Lurker > KCF0107

Murasaki (PC)

The interesting kind of weird with some neat mechanics but also bogged down by some amateur execution/intentions in the sound design and presentation.

Immortality (XS/X)

I respect the ambition and the collective performances of everyone were excellent. That being said, I just couldn't get into the overarching narrative, especially with subdued supernatural elements in a largely "real" scenario being something that is very hit or miss with me depending on the style and effectiveness of execution.

While I enjoyed clicking images instead of typing in key words to view new scenes, there was a much higher RNG element regarding that than I anticipated and appreciated. There was plenty of brute force blind clicking at the end just so I could see something new that I needed.

Overall, I would say that it is decent, maybe even good, but I am disappointed having come into it with high expectations being a big fan of Her Story and the majority of Telling Lies.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (XB1)

It definitely felt long for an entirely linear game. Being linear, the moment-to-moment stuff was definitely uneven. I got really into it in the early parts, felt like it dragged in the middle, started to pick back up again, then just wanted it to be over in the closing chapters. Despite the lack of combat variety, I did have a blast ordering people around and just shooting the crap out of enemies and dodging all the time.

In all, I felt this was a quality game, but one that could have been a lot better and possibly Eidos Montreal's weakest game (haven't played Thief reboot, which I assume will take the cake)

New Pokemon Snap (Switch)

After usually going through none or one of these every year, this was the sixth photography-centric games that I have gone through this year, and I would rank it either 4th or 5th. More often than not, the first time through a course was great. I have played one Pokemon game in the past 20 years, so fan service doesn't apply to me, but they did a great job at making each initial run engaging and pleasing to the eye. The rocky and marine areas were the clear standouts to me because they were less cluttered and I don't know, seemed to be cooler and more memorable on multiple fronts.

The main problem is that the game is padded a lot. It should have been half the length, and because the sense of progression is warped, it makes what should be a fun and relaxing activity into more of an exhausting exercise. They don't give you various start points when you revisit an area, the very late-game addition of a turbo function is not very useful, and just in general there's a distinct accessibility/quality of life features for an on-rails game like this that forces you to go through levels over and over for arbitrary reasons.

The Sexy Brutale (PS4)

I really enjoyed replaying this, but I felt like the performance for it was worse than I played it on XB1 and PC.

I think that the Switch version, handled by Panic Button after Runic's demise, is considered the best version performance-wise. I will play that version later this month.

Paradise Killer (XB1)

After wishing that Obra Dinn was open-ended, I'm glad this was one of the next games that I played. I love the absurd and surreal (good era of) Suda-51 thing this has going on and the trials are more like Aviary Attorney than the bloated messes that Ace Attorney and Danganronpa can devolve into. I wish the loop once the shine of exploration-based discovery wears off was more robust or at least gave you a much better fast travel and map system. I get why they are all like this, but I also wish that I didn't want to constantly punch 75% of the cast.

Road 96

Really cool on a scene-to-scene basis, but the overarching narrative I never really got into.

Beacon Pines (XB1)

Great little adventure game. Endearing art, full of personality, and the weird little CYOA aspect of it was kind of neat.

Since Simoun's post reminded me, one thing that I forgot to mention about Obra Dinn is that the game is up front at one point that you won't truly know and be guessing the identities of numerous characters. The thing is that the game only confirms after every three correct fates filled out, which is clearly at odds with that on top of being arbitrary.

To make matters worse, at various points in the game, I had a eureka moment but needed a reminder about a previous fate. Unfortunately, because you have to go through a series of fates before regaining access to ones you have come across, they make it very difficult to act on moments such as that as your only option is to look at the book and hope that either the death image or the transcript is good enough, assuming you know and/or can find the exact page that eureka moment involved.

As Dusk Falls (XS/X)

Going in, I think this would basically be a movie/tv show with rotoscoping, but it's a series of images. It took a little while to get used to it, but it worked out fine. Some good performances and interesting if not wholly original story (different story if just including video games). They did fall into the trap of having characters do inexplicably stupid things at the wrong time (just a couple of times), and the game seemed like it was going to wrap up nicely until they bizarrely swerved and ended on an unnecessary cliffhanger. I still feel positively about the game as a whole, but that left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Return of the Obra Dinn (XB1)

Amazing art, sound, and one of the better simple stories in a video game. I can't help but feel like my expectations weren't meant because its linear progression, somewhat cumbersome menu navigation, and forcing the player to have to follow the specific line of pixie dust from one corpse to another as well as having to walk back to a corpse in order to view their fate again definitely hindered my enjoyment of the game.

The first one really surprised me because there's other than the beginning chapter, there's no narrative merit to how they structured the game. There's a superior version of this game where it is an open-ended investigation with magic compass adding one more magic trick in being able to view fates at will wherever you were.

Anuchard (PC)

A surprisingly great action-adventure game. Normal combat encounters might have been my least favorite part of the game, but the (literal) sense of progression, boss fights, and the pre-dungeon planning/customization were all great.

