The Gaffer

I think they're going to be clever enough this time around to avoid punching down. If the subtext of the game pisses anyone off, it'll be the people who are forever offended that you can't offend anymore, taking offence at the game offending them. There's a lot of really good social narrative out there they can play on this time around, whereas GTA V seemed to come at an odd point in history post Bush and pre Trump. The whole point of it seemed to just be the chaos and fakery of excess capitalism, and it wound up becoming life imitating art through its endless re-releases and online monetisation. I'm totally up for more heart in it this time around, which might be possible if they've gone with a couple as the leads. Yeah, yeah, you can still have them get in a car and run over everyone in sight but that's player agency. It'd be nice to have you actually root for them for a change. 

Mostly I just hope they overhaul the mission structure. Especially the main story missions. Give me player choices that matter more than just affecting one future mission or whichever smart arse dialogue line gets triggered. I want to fuck around with one family/gang and be frozen out of being able to deal with another because of it. I want missions where if you've failed them, that's just tough luck. No replays. 

And - I feel like this is pissing in the wind with games at this stage - no RPG lite skill trees. Please. If they get a little stronger or faster through player effort that's fine, but I don't want my main character to be a big drooling baby who can barely land a punch, and wind up being superman sixty hours later because I've pressed the next shining thing on the menu. 

3 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

One thing that bugs me about the phrase Positive Mental Attitude - if someone can point out what I'm missing, I'd appreciate it, but are there any kinds of attitude other than mental?

The focus is on the word positive I guess? 

But yeah it can be construed as toxic positivity. It can be anything - really - from harmless neologism to just really unhelpful, potentially damaging advice. You go to any psychotherapist worth their salt and they'll tell you that you have a right to be angry and depressed, and it's hugely important to feel and process these things. 

Yeah there's something not wired correctly with Dan Sanchez. I feel like going back through them now. The film I remember being really good solely for that build up of revelations Dainton and Pritchard unleashed on each other of how much they were fucking one another over, specifically Pritch being over the moon at earning a fake Guinness world record for being shot with the most paintballs. 

Dainton always seemed like a bit of an anti-Knoxville from what I recall though with being made to look overly silly, doing anything too crazy etc. I remember in the movie he refused to dance with a transexual on camera and it seemed to be coming from a place of genuine homophobia in the truest sense of the word. Maybe it's stuff he's grown out of, and it's his right, but I always found a bit rich considering what you're making your living doing. 

The Jackass boys got that one cracked. You have to be dumb, tough and gay as FOOK to pull this kind of stuff off. 

I was honestly expecting it to just look like GTA V but...wow? Some of the fidelity, crowd density etc on some of that stuff is insane looking. First game in a long while I've seen and thought "This is a leap." 

That tune slaps, too. 

Hard to see beyond this one if Punk's does decide to pick another tune of theirs:

Define wrestling being hot right now: CM Punk comes back to WWE in the mother of all shock returns and a week later on an episode of Smackdown some 41 year old bloke doing the most routine beatdown run-in probably gets a  slightly bigger pop. 

Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats in Ireland. Double whammy of gorgeous and the leader of a party I'd vote for:

4 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

"I know your Wenger, I know your van Persies, Sakas and Martinelliiiiiiiis" 

"I'M THE SCREAMING FACE ON ARSENAL FAN TV." 

2 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

They played Cult Of Personality at the Emirates at half time, so obviously that's me done as a fan.

"Look in my eyeeeees! What do you see. Phil's on the wrong end of the North London derby"

Ding and Williams spent more time on the green last night than I did for most my twenties, and it was wonderful:

Sum the sport up in a photo:

Fine 67% growth but they had to move it all opposite hard cam to get it to look that way I bet.

Always play it doing the everything-in-the-one-morning Christmas shopping, obviously.

I think this is coming out next year. They promised their investors 2024 would be huge, right? And Rockstar are typically really good at keeping their cards to their chest until shit's basically ready. 

