#This file is titled Duality of man and I fully expect myself in a few years to see it and be like ohh that must be some serious vent drawin

[duckys-stuffies]

Me in 2020 vs. me in 2021

[aremenyegybudoskurva-blog]

Best 80s Tv Shows List

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Original Run: 1987 94 Creator: Gene Roddenberry Stars: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis Network: Syndicated The original collection was groundbreaking. Deep Space Nine and Voyager had their occasions. But TNG was head-and-shoulders the Star Trek franchise. Jean Luc Picard. Data. Worf. The holodeck. The Borg. Gene Roddenbury mustn't have had a cynical bone in his human anatomy, and as I watched his characters explore unusual new worlds, look for new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one h-AS gone before, I didn’t either.

The Cosby Show

Original Run: 1984-1992 Creators: Bill Cosby. Weinberger and Michael Leeson Stars: Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rash? d Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Sabrina Le Beauf, Geoffrey Owens, Joseph C. Phillips Network: NBC George Jefferson may happen to be moving on up, but The Cosby Present gave the nation a mo-Re relatable glimpse of the expanding middleclass among African-Americans but much mo-Re usually, dealing with all the trials that we all faced. Inspired by Cosby’s own family encounters which had been a staple of his stand-up routine, the show dominated the 2nd half of the ’80s, topping the Neilsen scores from 1985-90 and averaging more than 3-0 million viewers in the ’86-87 period. Cosby’s legacy might currently be in shambles, but the display was bigger compared to the man.

Magnum, P.I.

Original Run: 1980 88 Creator: Donald P. Bellisario, Glen A. Larson Stars: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman. Mosley, Larry Manetti Network: CBS When every other adolescent male of the ’80s and I grew up, we needed the li Fe of Tom Magnum, performed by Tom Selleck and his mustache: dwelling in an opulent Hawaii beachhouse as a guest of a never-current millionaire novelist and driving his Ferrari 308 GTS; wracking up a never-to-be-paid tab a T the country club run by one war-vet buddy and bumming helicopter rides from still another; and periodically solving mysteries using a mixture of smarts, toughness and mostly chutzpah. I never did figure out the way to walk that particular career path, but it was fun to dream.

TV Boxed Sets DVDs

At the Movies

Original Run: 1982-2010 Creator: Gene Siskel Stars: Roget Ebert, Gene Siskel Network: Syndicated Two different exhibits, both titled In The The Films from various production companies, the combination of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert completely revolutionized the notion of movie criticism. Greatly admired for his or her ability to succinctly sum up the newest films together with their honesty and integrity in sparring with each other when opinions differed, the pair were also criticized by many for degrading the integrity of film criticism by decreasing it to arbitrary “thumbs up“or “thumbs down“gestures. Such was the legacy of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert and the duality of the show. They were among the only film critics whose thoughts an “average American“could often be expected to respect and did much for legitimizing the idea of film criticism outside of a class-room environment. Some might nonetheless criticize the idea of a two-outcome rating program, but it was the approachable eloquence of the hosts that created the format work.

Taxi

Original Run: 1978 83 Creators: James L. Ed, Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis. Weinberger Stars: Carol Kane, Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Conway Network: ABC/NBC Let’s just pause for a moment and remember that somebody once confident a community to set Andy Kaufman to the air. I just wish it'd been live TV. Like M*A*S*H, Taxi frequently tackled serious social problems like drug and gambling addiction, but did it with an incredibly unusual cast of characters from the alien-like Latka Graves (Kaufman) to drugged-out hippie Reverend Jim (Christopher Lloyd) to misanthrope Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito).

St. Elsewhere

Original Run: 1982 88 Creator: Joshua Brand, John Falsey Stars: William Daniels, Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd Network: NBC The seminal hospital drama of the 1980s, St. Elsewhere was never resoundingly productive in the ratings, but it racked in Emmys over the years for its practical, frequently-dark tone and occasions of humor. Its big, ensemble forged carried on several long and had a number of cross overs together with the Hill Street Blues that are related - serialized story-lines, type, leading to fantastic character development within the course of the series. Needless to say, it’s today often remembered for a different cause: For having perhaps the single-most WTF finale moment in TV history. At the conclusion of the final St. Else Where episode, the characters are revealed as having all been the creation of the autistic Tommy Westphall, who owns a snow globe wherein the imaginary St. Eligius hospital exists. Moreoever, because so many other exhibits and characters overlapped with St. Elsewhere, some followers posit this signifies that everything from Hill Avenue Blues and Murder: Life on the Road to The X-Files all take invest the “Tommy Westphall Universe“by extension.

