raycevick posts
Posts: 892
Files: 1724
Why I Don't Watch Trailers
I hated seeing this image of Vi everywhere.Not because of the brain-dead takes from grifters complaining about it not being goon material - I beg to differ - but because when watching Arcane Season 2, my brain was uncontrollably forming the equations for how the story playing out before me would lead to this version of the character appearing on-screen.I had no context for the scene, there's no plot details, I didn't even watch the teaser these images came from that'd demonstrate the...
Q&A: December 10th, 2025
Kelvin Kuang Asks...Uh, a lot of questions.For the sake of the readers time, I'll be answering half here, and half in the next Q&A - Christmas Eve - along with any others by y'all that may post in-between.Q) if you are an citizen in the world of Night City, what type of job would you most likely hold on that doesn't get you killed?Misty's Esoterica seems like a pretty safe place to work, but I'd also be crushing on Misty the whole time, and that'd suck... are there librar...
Recommendations: Training Day
I've seen Ethan Hawke often mention how much people love this movie. The kind of love that twenty years on gets people to still stop him in the street to sing it's praises to him like no time's passed since 2001. And I felt why that is pretty quickly, yet in not a way I can entirely describe... No, it's not Denzel... though he is amazing in this movie. It's not the relentless pacing that truly does make the viewer feel that this "day" is an adventure of a life-time. A...
Recommendations: Kate + Akane
Why recommend both of these games?Well... they're kinda brother and sister? I played Kate: Collateral Damage first, because I watched Netflix's action-film vehicle for Mary Elizabeth Winstead that wasted her talents, and was baffled to see the actress in question playing a pixel-art Indie looking game based on the film.I was expecting a phoned in cash-grab but I was rather taken aback to find a genuinely great combat system, and it turns out the reason why is because the indie developer ...
Update: December 1st, 2025
So I've Finally...Started recording.Hey everybody,It was my intention to start recording both of my next videos about a week after the previous update here on Patreon. Laryngitis from my years of experience takes about two-ish weeks to heal from, but based on what my Doctor - that I was lucky enough to see so soon again - said last Wednesday, this illness wasn't merely my annual result of GERD but a full viral infection that tunneled through my entire body before finally diminishing.This...
Q&A: November 26th, 2025
Duncan Gohl AsksWhat are some songs that unlock your inner white-girl and get you dancing? (SexyBack by JT and Compress/Repress by Trent & Atticus are two of mine.)Dude, it took me multiple years of adulthood to finally accept that Sexy Back is a banger. Looking back, it's really dumb because I grew up loving the shit out of several Timbaland tracks, it was during his prime after all. Mom had Shock Value on CD and Nelly Furtado's hits too. When I was drunk at my friend's wedding, I d...
Recommendations: TRON ARES OST by NIN
I haven't seen the movie.I just know NIN showed up to work.I have no idea if this was always the plan but essentially what you have here is a great film score filled with beautiful piano melodies, haunting atmospherics, and distorted soundscapes with a NIN EP that also has all of those things but with lyrics.Someone even uploaded a mix on YT and it does sound like something that could've been released as an independent NIN release with maybe the only noted difference being that some of t...
The Collection
Here’s what I’ve played this last week.Dex Nail’d Valley 404 Sight Enemy FrontRed Faction II Captain Tsubasa Firefight Reloaded Saints Row: Gat out of HellWith Brutal Legend, Shadow Warrior, Shadowrun Returns, and Divinity: Dragon Commander cued.Ray, why are you playing a bunch of games from the early 2010s?I've realized that ten years ago... I had an actual semblance of my collection of games. There was once a time when my Steam Account wasn’t 1000+ but a few dozen. Games that I bou...
Recommendations: SiN Episodes: Emergence
SiN Emergence is like a metal remix of a classic song. Is it better than the material it's clearly modelling itself after? No. But it has a charm that's unique while still reminding you of that classic.I personally couldn't get into the original SiN for a variety of reasons, ones that could resolve with just a couple tweaks so hopefully Nightdive's Remaster will do exactly that. In the meantime, I hopped into the first of Ritual Entertainment's nine episode sequel to SiN that...
Q&A: November 12th, 2025
Kelvin Kuang SaysLong-arm questions incoming.Bring it on!Kelvin Kuang AsksWhat's your thoughts on Volition's The Punisher video game? As a Payne "clone" minus bullet-time, it has an interesting spot; an gritty setting that's based off elements of the comics and the 2004 tie-in movie at the time; a persona that's essentially edgier Max Payne and Shadow The Hedgehog had a baby; has the involvement of Garth Ennis and Thomas Jane; was controversial due to the graphical violen...
