What's the most ridiculous thing you've ever done to avoid a confrontation or difficult conversation?

Platform(s): PC Windows
Genre: First Person, Single Player, Indie, Psychological horror, Atmospheric
Estimated year of release: I played it around the pandemic, so maybe 2020
Graphics/art style: Dark ambient, night time, simple but kinda realistic, would say close to Inside the Backrooms but in a home environment. Maybe similar to the movie Monster House too. Sorry, this is the hardest topic for me to remember precisely.
Notable characters: You play as a child. I don't remember you being able to see yourself. There is also the intruder. You could see him at the door. He was a very average men, like the gmod npcs, but darker and I think he had brown jacket. Could be wrong though.
Notable gameplay mechanics: The game simulate a police case about a intruder. You play as the child and has to do little things like make lasagna, eat, watch tv and walk around. During those things, events will happen. The door bell will ring, a man will go upstairs when you eat the lasagna watching tv, and on your way back to your room you can choose to stay under you bed and wait for the police or go to your parents room and get jumpscared and die? Either way the game will end.
Playtime: Around 30 min - 1 hour.
Other details: Warning: I will spoil everything I remember about the playthrough of the game here. The house was a 2-story house, the first floor being where you had the kitchen and the dining room, and the 2nd floor where you had the parents room and your room, each one on each side.
The playthrough goes like: You are in your room, its night time, I don't remember exactly what you have to do, but after that the door bell rings, you can go downstairs and see a man standing in front of the door, you then ignores that and go make some lasagna, then you have to eat the lasagna while watching tv, during that scene you can see a man going upstairs (you can only see his foot), and then when you finish the lasagna you have to go to your room. When you go back to your room, you hear a window breaking, then you have the choice to hide under your bed and wait for the police or go outside your room to see your parents' door open and a shadow of the man cast on the wall by their bedroom light. If you try to go downstairs, you will get jumpscared by an entity and the game will end. If you stay hidden in your bedroom you will hear police sirens after a while and the game will also end.
i think the game is a part of a series of games about police cases.

