Skye

Played through the first episode of Tales from the Borderlands. I'd recommend it - it's all the cool stuff that you know from Borderlands, but with Telltale in the writing chair instead of Gearbox so it's even better. It feels like a cool space western, and there's plenty of snark. It gives me a Firefly kind of vibe. To wit the best parts: The villain (or one of them - it's Pandora, after all) is voiced by Joe from Family Guy, which is always a laugh as he speaks about doing evil in that slow calm drawling voice. The main characters are interesting, and both are my favorite kind of hero - the one that has to talk their way out of things rather than shoot. A welcome change of pace on Pandora. There are two jump scares. One is done really well, as you're given sufficient warning and I braced myself for it, and the anticipation was a thrill so it paid off. The other was cheap and pissed me off. The story is told in-media-res, which is an interesting decision since the story is based on choices. It pays off as the two main characters are retelling the story (as you play it) and sometimes, they embellish the story in a really funny scene. For example, one of them claims that they met a "diplomatic solution" and it cuts to them and some others being incredibly polite and drinking tea together, speaking in cliche period drama "mm, yes, quite" talk. The other one interjects and immediately shoots them down to say what really happened, which involved less tea and more threatening-to-throw-people-out-of-a-moving-car. It's pretty hilarious. The writing has a few references, but none are as glaring as when Gearbox does it. It's usually just a quote from something, that actually does fit with the situation (like when a Loader Bot believes it may need to sacrifice itself for Rhys, it gives a thumbs up ala Terminator 2.) The first episode has a sufficient amount of action, mystery, and comedy. It's a pretty perfect blend, especially for a first episode. It's refreshing to have Telltale tackle comedy more, since The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us were both excellent, but very much on the drama side of things. Spoilery talk: Spoiler Zer0 is a fucking badass throughout the whole thing, as he should be. I like how he barely seems to regard you and everyone else as worth his time, and is always more concerned about killing the bandit leader. It gives this nice feeling of being a NPC in a game, where the main character has bigger fish to fry than you (which fits the nice theme the game seems to be striving for.) Save your bullet. You are given two opportunities in the story to shoot someone, and both times, the outcome will not be changed. Telltale are very good at what they do, but fuck me, they really just cannot let go of their "but it happens anyway" moments. I hate the illusion of choice where there is none - if he will somehow magically survive a fucking gunshot, then don't give me the option to waste valuable ammo. That's bollocks. Handsome Jack is still alive as a virtual AI... ghost... thing. I love Handsome Jack - easily one of my favorite villains - but I have the feeling they're starting to milk it. It's like the Joker in Batman, or Ganon in Zelda - they tend to hijack the story from other villains because they're popular, but the reason those villains aren't popular is because they keep getting hijacked all the time. I hope Vasquez stays the focus of the story as the antagonist, rather than have Handsome Jack swoop in and steal his thunder. No Claptrap yet. Thank fuckity god. Edit: Finished it, revamped my thoughts.

Six level 100s? Fuck that noise. Someone can have my gym if that's the case.

Smash Brothers, Pokemon ORAS and Big Hero 6 are all things that are out now in the US but not in Europe. It makes me sad. >:

Day 3 is out. I think it's a nice idea, but executed very poorly. The arcana is a pay wall, the specificity of "one certain hero must kill one certain hero and then win" is poor, and I can bet that the rewards will basically be what the drop system used to be, as opposed to Diretide (which, say what you want about its gameplay, at least had the decency to fucking shower you in loot every game, regardless of whether you won or lost, in addition to the usual drops.) I'll still rock the Arcana for the event if anyone wants to join me for the loot. At any rate, it can't be worse than the Greeviling. *shudder* EDIT: Also geez, that weapon evolution is pretty bloody steep. Apparently, to get the arcana as flashy as possible, I need to win at least 34 games during the event. Christ.

Why is everyone speaking robot in here? >: Styx is good. Presentation is bland - it looks and sounds like a game from ten years ago - but my god, the level design, the level design, the level design. The verticality, the varying obstacles, the spacing, the lighting, aaaaaaargh so good for a stealth game.

Oh. I guess I've been doing it wrong. That explains a lot.