I mean I'm not reading into it but having to do a full clockwise sweep before turning my laptop upside down to find the Best in the World on it gave me a chuckle. 

I'd have faith in the project. Austin seems far wilier and conservative to his own body and worth than DX/Brothers of Destruction and I wouldn't rank Punk any higher or lower than KO's skillset with being able to put together and execute a great grudge match that dances around everybody involved's age based limitations.  

Regardless of how much money they're getting paid for it, WWE's own quality control with legends and what's canon was clearly far lower in Saudi. Two old schoolers like Austin and Punk, at WrestleMania? They're not going out there and WWE wouldn't let them out there if they think there's any chance it'll stink the joint out. 

Alistair Darling, Shane MacGowan, Henry Kissinger and Jimmy Corkhill. 

Just the most thrown together Survivor Series team ever. 

Man...so much I could say about Shane. One of the cool dudes, and at once a complete relic in terms of vaunting figures for their absolutely perplexing, insane alcohol consumption. It was an intrinsic part of his myth, though. 

This song just has insane poignancy now:

 We're left with Bono and Dana. 

Fuck sake. 

The original pipebomb promo starts at 1:12:30 

Come on I don't think he was tha - 

Okay yeah sorry, carry on. 

I used to have so much time for Bischoff but he's ground me down with his whole 'I transparently hate wrestling but it's the only grift I earn from so I'll constantly offed up critiques on any promotion I'm not in which is all of them' shtick. 

He's right down there with Russo for me. Every second that passes we move further and further away from his last modicum of success, making the whole "Well let me tell you what I'd do" content total cringe. 

I'll hand it to them though, they're working. They both probably earn thousands a month from this stuff. 

It's newz, obviously, but I'd be genuinely so excited for this. Overproduced? Full of snarky promos? Reigns goes over? Don't care.

It's like a really weird dream feud that seemed all but unthinkable. The current man versus the guy who was sort of but not really the man. Both from the same era but only sort of. It's just such an odd dynamic that makes complete sense still. So much you could do here. 

"Honestly, I enjoy a beer after work as much as the next guy, and you should probably grow out of Rancid at my age" 

11 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

An angle that set up a future match or programme, rather than ending the show on "it's nice to be here, tip your waiters, try the veal".

That's not how it ended though. The last line of the promo was "I'm here to make money, not friends." 

Opinions aside surely that is an obvious angle? Week one and he's does a modest, workaday monologue we all know he doesn't believe and is beneath his own promo level and then signs it off with a wink and "I'm still a dick" to the camera. 

16 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

I don't think this counts as ratings chat, but ESPN have reported that Punk returning at Survivor Series had 71 million views across all platforms and is their biggest ever social media interaction. Obviously half of those is Scorchers hate watching, but that is a big number. Reports that Punk isn't a a big deal for the current generation of WWE fans doesn't appear to be true. 

Yeah he's clearly still a huge deal, I just think he's going to be more...democratised?...in WWE. 

You really got the sense when he came into AEW that if he stayed injury free (he didn't) and was a good boy (he wasn't) he could have effective creative control simply by being if not bigger than the company then surely just the same size as it. The exact embodiment of AEW's ethos and alternative nous in the form of one wrestler. 

In WWE  no one guy's going to be the guy ever again I think to that extent. Brock and Roman are the closest they've come in the last few years but you still get the sense with both of them - as well protected as they've generally been - that they're part time prize fighters on hire who they're still quite capable of moving on without if needs be. So Punk can be big in WWE but he's going to feel much more part of a whole, I think, which some people may have to get used to. 

Raw spoilers:

I don't think Punk's going to be the centre of their universe ever again. That time's surely passed, and the throne's going to Cody. He could be excellent foil for him, though. Really I see him being the Kevin Owens guy but at a slightly higher level if it all works out. The guy who has the grudge match sub main, who you can turn on a dime and slot into a title picture if needs be.