Lurker > Bartzyx
LurkerFAQs, Active DB, DB1, DB2, DB3, DB4, DB5, DB6, DB7, Database 8 ( 02.18.2021-09-28-2021 ), DB9, DB10, DB11, DB12, Clear
| Board List | |
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| Topic | How do you rank the Disney Princesses? |
| Bartzyx 04/16/21 1:35:09 PM #13 | I don't --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | The Fitness Topic |
| Bartzyx 04/12/21 11:15:17 AM #2 | |
| Topic | I am so glad that Sephiroth didn't end up being completely broken in Ultimate |
| Bartzyx 04/10/21 10:49:16 AM #4 | https://media.tenor.com/images/42b322b1775b450d67b6e98882e349c1/tenor.gif --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | I am so glad that Sephiroth didn't end up being completely broken in Ultimate |
| Bartzyx 04/10/21 10:43:47 AM #2 | would you give sephiroth a blowjob --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Anyone here have experience with personal trainers? |
| Bartzyx 04/09/21 4:20:48 PM #3 | I didn't have a personal trainer but I have worked out with a trainer in small groups. It is very helpful if you are not sure about form and routine and so on. Even watching videos it is hard to get the form down for certain lifts without someone knowledgeable there to critique you. But yeah, once you have learned how to do it, the main benefit is the structure/motivation/accountability. I work out on my own now that I know how to do all my exercises and I supplement with online research when needed. That being said, I would not really trust a trainer from a place like Planet Fitness. Would get a referral from someone who you trust. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | So my relationship is over... |
| Bartzyx 04/09/21 4:14:24 PM #79 | Then take back the car lol. It's yours you're going to have to pay child support, dont let her screw you even more --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Xenosaga 2 and Final Fantasy 8 are the best games in their respective series. |
| Bartzyx 04/01/21 12:36:26 PM #3 | Neither of those games are the worst in their respective series, at least. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | What's the justification for paying (Mortgage) interest up front? |
| Bartzyx 04/01/21 12:27:47 PM #6 | By the way, if you think that's a scam, there are literally mortgages where you only pay the interest for the first several years. In that case, you would still have the same principal amount as you did when you started. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | What's the justification for paying (Mortgage) interest up front? |
| Bartzyx 04/01/21 12:20:43 PM #5 | It's the result of amortizing the loan over a period of 30 years. In order to make the payments the same every month, you will not have much money left to pay principal at first. If you want to pay more principal than interest from the start, you would have to reduce the term of the loan to less than 15 years (depending on the interest rate, more or less), which is not a financially feasible solution for most borrowers. Especially on a VA loan which may not require a down payment. Remember, you borrowed tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars. Interest is going to be a bitch. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | What's the justification for paying (Mortgage) interest up front? |
| Bartzyx 04/01/21 11:36:25 AM #2 | Not sure what you mean? The mortgage accrues interest on a constant basis. At the beginning, the loan amount is higher so you pay more interest. As you pay down the loan, there is a lower balance and therefore less interest to pay. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Invest in stocks, or try to get a condo? |
| Bartzyx 03/29/21 2:30:22 PM #33 | If you do not intend to use the money before retirement age, then always use a tax-advantaged account. You can only put in $6000 into an IRA, but you could dump 19.5k into your employer-provided account. There are penalties associated with early withdrawal from a traditional IRA, and your 403b might not allow early withdrawals at all. You will want to check the plan document to make sure. A Roth IRA is after-tax so has the most flexibilityyou can take out your contributions at any time if you need to. As far as lump investing vs cost averaging, it all depends on your risk tolerance. Cost averaging is much safer, but on average your returns will be lower than if you just invest all your money immediately. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Invest in stocks, or try to get a condo? |
| Bartzyx 03/29/21 2:08:55 PM #27 | Stocks are liquid, but are not risk-free. Having 3-6 months emergency cash is a good idea, especially if you are single. It's to protect you if you lose your job. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Rumorzone - PS3, PSP and Vita PSN stores closing this summer |
| Bartzyx 03/29/21 1:45:24 PM #19 | They don't have to pay to run the store anymore. There are costs associated with running an online store beyond just having a server. Customer service, refunds, licensing, etc.. There are also opportunity costs. Every customer hanging around on the PS3 platform is someone that could instead be spending money on PS4 or PS5. They certainly have thought this through and believe it is in their best interest to do this. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Invest in stocks, or try to get a condo? |
| Bartzyx 03/29/21 1:22:48 PM #20 | It's not about making them money. In many cases these are working-class parents who need help from their children to make ends meet. I don't think Zach's mom is getting rich off of him living with her. If your parents are well-off in the US, they probably are not charging their kids rent. There's also the cultural difference where children are not expected to support their parents in retirement here. So it's a trade-off in a way. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | My wife suddenly decided she doesn't want kids anymore |
