Death's Opinion on Warhammer: This is Dumb... "The Real Allure of Warhammer" Sep 26, 2024 15 Mins by Death The fourth season of The Boys (2019- ) introduced a new character named Sage ( Susan Heyward ). Sage's superpower is being the most intelligent person on earth. While her power sounds fantastic, it has a dark side. As the most brilliant person ever to exist, Sage has no equal. While she can outthink anyone and dominate those around her, she is also very much alone. The first appearance of Sage in Season 4 of The Boys. Source: amazon.com. Being the only person this intelligent also means no one else can understand her. Sage has no one she can talk to as an equal or help her carry the burden of her realizations. Sage's world is also a very dull place. Nothing is new or exciting because she has most likely thought of everything before. Sage is a prisoner of her mind, destined to yell into the void of stupidity around her unless she finds a way out. Ever had that kind of day? Source: amazon.com To create this escape, Sage regularly lobotomizes herself and engages in some recreational debauchery. Sage is like many of us. Who hasn't just needed something that allows them not to think, if only for a few hours? Luckily, as sci-fi/fantasy fans, we don't need to resort to the extreme of self-lobotomizing... ...not when we have Warhammer. This is fine. (in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II) Source: focus-entmt.com. Now, some of you may think you know where I am going with this. But I want to be clear: I am about to argue that being into Warhammer is the same as getting a lobotomy. Before you flame me in the comments, I also want to say Warhammer is the dumbest fucking thing I have ever seen. Its design is uninspired; its art style is weird and scatterbrained; its world is depressing and absurd; and its fans are incomprehensible. Yet, I'm fucking obsessed with it. Like a lot of you, my first encounter with Warhammer was walking by a Games Workshop store at my local mall. I vividly recall the hideous yellow and red signage assaulting my eyes. I was curious about what was inside, but I never made it through the door. I was always freaked out by the awkward attempt at human contact from the proto-incel standing out front would make. Early Space Marines look like something out of Toy Story (1995). Source: warhammer.com Despite being aware of Games Workshop for years, I had never looked at a physical Warhammer figurine until my nephew showed me a Space Marine he was painting. At first, I couldn’t take it seriously. I have always been a sci-fi/fantasy fan, but I really didn’t know what I was looking at. It seemed like a plastic green army guy from way back in the day or a G.I. Joe action figure, but it looked like someone joined it with a toaster and some football shoulder pads. “Is this a tank, or is this a person?” I thought. “How is this guy supposed to move in this armor?” Who designed this, GWAR? GWAR is to Metal, as Warhammer is to little painted figurines. Source: IMDB. The look of Warhammer is somewhere between He-Man (1981), Alien (1979), Lord of the Rings (1954), and the local high-school Dungeons & Dragons club, which holds its meetings in an abandoned gothic cathedral . Warhammer could be described as baroque, futuristic, steampunk, cyberpunk, militaristic, or dark fantasy; there really isn’t a look or style that couldn’t fit into its universe in some way. The only rule I can find for how things should look is that everything should be ‘grimdark.’ For the uninitiated, ‘grimdark’ is a unique Warhammer word that comes from the tagline for almost everything associated with the universe, “... for in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.”[1] The grimdarkness of Warhammer is not your happy place. (Unless, you're like me and it is.) Source: warhammer-community.com The grimdark look is, well, grim and dark. It situates Warhammer firmly in the horror genre despite its childish appeal to young males. At a distance, space marines could be mistaken for a multi-colored collection of Buzz Lightyear toys from Toy Story (1995). But move closer, and you will notice that dark overtones and more sinister details emerge to offset the bright primary colors that first drew you in. Aesthetically, Grimdark is similar to the nightmarish contradictions of a game like Five Nights at Freddy’s (2014), with similar themes of lost innocence and the dark consequences of reaching adulthood. In pulp fiction literature, grimdark is a subgenre of sci-fi/fantasy that is characterized as dystopian, amoral, and violent.[2] This is accurate, as the Warhammer universe is a dark, dangerous, and depressing place. There is no optimism, peaceful coexistence, or hope like in Star Trek . It is a place of cynicism, despair, oppression, superstition, dogma, injustice, and horror. There’s no morality in Warhammer—no deep philosophical questions to ponder. It is a universe free of gray areas since everyone, in some way, is in the black. The first time that someone tried to explain this universe to me, I almost immediately tuned out; I lost track after they attempted to explain a fourth faction they deemed essential for me to know about. There are many entry points to get hooked on in Warhammer, but its massive scale is also intimidating to newcomers. It’s not that there isn’t anything to like in Warhammer; quite the opposite. There’s almost too much. The Warhammer universe is too vast for a single person to comprehend. Source: warhammer40k.fandom.com. Warhammer is an amalgamation of ideas that are, let’s be nice and say, ‘borrowed’ from virtually every other sci-fi/fantasy IP in existence. The Tyranids are clearly the aliens from Alien (1979). The Space Marines were initially inspired by Judge Dredd (1977), with their look evolving into something similar to Master Chief from Halo (2001) and Doomguy from Doom (1993). Warhammer’s theme of a militaristic galactic