When most people apply to the "taxes are theft" argument, there's two main approaches:

1. Appeal to their humanity: Doesn't work on sociopaths
2. Appeal to pragmatism: Doesn't work on idiots

But there's a better response: If libertarians claim they don't need government services, then call them on their bluff, and point out that money itself is a government service. If you bring up something like roads, libertarians will insist that the market will provide a cheapebetter alternative once taxes go away. But when it comes to money, the free market alternatives already exist, but libertarians refuse to use them because the alternatives are useless without government backing.
This isn't exactly a new argument: There's the famous "Render unto Caesar" line from Jesus himself in the bible.

1. You cannot have fiat currency without taxes and spending

In David Graeber's book "Debt: The First 5000 Years," Graeber explores the history of money citing actual research rather than the historical fanfiction.
Money is circulated throughout the economy by government spending. If there was no government spending, then there would be no money to go around. Money has value because of the demand created by taxation. In the absence of taxes, then the dollar would effectively be worthless.
Hence, if libertarians are really against the idea of taxes and spending, then they should be demanding zero dollars in their bank account, rather than asking for more of them. Their entire goal is to increase their supply of dollars by cutting off the supply, which doesn't make any fucking sense.

2. Free market currencies exist, but they've been rejected by the free market

Libertarians will respond to the previous point by insisting that free market alternatives like gold and bitcoin are not only viable, but superior. But every argument in favor of these alternatives treats them as investment vehicles for the sake of generating more fiat, rather than a currency in itself. This isn't simply my opinion, it's the outcome of the free market itself.
Here's the fundamental problem: Money is supposed to be a medium of exchange, which means it must be agreeable to both parties: Something people are willing to gain, and something people are willing to lose. Except those are two opposing goals, so how can it be both? Libertarians champion gold and bitcoin because the scarcity will encourage hoarding and discourage spending. They never seem to understand that you can't have a transaction without spenders. They assume that their employers will pay them in gold coins, rather than keeping them for themselves.
Fiat currency solves this by using inflation to encourage spending, and taxes to encourage demand, which is why it's been embraced by the free market.

3. Fiat currency is so appealing that even foreign nations are willing to adopt it

Libertarians will claim that the only reason people use US dollars is because they're forced to by law against their will. But if that were the case, then why do foreign countries use them as well, when they obviously don't have to? Again, it's because the dollar represents a government service that these countries are voluntarily opting into. And no, bitcoin in El Salvador doesn't count, because bitcoin in El Salvador is valued based on the amount of fiat dollars you can trade the bitcoin for.

4. The US financial system as a government service

In addition to opting-in to government currencies, libertarians also opt-in to the following:

• Access to regulated/insured banks, as well as wire transfers through government systems
• Access to government court systems to settle financial disputes
• Access to government record keeping systems that track who owns what
• Access to law enforcement if people wrong you
• Access to various legal rights and protections

For instance, libertarians will whine that they still have to pay taxes even if they leave the country, but that's enforceable if they want access to US banks, which no one is forcing them to do. When you apply for a bank account, you promise you're following US tax laws, and you agree to let your bank report suspicious activity to the IRS. If you don't agree to those terms, then take your money somewhere else. But libertarians aren't willing to do that, because they want to opt-in to the service and security of the US banking system, but without the responsibility of paying for it.
Likewise, you opt-in to paying property taxes because it's part of the property contract. You can try to sign a property contract that doesn't include this, but in this case, the state has no obligation to recognize it as valid. Asking the state to recognize the contract as valid is a service that you opt into voluntarily. Otherwise, what's stopping someone else from producing their own contract claiming ownership over the same piece of land?

5. People only go to jail when they commit fraud, which only happens when you voluntarily opt-in

Libertarians frequently claim that taxes are coercion because they'll go to jail if they don't pay taxes they never agreed to for services they never asked for. But they always rely on false analogies where they say the mafia did something illegal and then claim that the IRS is doing the same thing, but lacking in any real world examples.
Here's the problem: Tax evasion is only a felony if there's proof of fraud, and we live in a country where people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Proof of guilt only happens if there's a paper trail, and the paper trail only happens if the person voluntarily entered an arrangement with intention to deceive.
For instance, most employers will ask you to sign a form where you consent to taxes. The employer voluntarily enters the agreement because it means they can report your wages as a deduction, and the employee voluntarily enters the agreement because it gives them access to better jobs.
What if you disagree with the terms and refuse to pay taxes? Then you're free to walk away. What if you agree to report your income but then forget? You'll be sent a reminder and be given the chance to issue a correction. The only way for you to go to jail is if you knowingly lie and even when given the chance to come clean.
By contrast, there's millions of undocumented workers in America who don't pay taxes. But since their employer isn't writing off their wages as a deduction, there's no paper trail for a tax evasion case. They might get in trouble with immigration, but they generally do not worry about the IRS.
Libertarians will reply with "It's still illegal even if I don't get caught!" But this is a completely different goalpost. The original claim was the threat of jailtime, and jailtime doesn't happen without a paper trail that you opted into voluntarily. If there's no jail time, then there's no coercion.

6. Money spent is no longer yours to control

Lots of libertarians think they can invalidate taxes because they disagree with how some of that money is spent. This is a nonsense argument that would never be used in any other context.
For instance, if I spend $3000 on rent, then I can hope that my landlord spends all of that money on things I personally support, but he legally doesn't have to and he probably won't. The contract says I'm paying money for shelter, and as long as he provides that, then it's still a valid transaction.
If you pay property taxes so the state recognizes you as the registered owner, then that's the service you voluntarily opted into paying for. It doesn't matter if the money is later spent on different services you disagree with. Once money changes hand, it's no longer yours.

7. Why opting out is unprofitable

If you sell goods on eBay, then you agree to pay various fees for things like shipping, insurance, commission, payment processing, and sales tax. Libertarians will claim that the last one is rape and slavery because you cannot proceed if you refuse to pay but all of the other examples are voluntary because you can refuse to pay by not proceeding.
But what happens if someone tries to opt out of all government services and taxes by hosting an eBay clone overseas? Legally, if you're outside of US jurisdiction, then the US can't do anything to stop you. So why don't more companies actually do this? The simple answer is: Because they would end up losing a lot more money.
If customers know the company is outside of US jurisdiction, then they know they won't be able to hold the company accountable if someone screws them over. Likewise, legitimate payment processors won't want to do business with them, because they don't want to deal with customer complaints, or have their reputation damaged by illegal markets. You'd have trouble finding reliable developers, because reliable developers would want to work for a company that actually obeys the law. etc.

8. "Charging taxes implies ownership!"

This is a non-sensical argument that libertarians make that goes like this:

1. Charging property taxes is only valid if government owns your land
2. Government does not own your land.
3. Therefore, taxes are invalid.

Once again, this is a silly argument that would never be applied to the free market. For instance, you cannot invalidate parking fees simply because the manager of the parking lot doesn't own your car. You cannot invalidate eBay commission fees simply because eBay doesn't own the goods you sell on eBay. etc.

Do not, under any circumstance link your steam account to the ED stand alone client until you read this.

