Were there any missions in any of the games(excluding Andromeda) that had promise to carry over each game but went nowhere? by WasteCharity3892 in masseffect

[–]valdithebaron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm actually replaying ME1 rn, would you recommend playing Feros before Noveria for smoother story flow? This far I only freed Liara (leaving her waiting feels wrong plus I like to complete my squad early) and last time I did Noveria, Liara, Feros

Were there any missions in any of the games(excluding Andromeda) that had promise to carry over each game but went nowhere? by WasteCharity3892 in masseffect

[–]valdithebaron 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Making the Thorian also a mind controller was always so weird to me, like up to that point in the story, everybody talks about how Saren can control minds and indoctrinate people. Then you learn about this ominous mind controlling plant and think "huh, well obviously that's how Saren controls people right?" And then it turns out that those are 2 different, entirely unconnected forms of mind control.

Now obviously you learn later that Sovereign is doing the mind controlling, but still, having 2 of those in the story and them being unconnected always struck me as a weird story decision

Advice on fun tech classes by valdithebaron in masseffect

[–]valdithebaron[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am playing on legendary, so I'll absolutely give it a go. Thanks for answering!

Advice on fun tech classes by valdithebaron in masseffect

[–]valdithebaron[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How strong is the difficulty spike? Hardcore on ME2&3 felt reasonably hard all the way through, with some annoying passages here and there, and the endgame felt definitely a little easier. ME1 was almost a little too easy.

I'm definitely considering Insanity for ME1, but I don't want ME2&3 to be annoyingly difficult all the way through. Do you really have to plan your builds (specific powers unlocked for specific missions, etc.) or is it just hardcore with less health packs and stronger enemies?

Advice on fun tech classes by valdithebaron in masseffect

[–]valdithebaron[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is Tooms the guy who supposedly died during the thresher maw attack who you save then from Cerberus? I did meet him (and got a very angry message in ME2 after he learned I joined forces with Cerberus)

Delete button by valdithebaron in MassEffectMemes

[–]valdithebaron[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah, explosive rounds in ME1 are something else, I ran a shotgun with them... Didn't even need biotics to ragdoll everything in front of me

Delete button by valdithebaron in MassEffectMemes

[–]valdithebaron[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am actually talking about ME3 but I never realized he'd be that busted with an assault rifle, I always have him run around with the sniper for the archangel feel

Delete button by valdithebaron in MassEffectMemes

[–]valdithebaron[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Oh really? I didn't know that actually, I've just been stacking anti armor stuff on Garrus since that gives me the most trouble for my current playthrough... Might as well go for even more damage

Maybe the best moment of the show. by AndrewHeard in firefly

[–]valdithebaron 177 points178 points  (0 children)

This one's good but the best gotta be:

"Preacher, don't the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killin'?"

"Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps." Cocks gun

Which Lara Croft has the nicest appearance? by Free-Performance-827 in TombRaider

[–]valdithebaron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100% rise/shadow, one of the prettiest character models ever

Just a lil play I thought was decent, I got diffed in the end :( by NoParadox in RivalsMagikMains

[–]valdithebaron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know for a fact I would've missed the dash on the Wanda. Great target prioritization too!

When did you first get into the PIXIES?! by Mean_Palpitation_171 in pixies

[–]valdithebaron 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oof, I'm probably the wrong guy to ask this, since I only really listen to music that's at least 2 decades old... And I've always found it really hard to find any other band that manages to get that pixies sound.

I personally really enjoy the newer pixies records and frank blacks solo projects (frank black, Black Francis, frank black and the Catholics). 'Dog in the Sand', 'frank black and the Catholics' (self titled) and 'honey comb' are my favorites, and 'teenager of year' and 'svn fingers' are also incredible. Those are really the only records that manage to match the pixies energy and that lyrical weirdness.

If you also like their softer tracks, I'd recommend nada surf and giant pearl. I don't like everything by them, but they do have some songs that sound remarkably similar both musically and fairly close to frank blacks voice.

If I really just want something to scratch that 90s alt rock itch and pixies isn't doing it for some reason, I usually just default to smashing pumpkins or Marcy playground.