Throwaway in case they use Reddit. Long post too, but messier the more you read.
I (26 f) been trying to move forward now that my year in a nightmare living situation has come to an end but I'm still so resentful, so maybe this will help. After living with my parents during the pandemic, in 2022 I reached out to an old college roommate and we decided me, her, and her boyfriend would find a place. They didn't seem to care where, and I love the city. I warned them it was more expensive but they didn't protest.
Firstly, I did EVERYTHING to secure us the place. The boyfriend, let's call him Chris (M 27) was in the GM and never even answered once. While skimming listings I once asked my old roommate, let's call her Maggie (F 26), to send me 3 listings, and I'd have 3, for a total of 6 places to set up tours for. They were on the opposite coast so it was agreed I'd do the tours. Two of the three listings she sent were ones I'd already sent her. She clearly just looked up the first results and didn't even bother to look at what I'd found.
So after touring, emailing, giving my future roomies step-by-step instructions how to apply, getting my dad to co-sign, and reviewing/revising the lease a couple times (they tried to tack on extra fees as most building management companies do) I started setting up job interviews in the area for move-in the following month. I never once got a thank you, only ever "update?" texts from Maggie, or the occasional complaint when I wasn't working fast enough for them. It's not like I wanted validation or to even make all the decisions, I literally had to because they contributed nothing. I would have much rather taken some help over gratitude, but got neither. When I expressed stress that I was doing a lot, she told me she promised she and her man were 5x more stressed because they didn't have jobs lined up like me. As if job websites don't have location searches and Zoom interviews don't exist.
So we moved in. My parents fronted their portions of rent and the deposit for three weeks, and I was upset when I pushed Maggie about it and she told me her dad had her money but she had just been "too depressed" to call and ask him to wire it. Her words. They seemed to assume that my parents had money to spare, which they didn't, even for their own kid.
I started my job, and I was really struggling with alcohol. The city didn't help because there were quite literally over 100 liquor stores and bars less than half a mile from our building. They drank a lot too, but that's not my business. We kind of drowned in our misery together for about 6 weeks, during which time I lost my job for drinking and got another, but then started experiencing sleep-deprivation psychosis where I just completely broke down, so I decided to check myself into rehab for 30 days.
Two weeks prior that, Maggie came home with a puppy in her purse. A guy sold it to her for $50 at her job and she kept it in the break room till she was off. She'd told me several times before that she liked to go to work buzzed, so I assume that played a part.
I already had a cat who wasn't dog-friendly that I paid an extra deposit to be in the apartment, and they both agreed to have him there (they knew him from the college house). So even wasted, I told her absolutely not about this dog. She didn't ask me or Chris before bringing it home, and the two of them were constantly complaining to me about money and how we split the place evenly even though they shared a much larger room, and rent was still really reasonable for the area we were in ($900 each). Not to mention they didn't even read the lease, so they really had no grounds to complain they'd signed documents agreeing to pay an amount they claimed not to be able to afford. A dog on top of that, I pointed out, made no sense. The city is dirty, it would need shots to stay alive and we lived on a high floor with no balcony or patio for it to relieve itself. Pets also cost money.
Maggie agreed the dog was a bad idea and swore up and down she'd return it because she had the owner's number. A few days before I decided to go to rehab they went out all day and left the puppy locked in their tiny bathroom where it howled the entire time on my only day off, and I freaked out on them but they just gaslit me because I was drunk. I felt terrible leaving it in there, but I didn't ask to take on another animal. Ultimately, they were supportive of my choice to get help and even asked me to please come back instead of subletting and told me how much they'd miss me.
Well, while I was gone, things changed. A week before I came back, I texted Chris and Maggie to let them know the date of my return, and that I'd be bringing a sober companion because the first 72 hours out of rehab are notoriously difficult. Maggie texted back (never Chris, like I said) that they needed me to stay with my parents a few cities over for a while instead, because they weren't comfortable with me or a sober friend coming back so soon. Mind you, I paid rent the month I was gone. So I informed her that wasn't going to happen, and I'd be home the date I said above. She replied "sorry, that's just how we feel." As if they got the final say.
I came back when I said I would, brought my sober companion like I said I would, and Maggie lost her mind. My sober buddy and I watched a movie in my room, minding our business, but she heard a second voice and started texting me about how uncool it was to bring a stranger back. I told her she was welcome to meet them, but she refused.
I did't see either of their faces for two weeks after getting home. Chris was still unemployed and stayed home all day, but locked himself in their room 24/7. The first time I saw him, he'd thought I was Maggie locked out (they lost one of their key sets upon move-in and didn't want to purchase a second set, so this happened a lot) and once he realized it was me he practically ran back to their room. I said "hi" and he just said "I though you were Maggie" and slammed the door.
I don't know if they were resentful toward me for getting sober - maybe it was making them face their own problems - but one reason they hid from me was without question the dog. They avoided discussing it at all while I was in rehab, but I could hear it barking the moment I came home. The house reeked of dog urine. They'd taken my pee pads I sometimes put on the furniture when I think my cat might act up, and just pretended it wasn't there. Never paid me back for those either.
It was pretty soon after this Maggie came home with two men. She'd met them at her job, they told her she'd be good for their company, so she quit on the spot and invited them over to drink to celebrate. She actually opened my bedroom door without realizing I was home to "show them my movie poster" on my wall and explained the situation to me. So much for feeling unsafe having strangers in the house. I cringe to think about how it would've went if I wasn't home. It's worth noting that when she sent in her app to those guys' company, their boss didn't like her resume, so she was unemployed for the next 8 months.
Not long after rehab I began dating my current partner, let's call him Stan (M 28). He was great company because we met in recovery, and it can be lonely to be sober when all your friends partake.
Stan was over a lot, and pretty soon into the relationship we got eager to move in together. I asked Maggie about it (asking Maggie was like asking both of them, Chris never wanted to interact with me after I got sober) and she had nothing but good things to say, because that meant rent would be split four ways now. Stan and I didn't protest an even split, even though my room was barely enough space for one person and we learned pretty quickly how to climb around each other to function day-to-day.
I didn't have a sense of boundaries or standards before sobriety, but Stan encouraged me to strengthen that sense of self I'd previously forfeited to be drunk 24/7 and it made me start to realize some things about the household dynamic. Stan cooked for us a lot, and even before he moved in he was always cleaning Maggie and Chris's dishes along with his. He pointed out that they'd leave things, sloshy with sink water and food bits, for weeks in the sink. He also bought some nice things to cook with like expensive olive oil, and soda water for himself, which Maggie would either take and not say anything, or text me after already taking it promising to pay us back. Never once saw a penny. It upset me even moreso that she was so sneaky about taking it first, so we couldn't say no.
There was even a time when Stan and I went out of town for a wedding, and when we came back Maggie handed us a clean towel of ours. She explained they were out of towels while we were gone, so they went into our bathroom and took one of ours off the rack....I didn't say so until I blew up months later, but that was actually a towel used for clean up....that kind of clean up. Karma worked quick on that one, who goes into someone's private bathroom and takes their towel off the rack to use on themselves?!
I mentioned the common area was hardly used, but the exception was when Maggie and Chris's friends or family visited. It happened probably four or five times in the year we were there. Each time Maggie would give me about a day's warning before the guests would show up. Once, when her dad flew in, she informed me about his week-long stay as he was in his Uber headed to our place from the airport. Even worse, he was meant to take their bed, and they were going to sleep on an air mattress in the living room with the dog that barked at anything that moved. Stan gets up super early for work, and Chris got all grumpy that it woke him up as Stan left because the dog flipped out. Like sorry, should he have used our 15 story window to leave?
Funny enough, after the first night in their room Maggie's dad insisted he take the living room. It was pretty obvious to me he couldn't stand the smell in their room. They continued to use pee pads instead of taking the dog to the street to "go," and it often missed onto the carpet of their room. The smell wafted into the kitchen every time they opened their door, I can't imagine what being in there with the door shut all night would do to a person's nostrils.
It all came to a boiling point about 6 months in. Stan wasn't doing well with the constant stress of cleaning up after others and resentment that came with it. We decided the best course of action was for him to move out, which was confirmed by Maggie confronting us on a Tuesday afternoon, drunk as a skunk, about how the fridge smelled because our leftovers went bad. We went through the entire fridge, and threw out over half of their items that were months expired. They complained about money nonstop but wouldn't get jobs and switched to Doordashing every single day. There was molding cheese, and the kicker: deli meat 2 months past its expiration date, not only with several colors of mold but MAGGOTS. Now we understood why there were dead gnats in the fridge. They were born in there.
When we informed them of Stan's move-out, Maggie said that was fine with her as long as her and Chris's rent remained $650. They actually expected me to pay half the rent for a smaller room, where the kitchen was festering from their mess and the stuff I bought was taken by them with no reimbursement. That, or get a fourth stranger to share my room with me, which barely fit my full-size bed. Furious, I told them I'd be moving out as well, and subletting. They told me I needed to find two people, so I pulled *that* move and said since my dad was the co-signer and unwilling to vouch his credit for a lease his daughter wasn't a part of, we'd dissolve the lease entirely.
This somewhat scared them into moving, and they alleged a move-out date that came and went. Stan and I crossed our fingers they'd leave, we could take the bigger room, and sublet out our old one. We had no problem with rent split three ways, as that was the lease agreement anyway.
In the meantime, the one request I had out of rehab they'd agreed to went out the window. I was never going to ask them not to drink in their own place, but I simply asked that they keep it to their room and out of sight from Stan and me. They stayed in there most of the time anyway, and had a mini fridge. I'm pretty sure she drank every day in there, which again wasn't my business but it became obvious when she did stuff like leave the electric stovetop on for hours.
She had friends over again, and they not only filled up the living room with luggage and mattresses with just a few hours heads up to me, but drank out there while I was in my room. The house smelled like booze (and dog urine, always dog urine...) and they even had some full cans in the fridge when they went out. I texted her angrily, because the box of White Claws was shoved in so that my own food was squashed in the back of the fridge, and she blew me off like I had no right to ruin her night. I spent till sunrise on AA zoom meetings, shaking with anger. The texts must have made her angry too, because she brought back additional strangers to drink some more in the living room till dawn.
There were tons of incidents like this throughout the year, and even worse Maggie took it upon herself to try to mediate arguments in my relationship. She'd overhear and come out drunk to try to step in. She once confronted me about "not seeming sober" when I had over 4 months. I told her she had no place to comment even if I had relapsed, and she told me to "make sure I'm going to meetings." I so very much wanted to snap back that she should find some of her own.
This went on a whole year. Stan left, but when he did so and came back to visit the first time, Maggie cornered him and demanded he pay rent for that month. He was already moved into another place, and paying rent there. She yelled at him that she and Chris don't have money, Stan just told her that's not his responsibility to foot the bill for their laziness. Even so, he compromised and still paid utilities till our lease ended.
Up till the last couple days, they still disrespected me and my space. They'd let their dog eat my cat's food almost daily, sometimes more. They'd watch it urinate on the floor, and maybe if I was standing right there to see it, they'd wipe it down with a pee pad, no disinfectant. Once I did it myself and left the rag and cleaner on the floor by the puddle to make a point. The next day I found the rag on the sink; she confirmed she took it off the floor to wipe down our kitchen counters. Even if she didn't know what it was used for, who uses a dirty rag on the floor to wipe where they put food?
I let them know a few days before move-out that I would be cleaning certain common areas -- half, when it realistically should have been a third -- and that the rest was their responsibility. I also told them the couch was theirs to take down. We didn't have one for a long time, but when Stan was living with us Maggie found one freshly put on the street and texted us. Stan and I met her down there to carry it up, and she just watched us do it and made comments about "getting in our workout for the day." She didn't even help propping open doors.
On move-out, I had work in the afternoon in the next city over. I'd already packed all my stuff into boxes, they had one sitting in the living room. Not my business as long as they were out on time. They were up and moving on the last day, scrambling to pack, when I informed them my parents were coming to transport my stuff and help with my part of the cleaning since I had to be at my new job on time. They immediately holed up in their room, and stayed there for FIVE HOURS, not wanting to interact with my parents. They were the ones we paid rent to, and of course they'd heard my grievances, but they were always friendly and reasonable to Maggie and Chris as long as they sent rent on time. I have no idea what time they ended up leaving, since they stayed deadly silent too, according to my mom who stayed to clean after I went to work.
A week later, we got our bill from the building. Our whole deposit was eaten up, and an additional $460 was owed for the building to hire cleaners. My mom helped me, and we did more than our share, but clearly my roommates still didn't pull their weight.
I think they moved back with Chris's parents, I don't really care. If they did, I feel sorry for everyone involved in that situation. They have no decency or consideration, and mooch as much as they can for as little effort as possible. And on top of all that, still complain. As for me, I miraculously stayed sober, and Stan and I live together in the city where we both work.
I guess I can count on time to show them how awful they were, because we're getting older and not many people will put up with that moving forward. I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone, and don't intend to ever live with roommates ever again because of what they put me through. Stan, my cat, maybe a dog we acquire responsibly in the future, and some kids someday. That'll be acceptable.

