-No worries. There's no obligation to reply quickly, or even to reply at all. I respect and understand what you're saying, I've had a long day too myself(and a long 7 years really). I appreciate that you take your time responding and take things in before jumping to reply quickly. I do the same when reading your posts and absorb as much as I can before giving a response. Usually, it's a bit overwhelming(in a good way)and I can get easily lost in what I'm replying to at times as so many aspects of different thoughts run through my head.
-Don't forget about Stray or better yet Life is Strange: True Colors(it looks quite good, surprisingly).
-As for people on the forum, there are a very few that cannot be reasoned with, the thought/word/expression police-type which I have chosen to ignore interacting with, but overall this is a great community and I do find a lot of it does have to do with it being an older crowd, also the type of person that a game like Shenmue will attract, on any level from the simplest to the deepest Shenmue doesn't have anything shallow about it so it tends to weed out a lot of that type of folk.
-As for the Corporate Government of the world, media, religion, corporations, politics, etc I don't get lost in any of that tomfoolery. I've been very much wide awake to that stuff intuitively since I was a kid and intellectually as well since my early teenage years. Many of the issues I have when discussing these topics in general with people(not you at all in this case) tend to be committed to labels and misunderstanding. For example, some of my replies to our threads here could be suggestive that by American standards I may be a conservative or republican because I made some comments about 'tolerant' liberals being catered to in regards to MK and The Last of Us 2, but the fact is I've always been a free thinker and I feel things and go with my intuition over everything. Right around the next corner, I will make an equally repulsed statement about conservatives in the same vein as what I said about liberals. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who doesn't think for themselves or has to align with one side or the other on the different arms of the Corporate Government of the world I don't engage with on those topics, because there's nothing to be accomplished as you'll either be praised for the comments you say that goes in line with their fickle beliefs, or you'll be demonized for holding the opposing view and if you do what I do and just be yourself and say things that don't fall into either sides box, their brains tend to melt and get overloaded by the simplest of statements. I'm all about life and life let, do what you want to do as long as it doesn't enslave, encroach, or intentionally wound another person of any age. Don't fuck with children. Come from a place of light in your heart, mind, and soul but accept that darkness is a part of life and that there is nothing to be ashamed of when embracing both sides of it, just don't sell out to the dark. These are the ideals I strive for every day, and since I'm human I falter at times and have deep daily struggles with things from my past, but I am unshaken in my heart and knowing where my soul lies. As for those who like to debate and argue about the Corporate Governments divide and conquer topics of politics, corporate business, religion, and other fiction that has become manifest destiny on a large scale, I don't step into those discussions, except occasionally with others who don't fall for it. Even then, I typically only discuss it in contrast to what my values are, rather than get weighed down by it all the time. I went through a phase 2010-2011ish where I let it consume me, I was 23/24 at that time. It was a necessary growth patch, but to revisit getting stuck in all the evil and agendas out there? Never again. I keep aware, keep my eyes open, follow my inner compass and tune that shit out except for in extreme cases where it needs to be dealt with, or if it's something that's in my power to change.
-Masculine female topic: I don't follow Star Wars closely, or any comic book movies for that matter but I do know of the newer female Captain Marvel and I see what you're referring to. Yes, the agendas that exist in so much of the entertainment media ruins it. Personally, the reason I don't like any of those types of movies(70s Star Wars were ok for their time, even somewhat the early 00s, just not my thing personally)and especially The Avengers and what not is I feel that those movies are soulless. It feels so corny watching that kind of stuff and that's what the Mortal Kombat 2021 movie felt like, was the Avengers, yuck. I look at an actress like Scarlett Johansson who I've seen play amazing roles in many other films, along with some other actors I like in the Avengers movie and I feel like it's a major step down for them. Avengers feels like something they may have done reluctantly early on in their career to get noticed, or perhaps just for the money. The masculine female roles in many of these films and video games tend to exist in some of the soulless stories. For example, I did enjoy The Last of Us 1, was it great? No. It was a solid 7/10, something I'd never need to play again but the relationship between Joel and Ellie was tangible and fresh and the zombie-type approach was something new after so many years and evolutions of Resident Evil, I welcomed TLOU, flaws, and all. But the sequel? That was hard to stomach. Waaaaaay too much agenda from the creator who was influenced by Anita Sarkeesian, also an absolute detestable new main character that I cannot empathize with or feel a moment of levity with after what happens with Joel. I just couldn't get into it. The graphics are nice, the gameplay itself is more of the 1st game, which isn't terrible but isn't great but the story may be one of the worst follow-ups that were highly anticipated by the gaming world in gaming history. I know this is a little off-topic, but it goes in line with the agenda of the original topic.
