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...But the afterparty was worse. After being totally obnoxious the whole night, Black Scorpion had fallen asleep right where he stood. On the upside, his snoring was almost loud enough to drown out Mirror Spirit and War Witch's drunken rendition of "Auld Lang Syne"... for the 10th time in a row... It might not have been so bad, but Mirror Spirit didn't even know the words...
If I am a winner, I permit NC Interactive, Inc. and NCsoft Europe Limited to use my name, likeness, photograph, hometown, and any comments that I may make about myself or this contest that I provide for advertising and promotional activities. I also certify that I am at least 13 years of age and am eligible to participate in this contest. -
Captain America is my all-time favorite hero.
My thoughts are with his family. Thanks for the legacy you have left us, Joe, you will be missed.
I wonder if he got to see his creation on the big screen, and if he did, what he thought of it... -
Grandpa knew about the vampires the whole time.
Boltie gets shot in the head in the final fight.
Korso was working with the Drej
Ozymandias was behind the whole thing.
Superman switched it so Zod and his cronies lost their powers instead.
Angel was only acting evil to get into the inner circle.
Sikozu was the Scarran spy
The Haydonites are the "Children of the Shadow".
Syndrome's cape gets caught in a turbine while trying to kidnap Jackjack after the baby freaks out and demonstrates he does have powers after all.
The Skeksis and Ur-ru are two sides of one race that are restored to their full selves after Jen fixes the crystal.
Batman won't kill Ra's al Ghul, but he doesn't have to save him either... just sayin'
Just a few off the top of my head... -
Quote:Ever hear of Barracuda?Oh thats so cute! I had no idea. You know what would also be cute is if Captain Mako had a Coralax girlfriend! lol
As for Ghost Widow lore, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the level 15-19 arc from Seer Marino which is all about how Ghost Widow came to be... after a fashion, or the 35+ Cimeroran Sister Airlia arc, which has certain implications regarding Ghost Widow as well.
Another side arc which doesn't deal with Ghost Widow directly, but has ties would be the level 10-14 Veluta Lunata arc. It's about Arachnos and Ghosts.
Hope these help!
OH! Also, her Praetorian self is still alive. Her name is Belladona Vetrano and is a member of the Resistance. -
Just hopped into Brickstown and literally jumped around the corner off the train headed toward my mission and stopped to talk to my son behind me at the keyboard for a moment, while in the middle of our conversation he stopped.
It was snowing in Brickstown!
Well it was snowing around the Winter Lord I hadn't seen, that was on the other side of the brick wall I was standing next to.
My first reaction was childlike glee at seeing snow fall in Paragon. After I moved away from the Winter Lord it stopped, to my dismay.
Is there any way to make it look like that in the whole zone a Winter Lord is in, or just make it snow in general? Looks like it's just a filter of some kind since zooming in/out doesn't change the size or location of the snowflakes. Even if it were available as an optional setting due to possible drag on lower end systems, I would use it in a heartbeat. -
For 160 pts. I snatched that up with the quickness
It's cute as all getout. Still don't have the dog though
Going to wait for it to be on sale. I'd rather have that but just can't justify the 500 to myself.
I REALLY am unhappy with only one at a time. Makes it very hard to justify buying all the pets. Worse than that however, making the pets a toggle is very... annoying. Especially with the combat pets.
They drop with a mean stare and have their own taunt aura, but usually it would be recharged by the time they did crap out. Now they drop quickly and I have to wait for them to recharge. With making it a toggle, they could have at least removed the recharge time...
I really hope that's just a quick fix with a more elegant solution also allowing for more than one pet in the future. -
Quote:Oh I don't rage about it that bad really. It's just one of those things that when I get him my first impulse is a half-joking "Curse you, you smiling lunatic! Why couldn't I have gotten Freitag!?" and wondered if anyone else felt the same way.I have a similar, though less extensive reaction with the first Brokers there. The two are Mikey the Ear, and Drea the Hook. Now Mikey? He's in a sensible area, right between the two Port Oaks ferries, tucked away in the middle of a no-hostiles zone. Drea? He's at the far end of nowhere, and you can either swim to him, or run the long way through enemy-thick territory.