empire fighting against an invasion of bug-like aliens is straight out of Starship Troopers (1959), not to mention the other empire with a near-immortal god-king, Dune (1965). The Aliens... I mean, Tyranids look awesome. Source: warhammer-community.com. The Warhammer universe exists as a cacophony of lore, games, media, and art styles so massive in scope that no one person can claim to be an expert on everything. Over 600 books outline Warhammer’s official lore, with the literature divided between Warhammer 40,000 , the dystopian science fiction universe set in the 41st millennium, and the Age of Sigmar , a high-fantasy universe featuring gods, magic, and mythical creatures. Movies, literature, magazines, comic books, and webcomics, both fan-made and official, expand the universe even more. There’s even a Disney+-style streaming service called Warhammer+ that features high-quality short films produced in-house by Games Workshop. Of course, there are video games and board games covering several different genres. I am honestly shocked that no Warhammer full-length feature film or television series has been made yet, but if the rumors are true, this is about to change. All of this revolves around a tabletop strategy game, of all things, and forms the basis for a fantasy universe that, by all rights (even copyrights), shouldn’t work. Games Workshop’s shotgun, anything-goes approach to world-building should be falling apart at the seams, considering the difficulties involved in keeping such a vast universe consistent. But, somehow, it does work, and it resonates loudly with those who matter most in any community: its fans. Warhammer fans are noble and pure. Source: www.belloflostsouls.net. I don’t know what to think of Warhammer fans. Until recently, I was not aware I knew anyone who was into Warhammer. Now that I am looking into the universe, I have found that I actually know quite a few. I know my recent awareness is mostly the Baader-Meinhoff phenomenon at work (i.e., the tendency to notice something more often once you become aware of it, even though it was always there to begin with). Still, Warhammer fandom is not as talked about as others; Star Trek fans never shut the fuck up about how good and pure their universe is; you can’t swing a lightsaber in a McDonald’s without hitting a Star Wars fan, and everyone knows that one Harry Potter fan who can’t keep their Voldemort-was-the-good-guy-all-along theory to themselves, “No one gives a shit, Susan.” Warhammer fans don’t seem to care about their fandom's obscurity; they may even appreciate it. They seem content to exist on the periphery of popular culture, where they can still credibly claim that their fandom is a part of sub-culture, at least for the time being. Before George Lucas publically murdered his legacy by releasing the prequels (still a fucking stupid word, if you ask me) and its subsequent Disneyfication, Star Wars was actually considered part of sub-culture. Sure, it was popular with 'geeks' and kids, people who would go on to make it a permanent part of mainstream culture decades later, but in the early days, Star Wars , the real Star Wars, was known only to insiders. With no internet access, fans had to go further to expand the universe. Source: Creative Commons. These insiders were fans of the movies, like anyone else; the only difference was that they wanted to know more once the credits had rolled. To satiate this desire, they hunted down books, comics, or any other media that the companies, who were profiting off the Star Wars fervor, clamored to sell them. These insiders were few, but you could find them if you knew where to look and if the conditions were right. They could be found in dark basement playrooms, at the back of classrooms, or on the hoods of cars, relaxing with friends. Once they were sure they were among the like-minded, they would trade obscure details about topics like Boba Fett and AT-STs. This was usually done in secret because, while Star Wars was widely considered a fun movie, going further was still not accepted by the mainstream. Going too hard into the dark corners of the universe meant the risk of being labeled as a social outcast. While being a sci-fi/fantasy fan, in general, no longer risks complete social isolation, Warhammer still retains something of this on-the-outside-looking-in feeling that the other franchises lost long ago. You barely know Warhammer is there unless you go looking for it. It’s like a secret society where only members know how to identify other members. It’s the Hydra of popular culture, a sub-culture that exists on the fringes of other universes, whose adherents quietly bide their time painting models, reading the expansive lore, and posting their fan fiction and animations to the internet, all in anticipation of… something. I may not understand Warhammer fans, but I can respect them. This hobby requires time, patience, and even an endurance for derision coming outsiders. I have heard more than a few jokes linking Warhammer to terminal virginity. Of course, this has no basis in actual evidence; there’s even some unignorable evidence to the contrary. The real Emporer of All Mankind, according to Warhammer fans. Source: gamingbible.com. Still, this mockery recalls a time when all of nerd culture was subject to similar scorn before becoming mainstream. Warhammer retains an aura as a subset of nerd culture reserved for only the most hardcore, those willing to forego... other things in pursuit of the hobby. The time and attention Warhammer demands is one of the mechanisms that has kept it out of the mainstream for so long. Metaphorically, Warhammer has remained pure, true... and virgin. Warhammer fans spend countless hours painting their models away from the sun, as the Emperor wills it. Source: warhammer.com Warhammer fans also endure a very unique torture particular to their universe. These fans spend thousands of hours painting overpriced