Search options (Page 2 of 58)

«But fear is their greatest ally". Mark Hamill always complained about the damn dialogue xD

This... doesn't count as Karaoke.
I haven't sung for over a year. And while it's not because of some traumatic experience or anything, the band broke up in January 2021. Too much creative differences, crammed in a quintet that managed to get two songs out there, and then couldn't agree on a third one, let alone an album. Very happy we turned down an album deal
Although said deal was turned down for different reasons. In that it was expensive as fuck for us too, and required a lot of traveling on our end, which, with kids, is difficult, and when you're not creating anything new for almost a year... we quit.
It's fine. I'm working on something new, but it's gonna take time.

In any case, sort of segwaying back to Karaoke, and that of course I want all the attention I can get because, I'm vain, I called everyone up, and asked if they wanted to do one final hurrah, as it were, as the rehearsal space/demo studio is getting torned down, and to my surprise they all said no.

I jest of course, we're doing a live thing on March 19th, on facebook, from said rehearsal space. It's on facebook, and I'm not gonna put a link, because nah.

We're called Fold Decay, and I'd love to see any of you there before we call it quits for good.

(Yes, there will be covers, so some form of karaoke, and yes, I'll be singing because people call me a vocalist)

I got into Whisky(scotch) this year, and so far, it's Single Malt all the way. currently my favorite is Macallan 12 Year Double cask. So tasty I could probably identify the exact tree the casket came from by licking the tree.

Also, got myself a Glenfiddich Reserve cask. Loving it on the rocks!

Alright. It's been almost a year. In that time, I've had time to reflect on Clone Wars, complete Rebels, get on board with The Bad Batch, and watch The Book of Boba Fett.

I stand by all my previous statements about TCW. It's hella good. I'm definitely rewatching it all at later date.
Rebels, is still different. While I did tear up at the right moments in the finale, the finale was still a bit of a cop-out, saving characters that seemed unsaveable. Animation style never got me, but damn there are some very, VERY good bits with returning characters(Although Disney somehow decided to re-dub Palpatine somewhere down the line. Now, usually, I'd be all for Ian McDiarmid voicing Palpatine, but I don't think he dood as good a job as Sam Witwer, and it bugs me out) in there, leaving the widest of grins on my face. I have my favorite characters, and some of them are in this, and I love that. The return of TCW characters are mostly done well, albeit Hondo wasn't his usual self, which made my girlfriend not be entirely on board.

All in all, I'd still recommend Rebels, but don't expect it to reach TCW levels. I think some part of it may be because apart from TCW characters returning, we don't KNOW these characters. Sabine, Kanan, Hera, Zeb, Chopper and Ezra make a good ensemble cast, don't get me wrong, but TCW brought on characters you already knew from before, and you already know the fate of most of them, bringing a more emotional journey to the table. With Rebels, that wasn't really the case. Sure, Leia and Lando do pop by, but it's only for fan service, and doesn't really push the story forwards, in that regard. The ending is a bit on the dividing side, tampering with things not been in SW until suddenly it is, taking the force to new supernatural levels that I didn't really care for. I accept it, but doing so opens much more windows in the rest of the saga that suddenly don't make sense. Make sense? Moving on.

The Bad Batch has no right being that good.
That's right, I said it. The show is set directly, er, actually, during the siege of Mandalore, and opens up with Order 66. Where some, shall we say 'faulty' clones aren't affected by it. From here on, it explores rogue clones trying to cope in a universe that wants them dead, constantly being recognized, and having to bounty hunt for supplies, whilst the Empire is slowly revealing its plan to replace expensive clones, with expendable storm troopers.
It explores some of the darker places of the SW universe, and mostly returns to TCW form, with all voice actors returning(It's clones, so it's mostly just one guy of course, but there's more!), and it looks absolutely stunning. It's like if someone took the clone wars art and animation style, and just hit the HD button. Think back to the transition from PS2 to PS3. Or an SD TV to an HD TV. That's how it FEELS. Obviously TCW was in HD, for the most part, but it honed its style over 7 seasons, and Bad Batch just continued that, epically.

So,
the rancor in the room.

