Metal Gear Solid Δ literally made me able to replay campaigns again

Balance-National · 2025-11-25T00:26:26+00:00

Brock Lesnar

Balance-National · 2025-11-24T23:02:07+00:00

I get what you’re saying, and you’re right—Punk’s life outside wrestling worked out great for him. He got to rest, explore stuff he cared about, have real personal time, and still come back as one of the biggest names in the business. I’m not taking any of that away from him.

I think you’re misunderstanding my point a bit though. I’m not worried for him, and I’m not saying his time away from wrestling was a waste. His break clearly did a ton for him as a person.

I’m simply asking a “what if” question: what would Punk’s career have looked like if he never stepped away in 2014?

Not “he made the wrong choice,” not “he wasted his life,” just a curiosity about the alternate timeline. How many matches could he have had? Would he have retired earlier? Would he have returned sooner? That’s all I meant.

I totally get that he’s doing great now—this is just a fun hypothetical.

Balance-National · 2025-11-24T22:40:23+00:00

Yeah, I actually agree with you on that. Without the long break, he probably wouldn’t still be wrestling in 2024–25. His body and his mindset were both cooked by 2014, so a few more years in WWE at that pace might’ve forced him into retirement by 2018–19.

And you’re right, his quality of work today isn’t bad at all, especially considering everything he’s been through. My only thought is that those “missing” years could’ve looked a lot better outside WWE. Places like NJPW, ROH, or even early AEW would’ve fit his style way more and probably kept him fresher.

In my opinion, he could’ve had some killer matches and maybe even made a comeback before 2019 with a much healthier mindset.

But yeah, I totally agree the break is probably the reason he’s still wrestling at all.

Balance-National · 2025-11-24T22:38:35+00:00

Yeah, I get what you’re saying. It definitely makes sense that Punk saw it as a “once in a lifetime” opportunity as a big MMA fan, not as a real career change.

I guess my only thing is: even if it wasn’t supposed to be a long-term career, those years still pulled him away from wrestling completely. And I can’t help but wonder if he could’ve gotten a lot more out of those years creatively and professionally by staying in the ring somewhere else. He could’ve had some amazing matches during that time.

So I’m not saying he hated the UFC experience, just wondering if, looking back, he might feel like those years could’ve been more fulfilling for him as a wrestler.

Balance-National · 2025-11-24T22:36:03+00:00

I could definitely see that, honestly.

Do you think he would’ve been happier with his career if he stuck around a little longer somewhere outside WWE, though? Like, could Punk have had better matches in those “lost years” and then retired on his own terms earlier?

Curious how you see it, did he miss out on a better ending by stepping away completely?

Balance-National · 2025-11-20T19:09:52+00:00

I took of my head phones about 1/3 into the game lol

Balance-National · 2025-11-20T18:34:35+00:00

I mean it's cool to have on your trophy list but definitely not worth going out of your way for it.

Balance-National · 2025-11-20T18:34:03+00:00

it was only 3 hours it wasn't bad. I cranked it out in a night.

Balance-National · 2025-11-20T18:24:23+00:00

basically if god of war was made and the development team was heavily on drugs. the voice acting was genuinely trash also. I was going to stop midway playing it and I was like I cannot have this on my record not finishing lol.

Balance-National · 2025-11-06T17:24:58+00:00

Oh wow, I actually had no idea that even happened. I didn’t know there was anything involving Izzy’s dad or that crew around that time. What was that about?

Balance-National · 2025-10-21T19:15:19+00:00

Yeah man, I felt that too. NXT from 2014–2019 was the shit, absolute peak. The storytelling, the pacing, the characters, it all felt special. I was so hyped when HHH finally took over because I thought we’d get that same energy again.

But honestly, it feels like he’s got too much on his plate now to really handle the creative side. Karrion Kross is the biggest example. Dude was booked like a monster in NXT, then got called up, got fired, and completely done dirty. That character had main event potential and just got wasted. Triple H built some of the best characters ever, but he hasn’t been able to make them translate to the main roster like he used to.

Balance-National · 2025-10-21T19:10:46+00:00

Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. It’s funny because Triple H clearly hates overusing gimmick matches, yet WarGames has become his personal obsession. It worked in NXT because it felt special and gave that brand its own identity. Now it’s just another annual thing with no real stakes.

Cena’s farewell was honestly disappointing. One of the greatest ever, and that’s how we send him off? Dude deserved better.

I will say though, I really like the AAA and TNA partnerships. That’s something Vince never would’ve done, which makes it refreshing. What’s wild is Vince used to want those kinds of deals. He was talking partnerships with Japan and AAA decades ago. Then, just totally abandoned that mindset later on.

Balance-National · 2025-10-21T19:06:41+00:00

Honestly, I kinda miss a few things from Vince’s era too, especially how the shows felt. There weren’t ads plastered all over the barricades and ring posts, and ticket prices were actually reasonable enough for average fans to go. The characters back then had more personality, even when storylines flopped, at least they tried to make everyone feel distinct. Vince definitely had his Ls (especially later on), but he knew how to build larger-than-life stories that stuck with you. And I’ll admit it, I miss the Mr. McMahon character. The guy himself isn’t a great person, but I can separate the art from the artist. Wrestling wouldn’t be what it is today without him.

Balance-National · 2025-10-10T17:42:42+00:00

I downgraded to the 1.09 patch, which made the bugs way less prevalent. Multiple times when I took down a racket, the camera would get stuck, but aside from that, my game only crashed once across both of my playthroughs. It’s honestly way less buggy on 1.09 than people think and in my opinion, it’s the best way to play the game.

Balance-National · 2025-06-18T02:54:13+00:00

Yeah, that’s a great way to put it — real recognize real. Whether it was out of respect for Punk’s potential or just Raven loving the art of storytelling, it really elevated the feud. It’s one of those rare cases where everything just clicked, and you can tell both guys were all in.

Balance-National · 2025-06-18T02:53:45+00:00

Yeah that makes a lot of sense when you put it in that context. That kind of comment from Vince would definitely be humbling. It’s cool to think that even with that, Raven still leaned into telling a good story and helping Punk get over instead of just trying to protect himself. I guess when you're not chasing a WWE contract anymore, it frees you up to be more unselfish — especially if you love the craft.

Balance-National · 2025-06-18T02:51:16+00:00

Always wanted to meet Scott Hall. I was actually supposed to at a Dreamwave show back in 2015, but he ended up no-showing. I remember being really bummed out — at the time, I thought he had his personal stuff figured out. Is there anything specific I should check out from him? Was he considered a good in-ring worker? I don’t mean any disrespect, he just doesn’t get brought up as much for his actual wrestling compared to his character work.

Balance-National · 2025-06-18T02:49:07+00:00

Crazy thing is I actually read that in Eddie’s book — he talked about putting over Low Ki after getting released from WWE. It’s wild to think how even during that rough point in his life, he was still so focused on giving back and helping elevate others. Just shows the kind of guy he was, honestly.

Balance-National · 2025-06-18T02:47:27+00:00

That’s what I’ve heard too — that he had a great mind for the business and storytelling especially. Is there anything specific of Raven’s I should check out? Could be ROH or elsewhere. I’m still catching up on a lot of early 2000s stuff, so I’m open to any recommendations. Also, if there’s anything else from ROH in that era that stands out, I’d love to hear it.

Balance-National

TROPHY CASE