plastic models sold to them by a multinational company with thousands of stores worldwide. Games Workshop does its best to imprison its fans in a system of endless addiction designed to exploit them for as much as possible. The irony that the universe’s lore revolves around the so-called Emporer of all Mankind, who is only kept alive by sacrificing the souls of 1,000 of his followers every day, who in turn are supplied by a ruthless imperial system that demands ceaseless devotion, shouldn’t be lost on anyone. The Emperor of all Mankind. He doesn't look a day over 30,000. Source: Games Workshop. If you ask any dedicated Warhammer fan what they think of Games Workshop, you are bound to hear a long rant about how greedy the company is and how the people who run it are evil incarnate. Immediately after, they will proudly show you their army of Blood Angel Space Marines that they spent countless hours painting and cost them over $2,000; all the while maintaining a straight face, completely aware of the dissonance, and blissfully reconciled to it. Warhammer is the kind of universe that will draw you in like an Aeldari brothel, drain you of all your dignity and money, and then leave you burning on the side of the road with a smile on your face, screaming, “For the Emperor!” Warhammer is ridiculous, weird, borrowed, and absurd. It demands everything of its fans: body, soul, and credit card. Yet, despite this, it proudly blows through the constraints that other universes are too pussy to approach. It doesn’t care what anyone thinks, especially me, and does its thing without apologies… which is why I love it. Warhammer is dumb, absurd, and impossible not to love. Source: ordo-hydra.fandom.com The only way to fully enjoy Warhammer is to accept your lobotomy and submit to its absurdity. If you abandon any preconceived notions about what a sci-fi/fantasy universe should look like or profess, you will find an escapist’s paradise that will leave you happily drooling into your empty wallet. There’s a full-throttle universe here that is full of such sights to show you, if you can get past its atypical exterior, overwhelming scale, and its time commitment. Warhammer is one of the last bastions of true escapism in sci-fi/fantasy that, for now, remains largely untouched by the forces that have destroyed so many other beloved franchises. Make sure you enjoy it while you can. See you on the other side.💀 [1] McNeill, Graham, Nightbringer: 20th Anniversary Edition (The Chronicles of Uriel Ventris: Warhammer 40,000 Book 1) , Kindle Edition, pg. 5. [2] Grimdark , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimdark , accessed 25 Sep 24. Warhammer N/A Share Send Send Send Send Track Name 00:00 / 01:04 Link Copied! This is Dumb... The Real Allure of Warhammer Opinion

Death's Article on ARC Raiders: No, High-End Weapons Do NOT Need to be Buffed "There's a lot Going on with the Weapons in ARC Raiders" Dec 1, 2025 6 Mins by Death PC Gamer released an interesting feature this week titled, “Arc Raiders' basic weapons are way too strong, and it's starting to overshadow even its legendary guns”. In it, the author argues the gear chase is just not satisfying enough and high-tier legendary weapons like the Aphelion are not worth the effort. He concludes, “epics [should] get a slight buff to their overall lethality and durability to give them a tangible edge over their lower-rarity counterparts.” This would be true, if ARC Raiders (2025) were a traditional looter shooter. In other games, weapons generally fall on a curve where higher rarity means more power; but this is not the case in ARC Raiders, especially in PVP. Low-end weapons like the Stitcher, Venator, and Renegade are easy to acquire while legendary weapons like the Equalizer and Jupiter are overly expensive for the relative power they provide. Epic weapons, like the Bettina, seem to lack a real application outside of being every other blueprint found in game. ARC Raiders' weapons are certainly unique. So what is going on here and should Embark just buff the higher-tier weapons as many are suggesting? The current weapon power curve makes little sense, until you realize there’s are actually two power curves at play—one for PVE and another for PVP—which, by design or happy accident, make ARC Raiders a social experiment masquerading as an extraction shooter. Some things only make sense in isolation. The PVE weapon power curve makes sense because ARC Raiders was initially developed as a looter shooter/survival game, PVP was layered on later. Weapon effectiveness against ARC generally follows what is found in the game’s tooltips; Low-end light ammo weapons are less effective against ARC compared to high-end energy ammo weapons, which are highly-effective against ARC; this is a relic from the earlier versions of the game. Makes sense, until you try shoot another raider with energy ammo. The PVP weapon power curve is much different; it peaks sooner, with weapons like the Venator and Renegade, then quickly drops off as you get into the higher-end weapons. Even common weapons like the Stitcher, are extremely effective, with the right upgrades and attachments. These dueling power curves mean players must choose loadouts based on what they find more threatening, ARC or other Raiders. Given ARC Raiders ’ post-apocalyptic trust-no-one narrative is more like The Walking Dead (2010) than it is anything else, this is what one would expect. ARC Raiders has established a gameplay framework where AI enemies, ARC, are almost a dangerous as the other human players; but, this delicate balance has some real vulnerabilities, which are slowly becoming apparent. The tension between these curves is why ARC Raiders is so engaging. One month after launch, players have mostly overcome the ARC learning curve. At launch, ARC were a real threat, because no one knew how to defeat these massive and scary robots. This meant players were more likely to