First
703
Last
Comments
First Details Last

Features these Characters

Belongs to these Storylines

|

703

Rules to live by:

-If some mysterious swordsman says he doesn’t want to fight you, DON’T FIGHT HIM!

I saw these combat videos from this MMO Black Desert Online, and I was like “that looks super rad, I want to play that!” So I downloaded the 50 GB(!) game and logged in to the 7 day free trial. After about an hour I was like “Oh wait, this is still an MMO!” and uninstalled it. MMOs are basically another language that you have to learn over the course of months or years, and they rarely ever ease you into it. There’s all this extracurricular study and trial and error involved before the myriad of game systems and inventory/stat management windows even start to click. Also, I generally avoid other human beings so I’m not quick to jump into chat and reveal my noobness to other players. Oh well, I guess if I want intense horde slaying action, I can pick up Hyrule Warriors again, or wait for Fire Emblem Warriors (although it will not look as pretty as BDO).

Also, Loose Canon, by Lindsay Ellis, is a great youtube series, and here’s the first three parts of an academic critical breakdown of the Michael Bay Transformers films, which is significantly more engaging than the movies themselves (granted, that’s a very low bar to surpass, but still…).

 

Published on by

  • Little Kingsguard

    I see conservation of ninjutsu also applies to kenjutsu.

    • KungFuKlobber

      Not to mention Expendable Redshirts.

  • Kid Chaos

    Uh-oh; this does not look good for our heroes. 💀

    • Turul

      But the more badass Tadashii is, the cooler it will be when Yori totally beats him!(*)

      *) if he does. I mean, it could end with Tadashii deciding Yori’s cause is righteous and siding with him instead. Or something else.

  • IDPounder

    Tadashi uses iaijutsu. It’s super effect…aiiiiiieeee, my entrails!!

    • Jake

      have a book on that. super intensive discipline oriented and covers everything from tying the obi to seppekku. now what would have made bigger impression is him one hand tying the sageo and then doing the draw. impressive, blood curdling, and cinematic-ally epic all in one sword draw. now where are my kurasawa films…i crave cinematically epic.

      • IDPounder

        Mmmm….Kurasawa films.

  • Jonathan B

    Talking first, spears later. This is usually a good rule.

  • TheMaskedFerret

    What a cutting retort. That really chopped their response short. He won that argument anyway you slice it.

    • Kid Chaos

      That’s pretty sharp. 😎

      • TheMaskedFerret

        Thank you, sir. Puns are so edgy these days, and I enjoy them highly.

        After this incident, these soldiers will be so disspearited.

        • Kid Chaos

          I think they get the point. 💀

          • TheMaskedFerret

            They would haft to.

          • Kid Chaos

            Can’t Tadashi just butt out? 👺

          • KungFuKlobber

            Enough with the swordid banter already!

          • http://rhr.thecomicseries.com Bree

            I kan’tana-stand why you’d want us to stop.

          • Kid Chaos

            En garde! 😎

          • TheMaskedFerret

            The tang in the air is dangerous. We will have to bury Kung Fu in puns up to the hilt.

        • Cross Ikon

          They died pretty red-ily

    • Hfar

      *thumbs up*

      • http://rhr.thecomicseries.com Bree

        Yeah, you can clearly see both soldiers in the last panel giving said thumbs up, so they must approve!

        • Hfar

          Truly!

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      This has to end! Preferably the pointy end.

      • TheMaskedFerret

        I will sheath writing puns in this thread, sir. You have dashed my hopes for a peaceful resolution to this matter.

        😉

  • Hfar

    Looks like Tadashi decided to have a few words with these guys. Namely “slash” and “stab.”

  • Da’Zlein

    Looks like they forgot their armor was made of strips of raw meat and isn’t meant for real combat

  • LordBolanderFace

    Lets be honest, though. The only reason grunts like them exist is to be mowed down Dynasty Warriors style by the first samurai who lays eyes on them.

    • SKy

      They were wearing red. They were practically begging for it…

  • Eric

    The general is right. Farmers just don’t understand combat.

