Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

@Mariotag yes, AI is becoming very common on Meta’s platforms (Instagram and Facebook) and several social media apps. Instagram also has an AI chat too, though I don’t use it at all, though chatting with AI has become popular because of the comedic moments that have come out of it. I don’t think AI is entirely bad and has its benefits, but I hate it when apps train AI off of data and images without telling its users about it or giving them options to opt out. It feels malicious in my opinion.

I have heard of Twitter being toxic for a long time despite not using it, but a lot of people say Twitter wasn’t really like that during its early days, also probably because it likely didn’t have a ton of users back then, and it sounded like they tried to keep the platform in order and tried to make it a good experience for everyone, but way before 2022 I heard and saw people who acted toxic and awful toward others, which kind of gave me a reason to not register on the app. I only used the web version of Twitter before they said that you have to make an account to view accounts and posts on the app.

Cool, I didn’t know the remake was fixing the “easy to get lost” issue with the original. I think it could be a good remake from what I am hearing, but I also didn’t know you needed to use collectibles to expand the worlds. I think remakes are also a good opportunity to fix games that have significant flaws, or for games that are extremely bad, though I should add that I am not saying Laylee is a bad game since I’ve also not played it yet, moreso talking about games that are plain bad and critically panned.

Are there other units besides Felix and some of the Three Houses that are known for being broken or are considered broken? I haven’t drawn from any of the newer banners, and I’m assuming a lot of the older units are more balanced or weaker.

@Pastellioli
A lot of AI pictures are terrible in my opinion.
Not just only copycat the art style but I oftenly found the AI made the characters or the objects looked disproportionated (the hands, the fingers, the body size, the pose, etc).

@Anti-Matter Yeah my issue with AI generated images is that they often look super lifeless and off, like sometimes the art style doesn’t fit or looks incongruous. The hands often look the worst when an AI generates it I feel. I used to gush about AI art generators being amazing and I even used a few as inspiration for my artwork at one point, but knowing that the art copies actual artists’ work and doesn’t credit them, I feel very dirty over using the AI images instead of looking for artists’ work as inspiration.

@Pastellioli I have a couple of AI made videos I like. The First Horror Movie Made Completely By Bots, and that one AI made Batman comic. So yes, there is some good to it..
Also, speaking of Meta, they're changing their ToS for, I think next month?
I saw in there "you give meta a license to use anything you post, but retain ownership of it".
It is genuinely scummy they're doing this with AI. Pokemon Go being revealed to be training AI is another example.
As for Twitter, I wasn't there in the early days. But I do remember a whole lot of toxicity regarding politics, which now includes Musk himself. I remember this video that was posted shortly after Twitter started randomly banning accounts for "promoting violence" (A friend had his account down, no reason given, and the only thing that comes to mind is he complained about censorship), the video was basically saying to doubt everyone and everything, because anyone could be part of this "new army". Those ppl somehow got off scot free.
Honestly, most of the units since 3 Houses first came out have been powercrept in some way. At first it was Fallen Edelgard with the ability to reduce damage taken, ability to move again after KOing someone, on top of, I think moving more spaces than the typical armored unit? And every other banner, they try to outdo their current best.
Yes. Remakes should fix the bad games. (Ahem. Sonic 06. Actually my first Sonic game tbh.)

@Mariotag Yeah, point & click and investigation games aren't for everyone I'll admit. In this case I like a good mystery even if I've been able to see a couple of the twists coming from far off. The original FDC pair are from the late 80s after all, so the genre has advanced quite a bit since then.

I do like playing Pokemon Go, but I do think I'll take a short break soon along with an exercise break. I have a LOT going on in the beginning of December lol.

How's the Castlevania Dominus Collection going? On my own games: thanks, they're going well when I can play them. I should be able to game more next week since I have some time off and most of my Christmas shopping already handled.

@Pastellioli Those game spaces do still exist in some areas, though for various reasons they are less common than in the 80s and 90s. I think a lot of it is the maintenance, rental fees and whatnot - states, counties, communities, etc. can impose fees in certain amusement devices, at least in my state they do - lack of profit, and other factors. I prefer console gaming overall but do like the rare arcade cabinet romp. Mostly pinball machines, certain racing sims, and Guitar Hero cabinets.