It will cause shippers to cry, and I shall marinate my food in their tears. It adds that extra kick of salt. It may also have some cute gags, who knows.

Sooooomewheeeeere Oooooover the raaaaainboooooow

I'm going to be split by indecision for several weeks, most likely. Enigma is My Boy™ but he has no cosmetics yet, so I might go with someone who just looks styling with the items I have, like PA (when the Arcana comes out - the Arcana and the Nimble Edge set look amazing together) or Legion Commander (Arcana and Stonehall set). Then again, Juggernaut looks great now with that mix between the Bladekeeper and the Thousand Faces set. But what about Templar Waifu's nice blend of Nightshade and Hidden Flower? Or maybe Rubick, or Techies, or aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.

Well, if past experiences with the DOTA community are to be regarded, it means Oracle is immediately 0/10, everyone at Valve should be shot in the back of the head with a 12 gauge, and anyone who is not immediately sickened and outraged is less than human and is not welcome in society unless they wear a bag over their heads at all times. Or it could be a lame joke. One or the other.

I don't know what qualifies as "anime tier". Curved swords? Blue lines? More "dat hips"? I can only guess the third, and it's not even that pronounced. As for the Nemesis Assassin event, that sounds... Well, I know I just called out people being buzzkills, but man, it sounds awful. Why make it so exclusive to the Arcana? I mean, I bought it, but I know a lot of people won't and it seems like a really unnecessary pay wall. I dunno, mahn. I just dunno.

'Weapon evolves and changes colors as Phantom Assassin fulfills contracts. Purchase this item to initiate the Nemesis Assassin Event in your matches.' Whoopie dee doo. Although yes, if this event is restricted to the Arcana somehow, people are going to be upset. Sweetly, hilariously, and wonderfully upset.

Full Day 2 here. Info for those who may need it: Oracle. I'll presume you already know about him. Voice is quite alike to Bane. Effects are pretty. Manifold Paradox is the PA arcana. Gives two curved swords to PA. Has the usual Arcana traits; custom particles, spell icons, hero icon, portrait, effects, animations, voice, and so on. Two unique things; PA's kills leave a sword in the ground as a memorial, and the weapon evolves and changes color as PA 'fulfills contracts.' Can be pre-ordered (yes) for 20%. In my opinion, looks amazing and the new voice is really good, plus the 20% off is appreciated. DOTACinema chest. Contains the following sets: steampunk Timbersaw, death adder Venomancer, Skyrim barbarian Centaur Warrunner, Anubis Necrophos, and scrap-and-junk Clockwerk. Has an angel/demon courier as a rare reward. Most notably, you can buy the sets in the store as well (presumably, the chest is cheaper than an individual set, and is the only way to get the courier.) Charm of the Defender's Vision. Works like the Prophet's Prediction from the Compendium - before an All Pick game, guess if you'll win. Three correct guesses and you get a free DOTACinema chest. Two incorrect guesses and you get a 'Charming Celebration' item (whatever that is.) New creep models for Compendium owners. They wear headgear and some armor based on their respective ancient (like the radiant melee wears a white stone helmet with blue lights.) Looks great. Heroic effigies for Compendium owners. Basically, you pick a hero and make a statue in their image. You can set what cosmetics they're wearing (as long as you own them) and make them pose in a certain way (such as when they're using a specific animation, like Enigma using Black Hole.) It then appears in your base. Pretty damn cool. Arcana aside, my favorite addition in the update. Compendium gems finally unlock into... a gem. Presumably a spectator gem. Oh, and an emoticon. Not amazing, but eh, it's nice. Manifold Paradox shirt on sale at WeLoveFine. Looks great. Other little changes, fixes, etc. Most notable, Broodmother and Phoenix are now in Captain's Mode. Interesting. Day 3 will most likely detail an event called "Nemesis Assassin", which will be used in Matchmaking and Ranked Matchmaking in some way.