Conversely, as far as Drea and the others like him go redside, I never really minded that though... 'cause they're evil. At least that's a good excuse, plus you don't have to go through a door blackout to get to them.
Quote:Originally Posted by M_1_AbrahmsWhat really gets me is that the broker I get seems to depend on the level I enter Port Oaks. If I'm level seven or less, I get Drea. If I'm already 8 or 9 before I leave Mercy, that's when I get Mikey, when I'm about to out level the zone anyway.
It may be my luck, but that's the way it's fallen for me, with every last Villain I've ever played.
Quote:Originally Posted by TenzhiI hate every one of the Detective contacts that wait indoors. Mind you, lately I often don't even bother getting a radio.
Back when you had to trudge travelpowerless that couple extra yards and wait for a door load blackout only to run around the corner in the police station to him with that insipid smile on his face... it's like he knows he's just that little bit more inconvenient and gets some kind of perverse kick out of it... Even if you turn down the Safeguard and things "look grim"... still that smile...
Quote:Originally Posted by Zombie ManWhat's such a shame is that Becktrees only had nice things to say about you.
Quote:Originally Posted by KianaZeroOf course I say that because I'd LOVE to have the cyborg PPD Suit-ed Detective Murwell fight next to you! He's Robocop, which was awesome, he's wearing the PPD Shell armor, which is doubly awesome, so having him as a boss class Hero helping you would be Awesome Squared, or maybe even Cubed! -
Actually, I don't feel better. I frelling hate that guy every time I get him... It's like a fresh wound every time I find him in my contacts tray...
Has to be the smile... -
I love this game. I really do. However, despite all the hate folks have for this character or that, there's only one character I find I actually, universally, despise.
Detective Becktrees.
Now, keep in mind, this petty loathing goes back since the introduction of radio missions; before Fitness was inherent, before Travel Powers were available before 14 and required a pick before them... Just after the creation of City of Villains and "Along Came A Spider"...
As a Hero entering into Kings Row, your first Radio contact to this day is either Detective Freitag or Detective Becktrees. Freitag is a no-nonsense detective who wants to save the city. To prove his point he's outside waiting to talk to you about the next nefarious plot laid by Arachnos to rob the bank... Every time I get Becktrees, I get the feeling he's a crooked cop, or worse, just a pancake for the sake of being a pancake.
It's a combination of the overextended smile, and the fact that he patiently waits inside while the city's in turmoil, knowing that at your level those few extra yards and the blackout between outside and inside the PPD building can cost lives... and doesn't care...
GRAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH.
Anyway...
Like Pavlov trained his dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell, my low level character's entrance into Kings Row only to find his first Radio contact is the safely ensconced Becktrees... with his smug maniacal grin... is conditioned to be like a searing brand of spite into my mind every time I see it in my contact window...
It's not that I even care about the few extra yards. I like to explore and take hours out of the game just wandering around and looking at what they did with the environment here or there. There's just something about Becktrees and his insufferable smile... like he KNOWS you have to go out of your way now, when you could have gotten Freitag and just talked to the guy outside. The other 'inside' radio contacts don't produce this same vitrol... well maybe Selnum in Perigrine (but that just might be the moustache)...
There... I said it. I feel better. Anyone else feel this way? -
Quote:From everything I've read, I always got the impression that the Shadow Shard is what little is left of the dimension Rularuu was devouring before the Midnighters stopped him at the threshold to our world. Trapped here weakened, and after a fashion, discorporated... he remains in what's left of the dimension he was about to finish off before coming to ours. That's why there are some actual living natives still around amid the after-images of those that weren't so lucky.Maybe that's what's going on? The Midnighters created the "Shard" from some larger Shadow dimension to trap Rularuu in? Kind of making a demiplane from a plane?
