Samsung Galaxy S8

After atleast 4 years using a Samsung Galaxy S4(because the first model got stolen from me, the subscription went up two more years), I upgraded towards a Samsung Galaxy S8, meaning that inbetween those two there were at least 3 generations of the Galaxy family.

Two versions were introduced after the official announcement; the regular one, and the Plus edition. I went for the latter because it's bigger and the battery lasts out longer. As my Osiris Vision or grey colored smartphone arrived, I delved into it.

The first thing that's noticable is the screen itself is vivid and clear, and now that I stumble upon those edges, I don't think they're that annoying, rather they just add some style to the massive mobile market. The home button now being more integrated into the Android OS itself is another new feature for me.

The outer camera's megapixels have stayed the same, but the inner camera has improved massively in graphical qualities, it has your "necessary" selfie and Instagram tools to splice things up more, and both of them have awesome camera modes and other upgrades which means that the amount of megapixels on a camera does not say everything about it's quality.

As far as apps or applications go, all of the ones I used before still work good, but I also discovered some new ones, such as the handy Office Lens which lets you take pictures of whiteboards or bills for example and then the software frames it very nicely into 1 size, or Netflix on the go, which is awesome!

I really like the fact that this smartphone can survive under water at some distance up until 30 minutes, meaning that it has very good protection! I'm also a huge fan of Bixby, especially with the object recognition integrated camera feature, letting me translate foreign text into Dutch or English, which is a MUST for traveling.

Other than that, not much else perks my interest at this moment, as I am happy with what I have discovered already. I have yet to try out Bluetooth 5, and I guess it's nice to have 64 GB of internal storage with expansion available, but my personal storage is at this moment still found on my PC.

In overall, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is af of this writing the hottest smartphone to own, and I'm glad to be able to experience it, just like I was with the S4 and S2 previously. Sometimes it feels great to be a hipster and brag a bit!

Video Game Collecting

Originally I was planning on starting with this phenomenon after moving out, but recently I have been reading up and viewing all kinds of collecting videos, that I finally gave in, despite all of the criticism, negatives and scams being involved nowadays. I will get to those factors next time.

Most famously, I choose to start collecting for the NES. My first console I experienced was an NES as a 3 year old after all, with Bubble & Bobble, Mega Man 1 and Super Mario Bros. 3 giving me an excellent introduction.

However, I and my brother had small amounts of games for it and the SNES as well, rounding up for both of them to no more than 7 games, and for the forseeable future, I would only be emulating most of the major hits I had been missing out on, with an occassional virtual console purchase inbetween.

Lately, the combination of hidden gem articles/videos/podcasts and video game collecting for the numerous consoles and the games has inspired me to start collecting in my own way too. The reason I choose to go for the NES is because of it's fascinating and iconic library, from the shittiest turds to the most ridiculous expensive holy grails, while inbetween having masterpieces and of course hidden gems.

Officially starting with 1 game back in february at a pawn shop, I wrote my "Master Game List" inside Excel in the mean time of what I currently own, and sooner than later, I realized that there is a smart and dumb approach to collecting, and also a cheap and expensive way.

To me, if you hypothetically would buy a complete collection of say the N64 or Dreamcast immediately, that is taking the fun out of going on the hunt and finding those games with impressive deals awaiting. If you are instead looking here and there, you are bound to find the majority of titles you are interested in.

I also think that no one should immediately go for the most expensive stuff as well in order to brag for instance on social media or elsewhere. Bargaining for a better deal is also an art I could develop further, and I am eager to use it.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, I have discovered something recently which I was not aware of yet, and I am referring to video game auctions then, in particular those found on Ebay. With the right amount of filters set, I was able to find dozens of items shipping to The Netherlands, and also auctions ending soon, or auctions where most of the bidding is happening, in order to perceive the general value awareness of collectors.

So, on Ebay, well, let's just say that I rediscovered the Famicom and it's shrouded exclusive game library, and to be honest, I kind of went frantic, overboard and wild with some of the offerings I saw online. (I won't share the amount of Famicom games I have won, yet :) )

Which reminds me to properly review the Family Computer itself on Flok Factory, which definitely will happen this year! Luckily, Famicom games have the awesome combination of being for the majority cheap, and they are also some of the tiniest cartridges for consoles out there, meaning that space is not an issue with them.

After I got somewhat sidetracked and distracted on Ebay, I will continue to focus on NES and it's Japanese counterpart, and after I have figured out how to play NTSC and NTSC-J games properly on my PAL TV, I can't wait for the enormous amounts of 8-bit joy awaiting me, with the majority of it having never been experienced by me in any way yet!

Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades

This is the Game of the Year edition including both of the downloadable content expansions, Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City. As is nowadays the case with AAA titles, it's wise to not buy them at their launches, and instead wait for GOTY editions to arrive.

In the case of Dark Souls III however, I simply could not wait. I sold my Apocalypse base game and bought The Fire Fades last month. While i replayed through the base game for the third time, but now as a heavy Strength build, I discovered what I was waiting for with patience.

Ashes of Ariandel is reminiscent of the Painted World of Ariamis from Dark Souls where a feminine guardian protects the snowy world with it's "peaceful inhabitants". Criticized for being too short, I don't agree, as the content, and especially the last boss encounter make up for a formidable time.

With new weapons, spells, enemies and a snowy area to discover, you will get lost in the frozen woods sections, and you will get overwhelmed by the numerous wolfs and living trees in the snowy plain, as well as the bugs in a disgusting inner section, which holds the foul truth of the lonely church beyond a fragile bridge.

Sister Friede and Father Ariandel are the main focus of the story and lore, and together they will become an unforgettable duo of odd proportions and fighting styles. Symbolizing fallen souls, it will take skill to overcome them, and in the end bring true peace back to the painted world.

But it will be the forbidden city at the end of the world where the final battles of perhaps the whole series await the Ashen One. The Ringed City is another aesthethical highlight by From Software, next to Anor Londo and Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, and it's objectively superior to the previous DLC.

Remaining true towards explaining the overall story and lore in a vague and mysterious manner, you will encounter prophesying locusts among very few surviving NPC's while you traverse through the city with it's tough challenges awaiting you.

The Dark Soul as a plot device is the central theme, and as such, different interpretations and theories exist as to what it embodies. A demonic duo in a strange wastelandish area of previous locations, and the toughest dragon of the gods Midir await as tough adverseries, while an Old Monk/Looking Glass Knight esque PVP boss fight is fun as an alternative, especially with the new implemented covenant.

It will be Slave Knight Gael as the most memorable boss of the expansion though, as he is arguably not only the toughest of the whole game to beat, but he also has similarities to others such as Artorias, and what is the most interesting and likely trivia out of all is that he just might be the connection towards the entire world found in Bloodborne, through the hands of the small painter found in Ashes of Ariandel.

The Ringed City is the last ancient sanctuary and haven you will encounter, and if this is the end of the whole pilgrimage through the 3 games, then it is surely a proper sendoff and "swan song" towards the franchise, remaining true and familiar to those brave enough to have vendured through all of the available adventures.