A story in which THREE PEOPLE ARE IN A PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE! HOT SHIT COMING THROOOOOOOOOOUGH chugga chugga chugga chugga Spoiler Mr. Bennett paced backwards and forwards outside the door, running a hand through his hair. On any other day, he might have been more worried about how it was getting thinner and seemed a bit more grey every time he checked, but right now he had bigger concerns on his mind. Each footstep was accentuated by the ticking of the clock of the wall, like a pendulum that Mr. Bennett tried to keep his heartbeat measured against, but the two tempos were out of sync - one was strict and measured, while the other was jumping from slow periods of euphoria to quick dashes of stress. Mr. Bennett stared at the 'No Cigarettes Allowed' sign on the wall of the meeting room. He had the urge to spit on it, but the CCTV camera kept his inhibitions in check. As the seconds ticked by through a minute that stretched into eternity, the door opened. Mr. Bennett turned to face the woman. The first few things he noticed about her was her sensibly short haircut, her enviable hourglass curves, and the sharp business attire that visibly stated her occupation to whoever had laid eyes upon her. The other things he noticed was the vibrant green skin color, the darker shade of green for her hair, and the peace lily firmly planted on her crown near the back of the head. It was an ordinary sight to him - the principal of Cloverton High School, Mrs. Crane. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Bennett," she said, pushing her glasses back to their proper place after they had wrongfully slackened off and loitered near the tip of her nose for too long. "Come in." The woman gestured and the man agreed, entering without a word. The inside of the office was a haven for those who enjoyed order and organisation - right angles, appropriate distances, and plain yet sensible furniture with little decoration. Mrs. Crane's office matched its owner in every way, and now Mr. Bennett was having a hard time picturing the woman anywhere else. However, one thing in particular was unlike the room. It was in the middle of the room, hunched and drooping, much more sullen and lifeless than the several plants by the window. Most alarmingly, it had bruises across its body, and a trickle of blood had dried around its nose. Its hair was disheveled, and as it turned to face him, a black eye was immediately visible, blotting against its pale skin. "M-Meg," Mr. Bennett began in a stammer. To him, Mrs. Crane, her room, and everything else around him ceased to exist as he swooped to his daughter and hugged her. The girl did not cry or complain, nor did she plead or beg, but she returned the hug in full force. Mr. Bennett spun around to face the principal, who had grown very interested in her completely blank wall instead of the display of affection. "You didn't tell me she was like this!" If Mrs. Crane was alarmed by Mr. Bennett's sudden raise in volume, she made no indication and kept her immovable demeanor. "My apologies, Mr. Bennett. I had assumed that my secretary told you. Now please, take a seat." Mr. Bennett paused for a moment before slowly lowering himself into the seat beside his daughter. Megan glanced over and silently regarded how white his knuckles were, before he remembered to unclench his fists and he released them back to normal. She continued to hide herself in her large hooded coat and her shaggy and unkempt brown hair. Mrs. Crane closed the door and sat in her office chair. "So," Mr. Bennett began, his voice back to its usual self. "What happened here?" Mrs. Crane cleared her throat, either as a necessity or as some sort of subtle gesture. "Well, as a matter of fact, that is why I called you over with such urgency. Your daughter refuses to tell me what happened, and-" "You know she's-" "Yes, I'm well aware, Mr. Bennett," Mrs. Crane interrupted, holding up her hand as she did. "But even so, Megan has made no effort to communicate about what caused this. She was offered a pen and paper, or whatever device she wished to use, but she has declined them on each account. Furthermore, the other aggressors in this incident have their own story of what happened, and claim that Megan did far worse to them." Mr. Bennett looked at his daughter. Megan couldn't stop herself from glancing to her side and staring back, and when their eyes met, a hundred words were already exchanged through the girl's single look. "She didn't do it," Mr. Bennett stated. He said it with the same conviction as an absolute fact, as if he had just said that the sky was blue or that two and two made four. Mrs. Crane allowed a small sigh to escape as her nostrils flared. "I'm afraid I'll need her version of the story for the record, Mr. Bennett. I can't allow your word alone to whisk away the rumors I've been hearing all afternoon because of this. So if you could... coerce?" The father and daughter continued to lock eyes with each other. Mr. Bennett nodded first. "Very well. Meg, can you tell me what happened? And please be honest. I know when you're lying, and you know that too." Meg's eyes broke away, staring at her muddied sneakers and the dried blood on her knuckles. There were still a few spots of mucus and spit on her sleeve, and the bandaging around her thumb was getting sore again. If she had the capacity to sigh like Mrs. Crane could, she would have done so, but instead she had to cope with her own capabilities. Meg looked back up again with a nod, and her arms and fingers burst into motion, painting motions in the air. To her principal, it was an incoherent flurry, but to her father, it was a simple yet complex language that the two of them could understand. [it was lunch time. I was minding my own business. Writing stuff. Someone started calling me out. Mocked me for being mute. It pissed me off. Nobody else bothered to help. That pissed me off even more. I didn't hit them until they hit me. He... said something about Mom.] Although she could not