Lurker > Omniscientless

Legit thought this was an LMS topic meant to act as a companion piece to his philosophical "Wonder Woman vs. Barbie" poll.

I spend far more money on physical releases, and almost always prefer to get a physical release when available. I still buy digital for Steam/GOG for a ton of indie games (or games that I'd rather play on PC because mouse feels more intuitive than controller), but the amount I spend is comparatively very low.

I'm generally a very patient and slow gamer, so I never really buy games on release day. For preorders, I don't really mind the delay. I also like placing an order for pick-up in a store that is decently far out and biking there. Kinda feels like getting rewarded for the workout.

Would be awesome to get the Link's Awakening treatment for both Oracle games. There's obvious QoL improvements to make the same way they did with LA, the graphics from the GBC could obviously use a more modern lift-up job, and the two games could be released together and made more interconnected.

Sunshine's wonderful as is; the things it needs fixed don't require a full remake. The real offenders were the Shadow Mario throwaway shines, not the blue coins imo. The glitches (re: Pachinko, for example) could've (and should've) been addressed in the 3D All Stars remaster. The graphics and controls/mechanics from Sunshine hold up really well, I don't feel like it needs to be re-built from the ground up at all.

Snow White
Jungle Book
The Little Mermaid
Frozen

I don't think skipping the entirety of Disney history between its first film and the Renaissance is right. Jungle Book was a huge hit both critically and commercially, not to mention Walt's swansong.

Very torn between The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast for the Renaissance rep. Little Mermaid paved the way for the entire Renaissance, but Beauty and the Beast feels like the fully realized version of that Broadway-like vision that made the Renaissance what it was. idk. I'll just give the nod to the one that came first, as is often the case.

Phoenix - 9
Mia - 7

But playable Mia is like a 9.

edited because, to be fair, Honobix should knock his score down somewhat. but original trilogy Phoenix is an easy 10.

Gordon Ramsay
Julia Child
Anthony Bourdain
Martha Stewart

Super Metroid
Castlevania SotN
Hollow Knight
Metroid Prime

I mean... yeah. I considered switching Prime for Cave Story because two Metroid games feels a little lame, but I just can't. It's far too important, and far too good.

I like LinkedIn Learning for this kind of stuff - they're pretty thorough when it comes to teaching you how to use specific software. Coursera is also a really great option - I'd recommend that one more for SQL.

lawyer

I guess it could make sense? I think it just popped into my head because of the amount of people on the Internet who start sentences with "I'm not a lawyer, but...".

I can't think of anyone I wouldn't go #2 with over potential death or spending what could be the rest of my life stuck in a single room.

I thought of Raphael from Fire Emblem and like, absolutely #2 unless he refuses because he knows he could easily kill me. Fortunately, he doesn't seem the kind of guy to choose to do that.

Mordin

Team

No app is going to make you fluent. Duolingo is great to introduce you to the basics (grammar structures, basic vocabulary, common phrases), but you won't learn anything substantial until you invest on it. The only way to actually speak the language is by practicing speaking. For reading, start with children's stories or other simple media - playing a translated version of a game you're familiar with, for example. I used a Swedish translation of Pokemon Silver and it helped me a lot. Every time you don't know something, consult it. There are books (some for free, if you know where to look), as well as YouTube videos, that can complement almost any grammatical question you may have. We are in the age of Google Translate - don't know a word, search it. Watching TV series in English with subtitles of the language you want to learn is great, too. I used to watch American sitcoms in Sweden since they all had Swedish subtitles, and you would start picking up on words and sentences.

There's also very affordable online tutors depending on the language you're trying to learn. I learned some Uzbek before visiting Central Asia, and each lesson was the price of a cup of coffee.

Twitter, but I kinda like when people say Xitter too. Sounds like Shitter, which rings true.

Carol Brady
Clair Huxtable
Marge Simpson
Morticia Addams

Missile

Yes

UF8 posted...

also the console itself didn't do a very good job of conveying this that well, but this soundtrack is great lol

I don't think I had ever heard music from a Wonderswan Color game before, but the soundfont kinda kicks ass? Something about it is very unique and interesting to me.

3.5/10

This case is king of annoying ever-repeating animations. It might be funny one time, but then it's the same joke over and over.

I liked Roly and Patricia, though.

Myst
The Secret of Monkey Island
The Walking Dead
Zork

Hurts me to the core to leave out Grim Fandango.

Mad

Arkanoid
Bejeweled
Nintendogs
Crazy Bus

Thorn posted...

It depends on what streamers you mention.

Now if it's Other M that's just an automatic ban.

It's over for LMS.

MacArrowny posted...

You sure? I feel like there's barely any competitive reality shows worth putting on a Rushmore. You have to combine the categories if you want any actual debate.

