Order of the Blue Gartr - Blogs https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php Blue Gartr Forums Built for the gamer inside all of us. Fresh to Elite, join our community supporting Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, other MMOs, and all sorts of games en Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:26:59 GMT vBulletin 5 https://cdn.bluegartr.com/images/styles/bluevb4/misc/rss.jpg Order of the Blue Gartr - Blogs https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php BG Stats for May 2026 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=551 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:19:06 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023... Games
  1. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023
  2. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  3. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  4. Destiny 2: The Final Shape [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC] - Y8, The Dark Age Returns
  5. Saros (PS5) - It's Returnal, You Liked Returnal - 2026
  6. Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams (The Flames of Fate) - It's Maybe for Adults
  7. Nintendo Switch 2 - Magnets, how do they work?
  8. PlayStation 5 (II) - Not as Expensive as an Xbox
  9. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  10. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe




General
  1. The Boys - Season 3 June 3, 2022
  2. General Wrestling XII: Dealhausens Until Sold Out
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2026: Fingers Crossed
  4. Star Wars: The Mandalorian (D+) | Theatrical Release - May 22, 2026
  5. Mortal Kombat 2 (May 8, 2026)
  6. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes
  7. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  8. Random Win III: The irl Fuck Ya thread - BG lost their jobs and moved back into the basement.
  9. Moon Base 13, The Moon: NASA Is In Kinga Forrester's Pocket
  10. X-Men '97: The Animated Series - 2023


I guess bad shows are what get people talking.

F this month to: Alex Zanardi, John Sterling, Ted Turner, Donald Gibb, Clarence Carter, Tom Kane, Kyle Busch and Rob Base.



Poopdeck
  1. Month Thirteen: Oil Barons | Dad, How Did You Meet Mom?
  2. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  3. Iran - It's Not Just Hostages and Arms Deals Anymore
  4. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  5. GAMESTONKS II - Full Faith and Credit in Memes
  6. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  7. Local Elections
  8. The "Oh hey look who got hacked today" thread!
  9. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  10. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. 6souls
  3. Krandor
  4. Obsidian
  5. Mertron
  6. Tyrath
  7. Andalusian girls
  8. Melena
  9. Dimmauk
  10. Zealot




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tymon
  3. Tyrath
  4. Bombur
  5. Outlaw
  6. kuronosan
  7. Zealot
  8. Sirious
  9. Salodin
  10. Anoat




Top Spammers
  1. Anoat
  2. Demosthenes
  3. Mertron
  4. Zealot
  5. Milkster
  6. Tyrath
  7. Xno Kappa
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Salodin
  10. Krandor
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=551 BG Stats for April 2026 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=550 Fri, 01 May 2026 12:56:15 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Crimson Desert (PC/PS5/XSX) - March 19, 2026... Games
  1. Crimson Desert (PC/PS5/XSX) - March 19, 2026
  2. FFXIV 8.0: Evercold (January 2027)
  3. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  4. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  5. PRAGMATA (PC/PS5/XSX/NSW2) - April 24, 2026
  6. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  7. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe
  8. Saros (PS5) - It's Returnal, You Liked Returnal - 2026
  9. PlayStation 5 (II) - Not as Expensive as an Xbox
  10. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition


It seems we have a few new games in the usual rotation.



General
  1. General Wrestling XII: Dealhausens Until Sold Out
  2. Invincible - Animated Series - March 26, 2021
  3. The Boys - Season 3 June 3, 2022
  4. NASA isn't even trying to get people to Mars anymore
  5. Celebrity Death Thread 2026: Fingers Crossed
  6. PC Build Advice/Review II: 5090 or Bust.
  7. Daredevil: Born Again (D+) - 2024
  8. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  9. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  10. Super Mario Galaxy (April 2026)


F this month to: Afrika Bambaataa, John Nolan, Sid Krofft, Patrick Muldoon, Daryl Sheets, Gerry Conway, Roger Sweet and David Allan Coe.



Poopdeck
  1. Month Thirteen: Oil Barons | Dad, How Did You Meet Mom?
  2. Iran - It's Not Just Hostages and Arms Deals Anymore
  3. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  4. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  5. Local Elections
  6. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  7. Epstein Island Resurgence: Don't be mad you weren't invited
  8. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  9. Muh Guns, Too
  10. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Krandor
  3. 6souls
  4. Mertron
  5. Obsidian
  6. Weltall
  7. Tyrath
  8. Bombur
  9. Anoat
  10. Cail




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tymon
  3. Tyrath
  4. Zealot
  5. Bombur
  6. Mertron
  7. Salodin
  8. Obsidian
  9. Meresgi
  10. Outlaw




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Salodin
  3. Milkster
  4. Mertron
  5. Anoat
  6. Zealot
  7. Tyrath
  8. Krandor
  9. Andalusian girls
  10. Xno Kappa
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=550 BG Stats for March 2026 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=549 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 01:51:26 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo... Games
  1. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  2. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  3. Crimson Desert (PC/PS5/XSX) - March 19, 2026
  4. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  5. PlayStation 5 (II) - Not as Expensive as an Xbox
  6. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  7. Resident Evil Re9uiem (PC/PS5/XSX) - February 27, 2026
  8. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs
  9. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  10. Pokémon Pokopia (NSW2) - Town Builder - March 5, 2026




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2026: Fingers Crossed
  3. Random Anime Thread.
  4. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  5. PC Build Advice/Review II: 5090 or Bust.
  6. Super Mario Galaxy (April 2026)
  7. Misc. Movie/TV News
  8. Project Hail Mary (3.20.26)
  9. Spider-Man 4 July 24, 2026
  10. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out


F this month to: Lou Holtz, Tommy DeCarlo, Lord Sear, Phil Campbell, Kiki Shepard, Tsutomu Shibayama, Chuck Norris, Nicholas Brendon, Jeff Webb, Robert Mueller, Sam Kieth, Leonid Radvinsky, Barry Caldwell, James Tolkan and Daniel Wherrett.



Poopdeck
  1. Iran - It's Not Just Hostages and Arms Deals Anymore
  2. Month Thirteen: Oil Barons | Dad, How Did You Meet Mom?
  3. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  4. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  5. U.S. Border Crisis: No, You Can't Go Back
  6. Local Elections
  7. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  8. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy
  9. Muh Guns, Too
  10. Do We Have A 'Silly Shit Politicians Say' Thread? If Not, Here We Are




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Krandor
  3. Weltall
  4. Mertron
  5. Obsidian
  6. 6souls
  7. Tyrath
  8. Anoat
  9. Cail
  10. Bombur




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tymon
  3. Bombur
  4. Cail
  5. Zealot
  6. Salodin
  7. Tyrath
  8. Mertron
  9. Outlaw
  10. Anoat




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Mertron
  3. Zealot
  4. Milkster
  5. Xno Kappa
  6. Salodin
  7. Anoat
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Krandor
  10. Tyrath




BTW, BG Forums has been under attack by botnets for the past few weeks. So far the firewall seems to be able to handle the billions of requests we receive every week. Also, they seem to be now focusing on brute-forcing user accounts, so don't be like these 5 idiots that had their usernames as their passwords. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=549 BG Stats for February 2026 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=548 Sun, 01 Mar 2026 06:02:31 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo... Games
  1. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  2. DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined (PC/PS5/XSX/NSW2) - February 5, 2026
  3. PlayStation 5 (II) - At Least It Hasn't Priced Out Their Userbase
  4. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  5. Nintendo Switch 2 - Magnets, how do they work?
  6. Resident Evil Re9uiem (PC/PS5/XSX) - February 27, 2026
  7. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs
  8. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  9. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  10. Pokemon Winds/Waves (NSW2) - 2027




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2026: Fingers Crossed
  3. Random Anime Thread.
  4. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  5. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes
  6. Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon (HBO) - Prequel Series - 2022
  7. One Punch-Man -Where's my season 3!?
  8. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II
  9. Fallout (TV Show)
  10. Disneyland/Disney World thread


F this month to: Sonny Jurgensen, Brad Arnold, Greg Brown, James Van Der Beek, Tim Very, Shutaro Ida, Hideki Sato, Robert Duvall, Jesse Jackson, Peter Greene, Eric Dane, Lil Poppa, Bill Mazeroski, Rondale Moore, Robert Carradine, Katherine Short, Oliver Grant and Jeff Galloway.



Poopdeck
  1. Month Thirteen: Oil Barons | Dad, How Did You Meet Mom?
  2. Epstein Island Resurgence: Don't be mad you weren't invited
  3. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  4. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  5. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  6. Iran - It's Not Just Hostages and Arms Deals Anymore
  7. U.S. Border Crisis: No, You Can't Go Back
  8. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  9. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  10. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub




Top Posters
  1. 6souls
  2. Krandor
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Obsidian
  5. Weltall
  6. Mertron
  7. Cail
  8. Salodin
  9. Bombur
  10. Tyrath




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Meresgi
  3. Tymon
  4. Salodin
  5. Zealot
  6. Tyrath
  7. kuronosan
  8. Bombur
  9. Anoat
  10. Obsidian




Top Spammers
  1. Zealot
  2. Demosthenes
  3. Milkster
  4. archibaldcrane
  5. Andalusian girls
  6. Anoat
  7. Mertron
  8. Salodin
  9. Xno Kappa
  10. Tyrath




Remember that you can now upload video files to BG Bucket. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=548 BG Stats for January 2026 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=547 Thu, 05 Feb 2026 07:11:50 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo... Games
  1. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  2. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS5/XSX/NWS2/PS4/NSW) - September 30, 2025
  3. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  4. 2025 Blue Gartr Game of the Year
  5. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  6. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs
  7. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  8. Highguard (PC/PS5/XSX) - Hero Shooter with Raid Mechanics - Jan 26, 2026
  9. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  10. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  3. What's your weather?
  4. Avengers: Doomsday (December 2026)
  5. Celebrity Death Thread 2026: Fingers Crossed
  6. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  7. Dragonball Z/Super Thread III: I don't know what a Hiatus is but Piccolo 17 is still the best fight.
  8. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  9. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes
  10. Random Anime Thread.


F this month to: Victoria Jones, Glenn Hall, T.K. Carter, Bob Weir, Scott Adams, John Forté, Valentino Garavani, Rob Hirst, Catherine O’Hara and Demond Wilson.



Poopdeck
  1. U.S. Border Crisis: No, You Can't Go Back
  2. Month Thirteen: Oil Barons | Dad, How Did You Meet Mom?
  3. Month Eight: Crashing Out Over A Podcaster
  4. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  5. War on Drugs 2 (And Venezuela): 2 Strikes and You're a War Crime
  6. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  7. Iran - It's Not Just Hostages and Arms Deals Anymore
  8. Do We Have A 'Silly Shit Politicians Say' Thread? If Not, Here We Are
  9. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  10. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II




Top Posters
  1. Weltall
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Mertron
  4. Krandor
  5. Rhyis.
  6. kuronosan
  7. Cail
  8. 6souls
  9. Melena
  10. Anoat




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tymon
  3. Meresgi
  4. Tyrath
  5. Bombur
  6. Salodin
  7. Cail
  8. kuronosan
  9. Obsidian
  10. Anoat




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Zealot
  3. Mertron
  4. Anoat
  5. Salodin
  6. Andalusian girls
  7. Xno Kappa
  8. Krandor
  9. Milkster
  10. Tyrath
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=547 BG Stats for Whole Year 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=546 Fri, 02 Jan 2026 04:34:13 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV 1. Patch 7.3: The Promise of Tomorrow (August 5th, 2025)... FFXIV
  1. Patch 7.3: The Promise of Tomorrow (August 5th, 2025)
  2. Patch 7.1: Crossroads (November 12th, 2024)
  3. Patch 7.2: Seekers of Eternity (late March 2025)
  4. Patch 7.4 Into the Mist (December 16th, 2025)
  5. Possibly returning - Questions


RIP FFXIV modders (mostly).





FFXI
  1. New or Returning Players Discussion 3: FFXI Single Player Edition
  2. Random Facts Thread: Magic
  3. Dirty Deeds, Drama, & Deletion: A Digital Disappearing Act
  4. Gold World Pass Requests
  5. Random Facts Thread: Abilities




Games
  1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  2. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS5/XSX/NWS2/PS4/NSW) - September 30, 2025
  3. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  4. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025
  5. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  6. Nintendo Switch 2 - Magnets, how do they work?
  7. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  8. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  9. Zenless Zone Zero (PC/Consoles/iOS) - The Next Genshin Impact - 2024
  10. Square Enix General News






General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  3. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  4. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  5. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  6. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  7. What's your weather?
  8. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  9. One Piece: Gear Second
  10. One Punch-Man -Where's my season 3!?


F this year to: Wayne Osmond, Ripken The Bat Dog, Jeff Baena, Dale Wilson, Peter Yarrow, Bob Uecker, David Lynch, Marianne Faithfull, Aga Khan IV, Kultida Woods, Irv Gotti, Lynne Marie Stewart, Pope Francis, Roberta Flack, Chris Jasper, Roberto Orci, Michelle Trachtenberg, Gene Hackman, Adam Kreutinger, David Johansen, Angie Stone, Tim Kruger, James Harrison, Carl Dean, George Lowe, D'Wayne Wiggins, George Foreman, Bobby Oliver, Clive Revill, Richard Chamberlain, Val Kilmer, Clem Burke, Jay North, Les Binks, Wink Martindale, Steve McMichael, David Souter, Joe Don Baker, George Wendt, Adam Ramey, Jim Irsay, Sacha Jenkins, Peter David, Charles Rangel, Phil Robertson, Rick Derringer, Alf Clausen, Loretta Swit, Valerie Mahaffey, Renée Victor, Jonathan Joss, Sly Stone, Dres Tha Beatnik, Brian Wilson, Ananda Lewis, Anne Burrell, Michael Madsen, Kenneth Colley, Julian McMahon, James Carter Cathcart, Felix Baumgartner, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Ozzy Osbourne, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Mangione, George Kooymans, George Nigh, Loni Anderson, Jim Lovell, Nobuo Yamada, Terence Stamp, Frank Caprio, Brent Hinds, James Dobson, Graham Greene, Giorgio Armani, Charlie Kirk, Polly Holliday, Maru, Robert Redford, Tomas Lindberg, Russell M. Nelson, Jane Goodall, Ian Watkins, Diane Keaton, Drew Struzan, D'Angelo, Tomonobu Itagaki, Ace Frehley, Sam Rivers, Doug Martin, Daniel Naroditsky, Tchéky Karyo, Donna Jean Godchaux, Dick Cheney, Duane Roberts, James Watson, Cleto Escobedo, Udo Kier, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Floyd Tillman, Jeff Garcia, Jim Ward, Peter Greene, Rob Reiner, Greg Biffle, James Ransone, Aidan Zingg, Vince Zampella, Adam the Woo, Mickey Lee, Brigitte Bardot and Isiah Whitlock Jr.



Poopdeck
  1. Month Four: 90 Days, Zero Deals | White People TACO Night
  2. President Elon Musk: The Libertarian Patron Saint of Ron Paul
  3. Month Eight: Crashing Out Over A Podcaster
  4. Two Term Celebrity Politician - JD Vance Missing Persons Coldcase
  5. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  6. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  7. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  8. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  9. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  10. Iran - It's Not Just Hostages and Arms Deals Anymore




Top Posters
  1. Mertron
  2. Krandor
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Weltall
  5. 6souls
  6. Rhyis.
  7. Obsidian
  8. Tyrath
  9. kuronosan
  10. Melena




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tyrath
  3. archibaldcrane
  4. Meresgi
  5. Tymon
  6. Tyche
  7. kuronosan
  8. Mertron
  9. Salodin
  10. Mrbeansman




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Zealot
  3. Salodin
  4. Mertron
  5. Anoat
  6. Milkster
  7. Andalusian girls
  8. archibaldcrane
  9. Xno Kappa
  10. Roranora
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=546 BG Stats for November 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=545 Fri, 05 Dec 2025 01:23:54 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. a game by Team Cherry - Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025)... Games
  1. a game by Team Cherry - Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025)
  2. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs
  3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  4. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  5. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  6. PlayStation 5 (II) - At Least It Hasn't Priced Out Their Userbase
  7. Tales of Berseria (PS3, PS4)
  8. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  9. Square Enix General News
  10. Grand Theft Auto VI (PS5/XSX) - May 26, 2026




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  3. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  4. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  5. Legend of Zelda
  6. Random Win III: The irl Fuck Ya thread - BG lost their jobs and moved back into the basement.
  7. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  8. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  9. One Piece: Gear Second
  10. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II


F this month to: Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Dick Cheney, Duane Roberts, James D. Watson, Cleto Escobedo and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.



Poopdeck
  1. Month Eight: Crashing Out Over A Podcaster
  2. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  3. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  4. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  5. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  6. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  7. Your Privacy and how you have none
  8. Democratic Tea Party Movement
  9. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  10. Local Elections




Top Posters
  1. Weltall
  2. Mertron
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Krandor
  5. Rhyis.
  6. 6souls
  7. kuronosan
  8. Melena
  9. Obsidian
  10. archibaldcrane




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tyrath
  3. Tyche
  4. Meresgi
  5. Tymon
  6. Mertron
  7. Salodin
  8. kuronosan
  9. Mrbeansman
  10. Obsidian




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Milkster
  3. Mertron
  4. Zealot
  5. Salodin
  6. Anoat
  7. Xno Kappa
  8. thetruepandagod
  9. archibaldcrane
  10. Andalusian girls




Remember to use a secure browser like Brave and/or NoScript.

]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=545 BG Stats for October 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=544 Mon, 03 Nov 2025 16:07:58 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS5/XSX/NWS2/PS4/NSW) -... Games
  1. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS5/XSX/NWS2/PS4/NSW) - September 30, 2025
  2. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  4. Zenless Zone Zero (PC/Consoles/iOS) - The Next Genshin Impact - 2024
  5. XBox Series X | Series S - November 10, 2020
  6. a game by Team Cherry - Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025)
  7. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  8. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs
  9. Halo: Campaign Evolved (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2026
  10. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025




General
  1. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  2. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  3. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  4. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  5. Misc. Movie/TV News
  6. Peacemaker (HBOM) - January 16, 2022
  7. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  8. Tron 3: Ares (October 10, 2025)
  9. One Punch-Man -Where's my season 3!?
  10. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes


F this month to: Jane Goodall, Diane Keaton, Drew Struzan, D'Angelo, Tomonobu Itagaki, Ace Frehley, Sam Rivers, Doug Martin, Daniel Naroditsky, Dave Ball and Tchéky Karyo.


Poopdeck
  1. Month Eight: Crashing Out Over A Podcaster
  2. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  3. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  4. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  5. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  6. Ridiculous Police News (Specific Events): Twin Cities police are still frightened easily
  7. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  8. Do We Have A 'Silly Shit Politicians Say' Thread? If Not, Here We Are
  9. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  10. U.S. Border Crisis: No, You Can't Go Back




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Mertron
  3. Weltall
  4. Krandor
  5. Rhyis.
  6. Obsidian
  7. Tyrath
  8. kuronosan
  9. 6souls
  10. Melena




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Salodin
  3. Tyrath
  4. Tymon
  5. Meresgi
  6. kuronosan
  7. Krandor
  8. Lyltia
  9. Tyche
  10. thetruepandagod




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Salodin
  3. Zealot
  4. Mertron
  5. thetruepandagod
  6. Milkster
  7. Anoat
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. archibaldcrane
  10. Roranora




]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=544 BG Stats for September 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=543 Thu, 02 Oct 2025 21:05:55 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS5/XSX/NWS2/PS4/NSW) -... Games
  1. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS5/XSX/NWS2/PS4/NSW) - September 30, 2025
  2. a game by Team Cherry - Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025)
  3. Hades II
  4. Nintendo Switch 2 - Magnets, how do they work?
  5. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  6. Borderlands 4 - 2025
  7. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  8. Elden Ring: Nightreign (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - 3P Co-Op Action Survival - 2025
  9. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  10. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025






General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  3. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  4. Alien (FX/Hulu) - TV Series - 2023
  5. Peacemaker (HBOM) - January 16, 2022
  6. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  7. Misc. Movie/TV News
  8. Fun (NOT) with a top loader NES. How to fix this?
  9. Random Win III: The irl Fuck Ya thread - BG lost their jobs and moved back into the basement.
  10. Apple TV Plus - Streaming Service - November 1, 2019


F this month to: Graham Greene, Giorgio Armani, Charlie Kirk, Polly Holliday, Maru the cat, Tomas Lindberg, Robert Redford and Russell M. Nelson.



Poopdeck
  1. Month Eight: Crashing Out Over A Podcaster
  2. Month Four: 90 Days, Zero Deals | White People TACO Night
  3. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  4. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  5. Muh Guns, Too
  6. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  7. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  8. U.S. Border Crisis: No, You Can't Go Back
  9. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  10. Putin In Russia III: NATO Grows A Spine?
  11. Local Elections




Top Posters
  1. Mertron
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Weltall
  4. Krandor
  5. 6souls
  6. Rhyis.
  7. Cail
  8. kuronosan
  9. Tyrath
  10. Obsidian




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tyrath
  3. Tymon
  4. Tyche
  5. archibaldcrane
  6. Salodin
  7. Meresgi
  8. Dimmauk
  9. Mertron
  10. Sirious




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Mertron
  3. Salodin
  4. Zealot
  5. Andalusian girls
  6. Anoat
  7. archibaldcrane
  8. Milkster
  9. Krandor
  10. Xno Kappa
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=543 BG Stats for August 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=542 Tue, 02 Sep 2025 02:35:14 GMT Games
  1. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  2. Patch 7.3: The Promise of Tomorrow (August 5th, 2025)
  3. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  4. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  5. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  6. Gamescom 2025 - Opening Night Live 8/19 @ 2 PM ET
  7. Nintendo Switch 2 - Magnets, how do they work?
  8. Square Enix General News
  9. Magic: the Gathering - Maro's Mistakes
  10. Elden Ring: Nightreign (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - 3P Co-Op Action Survival - 2025
  11. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition


FFXIV managed to be a drama magnet because of mods and delays.



