@mbun said in Pokemon Sword/Shield (Switch):

environmental puzzles yet, unless you just mean the Regi doors,

I have a low barrier for "oh hey, you're back on the right track!" I guess because that is literally exactly what I was talking about, lol. I guess less environmental puzzles (which would be more akin to the old Strength boulder puzzles) and more just interacting with the game world in ways that they've largely abandoned for the past ~8 years.

And I agree that the Dynamax adventures are an improvement! I just don't like them. Personal taste thing, but they don't capture what I like about this series, and feel more like an annoyance than anything else.

A few hours in to Crown Tundra. Definitely like this one more than the last (which I was a bit softer on at first than everyone else). There's a much stronger emphasis on exploration and interacting with the world in unique ways with real, tangible rewards. Granted, all of this is still fairly basic, but I definitely appreciate how some of the legendaries are being incorporated into the world here. I say "some" because many are found exclusively through the max raid dens (or whatever they're called), which I actively dislike. I may be in the minority here, but I hate max raid battles. They're easily my least favorite generational gimmick that the series has introduced thus far (although megas and z moves are also pretty dumb, imo), so being forced to encounter legendaries through this system really bums me out. That said, this DLC does make me more optimistic for the future of the series; the devs look like they're learning how to make the environmental "puzzles" that were present in gen 1-5 in a 3D environment, and I think the korok seed elements promote more thoughtful player interaction with the world. I think everything could be improved, and their world design in general needs a pretty major overhaul, but so far I'm liking what I'm seeing.

Boy Haikyuu really drops off in season 4, eh? Not fully caught up yet but the drop in animation and storytelling quality is jarring - comparable to the dip in One Punch Man from S1 to S2, imo. I kind of wish I'd stuck to my instincts and stopped after the finale of S3 (which I think would work a series finale), but I'm still too addicted. Will probably drop after this season wraps up if things don't turn around soon.

MinnMax's Leo Vader making me feel seen

Youtube Video

I got my friend's PS4 a few weeks back along with most of the "important" games. First one I started up was God of War. So far so good. Absolutely beautiful, incredible story, etc.

Got Yakuza 0 on sale and started that up today. This game rocks my vibe so hardcore. Honestly like it more than GoW at this point. Completely different and an unfair comparison, but this game is so freaking rad. We'll see how both finish up for me, though.

I love the range in experience on this week's episode:

Huber: I love horror!
Ian: I love horror and went to film school!
Marc: I love horror and stayed in academia and film curation!

Matthew: I joined a cult!

I haven't played and likely won't play unless they end up making a definitive edition for consoles like they did for Divinity Original Sin (2), but based on Early Access does it look like you can make characters that are either scrawny or overweight? That's really all I want to know. Too many games force you to play shredded/stacked people (including DoS), and I simply won't stand for it in my D&D-likes.

@dmcmaster JCVD --> splits --> grotesque acts of body horror --> Scorn

Watched a few more episodes. It's literally just a softer Slam Dunk.

The Wind Rises
A young man pursues his dreams of becoming an artist an airplane designer. I think most people knew that when Hayao Miyazaki announced that this would be his last movie, he was bluffing. He's "retired" before, and certainly this time would be as permanent as the last. However, after finally watching this film, I'm honestly disappointed he's decided to continue; this is his magnum opus. Existing somewhere in the realm between fact and fiction, past and present, this is a deeply personal tale of an artist looking back on his life and career and trying to figure out what it means to be human. There is so much beautiful, powerful subtext that is baked into the very fiber of this movie, all the way down to the sound design. I think it is very intentional that so many of the sound effects are vocalized by man, blending the threshold between man's power over what it creates and the relentless power of nature. These are the themes that Miyazaki ruminates on again and again, questioning how the nature of man changes from childhood to adulthood, and how the artist may find himself both enmeshed in those and beside them. If it is the boy's nature to dream, then it is the artist's nature to create. But what is lost when an artist devotes himself so fully to his craft? How can one reconcile with the destruction that their creations may unleash? Miyazaki - hardly known for his subtlety - pulls at the strings of these questions with more restraint than he's ever shown, with a script that easily tops his storied career. The marriage between his artistry, script, direction, and Joe Hisaishi's score culminates in one of the most beautiful and moving sequences I've seen in film - animated or otherwise. And while he never truly answers all the questions he poses, Miyazaki does leave one thing clear: none of this is possible without the love and kinship of those you hold dear. A