In order not to clutter the subreddit with countless interviews (that are usually very similar) as well as help those who don’t wish to see any spoilers before the season’s release, we will be compiling all text and video interviews here. This thread will be pinned at the top of the sub until the season premiere (June 16th) and at the top of the sidebar (the “community info” tab in the app) after that.
Please don’t post individual interviews as separate threads. If you see one that’s not included here, drop a link in the comments and we’ll add it to the list.
You’re free to discuss what was said in the interviews below, but please remember to spoiler tag any book spoilers that go beyond what is mentioned in the interviews.
Talk show appearances:

• PIX11 - Sophie
• NY Live - Sophie
• Good Morning America - Caitríona and Sam
• Today - Sam
• Live with Kelly and Mark - Caitríona
• Great Day Houston - Caitríona and Sam (non-US link)

Caitríona and Sam:

• Vegas Film Critic
• DC Film Girl

Sophie and Richard:

• Smart Entertainment Group

Sophie:

• Square Mile

While reading KJo’s “An Unsuitable Boy”,…he’s mentioned that many PR agencies would contact him to feature new actors,…but he’d decline that request because there’s a certain prestige associated with KWK.
Ok!!! We all know that KJo has got the connections,…so it’s easy for him to make the stars appear on his show. But the question is,…no matter how good the show is,…if the channel is going to pay KJo a certain sum of money (Crores per episode) (Btw,…he quoted 4.Cr per episode back in 2004,…so you can guess how much it must be now), how much does KJo maybe paying to his “friends” for appearing on the show???
Also,…not only KWK, but even many other reality shows where stars appear either to promote their movie/series, or old actors trying to make a comeback through appearances,…how much are they paid??? Because we all know how the glamour industry works,…and there’s no free lunch in this world.
Despite most of the actors pretending to like each other, behaving like BFFs, and trying to be happy as a part of the big BW family,…most of us know the BS that goes behind. And if an actor is taking out time to appear on a show,…I’m 100% sure they’ll be charging money for that, and won’t be doing it for free.
What do you think, Guys?

Have you ever done something that you thought was funny at the time but now realize it was a bad idea?

This is the only anime that I’ve actually ever fully finished watching since I never watch anime but wow. There’s something about this show that just hooks you in and forced you to stay and watch. It’s truly a work of art and in my opinion will hold up forever. Next is the movie, is it good too or just more of the show to provide more content?

Hello. I’m a computer science guy. Senior. I like Real Madrid and football in general. Also The Weeknd and post Malone. And I probably saw ur favorite tv show or movie lol. Hmu

Heart Signal 4 (하트시그널4) is finally here after 3 years.
Episode 4 Discussion for Heart Signal 4 over in /koreanvariety subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/koreanvariety/comments/144zibw/heart_signal_4_episode_4_230609/
Synopsis:

Cupid returns for a fresh assault on the hearts of a new group of romance-ready singletons. The group has never met before, but must live together in Signal House. The house rules encourage flirty behavior, but forbid housemates from directly telling anyone that they like them. Instead, they must express their feelings via text message. But there’s a twist: All texts to housemates are anonymous – meaning recipients have to guess who is trying to make a love connection with them.
Watching events unfurl in the house is a celebrity panel of love experts. These include returning romance fans Yoon Jong Shin, Kim Ea Na, and Lee Sang Min, all veterans of previous “Heart Signal” seasons. And joining this trio this time around is a fresh crop of star pundits, including OH MY GIRL member Mimi, Kang Seung Yoon of WINNER, and leading psychiatrist Kim Chong Gi.
This variety TV show series is the follow-up to 2017’s “Heart Signal.” A second series was released in 2018. And this was followed up with Season 3 in 2020.
“Heart Signal 4” is a 2023 South Korean reality TV/variety show that was produced by Park Cheol Hwan.