General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II
  3. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  4. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  5. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  6. Laptop shutting off while gaming
  7. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  8. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  9. One Piece: Gear Second
  10. Official BG Bucket Thread


F this month to: Loni Anderson, Jim Lovell, Nobuo Yamada, Terence Stamp, Frank Caprio, Brent Hinds and James Dobson.



Poopdeck
  1. Month Four: 90 Days, Zero Deals | White People TACO Night
  2. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  3. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  4. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  5. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  6. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  7. Muh Guns, Too
  8. U.S. Border Crisis: No, You Can't Go Back
  9. Putin In Russia III: NATO Grows A Spine?
  10. The "Oh hey look who got hacked today" thread!




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Weltall
  4. Melena
  5. Mertron
  6. Anoat
  7. 6souls
  8. archibaldcrane
  9. Gokulo
  10. Obsidian




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. archibaldcrane
  3. Tymon
  4. Tyrath
  5. kuronosan
  6. Dimmauk
  7. thetruepandagod
  8. Tyche
  9. Melena
  10. Sirious




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Anoat
  3. Zealot
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. Xno Kappa
  6. Salodin
  7. Milkster
  8. Mertron
  9. archibaldcrane
  10. Roranora




F to 115 687 images deleted from BG Bucket to satisfy credit card processors and commonwealth countries. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=542 BG Stats for July 2025 - The Tumblrization of BG Forums https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=541 Sat, 02 Aug 2025 03:55:44 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)... Games
  1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  2. Square Enix General News
  3. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025
  4. Zenless Zone Zero (PC/Consoles/iOS) - The Next Genshin Impact - 2024
  5. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  6. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  7. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  8. Destiny 2: The Final Shape [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC] - Y7E1, Thanks for all the fish
  9. Elden Ring: Nightreign (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - 3P Co-Op Action Survival - 2025
  10. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS5/XSX/NWS2/PS4/NSW) - September 30, 2025




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  3. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  4. Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025)
  5. What's your weather?
  6. The Late Show & Last Week Tonight
  7. Superman (July 11, 2025)
  8. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  9. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  10. Mortal Kombat 2


F this month to: Michael Madsen, Julian McMahon, James Carter Cathcart, Felix Baumgartner, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Ozzy Osbourne, Terry Gene Bollea/Hulk Hogan, Anne Burrell, Ryan Dunn, George Kooymans and George Nigh.


Poopdeck
  1. Month Four: 90 Days, Zero Deals | White People TACO Night
  2. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  3. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  4. The Failing News Media (Fox News bukkake hour)
  5. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  6. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  7. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  8. U.S. Border Crisis: No, You Can't Go Back
  9. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  10. Local Elections




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Tyrath
  4. Melena
  5. Anoat
  6. Obsidian
  7. Mertron
  8. Cail
  9. 6souls
  10. Qalbert




Top Poopers
  1. archibaldcrane
  2. 6souls
  3. Meresgi
  4. Tyrath
  5. Tymon
  6. kuronosan
  7. Salodin
  8. Mertron
  9. Tyche
  10. Byrthnoth




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Salodin
  3. archibaldcrane
  4. Mertron
  5. Anoat
  6. Zealot
  7. Milkster
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Krandor
  10. Roranora




BG Forums just turned 21 years old, and we're now forced to censor it like Tumblr in 2018.

We thought it would stop with Tumblr, but it spread the same year to Patreon, and we got a break until 2020.

The same year covid started, we saw Discord adding safety nets and automated surveillance everywhere, like if Stanislav was the police of morality. But it didn't take long for Patreon and DeviantArt to quickly follow too.

In 2022, the antiquated Newgrounds was forced to comply by putting everything behind a registration wall. Then in 2023 imgur was forced to delete millions of images from their site in the name of puritanism.

Thanks to the currently elected officials of the UK, Australia, Canada, and probably soon the USA, the Internet is becoming a well-trimmed garden, without weeds, dark corners, or oddities.

TLDR: Hundreds of thousands of images from the BG Bucket and thousands of NSFW posts are going to be nuked, so backup while you can. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=541 BG Stats for June 2025 - Happy 21st Birthday BG Forums https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=540 Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:05:30 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS5/XSX/NWS2/PS4/NSW) -... Games
  1. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS5/XSX/NWS2/PS4/NSW) - September 30, 2025
  2. Nintendo Switch 2 - Magnets, how do they work?
  3. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  4. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - Nov 12, 2020 - $399/$499 | Pro Nov 7, 2024 - $699
  5. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  6. Elden Ring: Nightreign (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - 3P Co-Op Action Survival - 2025
  7. Zenless Zone Zero (PC/Consoles/iOS) - The Next Genshin Impact - 2024
  8. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  9. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  10. Metaphor: ReFantazio (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - From the Creators of Persona 3/4/5 - October 11, 2024




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  4. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  5. One Piece: Gear Second
  6. Rick and Morty
  7. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  8. King of the hill series finale
  9. Invincible - Animated Series - March 26, 2021
  10. Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025)


F this month to: Jonathan Joss, Sly Stone, Andre Lett, Brian Wilson, Ananda Lewis and Anne Burrell.



Poopdeck
  1. Month Four: 90 Days, Zero Deals | White People TACO Night
  2. Iran - It's Not Just Hostages and Arms Deals Anymore
  3. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  4. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  5. Local Elections
  6. US Election Week 1: Predicting the demise of the United States.
  7. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  8. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  9. Another Middle East Crisis, Syrian Special "WMD"
  10. Education Reform Thread




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Obsidian
  3. Tyrath
  4. Cail
  5. 6souls
  6. Xno Kappa
  7. Melena
  8. Salodin
  9. Andalusian girls
  10. Zealot




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. archibaldcrane
  3. Meresgi
  4. Tyrath
  5. Tymon
  6. Tyche
  7. Xno Kappa
  8. Obsidian
  9. kuronosan
  10. Byrthnoth




Top Spammers
  1. Zealot
  2. Demosthenes
  3. Mertron
  4. Anoat
  5. Milkster
  6. Salodin
  7. archibaldcrane
  8. Xno Kappa
  9. Melena
  10. Andalusian girls




Reminder that on July 5th BG forums will be old enough to drink.

]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=540 BG Stats for May 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=539 Wed, 04 Jun 2025 18:50:04 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)... Games
  1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  2. Magic: the Gathering - Maro's Mistakes
  3. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  4. Doom: The Dark Ages (PC PS5 XSX) May 15, 2025
  5. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  6. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  7. Zenless Zone Zero (PC/Consoles/iOS) - The Next Genshin Impact - 2024
  8. Grand Theft Auto VI (PS5/XSX) - May 26, 2026
  9. Kingdom Hearts 4
  10. Square Enix General News




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. The Last of Us (HBO) - Breaking the Video Game Curse for Adaptions
  3. Thunderbolts*/New Avengers (May 2, 2025)
  4. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  5. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  6. BG Medical Random Question Thread
  7. Star Wars: Andor (D+) - Rogue One Prequel Series - 2022
  8. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  9. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  10. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread


F this month to: David H. Souter, Joe Don Baker, George Wendt, Adam Ramey, Jim Irsay, Sacha Jenkins, Peter Allen David, Charles Bernard Rangel, Phil Robertson, Rick Derringer, Alf Clausen, Loretta Swift, Valerie Mahaffey, Renée Victor and Jonathan Joss.



Poopdeck
  1. Month Four: 90 Days, Zero Deals | White People TACO Night
  2. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  3. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  4. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  5. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  6. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon
  7. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  8. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  9. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  10. The Republican obsession with the need to control all the Uteruses (Women's Rights thread)




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Obsidian
  3. Salodin
  4. Tyrath
  5. 6souls
  6. Andalusian girls
  7. Melena
  8. Xno Kappa
  9. Bombur
  10. archibaldcrane




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. archibaldcrane
  3. Tyrath
  4. Outlaw
  5. kuronosan
  6. Tymon
  7. Tyche
  8. NotGreyheim
  9. Mrbeansman
  10. Meresgi




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Salodin
  3. Zealot
  4. Anoat
  5. Mertron
  6. archibaldcrane
  7. Andalusian girls
  8. Rhyis.
  9. Xno Kappa
  10. Krandor
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=539 BG Stats for April 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=538 Thu, 01 May 2025 15:58:17 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)... Games
  1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5, XSX, PC)
  2. Nintendo SWITCH (OLED Model) Information II - Fastest Second Console Thread of All Time
  3. Nintendo Switch 2 - Magnets, how do they work?
  4. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025
  5. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  6. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs
  7. Marathon (PC/PS5/XSX) - New PVP Shooter From Bungie & NetEase - September 23. 2025
  8. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  9. Path of Exile 2 - 202X
  10. Baldur's Gate III (PC/Mac/PS5/XSX) - Larian Studios (100% CONFIRMED)


Who could've thought an "outdated" turn-based RPG by a bunch of ex-Ubisoft staff could get so popular.



General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  3. The Last of Us (HBO) - Breaking the Video Game Curse for Adaptions
  4. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  5. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  6. Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025)
  7. Daredevil: Born Again (D+) - 2024
  8. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  9. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  10. Wheel of Time-TV Talk (Spoiler tag book talk for future content.)


F this month to: Val Kilmer, Clem Burke, Jay North, Les Binks, Wink Martindale, Pope Francis and Steve McMichael.



Poopdeck
  1. President Elon Musk: The Libertarian Patron Saint of Ron Paul
  2. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  3. Month Four: 90 Days, Zero Deals
  4. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy
  5. U.S. Border Crisis: No, You Can't Go Back
  6. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  7. Muh Guns, Too
  8. The "Oh hey look who got hacked today" thread!
  9. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  10. Local Elections




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Rhyis.
  4. Tyrath
  5. Weltall
  6. Obsidian
  7. Mertron
  8. Salodin
  9. kuronosan
  10. 6souls




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tyrath
  3. Mertron
  4. Zetanio
  5. Tyche
  6. kuronosan
  7. Sirious
  8. Mrbeansman
  9. archibaldcrane
  10. Salodin




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Salodin
  3. Zealot
  4. Mertron
  5. Xno Kappa
  6. Andalusian girls
  7. Rhyis.
  8. Anoat
  9. Roranora
  10. Milkster
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=538 BG Stats for March 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=537 Tue, 01 Apr 2025 03:51:17 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025... Games
  1. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025
  2. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  3. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  4. Suikoden discussion - #deadseries
  5. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  6. Xenoblade Chronicles X
  7. Nintendo SWITCH (OLED Model) Information II - Fastest Second Console Thread of All Time
  8. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  9. FALCOM - Trails in the Sky, Cold Steel, Ys Series (SPOILERS)
  10. Silent Hill 2 (PC/PS5) - Remake - October 8, 2024




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  4. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  5. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  6. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  7. Apple TV Plus - Streaming Service - November 1, 2019
  8. Invincible - Animated Series - March 26, 2021
  9. Daredevil: Born Again (D+) - 2024
  10. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out


F this month to: Angie Stone, Carl Thomas Dean, George Lowe, Dwayne Wiggins, George Foreman, Bobby Oliver, Clive Revill and Richard Chamberlain.



Poopdeck
  1. President Elon Musk: The Libertarian Patron Saint of Ron Paul
  2. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  3. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  4. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  5. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  6. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  7. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy
  8. Is/n't Tesla literally/figuratively crashing?
  9. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  10. Israel vs. Gaza round 99




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Weltall
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Mertron
  5. Rhyis.
  6. Salodin
  7. Obsidian
  8. Tyrath
  9. Cail
  10. Zealot




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Meresgi
  3. Tyrath
  4. Mertron
  5. archibaldcrane
  6. Mrbeansman
  7. Zetanio
  8. Byrthnoth
  9. Tymon
  10. Tyche




Top Spammers
  1. Zealot
  2. Mertron
  3. Demosthenes
  4. Anoat
  5. Salodin
  6. Rhyis.
  7. Andalusian girls
  8. Roranora
  9. Milkster
  10. Krandor




Remember to not trust anything on the 1st.

]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=537 BG Stats for February 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=536 Mon, 03 Mar 2025 19:56:49 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025... Games
  1. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025
  2. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  3. Magic: the Gathering - Maro's Mistakes
  4. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - Nov 12, 2020 - $399/$499 | Pro Nov 7, 2024 - $699
  5. Destiny 2: The Final Shape [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC] - Y7E1, Thanks for all the fish
  6. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  7. Nintendo SWITCH (OLED Model) Information II - Fastest Second Console Thread of All Time
  8. {Early Access} Overwatch 2 - October 4, 2022
  9. Xenoblade Chronicles X
  10. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  3. Dragonball Z/Super Thread III: I don't know what a Hiatus is but Piccolo 17 is still the best fight.
  4. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  5. Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025)
  6. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II
  7. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  8. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  9. Apple TV Plus - Streaming Service - November 1, 2019
  10. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out


F this month to: Karim Aga Khan IV, Kultida Woods, Irv Gotti, Lynne Marie Stewart, Roberta Flack, Chris Jasper, Roberto Orci, Michelle Trachtenberg, Gene Hackman and David Johansen.


Poopdeck
  1. Two Term Celebrity Politician - JD Vance Missing Persons Coldcase
  2. President Elon Musk: The Libertarian Patron Saint of Ron Paul
  3. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  4. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  5. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  6. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  7. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  8. Is/n't Tesla literally/figuratively crashing?
  9. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  10. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population




Top Posters
  1. Mertron
  2. Krandor
  3. Weltall
  4. Xno Kappa
  5. kuronosan
  6. 6souls
  7. Salodin
  8. Anoat
  9. Rhyis.
  10. Obsidian




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. kuronosan
  3. Tyrath
  4. Meresgi
  5. Zetanio
  6. Byrthnoth
  7. Mertron
  8. Salodin
  9. archibaldcrane
  10. Tyche




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Zealot
  3. Zetanio
  4. Salodin
  5. Roranora
  6. Milkster
  7. Andalusian girls
  8. Mertron
  9. Xno Kappa
  10. Anoat
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=536 BG Stats for January 2025 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=535 Thu, 06 Feb 2025 01:25:06 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room... Games
  1. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  2. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  3. Zenless Zone Zero (PC/Consoles/iOS) - The Next Genshin Impact - 2024
  4. Nintendo Switch 2 - Magnets, how do they work?
  5. Nintendo SWITCH (OLED Model) Information II - Fastest Second Console Thread of All Time
  6. Marvel Rivals (PC/PS5/XSX) - F2P Hero Shooter
  7. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - Nov 12, 2020 - $399/$499 | Pro Nov 7, 2024 - $699
  8. Xenoblade Chronicles X
  9. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  10. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs




General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  3. What's your weather?
  4. BG: What do you drive? (PICS)
  5. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  6. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  7. Celebrity Death Thread 2025: Gettin Luigi'd
  8. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  9. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  10. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II


F this month to: Wayne Osmond, Ripken The Bat Dog, Jeff Baena, Dale Wilson, Peter Yarrow, Bob Uecker, David Lynch and Marianne Faithfull.



Poopdeck
  1. Two Term Celebrity Politician - JD Vance Missing Persons Coldcase
  2. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  3. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  4. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon
  5. 119th U.S. Congress: Good LORD what is Happening in There?
  6. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  7. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  8. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  9. The "Oh hey look who got hacked today" thread!
  10. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy




Top Posters
  1. Weltall
  2. Mertron
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Krandor
  5. kuronosan
  6. Rhyis.
  7. archibaldcrane
  8. Salodin
  9. 6souls
  10. Obsidian




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. kuronosan
  3. Tyrath
  4. archibaldcrane
  5. Mertron
  6. Salodin
  7. Mrbeansman
  8. Tymon
  9. Meresgi
  10. Milkster




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Zealot
  3. Salodin
  4. Anoat
  5. Zetanio
  6. Roranora
  7. archibaldcrane
  8. Milkster
  9. Mertron
  10. Andalusian girls




]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=535 BG Stats for Whole Year 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=534 Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:52:40 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV 1. Patch 7.1: Crossroads (November 12th, 2024)... FFXIV
  1. Patch 7.1: Crossroads (November 12th, 2024)
  2. Final Fantasy XIV 7.0: Dawntrail - Summer 2024
  3. XIV Fan Fest returns! (2023-24)
  4. FFXIV: Mobile (Tencent)
  5. Patch 6.5: Growing Light (Early October 2023 pt 1, mid January 2024 pt 2)


Pretty much everyone came back for the nostalgia bait:




FFXI
  1. RIP Prothescar
  2. Gauging interest in a new Eden single-box server
  3. CatsEyeXI General Discussion
  4. Gold World Pass Requests
  5. 20 Years, Two Decades - XI is old, and so are we.
  6. Treasures of Vanadiel Exhibit Items available for mail order again.
  7. EdenXI
  8. That time BG had merch
  9. Extensive Desynthesis Rate Research
  10. Media, Publications, & Merchandise.






Games
  1. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  2. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  3. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  4. Destiny 2: The Final Shape [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC] - Y7E1, Thanks for all the fish
  5. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Suikoden Successor) (2024 - PS5/XBX/NSW/PC)
  6. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - Nov 12, 2020 - $399/$499 | Pro Nov 7, 2024 - $699
  7. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  8. {Early Access} Palworld (PC) - Open-World Survival Adventure aka Pokemon With Guns - 2024
  9. Elden Ring (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - George R. R. Martin x Hidetaka Miyazaki - Feb 25, 2022
  10. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe






General
  1. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  2. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  3. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  4. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  5. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  6. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  7. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  8. Deadpool 3: And Wolverine
  9. What's your weather?
  10. X-Men '97: The Animated Series - 2023


F this year to: Adan Canto, Akira Toriyama, Atsuko Tanaka, Ben Potter, Bernard Hill, Bill Cobbs, Bill Walton, Bob Bryar, Bob Bryar, Bob Newhart, Carl Weathers, Chance Perdomo, Charles Osgood, Charlie Colin, Chris Mortensen, Cissy Houston, DJ Clark Kent, Dabney Coleman, Dame Maggie Smith, Dave Mills, David Soul, Debbie Nelson, Dickey Betts, Dikembe Mutombo, Doc Harris, Donald Sutherland, Emi Shinohara, Emmet Walsh, Eric Carmen, Fernando Valenzuela, Frank Fritz, Gary Graha, Gavin Creel, Glynis Johns, Grayson Murray, Greg Kihn, Isaac Freeman III, Jack Karlson, Jack Russell, James Earl Jones, James Sikking, Jerry West, Jesse Jane, Joe Lieberman, John Ashton, Johnny Gaudreau, Kabosu (Doge), Kagney Linn Karter, Ken Page, Kevin Sullivan, Kris Krisstofferson, Liam Payne, Lily Ledbetter, Lou Dobbs, Louis Gossett Jr., Lynn Conway, Lynne Reid Banks, Mark Dodson, Martin Mull, Mojo Nixon, Morgan Lofting, Morgan Spurlock, O.J. Simpson, Paul Alexander, Paul Di’Anno, Pete Rose, Peter Marshall, Peter Renaday, Phil Donahue, Phil Lesh, Philip Zimbardo, Prothescar, Quincy Jones, Rachael Lillis, Rey Misterio, Rich Homie Quan, Richard Lewis, Richard M. Sherman, Richard Perry, Richard Simmons, Ricky Henderson, Robert MacNeil, Roger Corman, Ruth McArdle, Ruth Westheime, Sam Rubin, Shannen Doherty, Shelley Duvall, Shifty Shellshock, Sid Eudy, Steve Albini, Susan Wojcicki, Taylor Wily, Teri Garr, Terry Hess, Tito Jackson, Toby Keith, Tony Todd, Twomad, Tyka Nelson, Wally Amos, Wayne Kramer, William Anders, William Post, Willie Mays, Yoshitaka Murayama



Poopdeck
  1. 2024 Tag-Team Championship: Kamala Claps & Tater Tot Tim Vs Tiny-Hands Trump & JD Jizz Cup
  2. Election 2024: Old and Crazy vs. Middle-age and Weird
  3. Two Term Celebrity Politician - JD Vance Missing Persons Coldcase
  4. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  5. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  6. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  7. Muh Guns, Too
  8. US Election Week 1: Predicting the demise of the United States.
  9. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon
  10. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Weltall
  4. Mertron
  5. Rhyis.
  6. kuronosan
  7. Cail
  8. Melena
  9. Anoat
  10. Tyrath




Top Poopers
  1. archibaldcrane
  2. 6souls
  3. Tyrath
  4. kuronosan
  5. Tymon
  6. Zealot
  7. Tyche
  8. Byrthnoth
  9. Meresgi
  10. Mertron




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Mertron
  4. Zealot
  5. Anoat
  6. Zetanio
  7. Salodin
  8. Krandor
  9. Xno Kappa
  10. Milkster
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=534 BG Stats for November 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=533 Tue, 03 Dec 2024 02:36:53 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Dragon Age 4: Dreadwolf - 2024... Games
  1. Dragon Age 4: Dreadwolf - 2024
  2. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - Nov 12, 2020 - $399/$499 | Pro Nov 7, 2024 - $699
  3. FFXIV 7.1: Crossroads (November 12th, 2024)
  4. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  5. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  6. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  7. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  8. FFXIV: Mobile (Tencent)
  9. Metaphor: ReFantazio (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - From the Creators of Persona 3/4/5 - October 11, 2024
  10. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024


Lot of Final Fantasies this month.