Survivor, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor(ette), The Genius, Flavor of Love, The Challenge, I Love Money, America's Next Top Model, RuPaul's Drag Race, Top Chef, Project Runway, any of the American Idol-like shows... the list goes on and on.

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Argentina

Everything you may need to know can be found here. Some of the information is heavily opinionated, but not any more than what you'd see by asking people here. I love wikivoyage in general, gives you good starting points.

Do go to the south if you can. It's a bit of a trip, but well worth it. Nature in Argentina is beautiful. If you are a hiker, this is your personal paradise (as it was for me).

Happy to make more specific recommendations depending on what kind of traveler you are and the length of your stay.

Wheel of Fortune
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
The Price is Right
Jeopardy

Millionaire absolutely belongs here; the international reach was insane. There's a reason everyone knows the suspense music from the show, the setting alone is iconic. I frankly had no idea what Jeopardy, Family Feud, or The Price Is Right were until I came to America.

Special mention to Supermarket Sweep because it's the most hilarious little thing I've ever seen. Watching people frantically running around a supermarket while bombarded by product placement is an irreplaceable experience.

Legend.

swordz9 posted...

Clearly we all need to make topic ranking hot video game characters while we still can

Is this the final nail in the coffin for Best Ass in Gaming?

Quick, someone create a game that includes characters suspiciously named after every currently relevant politician.

Darth Vader
Wicked Witch of the West
Joker (Heath Ledger)
Godzilla

3

Even thinking about this case makes me feel bored.

I'm more into the outdoors, never liked going to a gym. Used to run every day, dropped it in favor of biking because running in a big city is more stressful than liberating. Hike whenever possible (less and less these days, unfortunately...).

3.5

It's definitely not terrible, just... alright to a fault. Less of a slog than almost every case that would follow it, so I suppose I give it props for adequate pacing in a game that often fails in that regard. A bit disappointed this is all we got from Maggey given Gumshoe's ascension to a main, but it is what it is. Just wish we had seen her in a context that didn't have her accused of murder for once.

Final Fantasy VII
Metal Gear Solid
Tomb Raider
Resident Evil

This feels surprisingly clear-cut to me. Gran Turismo 2 is the only one that I could be convinced deserves a place. Crash Bandicoot was just the PS1 playing catch-up. Imagine you go see the N64 Rushmore with SM64 there, then you turn around and see Crash Bandicoot in the PS1 exhibit. The PS1 deserves better.

Yes.

I'll say X as well, just because I feel like that thing coming out in 1992 on a handheld is ridiculously impressive, even if there's obviously technically superior games that would be released in later years.

1.5

Beyond awful. 0.5 because the Mishams and Brushel are fine, and Drew Studio is one of the soundtrack's best.

1

6.5/10

Basically everything MSG said. I acknowledge this is probably too high a rating, but it's still AJ's best case by far, so.

Mr. Hat was a true jump the shark moment for this game, the first investigation day tries your patience to a ridiculous degree, and Klavier sucks as much as he ever will, but the actual case is pretty cool and the peaks (the second investigation day, mostly) make up for a lot of the rougher parts.

Super Mario Bros
The Legend of Zelda
Dragon Quest
Contra

What's incredible is clearly nobody knew about this, or else any mid-sized community would've most assuredly voted some meme character to the top. We could've put Chester in the top 10. The furries would've easily taken a character from Echo directly to first place. 4chan would've made Wolfenstein Hitler win with 90% of the votes. I'm almost suspicious of this poll because no way nobody on Twitter would've seen this and not rallied votes for Ariana Grande (Fortnite).

3.5

It's alright, but the issues I have with it far outweigh the good stuff. The Phoenix character assassination is at its worst in this case, and Phoenix basically knowing the answers and making you into his sockpuppet just kinda sucks. Felt less like a mentor, and more like someone asking their child to repeat after them. The part where we have to interact with the map and Phoenix basically just tells you where to move the furniture is just bad gameplay.

However, my real issue is that all the loose ends and intrigue from this case retroactively make it one of my least favorite cases of the series on a purely emotional level because the explanations and answers are directly related to all the garbage from 4-4 and 4-0, and it sours the experience completely for me.

RikkuAlmighty posted...

P.S. fuck that robot racing sidequest

You can cheese these races really hard with 9S later on. Sorry for your loss.

Sonic 2
Mortal Kombat
Phantasy Star IV
Ecco the Dolphin

I feel at peace with this. The two I'd be most confident about would be Sonic 2 (duh) and Mortal Kombat. I feel like nothing represents the contrast between Nintendo and Sega during the 32-bit era more than those two. You could know basically nothing about the Genesis, and you'd still know it had the Real MK experience. It cannot be understated how important that was at the time.

Bring back Ecco the Dolphin, Sega. I dare you. And get Spencer Nilsen to compose the soundtrack again, thank you very much.