understand the conversation they were having, even Mrs. Crane could see an interesting development - Megan's motions faltered and she was visibly shaking, while Mr. Bennett's eyebrows raised in alarm and his arms were already up and on his daughter's shoulders. As a principal, she had dealt with many young people when they were emotional, and from the flexing fingers to the diluted irises, she was intrigued to see that it wasn't the predictable fear or distress, but it seemed more like... anger. Mr. Bennett signed back to his daughter. Despite being fully capable of speech, he preferred to leave the conversation private. [i understand. It's okay.] Megan bit her flaking bruised lip, all too familiar with the coppery taste of blood at this point. Her skin felt hot all over and it seemed like her heart was in a vice grip. [They knew it would make me mad. I tried not to, but I was so-] Megan's fingers fidgeted in hesitation. [i was so fucking angry.] Mr. Bennett tutted, but did little more than that. [i don't blame you.] For the first time since he had walked into the room, Mr. Bennett saw his daughter smile, as they seemed to slip into their own world for just a brief moment. Everything in the room was angular and clean and perfectly in place, but to him, nothing in the room was more amazing than the bloodied and dirtied teenager sitting before him with a tiny smile on her face. [How many were there?] Megan sniffled - not because she was crying, but because a loose dribble of blood had tried to escape. She held up three fingers, grazes still visible along their skin. Mr. Bennett nodded in acknowledgement. [Who was in charge? Who started it?] Megan paused, her teeth clenching in rage as the name popped up in her head, but she still had the challenge of getting it out of hers and into everyone else's. The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Her injured thumb stung with each button press, but as always, she typed out what was on her mind with impeccable speed - Mrs. Crane could scarcely believe how fast she was, to the point that it was almost a blur, like the sign language she had seen. Mr. Bennett looked at the phone screen, and read it aloud for the principal to hear. "Devin Layman?" Mrs. Crane leaned forward, eager to finally interject into a conversation she could actually partake in. "Ah, Devin, same year as Megan. Troublesome, but not outright violent as far as I know. What about the boy?" "Megan claims that she was bullied and attacked by him and two others," Mr. Bennett replied. Mrs. Crane flicked her eyes to her pupil, who refused to make eye contact but nodded as some sort of approval to the fact given, and so Mrs. Crane dutifully looked back to Mr. Bennett. "They claimed that Megan was the provoker." [i DIDN'T START SHIT!] Megan wanted to shout. Instead, she frantically signed it to nobody in particular, simply venting the 'words' away. With no means of speech, Megan often found it maddening to have so many things on her mind that she couldn't express to people. Thankfully, her father interjected, putting an arm in his daughter's way to block her angered gestures (in case Megan chose a particular angry gesture that even Mrs. Crane would recognize.) "Mrs. Crane, can I ask which student you find more likely to bully people and start fights with them - Megan, or Devin?" For the second time, Mrs. Crane let a tiny sigh escape her - the answer was obvious. Megan had her history of hostility against other students and even a few teachers, but nothing more than passive-aggressive behavior and an intense desire to be left alone. Devin, on the other hand, was a student who was 'conveniently' appearing in many rumors and whispers amongst the more frightened pupils, as something akin to a high school dictator. It made no logical sense for a lone wolf to pick a fight against a hunter. "I concede the point, Mr. Bennett," she admitted quietly, "I'm afraid violent behavior is not tolerated in Cloverton High under any circumstances, so Megan will still receive punishment, but I believe this is Devin Layman' 'last straw' as they say. I will gather more witness reports from anyone who saw the incident, to be safe, and involve the police if I deem it solid enough to consider Devin a threat to my students." Mr. Bennett glanced at his daughter. The green eyes were narrowed and almost alight with the anger of being punished for what she (and he) considered perfectly valid and fair, but she crossed her arms and restrained herself. Knowing her quite well, he could hazard the guess that the revenge on Devin was sufficient enough to appease her. The Bennetts left the office with a slip, confirming that Megan was to take the rest of the week off for further medical attention and 'personal reflection on your offensive behavior.'" As soon as the two of them had exited the building into the cold afternoon sun of a winter day in Canada, Megan tore the slip into shreds and threw them away, joining the rest of the falling snow on the ground. She trod on it with her sneakers for good measure. Mr. Bennett laughed and stomped a few of the pieces as well, and Megan smirked, before looking at him and signing a question. [You're not mad at me?] Mr. Bennett laughed even harder, a rough but heartfelt chortle that he had inherited from his father in spades. "Meg, I got into far worse when I was your age, believe me. If someone punches you, you punch them back. It's what Bennetts do." Megan's smirk became wider. It was a rare sight, but it was a sight Mr. Bennett never stopped cherishing. She signed her response. [Thanks, Dad.] "No problem, sweetheart," he said, returning the smirk. Meg signed once more. [Let's go home. It's god damn freezing.] Mr. Bennett signed in agreement. [God bless Canada.] Entertaining the idea of a mute protagonist, a parent/child relationship, and the setting of Cloverton I've made (although none of that is in this, it's just musing on a situation in the past.) Don't be confused as to why the lady is like a plant. It's not important. Honest.