General
  1. General Wrestling XI: Online: WE LOVE YOU SOLO
  2. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  3. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  4. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  5. Arcane - League of Legends Animated Series
  6. The Batman (March 4, 2022)
  7. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  8. Captain America 4: The New World Order (February 14, 2025)
  9. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  10. Bleach 2.0: Return of THE HEART


F this month to: Quincy Jones, Tyka Nelson, Tony Todd and Bob Bryar.



Poopdeck
  1. Two Term Celebrity Politician - JD Vance Missing Persons Coldcase
  2. 2024 Tag-Team Championship: Kamala Claps & Tater Tot Tim Vs Tiny-Hands Trump & JD Jizz Cup
  3. US Election Week 1: Predicting the demise of the United States.
  4. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  5. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  6. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  7. Local Elections
  8. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  9. Education Reform Thread
  10. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)


Let's hope it quiets down about US elections in December... or not.



Top Posters
  1. Weltall
  2. Krandor
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Mertron
  5. kuronosan
  6. Rhyis.
  7. Cail
  8. Obsidian
  9. 6souls
  10. Melena




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tyrath
  3. Tyche
  4. Tymon
  5. kuronosan
  6. archibaldcrane
  7. Meresgi
  8. Salodin
  9. Roranora
  10. kisada




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Zealot
  3. Anoat
  4. Salodin
  5. Mertron
  6. Zetanio
  7. Ksandra
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Krandor
  10. Roranora
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=533 BG Stats for October 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=532 Fri, 01 Nov 2024 03:38:18 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Metaphor: ReFantazio (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - From the Creators of Persona 3/4/5 -... Games
  1. Metaphor: ReFantazio (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - From the Creators of Persona 3/4/5 - October 11, 2024
  2. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  3. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs
  4. Destiny 2: The Final Shape [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC] - Y7E1, Thanks for all the fish
  5. Dragon Age 4: Dreadwolf - 2024
  6. Silent Hill 2 (PC/PS5) - Remake - October 8, 2024
  7. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  8. Patch 7.1: Crossroads (November 12th, 2024)
  9. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  10. Xenoblade Chronicles X






General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. What's your weather?
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  4. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  5. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  6. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  7. Agatha: House of Harkness/Coven of Chaos (D+) - WandaVision Spin-Off - 2023
  8. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  9. One Piece: Gear Second
  10. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread


F this month to: Doc Harris, Cissy Houston, Lily Ledbetter, Liam Payne, Philip Zimbardo, Paul Di’Anno, Fernando Valenzuela, Phil Lesh, DJ Clark Kent and Teri Garr.


Poopdeck
  1. 2024 Tag-Team Championship: Kamala Claps & Tater Tot Tim Vs Tiny-Hands Trump & JD Jizz Cup
  2. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  3. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  4. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  5. US Election Week 1: Predicting the demise of the United States.
  6. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  7. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  8. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  9. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  10. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Mertron
  3. Krandor
  4. Weltall
  5. kuronosan
  6. Rhyis.
  7. Cail
  8. Melena
  9. Tyche
  10. Tyrath




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tyrath
  3. Tyche
  4. Tymon
  5. archibaldcrane
  6. Andalusian girls
  7. Zealot
  8. kuronosan
  9. Xno Kappa
  10. Mertron




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Mertron
  4. Zealot
  5. Salodin
  6. Zetanio
  7. Roranora
  8. Xno Kappa
  9. Anoat
  10. Krandor




]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=532 BG Stats for September 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=531 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 22:14:27 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - Nov 12, 2020 - $399/$499 | Pro... Games
  1. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - Nov 12, 2020 - $399/$499 | Pro Nov 7, 2024 - $699
  2. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  3. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs
  4. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  5. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  6. Dragon Age 4: Dreadwolf - 2024
  7. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023
  8. Square Enix General News
  9. Gaming for non gamers and old gamers
  10. Concord (PC/PS5) - 5v5 Hero Shooter - August 23, 2024






General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  3. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  4. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  5. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  6. Random Win III: The irl Fuck Ya thread - BG lost their jobs and moved back into the basement.
  7. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  8. Random Anime Thread.
  9. Deadpool 3: And Wolverine
  10. What's your weather?


F this month to: Rich Homie Quan, James Earl Jones, Peter Renaday, Tito Jackson, Emi Shinohara, Atsuko Tanaka, Dame Maggie Smith, John Ashton, Kris Krisstofferson, Dikembe Mutombo, Gavin Creel, Pete Rose, Ken Page and Frank Fritz.



Poopdeck
  1. 2024 Tag-Team Championship: Kamala Claps & Tater Tot Tim Vs Tiny-Hands Trump & JD Jizz Cup
  2. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  3. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  4. Ridiculous Police News (Specific Events): Twin Cities police are still frightened easily
  5. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  6. Muh Guns, Too
  7. Local Elections
  8. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  9. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  10. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II




Top Posters
  1. Weltall
  2. Mertron
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Krandor
  5. kuronosan
  6. Rhyis.
  7. Cail
  8. Tyche
  9. Melena
  10. Obsidian




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Tyrath
  3. kuronosan
  4. archibaldcrane
  5. Tymon
  6. Mertron
  7. Byrthnoth
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Dimmauk
  10. Zealot




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Mertron
  3. Anoat
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. Salodin
  6. Zealot
  7. Zetanio
  8. Roranora
  9. Melena
  10. Ksandra
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=531 BG Stats for August 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=530 Sun, 01 Sep 2024 09:33:10 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room... Games
  1. Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room
  2. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  3. Destiny 2: The Final Shape [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC] - Y7E1, Thanks for all the fish
  4. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  5. Black Myth: Wukong
  6. Monster Hunter: Wilds (PC/PS5/XSX) - 2025
  7. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  8. Star Wars: Outlaws - Open World Action Adventure - 2024
  9. Nintendo SWITCH (OLED Model) Information II - Fastest Second Console Thread of All Time
  10. Civilization VII




General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  4. Manga Discussion 2: Keep Your Vanilla Hentai To A Minimum (Spoilers Abound)
  5. Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon (HBO) - Prequel Series - 2022
  6. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  7. RIP Prothescar
  8. One Piece: Gear Second
  9. Borderlands (August 9, 2024)
  10. NASA isn't even trying to get people to Mars anymore


F this month to: Jack Karlson, Kevin Sullivan, Susan Wojcicki, Rachael Lillis, Wally Amos, Jack Russell, Peter Marshall, Greg Kihn, Phil Donahue, Sid Eudy, Johnny Gaudreau, Isaac Freeman III and Prothescar.



Poopdeck
  1. 2024 Tag-Team Championship: Kamala Claps & Tater Tot Tim Vs Tiny-Hands Trump & JD Jizz Cup
  2. Election 2024: Old and Crazy vs. Middle-age and Weird
  3. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  4. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  5. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  6. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok
  7. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  8. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  9. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  10. The "Oh hey look who got hacked today" thread!






Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Weltall
  4. Mertron
  5. Rhyis.
  6. Melena
  7. Anoat
  8. archibaldcrane
  9. Obsidian
  10. Andalusian girls




Top Poopers
  1. Tyrath
  2. archibaldcrane
  3. 6souls
  4. Zealot
  5. Gredival
  6. Tyche
  7. Byrthnoth
  8. Mertron
  9. kisada
  10. Tymon




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Zealot
  3. Mertron
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. Anoat
  6. Xno Kappa
  7. Zetanio
  8. Krandor
  9. Salodin
  10. Gredival



Reminder that pretty much every new account on BG for the past 2 years is a bot:
- 34% are based on OpenAI
- 12% Anthropic
- 6% Gemini
- 2% LLaMA
- 45% Unknown/Local LLMs



Expect more bans to happen in the following months. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=530 BG Stats for July 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=529 Sun, 04 Aug 2024 02:28:19 GMT Games
  1. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  2. Final Fantasy XIV 7.0: Dawntrail - Summer 2024
  3. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  4. Elden Ring (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - George R. R. Martin x Hidetaka Miyazaki - Feb 25, 2022
  5. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  6. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  7. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  8. FALCOM - Trails in the Sky, Cold Steel, Ys Series (SPOILERS)
  9. Zenless Zone Zero (PC/Consoles/iOS) - The Next Genshin Impact - 2024
  10. Nintendo SWITCH (OLED Model) Information II - Fastest Second Console Thread of All Time




General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. Deadpool 3: And Wolverine
  3. The Boys - Season 3 June 3, 2022
  4. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  5. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  6. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  7. Avengers: Doomsday (May 2026)
  8. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  9. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  10. Captain America 4: The New World Order (February 14, 2025)


F this month to: Shelley Duvall, Ruth Westheime, Richard Simmons, Shannen Doherty, James Sikking, Lou Dobbs and Bob Newhart



Poopdeck
  1. Election 2024: Old and Crazy vs. Middle-age and Weird
  2. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  3. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  4. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  5. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy
  6. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  7. The "Oh hey look who got hacked today" thread!
  8. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  9. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  10. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Cail
  4. Tyrath
  5. Anoat
  6. Weltall
  7. Mertron
  8. archibaldcrane
  9. Salodin
  10. Melena




Top Poopers
  1. archibaldcrane
  2. Tyrath
  3. Zealot
  4. Byrthnoth
  5. kuronosan
  6. 6souls
  7. Salodin
  8. Tymon
  9. Gredival
  10. Mertron




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Salodin
  4. Zealot
  5. Anoat
  6. Xno Kappa
  7. Rhyis.
  8. Mertron
  9. Gredival
  10. Krandor
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=529 BG Stats for June 2024 - Happy 20th Birthday BG Forums https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=528 Fri, 05 Jul 2024 03:10:29 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Elden Ring (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1)... Games
  1. Elden Ring (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1)
  2. Final Fantasy XIV 7.0: Dawntrail - Summer 2024
  3. Destiny 2: The Final Shape [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC] - Y7E1, Thanks for all the fish
  4. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  5. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  6. Concerns over Spicyryans wiki powers
  7. Dragon Age 4: Dreadwolf - 2024
  8. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  9. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  10. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS)


Spicy is the true endgame of these forums?



General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  3. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  4. The Boys - Season 3 June 3, 2022
  5. Star Wars: The Acolyte (D+) - Set During the High Republic Era - June 4, 2024
  6. NASA isn't even trying to get people to Mars anymore
  7. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  8. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  9. BG Outages 2024 - Testing Now!
  10. Random Anime Thread.


Remember to report your outage in the outage thread.

F this month to: William Anders, Jerry West, Ben Potter, Lynn Conway, Willie Mays, Donald Sutherland, Taylor Wily, Shifty Shellshock, Bill Cobbs and Martin Mull.



Poopdeck
  1. Election 2024: Crazy vs. Senile
  2. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  3. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  4. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  5. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  6. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon
  7. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  8. The Economy Thread III: Not Actual Advice And You Shouldn't Lie To Investors
  9. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  10. Meta Mistake II - Jackin Joggin Woke Grok




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Cail
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Anoat
  5. Andalusian girls
  6. archibaldcrane
  7. Mertron
  8. Salodin
  9. Obsidian
  10. 6souls




Top Poopers
  1. archibaldcrane
  2. Zealot
  3. 6souls
  4. Gredival
  5. Tymon
  6. Outlaw
  7. kuronosan
  8. Byrthnoth
  9. Zetanio
  10. Mertron




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Mertron
  3. Anoat
  4. Milkster
  5. Zealot
  6. Zetanio
  7. Xno Kappa
  8. archibaldcrane
  9. Krandor
  10. Andalusian girls




Reminder that these forums were created exactly 20 years ago: https://www.bluegartr.com/threads/29918-Welcome-all!

]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=528 BG Stats for May 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=527 Sat, 01 Jun 2024 21:13:54 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. {Early Access} Hades II (https://www.bluegartr.com/showthread.php?t=134535) 2.... Games
  1. {Early Access} Hades II
  2. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  3. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Suikoden Successor) (2024 - PS5/XBX/NSW/PC)
  4. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023
  5. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S23, Mother of Dragons.
  6. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  7. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  8. HellDivers2
  9. Wuthering Waves (PC/Android/iOS) - What If Genshin Impact Was Set in Death Stranding
  10. General Gaming News III: Gotta keep paying those CEOs




General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  3. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  4. X-Men '97: The Animated Series - 2023
  5. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  6. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  7. Gundam Discussion - The Witch from Mercury: Witches in Spaaaaaace
  8. My Hero Academia
  9. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  10. BG Outages 2024 - Testers Needed!


F this month to: Bernard Hill, Steve Albini, Sam Rubin, Roger Corman, Dabney Coleman, Charlie Colin, Kabosu (Doge), Morgan Spurlock, Grayson Murray, Richard M. Sherman and Bill Walton.



Poopdeck
  1. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  2. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  3. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  4. Ridiculous Police News (Specific Events): Twin Cities police are still frightened easily
  5. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  6. Do We Have A 'Silly Shit Politicians Say' Thread? If Not, Here We Are
  7. Iran - It's Not Just Hostages and Arms Deals Anymore
  8. Is/n't Tesla literally/figuratively crashing?
  9. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon
  10. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Zealot
  4. Mertron
  5. Melena
  6. Anoat
  7. Tyrath
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Salodin
  10. Weltall




Top Poopers
  1. archibaldcrane
  2. 6souls
  3. Tyrath
  4. kuronosan
  5. Meresgi
  6. Mertron
  7. Zetanio
  8. Roranora
  9. Tymon
  10. Outlaw




Top Spammers
  1. Mertron
  2. Demosthenes
  3. Zealot
  4. Anoat
  5. Andalusian girls
  6. Zetanio
  7. Salodin
  8. Milkster
  9. Krandor
  10. Gredival




Remember to complain about everything broken on the new servers before you get forced into it in a few days: https://beta.bluegartr.com/threads/1...Testers-Needed! ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=527 BG Stats for April 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=526 Wed, 01 May 2024 06:44:56 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Suikoden Successor) (2024 - PS5/XBX/NSW/PC)... Games
  1. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Suikoden Successor) (2024 - PS5/XBX/NSW/PC)
  2. Fallout 4 (PC/PS4/XB1) | VR (Vive)
  3. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  4. Unicorn Overlord [PS4/PS5/XBS-X/NSW]
  5. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S23, Mother of Dragons.
  6. Path of Exile
  7. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  8. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  9. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  10. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition




General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  3. Fallout (TV Show)
  4. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  5. X-Men '97: The Animated Series - 2023
  6. BG Medical Random Question Thread
  7. James Clavell's Shogun (FX/Hulu) - 2023
  8. One Punch-Man -Where's my season 3!?
  9. Deadpool 3: And Wolverine
  10. Dune (October 22, 2021) | Part 2 (March 1, 2024)


Fallout hijacking other forum sections.

F this month to: Lynne Reid Banks, O.J. Simpson (generating so many memes), Robert MacNeil and Dickey Betts.



Poopdeck
  1. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  2. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  3. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  4. Is/n't Tesla literally/figuratively crashing?
  5. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  6. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon
  7. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  8. Muh Guns, Too
  9. Ridiculous Police News (Specific Events): Twin Cities police are still frightened easily
  10. Education Reform Thread




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Mertron
  4. Zealot
  5. Anoat
  6. Andalusian girls
  7. Tyrath
  8. Rhyis.
  9. Melena
  10. Cail




Top Poopers
  1. Meresgi
  2. 6souls
  3. archibaldcrane
  4. kuronosan
  5. Zetanio
  6. Gredival
  7. Byrthnoth
  8. Outlaw
  9. Tyrath
  10. Zealot




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Anoat
  3. Mertron
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. Rhyis.
  6. Zealot
  7. Zetanio
  8. Xno Kappa
  9. archibaldcrane
  10. Roranora




Expect downtimes in May as we switch some 10 years old hardware from BG servers. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=526 BG Stats for March 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=525 Tue, 02 Apr 2024 13:00:00 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024... Games
  1. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  2. Dragon's Dogma II
  3. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  4. Unicorn Overlord [PS4/PS5/XBS-X/NSW]
  5. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S23, Mother of Dragons.
  6. HellDivers2
  7. Square Enix General News
  8. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  9. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  10. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe


Expecting Dragon's Dogma II to take the top spot next month.



General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  3. Live action "Avatar: the last airbender" coming to nextflix.
  4. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  5. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  6. X-Men '97: The Animated Series - 2023
  7. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  8. Dragonball Z/Super Thread III: I don't know what a Hiatus is but Piccolo 17 is still the best fight.
  9. James Clavell's Shogun (FX/Hulu) - 2023
  10. Dune (October 22, 2021) | Part 2 (March 1, 2024)



F this month to: Akira Toriyama, Mark Dodson, Chris Mortensen, Eric Carmen, Terry Hess, Paul Alexander, Emmet Walsh, Joe Lieberman, Louis Gossett Jr. and Chance Perdomo.





Poopdeck
  1. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  2. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  3. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  4. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  5. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  6. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  7. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  8. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  9. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon
  10. Do We Have A 'Silly Shit Politicians Say' Thread? If Not, Here We Are




Top Posters
  1. Weltall
  2. Krandor
  3. Mertron
  4. Xno Kappa
  5. Zealot
  6. Cail
  7. Anoat
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Rhyis.
  10. Obsidian




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Zealot
  3. mallister
  4. Meresgi
  5. Mertron
  6. archibaldcrane
  7. Xno Kappa
  8. kuronosan
  9. Anoat
  10. Tymon




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Zealot
  4. Zetanio
  5. Anoat
  6. Mertron
  7. Salodin
  8. Milkster
  9. Krandor
  10. thetruepandagod




Reminder to put your dangerous links behind NSFW tags so we stop getting letters from lawyers. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=525 BG Stats for February 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=524 Sat, 02 Mar 2024 19:03:33 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024... Games
  1. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  2. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  3. Granblue Fantasy Relink (PS4/PS5/PC) - February 1, 2024
  4. HellDivers2
  5. Persona General - ペルソナ
  6. {Early Access} Palworld (PC) - Open-World Survival Adventure aka Pokemon With Guns - 2024
  7. General Gaming News II: Steam Helpdesk Site Leak
  8. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  9. Elden Ring (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - George R. R. Martin x Hidetaka Miyazaki - Feb 25, 2022
  10. Pokemon Legends Z-A






General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  3. Borderlands (August 9, 2024)
  4. Live action "Avatar: the last airbender" coming to nextflix.
  5. Madame Web (February 15, 2024)
  6. True Detective
  7. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  8. Deadpool 3: And Wolverine
  9. BG Medical Random Question Thread
  10. One Punch-Man -Where's my season 3!?


F this month to Carl Weathers, Wayne Kramer, Toby Keith, Mojo Nixon, William Post, Twomad, Yoshitaka Murayama, Kagney Linn Karter and Richard Lewis.



Poopdeck
  1. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  2. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  3. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  4. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  5. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon
  6. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  7. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  8. Ridiculous Police News (Specific Events): Twin Cities police are still frightened easily
  9. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  10. Muh Guns, Too




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Krandor
  3. Weltall
  4. Mertron
  5. Tyrath
  6. Andalusian girls
  7. Anoat
  8. Melena
  9. 6souls
  10. Obsidian




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. archibaldcrane
  3. Tyrath
  4. Tymon
  5. Roranora
  6. Mrbeansman
  7. mallister
  8. Outlaw
  9. Byrthnoth
  10. Zetanio




Top Spammers
  1. Andalusian girls
  2. Mertron
  3. Demosthenes
  4. Zealot
  5. Zetanio
  6. thetruepandagod
  7. Anoat
  8. Xno Kappa
  9. Rhyis.
  10. Roranora
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=524 BG Stats for January 2024 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=523 Sat, 03 Feb 2024 16:24:30 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV 1. XIV Fan Fest returns! (2023-24)... FFXIV
  1. XIV Fan Fest returns! (2023-24)
  2. Patch 6.5: Growing Light (Early October 2023 pt 1, mid January 2024 pt 2)
  3. Final Fantasy XIV 7.0: Dawntrail - Summer 2024






FFXI
  1. 20 Years, Two Decades - XI is old, and so are we.
  2. CatsEyeXI General Discussion
  3. Gold World Pass Requests




Games
  1. Palworld (PC) - Open-World Survival Adventure aka Pokemon With Guns - 2024
  2. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe
  3. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  4. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  5. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  6. Tekken 8 (PC/PS5/XSX)
  7. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  8. General Gaming News II: Steam Helpdesk Site Leak
  9. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S23, Mother of Dragons.
  10. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (PC) - Turn-Based CRPG


Oh no Palworld is taking over everything.



General
  1. General Wrestling X: btw if Ur a BAD girl the T-rex will eat U
  2. The Last of Us (HBO) - Breaking the Video Game Curse for Adaptions
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2024: Kissinger probably ate the wrong soup edition
  4. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  5. Dragonball Z/Super Thread III: I don't know what a Hiatus is but Piccolo 17 is still the best fight.
  6. Three new live action Star Wars films announced at SW Celebration
  7. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  8. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II
  9. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  10. Random Win III: The irl Fuck Ya thread - BG lost their jobs and moved back into the basement.


