Julius

I don't know if it's your intent @Ronnie, and I don't mean to drag this out, but I think it's just the way that the post ended up being phrased that's rubbed some people the wrong way. If the essence of your last post was to say "to each their own, and sorry to hear he wasn’t getting the game", I think that's perfectly fair and fine, but it clearly didn't come off that way. To break it down: I mean, it's subjective, and what you're essentially putting across here is, perhaps unintentionally for the most part, that @Nicktendo is "wrong" in an almost objective sense: for not loving the trailers, or the new additions, or the potential of a new Direct. But I think it's starting out with the "I genuinely don't understand", it just conveys an undeniable sense of disbelief which almost seems like it's there to make him feel like his opinion is somehow less valid because he didn't find the enjoyment in those things that you have. I think it's this part more than anything else which issue is being taken with. It's belittling in a way which honestly just comes across as malicious. It's a sly dig above all else, almost an attempt to invalidate his opinions, and it's just not necessary. While I'll be picking up the game, I can appreciate where @Nicktendo is coming from. The feeling of being let down by some dodgy-at-best business practices, especially when it comes to a game you would otherwise love to enjoy, just sucks. It's how I felt with Battlefront II and the whole mess when that launched, and I avoided buying it myself. This part is 100% fair and I don't think anyone here has an issue with this part. I just don't get the need for the first half of the message, as it makes it seems like a windup which very quickly takes a turn, and by your reaction it feels like you expected everyone to ignore the first half? I don't know I'm not saying that I or anyone else here is above petty forum arguments over the smallest things, but I think it's just worth having a second read over posts before submitting them. I've lost count of the number of times I've edited a post (before or after submitting) because I'm concerned I'm going to offend someone or start a meaningless argument. Everyone should be free to voice their opinion, and hey, a little disagreement is fair game in my books - that's just what happens when opinions are floated about. But is it really worth arguing over? I'm just concerned that you and @Sheikah butt heads a lot, @Ronnie, sometimes over some things I find kind of silly. You both love games, that much is clear. We're all here to talk about games at the end of the day. Who cares who's right or wrong about that?

I swear this is going to be the last part of their promotional stuff that I watch. I get that it's a remake, but man, I hope they cool it with Part II. The song trailer released a little while ago already showed waaaaaaaay too much. But hey, less than two months remain!

Just paid £38.02 for an Uber from Birmingham to my house because of the train delays and cancellations tonight. Going to put in a claim, but it's such a pain train originally delayed 20 minutes, turns up, let's everyone on and then wait 10 minutes before telling us it's going direct to Kidderminster. Continues my Uber spending from my late shifts thanks to the random change in bus timetable a few weeks ago. It's either pay £5/night to get home at 22:10 or get home nearly an hour later on the bus after waiting in the cold oh, and my bus was early this morning on the way to work too. The joys of public transport

Pre-order trailer:

Man, the animations in this game are looking real slick.

E3 is cancelled, but the jolly times haven't been. I'm retrofitting this thread from one specifically about E3 2020 now that it's cancelled (and how poorly that was being handled) to one about what those developers and publishers are all doing with their announcements and reveals, many of which have revealed that they will be doing digital events or have something in the works. First things first: who's still in? From what we know so far, Xbox still have plans for an Xbox Series X in June, and other big developers like Nintendo and Ubisoft have confirmed that they're at least looking into their options. Still no word from EA, and worse yet still no word from WB, who were reportedly preparing for their first E3 presentation this year. Bethesda are out. A whole lot of big developers are joining IGN for their Summer of Gaming digital event. And the ESA are supposedly not planning a digital replacement event for E3 2020, and instead are planning to lean on others. Typical. As dates and times start to be announced and confirmed for these events, I'll be sure to update this post with all of the details. ORIGINAL: Figured it was finally time to start this thread! Think there's no better way to get the ball rolling than with Geoff's announcement from earlier today:

Definitely not the type of game I feel like I can post loads about, considering just how heavy the game is on plot. But I just finished Chapter 12, and man, that is probably one of my favourite chapters of Yakuza that I've experienced so far. It's perfectly paced, packed with a lot of turns - some expected, sure, but others definitely came out of left field, yet still made total sense, and managed to flip the narrative in an interesting way, all whilst managing to not tarnish the buildup - and puts the story it's trying to tell above all else. The fight in this chapter didn't last as long as I expected after the other boss fights in the game, and that was certainly a welcome surprise. Loved it. Have the final chapter lined up for tomorrow. It's time for that showdown. I cannot wait.