Swiggity swooty I'm blinkin' for dat booty.

Actually, looking at him now, he seems like the very model of a scientist salarian...

you motherfucker i will never unsee that +rep

The show itself is a blast as well.

According to the DOTABUFF rankings, I am in the top 5% of Enigma players worldwide. That's pretty cool. Then again, it says I'm "Platinum Division" with at least 5 heroes, so I have doubt on the credentials of all the ones that aren't Enigma. EDIT: And coincidentally, as I posted this today of all days, we get this. (I FORESAW THIS.) It's a very short comic, but it's really nice just to see a comic of any kind with the DOTA characters. A very Disney-esque art style, which is a bit weird to adjust to after the much more "realistic" (at least palette and design wise) "Are We Heroes Yet?" comic. I hope they do more in the future. Plus that sword at the end is possibly the PA arcana, so I also correctly foretold that it would be a weapon. Smart move selling that Scythe while it was pricey.

The Nagant looks like a perfect organism. I admire its purity.

Are they any Playstation 4 exclusives that really shape that console? Because, you know, Xbox One is just parading the Master Chief Collection, and Bungie have had me by the balls for over a decade so god damn it, it's working. Also, giving Katawa Shoujo a go (with adult content disabled, since that ain't my jam.) EDIT: Accidentally pressed an option that immediately came up. THIS IS WHAT "ARE YOU SURE?" BOXES ARE FOR, GENIUSES.

Curse of Naxxramas for its retail price (about $25). Worth it or not? (Bearing in mind that I'm like an Argent Squire right now, so barely got my waterwings.)

You may wish to narrow your field of view down to maybe a specific genre or something similar. If you're bored and have no budget, I'd just say that you should browse the Free to Play section of Steam until something strikes a chord. The most popular choices would be TF2 and DOTA2, but you could also go for stuff like Warframe, Planetside 2, Spiral Knights or Blacklight Retribution. If you want a little indie gem to put some hours into, Iji is a personal favorite of mine.

"Get a load of this, Sonic! I used all your dishes and then left them in the sink WITHOUT WASHING THEM! HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" I actually can't tell if that was a joke or if you're talking about the episode, because there actually is a short scene about him and washing dishes. its utter genius

Sonic in a nutshell. True enough. Sonic X was even worse for this - 4Kids and such - although the third season actually did get creative, get dramatic, and play things rather seriously. And then it got cut short and they killed the most interesting character. Whoops. Also SatAM was great. But also cut short. Jeez, it's like SEGA have this phobia of being creative. ...And why the fuck does he wear bandages on his shoes?