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Hard to say if I prefer Speak Now to Fearless since, outside of some singles, I only heard Taylor's re-recorded version, which has additional vault songs on it that bump it up, but I can probably agree Speak Now is the best of the first three. The thing that surprised me the most when I was listening to that, was how much guitar was prominently featured. "The Story of Us" isn't a personal favourite, but it's definitely one of the highlights of her early years, and so much of that is because of the electric guitar hook. "Innocent" also had some string guitar work in the bridge.

I like Midnights, it felt a bit too samey for how long it is, probably because Antonoff produced almost every song on the record. Not that I have a problem with his production, I mean my two favourite songs from Midnights are "The Great War" & "Would've, Could've, Should've" which are two of the only tracks Antonoff doesn't have a hand in. But except "Vigilante Shit" I do like all the songs on the album, which is a better ratio then Red (Taylor's Version), but I'd still give Red the nod as my favourite pop album from her because it feels more varied.

Oh, I should've mentioned, I actually prefer Reputation over 1989 too haha. I was actually dreading listening to Reputation was I decided to listen to her whole discography, but I think "Look What You Made Me Do" was an outlier. Honestly think Taylor Swift just has a habit of choosing the worst songs to be the lead single. I don't like "Me" or "You Need to Calm Down" either, but I think Lover as a whole was a great album. "Anti-Hero"'s an exception since not counting the 3am tracks, it's the best song on Midnights imo, but generally I feel like she's been keeping me at bay by releasing her worst songs first. Anyway, I honestly don't feel like "Look What You Made Me Do" is really representative of the sound on Reputation. "...Ready For It" is the only song on the album that's sonically similar to "Look What You Made Me Do", at least to my ears. I don't recall any of the other songs really having these kind of trap elements to them. I enjoyed a lot of Reputation though, the high points for me being "End Game", "Call it What You Want", & "Delicate", but there's more tracks I like than dislike.

Honestly, despite once thinking 1989 was her only good record, I don't rank it that highly any more. I've liked every album release since more than it, though I still think it's better than any albums she released previously.

Never heard of boygenius, and of the members I'm only passingly familiar with Phoebe Bridgers as she's done songs with MUNA, and The 1975, two of my favourites. I've been meaning to get into her music for awhile though, sounds like Bridgers is right down my aisle. Might just give boygenius' LP a listen when it drops and go from there. Hopefully it'll be a good jumping off point for getting into three new artists.

Roman's turnaround's been insane. Going from get tripped up and destroy by Cena on the mic, to one of the best heel characters everything. When the Shield started, my favourite member has always flopped back & forth between Rollins & Ambrose (with usually Ambrose being my favourite), but right now, Roman's my favourite of the three & it's not close, which is nuts to think about years ago. I do kinda wish they pulled the trigger on Sami at Elimination Chamber but I've still be loving all the follow-up so I'm not as bitter over it as I expected with how much I was rooting for Sami to win. Everyone in The Bloodline plays their role well, but Romani, Sami, & Jey have been the absolutely stars, absolutely love what they've been doing with Jey's character. As insane as it is too look back and see how much Roman's improved, it's equally insane to think back to The Usos first few years in the company & think one of them would be among the most compelling characters in wrestling, if not the most compelling.

It might be recency bias, & depends on how this all wraps up, but I think The Bloodline is my favourite storyline in all of wrestling. It's closest competition for me was the whole CM Punk/MJF feud, albeit that never got it's proper conclusion.

Yeah, though it took awhile to get there lol. When first heard her way back with the original release of "Love Story", I basically disregarded her entirely. It wasn't until one day on Pandora I heard this song with really sharp, biting lyrics and a sleek beat that to my surprise, happened to be Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" that my tune shifted. From there I listened to all of 1989 which I thought was a really good album, but Swift followed that up with "Bad Blood" and "Look at What You Made Me Do", which I consider to be maybe her two worst songs, so I dismissed 1989 as a fluke and went right back to ignoring her new releases.

Eventually, I heard "exile" and fell in love with Folklore, which I consider to be her best album. That lead me to listening to Evermore which I also loved, and from there, I decided to give her a full listen. I couldn't get through her first album, the country accent voice she sang with sounded so inauthentic to me that I just couldn't stand it, and I didn't listen to the original versions of Red or Fearlesss to save me time, but otherwise I've listened to everything she released, or even been featured on, and I liked quite a lot of it. Folk Taylor is still my favourite version of her but, she's definitely become one of my all-time favourites. I even like "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" now, it's kinda came full circle.