F this month to: Glynis Johns, David Soul, Adan Canto, Dave Mills, Gary Graha, Charles Osgood and Jesse Jane



Poopdeck
  1. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  2. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  3. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  4. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  5. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  6. Meanwhile, in Florida.
  7. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  8. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  9. Do We Have A 'Silly Shit Politicians Say' Thread? If Not, Here We Are
  10. #46 Revenge of the Dark Brandon




Top Posters
  1. Weltall
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Mertron
  4. Krandor
  5. kuronosan
  6. Rhyis.
  7. Tyche
  8. archibaldcrane
  9. Cail
  10. Melena




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. archibaldcrane
  3. kuronosan
  4. Tyrath
  5. Mertron
  6. Zealot
  7. Tymon
  8. Kaslo
  9. Anoat
  10. Zetanio




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Zetanio
  3. Mertron
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. Krandor
  6. Anoat
  7. Zealot
  8. Xno Kappa
  9. Salodin
  10. kuronosan
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=523 BG Stats for the Whole Year 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=522 Tue, 02 Jan 2024 19:26:42 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV 1. Patch 6.3: Gods Revel, Lands Tremble (January 2023)... FFXIV
  1. Patch 6.3: Gods Revel, Lands Tremble (January 2023)
  2. XIV Fan Fest returns! (2023-24)
  3. Patch 6.5: Growing Light (Early October 2023 pt 1, mid January 2024 pt 2)
  4. Patch 6.4: The Dark Throne (Late May)
  5. Final Fantasy XIV 7.0: Dawntrail - Summer 2024




FFXI
  1. HorizonXI – Era+ 75 Cap FFXI Server Launching December 17th, 2022
  2. Horizon Dramaticus Personafication
  3. CatsEyeXI General Discussion
  4. 20 Years, Two Decades - XI is old, and so are we.
  5. EdenXI
  6. Bot, RMT, Cheating Megathread
  7. Gold World Pass Requests
  8. Dev Tracker: Discussion II
  9. BG Wiki and Private Servers
  10. Yumcax solo on BST?


Return to FFXI: The Privates



Games
  1. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  2. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023
  3. Baldur's Gate III (PC/Mac/PS5/XSX) - Larian Studios (100% CONFIRMED)
  4. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  5. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  6. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S23, Mother of Dragons.
  7. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  8. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe
  9. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  10. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - May 12, 2023




General
  1. General Wrestling IX: Gomez Addams Appreciation Thread
  2. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  4. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  5. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  6. The Last of Us (HBO) - Breaking the Video Game Curse for Adaptions
  7. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  8. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  9. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  10. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II




Poopdeck
  1. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  2. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  3. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  4. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  5. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  6. Muh Guns, Too
  7. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  8. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  9. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy
  10. #46: Episode VI: Return of the Neolibs




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Mertron
  3. Krandor
  4. Weltall
  5. Melena
  6. Cail
  7. Rhyis.
  8. Obsidian
  9. Andalusian girls
  10. Tyrath




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Mertron
  4. Anoat
  5. Xno Kappa
  6. Zealot
  7. Zetanio
  8. Salodin
  9. thetruepandagod
  10. NynJa




Top Poopers
  1. Spicyryan
  2. 6souls
  3. archibaldcrane
  4. Zealot
  5. kuronosan
  6. Andalusian girls
  7. NynJa
  8. Mertron
  9. Tyrath
  10. Mrbeansman


Somehow Spicy still made it to the top of 2023. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=522 BG Stats for November 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=521 Sat, 02 Dec 2023 20:10:53 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020... Games
  1. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  2. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  3. Baldur's Gate III (PC/Mac/PS5/XSX) - Larian Studios (100% CONFIRMED)
  4. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S23, Mother of Dragons.
  5. Star Ocean: The Second Story R (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW) - November 2, 2023
  6. Super Mario RPG (NSW) - Remake - November 17, 2023
  7. General Gaming News II: Steam Helpdesk Site Leak
  8. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  9. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - November 12, 2020 - $399/$499
  10. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe


Thanks to the new fake French world.



General
  1. General Wrestling IX: Gomez Addams Appreciation Thread
  2. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  3. Captain Marvel 2: The Marvels (November 10, 2023)
  4. Loki (D+) - June 9, 2021
  5. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  6. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  7. Invincible - Animated Series - March 26, 2021
  8. Rick and Morty
  9. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II
  10. Shingeki no Kyojin(Attack on Titan) part 2


I guess we're back into Marvelling?

F this month to Bob Knight, Dex Carvey, Rosalynn Carter, Marty Krofft, Shane MacGowan and not so much to Henry Kissinger?



Poopdeck
  1. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  2. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  3. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  4. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  5. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  6. #46: Episode VI: Return of the Neolibs
  7. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  8. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  9. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  10. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Mertron
  3. Krandor
  4. Tyche
  5. Rhyis.
  6. Obsidian
  7. Weltall
  8. Cail
  9. Tyrath
  10. Melena




Top Poopers
  1. archibaldcrane
  2. 6souls
  3. Zealot
  4. kuronosan
  5. Andalusian girls
  6. Mertron
  7. Krandor
  8. Qalbert
  9. Tyrath
  10. Rhyis.




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Zetanio
  4. Xno Kappa
  5. Zealot
  6. Mertron
  7. Anoat
  8. Roranora
  9. thetruepandagod
  10. archibaldcrane




If you know this you're old:
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=521 BG Stats for October 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=520 Wed, 01 Nov 2023 19:49:11 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024... Games
  1. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  2. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S22, Season of the Hive
  3. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  4. 20 Years, Two Decades - XI is old, and so are we.
  5. Final Fantasy XIV 7.0: Dawntrail - Summer 2024
  6. Baldur's Gate III (PC/Mac/PS5/XSX) - Larian Studios (100% CONFIRMED)
  7. Starfield (PC/XSX) - September 6, 2023
  8. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023
  9. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - November 12, 2020 - $399/$499
  10. Super Mario Bros. Wonder (NSW) - October 20, 2023




General
  1. General Wrestling IX: Gomez Addams Appreciation Thread
  2. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  4. BG Medical Random Question Thread
  5. South park - season 22 (Sept. 26)
  6. Loki (D+) - June 9, 2021
  7. Star Wars: Ahsoka (D+) - The Mandalorian Spin-Off
  8. Disney+ - New Disney Streaming Service - November 12, 2019
  9. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  10. One Piece: Gear Second


F this month to: Tim Wakefield, Dick Butkus, Phyllis Coates, Mark Goddard, Piper Laurie, Suzanne Somers, Burt Young, Richard Roundtree, Richard Moll, Matthew Perry and Adam Johnson.



Poopdeck
  1. Israel vs. Gaza round 99
  2. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  3. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  4. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  5. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy
  6. Muh Guns, Too
  7. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  8. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  9. The BG Health Care Thread: Decreasing the Surplus Population
  10. #46: Episode VI: Return of the Neolibs




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Mertron
  3. Krandor
  4. Weltall
  5. Cail
  6. Rhyis.
  7. kuronosan
  8. Melena
  9. Obsidian
  10. Andalusian girls




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. archibaldcrane
  3. Andalusian girls
  4. Meresgi
  5. kuronosan
  6. Zealot
  7. Xno Kappa
  8. Tymon
  9. Gredival
  10. mallister




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Zetanio
  4. Mertron
  5. Anoat
  6. thetruepandagod
  7. Zealot
  8. Xno Kappa
  9. Salodin
  10. Rhyis.
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=520 BG Stats for September 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=519 Sun, 01 Oct 2023 04:33:00 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV 1. Patch 6.5: Growing Light (Early October 2023 pt 1, mid January 2024... FFXIV
  1. Patch 6.5: Growing Light (Early October 2023 pt 1, mid January 2024 pt 2)
  2. SE quietly adds an official FFXIV table top RPG to their online store
  3. XIV Fan Fest returns! (2023-24)


FFXIV TTRPG available on the SE store.



Games
  1. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5) - 2024
  2. Baldur's Gate III (PC/Mac/PS5/XSX) - Larian Studios (100% CONFIRMED)
  3. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  4. Starfield (PC/XSX) - September 6, 2023
  5. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  6. General Gaming News II: Steam Helpdesk Site Leak
  7. Cyberpunk 2077 (PC/PS4/PS5/XB1/XBSX/STD) - Release Date Simulator
  8. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S22, Season of the Hive
  9. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  10. Nintendo SWITCH (OLED Model) Information II - Fastest Second Console Thread of All Time






General
  1. General Wrestling IX: Gomez Addams Appreciation Thread
  2. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  4. Star Wars: Ahsoka (D+) - The Mandalorian Spin-Off
  5. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  6. One Piece: Gear Second
  7. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  8. Random Win III: The irl Fuck Ya thread - BG lost their jobs and moved back into the basement.
  9. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II
  10. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.


F this month to: Jimmy Buffet, Bill Richardson, Steve Harwell, Jack Sonni, Gary Wright, David McCallum, Michael Gambon and Dianne Feinstein.



Poopdeck
  1. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  2. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  3. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  4. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  5. {COVID-19} Vaccination Injection Interjections VIII - Who cares at this point
  6. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  7. Meanwhile, in Florida.
  8. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  9. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  10. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Mertron
  3. Krandor
  4. Weltall
  5. Rhyis.
  6. Tyche
  7. Andalusian girls
  8. kuronosan
  9. Cail
  10. Melena




Top Poopers
  1. Spicyryan
  2. Zealot
  3. NynJa
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. archibaldcrane
  6. Salodin
  7. kuronosan
  8. Gredival
  9. 6souls
  10. Demosthenes


Guess who's back.



Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Zetanio
  4. NynJa
  5. Anoat
  6. Salodin
  7. Zealot
  8. Mertron
  9. Xno Kappa
  10. Krandor
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=519 BG Stats for August 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=518 Sat, 02 Sep 2023 03:19:06 GMT Games
  1. Baldur's Gate III (PC/Mac/PS5/XSX) - Larian Studios (100% CONFIRMED)
  2. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  3. Starfield (PC/XSX) - September 6, 2023
  4. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  5. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - 2023
  6. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  7. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe
  8. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - November 12, 2020 - $399/$499
  9. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S22, Season of the Hive
  10. Cyberpunk 2077 (PC/PS4/PS5/XB1/XBSX/STD) - Release Date Simulator - December 10, 2020


Everyone's a bear fucker.



General
  1. General Wrestling IX: Gomez Addams Appreciation Thread
  2. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  3. Hurricane Season 2023: Record Sea Temps Could Mean Record Storms
  4. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  5. Bleach 2.0: Return of THE HEART
  6. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  7. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  8. The Witcher Saga - Season 2 December 17, 2021
  9. Star Wars: Ahsoka (D+) - The Mandalorian Spin-Off
  10. One Piece: Gear Second


F this month to: Mark Margolis, William Friedkin, Robbie Robertson, Johnny Hardwick, Melvin “Magoo” Barcliff, John Warnock, Terry Funk, Bray Wyatt, Bob Barker, Arleen Sorkin and Joe Wurzelbacher.



Poopdeck
  1. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  2. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  3. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  4. Muh Guns, Too
  5. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  6. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  7. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  8. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  9. {COVID-19} Vaccination Injection Interjections VIII - Who cares at this point
  10. #46: Episode VI: Return of the Neolibs




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Mertron
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. Weltall
  6. Zealot
  7. Tyrath
  8. Melena
  9. Rhyis.
  10. Obsidian




Top Poopers
  1. archibaldcrane
  2. Mertron
  3. Spicyryan
  4. NynJa
  5. Andalusian girls
  6. kuronosan
  7. 6souls
  8. Zealot
  9. Salodin
  10. Tymon




Top Spammers
  1. Andalusian girls
  2. Demosthenes
  3. Mertron
  4. Zetanio
  5. Salodin
  6. Zealot
  7. NynJa
  8. Xno Kappa
  9. Anoat
  10. kuronosan
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=518 BG Stats for July 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=517 Wed, 02 Aug 2023 00:02:53 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV 1. XIV Fan Fest returns! (2023-24)... FFXIV
  1. XIV Fan Fest returns! (2023-24)
  2. Patch 6.5: Growing Light (Early October 2023 pt 1, mid January 2024 pt 2)
  3. Final Fantasy XIV 7.0: Dawntrail - Summer 2024


Pretty much all you need to catch up with 7.0 coming out somewhere between April 2nd and September 17th.

7.0 Trailer



Games
  1. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  2. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  3. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023
  4. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  5. {Early Access} Baldur's Gate III (PC/Mac/PS5/XSX) - Larian Studios
  6. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S21, Season of Fishing
  7. Persona General - ペルソナ
  8. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  9. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  10. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS)


Make sure to stay away from spoilers if you're waiting for the PC version.



General
  1. General Wrestling IX: Gomez Addams Appreciation Thread
  2. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  3. Secret Invasion (D+) - TV Series - June 21, 2023
  4. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now
  5. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading?
  6. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  7. Legal question
  8. BG Medical Random Question Thread
  9. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (P+)
  10. Misc. Movie/TV News


This month F to: Coco Lee, Tony Bennett, Sinead O’Connor, Paul Reuben (Pee-wee Herman), Adrian Street and Angus Cloud



Poopdeck
  1. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  2. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  3. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  4. #46: Episode VI: Return of the Neolibs
  5. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III
  6. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  7. Climate Change
  8. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  9. Meanwhile, in Florida.
  10. The Failing News Media (Fox News bukkake hour)




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Mertron
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. Melena
  6. Obsidian
  7. Weltall
  8. Tyrath
  9. Salodin
  10. Anoat




Top Poopers
  1. NynJa
  2. Mertron
  3. kuronosan
  4. Krandor
  5. Salodin
  6. 6souls
  7. archibaldcrane
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Yabby
  10. thetruepandagod




Top Spammers
  1. Andalusian girls
  2. Zetanio
  3. Demosthenes
  4. Mertron
  5. Zealot
  6. Salodin
  7. Roranora
  8. thetruepandagod
  9. NynJa
  10. Milkster
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=517 BG Stats for June 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=516 Tue, 04 Jul 2023 21:10:41 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) (https://www.bluegartr.com/showthread.php?t=133400)... Games
  1. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5)
  2. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4)
  3. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4)
  4. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (III) PC/PS5/PS4 | Part 2 - Rebirth (PS5)
  5. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  6. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS)
  7. Square Enix General News
  8. Star Ocean: The Second Story R (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW)
  9. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS)
  10. Super Mario RPG (NSW) - Remake


Guess we're back in mostly RPG-ish games.



General
  1. General Wrestling IX: Gomez Addams Appreciation Thread
  2. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  4. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  5. Kraven the Hunter
  6. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II
  7. The Flash: Flashpoint/Worlds Collide (June 16, 2023)
  8. Spider-Man: Spider-Verse 2 (June 2, 2023) | Part II (March 29, 2024)
  9. Deadpool 3
  10. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?


Damn I guess some of you were pretty eager to see people die this month.



Poopdeck
  1. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  2. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  3. #46: Episode VI: Return of the Neolibs
  4. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  5. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  6. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  7. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  8. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  9. Transgender Philosophy (Questions, Ideology)
  10. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Melena
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Salodin
  5. Mertron
  6. Tyrath
  7. Obsidian
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Cail
  10. NynJa




Top Poopers
  1. Andalusian girls
  2. kuronosan
  3. Gredival
  4. NynJa
  5. archibaldcrane
  6. Zealot
  7. 6souls
  8. Tyche
  9. Mertron
  10. Krandor




Top Spammers
  1. Andalusian girls
  2. Zetanio
  3. Mertron
  4. Demosthenes
  5. Zealot
  6. thetruepandagod
  7. Salodin
  8. Anoat
  9. Xno Kappa
  10. NynJa




RIP Spicy's rankings ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=516 BG Stats for May 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=515 Thu, 01 Jun 2023 20:41:52 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - May 12, 2023... Games
  1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - May 12, 2023
  2. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS) - Honkai Impact 3rd Extended Universe
  3. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  4. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  5. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023
  6. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - November 12, 2020 - $399/$499
  7. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (NSW) - July 29, 2022
  8. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  9. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S21, Season of Fishing
  10. Foamstars (PS5/PS4) - 4v4 Splatoon-Like


Nice to see Genshin and both of its clones taking the top 3.



General
  1. General Wrestling IX: Gomez Addams Appreciation Thread
  2. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
  4. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  5. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  6. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  7. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  8. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  9. Killers of the Flower Moon (October 6, 2023)
  10. Comic Book Thread II: Everyone Gets A Reboot!




Poopdeck
  1. Muh Guns, Too
  2. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  3. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  4. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  5. The Failing News Media (Fox News bukkake hour)
  6. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  7. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  8. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  9. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  10. Meanwhile, in Florida.




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Obsidian
  4. Melena
  5. Salodin
  6. NynJa
  7. Cail
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Tyrath
  10. Mertron




Top Poopers
  1. 6souls
  2. Spicyryan
  3. archibaldcrane
  4. kuronosan
  5. Krandor
  6. NynJa
  7. Mrbeansman
  8. Mertron
  9. Xno Kappa
  10. Andalusian girls




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Mertron
  3. Anoat
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. Xno Kappa
  6. Salodin
  7. Krandor
  8. Melena
  9. NynJa
  10. Zealot




Starting now it's illegal to be straight for a month. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=515 BG Stats for April 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=514 Wed, 03 May 2023 03:07:45 GMT BG Stats for April 2023 Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023... BG Stats for April 2023

Games
  1. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  2. Honkai: Star Rail (PC/PS5/PS4/Android/iOS)
  3. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  4. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (PC/PS5/XSX) - Fallen Order Sequel - 2023
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - May 12, 2023
  6. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  7. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  8. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (NSW) - July 29, 2022
  9. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023
  10. Game/Console Deals Thread II


Nope we're all busy here shopping for expensive collectibles.



General
  1. General Wrestling IX: Gomez Addams Appreciation Thread
  2. Super Mario (April 7, 2023) - Animated Film
  3. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  4. Disneyland/Disney World thread
  5. Star Wars: The Mandalorian (D+) - Season 2 October 30, 2020
  6. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  7. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes
  8. Captain Marvel 2: The Marvels (November 10, 2023)
  9. Star Wars: Ahsoka (D+) - The Mandalorian Spin-Off
  10. Three new live action Star Wars films announced at SW Celebration






Poopdeck
  1. Muh Guns, Too
  2. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  3. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy
  4. The Failing News Media (Fox News bukkake hour)
  5. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?
  6. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  7. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  8. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  9. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  10. Ridiculous Police News (Specific Events): Twin Cities police are still frightened easily




Top Posters
  1. Krandor
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. NynJa
  4. Obsidian
  5. Melena
  6. Mertron
  7. Cail
  8. Weltall
  9. Rhyis.
  10. Anoat




Top Poopers
  1. Spicyryan
  2. 6souls
  3. Zealot
  4. archibaldcrane
  5. Tyrath
  6. Mrbeansman
  7. kuronosan
  8. Melena
  9. Salodin
  10. NynJa




Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Mertron
  3. Xno Kappa
  4. Andalusian girls
  5. NynJa
  6. Salodin
  7. Anoat
  8. Rhyis.
  9. Roranora
  10. Zealot
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=514 Destiny 2: Lightfall Review -- What Comes After the Fall? https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=513 Mon, 10 Apr 2023 21:44:01 GMT Image: https://bucket.bluegartr.com/b50b02eeaa87579ab856e18289c701bd.jpg It would be disingenuous to argue that the Destiny of today is the same...
It would be disingenuous to argue that the Destiny of today is the same Destiny that Bungie released in 2014 (or even when Destiny 2 released in 2017). It is well documented how the original direction for the story changed in the eleventh hour and Bungie launched the game narratively adrift, cobbled together partially using fragments of their original plan. Still, from that tenuous foundation, Bungie has managed to erect something that is truly good -- a conflict between ancient and antithetical forces, stories of loss, grief, and redemption, competing armies and races that stand together as equals, and payoffs for narrative threads that were stitched together from the most meager scraps. In fact, most would agree that Destiny 2 has become a gold-standard for both the live-service model and the looter-shooter genre.

Bungie unveiled their long-term plan for the franchise in 2020 and recent years have seen them present a largely coherent narrative that has built on annual expansions and seasonal storylines, some admittedly more relevant than others. Last year’s expansion, The Witch Queen, was lauded as a new high bar in storytelling for both the Destiny franchise and Bungie. But in the distance, behind that impressive story, the title of this year’s expansion and the penultimate chapter in this ongoing saga loomed as an ominous specter. Destiny 2: Lightfall is finally here and it has the unenviable task of maintaining those expectations and moving the ongoing story into its final act.

As ever, this will be a review of the latest Destiny 2 expansion, a discussion of the previous year, and an examination of the state of the game as it approaches its final arc and enters its ninth year.

And, as is the norm, expect this one to be long~

There was a point when Bungie announced that the Light and Darkness saga would conclude with Beyond Light, The Witch Queen, and Lightfall. However, in the lead-up to The Witch Queen, they revealed they needed another entry to finish the story as they envisioned, and added next year’s The Final Shape as the concluding chapter. Having played through Lightfall, there are a number of ways this can be read. One completely fair reading is that the challenges of game development and impacts of a global pandemic impeded their ability to tell the story on their original timeline. Perhaps the simplest take is that Bungie needed more time to get the pieces in place for this saga’s climax. A less generous spin would be that the decision was driven by the seasonal storytelling, that they needed another four seasons and this expansion exists to get them the time they needed. The most concerning interpretation is that this is the story Bungie wants to tell and we should be concerned about their ability to stick the landing next year. I am going to be upfront, Lightfall was a narrative disappointment. Even removing the high bar The Witch Queen created, Lightfall fails at adequately setting the stage for the final act. And that is especially unfortunate given how much this expansion does right. There are a lot of issues, but I am going to focus my critiques on three areas -- the story, the macguffin, and Strand.

The final moments of Season 19 set the stage for Lightfall and ended with the Traveler rising into space to confront the Witness and its fleet of pyramid ships that had arrived on our doorstep. And the opening moments of this expansion deliver on that tease. Lightfall opens with a cinematic space battle where the Vanguard and its allies, allies we have brought together over the past few years, clash against these forces. However, this is the Witness, the fearsome threat that had previously doomed humanity and crippled the Traveler before the events of Destiny 1. With a flick of its finger, it slices ships and ghosts into pieces, showing the power of our opponent. Indifferent to our forces, the Witness reaches out, touches the Traveler, and receives a vision that motivates it to send Calus and his Shadow Legion to Neptune in pursuit of a mysterious object known as the Veil. Players chase after Osiris who is insistent that the Witness will become unstoppable if it is able to get the Veil, and the story of Lightfall unfolds from there as the focus shifts away from the Witness and the threat it poses to the Traveler and humanity and instead to Calus and his efforts to secure the Veil.

