Angry the Clown

I'm not really a Jaffe fan, but specifically in relation to his issue with Metroid Dread and the particular moment that stumped him, it didn't strike me as a criticism about the game being challenging. The game is challenging and that's fine, but his complaint in the video Keith linked to is about design, and I do think there's a fair argument that it is flawed design because certain things run the risk of making some players feel left out, and I much prefer to see/read/hear that a game is as accessible to as many people as possible. In this kind of example I don't like the idea of a kid, or someone of any age or ability for that matter, being left to feel frustrated and stupid because they didn't know how to get out of a specific section in a game (and Jaffe's argument with Dread was over there being zero indication that you could shoot your way out of a dead end in order to progress). In the wider debate about game difficulty, I'd still far sooner see the most challenging games accompanied by easier modes and a raft of accessibility options for gamers of all backgrounds. Games, having accumulated budgets akin to major movies, have so much more to offer beyond the sum of their gameplay these days, and I'll never play something like a Souls game or Returnal despite the temptation. I just cannot be arsed to dedicate the time to the experience, which does make me sad because I know I'm missing out on indulging in the many other brilliant aspects of certain games (the music, the art direction, creature designs, levels designs...etc).

I think those are all fair criticisms certainly. I still enjoy dipping into it for the quaint laid back experience of it all, but there's no real reward for any of your efforts in the game. I think I'm very lucky with my islanders as I love their personalities. I haven't really found them to be lacking to engage with. I certainly wish you'd be able to witness them actively doing more things though (I can swim and dive. Why don't they? Why don't I see them gardening in the back yards. I built for their houses, or picking up weeds around the island from time to time? Little changes like that would go a long way).

There's talk of higher resolutions in the Macbook Pros allowing from them to do away with OS scaling too which should mean the OS and applications get to make better use of screen real estate natively. That could definitely help nudge me towards acquiring a laptop again. Even if I want one though I doubt I can commit to one at launch, and have a nasty feeling chip shortages and very high demand for the new laptops could make them hard to get this side of Christmas. I'm finding myself in the position I've been in the past where cost/performance balance is likely to make a Macbook Pro the most economically sound choice for me, despite preference for a desktop solution. The nature of the Apple Silicon chips allowing the computers to run so cool now, and the fact a single USB-C can allow us to both power a laptop hooked up to an external display whilst transmitting data too, does certainly mitigate the core frustrations I had in using my current MBP docked and connected to a monitor several years ago (heat, fan noise, so many damn cables cluttering up the place and having to be connected/disconnected every time I wanted to take the laptop somewhere). Just importing files into Capture One, standard 24MP sized files at that, ramps up the fans on my laptop these days, likewise exporting edits, and again even when editing the images themselves depending on the type of re-touching work I'm doing. I can't stand it. I dare not even think about what trying to attempt video work on this machine would do to it. It'll be interesting to see how the new models are priced and how they physically compare to my mid-2014 MBP. Even today, the currently 16" Intel is a shade smaller and lighter than my 15" model, so if they can cut that down even further on the 16" model it would be amazing. If they completely re-design the internal main board layout for the new models then the 16" could certainly be lighter too. I think the 14" would be a dream for portability assuming specs between the two sizes are identical outside of screen size, but the 16" might still be a better option for me if it's going to be a while until I could buy an external display (I'd still love to think Apple might debut a consumer desktop display in 2022 alongsdie the 27" iMac. It's a shame there's been no hint of any such product for next week).

I'm a stuck record at this point but it's been my favourite thing about my 11" model having had it for over a year now. I really do think I could snap and go for one of the new Macbook Pros if they reveal on Monday that they're getting pro motion too.

Good price. How much is the new one?

The free 2.0 update looks fantastic: The paid DLC expansion is certainly cute, but a bit much for my taste (both in price and what it focuses on):

Apparently you lose access to the Animal Crossing DLC if you end your Expanded Nintendo Online Subscription too.

Or perhaps I overestimated the Virtual Console's popularity:

It's funny. At this stage Nintendo would surely generate more revenue in just going back to the old eShop model of letting people buy the old retro games they want.

I was thinking it might be worth it for a year just to have the Animal Crossing DLC thrown in for the price vs buying that on its own, but the DLC isn't that appealing to me (there's more than enough of interest in the free 2.0 update).

He's not necessarily making a bad point though.

Codes for Anatomy of a Murder and Oliver remain. If there are no first takers for those I'll offer them up as second helpings to those of you who have already had a title from this batch.

Dread did veer into 1 for me with some of the mini boss encounters. It felt good to finally beat the ones that were driving me absolutely crazy, but I wouldn't say it was that good sense of satisfaction you feel in other games after overcoming a challenging obstacle or puzzle. Instead it was more one of relief that I could move on to something else, and consequently that did sour a little of the experience for me. I didn't want to just feel glad that I could put those encounters behind me, but proud of making that progress. Those few occasions just pushed me too far to feel anything other than "thank fuck that's over." Again though, I put a lot of this down to my struggles with the rapid response times games like this often demand of the player, so it's more on me and less on the game's design I think. I'm on the fence about Jaffe's particular criticism of there being no clear hints of any part of a level being destructible. There's not really anything to lose by blasting away at anything in an environment if you find yourself physically stuck. The game deals out missiles and places to replenish your ammo and health at a respectable pace, and I never really found myself caught short in that regard. Having said that, if you're new to the series, or if you're a younger gamer, then there is a fair argument that it's bad design not giving you any kind of hint, and I do like it when games are as accessible to as many people as possible. You get the power up to scan your environments for cracks in walls...etc, but not until quite far into the game. It might not have been a bad thing to have just given Samus that ability from the start.