-Trolling/bullying: Last year when I joined the Tomb Raider forum I went there with some general questions regarding the mid-2000s era because I hadn't played them yet at that time and wanted to know if they were more in line with the 90s classic era I don't like or the last decade reboot era I love. I was met with all kinds of toxic bullying and dripping hate because I expressed that I don't like the originals and love the reboot, which appears on that forum most of the people are fans of the originals. A few people helped tell me that I probably wouldn't like the mid-2000s era reboot, and they were right, but at least they were helpful. The majority wanted to argue and accused me of being a troll, which I found laughable but as a result, I never returned to the forum. I'm so grateful that's not an issue here at the Dojo.
-I appreciate your comments and observations of my explaining my love of certain fighting game characters. I see your appreciation for Virtua Fighter(as well as the other franchises, they'll all solid we seem to agree on that)and that you take the time to look at the martial ART of the game, the literal art of the moves and that means something. I haven't played a VF game in years(had it on disc back in 2019 most recently), but was considering buying the digital XB360 VF 5 Final Showdown on my Series S and giving it another go to look closer at the moves. I do enjoy some of the characters, I love that it's one of Yu Suzuki's babies that paved the way for Ryo Hazuki and Shenmue and I have a feeling it may impact me differently. Truth is, in the 90s, other than MK which has always been my gold standard for fighting games, I loved VF before Tekken, and then Tekken felt more developed with the roster but I was a VF fan through that decade. Much like SoulCalibur, I lost interest with the 4th game, though they're still both solid franchises. I just wish VF 5 wasn't so old, or that they release this new VF6/esports whatever it is that's rumored to come in 2021/2022. Another thing that may surprise you(or maybe not) is that I didn't like Dead or Alive at all in the 90s. I mean, the fighting mechanics were ok but I felt it was oversexualized cheese. It wasn't really until DOA 4 that I even bothered to take notice, and then DOA 5 was good with the tag mode and VF characters I like being added that it grew on me. DOA 6 is decent but not as good as 5 overall. When it comes to fighting games Mortal Kombat(and mainly because of the 9, X, and 11 trilogy)is a spiritual experience for me. The 90s games were great for their time, but a bit thin due to technology, the mid 00's trilogy was better and more developed but they didn't do as much with some of the new characters that have a lot of potentials. But 9, X, and 11 feel like a home run to me, and I truly love the lore and overall package. Tekken would be my #2 for fighting games but it's a distant second, as the distance between Earth and Mars. If I never played Tekken, DOA, VF, or SoulCalibur again I wouldn't care... I like them, but I can do without them. MK has grown on me to a point that I would miss it. By the way, what are your feelings towards SoulCalibur as a franchise? I enjoyed 1 and 2 mainly back in the day, but I'm not a big fan of being forced to use weapons at all times during a fight. But I think if I were to play any fighting game that has weapons at all times, SC is the one.
-I appreciate that you value the technique of VF, Guilty Gear, and Capcom SNK. As much as I seem to be focused on lore, character personality, and aesthetics it's nice to see someone who sees's moves from more of a martial artist's perspective. Don't get me wrong, I love moves, especially those found in MK(Scorpions chain, Kitana's fans and the way they use them, etc)but I don't look at the technique the way you are with VF, which is another reason I am heavily considering repurchasing VF 5 Xbox 360 to give a closer fair look at it again because it's something that had slipped by me and I never really considered it.