Serious Sam 4 (XS/X)

I've always liked the series, but I only ever finished 1 before previously because the games are too long for how little variety they offer. SS4 is also too long, and while they did step up in variety, I wouldn't say they did so to a sufficient degree. That being said, this was easily the most fun that I've had the series, and I loved the campy humor.

Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth- (XB1)

I was getting Touhou Luna Nights (which I come to find out was from the same developer) early on, so I nearly quit. I'm glad I stuck with it a little longer because I ended up liking this quite a bit! Some of their combat/support systems are pretty interesting. Of course, I know nothing of the source material, so I didn't really get who these characters were and their roles/relationships, but it wasn't something that mattered.

I'm assuming by pixel perfect, they are referring to what I have known them as precision platformers. Series like Super Mario, Spyro, Kirby, and Rayman, while they may have sections of precision platforming, are far more relaxed in their general approach than games like Celeste, VVVVVV, and Dustforce that constantly
demand near perfection with little room for error.

Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County (PC)

I loved the first one, and while the second was still very good, I found it to be a downgrade in all aspects that mattered to me. I want to replay the original again, but I have to imagine 3 is my favorite of the trilogy.

Sonic 3 + Knuckles (PC)

First time beating this since the early 00s, also for PC on a disc that included Flicky, Sonic R, Shining Force, and other Sega games.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (XB1)

I first played this in 2018 or 2019 and dropped it. I picked it back up for Game of the Month Club, and I basically feel the same as I did before: It's okay. I am confused who thought of and approved of its puzzle style.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York (PC)

I had reservations about going from a morphable to a largely fixed character, but I ended up liking Julie a lot. It's the rest that I am iffy on. This ended up being a very linear experience as opposed to Coteries' flexible adventure. I also found it strange that many characters had the same artwork from before while others were completely different (and typically worse imo). I actually liked the core premise, but I feel a little let down by the execution.

Disc Room (XB1)

I wasn't sure going in if it would be something that I would stick with, but I actually did finish it in basically two sessions. I died about 280 times, and one quarter of that was in a single room (Carnivorous Gatekeeper)

#GuessTheGame #169



https://GuessThe.Game/

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/7/2/AAN44mAAD1Ws.png

It hasn't been as easy as in the beginning, but I'm still going strong.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse Heart of the Forest (PC)

Cool presentation and atmosphere, and at times it had me gripped despite its more subdued nature, but I'd say overall it could have stood to be more interesting. It seemed like a lot of thought and effort was placed into the character systems and stuff, but I'm under the impression that it is mostly fluff for mostly slight writing flavor differences.

Recompile (XBS/X)

I'm little surprised that I stuck with it. The combat doesn't really need to exist, though I was a fan of the boss battles (it helps that I abused the time slow ability). This game has no business featuring precision platforming, but there was plenty of that. The map is useless, and some of the areas are too big. I still kind of liked it though? It definitely felt unique and I still had fun despite the glaring issues.

Backbone (XB1)

I'm a little miffed that the game has one file, and it was erased so I had to restart relatively early in the game. That aside, this was a solid adventure game that didn't exactly justify its existence as very little was resolved and basically seemed to be just a stepping stone for a sequel.

I played this game for the first time yesterday. It was pretty good, but it isn't something that I can see myself playing longterm, so I uninstalled it but kept it pinned to my Xbox dashboard if I feel the desire to play it again. I had access to Shaggy, Iron Giant, Wonder Woman, Tom & Jerry, and Velma. I later unlocked Harley Quinn with coins.

Shaggy > Harley > Giant > Tom > Wonder > Velma in terms of how much fun I had with them.

new topic
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80200825

None of these recent matches have been close

I am leaning toward Wednesday and Friday sim days, with Week 1 on October 19th

NFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. St. Louis Rams
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Washington
4. San Juan Orcas
5. Toronto Wildcats
6. Dallas Cowboys

Playoff Contenders
7. Atlanta Falcons
8. Seattle Seahawks
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Chicago Bears
11. San Francisco 49ers
12. Detroit Lions
13. New York Giants

Better Luck Next Season
14. Carolina Panthers
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16. Green Bay Packers

Dark Horse: Toronto Wildcats
Dark, Dark Horse: Seattle Seahawks

NFC South

1. San Juan Orcas
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Orcas bring back all 11 starters from the #4 defense a season ago. There's no reason to suspect they will not have a great defense again this season even with the season-ending injury to OLB Darius Leonard. The offense is where they made a bunch of changes. While injuries were clearly a major or even the main factor, they were a league average offense last season. The Orcas made a bunch of sweeping changes. Reliable #2 WR Demaryius Thomas was shipped out and replaced with boom-or-bust rental Ted Ginn. Rookie sensation TE Joel Albright takes over for David Njoku. The right side of the OL was replaced by a pair of elite performers who better fit the offense. HB Nyheim Hines was taken with the 15th pick to give the term a bunch better backup option if Knowshon Moreno goes down. QB Jameis Winston won the job after the preseason. The schedule is not going to be easy, but with this basically being a two-team race for the division, they still have great odds of making the playoffs in some capacity.

