Lurker > CaptainOfCrush

Nanis23 posted...

I can't defend this

Sure you can, never forget the day those black teenagers jacked some shoes from a Target

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Yoblazer
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Hmm... I'm surprisingly ok with how pathetic we look as a country right now. We deserve this.

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Yoblazer
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Mr Lasastryke posted...

is pence finally realizing he made a mistake by accepting the VP position?

guess it depends how Mother feels

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Xeybozn posted...

Really? That's not what it looks like based on the last few presidential elections there.

2008: Democrats by 12.50% (5.22% above national margin)
2012: Democrats by 6.68% (2.82% above national margin)
2016: Democrats by 3.42% (1.33% above national margin)
2020: Democrats by 2.39% (2.06 below national margin)

Personally I don't know that much about NV (and they have the incumbency advantage in the 2022 Senate race), but this definitely doesn't look like a state trending towards the Democrats.

At the state level, Nevada was purple-leaning-red until fairly recently - the Senate and House were both purple, and Republicans had control of the governorship for 20 years. Now there's a Democratic governor, two female Democratic Senators, and 3/4 of the House members are blue. Actually, a Democrat just won a contested house race in a district that's pretty clearly gerrymandered to give Republicans the edge.

Trump was always bound to do well here. He's the country's most known "hotel guy" spending lots of money in a state almost entirely dependent on the hotel industry. IMO, comparing his numbers to Obama's doesn't paint the most accurate picture of congressional Nevada trends.

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Yoblazer
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Congrats! Would have loved to have you in Vegas but am thrilled for you regardless.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

NV has been trending blue. Trump did well here because this was one of the few states where his financially exhausted campaign actually spent a lot of money. I'd say Cortez-Masto is the favorite in two years.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

If we entertain dreamworld scenarios for a bit, I also assume Manchin would favor an incremental increase toward a $15 minimum wage. Perhaps an expansion of Social Security and Medicare as well - his state is quite poor and old.

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Yoblazer
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Jakyl25 posted...

This is what you wanted, Republicans

None of this would have ever happened had elected Republicans stopped inciting the revolting hatred their constituents had toward Obama. If there's any fairness in politics (there isn't), this would doom their party for a generation.

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Yoblazer
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Ngamer the election-to-election MVP

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Yoblazer
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Gotta go with BotW, but the last four years each have an absolute gem up there.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Murphiroth posted...

Sure there's probably too many moons but I didn't particularly care because the game feels so good to play.

Yeah, I feel like Odyssey didn't sacrifice on quality at all. Who cares if some of the moons suck if the core game is still exceptional and has like 40 hours of fantastic content.

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Yoblazer
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5/10 ain't considered average in... most other scoring metrics, though. Scoring 5/10 in most levels of academia (at least in the United States) will earn you an F.

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Yoblazer
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Condo, so apartment

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Yoblazer
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Currently progressing through Chapter 14 on Hard Mode. Surprised that my progress has been smooth with the right prep.

Upping the difficulty has definitely forced me to study the battle system more thoroughly. I'm a fan!

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Yoblazer
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Oh yeah isn't Sauran's tower like 5000 feet tall?

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Punnyz posted...

I swear one person says one thing and another person says the opposite

I'm very limited in my LotR knowledge, but I know it was the first comprehensive work of high fantasy and that Tolkien was literally making up the genre as he went along. Because of that, and because of Tolkien deliberately leaving many questions unanswered, so much of the LotR universe is open to interpretation.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Oh, another note about Gandalf's power: longtime fans were offended at the scene where the Witch King (the leader of The Nine) breaks his staff. It never happened in the book, and Gandalf is so much more powerful than any of The Nine that even greenlighting the scene was apparently a surprising thing for Peter Jackson to do.

When Gandalf is reborn as The White, I think he becomes the second most powerful person in Middle Earth, behind only Sauron.

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Yoblazer
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I remember reading somewhere that the Ring's power grows the closer it is to its source (Mordor/Mt. Doom), which if true helps explain why Frodo (and possibly Isildur) couldn't get it done at the end.

And it also makes Sam even more of a g.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Just finished. It wasn't an abomination, but there was no emotional depth at all. I appreciate them trying to evolve the story, but it doesn't work when you can't generate a connection between the audience and Mulan or any of the side characters.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Kotor was my first non-Pokemon RPG and I was absolutely addicted as well. It still holds the record for my longest gaming session ever, at about 19.5 hours.