| Bartzyx 03/29/21 11:21:25 AM #14 | Typical Vlado to think that adoption is not a valid alternative for a couple who are not able to conceive naturally. Yes, the only solution is to leave her and find a new woman who is able to give birth! --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Invest in stocks, or try to get a condo? |
| Bartzyx 03/29/21 10:38:00 AM #14 | Well in that case you would hire a property manager. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Invest in stocks, or try to get a condo? |
| Bartzyx 03/29/21 10:23:41 AM #12 | Because Phoenix is literal hell --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | My wife suddenly decided she doesn't want kids anymore |
| Bartzyx 03/29/21 10:15:47 AM #2 | What about adopting? --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | I'm kind of torn on what to do with my daughter on this issue |
| Bartzyx 03/28/21 7:13:39 PM #3 | lol --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Goodbye hair... |
| Bartzyx 03/27/21 3:28:02 PM #8 | I learned to cut my own hair during COVID and I'll never pay to go to a barber again, I think. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | So my relationship is over... |
| Bartzyx 03/24/21 11:34:51 PM #16 | You can get money from the house and then rent for a while until you figure things out. Especially if you are moving to a new state, just renting for a while makes a lot of sense. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/24/21 7:08:12 PM #154 | games --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/22/21 12:05:03 PM #149 | #2 Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Nintendo DS, 2005) I don't care very much about Soma Cruz, Alucard, the Belmonts, or anybody else from these games. I mean, they are fine, but I'm in Castlevania 100% for the "game" part. Dawn of Sorrow is pretty much the best action game that I have ever played.  Dawn of Sorrow is the culmination of several years of iterations on the formula that Symphony of the Night introduced. As a result, it feels like the most polished, sophisticated, and playable game in the series. The crafting and soul system is robust and full of different choices that enable multiple styles of play. The graphics and sound effects benefit greatly from the upgrade from GBA to DS. The soundtrack is my favorite of the series, and an all-time great for me. Let me get something out of the way first. Yes, the magic seals are a crappy shoehorned gimmick that add nothing to the game. It was a lesson learned quickly in the Nintendo DS lifespan, and a shame that Castlevania had to go through it. Thankfully, emulation of this game just lets you skip these if you choose. Really the best way to address it if they remake this game is to ditch it entirely. But that is really the only flaw that I can see in an otherwise perfect game. Exploring Dracula's castle is a ton of fun, and the second screen with the constant map makes it so much more smooth. I know that "map" is like the most generic use for the Wii U or DS screen, but it's also super useful. It just makes sense to do it in games like this. Not having to pause the game to see where you are or where you need to go is a wonderful quality of life featurethere's a reason why many single-screen games overlay the map when possible. Not that Dawn of Sorrow doesn't have other reasons for you to climb around in the menus. As mentioned, there is a crafting system where you can upgrade weapons and so on. I won't get into the details here, but it gives you a reason to grind a bit besides just trying to increase your level. The best weapons are not necessary at all, but can be fun to earn if you like feeling overpowered. The souls are mostly unique and having multiple loadouts that can be switched on the fly is another feature that just adds to the smoothness of the game.  There are other great things about the game that I will briefly touch on. The multiple endings, Julius mode, Hard Mode, the silly multiplayer mode, boss rush, and I could go on. It's a very deep game with a ton of replayability. "Metroidvania" is one of my very favorite game genres and Dawn of Sorrow has yet to be topped in my experience. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | The only Star Wars poll that matters |
| Bartzyx 03/22/21 11:22:18 AM #18 | Solo is better than at least 3 Star Wars films! --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Rumorzone - PS3, PSP and Vita PSN stores closing this summer |
| Bartzyx 03/22/21 9:59:04 AM #4 | As long as I can still download my games I'm fine. I dont think I will ever buy a PS3 game again. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | If 100 men fought 100 women individually, how many times would a woman win? |
| Bartzyx 03/20/21 4:36:37 PM #47 | Assuming you just match them all up randomly, probably 15-25? You could manipulate the matches to swing it 10 points in either direction. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/20/21 12:18:22 PM #146 | I have DQV for the DS and I have tried to play it a few times. Just can't get into itmaybe the timing is bad. I always ditch it for something else. The gameplay of the DQ games is kind of boring for me. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/19/21 12:45:14 PM #142 | What is an update? A miserable little pile of games. #1 Chrono Trigger: 1969 (+30) #2 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: 1883 (+1) #3 Final Fantasy X: 1646 (+3) #4 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 1621 (-3) #5 Super Mario Odyssey: 1582 (-3) #6 Pokemon RBY: 1303 (-2) #7 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening: 1275 (+19) #8 Final Fantasy V: 1266 (-3) #9 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: 1180 (-2) #10 Super Smash Bros. Melee: 1168 (-2) #11 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations: 1129 (+39) #12 Rock Band 2: 1127 (+39) #13 Super Mario Galaxy: 1078 (+39) #14 Borderlands 2: 1043 (-5) #15 Mother 3: 1032 (-5) #16 Earthbound: 1022 (+69) #17 Metal Gear Solid 3: 995 (-6) #18 Jackbox Party Pack: 980 (-6) #19 Super Mario World: 944 (-6) #20 Mario Kart 8: 913 (-6) #21 Metroid: Zero Mission: 900 (-6) #22 Final Fantasy IV: 881 (-6) #23 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: 877 (-6) #24 Super Mario RPG: 867 (-6) #25 Pokemon GSC: 858 (-6) #26 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: 845 (-6) #27 Super Mario 3D World: 839 (-6) #28 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: 834 (-6) #29 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: 832 (-6) #30 F-Zero GX: 830 (-6) #31 Mega Man 3: 828 (-6) #32 Final Fantasy VII: 822 (+185) #33 Super Mario Bros. 3: 805 (-6) #34 Bloodborne: 800 (+226) #35 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: 793 (-7) #36 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: 791 (-7) #37 Final Fantasy Tactics: 772 (-7) #38 The Last of Us: 760 (-6) #39 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2: 741 (-6) #40 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: 731 (-6) #40 Fallout 3: 731 (-6) #42 Dragon Quest VIII: 727 (-6) #43 Kirby Super Star Ultra: 724 (-6) #44 Steins;Gate: 718 (-6) #44 Killer7: 718 (+199) #46 Final Fantasy VI: 713 (-7) #47 Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: 710 (-7) #48 Virtue's Last Reward: 698 (-7) #49 Pokemon Puzzle League: 697 (-7) #50 Yoshi's Island: 690 (-7) #51 Super Mario 64: 688 (-7) #52 Mega Man 2: 679 (-7) #53 Resident Evil 4: 677 (-7) #53 Paper Mario: 677 (-7) #55 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice: 674 (-7) #56 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: 673 (+46) #57 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: 666 (-8) #58 Persona 5: 613 (+489) #59 Seiken Densetsu 3: 610 (-6) #60 Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal: 600 (-6) #61 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3: 594 (-6) #62 Elite Beat Agents: 577 (-6) #63 Bioshock: 575 (-6) #63 The Outer Wilds: 575 (NEW) #63 Crusader Kings III: 575 (NEW) #66 Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: 574 (-8) #67 Valkyria Chronicles: 567 (-8) #68 Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective: 560 (-8) #69 Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising: 550 (-8) #69 Xenogears: 550 (-8) #69 Trails of Cold Steel II: 550 (-8) #69 Deus Ex: 550 (NEW) #69 Street Fighter IV: 550 (NEW) #74 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: 547 (-10) #75 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: 546 (-10) #76 Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call: 543 (-10) #77 Chrono Cross: 541 (-10) #78 Dance Dance Revolution: 540 (-10) #79 Undertale: 538 (-10) #80 Sonic the Hedgehog 2: 530 (-10) #80 The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: 530 (-10) #82 Pikmin 3: 528 (-10) #83 Mario Party 2: 527 (-10) #84 Phantasy Star IV: 525 (-10) #84 428: Shibuya Scramble: 525 (-10) #84 Spec Ops: The Line: 525 (-10) #84 Dragon Quest XI: 525 (NEW) #88 Mega Man X: 519 (-11) #89 Persona 4: 518 (-11) #90 Return of the Obra Dinn: 513 (-11) #91 Metroid Prime: 512 (-11) #92 Portal 2: 510 (-11) #93 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels: 505 (-11) #94 Final Fantasy XI: 500 (-11) #94 Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis: 500 (-11) --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | What are RPGs that take place in the modern day? |
| Bartzyx 03/18/21 6:15:45 PM #13 | FFTA Ni no Kuni Secret of Evermore --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | I need an outsider's perspective and possible advice for my wife and I. |
| Bartzyx 03/13/21 8:54:01 PM #51 | I really like Nova. It's a great place to raise a family: good schools, diverse people, tons of green space and lots of history and culture. The weather is generally good; natural disasters are very rare, and it does not get extremely hot or cold. I'm a short drive from Washington, but also can take an easy weekend trip to West Virginia or the Shenandoahs or the beach. I understand that you don't have any friends here and miss the ones you have in Utah, but the area has a ton of veterans, what with all the defense contractors. You might be able to make some connections once things start turning back to normal. Making friends is something that you have to do anywhere that you move. I disagree with foolmo's assertion that everyone here is depressed. Most of my neighbors and coworkers really like it here. I think it just depends on who you surround yourself with. I could be happy retiring here eventually. There are very few places in the country that I would rather live at this point, and anywhere I would rather live is so much more expensive than here. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Hi, this is Suzy calling with the vehicle services department. |
| Bartzyx 03/12/21 7:26:34 PM #3 | Today I got a call from Tony who has a robot voice. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Rate my gf's and my toy haul! |
| Bartzyx 03/12/21 2:59:27 PM #20 | waste is waste --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/09/21 8:37:13 PM #103 | #3 Deus Ex (Microsoft Windows, 2000) I am fascinated by conspiracy theories. I love reading about them, and learning how and why they came to be. Not a believer or supporter, but it's a wacky side of the world that I enjoy following. Deus Ex is a game that imagines what the future would be like if all the conspiracy theories were true.  This first-person RPG set in the year 2052, in a world that is being ravaged by a deadly pandemic. A vaccine is in short supply and provided only to the rich and powerful, which has given rise to terrorist groups attempting to steal it. JC Denton, the player character, is an operative of UNATCO, a UN anti-terrorist organization. He is one of the first people in the world to be augmented with nanomachines, which give him superhuman abilities. This system of augmentations is one of the bases for the game's character progression, the other being skill points that can be allocated to areas such as weapon accuracy or hacking. JC starts out very limited in the beginning, and has trouble dealing with the most basic of enemies, but is able to grow very formidable by the end of the game.  