Due to a really stupid tiebreaker rule, the Falcons ended up missing the playoffs. Ultimately though, they should have played better down the stretch after being the final unbeaten team in the NFC, or maybe it was the entire NFL. This is a pretty great offense. QB Patrick Mahomes has been one of the few very good QBs that have come up through recent drafts, HB David Johnson is either a star or so close to being one. The OL will miss G Aaron Merz, but the trio of LG Willie Colon, C Russell Bodine, and RT Tony Uogh is one of the best in the league. WR Allen Hurns, who has done very well as a #1 and #2, was brought in as a free agent. The defense may look a little paltry in each area, but the front seven at least consistently plays above their talent, and SS Su'a Cravens was one of the best free agent signings last offseason. They tend to have poor injury luck, but it isn't too bad so far. As long as some of their lesser starters that are far below league average don't become huge liabilities, the Falcons can compete for the division and certainly a wild card.

The Panthers had a curious offseason. Among their moves, they let an elite OT in Andrew Whitworth walk, they cut a career 4.3 YPC runner in LeSean McCoy in favor of a career 3.7 YPC runner in Tevin Coleman, and they signed DE Stephon Tuitt to a nearly $9 mil AAV deal who in 64 career starts has something like 54 tackles and 24 sacks. They might have more talent this season, but they also brought in a bunch of players who do not perform well or at least are nowhere close to being worth their price tag. This has been a slow rebuilding process for the Panthers after going 14-34 the past three seasons. Had they chosen different players, I would feel better about their chances for improvement this season even with a rather challenging schedule. If QB Lamar Jackson, who was a very low-impact game manager as a rookie, shows considerable improvement this season, then they might be in a good position to be a playoff contender next season as they do have some great players already on the roster who should still be on the team next year.

Former #1 overall pick QB Trevor Largent "took a break" in his sophomore season as QB Bobby Reid had a comback year by lifting up a sagging offense and more importantly helping the OL develop. There are a lot of young and unproven offensive skill position players starting though, which usually doesn't bode well in the present. It seems likely that the Bucs offense will take a step back with a pocket QB in place and long-time stud HB Matt Forte no longer with the team. The defense may look to have low talent on paper, and they probably won't be great as a whole if I'm being honest, but like the Falcons, the individuals have a consistent history of playing above their talent. The front seven is actually pretty great. It's the secondary that has some issues with a revolving door of merely adequate FSs and a perennially thin CB group. The Bucs have a lot of changes in the secondary again with new starters at #2 CB, FS, and SS. If they all gel and perform much better than expected, the Bucs are a very dark horse playoff contender. The more likely scenario is that this is another developmental year in the rebuild.

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Chicago Bears
3. Detroit Lions
4. Green Bay Packers

The Vikings became the second consecutive Super Bowl winner to fail the make the playoffs the following season. It's not hard to figure out why. QB Josh Portis, while still a highly effective scrambling, had his worst passing performance of his career, and with the losses of two Hall of Fame members of the secondary, the pass defense slipped mightily. In an attempt to solve their woes, the Vikings traded Portis and signed Jimmy Garoppolo to replace him, signed a touchdown magnet in WR Brandon Marshall, and they drafted a CB in the first round. They will be without OLB Von Miller for the year, but he's the third-best LB on that team, so I don't think it will be too big of a loss. The schedule looks to be pretty easy with three of the more difficult games being played at home (Steelers, Rams, Wildcats). With the rest of the division having iffy offseasons or a devastating preseason, the Vikings look to be heavy favorites in the NFC North.

The Bears used a fantastic turnover differential to mask a bad defense and average offense to lift them to their first playoff appearance. With retirements, trades, and cuts, the team is definitely worse on paper this season. By winning the division last season, they get a rather difficult first place schedule and play most of the tougher teams on the road. Let's be honest, they could easily crash back down to earth, but with enough star players like SS Derek Linde, DE Everson Griffen, and QB Teddy Bridewater, they might have enough to remain a playoff contender.

The Lions sneaked their way into the playoffs last season and even won their opening game, but this offense is rough. QB Jared Goff is whatever, HB Alex Collins is not efficient, and the OL is nothing to write home about. WR Torrey Smith is basically the only true bright spot among skill position players. This could be manageable if the defense was great, but it slipped last season all the way into the mid-20s. They got in with their turnover differential too. There is some reason for improvement with the return of MLB Jerry Mayes, some development elsewhere, and that OLB Willie Williams and FS Tyvon Branch returned for another season instead of retiring. The Lions have one of the lowest floors in the league due to the offense, but they've shown plenty in recent seasons that they can overachieve. I'm just not willing to bet on it.

I'm only putting the Packers here for the time being because of the awful injury situation from the preseason and no official moves have been made (I do have reports that it might be "Tebow Time"). Right now though, I simply see the team having QB Geno Smith, HB Chris Johnson, and two long-time backups along the DL starting for this team for either the entire season or a good chunk of it. Maybe the defense will still be fine, but this offense is completely built around QB Tyrod Taylor. Without him, or another true scrambling QB, it's hard not to imagine this offense finishing near the bottom of the league. They might be underdogs against every non-divisional opponent this season. It might be a very rough season if they don't make the right moves (they have over $17 mil in cap space!) and adjust their strategy accordingly.

