DrBloodmoney Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 9 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Platinum #72: Bastion It's the one and only, the world's greatest, the Kid Nice! ? Congrats on the plat m'dude, and glad you liked this one - a great read! 9 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: This mechanic along with the isometric approach and sophisticated pixelation of the characters made me think of seeing the fall of Zeal from Chrono Trigger in real time. YES!! Man, that never occurred to me, but that's probably the best analogy for how the whole game feels - this idea that the world that crumbled was so advanced and utopian, and the confusion and "what now" sadness of all the characters reflects that - it's hubristic, and sad and even a little pathos inducing. It makes you kind of want to see what it was like before the calamity... yet the destruction looks so weird and cool anyways, that you then forget that! 9 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I'm still beside myself that this is over a decade old! Pyre just got a huge jump up the backlog man... Supergiant remains undefeated Noice - It's funny you say you feel in the minority liking Bastion over Transistor - I kind of feel like that probably is a minority opinion now, but oddly, for a long time, I'd say it was the opposite. Transistor seemed to be one that had to grow on people a little - whereas Bastion was a completely beloved game right from the start. I suppose some of that was also people maybe not seeing Transistor for what it was, and wishing it was a Bastion 2... before Supergiant had really established their "one and done" credentials. I'll be very interested in where you rank Pyre in their list actually - personally, it's my no.2 below Transistor, but it's certainly their most divisive game - I've seen a lot of folks who loved Hades, Bastion and Transistor be more "meh" on Pyre... so I'm curious which camp you'll fall in! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted September 23, 2022 Author Share Posted September 23, 2022 9 hours ago, Heather342 said: Don't forget to add Hades to that backlog pile as well, another fantastic game by Supergiant ? Yeah, once I finish Pyre I suspect I'll be keeping an eye on any sales that one might be in? 9 hours ago, Heather342 said: I loved Bastion when I played it earlier this year, I actually split my play time between the PS4 and the Vita, made huge use of that cross save feature ?. It ran really well on the handheld, I finished off a few of those idol runs in who knows where on the Vita version. Really good to hear that you enjoyed your time with this game too It has a cross save feature?? That's so cool! Well, not that it benefits me in any way, I don't have a Vita, but it's still cool that it's there? Yeah dude, I really dug this one a lot. I could be a full fledged Supergiant fanboy before I know it! 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: Nice! ? Congrats on the plat m'dude, and glad you liked this one - a great read! Thanks dude? 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: YES!! Man, that never occurred to me, but that's probably the best analogy for how the whole game feels - this idea that the world that crumbled was so advanced and utopian, and the confusion and "what now" sadness of all the characters reflects that - it's hubristic, and sad and even a little pathos inducing. It makes you kind of want to see what it was like before the calamity... yet the destruction looks so weird and cool anyways, that you then forget that! Exactly! The world is in ruins, and it still looks so beautiful - hell, the GROUND even looks nice! Plus all the fancy distilled spirits looked like intergalactic tiki cocktails or some shit, it just felt like they were really livin a good life til it all went to shit. It wasn't til I really started dwelling on the fact that everything's up in the air that I was like "wait a minute..." 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: I'll be very interested in where you rank Pyre in their list actually - personally, it's my no.2 below Transistor, but it's certainly their most divisive game - I've seen a lot of folks who loved Hades, Bastion and Transistor be more "meh" on Pyre... so I'm curious which camp you'll fall in! Same! I still remember first reading your Pyre review, and the wildly different games you used for reference (namely NBA Jam, that what had me like whaaaaaaat?), frankly it's been on the list ever since. Now that the first two Supergiant games are down, that one's probably right around the corner! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted September 24, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 24, 2022 (edited) Platinum #22: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune I'm Indiana Jones coated with chrome It's been a minute since I've written about a game I hadn't recently completed! This one has been on the brain a bit as of late, and I feel it's finally time to give it a go. Of course, I'm not even going to pretend that you shouldn't be reading Platinum Vice's incredible Uncharted epic instead of this (in fact if you haven't yet, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, GOOO!!), it's a fantastic retrospective that covers the entire series at large, whereas I'm just talkin about a game I played this one time? Like many other folks, I got my hands on The Nathan Drake Collection for free back in 2020. I was pretty excited, cuz in spite of having known of the franchise and its immense popularity for many years, I hadn't actually ever played any of these games. With the first one under my belt, I officially cannot say that Covid never did nothin for me! To get the most commonplace possible observations about this game out of the way, it's pretty obvious they were going for the whole Indiana Croft vibe with this thing, and I loved how unashamed they were about it. The feel of being in your own explorer action flick is pretty fun, and I was impressed with how surprisingly gorgeous this game this is. The jungle backdrop is so well realized that a few times I found myself just standing there for a moment to admire my surroundings. I obviously can't blame the game's controls for how 2007 they feel, but I'm not really gonna take shots at the other usual gameplay criticisms either. Yeah, the vast majority of the game is spent in cover and the non-puzzles are almost insulting at times (Drake himself is using a guide when it comes to these things), but I never found myself getting too frustrated with any of that. It's still fun shooting people (of which there is no shortage), the kinda-but-not-really platforming was serviceable, and it's a fun environment to be in, be it a downed plane, an empty village, or ancient ruins. I'd even argue that the feel of the story is more what they were going for than the story itself, so it seems a moot point to criticize that as well. I like a silly Sunday afternoon movie as much as the next guy after all, and the seemingly random dip into survival horror territory towards the end livened things up some. Not to mention that the base game's trophy requirements were pretty reasonable - beat the hardest difficulty, get this many of these kills, those kills, find all the collectibles, and speed run a few chapters. Doesn't overstay its welcome and doesn't ask anything unreasonable of you. Everything was pretty decent til I started that wretched DLC? This is what ruined the experience for me. The cracked out version of the already challenging Crushing difficulty is completely unnecessary. Much has been made of Naughty Dog adding Brutal difficulty for sake of pure sadism, and I agree 100%. It really is as if they couldn't make a more legitimate challenge than Crushing, so instead were like "you wanna just fuck with em then?" Obviously Crushing isn't a cakewalk, and the leap in difficulty isn't the greatest, but it's like pouring more beer into an already full glass - it was perfectly fine the way it was, and now you're making a fucking mess. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS. The Brutal playthrough was such a miserable slog that it sapped all the fun out of the game, and everything I mentioned earlier that was maybe not great but totally acceptable became annoying. I was tired of being in cover all the time. I was over going through the motions with the idiotic puzzles. I found myself wondering why Drake was incapable of not talking for five seconds, and by the time I heard him say "you beautiful son of a bitch" again I was just like bro shut your corny ass up. Playing on Easy was such a breath of fresh air, and I wish I'd done the Doughnut Drake/speed run combo first, as that actually did feel like a fun addition, but by that point I was done. I had gone into this experience so down for the series, talking bout how I was gonna tackle all three games in a row. I genuinely couldn't wait to try out the second and third games! After all that though, when I finally got the hundo, I had no interest whatsoever in continuing. Granted, this is a completionist problem and not a casual gamer problem, but when I limped away from this thing I had quite the sour taste in my mouth. At the end of the day, Uncharted really does deserve all the praise (and criticism) it gets, and definitely should be played by most gamers. It's been over a year now, so that unpleasant funk I let the DLC hang on my head has dissipated considerably and I'm warming up to the idea of finally checking out the sequel, but man. Stray Observations - Broforce has an Indiana Jones-based character named Indiana Brones, and I would not be surprised if that was the running name for Nathan Drake during development. I don't know what it is about Drake's demeanor, but he has definitely crushed an empty can of beer on his forehead at some point in his life. - For a while after playing this game I'd still find myself muttering "ooookayy...." whenever I was about to undertake an arduous or otherwise bothersome task. Drake is constantly saying something to himself, whether he's shooting, taking cover, jumping, or.. well actually I think I just listed all the things he does. - I could never help being annoyed when you'd get killed and one of the pirates would be like "Not so tough now!" Bitch there are thousands of you and one of me, what the fuck are you talking about? I imagine him going back to his battalion or whatever and bein like "Huh huh I told him he's not so tough," and everybody looking at him like "you're a jackass." - After my first fifty or so deaths in the jeep sequence I just started laughing every time I died. On the higher difficulties this feels absolutely preposterous! Definitely a "what am I doing with my life" moment. - Shout out to Elena, though her falling for Drake does kinda trip me out. "Ooh... look at how he's gunning men down by the hundreds... or how he bumbles his way through a booby-trapped area... or how he copies a written solution in a notepad to solve a puzzle OH GOD YES RAVAGE ME NATHAN? THAT Trophy: Charted! - Brutal Well, no surprise here. Though that'd be kind of funny if I was like "YEAH, THAT BULLSHIT WITH COMPARING STATS TO YOUR FRIENDS? FUCK IS THAT ABOUT??" As touched on before, Uncharted on Brutal is a famously unpleasant way to spend your time. Full disclosure, I took advantage of the glitch with the infinite ammo and one shot kills, and even still this felt like such a monstrous undertaking (those can't help you on the jeep or boating sequences, for instance). Whenever I get to U2, I'm definitely saving this one for last? Edited September 24, 2022 by YaManSmevz Spellcheck has been drinking, not me 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted September 24, 2022 Share Posted September 24, 2022 1 hour ago, YaManSmevz said: As touched on before, Uncharted on Brutal is a famously unpleasant way to spend your time. Full disclosure, I took advantage of the glitch with the infinite ammo and one shot kills, and even still this felt like such a monstrous undertaking (those can't help you on the jeep or boating sequences, for instance). Whenever I get to U2, I'm definitely saving this one for last? Oh man, great write up. I've been putting off cleaning up all the Uncharted games for this very reason. Glad to know that the glitches are still valid ways to get through the Brutal runs, but they won't be cakewalks! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted September 24, 2022 Author Share Posted September 24, 2022 50 minutes ago, DrunkenEngineer said: Oh man, great write up. I've been putting off cleaning up all the Uncharted games for this very reason. Glad to know that the glitches are still valid ways to get through the Brutal runs, but they won't be cakewalks! Thanks dude! Personally I thought Crushing was perfectly fine for a hard as balls difficulty - it kicked my ass, but I never felt like it was cheap or anything (except that damn jeep, I will always be salty about that stupid chapter). Brutal runs are truly a thing of misery, but you're more than capable of taking care of that shit? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billie__227 Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 Oh man, fuck Brutal difficulty! Lmao I lost count of the number of times I had to replay the jeep chapter. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 12 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Platinum Vice's incredible Uncharted epic instead of this (in fact if you haven't yet, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, GOOO!!) Well, aren't you just a little gem? You're a little bit... a little bit of a sweetiepie. A little bit of a cutiepie. And you smell good. Hey for real - this is probably one of my favourite reviews from you for a while, and I think that speaks volumes considering your checklist game has been so lit lately that it's a genuinely great time whenever you put something up. I don't know whether you feel that yourself or whether I'm just vibing but on the whole you've been better than ever lately. ? Anyway: Uncharted. I keep trying to quote you but every time I do it I seems like I'm just quoting the whole review and saying "yeah 100% agree homie" so I guess I'll just sum it up and say that we're in synch about the gameplay, story, Brutal difficulty and how much of a manchild Drake is. The thought of someone overfilling a pint with too much beer and of Drake using his own guide Powerpyx-style to solve basic puzzles made me chuckle. I hope you do play the others in the series. I'd recommend doing 2 and 3 together and then finishing them with back to back Brutal modes. If I remember correctly, I did speedrun and brutal playthroughs as a trilogy instead of on a game-by-game basis and that worked for me. Maybe do U4 and Lost Legacy another time to prevent burnout? I'm adamant in believing that they're the best in the series so I'd hate to see you go in without a hunger to enjoy them. Re: Bastion and Lair of the Clockwork God: pushed up the priority list... they thank you. One day... I think, though, that my October will instead feature MLB 22. Any tips? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 6 hours ago, Billie__227 said: Oh man, fuck Brutal difficulty! Lmao I lost count of the number of times I had to replay the jeep chapter. Duuuude no lie!! That jeep chapter is the absolute worst... I lost track of my deaths too, and I remember finally getting out of the jungle and being like "wait... WHY IS THIS STILL GOING??" Ugh. Never again!!? 6 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: Well, aren't you just a little gem? You're a little bit... a little bit of a sweetiepie. A little bit of a cutiepie. And you smell good. 5 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: Hey for real - this is probably one of my favourite reviews from you for a while, and I think that speaks volumes considering your checklist game has been so lit lately that it's a genuinely great time whenever you put something up. I don't know whether you feel that yourself or whether I'm just vibing but on the whole you've been better than ever lately. Ayy thanks a lot homie, I really appreciate that! I made a goal for this month to update three times a week, frankly I'm surprised that I'm happy with a decent percent of the shit I been writing? 