Cast

Lee Jumi (이 주미)
Kim Jiyoung (김 지영)
Kim Jimin (김 지민)
-
Shin Mingyu (신 민규)
Han Gyeore (한 겨레)
Yoo Jiwon (유 지원)
Lee Hushin (이 후신)

Panelists

Kim Eana
Lee Sangmin
Yoon Jongshin
Kang Seungyoon (from WINNER group)
Kim Mihyun or Mimi/미미 (from OMG group)
Kim Chonggi (psychiatrist)

Subtitles

Subtitles
Stream	Viki
Stream	KOCOWA
Stream	VIU Singapore
Stream	VIU Hong Kong

Viki should have the English subtitles available around say 9PM Eastern Daylight Time/New York Time.
For VIU and KOCOWA, it seems they're a bit delayed, several hours later after Viki.
For VIU access, you'll probably have to use VPNs set to Singapore/Southeast Asia to view their catalog.
Oh and Heart Signal 4 (and earlier seasons) is also apparently available on Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, et cetera, but as usual there's some region restrictions.
Accessing Kdramas, Korean variety shows, and so on (basically Viki, VIU, Disney+, Netflix, etc.): https://www.reddit.com/koreanvariety/comments/10fpzhx/overall_thoughts_on_love_catcher_in_bali/j5cmhaw/ and https://www.reddit.com/koreanvariety/comments/13bmtin/anyone_know_where_can_i_watch_the_below_korean/jjbtnuz/

Past Threads

Episode	Subreddit Thread
Episode 1	koreanvariety, heartsignal
Episode 2	koreanvariety, heartsignal
Episode 3	koreanvariety, heartsignal
Episode 4	koreanvariety, heartsignal

Heart Signal Youtube channel or 하트시그널 라비티비 channel: https://www.youtube.com/@channelA-heartsignal/videos
Heart Signal 4 teasers and clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFIYUdSkjiCAuWe006VqSTFfaE7rgIHNy
Heart Signal 4 production stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46UmvFNwi9Q
Heart Signal 4 Episode 1 commentary with Heart Signal 2 Jaeho and some other people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRuQmQUKLvQ
Heart Signal 4 Episode 2 commentary with Heart Signal 2 Youngjoo and Jaeho, and some other people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAFSWmQJkhk
Heart Signal 4 Episode 3 commentary with Heart Signal 2 Youngjoo and Jaeho, and some other people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU511y8l3uw
Gaheun (Heart Signal 3 and Friends) and Jaeho with the Heart Signal 4 house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86F9hZ-7nxc
Jangmi (Heart Signal 2 and Friends) and Jaeho with the Heart Signal 4 house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAcupLirqOk
Heart Signal 4 Official BGM Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8djlZk6ZeM0
Heart Signal 4 Official BGM Playlist 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avMPSuhEqak
Heart Signal 4 Official BGM Playlist 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIyRyZxwJnA
For Heart Signal, the original Korean version and some seasons of the Chinese version should be on Viki.
Season 2 of both the Korean and Chinese versions are considered the best, and now some people also really like the 5th season of the Chinese version.
The upcoming 6th season of the Chinese version just wrapped up filming, it should be available soon, maybe a few more months or so.
Heart Signal 1 (Korean Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/35675c-heart-signal
Heart Signal 2 (Korean Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36949c-heart-signal-2
Heart Signal 3 (Korean Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36950c-heart-signal-3
-
Heart Signal 1 (Chinese Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36228c-heart-signal-chinese-version
Heart Signal 2 (Chinese Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36654c-heart-signal-2-chinese-version
Heart Signal 5 (Chinese Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/38812c-heart-signal-5-chinese-version
With the Chinese version of Heart Signal, it's available on the WeTV/Tencent Video website (has English subs), and also their WeTV/Tencent Video channels on Youtube for free but without proper English subs.
Through the Tencent Video Youtube channel you'll have to use auto-translate from Chinese/Mandarin or maybe say Thai, Vietnamese, etc. So for English subs you have to check their own WeTV/Tencent Video/etc. website.
Viki has the 1st, 2nd, and 5th seasons of the Chinese version of Heart Signal, so you'll have to look for the 3rd (心动的信号S3) and 4th season (心动的信号S4) elsewhere. Like use auto-translate/etc. with the Youtube episodes, or check their actual WeTV/Tencent Video website.
Heart Signal 3 (Chinese Version), Episode 1 and playlist (has Thai and Vietnamese subtitles, use auto-translate to English/any desired language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywBixGNlkYs&list=PLMX26aiIvX5reBhNMq0rNZHoDa_aGblAs
Heart Signal 4 (Chinese Version), Episode 1 and playlist (these episodes on Youtube for the 4th season don't even have automatic captions/subtitles (no Thai/Vietnamese/Chinese/etc. subs either), so go on WeTV/Tencent Video's website or some places (like Bilibili, etc.) for other subtitles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWNF5cxAap0&list=PLb8w8KsDSK1wtxaCeyEAMXCHxsCYJLK4A
If you don't want to wait for Viki/VIU/KOCOWA/etc. subtitles (and to get ahead of spoilers), you guys can watch the raw Episode 4 on this Channel A (채널에이방송영상) channel (appears like an hour or so later): https://www.youtube.com/@user-sh4gc2fu9i/videos
They regionally restricted it right after Episode 2, lol, so a VPN set to Korea will probably unlock it. This was the link to Episode 2 of Heart Signal 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0IHJ44sQdg
That video for Episode 2 (from the Channel A (채널에이방송영상) channel) has no English/etc. subtitles, but with auto-generated Korean, you can use auto-translate to English/any desired language (it worked two weeks ago): https://www.reddit.com/koreanvariety/comments/13q991t/heart_signal_4_episode_2_230524/jlgihm0/
This is the link to Episode 3 of Heart Signal 4 from the Channel A (채널에이방송영상) channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSS5o-ExEA8
Oh and if you want to watch it live (there's advertisements and other shows around the Heart Signal 4 episode stream), then you can also visit the Channel A website: https://www.ichannela.com/com/cmm/onair.do
Note the release schedule in Korea: like UTC+9, Korean Standard Time, 10:50PM every Friday. That just translates to around 9:50AM New York Time/Eastern Daylight Time. So make sure to tune in around that specific time as otherwise you'll miss the episode release and get like a different thing, lol.
New Japanese dating show called "Is She the Wolf" on Netflix later this September 2023, it's kinda like Love Catcher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc8Q4T0HFkQ and https://www.reddit.com/terracehouse/comments/13y0vbp/new_netflix_series_is_she_the_wolf_looks_like_it/jmkhyea/
For fans of EXchange/Transit Love (환승연애), there's now Love Transit, the Japanese version of EXchange/Transit Love, it should be available on Amazon Prime Video Japan this June 15, so like 1 more week. And it'll have fewer episodes, so wonder how the runtime or episode length will be as that's key for the emotional investment with the show.
Trailer for EXchange/Transit Love (Japanese/일본 Version), called Love Transit (ラブ トランジット), from the Prime Video JP - プライムビデオ channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGyWTew58-U and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrL5Mc3CuxQ

