Author: GoneTrending

Many fans were left concerned when the Yakuza series decided to spin off into an RPG with Yakuza: Like a Dragon. What did this mean for those who had fallen in love with the action brawler routes the game had been built on? Thankfully, SEGA had a plan for us all along. Judgment, the spin-off series starring lawyer turned detective Takayuki Yagami, was set to become the series’ new action game. While Yakuza would continue to explore RPG’s, Judgment would stay true to the series origins. The split between Judgment and Yakuza ended up doing more than just representing gameplay styles, though.

Yakuza is a series about characters. The stories are terrific, but people play those games because they love to see how the characters are going to pan out. This also means that the stories those games tell are solely focused on those characters. As a crime drama series starring actual Yakuza, it’s hard for the series to break out from certain crime drama themes.

Lost Judgment, meanwhile, is still a crime drama, but it can tackle subjects that Yakuza cannot. It’s a plot that involves a serial killer, organized crime syndicates, and corrupt politicians. Yet it also touches on themes such as bullying, teenage suicide, and handling grief. It tells a story that is complex and will leave the player wondering if the protagonist, Yagami, is truly on the right side of this conflict.

Unfortunately, it has to be said that while the game has lofty expectations, it does fail to hit on every note. It handles the more personal portions of the game incredibly well. The developers at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio understand people as individuals in a way that many games fail to do. They bring those characters to life yet again in Lost Judgment and it’s why those personal moments are done so well. Unfortunately, the final third of the game tries to make this story bigger than it needs to be, and while it’s entertaining, it doesn’t carry nearly the same emotional weight as the earlier and mid-point scenes do.

All of that said, the story and characters are only one part of what makes Lost Judgment. There’s still an entire video game in here, and even if the story doesn’t manage to stick the landing perfectly, there will be plenty of other reasons to play the game for hours on end.

We’re happy to report that this game is just as fun to play as any other in the series, in large part because there is so much that you can do. The cities of Kamurocho and Yokohama are filled to the brim with activities that could keep anyone busy for months on end. The usual suspects are back, such as Mahjong and SEGA arcades, but there is an incredible amount of new activities to dig into, such as boxing, dancing, collecting SEGA Master System games, or even bike racing. All of these mini-games are thankfully optional, but they give the player the opportunity to break away from the story and just get lost in the world.

There are a whole heck of a lot of side-quests, too. As a detective, Yagami makes a habit of taking on weird cases, and he can find plenty on his office boards in Kamurocho or Yokohama. He can also help out random people throughout the two cities by exploring the “Chatter” app. By inputting keywords into the app, Yagami can run into some of the wackier residents around town and get to the bottom of a few mysteries, such as the Café Robber or a UFO sighting. These missions are great because they introduce to us some of the wackier characters that the Yakuza series has become so well known for. Still bored? Then team up with the Mystery Research Club at Seiryo High School and solve some of the mysteries around the school.

There is so much to do in Lost Judgment that it’s very easy to get distracted and play for hours on end without completing a single story mission. That is the best compliment anyone can give a side-quest.

While side missions are fun, the bread and butter of Lost Judgement is in the combat. This is how anyone who plays the game will spend the majority of their time, so combat needs to be fun and engaging. The developers unsurprisingly hit this one out of the park. They managed to take an already very good system from the first game and make it even better. Fighting styles make a return, with Crane being suited for large crowds and Tiger better for 1-on-1 combat. New to Lost Judgement is Snake, a style that is best suited for taking down enemies that use weapons or have a tendency to block. What’s fun about Snake is, with enough of the EX Gauge built up, scared enemies can be eliminated immediately no matter their health.

What Lost Judgment has done a good job of is getting players out of their old habits of building up the EX Gauge and spamming heat moves to win fights. Enemies have a good variety in them, forcing the player to switch styles a lot, and if you don’t pay attention, it’s actually very easy to die. Yagami has never been as tankish as previous series protagonists, but it will catch some players off guard how quickly he can take a beating. It shouldn’t be a problem as long as the player stays on top of upgrades and health items.