5 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: The thought of someone overfilling a pint with too much beer and of Drake using his own guide Powerpyx-style to solve basic puzzles made me chuckle. I just picture him showing Elena the guide he was using and being like "Look at that ASCII art!! It says 'Uncharted!!' Isn't that something??" 5 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: I hope you do play the others in the series. I'd recommend doing 2 and 3 together and then finishing them with back to back Brutal modes. If I remember correctly, I did speedrun and brutal playthroughs as a trilogy instead of on a game-by-game basis and that worked for me. Maybe do U4 and Lost Legacy another time to prevent burnout? I'm adamant in believing that they're the best in the series so I'd hate to see you go in without a hunger to enjoy them. That's really good advice, thank you! Also that way I could have both of them complete around the same time and be done with the trilogy. I would definitely do the speedruns before Brutal runs though, those seriously derail any possible enjoyment? When I got my PS4 U4 was one of the physical games I bought with it, so that's always gonna be on the docket? I would most likely take another break in between. Also whenever I see U4 in somebody's profile it's almost always around 90% or so, even if the trilogy is S'ed. Why is that? Should I be scared? 5 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said: Re: Bastion and Lair of the Clockwork God: pushed up the priority list... they thank you. One day... I think, though, that my October will instead feature MLB 22. Any tips? Bro yes!! They're both really good and don't take much time at all. Bastion especially blew me away, in fact whenever you get around to Supergiant games I suspect you'll be quite pleased? Hell yeah! I'm considering getting that one as well, though it depends on how quickly I can get through The Show 21? I don't have anything you probably don't already know, honestly. I'm an atrocious batter so I always try to wait til the last possible moment to take a swing, lest I throw the bat around at damn near everything. That's probably all I got? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 19 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: frankly I'm surprised that I'm happy with a decent percent of the shit I been writing Well I like it. Sue me. 19 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: Also whenever I see U4 in somebody's profile it's almost always around 90% or so, even if the trilogy is S'ed. Why is that? Should I be scared? There's a wave defence mode for DLC. Apparently you have to "3 star" (or equivalent) all the maps on the hardest difficulty. I never tried it... just carried on with whatever else I had to play instead. The general distaste for the unfairness of it was clear on this forum so I didn't even try it. 22 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: Hell yeah! I'm considering getting that one as well, though it depends on how quickly I can get through The Show 21 I don't have anything you probably don't already know, honestly. I'm an atrocious batter so I always try to wait til the last possible moment to take a swing, lest I throw the bat around at damn near everything. That's probably all I got OK I'll try to remember that. I think I played 19 for about 5 minutes but the last MLB game that I had was a PSP port... circa 2008ish? Yikes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 5 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said: Well I like it. Sue me. 5 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said: There's a wave defence mode for DLC. Apparently you have to "3 star" (or equivalent) all the maps on the hardest difficulty. I never tried it... just carried on with whatever else I had to play instead. The general distaste for the unfairness of it was clear on this forum so I didn't even try it. That actually does sound pretty unpleasant? 5 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said: OK I'll try to remember that. I think I played 19 for about 5 minutes but the last MLB game that I had was a PSP port... circa 2008ish? Yikes. You're in for a treat, dude? I love baseball games, and The Show is just so fun and immersive. As a series it's definitely grown complacent but I mean good is still good? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 3 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: When I got my PS4 U4 was one of the physical games I bought with it, so that's always gonna be on the docket I would most likely take another break in between. Also whenever I see U4 in somebody's profile it's almost always around 90% or so, even if the trilogy is S'ed. Why is that? Should I be scared? @Platinum_Vice said it, but let me expand - it’s a wave defense mode absolutely dependent on micro-transactions. The trophies that break the S-rank are for besting all the stages on Crushing under a certain time limit. You can’t brute force it by being good - you need upgrades that can only be had by engaging in the leveling mechanics. Get a carry for it. If you have Facebook there is a group on there who run people through those two trophies for fun. Took two sessions of an hour each to do it with their help. Otherwise, the guides say it’s about 70 hours to do it yourself ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted September 26, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 26, 2022 Hundo #2: What Remains of Edith Finch You were right about the end, it didn't make a difference Well, it turns out I'm a liar. For quite a while, I thought that 12 Minutes was my first foray into Annapurna territory, but some quick research to refresh my memory on this excellent game exposed the ignorance of my nascent trophy hunting days. If I paid attention to credits then as I do now, I would have known that Ms. Finch was my true introduction to the publisher? Ay, what a dummy. What Remains of Edith Finch is a pretty straight forward walking sim-ish game that finds you exploring the gargantuan (and eerily empty) Finch home to learn what happened to each family member. It's a simple premise but I found it charming how each story was told in a unique style, particularly Barbara's pulpy Telltale-ish comic book, Sam's series of pictures (which oddly reminded me of this Röyksopp video), and Milton's flip book. My favorite segment was probably the bit with Lewis and his maladaptive daydreaming. You're playing a minigame of his drab work day when a second one pops up on the left hand side of the screen, this one of the adventure fantasy taking place in his head. As somebody who's had my fair share of loathsome jobs along with the occasionally overactive imagination and strong depressive episodes, this one hit me pretty hard - especially with how the second minigame gradually takes the screen over. Thats when it starts to feel truly alarming, I mean everybody knows you never go full second-minigame!! There's an amazing blend of wonderment and sadness throughout this whole thing. It's funny because much like the Winchester Mystery House, the Finch home can almost look whimsical at first glance, and it's only once you learn of its history and take a real look around that it becomes as unsettling as it rightly should be. I can kiiinda get behind the whole curse thing, it's easy to go along with thanks to the game's remarkably short length and makes the house feel much more disquieting, but even without that it's still fascinating to see how one family manages to encounter misfortune, bad decisions, and mental illness to this degree. Jeff Russo and Joel Corelitz put together a score that I wouldn't call my favorite, but definitely has some haunting moments (parts of Calvin's Swingset come to mind) that fit in with the theme nicely. No shame in this of course, but I gotta say that Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers was easily the soundtrack's peak! I've noticed that the PS5 version comes with a platinum, unlike my lowly, peasant ass PS4 version. I hope this encourages more