The Book of Boba Fett.
Or, as it should be called: Mandalorian - The Book of Boba Fett.
The show isn't horrible. By no means. But following Mando S2 is no easy task, and while it's amazing to see Temuera Morrison again, in this, he somehow doesn't feel right for the role. It's not that he's old, that he's rusty, he's just not great as Boba anymore.(of course, some may argue he never was, and that he was an after thought snuck into the original trilogy after the Prequels retconned Boba, but, I mean, let it go, right?)
Add to that, that the show is cutting between two timelines that aren't really that far apart, and that Boba doesn't seem to have any other motivation than an Iznogoud complex, and they really should've explored that bit a helluva lot more during the early episodes. Because the first 4 episodes, could have been a season. That's where they should have fleshed out the character, given a proper backstory, and dealt with WHY he wants so desperately to replace Jabba. Instead, we get an old and broken Boba living in the desert, trying to do right by the Tuskens, that's suddenly collecting tribute and protection from the crime lords of Mos Espa. Not to mention he has a Power Rangers biker gang on his side, that, while feels fresh, feels like they belong in a different series.
Then, in episode 5, it takes a turn. Now, SPOILERS(and I can't be fucked hiding it here, I'm gonna assume you either don't care, or have already watched it. It's a Star Wars thread) AHEAD: It's suddenly Mandalorian S3. Not just is it two episodes where Boba makes cameo appearances, it's also the return of Grogu, which suddenly diminishes his departure, because he's back, and it doesn't actually make sense. Don't get me wrong, the episode in question is absolutely beautiful, and has other returning characters gracefully done, but it ruins the fact that his departure was some of the strongest in the series, and also means it's absolutely compulsory to watch this before the ACTUAL season 3 of Mandalorian, which I'm guessing a lot of "casuals" wouldn't know, and the conclusion to Boba Fett, while having it's CLONE WARSIAN moments, doesn't feel like it's earned, or that it builds up to anything else in the future.
Sure, I may be wrong of course, what do I know. But all in all, I've revisited Mando, and I don't really see myself revisiting this anytime soon.

Although, soon..?

Obi-Wan. May. Hyped. Even though it's Ewan McGregor voicing him, and not James Arnold Taylor, but I can't win everything, can I.

This is your home, Teague.
Let loose. We're all ears.

Being a JRPG guy, I can vouch. This totally works.

So.

I don't know if you know my musical taste in general here, or if you just assumed since my band released a single, I'm "That guy". Hell, I don't know if you know I was a singer. I'm gonna assume, however, you did.

In 2016, I started taking the whole singer-business seriously. It's when my band started. It's when I more or less discovered that the whole singing thing was not something people said to shut me up, it was more of a thing I should pursue. We've done a lot since then, most of it not successful, of course, and that's a good thing, but the thing that's stuck with me since the early 2000's, is people that understand singing. So acoustic versions/covers of a song is sort of my jam. Don't really care which band it is etc, but I seriously appreciate the acoustic versions because I get to hear the vocalist do their best, and with as little backing as possible.

CUT TO:

My friend, a music merchant, if you will. For the longest time, this dude wasa the dude that just discovered music. I.E; he was the dude that always found the new shit. Be it old, new, funky or weird, he was our merchant. The dude that seemed to always have music in his repertoir, and was always willing to share it with us, and surprisingly, the guy that alwas seemed to know what we'd like, as individuals. He'd send me a track I loved, and my friends would probably agree. He was the damned music merhcang. A title not shared easily.

So; In 2020, more specifically February 14th. Most of you will know this as the infamous Valentine's day. I don't know it as anything more than a day in my calendar, but this dude heard a song. A song that would resonate through my veins like little else.

Short backround; THe band is called "Falling In Reverse" and wasn't really big in Europe, so until a year ago; I didn't know they existed. I had no idea what kind of music they were known for, nor what kind of music they were currently doing.
That being said, I really wish I did. Back in the 00's, I was deep into Linkin Park, Hoobastank, The Used, Thrice, Ceasars, Evanescence, and the whole early emo-scene. I ate it for breakfast, I brushed my teeth to that shit.

However, "Falling in Reverse" never made it to Europe. Not for lack of style or performance, it was just one of those bands that fell under the radar. Maybe they were just too close to the genre and felt too familiar; I don't know.

However, my dude had it all under control. He knows I'm a vocalist, And I think he knew at some point I enjoyed Acoustic pieces, because he knew that this track would sit very well with me.