What are your favourite songs from her? I can give my top ten . . .

I. my tears ricochet
II. mirrorball
III. exile
IV. gold rush
V. Forever Winter
VI. Renegade
VII. The Archer
VIII. Soon You'll Get Better
IX. this is me trying
X. long story short

Also, have you been keeping up with wrestling? I've been watching AEW since Punk came back, but I started getting back into WWE recently having watched a lot of Bloodline clips from word of mouth, enough so that I decided to watch the Royal Rumble Live. That brought maybe the best closing angle segment I've seen in wrestling, and also the return of evil clown Asuka, both of which I loved.

Also recall being a big Sasha fan, so I imagine you watched her match against Kairi? I thought the match was excellent, I watched it because I'm a fan of both Kairi & Mercedes from their time in WWE but I might keep an eye out and watch Mercedes future defenses.

F

You were a stone ocean fan before it was cool. Cool!

Damn! How do you have the time to complete so many animes!?

Well Finally finished Castle Vania III Curse of Dracula. I must of saved and reloaded the game like 200 times, some times even 20 or 30 times on a single section. I have no earthly idea and how in gods name NES players back in the day were able to conquire these games with like only 4-6 lives and 3 continues in addition to taking down all the bosses. I really envy gamers back in the day. A 10 year old kid could probably accompilsh feats that a PRO gamer today wouldn't be able to.

I started playing Super CastleVania, man can you really see the upgrade from NES to SNES, not only in the graphics and music but also the controls. One of the most terrible annoyances of the NES era was Button lag which added to the frustrating difficulty. Thankfully there is none in the SNES. Not to mention frame rates are much more steady and its just alround so much easier to play games. This specific game toned down the difficulty level quite considerbly so I am really having a blast with it.

But in any case I am going to take a break from CastleVania and play something else now. I have had enough of platforming for one day.

The fandom of BSG is actually saying that the only space opera series that even comes close to the level of BSG is "expanse" so I am VERY intrigued to want to see this show as its currently airing. So far from what I have witnessed from specific space opera shows, really have not impressed me too much. At least not nearly on the same deep level as some anime shows have like LOGH or leiji matsumuto’s works.
I watch star trek, bablybon 5, and stargate and well they are all interesting with some great story arcs and explosive scenes, looking at these shows over all especially stargate which has like 20+ seasons and many exchanging of writers, directors and actors. It is hard to feel invested. You need a show like breaking Bad or BSG with a solid cast that can stay contracted for the full length of the series, so you have this consistency in quality acting that fits the roles of the narrative. Then you have this solid Beginning, middle and end and BSG specifically has a very brick pacing to it. There really isn’t much down time at all. It is very cohesive.

Speaking of which, there actually is a new BSG project in the works which really has me overly joyed to see how this will come to be and better yet it is actually inspired by the 2004 BSG and not the 1970’s version.
This is the article:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/battlestar-galactica-reboot-sam-esmail-works-at-nbcus-streamer-1239018

And Sam Esmail quoted “BSG fans, this will NOT be a remake of the amazing series @RonDMoore launched because ... why mess with perfection? Instead, we will explore a new story within the mythology while staying true to the spirit of Battlestar. So, say we all!" Esmail tweeted Tuesday.

Now that is not to say this is going to have the same type of quality as BSG 2004 by Ronald D. Moor. But more Battlestar of anything to me is awesome. Perhaps explore a different part of the lore and universe of the franchise. Will just have to wait and see I guess, but for now I am probably going to start expanse soon because bsg fans highly recommend it.

These books actually got me into classic video games that were not even role playing but just looked so amazing with its detailed sprite work and the way its presented on the pages. I just had to take them for a test drive, one such game was castlevania which kind of resparked my interest for this series again and also Gradius and pocky and rocky which is r both shooter game. One being a rail shooter and the other being a run and gun shooter. Not a huge fan of shooters but the artwork and sprites was pretty awesome looking. Pocky and Rocky especially had some pretty vibrant level designs and had alot of japanese mythological sprites every where. It was pretty cool but also challenging lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-tXc944E-w

Sent you a PM and for plex if you decide to do that, i gave you the link for that as well. Its not something that is mandatory for viewing files on your tv but its really made things much easier for me personally. It isn't complete devoid of issues though, i mean with any PS4 apps, there is always the tendecy of apps crashing and that is just because the PS4 just has that problem with alot of apps. Memory crashes are pretty frequent.