peeps to play this game - I know it's not exactly an obscure title or anything, but it's very much worth experiencing. I think What Remains of Edith Finch is very deserving of its artsy reputation. Its diverse visuals and dark story very much stuck with me, and though I would never argue that it's perfect, I can't see anybody genuinely disliking this one. Stray Observations - One of my favorite things about this game is the imaginative text placement, it isn't much but I thought it was a nice touch, particularly during Gus' story and the ending. - I found it darkly funny that the account of Calvin's story was in a helmet. Like "you probably could've used one of these, kid..." - While I do remember what life was like when our phones were stationary and we had no way of knowing whether a call was important or not, I can't say that leaving a baby alone in a bathtub is the best thing for a parent to do, especially when you take into consideration how good everyone in this family is at dying. Granted, she likely had no idea that her infant son had telekinetic abilities, but still. - Yo Milton's flip book is looooooong. I remember making those as a kid and they would never go longer than five or ten seconds, his just kept on goin. - This is likely because my head can be a somewhat twisted place, but I think hopeful bummer endings are the best, and they really deliver here! THAT Trophy: G-R-E-G-O-R-Y As is often the case with chill games like this, the trophy getting the nod is not hard to get at all. For whatever reason though, I got a weird anxiety with this one, bein like "Aw crap, I'm gonna run out of time, THE LETTERS AREN'T COMING OFF OH SHIT" only to finish the task with ease and have plenty of time left over. Very silly, I know? 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 18 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Hundo #2: What Remains of Edith Finch You were right about the end, it didn't make a difference Noice! Sweet write up as always - for a game I loved! I gotta point out... 18 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Yo Milton's flip book is looooooong. I remember making those as a kid and they would never go longer than five or ten seconds, his just kept on goin. Dang right it is... because it's filling in the gap between The Unfinished Swan and Edith Finch! If you've not played TUS, you totally should, as that whole Milton part will make much more sense! 18 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: - This is likely because my head can be a somewhat twisted place, but I think hopeful bummer endings are the best, and they really deliver here! THAT Trophy: G-R-E-G-O-R-Y As is often the case with chill games like this, the trophy getting the nod is not hard to get at all. For whatever reason though, I got a weird anxiety with this one, bein like "Aw crap, I'm gonna run out of time, THE LETTERS AREN'T COMING OFF OH SHIT" only to finish the task with ease and have plenty of time left over. Very silly, I know Oh man... Gregory. ? Negligent parents aside, his story does make one wonder... ...in popular fiction, where you get people with telekinetic powers... how did they (or, for that matter, anyone around them) ever survive past their infant phase? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted September 27, 2022 Author Share Posted September 27, 2022 27 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: Noice! Sweet write up as always - for a game I loved! I gotta point out... Dang right it is... because it's filling in the gap between The Unfinished Swan and Edith Finch! If you've not played TUS, you totally should, as that whole Milton part will make much more sense! Thanks homie? Yeah I really liked this one.. and I think you just gave me the first push I needed to pick up The Unfinished Swan, I've been thinking about that one for a long while now! 27 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: Oh man... Gregory. Negligent parents aside, his story does make one wonder... ...in popular fiction, where you get people with telekinetic powers... how did they (or, for that matter, anyone around them) ever survive past their infant phase? No kidding! The mom there was lucky the frog didn't go straight into her face. Keeping a baby alive is already such a stressful job, I can only imagine how much that stress multiplies once you start seeing random shit flying everywhere! I wonder that about Cyclops sometimes, like how many sets of parents did he accidentally disintegrate as a child before he got the hang of keeping those lasers in check? On 9/25/2022 at 10:15 AM, DrunkenEngineer said: @Platinum_Vice said it, but let me expand - it’s a wave defense mode absolutely dependent on micro-transactions. The trophies that break the S-rank are for besting all the stages on Crushing under a certain time limit. You can’t brute force it by being good - you need upgrades that can only be had by engaging in the leveling mechanics. Get a carry for it. If you have Facebook there is a group on there who run people through those two trophies for fun. Took two sessions of an hour each to do it with their help. Otherwise, the guides say it’s about 70 hours to do it yourself My bad dude, I completely forgot to reply to this? That sounds like hell! Thanks for the tip on the Facebook group, I definitely keep that in mind if I ever get around to U4. It's funny though, cuz while 70 hours seems awful, that's probably not far off from how long it took when we were going for the Doomsday trophies? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 On 9/27/2022 at 8:26 AM, YaManSmevz said: It's funny though, cuz while 70 hours seems awful, that's probably not far off from how long it took when we were going for the Doomsday trophies Hah! I would much rather work on Uncharted Survival (solo) than Doomsday, to be completely honest! I'm not sure if ND will ever shut the servers down, but they did just remaster UC4 for PS5 without the multi... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_Radio Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 (edited) I see you're doing DOOM 2 @DrunkenEngineer. Not sure if that platinum is the best idea. For now, I threw in the towel. Way too damn difficult, and the Charles method of downgrading to version 1.03 or whatever is too much hassle. Edited September 29, 2022 by AJ_Radio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted September 29, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 29, 2022 (edited) Platinum #73: Batman: Arkham Asylum That's just the way you make me feel I wasn't sure I'd ever get to write about this one, but at long last one of my six perennially procrastinated games has been put to bed. Arkham Asylum was one of the first games I played on the 360, and for not gaming much at the time, I'd still heard a remarkably great deal about it. I remember my roommate playing the part in the penitentiary that would later become the setting for the Shock and Awe challenges (?), seeing him die and then Harley walking up and talking shit directly to him. I was like that dude from Fight Club, "Can I be next?" Probably the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about what makes this game so great is the sound. The effects are done masterfully - punches and kicks are brutal, the sound of your cape as you fly across the asylum is invigorating, the gadgets are so crisp that if you close your eyes, somebody may as well be fiddling with them right next to you. The score has this cold and tense quality to it that contributes immensely to the claustrophobic feel of the game, and wouldn't sound entirely out of place in any Batman media from the 90s. Which brings me to the most important part. Hiring voice actors from Batman: The Animated Series? What a stroke of genius! Kevin Conroy does his thing as Batman, but Mark Hamill's Joker steals the show, and this is common knowledge at this point but I'd get my Batman fan card revoked if I didn't point it out. He is so good in this role that no matter how many times I died, or how frustrating the death was, if he was the one to taunt me it was always entertaining, without exception. I