TangoCharlie

That cinematic trailer is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. I was imagining the game would be something more approachable than what we see in the gameplay trailer. Guys, I don't have time to memorize the class features and map details in a new multiplayer shooter. Ah well, we'll have to wait and see how it shakes out. Maybe Blizzard does something really clever that makes this appealing to someone who only wants to pop in every now and then. <fingers crossed>

Ahh, you'll need to check out this cinematic trailer.

Oh no oh no oh no, I just heard Sean say something about re-scoping FIREWATCH after playing 80 Days, and I ran here because one must never, never, never make design decisions after having just been impressed by another game. Which I'm sure Sean knows, or maybe I misunderstand the extent of the changes. Whatever, either way I have faith in you, but a chill ran down my spine after hearing that scenario described. Bad memories of a project that never got off the ground, that's all.

Hot dang, CAPTAIN TOAD TREASURE TRACKER might be the first day-one purchase I've made in a long time. Reminds me of ZACK & WIKI for the Wii, but even more adorable. <swoon>

Consider skipping No. 3. I **love** this series, flaws and all – finished every single one of them, happily – up until 3, which I bailed on maybe 1/3 of the way through. Capital-N capital-G Not Good.

Unbelievable. What is it about Ubisoft Montreal that compels them to so consistently and aggressively fuck up an otherwise exceptional historical action adventure game? After AC Pirates and their weird meta game-design studio business (and abandoning sadsack dimwit Desmond), I was real optimistic for this new game. *sigh*

I agree with you guys – maybe not as ENTHUSIASTICALLY as Twig – but there are definitely some camera and posing choices that are unarguably objectification. There's a scene right at the start of the B2 demo which includes just a shot of Bayonetta's ass. As far as I could tell, the only reason they made that shot was to say, "this is what Bayonetta's ass looks like." It makes ME feel pervy, and is a bummer (no pun intended) because otherwise I am down with all the rest. Maybe that's an arbitrary line, considering the "her suit is made of hair that flies off during powerful attacks, leaving her nuuuuuuuudddde" business. YMMV, I guess?

Picked B2 up on the weekend and popped in B1. I was kind of taking a gamble on the appeal, but the absurd bonkers insanity turns out to be more appealing than I thought it would be. All the combo stuff seemed pretty intimidating, so I was relieved to see these helpful videos posted earlier. After watching them, though (and they're great), this thing seems even MORE intimidating. Less "game," more "lifestyle."

Really, really surprised (and disappointed) to see LEGO MOVIE and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON so low on that list. And yeah, that CARS comes in so low is also surprising, as is MONSTERS UNIVERSITY's success, considering how quietly it seemed to come and go. I wonder how much of this you can chalk up to the inflated ticket price of 3D movies? Meanwhile, IRON GIANT. Only 31 million dollars worldwide? Ugh, now THAT's disappointing.

Re: Sean's points about how working at Pixar must be soul-destroying because the good things never get the credit they deserve: Anyone who's spent a decent amount of time working in animation will tell you how common it is to have the feeling that something you love – something that is truly great and exceeds expectations and sets a new high water mark – gets shit on by the company or ruined at some point in the production process or ends up underappreciated by audiences. It's the way of the animation industry. Usually you're working on some new piece of garbage by the time that thing comes out. You've moved on, and reminisce with sighs of longing. It's not all Nerf battles and ice-cream buffets.

I just spent actual seconds searching for the "star" favourite button before remembering this was not Twitter.

Speaking, speaking, speaking of Archie, the guys on the Pullbox Podcast reviewed AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE: ESCAPE FROM RIVERDALE, and it sounds… great?

I have a Mac, so unless I'm mistaken I won't be able to give this a shot, but based on the screenshot and the comment above, there's this: If the game's 2D from the side, that makes it hard to get around the fire. It hits the ground and spreads out, so you're going to have to deal with navigating around the fire and it's going to be tough unless you can give it some LBP-style 2.5D depth, maybe. However, if you were working in 3D (which we'll ignore unless otherwise asked) or using top-down 2D (or isometric), all of a sudden Our Hero has the ability to navigate around the patches of fire. Add in a "wind" mechanic (simulated or cheated) and you can set fires and use the smoke's direction to your advantage. How? I dunno, that's up to you. I realize that switching from side-scrolling to top-down/isometric would be a pretty severe change, but if you're pivoting on the fire propagation system… maybe it's worth it? (This is awesome, I love FC2, I'm excited to see this develop!)