    I mean, I’d totally mis-use one of those daggers and put about half of that long handle between me and the guy trying to stick a sword in me.

    Heck, I’d probably void the warranty by sticking a handle that’s about a half meter longer on.

  • EBeth

    Ohh, Tadashi-slashi. 😜
    Totally in agreement about the M.Bay transformers. (Although I still watch them because Optimus Prime was my first crush!)
    Also feel ya’ on MMOs. I play video games to de-stress & that is not happening when I have to deal with trolls, Mr. Flirty McCan’t-take-a-hint, or someone’s guild drama.
    Looking forward to BioWare’s new release (Anthem) and Assassin’s Creed Origins later this year. I am currently running back through the Mass Effect trilogy (Awesome games – awful endings.)

    • LordBolanderFace

      What did you think of Beyond Good and Evil 2? I never played the first one, but even I know the constant f-bomb dropping is definitely not in the spirit of the first game.

      • EBeth

        Never played the first one, either. Space monkeys are just not my thing, I guess. The language does not personally bother me – I was raised by 2 sailors (and around a lot of others), but I do think it is unnecessary in that venue. I would not be keen on my nephew playing it, for example. But then, I’m not sure I would be keen on him playing ME, either.
        Deep Rock Galactic looks like fun (Space Dwarves!!) and my sister is all kinda hyped that Cuphead actually gave a release date (after teasing her at last year). The animation style is awesome, but I’m not real big on run-and-gun games. I’ll just watch her (or the nephew) play it.😁

        • LordBolanderFace

          It’s not necessarily a deal breaker for me either. I can handle bad language just fine, but I tend to admire books/movies/games that can be mature *WITHOUT* resorting to needless profanity. Like, a balance is good (I feel like NN4B hits that balance pretty well), but when it becomes “I want every @#$%ing cop in this @#$%ing city after that @#$%ing @#$%^&*!” it becomes a turnoff, you know?

          • EBeth

            Oh, yeah, you are absolutely right. Totally unnecessary and a real turnoff. I guess I just feel I can’t judge, though. I try to be concientious, but when one’s co-workers actually wanted to by one a t-shirt that said “I have the mouth of a well-educated sailor”…😆

      • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

        I did play the first Beyond Good and Evil once years ago, and although I couldn’t recall the plot off the top of my head if asked, I remember it dripping with character. It’s a game that would translate great into a French comic book, with a cartoonish but well realized world and a charismatic cast. The F-bombs in the sequel’s trailer surprised me since the original felt like an all-ages adventure, not necessarily for kids, but not alienating either. The original game also ended with a little cliffhanger credits tease which we’re clearly not going to see expounded upon, as this new game is actually a prequel.

        But from what the develop said in following interviews, the new game will expand the world to many planets in a very organic, original Star Wars trilogy sort of way, starting in a small part of a city, and expanding outward as the story turns epic in scope. Could be a really fun narrative, especially since the original was also a good time (even if I can’t recall it well, it was basically a decade ago that I played it).

        • LordBolanderFace

          I’m going to make a point to play the first game eventually. If there’s one thing that can make any game look better in my eyes, it’s if it can tell a good story.

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      I haven’t paid money to see a Transformers movie since the third one and I’m quite proud of that! I’m also interested in Anthem, but worried about its multiplayer focus and my general lack of desire to be social in video games. And I haven’t played an Assassin’s Creed since Black Flag (which I really enjoyed), but Origins is looking like a good one to jump back in on. I just, you know… I wish they hadn’t killed off Desmond in AC3 and completely derailed the franchise’s whole narrative drive.

      I really enjoyed Mass Effect 1&2, but I never played 3 or any of the DLC. If they ever released a Mass Effect Trilogy complete with all DLC, that would be extraordinarily tempting because I could finally play the whole thing with seamless character choice carry-over between games and all the content in one place. Of course, I absolutely HATED scanning planets in 2 and I don’t know if I’d have the gumption to do it all again.

