Mr March

Very damned awesome!

Marzan This blu-ray version of GitS is slightly windowboxed. I've no idea why the hell that practice is still employed, but I wish it would die. Thankfully, this release is a very mild version of typical windowboxing but does lead to an image where the colors aren't as vibrant as they could be and the image isn't quite as sharp. Like I said, this blu-ray is a major improvement over the DVD and at last we have the original in HD format, but this is far from the best authored version of a blu-ray. No one would call this demo quality that you would use to try selling HD television screens at your local Best Buy Ideally, what we want out of each and every release to blu-ray is a 4k scan of the original film which is then downsized to HD and mastered specifically for presentation in the 1080P format. This means they enhance the image of the HD presentation so it semi-compensates for the limitations of HD 1080P format. To use an analogy, it's the same process whereby later releases of your favorite films on DVD looked much better than the earliest DVD releases of that same film (example; Blade Runner first DVD vs. Blade Runner Limited Edition DVD). Now that GitS is released on blu-ray, there's a good chance a remastered version will be out eventually. So while it isn't perfect, this is a good sign of good things to come.

I purchased the GitS blu-ray and watched it. It's not the "top shelf" demo quality blu-ray I wanted, but it's so good to see an HD release of the original film at last. I hope they eventually release a remastered version of the film taken from a 4k scan, because this classic deserves the executive treatment. For now, I'm content to finally enjoy it in HD. It's been too damned long.

Who could say no to that! Thirlby was so good in the first film. Without her, Dredd would have been near intolerable. She gave the film a much need human center and added the heart the film needed. I hope we succeed in making a sequel. Petition signed!

Good points Warmaker. It does have an old school design and style to it for sure. Sometimes the design and gameplay is old school to such a degree that it is a the detriment to the game. But It's also clearly a labor of love and I cannot deny how much I am enjoying it, warts and all. I agree that I too had so much "Fallout" on my mind, that I was thoroughly disappointed by the beginning of the game upon first load up. The feel of the game is far more "Wasteland" and far less "Fallout" than I thought I wanted upon initial play. I consciously knew the two were separate and that this western-style team-of-rangers "Wasteland" was going to feel very different from the single-character Mad-Max style "Fallout" series. But in the back of my mind, my subconscious wanted; "War...war never changes". But I'm now up to 26 hours into the game and I don't want it any other way than what it is. I'm finding assault rifle ammo rare and pistol ammo plentiful. Next time I play I'm going to make sure no more than one person is using an assault rifle. I'll mix up the weapons a lot more between characters. I'm finding a melee character absolutely essential.

Astounding. A labour of love.

I got about 26 hours into the game already. Thoroughly addicted

Official Website for InXile Entertainment https://wasteland.inxile-entertainment.com/ I know we have a few old school PC gamers on the forums that played through games like X-COM and the Wing Commander series. But I'm curious if there are any fans of the original Fallout and Fallout 2 video games who might be playing Wasteland 2. This long separated sequel was just released this past week on Steam. I've got about 10 hours into it so far and I'm curious what other fans think of this game. For those who don't know, Wasteland 2 is the result of a very successful kickstarter campaign that raised over $3 million dollars for a $900k project goal. The game is also made by former Interplay staff that worked on both the original Wasteland back in 1988, Fallout in 1997 and the early Fallout sequels before Bethesda took over in the late 2000s. Project lead Brian Fargo is running the show once again, Michael Stackpole (yes, the same) returns to the world he wrote in the first game to write this sequel and a bunch of Fallout veterans are also here, including Mark Morgan scoring. So far, I'm really enjoying the game. Unlike the single player in the first two Fallout games, in Wasteland 2 you play a group of four characters just like in the original Wasteland. However just like Fallout, character creation is a deep, thoughtful process that requires you to think carefully about your choices and sacrifice a lot of options to ensure you can build a few core skills. I've already restarted the game once after learning the hard way how to properly balance my team and build a complimentary party of characters. But the time spent building characters is really worth it and can result in some very effective players even at low levels. Plenty of opportunity for personalization of your characters exist in the game, though sadly the visual customization is not up to the level of something like X-COM Enemy Unknown. The world of Wasteland 2 is beautifully rendered in glorious detail and feautres a perfect color palette instantly recognizable to old school Fallout fans. The writing is again excellent, with plenty of fun dark humor and vibrant characters for meaningful interactions. The combat is just as bloody and graphic as it was back in the old games, perhaps even moreso here because of the vastly improved game engine. Most important of all, the game is once again a complex and detailed game world that never penalizes you for playing the game your own way. There is no "right" type of character that will penalize you for not choosing to use them; instead choosing certain skills will open parts of the game world to you just as other parts of the game world will be closed off to you for lacking certain skills. I'm curious if Wasteland 2 can be played without combat if you choose the right kind of character just as it was in Fallout. Worth finding out There are a few criticisms I have. I think a lot of my love for this game is due to my affection for the type of gameplay Wasteland 2 offers. In many ways it plays much like the old Wasteland and Fallout/Fallout 2 video games, but with many improvements. Yet - for all it's graphical and modern gameplay improvements - the game also suffers some really retro concepts in both game design and interface. I think the most noticeable design drawbacks is a lack of what I call "quality of life" features where simply the menu system and HMI of the game lacks all the features one would expect in a modern game. I wouldn't go so far as to call the game interface dated since it is an improvement over games of decades past. BUT...there are many little things - like lacking a zoom feature in character creation or a proper mouse rotation in the tactical map - that just irk me. They really seem out of place in a current title and draw attention to how little we think of these "standard features" until they aren't there. Nonetheless, I'm being quickly drawn into this game and have spent almost as much time out of the game learning how to build a good character than actually in game playing. That might turn off certain gamers, but Wasteland 2 is my kind of in-depth entertainment that rewards your time investment. Being rewarded for your patience, I've no problem spending lots of time in this world. I can't wait to see what is around the next corner. Any one else here on MW playing this game and have some experiences or opinions?