I haven't read as much non-fiction as I'd like to, but I got a little taste recently and now I'm looking to read more of it, too. It seems like the way to go would be to identify authors and/or writing styles you enjoy reading and then just reading whatever they have to offer, regardless of topic. That seems like a more direct path to enjoyment than trying to find books you like on topics you like, but then everyone's different, right? Definitely check out some Jon Ronson (THE PSYCHOPATH TEST) or Jon Krakauer (INTO THIN AIR, INTO THE WILD). Disclaimer: I haven't read any of these myself, but friends rave about them so much they're my first recommendation. And I liked the INTO THE WILD movie. Take a look at THE END OF ABSENCE and see if the description grabs you. It recently got nominated for a Governor General's award, and it's extremely timely. Disclaimer: if pressured, I would reluctantly describe the author as a friend. I really liked Oliver Burkeman's THE ANTIDOTE: HAPPINESS FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T STAND POSITIVE THINKING. Disclaimer: it sort of takes the same approach as a self-help book, but Burkeman writes with a great sense of humour and there are a lot of excellent takeaways to discover. It is what it says on the tin. If you're up for some art history intertwined with personal drama, my recent reading has been circling around early 19th-century cultural imperialism. YEE HAW, I know. I enjoyed all of them, but they're not of the same standard as some of the top modern non-fiction. DISARMED: THE STORY OF THE VENUS DE MILO MISTRESS OF THE ELGIN MARBLES LORD ELGIN AND THE MARBLES DREAMING OF EAST: WESTERN WOMEN AND THE EXOTIC ALLURE OF THE ORIENT

Yeah, LB seemed like a survey of some of Cory's opinions on security and software and social networks and all that stuff, all held together by (what I thought) was an engaging plot. That "flow" issue bumped me, too. I didn't need what felt like an encyclopedia primer on all of these things. However, that same aspect makes me think this would be a fantastic book to drop into the hands of an impressionable teenager or "tween." I imagine that's probably by design, but part of me thinks that if they're smart enough to appreciate the value of the themes and technicalities of the book, they might also be smart enough to notice its "survey" quality. Still, I like to think it would mold their impressionable minds in all the right ways. If I knew any kids of the appropriate age it would be my all-purpose gift of choice.

I did it one year. It was great! Wrote my 50,000+ words. The results aren't spectacular – it ended up being a sort of improvised sort of thing that I'm sure could technically be described as a "story" under someone's definition – but that's okay. The end product's not the point. The value's in the experience. I learned that you can't wait for motivation or inspiration, and that the best way to get through "writer's block" is to just keep writing. It feels really good to have hammered out your daily 1,500 words when you really, really didn't feel like doing it. At least as good as those times when everything falls into place and 1,500 words appear in a blink. Recently I was at a talk that someone was giving about "improving your writing." One of the other attendees kept asking, "how do you make time to write?" I might have been sympathetic to his repeated questioning before doing NaNoWriMo, but now the question seems ludicrous. Of course, you just make time for it. I guess that was one of the takeaways, too. So do it! It's basically exercise for writing. Keyboard-based marathon training. It's not a guaranteed good time, but you'll probably feel good results if you put in the work.

Well, since the game's hit its goal, it's sort of a moot point. I'm just curious as to whether anyone's seen a game and thought, "I want THAT game to exist," even though it's not a game they'd be able to play. If this game weren't already at its goal, I might consider it.

This looks great, but I don't currently have anything that will play it and I only MIGHT have something that can play it when it's finished. Has anyone here backed a game that they can't play?

In episode 120 of Idle Thumbs they discuss big dog robots as fire-fighting, wood-chipping, human-devouring wilderness monsters, so um I guess sorry for spoiling the final boss.

Glad to hear mention of the "power corrupts" theme in LOTR – I'd been watching Shadow of Mordor streams and it felt like the only logical conclusion to the game would be if it turned out that you were building yourself up to be the Sauron we all know and love. Or that your ghost buddy was using you as a vessel to make himself Sauron, and the process of the game is you customizing your orc army for maximum Mordorification of Mordor. Would land especially well considering how the murdering is so, so brutal. I guess that's not the case, which is a shame. As a LOTR fan-but-not-a-zealot, achieving that narrative end-game felt like it would be worth going against the canon. Ahhh, a game (a LICENSED game, no less) with thematic consistency between its gameplay and its story. *sigh*

I mean, if you're not familiar with him, you should know that he is, not that he's only charming if you don't know him.

+1 to Jeff Green's Dark Souls streams. If you don't know Jeff, he's genuinely charming. His seeming lack of spacial awareness can be frustrating. He turned me on to "Kay Plays," and she's fantastic. Here are her Let's Plays, organized into playlists. She's methodical, calm, and detail-oriented. I enjoyed watching her Dark Souls streams more than I would have enjoyed playing those games. If anyone has any other Twitch/YouTube recommendations, I'd love to hear 'em. Turn-offs include excessive profanity, brohaviour, and hideous, cluttered overlays.

Hello Internet Strangers! I added IDLE THUMBS to my podcast feed earlier this year and had been enjoying it. This week I dipped into the archive, though, and after discovering how fully those guys (you guys?) share my love for FAR CRY 2, I've been mainlining old episodes all week. Do I really have the time to participate in a forum? No, not really. I should be making comics. That is my "occupation." But I can't find a good FAR CRY 2 message board, and it just feels nice to revel in an accepting community. The only thing I've been playing lately has been MARIO KART 8 – I went ahead and bought a Wii U after 100% relating to the story in the podcast a few months back about the Wii U and buyer's remorse. So far so good. Other than that all my gaming has been vicarious, thanks to Twitch and Youtube streams. It's like playing games but without the stress, expense, or load times, plus the addition of a fast-forward button! It's nice to meet you guys. This will likely be my last post.