Yeah that Bitmap book is a day 1 purchase for me, probably even go further and get the limited edition. 600+ pages of nothing but RPG goodness, i mean come on.

Bitmap really creates some excpetional books, I own 4 of their books already and you will be amazed at the quality. They are actually housed in a chipboard box that is dust free and scratch free with a very tight binding and glossy pages lots of reading, text and pictures to view with multi color ribbons for bookmarking all for like maybe $35 for a 350 page guide? Serously. I am a fan.

Oh and yes I am reffering to the 2000 series, not the classic. Though At some point i do want to watch the classic just not sure when.

Something that I have started using is called Plex media and man let me tell my life has been so simplified because of it. It allows you to literally allows you to organize and list all your files from your hardrives in a media server system that you can use on your playstation 4 to watch pretty much everything you want, its directly ran from your computer so its not a seperate program with codec restrictions since its all based on your hardware of your PC. But you can compile a library of shows or movies or anime, what ever you want, it comes with sypnosis, character bios, and almost looks like your viewing netflix. The plex media works in a way that is synces up with meta data from various internet movie databases to import all the photo's, cover art, actor biographies, descriptions, etc. The greatest thing about Plex is its 100% free, yes there is premium services but not required. I have an entire 21 TB library compiled through my plex connected to around 17 hard drives. :)


In any case its what I been using now as my ultimate Media Center for viewing everything on my big 55" TV. Instead of having to watch stuff on your computer which does hurt your eyes after to much long time exposure of LCD panels.

With BSG unfortantly its not available on many streaming sites, it used to be on netflix. So its one of those series that you will have to download or torrent or something like that. Or you can purchase the set but it will run you about $80 dollars. To me its worth it and I have my own physical collection but there is a blueray rip online. I can send you the links through your PM if you like.

So apparently bitmap books finally released some infromation on their massive guide to the japanese role playing book. included our some screen shots and a description on what the book is about. Pretty awesome. I can't wait to get this as a collector item and it will cover over 650 games in total from the 8 bit micro chip era to the modern times.

https://www.bitmapbooks.co.uk/products/a-guide-to-japanese-role-playing-games?mc_cid=eefdb43a8d&mc_eid=b034e1e4d0

It has information on YS I and II of course lol

I have not seen the leftovers and Have not really been following any newer shows recently but there are some that I do want to get into. Also stuff involved with Ronald D. more which is personally one of my favorite directors, he did Battlestar Galactica. One of my favorite shows. I have seen that series so many times and still love it. Just like every now and then I'll rewatch episodes of it because I still enjoy that series ever going as far as to put on my plex media so I always have it lol. Lost has been on off netflix for a while but its still one of my favorites.

As for what I am planning on watching, well I am not quite sure yet. There is some new stuff I am looking forward to but I have not yet compiled that list yet.

Just been mostly watching anime, playing video games and catching up on some film series.

With CastleVania, the series starts kind of with platforming elements and sort of becomes the bases for the gameplay. The NPC interaction and visiting of towns really is only mostly a side excursion at least on the NES titles, but as the series evolves, it becomes far more interesting, introducing more of a seamless connected world kind of like Super Metroid Or Zelda. With greater intuitive rpg mechanics such as being able to level up, go to shops and purchase and outfit yourself in gear and weapons to explore the world and the games start to tell a more compelling story with great characters. SOTN in particular i think is a very high peak for the series in realizing what the castvania series eventually develops into.

Final Fantasy V I think gets alot of unnecessary criticism but at its core, it’s one of the greater fundamental games with well-balanced mechanics and probably more strategy than any FF game until FF XII with its dynamic class-based system. Final Fantasy III had a job system as well, but it was not nearly as great as FF V in my opinion. I remember really having a lot of fun with that game and creating such awesome battle parties for any type of battle situation. The story itself is probably not the highest point but there are some interesting iconic characters like the infamous Giglamesh introduced.