SALUTE MY FALLEN ENEMY! PPPBBBBTTTT!! The writing (also courtesy of the Animated Series) is so sharp and considerate of how complex these characters are, and how many of them there are as well. There are so many villains either appearing or being referenced to that I started to feel like a rube with how many I didn't already know! Harley as always is a delight, Zasz is low key terrifying, the Riddler is wonderfully snotty, everybody here puts in work and does their character justice. The story is totally believable as something you would read in a comic or see on screen, and the asylum genuinely feels like a dangerous place to be. It's dark, depressing, and just like Batman himself, wears the events of the game more and more as you progress. It's rather short, but makes the most of the asylum grounds (as well as its characters), and I thought it had just the right amount of backtracking and changes in accessibility to different areas. Of course, I also love how this game plays. The combat is classic easy to pick up but hard to master status, and the journey I had towards fully getting it and using everything to my advantage was a fun and rewarding one. It's funny how at first you'll be like "how the hell am I gonna get a combo of 40 hits or use every unique move in a row" until you've mastered the combat and are doing these things without even thinking about it. Every gadget feels great to use, every attack is satisfying, and the stealth aspect even more so. You have a considerable amount of tools ar your disposal, but Rocksteady does a great job of reminding you that you're not here to eat bullets. You're very mortal if you try to just muscle your way through everything, but when you're stealthy, using everything at your disposal, and just playing smart, you can easily be unstoppable. Traversing above the enemies' heads, sneaking through vents, hanging off of ledges, silent attacks from above, below, behind, even around corners, the stealth gameplay ticks all the right boxes. Detective mode is a solid addition as well, and scanning for ways in and out without being seen (most common hint: Look up, stupid!) just helps you feel even more immersed. Of course, this is a reminder that there's probably a hundred or so too many collectibles, as you'll be turning that screen blue an awful lot, but it all feels strangely appropriate. On my last playthrough, I had no need to track down any riddles or chronicles, I just needed to finish the story, but damn if I didnt find myself instinctually looking anyway. When you find yourself wanting to find collectibles, that right there is a special game. Complaints? As mentioned before, it does feel a bit short. I didn't care much for the extent of Croc's inclusion (his is the only segment that wears out its welcome) and the final battle with the Joker sees a weirdly small amount of time in which you actually fight the Joker. I guess the camera hasn't aged as well as it might have, but for 2009 it's still pretty solid. Ugh, there I go praising Arkham Asylum again!! So when I got my PS4 at the end of 2019, the GTA trilogy may have been the first thing I bought, but the Arkham Bundle was second (City and Knight, man... one day). As the casual non-hunter with nothing to prove that I was, I slapped it on and played the story on Easy, figuring I'd already beaten it and just wanted to experience it again. I didn't think of it again until I suddenly decided completionism mattered to me, and played it again on Normal. This time I spent a lot more time in the challenge rooms, and had fun with the predator challenges but the combat shit scared me off real quick. I'd see the scores required, the scores people were able to rack up, and my own sad pittance of points. There were half hearted attempt here and there for another year or so but I gotta be real man, I had pretty much given up. When I came back to it this week though, I was ready to really force myself to figure out what wasn't working and wrap this one up for good. I think Cuphead and Hong Kong Massacre got my head right, truth be told. I had a dogged determination to see those through, why not with this game, which I'd been avoiding for over two and a half years now? This isn't by any stretch the most impressive completion you'll find, but it means quite a lot to me. That feeling when you doubt yourself only to prove that doubt wrong, regardless of whatever it's in regards to, is a uniquely wonderful feeling. This is such a stellar game, and the experience of completing it is so gratifying. Looks like I may have a date with Arkham City after all! Stray Observations - This observation has been made countless times before, but the damage a lot of these enemies take? Detective mode can assure me that he's unconscious all it wants, I don't care. He dead. - Dat Gotham skyline tho! - When Oracle stops calling for Batman and starts yelling "Bruce!!" I couldn't help being reminded of Reservoir Dogs when Harvey Keitel's like "enough of this 'Mr. White' shit!" - Scarecrow's segments were outstanding, and I loved their fourth wall breaking intros. Props also to the rude awakening of seeing the actual man himself after the last one... hard luck on that exit though? - I can't tell you how many times the goon saying "Don't let him hitcha, ya idiot!!" felt specifically directed at me. - As usual, Batman is incapable of saving the day without trashing the place, and I wouldn't have it any other way. How I would love for him to have quipped on the way out "And clean up your asylum, it's a fuckin mess!" - The end where Batman just clocks the Joker is such a bad ass visual. I kinda wish I'd saved the Hard playthrough for last cuz at this point I really feel that "I'LL NEVER LET YOU WIN" line. THAT Trophy: Freeflow Gold You know a trophy list is stingy when the ones with 'gold' in their name are still only silver. Even once you've got a solid handle on the combat's intricacies, this can still be some serious pain. Having a phenomenal start only to choke in spectacular fashion towards the end is a special kind of agony, and these challenge rooms provide more than anyone could ever want! Some of the most frustrating moments I've had in a while, but when the last thug was goin down in Shock and Awe Extreme, I just stared at the three bats and watched the slow motion play out like a kid on Christmas morning. A hard earned platinum that was a long time coming - I know I just said this about Bastion, but this one felt damned good. Edited September 29, 2022 by YaManSmevz 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_Radio Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 On 9/9/2022 at 3:46 PM, YaManSmevz said: Hey, you remember all that Chicago business a while back? Well there was something I forgot to mention - the famous highway Route 66 starts there, right across the street from the wonderful Art Institute of Chicago: Care to guess where it ends? Route 66 probably doesn't get much attention these days. This was one of the oldie songs that Nat King Cole performed. Before you ask, I'm a history buff who knows a good deal of Hollywood history. You learn something new every day, because I never knew it ended at Santa Monica. On 9/9/2022 at 3:46 PM, YaManSmevz said: Traveling Witcha Man Smevz #2: Los Angeles I spent four and a half separate days revisiting areas and trying to optimize a theoretical week-long stay for someone who wouldn't know their way around, and I think I did an okay job. I've narrowed the focus to three main areas - Hollywood, Downtown, and Santa Monica - each with nearby neighborhoods that are at best walkable and at worst a short Uber ride.It is still more than one would likely do, though! Fair warning, there's a lot here, and if the travel stuff ain't your thing and you're like "enough of this, get back to posting the mid ass video game write-ups," no hard feelings at all, I completely understand! Seriously, this one's gonna be super long so no judgements for skimming or scrolling past entirely, I promise? Dude, I'm fucking jealous. While I bitch about Los Angeles a great deal for creating a culture that's well.... not the most healthy in the long