If you link too early, you just lost $100 or more, seriously. More on this later.
TLDR: Buy the F18. Rent modules on stand alone. Buy the F18, then syria, then something cool. consider persian gulf.
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Hello, my name is Kitchen and I have a problem and hate money. If you click my name, you'll see the modules I own. I fly them all, mostly proficiently, so I feel I'm qualified to talk about most of them. This is advice for a new player on 'what modules I should buy?' Or perhaps the 2nd module to buy. This is mostly an essay on purchase order, not for only planes but modules. And yes, this is an essay. If you don't want to read it, that's cool, I still think you're probably a neat person and will probably enjoy flying with this group. So first, DCS is a flight sim, so you'll need: a computer, a module, a map, and hardware to fly it with. Perhaps you need advice on hardware, so see my other essay on that. Let's also discuss the variety of eras and planes in this too. For people that know what generation things are, cool, I don't. I don't really know anything about real life planes but I do know DCS. Modern planes will get you the most play. Followed by the cold war (think F14, mig 21, f5, mirage). Korea is a smaller pool, ww2 is as small or even smaller. If you are a part of this group looking for module advice I'll only recommend modern planes first. If you want a korea war experience, you'll probably have to find that elsewhere or be the change you want to see and spark that fire and lead the group into an era/playstyle that you want. We have a personal server and can host any map/mission that is provided that has interest in playing. We of course will have themed missions from creators but generally, modern all the way. (edited)
Steam Vs Stand alone. There are huge benefits to both but I want to discuss the stand alone. For those on steam you already know how great steam is. On standalone: First, you can rent modules for 2 weeks (including maps) on the stand alone every 6 months. This is a huge deal and is awesome. So try out the module before purchase. Second, on stand alone, your first cart (the entire cart) is 50% off. You can save $100's if you dogpile your first purchase cart. Third, you can link your steam account purchases to stand alone and play on the standalone with all the modules, so you lose nothing. If you link your steam account before your purchase, you are boned for the 50%. So do not, do not, DO NOT, link your account before purchase. Lastly, standalone has "miles" you accumulate on purchase. Basically it is 10% of your purchase in savings for the next purchase, so a $50 modules will get you $5 off your next. I got the mig21 for free because I bought enough, neat. Also, the accounts are still linked, so you can always play on steam or buy more stuff on steam after the linking process and it will pass to stand alone just fine. I don't know much about you personally so I'm going to speak generally as possible but the best advice I can give is: Buy the F18 first, then buy something exciting next. Also, I'll be using words in here like you already know what it is, I can't include a dictionary for the post but if you have a question, ask. We are here to help and learn together. Ok let's go. (edited)
Free Module SU-25T This is not a bad plane, it is actually capable and it can deliver HARM based weaponry well. With a human trainer, you can be effective and useful without money. It is not as good at ground pounding as other modules but this is also free. The AI provided training is not as good as it should be. If you want to learn this and only this, ping someone that knows it and we can have you doing ground pounding in a few hours and be GOOD at it. Seriously, I'd almost recommend this over the harrier some days, more on that later. If this module had a ground locking 360 tpod like the NATO planes it would almost be too good. First Module, F18: This is the jack of all trades plane in this game that will be generally featured in every mission we host as a group. It can carry almost all the weapon types (except good cluster bombs… grrr rock eyes) like: dumb bombs, smart bombs (laser, GPS, and the walleye),mavericks, JSOWS, dumb rockets, fox 1,2,3s, HARMs, cruise missiles, and harpoons. It can land on the ground and on a carrier. It is full fidelity, has easy to learn systems, has robust and easy to find tutorials from all your favorite and least favorite youtubers. It has easy to learn air to air refueling when you are ready, easy to understand MFDs that are readable. Systems that make sense, INS aligns quickly, is easy to taxi, doesn't require a ton of buttons on a HOTAS, TPOD actually works… well-ish. If you learn this pretty well, other NATO jets will be easy to learn. There is a reason why the F18 is recommended, because it is very good. Now if you personally (or find someone that agrees) that it isn't "exciting" that's fine. But if you are clueless and willing to just jump in this is the plane to go for it. It's also easy to land on the ground, no flare required, you can literally slam it down > 2000 ft/min. This plane will hold your hand really well. (edited)
Ok so after the F18 and a map, it gets gritty. Let's talk about personality and full features. Minecraft (yes, I'm blaming minecraft) allows people to perpetually live in early access with a list of "coming soon, full release". So, anything you see promised is a lie, buy what the module has now and expect it to never go further, possibly get worse. Ignore what all these companies will tell you is coming. And yes if you haven't guessed, we're gonna talk about Super Carrier and then yes, the harrier.Super carrier is money pit but I think it is 100% based on personality for the player. Do you want to be restricted to just one carrier? Do you like being spawn limited? Want to wait your turn? Animated deck crew that has hand signals (only useful in the day time…). Then perhaps Super boat is for you. Super carrier has features that I find useful (like the FLOOS system or 'the ball') and the deck crew is kinda neat. Is it $30 neat though to you? It was to me and for us boat planes it is nice to never miss the wire because that boat wasn't available to us. You get the Su-33 with this purchase. If you think $30 is a lot then you should not buy super boat. If you think $30 is like a happy hour bar tab for yourself and it isn't, consider a purchase. If you hate exclusion and peasants, come to $uper boat and make fun of peasant boat with us. (edited)
2nd plane: So the big ones, in the modern era in my personal (by fly hours, guessing)order: A-10 F-16 JF-17 F-14 Mirage Harrier FC3 - worth it for the j-11a, f15, and the SU-25 (non T version) - appended on the bottom Viggen There's a lot to discuss in the above list and now it comes down to what you enjoy in DCS and what makes you excited. If you see the above list and one plane sticks out, like the F-14 because "it is awesome", trend that way.Comparisons, if this then that: A-10/Harrier - A-10 is the winner for me right now. Razbam keeps changing things and breaking the harrier and making it a bit less fun to fly. The a-10 is rock stable development wise and is a great experience. A-10 needs a ton of 4 way switches though. So if you are light on controls, trend towards the harrier. The harrier is faster and able to land on FARPS/crayon-boat. It can carry an impressive loadout also, around 8 bombs and 14 guided rockets. It is a considerable amount of ground pound for a small plane. You'll have to micromanage the fuel and asymmetric loadouts. It is a solid choice but very difficult to learn/master but it solid. (edited)
A-10 does have some drawbacks though, mostly dealing with speed/altitude. Some SAM sites literally can't shoot 20k up, so in the a-10 you will be generally very very low. Also you will be sub 250 knots in the a-10. So if a mig 29 is coming, you cant run away very quickly. Gun on the a-10 is obviously better and the harrier gun imo is only used for emergencies. In fact, you can only use it throttled up, which makes gun runs interesting because you are going speedy bois in a nose dive throttle up! F-16/JF-17. These planes are pretty comparable in capability and systems and weapons. I think the jeff gets ignored mostly because so few of us even know it exists before DCS. The Jeff has some really really quirky things going on with the systems/flight model/pylons that you will probably struggle with but if you are not excited about the f16, perhaps the jeff can fill that single engine void.
The 16 is more capable with a wider pylon weapon arrangement and it can carry more fuel because of a dedicated belly tank. You also don't lose a slot for a tpod but you will always be turning left/right due to drag and imbalanced trim. You can sacrifice fox 2's on your tips for fox 3 loadouts, which is worth it imo. The 16 is lacking development in a lot of systems, the TPOD makes you want to commit soduko in the parking lot of an Ikea, and it finally got JSOWs but it got the A model which is maybe better than urinating out the window at anything larger than a infantry unit. It does carry JDAMs and laser guided in all the good flavors plus the CBU 105s of doom, plus the 6 pack maverick loadout. It is a fast plane, able to actually catch up to someone, think mach 1.5 in a dive no problem, mach .99 in mil power at 30k. Air to air refueling though is very difficult to master, if you struggle in the 18 the 16 might kick you, and kick you, and kick you. It doesn't have short legs though if you stay in mil power, think 2 hour flight times no problem.
The jeff is an interesting plane. The displays look like a tesla and the tpod is seriously 4k. It has a limited ordnance selection but has the usual JDAM, GBU12, plus its own flavor of HARM, cruise missile, and harpoon. Doesn’t get an HMD and I'm not a huge fan of the fox 2s, rear aspect only most days but the fox 3 (sd-10) is a murder machine. While the jeff is multirole you don't get to do multi mission sortie since you lose a ton of flexibility by loading mixed. Expect some dirty dirty loadouts for fuel, bombs, fox 2's, and a tpod. Jeff has a datacartridge implemented, so you can do custom chaff/flare programs but you only carry 32 chaff and flare. It has also has restricted jettison requirements, below I think mach .8 for jettison which really sucks when you are going defensive against SAMs. Jeff is kinda slow, expect F18 performance, but if you are looking for full fidelity red, this is it and it honestly isn't bad, it just isn't what we expected. I find refueling it difficult due to input lag and engine spooling/cool down but maybe it is just me. And to clarify, I have refueled every plane in the game that is capable and am proficient in it 📷 Also the quirk: you can emergency jettison in both and the 16's doesn't drop your missiles. The jeff you have to be slow though, below mach .8, which makes dog fights hard because the jettison. Then you might want to switch your config switches (2 of them) and it's awkward. jeff's guns are pretty limited and the 16 carries more of them and i think its dogfight mode is better. Jeff also can't use tacan with datalink on... quirky. (edited)
F-14. So I'm torn about this plane for several reasons. First, from a mission design standpoint, the phoenix missiles it carries allow you to kill any red plane without even being shot at, so it is hard to balance against. That is a DCS thing, not a you enjoying the plane thing though. 2nd, the pilot role comes in two flavors: nothing to do and FLYING the plane. This is one of the few non fly by wire systems so you have to use rudder and gently pull into stuff. You have to trim when fuel is misbalanced, you have to make sure your wings are swept when performing certain actions. The F14 is probably the best module for look, feel, performance, and detail thanks to heatblur. The gold standard developer for this game by a long shot. Other torn reasons, the sparrow implementation is rough, you'll need to use boresight often to get a stt pal lock and that is sometimes rough. Fox 2's are old too so don’t expect some insane stuff from those. Lastly, the f14 is an old machine, so don't expect a lot of hud information, including a useful velocity vector. You are going to be looking at gauges around the cockpit and between your legs for the radar. If you don't have headtracking I feel this is 100% not the plane for you. So now let's go to RIO. Learning RIO is a whole other job. It requires the same amount of time as any other module because the F14 is like a ww2 radar simulator. You don't just tell the radar 'over there' you have to micromanage and tell the radar how to work. There's tutorials obviously but it isn't easy. The LANTIRN pod (anime cam) is also very hard to use, so don't expect a lot of joy in the backseat doing ground pound. (edited)
Oh… jester. I find jestor not too bad but sometimes I die because of him. Jester has an issue with locking onto planes I feel he should be able to. I have abandoned the AI so often just to burn towards the target, get a PAL lock and fox 3 on the guy. Or just maddog one out there because jester won't lock.But my most favorite couple of experiences in this game was with a human rio and me in the front. It was a great ride, and the stories and fond memories makes me want you to do the same. It is satisfying to murder bad guys with your friends, especially when you work together, even if it is poorly (him losing lock and me ripping the wings off in a dodge attempt….) F14 has lase bombs/dumb bombs but bombing isn't the main goal for it. Seems like an afterthought honestly and really only use for giggles and not for serious mission stuff. Difficult to air to air refuel too. Probe causes a lot of drag and is pretty far away from the nose, so getting locked in is difficult, keeping it trimmed is difficult, seeing the tanker is difficult. Jester also cyberbullies me when I do bad just like my dad did before he went away for cigs that one time.
F14 is fast though but not for long. Big plane, big engines, big fuel use. But for it's role, fleet defense, I feel if you really want to enjoy it, you will. There are some huge f14 fan bois and they are probably not wrong. Mirage - Razbam product but actually good. If you want to fly high, murder people from far away and see art, this isn't for you. Mirage needs to fight dirty with no datalink, an unusual RWR symbology, typically low altitude, and only 2 fox 1s and 2 fox 2s. If you get into a turn fight with guns, you're gonna get em. Big delta wing turns good, loses speed fast though. Air to air refueling is similar to the f18 in difficulty. Can carry snakeyes well and big 2000 lb runway baguette delivery. Fits really well into our cold war themed stuff because of the 'limitations' but I often see some EU and Zen coming back with 4 kills to their name with only 4 missiles. Maybe they were born with it, maybe it is just the make up they wear. Viggen I own this now: It is great dumb fun but planning is everything. Easy start up, good bomb loadout, has mavericks which are difficult to use. Has cool rockets, dumb bombs. You won't get a ton of use on general multiplayer servers. It is probably the best anti ship plane in the game. (edited)