In another weird move by Square Enix, they've released a visual on Twitter which could very easily be the final shot of the game. So potential spoilers for the potential final shot. Potentially. Personally I hope we go a little beyond this point before the game finishes, but I really wouldn't be surprised if it came to a close there.

Shuhei has chosen the path of darkness.

Huh. Quite a ways out. Surely one of the other Marvel series will launch before then? Maybe in the summer? EDIT: well, I guess summer it is then!

Listened to this week's Frame Trap yesterday and really enjoyed it. The old logo and music making a return for the 100th episode was a nice touch, and it was great to listen to Ben, Damiani and Kyle be introspective about Easy Allies, especially with us getting some hints about why Don isn't as involved on-screen. In particular with hearing their thoughts about the future of the company, and Damiani talking about some of his struggles and anxieties of being a creator with such a wide audience on such big platforms, it's great to see that the guys are still very much down to Earth. Easily my favourite gaming podcast, here's to 100 more!

Thanks and yeah, it just didn't stick with me in the end - which is a shame, because I thought it started out really strong! Glad to read that you enjoyed it though, hopefully they can tweak things a bit so I find more joy with Titanfall 3, when that eventually rolls around. Haha, whoops Frog was definitely my favourite character, and it definitely helps that he has my favourite character arc and back story in the game. My team configuration rarely changed from Chrono, Frog and Marle because of that also, he maybe has the best character theme, weapon, and cutscene in the game too? Yeah, Frog is the best. Yeah, @Ronnie I think I get where you're coming from - congrats on the 1000 in that game by the way! I ended up dropping my Platinum hunt for that game in the end because it just became more tedious for me than it was fun. I always leave trophy notifications off for my first playthrough for games I've been looking forward to playing; most of the time, they have an emphasis on story, because it's definitely immersion-breaking in some cases. I'm very glad that I turned them off when playing through Shadow of the Colossus for the first time, as by the time the game came out I was well aware of trophies popping up at the worst possible points in the context of that game. Normally turn them back on after finishing the game if I'm going for a Platinum, or if for some reason there's a particular reason that I'm going for. I'm curious now, @Hero-of-Time, knowing that you're something of a trophy connoisseur: do you leave trophy notifications on all the time? Or does it change on a game by game basis?

Super Bowl TV Spots for Black Widow: ...and their upcoming slate of Disney+ projects:

Didn't talk about it much, but I played (and adored) Yakuza 0 last year, and with the Remastered Collection coming out in a couple of weeks, I was reminded of how much I loved 0 and decided that it was about time to move onto the next entry in the series. Started this a few hours ago, and I just finished the third chapter, and...

It's probably already around here somewhere, but I'm bringing it back. Yes, the whole thing. My favourites are probably Chrono Trigger, Secret of The Forest, Frog's Theme, The Hidden Truth, Robo Gang Johnny, Battle with Magus, Wings That Cross Time, World Revolution, First Festival Of Stars, and To Far Away Times. Also, a special mention to Magnus Robinson's beautifully assembled remixes of a good chunk of the tracks. The video below is the complete playlist of his Chrono Trigger remixes, and are certainly worthy of a listen!