One of the best parts of this franchise, whether it’s Yakuza or Judgment, is that the games are extremely accessible. There is no game that can’t stand on its own because all the stories are self-contained. That said, if someone has not played Judgment or Yakuza before, then they might want to give those a try before they play this one. Lost Judgment is another great game in that universe, but it’s not the best of those games.

That said, for people that have played the franchise before, then this is a great place to continue. The story is good, the combat is incredible, and there are endless activities for the player to enjoy. It’s always a fun time getting lost in Kamurocho and bringing back Yokohama was a brilliant idea. It hits all the right notes for those of us that love this series, and as such, it gets the highest recommendation for returning players.

21 Savage recently celebrated his 29th birthday (it was on October 22, the night 21 opened for J. Cole at The Forum in Los Angeles) and was given a truly impressive gift by one of his close rapper friends to celebrate. Young Thug, who most recently collaborated with Savage on “Emergency” from the latter’s soundtrack for the Saw spinoff Spiral, gifted 21 with a custom Dodge Hellcat TRX worth $150,000, according to TMZ. While the pickup truck is normally between $60,000 and $70,000 at retail, the custom detailing Thug had added boosted the price tag.

Among those customizations are headrests stitched with Savage’s face, glow-in-the-dark stars embedded into the ceiling, a custom bright red paint job featuring 21’s signature forehead knife tattoo imprinted all over, and more. The customization was done by Roadshow International in Atlanta, and a video was posted on Instagram capturing the moment 21 excitedly received the gift from his friend.

A couple of months ago, their roles were reversed as they partied together for Young Thug’s birthday. A playful 21 shot a viral video of Thug during dinner, teasing him to the point Thug had to snatch the phone from his hand.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Chicago Bulls have rattled off four consecutive wins to open the 2021-22 season and sit atop the NBA as one of three undefeated teams. Moving forward, though, their star guard, Zach LaVine, will be compromised in some capacity. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, LaVine “has a small ligament tear in the thumb of his non-shooting hand.” However, Charania reported that LaVine “intends to play through the injury” and “it’s a matter of pain tolerance.”

K.C. Johnson of NBCSports Chicago reported “LaVine underwent an MRI on his left thumb on the Bulls’ off-day Tuesday” and noted that he “was wincing and shaking this hand after taking a whack on it during the Raptors game.”

After notching his first All-Star berth last season, the explosive eighth-year wing was off to another prolific start, averaging 25.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on 64.4 percent true shooting (.500/.444/.952) through four contests.

Although this injury is far from ideal, the Bulls are better equipped to mitigate its impact than they were in previous seasons after bolstering the roster over the past seven months. Nikola Vucevic is off to a slow start, but he’s an All-Star creator and DeMar DeRozan was also brought in to ease LaVine’s scoring burden. Fellow free-agent signees Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso can also conduct the offense in certain situations.

To open the year, LaVine had played off the ball significantly more than in prior seasons and this injury suggests that could remain the case or even increase for the time being as his thumb heals.

As the basketball and music worlds continue to crossover in entertaining and unexpected ways — think Damian Lillard’s rap career, Kawhi Leonard curating a rap compilation, or 2 Chainz, Jack Harlow, Lil Baby, and Quavo participating in a 2-on-2 during NBA All-Star Weekend — one of the more welcome surprises has been Kevin Durant’s podcast, The ETCs. The well-noted Drake stan and his co-host Eddie Gonzalez not only talk music and sports, but they also occasionally bring on interesting guests from both worlds, including TDE engineer Derek Ali, Roc-A-Fella Records founder Kareem Burke, and in today’s episode, Insecure creator Issa Rae.

While discussing Issa’s role in curating music for the popular dramedy and running her own label, Raedio, in conjunction with Atlantic Records, Issa wonders what the two hosts have been listening to lately. While there seems to be agreement around the table that Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy is worth revisiting, Issa stops cold when the fellas mention Meek Mill. “I have not listened to Meek Mill,” she admits. “Y’all forgave him?”

