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Good evening, folks! Today I want to discuss which picks I got correct and which ones I got wrong! So, let’s get started, shall we?! I predicted that the Ravens would beat the Texans 34-24, but the final score was 25-9 Ravens over the Texans. I predicted that the Commanders would beat the Cardinals 27-20, but the final score was 20-16 Commanders over the Cardinals in a close game. The Cardinals offense was not playing well when they had a couple of turnovers and penalty mistakes. They had over 100 yards of penalty yardage. The defense was getting to the quarterback and they were able to sack Sam Howell 6 times despite a loss to the Commanders. The quarterback Josh Dobbs did not play well at all and he knows it. He knows that he needs to play better if he wants to be the quarterback until Kyler Murray returns. I predicted that the Jags would beat the Colts 24-13, but the final score was 31-21 Jags over the Colts in a close game. I predicted that the 49ers would beat the Steelers 26-20, but the final score was 30-7 49ers over the Steelers in a blowout. I predicted that the Eagles would beat the Patriots 31-27, but the final score was 25-20 Eagles over the Pats in a close game.

I predicted that the Broncos would beat the Raiders 30-20, but the final score was 17-16 Raiders over the Broncos in a very close game. I predicted that the Seahawks would beat the Rams 33-17, but the final score was 30-13 Rams over the Seahawks. I predicted that the Bears would beat the Packers 24-21, but the final score was 38-14 Packers over the Bears. I predicted that the Giants would beat the Cowboys 34-27, but the final score was 40-0 Cowboys over the Giants in a huge blowout and a shutout. I predicted that the Bills would beat the Jets 24-17, but the final score was 22-16 Jets over the Bills on a punt return for a game-winning touchdown. The Bills special teams was awful and they lost to the team without Aaron Rodgers for the rest of the game. That has got to be embarrassing for the Bills fans here.

Overall, I have gotten 5 out of 10 picks correct!! Now, let’s get to the NFL week 2 picks! The first game I will predict is the Chiefs @Jags game. I think the Chiefs will have a bounce back win over the Jags 27-21. The next game I will predict is the Packers @Falcons game. I think the Packers will beat the Falcons 24-21 in a close game. The next game I will predict is the Raiders @Bills game. I think the Bills will beat the Raiders in a bounce back performance 31-17. The next game I will predict is the 49ers @Rams game, the divisional rivalries. I think the 49ers will continue on a winning streak by beating the Rams 37-20. The 49ers really know how to beat the Rams. The next game I will predict is the Giants @Cardinals game. Both of these teams are coming off with brutal losses last week. I think the Giants might come out on top of the Cards in a close game 27-24. I am not sure if the Cards defense can stop Saquan Barkley and the offense, I’m afraid might make mistakes by costing themselves penalties and shoot themselves in the foot. Although, I think the Cardinals offense will play better because Josh Dobbs will play better, but it probably won’t be enough though. The next game I will predict is the Jets @Cowboys game. I think the Cowboys will beat the Jets 30-23. The next game I will predict is the Commanders @Broncos game. I think the Broncos will beat the Commanders 34-24. The next game I will predict is the Dolphins @Pats game, the divisional rivalries on Sunday night football. I think the Pats will beat the Dolphins 21-17. The next game I will predict is the Saints @Panthers game, the divisional rivalries on Monday night football. I think the Panthers will beat the Saints 19-13. The last game I will predict is the Browns @Steelers game, the divisional rivalries also on Monday night. I think the Steelers will beat the Browns 23-20.

So, what do you guys think about the NFL week 2 picks?! I would love to hear your thoughts and comments down below!

Stay tuned for NFL updates.

The post NFL Week 1 Prediction Updates and Week 2 Picks! appeared first on The Nerd Element.

Transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold.

Look, I’m at that point in my early 30’s where I start looking up what came out during my life in half decade increments. It’s mostly to marvel at the fact how old some of my favorite media has become: whether it’s the two decade old League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie that somehow found its way into existence or the fifteen year old Soul Eater anime that I still want a manga faithful reboot for. As it turns out though, there is another entry in a franchise of souls and swords (and other armaments) that recently turned twenty which is continually baffling to me. 

But come with me on this journey recollecting the weird early 2000’s time capsule of a game that is SOUL CALIBUR II.