Right, it's past time for my January Gaming Diary update! Didn't get as much playing in as I wanted this month, mainly due to coming down with an illness for about half of the month, but I did manage to get through two games after I had recovered, and I've got plenty to say about them, so let's get to it, shall we? TITANFALL 2 | 2016 With fast-paced action, tight gunplay, and quite possibly the best use of wall running I’ve experienced in a first-person game, it’s little wonder that the campaign of Titanfall 2 is adored as widely as it is. And still, I can’t help but feel a little let down. In the opening cutscene, an extravagant showcase of cinematics not seen anywhere else in the game has us follow a pilot in the distant future as we are told of their role in the universe of Titanfall: pilots serve a specialised role in the military as commanders of Titans, the game’s titular mechs, who more often than not find themselves turning the tide in battle with their wide array of arms at their disposal, ranging from targeting missiles to flamethrowers to chest laser cannons. In Titanfall 2’s campaign, you play as Rifleman Third Class Jack Cooper, voiced by the great Matthew Mercer, where, after a very predictable turn of opening events, you are honoured with a promotion to acting pilot of the Titan BT-7274, voiced by Glenn Steinbaum, as you traverse the dangers of the world en route to your commanding officer. Throughout the campaign, you find yourself facing off against other Titans, infantry, and, on occasion, alien lifeforms. Much of the campaign is split between playing in a traditional first-person shooter role (albeit with wall-running and a double jump for some interesting first-person platforming) as you infiltrate enemy lines to learn more about their true intentions, and commanding BT as you overpower enemy forces with brute force. I think that the strongest reason I can give you to play the game is for its gunplay. First-person shooters have never been my cup of tea, but Respawn, as expected for a team with their experience and history, offers an evolution of the tried-and-true first-person shooter, and this is highlighted no better than in the game’s early tutorial. As is the case in many other games in the genre, you find yourself sprinting and sliding through a course pitted against times of other NPC characters, but it is the fluidity between the sprinting and sliding to the evolution of the expected gameplay with the double jump and wall-running which really brings this tutorial into its own. There are so many ways to approach the course, and I found myself shaving off seconds try after try by challenging myself as a gamer, whether it be wall-running into a jump which combines with a slide as I shoot while in a 180-spin, or sliding down a slope after a short spring as I shoot multiple targets before bounding over a large wall with a double jump as I 360-spin while shooting that one target that I missed. It sets an expectation that the game offers many different approaches to the same situations and is a sign of what is to come. Unfortunately, as happened a lot in the first hour or so with this game, the promises made simply weren’t fulfilled. There are so many interesting ideas introduced in the opening few hours, from a gameplay and story perspective, that I can’t help but ponder why the game, by its end, was boiled down into a game exactly like its peers, when the foundation is there for it to be head-and-shoulders above them. Ideas are introduced and then never built upon, with many being tossed aside in favour of level-specific ideas which almost always fell flat - and even the more interesting ones, specifically a mechanic introduced in the ruins of a now-deserted facility, hint at the team wanting to do more with this game but not getting the chance to do so. The faces of some of these characters are atrocious - and not in a good way! Villains are run-of-the mill Saturday morning cartoon affairs and are entirely forgettable, featuring, of course, the cameo of a first-person interrogation. Despite clashing with villains in boss fights, these were never as epic and varied as they could be, and certain Titan loadouts are clearly better than others - the sin here being that many of the best are unlocked very early on. Why couldn’t we see Titans of all shapes and sizes, with weaknesses to particular loadouts meaning we are in a position where we have to switch between them on the fly to ramp up the fights beyond what they boiled down to: dodge, shoot, hide behind pillar, super, and repeat? Much of the game is spent conversing with or standing by your faction’s allies, and yet I can’t recall a single one of their names, and all of the interactions I had with them were just as forgettable as those with the villains. The greatest sins of all, though, are to be found in the relationship between Cooper and BT, and with the game’s score. Their relationship is just so bland and by-the-numbers, and the game constantly urges you to feel for them without giving you any real reason to want to do so. Until the moments you clamber up inside BT, it feels like the game wants to physically separate the two as much as possible, and so the weak dialogue over the comms is all you ever really have to flesh out their relationship. You never get those moments you’d expect where the two are fighting back-to-back before the fighting gets so intense that BT throws you inside before releasing a volley