“For the Drake thing?” Durant asks. “You didn’t forgive him.” Eddie points out that Drake forgave Meek, which Issa acknowledges but refutes, saying, “I’m the girlfriend that’s like, ‘He asked for no onions!’ So that’s like, I just felt protective of him — with him and Pusha T.”

I guess that means we’re not going to hear any Pusha T music on the final season of Insecure. Check out a video clip of the conversation below.

Comeuppance can be a wonderful thing, as long as the recipient is someone truly in need of some serious karmic retribution—and Betsy DeVos certainly fits that bill. Which is why it’s sort of hard to feel bad upon learning that the former education secretary got swindled out of $100 million by Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.

As Daily Beast reports, the DeVos family’s RDV Corporation was one of the organizations Holmes and her ex-boyfriend, Theranos president Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, handpicked to “invest” in their bullshit blood-testing devices, which they (knowingly falsely) claimed could detect a variety of diseases and conditions with a tiny needle prick. In 2014, there were definitely more than a few pricks in Silicon Valley when members of the DeVos family traveled to California to meet with Holmes and discuss an investment.

As Kate Briquelet wrote for Daily Beast:

In October 2014, the DeVos family visited Theranos headquarters for an almost five-hour huddle which included Betsy’s sister-in-law Cheri DeVos getting a finger stick test. “To my knowledge, she received the results,” Peterson testified, adding that she didn’t personally review the lab work, according to courtroom press reports.

Shortly after this meeting, Peterson and DeVos family members gathered in the Theranos parking lot to discuss their planned $50 million investment, which they ultimately doubled, the Wall Street Journal reported. (On Tuesday, the defense presented an email from Peterson that said RDV Corporation, with the blessing of siblings Doug and Cheri DeVos, had agreed to give Theranos $100 million “on the spot.”)

Lisa Peterson, the individual tasked with managing RDV’s private equity investments, took the stand this week to testify against Holmes, who is being charged with wire fraud, and to explain how the DeVos family became financially entangled with Theranos in the first place. When Peterson’s lack of due diligence came under fire, she reportedly became annoyed—but admitted that they did not hire any medical or regulatory experts because “we didn’t think we needed it.”

Given the family’s estimated net worth of more than $5 billion, the loss of $100 million isn’t likely causing much loss of sleep in the DeVos household. But for those of us who had to watch as the out-of-touch billionaire made one terrible decision after the other during her four years as education secretary, there’s admittedly a small sense of satisfaction. After all, this is the woman whose most notable achievements included attempting to privatize public schools, pushing for more guns in schools… because of bears, proposing to cut funding to students with special needs, and—the cherry on top—making it easier for college students to get away with raping their classmates.

(Via Daily Beast)

Since taking the world by storm, Billie Eilish has been using her massive platform to urge action against climate change. She’s released several PSAs about the issue and even gave fans the opportunity to win free tickets to her concerts by proving they are environmentally conscious. Now, once again drawing attention to the issue, Eilish has teamed up with the UK’s University of Exeter and her favorite The Office star Rainn Wilson to pressure global leaders to take action.

In a short PSA, Eilish filmed herself talking about how important it is we take action against climate change now. “This year, our global leaders are deciding the actions required on the environment and climate emergency in a critical decade for our planet,” she said. “We must stand together and speak up to save our planet. Not just for us, but for our future generations and we need urgent, urgent action now and to work together as one.”

Wilson had a similar sentiment in his PSA, talking about the “courage” it will take from world leaders to half our global emissions by 2030. “World leaders, are you up for it? I am,” he said. “Let’s try to do the impossible.”

This isn’t the first time Eilish and Wilson have joined together. Eilish, who is a self-described superfan of The Office, first met Wilson in 2019 when he gave her a unique piece of memorabilia from the show.

Watch Eilish and Wilson’s climate change PSA’s above.

While promoting her new audiobook, Bad Republican, former The View co-host Meghan McCain resurfaced her allegations that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump crashed her father’s funeral. She brought up the claim in the audiobook, and again, during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live last week. However, this time around, her father’s longtime friend in the senate, Lindsey Graham, confirmed to the Washington Post that Jared and Ivanka’s presence was approved by Meghan’s mother, Cindy.