Looking back, it's surprising an RPG that unapologetically uninviting (as mentioned, the combat system is literally dice rolls) could have hooked a newb like that, but I immediately fell in love with the world and story. This was around the time Star Wars fan were rejecting the prequels, so many of them embraced Kotor as an example of a SW story "done right".

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Yoblazer
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I actually love the fact that he failed to cast the ring away, but that's probably not a popular opinion

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Yoblazer
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Punnyz posted...

FRODO fucking sucks

I disliked Frodo initially but gain more respect and admiration for his character each time I watch the films. He's voluntarily doing all this while under the influence of the most addictive, destructive force in their world. Imagine carrying out a task of immense magnitude while under a crippling heroin addiction - that's Frodo x1000.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

I'm still in from the last time it was a craze in late 2017. Glad I didn't sell my BitCoin but annoyed that I diversified with other Crypto (Ethereum and Litecoin). Still happy overall since I've more than doubled up since then.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

How much do you guys pay for internet anyway (and where do you live)?

I pay $75 for 300mb with Cox and have no idea if I'm getting a great deal or poked in the proper. Vegas area.

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Yoblazer
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I apparently missed August (probably when I went to a national park out of state).

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Yoblazer
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Oh yeah, the MP management is an enormous difference and has already altered the way I play. Maybe the MP Absorption materia I just earned will help out (but I lol'd when I saw the fine print).

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

I feel like using Cloud's Counterstance and Tifa's charged Chi attacks will be imperative for getting through Hard (Counterstance made the Roche fight pretty easy). I've gotten through four chapters without a ton of trouble, but thinking about some of those bosses later on is making me nervous.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Hard Mode doesn't mess around, but it's really enjoyable so far!

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Yoblazer
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One thing I immediately noticed was the quality of character animations. The party in particular may have been the best animated characters I've ever seen in a video game.

Hojo was the most glaring exception - something weird was going on with that dude's mouth.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Alright, a few quick thoughts because I want to jump right back in instead of typing out a wordy review...

• My post-credits play clock reads 52 hours. I took my time and took care of much of the side content, but man, that's meaty. This is the world's longest prologue.
• This might - just might - top Xenoblade for the RPG with the most likable party I've ever played. Every single member is so fleshed out and humanized. I still think Aerith walked away as my favorite, but by the end, I was passionately rooting for everyone. Even Red XIII shined in his limited role.
• My gf said that of all the games she's watched me play, this is her favorite, owing it to the relatable ensemble cast, the heavy focus on story, and the charming humor. She actually wants to try it (this doesn't even happen with Zelda).
• I was not - to any extent - expecting something of such quality from 2020 Square. It's really tough for me to "rank" remakes separately from their original sources (I have no idea which version of Resident Evil 2 I prefer, for example), so I'll simply bundle the original alongside this remake and say that the "FFVII anthology", as it currently stands, has to be in my Top 10.
• I'll see everyone in 2025 for Gold Saucer

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Yoblazer
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Well that was a god damned masterpiece.

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Yoblazer
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Sending your family good vibes bro, I hope your mom recovers quickly and fully.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

I've died twice to the on-wheels boss at the start of Chapter 18, and this might be the most awkwardly paced part of the game.

Four consecutive boss fights, including two to end Chapter 17 AFTER the first Jenova fight is a little silly. Jenova was a chapter ender for sure, and it feels a bit diminished as part of a boss marathon, especially when a nameless motorcycle section boss proves to be my toughest fight of the game so far.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

IMO your losses mean a lot more than your victory margins against characters you were always destined to beat.

Cloud was an anti-vote magnet for a while and his percentage showings suffered (compared to his 2002-04 peak), but he still managed to win every 1v1 match until he ran into Link. Sephiroth, on the other hand, began losing against characters he would have decimated in earlier years.

No, I certainly don't think he's slipped to the extent that Luigi could challenge him, but he's definitely slipped more than Cloud and Tifa (and probably Aerith).

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Yoblazer
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Agreed - or at least someone who actually tries to earn their commission by making their client happy. In my experience, the tell-tale sign of a poor realtor is one who immediately begins to show you homes outside your budget. If you communicate a budget of 300k and the third home they show you is 340k but "an absolute beauty", ditch them.

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Yoblazer
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There's no way I could calculate aggro in Xenoblade (are you meant to?), but at least it was communicated as a combat mechanic earned primarily by how much damage/healing a character did. So if you wanted to avoid getting killed as Sharla, you probably didn't want to use all of her healing skills at once.