Pee-Wee’s Playhouse

Original Run: 198690 Creator: Paul Reubens Stars: Paul Reubens, Laurence Fishburne, Lynne Marie Stewart Network: CBS There are two types of folks within my life: Those who like Pee Wee Herman and enemies. Years ago, I was gifted the total collection of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse DVDs. Over the years, I’d created a point to watch Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and Big Top Pee-Wee whenever the feeling was correct. As much as I loved this show as a child, I only expected to get a great kick from an episode here and there, but I found myself inhaling these DVDs. Pee-Wee’s Play-House is joyous morning viewing (over a bowl of Mr. T cereal, of course) or a great way to unwind at evening (I’d recommend taking a drink from a good beer whenever somebody says the “secret word“ only if your day was exceptionally hard). To get a display that had a cast of breakfast plates and genies, cowboys, puppet couches, pterodactyls, clocks, I think Playhouse still makes sense in 2014. It’s a fully realized vision of Pee-Wee’s whimsical, wacky world—puppet strings and all—and the collection is just pithy enough to pull in adults that are ready to go on the ride, too. Paul Reubens is a comedy icon and master of timing, and it’s unusual that a well-placed Peewee gurgle or squeal doesn’t get a chuckle out of me. If you can’t find any joy in all of that, we’ve got to re Consider our friendship.

Wonder Years

#s#The Original Run: 1988-93 Creators: Neal Marlens, Carol Black Stars: Fred Savage, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Olivia d’Abo, Jason Hervey, Danica McKellar, Josh Saviano Network: ABC The Wonder Years is a family present, and yes, a few of its episodes inch dangerously shut to after school-unique territory, but make no error: revisiting this late-’80s/early-��90s staple as a grown-up is just as—if perhaps not more—enjoyable than observing it the first time around. It’s unabashedly nostalgic, but it chronicles the ups and downs of Kevin Arnold’s, Winnie Cooper’s and Paul Pfeiffer’s adolescence from the backdrop of the Vietnam era and our nation’s changing social landscape with a maturity most exhibits geared towards kiddies absence. The small childhood moments that stay with us are treated with the respect they deserve. We laugh when Kevin’s brother Wayne gets him in a headlock and calls him “scrote“for the umpteenth time (attempt sneaking that by the Nick a T Nite censors today!) or when Kev squares off along with his mortal enemy Becky Slater, and we cry when Kevin’s periodically distant father struggles to relate solely to his teen-age children. And sorry, but if you don’t hold your breath when Kevin puts that letterman jacket over Winnie’s shoulders, you’re lifeless within. Music geeks will enjoy the amazing sound track as well.

Family Ties

Original Run: 1982-89 Creator: Gary David Goldberg Stars: Meredith Baxter-Birney, Michael Gross. Fox, Justine Bateman and Tina Yothers Network: NBC We were given the Keatons by one of the finest family sit-coms of our time; these were were our family. Liberal working parents Steven (Michael Gross) and Elyse (Meredith Baxter) raised their three children—smart and conservative older brother Alex (Michael J. Fox), flighty and trendy middle kid Mallory (Justine Bateman) and sarcastic younger sister Jennifer (Tina Yothers)—with love, compassion and limits. Fox, whose job was introduced with all the collection, made Alex’s Republicanism humorous yet not cliched. The collection is still remembered for the very special episode, “A my name is Alex,“ where Alex struggled to accept the sudden death of his friend. Today family comedies continue to try to capture the magic that was Family Ties

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Games of the Year 2018

2018 was, for me, when I finally escaped the zeitgeist of well-reviewed, non-Nintendo, big-budget AAA games. Red Dead 2, Spider-Man, God of War—in previous years, the collective siren song of each of these games' Recommended or Essential tags on Eurogamer would have been too much for me to resist, but not this year—the Nintendo Switch almost completely cannibalized my game time in 2018.

It's an object that brings me joy in a way the PS4 and Xbox could never hope to achieve. Sure, part of it is just a victory lap for a Nintendo fanboy that rarely gets them anymore, and part of it is certainly the added flexibility of the handheld/console duality at the heart of its design. But it's also something more than that. Something I've struggled to define.

Nintendo's release calendar in 2018 was, in my eyes at least, as near-perfect as you can get when dealing with something as volatile as game development. Every month there was a new and interesting big box release, a few interesting digital-only games, and probably a patch to one of your favorite games from 2017 that made it a blast to play all over again. I know that it's been criticized, and that Nintendo's stock was even down at one point because of a perceived negative reaction to the games they put out this year, but I just can't comprehend that—to me it felt perfect.

Anyways, on to the list.