term, I still want to see it. Been there a number of times, but only as a kid. On 9/9/2022 at 3:46 PM, YaManSmevz said: Transportation Damn... well, we're off to a bad start.I'm not a huge fan of LAX, and this has only grown since I've learned how good other major cities are at connecting their metro areas with their airports. Sadly you're kinda stuck hopping on a bus, getting a taxi, or using a ride share app. LAX's actual website has tips for getting to and from the airport, and the second usable option they suggest is literally to be picked up or dropped off by family/friends. Basically they're like "ehh you got this, right?"Unless you're heading out to Disneyland or something, I would suggest against renting a car. Los Angeles' traffic is as bad as advertised, and parking can be quite unpleasant - those poles holding up to four different signs with different days and hours still make me feel like I'm doing calculus in my head for a second.I actually thought about taking a picture and I suddenly wish I had. Instead, here's one I stole from the internet: I'm sure Los Angeles ranks #1 in the worst traffic in America. Not sure if New York City counts since a lot of people just walk or take a Taxi, or an Uber if we want to get more modern. You remember one of the early scenes in Rush Hour 1 where the Chinese girl that Jackie Chan is supposed to find and protect gets stuck in traffic? That's Los Angeles traffic, and even back then in 1998, it was already looking pretty bad. LA is pretty well behind when it comes to mass transportation, something that Chicago and NYC beat by a country mile. I don't recall if that subway really got anywhere. I just remember it was in the film Speed, one of Keanu Reeves earlier roles before he hit it big with The Matrix. On 9/9/2022 at 3:46 PM, YaManSmevz said: Hollywood In my effort to play the tourist (I'd say I went undercover but literally nobody would've known the difference) I got reacquainted with the circus part of Hollywood Boulevard revolving around the TCL Chinese and Dolby theatres. It is fun to walk around, try to see which stars on the Walk of Fame you know, and catch a glimpse of the Hollywood sign from the back of that big ass shopping mall they got there.However, I still say it's best to avoid the tacky gift shops, the aggressive street performers, and those silly tours you'll find there. Universal Studios (and functioning film studios like Paramount and Warner Brothers) will give you an infinitely more interesting tour, all of which I can highly recommend. Plus, Universal's got Springfield USA, which as a lifelong Simpsons diehard I am obligated to push. The most famous and iconic sign in the world. Do they even have room to put more stars on the Walk of Fame? On 9/9/2022 at 3:46 PM, YaManSmevz said: Starting to look a little run down. The buildings are still nice and detailed, but they're lookin a lil dirty. They look like they haven't changed since the 70s or something. One more block down 6th: No more nice looking buildings, everything is looking kinda cheap. Another block down from here and Skid Row is in full swing. I briefly considered taking a picture of the next block, but quickly decided against it, as it felt exploitative and immoral. It is a very sad, very frightening place, and trust me when I say that unless you're volunteering for a shelter or something, you do NOT want to be there. These are pretty old buildings. These were the type of buildings you saw in LA Noire while you were driving around collecting those stupid film reels for a trophy. There's no doubt in my mind that these buildings were in many, many old time Hollywood movies from the Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Orson Welles era. I just hope you guys down in Southern California aren't experiencing the utter shithole that Portland, Oregon has become. Now that is a real hellscape. Fucking despicable that Portland turned into the way it is now. At least you guys in Los Angeles actually have real culture and business that the average person can appreciate and enjoy. On 9/9/2022 at 3:46 PM, YaManSmevz said: Echo Park and Silver Lake are a total hipster mecca, with tons of cool shops, bars, and the beautiful Echo Park Lake. Renting a pedal boat is touristy af but we still do it from time to time, it's great dumb fun! There are hidden staircases all throughout the city, but my two favorites are in this area - the Micheltorena Heart Stairs has that dope paintjob and the Baxter Street Stairs has a ridiculously good view of the city. As for watering holes, Tiki-Ti is an amazing tiki bar with dangerously tasty drinks (but tiny, so get there early cuz it gets packed) and the Short Stop is the place to stop before a Dodger game. Oh yeah, Dodger Stadium is here too! Now that place got skyline views, man... Dodgers are absolutely killing it this year. Best record in the MLB right now. Freddie Freeman is having perhaps his best year in his career. I'm surprised you haven't posted a review on MLB the Show 20, since you did it fairly recently. On 9/9/2022 at 3:46 PM, YaManSmevz said: And maybe rent a bike and ride over to Venice, check out the Muscle Beach and skate park? The real life Venice Beach from Grand Theft Auto V. Seeing the joggers reminds me when you're jogging against that angry, pompous Caucasian lady that tries to win against you in a track race. There's three side missions tied to her playing as Michael, Trevor and Franklin, but you only need Franklin's side mission done for the 100%. Still haven't done it, because GTA V is too fucking long of a game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted September 29, 2022 Author Share Posted September 29, 2022 (edited) Quote Dude, I'm fucking jealous. While I bitch about Los Angeles a great deal for creating a culture that's well.... not the most healthy in the long term, I still want to see it. Been there a number of times, but only as a kid. You should! I can't say I agree with that sentiment. Sure, there is a lot of pretentiousness, and douchey mustaches, and dog-themed businesses with dumb names like "The Barking Lot," but the way that so many different cultures are able to exist in harmony and respect one another here is something that I will always have love for. Quote I'm sure Los Angeles ranks #1 in the worst traffic in America. Not sure if New York City counts since a lot of people just walk or take a Taxi, or an Uber if we want to get more modern. You remember one of the early scenes in Rush Hour 1 where the Chinese girl that Jackie Chan is supposed to find and protect gets stuck in traffic? That's Los Angeles traffic, and even back then in 1998, it was already looking pretty bad. New York City is regularly number one in traffic, but I mean with so many people there it can't be helped. It's definitely 2nd or 3rd though, the traffic here is atrocious and only gets worse. Haha yup, Jackie Chan knows? Quote LA is pretty well behind when it comes to mass transportation, something that Chicago and NYC beat by a country mile. I don't recall if that subway really got anywhere. I just remember it was in the film Speed, one of Keanu Reeves earlier roles before he hit it big with The Matrix. They're making strides with the subway, but I'd be shocked if it ever expanded a great deal. There's like four lines, they cover a decent amount of ground but I've only tried it out once. I definitely don't expect it to catch up with Chicago or New York, I'm sorry to say! Quote Do they even have room to put more stars on the Walk of Fame? These are pretty old buildings. These were the type of buildings you saw in LA Noire while you were driving around collecting those stupid film reels for a trophy. There's no doubt in my mind that these buildings were in many, many old time Hollywood movies from the Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Orson Welles era. Oh yeah, they got plenty of room. It started on Hollywood Boulevard but they've expanded it onto cross streets as well. As I recall, the Beatles have their star a bit off the beaten path in front of the Capitol Records building a full block north. Oh absolutely. They were once the nice part of