Final Fantasy IV is by many fans labeled as like the holy grail of the series next to VI. Its considered one of the best FF entries in the series and for good reason, the story grips you from beginning to end with great characters and probably one of the best backstorys of any villain in the series until Sephiroth of FF VII. Its character writing at least on the villain side of things is also much more involving than FF VI kefka. I loved FF VI but I did think there was a bit left unexplained about Kefka and his lack of appearance in the 2nd half of the game was kind of concerning. But it was made up for the amazing world building and seeing how Kefka single handily transformed a world into a desolate wasteland due to his tyranny as a twisted sociopath with immoral views on society. (I don't think I am helping my argument here am I, lol sorry it’s just so hard to say anything bad about FF VI since I really love every aspect of that game)

Well truthfully speaking, With FF IV, the writing is consistent, and the major villains have a bit more story evolved, and I think you may appreciate the antagonists having more screen time. Also, the DS remake needs a mention here as I think they did a phenomenal job at portraying such a great story with awesome voice acting and kicked the production value up a notch to where it really feels like when these moments happen in game, its truly a spectacle to witness especially as a longtime fan growing up with the original game. Also, the PSp remake is the definitive collection if you want to play the most authentic original with upscaled textures and lots of extra features including of course the interlude and after years which are two full games. However personally I think after years was just an excuse to create a sequel with more characters and larger dungeons. Well, there were some interesting new mechanics that made the combat system fun, I didn't particular care for it that much in terms of the characters, the writing and long dungeons. It goes on record though for having one of the largest Final dungeons in any FF game to date with a staggering 50 floor deep dive. If you are a hardcore veteran and you appreciate large dungeons, you may like it.


Ahh Final Fantasy X. What can I say about this? This in my opinion was the most accessible FF title of the bunch not just for hardcore fans but mainstream audiences as well. The graphics were freaking amazing for its time and I remember when this was first released on the Playstation 2, I was absolutely in awe at the levels of production this game brought to the table of the series. Every cinematic was breathtaking and had some of the greatest musical tracks coupled with great fluid motion of characters on screen and stellar voice acting. This was also the first time, motion capturing was used to depict more realistic motion flare of characters on screen during cutscenes. It was a very experimental stage this point in time but fans were blown away by it when it was first introduced. This technique obvously became a staple that continued into later years and new generations and is pretty much norm now a days for visual motion projection and even going as far as using real life humans for motion capturing. We sure have came along way since its introduction in FF X. This was also the blueprint for FF XIII CG glory. It is also very notable for being the "last game" in the series to actually have a decent good story as most fans will tell, you the writing aspect of FF sort of dipped after this.

Speaking interms of gameplay and mechanics I loved the sphere grid system to as it enabled you to really take control of your party roles more aggressively instead of being restricted to certain player archetypes. Its also the one game where I put probably close to 500+ hrs into it. It’s a standard 50-60 hr game for the main story but trying to complete everything including the battle arena’s certainly takes a lot of time and commitment but it was one of the games I think I had the most fun playing next to FF XII in the sheer number of things you can do in the game. That being said, the game does follow a more linear approach and gets rid of the over world system present in most FF titles as you probably already know at this point. But its still a great game with amazing set piece moments and great characters and an interesting story.

Most YS games are self-contained adventures with very little overarching of storylines. However as to which game to play first is kind of a controversial question amongst the fandom. Some fans say to play a game that is more accessible or user friendly with more refined controls and mechanics as an easier entry point into the series more so then starting with the first games which tend to have more archaic controls.

Other more Purist will tell you that you can never go wrong with "release date order" which I personally agree with myself. However, you can really play any of the games in any order, but I think YS I and II should almost always definitely be played before YS origins. YS origins build’d upon the story and background of YS I and II and there for spoils a lot of the story from those games and is also more deeply connected. It does have some references from YS VI but there subtle and nothing extreme so it’s not necessary to wait to play YS origins, if you want to play it directly after YS I and II, then that is ok.

Now for own my personal view on this specifically referring to how I play any series. I always play every game in its release date order, but I also sometimes like to see how the series evolves and changes with each entry. I also have a firm belief that with release date order is the preferred way the creators/developers intended for you to experience the series and for me you can never go wrong with that.

For example, in Kingdom Hearts, Birth by sleep might be the first game in the story's chronology but it’s based on your large familiarity of the series, the world and its characters as a whole and so absolutely would not be a good starting point for Kingdom hearts. YS although not nearly as interconnected as trails, still I think holds some truth to those rules especially with a company like falcom who is known for such forshadowing, throwbacks and references connected to to other games in that respective franchise.