The game is rich in story, with a variety of characters to interact with, sidequests to undertake, and secrets to find. It's presented semi-linearly through a series of areas; some areas are connected together and visited many times, while others are seen only for a single mission. I call the game an RPG, and that is what it is first and foremost, but much of the combat is handled through first-person shooting. You can also opt for melee weapons, if that is more your style, or much of the time combat can be avoided altogether. Deus Ex was innovative in that it was purposefully designed to accommodate many different styles of play, and the open-ended levels encourage exploration and strategy in planning your approach. You could stealthily infiltrate a building, hacking the security to attack your enemies. Or, enter through the front entrance, guns blazing. Countless games have done this since then, I know, but Deus Ex was a pioneer here and it really impressed me when I first experienced it.  Each part of JC's body can be upgraded with nanomachines, and with each initial upgrade, there is an irreversible decision to be made between two abilities. For example, you can upgrade the legs to give either extra running speed, or silent running. The speed will help in combat, but the silence might help you skip combat situation altogether. An upgrade could make JC invisible to the naked eye, or the other choice would make him invisible to cameras and electronics. In some cases, the choices aren't perfectly balanced, but by and large you can choose the pieces that specialize in your preferred style of play. Alternatively, you can mix and match to be more well-rounded. Deus Ex goes a lot of places. The first act is confined to locales in and around UNATCO headquarters in New York City, but as JC finds himself involved in global conspiracies, he begins visiting cities all over the world, each rendered in blocky low-res late-90s glory. The game touches on all sorts of crazy conspiracies, including aliens, the Illuminati, one world government, man-made disease, vaccines, and Area 51. Given certain recent events, a lot of Deus Ex feels relevant today, which is kind of incredible for a 20-year old game.  JC Denton is a strange character. His voice actor was instructed to give an emotionless, deadpan delivery, and yet the character is written to wisecrack constantly. The result is a kind of dissonance that is unique to this game. It's kind of goofy, and bad, but also quite endearing. The game does not hold up perfectly now. As noted, other games have taken the concepts that Deus Ex introduced and improved on them. The voice acting was not even that good for its time, and now is pretty laughable. The graphics have also aged quite poorly, even with numerous and impressive mods that do a decent job of helping in that respect. But I have incredible nostalgia for this game, and I am in love with its premise and characters, as cheesy as they can often be. I do acknowledge that it was kind of a hard game to get into in 2000, and much more so now. But this is my list, and it was very hard to find even two games that I love more than I love Deus Ex. Deus Ex also is responsible for some of the best memes and stupid stuff out there on the internet. An all-time favorite of mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmOCsiZgAbg --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/08/21 10:33:25 PM #95 | #1 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 1621 (=) #2 Super Mario Odyssey: 1582 (=) #3 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: 1383 (=) #4 Pokemon RBY: 1303 (=) #5 Final Fantasy V: 1266 (=) #6 Final Fantasy X: 1186 (=) #7 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: 1180 (=) #8 Super Smash Bros. Melee: 1168 (=) #9 Borderlands 2: 1043 (=) #10 Mother 3: 1032 (=) #11 Metal Gear Solid 3: 995 (+81) #12 Jackbox Party Pack: 980 (-1) #13 Super Mario World: 944 (+80) #14 Mario Kart 8: 913 (-2) #15 Metroid: Zero Mission: 900 (-2) #16 Final Fantasy IV: 881 (-2) #17 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: 877 (-2) #18 Super Mario RPG: 867 (-2) #19 Pokemon GSC: 858 (-2) #20 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: 845 (-2) #21 Super Mario 3D World: 839 (-2) #22 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: 834 (-2) #23 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: 832 (-2) #24 F-Zero GX: 830 (+145) #25 Mega Man 3: 828 (-3) --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/08/21 9:12:05 PM #94 | (...continued) The Line presents choices throughout the story. They aren't really "moral" choices, because often the choice becomes choosing between two bad things, or a bad thing and a worse thing. And the choices don't have many long-term consequences, although a couple are referred back to later. But it does give the player some agency in how ruthless Walker is. Although, some of the worst things Walker does are unavoidable, and that is probably enough to turn a lot of people off of the game. Either enable Walker to do these terrible things, or stop playing the game. The game does let you control how Walker ultimately reconciles everything at the end. There are a slew of endings based on how you navigate the last few minutes.  I enjoy the story of the game and the unusual themes that it addresses. It dwells a lot on the horrors of war and how it can negatively affect the mental health of those who engage in it. Walker wants to be a hero and thinks that he's a hero, even as he commits despicable acts in pursuit of his own glory, and he is traumatized. It's a sharp contrast to other games that kind of gloss over what this kind of violence does to a person. You know, I just showcased Uncharted 2 as one of my favorite games ever, but that series is kind of a meme for how nonchalantly Nathan Drake shoots and kills hundreds of people, even though his killing may be justified. The Line makes it impossible to ignore this issue and not so subtly points out how nasty the whole situation is.  