Roderick

Yesterday I finished Zero Time Dilemma on the 3DS, the latest (and final) entry in the much-lauded Zero Escape series of visual novels. I'm reviewing it for AniWay (Dutch J-culture mag) and I am apparently the only one who didn't like it? The world's Polygons and Eurogamers are all heaping 8s on it and here I am thinking: a 6 would be generous. Did anyone else play it here? You know, usually when my opinion is so off-norm, I tend to be swayed by reading other people's commentary: sometimes I've missed some deeper meaning or perceived things differently, and then I grow milder in my judgment. Not so much here. I know why this game is poor in a lot of respects and it's frustrating and baffling that other reviewers don't see it.

Interestingly, before I started playing it a friend complained about a few areas that he considered to be full of irritating backtracking. When I played it, I guess I happened to do things in the correct way straight off the bat, with marginal backtracking, so I never experienced anything like a lull in pacing. There are a handful (really just one or two) big areas that feature multiple routes, but that's a deliberate choice to stop you right there. The rest of the game zips along.

The RNC has been an absolute mad circus to follow. From Cruz stabbing Trump in the back to Colbert's Hungry For Power Games stealing the stage. Man. I still don't believe Trump stands a chance.

I then read that in Rick's voice. Ugh, you know what the worst one is? Whenever I read an insightful piece about human psychology and how to lifehack that, I read it in the 'School of Life' youtube voice (which may or may not be Alain de Bottom?). Caught that one this morning.

I'm hearing that in a HAL 9000 voice.

Holy crap Bjorn. I haven't seen Ghostbusters in about 5 years either, so I now shudder to think it might actually be that way. It had cemented itself in my head as a comedy classic, but maybe that's also nostalgia talking. I'll most likely rewatch the movies in the coming weeks. I'm curious if my opinions will have changed afterwards as well. I remember Ghostbusters 2 as a terrible film by the way. One filled with super iconic images and genuinely frightening stuff, but structurally and in terms of script writing pretty awful.

Yes, the credits were a lot of fun. If there's a sequel in the first place. The box office of Ghostbusters is doing just fine. Sony is happy. GB is obviously meant as a tentpole franchise for them, Ghost Corp was never intented just to produce one film. The question is whether it's this team that's returning (I fervently hope so) or if they'll spin off into different areas (the rumored Guybusters). Feig has so far said nothing about a sequel. In an interview with Deadline Hollywood he said the whole team first wants to take a breather before figuring out what's next. It seems safe to say Sony will want more, but I'd only want it if it's done with the same amount of love and (comic) creativity as this one.

I watched Ghostbusters again this evening, this time with my gf, and I'd like to update my earlier warm recommendation into straight-out enthusiasm. It's even better the second time around. I wasn't quite as bothered with the pacing issues and paid no heed to the wafer thin plot - instead I just marvelled at how joyous and fun this movie is. If you need something that recaptures the joy of blockbuster cinema, look no further. It has so many strange delights. Just looking at Kate McKinnon's face as it morphs throughout the movie is so, so good. Impeccably weird, it's like nothing else. The last time I saw a performance like that - albeit in a completely different tone and register - it was Heath Ledger's Joker.

Well, there is a secret area (highly youtubeable) that goes a way to make a certain implication that's pretty interesting. I didn't feel the areas were that disjointed. Diverse, yes, but you're always running in the same direction and so is the theme - which never lets up in

I wonder if the thing supports save states. That was really essential for my enjoyment of a lot of those classics on the 3DS. It made playing Mario Bros and Metroid a blast, instead of a kind of frustrating and time-consuming experience. (I know I didn't get the 'proper' old school experience this way, but for me to play and get to the end of them at all, it was invaluable.)

Ghostbusters: it made me feel good. It was a funny, not particularly great film that clearly loves Ghostbusters, still managed to do its own thing and sports some delightfully charming comedy. After all the extoplasmic vile barfed over it by angry neckbeards across the internet, hey, guess what, it turned out to be a swell movie that hopefully will get a sequel with the same crew. I'm ready to believe them - err see them bustin' again in the future.

Even having no interest in Pokken, when I played it I was very underwhelmed. Mind you, of all genres, Streetfighter-clone fighting games are among my least favorite, but still I can enjoy something like Smash Bros. Pokken just seemed very boring and slow. I read an article somewhere (always the best possible thing to base your opinions on!) that Star Fox was indeed kind of bad and it was especially a shame that Nintendo apparently chose to push it, rather than the superior TMS#fe as 'the game to have' for this period.

Have not played Limbo, but I just finished Inside (in two sittings within a span of 12 hours). What a great game. It's superbly restrained, polished from every angle and a joy throughout. I especially loved the scene

I've seen Pokémon Go with a couple of people now and, it's weird: it looks like a pretty ugly / visually uninteresting game with mechanics that don't terribly appeal to me beyond the gimmick aspect of augmented reality. Yet, everyone goes nuts about it, which must be a combination of Pokémon and the adventuring vibe? Like, it's just inherently fun to go outside to do an actual goddamn quest in real life, wandering around - no matter how shallow or ugly or iffy the game itself is?

I happened to watch a few hours of TMS#FE (what a convoluted name - and totally not using either the SMT/Persona or Fire Emblem brands... what were they thinking?), and it very nearly convinced me I needed a Wii U. Look, I've never played Persona, so perhaps this isn't the most informed opinion. But I loved the colorfulness, the cheek, the fighting style. To me, it was a perfect feel-good game with the right amount of Japanese weirdness that I sometimes crave. In terms of skeeviness, as long as it doesn't get to DOA Tropical Island Voyeur Edition, I'll be fine. In no small part because it has this

Whatever the reason, I for one am happy that this season of 'Thrones seemed much less horribly rapey. Of course, such is the nature of television, it wants to shock, but I found it all much more palatable, without surrendering on being interesting. I agree with the article very much - it was observably lacking in the finesse of the first few seasons, but made up for that by being better paced by quite a lot.

I'm the Shadow Minister that's what up

Also the absolute best name for any public official. I'm the shadow minister.

Agents of SHIELD has its ups and downs, but the third season was pretty exciting, both halves of it! Looking forward to the fourth season.

Will this be recorded in your wonderful new soundproof conference room at the top of Circus?

They totally do.

I will leave things in the hands of the ever prescient The Day Today:

Verily