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Theres a moment near the end of Control that is so unabashedly thrilling, joyous, and decadent in its design that it would make most roller coaster creators reflect on their life decisions. To say much more about the Ashtray Maze would be to spoil the giddy surprise. But its worth noting that, when its over, protagonist Jesse catches her breath and offers her analysis of the mind-blowing events that just transpired:

That was awesome.

Its not something youd expect the normally stoic Jesse to let out, given her predicament. Control is a game about navigating a paranormal US government agency in an attempt to find out the truth about what happened to your brother, and things get pretty dark. But it cuts to the core of why this is my favorite game of 2019. Remedy Entertainment didnt just create an exhilarating action sequence; it had the confidence to know that its players would be thinking the exact same thing as Jesse.

That same confidence is key to Controls storytelling, which leans heavily on the assumption that players will be invested in Remedys enigmatic lore. Control throws a lot of cryptic terminology at you from the start and trusts that youll be intrigued enough to figure out what it means down the line. For me, at least, the payoff was more than worth it.

Control is not exactly shy about its influences. There are clear references to the likes of Lost, Annihilation, SCP fiction, Twin Peaks, and House of Leaves, all wrapped up in a distinctive visual design that references brutalist architecture and 70s typography. The resulting bricolage is tremendously satisfying, feeling entirely like its own thing without being shy about the homages it is paying.

It all works because, unlike any of those aforementioned inspirations, Control is a video game. And video games, more than any other medium, are uniquely suited to the concept of a character digging up information on fascinatingly arcane subject matter. Control is a game that spends most of its running time placing you in dour office blocks, yet every dusty computer and abandoned cubicle around the corner of each right-angled corridor feels ripe with possibility. There might just be another heavily redacted email to read or grainy videotape to watch that gets you that little bit closer to understanding the Astral Plane.

Of course, Control isnt all about rifling through filing cabinets. This is an action game at its core, and Remedy adopted a relatively conventional Metroidvania-style structure where you start from a hub area and gradually unlock abilities that grant you access to new locations. The important twist, however, is that much of the best stuff is optional. Useful combat abilities are often unlocked through narrative side-quests that reward you for investigating further.

Control can be a tough game at times, and it doesnt have any difficulty settings. In the end, though, I didnt have much trouble finishing it. Far more than other comparable action-adventure games, I found myself compelled to finish as many side missions as I possibly could, which had the welcome bonus of making Jesse a lot more powerful by the end of the story. Control doesnt necessarily have the tightest combat, and some of its level-up systems are a little over-designed. But when you get to the point where youre able to fly around a vast room and use concrete pillars as a shield before flinging more masonry at your unfortunate adversaries, it rarely feels like a chore.

Thats what makes Control so special. Its unusual to come across such an ambitious game where each of its elements feels so perfectly in tune with one another, the pursuit of one rewarding you with progress elsewhere. Controls lore is rich and engrossing, and the best way to delve into it is by taking on combat challenges. The combat is experimental and satisfying, and the best way to get better at it is by exploring the games fiction. If youre not into either of these elements, you wont like Control. If youre into both, you will love it.

Control is a knockout game. It clicked with me on a level so few games do, where I wanted to read it as much as play it and play it just so I could read it more. It all comes down to Remedys confidence and, yes, control over the vision it had from the start. I believe its the best game Remedy has ever made and the best thing I played all year.

Original post:
Why Control is my game of the year - The Verge

Johann van Graan refused to criticise his players for the on-field decision to turn down a penalty at goal which would have earned them a bonus point in their 15-6 defeat by Saracens at Allianz Park. It is a decision which has left them probably needing to win their final two pool matches away to Racing and at home to the Ospreys to have any chance of again qualifying for the knockout stages of the Heineken Champions Cup.

You always back the decisions on the pitch, said Van Graan. They decided to go to the corner and unfortunately it didnt work out for us. But theres a lot of rugby left in this pool, the fact Saracens didnt get four tries means its 17 (Racing), 11 (Munster), 10 (Saracens) if Im not mistaken. The Paris game becomes a knockout game for us now, we need to go and win in Paris.

Indeed, bonus point or not, Munster were probably going to need two wins from their final two games anyway in the event of a defeat here, and for all the disruptions suffered in losing Peter OMahony before kick-off and three more World Cup internationals during the game - Tadhg Beirne, John Ryan and Andrew Conway.

Its disappointing, we came here to win, said Van Graan. We were in the game for large parts of it, but unfortunately in the last 20 minutes they were applying pressure in our 22 and they went for multiple scrums and scored the try that put us under huge pressure.

I felt their bench made a big impact and we lost Pete in the warm-up, Tadhg pretty early, John Ryan pretty early - we were quite thin there at the end. It was an incredibly tough game of rugby against the champions in their back yard, but Im incredibly proud of our guys.

The extent of OMahonys groin injury was unclear.

Its difficult to say. He pulled out, he had started the warm-up pretty well but pulled out with his groin. Its very frustrating to lose your captain in the warm-up, especially for a game like this. Then to lose Tadhg, your other loose forward, it made the lineout very interesting from our side.

Well done to Billy Holland for adapting, it was something we went hard at last weekend and we were down two men in the lineout and obviously in the poach threat as well, thats two of our best poachers. But look, thats rugby - youve got to adapt and I thought the guys that came on did all they could.