In the lead-up to Lightfall, Bungie presented the role that players would fill as the tip of the spear in the battle against the Witness. Ever since Bungie redefined the narrative of Destiny and reimagined the Light and Darkness as foundational forces, rather than antagonists, the Witness has become an ominous presence, synonymous with all the negativity that previously surrounded the Darkness. The Witness is the long-time adversary of the Traveler. It was responsible for causing the collapse, but for years, we did not know what it was. This entity was finally given a name in The Witch Queen, and after preparing and amassing an army of allies, we were ready to stand with the Traveler to confront this ancient opponent. Except none of that mattered and the entire campaign occurs away from that fight. Players have no direct interaction with the Witness and the events of Neptune feel like they are occurring over an undefined period of time while everything else stands still. Someone on Reddit pointed out that you could string the opening cutscene and the final cutscene together, and they flow perfectly because our actions on Neptune are so immaterial to the actual story.

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I do not like Thor: Ragnarok. It suffers from narrative whiplash, jumping from emotional and significant moments to humor and quips without giving the characters and the audience an adequate amount of time to feel the weight of the significant events that transpire. The main narrative of Lightfall is similarly plagued by this issue, but made worse when juxtaposed against the stories that happen outside the campaign. Characters who experience loss or defeat during the campaign quickly jump back to humor and jokes, as if there is no emotional weight to the story’s major beats. This is best exemplified by Nimbus, one of the new characters introduced on Neptune. Throughout the campaign, they interject too much humor and ruin moments that should have at least a modicum of solemnity. And yet, during the post-game, Nimbus has an especially poignant storyline where the events of the campaign impact their behavior and decision-making and they emerge with a better understanding of what it means to be a Cloud Strider in service to the people of Neomuna. We have known for a longtime that Bungie has different narrative teams, but when the seasonal storyline can handle similar sequences of events with more complexity, maturity, and depth, it feels like the wrong team was given the responsibility of writing Lightfall’s narrative.

Even with all the complaints against the writing, almost universally, the biggest criticism of the Lightfall campaign relates to the Veil. Bungie has had an overreliance on using lore for storytelling since the start of the Destiny franchise. And while they have gotten better with their storytelling, the lore still does a lot of heavy-lifting. That is not the case here. The Veil has been mentioned in the lore (I think), but it was never prominently featured in the game’s story, so it never needed to be explained. Bungie just put out an entire expansion with the Veil at the core, and I could not tell you what it is. Even the people who make a living discussing the game’s lore cannot explain it.

Players arrive on Neomuna to help Osiris keep the Veil out of Calus’ hands, but at no point does he (or rather Bungie) think to explain the Veil. Players never learn what the Veil is, what it does, or why it matters. In fact, by the end of the campaign, when all is said and done, players still do not have any clarification about why they needed to protect the Veil or what were the consequences of letting it fall into the Witness’ grasp. The problem is not that the Veil is wrapped in mystery, rather, seemingly everyone knows what the Veil is except for players, and that is never resolved. The Witch Queen was built around the mystery of how Savathûn got the Light, and the way it drove the story and was eventually resolved was a huge part of why The Witch Queen was so highly praised.

This review has been a challenge to write, partially due to having to rewrite entire sections because Bungie has been putting out weekly pieces about the future of the game, and somehow the narrative is one of those areas. Just over a week after Lightfall's release, Bungie stated that this year’s storyline would continue to expand over the year, independent of the seasonal stories. There is zero part of me that thinks this narrative continuation is the result of the overwhelming criticism of Lightfall, but rather, Bungie was forced to reveal it months earlier than planned because of the sentiment around the expansion. On one hand, a part of me still has faith that Bungie will do the Veil justice and properly reveal why it was so important to this story. But at the same time, this feels like another case of Bungie being so caught up in wanting to keep secrets to surprise players that they shot themselves in the foot again. I think Lightfall would still have been maligned, but it would not have been so widely condemned if they had said something along the lines of, “This year we're trying something new with the story. In addition to the seasonal stories, players who purchase Lightfall will get to experience a story that expands throughout the year." prior to the expansion’s release.

We have all played games which warn players, "If you proceed past this point, you will not be able to go back.” That prompt signifies it is time to complete any leftover side-quests before proceeding to the final battle. Unfortunately, that is the most apt description of the Lightfall campaign -- a side-quest to acquire a new power before the final act.

Strand is a brand new darkness element that exists on Neomuna and is somehow connected to the Veil. Players are the first to discover and learn to wield it (the fact that certain enemies have Strand shields aside), and it is, arguably, just as important to the narrative as the Veil. The Witch Queen campaign was fixated on Savathûn and solving the mystery of how she acquired the light, so every objective was in service of moving that plot forward. Conversely, rather than concentrating on Calus or the Veil, the Lightfall campaign must take detours to understand Strand. Honestly, this is one of those strange scenarios where, while a new element and subclasses can be hugely beneficial and transformative for Destiny 2, I hope Bungie does not introduce one with The Final Shape so they can devote their attention in its entirety to delivering a satisfying narrative conclusion.

When Stasis was introduced in Beyond Light, many players expressed frustration that it took a long time for players to gain full access to Stasis and its kit. Throughout the campaign, players would get tastes of Stasis, but they needed to finish the campaign to unlock the subclasses and then complete several quests to unlock all the grenades, aspects, and fragments. Prior to Lightfall, Bungie stated that they had heard this complaint and factored it into unlocking Strand. And they definitely listened in some regards, but the final execution is still not without its blemishes. Starting with the good, it is infinitely easier to fully unlock Strand. At the end of the campaign, players get access to a nearly complete build (I do not remember if I was able to immediately unlock four fragments or only three) with additional perks unlocked by collecting a currency that drops from defeating enemies on Neomuna with Strand. Mostly playing through post-game content, I believe it took me two days to fully unlock all the options for my Hunter. While that sounds great, the introduction of Strand during the campaign is a series of disappointments. Throughout the campaign, players get tastes of Strand, but it is only for limited stretches. Rather than getting to dive head first into it, Strand feels like a reward for eating our veggies.

So I just spent a few paragraphs criticizing the introduction of Strand, but we have reached the part of the review where I pull a bait-and-switch and praise Strand. To put it simply, Strand is a ridiculous amount of fun. While Strand hurt Lightfall’s narrative, it undeniably helped better define the Light and Darkness. Even before Stasis was introduced, players had imagined how a potential poison-based element would look. Weapons like Thorn and Osteo Striga and the Necrotic Grips added fuel to this fire, and when images of green subclass icons were leaked, players felt sure we were finally getting poison. Instead, Bungie used this opportunity to delineate the elements associated with the Light as those related to the physical objects and sensations while the Darkness comes from the abstract or intangible, such as dreams and emotions (Stasis’ fits into this paradigm requires a bit of a stretch).

Strand is derived from the energy between things that connects them and Strand is about pulling on this energy and using it to create, manipulate, and unravel. Gameplay-wise, this translates to grappling across the map, binding and suspending enemies, and spinning threads into bombs. While Strand has many of the same functions as other subclasses (unique ways to clear the battlefield and immobilizing enemies), its most distinctive feature is the way it is built around repositioning -- both zipping into the heart of combat to unleash damage and cause disruptions and quickly escaping with ease. Movement and gunplay in Destiny 2 has always received high praise, and the way Strand seamlessly weaves these elements together makes it shine. When Stasis shipped, its identity was largely centered on crowd control, but many of its tools were oppressive to the point that they overshadowed the other elements and Bungie needed to drastically rein them in. Yes, there are parts of Strand that feel a bit overpowered at times (both its ridiculous levels of crowd control and its damage mitigation), but I think both of those can be tuned in ways that do not break the identity of the element and subclasses.

This paradoxical evaluation from the narrative perspective versus the gameplay experience does not only apply to Strand, but also the campaign. Given the narrative deficiencies, it is almost jarring how many great set pieces and bombastic gameplay moments are featured throughout the Lightfall campaign. Some of the standouts include a harrowing sparrow escape from Calus’ ship, a race against the clock to escape a building rigged with explosives, swinging through the Vex network (my ongoing reservations on our ability to enter a digital space aside), and my absolute favorite sequence of the Lightfall campaign, fighting alongside Caital and her Cabal army to hold the line against swarms of Shadow Legion forces which eventually overwhelm and drive players back. Bungie finally delivered on a gameplay experience I have been begging them to introduce for years, and it has me hopeful that Bungie can deliver on the promise of this saga. At least from a gameplay perspective.

Like The Witch Queen before it, Lightfall offers a legendary difficulty that is again a satisfying and challenging experience. I know a lot of people thought this campaign was harder than The Witch Queen’s, but I disagree. Context is important and I believe Lightfall’s campaign feels harder because players are weaker than they were three months ago due to overall adjustments to player power (more on that in a little). Conversely, my perspective might be skewed by the novelty of experiencing this level of challenge in a Destiny campaign during The Witch Queen. Lightfall also introduces a new challenging enemy type, the Tormentors. These towering servants of the Witness are the first new enemy species(?) added to the game since The Taken King in 2015 and are a welcome addition. Tormentors are like the Lucent Hive in that they require your attention whenever one (or more) enters the battlefield. These opponents can fire off powerful attacks, quickly close the gap, and even suppress players’ abilities. Personally, I found the most challenging encounters occurred in small spaces that were clearly designed to provide an advantage to their toolkit, so I favor the Lucent Hive, but only by a little. At the same time, a lot of the impact of the Lucent Hive faded because of how criminally underutilized they were outside The Witch Queen campaign, so hopefully Bungie does not repeat that mistake.

One area where the gameplay underperforms the narrative is in the latest raid, Root of Nightmares. This raid occurs across the Witness’ pyramid ship which was damaged by the Traveler’s terraforming power in Lightfall’s opening cutscene and is a visual and auditory spectacle. Over the past few years, and especially in last year’s Vow of the Disciple raid, Bungie has defined the Witness’ aesthetic motif. The cold stone structures, dim orange lighting, and straight lines of the Witness’ ship are broken up by chaotic white roots and organic growths. Even the audio cues players hear as they traverse the raid, the sounds of creaking and breaking, tell the narrative of two opposing forces struggling to coexist. It is not just sensory, the narrative build-up to the release of Root of Nightmares was one of the best Bungie has done. Nezarec, recently revealed to be one of the Witness’ disciples, has been reborn and prior to the raid’s release, was tormenting the dreams of the people of Neomuna. Running around Neomuna, players could hear mysterious whispers what could only be understood by equipping older pieces of gear connected to Nezarec. I am not sure if this is still the case, but Nezarec spent the week and a half leading up to the raid taunting and antagonizing players in an attempt to draw them into the raid.

While all of that made the new raid shine, the gameplay experience might be one of the most disappointing Bungie has produced. Historically, Destiny raids have featured multiple encounters and mechanics that build in complexity from one to the next. The first encounter might introduce a simple mechanic, but that is the basis of the next encounter which adds complexity and also features a boss that serves as a damage check. Some raids, like Last Wish or Vow of the Disciple, are mechanically heavy, requiring players to memorize and call-out symbols. Other raids are not at that level of complexity, but what has been consistent across all raids is the need to work with your teammates.

Root of Nightmares consists of four encounters, two mechanical puzzles (using the term as generously as possible) and two boss encounters. My biggest issue with this raid is that the mechanics are so simplistic, with most requiring no coordination between teammates and only the third encounter actually requiring any communication. But even that encounter can be done by two people while the rest of the group just kills adds. There are entire encounters where I have found myself completely disengaged with what was happening as my teammates dealt with mechanics while I just shot waves of adds. Root of Nightmares launched on March 10, and when I started working on this section back then, my fear was that there would be a lot of players who only knew how to add clear. That fear has become a reality. In the weeks since, I have been in groups where every single person has double-digit clears, but I was the only player who knew the mechanics.

There are a lot of players who do not like the mechanical complexity of raids or find them too challenging. Many of those players have heaped praises on this raid for how easy it is to finish and how much more welcoming it is, especially since so many players can just kill adds. Look, I am all for more players experiencing raids and getting clears, but raids are supposed to be the pinnacle of endgame content. Yes, it is super frustrating to not get a clear, it sucks to spend your night struggling against a tough encounter, and I am sympathetic to players who feel intimidated by complex mechanics. But raids were the one thing that offered that experience in Destiny 2 and we get one new raid a year. I am not saying that every raid needs to be on the level of complexity of Last Wish or even Vow of the Disciple, but this game already features copious amounts of accessible content, I do not think it is unfair for one activity to have a higher bar to success. What is especially discouraging is, as far as I am aware, amidst all the conversations they have had recently, Bungie has made no comments about this raid’s difficulty, so it sounds like they do not share my sentiments.

I mentioned that part of the challenge of the Lightfall campaign came from the need to recalibrate since players are not as strong as we were prior to Lightfall. When I reviewed The Witch Queen last year, I praised the Void 3.0 update that allowed for better customization, build-crafting, and for the seasonal mods that made the Void subclasses feel powerful. At the time, it felt like a needed change to bring the old subclasses to the same footing as the more recently introduced Stasis subclasses. But that sentiment started to fade the more time I spent with Void 3.0, and the flaws that were hidden by the initial excitement became more and more glaring as Bungie continued to update the remaining Light subclasses. Players embraced the build-crafting and created powerful builds that could perpetually tear through armies by spreading explosions from one target to the next, infinitely chain abilities so that gunplay became largely irrelevant, and even stand against the toughest foes and survive their strongest attacks without flinching. This increase in ability usage permeated the game, and even the Crucible was plagued by invisibility, overshields, and overwhelming regeneration.

There are some players who want games like Destiny 2 to be easy so they can feel like powerful beings, flying across the battlefield, throwing out explosive abilities, burning through hordes of enemies, and emerging on the other side without a scratch. That is not my idea of fun. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely spent time in Sarutabaruta pulling trains of Crawlers that I could burn down with a single high-level -ga spell. But there is a big difference between doing that in a starter area versus that level of power in endgame content. I came to Destiny from a Halo background, so I was in love with the gunplay from day one. I have not enjoyed the previous year because of how easy it was to become over-powered and for guns and gunplay to feel unimportant.

Lightfall is a drastic turn in the other direction. The biggest change is shifting the game to put players at a power-level disadvantage for much of the content, meaning that things generally take more shots to kill and dish out more damage. This has even expanded to the world, with enemies on Neomuna being set to always be at a higher level than players, making that planet feel like it is always a threat. Personally, I love this change. I am relying on my guns again, I actually have to pay attention to the environment and cover, and the game does not feel as mindless as it has for the past few years. But, as you might expect, this drastic a change and recalibration has not made everyone happy, and a lot of players have expressed frustration at this new difficulty. Prior to Lightfall, a frequent complaint from players was that they had to compete against their allies to have fun in a lot of activities. In fact, Bungie was praised last year for the enemy density in some of the more recent activities because it meant there was plenty to fight and players were able to utilize the builds they had crafted. Those conversations make it feel at least a little contradictory to then complain when one player cannot burn down an entire room of enemies in five seconds.

Another huge part of this shift in power is the result of overhauling the game’s mod system. There is no denying that this new system is far less complex than the previous system. Warmind Cells, Elemental Wells, and a lot of the functionality tied to them has been removed and replaced by more straight-forward stat buffs and a choice between on-demand or temporary buffs. The best way I can describe it is, the old system was a froyo shop where you had dozens of frozen yogurt choices that you could mix and match with tons of toppings that you could pile on, resulting in something that could be amazing or could be a mess; The new system is more of a traditional ice cream shop with a handful of flavors and fewer toppings that have been chosen to deliver a more cultivated experience.

The old mod system offered a lot more creativity, but it could be daunting for new players who were not around to learn the basics when there were fewer options. Assuming they could even acquire all the mods. The previous system was built around a suite of basic mods that were available to all players, with additional mods sporadically introduced during different seasons. The only way to acquire missing mods, if you skipped a season or joined the game late, was from a single vendor who would offer a random selection of mods each day. As a result, players would often be stuck waiting months for important mods or a key mod for a specific build. The new system gives players to almost everything up-front, but is far more limited. Still, I would be remiss if I ignored the near-infinite Threadling build I have going on my Warlock currently and acted like the current system does not allow for some powerful builds. If I am not mistaken, the previous iteration of the mod system started in Shadowkeep and Bungie built on it over three years. I would be surprised if we did not see new mods introduced over time that help players develop even more creative builds.

The mod system rework has also come with an oft-requested feature, loadout management. Players can finally create a build, save it, and then swap to it at anytime with a press of a button. Previously, unless you used a third-party tool, switching loadouts was a manual process that was tedious and cumbersome. I can personally attest that I would play every subclass, but only ever had one or two optimized builds because of how difficult it was to switch gear and change mods. Plenty of games have successful loadout management systems, so this might not seem worth a ton of praise, but Bungie delivered on something that players have been begging for, and it works pretty much flawlessly. The system is intuitive to use, easy to navigate, clean, and it is one of the best implementations in recent memory. You can even save ornaments, so players can easily swap their appearances when necessary for things like Iron Banner weeks. My only complaint is that we cannot save artifact unlocks, but that is a minor complaint that will become even more minor next season.

For all the good of those systems, the other side of the coin is the mediocre Guardian Rank system and the abysmal Commendation system. Bungie has a habit of seizing on annual releases as an opportunity to reinvent systems. In addition to the mod system, they have also introduced Guardian Ranks, a reimagining of the Triumph Score system that was introduced in Forsaken which was itself a reimagining of Destiny 1’s Grimoire Score. When it was announced, Bungie discussed their intention behind the system and stated their goal was for Guardian Ranks to denote a player’s mastery of the game. However, because of how it has been implemented and the types of tasks required to increase a player’s rank, it just quantifies how much a player is willing to grind, rather than serving as a metric of skill or mastery. Still, Bungie has acknowledged some of the flaws with the system, reduced some of the requirements, and already started moving around some of the tasks, so there is a world where Guardian Ranks eventually functions as originally described.

Conversely, I have a hard time seeing the Commendation system ever serving its described purpose. When Lightfall was announced, Bungie also revealed that they were finally introducing an in-game Looking for Group feature and the hope was that commendations would work hand-in-hand with that system to reward helpful players. If a player guided a raid, you could give them a commendation for being helpful; If a player slayed out during a Crucible map, there would be a commendation for being a skilled player. The Looking for Group feature has been delayed until a later season, but that is not the problem with the Commendation system. When Lightfall released, a weekly reward was tied to giving twenty commendations and there were steep requirement for both giving and receiving commendations to climb the Guardian Ranks. Rather than serving as a way to acknowledge helpful or high-skill players, it became a mandatory thing that players had to engage with after every activity.

Bungie has already made numerous changes to the Commendation system since Lightfall's release and I am sure they will continue to tweak it. However, I think the damage has been done. I did my weekly raid clears earlier this week, and in two of the three runs, someone reminded the group not to leave without handing out commendations. It was not because there was something exceptional about either of those runs, rather, commendations are a thing we just do after activities. To really hammer the point, I could not tell you what the actual post-raid commendations were, I just went down the row and gave everyone a commendation. All that said, taken together, I think these two systems are functioning, not as described, but as intended. Guardian Ranks and Commendations are not systems to show mastery of the game or praise other players, respectively, they are systems to trick the part of our brains that like seeing numbers go up. All the conversations about these two systems, systems that have very little bearing on the game, highlight how successful they have been at achieving that goal.

For all my complaints about Lightfall, there is no denying that I have been playing a lot of Destiny 2 since it released. Still, I do not know how long that is going to last. This week, I knocked out my three raids early, played a few rounds of Iron Banner, played a few Gambit matches, and have not touched the game since. At the start of this review, I mentioned I also planned to use this space to evaluate the previous year of Destiny 2 and express my sentiments about the game’s future. This is the point where I have to come clean and admit that this past year has been the least engaged I have been with Destiny 2. While Bungie has done a lot to improve Destiny 2, they continue to neglect the competitive experience, part of a broader neglect of the core playlists. I am pretty indifferent to the stagnation of the Strike playlist, partially because PvP is more interesting to me, but also because, even if Bungie never released another Strike, they continue to support the PvE side of the game with new content every season.

On the other hand, the competitive gamemodes, the Crucible and Gambit, receive barely any attention from Bungie. Bungie has, as recently as a month prior to Lightfall, insisted that PvP is a core part of Destiny 2. There are a lot of players who will say that Destiny 2 will never be a balanced competitive game and PvP players should play Valorant, or Overwatch, or any number of shooters that exist to offer competitive gameplay. To the first point, they are probably right, but I do not think the majority of players who enjoy PvP in Destiny 2 are asking for that. Destiny 2 can offer a thriving PvP scene while not being an e-sport. Not only has Destiny 2 supported a vibrant PvP community in previous years, there have been points throughout the franchise’s history where the competitive side of the game kept the game alive during its content droughts. Lightfall is the big annual release and Bungie could not be bothered to create a new PvP map. If that does not tell you how Bungie prioritizes the Crucible, I do not know what will.

And I hate saying that because the Crucible is where I have spent countless nights. For years, I would get on and play with friends and clanmates who were invested in PvP. Sometimes we would do it to pass time before a raid, sometime that is all we would do. That stopped happening last year. Bungie has been horrendous about supporting PvP for years, but the shift away from gunplay and the over-use of abilities in PvP has made the game less fun. Bungie put out a blog post detailing a number of changes they planned to make to the Crucible experience, and a lot of it sounds good, but I am tired of words and not delivering. I had hoped that updating the Competitive playlist last year would reinvigorate my Crucible spark, but somehow Bungie managed to even drop that ball and made a ranked playlist where the ranks are again meaningless. I have reached the point where, rather than investing my time in a part of the game that Bungie may or may not eventually prioritize, I would rather spend my time in other games.