of missiles at enemies, or anything like that. It just feels so disjointed, and it makes it harder to buy into an already weak relationship and premise. The story gets very predictable towards the end (side note: Respawn definitely has a thing for worlds falling apart around you in their final level, don’t they?) and it doesn’t help at all that the soundtrack is exactly what you’d expect from a sci-fi action anything. It’s incidental. It’s strokes of the piano when its sad, and ascending brass and strings when it’s almost anything else. The occasional harsh beat of a drum when things get dire. I mean, just listen to the main theme and you’ll get what I mean: I just can’t help but feel let down. There are so many great little bursts of ideas in this game which could truly go some way to pushing the genre forward with the mainstream audience, but unfortunately, they just don’t seem to go anywhere. By all means play the game for one of the best feeling first-person shooters you’ll ever play, but don’t go into the campaign expecting a sweeping epic. I sincerely hope that Respawn can learn from this and move forward with the fulfilment of some of these ideas in Titanfall 3 and other future projects. After not having the greatest of times with Titanfall 2, I craved something familiar but exciting to return to. Something which would raise my spirits and get this year of gaming back on track. And then I realised that there was a game I completed back towards the end of December 2018 which I never posted about here, a game which I'd been looking forward to playing again… CHRONO TRIGGER | 1995 The silent protagonist. The princess. The mechanic. The frog. The robot. The cave woman. And time travel. Released in 1995 for the SNES, Chrono Trigger is the unlikely brainchild of three of the greatest minds to grace and influence Japanese popular culture: Yuji Horii, the creator of Dragon Quest; Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball; and Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy. After meeting Marle after bumping into her for the first time at the Millennial Fair, the game’s silent protagonist, Crono, watches on as she volunteers to take part in a public display of his mechanic friend Lucca’s newest invention, which aims to teleport Marle from one platform to another. With the crowd cheering on, Marle’s pendant causes the machine to falter, which results in her vanishing into a mysterious portal. Being the strong and silent type, Crono gives chase, blindly diving into the portal with his guilt-ridden friend Lucca, arriving…400 years earlier, during their continent’s medieval past. What follows is an epic yet simple tale which spans the ages as our heroes traverse the curves of time in order to put a stop to the calamitous entity Lavos from destroying their world’s future. Along the way, we meet Frog, a frog man from that medieval time with a mysterious past, devoid of all sense of honour; Robo, an innocent and carefree robot from the doomed future; and Ayla, the confident and hot-headed chief of a small tribe of cave people from prehistory. The evil fiendlord, Magus, also plays a major role, as we meet him time and time again playing a major part in Lavos’ impending return. Even after my second playthrough of the game, it still astonishes me just how much charm and character could be packed into the game’s timeless 16-bit pixel art sprites, and the depth which it brings to these characters cannot be understated. It makes use of arguably the greatest utilisation of Active Time Battle-style turn-based combat (where the turn order is determined by the speed at which a character’s time gauge is refilled, which is in turn determined by the speed of that character), with excellent animations and spritework bringing the battles to life in a way which seems like it could be impossible in a 2D-game sprite-based game. The seamless transitions from the overworld into battle only enhance your immersion in the game’s world, and that each encounter in the overworld is individually crafted gives the game a sense of polish which is very rare to come by. The exploration of the world map isn’t filled with random encounters, but instead allows you to go wherever you can feasibly reach without much interruption, allowing the game to find its own pace. It also opens up the possibilities for interesting New Game+ scenarios, and because Lavos can be fought at almost any point in the game, there are as many as 13 endings available depending on the actions you take prior to challenging it. Although its story is short compared to its JRPG contemporaries (my second playthrough, including all optional side quests and the optional final dungeon, came in just a little shy of 20 hours) and simple, it is by all means a masterclass in videogame storytelling; it is saturated with nuance and silliness balanced only by its willingness to not shy away from being dark and serious when its story calls for it. Thanks to its time travel elements, side quests are available which are largely contingent on the decisions you make in certain eras and how they carry through to other time periods, and that level of player choice impacting the world on a large and noticeable scale is something which, to this day, isn’t seen as often as it perhaps could be. With a plot which is extremely well-paced, thanks in large parts to the timing of its time travel elements being introduced and reintroduced at pivotal moments, and