Woten (PC)

Short, interesting platformer. I missed some key items which I'm guessing affects the ending.

Vampire: The Masquerade Coteries of New York (PC)

Engaging from start to finish with plenty of interesting characters. I had Shadows on pause because I was told it would be best if I went through this one first, and I wanted to wait until October to do so. I hope to go through Shadows and Werewolf: The Apocalypse Heart of the Forest this month too.

NFC East

1. Washington
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. New York Giants

I had a very hard time choosing the winner of this division, but I settled on a repeat for Washington. I probably shouldn't have so much faith in the first season that QBs Nick Mullens and James Curtis threw passes, but they blew away my expectations to where I feel inclined to believe in them even if they won't play at the same level as last season. They poured a lot of 1st round picks on this OL and several 2nd rounders that have risen to the occasion. Combined with the return of HB Ezekiel Elliot and their great receiving corps, this could be one of the better offenses in the league. The defense has also made great strides and feels close to completion. Second-year DT Christian Covington in particular looks like a star in the making. With offensive uncertainty surrounding the division, I'm very bullish on the Washington defense. If you want a sneaky pick for top seed in the NFC, Washington might be it, though the schedule doesn't help. At least they face the Orcas, Rams, Express, and Broncos at home.

The Cowboys failed to make the playoffs for the first time since S6. They took the humbling and had a great offseason with player acquisitions. Will it be enough to reclaim the division or at least get back into the playoffs? The front seven on defense is fantastic, but the pass D slipped hard, so they went out and got a new starting safety tandem. They might have minimal or no starting experience, but the talent is there and will get an opportunity to showcase it. The offense will have to step up. QB Cam Newton remains one of the best QBs in the league, and they finally got a higher-end backup, albeit in the form of rookie Drew Lock. No longer will the middling Jay Cutler be asked to come on in relief. The WR corps is very good. Sammy Watkins hasn't been the same under Newton as he was with Vince Young, but he's still very good. Had he had a few more receptions to qualify, Davone Bess would have led the league in receiving YPC with a figure north of 18. The OL looks a bit different, and they once again lost starting RT Jason Boone to a season-ending injury. If they can improve on their disappointing play last season and subsequently see HB Devonta Freeman become more healthy and effective, the offense could be good enough to get them closer to the level of play they had from S7 to S15. Even a modest improvement in the running game and pass defense should put them in divisional and wild card territory.

The Eagles have the best defense and the worst offense in the division, making it a bit hard to predict where they will land. QB Taysom Hill's efficiency is good, but his impact in the passing game seems to be pretty minimal. Former HB Tevin Coleman had a career 3.7 YPC, so former first round pick Leonard Fournette ascends to the top spot. This isn't exactly an elite OL, and Fournette's first two seasons as a backup saw him have sub-4 YPCs in each, so I'm not confident that he will be an immediate improvement over his predecessor, but I feel it would be difficult to not match a 3.7 YPC. It feels like the offense as a whole just has one of the lower ceilings in the league, meaning to remain in the wild card hunt (or division, who knows), the defense will really have to be special. They have no weaknesses there and plenty of playmakers, so it's possible, but I will need to see them take the next step.

The Giants have started out hot and fizzled soon after in each of the previous two or three seasons. It's not hard to figure out why. The offense and defense has just performed ugly. It's easier to point out what has gone wrong on offense. Poor interior OL and merely adequate OT play, a lack of a true receiving threat as well as secondary threat, and in the case of last season, injuries and inconsistency at QB. The Giants went out and got the best C from the past two seasons in Frank Ragnow and MVP finalist/runner-up HB Isaiah Pead returns. Nothing else was really addressed, but perhaps a healthy season from QB Ryan Perrilloux will at least help out the remaining OL problems even if just a little. The defense is more of a confusion as to why they have played poorly. I have suspected it was mostly due to coaching strategy and bad luck, but the Giants elected to switch to a 3-4, a move that I think is ill-suited for the personnel that they have. Reducing the DL total to three requires you have have a line full strong players who are great against the run given this is a running league/game. Now that is basically me projecting their strengths and weaknesses based on ratings and past performance. With the release of DT Rob Armstrong, who ironically was probably the second-best fit for a DT among all players in the league (DT Red Bryant the first), the DL features plenty of players with 90+ strength but 0 players with an 80+ tackle rating (Rob Armstrong is a 97 and always had a bunch of tackles each season). Perhaps this is an okay time to try this experiment given the stable of HB opponents they will be facing this season, but I don't like their chances.

NFC West Prediction

1. St. Louis Rams
2. Toronto Wildcats
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. San Francisco 49ers

The reigning champion Rams should still be the favorites, but I'd hardly call them heavy favorites. They lost two of their starting OL to retirement, and their Cs did not have good seasons. 3/5 of a the line I would call very good or great, but that might not be at the level needed to salvage the running game. To their credit, they did sign veteran Matt Forte to start over Mike Davis who has yet to finish a season above 3.5 YPC. With a much stronger offseason by most of the division, they can't rely on such a one-dimensional offense to carry them to a division crown. The defense is still one of the league's best and return every starter from a year ago. They enter the season with no injuries and play the AFC South in non-conference play. There's a good chance that the NFC West winner will secure a first round bye, and the Rams seem like the best bet.