If you could be any character from a TV show, who would it be and why?

when i was a kid around (2005-2010), i used to watch this tv show with my grandma about a beach and a group of friends who live on this island, and possibly a talking parrot or some shit. i think it was dubbed in sinhala and went on a local tv channel for the longest time. any help is much appreciated, as it was a positive memory with my grandma and she's very sick in sri lanka 10,000 miles away from me.

Heart Signal 4 (하트시그널4) is finally here after 3 years.
Synopsis:

Cupid returns for a fresh assault on the hearts of a new group of romance-ready singletons. The group has never met before, but must live together in Signal House. The house rules encourage flirty behavior, but forbid housemates from directly telling anyone that they like them. Instead, they must express their feelings via text message. But there’s a twist: All texts to housemates are anonymous – meaning recipients have to guess who is trying to make a love connection with them.
Watching events unfurl in the house is a celebrity panel of love experts. These include returning romance fans Yoon Jong Shin, Kim Ea Na, and Lee Sang Min, all veterans of previous “Heart Signal” seasons. And joining this trio this time around is a fresh crop of star pundits, including OH MY GIRL member Mimi, Kang Seung Yoon of WINNER, and leading psychiatrist Kim Chong Gi.
This variety TV show series is the follow-up to 2017’s “Heart Signal.” A second series was released in 2018. And this was followed up with Season 3 in 2020.
“Heart Signal 4” is a 2023 South Korean reality TV/variety show that was produced by Park Cheol Hwan.

Cast

Lee Jumi (이 주미)
Kim Jiyoung (김 지영)
Kim Jimin (김 지민)
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Shin Mingyu (신 민규)
Han Gyeore (한 겨레)
Yoo Jiwon (유 지원)
Lee Hushin (이 후신)

Panelists

Kim Eana
Lee Sangmin
Yoon Jongshin
Kang Seungyoon (from WINNER group)
Kim Mihyun or Mimi/미미 (from OMG group)
Kim Chonggi (psychiatrist)

Subtitles

Subtitles
Stream	Viki
Stream	KOCOWA
Stream	VIU Singapore
Stream	VIU Hong Kong

Viki should have the English subtitles available around say 9PM Eastern Daylight Time/New York Time.
For VIU and KOCOWA, it seems they're a bit delayed, several hours later after Viki.
For VIU access, you'll probably have to use VPNs set to Singapore/Southeast Asia to view their catalog.
Oh and Heart Signal 4 (and earlier seasons) is also apparently available on Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, et cetera, but as usual there's some region restrictions.
Accessing Kdramas, Korean variety shows, and so on (basically Viki, VIU, Disney+, Netflix, etc.): https://www.reddit.com/koreanvariety/comments/10fpzhx/overall_thoughts_on_love_catcher_in_bali/j5cmhaw/ and https://www.reddit.com/koreanvariety/comments/13bmtin/anyone_know_where_can_i_watch_the_below_korean/jjbtnuz/

Past Threads

Episode	Subreddit Thread
Episode 1	koreanvariety, heartsignal
Episode 2	koreanvariety, heartsignal
Episode 3	koreanvariety, heartsignal
Episode 4	koreanvariety, heartsignal