I think I would buy a mechanical artworks for this series. I like the modern sensibilities applied to the classic designs. Very cool stuff. Though those character books look fantastic.

Anyone know in which episode the green Tomahawk appears?

I didn't even know there was a green one. I figured the tan/sand one that was the default was the most widely known. But you should definitely think creatively and build some totally new ones

Unimpressed is as good a sentiment to echo as any. As it is with most major TV or film offerings these days, the talent and production of the show is undeniable. It looks good, it sounds good and the acting is good. But scratch that thin surface and you'll find... There just isn't anything interesting happening in this series. This is a typical TV police procedural in almost every way that counts except it's set in Gotham instead of New York. Other than the setting (and the weight of broader comic book mythos) what exactly is the catch supposed to be? What's the angle? Where's the hook? What is going to be dramatically explored in "Gotham" that isn't being covered in any one of a thousand other police/medical/legal/fireman dramas on television? And how will that ever be enough to overcome the absence of dramatic tension the very premise of the show demands, since we all know Bruce, Gordon, Oswald, Nygma have to survive any peril so they can eventually become Batman, Commissioner, Penguin and Riddler. Jada Pinkett-Smith's mob mother was the only interesting thing happening in the whole show. Perhaps Bruno Heller feels his career needs to mark the notch of a successful TV show on his gun belt given his claim to fame is the cancelled (but triumphant) "Rome" TV series for HBO. So he agreed to "Gotham" as a safe bet. Post-pilot, I'm not seeing any indication this series is coloring outside the lines. If this show wasn't named "Gotham", I never would have even watched the pilot of a series this banal and pedestrian. I'll give it one or two more episodes, but I think I'm out of this one fast.

Another fine rendition. The eyes in particular expertly capture the Mikimoto style. Well done!

Gotta disagree with most here; IMO, anime has always achieved speed in battles/dogfights by specifically excluding detail and "abusing" the abbreviation of motion such that the final result achieves an effect of hyper-velocity. The hand drawn animation of older Macross productions achieves this particularly well by cheating with the incremental nature of frame animation; whereas live action records a perfect linear path of a moving object from frame to frame, anime artists cheat by drawing the stills of a fast moving object farther from one frame to the next, at whatever artificial rate they feel is necessary to achieve a desired dramatic effect. That hyper-velocity dramatic animated editing is unique to anime and one of the key reasons many of us fell in love with the artform. By contrast, CG animation in modern anime must follow the restrictions of physical models and limitations similar to live action. So often times the action feels faster in CG in order to achieve the time-skipping effect of an old-school anime style. But the dramatic result is the same; a stylistic attempt to show movement faster than the eye can follow to achieve a surreal level of speed. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I believe Macross Frontier was a watershed moment in CG anime for Macross. The Frontier series was the first Macross anime in which I felt the action sequences at last managed to marry computer models with an animation style that successfully reproduced that of the old school hand drawn animation. The CG animation is different because the media format is different, but the style is unmistakable. I loved the action sequences in the Macross Frontier series and felt they were definitely a standout in technique even if the dramatic worth of the plotting wasn't as engaging (a totally separate issue from the animation itself).