(Side bar: some have already scoffed at some of the inclusions here due to strict Gregorian merit. I quite like how Polygon worded their policy on their list:

You may notice the inclusion of games that were either fully released or made available in Early Access prior to 2018. Because many games change from update to update, let alone year to year, we will include previously available games that receive a significant update within the year or become available on a platform that substantially impacts how that game is experienced.

End side bar)

RECOMMENDED

Night in the Woods

Danmaku Unlimited 3

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Yoku’s Island Express

Mario Tennis Aces

Octopath Traveler

The Messenger

Valkyria Chronicles 4

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Mega Man 11

Forza Horizon 4

Dark Souls Remastered

Diablo III: Eternal Collection

Civilization VI

Tetris Effect

Gris

I'm really happy with the diversity of games in this part of the list. From Dark Souls to Gris, there was truly something for almost any type of video game fan this year. I still think about the music from Night in the Woods, the characters from Valkyria Chronicles, and the stages from Mega Man 11. Octopath Traveler perfectly scratched the JRPG itch (even if I still have over half the game to go), and Mario Tennis Aces was the most competitive I've been in an online game since probably Arms. Danmaku Unlimited 3 is wholly underrated as a modern shmup, and regardless of how you feel about racing games, you owe it to yourself to experience the fields of rural England flying by in Forza Horizon 4—one of only two games in this list that I didn't play on Switch, actually.

ESSENTIAL

Celeste

Hollow Knight

Dead Cells

Into the Breach

Pokemon: Let's Go Eeevee

Super Smash Bros Ultimate

This part of the list is just bonkers. I feel like there have been past years where literally all of these could have finished #1.

Celeste touched me with its story—not something I've said about many games, especially those that are most well-known for their precision and difficulty. Hollow Knight was a complete joy when it landed on Switch this Spring. I immediately put dozens of hours into it and played it exclusively for weeks, and I still have more to find. Dead Cells quickly replaced all the other roguelikes I was regularly dipping into, and still hasn't given up its roost there. Into the Breach was the exact strategy game I needed to get back into that genre, at a time when I desperately wanted to get back into that genre. Pokemon Let's Go Eevee was *the* father/daughter game this year—we've played it together, sure, but we've also bonded in discussions about elemental strengths and weaknesses, correct support character strategy, the merits of grinding, etc etc etc (I’ve also started my own save file—it’s that good). And SSB Ultimate came on late but hit hard—I played it with friends every night for weeks after release. This one is gonna last well into next year and beyond.

Hollow Knight, Dead Cells, and Into the Breach were also all games that my PC friends were playing and that I knew I'd probably be into, but doubted I'd ever get the chance to experience myself. That they all made their console debut on the Switch in the same calendar year speaks to how strong that calendar was for Nintendo, I'd say.

GOTY

Monster Hunter World (and Generations Ultimate)

For all the Nintendo love on this list—and yes I realize I'm cheating by also sneaking Gen Ultimate on here—it's one of the only games I played on PS4 that takes the top spot.

2018 was the year of Monster Hunter for me. I had played multiple games in the series up to this point, but the two that came out this year completely nailed what makes these games great—and they're two totally, completely different (but equally wonderful) games.

Generations Ultimate technically came out later in the West, but it's also clearly the older game. The 'ultimate' in the title isn't marketing happenstance—this is a huge, over-stuffed collection of the 'best of' MonHun's first four mainline and spin-off games. Everything good about MonHun before 2018 is in this game, and it's as bloated as you'd expect. I played with a multitude of weapons, styles, and arts, and still didn't come close to scratching the surface of the vast amount of stuff in this game. I'm still playing it and plan to continue for some time.

Monster Hunter World, on the other hand, came out all the way back in January but is almost a completely new game. A lot of the dumb cruft from 10+ years of game history has been whittled down into one of the most intensely satisfying experiences I had this year. I played around 90 hours—some alone, some with my trusted hunting buddy Tommy, and some with a full group of hunters from Detroit Arcade Club—and I never felt like I wasted a minute. I love that they've added some light MMO elements (in the form of daily and weekly bonuses, mostly). I love that the maps are one coherent place now, and that monsters attack each other in unscripted encounters. I love that whetstones are infinite and you don't stop and cycle through an animation every time you pick a flower. There was just so much to love in this game, and it sets the table beautifully for the next ten years of Monster Hunter.

It was a good year in games. Maybe not as stuffed as last year, and certainly not quite hitting its extreme highs (I couldn't even write about Breath of the Wild last year, it was too good), but on the whole it was steady in quality and refreshingly varied in its executions. Here's to another year in games like this one.