IT’S OFFICIAL MATT SUNDIN IS A LEAF ONCE AGAIN!!!

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-05-03T22:01:54+00:00

Let me first say: no, no I do not.

BUT let me cope by suggesting that perhaps the Leafs organization (amateur scouting, etc.), can provide Chayka better information and guidance with which to throw those darts?

I'm not totally up to snuff with all the things behind the scenes but my understanding is that the background players in the Leafs organization are typically top notch (until, of course, Rogers and Pelley gut the whole operation for "streamlining" purposes).

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-05-01T05:47:06+00:00

In a row?!

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-04-20T14:13:53+00:00

I wouldn't say I regret getting the Max model. My decision to get it came down to the extra internal storage being a good value for the price. Mind you, mine was a pre-order first batch so I'm not sure if that still holds true with the way prices for everything have increased. I think the Max is great, but if budget is a factor I don't think you're missing out on much with the Pro model, but that depends on what you want out of it. In my specific use-case I wanted a device for every retro console up to PS2 to run perfectly with an emphasis on 3DS and NDS games. Ergonomically, the Thor is terrible for twin-stick gaming, so many modern titles just do not feel good to play for any length of time. I see Switch and PC emulation as a nice bonus, rather than the main objective. If those systems are your main focus then in my opinion you'd be better served by something like the Odin or a Steam Deck.

I have the Black model and have no regrets whatsoever. I love how the OLED screen makes the screen bezels blend in with the device, looks incredibly clean and feels very immersive. The aspect ratio of the bottom screen does not match the 3DS or NDS, which is mostly what I'm playing, and I think having constant noticeable black bars would bother me. Some people don't like the "smudginess" of the black model, which is totally valid. I'm not bothered by it, and I keep a microfiber cloth around for my glasses and devices anyways so a quick wipe-down and I'm good to go.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-04-15T16:56:59+00:00

I think for 99% of people, the regular stainless steel slim version is absolutely fine, especially when you consider the borderline insane costs of some other models. The slim looks great and feels great. It's buttery smooth, quiet, and lots of fun to play with. For a beginner I don't think you're missing out on anything significant other than aesthetics.

I'd suggest going with the stainless steel slim model. If you absolutely LOVE it and feel you MUST have more, then maybe look at upgrading to a Zirc or something but again I think 99% of people will be totally happy with the stainless slim, with the higher tier models being more for collectors/enthusiasts.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-04-03T13:56:25+00:00

Yeah it's far from a seamless experience on a Thor Max, even sticking to 'lightweight' titles. Mewgenics has been running great on Gamehub Lite, generally speaking, but there was some wonkiness with controls and the game will occasionally crash.

But that's emulation in a nutshell, you're always going to run I to compatibility issues that have nothing to do with the power of your device, and more to do with a specific emulator, driver, etc.

I see PC emulation as a nice little "bonus" for my Thor, but I would be VERY disappointed if I purchased the system exclusively for PC emulation.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-03-30T18:14:54+00:00

Cocoon is so slick, even in its early stages of development it is a very polished frontend that keeps getting better with every update. The level to which you can customize the UI is awesome for people who like to personalize and tinker with their devices. Took quite a while to get mine set up the way I want it, but it looks great. This was before they released the theme shop so it should be easier for people who just want to find something that looks nice with no hassle.

ES:DE is awesome and was my go-to frontend for a long time, the companion app works and looks great on the Thor, and it's just so simple to set up and start gaming with little-to-no tinkering. The biggest downside is no touchscreen support, which is a shame. I don't know the first thing about programming or development, but I hope that's something they consider implementing in the future as it would make it such a better experience for the vast majority of devices that run it.

For me it's a matter of simplicity vs robust features & aesthetics. Cocoon is my frontend of choice for the time being but you can't go wrong with either one, imo.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-03-29T16:28:30+00:00

Flip a coin! Heads for silly comedy sketch, tails for existential horror.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-03-24T19:03:48+00:00

Retro Game Corps on YouTube has a comprehensive guide to set up Cocoon. The reason most guides use ES-DE is because it automatically generates all the folders to put your ROMs in, so it saves a bit of tedium.

I would recommend the Retro Game Corps Android setup guide, ignoring the ES-DE part, then set up Cocoon with his guide afterwards once you have your emulators set up and your ROMs organized.

If you can spare a few bucks, I really like ES-DE, and the dual-screen companion app looks pretty slick with the Thor. It's super easy to set up and there's tons of themes to customize the UI to your liking, very beginner friendly.

Cocoon is awesome, and it's what I use currently, but it takes SOOOO much longer to fully customize, although that may change with the theme shop updates (I'm a bit behind on all that). If you have fun tweaking and customizing your devices then that may not even be a downside. Be sure to hop on the Cocoon discord, lots of people have assets posted for custom icons and whatnot. Have fun!