constantly driving forwards, it should be no great surprise that this game is as widely loved as it is. This is in large part thanks to its great cast of characters. There is a depth and motivation to every playable cast member, sure, but there are also motivations and quirks to find in almost every NPC you come across, whether they be a fiendish pudgy villain who constantly overestimates himself going by Ozzie in the medieval era, to the sense of melancholic acceptance at the loss and despair which has disparaged the humans of the future from doing the thing which I think is most human: hoping. Hoping that tomorrow will come along; hoping to be there to fight for that future when the time comes; and hoping, above all else, that there is a reason to all of this. Some characters are aloof with childish whimsy while others are stone cold serious, and the game manages to encapsulate every human emotion in a way which is wholly relatable and reliable as motivation for these characters. However, as much as I love this game’s story, it’s characters, its quirks, and its time travel nuances, there is one aspect above all else which I think this game owes its being elevated to a legendary status to, and that is, of course, its masterfully composed soundtrack. In 1994, after years of struggling to find his footing at Square and serving more as a sound engineer than as a composer, a 22 year old Yasunori Mitsuda confronted the legendary creator of Final Fantasy, the aforementioned Hironobu Sakaguchi, with an ultimatum: allow him to compose, or he would quit. I imagine that Sakaguchi must have seen the fire in Mitsuda’s eyes, because after assigning him to the role of sole composer of Chrono Trigger, he teased that after the soundtrack was completed, maybe Mitsuda’s pay would go up. Determined to prove himself, Mitsuda often worked to the point of passing out, only to awake with new ideas for songs, such as the game’s wonderful ending theme. Compared with other videogame soundtracks of the time, perhaps something which helps Chrono Trigger to stand out to this day is that it leans more towards atypical genres for its sound, such as jazz and folk music, as opposed to the sweeping epic orchestrations which were commonplace at the time. In the end, Mitsuda composed 54 of the 59 soundtracks included in Chrono Trigger, before succumbing to stomach ulcers which resulted in him being hospitalized. And you can really tell: the emotion and depth poured into each track makes this, inarguably, one of the greatest soundtracks I've ever heard. It's spellbinding yet comforting, melancholic but charming, and the hard work and emotion Mitsuda poured into it still bleeds through to this day. And stepping into his place to complete the soundtrack? Only the greatest video game composer of all-time, Nobuo Uematsu himself. Presentiment. Chrono Trigger. Morning Sunlight. Peaceful Days. Memories of Green. Guardia Millennial Fair. Gato’s Song. A Strange Happening. Wind Scene. Secret of The Forest. Battle Theme 1. Courage and Pride. Manoria Cathedral. Silent Night. Boss Battle Theme 1. Frog’s Theme. Fanfare 1. Kingdom Trial. The Hidden Truth. A Shot of Crises. Ruined World. Lab 16’s Ruin. People Without Hope. Lavos’ Theme. The Day The World Revived. Robo Gang Johnny. Bike Chase. Robo’s Theme. Remains of The Factory. Fanfare 2. Brink of Time. Delightful Spekkio. Fanfare 3. Underground Sewer. Boss Battle Theme 2. Primitive Mountain. Ayla’s Theme. Rhythm of Sky, Wind, and Earth. Burn! Bobonga. Magus’ Castle. Confusing Melody. Battle with Magus. Singing Mountain. Tyran Castle. At The Bottom of Night. Corridors of Time. Zeal Palace. Schala’s Theme. Sealed Door. Undersea Palace. Far Off Promise. Wings That Cross Time. Black Omen. Determination. World Revolution. Last Battle. First Festival of Stars. Epilogue - To Good Friends. To Far Away Times. Every single track in this soundtrack is worthy of mention and praise, and I’ve hyperlinked every single one of them to a corresponding YouTube video, so if you’ve played the game before, I ask that you click any one of them at random - or not, choose one you know you love, it’s up to you! - so that you can be transported back into the world of Chrono Trigger; I imagine you probably even know whereabouts in the game the song plays in many cases, as the identity of many of these songs are so strongly woven into the fabric of the game’s story. And if you haven’t played the game? Give it a listen anyways - it’s a great soundtrack, and there’s no reason that you should be missing out. My favourites are the ones I’d recommend, and those are Chrono Trigger, Secret of The Forest, Frog’s Theme, The Hidden Truth, Robo Gang Johnny, Battle with Magus, Wings That Cross Time, World Revolution, First Festival Of Stars, and To Far Away Times. However, if you are one of the fortunate few that haven’t played or completed this game, then I implore you to do so. I feel like there’s a lot to be gained from playing this game, not just as gamers, but as people. A lot of the messages in Chrono Trigger are those which I think we could benefit from by spreading them to the wider world, whether it be hope or happiness or even just honesty or a humbling sense of innocence. I do feel like this game has had a great impact on myself, as I’m sure it has many others. It's a game in a league of its own in many ways, and is worthy of much more praise than that which I've heaped on it. I implore you to play this game.