Nicely done. Proportions and detail looks spot on.

An unfortunate non-reality All joking aside, I’d say that while flippancy may help navigate some folks, just be aware it turns some away. I hesitated with my reply because the topic didn't inspire confidence in a potential worthwhile discussion. It’s a gamble that paid off this time, but has more often than not backfired. I'd just say people’s patience is worth encouraging. I’d agree that right now you’re far too close to disappointment to give the Frontier series a chance. Like I said, if you take away anything from this topic then revisit later (“Subtitles is SUPER-effective!”). That’d work best. I too hope you avoid the jihad fans. Best method; don’t build a fansite, lol! Rock hard? Mmmhmmmm...perhaps best left unsaid

I think that's the best advice I can offer; just be aware of what you're getting into and be self aware of what you want out of Macross. From the sounds of things, you and I may be on the same page as far as our assessment of the franchise. For me, I adore the art, culture and innovation of Macross when at it's most entertaining. Macross hasn't been artistically/culturally relevant for quite a long time, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed for what it is. I agree Macross was at its best when realizing its full potential (IMO that was SDFM, Flashback 2012, DYRL, and Macross Plus). But the later Macross is still rich enough to offer some drama, some laughs, some excitement and interesting world building and great mechanical design. Even Macross 7 was an interesting failure, which is better than mediocrity. IMO, the Macross Frontier TV series is the closest there has been to capturing the magic of early Macross since Macross Plus. There's still lots to love about Macross, so long as you accept it for what it is NOW...and so long as you personally make peace with that. Now believe me, I sympathize with you as a Macross fan that is also a critical thinker. You will invariably encounter hostility from some fans who seem incapable of reconciling those of us that enjoy Macross while compartmentalizing the shortcomings of the franchise. It sounds absurd, but even I have been accused of not being a "real" Macross fan because of my critical opinions. Typical internet extremism; love what I love with as much love or you are a traitor, LOL! Again, I'd say just treat the franchise fairly and the next time you watch Macross, use subtitles responsibly, hahahaa

I've never seen that shirt before. I can make out Misa but not much else. Lego was very cool

I'm going for the Amazon one. I typically dislike cards, autographed pictures and displays. They always end up in a box collecting dust. For obvious reasons, I very much enjoy art books

LOL, haven't seen one of these topics in a while I'm with Kaneda on this one; a beligerent post leads to other beligerent posts. You're clearly aware, so you knew what you were getting into posting an extreme criticism of a Macross anime on a Macross message board filled with Macross fans. The heated replies were actually far milder than they could have been. I can understand fans advising you to view the Macross Frontier films with some proper subtitles so you could at least understand what was going on. However, based on what you've posted about your broader thoughts on popular culture, movies, TV and anime specifically, IMO you were never going to like the movies anyway. Watching them without subtitles probably only made a bad situation much worse, which probably explains your frustrated post. I'm surprised you even made it to the second film. Now, it's possible talking about the movies here and then perhaps sometime later deciding to watch them again in subtitles might warm you to the movies. But if you hate the Frontier films this much now, it's unlikely you'll ever be a fan. At best, your opinions may cool. I'd say try some other Macross instead; there's plenty to enjoy. Also - while the Macross Frontier movies are a bad example - I'd say open your mind and broaden your horizons a little. Stop defining all entertainment by some rigid demand that every story you watch wrap up in a tidy, facile little bow that's easy to digest. There is just as much of that brand of colorless entertainment that lacks merit as there is joyful entertainment that truly statisfies. Expecting this same convenient moderation in all entertainment - regardless of theme, subject or style - is an unrealistic demand that will prevent you from enjoying an entire world of excellent entertainment that is as good (at odd times, perhaps even better) than the conventional fare that caters to safer and more mundane desires. Oh, and welcome to the forums, hahahaha

I long ago stopped caring that bad movies make money. All I care about is that good movies make money. Guardians is secure

Good to know it wasn't serious. Thank you for looking into it so quickly. Ask for a raise

Looks like it's back up now. Hope the problem wasn't too serious?

Anyone else having problems accessing the Macross Compendium? Was trying to do some research on the VF-27 Lucifer and I've not been able to access the site all evening.

This "Macross The First version SV-51" would have to be modified for space; a fighter using conventional (overtuned) jet engines could not operate in space. Maybe it has thermonuclear engines like the VF-1?