      • EBeth

        While I prefer single-player, I don’t mind multiplayer where I know the folks I am playing with. And Anthem just looked so good!
        I feel ya’ on AC3, but for all that, I feel like the writers were bound to up & do that eventually. Dang near every book/comic/game franchise seems to. I do wish they had found another way to “expand the narrative”, though.
        Gasp! Then you have not played the Citadel DLC? They obviously had waaaay too much fun with that one! The sub-plot is kinda trite as Sci-Fi goes, but it still makes me laugh so much. Really, playing with all the DLCs you can is the way to go.
        Yeah, you scan for War Assets in 3, but with the added spice that the more you scan the more likely it is that the Reapers will find you! I still think the scanning is more efficient than the “ride around and find it” route from 1. Although neither bothers me – makes me nostalgic for a game I fell in love with back in high school: Starflight (showing my age here…groan).

  • Wanderer

    So do the common foot soldiers know what every high ranking member of the Wataro clan look like, or is there something else identifying Tadashii as a Wataro retainer?

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      He wandered in from the direction of the Wataro army, so the soldiers just assumed. Granted, it’s possible they demanded “Who are you?” and he said “I’m a member of the Wataro clan.” because Tadashii don’t give a damn.

  • Cross Ikon

    You dodged a bullet with BDO specifically, imo. Even people who do actually play MMOs tend to avoid it just because of the sheer amount of cash you have to sink into it for full functionality

    • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

      Have you played BDO? I did a lot of youtube commentary/guide research before I decided to try it, and there seemed to be consensus that paying the $30 Explorers package was the maximum real dollars necessary to spend for full functionality, specifically getting all the much needed extra inventory slots. After that, there was no reason to spend real money as there’s no real pay-to-win mechanics in the US version of the game. $30 seems reasonable for an MMO, especially since there’s no subscription fee.

      But it’s a moot point, I didn’t pay anything, just tried the free trial for two hours and decided I still don’t care for MMOs. Although, the brief combat I tried was the most fun I’ve had with combat in an MMO. I was also surprised the game didn’t look prettier. I had setting cranked up to max, and it still didn’t seem to look as pretty as the gameplay trailers. Maybe they’re touched up.

      • Cross Ikon

        Most of what I know is from borrowing my friend’s account for a while. The gameplay was really smooth and nice and all, but he told me he was pouring money in to max his gear and crafting and stuff. It frightened me a little bit. To be fair, though, I didn’t know there wasn’t a subscription fee. Guess it’s just people who’re hardcore into the moneymaking part of MMOs that pay a lot.

        Can’t speak to the graphics, however, because I didn’t see much gameplay before actually hopping on myself. They were pretty enough, but I don’t always count graphics in when I’m deciding whether or not to keep playing.

        • http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

          He may have meant ‘in game currency’. It seems the game revolves around building in game revenue through leveling up life skills and property management. Leveling gear requires a significant amount of in game currency, and it’s all RNG so when you put money into leveling equipment and it fails, you can lose a lot of money. Apparently there’s a system built in so that your chances of success increase with every failure, which results in players gaming the system by intentionally failing gear upgrades with alt characters and then upgrading the gear they really want with a higher chance of success.

          But turning real world money into in game currency is apparently very difficult, and capped, and ultimately less efficient than just playing the game, according to the BDO vets on youtube. It’s kind of silly how much I’ve learned about a game that I spent two hours with and quickly decided I didn’t enjoy. Although I have to admit listening to youtube commentors break down the ins and outs of such a complex game was pretty fascinating.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Be4zgYLU0

  • Sunwu

    Danm and They were only 12 days away from retirement

  • purplelibraryguy

    It amazes me how many people still don’t understand this rule. I suppose word of mouth would be limited . . . “So this mysterious swordsman said he didn’t want to fight and I went after him, and he totally killed me. Just saying, if it’s you, don’t do that.”

    • Xinef

      But then if they refuse to fight the guy, they will be accused of letting an enemy unopposed, and executed by their own officer :v

      • Turul

        #henchmanproblems

comic702 comic703