Helicopters:

Generally, they are going to flat out try to kill you. They want to faceplant you into the ground and explode. I wouldn’t consider flying one without rudder pedals (not twist) except the KA-50. I would only recommend a heli if you understand that DCS does not natively support heli stuff at all really. You will have to push a lot of 'I believe in make believe' buttons. I personally own the HIP, huey, and Ka-50, and the apache is on the way.MI-8 (hip), and huey: The hip is better at killing and is stronger and faster. But it is like a semi truck with RUSSIA painted on the side. Fly it with purpose and not a sports car. Side gunners aren't the best but it gets dumb amount of rockets. Gun pods are like a light show but lags everyone out. Switches are russia: everywhere, all the time, not convenient. To switch to guns/rockets is literally two seats away. Makes sense for real life maybe but in dcs that is annoying.
Huey is a wobble fest sports car. Side gunners are murder machines, you can also get a free copy of Fortunate Son by CCR if you know where to look on ED's website. Ask in general, the link changes sometimes and is hard to find. With both the hip/huey expect to kill humvees/people only. Light APCs if you are lucky. Expect to die a lot. Hind: I think it is ok based on reports. The AI Petrovich is pretty 'god mode' kinda like jester. You can murder all sorts of tanks and stuff, plus with CTLD you can do everything the HIP can do but with more dakka. If I didn't have the HIP already, I probably would own the hind. If you go to fast, you can die easy, if you try to hover too heavy, you die. If you try to fly when the weather is hot, obviously straight to die. KA-50: imagine you are on a roller coaster but with machine guns and you will understand the ka-50. Try to get it off the rails and it will fight you and you might die. But keep it there and you will murder all of those innocent tank children you encounter. The ka-50 gun can kill t-55s, the vikkors can kill t-90s and you can carry 12 of them. It is not the Hind, so do not fight toe to toe, you want to hide behind buildings and hills and be sneaky. It is effective if you are but it is frustrating if you don't spend the time. Oh….. No night vision in it at all. So daytime or gain/contrast on high and squint. Apache: not out as of this essay. Gazelle: It exists but no one has sung its praises to me to determine its worth. Sorry

Flaming Cliffs 3:

Is it worth $50, no, and you should not buy it for that price. Is it worth $25 sort of. Is this particular module worth $7(on sale) or $15 not on sale? Probably notish. Ok, first I'm an elitist and I'm going to talk down to you. If you have only $7 for this game, it's gonna be a rough game for you to play. Just the hardware alone, stick, computer, etc is going to add up much faster than your modules. If a $7/15 module puts you off of purchasing a module because you don't want to waste your money then perhaps you're in the wrong game. It would almost be smarter to just rent in perpetuity in a round robin fashion all the high fidelity modules till you find one you like and can afford. Also I hate when people say "I want to start with something easier then transition to high fidelity". That is the wrong attitude. FC3 planes are usually low performance/capability . You will have less control of your plane and limited options with these aircraft and you will hate it when you learn the comparison. Something simple like radio management is non existent in these planes and that is just the surface. Some modules don't let push a button for gear down and another for gear up. It is just up/down on one control. Or the Su-25t, doesn't allow an axis for wheel brakes, it has to be a button. Annoying:
If I had to pick one module to buy in FC3, it'd be SU-33. Carrier ops, good fuel loadout, carries the most missiles, has datalink, has some air to ground capability, sneaky long range fox 2's. Also can air to air refuel with the basket which is easier to learn. It is in KM/h and metric but it is pretty good at what it does. Note: if you buy super carrier module you get the SU-33 included. Next choice would probably the the su-27/j-11a. J-11a is the better choice and it has fox 3's and a ton of weapons, datalink. Basically a non carrier Su-33. Next would be the F-15C. Air to air only. Can carry amraams or sparrows for the 1980s roleplay. Has an absolute insane amount of gas, can air to air refuel with boom. No 9x missiles so you can't do the spicy offbore shots. It does not have datalink and the tires pop easily. Air to air refueling is really difficult in this plane. You will have to learn radar on a system that is similar to NATO planes but lack finer controls as the 16/18 etc. It does murder people well because fox 3's though once you get them locked. (edited)
Su-25, A-10A, mig 29 - these are ok at best but for a first module it is a waste of your money imo. It is a much better deal to buy the entire FC3 pack and play with these modules but for most people, you won't touch these very often unless we have a themed mission around these airframes.There are a lot of people that think they are neat, cool, and capable and these airframes are. But this essay is written towards people buying their first couple of modules. Also gearing towards $/value which FC3 use to be good value till all the better full fidelity modules came out. If you are considering FC3, I'd either buy it first as a $30 taste test for DCS (but the hornet/viper cost $50 and they are superior and that is only two meals out at fast food) or like your third or fourth module because you want to pick some red planes. FC3 is also a possible better choice if you are on a super limited budget/don't have a full decent HOTAS setup since you'll need significantly less hardware to operate the plane well. (edited)
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Buy the F18. Rent modules on stand alone. Buy the F18, then syria, then something cool. consider persian gulf.