FE Heroes isn't a terrible game, just not one I want to put time into. I have barely gamed lately since I have a lot going on IRL that makes me either too busy or too tired to game. I did have a break night this week from it all, but I was visiting with a friend and got home mondo late lol. I don't recommend an early morning bedtime on a work night. I've fit in a couple Switch sessions but have mostly been playing a few minutes of Pokemon Go and Pokemon TCG Pocket here and there. I should have more time next week overall since I have some time off work and have more than half of my Christmas shopping done. I should have some time this evening to game if I get some errands and chores out of the way.

Chaos Wars has certainly went down in voice acting infamy lol. It's cringe just above Typing of the Dead in my book lol. I've tried to locate a decent summary of the game but also haven't had much luck.

@Tyranexx Hmm. Well, mysteries are interesting, but I fear, with my attempts on Ace Attorney, and how often I get stumped, just randomly pick something, and reload if it goes wrong.. I don't think I'm exactly good at solving them.
Huh. An exercise break? I have the opposite problem of not enough. Pokemon Go has demonstrated itself to me to just be another gacha game.
Dominus Collection is going relatively decently. I feel a bit of my pride as a gamer has been ruined, on account of having had to ask advice, even help way too often in Portrait and Dawn. I've only got Dawn of Sorrow left to finish, and I'm only playing it while in voice calls with a specific friend. Pretty much at endgame with only a couple bosses left, and uh, still only using equipment either found in the map, dropped by enemies, or sold in the shop.
Interestingly, while I'm not super into arcade games or machines, there are a couple I have interest in. After maybe a decade and a half, I finally know the location of a Mario Kart Arcade GP cabinet I can reach. And I used to like this one called Arctic Thunder, not as much because of the game, as because the machine blew sweet cold air at the player as they played. Back then, I would get even more overheated than I do now, so it was very welcome.

I was a little bit skeptical before I watched Wicked at cinema due to long movie length and Arianna Grande inside the movie but after I watched the movie for almost 160 minutes, I have some curiosity to want to watch again Wicked on the next week after I compare with Moana 2 on this week. I didn't expect the duet of Defying Gravity by Arianna Grande and especially by Cynthia Erivo (I have no idea who was she) was pretty good after I listened again their song on YouTube.
I didn't see stupid movie agenda like Barbie 2023 movie, I saw High School Musical of Wizard of Oz.
But Arianna Grande was portraying as super popular girl as Glinda, kinda remind me of typical blonde girl stereotype. 😆

@Sunsy Ye, I've not played P-06 either. I'm hoping the OG gets an official remake, not necessarily because I want to play it again, but because, by virtue of the game that caused them to basically drop the vast majority of the playable cast becoming good, they might start including more characters again.

On to other things you replied to, I only knew a little of that about Rareware. Iirc, there was some plan for every Diddy Kong Racing character to get their own game. But only a handful did. Starfox Adventures in its extremely early stages was apparently supposed to be Timber the Tiger's.

What's the difference between Super Lucky's Tale, and New Super Lucky's Tale?

I'm definitely interested in seeing some of the movies mentioned. Dunno where I'd find them though.

I've played a couple of the BS-X games.. But only a couple.

The new Mario Party is great!

@Sunsy ah you got a fuzz ball keychain mystery box? Cool! What did you think of it?

Mine spent a good while hanging on my backpack though now that I think about it haven’t seen it in a bit.

@Mariotag I hope so too, while it is one of the most hated games, I would like to see how it would have turned out if it didn't have glitches, problems, etc, or just see how it would have went if the game did do well.

I didn't even know that, I knew about Conker (both adult and Pocket Tales versions) and Banjo. It kind of makes me wonder what kind of game Pipsy would have had since Pipsy was my main in Diddy Kong Racing.

The difference between Super Lucky's Tale and New Super Lucky's Tale is New plays a bit more like a 3D platformer with full camera control, while Super Lucky's Tale felt like an overhead 3D platformer. I like both, I would say New is a better version of the game.

Trolls and Trolls Band Together is on Netflix (the original Trolls is leaving December 6th), All Dogs Go to Heaven and Legends of Oz are both on YouTube, their "free with ads" movies. If that's any help.

