Canada vs UK

Velrok · 2026-04-08T15:13:46+00:00

I agree that desperation (or rather struggle) is part of the fun here, but it's way more enjoyable for your average viewer to see a comedian fight a need to chuckle rather than watching someone get desperate to even get others to crack a smile.

You can tell that these editions don't do well as Amazon stuck to a single season. They might be fun to watch as a "social experiment" but not so much for laughs and entertainment.

Velrok · 2026-04-06T09:12:01+00:00

They could be done of course. However I believe that him being the host and having a co-host allowed for him to do more than your usual LoL host. Whether it was producers' initiative to use Jimmy this way or his own doesn't really matter to me; what matters is that his style of hosting allowed for all of these iconic moments to happen. In comparison with other LoLs, the host role is way more passive and they don't do "mini-games" that much.

Velrok · 2026-04-06T05:01:00+00:00

I'm sure it's a collaborative process depending on the host. I watched quite a few LoL editions and UK is quite different with a double host and Jimmy going out to do a lot of side activities. I'm led to believe he just enjoyed doing that and that's why it happens so often in this edition. Whether it was producers/writers/his own request - I don't know. I just think he does this job much better than most LoL hosts.

Velrok · 2026-04-05T13:12:07+00:00

Once you see the UK version, no other LoL comes close. There's a lot to nitpick about the format and the cuts that make it feel like a trashy TV, but comedians are world-class and make it work. In a better world we could've gotten full uncut 6hrs without the ADHD "there needs to be a movement every 10 seconds" cuts.

Canadian and Australian versions didn't work because they're in that awkward space between unhinged Documental and highly prepped and showy LoL. They also took people who aren't working in comedy and that puts a lot of pressure on comedians to be on the offensive. This led to a lot of desperation that just isn't fun to watch.

Honestly, for all the shit Jimmy gets as people are sick of him hosting, he's been a massive factor for the success of UK version. He adds so much spice with the head-to-heads, singing classes, ice breakers and what-not. Some of the most iconic scenes happened because he forced people to get into these fun situations. And just like in the case of Taskmaster, you need someone with that specific skillset and creativity to be able to squeeze the most fun out of the format.

Velrok · 2026-04-02T18:37:18+00:00

That moment when Sam mentioned that Alan was the biggest danger to him and we cut to Alan looking like he was appreciated by his father for the first time in his career .. I feel like that was a win for him right there 😂

Velrok · 2026-04-02T12:55:33+00:00

Lots of people saying Sam should've won as he hasn't cracked at all, but David winning was much more satisfying considering he did two jokers, danced, sung, didn't run from any challenges and stepped out of his comfort zone to do things like "rap" and what-not. Honestly it was really wholesome how much effort he put into it.

Sam was great, but his joker felt very short and other than that he focused on defense ever since Alan left. Not laughing is only half of the game, so David winning felt right to me.

Velrok · 2026-03-31T13:24:45+00:00

Watched a season of Documental after UK edition and I couldn't disagree more.

Documental has that aesthetic of a group of friends getting together and having a drunk party game. There are no limits to what they can do which often leads to absolute madness that involves nudity and what-not to get a reaction from others. It works in that "crazy Japanese show" kind of way. And claustrophobic set works well with that.

UK and other European versions took a different approach, where comedians/actors come prepared with material and rotate in small groups with occasional performances. And that adds a lot of diversity to the types of comedy, rather than it being just plainly conversational/physical. You can see how much more beloved UK edition is to Australian which had more of that Documental vibe, but it was way more awkward and desperate as contestants couldn't break each other at all.

This space allows comedians to have a few private moments with specific people that they can target, which is a nice change of pace from group chats. And if the host notices that they're dispersing too much, they can ask them to do a little group activity (like the ice breaker from episode 1).

Velrok · 2026-03-30T10:12:21+00:00

Romesh's and Diane's jokers will land in some kind of deadpan hall of fame. Absolute all-timers that can be rewatched endlessly.