So in a manner of speaking, the Midnighters created the Shadow Shard as his prison, but not from whole cloth. Think of it like Marvel's "Negative Zone" which is another reality that could have been like any other, but never developed into a full reality; However in the case of the Shadow Shard it was a fully formed reality/dimension, but is now just leftover chunks that were mostly devoured by Rularuu.
At least, that's how I've always understood it. -
Quote:Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil. A surprisingly smart Comedy/Horror. Watch it if you get the opportunity.That actually looks... pretty interesting...
It also reminded me of a comedy I wanted to see and then forgot the name of, with a similar set-up, but the teens in the film wind up killing themselves trying to fight some hillbillies that they think are killers. Anyone remember the name of that?
And yes, this looks like it might be good too! I'll have to keep my eyes open for it. -
Everyone in my SG and myself all have 'gratz' binds. Not only for ease of use, but as a way of helping define characters, as part of the fun.
We don't roleplay or anything like that, but we do have a series of binds we all set up for our characters as part of defining them. There's a Hello, a Gratz, a There's an enemy $target up ahead, there's a blinky here, etc, for general use and whatever else for little personalizations. Eatch one is as different as the characters. We do it for fun, and for convenience.
Some of our villain characters don't have very nice Gratz binds, but they still have them -
Quote:How about if they released them for being subscribed during the first month they're introduced, much like a lot of the "Loyalty" pieces from the Vanguard Pack or the up-and-coming Helms of Zeus/Tartarus? I think that's a good compromise. Heck if they want to be janky about it, it could be from being a subscriber for the month _before_ it's announced, guaranteeing that only regular 'Loyal' subscribers would get it, to keep folks from 'gaming the system' and only subscribing for that month to get the goodie forever.If these costume parts were made free for VIPs, then down the road when say, 5 sets had been released, someone could buy a sub for one month, then unsubscribe, and get all of the parts, forever. That's not going to be a good return on investment for costume development in the long run.
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Quote:You may have something there. I know a lot of time on trials I try to keep very focused on what's going on and try to look past the effects, which get annoying in such large doses, and sometimes lose my mouse marker (that thread on modified mice icons should be stickied!!!). I think your explaination reflects what's going on very well.A lot of brightly colored costumes aren't that much of a problem. A lot of people in brightly colored costumes, moving, on screen, in an action sequence, is.
Viewers suffer from attention fatigue. They don't know what to look at, where the flow of the action is. Couple that with Hollywood's facination with fast shots, rapid changes of camera angle, and cgi special effects, and its easy to overload your viewer to the point that they'd rather do anything other than watch the movie.
This is also a problem with MMORPGs, this one included. The more effects, the more graphics, the more flashy stuff that's happening, the worse the effect is. If you could do a study of MMORPG players faced with team and multi-team raids, you'd most likely notice that most of them focus on the static elements of the user interface rather than the "action" that's happening on screen.
I also agree that I can see that having an effect in many types of visual media, movies and games included.
EDIT: At least in-game, maybe there should be an option to negate all other character's visual effects other than your own? That might help cut down on the 'attention fatigue' and also make the player feel like they stand out more from the crowd, which is what most players want their characters to do anyway... -
Quote:As for Schumacher, at the time I felt a little betrayed, and that he was only shooting for the 70's camp. I later realized what he was trying to accomplish and respected it for what it was, but realized it was doomed to fail as bad as it did in the long run. There's a line, as you say, and I fully agree, it's a fine one.how Joel Schumacher basically destroyed the Batman movie franchise? His stated attempt was to make the films more like a comic book, which for him meant bright colors, a certain level of silliness, and very little in the way of nuance or atmosphere. That was a test, and it failed; Hollywood learned that a financially successful superhero movie must embrace visual realism (grit optional) and, like most action movies, maintain a certain gravitas. That's the fine line, and anything past it appears to turn off the mainstream film audience. Again, I love the comic book aesthetic, but I don't think it would be profitable in a mainstream movie context.