The gameplay itself is good. The shooting feels mechanically satisfying and there are a lot of different guns to try out. The shootouts utilize some basic squad tacticsyou can give your mates orders and they will do their best to execute. The game presents a ton of verticalitysince Dubai is buried under a mile of sand, there are many opportunities to move through, and usually down along, skyscrapers. The varied environments do a great job of keeping the otherwise straightforward shooting fresh. The Line is tough though, especially at the end, so it can be a bit of a grind at that point.  The urban wasteland of Dubai is beautifully rendered (for 2012) and fun to explore. The artists put in a ton of work and made some really stunning areas with a bunch of original art, murals, graffiti, et cetera. The loading screens in particular have great stills from the campaign that are really gorgeous, and given the difficulty of the game, you will see them enough. The game's soundtrack is pretty good and makes wonderful use of licensed music, either diegetic or otherwise. The voice acting is very professionalthey got Nolan North to do the main role, and also picked up some Hollywood actors for some of the recurring characters.  All things considered, it's a very well-produced game. Due to the subject matter, it may not be very "fun," though. And it's certainly not a game for everyone. But I really enjoyed it and found the change of pace, subversion of expectations, and disturbing narrative to be a really neat surprise and an experience worth remembering. Just not a title that I find myself wanting to play again and again. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/08/21 9:12:00 PM #93 | #4 Spec Ops: The Line (Playstation 3, 2012)  In general, I am not really into military-themed shooters. I have played a few and enjoyed them for what they are, but you haven't really seen them on my list. Spec Ops: The Line is not your average military shooter, although you couldn't tell that at first glance. It subverts a lot of your expectations about this type of game and ends up being something very unique. I will go into specific detail on this (and also the game's whole story) so if you ever want to play this game "un-spoiled" you should probably stop reading now. And maybe also a warning that the content of the game is pretty disturbing/dark, so read at your own risk. Although I guess even that is a spoiler, but that's the risk you take when reading about a game you haven't played yet! And I don't think any of the other presenters in this topic played this game. This third-person shooter follows a trio of Delta Force operators in a near-future setting that has Dubai, UAE engulfed in an apocalyptic, never-ending sandstorm. They are sent to investigate the desertion and disappearance of a US Army battalion that was assisting the city with evacuation efforts. The leader of the Delta Force squad, Martin Walker, knows the battalion commander, Colonel Konrad, personally. It all starts off like a normal mission, with the trio fighting against local insurgents as they enter the city. Subsequently, Walker finds out the insurgents are being organized by CIA agents to fight against the remnants of the deserted Army battalion, and soon after the squad are targeted by the deserters. Disobeying orders to leave the city, Walker starts a personal war against Konrad and his army.  As the game progresses,  There are a number of things that make the game unique. The third-person perspective is unusual for military shooters, but it allows the player to get a better sense of Walker's condition and his emotions throughout the game. As I said before, at the start, it's all very standard stuff; typical army procedure and banter among the squad in their clean uniforms, fighting against Middle-Eastern insurgents. As the story moves forward,  (continued on next post...) --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/07/21 9:28:56 PM #85 | #5 Super Mario World (SNES, 1991) This is peak 2D platforming. I have not found anything that comes close in 30 years now. Everything about Super Mario World is sublime: the level design, the music, sound effects, aesthetic, length, secret areas, and more. Every game of its type that I have played since has always had to be compared to this one, and nothing has measured up.  And I really could leave it at that. But seeing as I ranked this game and not Super Mario Bros. 3, I thought I could speak to that decision. I think SMB3 is a great game, but it just did not make the cut for this list. And there are a number of reasons for this. First, SMB3 has a lot of levels that I do not really like. In particular, the autoscroller levels, whether they are airships or not, do not appeal to me. SMW has only a few of these, and is a better game for it. The length of the levels in SMB3 is too short for my taste. The raccoon tail is not as versatile as the cape. The Boo Houses are one of my favorite additions, and the design of those levels and the castles is beyond anything seen in SMB3. And I think most importantly, Super Mario World added the ability to go back and replay any level at any time. That was huge, and really gave an incentive to scour every level for secrets. Super Mario World has a ton of secrets, and discovering those secrets as a kid was just so exciting. Whether the Star Road entrances or the Top Secret Area or something else, I felt like I was an explorer finding things that nobody had seen before. This was all prior to the prevalence of the internet. And despite having beat it over and over, it's a game that I love coming back to and playing again. It just feels so much nicer to play than any other of the SMB games. Like I said, nothing has come close for me. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/07/21 12:22:25 PM #82 | #1 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 1621 (=) #2 Super Mario Odyssey: 1582 (=) #3 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: 1383 (+8) #4 Pokemon RBY: 1303 (-1) #5 Final Fantasy V: 1266 (+23) #6 Final Fantasy X: 1186 (-2) #7 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: 1180 (-2) #8 Super Smash Bros. Melee: 1168 (-2) #9 Borderlands 2: 1043 (-2) #10 Mother 3: 1032 (-2) #11 Jackbox Party Pack: 980 (-2) #12 Mario Kart 8: 913 (-2) #13 Metroid: Zero Mission: 900 (-1) #14 Final Fantasy IV: 881 (-1) #15 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: 877 (-1) #16 Super Mario RPG: 867 (-1) #17 Pokemon GSC: 858 (-1) #18 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: 845 (-1) #19 Super Mario 3D World: 839 (-1) #20 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: 834 (-1) #21 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: 832 (-1) #22 Mega Man 3: 828 (-1) #23 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening: 815 (-1) #24 Super Mario Bros. 3: 805 (+103) #25 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: 793 (-2) #26 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: 791 (-2) #27 Final Fantasy Tactics: 772 (-2) #28 Chrono Trigger: 769 (-2) #29 The Last of Us: 760 (-2) #30 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2: 741 (-1) #31 Fallout 3: 731 (-1) #31 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: 731 (-1) #33 Dragon Quest VIII: 727 (-1) #34 Kirby Super Star Ultra: 724 (-1) #35 Steins;Gate: 718 (+197) #36 Final Fantasy VI: 713 (-2) #37 Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: 710 (-2) #38 Virtue's Last Reward: 698 (-2) #39 Pokemon Puzzle League: 697 (-2) #40 Yoshi's Island: 690 (-2) #41 Super Mario 64: 688 (-2) #42 Mega Man 2: 679 (-2) #43 Resident Evil 4: 677 (-2) #43 Paper Mario: 677 (-2) #45 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice: 674 (-2) #46 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: 666 (-2) #47 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations: 649 (-2) #48 Rock Band 2: 647 (-2) #49 Super Mario Galaxy: 618 (-2) #50 Seiken Densetsu 3: 610 (-2) #51 Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal: 600 (-2) #52 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3: 594 (-2) #53 Elite Beat Agents: 577 (-2) #54 Bioshock: 575 (-2) #55 Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: 574 (-2) #56 Valkyria Chronicles: 567 (-2) #57 Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective: 560 (+489) #58 Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising: 550 (-3) #59 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: 547 (-3) #60 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: 546 (-3) #61 Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call: 543 (-3) #62 Chrono Cross: 541 (-3) #63 Dance Dance Revolution: 540 (-3) #64 Undertale: 538 (-3) #65 The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: 530 (-3) #65 Sonic the Hedgehog 2: 530 (-3) #67 Pikmin 3: 528 (+349) --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/06/21 6:31:35 PM #77 | Oh, I drew mario levels as a kid too! --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/06/21 11:13:48 AM #73 | #6 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Playstation 3, 2009) This game kind of got me back into video games after a few years of not playing much. It's the reason that I bought a PS3. It's the reason that I have 55 Platinum trophies. So in a way, it ruined my life.  Just kidding. I love the Uncharted series, and it might be my favorite series in video games (I think Final Fantasy and Super Mario Bros. are contenders for that title too). The action and adventure formula of third-person shooting combined with exploration and traversal just does not get old for me. But I've talked about the Uncharted games three times before now. What makes Uncharted 2 so much better than the others? Well to start, I think it has the tightest story. It introduces a bit of globe-trotting for the first time, but still remains focused on Nathan Drake's quest to find treasure. Uncharted 2 introduces a few great new characters, including the franchise's most memorable villains. The conflict between Chloe and Elena is personal and relatable and understandable, and is a nice way of making Nate re-evaluate his priorities and bringing something extra to his character. And poor  The places that the game takes you are some of my favorite environments from the series. The monastery is definitely the stand-out for me, but Nepal and Borneo are both also gorgeous and fun to explore. The setpiece moments are not to be forgotten, especially the train sequence, which is a GOAT piece of video gaming. The gameplay is tremendously improved from Drake's Fortune. Certainly the most significant quality improvement in the seriesalthough 3 and 4 did add some cool new features, it was nothing compared to what 2 brought to the table. The enemies feel more fair, the pacing is perfect, and there are a lot more options for getting around during fights. It's really night and day, the different between Uncharted 1 and 2.  Uncharted 2 is the first game in the series to feature multiplayer, both cooperative and competitive. The cooperative levels were an incredible challenge and I loved playing through them over and over with Wigs and DpOblivion. The competitive mode remains my favorite among any online shooter; I wish I could still go back to it (they shut it down a little while ago unfortunately). The focus on weapon control is something that I wish games still did, instead of all this loadout bullshit.  In my opinion, Uncharted 2 was perfect. The PS4 remaster was a great excuse to play through it all again, and it still looks fantastic. It's the definitive action blockbuster game and probably will retain that title for me for a long, long time. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/06/21 10:50:21 AM #72 | More frequent updates now that we are in the top 10 #1 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 1621 (=) #2 Super Mario Odyssey: 1582 (=) #3 Pokemon RBY: 1303 (=) #4 Final Fantasy X: 1186 (=) #5 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: 1180 (+23) #6 Super Smash Bros. Melee: 1168 (-1) #7 Borderlands 2: 1043 (-1) #8 Mother 3: 1032 (-1) #9 Jackbox Party Pack: 980 (-1) #10 Mario Kart 8: 913 (-1) #11 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: 903 (-1) #12 Metroid: Zero Mission: 900 (-1) #13 Final Fantasy IV: 881 (-1) #14 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: 877 (-1) #15 Super Mario RPG: 867 (-1) #16 Pokemon GSC: 858 (-1) #17 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: 845 (-1) #18 Super Mario 3D World: 839 (-1) #19 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: 834 (-1) #20 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: 832 (-1) #21 Mega Man 3: 828 (-1) #22 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening: 815 (-1) #23 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: 793 (-1) #24 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: 791 (-1) #25 Final Fantasy Tactics: 772 (-1) #26 Chrono Trigger: 769 (-1) #27 The Last of Us: 760 (-1) #28 Final Fantasy V: 741 (+142) #28 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2: 741 (-2) #30 Fallout 3: 731 (=) #30 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: 731 (-2) #32 Dragon Quest VIII: 727 (+169) #33 Kirby Super Star Ultra: 724 (-2) #34 Final Fantasy VI: 713 (-2) #35 Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: 710 (-2) #36 Virtue's Last Reward: 698 (-2) #37 Pokemon Puzzle League: 697 (-2) #38 Yoshi's Island: 690 (-2) #39 Super Mario 64: 688 (-2) #40 Mega Man 2: 679 (-2) #41 Resident Evil 4: 677 (+207) #41 Paper Mario: 677 (+146) #43 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice: 674 (-4) #44 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: 666 (-4) #45 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations: 649 (-4) #46 Rock Band 2: 647 (-4) #47 Super Mario Galaxy: 618 (-4) #48 Seiken Densetsu 3: 610 (-4) #49 Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal: 600 (-4) #50 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3: 594 (-4) #51 Elite Beat Agents: 577 (-4) #52 Bioshock: 575 (-4) #53 Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: 574 (-4) #54 Valkyria Chronicles: 567 (-4) #55 Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising: 550 (-4) #56 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: 547 (-4) #57 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: 546 (-4) #58 Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call: 543 (+357) #59 Chrono Cross: 541 (-5) #60 Dance Dance Revolution: 540 (-5) #61 Undertale: 538 (-5) #62 The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: 530 (-4) #62 Sonic the Hedgehog 2: 530 (-6) #64 Mario Party 2: 527 (-5) #65 Mega Man X: 519 (-5) #66 Persona 4: 518 (-5) #67 Return of the Obra Dinn: 513 (-5) #68 Metroid Prime: 512 (-5) #69 Portal 2: 510 (-5) #70 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels: 505 (-5) #71 Final Fantasy XI: 500 (NEW) #72 Earthbound: 497 (-6) #72 RollerCoaster Tycoon: 497 (-6) #74 Sonic Adventure 2: 483 (-6) #75 Mega Man 9: 480 (-6) #75 NieR: 480 (NEW) #77 Banjo-Kazooie: 479 (-7) #78 Metroid Fusion: 466 (-7) #79 Shining Force 2: 460 (NEW) #79 NieR: Automata: 460 (NEW) #81 Horizon Zero Dawn: 458 (-9) #82 Super Monkey Ball 2: 457 (-9) #83 Diddy Kong Racing: 456 (-8) #83 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception: 456 (-10) #85 SSX 3: 454 (-9) #86 Odinsphere: 445 (-8) #87 Super Mario World: 444 (-8) #88 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: 443 (-8) #89 Final Fantasy VII Remake: 442 (-8) #90 Mario Tennis: 441 (-8) #91 The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC: 438 (-8) --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Any of you have seen the movie Gran Torino? |
| Bartzyx 03/05/21 6:29:08 PM #5 | It's a pretty alright movie, kind of heavy-handed and silly at times. It's not a racist movie though. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Are you ok with the proposed 80k yearly income limit for the 1,400 stimulus |
| Bartzyx 03/05/21 11:15:33 AM #72 | Ah, so 15% = most got it --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/05/21 10:53:11 AM #63 | #7 Final Fantasy V (Super Famicom, 1992) This is probably news to nobody, but I took my online name from the main character of a Japanese RPG called Final Fantasy V. In English translations, that character is called "Bartz." I'm not sure why exactly I decided to do that, but I guess around 2000 I had the game on my mind. That's probably around when I first played it. Luckily for me, I still think it's an outstanding game and worthy of my name.  Other than my connection to it, the game is best known for its job system. Final Fantasy V bucks the trend of almost every other game in the series by having just four playable characters ( The story is fine. It's minimal, really, but still good. It's not why you play this game, so if the job system is not for you, there is not much to like here. But I really really like the job system, and the characters, while mostly simple and straight-forward, are also charming and have a wonderful appeal. The soundtrack is solid and upbeat and fits the game perfectly.  Graphically, the game is not improved at all from Final Fantasy IV. In fact, it probably looks a little worse, a little less polished. The whole game feels kind of rough, kind of experimental. But it works and I have grown used to the way it plays and looks. Plus it stars a character named "Bartz" so it must be awesome. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/04/21 11:51:39 PM #61 | A new leader! Time is running out for something to surpass it... #1 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 1621 (+10) #2 Super Mario Odyssey: 1582 (-1) #3 Pokemon RBY: 1303 (+2) #4 Final Fantasy X: 1186 (+9) #5 Super Smash Bros. Melee: 1168 (-3) #6 Borderlands 2: 1043 (-3) #7 Mother 3: 1032 (+200) #8 Jackbox Party Pack: 980 (+21) #9 Mario Kart 8: 913 (-5) #10 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: 903 (-4) #11 Metroid: Zero Mission: 900 (+27) #12 Final Fantasy IV: 881 (+37) #13 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: 877 (-6) #14 Super Mario RPG: 867 (+34) #15 Pokemon GSC: 858 (+45) #16 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: 845 (-8) #17 Super Mario 3D World: 839 (-8) #18 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: 834 (-8) #19 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: 832 (+32) #20 Mega Man 3: 828 (+53) #21 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening: 815 (+35) #22 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: 793 (-10) #23 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: 791 (+42) #24 Final Fantasy Tactics: 772 (-10) #25 Chrono Trigger: 769 (-10) #26 The Last of Us: 760 (-10) #27 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2: 741 (-10) #28 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: 735 (-10) #29 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: 731 (+47) #29 Fallout 3: 731 (+40) #31 Kirby Super Star Ultra: 724 (-12) #32 Final Fantasy VI: 713 (-12) #33 Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony: 710 (+123) #34 Virtue's Last Reward: 698 (-13) #35 Pokemon Puzzle League: 697 (+81) #36 Yoshi's Island: 690 (-14) #37 Super Mario 64: 688 (-14) #38 Mega Man 2: 679 (+135) #39 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice: 674 (-15) #40 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: 666 (+127) #41 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations: 649 (-16) #42 Rock Band 2: 647 (-16) #43 Super Mario Galaxy: 618 (+85) #44 Seiken Densetsu 3: 610 (+221) #45 Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal: 600 (-18) #46 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3: 594 (-18) #47 Elite Beat Agents: 577 (-17) #48 Bioshock: 575 (-17) #49 Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: 574 (+275) #50 Valkyria Chronicles: 567 (-18) #51 Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising: 550 (-18) #52 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: 547 (-18) #53 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: 546 (-18) #54 Chrono Cross: 541 (-18) #55 Dance Dance Revolution: 540 (-18) #56 Undertale: 538 (+321) #57 Sonic the Hedgehog 2: 530 (+248) #57 The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: 530 (+333) #59 Mario Party 2: 527 (-20) #60 Mega Man X: 519 (-20) #61 Persona 4: 518 (+480) #62 Return of the Obra Dinn: 513 (+300) #63 Metroid Prime: 512 (-22) #64 Portal 2: 510 (-22) #65 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels: 505 (+79) #66 Earthbound: 497 (-23) #66 RollerCoaster Tycoon: 497 (-23) #68 Sonic Adventure 2: 483 (-23) #69 Mega Man 9: 480 (-23) #70 Banjo-Kazooie: 479 (-23) #71 Metroid Fusion: 466 (-21) #72 Horizon Zero Dawn: 458 (-20) #73 Super Monkey Ball 2: 457 (-20) #74 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception: 456 (-20) #74 Diddy Kong Racing: 456 (-20) #76 SSX 3: 454 (-19) #77 Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy Curtain Call: 445 (NEW) #77 Odinsphere: 445 (NEW) #79 Super Mario World: 444 (-21) #80 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: 443 (-21) #81 Final Fantasy VII Remake: 442 (-20) #82 Mario Tennis: 441 (-20) #83 The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC: 438 (+406) #84 Advance Wars: Dual Strike: 435 (-21) #84 Castlevania III: 435 (-21) #86 Super Metroid: 430 (NEW) #86 WarioWare, Inc.: Mega MicroGame$!: 430 (NEW) #86 Hollow Knight: 430 (NEW) #89 Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland: 426 (-23) #90 Pop'n Music: 425 (-23) --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Phantom Brave and Soul Nomad coming to Switch/PC this summer |
| Bartzyx 03/04/21 12:02:31 PM #9 | Would the remastered La Pucelle Tactics still have the censored cigarette? That was my favorite part. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Board 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10 |
| Bartzyx 03/04/21 11:50:51 AM #48 | #8 Seiken Densetsu 3 (Super Famicom, 1995) One of the best games of its generation came out very late, and did not make it to North America at all for over 20 years. Luckily, through the power of emulation (and a decent fan translation), I was able to play it only a few years after its Japanese release. To this day I still think it's best-in-class.  Seiken Densetsu 3 (later localized in English as Trials of Mana) was the "sequel" to Secret of Mana. It plays a lot like its predecessor, but eschews a lot of the gimmicky stuff for more traditional RPG mechanics. This results in a more simple and refined action RPG gameplay that is really addictive and fun. Like Secret of Mana, you can play cooperatively with a friend, which was a huge part of the appeal for me. My brother and I played through the game together several times with different charactersthere are six to choose from in total, each with his or her own individual story to be told within the main narrative. It was one of the best-looking games when it came out. Very few SNES games can compare with it. The characters, enemies, and environments are all gorgeously animated and incredibly detailed. The boss enemies in particular are very well designed and drawn and are one of the highlights of the experience. The soundtrack also is one of my favorites of the 16-bit era.  I can't speak to the remake, although it is on my list of games to do someday. The lack of multiplayer in the remake is a pretty big bummer though. Like I said, the cooperative experience was a huge part of my love and nostalgia for the game. But if the gameplay holds up, I think I will still have a great time. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Are you ok with the proposed 80k yearly income limit for the 1,400 stimulus |
| Bartzyx 03/04/21 10:27:23 AM #32 | No, the first portion of your income should always be exempt from income tax. You should not be taxed on the money that you need to survive, that's immoral. The standard deduction and exemption was probably the most fair thing in the tax code. --- At least your mother tipped well |
| Topic | Do you use self storage space outside your home? |
| Bartzyx 03/04/21 10:22:28 AM #1 | Do you use self storage space outside your home?
Vote
--- At least your mother tipped well |
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