Soul Calibur II holds the distinction of being my first ever true fighting game that I ever played. I, of course, played Super Smash Bros on the N64 and Melee on the GameCube, but the platform fighter franchise operates on a slightly different rule set than the conventional fighting game genre. Multiple competitors on the stage, a percentage-based damage bar, a primary goal of knocking characters off the stage, we could go on, but you get the idea. Soul Calibur II was my first game with health bars, stock arena stages, complicated joystick inputs, the whole kit and kaboodle. And I got this game not because I was a fan of the franchise that started when I was about four years old, but I wanted this game because the Hyrulian Hero himself, Link, was on the cover. And as any youth whose primary console was from the Nintendo, I loved the Legend of Zelda franchise dearly. 

Soul Calibur II released during the peak of the XBox, PlayStation 2, GameCube console wars, an era wrought with a variety of version exclusives and none quite as noticeable as the different unique fighters. To further cement the early 2000’s energy of this title, note that Todd McFarlane also had a hand in the franchise, lending Spawn as the XBox exclusive fighter and creating the character of Necrid, who admittedly has never seen the light of day in the franchise since. However, Necrid was still there and very much emblematic of McFarlane’s visual aesthetic to a staggering degree. I don’t think I’ll ever be entirely sure why Microsoft opted to adopt the anti-hero, but he definitely looked cool on the cover and in that illustration style.

PlayStation definitely lost out as they ultimately ended up getting Heihachi from the Tekken series instead of the planned Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, although if we’re being honest, GameCube owners were very much the winners of this particular skirmish.

I remember playing with my younger brother and friends for hours in the versus mode of the game. While Link was my favorite, I also had a penchant for Talim’s rapid mutli-hit tonfa-esque blades (and perhaps subconsciously recognized my affinity for the fellow Filipinos), Cervantes’s long sword and pistol, and Cassandra’s curt sword and shield combo. I was fascinated by Ivy’s weird chain-sword and never learned how to use it, perplexed by the constant stance changes of Voldo, and constantly frustrated by the button mashing nunchucks of Maxi wailing on my character if I made a mistake. I also very much enjoyed the visual design of Charade, this entry’s echo fighter. I remember the slow axe hits from Astaroth and learning how to pronounce Zweihander (although never quite learning how to spell the giant sword’s name) noting the iconic blade of Nightmare. Each character felt like they had their own unique approach to dueling, and even the characters that did have similar movesets have enough special signatures to differentiate them.

The gameplay mechanics were fairly accessible even to a newcomer to the genre as a whole, and the different fighters with unique weapon sets led to a lot of quirky variety and fun match ups. My personal favorite thing to do would be to wring out fighters with Link’s obvious strong throws, but there was a good interplay of clashes and distances for any given matchup. Nothing quite as satisfying as being on the ropes the entire match before securing a vital ring out at a pivotal moment.

The stage variety with destructible environments was fun, the Destined arcade mode gave me just enough lore about the world to seed an interest with the franchise for the many years to come. This was the first game set in the 1590AD era of the franchise, the year which the next two games would cover before Soul Calibur V picked up in 1607. And while I only played those games from borrowed copies, I definitely found myself reading the wikis to keep up to date with the various shenanigans of the ensemble cast.

The part I remember most fondly from Soul Calibur II though was the weapon customization options. Each character featured twelve different weapons, including a joke weapon. My personal favorites included Link’s Megaton Hammer and Great Fairy Sword, as well as Talim’s ultimate Soul Calibur Elbow Blades, although the coolest version had to be the Soul Edge variants with the giant creepy eye in the most unsettling of places. It gave just a hint of an RPG element to the game that combined with the different costuming lent itself to just the right level of personalization.

The Soul Edge/Soul Calibur franchise remains one near and dear to my heart. The iconic narration of “A TALE OF SWORDS AND SOULS” remains just as memorable as Mortal Kombat’s “FINISH THEM.” in my ears and my heart. And I owe a lot of that to the GameCube version of the game. So, Soul Calibur II enjoy this slightly belated birthday ode for your twentieth year of existence. You were a modern reincarnation of a classic franchise, and your willingness to cross collaborate across the board opened your doors to many new fans, myself very much included.

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The post ‘SOUL CALIBUR II’ – Two Decades Later appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

Emmy-nominated host, producer, writer, and public speaker Baratunde Thurston is back with more outdoor excursions. So get ready for brand new faces, places, and spaces as he charts out new territory for Season 2 of the PBS series ‘America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston.’ 