downtown, but then Skid Row was in full swing a neighborhood over and the city decided it was easier to build new skyscrapers a little further down instead of maintain those older buildings and do something about the homeless problem. That's part of why I like LA Noire so much, seeing how those buildings used to look back in the day. Not so much the film reels though? Quote I just hope you guys down in Southern California aren't experiencing the utter shithole that Portland, Oregon has become. Now that is a real hellscape. Fucking despicable that Portland turned into the way it is now. At least you guys in Los Angeles actually have real culture and business that the average person can appreciate and enjoy. You'd know better than I would, I've only been to Portland once and I was blown away by the homelessness there, had no idea it was so bad. Went in 2018 I believe, so I can only imagine how much worse it's gotten. Quote Dodgers are absolutely killing it this year. Best record in the MLB right now. Freddie Freeman is having perhaps his best year in his career. I'm surprised you haven't posted a review on MLB the Show 20, since you did it fairly recently. Yessir! I've just got my fingers crossed that they can make it happen this year. Freddie was a huge get man, us Dodger fans are very happy to have him. The "Freddie, Freddie!" chants at Dodger Stadium are great? I was thinking about putting all the MLB games into one write-up, because once I've written about one I can't see myself having a huge amount to say about the next, or the one after that, or the one after that. Quote The real life Venice Beach from Grand Theft Auto V. Seeing the joggers reminds me when you're jogging against that angry, pompous Caucasian lady that tries to win against you in a track race. There's three side missions tied to her playing as Michael, Trevor and Franklin, but you only need Franklin's side mission done for the 100%. Still haven't done it, because GTA V is too fucking long of a game. Hah! She cracked me up. GTA V is definitely long, but such a satisfying completion. For as much as I've played that game and consider myself retired, I still slap that on from time to time! Edited September 29, 2022 by YaManSmevz My auto correct is garbage 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post YaManSmevz Posted October 1, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 1, 2022 (edited) Monthly Update with Ya Man Smevz September 2022 Farewell September, we hardly knew ye. Pretty good all around, I must say! I knocked out some challenging games, including one long time tenant in Arkham Asylum, which will be a bright feather in my cap however pedestrian a completion it may be. One non-gaming goal of mine was to post three times a week this month, and I'm quite pleased to have succeeded on that one, but I'm definitely not going to attempt keeping up that pace. At least I know that if it were my job, I'd be able to hang? 89.45% Overall Completion (+0.08) 478 Unearned Trophies (+27) 3.42 Trophies Per Day (-0.02) 73 Platinums (+5) Level 364 (+6) Game of the Month September had yet another killer roster of games. The flawed yet weirdly addicting Hong Kong Massacre deserves a shout, Arkham Asylum reminded me of what a stone cold classic it is, and Katamari Damacy Reroll has been a wonderful trip down memory lane. Bastion, however, wins it quite handily. This game just wowed me, nailing visuals, audio, and gameplay with style for days. The kid had chosen wisely. Rating the Month As is often the case, I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped, but five platinums (including the long coveted Arkham Asylum) is nothing to scoff at. I'm also happy to have gotten in as much writing as I did! A solid September, I'ma give it four out of five Skyways, maybe even four and a half. October Goals 1. Make Resident Evil Platinum #75. 2. Get a bump in the Trophies Per Day statistic. 3. Make a nice dent in the PS3 backlog. Gaming Hitlist 1. Katamari Damacy Reroll I thought I'd have this one done by today, but my own lack of playing as well as the surprisingly annoying trophies for getting EVERYTHING rolled up have kept me at bay. Top priority though, I want this one done before moving on. 2. Resident Evil The official Smevz Selection for #75! Who doesn't want "Platinum Splattin' Em" on their page? Furthermore it will encourage me to wrap up RE 3 and 4, cuz I kinda wanna review 1-4 all in succession since I played them all in my initial love affair with the franchise. Granted three of the four games are remakes, but still! 3. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist I knocked out all online trophies just before September, but now I'm feelin that it's time to get the PS3 backlog work underway, and this is as good a place to start as any. 4. Grand Theft Auto IV *wince* No, I don't think I'll have this done in a month or anything like that... but I been runnin my mouth about starting this game for a while now. Plus I've always had a lot of love for it, and after spending all the time I did with V, I'm super curious to see how badly I'm misremembering enjoying IV's controls? 5. The Godfather II This is pretty much pulled out of a hat, as the PS3 campaign will be in full swing and I'm gonna have to get to it at some point anyway. I never played this one but so thoroughly enjoyed the first Godfather game that it makes sense to go for this one early. And so ends the monthly blabbing. I hope y'all had a good September, and here's to another month of trophy hunting? Edited October 1, 2022 by YaManSmevz 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_Radio Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 (edited) On 9/29/2022 at 10:34 AM, YaManSmevz said: You should! I can't say I agree with that sentiment. Sure, there is a lot of pretentiousness, and douchey mustaches, and dog-themed businesses with dumb names like "The Barking Lot," but the way that so many different cultures are able to exist in harmony and respect one another here is something that I will always have love for. I’m a thousand miles away, so it would have to be for a pretty good reason. I’ve been to Anaheim more times than LA. Also been to Long Beach, and San Diego. Referring to Hollywood culture by the way, but if you ignore that culture, Los Angeles culture is actually decent. On 9/29/2022 at 10:34 AM, YaManSmevz said: New York City is regularly number one in traffic, but I mean with so many people there it can't be helped. It's definitely 2nd or 3rd though, the traffic here is atrocious and only gets worse. Haha yup, Jackie Chan knows I agree, but many people in New York City take taxis, Uber or the subway stations. Some people just walk. Los Angeles doesn’t have that luxury, since it was made with the car in mind and that set of thinking dates back to a century ago. It was one of the first cities on the west coast apart from San Francisco that got a mass amount of cars, and LA quickly became the #1 most populous city on this side, largely due to the weather and the farming agriculture. Seattle is actually up there as one of the worst in traffic, and I live not far from the city. On 9/29/2022 at 10:34 AM, YaManSmevz said: Oh yeah, they got plenty of room. It started on Hollywood Boulevard but they've expanded it onto cross streets as well. As I recall, the Beatles have their star a bit off the beaten path in front of the Capitol Records building a full block north. Oh absolutely. They were once the nice part of downtown, but then Skid Row was in full swing a neighborhood over and the city decided it was easier to build new skyscrapers a little further down instead of maintain those older buildings and do something about the homeless problem. That's part of why I like LA Noire so much, seeing how those buildings used to look back in the day. Not so much the film reels though? How many visitors come over to your joint yearly to see these landmarks, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Or awe at just seeing that legendary Hollywood sign? Those old stars from generations past are long gone, but they left enough of an impact to where people still talk about them. There’s