work together, and it wasn’t uncommon for raider to aid one another and cooperate to bring down larger enemies. Now, one month after launch, the ARC problem has mostly been solved. Player cooperation has become extremely rare, with players, choosing to seek out PVP instead. ARC are quickly being been relegated to being an annoyance at most, for players who have put more than 100 hours in the game. The Matriarch still inspires fear, but less so than this first meeting. The lack of ARC threat is why most Queens and Matriarchs go undefeated in duos and trios; the rewards are just not worth it. No one wants to bring 100K worth of gear into the game just to lose it to a free-loadout Andy waiting in the shadows to pounce. Players are demanding PVP buffs to PVE weapons like the Bettina and Equalizer, because the threat they are intended to address is not really a threat anymore. Their demands are a signaling, the only part of the game holding their attention is the PVP. Applying buffs or nerfs so the power curve for all weapons scale is the same no matter the situation, would destroy the delicate interplay between PVP and PVE, which is what makes ARC Raiders so engaging and unpredictable. No, the real solution to keeping high-end gear relevant in ARC Raiders , is to give it a reason to exist. Embark needs buff ARC—and buff them soon. That said, increasing AI power carries unique and consequential risks. Improving AI in ways which feel cheap and transparent, like just adding more damage, a higher rate of fire, or a larger health pool, risk alienating players, as much as an unfulfilling gear chase. Fighting ARC needs to be as compelling and engaging as fighting other players; not easy to accomplish. Thankfully, Embark's use of machine learning technology may be uniquely positioned to address this problem. Spend any decent amount of time in ARC Raiders and players may develop a sense ARC are actually holding back. ARC have been restrained in several key ways: ARC's awareness range is actually very short and can be easily avoided, if careful; ARC will deaggro relatively quickly if you break LOS long enough; and their weak points are generally obvious, giving players a fighting chance when cornered. Loosening some of these restraints may part of the solution, but ARC have displayed much more potential for engagement in how they reason, even if reasoning is not really happening. (It’s not really happening… right?). ARC do things which AI in other games just don’t do; Bombardiers will move to angle shots through narrow passages; Rocketeers will search areas they think you are in, not just stop at the last place the saw you; Leapers will… well they’re just terror personified, if you know, you know. It is this kind of unique behavior Embark should lean into to keep the ARC threat as engaging as fighting other players. The possibilities for creatively using this technology are endless; ARC could stalk players like animals stalking prey, waiting to strike at the perfect time; ARC disguised as a teammate could mimic their voices and lure Raiders away into an ambush; ARC could even develop vendettas against specific players, reappearing to finish a previous engagement, from another raid. Overall, the game doesn’t need better PVP weapons, there are plenty already. Embark needs to give players a reason to use these weapons by building on the creative ways ARC already behave; this would maintain the incredible balance between PVE and PVP, which the studio has landed on. Here’s the link to the original PC Gamer article. See you on the other side, Raiders. ARC Raiders 2025 Share Send Send Send Send Track Name 00:00 / 05:57 Link Copied! No, High-End Weapons Do NOT Need to be Buffed There's a lot Going on with the Weapons in ARC Raiders Article

Death's Review on Vampus Horror Tales: Campy and Sinister "Vampus Horror Tales's campy, lovable host belies the film’s more sinister statements on ‘love’ and violence. " Jan 31, 2024 3 Mins by Death Vampus Horror Tales (2020) was released in Spain to generally positive reviews and found a larger audience in 2023 with a digital release on multiple platforms. The Spanish-language film features four segments by “first-time filmmakers” that revolve around the worst of all human emotions: love. The segments are partitioned by a Tales for the Crypt (1989) inspired host, Sr. Fettes, played by veteran Spanish actor Saturnino García . Sr. Fettes is a violently brutal analog to the better-known Cryptkeeper masked, but his loveable exterior sets him apart. The name ‘Fettes’ appears to be a play on the Spanish word for fat, ‘fet,’ alluding to Fettas as the fat surrounding the meaty segments of the film. It's not a flattering description, but it's accurate. Fettes, or Vampus as he prefers to be called, is an unassuming but playfully murderous grave keeper. He spends his days burying bodies and his nights exhuming the same bodies, with only his pet zombie, Toby, to keep him company. His only escape from this mundane existence is his horror comic books featuring “necrophilic tales” (his words, not mine). Saturino García as the titular Vampus in Vampus Horror Tales. Courtesy of Quiver Distribution. García excels in the tsk-tsk nature of the role, swinging mallets, shovels, and chainsaws with glee. Despite being 88 years old, García delivers a lively and physical performance. Non-Spanish speakers have no trouble connecting with his passion, even with the subtitles. Vampus is a sinister character in his own right, as he murders on a whim, but that is okay because he doesn't “need to kill people. It's just that the world is full of dipshits.” An irrefutable defense for murder, if one was ever uttered. Overall, the interlude segments, directed by Víctor Matellano , are campy fun and serve as welcomed rest spots from the more sinister subject matter in the anthology. The segments of Vampus Horror Tales explore the emotion of love in all its brutal