The Wildcats, who already had a quality defense, went out and drafted a new #1 CB and signed a new #1 DT, giving them a complete team on that side of the ball. QB Aaron Murray is one of the best QBs in the game, and WR Gonzie Massey might still be the best WR. They went out and got a great #2 in Jordy Nelson, at the expense of a young rising WR, and they shored up the OL some. They have never solved their run-game issues since Laurence Maroney retired. Unfortunately, Dalvin Cook, unquestionably the worst starting HB from the past two seasons, will be the lead back, but it is year three for him, and combined with the OL additions, he could finally show what made him a first round pick. Even approaching a below-average run game might be good enough to compete for the division and definitely a wild card spot.

Two seasons ago, the Seahawks completely revamped their defense. While it never approached elite levels, it was good/above-average, a substantial improvement over the terrible unit from before. Now the offense was poor, so they went and completely revamped that. 4/5 of the starting OL is new and they have first round pick Gardner Minshew taking over at QB. Now while rookie QBs tend to start out poorly, you sometimes get one that turns some heads. Given the support system he has in place, Minshew could be one of those exceptions. The schedule isn't great, but the middle portion of it is very favorable to them. If they can play .500 ball in the early and late portions, they could be a sneaky wild card pick or if everything breaks right, compete for the division.

The 49ers have never been a truly bad team. I can't off the top of my head think of what their worst season has been, but I think the earliest they have naturally picked was in the late single digits. There's a lot to like about this team. The defense keeps improving, and the OL, as it has long been, continues to play at an elite level. The rest of the offense though? I'm a bit worried. They've somehow made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons despite a pedestrian passing game (more on the receiving corps than QB) and HB Thomas Rawls being a high-volume, below-average efficient player. This appears to be arguably the strongest division in the league, so while I have them finishing last in the division, I do expect them to be wild card contenders all season long.

AFC Seeding

Playoff Teams
1. Portland Express
2. Miami Dolphins
3. Columbus Pioneers
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Denver Broncos
6. Indianapolis Colts

Playoff Contenders
7. New York Jets
8. Cincinnati Bengals
9. Baltimore Ravens
10. Buffalo Bills
11. Jacksonville Jaguars
12. New England Patriots
13. Oakland Raiders
14. Kansas City Chiefs

Better Luck Next Season
15. Mexico City Browns
16. Tennessee Titans

Dark Horse: Denver Broncos
Dark, Dark Horse: Indianapolis Colts

AFC South

1. Columbus Pioneers
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Tennessee Titans

The Pioneers endured a really rough injury season on the defensive side, but they toughed it out for a great defensive year. They already begin this year with a long-term injury to an OLB, but I have faith in them. The offense was the main issues for their 7-9 record, which was good enough for the division, but they put considerable resources there. They have a new backup QB, starting HB, starting Gs, and rookie sensation MIke McGlinchey has won the job at LT. I think the Pioneers have a case to having both of the best acquisitions of the offseason in trading for SS Keanu Neal and signing HB DeMarco Murray. Murray might be the best HB the franchise has ever had, and rebalances this offseason after two years of a poor running game. They unfortunately play the NFC West out of conference, who could be the league's most improved division, but I only see three games they are clear underdogs in (away games against Rams, Dolphins, and Express). With their talent and level of play, I could see them go from a losing record to in the Super Bowl.

There are few teams that I am more curious and excited to see than the Colts. They have probably been the best defensive team outside of the Rams, Express, and Dolphins the past few seasons, but their dreadful offense has prevented them from reaching the heights of those three. While clearly still not on their level, the Colts might be legit playoff contenders now. QB Baker Mayfield had the most promising rookie season out of all the QBs last season, and there was a lot to like about rookie HB Jamaal Williams (dual-threat, very low fumble rate). By spending two 1sts and some free agent dough on new starting OL, the offense has a chance of exiting the Bottom 10. The defense brings everyone back except #2 CB John Nelson is replaced with Mackenzie Alexander who has risen to the top spot. By virtue of wacky shenanigans, the Colts are blessed with a last place schedule and get the Chiefs and Browns. They also have no injuries to begin the year. I don't want to give mccheyne too high of hopes, but things are looking much better this season.