We are about to be blamed for what is coming, so it's best to be prepared for the real reason this pathetic shit-show is occuring. 5 management changes that had clear and present outcomes could have turned the tide of our country.
1) Post 2000 - Failure to set policed rules and regulations. The dot-com bust was insane! And we all had recovering stress about Y2K fears. The market was very wild-west at that time. Tech companies shot up so fast and were overvalued by over a thousand to one. Politicians, celebrities and sports stars were endorsing things they had no idea about, only for boosting their own income. The conflicts of interest were insane and once the fool's buy spree ended and all these internet/computer companies' books revealed they had nothing but liabilities, they collapsed. The magic of the internet was met with the sorcery of stupidity. And the government did... nothing. They blamed it on poor people and the middle east? In-rushes of minorities spontaneously buying stocks? The breakdown of America? At no point did they say that people in power and wealthly positions in trust made stupid leveraged bets on shit they got dead wrong. After that, they should have REGULATED with a capital R. Jail time for crime. Transparency of books and people. Full disclosures placed on News and 'journalists'. Management of debt instruments for investing.
2) Post 2008 - Failure to remove threats to American investment, growth and economic stability. After the Great Recession, short selling should have been put to rest. Financial incentives to destroy companies and put people out of work are counter-productive to economic growth and civilian contribution/wellness. If you have enough money, it allows for gaming the market. Short selling and everything around it is devastating to economic success. The only lesson learned from the reckless stupidity and short selling, was that the US tax payers would come to their rescue. Insurance for increased future stupidity! Like the movie the Big Short says, they blamed poor people and minorities. At no point did they say that people in power and wealthly positions of trust made stupid leveraged bets on shit they got dead wrong. Only difference is this time they learned that they can bite the hand that feeds.
Like the previous mentioned, jail for crime, transparency, proper regulation and ethical management should have been implimented from this event. This in my mind is where we 'lost the battle to cancer'. Hedge funds were smart... but they learned that they can get real stupid and destructive and get rewarded. Insurance for recklessness. Investing became a game, where it became easier to make one team lose, then to cheer for a team to win. The more money you had, the more oppourtunity to buy the refs, the camera person, the announcer, and eventually, the audience. The amount of government regulation and management imposed on options after 2008 should have been strict audits, compliance checks, quality control via third parties, income verification, weekly reporting, heavy tax brackets, and yes, time for crime.
3) 2009 - Failure to remove obvious hiways for unethical motives and high level crime. After Bernie Madoffs' crimes came to light, the infrastructure he used for the crime should have been eliminated. Payment For Order Flow. Lack of transparency and piss poor regulation and management. Hey! This is starting to become a common theme here! Well fuck my truck and call it a hybrid! This fucker caused the losses of 10's of billions of dollars and the SEC only found out because Madoff confessed to his sons, who brought it to their attention. They were fucking obligated to do something. They had to be given the information because they were unable to find it themselves. If you ever watch a kids show and they make out the cop to be the idiot, that cop was too smart for the SEC. Just when you think they couldn't get more idiotic, they make commercials about theaters and utter threats about emojis as their countries fucking banking system collapses. That's like caring about a lone J-walker when closer to you is a 158 car collision (158 'at risk'banks). They left all the pathways for crime, most notebly of which is PFOF. Even fucking Citadel said it was bad.. like holy fucking shit! That was of course until they committed those crimes using it! Now it's good? Jesus. Well as you guessed it, for the issues, At no point did they say that people in power and wealthly positions of trust made stupid leveraged bets on shit they got dead wrong. They blamed it on everything else. After that, they should have found every route for crime he comited and sealed them up tight. They should have put a greater emphasis on regulation ENFORCEMENT and management. They should have made investigation a priority. Madoff was like a Diety being exposed as fake. No one after should have been put on a pedestal.
4) 2020 - The big problem is that the banks got all that money! Then they made stupid bets on stupid! Now they need to tame inflation, provide liquidity, manage dollar value vs. Gold, save bonds, and increase the interest rate or taxes. Every option comes with pain and it is impossible to manage now. On top of that, the failures mentioned earlier are biting them in the ass and short sellers are salivating at the US banks now. At no point will they say that people in power and wealthly positions of trust made stupid leveraged bets on shit they got dead wrong. Now it's not just poor people and minorities, I am proud to say it's because of poor people and minorities talking to each other! Because you know that people who haven't eaten more than 1 meal today affected the +100 trillion dollar stock/bond markets!?
5) 2021 - In June of 2021 during the run-up of AMC, they should have closed positions and been transparent. It would have affected the economy, but we would be doing better long term. They are just making everything worse, and I fear what the outcome is. They should learn from it and enforce and fairly regulate and ban PFOF and manage conflicts of interest, among everything else. They probably won't. I know that I am not selling.
We have a company that survived COVID. We get called a penny stock, but have up to a 1,054.00% borrow fee!? We have 4+ million people around the world saving the theater industry! We have an entire community and have slowly became a mutual fund - NCMI, HYMC - a fucking Gold mine!, Walmart distributed popcorn - among the highest value added snacks there is. We have stubbed fake news, watched our CEO drop his shorts on livestream (he fucking knows about naked shorts and he is on our side), haven't sold as per OBV, and we even have fake accounts and bots try to pursue us to sell. We are so fucking numb to stupidity that red makes us buy and deep red makes us heavy hoard and double down. We don't care if you are different here. All people equal - APE. We are a sports team all wearing the same jersey. We all hug and cheer when we win, and we are fucking winning. Our theater is doing better than their banks! Our popcorn is in better taste than their 'advising'. If they are 'smart money', I'd rather keep my money and be stupid. The only thing they have managed to compound is our numbers of AMC investors. The water is rising, and they lied about knowing how to swim. We are owners of AMC, and we aren't leaving.