Damn, that's a good trailer. Think they might have shown a little too much in a lot of places, but love the opening and the song I actually think it's worth steering clear of this trailer if you haven't played the original game and want to go in blind. NOW GIVE ME THAT DEMO S-E! I want to see how poorly it's going to run on my base PS4...

Went to pick up To The Moon earlier today, remembering that it's on offer until the end of the month...only to find it completely missing from the store? Managed to find an article or two about it where they suggest that it's something to do with the game's rating, but there hasn't been any kind of comment on the matter from anyone involved.

Easy Allies 2019 GOTY time! Deliberations start at 18:30: GOTY awards video is up at 02:00 in the morning to avoid spoiling the fun: And Personal Picks will be up (hopefully) not too long after they're streamed live on Twitch!

The sequel we've all been waiting for

Yeah, it's a weird one. Funnily enough, I've actually been giving it some thought over the last few months as to whether or not I'll continue to get physical copies over their digital counterparts once the PS5 releases. On the one hand, like many of you, I love having these games on my shelf; they're generally cheaper at launch to buy physically, and if pre-ordered online from certain retailers, often turn up a few days early; and it offers you the chance to own the game, and not just a license which can be rescinded at any given point. On the other hand, my shelves are almost filled up these days anyways: I love films and have a sizeable Blu-Ray collection, and there are all of the games which I own physically from my childhood, too. And then there are my books, which I tried to transition away from by getting a Kindle, but not much luck making the transition quite yet. Then there's the matter of delivery of online orders. Using Final Fantasy VII Remake as a bit of an extreme example, which releases on 10th April, being Good Friday and the start of the four day Easter weekend, it could potentially be a bit of a mess. As the game is releasing on a bank holiday Friday, it will most likely be dispatched early, and so I imagine arrive for most people much earlier in the week, which gives us a great chance to install it and have everything ready to go for the long weekend. However, there's nothing to say that it's not dispatched until a day or two before, and it being a bank holiday on the 10th, the Royal Mail and many postal services will likely be running a reduce service, if they're running at all. It being the Easter weekend, and with the following Monday also being a bank holiday, if you ordered a physical copy and it hasn't arrived on Saturday (which I imagine will be even busier than usual because of the load it's having to carry from Friday), there's a fair chance that you won't get the game until the following Tuesday, as most brick-and-mortar stores would likely only be open on that Saturday. If you were to pre-order the game digitally, however, you'll be able to pre-install it and have it ready to go when you wake up on Good Friday. Like I said, an extreme example with how the timing of it shakes out, but nonetheless buying the game digitally would negate that possibility of being let down and not being able to play on launch day. One of the biggest reasons brick-and-mortar stores are still required by console manufacturers is for the sale of their consoles and accessories, but I would love to know if these guys have stats on the in-store vs online retailer sales of their consoles. One of the reasons cited that we can't have digital stores match the lower physical prices on the release date of a game is because there is likely an agreement for the digital storefront to not undercut the physical one, but as H-o-T mentioned, more and more brick-and-mortar stores are closing. If they have the stats for console and accessory sales and they support just selling them online or at select retailers, I wonder if we could see consoles pull out of physical storefronts entirely, and then see a fixed price of £60 across the board for AAA offerings, or them undercutting their software prices. Probably too early a thought to consider for PS5/XSX, but I imagine things will be drastically different by the time the following generation makes its way around, and I'm having a tough time thinking that they'll keep a hold of physical media from then on (though I oddly still see Nintendo sticking with it regardless). Also wonder if we could even see physical copies move to online orders moving forwards. On a personal note, I can't remember the last time I stepped into GAME or any other physical software retailer, let alone to actually purchase something, besides CeX - and that's only because I was dragged along by some of the guys from work. Should be interesting to see how the split changes moving to next gen if the thought of transitioning from physical to digital is clearly on the mind of so many who love to have those physical collections.