The Jaguars should have been in the playoffs if not for the stubborness of letting rookie third-string HB Kenneth Dixon start the final four games, all losses with Dixon providing a 3.1 YPC. I'm also not a fan of what they did in the first round of the draft, nor losing rising star DE Mario Edwards Jr., but they given they acquired QB Kirk Cousins (great but frequently injured) and RT Riley Reiff, I'm feeling much better about the offense this season. Still, HB Eddie Lacy has not been a good HB with the Jags (rushing YPC of 3.8 and 3.6 in his two seasons) and Terrelle Pryor, who will miss at least three games, is the only pass-catcher worth a damn. I may feel much better, but that doesn't mean I'm expecting the offense to do better than average at best. The defense is where the Jags can see a lot of improvement. I feel like the defense was actually good last season, but the offense was so poor in the second half that they had to be on the field so often and in bad situations that it led to their 20-something ranking. They have a good DL and secondary, and the highly drafted LB corps (two Top-10 picks and an early 2nd rounder) has started to show signs of life. If the both sides make some strides, the Jags are a division and wild card contender. If not, it could be a long season in Jacksonville.

There was a lot I got right and wrong about the Titans last season. To start with the positive from the Titans perspective, they did not finish in the Bottom 10 on defense, they finished 9th. Granted a major part of that was the poor offensive showings by every team in their division, which is a huge chunk of their schedule, and I will need to see it again to not call it a fluke, but despite the talent issues, maybe I shouldn't be so hard on them on that side of the ball. I did say that I did not like their two first round selections because of their offensive situation and that QB Ben Olson was a poor fit for the club. I did not expect Olson to be a complete disaster, but I guess the Titans are rolling with him again. There is very little to believe in this offense. I would say that they are most likely to finish in the 30s and at best the 20s. They have no viable starting HB to speak of as of this moment, and they have no legit second receiving threat. The OL is doing all it can, but Hall of Fame finalist Mike Jones retired, and OT Germain Ifedi will be out for at least six weeks, which includes both games against the Pioneers, the Dolphins, and improved Wildcats club. It would not be a shock if they begin the season 1-4 or 0-5. The second-half schedule is better but not many games they should be the favorites in. I just don't see this team competing for a playoff spot.

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Cincinnati Bengals
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Mexico City Browns

Decent but not elite at any of the three phases of the game, the Steelers effectively bring back the same team sans a modest improvement at CB. That might just be good enough in this division. They will be without QB Mike Glennon for a good chunk of the season, and given how rookie QBs (backup is a rookie) tend to fare, that will put the onus on the average Christian McCaffrey to be better than that. They do have a first-half schedule featuring some great or much improved defenses that could feast on this offense. As a whole though, their schedule is likely to be one of the easiest in the leagues, so they can make a run in the second half. There's not a lot to be excited about this team outside of a couple individual players, but boring can be good in terms of football success, and that's just maybe what's in store for the Steelers this season.

The Bengals, as I have mentioned numerous times in Discord, had the league's top offense last season. QB Andy Dalton has a revelation for them, and former #1 overall pick HB Derrick Henry led the league in rushing YPC. There's a good receiving corps, and the OL was beefed up in terms of starters. While it would be a lot to ask for them to repeat as #1, they should remain great on that side. The defense is the only question mark. They spent some resources on the secondary, and the front seven youth has shown some improvement. The Bengals haven't made the playoffs since S9, but this season looks like an opportunity to end their drought. They easily have the highest ceiling out of any team in the division, but because the defense has been iffy the past few seasons, I want to temper my expectations and take a need-to-see-it-to-believe-it approach.

The Ravens, like the Patriots, have a an elite OL and running game with question marks elsewhere. Maybe that's being a bit unfair to the Ravens who have won the division for five straight seasons and are coming off of another great defensive season and have a pair of quality pass-catchers in WR Michael Crabtree and TE Eric Ebron. Still, I am a little down on them coming into the regular season. While QB Kirby Freeman was not a good fit for the team, a rookie starting QB gives me greater concern especially with the high bust rate at the position. Sam Darnold could turn out fine, but the odds are very high he will not have a good rookie season. The defense also loses three starters. Maybe DE Stephon Tuitt won't be missed, but MLB Sam Crooks and CB Zachary Bowman certainly will. The Ravens tend to be a team that stymies opposing offenses without much of the playmaking stats (sacks, INTs, FFs/FRs). Losing SS Damontae Kazee for roughly a third of the season isn't a huge blow, but it doesn't help when they have lost quite a bit of defensive talent.This could be the season the defense takes a considerable step backwards. I hope it doesn't since we have a newer user in charge of them, but it's just a feeling.

The Browns did more to set up for future seasons and try to remain competitive in the interim than construct a playoff caliber team this season. They are one of the few teams I feel confident will not be in the playoffs, but I am excited to see what kind of impact former MVP and two-time SB champion QB Josh Portis will have on this offense. They definitely needed a jolt and for their OL to improve. Dual-threat QBs have a long history of doing just that, with Bobby Reid in Tampa Bay being a recent example. The defense has pretty much hit rock-bottom in their short era of playing in a 3-4 defense. Unless they see a considerable improvement, I would strongly consider this being the final season in that base defense.