ignobility. Like the two-sided nature of this emotion itself, the film is also shot in black and white. The film starts with “ La Boda ” ( The Wedding ), directed by Manuel Martínez Velasco . La Boda explores love turned to rage in a claustrophobic setting. Like many relationships, the segment begins with innocent infatuation but escalates into horror, intimating the cyclic nature of domestic violence. Felix Gómez and Elena Furiase deliver brutal performances, navigating the transition from desire to rage as reasonably as the short segment time would permit. The conclusion is troubling to watch, and Velasco provides much to ponder in the limited time. Felix Gómez and Elena Furiase in La Boda. Courtesy of Quiver Distribution. While La Boda serves as a strong opener, there are some weaker segments. In most horror anthologies, the second segment is typically the weakest, and " Cumpleaños " ( Birthday ), directed by Erika Elizalde , does not fail to deliver in this regard. Elizalde tries to say something about revenge, but nothing is gained from the segment other than a spontaneous need to go to a horror theme park if those still exist. Nacho Guerreros in Segunda Cita. Courtesy of Quiver Distribution. Following this weak second segment comes “ Segunda Cita ” ( Second Date ), directed by Isaac Berrocal . Segunda Cita is a terrifying statement about women and violence. The segment is not fun to watch, uncomfortable in its conclusions, and something the viewers will quickly want to forget for all the right reasons. The cruelty on display is primal and should fill better men with rage at the lesser members of their sex. Actor Nacho Guerreros is terrifying as the assailant, and his opposite, Erika Sanz, rightly draws the viewer’s sympathy. It is easily the most unnerving segment in the collection and is tense up to the final moment. This is one everyone should watch only once and then never again. The final segment, “ Linaje ” ( Lineage ), directed by Piter Moreira , provides a solid finish. A couple of aid workers, in love with each other, battle a deadly virus that originated in a hot dog. While the premise sounds comedic, the execution is anything but. Moreira delivers some interesting mechanics on vampire zombies that deserve more exploration. The direction is the best of all the segments, and Moreira tells an exciting, well-paced, and tense story. Frederico Repetto and Vicky Jorge also give solid physical performances. While the story veers into ‘what the hell is happening’ territory near the end, it is a strong closer exploring the only form of selfless love the audience will see. Vampus Horror Tales is a campy and sinister work that deserves attention from non-Spanish-speaking audiences. The film is an uncomfortable exploration of the worst parts of love, punctuated by the lovable Vampus, who fills the audience with joy when he appears. Appropriately, Vampus Horror Tales became available via digital release on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2023. Vampus Horror Tales 2020 Share Send Send Send Send Track Name 00:00 / 01:04 Link Copied! Campy and Sinister Vampus Horror Tales's campy, lovable host belies the film’s more sinister statements on ‘love’ and violence. Review

Death's News on ARC Raiders: THE EXPEDITION PROJECT REVEALED "Embark Finally Details their Voluntary Wipe System for ARC Raiders" Oct 9, 2025 4 Mins by Death Embark Studios has finally released details on their progression reset system for their upcoming third-person extraction shooter, ARC Raiders (2025). Progression resets, also known as ‘wipes,’ are a mechanic that originated in the lengthy beta development cycle for Escape from Tarkov (2025), the grandfather of all extraction shooters. In order to test new content, Tarkov’s developers forced their player base to reset their accounts and begin again with fresh characters. While progression resets are common in betas, wipes in Tarkov provided secondary benefits that have become key features of the genre. Progression in extraction shooters is different than other loot-focused shooters, like Destiny (2014). Persistent inventories, or stashes, allow players to accumulate a lot of powerful gear, if they put in the effort. As time passes, the player base inevitably becomes divided between hardcore players, who stomp servers with the best gear in the game, and casual players who sabotage themselves by going outside or having a social life. While wipes alleviate these issues, at least for a short time, communities remain divided on the benefits of wipes, especially, global wipes, in which players have no choice, but to lose their progression. Some players appreciate them because they equalize the playing field and everyone explores the new content from the same perspective. Others deride them because they force players to forfeit any gear advantages they managed to obtain, keeping them perpetually behind more dedicated players. The official teaser photo for building your own R2-D2... I mean The Expedition Project. Source: arcraiders.com/en/news/expedition-project/ Embark is seeking to avoid these pain points by introducing a voluntary reset system called the Expedition Project . Instead of instituting forced global wipes, Embark is giving players the option to reset their character’s progress for exclusive rewards, if certain conditions are met. Here’s how Expeditions will work: At level 20, players unlock a new feature called Projects. Projects are events which are only open for a specific time. The first major Project, the Expedition Project, runs for eight weeks. During this time, players complete the Project by contributing materials, such as Metal Parts, Steel Springs, etc. If a Project is unfinished when the time expires, all progress carries over. After finalizing the Expedition Project, your character resets and they lose all levels, skills, items, and crafting; they will keep any cosmetics, achievements, and previously