But for all my issues with how Bungie has mishandled the Crucible, it is still miles ahead of Gambit, Destiny’s PvE/PvP hybrid gamemode. I am not going to spend a lot of time discussing Gambit because it feels like is barely an afterthought to Bungie at this point. The best evaluation of Gambit is that it is in roughly the same neglected place it was last year, but a more realistic evaluation is that it is in a worse place because the full suite of 3.0 upgrades has continued to tear at its wounds. I am admittedly spending more time in Gambit this season, but that has more to do with the reintroduction of my favorite Hand Cannon in the franchise and less to do with Gambit itself. Gambit started as an interesting idea of a competitive PvE gamemode with occasional disruptive PvP invasions, but that was years ago and it has not kept up with the rest of the game. There are so many issues with Gambit and a lot of players, myself included, do not know if there is a way to save this gamemode.

There have been a lot of sentiments that Lightfall is the worst Destiny expansion ever. I cannot disagree with this reaction more strongly. There is no denying that Lightfall was an enormous narrative disappointment, but beyond that campaign, it is actually a really good expansion, as evidenced by the spectacular player numbers in the weeks since. One of the issues for Bungie, however, is the divergent impressions of players who play the campaign and leave versus those of the players who stick around. And this is especially problematic because, I would venture that the majority of players who stick around are players who have been playing for years. We have been waiting in line to ride the roller coaster; we are not going to get off ten minutes before our turn. The other players, the ones who maybe picked up Lightfall because of praise around The Witch Queen, they do not have the same level of investment as older players.. but are also at the same distance from the ride as us.. Okay, look, this is not a perfect metaphor. The point is, players who have been here for nine-years are not going to leave right before the end of the ten-year journey.

Are you familiar with the sunk-cost fallacy, the tendency of people to stick with an activity, even when they can get more enjoyment elsewhere or might not even enjoy the activity, because they have already invested time and money? I am sure most of us can relate to sticking with a television show or series just to see the ending. That is kinda the point I have reached with Destiny 2. This is the ninth year for the Destiny franchise and Destiny 2 is going into its sixth year of content and service. Over the past few years, I have repeatedly asserted that Destiny 2 knows what type of game it is and it is difficult to see the Destiny experience undergoing a drastic transformation. I still think Destiny 2 is a great game, but I can also admit that it is not a great game for me anymore. And it is hard for me to disconnect my evaluation of Lightfall from that growing sentiment. Still, not many games could have kept me this engaged over this many years and although it has its flaws, I think the good parts of Lightfall outweigh the bad. As the franchise approaches the final year of the Light and Darkness saga, I can feel my time with this franchise approaching its end and I just hope that Bungie is able to deliver the satisfying conclusion this saga deserves.


You will fail, you will fall, and then you will get up.

All images owned by Bungie. ]]> Serra https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=513 BG Stats for March 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=512 Sat, 01 Apr 2023 15:08:35 GMT Games
  1. Destiny 2: Lightfall [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y6S20, The future has looked brighter.
  2. Diablo IV (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - June 6, 2023
  3. Patch 6.3: Gods Revel, Lands Tremble (January 2023)
  4. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - May 12, 2023
  5. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  6. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  7. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  8. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - November 12, 2020 - $399/$499
  9. Horizon II: Forbidden West (PS5/PS4) - February 18, 2022
  10. Resident Evil 4: Remake (PS5/PSVR2) - March 24, 2023


Wait.. what's in here?



General
  1. General Wrestling VIII: In Memory of Mr. McMahon 1945-2007.
  2. The Last of Us (HBO) - Breaking the Video Game Curse for Adaptions
  3. Star Wars: The Mandalorian (D+) - Season 2 October 30, 2020
  4. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  5. John Wick Chapter 4 (March 24, 2023) & Chapter 5 (Later)
  6. Random Win III: The irl Fuck Ya thread - BG lost their jobs and moved back into the basement.
  7. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  8. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  9. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  10. Random Anime Thread.




Poopdeck
  1. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  2. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XV - Ye's Running Mate
  3. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  4. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  5. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  6. Muh Guns, Too
  7. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  8. {COVID-19} Vaccination Injection Interjections VIII - Who cares at this point
  9. Meanwhile, in Florida.
  10. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation




Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Weltall
  3. Melena
  4. Cail
  5. Mertron
  6. NynJa
  7. Obsidian
  8. Krandor
  9. 6souls
  10. Rhyis.




Top Poopers
  1. Spicyryan
  2. Zealot
  3. 6souls
  4. kuronosan
  5. archibaldcrane
  6. NynJa
  7. Andalusian girls
  8. Milkster
  9. Mrbeansman
  10. Melena




Top Spammers
  1. Mertron
  2. Demosthenes
  3. Andalusian girls
  4. Anoat
  5. Xno Kappa
  6. NynJa
  7. Milkster
  8. Salodin
  9. Zealot
  10. archibaldcrane




Thanks to Positron we now have a dark skin on the wiki: https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Special...tion-rendering ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=512 BG Stats for February 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=511 Thu, 02 Mar 2023 05:12:57 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - Open-World ARPG/Prequel -... Games
  1. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - Open-World ARPG/Prequel - Feb 10, 2023
  2. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y5S19, Beep Boop Reborn Pt.2
  3. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  4. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (NSW) - July 29, 2022
  5. Nintendo SWITCH (OLED Model) Information II - Fastest Second Console Thread of All Time
  6. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  7. Pokémon Scarlet - Pokémon Violet (November 18, 2022) [NSW]
  8. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo
  9. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - November 12, 2020 - $399/$499
  10. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - May 12, 2023


Oh no it's all Harry Potter drama.



General
  1. General Wrestling VIII: In Memory of Mr. McMahon 1945-2007.
  2. The Last of Us (HBO) - Breaking the Video Game Curse for Adaptions
  3. Ant-Man and the Wasp 3: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
  4. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  5. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  6. Marvel Phase 4 (July 2021) | Phase 5 (Feb 2023) | Phase 6 (Nov 2024)
  7. What's your weather?
  8. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  9. The "Oh shit, that's streaming now?" Thread II
  10. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes




Poopdeck
  1. Harry Potter: Joanne K Rowling's Legacy
  2. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy
  3. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  4. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  5. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  6. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  7. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  8. Actual YouTube/Twitch drama thread II
  9. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  10. Election 2024: Rise of DeSantis or Return of the Trump?




Top Posters
  1. Mertron
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Weltall
  4. Cail
  5. Melena
  6. 6souls
  7. Obsidian
  8. Tyrath
  9. Rhyis.
  10. Anoat




Top Poopers
  1. Spicyryan
  2. Zealot
  3. 6souls
  4. thetruepandagod
  5. kuronosan
  6. Mrbeansman
  7. NynJa
  8. Andalusian girls
  9. Meresgi
  10. Melena




Top Spammers
  1. Mertron
  2. Anoat
  3. Demosthenes
  4. Xno Kappa
  5. Roranora
  6. Zealot
  7. Andalusian girls
  8. Rhyis.
  9. Milkster
  10. NynJa




Now to a month of fixing the BG wiki. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=511 BG Stats for January 2023 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=510 Wed, 01 Feb 2023 22:35:40 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV + Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXI.png ... FFXIV + FFXI
  1. Patch 6.3: Gods Revel, Lands Tremble (January 2023)
  2. Bot, RMT, Cheating Megathread
  3. Gold World Pass Requests
  4. Gearswap Help Thread 2: this time it makes sense
  5. RIP Taj


See what I did there?



Games
  1. HorizonXI – Era+ 75 Cap FFXI Server Launching December 17th, 2022
  2. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y5S19, Beep Boop Reborn Pt.2
  3. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  4. Forspoken (PROJECT ATHIA) (PC/PS5) - January 24, 2023
  5. Pokémon Scarlet - Pokémon Violet (November 18, 2022) [NSW]
  6. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023
  7. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  8. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  9. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - November 12, 2020 - $399/$499
  10. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo


Pretty sure all the shitposting in the HorizonXI thread is to blame for this.



General
  1. General Wrestling VIII: In Memory of Mr. McMahon 1945-2007.
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun
  3. The Last of Us (HBO) - Breaking the Video Game Curse for Adaptions
  4. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  5. Rick and Morty
  6. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes
  7. The Second to Last Movie You Saw and Would Recommend?
  8. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  9. Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread
  10. What's your weather?


I guess the CDS rule applies here: Canceled, Dead or said/did something Stupid.



Poopdeck
  1. 117th-118th United States Congress: Don't Be An Idiot
  2. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  3. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  4. Hollywood: Arbitrarily Sexual Assault whack-a-mole (II)
  5. Muh Guns, Too
  6. Foreign Politics or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the parliamentary democracy
  7. Is/n't Tesla literally/figuratively crashing?
  8. Do We Have A 'Silly Shit Politicians Say' Thread? If Not, Here We Are
  9. GAMESTONKS II - Full Faith and Credit in Memes
  10. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation




Top Posters
  1. Weltall
  2. Xno Kappa
  3. Mertron
  4. Rhyis.
  5. Cail
  6. kuronosan
  7. Melena
  8. Krandor
  9. Tyche
  10. archibaldcrane




Top Poopers
  1. Spicyryan
  2. archibaldcrane
  3. 6souls
  4. Mrbeansman
  5. NynJa
  6. Zealot
  7. Tyrath
  8. kuronosan
  9. thetruepandagod
  10. Outlaw




Top Spammers
  1. Mertron
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Zealot
  4. Demosthenes
  5. Anoat
  6. NynJa
  7. Milkster
  8. thetruepandagod
  9. Rhyis.
  10. Salodin
]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=510 BG Stats for the Whole Year 2022 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=509 Sun, 01 Jan 2023 17:43:05 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV 1. FFXIV 6.0: Endwalker (December 7, 2021)... FFXIV
  1. FFXIV 6.0: Endwalker (December 7, 2021)
  2. Patch 6.1: Newfound Adventure (April 12th, 2022)
  3. Path 6.2 Buried Memory (Late August)
  4. WOW Refugee Discussion (Asmongold, Bellular, Preach, etc)
  5. Possibly returning - Questions
  6. Patch 6.3: Gods Revel, Lands Tremble (January 2023)
  7. FFXIV Random Complaint Thread III: Zenos was the best part of SB
  8. FFXIV Accomplishments Thread - Yay I did it!
  9. Change your SE password or set up 2FA, SE is facing third party attacks
  10. XIV Fan Fest returns!


Pretty much what is expected that each subpatches is gaining less traction than the main expansion.

Oh yeah also Fan Fest!



FFXI
  1. Gold World Pass Requests
  2. FFXI Reddit AMA on May 23rd 2022 at 9:30 p.m. EDT
  3. RIP Taj
  4. Gearswap Help Thread 2: this time it makes sense
  5. BG Wiki Update and Discussion Megathread
  6. Random Facts Thread: Magic
  7. Thief! CC Guide Discussion
  8. Looking for Screenshots of 75-Era Catastrophe WS damage
  9. New or Returning Players Discussion 3: FFXI Single Player Edition
  10. Out of the BLU Discussion




Games
  1. Elden Ring (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - George R. R. Martin x Hidetaka Miyazaki - Feb 25, 2022
  2. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y5S19, Beep Boop Reborn
  3. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  4. HorizonXI – Era+ 75 Cap FFXI Server Launching December 17th, 2022
  5. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (NSW) - July 29, 2022
  6. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  7. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  8. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  9. Pokémon Scarlet - Pokémon Violet (November 18, 2022) [NSW]
  10. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - June 22, 2023


Not-FFXI gained more traction than other SE games.



General
  1. General Wrestling VIII: In Memory of Mr. McMahon 1945-2007.
  2. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  3. Celebrity Death Thread 2022: Legends Never Die...Maybe | Seinfeld Watch
  4. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  5. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes
  6. Dr. Strange 2: In The Multiverse of Madness (May 6, 2022)
  7. She-Hulk (D+) - August 17, 2022
  8. Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon (HBO) - Prequel Series - 2022
  9. BG Homeowner and DIY Thread - Out of the Basement Edition
  10. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi (D+) - Set 10 Years After Revenge of the Sith - May 27, 2022




Poopdeck
  1. Putin is Russia
  2. {COVID-19} Vaccination Injection Interjections VIII - Who cares at this point
  3. Putin in Russia (II): Spicy Island Liberation Front
  4. 117th United States Congress: #CancelGate
  5. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XIV - With Tremendous Anger Comes Tremendous Danger
  6. Meta Mistake - Social Media Is Sucio
  7. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  8. #46: Episode VI: Return of the Neolibs
  9. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) II: Rape Isn't On My Calendar
  10. Muh Guns, Too






Top Posters
  1. Xno Kappa
  2. Krandor
  3. Mertron
  4. Cail
  5. Weltall
  6. 6souls
  7. Rhyis.
  8. archibaldcrane
  9. Melena
  10. NynJa




Top Poopers
  1. archibaldcrane
  2. Spicyryan
  3. 6souls
  4. kuronosan
  5. NynJa
  6. Day
  7. Andalusian girls
  8. Forte
  9. Zealot
  10. thetruepandagod


This is gonna be a shit 2023 if Spicy makes it to the top this year.



Top Spammers
  1. Demosthenes
  2. Andalusian girls
  3. Milkster
  4. NynJa
  5. Mertron
  6. thetruepandagod
  7. archibaldcrane
  8. Salodin
  9. Anoat
  10. Xno Kappa




Don't forget to place your bets for 2023 Celebrity Death Thread 2023: Year-End Speedrun ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=509 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Review -- A World of Possibility https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=508 Tue, 20 Dec 2022 13:00:00 GMT Image: https://bucket.bluegartr.com/b21e4ef9559fbae33447e90dac0866a0.png Like many, there was a point that I grew tired of experiencing the same...
Like many, there was a point that I grew tired of experiencing the same Pokémon adventure with only a fresh layer of paint applied from generation to generation. I can actually pinpoint the exact moment it happened -- on Route 17 on Ula’ula Island in Pokémon Moon. That was the first core Pokémon game that I did not finish when I picked it up when it originally released. When Pokémon Sword and Shield were announced, I was excited to play the game on the Switch, but I was not expecting an especially deep investment.

Well, I was completely wrong. Pokémon Shield is my most played game on the Switch and has grown to become my favorite entry in the Pokémon franchise. Sword and Shield were the first Pokémon games that delivered the experience that I had been craving from the franchise -- a challenging Pokémon experience where team choices, stats, and strategy actually mattered. The things that took the games from a twenty to forty-hour game and made it a game that maxed out the in-game playtime clock and only stopped playing because the the next generation released were the core competitive experience, the introduction of a ranked ladder, and the steps taken to make that competitive side of the game more accessible. Naturally, I was more than a little apprehensive when Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the core ninth generation games, were announced and knew they would not live up to my expectations. Even with my reservations, the actual finished product has been more of a mixed bag than even I expected.

Pokémon games have been knocking at the door of open-world gaming for a few entries now. Sun and Moon’s Poni Plains and Poni Island, Sword and Shield’s Wild Area and expansions, and the Monster Hunter-styled areas of Pokémon Legends: Arceus have allowed the Pokémon franchise to dip its toes into the open-world format, breaking the surface, but not committing to dive headlong into the change. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the full open-world format that fans have been clamoring about for years. After a brief introduction that gives players a taste of the open-world format, players are told to create their own adventure. While there are three major storylines intended to drive that adventure, each is completely open-ended and players are free to choose where they go and which objectives to pursue.

In previous Pokémon games, movement and environmental abilities have been used to control progression and dictate how players encounter the world. You start with simple movement and add new movement tools as you progress through the game. It is a similar progression approach that was employed by older Legend of Zelda games where players were given a tool, mastered that tool, and then used it to unlock new areas and a new tool. Unlike Breath of the Wild, which gave players access to their full suite of tools within the game’s opening, Scarlet and Violet give players access to movement very early and then leaves it to them to choose when to expand on those capabilities. Within the games' first hour, players encounter Koraidon (Scarlet) or Miraidon (Violet), the box legendaries that serves as transportation and movement across the Paldea region. These pokémon can fly, swim, and climb walls, similar to Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ ride pokémon, but the transition between modes is more seamless. Or rather, they can as you progress through the game. Yes, there is still an order (running comes before swimming, for instance), but once you start expanding their movement capabilities, it becomes apparent how to do so, and players can choose when to seek out and acquire the upgrades. Miraidon (and I assume Koraidon) was one of the best parts of playing Violet. In previous games, I usually have felt a strong attachment to my starter, but playing through Violet, I definitely felt a stronger bond with Miraidon. It certainly helped that it had certain traits and mannerisms that resemble Toothless from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

Of course, that is not to say Game Freak has executed the shift to a non-linear open-world game without any stumbles. Breath of the Wild received a lot of praise for allowing players to immediately go from the Great Plateau to the final confrontation with Ganon without any additional requirements. However, that worked because Breath of the Wild was an action-adventure game. That is not the case here, Pokémon games are role-playing games where leveling is a core element of progression. While Sword and Shield increased the level of pokémon in the Wild Area based on the number of badges players had acquired, I do not think there is inherently something wrong with having areas with pokémon of different levels in different parts of the world to steer progression.

Rather, the problem is more about how the games handles their major encounters. Scarlet and Violet give players the freedom to craft their own adventure as they complete the three storylines, but the developers created these with a clear sequence in mind. For example, as is the norm, one of the storylines centers on completing the eight gyms and becoming a champion. While players get to choose the order they want to tackle the gyms, the levels of the gym leaders’ pokémon are all predetermined and, with no guidance, it is easy to get out of order and challenge a gym leader with pokémon ten or even twenty levels higher than your team. This fundamental issue, coupled with various others, reinforce the sentiment that Scarlet and Violet are Pokémon games built around an open-world structure without the proper thought on how that change would influence other aspects of the games.

What is especially disappointing is that there are numerous open-world role-playing games that exist and have successful devised solutions that could have resolved this issue. Game Freak could have given players better guidance on the recommended order, they could have provided information on the level of the gym before challenging them, or, they could have instituted level scaling based on the number of badges acquired. Personally, I would have loved to see level scaling, especially since Sword and Shield scaled the pokémon in the Wild Area based on the number of badges acquired, so it is not like Game Freak has never experimented with this concept. Beyond progression in the world, there are other aspects of these games that suffer due to the open-world structure. For example, open-world games often feature resources which are typically used for crafting. In Scarlet and Violet, this translates to items dropped from wild pokémon that are used to craft TMs at the expense of reusable TMs. It is frustrating to see a feature that has existed in some form since generation five removed to conform to other games when it does not also provide a meaningful addition to the gameplay experience.

But this broaches one of the bigger issues with Scarlet and Violet, the lack of polish and finish on the game. To put it bluntly, Scarlet and Violet feel like they were rushed out the door due to the greater Pokémon franchise’s generational cadence when they needed more time in the oven. Even given its size, I imagine most would agree that Paldea is the shallowest region in franchise history. For instance, take the academy building at the center of the region. It is an impressive and imposing structure with a visible tree house and observatory. But once you get inside, players do not explore any of those areas and just rely on menus to travel from one location to the next. This lack of depth carries over to the towns where most lack any distinctive character, there are almost no houses that can be entered, and the majority of shops are simple menus. Even smaller things, like pokémon closing their eyes when asleep, are absent in these games and make them feel like a rushed product (although that was admittedly fixed in a patch a few weeks after release).

There are also a number of features and quality of life improvements that have been removed with no explanation or reason. Take the set battle setting or the ability to disable battle animations, features that have existed in Pokémon games since the first generation. The removal of these options is not game-breaking (especially in the case of set battles, since players just need to click no each time), but their removal reinforces the critique that corners were cut to get these games out. The games also lack a battle arena akin to Galar’s Battle Tower or Unova’s Battle Subway, an endgame feature that has been present for years. Can these features be added later? Yes, one-hundred percent. I honestly would not be surprised to see an endgame battle arena as part of the inevitable DLC, but that still does not make these games feel any less unfinished today.

Unfortunately, these issues are not even the worst problems plaguing these games. Scarlet and Violet suffer from horrendous visual and performance issues that have seemingly been exasperated by the shift to an open-world format. Perhaps the best encapsulation of these visual issues came during the cutscenes around choosing my starter. During this sequence, there was a visible delay in loading the objects as the camera switched between the characters involved in the conversation, almost if the game was only rending what was immediately visible and it could not load objects like the trees and flowers fast enough as the camera bounced between the characters. Beyond that, some of the other problems include the games' inability to maintain a reasonable framerate, declines in performance as there are more objects on the screen, noticeable slowdowns during weather, lighting issues, screen tearing, and frequent occurrences of the camera clipping through the map. Even the pokémon storage boxes somehow perform poorly. One of my biggest annoyances was the games’ inability to maintain models at any meager distances. When you get even a slight distance away from a character or wild pokémon, the movement stops looking smooth and starts to resemble stop-motion animation, assuming the model even loads in properly. I do not think I can stress how minimal the distance is -- the distance from the camera to the edge of an arena during a gym battle (but not online battles, strangely) is beyond the distance. Speaking of online battles, the performance feels like an enormous step backwards from Sword and Shield as the games cannot even process adjusting the health bars if multiple pokémon take damage from the same move.