In the modern media fare, I like the turnaround, but I think the difference between MARVEL and DC (outside of the Batman movies) respectively, is that MARVEL isn't pulling punches with story where DC is, in the attempt to make it more family friendly.
Quote:Originally Posted by Noble SavageIn my estimation, both companies are muting and toning down the characters' costumes whenever possible. Where do you see a difference in approach between Marvel Studios and Warner Brothers?
It's almost ironic how a producer or director wants a 'comic book' feel, but then fails in the box office and with the fans in the attempt to reproduce it. I recall certain fans being upset about Transformers not having the Autobot/Decepticon scene changing symbol in the movies, but I honestly don't think anyone would have taken it seriously if they did.
That, if anything, will bring an end to the superhero/sci-fi fan movies. They'll come to the conclusion they can't make them happy, ignore the fine line, and move on.
It comforts me that you guys can see there's a fine line, and try to straddle it. I salute your efforts and say... ride on. -
Quote:Are you kidding? He's their heart!, and frankly, Synapse is awesome! Wait... what're we talking about again?I guess Synapse can die, he doesn't really seem to do much of anything
Oh yeah, who we DON'T want to die. Well I don't want Synapse to die. I'd rather he find a happy ending. He deserves it. That said, I don't want Positron to die... He's Synapse's best friend, and that would just be a bunch of issues waiting to happen, plus he's also a nice guy...
I don't want Manticore or Sister Psyche to die. After all she's been through. Granted he's a take off of Batman, but he's at least willing to share his life with another, and after him being the first to open up to a bunch of n00bs, while it would be thematically appropriate in that sense, I'd hate to see what Shalice would turn into were that to happen, and she deserves better.
I like BaB's. The retired 'old guy' who isn't afraid to tell it like it is. I see him as a kind of 'Luke Cage' character and wouldn't mind seeing him play a bigger role in the grand scheme of things... Plus, he's not an actual Freedom Phalanx'er.
Outside of that, I don't have a lot of investment in the rest of the Freedom Phalanx. Didn't know Numina was created by a player. That's kind of neat.
I can't say I want ANY of them to die per-se, but if I did, I would have to think Statesman would be the better choice. Not because of out of game stuff, but to pave the way for others to make their mark. Plus, as a 'person' he's had a good run, and a good life, and for the 'shock' value of it.
Out of all of them he has the best chance of returning as himself (Sister Psyche already did it once so that's kinda out, and Numina's back from the dead soooo...) maybe from another reality, maybe as a gift of The Well, but regardless. He's seen as the 'big bad' of the City of Uninverse... with the Incarnate wars about to take place his seems the most reasonable.
If The Well loses faith in Emperor Cole, what hope does Statesman have? -
Quote:It's more impressive to experience it. I remember one of my trips out to VA beach as a kid and fishing (on boat) and swimming (off) in the deep ocean. I recall a large shadow swimming well underneath me and imagining how big that thing must have been, then picturing how far down the water went from where I was.the deep ocean, not shoreline, not 200 yards out in the carribean where you can see the bottom, but underwater, middle of the atlantic.....dark......stuff lives down there......the no breathing thing..... me no likey!!
Now, it can't have been that far, and it may have been my imagination, but thinking of how big a whale is, and it being that far below, then how far the ocean could be down... it was a daunting experience. It was probably just a sea turtle or something... but it left a mark on me that has had me staring out into space and trying to gauge the depth of stars between them and the moon and anything else I can make out, to compare depths... it's... awe inspiring, and terrifying, to our tiny mortal forms at the same time. When I actually focus to do it out in the middle of nowhere when I can actually see the milky way, I get a sense of vertigo which I find exhilarating. -
That... may not be an incorrect statement. Even in the books, the Furies came to Paragon to see what he did with the power. There was only the intimation of friendship, not the promise, that drove them. I remember when I read it I got the impression they would have turned on him in a second if they felt he was abusing or mistreating the power.