Recommendations: Whalefall by Foxblood
I've always adored art by "smaller" artists. Whether its student films by visionary directors or awesome games by tiny teams in their spare time, they're just always inspiring to see. Though... you can usually tell they're working with less. Whether it's the lack of unique assets, expensive equipment, or highly detailed environments, there's usually sacrifices that give away that this isn't a huge production.Drawn art isn't really like this though, and neither...
The Medium?
Reze Arc.Fuck it was good.For those who haven’t seen Chainsaw Man, I apologize to be serving you content that’s probably not very relatable… though I’m not really here to talk about the show, film, or IP. More just about the weird reason I think I loved it more than the show.The visuals are absolutely spectacular but so is the show. The soundtrack is total Metal Gear Rising levels of hysterical edge but so is the show. The variety in tone is shocking yet never feels incoherent, but so is...
Recommendations: Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Normally, I like to vary my types of recommendations. Should it be a game, the next will be something different like an album or a film. However, Reze Arc won't be in theatres forever, so you should definitely check it out while you can because as somebody who really liked - and recommended - the show, I loved this film.Chainsaw Man really is everything. A Comedy, Drama, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi. At some point I was expecting Aki to show up in black and white with a Fedora smoking cigarettes ...
Update: October 31st, 2025
Hey everybody, and welcome to the update on my illnesses videos!I hate talking about this as I don't ever wanna sound like woe is me, but I have to as it does directly relate and effect the next batch of content. Laryngitis is something I've dealt with on a yearly basis since the start of the channel, but this time I've gotten three times in three months.I've since been to the Doctor, getting tests arranged, given a prescription, and was at the Hospital for a separate test that s...
Q&A: October 29th, 2025
Duncan Gohl AsksWhat are some core tenets of Battlefield that make the franchise successful and what examples would you give?Battlefield's magic is unironically what Battlefield 2042 used for marketing. The franchises' success is having a sandbox that allows for absolutely absurdity like leaping out of your own Jet to fire a Rocket Launcher at another jet while falling back into your own Jet but making that the exception rather than the rule.For the most part, Battlefield is a simple pic...
Recommendations: Requiem for a Dream
"Recommend" is a strong word for this movie.It's a film to be recommended for it's beautiful craft, great performances, haunting score, and unforgettable journey of its characters. None of these things are specifically to be enjoyed, but moved, which in my case, I think could not be more perfect timing. Had I seen this when I was a Teenager, I would've just kept Leo pointing at the screen whenever "that epic trailer song" keeps playing. Had I seen it when I was in my ...
Reskins
Often, the conclusion I originally envision for a video ends up not even surfacing by the time I actually complete a script, and this next video looks to be continuing that tradition. Instead, I’ll dedicate this space to the topic at hand, which I think I can summarize in three ”games.”Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - VietnamDICE’s 2010 surprise smash of sequel really nailed almost everything. Gunplay, squad-tactics, map-design, vehicle battles, visual spectacle, satisfying progression, and ...
Recommendations: Vol. 4 by Black Sabbath
Looking back, this whole year has been a re-awakening for my taste in music. Not so much that I've changed what I like, but that I finally understand what I previously didn't like.Not to say I ever disliked Black Sabbath, more just that I never gave them a genuine listen. The last attempt, I kept circling back to my usual complaint of 60-70's albums regarding production. That a "Metal" band should have heavier, thicker, harsher, more distorted guitars that unlock the devil in...
Q&A: October 15th, 2025
tru3p1ayaZz AsksIf the classic Sonic games are a good example of how presentation can make a game better (they’re good games, but the graphics, soundtracks and marketing really elevated them), then what are some games you’ve played where the presentation makes things worse?That's a really good question. It's a difficult one because things like art-style changes in an established series is ultimately a matter of taste rather than making that specific game's goals actively worse. I...
Recommendations: Sayonara Wild Hearts
This is the level of polish I aspire to reach especially for a video-game.Sayonara does have a core-gameplay loop but it's varied so frequently to meet the high demand of its soundtrack, that it's hard to even describe what this game is? If I say to you it's a runner, you'll be confused upon laser-blasting mechs from a motorcycle packs of wolves not even halfway through.This game absolutely affirms my belief in abolishing loading-screens, and pursuit of seamless transitions betwe...