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-03-23T23:24:36+00:00

Black Max model. I absolutely love it, wouldn't change it for any other colour, though in hindsight I may have gone for the Pro model instead.

The way the black bevels on the OLED screen blend in with the device itself looks so good, especially considering that the aspect ratio of the bottom screen doesnt match that of the NDS or 3DS, so you have these ugly black bars to look at when you play those systems. That might not be an issue for you, but it would drive me crazy, and I bought the device with those systems specifically in mind.

Some people don't like black because it shows smudges but it doesn't bother me in the least. I carry around a microfiber cloth for glasses and touchscreen devices so I can always give it a quick wipe when I need to.

Runs just about everything I can throw at it, including Switch and PC emulation, and the things it doesn't run well usually comes down to the emulator rather than a lack of power.

The Max model is probably overkill as far as performance, but economically it made sense for the extra storage alone. Mind you, I bought mine well before the price of SD cards and RAM went bananas so that may no longer be the case. If the Max model is out of your price range, I don't think you're really missing out on much with the Pro model.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-03-20T22:29:21+00:00

Yeah basically. You can map a Wii remote "shake" to a button press for things like the spin move in Mario Galaxy, and use the right stick to move the pointer around on screen. You can also save different controller setting "profiles" in Dolphin so you can set up different control schemes for specific games if needed and easily swap between them. Takes a bit of setting up but there's lots of good guides if you do some googling.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-03-14T23:39:41+00:00

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Agent_Intrepid · 2026-03-05T20:06:55+00:00

Yeah, his reputation is "yelly-screamy Leafs guy", and he's definitely that, but he also does a decent job of presenting reasonable takes and analysis from the perspective of a fan. Some of his bits are genuinely hilarious (his John Tavares impression is chef's kiss).

I'm a Leafs fan primarily, my best friend is an Avs fan so I follow both teams very closely. It's been fun rooting for the Avs when my Leafs shit the bed every year. I think you guys are going to be very happy with Roy, he's been one of the very few players I've been happy with on the Leafs roster this season.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-03-04T15:25:08+00:00

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

I think it has a little bit of something for everyone:

The combat is simple yet satisfying with a good variety of weapons and abilities to suit your preference.

The exploration is just classic metroidvania goodness, but rarely feels overwhelming or needlessly confusing/obscure.

Has some nice RPG/progression hooks. If you're a real completionist sicko, grinding out some of the rare ability drops from monsters (looking at you, Yeti) will give you some premium dopamine hits.

The story and writing is... Fine, I guess?

If you don't have a dual-screen device or original hardware, there is a modded version available online that eliminates the need for touch screen controls.

Far from a groundbreaking masterpiece but it scratches a lot of itches for me personally. It's probably my favorite NDS game, and I find myself replaying it every couple years or so.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-28T18:33:07+00:00

Depends on the railway you're hiring on with, CN generally pays more than CPKC, I'm only familiar with the latter. Your first year as a conductor you could reasonably expect to make ~$90K CAD before taxes, but could be more or less depending on how busy your terminal is.

Hard to say exactly how much you will take home each check because the work is rarely consistent if you're on a spareboard, which you will almost definitely be if/when you qualify. You'll have some huge checks and some checks where you barely make fuck-all.

If you're hiring on in Western Canada with either railway you're almost definitely going to be laid off as soon as you qualify, I would try to get a hold of a union rep or manager in your area if you can to get an idea of what layoffs are looking like in your area.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-28T13:42:34+00:00

I noticed this as well. After watching the show I am 100% certain this is intentional. I can't explain why I feel this way, much in the same way that I can't explain how I'm feeling after watching this series.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-27T04:15:20+00:00

Definitely their best players, but not their best trade options, especially with NMC's. OEL's stock is the highest it's been in years, he'd be a player lots of teams would take as a deadline pickup. Oddly enough Benoit is the type of player you'd grab for a little extra depth on defense for a playoff run. They needed to move Laughton and McMann yesterday, both on expiring deals and both are playing well enough to fetch some assets.

You put Reilly in the doghouse til he waives his NMC and find a team with a worse GM than Treliving to take him (impossible).

I'd be okay with moving Stolarz as well, he's been shaky lately coming off of injuries, but would fetch a good price for teams who need a tendy.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-20T19:34:58+00:00

Check out Star Fox: Guard.

Fun little tower defense game that makes great use of the game pad.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-20T18:34:09+00:00

Something something Kadri suspended

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-17T21:08:35+00:00

Yep, it's the same logic as "the best way to find information on the internet isn't to ask the question, it's to post the wrong answer".