Cool, Satellaview has always just been an interesting topic. I like Nintendo, and enjoy online games on both Switch and PC, so it's always been something I loved reading and watching videos, and learning about.

Cool, I'm glad I got to try it the other day too.

@Eel Yup, that one. Finally found it at my local store, and I like it. She's cute, and feels really well made. My Viva actually has a butterfly theme going too. Here's what she looks like.

@Sunsy oh cool I think that might actually be be a new series of the pom poms, because the proportions look different (that one looks more like the models from the movie).

Of all the characters, I feel like the pom pom hair suits her the best.

@Eel I think it is, the box did say "Series 2" on it, some of the art on the box felt like a spring theme. They also have Branch dressed as a bee, lol. Yeah, I'm surprised she looks close to the movie too.

I agree with that, Viva's wild hair makes it fitting.

@Sunsy What's Legends of Oz? I'll have to look these up.
Sonic 06 has had a bunch of issues. Surprisingly, it was my first Sonic game, and I 100% completed the base game on 360. It did bridge the gap between animation and game for me. But I also recognize that, between the deadline put on the team, and the team being split up so they could make a Wii game as well, 06 had issues. I don't think they even fully finished the plot. At some point, they just decided they needed some way to end it. The romance between Sonic and Elise was cringe, especially the kiss, which genuinely needs to be reworked. Maybe rework it so Elise is a friend instead. I don't recall many glitches, but it was obviously a bland world map, and the silver medals were kinda stupid. The S ranks are notably far easier than in other Sonic games too.
Mephiles was a great villain though.

Yea. A few years ago, the "extra quest" Zelda games for BS-X got an English dub. I found out about it here, and hurried to get a hold of them.
DKR is easily one of my top two kart racers. Maybe up there with racing in general. It'd have been great if the full cast got attention.

@Mariotag I did see the new terms of conditions briefly when the notification showed up in my feed, but I didn’t have enough time to read it. It’s nice that they are still giving users ownership to what they post, I was concerned about the art being used to train AI generators.

Although I never played Pokémon Go, I did feel a certain way when I read the headline on NL that they were using AI training the whole time and just revealed that fact to its users almost a decade later.

I never used Twitter, but I heard it was way better in its early days but started to fall, I want to say, around the late 2010s, maybe 2017-2019. Some topics on Twitter seem more toxic and negative than other ones, but I find it’s the bigger and more popular topics that tend to have more negativity. It’s also for pop culture too. When I made occasional visits on the web version, I saw a ton of negativity with people expressing video game opinions, one I can recall was someone finding the games in that Mario 3D All-Stars collection overrated and a bunch of people getting on the person for it and insulting them. Sometimes it seems like other opinions on that site aren’t allowed and people resort to insulting. I usually looked at posts for video games, and they were either toxic, rude, or people trolling to rile people up. The same goes for movies on there too.

I didn’t know that about that Fallen Edelgard unit! That’s crazy, I remember I was trying to get her from a gacha banner because I thought the design was cool (got the Choose Your Legends variant instead) but I didn’t know she was that overpowered. It sounds like a lot of the units from the newer games are stronger than the units from previous games and the original characters, and a lot of the Three Houses units I have definitely feel that way too, though not as overpowered like Fallen Edelgard. The Choose Your Legends variant I have of Dimitri is very strong and overpowers a lot of the enemies I go up against, but the other units I have like Yuri and a few of the Hilda and Byleth variants are not strong like him, but I’d have to also assume it’s because I don’t use the Hilda and Byleth variant a ton like I used to.

I did hear a lot about Sonic 06 getting a remake because of a recent comment on how they were interested in remaking it. Similarly, there were reports that they greenlit a remake of Heroes, but that has not been confirmed yet. That would be cool if it got a new and improved remake, plus wasn’t 06 delisted from all platforms and can’t be purchased again? I might want to try it if that does happen. I haven’t played 06 at all, and all that I’ve seen for it is an hour long gameplay video of a YouTuber playing Sonic’s part of the story and short snippets from a fandub. I’ve heard people say that 06 had a lot of potential and could have been good if there was more polish to the game.