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Ahhhh, Werewolf the TV series. I had worn out VHS's of the series until I finally got the series on VCD years ago off Ebay. The quality is meh, but at the end of the day I was just happy I had them. Shout Factory was supposed to put the series out on DVD remastered and everything a year or so back. Even had the package art designed.
Everything fell through when (literally) a couple of the music tracks couldn't be settled on in terms of price and they had to scrap the whole project. Damn shame. It was a great story. One I wish they had finished eventually.
EDIT: I also have what few episodes of Wolf Lake they aired. Another good series they dropped without closure. There 'ought to be some sort of rule in TV to at least do a 2 hour finale to give closure for the viewers they have... but that's a rant that covers so many shows/topics it can't even encompass this topic readily -
This makes me want to unpack my Transformers collection (pretty much everything up to the head-masters) My Matchbox Voltrons, my Robotech collection, Star Wars Figures (with the Sears Exclusive Death Star playset) M.A.S.K., Sec-Taurs, Silverhawks, Thundercats, Tron, Inhumanoids, and whatever Marvel Secret Wars figures or Masters of the Universe or Go-Bots that may still be lurking around... Whatever else I have that I'm forgetting at the moment (something about hologram knights with staves and vehicles... other odds and ends)
And my Unicron
And and a V doll with a mask you can take off...
And a lot of Alien and Predators...
And some G.I. Joes (if I didn't give them all to my buddy who is a huge G.I. Joe buff in trade for his Star Wars that he was getting rid of...)
Okay... where was I again? I'm sure I have more but that's it off the top of my head. I spent every penny of my allowance, and traded friends all the time for them. I think I traded my old bike for my Thundercats... I was getting a new one for my B'day anyway...
They're all probably worthless as most have been cared for, but well-played with, as I was growing up, then later staged them for photo shoots of actions scenes that I probably have none of the pictures to anymore.
I have a few in my office. I'd have them all out on display if I could, but my office in the house doesn't have room for everything (I'll probably rotate stuff in and out once my son moves out and I move into that room) and my wife, as fangirl as she is about some things, doesn't think of them as suitiable for living room presentation (I'm fine with that too, wouldn't want them to get messed with and wore out any more than they are LOL). Also, as nice as it would be, we can't afford a house with enough room to just have a 'collection room'. If we had extra room, that would be the library (though I would probably sneak a shelf or two in there). Oh well, maybe after the kids move out.
People still care about action figures? CoolThat was a passion of mine growing up. Being able to act out scenes or stories with the figures was a great imagination tool for me. I'm sure that played a lot into me running games, and my playstyle, when I got older (still run games today, mostly older systems). I try to really visualize the scenes and action in my games, and share that with the players, and I think that comes from all that time as a kid playing with the figures.
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Quote:Like Love at First Bite, with George Hamilton?There's a number of Dracula adaptations that similarly are almost, but not quite right, despite the pedigree of their actors, e.g. Louis Jordan, Jack Palance, and Denholm Elliott.
*ducks quickly*
Seriously though, I'm glad Near Dark and Fright Night have been mentioned. There's also a really great take on the German Nosferatu movie called Shadow of the Vampire. The concept is the creation of the movie, and Count Orlock (unbeknownst to all but the Director) is actually a vampire. In exchange for playing the role of an actor in this film, he is promised the lovely leading lady as his 'bride' (he had seen her in another movie, and desired her).
I'm surprised Interview with a Vampire hasn't been mentioned, or if it was, I missed it. As well as the Forver Knight series or Salem's Lot. And nothing about the original Lost Boys?? How can you talk about vampires without mentioning them? Or From Dusk 'til Dawn. That was a fun one
Anyone remember The Hunger? Very 'artsy' but a vampire film all the same.