purchased content. For convenience, you will skip any tutorials and onboarding after a reset. The timeline for the Expedition project. Looks like we are all getting fresh characters for Christmas this year. Source: arcraiders.com/en/news/expedition-project/ The first Expedition Project opens on launch day, October 30th, and closes on December 14th. Raiders then have five days to finalize their projects with completed caravans departing on December 21st. In order to entice players to participate, Embark is offering the following incentives: “Permanent account unlocks for each Expedition completed.” (It is unclear what these are at this time.) Exclusive cosmetics and cosmetic-based progression rewards. Account “buffs” that scale with repeated resets. (It is also unknown what these are at this time.) Sequential completions of the Expedition Project increase the magnitude of these buffs, up to a limit. Embark promises any “buffs” will not provide combat advantages, but instead will give quality of life (QoL) improvements, cosmetics, bragging rights, and smoother progression. Virgil, the design director for ARC Raiders, writes, “Completing a reset should never give a player a power or combat advantage over anyone who has not completed a reset.” Embark’s stated goals for the Expedition Project are to allow casual players to retain their progress without forced wipes and provide highly engaged players with a fresh replay experience with rewards that encourage their time investment. More projects are likely to be added with future updates. [You can read the official post on the Expedition Project on the ARC Raiders website .] Embark has provided a lot of detail on this new feature, but some big questions remain. What exactly are “permanent account unlocks?” What will the “buffs to be applied during the following expedition cycle” do? What does smoother progression mean for players who have reset? And how big is the time commitment required for completing the Expedition Project? The requirements for what could be many sub-systems for the Expedition Project. Three stages of construction for the Core System of The Expedition Project. Overall, this new approach to a somewhat divisive system looks promising. Embark is definitely trying to provide features the community is requesting. No doubt, there will be a lot of feedback as the Expedition Project is implemented and the game evolves. Some players, like myself, are looking forward to having a goal to work towards once the game is released. At the very least, Embark is demonstrating they are shifting their focus to the health of the game beyond its October 30th launch. ARC Raiders is shaping up to be a fully realized product with a healthy future ahead of it, something rarely seen in the extraction shooter genre. ARC Raiders 2025 Share Send Send Send Send Track Name 00:00 / 03:55 Link Copied! THE EXPEDITION PROJECT REVEALED Embark Finally Details their Voluntary Wipe System for ARC Raiders News

Death's Review on Deadstream: Content to Die for "Deadstream is a Hilarious Parody of the Internet's Most Reviled Creatures: YouTubers. " Jan 30, 2024 2 Mins by Death Some ‘victims’ in horror are anything but. The trope of establishing a character who is so reprehensible or annoying that they make the audience long for their demise is ever-present in the genre, á la Franklin from Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) or Max from I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). Deadstream runs with this convention as it sets its sights on one of the most irritating archetypes in contemporary internet life: YouTubers. Written and directed by Vanessa Winter and Joseph Winter , Deadstream follows Shawn Ruddy (Joseph Winter), a disgraced YouTube personality. Desperate to make a comeback, Shawn sets out to live-stream his overnight stay in a haunted house. Shawn's comeback event becomes a fight for his life after he accidentally unleashes a vengeful spirit. Scares are plentiful as Shawn descends further into madness. Courtesy of Shudder. Like some of his real-life counterparts, Shawn is the type of YouTuber that seems to live on another planet free of the rules that confine the rest of us. He is fake, self-centered, and loathsome, but somehow successful (or was) despite of these negatives. Winter’s caricature of Shawn nails these attributes so well that the audience would be forgiven for forgetting he is riffing on YouTubers and isn’t one himself. Winter's sell his performance so well that it would not be unexpected if Shawn were to scream “remember to like, subscribe, and tell my beneficiaries what you think in the comments below,” as he is being dragged off to hell. How Shawn deals with his predicament is uproarious and unsettling. Shawn's obsession to regain his fame makes him oblivious to the dangers threatening his life. The absurdity of this disconnection makes the terrifying moments in the film, which there are many, land with satisfaction; Shawn goes from self-absorbed dipshit to shrieking final girl in the time it take to snap a finger off a dried up corpse. Everytime Shawn barely escapes his doom, he reverts to concerns about his numbers like the whole thing didn't happen. As with some of his real-world counterparts, there is truly only one thing that matters to Shawn. If no one is watching, liking, or commenting Shawn may as well be dead, so sure, a reanimated corpse trying to eat your face off is scary, but a drop in subscribers is clearly the more existential threat. It is hilarious to watch, but it is also the kind of dissonance that can make a YouTuber think of a Japanese suicide forest as possible content. Winter’s performance is complemented Deadstream's writing . The tropes about YouTubers are recognizable make the absurdity of the plot plausible, in spite of the supernatural background. Shawn's banter with the forces of evil and the live-stream chat (let's be honest, they are really