@Sunsy No clue why I didn't see an alert that you'd quoted me, so I'm glad I caught it lol.

I like many foods in the Italian category, though I will admit I REALLY dislike Alfredo sauce. Pretty much any tomato based sauces, butter sauces, and a couple of house white non-Alfredo sauces I've had are fine. Hard to go wrong with any of it in general lol.

Sonic...indeed sounds somewhat deadpan in that clip lol. Especially the "Aah!" XD Thanks for sharing that clip.

@Mariotag To be fair, I'm not against using guides with games when I get irrevocably stumped. But that isn't too often. I have gotten stuck on Ace Attorney Trilogy a time or three. I do take exercise breaks every 6-8 weeks. That doesn't mean I barely move at all; I still fit in regular movement. I just don't brick out time for exercise. It's a nice physical and mental reset.

Never be afraid to ask for help if you genuinely need it. I totally get the pride aspect, but my limited amount of gaming time usually supersedes myself trying to brute force my way forward. I am glad you are progressing well in Castlevania Dominus Collection, especially since I've heard the games it has can be difficult.

I'm mildly envious that you have a Mario Kart Arcade GP cabinet you can reach! I've never played on one since they aren't in my area - they're extremely expensive and typically only found in urban environments to my knowledge - but I've seen the features and specs in RePlay Magazine. I am familiar with Arctic Thunder, though it has been many years since I've played that one. The cool air blowing on you does feel amazing on a hot day, doesn't it?

@Pastellioli I think it depends on the area overall. A lot of the really large cool modern cabinets - like the Mario Kart one mentioned above - are very expensive both to buy and to maintain too. My employer doesn't really stock any huge ticket items like that. With fees and so on, it again depends on the area. Typically they fall under things like amusement taxes and stuff like that. Some businesses do own their own machines too, but then the maintenance and welfare are all up to them.

There's nothing wrong with mobile gaming IMO since there are quality games on mobile platforms too. Not just freemium shovelware. Mobile games by nature are more pick up and play and easier to fit in, especially when busy otherwise. Thanks, I have had a bit more time to game normally this week. I'm still somewhat busy, but I do have some downtime now. I for sure have a flop day on Friday since I took off work and don't participate in the Black Friday insanity (at least not in person). It sounds like you had fun with Halo Infinite even if you are a little rusty. Sometimes it can take a bit to readapt to a game's controls. Also glad you're drawing more too.

English dubs can help make or break a piece of media's reception, so I can understand the arguments for one way or the other. Especially when it comes to Crunchyroll like what you mentioned (and is also why I'm not always the biggest fan of that service). I mostly prefer dubs since it's easier for me to follow the action if I'm not having to occasionally rewind the video to rewatch a section where the subs change or disappear before I'm done reading. It can depend on who did the subbing too.

@Pastellioli Yeah, Sonic 06 had lots of potential. It got kinda ruined by deadlines, half the team being moved to a project for Wii (Secret Rings), and the general love story they eventually came up with.
Heroes getting a remake would actually be pretty neat too. It was the first game in the franchise I'm aware of that gave even the normal enemies health bars, which really messed stuff up for later games. Plus, to finish the story itself, you had to play through effectively the same game three times, each with different characters that functioned as an easy, normal, and hard mode, plus had to complete a 4th set that was more like a mission mode.
Fire Emblem Heroes started its downfall with Fallen Edelgard, but now, it feels like every other banner is striving to by far outdo what came previously. Balance among units has long since been lost.
My experiences with twitter these days are largely with art, and indie dev updates. But yeah, some topics are very toxic, and people simply aren't permitted by society to express a view or opinion that is considered "unpopular". Especially with politics. That was the main source of toxicity I saw. Some of those videos posted by certain activist groups absolutely crossed lines other suspended accounts did, but much further.
The AI training is pretty much everywhere. Idk how to escape it.
@Tyranexx I simply don't really have the mental freedom to exercise at home, or outside, and gyms haven't been a thing for me. I can't drive myself anyway.
I used to reference guides frequently in my younger years. Later, I did without for a majority of games. Now, I'm impatient trying to finish a backlog.
I've long since finished Dominus Collection's two hardest games.
Arctic Thunder really did feel good to play, especially on a hot day, and I get what you mean about feeling envious. I used to be the same, as I had no MK Arcade GP cabinets anywhere near me before.
It's that one lost game I'd love for them to release on a Wiiware equivalent. That, and its rarer sequel.
I want to get Halo Infinite, but need to finish 5 first. As for dubs, I can handle both dub and sub. Dub has become more for series I'm familiar with already though.
If you have that problem with subs, I suggest you stay far away from The Future Diary. (Aka Mirai Nikki) No matter whether you watch it in English, or Japanese, you will have an utterly insane amount of subtitle text to read through constantly.

All ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Going to be doing a lot of cooking so I'm keeping dinner simple tonight. Awesomely, I unlocked Sadness (from Inside Out) on Disney Speedstorm thanks to their Black Friday sale (Glad I stockpiled the tokens I earned from playing).

@Mariotag Legends of Oz: Dorthy's Return is an animated movie that's kind of like a sequel to The Wizard of Oz. Seeing all the talk about Wicked everywhere made me rewatch that movie and the classic Wizard of Oz.

Cool, nice you 100% it too. Yeah, I remember reading it had a troubled development and that the Wii got a different game because of the hardware. I keep hearing good things about Mephilies whenever I've seen the game brought up.

Nice, it amazes me how dedicated people who follow Satellaview are too.

Diddy Kong Racing was always a favorite of mine on Nintendo 64, I actually do have the DS remake as well. I remember finishing the N64 classic, but I still have yet to finish the DS one. Mostly because I had more time when I was younger with the N64 one.

@Pastellioli I remember you had to collect certain crystal shards to unlock more levels in the game IIRC. As for the Wii U one, the bugs did eventually get patched, though I do find it amusing that I beat the game without the patch and didn't have too much of an issue in terms of glitches. Though I did try the Knuckles infinite jump once because, why not, lol? It did get patched out, had to do it at least once, lol. I wonder how it would have looked on PC, given CryEngine games look fantastic on PC.

Oh wow, I had no idea all that went down with Rare and Microsoft, nor did I know Playtonic was former Rare developers. I always thought it was a new studio making a game similar to what Rare made back during the N64 days.

Yeah, I haven't played Viva Pinata, but I do remember seeing it in the past and just forgotten about it until I was reminded of it recently. Glad you love the game.

It really was surprising when I rewatched All Dogs go to Heaven as an adult, I did see Secret of NIMH as an adult, and picked up on the dark elements right away. Even though my memory is fuzzy, I think Rock-A-Doodle was kinda dark, I think it was more literally because it took place at night as the sun never came up (again, fuzzy memory because I have not watched it in years, and wouldn't know where to even watch it now). FWIW, I never seen Anastasia, I remember commercials for it, but never did see that one. I also remember commercials to A Troll In Central Park, but that was another Bluth movie I never seen.

Yeah, I imagine Reels being more popular as it's an alternative to TikTok. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are pretty much alternative/competition to TikTok. I think art Reels often show artists doing the art themselves, I mainly post pictures and really don't have a proper setup to make video content, so I just keep to pictures. Instagram's core content has always been pictures, so it's sad it doesn't get pushed as much as Reels.

@Tyranexx Hope you get it this time. I usually use the quote feature when a post I'm responding to is a page or so back, makes it easier for the person I'm responding to.

On opposite, I do like alfredo sauce, but I only have it whenever I make my mom clam sauce. She likes clam sauce, I don't eat it. I usually just have alfredo sauce for that. I do like tomato sauce, and always use it whenever I make my homemade meatballs.

Yup, Sonic Adventure had a bit of a lack of emotion on some scenes. It was better when Sonic Adventure 2 came around, even it was the same cast as the first Sonic Adventure (this was the cast of Sonic games they used from 1999-2004).

@Sunsy I'm absolutely curious about the DS Diddy Kong Racing, and how different it was.
I've not seen that many people out there who 100% cleared Sonic 06. And yeah. Mephiles, although his hands-off logic is somewhat flawed, is absolutely an awesome villain.
I never knew the original Wizard of Oz had a sequel. I did see the prequel though!
@Novamii What's making it look likely? I did see someone mention that there is another party trying to acquire them that is arguably worse. Somehow.