For cheese you also have the Subspecies films, or Julian Sand's Tale of a Vampire, or Innocent Blood. That was really cheesy but a lot of fun to watch.
I liked Blood: The Last Vampire, but more as a live acton anime than a 'real' vampire movie. In the same vein (pardon the pun) of Blade (being a primarily comic culture thing, I'm surprised that one hasn't been mentioned yet).
The funny thing about Underworld was that I loved the 3rd one over the other two, which seems to be the reverse for most, but there was no abomination werevamp thing, and the Werewolf forms were much better overall (something I'm a little picky about) but we should start another thread about Werewolf movies if we're going to get in detail about that...
There was one I saw a few years ago called "To Sleep with a Vampire" Which I really enjoyed. It had Scott Valentine of all people as the vampire, but don't let that fool you. Once you get past the fact it was made in the 80's it's a solid story, and well played out in my opinion.
Anyway, those are some I've enjoyed over the years off the top of my head, and if you think I got a little obscure with some of these, don't get me started on Werewolf movies... I think I can say I own almost every single one ever made... and most of them are horrible. -
I don't know how derailed the conversation has gotten, but as one who has 'earned' some of that Transformation Power 'glory' I'll toss in my two cents.
The only Transformation power I currently have is for the Freakshow Tank Smasher. I earned it not just being in the right place at the right time, but actually earned it as part of a Freakshow character background contest the Dev's sponsored here on these forums.
I was kinda giddy that I actually won it, but I'll tell you something right up front...
I don't care if anyone else has it; from a con, purchased in the store, or just because someone emailed them a free code just because they liked them. Don't care. In fact, if having it makes them happy, I'm happy for them. Maybe we can all league up, turn 'em on, and go buck wild through a zone just to mess with people's heads
Someone else having it for any other reason doesn't diminish how I got mine. Plus, I have more things in my life to feel accomplished with than a bit of digital fluff in an online game.
Without any desire to be snarky, but purely honest- If the exclusivity of a costume power in an MMO is worth getting upset over, I think one should re-evaluate one's priorities in life.
I'm really happy about how I got mine, but I don't ever want to limit anyone else from getting it either. Plus, with them currently on sale, I may buy one, so now I'm not limited either. They're a little pricy so I haven't decided yet. However, the PPD is very tempting... -
Yup, people still get help on the Help Channel. There's a lot more chatter than there used to be (on Champ anyway, Freedom and Virtue seem about the same ammount of clutter). I don't mind for the most part. I turn on that and my global channels when I solo for the background noise, and if anyone needs help I answer as best as I can, especially if nobody else seems to be helping. I'd rather tell them what I know, or even that I don't know, vs having them being ignored.
The only time I mind chatter on Help is when there's so much of it folks needing help get ignored, or when abusive or trollish individials get riled up. Almost as bad as folks just complaining about how this or that aspect of the game sucks because they don't like it. Don't want help, just want to tirade in the channel about it, which of course usually leads to an argument.
But it's worth it to keep the channel open when I solo, for the ones that need help I can answer, and heck, I've passively learned a number of neat things myself just by lurking around the channel... and at least one or two good jokes -
I'd like to throw my hat in on getting anything that can be unlocked also purchaseable, with varying costs, so that players have the option. Costumes, weapons, emotes, and other things that can help define a character should be readily accessable. Like those unlocked by a badge, tommyguns for instance, shouldn't cost much, those that have to be unlocked during holidays or with merits... maybe a little more.
Quote:This, so free and Premium accounts can actually get them if they want as well. There's no way currently to do it, and that's a shame. Sure they could lease the invention system for a month and just buy the pieces for fairly cheap, but still... Options.Wings and Boots from the Invention System because I like making characters as complete in costume thematic as possible from the start, and I tend to overlook those pieces as I can't see how they work with the rest of the set.
EDIT: Oh, I also love the cape and aura unlocks and bought them right off as well