In honor of the season premiere, Thurston spoke with BGN about meeting fascinating people and connecting deeply with nature. 

You’ve traveled around to many states. Who are some of the most interesting people you’ve met thus far during your travels? 

I would say Reverend Antoine Nixon in southeast Georgia is very interesting. This is a brother who grew up right next to the Okefenokee swamp, visited once as a kid, and then forgot about it. He rediscovered it at the Juneteenth celebration a few years ago, learned that the swamp was in danger, and learned how important it is to the lives and livelihood of the people around him. He became a pastor, came back home, and has made it his mission. I think he would say it’s also God’s mission for him to help save the swamp, save creation, and save some of the people in the process. 

What types of people do you hope to meet moving forward? 

In terms of the America outdoors universe, I want to keep meeting people who are deeply connected to nature and in ways that are beyond expectations of what that connection might look like. I’ve learned that there are folks whose connections have many reasons for it. It can be a family legacy, food, play, joy; it can be therapeutic, and it can heal and help you recover from something. So I would be very glad if I just met more folks like the ones that I’ve already met but different.

Can you tell me a little bit about this upcoming season?

So we are continuing our journey across this country to tell the stories of people with this deep connection to nature. This season what is somewhat different is we have more stories of healing. There is mental health–related healing, physical healing, and there is healing from collective trauma. They’re all under the same umbrella of finding healing through nature. In many cases, we find healing and ourselves by helping nature heal. It’s a symbiotic relationship that’s emerged everywhere we’ve been in all six episodes. Also, in this season there are more children, there are animals, and there is more food. 

Did you have any interesting learnings or findings during your exploration? 

I did. The most interesting learning was a very painful truth about this country’s history. I’m well-versed in America. I’ve been here for many decades and was born here. I was surprised to learn about a very large race massacre that took place in Elaine, Arkansas, I never heard of. So that simple discovery, just learning that was a shock. I was surprised by the people there today, and the leadership there today is dealing with it. I met the mayor of the town where this happened. She’s a descendant of the victims of that massacre. She’s the first Black mayor of the town, the first woman mayor of the town, and she has plans. I met up with her about those plans. This involved the outdoors and people who were biking through a new trail that led to that town stopping, spending their money, and making sure that the beneficiaries of all the economic activity were the same folks who were excluded from all the activities because of that massacre. So I didn’t expect to learn a story of such historical significance. 

Did you learn anything new about yourself in the process? 

I learned many things about myself. I learned that I missed the connection to nature more than I understood it. In my adult life, I’ve drifted from a lot of time outdoors. I’ve forsaken it for time in front of screens in many cases. The show gave me an excuse to get back out there and explore that connection in so many ways. And so something has been rekindled in me that’s new. I learned that I am pretty good with a shotgun. I really like being inspired by folks who are working through some difficulty and finding a way through it. It just makes me human. I think there are so many stories that I’ve encountered, so many people with stories that gave me hope that we can enter the future better when it comes to climate change and when it comes to racial divisions. 

What do you hope that the general public takes away from these outdoor experiences? 

I hope that people are moved to find a version of what I get to experience on the show in their own community. I don’t expect everybody to paraglide and horseback ride and freedive and rock climb all in a week. There are moderate and modest ways to access some of what I’m hoping I’m helping unlock. I want to find a version of a connection to the planet that works for you and your community, and nurture that, cultivate that, and grow that. 

You’ve visited many riveting spaces like Death Valley, Idaho, and Appalachia. What was one of your most enjoyable places to visit?

There are different reasons for different places. I think the single episode that most captured my imagination and inspiration was Oregon. Oregon was so much. It was emotionally intense. It was physically beautiful. It was almost spiritually aligned in terms of everyone I met there and all the places that I went there. They had something in common even though the spots were super different. Somehow Oregon felt cohesive in a way where I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I definitely want to go back without cameras.

Stay tuned for more outdoor adventures. Season 2 of America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston airs weekly through October 11 on PBS.

Warner Bros. Pictures invites you to experience the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share one unbreakable bond in The Color Purple. This bold new take on the beloved classic is directed by Blitz Bazawule (Black Is King, The Burial of Kojo) and produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones.

The Color Purple stars Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Fantasia Barrino (in her major motion picture debut).

The film opens exclusively in theaters on December 25th