AFC East

1. Miami Dolphins
2. New York Jets
3. Buffalo Bills
4. New England Patriots

The Dolphins have the best skill position group on offense, but that OL is in the worst state it has ever been in, and they will be without one starter for roughly half the season. They lost star-in-the-making C Frank Ragnow in RFA, and they let both of their former Top 10 picks OTs walk, including two-time Co-OL of the Year in Morgan Moses. They still have arguably the best interior OL in the league in RG Laurent Duvernay-T as well as a long-time great in LG Max Jean-Gilles, but will the likes of QB Sam Keller and HB Jacquizz Rodgers help lift up the lesser OL or will they suffer because of the much lower skill level? The defense should still be elite. They lost two starters from last season, but I wouldn't rank either among their Top 7 most important defenders, so while it will be a loss, it shouldn't have a big negative impact. The rest of the division had a chance to take advantage of the offseason the Dolphins had, but they mostly took a one step forward, one step back approach. Overall, they probably have the most stars in the league, so they are still a Super Bowl threat, but they have only been to one Super Bowl since I left, and they certainly aren't the favorites on paper from the AFC to begin the year.

I feel like I say this every season, but I can see 2-4 going in any order. If not for Deshaun Watson having one of the worst seasons by a QB in our history (55.8 passer rating, 51.9 completion %), the Jets are in the playoffs. They had a breakout season by HB Joe Mixon, the OL played great, and while the defense as a whole was around average, statistically they experienced poor luck in terms of overall ranking and they have plenty of elite or great players starting for them. Current management has improved the team's record each season at the helm, so it feels like they are on the cusp of making it back into the playoffs after being one of the more consistent AFC playoff teams in the Fenny era. They have no injuries to begin the year, and given their schedule, they could start as well as 4-1. The back-half of the schedule has so many away games, but most of them are winnable. If they would have been more aggressive in acquiring talent in the offseason like they were last season, I would feel better as slotting them as a wild card team, but they should be a playoff threat all season.

I think the Bills took a decent step backwards offensively. They let A.J. McCarron walk after he's been the best QB for them since Brady Quinn. In his place will be recent 1st round pick Josh Allen who was a disaster last season. They also let Branden Albert walk, who wasn't performing as well as his price tag, but the natural OT has been at worst an above-average G and one of the better blocks along the interior. On defense, they continued their efforts to be the premier satellite team for the Dolphins by grabbing DT Jordan Phillips and OLB T.J. Watt. They have lots of question marks still on defense, especially in the secondary, but the middle of the DL and LBs should be the main strength of the team. As they have been for the past several seasons, injury luck is on their side as they were one of a handful of teams to escape the preseason unscathed. They do not have a difficult schedule, so they should be a fringe wild card contender like they have been for the past few years. Given the construction of their team, the margin for error is pretty slim, and several players will have to take significant leaps forward.

If there's one team to look at to see just how much an elite OL and starting HB can do for a team, look no further than the Patriots who were so close to finishing with the #1 seed in the AFC last season with QB Sam Bradford at QB and a defense that took a decent step back. With an OL that had 348 blocks against 25 sacks allowed and a HB with more than 2000 total yards for the second time in the past three seasons and with a 4.4 YPC, they defeated a lot of great teams last season. The crushing playoff defeat notwithstanding, they had a base recipe for success, but the rest of the team let them down. Now the rest of the team is worse on paper, well the defense at least. Two of their DL from last season are either gone or injured for the year, there's a new and far less talented MLB with a second-year OLB next to him, and the secondary is hanging by a thread outside of CB Shaquill Griffin. The defense could be a sneaky candidate to finish in the Bottom 10, which would normally crush any chances to be in the playoffs, but the Bears and Lions last season showed you need great luck, especially regarding turnovers. They will likely though need to make strides in the passing game remain a playoff threat, but given how poor they have been the past several seasons, I will need to see it to believe it.

AFC West Prediction

1. Portland Express
2. Denver Broncos
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Kansas City Chiefs

The Express had a busy offseason, but the reigning AFC Champions are still the favorite in not only the AFC West but probably the entire AFC and maybe even NFL. They are elite on both sides of the ball, and they escaped with minor injuries. They do have a first place schedule, but they play the NFC East out-of-conference, who had no teams with winning records last season, and the AFC North in-conference, which isn't a particularly daunting division based on recent seasons. The big question is if choosing Lamar Miller, who had a career year with the club, over the recently oft-injured but still a premier runner in DeMarco Murray at HB will drastically change the dynamics of this offense which has predicated itself on a balanced, mistake-free game that has done wonders for them. They should still be playoff locks, but if Miller is more like his Rams version, then suddenly the division may not be so simple.

The Broncos had a bizarre first-half last season before exhibiting what we thought they would en route to be maybe the best second-half team in the NFL last season. They see quite a few changes entering this one. They replace 2/5 of their OL, see a new #1 WR, and drafted this season's highest-rated rookie. They were in the conference title game just two seasons ago and have rarely finished with a losing record. They leave the preseason with a minor injury to a backup. They seem like one of the better bets to go from a Top 10 pick to into the playoffs. With a third place schedule that has them facing the Bills and Jaguars who could finish with high picks, they could unseat the Express in the division or at least be a favorite for a Wild Card.