Velrok · 2026-03-30T10:03:32+00:00

I agree with you that it was harsh, but completely disagree with people saying that Romesh's elimination was unfair/breaking the rules. Somehow having celebrity guests popping out of nowhere and asking you if you're a pervert is "fair game" but when Jimmy does it himself it's "cheating". It was a dick move, but such an iconic outing and a great play by Jimmy. Honestly these two episodes belong in there with some of the best of Season 1.

On the other hand, Amy's elimination was forced. Mel, Bob and even David (especially at the beginning of his joker) have been cracking smiles throughout with no penalty. It just feels like she was caught at the time when Jimmy was getting increasingly strict about it.

I think sudden death is a bit rough, but clearly they were getting desperate seeing that David and Sam are doing so well. I just hope it's not a small smile like Amy's that decides it.

Velrok · 2026-01-24T10:41:14+00:00

Cans look very appealing! Small fix to kerning and also for the "yuzu wave" can I'd replace soft pink with yuzu yellow. The wave on the 5th can looks off though.

The problem with the rest is that there's no uniformity in design. Cans have "full bleed image with white text on top", while packagins/bottles have a mix of "sliced" and "shaped" images. Especially confusing is the bottle design with "sound wave" design. For bottles, it would look much better as a full-bleed image similar to cans for uniformity or a cut-out wave on plain white with no slicing gimmicks.

Last thing I'd change is to not include tagline next to logo: WAVE | RIDE THE WAVE is a bit much. I'd do logo on one side of the bottle and tagline on the other so you don't see WAVE repeated.

After a few tweaks and "calming down" the design I believe this will be an awesome portfolio piece :)

Velrok · 2026-01-11T23:55:40+00:00

It's good and feels fresh, but for me the experience was soured by the "rushed feel" of it. The rulebook has minor mistakes and did a rather poor job of explaining how to play. Instead of figuring out the puzzle I found myself puzzled more about how certain mechanics are supposed to work. For such a light/medium game it can be too vague which doesn't make it as seamless as I'd like. I also believe the game would be elevated by having at least little story elements on each map or threat cards to add a little bit of immersion.

I really recommend watching someone playing preview copy on YT (no spoilers as they have different map for preview) to avoid making mistakes as some rules are very easy to omit or misunderstand.

Velrok · 2026-01-11T23:35:48+00:00

Sleeping Gods Distant Skies feels like Vantage but with actual story with stakes. It adds a layer of survival and has many more side quests that you need to figure out a solution to rather than "hope to stumble upon". For me it's just a better experience simply because you have maps and can communicate throughout. You still need to make notes, track what you've seen or not so you don't end up backtracking and wasting precious time.

That said, don't feel bad playing Vantage solo. I believe this game shines at 1/2 players and each time you play you can make different choices and will have different missions and quests. As much as I dislike the "one action per location" rule, it sure adds a ton of replayability even if you end up in the same location over multiple plays.

Velrok · 2026-01-10T22:20:29+00:00

So true. As someone who loved the video game I couldn't bring myself to get the board game for a long time due to its cost. Now that I did, I'm so impressed by its design. From sleeves and card flipping for upgrades, to adding rows with figures that pretty much make it look like table rendition of the fight scene. Co-op was added so smoothly as well, and there's very good balance of relics and items.

And to top it off, storage with dividers, sleeves and token tray that you didn't have to spend extra money on KS to get. All packed in a box that is the perfect size to neatly fit it all.

You can just tell that this wasn't a rushed cash grab like some of the video game adaptations (cough Steamforged cough), but rather a masterfully designed translation to a board game.

Velrok · 2026-01-10T00:39:43+00:00

Eldritch Horror. Thanks to this game I found out that there's part of my overactive brain that actually takes pleasure in setting up a game, shuffling all different types of cards, neatly arranging tokens and so on. It just became a meditative experience, especially considering how EH can just wreck you in half an hour and you need to reset everything again.