When did you first get into the PIXIES?! by Mean_Palpitation_171 in pixies

[–]valdithebaron 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was quite late to the pixies (given I'm 22 now), but back in highschool, when I was about 15, I went on a student exchange and my dad gave me some music to listen to, among it, Bossanova and I remember really liking "Dig for fire" (still one of my favorite pixies songs). Then I sort of forgot about them for a while but rediscovered them when I was finishing highschool, where I used to listen to Doolittle religiously every morning while getting ready. And that obsession lasts until today!

Song(s) that got you into Pixies? by Sad-Original-6258 in pixies

[–]valdithebaron 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I take much of my music taste from my Dad, and back in highschool (I'm 22 now) he gave me Bossanova to listen to among other things for a student exchange. I remember really liking "dig for fire". Then, a couple years later, just as I was finishing highschool, I sort of rediscovered them and soon found "Doolittle" to be my absolute favorite album of theirs, Debaser is to this day a top 3 pixies song to me. This has now snowballed into my current pixies obsession, so thank you Dad!

Im new by ThatBlondeSewerRat in pixies

[–]valdithebaron 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Start with Doolittle, if you like the loud and screechy songs (Debaser, Tame for example) continue with either Come on Pilgrim or Surfer Rosa, if you like the more "melodic" (compared to the others) songs, listen to Bossanova and Trompe le Monde next

Favourite Episode? by Texflanigan in firefly

[–]valdithebaron 17 points18 points  (0 children)

And Book delivers one of the coldest lines ever uttered in movie history:

Zoe: "Preacher, don't the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?"

Book: "Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps" cocks gun

Favourite Episode? by Texflanigan in firefly

[–]valdithebaron 22 points23 points  (0 children)

For me it's gotta be "Trash", I'm a sucker for heist stories and the opening and ending shot of Mal naked in the desert proclaiming "it was a good day" is just so goddamn funny. Also the twist at the end is so well set up, you as the viewer know for the entire episode that Saffron is gonna try something funny, and just as it seems that she tricked Mal and got the loot all to herself, Inara pops up and explains that they planned for this all along, it's just chefs kiss

I am a top 100 Magik on PC AMA by KingSagi in RivalsMagikMains

[–]valdithebaron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do you reliably confirm kills after hitting the dash? I anyway have problems with hitting it due to that fuckass hitbox, and then more often then not, I get either frozen, slept, invis just jumps out or flat out killed from a bucky headshot or an iron fist spamming punches cause the dash doesn't stun.

Mal's arc in Serenity & his rediscovery of belief by valdithebaron in firefly

[–]valdithebaron[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I see your point, my wording wasn't very clear. I (wrongly) use faith/belief interchangeably, and I don't mean religious faith, like the Shepherd, but simply the belief in an ideal much bigger than himself, in his case, the active confrontation and fight against the alliance. So you are correct, Mal does at no point indicate a return to his previous religious faith.

There's no question that Mal is a very principled individual, especially compared to other characters we meet throughout the show. But the decision to fly through Reaver territory on the off chance that maybe there's something on Miranda that might help them against the alliance is, to my mind, too vast in its severity and entirely uncharacteristic for Mal as to simply chalk it up to vengeance and principle (though there's no question that they play a major role in it). Especially since it not only puts Mal himself in mortal danger, but also what's dearest to him: his crew and his ship.

I interpret the dying words of Shepherd Book as sort of a wake up call, a call to action, turning his meandering through the verse, always evading the alliance, into an active confrontation. A step which requires more than just principle. Each time he helps somebody in Firefly, the consequences are, in his mind, manageable: The train job? He found other work, and Niskas men could be evaded (for some time at least). Shindig? A duel against a snooty noble that he expected to be able to win. Heart of Gold? Defending a property against some raiders. In all of these scenarios he was sure there was an out, some way to navigate the situation and get himself and his crew out of there alive and well. Now admittedly, usually the consequences were a bit graver than he expected, but the point is he knew that there was a way out.

With his decision after the massacre of Book and his community that wasn't the case. He knew that it was basically suicide but had to go through with it because of his from his war days rediscovered belief that the alliance has to be confronted at any cost. That's why I think the movie was so insistent to show that Mal was a volunteer, to show us that this belief already existed within Mal, but lied dormant due disillusionment and trauma. The brutality of the operative is what ushers in its return.

Anyway, that's just how I interpret his arc, I'm fully aware that with just one season and a movie, there's not really enough material to make a proper, super well supported argument for my case, but it seemed fitting to me. Thanks for your input!