a YouTube channel I watch called Visiting Gravesites With Steve. I hate gravesites, no matter who died at them, but Steve actually manages to be a little entertaining while providing info on said dead celebrity. We need another LA Noire, but sadly the people in charge of the industry will claim it won’t make enough profit and/or is too risky. The film reels were awful. Funny enough, that was how I discovered some of those old stars. On 9/29/2022 at 10:34 AM, YaManSmevz said: You'd know better than I would, I've only been to Portland once and I was blown away by the homelessness there, had no idea it was so bad. Went in 2018 I believe, so I can only imagine how much worse it's gotten. Until there is an actual city council and a proper police force, Portland will continue to get worse. Don’t bother coming to this city. Edited October 4, 2022 by AJ_Radio 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 On 9/24/2022 at 7:06 PM, YaManSmevz said: Platinum #22: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Very late to the party with this response, but great review of Uncharted! Very fair and yeah I didn't bother with the Brutal difficulty. Left that one alone, thank you very much lol Definitely worth a playthrough for any Playstation or Indiana Jones fan, and think it started off a great series personally! (Not that everyone will agree with me lol) Also, going to check out Platinum Vice's Uncharted epic right now! Cheers! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 4, 2022 Author Share Posted October 4, 2022 15 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Very late to the party with this response, but great review of Uncharted! Very fair and yeah I didn't bother with the Brutal difficulty. Left that one alone, thank you very much lol Definitely worth a playthrough for any Playstation or Indiana Jones fan, and think it started off a great series personally! (Not that everyone will agree with me lol) Also, going to check out Platinum Vice's Uncharted epic right now! Cheers! Ayyy thanks my dude! You're better off for neglecting Brutal, I can honestly say that you made the better decision there?? I saw!! That's great man, it deserves every view and like it gets. 15 hours ago, AJ_Radio said: I’m a thousand miles away, so it would have to be for a pretty good reason. Personally travel itself was enough reason for me to go to a lot of the places I've been to, but I understand that's not a mindset for everybody. Quote Referring to Hollywood culture by the way, but if you ignore that culture, Los Angeles culture is actually decent. I've never known reference to "Hollywood culture" to be anything other than code for dislike of left wing politics. Which is fine of course, you do you - but that's not a conversation I'm at all interested in having here. Quote I agree, but many people in New York City take taxis, Uber or the subway stations. Some people just walk. Los Angeles doesn’t have that luxury, since it was made with the car in mind and that set of thinking dates back to a century ago. It was one of the first cities on the west coast apart from San Francisco that got a mass amount of cars, and LA quickly became the #1 most populous city on this side, largely due to the weather and the farming agriculture. New York's high percentage of subway riders and walking pedestrians does not negate the city's traffic statistics, and as for taxis and Uber, by their very nature they contribute to traffic. So I'm sorry but I'm not quite sure what point you're trying to make here. The Los Angeles area, automobile-centric as it may be, has many pockets that are dominated by walking pedestrians - Downtown, Hollywood, and the beach cities primarily. This, by the same token, has no effect on what traffic statistics actually are. Quote How many visitors come over to your joint yearly to see these landmarks, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Or awe at just seeing that legendary Hollywood sign? More than my feeble brain could calculate. Hell, walking down Hollywood Boulevard on any given day I'll hear more different languages than I could calculate. Issalot! Quote Those old stars from generations past are long gone, but they left enough of an impact to where people still talk about them. There’s a YouTube channel I watch called Visiting Gravesites With Steve. I hate gravesites, no matter who died at them, but Steve actually manages to be a little entertaining while providing info on said dead celebrity. We need another LA Noire, but sadly the people in charge of the industry will claim it won’t make enough profit and/or is too risky. That's dope, dude. Funny you mention gravesites, one of the last days we were in Seattle I had to choose between Bruce Lee's gravesite and Kurt Cobain's house. It was a no brainer for me as a lifelong Nirvana die-hard, but I couldn't help feeling I missed out. I don't know your feelings on your neighboring major city, but I've always been a huge fan. I am 100% with you on both counts, I would LOVE another LA Noire but it's not very likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_Radio Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 5 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I've never known reference to "Hollywood culture" to be anything other than code for dislike of left wing politics. Which is fine of course, you do you - but that's not a conversation I'm at all interested in having here. Hollywood culture isn’t necessarily left wing politics. I have no idea where you got that from. The only thing I mentioned was Los Angeles culture being decent without the Hollywood culture mixed in with it. That’s it. I don’t appreciate the passive aggressive tone here, so we’ll just move on. 6 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: New York's high percentage of subway riders and walking pedestrians does not negate the city's traffic statistics, and as for taxis and Uber, by their very nature they contribute to traffic. So I'm sorry but I'm not quite sure what point you're trying to make here. The Los Angeles area, automobile-centric as it may be, has many pockets that are dominated by walking pedestrians - Downtown, Hollywood, and the beach cities primarily. This, by the same token, has no effect on what traffic statistics actually are. New York is more dense. That’s why there are so many skyscrapers there. Many people especially in and around Manhattan walk, with a good number using the Uber service and the subways. LA in contrast started out as bunch of smaller towns combined into one big one. I’ve driven around LA in the past and it is huge. Massive urban sprawl. Inglewood, Compton and Long Beach are well away from LA, which is one reason that makes the general area stand out. It really impressed me the first time I drove down there. The culture is quite different from New York and Chicago. 6 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: That's dope, dude. Funny you mention gravesites, one of the last days we were in Seattle I had to choose between Bruce Lee's gravesite and Kurt Cobain's house. It was a no brainer for me as a lifelong Nirvana die-hard, but I couldn't help feeling I missed out. I don't know your feelings on your neighboring major city, but I've always been a huge fan. I am 100% with you on both counts, I would LOVE another LA Noire but it's not very likely. I’ve walked right up to Bruce Lee’s gravesite. His son Brandon Lee is right next to him. In a hour of visiting the gravesite I saw plenty of older Chinese American people pay tribute to Bruce Lee by leaving flowers and holding their hands by remembering. He died nearly 50 years ago, and when you still have millions remembering, obviously you left a cultural impact on society. Agree on LA Noire. I’d love another Sleeping Dogs. Sadly, both gaming companies that developed them are long dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 On 09/09/2022 at 11:46 PM, YaManSmevz said: Man - so sad to see. Barely a pedestrian in sight - just cars cars cars, as far as the eye can see. ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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