Heart Signal Youtube channel or 하트시그널 라비티비 channel: https://www.youtube.com/@channelA-heartsignal/videos
Heart Signal 4 teasers and clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFIYUdSkjiCAuWe006VqSTFfaE7rgIHNy
Heart Signal 4 production stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46UmvFNwi9Q
Heart Signal 4 Episode 1 commentary with Heart Signal 2 Jaeho and some other people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRuQmQUKLvQ
Heart Signal 4 Episode 2 commentary with Heart Signal 2 Youngjoo and Jaeho, and some other people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAFSWmQJkhk
Heart Signal 4 Episode 3 commentary with Heart Signal 2 Youngjoo and Jaeho, and some other people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU511y8l3uw
Gaheun (Heart Signal 3 and Friends) and Jaeho with the Heart Signal 4 house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86F9hZ-7nxc
Jangmi (Heart Signal 2 and Friends) and Jaeho with the Heart Signal 4 house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAcupLirqOk
Heart Signal 4 Official BGM Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8djlZk6ZeM0
Heart Signal 4 Official BGM Playlist 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avMPSuhEqak
Heart Signal 4 Official BGM Playlist 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIyRyZxwJnA
For Heart Signal, the original Korean version and some seasons of the Chinese version should be on Viki.
Season 2 of both the Korean and Chinese versions are considered the best, and now some people also really like the 5th season of the Chinese version.
The upcoming 6th season of the Chinese version just wrapped up filming, it should be available soon, maybe a few more months or so.
Heart Signal 1 (Korean Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/35675c-heart-signal
Heart Signal 2 (Korean Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36949c-heart-signal-2
Heart Signal 3 (Korean Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36950c-heart-signal-3
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Heart Signal 1 (Chinese Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36228c-heart-signal-chinese-version
Heart Signal 2 (Chinese Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/36654c-heart-signal-2-chinese-version
Heart Signal 5 (Chinese Version): https://www.viki.com/tv/38812c-heart-signal-5-chinese-version
With the Chinese version of Heart Signal, it's available on the WeTV/Tencent Video website (has English subs), and also their WeTV/Tencent Video channels on Youtube for free but without proper English subs.
Through the Tencent Video Youtube channel you'll have to use auto-translate from Chinese/Mandarin or maybe say Thai, Vietnamese, etc. So for English subs you have to check their own WeTV/Tencent Video/etc. website.
Viki has the 1st, 2nd, and 5th seasons of the Chinese version of Heart Signal, so you'll have to look for the 3rd (心动的信号S3) and 4th season (心动的信号S4) elsewhere. Like use auto-translate/etc. with the Youtube episodes, or check their actual WeTV/Tencent Video website.
Heart Signal 3 (Chinese Version), Episode 1 and playlist (has Thai and Vietnamese subtitles, use auto-translate to English/any desired language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywBixGNlkYs&list=PLMX26aiIvX5reBhNMq0rNZHoDa_aGblAs
Heart Signal 4 (Chinese Version), Episode 1 and playlist (these episodes on Youtube for the 4th season don't even have automatic captions/subtitles (no Thai/Vietnamese/Chinese/etc. subs either), so go on WeTV/Tencent Video's website or some places (like Bilibili, etc.) for other subtitles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWNF5cxAap0&list=PLb8w8KsDSK1wtxaCeyEAMXCHxsCYJLK4A
If you don't want to wait for Viki/VIU/KOCOWA/etc. subtitles (and to get ahead of spoilers), you guys can watch the raw Episode 4 on this Channel A (채널에이방송영상) channel (appears like an hour or so later): https://www.youtube.com/@user-sh4gc2fu9i/videos
They regionally restricted it right after Episode 2, lol, so a VPN set to Korea will probably unlock it. This was the link to Episode 2 of Heart Signal 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0IHJ44sQdg
That video for Episode 2 (from the Channel A (채널에이방송영상) channel) has no English/etc. subtitles, but with auto-generated Korean, you can use auto-translate to English/any desired language (it worked two weeks ago): https://www.reddit.com/koreanvariety/comments/13q991t/heart_signal_4_episode_2_230524/jlgihm0/
This is the link to Episode 3 of Heart Signal 4 from the Channel A (채널에이방송영상) channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSS5o-ExEA8
Oh and if you want to watch it live (there's advertisements and other shows around the Heart Signal 4 episode stream), then you can also visit the Channel A website: https://www.ichannela.com/com/cmm/onair.do
Note the release schedule in Korea: like UTC+9, Korean Standard Time, 10:50PM every Friday. That just translates to around 9:50AM New York Time/Eastern Daylight Time. So make sure to tune in around that specific time as otherwise you'll miss the episode release and get like a different thing, lol.
New Japanese dating show called "Is She the Wolf" on Netflix later this September 2023, it's kinda like Love Catcher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc8Q4T0HFkQ and https://www.reddit.com/terracehouse/comments/13y0vbp/new_netflix_series_is_she_the_wolf_looks_like_it/jmkhyea/
For fans of EXchange/Transit Love (환승연애), there's now Love Transit, the Japanese version of EXchange/Transit Love, it should be available on Amazon Prime Video Japan this June 15, so like 1 more week. And it'll have fewer episodes, so wonder how the runtime or episode length will be as that's key for the emotional investment with the show.
Trailer for EXchange/Transit Love (Japanese/일본 Version), called Love Transit (ラブ トランジット), from the Prime Video JP - プライムビデオ channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGyWTew58-U and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrL5Mc3CuxQ

Any good shows you've watched and learned something from the characters? Doesn't matter if it's old or new. Asking because we have a son and a daughter, now expecting to have another baby girl very soon. I only have a brother growing up so haven't had much experience dealing with girls in the family. I always wonder how do I cultivate positive brother-sister, sister-sister and father-daughter relationships, what to avoid and how do I raise them so the girls don't end up falling for bad boys.
I saw bits of Chesapeake Shores on Netflix the other day and started wondering what caused the family to be dysfunctional so that the mother left home when the kids were young, and the kids all had relationship issues in adulthood. I know it's drama but drama is based on writer's real life experience.

Im not handeling things well today. So i hope to get some answers.
My wife had a afternoon party last night with students of her school. She is a psychologist.
She told before hand it would just be the afternoon. She came back at 2200.
Problems with this are.
She came back driving for 1 hour with a lot of alcohol in her. She lied multiple times straight in my face saying she didnt drink. However her students put on social media many movies of her drinking. And also of her dancing and twerking.
She also came home late and thats a problem for the dogs. Who she was suposed to take care of at 1800.
When i showed the movies she changed her story. But not 1 sorry for drinking and driving. Or lying. Or twerking with 18 year old students.
Im hurt. She lied so easy to my face. She has no respect for herself, her position or other peoples safety.
Do i overreact? Is this normal?

I'm from the East Coast of the US and would prefer someone around my age to speak with but it's not completely out of the question if you're a bit older, just be 18+. What I'm looking for is someone who also seeks a close friendship and is very genuine about how they are and their expectations, I specifically am looking for that connection that is made when I feel like I can really get to know someone or that we can be friends. Sometimes it's easy to go off of a common basis of mutual interests, but I also like learning about things that I normally don't experience or people telling me about themselves despite knowing they might do something differently than most. At the end of the day I hope that if everything goes well, we can be close friends for the future and be there for one another. An ideal situation would be just genuinely caring about one another and being able to talk clearly about anything, not judging but understanding instead. As for how I think I like to treat people and others? I'd like to say I'm very empathetic and I don't judge anyone regardless of who they are or what they believe in. In my free time I mainly play games and watch movies and sometimes shows, anime as well, I watch YouTube or streams when I am idling or chilling. I also have existing friends whom I speak with a lot that I hang out with, but this is not to say I wouldn't obviously give someone else the time of day to talk to and get to know. I really like psychological horror movies and shows with great cinematography, The shining is my favorite of all time and my second favorite though not horror is the Grand Budapest Hotel. I play games like Dead by Daylight (mainly as of recent) as well as League a little bit, Smite, Garry's Mod, Warhammer, Mordhau. I have other games as well that I simply haven't been interested or don't play as much recently. I would hope someone would take the time to be able to read everything and if all goes well we could likely move to Discord if you prefer, the messenger on reddit is quite buggy lol. I am a bit of a night owl so do keep that in mind, hope to meet nice people :)

Surprisingly Google hasn't helped me with this issue. Hopefully this sub still has active readers.
So I'm on my third Tizen-powered TV, second apartment and third modem still the TV has the same exact issue with wifi.
It can happen while using any app, Netflix, Hbo, Apple+ etc. Suddenly the episode or movie is "unavailable" and stops. Then I try to go watch a different show on different app, same story. Sometimes network status shows as disconnected but most of the time it claims everything is ok.
Switching wifi to or from 5ghz usually helps but it's slow and painful and usually requires reinstalling the app I want to watch. Only guaranteed fix is to turn the tv off long enough for the cache to clear (so when I turn it on, it doesn't return where I left off).
Is there any way to prevent this from happening? At my last place I had the opportunity to connect my other tv with a cable which worked perfectly. Here I have to use wifi.