Sent. I'm curious to revisit that film as I haven't seen it in decades.

Yes, with the non M cameras I've owned over the past ten years or so I would still find my brain defaulting to focus and recompose out of pure habit (it's a bit like how I've rarely filled a memory card in my years with digital cameras. My brain is forever stuck on the sense of "you only have 36 exposures. use them wisely," even though I will take more than 36 of course, but the pacing in thinking more cautiously about exposing a frame before taking a picture that I got from years of shooting film is forever with me. I'm not sure I have ever put a digital camera into burst mode beyond testing it out once or twice). Back button focus is a useful option to have when you want it though, and again on the SL I just love that the button to focus is built into the joystick nub so you can move your focus point and lock it in without having to reach for a dedicated button elsewhere on the camera body.

@xPieter I'm not 100% all of this applies to the original SL as I never got to mount an af lens to mine when I had it, but it's a good guide to setting up back button focus in manual mode if you want to look to setting that up. I've just done it on my 2-S and it's such a thoughtful implementation having it mapped to the joystick button: "Thoughtful" really is the best way I can describe the SL system, both in its physical and software design. I felt that with the original, but they've taken it to another level with the 2/2-S. I love that Leica have strived for consistency between the M, Q and SL with the menus and now even have all three with the same button layout to the left of the LCD. It definitely feels like a family of cameras, with the SL being obscenely customisable.

Uh huh. Your wife. Sure. Sure.... It's sincerely the title I'm most looking forward to revisiting in the box set. Don't be ashamed.

One tip I have for submitting for a quote to MPB and sites like it is not to second guess your opinion on the quality of the item you're selling. I almost did this with the Fuji last week. To me, it was effectively mint, like new, but there was a part of me hesitant to declare it as such when requesting a quote. The worst that can happen is they disagree with your assessment when they receive and check over the item for themselves, at which point they will make you a lower offer than the initial quote you received before sending anything away, or (I believe this is correct) give you the option of having the item sent back to you. Thankfully I stuck to my initial evaluation and they agreed that my X100V was still in like new condition, and paid me accordingly.

I have have an independent Leica dealer in London who I will often sell my old Leica gear through (usually on commission). Anything else I've started going through a company called MPB who I believe do have operations in the US. https://www.mpb.com They'll give you a quote online, then the process of getting your item(s) to them could not be easier. They'll send a courier free of charge to collect once you've boxed everything up. I was happy with what they offered me for my X100V last week and was paid within 24hrs of them receiving and checking the camera. eBay should always be a last resort for expensive goods really, so check out MPB or any similar services, and research local camera stores with a good reputation for part exchange/commission offers on selling used gear. Lenses hold value well.

Indeed. I may put that to the test on Sunday. On Saturday I'd like to get out and photograph some green surroundings for a change. I'm excited!

Columbia Classics vol2 box arrived. Finally we get some UHD Fincher, though I must confess I am most looking forward to watching the disc of Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility.

New codes available courtesy of the Columbia Classics vol2 UHD box set: Anatomy of a Murder Oliver Taxi Driver Stripes Sense and Sensibility The Social Network Let's limit it to one title request at a time to begin with.

So going back to having seen the APO 75mm Summicron SL lens for a really great price used...... I now have that lens sitting on my desk beside me. I have to confess, when I ordered it I almost felt the deal on the price was too good to be true. Listed as boxed in "like new condition," even though it was coming from a very reputable camera store, I just couldn't help but have my doubts. It wasn't being held at a branch of the dealer near to me either so I couldn't go and examine it in person and took the risk ordering it blindly online (not only was it priced a good £500 below what I typically see A++ condition copies of the 75mm sell for used, the dealer also had a sale on used items and I was able to get another £200 off! The chances of my seeing the lens again for a similar price anytime soon seemed remote). So it now sits, mounted onto my SL2-S and it is PRISTINE. I'm just dumbfounded. New, the lens is typically selling for more than the camera, but I've now acquired one in as good as new condition for less than the cost of a Canon RF Prime. I think 75mm is going to cover me very nicely. I wanted something with more telephoto reach, but even at used prices the 90mm is just too expensive for my taste and a bit limiting to serve as my one and only af SL lens. 75 is an unconventional focal length, and I wonder if that's why I was able to get such a good copy of the lens "cheap" as perhaps it's a lens some users buy, find it's not for them, and opt to part with in favour of the 90. For me, it really does feel like a nice middle ground between the 50 and the 90 combination that I'd possibly have were money no object, giving me quite a versatile single prime (it's going to have that nice compression for portraiture, yet at the same time still be wide enough in smaller spaces, whereas 85mm and above I think would start to feel to limiting for my needs in the months ahead), and longer term combined with a possible Q2 purchase I think I will have covered my focal length bases nicely. The latest camera firmware ran a firmware update on the lens when I mounted it too. The af seems insanely snappy to me. I need to get up to speed with the af settings...etc but will hopefully get out with it at the weekend (even if just to run off some test shots on local landscapes). I'm keeping my 50mm Summicron M lens for the time being, even though the focal length between that and the 75 are pretty close. I can envision scenarios where I can still find use for the M lens, especially when out on the street to keep the camera profile low (although the SL primes marry so perfectly to the SL body and don't look intimidating at all really), and I also think the M lens is going to be a good keeper for future video projects once I begin budgeting for those.

I think I've seen enough and am ready to go on media blackout for this until release. It really does look like it's in good hands.

Why, like Halloween's trailer, spoil so many of the kills there? I just don't get it.