To my knowledge, FFVII hasn't mentioned it once, so I have no idea if it's a mechanic that exists in the game at all.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

My major complaint about combat atm is that I don't understand how the game handles aggro. It definitely feels like enemies prioritize the player-controlled character, but that isn't always the case.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

Aerith, Tifa, and Cloud already looked great in 2018. Tifa should generate a lot of debate against any Noble 9er other than the big Nintendo 3 or Cloud (hell, she might be favored). Aerith beat a game Nintendo challenger in Fox before holding up somewhat well to Uber Zelda. Even a slight boost for her could make for interesting matches against the bottom tier N9 or the Nintendo B-team.

Sephiroth looked the worst but lo and behold for him SMASH

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Yoblazer
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Half my next contest nominations are gonna be spent making sure all five (Barret included) get in with high seeds.

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Yoblazer
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That's probably one of those upset specials where the underdog is so popular that it winds up being 50/50 in the Guru.

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Yoblazer
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Rango posted...

Worried it was going to suck. Several chapters in and this game is amazingly polished in every way.

Yeah, maybe I'm evaluation this in a more favorable light because Cyberpunk glitches are on everyone's mind right now, but "polish" is a really apt word for it. Just about everything in this game shines with care and quality. I don't think I've gotten a single glitch, either.

ctesjbuvf posted...

If you just fast travel back to wall market I don't think you have to do anything but just walk over to it.

Did you go into the sewers before getting that quest and thus missing the stash down there?

I took care of all the side quest stuff, but I had no idea that the grapple gun area was connected to anything other than the sewers, so I had to go through them again. Annoying but whatever.

I feel like my biggest complaint so far is the lack of a cohesive "world" map that gives the player a good sense of their bearings.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

This Tifa parkour section in the fancy Shinra lobby is stupid hot. I almost feel bad that she already beat MMX and Sephiroth - post remake Tifa is gonna be a contest maniac.

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Yoblazer
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Aite can someone tell me if there's a way to quickly reach the grappling gun point at the (presumably) end of Ch. 14 after I fast warp to complete the chapter's final side quest (the one with the Don's secret stash locations)?

Because if I gotta walk back and fight those annoying ass mobs again, I've found the worst stretch of the game so far.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

I've been playing at a feverish pace and am nearing what I gather to be the end (Ch. 13 currently).

I now understand those criticisms about pacing, but it hasn't hindered my enjoyment at all. I've enjoyed just about every chapter and if anything, I've had more "oh man, so good" moments since Ch. 8 when Aerith arrived. There have been so many emotionally resonant moments, and the characterizations flirt with corniness so many times, but surprisingly, haven't been cringy.

I feel that these emotionally impactful moments wouldn't carry the same weight if this were a 12 hour campaign, so I'm quite enjoying the length.

And again, the character roster is my favorite part so far, but Aerith and Cloud steal the show among them. Their scenes together even had my gf (who has no idea what Final Fantasy is) melting.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

I'm in Chapter 4 and am pretty much in love. I don't remember the characters too vividly (I played the original only once 12 years ago), but so far, they've all been recreated with so much care - charm bursts from each of them.

The combat system is better than I expected, and the music hits all the nostalgic notes.

You guys liked this right I mean come on

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

jcgamer107 posted...

Easy but at least it's well-crafted

Yep, and it could be quite challenging depending on the pace the test taker would need to maintain. Less than two minutes per question? Definitely tough.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

The one thing I can tell you with confidence is that mortgage insurance sucks, so I encourage you to save up the 20% down required to avoid it.

I'd also argue that trying to "time" the real estate market is an unsound idea, as like most markets, it generally trends upwards, and whatever time you delay your purchase while waiting for a crash is likely time you'd be paying rent anyway.

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Yoblazer
https://imgur.com/gByqgPg

I guess this is what nine months of Covid gaming has boiled down to for me, and lemme just say... it's a pretty easy game to break, and it's equally hilarious that I remembered it as this daunting challenge for the last 20 years.

I'VE MADE IT TO THE WEST, BOYS

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Yoblazer
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A Christmas Story

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Yoblazer
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It should be legal, and the idea of punishing the woman - either explicitly with "fines" or socially with ostracization - is outdated and cruel. No one has an abortion for funsies - the woman is already going through terrible trauma, and the last thing the rest of us should be doing is compounding her misery by treating her like a criminal or an outcast.

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Yoblazer
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