Hello people, I hope you are well, this is going to be my first video game Reddit post which is impressive (considering that I'm always on the political subreddit haha) and it occurred to me to think about Mario Party, after having played it a lot and thought a lot.
It is one of my favorite Mario sagas and video games in general, always revolutionizing the term as franchises such as Mario Kart do, but unfortunately it declined a lot throughout its games and was highly overexploited.
RULES:
I will not include the following games:
- Mario Party-e (Game Boy Advance e-Reader peripheral, 2003)
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- Mario Party Island Tour (Nintendo 3DS, 2013)
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- Mario Party Star Rush (Nintendo 3DS, 2016)
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- Mario Party The Top 100 (Nintendo 3DS, 2017)
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- Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo Switch, 2021)
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The reasons are because they are games that I didn't play, The Top 100 and Superstars are more a remake or even remaster, and one is more of a board game with just a few minigames with a peripheral that I doubt very much that those who had a GBA would have had it.
The very rare and exclusive Japan-exclusive Mario Party arcade games made by Capcom and Banpresto will also not be included and no unofficial games will be included.
I will put positive and negative points and with a note at the end based on my personal opinion and I will use some other criticisms that I will leave in the description if you want to find out more
And in case I need to say it, from the worst to the best
Now that it's all said, let's get started and enjoy:
First I will start with the bad, horrible or what would only be mediocre.
13 - Mario Party Advance
Of all the Mario Party, this is possibly considered one of the most disappointing, boring and bad
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Bad points:
1- The game changed completely, going from being a party game to grab coins and have the most stars with mini-games. To a bad and generic single player RPG game replaced with minigames to solve missions
2 - The main mode and the important thing of the game, Shroom City and next to the missions, makes the game very repetitive
3 - The multiplayer game is quite poor, something curious considering that it is a game OF THE PARTY GENRE
Speaking of the previous point, although it has fifty (50) mini-games, forty-two (42) of them ARE ONE-PLAYED, which means that there are only eight (8) multiplayer mini-games.
4 - Some missions consist of trial and error like the search for Klepto and the search for Dolphin.
5 - There are also repetitive and easy missions such as characters like Goomba, Mole Monty or a penguin who needs help with GAMBLING ADDICTION (WTF?, on top of that the game has an E rating)
Ironically those minigames tend to be very easy.
6 - The music and sound are recycled soundtracks from Mario Party 3 and 4 but with low quality, and their soundtracks are among the worst in the franchise
7 - There's no minigame practice and no image or video of minigame gameplay during the instruction screens (the latter is something that's been used since the first Mario Party game), which means new minigames will be harder to figure out understand for an average player, and by the time the player understands the basics of the minigame, it is likely that they have already failed the minigame at least once. Technically, you could use practice as a power-up in Mini-Game Attack, but you can't practice a minigame otherwise.
8 - Some minigames are very difficult to complete in Shroom City due to lack of time or very high objective scores, for example Sled Slide and Sort Stack. In most cases, there is little to no room for error, and usually making a mistake once in a minigame is all it takes to lose the entire minigame.
9 - After getting all the Gadgets and minigames in Shroom City, there is little replay factor. For the most part, you have to complete the Challenge Land modes to try and earn enough coins to get the remaining items in the shop, which includes a Power Star device that costs 100,000 coins (good luck trying to win fifteen mini-games in Mini-Game Attacks or all eight dueling minigames in Duel Attack to get the required 100000 coins, because minigames only get much harder over time and messing it up once will force you to start over).
10 - If you manage to complete most if not all of the mini-games successfully and complete all tasks quickly, it will only take you a few hours (6-18) to complete Shroom City, and it's also easy to complete Shroom City in a single run (minus some quests that are character specific, like a quest from Mr. I that requires playing as Peach and one from Dorrie that requires playing as Yoshi).
11 - No voice acting at all. Even the announcer at the beginning of the minigames that says "Start" or "Finish" has been replaced with a Lakitu. While it would be excusable if it was one of the first Game Boy Advance games, this game was one of the last GBA games to be released and previous Mario games such as Super Mario Advance and Mario Golf Advance had voice acting. Even the previous "portable" Mario Party game, Mario Party-e had voice acting.
12 - Only four playable characters, being Mario, Luigi, Peach and Yoshi. Even in Mario Party 1 and 2 you can choose up to 6 different characters.
Good points
1 - It was the first Mario Party game on a laptop, so thanks for the try
2 - The graphics are pretty decent (or even good) for a late GBA game
3 - The music, although it is recycled, can be a memory for Mario Party 3 players mainly.
4 - Some other minigames are entertaining, like the two-player minigame that parodies curling or some platform.
5 - Some of the Gadgets are quite nice to play, and there are actually more Gadgets (61) than there are minigames. Some Gaddgets are also multiplayer on a single console, which means that it is possible to play all Gaddgets properly without the need for another Game Boy Advance.
6 - The game also comes (in its box) with a paper bonus board, which can be played by cutting out the parts from the game manual and using the game to roll the dice and play the gadgets and mini-games.
Final Calification: 4.52/10
12 - Mario Party 9
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Possibly one of the most controversial and controversial games in the series (although hey...not as much as The Last Of Us Part II either) Due to its large number of changes
Bad Points:
1- First and foremost, this game introduced the car mechanic, which was a very bad idea to begin with and made many fans of the series upset. This was primarily due to previous Mario Party games receiving weaker reviews from critics for the repetitive concept, so Nd Cube attempted to rework the series in hope of gaining better reception from critics without any consent or care to fans.
The joke of Mario Party was a board game, with large and creative maps in which a lot of things could happen to you, even if you were lucky or last (Or roll ten (10)) The board can handle you so that I didn't win, basically it was UNPREDICTABLE, but in this game they changed the freedom of being able to move to a horrible car and with smaller maps to compensate for it.
In fact, the game pretty much removes the luck factor from the previous games, to the point where only winning the minigames (with the exception of one or the other lucky minigames)
2 - Items are the worst in the franchise, they changed items like orbs or even candy from the previous game and replaced them with DICE, literally one of the "Best Items in the Game" It's just a 10 sided die, something that SINCE THE FIRST, MARIO PARTY AND ANY OTHER BOTH DESKTOP AND PORTABLE WAS SOMETHING YOU ALWAYS HAD.
3 - The music isn't bad, but it's not as memorable as the Gamecube, and it's not even on the heels of the Nintendo 64.
4 - Bob-omb Factory and Magma Mine are infamous for having crippling methods of losing many Mini-Stars. In Bob-omb Factory, you get a Bob-omb on your car that explodes after moving ten spaces. In Magma Mine, lava will eventually rise and rolling too low can result in getting caught in it. Both the Bob-omb and the lava make you lose half of your Mini-Stars, and it is extremely crippling to the point where having a Bob-omb explode on you or being burnt by the lava is instant loss of the game.
5 - The 2-vs.-2, battle and duel mini-games are gone.
Speaking of battle mini-games, there's a battle space and you can still battle for Mini-Stars, but you just play the same old free-for-all mini-games instead of unique 4-player mini-games.
6 - The battles with Whomp and King Bob-omb in the Bob-omb Factory are annoying since they are mostly luck based.
7 - The story mode is literally three (3) player games (although at least it's better than Mario Party 8)
Good Points:
1 - The graphics increased the quality better, unlike those of 8 that were recycled from 4 (or 5 and 6) But with better shading quality, mainly for being the last official Mario game for the Wii
2 -Bowser Jr's minigames are quite good in themselves and can remind you of the minigames of the Mario Party 2 item minigames in which Koopa Kid appeared
3 - It has 7 boards, which, although they are linear, can have their fun moments.
4 - The cars themselves are pretty well designed for the dashboards (at least)
5 -It is the first game in the series where everyone earns coins depending on their position without counting the coin minigames and the 4 player team minigames from Mario Party 1 where you could also lose coins, which is a good thing that later installments would use.
5 - AT LEAST he tried to renew himself and be different, although he did quite badly.
Final Calification: 4,89/10
Now I'll start with the mediocre to average
11 - Mario Party 8
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Bad Points
1 - The story is rather bland and simple, being a candy contest
2 - Although this point will be ambiguous, on the one hand it is very good that they take advantage of the control mechanics for the minigames, exploiting their capabilities like WarioWare, it also makes a large part of the minigames boring because they will be somewhat repetitive.
3 - The boards without counting Koopa's hotel board (the most original board in the game) and Bowser's final board (with its unique elements such as Bowser Candy reminiscent of the Bowser Mushroom from Mario Party 2, 3 and 4) are very linear. or designed for the CPU to literally bowl you more.
4 - The graphics feel recycled from Mario Party 4 with better shading.
5 - The game has fewer minigames compared to previous installments, having only 73, Mario Party 5 had seventy-five (75) minigames and Parties 6 to 7 had more than eighty (80) minigames.
Add to that that of the 75 mini-games, 27 ARE DUELING
6 - Test for the Best, can be VERY FRUSTATING if you want to pass all the minigames perfectly, as a curious fact time will change if it is the PAL version of the game so as not to make it so complicated
Good Points:
1 - The carnival theme of this game works very well with a series like Mario Party.
2 - The Candy mechanic is fun to use, some can transform you into things like a ball and a vampire
3 - 14 playable characters. You can play as a Blooper and a Hammer Bro Now and you can even play as your Mii in certain Minigames.
4 - The extras in this game are very well done, the minigames and you can even buy taunts while waving the remote.
5 - There are some fun extra minigames such as Moped Mayhem and Canyon Crusaders.
The game even had a somewhat mixed reception, giving it a 5.2/10 on IGN and a 6.5/10 on Gamespot which are very low ratings for a Mario game, New Super Mario Bros 2 was rated better and that's what a lot of people thought complain that it was too easy
Final Calification: 5.65/10
10 - Mario Party 10
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Bad Points:
1 - Compared to the previous game, it feels like a more watered down version of Mario Party 9, but stripping it of all the stuff that made it at least somewhat salvageable, as almost every feature in 9 became more sterile. thanks to the devs who made the game easier and less fun than before and the reason 9 was bad was because it was easier for newer players and changed certain things about the formula which while not bad innovate but it did it in a bad way, which was less in this one since it is much more simplified and repetitive than 9, which considering that this was going to be the second NDCube title for home console should have given the small studio time to improve the Mario Party 9 stuff, but sadly they didn't.
2 - Speaking of which, It has the same flaws as Mario Party 9, such as the not well executed car mechanic, generic boards, and the music sometimes being forgettable.
3 - To play traditional Mario Party (in the form of Amiibo Mode), you need Amiibos. (At least is only a mod, and isn´t the garabe of Animal Crosiing: Amibo Festivial)
4 - The Amiibo mode itself is just a bare bones version of the traditional Mario Party, and the board itself is just a square.
5 - There isn't a Story Mode nor any Rival or Adventure that serves as the main campaign for the game unlike in the Hudson Soft games (expect 1 and 2) and Mario Party 9, as your only limited to either the Mario Party, Bowser Party or the Amiibo Party modes instead which don't have a lot of content in them and can feel a bit stale at times.
6 - While Bowser Party isn't a bad mode, Bowser is extremely overpowered:
Bowser can use multiple dice blocks, which makes easy to get to Team Mario. However, even if a player is eliminated (meaning that the maximum Team Mario can go with the dice blocks is 18), he always has 4 (meaning that the maximum is 24).
Some of the Bowser Party minigames takes away more hearts than they should, especially Bowser's Clawful Climb.
As if Bowser wasn't already overpowered, if he rolls low enough, he gets to roll again, which is unfair, as there aren't any spaces for Team Mario to reroll.
Only 3 of the 5 boards are playable in Bowser Party, which is rather questionable since the other 2 boards available could've at least fit well with Bowser Party since all they needed to do was tweak them a bit and that's it, which they sadly didn't do unfortunately, making the Bowser Party mode a wasted opportunity in general.
7 - The game doesn't support Pro Controller. Without the GamePad, you're forced to use a Wii Remote instead.
8 - The game does not have an online mode, which is already UNACCEPTABLE considering that it is an Eighth generation game from 2015, and he was able to take advantage of the fact that at that time Nintendo still did not charge for online
Good Points
1 - Amazing and beautiful graphics.
2 - Improved character roster, which pleased many fans of the series. Rosalina and Spike make their Mario Party debuts as playable characters, Donkey Kong makes his return since Mario Party 4, while Toadette makes her return since Mario Party 8.
3 - The mini-games are fun and most of them are already unlocked at the start.
4 - Bowser Party is an interesting mode and fun mode, even if it could've been better (if it was more balanced).
5 - It brought back 2 vs 2 minigames.
6 - The amiibo party mode is an interesting idea and was an attempt at bringing back the traditional Mario Party gameplay, and there's a minigame at the end of each round.
Final calification 5.75/10
9 - Super Mario Party
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Bad Points:
1 - Although this Mario Party made many improvements compared to its somewhat badly received predecessors. He also made several setbacks
2 - Character dice still go from 1 to 6, and for the worse now they each have their OWN STATS, which can make it very unfair.
3 - The allies in the game aren't bad, but they don't offer as much material as they did in Mario Party 3's duel mode, they just give you some extra dice that can help you beyond that from time to time.
4 - There are only 4 BOARDS, while in the previous games there were at least 6
Speaking of which, a lot of his boards are very short and easy without a lot of events to make it unique.
5 - Some items like the classic dueling glove or the double star card only appear in certain scenarios.
6 - Although they added online mode, it is only something unacceptable for minigames knowing that it was already an obligation to put it in party mode.
Good Points:
1 - The game has very good graphics and very shiny character designs
2 - The minigames are very well done, and it is one of the few games on the Switch to use and exploit the control functions well.
3 - A huge number of characters, having a total of 20, with 16 starters and 4 to unlock and even some of the previous Mario Party returns
4 - The elements although they are not that good, they return to their classic mode instead of simple dice and some are very useful to use
5 - This Mario Party is the first since Mario Party DS to go back to the classic formula with new stuff, so at least an attempt was made to do so.
6 - In an update, they FINALLY added the party mode online
Speaking of this last point, the coins also make a comeback and even with the addition of Mario Party 9 in which depending on your position you will get more or less coins instead of always only 10
Final calification: 6.15/10
Now let's go for the good games
8 - Mario Party DS
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Good Points:
1 - Pretty decent graphics for a DS game
2 - Very good minigames, which make good use of the capabilities of the consoles
Speaking of which, a good number of minigames surpassing Mario Party 8 by one (74 minigames)
3 - Good story and the context in how the minimizer shrinks all the characters
4 - The Toadette board and the Bowser Pinball are very good
5 - You can play multiplayer without cable and only with a copy of the game like in New Super Mario Bros, something that few DS games have
6 - The boss battles are entertaining, mainly against Kamek and the final boss.
7 - The game has a better single player experience unlike the bad Mario Party Advance game.
8 - Many of the older puzzle minigames such as Bob-Omb Breakers (from Mario Party 4) and Piece Out (from Mario Party 5) return in this game, which can be a throwback to fans of Mario Party 3 through 7.
9 - Lots of replay value, especially collected items
10 - It is probably (at least from the ones I played and from my point of view) the best portable Mario Party
11 - Good way to say goodbye to the saga being the last game released by Hudson Soft before it dissolved and merged with Konami.
Bad Points:
1 - The story mode is somewhat short and easy, mainly because there are only 10 turns, when in the past it was at least 20 for the best duration
2 - The first battle against Petey Piranha is known to be the most difficult (in my childhood, I had a hard time beating him) And the others like the Hammer Bro and Dry Bones are extremely easy, except the one with Bowser
3 -Items and items are pretty bad in this game
Hexes (known as hexes) are just a cheap replacement for the Mario Party 6 and 7 orbs, which while it's nice that they're free to use, aren't as much fun as the old ones.
