Trekkie heart vs. wallet. And: will we finally get a worthy successor to Top Spin with Matchpoint?
Unn?* In the past few days, I’ve been reminded again why I don’t like summer. At least not the temperatures, the sun is welcome to shine. And I like it when it’s light that long. But more than 25 degrees? Does not have to be. If I’m already sweating, just sitting motionless on the couch, the fun stops. I’m already counting the days until it gets a little cooler again. It’s more my season. Just a few more months…
Chapter 1 is here: My childhood flashback and the current enemy image of Destroy All Humans 2.
Star Trek meets clamping blocks
Here and there you have already pointed out to me in our Lego News that there is “not only Lego”. Of course you are right. It’s pricey at times, but I like Lego and the sets they release to some extent. A company that recently caught my attention is BlueBrixx. And for a good reason: Star Trek. It’s like a superhero, they spotted one of my weaknesses and cold-bloodedly exploited it. Just kidding.
If Lego doesn’t deliver Star Trek sets, I’ll be happy here. The quality is impressive, the models sometimes seem more, sometimes less successful. And the prices are at a reasonable level. I’ve already bought a few models – the Trekkie heart beats my wallet there – in the future there will probably be one or two more kits. Here, for example, the type 2 phaser known from TNG:
It’s nice to be able to combine two hobbies in this way – Star Trek and building “Lego” sets. Although I should take a little more time here and there to just sit down and build. I think this could be a good contributor to evening or weekend relaxation. And it’s always a great feeling to have the completed set in front of you at the end and to examine all the details.
Matchpoint looks like a successful tennis match
Well, do you still remember Top Spin? Basically, I’m not really that into tennis, but the series kept me in front of the screen for a little longer at the time. It was fun hitting opponents with balls and getting the shots so precise that they became unattainable. Since then there has been a bit of an ebb in this regard, and the Tennis World Tour recently failed to rekindle this spark.
Matchpoint, on the other hand, could succeed. I’ve been able to play it for a while and it feels so good you don’t want to throw your tennis racquet to the ground at the first opportunity. Admittedly, my first match was rather disastrous. It took me two or three games before I got used to the controls and then it flowed all the better. You move a kind of small cursor over the opponent’s half of the court and thus determine where your shot lands.
It’s easy, especially in the beginning, to skew the shot and push the cursor too far in a certain direction. But practice is known to make perfect and at Matchpoint that is definitely the case. The animation system, which has so far appeared to be first-class, also contributes to this. According to developer Torus Games, there are more than 1,300 unique motion capture animations that flow seamlessly into each other. So far it seems to work fine and provides the necessary portion of realism that drives everything. This is supplemented by the strengths and weaknesses of the respective players, which you learn and exploit or adapt to as the match progresses.
I haven’t dealt too intensively with career and co., but Matchpoint leaves a good impression based on the individual matches. A tennis game to keep an eye on if you like top spin. And it’s coming out on July 7th!
What else was
Last seen: several things. As for movies, stood out especially Spider-Man: A New Universe on the program. A film I had read a lot of good things about. And he lived up to those expectations. A wonderful and fun addition to the Spidey universe with great characters. I’m already looking forward to the successor.
In terms of series, the last one was with us Stranger Things 4 on the program, at least the first part. If you’re reading these lines, part two is already there, but I don’t know if we’ve watched it until then. Anyway, a great and exciting start. Although prelude is the wrong word, it’s basically already around 80 percent of the season. But it shows once again why I appreciate the series so much. Nerdy, nostalgic and exciting.
And then there was Obi Wan Kenobi. I didn’t think it was as bad as Alex, although of course it has its flaws. Overall it was entertaining, which is important. It was nice to see Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in their roles again. Was it absolutely necessary for the series? Probably not. It’s pure fan service, so to speak, but I thought it was well done. An Empire-centric series in this period that might not focus exclusively on Darth Vader, but does include him, I think would be an interesting thing. I’m excited to see what Andor has to offer from August.
Last (private) played: After having it sitting around in my stack for a number of years, I’ve finally started Batman: Arkham Knight. And I’m impressed. Not necessarily from the Batmobile, but I like the dark atmosphere of the game, the hide-and-seek games with opponents, that it’s not always about action and solutions for certain situations have to be found. Very beautiful. It’s not Rocksteady, but I hope Gotham Knights will be good.
Other than that, I’m – seriously, what an addiction – sinking into Stellaris on a regular basis. Half private, half for work, to provide an up-to-date overview. More on that shortly. Also, currently Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition on the Switch is still the co-op game of choice for my fiancee and me. But it’s coming to an end, we just started the penultimate adventure map. In the meantime it should be 160+ hours.
Last read: Just recently finished: Solaris by Stanislav Lem. Yeah… A classic. But the book didn’t really blow my mind. Or… let’s say partly not. I found maybe half of it exciting. The moments when something really happens. The other part, which almost felt like a fictional scientific treatise, was rather dry and long-winded. Due to the constant change, I never felt like I really got into the book. As soon as the tension was there, it vanished again. Well, you can’t like everything. Aside from that stood the youngest Retro gamers on the schedule and I’ve got myself some Star Wars comics – Operation Starlight and Save Han Solo – incorporated. Must be too.
* You’re wondering what “Unn?” means? Well, those of you who come from the best state in the world – Saarland – know it. For everyone else: It’s a kind of universal greeting. It can be a question about how the other person is doing, whether there is anything new and so on. After careful consideration, a suitable and at the same time personal title for my column. A short, concise statement that hits the nail on the head. what’s new That’s what this is all about.
Reference-www.eurogamer.de