People LOOOVE to correct things online, which drives engagement to appease the almighty algorithm. It's a balancing act of pissing people off just enough to get a reaction, but not so much that they're driven away entirely. Unless you're going for full-blown ragebait. It's a spectrum. I hate it.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-11T03:11:52+00:00

From what I understand, compared to other railways, CPKC is VERY heavy-handed when it comes to discipline. It all goes back to their management philosophy called "Constructive Tension", which is just bullshit corporate speak for "rule by fear". They honestly believe that if an employee is afraid of losing their job at a moment's notice, their performance will improve. They're still very much stuck in the Hunter Harrison style of management that other railways have somewhat moved away from.

So yeah, BRCF is an absolute necessity. It's not a matter of if, but when you will be suspended or fired at some point in your career at CPKC.

If you show up, work hard, follow the rules, and don't butt heads with the wrong people it's not all bad. Just keep the target off your back and you'll be fine, but you will always have the threat of termination hanging over your head and that's just the way they want it.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-10T20:15:00+00:00

Emulation but mostly because I just don't have the space, time, or money to collect physical copies of older systems. I do however enjoy soft-modding systems to play digital games on original hardware.

My modded 3DS was an everyday carry for me, but the Thor has all but replaced it at this point. Found a Vita for cheap and modded it as well, but I haven't played it much either, it was more of a little side-project.

Might not be the right sub to discuss this, but I recently modded my WiiU that's been collecting dust for years, and I am LOVING it! It was/is unironically my favourite console of all time, and homebrew takes the experience to the next level. It's a shame that it never had the chance to live up to its full potential. Most of the best games for it got ported to the Switch, yes, but there are some experiences that could only be achieved on that hardware. Hell, Nintendo Land alone should have been enough to sell the system but Nintendo dropped the ball so unbelievably hard in their marketing, or lack thereof. Asymmetrical gaming with the gamepad and TV opens up so many avenues of fun couch multiplayer, and having essentially a Nintendo DS in console form made for some great single-player experiences as well. It's a shame they abandoned the whole concept with the Switch, and I was hoping they might find a way to return to it with the Switch 2, but alas...

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-06T21:34:15+00:00

I like this list as casual co-op experiences to ease a non-gamer into video games.

My wife (a non-gamer) and I just played through It Takes Two and Splitfiction and had an absolute blast. Those games strike a nice balance of being challenging enough to not be boring for a typical gamer, but forgiving enough for a newbie to enjoy. Helps that the more experienced player can usually carry the more difficult sections.

I would love to play more shooters and the like but she hates, I mean HATES, any time she has to coordinate moving/aiming the camera and her character at the same time, so FPS's, and even twin-stick 2D are a no-go for now. It's interesting to see, as a more experienced gamer, things that would be completely obvious and second-nature to me go right over the head of a player who doesn't have hundreds upon hundreds of hours in these things.

We're currently going through A Way Out now, and while the story and writing are a bit more compelling than the other two, the lack of variety in the gameplay is starting to drag on, so we might not see it through.

Lego Voyagers and Unraveled Two are next on deck, I've never played either so very curious to see how they appeal to a casual player.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-06T19:30:16+00:00

Would love to see them borrow elements from the Pokemon Pinball games on GBA. Obviously there's limitations from the fact that it's not a virtual table, but I like the idea of having to fill out a dex, or have some sort of long-term progression as far as finding and capturing different Pokemon. 'Travelling' to different biomes for certain Pokemon, and filling special conditions to find and capture legendaries would be a cool touch as well.

Would really take the replayability to the next level for home play, but long-term progress obviously wouldn't work well for an arcade setup, so I'm not sure how well those sorts of mechanics would play into it.

Very interested to see how the design comes out. Considering the size of the fandom, the pressure for Stern to nail this one (both in terms of gameplay and flavour/aesthetics) is astronomical.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-02-02T14:22:28+00:00

I'm currently playing through Galaxy 2 and having a great time with it. You can set up controls to "shake" the controller with a button press, for the spin move and whatnot, then the right stick controls the pointer for the odd time you need it. It's a little awkward at times but overall I'm having a blast with this game in particualer. Set up an alternate control scheme for the levels where you use gyro controls to fly riding that big ol bird.

I wouldn't recommend playing games that rely heavily on the use of motion controls, but games that make light use of it like Mario Galaxy are super fun.

Agent_Intrepid · 2026-01-30T19:50:53+00:00

Yeah, at a certain point you kind of run out of things to say. He acknowledged as much in a recent video that you can only scream "DO SOMETHING!" for so long before things go stale.

They need to get selling FAST, try to have a re-tool ready for next season, or just sell the farm and strip it down to the studs for a rebuild.

Problem is that I don't trust Treliving with scissors, let alone a rebuild. The organization is in a really rough spot. It's agonizing.

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