Welp, Meghan noticed. Less than 24 hours after Graham’s remarks, the conservative firebrand took to Twitter to chastise the media for using the South Carolina as an expert on her family:

Lindsey Graham may consider himself a member of my family, but he is not and hasn’t been for a very long time. He certainly doesn’t speak for me or my life experiences. Full stop. The media should stop treating him like he is an expert on anything McCain related.

Notably, McCain does not refute Graham’s claim that Jared and Ivanka were not “funeral crashers.” As for her comments that Graham is no longer a close friend to the family, that actually tracks with previous remarks she’s made on The View. For the past two years, McCain has lamented Graham’s loyalty to Trump and what it has done to the man that she frequently referred to as an uncle.

“Whatever is happening to Lindsey, this is not the person I used to know,” McCain said during a July 2019 episode.

(Via Meghan McCain on Twitter)

The (current) Dave Chappelle controversy shows no sign of slowing down, and a lot of that has to do with Dave’s unapologetic mindset. He recently declared himself willing to sit down with trans Netflix employees but issued a list of demands in order to do so. One of those demands was for them to “admit that Hannah Gadsby” (the Emmy-winning comedian of Netflix’s Nanette) “is not funny.” That led to a lot of eye rolls from Gadsby supporters, all while Chappelle seems really steamed that he’s being shut out of film festivals, and “thank God for Ted Sarandos and Netflix, he’s the only one that didn’t cancel me yet.”

The whole mess sources from Chappelle’s The Closer, in which he proclaimed that he’s “Team TERF” and aligns with J.K. Rowling’s beliefs on the subject. The Gadsby-directed ire sources from the Peabody winner expressing disappointment in how Sarandos paid Chappelle “20 million dollars to process his emotionally stunted partial world view.”

And one wonders whether Chappelle actually expects a call from Netflix employees after he listed demands. If the response from one walkout organizer (and trans activist) is any indication, then yeah, it’s not too likely to happen. Ashlee Marie Preston spoke with the Washington Post to reveal how she previously did want to talk to Chappelle (about his transphobic remarks in the 2019 Sticks and Stones special), but she calls his current response “unfortunate.” She added, “Essentially, he was mocking us.”

Preston believes that Chappelle is being “not genuine” by issuing demands to Netflix employees, and she’s not thrilled with how he’s also drawing parallels to his situation and the murder of George Floyd. Here’s more from Washington Post:

In the performance Chappelle posted on Instagram, he claimed that since backlash erupted over “The Closer,” film festivals won’t screen a new documentary called “Untitled,” which shows how he dealt with the death of George Floyd during the global pandemic. “You have to answer the question: Am I canceled or not?” Chappelle said to a crowd that responded with a collective “no.”

Preston said she believed that in referencing Floyd and claiming that his film was pulled from festivals, Chappelle was framing himself as a victim and pitting the transgender and Black communities against each other. “He already did that in ‘The Closer,’” she said. “He already pit Blackness against queerness as if Black trans and queer folks don’t exist.”

Netflix hasn’t commented upon Dave’s issued list of requirements to sit down with its employees. However, Sarandos previously claimed that “content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.” The streamer later issued an apologetic statement ahead of last week’s employee walkout.

(Via Washington Post)

Evan Mobley looks like the real deal.

It’s early — just four games into the season — but Mobley has been as good as the Cavs could have hoped he’d be right away. Primarily playing power forward with some dashes of center, he’s altering and blocking shots, eating up space when switched onto guards and looking like he can anchor a defense right now.

Take his performance on Oct. 23 against the Hawks — 17 points, 11, rebound, 4 blocks, 2 steals — for instance. On that night, he effectively took John Collins out of the game, using his extensive frame to cut Collins off from Trae Young and the rest of the Hawks’ offense. (Collins is averaging 16.5 points per game on 11.5 shots per game in his career. He had six points on eight shots against Cleveland.)