The main problem is the items, which although they have returned to the form of an element since Mario Party 4, have several problems
First of all there are useless items like Warp Dice Block that just teleports you to a random place
There are also super advantageous items like the star pipe (which is a replacement for the magic lamp from Mario Party 2, 3 and 4 or the flutteWigger orb from Mario Party 5, 6 and 7) which is a very cool item though , the problem is that it is too cheap costing only 15 coins, while the items in other games cost between 20 to 30 coins.
Worst of all is that you can now buy ALL THE ITEMS UP TO THREE SPACES IN YOUR INVENTORY BY PASSING ONLY ONCE IN THE STORE, although this sounds good in practice it is very unfair because you can have more than 45 coins and if you are lucky and the item is in the store (normally, at the last five rounds) You can buy three star pipes winning the game more easily.
Mario Party DS received mixed to positive reviews. It currently has a 7.3 on IGN, who called it "a huge leap over the last portable rendition."
Final Calification: 6.59/10
7 - Mario Party 6
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Good Points:
1 - The graphics are decent, although they use the same designs as Mario Party 4 and 5
2 - They added day and night that changed every three turns on all boards, like the horror land board from Mario Party 2
3 - There are a fair number of mini-games and a great selection
4 - You can make purchases with stars of many things
5 - Mario Party 5 orb slots improved them, even if you fall into your own trap, it no longer affects you and gives you five coins
6 - The boards are very large and entertaining
7 - Finally you can buy your own orbs, unlike the previous game where they were given to you for free, but it was totally random.
8 - It has several quite good game modes including the extras.
Bad Points:
1 - They added something new that ended up being crap, which is the microphone, an accessory that connects to Slot B of the Gamecube Memory Card
The problem that it is very imprecise and you have to know and speak English perfectly and it is very difficult to use it
Luckily it's not required to play, you can disable the microphone minigames or just play with the L and R button actions
Besides that the microphone accessory was made only for SIX GAMES: Mario Party 6, Mario Party 7, Karaoke Revolution Party, Odama, Chibi-Robo!, and Densetsu no Quiz Ou Ketteisen. (and of those three are exclusive to Japan)
2 - The Soundtracks are hardly memorable compared to the fifth game and back.
3 - The Endurance Alley mode is a TOTALLY BROKEN mode, you have to play 100 random minigames without losing, the problem is not that the difficulty increases, but that there are minigames that are literally based on luck like Pitifall that can go out there and if you lose you go back to start from the beginning
Also it is not mandatory or necessary to unlock anything and you earn almost nothing worthwhile, just 10 STARS, although fortunately they corrected this in the PAL version a bit
Curiosities: Trap Ease Artist, Same Is Lame, Pitifall, and Trick or Tree are not available in the Endurance Alley in the PAL version of the game, the reason likely being that they are all luck-based.
Final calification: 6.72/10
6 - Mario party 7
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Good Points:
1 - Graphics improved quality in part at least
2 - The character-specific color coding was eventually removed.
3 - The game is the first to offer six bonus stars, all of which are random instead of three as in previous games making it much more competitive.
4 - The boards are gigantic, based on different places in real life such as China and Japan
5 - It is one of the Mario Party with the largest number of minigames without counting the recycles or remakes like the top 100 or the Superstars, having 88 minigames.
Speaking of which, it's the classic Mario Party with fewer mini-games of pressing a single button very quickly.
6 - Toadsworth's microphone minigames are like Mario Party 3 Game Guy, but better because your bet is optional
7 - Pretty good story mode of traveling to different parts of the world on a cruise (who knows you Oddysey)
8 - There is a store to buy many of the things in the game that is literally called "Duty Free Shop" Apparently in an anarcho-capitalist paradise
Bad Points:
1 - Koopa Kid is no longer a playable character and this is his last major appearance.
2 - The character orbs, while useful in their own ways, are imbalanced. The Triple Shroom and Magic orbs are extremely good and can be used at anytime, while others like the Fireball or Egg orbs are situational and can only be good when the opportunity presents itself.
3 - Speaking of which, although it has a very good amount of mini-games, unfortunately there are very few 4-player ones with only thirteen is these.
Final Calification: 6.89/10
5 - Mario Party 4
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Good Points:
1 - The graphics are spectacular, and the character models are very well done for being from 2002, so much so that the character designs remained almost unchanged until Mario Party 8 on the Wii.
2 - The minigames are very well done and it is possibly the Mario Party with the most entertaining and fair minigames
3 - It is one of the last Mario Parties to have memorable soundtracks, they are not as good as the first ones but they are quite good
4 - The gift mode lengthens and makes the duration of the game replayable
5 - It is the first Mario Party that can be played as a team in party mode.
6 - It is the last game in the series (until Mario Party 10) in which Donkey Kong is playable.
It is also the last game where the magic lamp and the Bowser mushroom appear (although the latter is almost impossible to see in action).
7 - It has good game modes and extra minigames like Beach Volleyball, where you can play with all the characters in the game, including the non-playable ones that are the hosts like Toad, Koopa Troopa, Shy Guy, Boo, and even Koopa Kid and Bowser (only exception is Goomba because is the referre)
8 - Some memorable boards like the one with the casino-themed Goomba
9 - The dialogue can be humorous at times, an example is when the rules of Darts of Doom is being explained, a Koopa Kid says "The player with the least points..." and then the fan holding Koopa Kid says "Gets a back rub!"
10 - It is the first, last and so far only Mario Party to use a CGI scene in the intro and also to be the first to have the 3D boards, although the direction of the map is flat until Mario Party 5
Bad Points:
1 - There aren't many minigames even though they are super cool, there are only 60, while Mario Party 2 had 65 minigames (although some of those were enhanced editions of the first game) and Mario Party 3 had 71 minigames.
Other than that there is no/they removed the duel category in the minigames, the closest thing is the minigames against the hosts but they can only be played in story mode and when you win a board
2 - Speaking of the previous point, the minigame against Boo IS SUPER UNFAIR and very lucky to win it.
3 - Bowser's Big Blast minigame from Mario Party 2 returns, coincidentally being one of the worst minigames that could return for being one of battle and luck
4 - The special gifts, which are the gifts in which you have to achieve certain objectives in specific minigames, can be very frustrating like Shy Guy's plate or the worst and most difficult of all the Goomba Clock
Also, if you don't have that gift, you won't be able to have the star trophy
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https://preview.redd.it/0cp8ruz4c0qa1.png?width=400&format=png&auto=webp&s=4393aa4dc8c97ca8c6c25744cd35d16c2ff6bd52
5 - Bowser's mushroom made it the RAREEST item not only in the game, but almost in the saga (although not as much as the miracle capsule of Mario Party 5) In that unlike Mario Party 2 and 3, it only appears when Bowser does a gift falling into his box and almost never comes out, believe me when it is easier to win the lottery of 100 game coins several times than to get the bowser mushroom.
6 - The Doors Of Doom minigame in the extra mode is possibly one of the worst minigames in the saga, because it is practically and randomly to chance, all the doors have an already determined pattern that you cannot avoid even with tricks, although fortunately it is not in the main mode.
Final calification: 7.10/10
4 - Mario Party
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https://preview.redd.it/4jznk9khe0qa1.png?width=380&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9bb68df9759a107dfd3d6b558e92281cd94ec91
Good Points:
1 - It has a new, interesting premise for a Mario game: Mario and friends having a party and Bowser wants to ruin it. Because of its originality, this game was a great success and created the Mario Party franchise with a lot of great sequels in future Nintendo consoles.
2 - This game, like the Mario Kart franchise, revolutionized a concept in video games, in the first it was a karting game with elements of the franchise and fun settings and the second a board game but with playable minigames and a variety of boards and traps.
3 - The controls, despite the mini-games of crush buttons, are pretty decent and solid.
4 - Good graphics by the standards of the late 1990s.
5 - Playing on the island of minigames was a pretty good challenge, which is to play all the minigames in order to advance
6 - The soundtrack is very memorable and possibly the best music Mario Party ever.
7 - They have unique elements that no longer have in later installments, such as the Mushroom space, in which you can double dice or leave you immobile for one turn, and the one-player minigames, which were only seen again in the shit of Advance and in Mario Party 8. , (although there are only three and nothing else to appear in story mode)
Bad Points:
1 - THE INFAMOUS AND HORRIBLE MINI-GAMES OF ROTATING THE STICK, these include Tug O' War, Paddle Battle, Pedal Power
2 - Unlike Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, which did have their elements as something revolutionary in the genre, There are no items in this game, which cuts out a significant amount of strategy the player can play. The closest thing to "items" are the random dice blocks and the warp block, but they only appear randomly. Due to these factors, it is near impossible for a player who is behind to catch up to the person who is in first, the only real way they can do so is with chance time.
3 - You also have to be careful, because it is the only Mario Party where you can lose coins even in 4-player minigames
Final calification: 7.25/10
3 - Mario Party 5
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https://preview.redd.it/mg81kmgvh0qa1.png?width=352&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c23d4cfe2798cfe66c57b0215e169e2279ae699
Good points:
1 - Of all the Mario Parties that used the orb formula, this is the best.
2 - Good story mode in which it is based on preventing the world of dreams from becoming the world of nightmares
3 - They removed Donkey Kong and added Toad as a playable
4 - Besides that they added the category of Donkey Kong minigames which are very good
5 - Lots of great modes, like Party Mode, Story Mode, Mini-Game Mode, Super Duel Mode, and Bonus Mode. Beach Volleyball that returns from the previous game or the battle mode with ships (Super Duel Mode), in which you play a tournament or with a friend a battle with a custom ship, besides that the more minigames you win, you unlock improvements for that way
6 - The capsules are great items, as you can place them on the boards or use them on yourself (which will cost you coins), and is a nice new technique of using items introduced in this game.
7 - This game marks the playable debuts of Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid.
8 - The Star Spirits from Paper Mario are the hosts of this game, and are very enjoyable to watch, as they represent the dreams very well, being that stars are out at night when everyone’s dreaming.
9 - The Duel minigames that had been taken from the fourth game returned.
10 - The new boards are fully rendered in 3D, and are all fun to play, with many being enjoyable Dream worlds, and the final board, Bowser’s Nightmare, being outstanding, showing not all dreams are good.
11 - It is possibly one of the last Mario Party to have memorable soundtracks
Bad Points:
1 - MANY OF BOWSER'S MINI-GAMES are very frustrating or almost impossible to save and there are many consequences for losing whereas in the fourth game, Bowser's mini-games had only one loser (although the good thing is that Donkey Kong can save you from time to time in return to lose 20 coins, although it is rare)
2 - Some of the dueling minigames get very unfair because they are very luck based and adding the fact that from this Mario Party stars are bet on duels makes it more fucked up.
3 - It is also the classic Mario Party with the most mini-games to press the button quickly
4 - Combining it with the colon, the worst of all is Button Mashers, because you have to press a lot of buttons at the same time very quickly.
5 - Despite the capsules being great items, the Capsule System itself is inferior compared to the items. Instead of deciding which item to buy, you get a random capsule. Not only that, but you also need to pay if you want to use the capsule on yourself, and no matter if you throw your capsule on a space, your own capsule will harm you, which can make the game pretty unfair at times. Thankfully, Mario Party 6 did it right with the orb mechanic along with making the orbs purchasable too.
Also see action the miracle capsule is almost impossible to see
Final calification: 7.50/10
2 - Mario Party 2
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https://preview.redd.it/lb6ikon4m0qa1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=dc968339d93c41aef4fa4cea5dc298d3f5e4e966
Good Points:
1 - Good graphics by the standards of the end of the 1990s.
2 - The soundtrack is good and it has memorable songs like Bowser Appears, Keepin on the Path, Going Somewhere, Let The Game Begin, Horror Land and Couldn't Be Better.
It is the second game along with the first with the best soundtrack
3 - The game has 6 boards and in each changes the appearance of the characters to suit the theme of the board, This dramatically increases the game's replay value. Although there's fewer boards than its prequel, their much higher in quality.
4 - There are over 65 minigames in this game, which is a slight improvement on the 50 minigames from the previous installment. Compared to its predecessor, Its minigames are of much higher quality. It also ports over many of Mario Party 1's minigames, but are improved.
Nintendo learned the lesson of the minigames where you have to roll the analog stick about and since Mario Party 2, the analog stick has been used sparingly and by the time of the GameCube, Nintendo's analog sticks have gotten much more comfortable to use. Nintendo also did not create more mini-games that rely on using constant rotation of the analog stick to win until Mario Party: Island Tour.
5 - It is the first Mario Party to include items, Allowing much greater amount of strategic play.
6 - The game has a pretty decent amount of content for an N64 game released in 1999, with there being a lot more features and a better UI than the previous game, which is very impressive and quite the nice amount of accomplishment to take the new at the time spin off series in a new turn by expanding the gameplay a bit and fixing some flaws that were previously apparent.
7 - It was responsible for setting the foundation for later installments, as with the new features implemented into this games like items would also see a decent amount of changes in later installments, and some of the newer games would tend to spice things up a bit to make the formula fresh and exciting.
Bad Points:
1 - The fact that many of the minigames are ports of the first game can be a turn off. About 1/3rd of the minigames are recycled from Mario Party.
2 - You can only carry one item in this game, which either decreases or increases an items value. Skeleton Keys are essentially worthless if you don't intend on going through a gate immediately, and the Plunder Chest is overpowered as it can prevent any other player from getting strong items like Magic Lamps, Boo Bells, Gold Mushrooms, or even other Plunder Chests without their items getting stolen. The other players essentially have to team up to counter the player with the plunder chest.
Final calification: 7.88/10
1 - Mario Party 3
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https://preview.redd.it/0ezp58asn0qa1.png?width=250&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9490e600d418c004a809f594b90d76ec53fb246
1 - Duel Mode was interesting, and was a fun new mode to add.
2 - The game has 12 boards, 6 from Battle Royal, and 6 from Duel Mode, and it beats out Mario Party 1's number of boards: 8, as each of these new boards have their own new functions, which were really fun, including Waluigi's Island, our first character themed board since Mario Party 1.
3 - There are 71 minigames in the game, which is a slight improvement compared to Mario Party 2's 65 minigames.
4 - Introduced some fun new mini games, like Storm Chasers, Eatsa Pizza, Vine with Me, and Toadstool Titan
5 - The first Mario Party game to expand the roster, as Daisy and Waluigi make their playable debut.
6 - Like Mario Party 2, good graphics by 2000 standards.
7 - The soundtrack was good, especially during the mini games. Some memorable songs are Genie’s Theme, Chilly Waters, Stardust Battle, Spiny Desert, and Panic!.
8 - Gave us our first boss fight mini game, being vs the Millennial Star, Stardust Battle, which was awesome.
9 - Introduced Story Mode, which was great.
10 - While Tumble was basically a Toad knock-off, he was still a favorite cute character as he was the first of the unique Mario Party hosts of each game, especially when he's revealed to have the true Millennium Star, who is super adorable, at the end of Story Mode.
11 - In Battle Royal, you can now carry 3 items, compared to just 1 in Mario Party 2.
12 - There are item minigames, as well as item questions for item spaces, making this more interesting, and you can get a rare item from the question if you pick the most honest answer, but only if you are answering Toad's question.
13 - They have an impressive total of 20 items, some new and some returning from Mario Party 2.
Bad Points:
1- Game Guy was not a fun mode, as these mini games are hard and would result in coins being lost if you end up losing in these mini games. Thankfully, this was the only Mario Party game to have this.
2 - The Lucky Lamp is way too cheap to buy, it costs 20 coins to get. In the previous game and next game, it was 30 coins. The lowered price makes it very easy for players to get stars with ease.
Final calification: 8.20/10
And what is your favorite Mario Party? put it down
Now I will leave the sources of Wikipedia, MarioWiki and some other person who influenced my opinions to give credit
See you soon Superstar!