Mini-Fights
So I’ve Finally Played… God of War (2018).And you won’t see a video titled this, because I stopped playing it. At the point where Kratos walks down a mountain with a head on his hip back to the main-hub, and I realized “there’s twenty more hours left isn’t there?”Perhaps I’ll look up the cutscenes later, I did rather enjoy the game’s presentation. I understand why it’s often quoted, and was genuinely impressed by it’s fidelity that still looks absolutely gorgeous a generati...
Recommendations: Inside Man
On today's episode of "wait, I thought I already recommended this, 'cause it's awesome?" an overlooked Heist movie! According to Patreon's search bar, I've recommended "Inside" and "Wrath of Man" so maybe it's just a case of my brain smushing them together. Inside Man isn't like either of those films, and it's not really like most Heist movies, not in how seamlessly it portrays seemingly all sides of the stand-off while also keeping you on ...
Q&A: October 1st, 2025
Kelvin Kuang AsksHave you tried out NIN's TRON:Ares soundtrack? The whole thing is a banger; They are the perfect fit to compose the soundtrack that isn't just plainly movie scores, but has distinct feel in the same way I love about Health's spin on Max Payne 3 OST.Absolutely!What has me scratching my head isn't the album, it's quality from start to finish that manages to live up to the promise of this being a "NIN" scored film rather than just Trent & Atticus. I'...
Recommendations: She Wants Revenge - Self Titled
It's rare I'd describe a song as hypnotic, but that seems to be the entire philosophy behind She Wants Revenge.Calling them a "Rock Band" is like calling HEALTH "Electronic Music." It's true, but doesn't really illustrate what listeners are sighing up for. Like HEALTH, and previously recommended Pixel Grip, the band's songs stem from and play in a world that's not prevalent for a gaming youtuber, yet I can't deny just how god damn catchy it can be.It&#...
Recommendations: Wanted - A Toddler's Personal Assistant
Perhaps not exactly the most damning description of the first world's upper-class excess, but certainly one of the most personal. Wanted's one of those books I had a good feeling about from the moment I started reading Stephanie's descriptions of a world I've seen and heard but from a much greater distance.This memoir's quite the roller-coaster of slap-stick childcaring horror-stories, relatable inner-conflicts, and several expected, yet still staggering levels of disconnect ...
Is It Just Microsoft's Fault?
Man… oh man, was last week infuriating.Between Canada Post recreating this ancient ProZD skit, returning multiple pairs of earbuds because their sound quality was such garbage, and spending multiple hours troubleshooting multiple devices rather than using them…It’s occurred to me how much of my negative opinions on technology is mainly just a negative opinion of Microsoft.To start, Bluetooth.I hate Bluetooth.Everybody hates Bluetooth.The best part of last week was listening to Zoe Kravitz ...
Q&A: September 17th, 2025
Crystal Tatko AsksAre there any freshly read comic books and/or books that you thought were interesting/amazing? Or maybe some awful books that you wish you hadn't spent time reading?I've been pretty lucky so far this year with what I've selected reading. Obviously the Perfect Dark books, but also really enjoyed my time with Rick Rubin's The Creative Act, There Are No Accidents, Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant, and The Catcher In the Rye.Comics, I've been meaning to ...
Recommendations: Suit for Hire
I guess, spoiler alert for my next video.Suit for Hire was a game I played in Early Access three years ago for fifteen minutes and walked away so impressed by its core-gameplay, I decided right then to restrain from playing the rest of its limited content and wait for a full release.It speaks volumes to the quality of that core-gameplay how little the core has changed since that Early Access release, at least from memory. Now replete with a solid collection of levels, and dozens of desirable ite...
Recommendations: Caught Stealing
This feels like a film I wanted to make.Down-to-earth crime drama taking place in the early 2000s that uses this setting to build tension with its cast of loathsome characters in desperate situations firing off dialogue with the speed of a machine gun, yet still taking time to let all of those things breath?Doesn't mean it's 10/10; I can totally see someone not enjoying it, but after watching so many films shat out of Hollywood's predictable demand of endless blockbusters, it is damn...
How Long It Takes
Originally in my Perfect Dark video, I was going to devote several paragraphs to highlighting the sheer stupidity of the mini-games in Perfect Dark Zero, which for those who don't know, consist of timing the A button when hacking, holding the thumbstick when lockpicking, and connecting the squares whenplanting a bomb.Then I realized H. Bomberguy basically said everything I’d want to say about Mini-Games in his Deus Ex video, so I was just going to link that section of his video…And then ...
