also its outstanding merits.

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At least your mother tipped well

Guessing Nick's top 9

9 Mega Man 2
8 Disgaea Complete
7 Bowser's Inside Story
6 Paper Mario TTYD
5 Final Fantasy V
4 Ocarina of Time
3 Final Fantasy VII
2 Chrono Trigger
1 Final Fantasy XI

Maybe guess some more top 10s tomorrow.

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At least your mother tipped well

Bartzyx posted...

Here's a hint for my top 10 if anyone wants to guess:

1990
1992
1994
1995
2000
2000
2005
2006
2009
2012

So I'm really embarrassed. My 1990 game actually came out in 1991. Not sure how I got the release date confused like that.

Needed to correct that for the record.

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At least your mother tipped well

My list so far:

#100 Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
#99 Flower
#98 Plants vs. Zombies
#97 Duke Nukem II
#96 Heavy Rain
#95 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
#94 Shadow of the Colossus
#93 Pokemon RBY
#92 The Wolf Among Us
#91 God of War: Ghost of Sparta
#90 Darksiders
#89 Resident Evil 1
#88 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
#87 Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol
#86 Awesomenauts
#85 Wolfenstein: The New Order
#84 Binary Domain
#83 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
#82 Capture the Flag
#81 Loom
#80 Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bse
#79 Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
#78 Gladiator
#77 Dead by Daylight
#76 SkyRoads
#75 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
#74 Total Annihilation
#73 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
#72 Bully
#71 The Walking Dead: Season 1
#70 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
#69 The Aethra Chronicles - Volume One: Celystra's Bane
#68 The Lost Vikings
#67 Chrono Trigger
#66 Resident Evil 4
#65 Halo: Combat Evolved
#64 Super Mario 64
#63 Secret of Evermore
#62 Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
#61 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
#60 Pinball Dreams
#59 Fez
#58 Dead Space
#57 Rock Band 2
#56 God of War III
#55 Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
#54 Operation Neptune
#53 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
#52 Excelsior Phase One: Lysandia
#51 Final Fantasy VI
#50 Command & Conquer
#49 Batman: Arkham Asylum
#48 Jak II
#47 Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
#46 God of War II
#45 Dead Space 2
#44 Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
#43 Wing Commander: Privateer
#42 Metroid: Zero Mission
#41 Super Meat Boy
#40 Super Mario Bros.
#39 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
#38 Jazz Jackrabbit
#37 Super Mario Galaxy 2
#36 Final Fantasy IV
#35 Cannon Fodder
#34 Borderlands 2
#33 Hotline Miami
#32 Metroid Fusion
#31 Bioshock
#30 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
#29 Battlefield 2
#28 Journey
#27 Final Fantasy X
#26 Commander Keen in "Goodbye, Galaxy!"
#25 The Legend of Kyrandia: Book Two - The Hand of Fate
#24 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
#23 Command & Conquer: Red Alert
#22 Bioshock 2
#21 Fantasy General
#20 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
#19 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
#18 Bioshock Infinite
#17 Wing Commander
#16 The Last of Us
#15 Star Fox 64
#14 SimCity 2000
#13 Final Fantasy Tactics
#12 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
#11 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

Here's a hint for my top 10 if anyone wants to guess:

1990
1992
1994
1995
2000
2000
2005
2006
2009
2012

And if you want another hint, I will give it to you if you can go through my 90 previous write-ups and find the one that is complete bullshit. Yeah, I gave a completely fake write-up for one of my games, and I'll reward whoever can find it!

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At least your mother tipped well

I've never heard of any of these

oldbartz

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At least your mother tipped well

I don't think there is like one homogeneous "community" of cuckolds. It's impossible to know what this guy might have been into, if he was even into it at all.

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At least your mother tipped well