In some ways, it is surprising to see these flaws after many of them were prevalent in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but at the same time, given the short timeframe between that game and the release of Scarlet and Violet, maybe it was naïve to expect those issues would be adequately addressed. Having said that, I do not want to be misconstrued as excusing these issues. I firmly believe Game Freak deserves all the criticism they have received for the problems with these games. What makes these graphical and performance issues especially strange is the juxtaposition of things that look great and things that do not. Some of the character and pokémon models, animations, and the details are a vast improvement. But then the world itself looks undetailed and unremarkable and many other character models are bland and uninspired. Honestly, it is just another notch against these games that make them feel like they were rushed when they needed more time.

So this has already been a pretty meaty review that has been weighted with major criticisms of Scarlet and Violet, so the natural conclusion is that these are two games that can be easily skipped and ignored, right? It is actually a bit more complicated than that. To put it simply, Scarlet and Violet are fun to play and actually do a lot of things right. The core Pokémon experience still plays phenomenally and, for all their flaws, Scarlet and Violet elevate that experience thanks to the open-world setting. I have played other monster training games and none of them have ever been as enjoyable or delivered a comparable experience to Pokémon games. I grinded my way through both Digimon Cyber Sleuth games and I scratched the surface of Temtem at the request of a friend. And I think it is telling that those have been some of the more well-received games in the genre and none of them were as fun to play as Scarlet and Violet when some would argue that these are some of the worst mainline Pokémon games.

Soon after enrolling and arriving at Scarlet’s Naranja or Violet’s Uva Academy, players are tasked with going out into the world to find their own treasure, and that pursuit is framed by the games’ supporting cast. As I mentioned earlier, the narrative of Scarlet and Violet is largely told across three parallel storylines constructed around the three “rival” characters, Nemona, Arven, and Penny. Nemona is most similar to classic Pokémon rivals and spends the game encouraging players and looking forward to the day when you can stand on the same level as her. Her story scratches the surface of the fairly classic tale of someone who reached the pinnacle only to feel isolated at the top, but Scarlet and Violet fail to give Nemona the chance to exist beyond her passion for battling. Arven is the son of the region’s professor and his narrative begins with hunting down special ingredients and battling giant pokémon that have been appearing around Paldea, but quickly transitions to a heavier story. The final subplot revolves around Penny, a meek student who has been drawn into helping disband the "evil organization" of Scarlet and Violet, Team Star. Like some of the recent games, Team Star is not motivated by grandiose plans, instead, befitting the school setting, the team that have been classified as the bullies of the academy.

I am not about to suggest that these stories offer the same depth as a game like those of the Final Fantasy franchise, the Xenoblade Chronicles games, or The Witcher 3, but for a Pokémon game, I was not expecting this level of storytelling. Part of what makes these storylines (two of them, at least) shine is the characters struggle with the consequences of their decisions. Unlike the gym challenge storyline which does not really vary from start to finish, the other two start with straight-forward introductions, but then mature into complex stories that do a remarkable job helping develop not only their central characters, but the supporting cast and even the world of Paldea. I will admit that I did not particularly like Arven or Penny, but I still cared about their stories and those involved. The shortcomings of Nemona’s place in the story are only heightened when compared against Sword and Shield which nailed the gym challenge. It is difficult to go from Galar’s packed stadiums with an entire narrative and region built around becoming a champion to Paldea’s smaller, less grandiose stage where gym leaders do not have the same level of celebrity or status merely from being gym leaders. It also does not help that the champion rank is not really explored, and there is nothing like a gauntlet of champion ranked trainers that players unlock after beating the Pokémon League.

While these storylines are great, some of the strongest in franchise history, I am less sold on Scarlet and Violet’s setting. Specifically, the regional academies were too restrictive and shoehorned into every corner of Paldea. Pokémon games have always featured young protagonists, but it is weird to go to a school with traditional classes like math and history, and then leave that school as part of the curriculum to go out and become a Pokémon master. Also, why are there characters who look to be in their twenties or thirties (or older) who claim to be students? I have so many additional questions about the Paldean education system and none of them are particularly good.

Ever since generation six, Pokémon games have established a unique gameplay mechanic meant to shake up the combat experience. X and Y introduced Mega Stones and Mega Evolution, Sun and Moon featured Z-moves, and Sword and Shield had my favorite mechanic, Dynamax. Scarlet and Violet contain their own unique combat innovation, the Terastal phenomenon (yes, it is a stupid name). When a pokémon Terastrallizes, its appearance becomes crystallized, its typing changes to its Tera-type, and moves that match that typing become stronger. One of the interesting parts about Terastalling is that, while pokémon can lose their normal typing, they do not lose the same-type attack bonus. This effectively gives a pokémon the potential to have three boosted moves in their arsenal. But Terastalizaiton can also be used defensively to remove a glaring weakness or reduce incoming damage. Tyranitar’s four-times weakness to fighting moves has always been a detriment, but Terastrallizing into a ghost-type can turn that weakness into an immunity and cause an opponent to waste a turn.

I have two competing perspectives on Terastrallizing. From a single-player experience, Terastrallization is handled pretty well. Unlike some of the earlier mechanics, players cannot use it to sweep through every battle as it needs to be recharged, but, unlike Dynamax, players can use it in more than just major battles. At the same time, it is only used by opponents in major battles and it was poorly implemented as a last resort tool in those battles. There is a scene from one of the early trailers where the grass-type gym leader Terastrallizes his Sudowoodo from a rock-type pokémon into a grass-type. Visually, it was an exciting moment to see Sudowoodo go from fake tree to real tree, but it was a strategically poor decision, a trait shared by all gym leaders. I would have loved if this gym leader had not used Terastrallization to transform his pokémon into a grass-type, but to gain an advantage against pokémon that are strong against grass pokémon. For example, watching the water-type gym leader Terastrallize a Gastrodon into a fire-type to eliminate its weakness to grass-types while also taking advantage of the Storm Drain ability that would make it immune to water-types would have been a far more successful and powerful use of this mechanic.

Every pokémon has a Tera-type, usually based on its typing (a Charizard can be either fire-tera or flying-tera) but players can acquire pokémon with different types by playing Tera Raid Battles or by collecting Tera shards. Tera Raid Battles are similar to Sword and Shield’s Max Raid Battles and Dynamax Adventures, but with a few refinements. Four players come together to tackle tough opponents with empty slots filled by NPC trainers. Rather than playing until the opponent is defeated or four lives are used up, players must now defeat an opponent before the timer runs out. Knockouts of NPC-controlled pokémon do not affect the timer, but whenever a player-controlled pokémon faints, a chunk of time is removed, so bad teammates can do significant harm to a raid attempt. Every player largely acts independently of one another, so you are no longer constrained by needing to wait for others to lock in their moves. Additionally, the NPC trainers are not a detriment like they were in Sword and Shield and can actually assist during the hardest raids, a welcome addition given that the higher tier raids really draw attention to how many players do not know what to do when Pokémon battles require actually planning and strategy. Like a lot of parts of Scarlet and Violet, Tera Raid Battles are good on paper, but suffer due to the games’ performance issues. Higher tier raids feature health gates which trigger various effects (things like removing your buffs or the opponent gaining shields) and battle can slow to a crawl if multiple gates are triggered at once. When playing online, the games can struggle with processing buff and debuff stacking that cause the target pokémon’s health to take an enormous hit.

Players can also swap a pokémon’s tera-type by collecting fifty Tera shards which are primarily acquired from Tera Raid Battles. This is honestly an incredibly cumbersome and unnecessary mechanic. Let us say you wanted to change your Charizard’s Tera-type to water. You check your map and hunt down the four to five water Tera Raid Battles and get two to three shards after clearing each of those. You are still well under the fifty shards you need, so now what? Your options are, join other players’ raids to acquire one to two shards each, or clear out all the other raids on your map to get a new set of raids to respawn. This mechanic feels grindy for the sake of being grindy and, given that I do not see that many incentives to swap Tera-types for players who are not engaging with the competitive side of these games, mindlessly grinding away at raids does not contribute anything to the competitive experience.

So full disclosure, I finished Violet's main campaign last month, worked on this review, but then waited until the ranked season started and I was able to climb to Master Ball tier before finishing this review. I understand that competitive Pokémon is not for everyone, that is completely fine. But for me, the thing that is going to keep me sinking hours and hours into Scarlet and Violet, is not the single-player experience, but the competitive ladder, so I wanted to spend some time with that. And barring a few issues of varying severity, I am largely enjoying the competitive experience. Scarlet and Violet’s ranked ladder is structured similar to the one introduced in Sword and Shield. There are eleven ranks broken into five tiers -- Beginner, Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Master Ball. Players only match with others in the same rank, so a rank seven Great Ball player will only match with other rank seven Great Ball players. Players receive a number ranking upon reaching Master Ball based on, unless I am mistaken, a background Elo-style ranking formula, so players still only match against others at their relative skill level.

Unlike games like Destiny, Overwatch, or Call of Duty, where the developers constantly release balance patches to change metas and make adjustments, one of the things that I find really interesting about competitive Pokémon is that Game Freak only really balances the games once every three years. Instead, metas in Pokémon develop as players create and experiment with new strategies to overcome what is currently popular. Additionally, competitive Pokémon has hundreds of moving parts, so there is never a singular best pick. One of my favorite parts about competitive Pokémon, especially in the early days when some of the strongest pokémon are not eligible for competitive play (or even in the game), is seeing the diverse metas that develop.

As I started spending time playing competitively in Sword and Shield, it made me realize that competitive Pokémon spent years shackled by archaic role-playing game mechanics. However, similar to the more recent generations, there have been a number of changes that make it easier than ever to build competitive teams. Breeding pokémon and acquiring egg moves is easier than ever, mints can be found in the world, and mints, bottle caps, ability capsules, and ability patches can all be acquired from raids. Honestly, with many of the changes, it is possible to build a viable competitive team without spending a second engaging the breeding system. Battle Points (BP) have been eliminated and replaced by League Points (LP), a currency that players can amass from playing the single-player game, so it is easier than ever to acquire the items that speed up Effort Value (EV) training, a necessity given that Poké-Jobs have been removed. Having said that, it seems that Poké-Classes would have been a perfect replacement for Poké-Jobs, especially given the school setting. There are still the aforementioned issues with changing Tera-types, but building a competitive team does not require nearly the same investment as it did a few generations prior.

However, there have also been a number of changes that have harmed the competitive experience, some more significantly than others. Similar to some of my criticisms of the gym storyline, the arenas used in competitive matches are also a huge step back from those featured in Sword and Shield. Sword and Shield set its competitive matches in the same stadiums as the gym battles which created a superior atmosphere to Scarlet and Violet where matches are essentially held on a high school track. The cheering crowds in Paldea also do not help that atmosphere. There are only around a dozen characters standing around the matches in Scarlet and Violet, but there are only a handful of distinct character models. It is also not possible to change the location of ranked matches, although I have heard that this criticism does not hold for casual matches, so I am not sure I understand the logic there.

All the issues I have mentioned so far negatively affect the overall competitive experience, but do not affect the actual gameplay experience. And if that was where my criticisms ended, it would be disappointing, but not the worst problems. However, there are unfortunately a number of problems and steps backward even from a gameplay perspective. Some of these issues are fairly minor, like removing the ability to view an opponent’s team after a match. It was a nice feature, and removing it hurts the experience, but not drastically. One of my bigger complaints is that effectiveness of moves does not change in response to typing changes or when a move changes its type. When the core mechanic of this generation is built around changing types, this is a huge problem to overlook. The games also exhibit some strange behavior in doubles when a pokémon is knocked out, acting like it is still there until the spot is filled (assuming there is a pokémon in reserve to take its spot). I will admit that some of these problems might sound like nitpicking, which is a fair critique, but the fact that none of the issues I mentioned were present in Sword and Shield makes these stumbles inexcusable.

Unlike my single-player perspective on Terastrallization, as a player who engages with the competitive side of Scarlet and Violet, I am far less enamored with this new mechanic. Similar to Dynamax before it, I like how Terastrallization is more flexible than some of the earlier mechanics and allows players to adjust their Tera-strategies around their opponents. And while it is far too early to say for sure, and I can definitely see the potential in Terastrallization, my early impression is that Dynamax was a more enjoyable mechanic. I loved that, in addition to the health and offensive boosts from Dynamaxing, there were additional benefits that Dynamax moves provided that allowed for supplementary strategic considerations. Some of my most successful teams found ways to use Dynamax not just offensively, but to create opportunities for late game success, and the less complex nature of Terastrallization feels like a step backwards. Early on at least, it also feels that Terastrallization enables some powerful sweeping strategies that are driving the meta and team building. At the same, Terastrallization somehow also feels less essential than Dynamax. I had plenty of matches during Sword and Shield which were decided because of how a Dynamax went, whereas I have already had plenty of matches where I have not needed to Terastrallize or used it to counter only one of my opponent’s pokémon, while the rest of the battle played around more straightforward gameplay. There is something to be said that teams have to be more robust in generation nine and who knows, I might grow to love Terastrallization as this generation continues, but right now, I am not the biggest fan.

Like Sword and Shield before them, Scarlet and Violet continue the trend of not allowing every pokémon to be caught or even brought into the games. This is invariable going to be a sore subject as some fans still believe that every pokémon should be available (ignoring that it was not possible to catch every pokémon as far back as Gold and Silver). Personally, I see the benefit of these limitations, especially from a competitive perspective where a more limited Pokédex makes team building significantly more accessible. But even from the single-player context, four-hundred pokémon is more manageable than over one-thousand which has again allowed me to complete a living Dex.

Somehow this has become my longest review, and I think the reason is because of how conflicted I have felt. If this were a bad game across the board, this would be an easy review to write -- “Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are bad, do not buy these games.” But that is not the case. There are many things that are a lot of fun in these games, and I am not going to lie and pretend I have not been enjoying playing this generation. But it is still frustrating to look at these games and see all the things that could have been done which would have made them great. At the end of the day, Pokémon is more than just the games, it is a juggernaut of a media franchise, and the cadence of introducing new pokémon with a new generation makes it impossible to say if there will be any meaningful lessons learned from the missteps of these games. Personally, I recommend Scarlet and Violet, but I also acknowledge that I am someone who really enjoys competitive Pokémon and my view is skewed by this being the competitive platform for the foreseeable future. But I also think it is completely reasonable to want to wait to see if Game Freak can patch some of the performance issues or wait for the price to drop or a sale. And it is also completely reasonable to pass on these games.


You Pokémon Trainers are the treasure of Paldea.

All images owned by Nintendo. ]]> Serra https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=508 BG Stats for November 2022 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=507 Thu, 01 Dec 2022 20:18:09 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. God of War 2: Ragranok (PS5/PS4) - November 9, 2022... Games
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  2. Pokémon Scarlet - Pokémon Violet (November 18, 2022) [NSW]
  3. HorizonXI – Era+ 75 Cap FFXI Server Launching December 17th, 2022
  4. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  5. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  6. Tactics Ogre: Reborn (PS5/PS4/NSW/PC) - November 11
  7. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - 2023
  8. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - November 12, 2020 - $399/$499
  9. Sonic Frontiers (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1/NSW) - 2022
  10. General Gaming News II: Steam Helpdesk Site Leak


Uh oh what's going on here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsqzD78dxl8



General
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]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=507 BG Stats for October 2022 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=506 Tue, 01 Nov 2022 15:45:07 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV 1. Path 6.2 Buried Memory (Late August)... FFXIV
  1. Path 6.2 Buried Memory (Late August)
  2. Change your SE password or set up 2FA, SE is facing third party attacks
  3. XIV Fan Fest returns!


NA Fan Fest July 28-29 2023 in Las Vegas
EU Fan Fest October 22-22 2023 in London
JP Fan Fest TBA 2024



FFXI
  1. RIP Taj






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  1. Overwatch 2 - October 4, 2022
  2. Star Ocean The Divine Force (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - October 27, 2022
  3. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  4. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  5. Bayonetta 3 (NSW) - October 28, 2022
  6. Final Fantasy XVI (PC/PS5) - 2023
  7. Pokémon Scarlet - Pokémon Violet (November 18, 2022) [NSW]
  8. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (NSW) - July 29, 2022
  9. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y5S18, A pirate's life for me
  10. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition


The datamining for Overwatch 2 character models is completed.



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]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=506 Overwatch 2 Review -- Pre-Release Balance Patch https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=505 Fri, 28 Oct 2022 23:25:08 GMT Image: https://bucket.bluegartr.com/3343c7e11b7def71687d7fad2231bfb1.png 2016 saw the release of Overwatch, a brand new Blizzard IP that showed the...
2016 saw the release of Overwatch, a brand new Blizzard IP that showed the world what a competitive first-person hero shooter looked like when the well-established Blizzard polish is applied. The game was an immediate success that crushed the competition. It was widely praised for its competitive gameplay, mechanical diversity, colorful setting, and unique heroes.

But that was over six years ago, and the Blizzard of 2016 is not the Blizzard of today -- or rather, the public perception of Blizzard is not the same. Overwatch released at a time when Blizzard was one of the mostly highly regarded gaming studios, but Overwatch 2 has released, using that term as generously as possible, at a time when the company has been sinking into a festering molasses of its own making. Various missteps, miscues, scandals, lawsuits, and even federal investigations have knocked Blizzard from the perch the company previously enjoyed. And like the company’s reputation, Overwatch 2 has fallen far shorter than the bar it set in 2016.

Overwatch (herein referred to as Overwatch 1) was originally unveiled in 2014 with an animated short that saw the heroes Winston and Tracer clash against the nefarious Reaper and Widowmaker. It immediately captured the attention of fans who wanted to learn more about the characters, the world, the conflict, and the overall story. However, Overwatch 1 was primarily a competitive shooter and the narrative was largely pushed to the background, instead being told through infrequent comics, short stories, and animated shorts. While the game occasionally offered PvE content, they were, at best, inconsequential flashbacks which did not move the story forward and did little to appease the fervor of fans. And then even support for the competitive aspects of the game seemed to fall off. Players wondered why the pace of balance patches, heroes, and new maps waned. Near the end of 2019, Blizzard announced Overwatch 2 was in development and firmly placed the blame for Overwatch 1’s lack of support on the resources that had been devoted to developing the sequel. But Overwatch 2 was heralded as the solution that finally moved the narrative forward while also allowing Blizzard to better support the competitive side of the game. Well, it has taken nearly three years to arrive and the product Blizzard has delivered is vastly different from what they promised in 2019.

Overwatch 2 was initially announced as a stand-alone PvE sequel. Players who wanted to experience the game’s PvE content and narrative could pick up Overwatch 2, while those who only had an interest in PvP could keep playing Overwatch 1 and the competitive sides of the two games would seamlessly play together and interact. That changed earlier this year when the separate release was abandoned and it was announced that Overwatch 2 would completely replace Overwatch 1. That announcement was fairly inconsequential, but it coincided with a number of more significant changes. Instead of a paid release, Overwatch 2 would be adopting a more free-to-play monetization structure built around seasons and battle passes and would be releasing without the PvE content.

I am just going to rip off the band-aid -- as it exists today, it is disingenuous to consider Overwatch 2 a sequel and not a balance patch. When it was unveiled, Overwatch 2 was presented as a PvE sequel to Overwatch 1. Blizzard went so far as to initially structure the game so you did not need to purchase Overwatch 2 if you only cared about PvP. Yet here we are with Overwatch 2 released and being played, and none of the PvE content that was originally promised is included. And honestly, it feels like Blizzard knew they could not treat this as a true game release. If you are not someone who follows Overwatch, I imagine you might not have known Overwatch 2 was coming. I do not recall seeing a lot of advertisements or pre-release material, and if you remove the things I saw while watching the Overwatch League, I am not sure I saw any promotion.

All that is not to say that Blizzard slapped a "2" on Overwatch 1 and called it a day. For starters, they removed the Assault game-mode and introduce Push, the first new competitive game-mode since the game’s initial release (not including temporary game-modes like capture-the-flag). The release of Overwatch 2 also coincided with some of the largest changes to the structure of the PvP game since role queues and restrictions on team composition were introduced in 2019. The most noticeable is that each team can only have one tank and matches are now five-versus-five, down from six-versus-six. Ever since it was announced earlier this year, the justifications provided for this change have highlighted the developers desire for Overwatch 2 to be a more fast-paced game which leans into more aggressive play-styles and greater opportunities for big plays. Tanks often dictated fights in Overwatch 1, but eliminating a tank means fewer shields and shields have a smaller impact on engagements, reduces the protection offered by tanks which forces teams to clump up less, and requires players to have greater environmental awareness. It is still too early to tell how successful this change will be for achieving their goals, but in the short-term, it seems to be moving the game closer to that vision.

A number of heroes have also undergone significant reworks, some more drastic than others. There was a point during the development of Overwatch 2 where, every few months, Blizzard would unveil the new visuals of the heroes and go into detail regarding any changes. But then those reveals stopped, and while every hero has received a graphical redesign, it does not feel like every hero went under the lens and was updated to the same degree. It is certainly fair to argue that not every hero needed to be reworked significantly. However, removing an entire tank from team compositions has changed how tanks play, and when you have tanks like Reinhardt, Zarya, and Orisa who have been updated and changed, while other tank characters saw no major changes, it only adds more fuel to the narrative that Overwatch 2 was rushed out the door. Although, I am willing to concede that might be partially my bias as a D.Va player speaking.

Like many of you, when Overwatch 1 was still relatively fresh, I sunk an extensive amount of time into the game and enjoyed grinding my way up the competitive ladder. At the time, Overwatch 1 was still a highly polished game, Blizzard was supporting the game with new heroes, balance patches were more consistent, and the game received numerous accolades. Yes, as time went on, Blizzard dropped the ball and the cracks and blemishes started to form, but the foundational gameplay of Overwatch 1 would not have been so highly regarded if it was not a good game at its core. That aspect of Overwatch 1 is still present in Overwatch 2. The shooting, movement, and unique hero identities are still there and still feel phenomenal and have benefited from years of player feedback. Some of the biggest issues, excessive crowd control, stuns, and abilities that take players out of the game, have been removed, making Overwatch 2 more enjoyable and less aggravating. Seemingly drawing from their experience with classes in World of Warcraft, Blizzard has introduced passive buffs that help define and create distinct identities for the roles. As a tank player, I will admit that I had my reservations about the change to five-versus-five, and while it is not perfect, I did not anticipate how well it would work for the most part.

