Today the site goes “against brand” and covers a few things that were not completely terrible in 2016. Short and sweet. Note: since I already covered the PSO coming back that obvious item is not in this list.
Bloodborne
Astute readers of this web site will realize that even though Dark Souls 3 came out earlier this year I never wrote my obligatory out-of-date impressions of it. Suffice to say that the game didn’t inspire quite the same level of psychotic obsession as the last few, and by the time I had worked my way through a couple of builds I also developed a soreness in my R1 elbow that wouldn’t get better. So just at the time I would have made a few final observations about the game I gave it up for many months.
When I recently came back to my PS4 for a few short stints I ended up playing Bloodborne instead of DS3. Partly this was because of another crazy run by LobosJr but partly it was because I felt like I wanted to dive back into that fast and visceral style of the combat. It just connects better than DS3. So there we are. In 2016 Bloodborne jumps to a solo spot as the second best of the Souls/Borne series, leaping, for now, over both DS2 and DS3.
Steph Curry
Here is the best basketball play from last year (yes even better than that one in the Finals) in all the languages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhtpppMxfQs
The iPhone Camera
The new iPhone cameras are impossible. Here is proof. This camera, which is using a sensor smaller than your pinky nail, is now routinely making better images than my old D200 DSLR from back in the day under almost any lighting conditions. The laws of physics should dictate that this is impossible.
A lot of camera dorks who take themselves too seriously like to shit on the phone cameras as devices that could not possibly be a serious tool. I am here to say that except for a relative lack of flexibility with respect to lens focal lengths these people are completely and utterly fucking wrong. So there you go.
SCIENCE!
You can now make photons in a superposition state where they are two colors at once. Also they found gravity waves.
Baseball
The Cubs won the World Series by winning one of the craziest Game 7’s in the history of the game. This game seemed over, then was tied, then was rain delayed and then was finally over. Sheesh.
Bonus item: Antonin Dvorak
I think Dvorak might be underrated. After coincidentally hearing two live performances of two of his most famous and overplayed works, I have to say that they hold up much better than a lot of other most famous and overplayed works. Dvorak is the master of the warm midrange chord, usually in the violas and cellos. He will throw one of these out into the room and just melt your brain and heart at the same time. Anyway, go into 2017 with a listen to the American Quartet or the Symphony number 9. They will make you smile.
Happy new year.