Continuing from Old Thread Discussion #1
https://www.reddit.com/NEET/comments/jbq45w/im_a_54_year_old_neet_ama/
Basic summary is 54 year old guy posted 2 years ago. He only found out he had autism fairly late in the game and has severe OCD. Was non-verbal until the age of 8. He got fired from fast food at age of 19 and told he didn't have the personality to live there. He played retro games, pinball, and was obsessed with black metal. His family had a fund for him and he gets healthcare somehow. Most of the replies are sympathetic but a few guys were kind of upset that the only people who lasted super long as NEETs were people with deeper conditions like autism and schizoid. Some people say he can only handle it for that reason.
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https://www.reddit.com/NEET/comments/eidnyc/32_years_old_never_had_a_job_deformed_denied_ssi/
32 year old NEET from 3 years ago. It was partially due to a rotweiller disfiguring him and leaving him with keloid scars. The keloids grew back even with surgery, was denied SSI and appeals. Truly terrible situation. Mostly sympathy.
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https://www.reddit.com/hikikomori/comments/551ro0/what_jobs_should_we_look_for_already_30yo_no_job/
6 year old thread by 30 year old. Says he was hikikomori for 10 years due to OCD and insomnia hurting his previous job experiences. Said he wanted to do manga but knows he has no chance. Thread got very few replies so it shows how much reddit has blown up whether in a good way or a bad way. Never comments again.
https://www.reddit.com/hikikomori/comments/yedoxc/its_officially_over_for_me_guys/
hiki from this thread says they've been hiki from 21-32. Seems to have someone besides their mother(who died) helping them. One guy iin thread claimed to be a hiki same age, but seems very normal from profile. A lot of people on hiki sub in particular tend to just be homebodies that do normal activities like work so it wouldn't be surprising.
​
Takeaway is definitely that most people that last long have long-standing issues or traumas that don't go away easily. Hobbies are very important especially ones that aren't competitive like with the pinball and old JRPGs of the first guy. It really seems to be bleak for anyone with serious issues. I'll have to figure out better ways to find old threads once this low-hanging fruit is gone, but may also do a "Profiles in NEETdom" to highlight individuals who made it work.
Why do this? I think it's just better to sometimes be able to focus on other people's stories and see what can be taken from them since there's a wealth of information. Time elapsing between the original and now also helps put it into perspective as many wounds people post about now on the two big subs are fresh and a lot of people are in just a phase rather than it being a feature of their existence. There is generally a goldfish type memory on the subs and there's not a desire to preserve top posts( I don't mean like upvotes). like on old forums. Low content stuff gets upvotes easily and the informative threads fall by the wayside.