one in the same) drives the film’s pacing, delivering a constant stream of laughter and thrills. The audience's morbid fascination with watching Shawn, both on screen and in the theater, critiques the interest that drives the internet’s content. It asks whether we truly love these creators as people or if it is all just destructive schadenfreude after all. The real monsters are in the chat. Yeah, I said it! Courtesy of Shudder. The setting and other devices help further the immersion. Death Manor, as Shawn dubs the house he investigates, is unsettling enough to make him appear that much more in contrast with reality. The live-stream chat lavishes Shawn with the admiration he seeks, all the while goading him towards his oblivion. The clever use of action cameras (i.e. GoPros which are very popular among the content creation crowd) combines the YouTuber and found footage motifs effortlessly. This all makes Deadstream is a standout viewing experience, blending the worst of the internet with found footage horror to create a memorable film. The Winters deliver a frightful and hilariously entertaining critique of contemporary social media culture despite it being the first time they have teamed up to direct. Deadstream is an exceptionally strong debut and builds anticipation for what comes next. Note: A previous version of this review appeared on slayawaywithus.com on 8 Jan 2023. Deadstream 2022 Share Send Send Send Send Track Name 00:00 / 01:04 Link Copied! Content to Die for Deadstream is a Hilarious Parody of the Internet's Most Reviled Creatures: YouTubers. Review

Everything about GameswithDeath Who is Death? Death, the Grim Reaper himself, (also known as @GameswithDeath on all platforms) is death incarnate. When not guiding souls to the afterlife, Death writes, edits, and streams, offering his unique, irreverent opinion on all things gaming. You can find Death (@GameswithDeath) on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, TikTok and this site, GameswithDeath.com. What kind of games does Death play? Death is mainly focused on extraction shooters like ARC Raiders, Hunt: Showdown, and Escape from Tarkov. He also enjoys other genres like ARPGs and Souls-likes. I like numbers. Okay. Death is in the Top 0.34% of all streams on Twitch. He also has +1.1M hours watched and +100 CCV average on Twitch. He has+5.0M views on TikTok and has a combined +100K followers across all platforms. Who has Death worked with? Death has done sponsored content for Techland, Crytek, Evasion, Next Studios, Sharkmob, and The Night Library. What else has Death done? Death created Monday Night Hunts and the Bayou Bowl , the largest and most prestigious esports competition for Hunt: Showdown . Death is partnered with Twitch and Crytek. Death has been honored in Hunt: Showdown with an official weapon skin, Death's Levy and helped design the Mountie hunter skin. He has also raised over +$6,500 for various charities. Why did Death take [INSERT DEAD CELEBRITY NAME HERE] from us? Death does NOT make the decision to take a soul. His job is to lead them to the afterlife. Certainly, [DEAD CELEBRITY] was a very special, unique, one-of-a-kind person. There was just no one who could stand-in or be a placeholder for [DEAD CELEBRITY]. They will be missed. Is Death, Grim from that Billy and Mandy show? No. Death is a completely original entity. He has no idea who those people are, but assumes that they are very nice. Stop asking about them. If I sub/support, do I get to live longer? Yes, you will live longer if you sub/support Death. You will live much longer. 100% guaranteed. If you die sooner than you would have, just ask for a refund. "Are there any questions?"

Gaming Reviews, Guides, and Insights from GameswithDeath 404 Error - Page not found

Short Anime Reviews and Watchlist from Death Himself Reviews Watched On Deck Score 5/5 Directed by Saitou Keiichirou Available on Crunchyroll Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2024) - Season 1 "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." Elves have always served a special role in fantasy. Fantasy authors, going back as far as Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1954), have juxtaposed elves with humans to great narrative effect. Elven wisdom, stoicism, and longevity have always served as a subconscious reminder that human actions have consequences that reach far beyond the short term. Elves represent the living embodiment of memory, history, and legacy, things that humans seeking fame and glory value the most. For better or worse, they are witnesses to our triumphs and atrocities, valued companions of the noble, and reviled by the forces of darkness. Given just how ubiquitous elves are in fantasy literature, movies, games, and film, there are few works that try to understand the elven experience to any real depth. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End 葬送のフリーレン (2024) is a refreshing attempt to remedy this neglected perspective by telling the story of Frieren, an elven mage who was a part of a group of heroes who defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. While the other members of her party—Himmel the Hero, Heiter the Priest, and Eisen the Warrior—wither to time and find contentment in their accomplished lives, Frieren is left behind to carry on their legacy. Even as her status as a living legend is increasingly forgotten by the descendants of those she saved many years ago, Frieren continues to seek new companions, perfect her magic, and come to terms with her own life and those she has lost. The series is beautifully animated, and Director Saitou Tomohiro's pacing is deliberate, conveying Frieren's elven perspective of time (i.e., she experiences years as weeks), while sprinkling in just enough action to maintain the viewer's interest. The score, by Evan Call, is epic and emotional, invoking action, appreciation, and nostalgia in equal measure. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is an exceptional anime, one that is almost immediately legendary. It is an endearing celebration of life, full of appreciation for the meaning finality and death bring. It bravely explores issues that are rarely seen in fantasy or other genres, for that matter. If you don't break down in tears at least once while watching it, there's truly something wrong with you. Season 2 is due in 2026. Score 4.5/5 Directed by Yamashiro Fuuga Available on Crunchyroll Dan Da Dan (2024) - Season 1 Is this even... allowed? If Dan Da Dan (ダンダダン) were the only thing you knew about anime, you'd probably be a very messed up person. This cacophony of differing visual styles, musical themes, and genres is as fast-paced as it is unapologetic for its raunchy kick-in-the-balls humor and hotter-than-they-should-be grandmothers. (Yes, she's that hot.) Summarizing Dan Da Dan in just a few sentences is challenging due to its complexity. It covers all the usual elements of a coming-of-age high school anime, but also incorporates supernatural horror, aliens that steal genitals, and profound character development. This depth is maintained even as the plot frequently attempts to strip characters of their clothing. Dan Da Dan draws inspiration from Eastern classics such as The Ring (2002), The Grudge (2004), and Kung Fu Hustle (2004), as well as American 80s favorites like Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Weird Science (1985). This is all complemented by a dynamic hip-hop influenced soundtrack by オトノケ (Otonoke) and Kensuke Ushio. The creators of Dan Da Dan have taken significant risks, and they have truly paid off. Despite the many elements packed into it, this anime succeeds brilliantly. Season 2 is set to release in July 2025. Score 5/5 Directed by Ootomo Katsuhiro Available on Crunchyroll Akira (1988) Apocalyptic Perfection in Motion Akira (アキラ) is perhaps as close as any animation, or any form of art, can get to being perfect considering the technology and resources available at the time. I recently revisited this masterpiece nearly 25 years after my first viewing, and it still stands as one of the most visually impressive animations ever made. The incredible level of detail is even more astonishing when reflecting on it now, knowing it was crafted by hand without today's computer assistance. While adult themes were common in Japanese animated works at the time, Akira 's dark, violent, and post-apocalyptic cyberpunk vision was unprecedented in Western animation. Only animated cult films like Heavy Metal (1981) and The Last Unicorn (1982) even came close. If you haven't yet explored this essential piece of anime, or more broadly, the art of film, you owe it to yourself to do so. Akira continues to be the benchmark against which all other anime should be judged. Score 5/5 Directed by Oshii Mamoru Available on Netflix Ghost in the Shell (1996) Deus Ex Laponia Ghost in the Shell (GHOST IN THE SHELL/攻殻機動隊) is a generation-defining anime that every fan of the medium has a responsibility to see. Ghost in the Shell is based on legendary artist Shirow Masamune's manga of the same name. The visual techniques employed by director Oshii Mamoru are still impactful 30 years later. Even to this day, there are very few works that can match the technical artistry of Ghost in the Shell ; the cybernetics, weapons, and even the bullet impacts were revolutionary then and are still imitated today. Ghost in the Shell 's plot is a complex, intrigue-laden spy thriller exploring the meaning of human existence in a world overtaken by corporations, information technology, and artificial intelligence (seems familiar). The film's protagonist, Major Kusanagi, remains a legendary femme fatale icon. (Batou is kinda cool too, I guess.) Its legacy lives on in movies and games like The Matrix (1999), Deus Ex (2000), and Cyberpunk 2077 (2020), even as follow-on sequels have not lived up to the original's accomplishments. These are all the anime I have watched, but no yet reviewed with their tentative scores. Solo Leveling (2024) - 4.5 Kaiju No. 8 (2024) - 4 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019) - 4.5 The Apothecary Diaries (2023) - 4.5 Attack on Titan (2023) - 4.5 Chainsaw Man (2022) - 4.5 Death Note (2006) - 5 Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) - 4.5 Cowboy Bebop (1998) - 3.5 Suzume (2022) - 3.5 Your Name (2016) - 4 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009) - 3.5 86 (2021) - 3 NieR:Automata Ver1.1a (2023) - 4.5 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022) - 4 Spirited Away (2001) - 4.5 Princess Mononoke (1997) - 4 My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - 5 These are all the anime that chat has recommended to me with the viewer who recommemded it, in no particular order... Gantz (2004) - Monto Ghost Hunt (2006) - Sunflower King of Thorn (2009) - Monto Outlaw Star (1998) - Pharl Baki the Grappler (2001) - Nicragomi One Punch Man (2015) - Nicragomi Appleseed (2004) - GameswithDeath Berserk (2016) - FatalExodus Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002) - GameswithDeath Sakamoto Days (2025) - Mrs. Death Lazarus (2025) - AverageCrafts Code Geass (2006) - Werthy Violet Evergarden (2018) - Werthy Mushi-Shi (2006) - chiisaiinu From the New World (2012) - chiisaiinu HUNTERxHUNTER (2011) - YourPlatapus Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997) - Trillbina My Hero Academia (2016) - Trillbina Soul Eater (2008) - Trillbina That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime - Mat My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - Crafts Tokyo Ghoul (2014) - CullisGate Ghost Stories (2000) - Pharl To Your Eternity (2021) - Sunflower Higurashi: When They Cry Gou (2020) - Monto Devilman Crybaby (2018) - Monto Deadman Wonderland (2011) - Monto Jujutsu Kaisen (2020) - CullisGate Hellsing (2006) - Monto Trigun (1998) - Sunflower Claymore (2007) - Monto