Had no idea where to put this, so... Rune Factory 4 Special is coming to Switch on 25th February in North America, and 28th February in Europe and Australia. Personally not my type of game, but it was cool seeing fans of the franchise excited about this and 5. Also, really digging the music in the trailer, and it does a great job of setting a tone and general vibe for the game.

Yeah, it's next Tuesday (the 28th)! Deliberations and final awards are going to be pre-recorded this time around - though I the deliberations going first previously, it certainly makes sense that if they're going to have GOTY content come out that it comes out on the same day, and it gives them more time to polish it to their standards - and personal picks will be live on stream iirc (which I also think makes perfect sense). 100% with you on the love for their format. The discussions are great, and it's just nice for them to be open and actually gain some understanding about how GOTYs were deliberated. Agreed on the timing too: if the Oscars had a mid-November cut-off date, then films like Star Wars don't end up with sound and costume design awards and nominations. Would be a huge thing with Dune this December, and with Avatar in the December slot in the coming years. What's everyone going to do if BotW 2 does manage to sneak into this year, but is late November? Oh man, Ben's reactions and the betrayal by Blood, and his subsequent revenge against him, was glorious! I've watched them do Kill Your Babies several times on a number of shows and it always seem to get too hostile and lose some of the EZA purity which they bring to the table, but loved this one. I think the crew generally has a great sense of wit and timing, but some of their bits on the main podcast (This Week in Joker News, Pro Strats Only Please: URGH...) just try too hard for me. The funniest moments are always the unexpected, and I tend to check out EZA Weekly Clips or SomeGameNews for some great stream highlights (doubt I'm the only one here without the time to sit through all of the streams they put out). Did you check out the special podcast a few weeks ago with Kyle's parents? I thought it was great to get the curtain pulled back a bit more on an Ally by someone so close to them, and there were definitely some great moments in there.

It's about time! Been waiting for this trailer for months! A bit over 4 weeks until the 21st! Also, poster is one of the best we've had since the Disney takeover: This series means so much to me, I wasn't even 10 years old when it started, so thank Lucas that Filoni gets the chance to finish telling this story, to some degree, on his own terms. This series easily has some of the best storytelling in Star Wars, especially when it comes to fleshing out the prequels. And to call this series "groundbreaking" as stated in the trailer is an understatement: what it's done for CG animation as a whole is barely a footnote in most minds, but with Lucas fronting the cost to develop the technology and produce a series en masse to reduce the costs across the industry is something that only he would strive for. That it just so happened to be where Filoni grew into his own as a storyteller under the master's tutelage is an incredible stroke of luck, and no-one is better positioned than him now to front Lucasfilm's future storytelling endeavours. He just gets Star Wars. Got very emotional a few years ago watching the Celebration panel when Dave hinted at what fate would have awaited Ashoka later into the series had it continued (well worth checking out for Ashley Eckstein's reaction to that, as it was the first time she learned of that too and was in tears!), and so seeing the 501st don those helmets and seeing her stand off against Maul makes me misty eyed. Great to finally see Maul's on-screen arc completed too, as Sam Witwer (aka Starkiller) brought such depth to the character (well worth noting that he only had two lines in TPM!). Also worth bringing up that the Ashoka showdown with Maul has brought Ray Park back into the fold once again, this time for some motion capture work, and it will be the first time the technique has been used in the show (and very possibly perhaps the first use of it in a serialised animated show? Nothing else comes to mind). Back to the trailer: Siege of Mandalore hype! Expecting one or two nods to a certain recent show. Also, Yoda's and Windu's lines are from ROTS, so very interested to see if the Siege arc (which I assume will be the finale) will cross over with the timeline of the film, as Filoni hinted a few years ago which was the idea for the show's later seasons. The implications of that being the case are going to be very interesting, and I could see the show ending with the execution of Order 66. Also worth bringing up that you can see Caleb Dume (aka Kanan from Rebels) and his master, Depa Billaba, in the shot of the holo-meeting. Nice touch. Bad Batch looks good, but still a shame that they decided against adapting the Utapau arc (we already know what happens in both as episodes early into the animation process were shown off in their entirety at SWC a few years ago, fully voiced but only early rigged animation), as the implications of that were much wider reaching for the Saga (it features a massive kyber crystal, so yeah). Right, time to sign back up for my US Disney+ subscription after cancelling it just the other day