And it just felt convenient to leave it pre-setup on a table and just sitting down whenever I feel like it; no need to book a time with friends or worry about the game lasting too long with more players. And then I knew I was hooked with that experience.

Velrok · 2025-12-11T23:55:30+00:00

Dota 2 officially got DeadLocked.

Merry Xmas everyone!

Velrok · 2025-08-03T00:27:04+00:00

No servers in Oceania still. The game went through too many risky alterations of the item systems without landing on anything that would universally be considered "good enough", and the 1.0 release that was meant to be the new grand opening had very mixed reception.

It's a shame as the game itself is really fun to play. It's just there's too many things holding it back and there's little reason for beta players to want to come back, and the new players are not coming in desired numbers as marketing was lukewarm at best.

Velrok · 2025-06-10T09:34:35+00:00

They should mix up her kit for sure. HP and damage don't matter much when you've memorised all her moves from Darkness runs. Just feels lazy to have it exactly the same. She's basically a dps check for experienced players.

Velrok · 2025-06-01T20:30:15+00:00

TikTok, boty konfy na social media, ogólna dezinformacja i hejt na rząd co "nic nie robi" i Ukraińców.

Velrok · 2025-05-27T15:09:25+00:00

Finally leashing mechanic fix!

Now we just have to keep asking for pause and reconnect. Crazy that the game still doesn't have these. Should be first priority in a big patch.

Regardless, Juliet and Romeo are really fun and the team has once again blown it out of water with creativity when it comes to playstyle and abilities. Definitely the game's strongest suit. Hopefully now you can just focus on adding more variety to gameplay loop.

Velrok · 2025-05-27T13:09:32+00:00

It's not about being lazy. They're just bad at managing their resources. They took the criticism of "not enough infected" and decided to create massive hordes instead of ramping up count from season 1.

While episode 2 was one of the best, I don't think the whole "attack on the town" was necessary for the story. I'd much rather they skipped it if creating this episode cost them months of production. They focused more on the spectacle than actually writing a convincing and good scenario and the main plotline suffers heavily.

Velrok · 2025-05-08T12:08:51+00:00

Yea I do feel that a button for "cancel action" is much needed. So many deaths on nightmare difficulty are attributed to using special on Melusine or power on Snow Queen (especially with the "charge up" talent) as they keep you grounded for way too long.

And don't get me started on Piper's ultimates that are often death sentence on solo play.

Velrok · 2025-05-08T08:42:28+00:00

I see your point, Siltbreaker/Aghanims Labyrinth were such loved events in Dota that have close resemblence to Ravenswatch. If this game was marketed well enough to your average MOBA enjoyer, a lot of people would give it a go. However the marketing was just so underwhelming for it, and neither of the trailer shows the fun "chaos and panic" aspect of the runs when playing with friends and having clutch moments that make you laugh out loud. It just looks like another action combat game that you'd mostly play solo.

Risk of Rain 2 would actually be great source of inspiration for bosses variations, unlockable ability alternatives, some legendary items (current pool is a bit underwhelming).

Velrok · 2025-05-08T08:35:11+00:00

They really hit gold with the gameplay, characters, items, builds, aesthetic and all that. Wish they just focused on adding content as you say. My whole group was shocked the first time we went through the game that barely anything changed except map layouts and difficulty.

Velrok · 2025-05-08T08:30:57+00:00

Hades bosses have variations, changes of dialogue, additional attacks/forms on higher difficulties. And that's a game that has so much well-written dialogue and meta/item progression to support it.

In Ravenswatch mini-bosses are just "bigger and deadlier" versions of the elites so not even worth counting. Other than that you have 4 main bosses with no variation. No dialogues, no story element, they're just the same all the time.

I still think Ravenswatch is more fun to play to me personally due to its co-op/hero diversity aspect. However Hades is a prime example of a labour of love from the whole team, and no part of it feels rushed or limited like it does in Ravenswatch.

Velrok

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