They are indeed bland if serviceable/fun Uncharted-like games. The redesign of Lara didn't help matters, but they seem to have corrected that in the new game which is a big plus for her.

Lara winning isn't even the most egregious thing about this. I have no idea who voted here, but here's the full top 20:

1. Lara Croft
2. Mario
3. Agent 47
4. Sonic the Hedgehog
5. Sackboy
6. Pac-Man
7. Link
8. Master Chief
9. Kratos
10. Shadowheart
11. Arthur Morgan
12. Pikachu
13. Steve (Minecraft)
14. Solid Snake
15. Crash Bandicoot
16. Cloud Strife
17. Astarion
18. Kazuma Kiryu
19. Ellie (TLOU)
20. Nathan Drake

GranTurismo posted...

if your post gets massive downvotes is it almost like being modded? have never used reddit

No, it just gets pushed to the bottom of the page. But you can also sort comments by controversial/downvotes, so in a way they probably end up receiving more attention than if they had just been left alone and ignored, which results in slapfights in which one user gets dogpiled by the rest of the community. Some redditors tend to report things they disagree with as well, so mods and admins often do take action on those heavily downvoted posts.

The upvote system is actually pretty neat for when people are looking for help, in the same way GameFAQs Q&A or whatever it's called gives you a top answer. I'm often directed to reddit when looking something specific up, and it's very nice that instead of reading through dozens of comments trying to find the actual answer, people have upvoted the most reasonable and/or helpful comment.

On the other hand, for discussion subs, it creates all the issues foolmo has mentioned. Groupthink and hiveminds are a big problem, especially with subs having their own mod teams (or super mods that own hundreds of subs, another weird phenomenon of reddit culture and a whole can of worms in itself, all of whom usually have very specific ideologies and control a sub's acceptable opinions). When a sub leans too hard to one side, it usually ends up in someone creating a splinter sub that promotes the opposite ideology, which incentivizes groupthink even more. And because upvotes are like crack to some people, they all try to one-up each other by trying to make the funniest comment, creating endless chains of frequently terrible jokes and puns. None of this is precisely toxic, but I find it incredibly annoying. The loss of individuality is weird too to us who come from old school message boards, but it's kinda like that everywhere now when you think about it - tiktok, twitter, reddit, instagram comments, whatever else.

Naturally, reddit is also a news source for many, which means it can risk spreading misinformation or selling a specific narrative, which can have actual impact on people in a way that teenagers calling each other Nintendrones will never be able to replicate. I'm subbed to the Today I Learned and You Should Know subs, and a lot of heavily upvoted threads are completely false or blatantly misrepresenting the information that is being shared. Then you have karma farming to sell accounts, bots that repost threads and comments, and bots who post merchandise and advertise websites trying to pass themselves off as real people. It's wild out there.

10

It's peak Ace Attorney. It was faced with the impossible task of wrapping up the trilogy and the story of T&T itself, and it does both jobs spectacularly well. I could've maybe done without Larry here, though, but I get they wanted all the mains and major characters back for the grand finale.

Love Bikini too, a very underrated witness and maybe the best use of a character telling the truth while still having problems in their testimony.

The more niche a sub is, the less toxic it is (which is probably true for any online community, frankly). But gamers having embarrassing arguments and squabbling is not nearly as bad as the kind of stuff there's on reddit if you bother to go exploring a little. It's not just the amount of deep hatred a lot of people seem to have for just about anything, it's also reddit's very many advice subs that attempt to push buttons or push certain ideological agendas. It's the usual hot take from GameFAQs trolls becoming a craft of its own, posting ragebait with no other goal than to piss people off and start fights, which quickly escalate.

I've taken a particular interest on reddit and its trends because I find it kind of fascinating. It's like submitting stories to magazines or the newspaper in the past, except there's no filter - everything gets published. So we have weeks in which suddenly several people have stories about heavy topics like paternity fraud, incel fantasies, or women making fake sexual assault allegations, and then by next week it's all stories about fat people being delusional and trans people acting insane. Most of these stories are very obviously fiction, but the userbase doesn't realize this or doesn't care.

What's particularly interesting about reddit culture is their emphasis on the idea that you don't owe anyone anything (extreme individualism), their constant need for (often nuclear) revenge and self-validation, and that morals are almost entirely dependent on what is legal or not. It may seem like flame wars over games are more toxic on a surface level, but reddit's kind of toxicity is just a different beast altogether. Apples and oranges, but one feels far more layered than the other to me.

Most of this is outside the gaming spheres, but to be honest, reddit is famous for overreacting and jumping to conclusions, as well as starting witch hunts and harassment campaigns. I'd be surprised if GameFAQs has the ability to make an impact outside its own boundaries the way reddit often does.