Hate to break it to y’all but I’m expecting the worst for BT4. I’m sure a good chunk of the old roster is going to sadly get cut aka majority of GT and ogDB characters and that 35% of the finished roster is going to be paid dlc that’s gonna cost like maybe $3-$5 per character with like a $60 season pass and that characters like Granola, Morro, black Frieza, and ultra ego aren’t going to make the roster at launch I’m just expecting a cash grab ngl

I read this book around 3-4 years ago and it’s aged for elementary kids. It was about a girl who had magic red hair that gave her magical powers. Her mom paints her hair black nightly to conceal it and she wakes up one time while she’s doing it. After that like a few weeks or days later she goes to school and finds out she can talk to the sidewalk or pavement and after school she tries flying in a little forest near her home. I think the cover had her laying down with her red hair all sparkly and shiny laid all over the rest of the cover.

I am 18 years old and I didn't have a dad growing up, he left before I even had a heartbeat. ever since I've had to grown up with a multitude of "Father Figures" I never really connected with any of them but it was better with nothing I guess. I also wanna say that my mom did a great job raising me , she was 18 when I was born and she gave up so much for me. I also should note that my 2 siblings know there dads and because of that, I have always kind of like a black sheep in my family, but my mom did try to be my dad by teaching me whatever a dad is suppose to teach you. no matter what, my mom will always have my respect and love for everything she has done
yesterday my dad who we'll call Paul (not real name, obviously) he reached out for the first time in 18 years, note that he could have always contacted my mom whenever but I guess better late than never. anyway Paul reach out and ask if he could make contact with me. when my mom brought it up, I was taken a back by this and honestly thought she was messing with me, but she wasn't, I then scheduled a time which was today, in hindsight I maybe should have waited a bit but I wasn't gonna let this opportunity slip. its probably also worth noting that over the years I did build resentment over him so I know I didn't like him but nonetheless, I wanted closure. so, after being anxious for an hour, I finally called
he started "if you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask" I was very blunt in my questions
OP: "what have you been up too?"
Paul: " I've been raising my family, I have a wife and 3 kids now, I'm not like how I was back then"
but he already had a kid, me, did I not count?
OP: "so why did you leave"
Paul: " I was a dumb kid, and I didn't know what to do, I didn't know if I was mature enough to be a dad, I still ha-"
I Snapped
Op: "and I wasn't ready to grow up fatherless, you left me for all these years, don't worry about being mature because you will never be my dad,
Paul: "I know I wasn't there and I regret it, always have but I'm here now, I want to try and be there to hopefully make some memories with me
OP: I'm 18 now, Paul, I'm about to move out and go to collage, what new memories could I possible have with you?! you weren't there to teach me anything, what can you teach me, you should have tried to be there 18 years ago
Paul: I know OP I should have been gone, you deserved a dad, and I finally want to be yo-"
OP: well Its TO DAMN LATE, that boat sailed 18 years ago, you made your bed now lie in it
the rest of the conversation went like this basically and I ended it by telling him that I don't know what I want, and that this might be the first and last time he ever hears from me
SPOILER ALERT: I want nothing to do with him,
I then told my family and some of my friends, most of my family says that I handled it as best as I can but some friends and family said that I was a cruel, and it got me rethinking some stuff
I don't know, was I wrong here?

Long story short most social events me and my gf go to I end up ruining the night for us one way or another. Here lately it’s been me just leaving the event(usually in a bad mood) but sometimes I snap on her verbally and say mean things that I always regret.
Now with that being said I’ve pin pointed why it keeps happening. It’s because I’m still a bit immature and selfish with my time. I recognize that I need to go to events with my so, that’s part of any relationship, but when at said event I can just never seem to be positive unless it was my idea. I want to change but know realistically it’ll be a long road and my gf already put up with this for 3 hrs so I don’t think she’s going to stick around thru many more.
Tonight was her best friends wedding… I blew it. Sadly, don’t think Im the one for her, but it hurts to see someone go even when u know it’s best for both parties.

I AM THE ARBITER IF ARNIE AND I HAVE SPOKEN!! Just kidding... I had an amazing post yesterday where the comments FAR outweighed the karma, and I wanted it that way. The topic was Arnie flicks... and boy did I get some conversation for my overnight security guard shift! I tried to take the general consensus and distil it into an Arnie top 10 list that covers MY likes, the general consensus, QUALITY of a movie, SIZE of a production and release, and overall IMPACT on popular media and media culture as a whole.
and so now here it is ... THE ALL TIME DIFINITIVE TOP 10 ARNIE MOVIE LIST THAT IS 100% ACCURATE AND BETTER THAN ANY OTHER OPINIONS IN ALL UNIVERSES! (tm)

1. Predator
2. Terminator 2
3. Terminator
4. Conan the Barbarian
5. Total Recall
6. True Lies
7. Running Man
8. Commando
9. Conan the Destroyer
10. Twins

I feel the sheer QUALITY of the shoot and score give Predator the top spot. The cast and vibe are impeccable. The Terminators are too huge and too important and the places reflect their impact. Conan is the cornerstone, and I feel the rest roughly falls in place for respective values. For the comedies, only Twins had the true essential Arnie factor and the others kind of spun off that. For the unmentioned action, Red Heat probably edges out Raw Deal or other lesser titles. The Conan sequel is retained because of the quality, despite it's generic vibe. Last Action Hero gets an honorable mention as the black sheep. It's a varied and large collection, but I feel this list is at least as good as I can get it trying to mesh all categories of judgement with the responses I got. I owe it to the true fans to do some fun homework and share my answers. I'm sure some of you think differently but that's ok... the turnout for the anything goes Arnie post was one of the best and most genuine I've seen on this scorched wasteland of a website! Thanks for the fun, bye bye for now. I'll be back!

In a bathroom without windows using extraction fan - there can form some black mold on the grout lines. I put some anti mold silicone which has some success. Cleaning the grout recently - some grout just came off revealing cement under it. Looks black but is not mold. It's a small shower and only on the floor so no so much work involved whichever way.
What's the best way to fill this in. 1) Just regrout and silicone over? 2) use epoxy grout? 3) just use silicone?
Is there a better solution?

Which would be better for me?
I am comparing Anker Power Bank, 24,000mAh 3-Port Portable Charger with 140W Output, 737 (PowerCore 24K), Smart Digital Display, Compatible with iPhone 13 Series, Samsung, Dell, AirPods, and More : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo and Anker Power Bank, PowerCore+ 26800 PD 45W with 60W PD Charger, Power Delivery Power Bank Battery Pack for iPad Pro/iPhone 11/Pro/X and More : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
I will mainly be charging my S21 Ultra.
The first one supports PPS ultra fast charging but the second one I linked has a much higher capacity.
Would it be better to have the one with higher capacity? I'm not bothered that it would charge at a slower speed but am thinking maybe the first powerbank would be more efficent than the second one since it supports PPS? I'm not sure which one to go for.
I just want a powerbank that I can rely on when I'm out and about without a plug available. I am scared if I get the 737 even though it supports PPS because it has a lower capacity it would die quicker. Or is that not the case?
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Thanks!