The Raiders finally invested in the OL, but they unfortunately have one of the worst offensive skill groups in the league. Still, at least their OL shouldn't be the pushovers they have been after years of managemental neglect there. The team is defined by their defense, and they should still be great there even with the long-term injury to former Defensive Player of the Year MLB Vontaze Burfict. While not as defensively adept as them, you are probably looking at a recent Colts situation here where the defense will win them games, but the offense will be bad enough to prevent them from being a realistic playoff threat until next season if QB DeShaun Gaines improves and HB Chris Carson isn't too terrible with efficiency.

After six seasons of being an above-average QB, in terms of passer rating, while being more of a gun slinger, former #1 overall pick Jimmy Garoppolo is replaced with the more efficient game manager in A.J. McCarron. While he won't help recent first round picks be award threats, McCarron should be far less prone of the single-game stinkers Jimmy G would throw up at inopportune times. They took a gamble by not releasing HB LeGarrette Blount and hoped nobody would attempt sign HBs DeMarco Murray or Matt Forte as their current HB situation would have put them at a disadvantage. Their gamble went bust, but they did get a great consolation prize when LeSean McCoy and his 4.3 career YPC was released. Their OL situation is not great in terms of talent and production, capping both the offensive ceiling and floor of this team. The defense has been the better side of this team the past few seasons, and that should remain even with the unit having more underachievers than you would like. I don't see this as a bad team, but given how even the league was last season, they could still very well pick in the Top 10 at the end. I'm a little intrigued by this team, not as a playoff threat but simply seeing how the new pieces perform. This could be a fun little team.

Because the other type of prediction takes so much longer, I'm going to do rookies first. Rookie of the Year predictions based on the current injury and depth chart landscape. Remember that OL are not naturally considered for the award, so they will not be included.

Offense:
1. Raiders HB Chris Carson
2. Seahawks QB Gardner Minshew
3. 49ers QB Kyler Murray
4. Dolphins WR Dede Westbrook
5. Wildcats TE Will Dissly

Defense:
1. Broncos ROLB DeVondre Campbell
2. Falcons DT D.J. Reader
3. Patriots MLB Neville Hewitt
4. Ravens SS Antonio Hanks
5. Vikings LOLB Duke Riley

The Depth Chart sheet should now be updated for preseason events. Please, please, please look over it 10 or however many times it takes for you to fully comprehend what you are seeing. Every season without fail, at least one person is unaware of their depth chart and makes a comment at some point asking why so-and-so player is starting or why another player isn't. The depth charts are updated every season after the postseason as the game automatically re-orders because the AI optimizes it based on preseason performance and position battles. I have nothing to do it with it, so don't ask me why. Just ask me to update it if it bothers you.

The preseason has been simmed. I have updated the schedule and injury sheets.

To do:
- Update depth charts
- Look to see if AI signed anyone
- Division/conference/RotY predictions
- Decide on sim days and starting date
- Create new topic

Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch)

All of games are very good, but this competes with Super for third-best in the series. I liked the inclusion of real-time and adventure elements. It was very funny with the Toads, Kamek, and Olivia standing out the most to me. I didn't love the battles. I liked regular battling fine because of how flexible they were, but the boss battles were more of misfire. For a game whose target market is children, I'm surprised they used sliding/spinning combo puzzles, limited moves, and a time limit all in one. If they simply removed the time limit, I think a lot of issues are alleviated.

Please do look at the PMs though because there were several head coaching changes this offseason and with those come completely different coaching strategies than what you ran with last season. The big one to look out for is defensive alignment.

I apologize for forgetting to do this until now, but I am going to send out strategy PMs soon. As they usually go out before the preseason is simmed, I have decided to postpone simming that for at least a day, potentially two, so that users have some time to make any changes that they wish based on the offseason. I do want to remind people that you are free to make changes all throughout the regular and postseason, so please keep the PM handy and personally make note of any changes you make.

Coaching Strategies

Each user has an opportunity to alter some portions of how their team operates on the field. Here are the following categories you can change and what they mean.

Base Defense
You have a choice of 4-3 or 3-4. Under a 4-3, you start 2 DTs and 1 MLB. Under a 3-4, you start 2 MLBs and 1 DT.

Run-Pass Offense
The ratio of plays that will be run or pass plays on offense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Conservative-Aggressive Offense
The ratio of plays that will be risk-averse or risky on offense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Running Back Splits
How carries will be split among the top two RBs on your depth chart. This is on a sliding 100 point scale. That being said, I feel like coaches ignore whatever you put under this category and do whatever they please. That or RB2 actually refers to all HBs/FBs/QBs/WRs/TEs who may run with the ball and are not RB1.

Run-Pass Defense
The ratio of plays that will be geared more toward run-stopping or pass-rushing plays on defense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

Conservative-Aggressive Defense
The ratio of plays that will be risk-averse or risky on defense. This is on a sliding 100 point scale.

A 15 vote difference OT match huh

Lake (XB1)

Not quite a mail carrier sim, but it was oddly compelling. The walking speed sucked, and it becomes a bit tedious after awhile even though it isn't a particularly long game. Still, I enjoyed the change of pace with this one!

I'm not gonna lie, I was rooting for the chaotic funny option of the five-way tie after just Week 4.