The blocks in particular show how good Mobley already is. He’s not just racking up blocks when shots are funneled to him at the rim — he’s doing anything and everything possible.

He’s been effective on offense too, playing within the Cavs’ system while getting his feet wet. Most of the time, Mobley runs the floor, sets screens, slides into the dunker spot, and hits the offensive glass. To round out his diet, he mixes in a few post-ups and pick-and-pop three-pointers to keep defenses honest. His passing is showing good early returns, too. Per Cleaning The Glass, he has assist percentage in the 60th percentile of bigs and is in the 100th percentile in assist to usage ratio. He is adding to the offense, not slowing it down to accommodate him.

If Mobley plays at this level on average throughout the year — there will be ups and downs, because that’s what happens for young players in an 82 game season — he might already be the Cavs’ best player. At the very least, it’s clear that he’s going to be at the center of whatever Cleveland is building. There are pieces there to forge the future with — Darius Garland in particular matters — but he’s going to be the team’s main focus. If a lot breaks right for the Cavs, he might be able to elevate this team right now.

“The longer you leave him on the floor, just good things happen,” Bickerstaff said after the Cavs played the Grizzlies in their season opener. “And you don’t have to do a lot for him to get involved in the game. You don’t have to shut down your offense to throw him the ball in iso game. Defensively, you don’t have to make any adjustments because he’s capable of doing a lot.”

Figuring out how to best support Mobley is now the biggest duty for the Cavs in the short and long-term. As Mobley begins his career, they’ve smartly added pieces to supplement Mobley and the rest of the team. At center, Jarrett Allen can handle the bigger, bulkier bodies and some of the brunt that comes with that position while Mobley grows into his body. Their long-term fit is not a question for right now.

Ricky Rubio, even if he won’t start when Garland is healthy, gives Cleveland another veteran on the floor to organize the offense and keep everything moving. (It wasn’t an accident that Rubio closed the game over Collin Sexton on Sunday when Cleveland had a chance to win the game. Garland was out and they needed someone to conduct an Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Mobley and Allen foursome.) The structure they provide is needed. Even Kevin Love, now coming off the bench, creates structure by spacing the floor and adding extra playmaking off of Mobley.

Arguably the biggest choice the Cavs have made for right now, however, is starting Markkanen at the three over Isaac Okoro. It’s not hard to figure out why Bickerstaff went in that direction — Markkanen provides needed spacing off of Mobley and Allen, even if he has troubling defending wings and can’t really punish teams for putting a wing on him. The Hawks, for instance, had Kevin Heurter defend Markkanen for most of Saturday. This isn’t new either — it’s a trend that dates back to Markkanen’s time with the Bulls. Cleveland had to know this when they acquired and paid him over the summer.

So far, Cleveland has kept Mobley inside when playing with Markkanen, allowing he and Allen to protect the rim in tandem and let Mobley use his length off-ball. But it’s worth wondering if this is sustainable — at some point, Bickerstaff may have to have Mobley guard the opposing team’s starting three if only to avoid creating an obvious weak point. He did say after the Nuggets game that he would wait until the 10 game or so mark before making any changes so the decision could be made with the proper data available. Cleveland’s 99-87 win over Denver was also another game where a wing scorer who could have cooked Markkanen (in this case Michael Porter Jr.) didn’t have a big night. So far, lineups with Markkanen at small forward are, on average, -1.1 points per 100 possessions with an offensive rating of 103 and a defensive rating of 104.1.

Okoro isn’t a perfect fit either, at least for what Mobley is right now. He shot 29% on three-pointers last year, including 29.7% on catch-and-shoot attempts, per nba.com/stats. That’s not good enough. Okoro’s defense — particularly against guards — is, however, very good and it’s not hard to see Cleveland having a good defense by playing Okoro, Mobley and Allen together.

If Okoro can improve his shot — maybe bumped up to league average and throw in some cutting and attacking closeouts for variety — to avoid being a minus, perhaps this question answers itself. It also could be answered simply by Mobley himself becoming a respectful three-point shooter.