Today was MY Saturday, so me and my homie decided to trip balls and go see the the new spider-verse film. Before the introductory trailers had finished I had already begun feeling a body high. It felt like a warm adrenaline shot hit, signalling the trip had commenced. The sporadic colours shattered my perception of being. The concept of time was lost.
In a fraction of a second, I wasn’t watching a movie for enjoyment anymore. I was watching this film to survive. The pacing of animations was such sensory overload that I thought my brain would have an aneurism two acts before the credits would roll. My mission was to survive.
Two hours into the 2h22 minute runtime. My bladder is heavy, on verge of collapse. My hands are clammy. My feet feel like the static of an antique tv. The lady I sat next to has her feet up on the lazy boy. She side-eyes me every other scene, and at this point I have no idea if her gaze is one of interest or one of disgust. Most likely the latter, since I was on the brink of insanity for the last hour and a half.
When I got home I was mindless. I counted times tables in a feeble attempt to gain cognitive function. I cleaned the house in all the least efficient ways imaginable. My phone screen containing my days worth of emails calls and texts were unintelligible, reduced to cluttered (9+) receipt bullshit I was too primitive to decipher.
It’s been about 6 hours since I took the dose. I spent the last two discussing politics with my grandfather. Typically I disagree with virtually every call he makes, but in the clouds of my ego’s dismemberment his old timers right winged remarks feel more like nostalgic truth than outdated backwash.
I still don’t really know what anything is. I’ve never posted on reddit. I have basically only used reddit for porn up until now. What a trip this was!

Let me preface this lecture by stating that I *am* a communist and have been for over a decade and that before I can get into what I think the Claires are supposed to represent I need to address why Kurvitz & Co. chose a videogame as the preferred medium for their metafiction. The reason Disco Elysium was made the way it was wasn't simply to entertain people with the funny antics of an alcoholic, superstar, hobo cop or to strive towards critical acclaim so the game would sell better. It wasn't even a game made by communists for communists (I mean it was made by communists it's just not preaching to the choir as much as some might think). In fact it's quite the opposite. The story was injected with nihilistic humor and offered up to the general public in the form of a video game to sugar the pill so to speak. That's because Disco Elysium is, at its core, a highly controversial political treatise and social critique "disguised" as a video game. This was so as to get as many people as possible to actually engage with its core messages instead of reflexively rejecting or ignoring them the way they would've if those messages had been presented in the format of non-fiction literature. To put it bluntly the main message of the game is how self delusion reinforces the very things it seeks to escape whether those be personal problems like loneliness or societal ones like the anxiety inducing political limbo of Revachol/the real world. Included in the delusions of a political nature Kurvitz wanted people to confront were many held by the bulk of the contemporary left. Sadly, judging by what I often see in this sub, the results of this novel approach at polemics has been mixed.
I have to admit it's disheartening to see how many fans of the game only engaged with that social and political criticism to the extent that it was leveled at their political enemies, especially when the "authorial intent" was to confront players who might delude themselves about the future implications, present realities and/or history of their own real life politics, whatever they may be. In some cases this ignorance is forgivable; it's easy to miss subtext in a game that's so text based that it has a habit of spelling things out for you and tbf many of the allusions to real life figures, events and ideas are subtle and without a solid grasp of 20th century European history and theoretical Marxism most of the satirical references will go over a typical player's head. What's not forgivable is how many people in this sub are in denial of or otherwise consciously rationalize the criticisms of their own side presented by the writers of DE. I'll get around to how centrists and right-libertarians are guilty of this in future posts but for right now I want to address "my comrades" because, frankly, some of you scare me with your naiveté, hyper-partisanship and blithe hand waving of corruption and needless violence.
Now there are two kinds of leftists I often see who want to view Evrart as a crypto-communist figure and despite being polar opposites in most respects they have two things in common: they're both childishly naive and they're both in denial about the realities of how vicious social democracy can be in practice. The first leftist is a social democrat who thinks that because Evrart is a machiavellian strongman figure that he must be an expy of Stalin and/or Mao (who in their minds are genuine representatives of communism) because "never, ever would a real social democrat do such things, after all we're unassuming trade unionists who want nothing more than to work things out democratically, through the existing system!" The second leftist is a communist who thinks that because Evrart is a machiavellian strongman figure that he must be an expy of Stalin and/or Mao (who in their minds are genuine representatives of communism) because "never, ever would a real social democrat do such things, after all they're unassuming trade unionists who want nothing more than to work things out democratically, through the existing system!"
The truth of course is that prejudices aside Evrart is a social democrat AND a tyrannical strongman. As for his plan to seize the harbor, while it's certainly threatening to Wild Pines' bottom line, the RCM's authority and the union's enemies in Martinaise, it does not in any way pose a genuine revolutionary threat to the capitalist system as a whole and, as weird as it may sound, is still reliant on working within the existing system. After all the union didn't seize the means of production in an armed rebellion against the capitalist state so much as Wild Pines legally handed over some of its corporate property to the union to avoid the bad PR of the merc tribunal which in the end was only tangentially related to the strike. By the end of HBD's investigation all that has changed for the (surviving) workers of Martinaise Harbour Terminal B is their employer. They went from being the unionized employees of the Wild Pines Group under which they had to smuggle drugs in secret to get by to becoming members of a de jure workers' co-operative under the Claires' control where they can now smuggle drugs more openly. That's it. Is that better for them? Maybe, probably, but even so they're still reliant on a global system based on commodity production and exchange and the selling of their labor power (and hardcore drugs) for money, they've just cut out a few middlemen so to speak. Once the strike is officially declared over La Puta Madre's henchmen, not the soldiers of the Coalition, are going to be the union's most immediate threat. Wild Pines itself probably isn't even that hurt by Evrart's plan as the value of what was lost in revenue and real estate can be mitigated by the amount the company will save from no longer having 2,000 + employees on its payroll every quarter.
Oh and to those pragmatists who think Evrart is just a well intentioned man willing to step up and get his hands dirty for the sake of his fellow workers because no one else would or as Call Me Mañana puts it "The old man is corrupt for our benefit" this next part is for you. We know from interviews that Evrart was partially inspired by the character of Frank Sobotka from the second season of the HBO hit TV series The Wire. That said Evrart is in many ways a sort of anti-Sobotka insofar as he's not just reluctantly working with mafiosos; he *is* a mafioso. If you haven't already seen The Wire you need to stop reading this and go watch it to not only understand my next point but because it's literally the best TV show ever made. For those who have seen The Wire I'm 100% certain you'll agree with me that neither of the two hypothetical leftists from earlier could seriously claim that Sobotka was a secret communist or anything other than a reformist labor leader even though he's guilty of most of the same things that supposedly make crypto-commies of the Claires. I also don't think anyone who's seen the show would strongly hate Frank for getting involved in those criminal dealings the way they would the Claires even if some might still think both are wrong for having done so. Most importantly I don't think anyone who's seen all of season two of The Wire and played Disco Elysium to completion would ever claim that the Claires cared more about the Martinaise dockers than the Sobotka family did the stevedores of Locust Point, Baltimore. So what explains the gulf between the two unionistas (besides murder)? Why was it less bad when Frank Sobotka engaged in labor racketeering than when Evrart and Edgar did it? It's simple really, Frank Sobotka demonstrated more authentic labor solidarity, internal conflict, selflessness and above all self awareness than the Claire brothers ever did.
So to summarize: the Claires are written as a counter to those players who have what Lenin called trade union consciousness (meaning social democrats, progressives and center-left, reform minded liberals) who think that the problems of capitalism can be solved simply by increasing the number of trade unions, by legally incorporating more worker co-ops, by expanding strike funds, etc., in a word, reformism. Additionally DE's writers, who're communists, want to knock reformists off their high horses so as to get them to stop lying to themselves and recognize that there is corruption, hypocrisy, violence and even a small presence of incipient fascism in many real life unions, both past and present, and that existing reformist movements, organizations, etc. are just as susceptible to being hijacked by populist demagogues as revolutionary ones are/have been and moreover that they're not always the politically correct, morally unimpeachable, nonviolent alternatives to revolution that they present themselves as. In the end class conflict and its resulting violence goes on whether anyone wants it to or not. It can be and often is a totally subconscious process driven by need at both the individual and group levels. That said the longer class conflict goes on without being consciously directed towards the abolishment of the socioeconomic system whose inherent contradictions bring it into being in the first place, the more chaotic it will become until the point where the mutual ruin of the competing classes is all but guaranteed as a result.