The original track goes as follows;

Now, I know, unless you were there, it's just alright, or downright not your jam. That's alright. I get it. But, if you listen to the lyrics, you might get a sense this isn't where the writer wanted the song to go. In fact, this might seem like a classical case of the Emo's, and the lyrics don't mean jack. It's just a fairly depressive text, set to an upbeat song. But that's not the case at all, it seems. See, in 2020, the band(meaning the Lead singer) decided to reinterpret his old material, and thusly decided to break it down. It's an "acoustic" piece, in which he sings it like it means something, accompanied only by the piano, and towars the end of it all, a full ensemble and his band.
Needless to say; I fell in love with the whole thing.

Oh, btw, it's here;

CUT TO:

A year later. We've all been in a damned quarantine ever since, and we all hate it. Except those of us who don't. We hate people, we don't really look forward to going back to the way things were. Some of us even took the time to check out that "Falling in Reverse" Band. SOme of us even worked over time, listening to that band in particular, seeing as they change their style every now and then, meaning that if our taste changes, we'll still be covered. Hell, some of us got addicted to this song;

And some of us still knew that music merchant. That dude that really didn't(according to us) do anything else than browse youtube to find music and videos that would satisfy their friends.
But that friend did find another gem. And I don't really care about how you feel about Ronnie Radke, his band or anything in particular. All I can think about is how they(he) managed again, to break one of their songs down to the bare neccessities, and make it so damn different, and make it all about the vocals. Say what you want about Falling In Revese, but damn that singer can sing.

Here's their latest "acoustic" version and it's amazing;

Not only is it amazing; it shows that the singer is capable of so much more. Sure he's more of rap artist these days, but that last track was from this year, proving he's got fuckin' range.

I used to feel Jared Leto(Famously known as The Joker, less famously known as the singer of 30 Seconds to Mars) Was a great singer, and he still is, but Ronnie Radke tends to prove time and time again why he actually deserves that praise, while Leto just releases what he wants without a sense of context. Don't get me wrong, Leto is an amazing vocalist, but he doesn't come close to some of my favorites, in which Radke currently is.

Alright. I'm finished with Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

I'm torn.

On the one hand, it's an excellent viking simulator. Not exactly realistic, but hey. On the other hand, it's supposed to be an Assassin's Creed game.

I like the setting. 9th century England and Norway is great. I like the environment, the general tone of it, the setting as a whole is quite a spectacle to behold.
However, Assassin's creed games used to be set in a single city(or a few), which worked so much better. Having to ride across the English countryside to get to another "city", which honestly passes more as a settlement than anything else, feels like a chore. It used to be "get to that district", and now it's "get to that county", and when the games compress entire countries into a 8km by 6km piece of land, it feels too tiny. Days may pass, story-wise, between towns, but it took a few minutes to ride there, which in game-time, translates to a few hours, judging by the day/night cycle.

The games used to be about parkouring your way through city scapes, and assassinating targets. Now it's a ridiculously large open world, and Dark Souls. Because the combat isn't what it used to be, and while it's good they changed it up, why does every goddamn game have to be dark souls now?
Even assassinations now, are based on dmg+crit chance. If I managed to sneak past an entire army, to perfectly stealth kill my target, I expect to be able to do just that, instead of a hidden blade penetrating the jugular be just a flesh wound, and now the entire fucking village is on to me. Not to mention the combat system is so much based on perfect parries and dodges, lest your stamina runs out.

On the story;
It's a fairly straight forward one. Go to England, seize the entire country. There are of course intrigues, drama and humor in there, but nothing I didn't really see coming.
As for the modern day setting, they actually did bring some interesting stuff to the table, only to cut it short way too early, leaving me wanting more. Classic, sure, but when theres a 2 year wait for the next game(I assume), and they have like 30 minutes or so of modern day stuff, they could've made it more compelling, if not complete.

This is the third game in the new style of games, and I still play them, but I did just download the Ezio Trilogy to play those again. Hopefully they're as good as I remember them to be, but it's been 10 years.

Well, I'm not gonna write a review or anything for Watch Dogs Legion. What I will say is I stopped playing it once Assassin's Creed Valhalla came out, and I don't really want to go back and complete it. It's just meh. It's not very varied, and the story is too thin.

Valhalla, on the other hand.. is amazing.

That's exactly what I was referring to.

..But I can see how I confused you.

I agree on all points.

And I'm definitely in if you ever make a sequel/other project.