“We just want Isaac to be comfortable,” Bickerstaff said last week. “I think that’s been the most difficult part is finding the spots where he’s most comfortable on the floor — on the offensive end of the floor. Defensively, we know what we’re going to get from him every night. But what we want him to do is be in positions of comfort offensively.”

This, though, is a good problem to have to solve. It’s better than what the Cavs have had to sort through in recent years, as Mobley is the best prospect the team has had since drafting Kyrie Irving in 2011. He also may be the team’s best two-way, system-defining prospect since drafting a certain kid from Akron back in 2003. Figuring out how to best support a player like Mobley is the kind of question that, if answered correctly, this gets the Cavs somewhere.

UK emo outfit Delta Sleep have been steadily rolling out music since the beginning of the 2010’s, and they are kicking off the 2020’s with another brand new record. Spring Island finds the quartet continuing to hone their craft and push their songwriting boundaries. The resulting effort allows them to build on their momentum and leverage their international fanbase into the United States.

To celebrate the new album, Dave Jackson sat down to talk Steely Dan, ‘The Big Lebowski,’ and touring in Italy the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Is that in 4/4?

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Maybe we will still be releasing music…That would make us like 60 but you never know! If not, let us be remembered for the soft heaters.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

That’s a very tough question as every country has its energy but I will say that in the US we always have incredible shows in Chicago and Philly. They know what’s going on! Italy holds a special place in our hearts as well – Bologna in particular or anywhere in the Reggio Emilia region.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

As cheesy as it sounds, probably my dad – He used to play guitar every night in the kitchen which was right below my bedroom and eventually it inspired me to pick up a guitar.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Just outside a little town in North Italy called Correggio we sat down with our friends in Valerian Swing and had easily one of the best meals of my life. Cappoletti, Melon & Prosciutto, some lambrusco on the side. Spent.

What album do you know every word to?

The Offspring – Americana.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Deftones on their Diamond Eyes Tour was pretty lovely, with Coheed And Cambria supporting as well.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Shorts.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Francis Bourgeois. If you know, you know.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

We usually have a song on each tour that becomes our anthem, the most recent was “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by Crash Test Dummies and I have no idea why…It started out with us repeating the song just to try and figure out what the hell he’s saying. Give it a go.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

N/A

What album makes for the perfect gift?

I’d recommend Veneer by Jose Gonzalez for anyone who is in need of a warm and cozy summer hug right now.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

Not sure what sort of crash you mean….Car Crash, we reversed into a massive bollard in Boston and then had our van towed away for parking in a private zone all within the space of 30 mins. Falling asleep, we’ve played a lot of weird places on tour over the years – We’ve slept in an abandoned hospital outside of Florence, a capsule hotel in Osaka (where Glen had a proper night terror), but one of the strangest was an abandoned government building that was built on a hill overlooking Genoa in Italy. It was built in the shape of a massive letter ‘M’ for Mousilini back in the day, a very weird place.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

I got my first tattoo on tour in Japan, in fact we all got the same tattoo which was a Gyza dumpling that had Hello Kitty eyes. We all decided it would be fun to get a tour tattoo for our first tour in Japan but it turns out getting a tattoo, or at least back then, was pretty difficult in Japan and the only place we could find near to us in Tokyo was some chap operating out of a flat in an apartment block. Seemed legit at the time…

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Steely Dan.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

We get lots of lovely gifts from fans, last time out in the US someone (sorry I don’t know your name) stitched the Ghost City album artwork for us, if you check out the Soft Sounds version of Afterimage you’ll see Blake sporting it on his makeshift kit.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Don’t join a band if you’re the only one that can drive.

What’s the last show you went to?

It’s been a while for everyone I guess but the last show I can remember was Cult of Luna in London and they blew everyone away. Hands down one of the best live bands out there.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

The Big Lebowski, gets me everytime!

What would you cook if Kanye were coming to your house for dinner?

Fish Sticks.

Spring Island is out November 12 via Sofa Boy Records. Pre-order it here.