Have you ever had a life-altering or transformative experience with a particular movie or TV show?

Blizzard has delivered a crushing disappointment with Diablo 4, a catastrophic fumble in the cherished franchise that has left me grappling to adequately express my profound discontent. And just for clarity, I am neither a die-hard Blizzard enthusiast nor a veteran of the Diablo series – my prior experience consists solely of Diablo 2.
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The game seems to be in the throes of an identity crisis. It’s a genre-shifting mishmash, a horrifying Frankenstein's monster of an ARPG, MMO, and a Diablo-skinned 'looter shooter'. This bizarre, directionless amalgamation teeters on the precipice of failure in each genre it attempts to embody.
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As an ARPG, it has action aplenty, but role-playing is woefully absent. There are no stats to tinker with, only a lackluster spread of skills and passives, with no sense of progression as everything tediously scales to your level. As an MMO, its offerings are pitiful. In-game chat functionality is rudimentary at best, trading and group finder features are conspicuously missing, and all we're left with is a mind-numbing carousel of repetitive side quests and events.
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It’s clear that the game's fundamental identity is lost in the woods, with no map to guide it home. One can't help but wonder if the creators themselves knew what they were trying to construct from the outset.
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The 'online-only' requirement and 'game as a service' model is a blatant nod to shareholders and executives at the expense of the gaming community. This strategy, fueled by corporate greed, has served only to hamstring the game's longevity. Congratulations, you've purchased a limited-time window to play and enjoy this game before it's unceremoniously yanked offline.
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I harken back to the days when I could install Diablo 2 from a CD and play it offline, without the need for a constant internet connection. The acceptance of this new behavior of selling temporary access is a grim indictment of the current state of gaming.
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In terms of gameplay, Diablo 4 is a systemic disaster. A whirlwind 20-hour campaign, spread over three sessions on world tier 2, was marked by utter monotony. I was either sprinting past or obliterating enemies in my path with a yawn, and bosses melted away like butter on a hot skillet. Then, without warning, the game performed a full-tilt pivot at level 40. The once trivial elite enemies became arduous, and bosses transformed into a marathon of evading projectiles and painstakingly whittling down health bars.
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Your enjoyment of the game becomes a gamble, dictated by the capricious hand of luck. The scale can tip either way – finding the right gear can make the game ridiculously easy, while the absence of it can transform the game into a frustrating slog. Because the game scales enemies to your level, there's no 'lower level' area to fall back on if you're struggling, or 'higher level' area to push into if you're finding it too easy.
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Your progression is essentially held hostage by the items you possess and their modifiers. However, these are contingent on the fickleness of RNG, creating a system that is fundamentally flawed. You're expected to incessantly grind, all the while gambling with your time for the possibility of a better item or an appropriate modifier.
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This isn’t even scratching the surface of the steaming pile that is Diablo 4. A cursory look at the skill tree reveals a depressing lack of depth in character progression. What was once an exciting element of skill point allocation in Diablo 2 has now been relegated to randomly rolled aspects on randomly dropped legendary items. And to add insult to injury, the game caps the points you can put into a skill, only allowing items to exceed this limit. This not only encourages further grinding and re-rolling but also begs the question – why even include a skill tree in the game?
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As for the story, it is so underwhelming that skipping the cutscenes becomes a mercy, saving you from the painful dialogue and lifeless interactions. The static world map, devoid of any true exploration value, is a massive letdown. The game feels more like a tour guide, showing you where everything is, thus erasing any sense of discovery and replayability.
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In essence, Diablo 4 is a spectacular failure, an unfortunate soul lost between genres, trying and failing miserably to establish a clear identity. It robs us of any real character progression, leaving us at the mercy of a broken RNG system. It delivers a story so uninspiring and a world so static that it makes you long for the days of Diablo 2.
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I honestly believe that a $10 Diablo-themed slot machine would've offered more entertainment, or a B-rated Diablo movie would've been more captivating. Instead, I parted with $110 AUD for this haphazard, uninspiring mess of a game. And believe me, it's every bit as dreadful as it sounds.
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