For those who did not play Overwatch 1, Overwatch 2 is a first-person hero shooter. While the game offers an arcade with a rotating set of game-modes, the primary game-modes are the five-versus-five Unranked, or Quickplay, and Competitive playlists. Players compete in different objective based game-modes -- things like escorting payloads and capturing objectives. The original impetus for Overwatch 1 was a massively multiplayer online game, akin to World of Warcraft, and heroes fall into one of three classic identities: tanks, supports, and damage. One of the strengths of Overwatch 2 is the diversity of heroes and how the different playstyles all fit within the same gameplay structure. There are close-range brawlers, long-range snipers, characters who soar through the air, characters who turn immobile, and so on, all competing in the same arena. Every hero has a handful of abilities, largely crafted around their role. Tanks can produce shields or mitigate damage, offensive heroes can increase their damage or set traps, and support heroes can heal or provide additional benefits. Overwatch 1 was developed to be a competitive game from the start, and its gameplay and balance are structured around that vision. And while no game like this will ever be perfectly balanced, Blizzard tries to situate the game around its heroes and their counters (more on this in a little).

As I mentioned earlier, Overwatch 2 has moved away from the previous monetization strategy, one built around the loot boxes that were more prevalent when Overwatch 1 released, and adopted the battle pass model that has become fairly ubiquitous in games lately. I am not going to debate the merits and flaws of loot boxes versus battle passes, nor do I think it is valuable to go into the legal obstacles against loot boxes. Instead, I wanted to highlight how this shift has also resulted in Overwatch 2 being far less generous with cosmetics than its predecessor. While Overwatch 1 players were never guaranteed specific cosmetics, the game was surprisingly generous with loot boxes and players could expect to earn them with some consistency. Yes, you might not get the only-available-for-a-limited-time legendary event skin for your main, but you could be fairly confident that you would acquire some cosmetics just by playing. Worst case scenario, you could acquire enough in-game currency to purchase cosmetics over time. That is no longer the case. On one hand, yes, they are only cosmetics and they do not really matter to the actual gameplay experience of Overwatch 2. But on the other, it still does not feel great that the only way for players to acquire cosmetics now is through the battle pass or from the store. And speaking of the store, a single legendary event skin costs $19, almost double the cost of the battle pass! In the past, Blizzard has even allowed players to unlock specific skins and cosmetics by playing the game, and the recent Halloween event feels like it would have been an ideal opportunity to offer such a reward to appease fans who were inevitably going to be unhappy with this new miserly approach.

Monetization approach aside, monetization in Overwatch 1 was purely cosmetic, but that is not the case anymore as new heroes are tied to the battle pass. More than any other change, this has the potential to undermine some of the core concepts that helped Overwatch 1 succeed as a competitive shooter. Overwatch 2 is a game about heroes, picks, and counter-picks. For instance, Zenyatta is a support character that can heal allies and afflict opponents with a debuff that increases the damage they take. Whenever I am playing support and see a Zenyatta on the opponents’ team, I switch to the newest hero, Kiriko, because she has an ability that can remove that effect. But I only have access to her because she was given to players who had purchased Overwatch 1, and a new player who picks up the game but does not buy the battle pass would not, which means I am at an advantage and Overwatch 2 is walking precariously close to the edge that plummets into pay-to-win territory.

To make matters worse, Overwatch 2’s battle pass has taken a number of cues from some of the worst aspects of different iterations. If you win a game in the Competitive playlist, you only get two-hundred-fifty experience, three-hundred-fifty if you play an in-demand role (read: support). Matches do not reward meaningful experience, and instead, leveling is largely done through challenges. Each level requires ten-thousand experience and completing one of the six daily challenges rewards three-thousand experience. However, players can only benefit from completing three challenges a day. To better frame this issue, a player who did not purchase the battle pass unlocks the new hero at level fifty-five, or after earning five-hundred-fifty-thousand experience. A player can earn nine-thousand experience a day from completing challenges and there are sixty-three days in a nine week season. That means, a player can earn a maximum of five-hundred-sixty-seven thousand experience if they complete all three challenges every day. See where I am going with this? If a player misses six challenges, they will not earn enough experience from challenges to unlock the hero. And this discussion has not even acknowledged the timing that a free-to-play player would unlock the new hero while they are only locked out of Competitive play for the first two weeks of a new season. Yes, my calculation ignores the random hero challenges, weekly challenges, seasonal challenges, bonus experience for grouping up and double experience weekends, but those are just poor attempts to conceal the glaring flaws with the system. Also, unlike most games where the battle pass is used to deliver mostly cosmetic rewards, there is no premium currency. Instead, players earn an inconsequential amount from completing weekly challenges.

Blizzard claims that this change is intended to position them to better support the game in the long run, but those type of statements from game developers do not often support that narrative. The lead-up towards Overwatch 2 and their lack of continuous support for Overwatch 1 have also not helped assuage the concerns of players. And it is more than just Blizzard’s track record, there have been numerous recent games that have promised the stars only to fall far shorter. While Blizzard has promised new maps and game-modes in future seasons, they also have not gone into much detail beyond Season 2. Given the history of Overwatch 1, I doubt vague promises carry much weight with players. That said, they have committed to producing a new hero every two seasons, or every eighteen weeks. No matter how you feel about the shift to the seasonal model, if Blizzard is actually able to support the game and stick to this schedule for new heroes, that is a good thing. But that “if” is enormous.

And all those concerns and issues I have raised have not even broached the currently unaddressed and still largely unseen PvE content. Overwatch 2 was announced with the promise that PvE content would be a separate cost, but players who had paid for Overwatch 1 and did not care about PvE would incur no additional costs to keep playing the game like they had been for years. That is no longer the case and players will need to buy a new battle pass every eighteen weeks, at a minimum, to have access to every hero and stay current for PvP. But that is just for the battle pass and Blizzard has not discussed how they will be monetizing the game’s PvE content. There is absolutely no part of me that believes the PvE content will be free, nor do I think it will be included in the battle pass. I can envision a world where Blizzard adopts an episodic format and do not think that would be the worst approach for this game. But I also do not think it will go over well if players are asked to pay whenever new PvE content is released in addition to being asked to purchase a new battle pass every nine weeks.

All my experiences with Overwatch 2 have come from the perspective of someone who previously played Overwatch 1. And I am thankful I played Overwatch 1 because the new player experience is horrendous. In Overwatch 1, players had to reach level twenty-five to unlock the Competitive playlist. That was enough time to try things out, learn about the game’s core mechanics, and figure out a few heroes you liked (this was also before role queue was introduced, so it was important to be able to play a diverse set of heroes). Overwatch 2 has removed the account level, so players need to win fifty Unranked matches to unlock the Competitive playlist. That is a completely reasonable change. What is not reasonable is that the game locks new players out of most heroes, and they have to play one-hundred matches to unlock them all. Beyond the obvious stupidity of this, there is going to be some subset of players that pickup Overwatch 2, win their fifty Quickplay matches, and then start playing Competitive without having access to the full hero roster. Blizzard claims this is so new players will not be overwhelmed by the initial size of the roster, but I am not convinced it is not driven by some combination of engagement metrics and psychology of exploiting that part of our brain that likes seeing unlocks. I convinced three friends to pickup Overwatch 2, and they just did not have an enjoyable experience. Of the three, only one is still playing and working to unlock every hero and gain access to the Competitive playlist. One of them tried the game for an evening, saw how many characters they still needed to unlock, and uninstalled that night. This is obviously anecdotal, but I am curious how many other players will have a similar experience and whether Blizzard sticks with this approach or changes their strategy.

When I was debating writing this review, I was torn because the Overwatch 2 that is currently playable is undeniably an unfinished product. Overwatch 2 exists to deliver PvE content, but none of that is in the game. In the end though, it was Blizzard’s choice to release the game when they did, so I do think it is fair to evaluate it based on its current state. Still, while the game does not have any of the narrative PvE content that was originally promised, near the end of the month, Blizzard rolled out their annual Halloween event which offers a glimpse of what fans might expect from the eventual release which left me feeling conflicted. I played through this year’s Halloween Terror three times, and I doubt I will touch it again for the rest of the event. Part of this is because, apart from a handful of event challenges, the rewards feel fairly inconsequential. The bigger issue, however, is while the gameplay is fun, filled with Easter eggs and secrets to discover, and is a definite improvement over the stale horde mode that was repeatedly featured during Overwatch 1’s Halloween Terror, the Overwatch gameplay framework did not really lend itself to especially engaging PvE content. For those who have experience with Destiny 2, this event felt like a Strike mission, but worse. It was fairly effortless, had basic objectives, and culminated in a simple boss encounter. Even before the success of Arcane, I firmly believed that Blizzard would have better satisfied the fans craving to learn more about the narrative and world of Overwatch by releasing an animated series, rather than a sequel. If this is a preview of what Overwatch 2’s PvE content will offer, a collection of “endlessly replayable” missions that are comparable to strikes in Destiny 2, I do not think players are going to be very happy with the final product.

If I had been playing Overwatch 1 when it released and had written a review at that time, I imagine I could have transposed my evaluations of the core gameplay between the two reviews. There was a period in my life when I committed the time to grinding Overwatch 1, to improving my skill at the game, and to climbing the ladder. But that was years ago, and I thought that time had passed. I may have been wrong. For the past few weeks, I have found myself drawn back in, playing Overwatch 2, and enjoying the experience of climbing the ranked ladder again.

And yet I struggle to recommend Overwatch 2. Blizzard’s inability to support Overwatch 1 over its lifetime, the extreme shift in monetization, the general abominableness of Blizzard and its parent company Activision, are just some of the reasons that contribute to the mountain of reasons to not play this game. Still, I would be lying if I did not admit that, at its core, as a competitive first-person hero shooter experience, Overwatch 2 is a well-polished and fun game. I do not know how long I will be playing Overwatch 2, I cannot speak to the quality of the future PvE content, and there is definitely uncertainty around the long-term support of this game, but right now, I am having fun playing Overwatch 2.

“You’re one of those heroes, aren’t you?”
“Not anymore.”


All images owned by Blizzard. ]]> Serra https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=505 BG Stats for September 2022 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=504 Sat, 01 Oct 2022 05:09:11 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/Games.png Games 1. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020... Games
  1. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  2. Nintendo SWITCH (OLED Model) Information II - Fastest Second Console Thread of All Time
  3. Suikoden discussion - #deadseries
  4. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD] - Y5S18, A pirate's life for me
  5. General Gaming News II: Steam Helpdesk Site Leak
  6. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (NSW) - July 29, 2022
  7. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  8. Valkyrie Elysium (PC/PS5/PS4) - Action RPG - September 29, 2022
  9. Star Ocean The Divine Force (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4/XB1) - October 27, 2022
  10. {Early Access} Overwatch 2 - October 4, 2022




General
  1. General Wrestling VIII: In Memory of Mr. McMahon 1945-2007.
  2. Celebrity Death Thread 2022: Legends Never Die...Maybe | Seinfeld Watch
  3. She-Hulk (D+) - August 17, 2022
  4. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now: Cantih Title Credit Edition
  5. Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon (HBO) - Prequel Series - 2022
  6. PC Build Advice/Review II: 3090 or Bust.
  7. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes
  8. Hurricane Season 2022
  9. Rick and Morty
  10. Deadpool 3






Poopdeck
  1. Putin in Russia (II): Snake Island Liberation Front
  2. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XIV - With Tremendous Anger Comes Tremendous Danger
  3. PC Principal VII: BG's Barely Legal Fanclub
  4. 117th United States Congress: #CancelGate
  5. #46: Episode VI: Return of the Neolibs
  6. {COVID-19} Vaccination Injection Interjections VIII
  7. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: Purchase of a Ticket Does Not Guarantee Transportation
  8. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III: Abandoning 50 Years of Precedent
  9. Afghanistan Thread: 16 years Later, America is still there
  10. Ridiculous Police News (Specific Events): Twin Cities police are still frightened easily


WW3 edition!



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Wow dead forums etcetc... ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=504 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder’s Revenge Review -- A Love Letter to a Bygone Era https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=503 Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:26:24 GMT Image: https://bucket.bluegartr.com/df5b50bc8a3e47de10ec7259a811f370.png Late last week I came across an amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
Late last week I came across an amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themed mecha figure that is planned to release early next year. And after picking my jaw off the floor and adding a reoccurring calendar reminder to keep an eye open for the inevitable announcement of the Michelangelo mech, I remembered I had never finished my review of the recent Ninja Turtles beat-em-up. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is the latest entry in a largely forgotten genre that attempts to strike a balance between a deluge of nostalgia and a satisfying and enjoyable gameplay experience.

For many of a certain age, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon that originally aired in the late 1980s and ran for nearly a decade was a cornerstone of their childhood. This classic series drew inspiration from the comic books created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird while also deviating heavily from the darker and more serious source material. Of course, like many Saturday morning cartoons of the time, that series was less about telling a compelling narrative and more about serving as a vehicle to sell action figures. Regardless of that intention, the series was a commercial and cultural success, giving rise to apparel, food, feature films, and video games. The most popular of those video games were the side-scrolling beat-em-up arcade games that allowed groups of friends to pick their favorite turtle and play together to thwart the Shredder’s evil plans (at least until everyone ran out of quarters).

There have been numerous iterations of the Ninja Turtles over the years, but Shredder’s Revenge is a nostalgic cornucopia that mostly roots itself in the original cartoon series. The game opens with Bebop and Rocksteady hijacking the airwaves to broadcast the Shredder’s latest harebrained scheme, a plot involving the head of Krang’s android body and the Statue of Liberty. Naturally, the turtles speed off to Channel 6 News to thwart this plot and the story progresses across sixteen levels (or episodes) which send the turtles and their allies across New York City. Over twenty years after it went off the air, this is a game that could seamlessly blend in with that original series. Each level is filled with waves of robotic Foot Soliders; the bosses draw heavily from the cartoon’s rouges gallery (although some are less iconic and more bargain bin); and each level is filled with cameos and references to events, characters, and locales from the original series and those classic arcade games.

Shredder’s Revenge is not just a carefully and lovingly crafted homage to the original Ninja Turtles cartoon, but also to old-school beat-em-up arcade games. A few years ago, a video game themed bar opened near me, complete with around a half dozen arcade machines. While I was able to resist for a time, I caved when they rotated in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade machine. And while it sent me back to my youth, it also surprised me how clunky movement felt in that game. Shredder’s Revenge isn’t a game that is trying to revolutionize the genre, but rather takes the experience out of the arcade and tweaks it to deliver a more modern and enjoyable product. Movement and combat are a lot smoother and are structured in such a way to keep players engaged and increasing their combo count. Players can dodge, counter, and quickly recover from hits to hop back into the action. The game also offers a wider variety of moves (compared to the attack and special attack of its arcade ancestor), but not so many that it ever feels overwhelming. Each character has a powerful and unique area-of-effect super move that charges over time as players defeat foes and rake up longer and longer combos. Players can also charge their super bar by taunting, which makes the game a bit easier since it guarantees you can enter every fight with a full super bar, but that slows down the combat, and honestly, where’s the fun in that?

Like many of its predecessors, Shredder’s Revenge throws hordes of Foot Soldiers at players, sporting different colors like those old arcade games to easily denote differences in weapons. As players progress, those adversaries will be supplemented by variations on the Mouser, Rock Soldiers, and even Triceratons. The developers did not hesitate to pull from the Ninja Turtles’ rich catalog of opponents from across their numerous comics, cartoons, and even other video games to continuously add variation to the combat and game-play experience. At the same time, it is never so oppressive that you can’t enjoy the environment and look for Easter eggs that hearken back to the old cartoon or old games. I imagine there will be some subset of players that will be disappointed that the level of difficulty of the game, but I think this game was crafted with a specific audience in mind. It feels like the developers wanted players to notice all the little things that were placed to ignite that nostalgic part of our brains that overwhelms objective judgment. This game wants you to shout out, “I recognize that!” at the sight of the Party Van or “I got that reference!” when the Punk Frogs cruise by on a roller-coaster.

The game offers two game-modes, a classic arcade mode and a story mode. Both use the same levels, but the story mode offers a top-down map from which to select levels, hidden unlockables, challenges and side quests, and character progression with new abilities to unlock. While the story mode also features (slightly) more story, you will be disappointed if you go in expecting an especially deep or engaging story. The story is minimal, at best, but also feels like a perfect match to the stories of the old Saturday morning cartoon series. Just like that cartoon, no one is here for the story, they are here for the titular turtles. On the other hand, the arcade mode plays like another entry in the Ninja Turtles arcade pantheon. Players start with a fixed number of lives and continues and must reach the end before running out. It also lacks the character progression of the story mode, but many of the upgrades are unlocked at the start, although some are unavailable.

The beat-em-up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games were the pinnacle of arcade games in my youth. They managed to slam together the Ninja Turtles and video games, producing a final product that was very much the sum of its parts. Like many of you, I remember going to arcades and quickly burning through handfuls of quarters button-mashing my way through these games with friends. This all changed when we managed to snag Ninja Turtles 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. My brother and I (and our friends) were freed from the compulsive need to hoard quarters, we could play these games as much as we wanted. This sentiment only grew stronger when another friend acquired Turtles in Time for the Super Nintendo. But at the same time, these at-home games couldn’t capture the excitement of 4 players, each controlling a different turtle, running rampant across a stage. But those console limitations are long forgotten, and Shredder’s Revenge not only recreates that classic arcade experience, it exceeds it by letting six players (I believe it is capped at four players for local co-op, however) traverse through a Saturday morning cartoon dreamscape together. I have played through the game three times now, once solo, once with a friend, and once with a group of four (I am still trying to get a full team of six going), and this is definitely a game that is more fun the more players you bring. Given that lack of complexity in the game, the increase in players translates to more enemies and bosses with larger health pools, but that does not make it any less fun. All that said, I do not believe the game currently supports cross-play, which is definitely a letdown in an era that is starting to tear down the cross-platform barriers.

There is no denying that this game is built on a foundation of pure, refined, and triple distilled nostalgia. And I could fawn over that nostalgia until the sun comes up, but nostalgia alone is not enough to produce a satisfying game. Tribute Games took that nostalgia and tempered it with copious amounts of love for the source material and built a modern take on those arcade classics. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge feels like a natural evolution of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the Arcade Game or Turtles in Time. There is no denying this game does not do anything revolutionary nor does it advance gaming in an especially meaningful way, but that was clearly not the intention behind this game. If you grew up playing those games in dimly lit arcades or on a crowded couch, I imagine this game will hit all the right notes. And yes, getting together with a group of friends to blitz through the Shredder’s army of Foot Soldiers to stop his evil plot is just as good as I remember it from my youth.

Shredder...where's that SHREDDER?
...
What are you talking about? I'm looking for my electric cheese shredder. I'm just dying for a pizza ~ Donatello



All images owned by Tribute Games. ]]> Serra https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=503 BG Stats for August 2022 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=502 Sat, 03 Sep 2022 03:46:03 GMT Image: https://img.bluegartr.com/images/icons/bg/FinalFantasyXIV.png FFXIV 1. Path 6.2 Buried Memory (Late August)... FFXIV
  1. Path 6.2 Buried Memory (Late August)
  2. FFXIV Accomplishments Thread - Yay I did it!
  3. WOW Refugee Discussion (Asmongold, Bellular, Preach, etc)
  4. Possibly returning - Questions
  5. FFXIV Videos


Oh yeah there was a patch this month.



Games
  1. EVO 2020 - Still hatin', still watchin'
  2. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (NSW) - July 29, 2022
  3. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen [PS4/PS5/XB1/XBS/PC/STD]
  4. Genshin Impact (PC/PS5/PS4/NSW/iOS) - Open-World Action RPG - 2020
  5. General Gaming News II: Steam Helpdesk Site Leak
  6. Pokémon Scarlet - Pokémon Violet (November 18, 2022) [NSW]
  7. Playstation 5 - Do you want fries with that? - November 12, 2020
  8. Game/Console Deals Thread II - Content Removed for DLC Edition
  9. Street Fighter 6 (PC/PS5/XSX/PS4) - It's Thicc - 2023
  10. So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo




General
  1. General Wrestling VIII: In Memory of Mr. McMahon 1945-2007.
  2. Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon (HBO) - Prequel Series
  3. Random Image Thread XLIV: Moist Towlettes
  4. She-Hulk (D+) - August 17, 2022
  5. Random Fail III: I Can't Come Up With A Title Right Now
  6. BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out
  7. Dragonball Z/Super Thread III
  8. Celebrity Death Thread 2022: Legends Never Die...Maybe
  9. HBO Max - AT&T & WarnerMedia's Streaming Service
  10. Better Call Saul




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  1. One Term Celebrity Politician - Episode XIV
  2. #46: Episode VI: Return of the Neolibs
  3. 117th United States Congress: #CancelGate
  4. Hollywood: Sexual assault whack-a-mole
  5. SCOTUS Thread (News and Discussion) III
  6. Ridiculous Police News (Specific Events)
  7. The Stock Market Is Not The Economy Thread II
  8. GAMESTONKS II - Full Faith and Credit in Memes
  9. Putin in Russia (II): Snake Island Liberation Front
  10. Do We Have A 'Silly Shit Politicians Say' Thread?




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I guess this is the last boring month before we start seeing preparations for padoru. ]]> Ragns https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=502