-Didn't you learn in school, the Europeans and Native Americans got along great! Right after Christopher Columbus discovered America
I don't ever find the massacre of the tribal people to be funny, nor do I in this case, but I thought you may appreciate some of the sarcasm that at times in life can help lift some deep resentments and hot anger towards injustices that never were made right. I too share your sympathies and past tense wishes that things could have been different. I find that deep connection with Ghost of Tsushima much for the same reason that I feel for the Native Americans in real life. A brief story on the topic based on modern-day legal US Gov terminology: I went to Lake Powell again a few years back to Antelope Canyon on the border of Arizona/Utah on Navajo/Apache tribal land to get a tour from the Navajo Nation into the canyon. So at the end of the tour, I'm asking my Native guide about another site in town and I wanted to know if it was a Navajo Nation Tribal National Park or part of the United States governments national park system, because the costs are VERY different (like $5 for a tribal tour and $100+ for federal gov land tour by white people who work for US gov). So I asked the tribal guide off the cuff without thinking about how it may come across (I meant no disrespect, just needed simple facts, no matter how disheartening they may be) "So, does the other tour take place on Native land or US government land??" He looked me in the eye and said "It's all Native land brother, from sea to shining sea" I couldn't help but find myself feeling like a grade school child being leveled with that powerful response, one that I have believed in my heart since the day I was born, but I couldn't help but blush, grin, laugh, put my fist out for a fist bump and replied with my best Denzel Washington impression "My man!" lol, I was cheesy as fuck but none the less, a moment I'll never forget.
-The Splinter Cell stealth mechanics and controls and abilities/features do improve over the next few titles starting with Pandora Tomorrow. The graphics, in their time on the OG Xbox were amazing compared to the first one, the lighting throughout Pandora and Chaos were like the graphical pinnacle of the OG Xbox, and to some extent the PS2 concerning its limitations versus Xbox at the time. I do believe if you deeply enjoyed SC1 that you'll like each one more than the last, and just when it feels like more of the same, then 4 and 5 will feel completely different from 1,2,3 in direction, but the same with Sam and the stealth aspects. The franchise doesn't lose its roots but evolves enough to keep it from getting stale, even the 6th one is a welcoming entry, just not at its best. To be fair, what can you do by the time you hit #6 in a franchise like this?
-Your views on Yakuza encouraged me to rethink my feelings towards it to some extent, and while I don't see any change on the horizon with Yakuza, I do feel very much more open to revisiting VF5(and I'm thinking VF2 as well since it was my favorite back in the 90s). I suppose the difference is I love Yu Suzuki and I always liked VF to one degree or another, so it'll be easier to transition but not so much for Yakuza, but you make a compelling argument which is why this thread is so inspiring throughout. I know I've mentioned Sleeping Dogs a few times in some very loose comparison to Yakuza. I'd like to know, have you played Sleeping Dogs?? If so, what were your thoughts on it? If not, I highly recommend it, and it's often on sale for $3-$5 digitally on Steam, PS4, XB1 for the Definitive Edition. I feel like we may have discussed SD a long time back on another thread, but I can't recall.
-I appreciate the way you consume movie/game art too. Taking the time to connect in that way. You are far more committed to that than I am, and I praise you for it. For me, I play Shenmue and Ghost of Tsushima in English. I've tried them in Japanese/Chinese and while I do like them, I tend to gravitate towards these 2 franchises in English. I think Shenmue is simply because I was 11 or 12 when it came out and it was in English, I didn't even know about anything to do with changing the language. As for Ghost, I heard Daisuke Tsuji and whoever played Jin's uncle speak in English in the opening scene and I just liked what I heard and went with it. As for wuxia, martial arts, and other movies like that I always watch them in Chinese/Japanese/Korean, always. I have no interest in hearing cheesy dubbing, and even if the Asian actors did their English subtitles, I don't watch it that way. Now if it's an American film with an Asian actor like Jet Li's Romeo Must Die, then, of course, I consume it in English because it's an American story with an Asian guy in it, but if it's feudal era Japan or Dynasty-era China I want to experience it as if I'm in Asia, so movies like Hero, Curse of the Golden Flower and House of Flying Daggers I watch with English subtitles and native tongue. Movies like 2009's gritty, dark and realistic Mulan: Rise of a Warrior with Zhao Wei I watch subtitled, while 2020's live-action Mulan from Disney I am ok with it being in English, as I know it's watered down but I love the character and the message behind it. The same goes for Memoirs of a Geisha, it an incredible film and while if it were written in Japanese I would have preferred that, but since a European wrote the script and it was mostly Chinese actors playing Japanese, I was ok to consume it in English. Regardless of the language or loyalty to authenticity, all of these movies have depth and don't feel hollow like 2021 Mortal Kombat did. If I wanted to watch some corn syrup action flick that has no logic, no direction, no heart, no spine, deeply flawed, and nothing to offer but special effects and a cheesy good time I can put on any one of the 8 Fast and Furious films, but deep art with a message or journey should be respected and kept as pure as possible.