RPS

I feel like my top album will be one of the following albums: Black Midi - Hellfire. This is the front runner for me. I think what is so magnificent and special is that it is unlike any other album out there. The first word I would use to describe it is unrelenting. The album never stops. There are quiet moments, but you know they will be a brief break from the chaos and ambition that will eek out of every track. Welcome To Hell is the best example - it amps up, slows down, amps right back up again. It is also exceptional in how layered it is, especially in terms of lyrics. You may have to listen to this album 10 times to really piece together each line spoken. The layering is great as well, because each instrument, each style, each change in direction layers on the audience so much. The last time I felt this way listening to a rock album was Blackstar by David Bowie. Beyonce - Renaissance: I wrote a whole post about how exceptional this album and it holds up. It is the best Beyonce album ever released, mostly because of how different the song writing is on each track. So much of Beyonce's music is about herself. On Renaissance, she looks outside to the other. Even the tracks that are about herself are often channeled or viewed through the lens of the other. The song Heated is a masterclass in songwriting - Beyonce seems to be in this inner dialogue with herself and the other. Beyonce sings confidently about having Chanel and Tiffany's. But underneath this song there is a more muted Beyonce singing about going to jail, stealing Chanel and about her uncle Johnny making her dress. But it is not about Beyonce stealing Chanel or her uncle Johnny making her dress - it is about the experience of queer POC in the 80s, at the height of ballroom culture and of the AIDs crisis. Throughout, Beyonce channels the experiences of others to explore who she is. It coudl come across as using HIV, queerness or ballroom as a prop, but Beyonce sings with such authenticity that it carries the whole album. Alvvays - Blue Rev: This album is just in my brain right now and I do not have deep pensive thoughts yet, but it is the most beautiful album released this year. The hooks and melodies are so gorgeous and rich. It is pop music, but pop music that is made with fuzzy guitars and other bombastic sounds originating from very un-pop places.

I don't necessarily feel this. Overwatch 2 added self healing for all healers - only Mercy and Lucio had it in OW1. So all other healer's can focus on themselves rather than predominantly using their passive heals on themselves. There were times I would use an Ana grenade to heal myself over others because I needed health and if DPS died - well at least I can heal others. So OW2 removed that choice by giving healers the benefit of self healing. I feel like you could say there being less tanks and shields around make all players and particularly healers exposed. But I think it just promotes better positioning. Overwatch was always a game where you needed to group together a squad. Moreso here in OW2.

Wow. Are they shipping that quick? You bought on Monday and got on a Friday.

I cannot see them abandoning the BP because the gave away the game for free. They need to keep the lights on.

I got in today. The game is a bizarre dichotomy. Overwatch, in my opinion, is peak online team based multiplayer shooter. It is unmatched. The move to 5v5 is amazing. It moves faster, I died less, I felt very much that I was having a direct impact on the game. But these microtransactions and battle passes make it unrecognizable. I think it is appalling to lock characters behind a battle pass.

I cannot get in because it says I need a phone number and when I give it it says my phone number is in use. 🤔

I'm down to squad up. not sure if there is cross play or what but I'm on PC.

Onto route 7. We tragically lost Darby (Farfetch'd) because I wasn't paying attention in a double battle.But Plop (Pidgeotto) is doing fine in the slot. It's interesting to see how you have to really make key choices about your team on a Nuzlocke. This is hard. I have grinded a bit but I'm avoiding guides to know what Pokemon I should be on the lookout for. I'm rolling with Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Pansage, Pancham, Espurr, Charmeleon. I have Bidoof, Combee, Flabebe, Whismur and Snorlax in boxes. Without spoilers, any thoughts on who I might shuffle in?

Froakie. I got Pansage from the forest region and I got Charmander from the scientist and Pancham from route 5 so all hope is not lost. I had to make a pick between Farfetch'd and Pidgey though to stay on my team. Tragic.

I am doing a Pokemon X Nuzlocke. Pidgey, Farfetch'd and Combee is a bad pull from the get go.

Wicked. I'm having trouble finding the old DS carts. So many ROM cartridges out there.

Question - I am trying to play the DS games on my 3DS. Do the DS games still have online capabilities? Like if my daughter and I both have Pokemon Black can we trade?

This sounds amazing. Do it.

Well yes with the caveat that it was released against the creators wishes and taken illegally.

No developer wants their game being seen in a state like it was. It is akin to an unedited movie with no SFX being leaked a year or so before release. I imagine everyone working on the game feels shitty about it. Also in this age, it can be very negative for a game to look bad on Twitter or Reddit. Impacts the buzz of a game.

It's definitely the best rock album in a long time. It's challenging, interesting, dynamic and so dense. Welcome to Hell is such an amazing song because simultaneously makes you want to rock out, intrigued by how the song literally is flipped on its head like ten times and completely stressed out.

Pretty much. I don't think many early "Early Access" games end up on Switch because of the difficulty in getting updates to players because every single update has to be approved by Nintendo. Ditto for PS and XBOX usually. But lots of indie games with added content or updates are on the Switch - just typically these updates are delayed or delivered in less of a cadence than PC where they can push the patch / new content live easily.

The new Mars Volta is really good. It's not proggy at all. A great mix of rock and pop with lots of Latin influence. I don't think long time fans will love but I certainly enjoy it. I really dug the Sudan Archives album. I'll need to find a time to listen to it again. I thought the Rina Sawayama album was fine. Brasileiro Garantido album is great if you like house music. Definitely influenced by Detroit's scene and very sample heavy. I liked the GOON album. It's a mix bag of indie rock. I may not listen again but I highly recommend it. The Jockstrap album is super intriguing to me. Along the TMV, listened to it 3-4 times. It's very interesting. It's moving up my AOTY rankings.

@Bobfoc or @Ruki... Did either of you play SMT III or V?

What is the best RPG available on the Switch?

Yeah, the Brain Scramblies episode was also very good.

The Curse is the best episode of WWDITS right?

Fuck yeah!

Putting aside all the farming games, that was an amazing Direct. Zelda, Rabbids, Splatoon, Pokemon and FE... I will be poor.

I'll have to play more with her to see if there are audio / visual cues for what you are supposed to do in lieu of reading.