Beirnes ankle injury and Ryans calf injury both looked potentially more serious, but again it was too soon for Van Graan to provide any news. I havent spoken to him (Beirne) but it looks pretty serious. Losing John Ryan, which looks also like a pretty serious calf injury and losing Peter in the warm-up and Andrew Conway to a HIA was tough to take.

There could be ramification too as a result of the all-in brawl which spilled off the pitch in the 50th minute, and which Saracens believe was caused by something a member of the Munster backroom staff, believed to be team doctor Dr Jamie Kearns said to Jamie George. It also led to a penalty which JJ Hanrahan missed to push Munster 9-3 in front.

Look I dont know what happened here, there were a lot of people involved which is never nice to see and we missed the penalty, the score was 6-3 at that stage, said Van Graan.

Had we gone to 9-3 it might have given momentum to our side, so we missed that penalty and thats what I said earlier in the week. To come and win here, only one side has managed it, you need to be at your utmost best and take all of your opportunities and unfortunately we left one or two opportunities out there.

When it was specifically put to Van Graan that it was something Kearns said, the Munster head coach commented: Ive no idea what happened there, Ill have a look at it but Im not going to speculate. You never want to see a fight between two teams of this quality.

It subsequently transpired that Dr Kearns had apologised in person to George and while it was thought both camps are set to move on, Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall intimated that Saracens might lodge a complaint about the comments that provoked the fight.

"We need to decide to what we're going to do before I start speaking about that," McCall said. "From what I know, something pretty bad was said at Jamie. He wouldn't have reacted the way he reacted otherwise. We'll take our time to decide whether we do anything.

"I don't think what was said to Jamie was good at all . . . Owen Farrell got penalised for running into the melee but from what I saw 29 other people ran into it. It was a strange penalty to give and it was instigated by a member of their staff. We'll decide what happens next."

Read more from the original source:
Van Graan stands by decision to kick to touch - The Irish Times

Johann van Graan backed his players to make the right on-pitch decisions after Munster missed a chance to rescue a losing bonus point in a 15-6 defeat at Saracens today.

Munster had a late penalty to move within seven points of last seasons Heineken Champions Cup winners in north London but instead of kicking for goal, stand-in captain CJ Stander and his leadership group opted to go for a try and kicked for the corner.

The resulting lineout came to nothing and Munster now go into the last two rounds on 11 points, just a point in front of Saracens and six adrift of Racing 92 at the top of Pool 4 with a trip to Paris to play the table-toppers on January 12.

Head coach van Graan refused to criticise the Munster players for their call and insisted the chance to qualify for the knockout stages was still up for grabs.

"You always back the decisions on the pitch, they decided to go to the corner and unfortunately it didn't work out for us, van Graan said.

"But there's a lot of rugby left in this pool, the fact Saracens didn't get four tries means it's 17, 11, 10 if I'm not mistaken.

"The Paris game becomes a knockout game for us now, we need to go and win in Paris."

Despite losing skipper Peter OMahony to a groin problem during the warm-up and then seeing fellow back-rower Tadhg Beirne leave the game on a stretcher with an ankle or lower leg injury after just 10 minutes, then prop John Ryan to a calf injury before the half-hour mark, Munster held their own against a near full-strength Saracens side and broke a half-time deadlock with a 44th-minute JJ Hanrahan penalty to move into as 6-3 lead.

A mass brawl between the teams soon afterwards that had appeared to have been sparked by an argument between Saracens hooker Jamie George and Munster doctor Jamie Kearns, handed the visitors another penalty as the home side looked rattled but Hanrahan pushed his kicked wide.

Saracens rallied from that point and tries from Sean Maitland and Mako Vunipola sealed their win, much to Munsters frustration.

It's disappointing, we came here to win, van Graan said. We were in the game for large parts of it, but unfortunately in the last 20 minutes they were applying pressure in our 22 and they went for multiple scrums and scored the try that put us under huge pressure

"I felt their bench made a big impact and we lost Pete in the warm-up, Tadhg pretty early, John Ryan pretty early... we were quite thin there at the end.

"It was an incredibly tough game of rugby against the champions in their backyard but I'm incredibly proud of our guys."

Of the fight early in the second half, the Munster boss said: I don't know what happened here, there were a lot of people involved which is never nice to see and we missed the penalty, the score was 6-3 at that stage.

"Had we gone to 9-3 it might have given momentum to our side, so we missed that penalty and that's what I said earlier in the week - to come and win here, only one side has managed it (in Europe), you need to be at your utmost best and take all of your opportunities and unfortunately we left one or two opportunities out there."

Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

Saracens boss Mark McCall repeated his defence coach Alex Sandersons claim that Munster doctor Kearns had said something untoward to Jamie George to spark the brawl and that his club would consider taking further action.

We need to decide what we're going to do before I start speaking about that. From what I know, something pretty bad was said at Jamie (George).

"He wouldn't have reacted the way he reacted otherwise. We'll take our time to decide whether we do anything.

I don't think what was said to Jamie was good at all. We'll see. If a doctor....we just have to decide....because it started a 30-man brawl.

"Owen Farrell got penalised for running into the melee but from what I saw 29 other people ran into it.

"It was a strange penalty to give and it was instigated by a member of their staff who said something horrible to one of our players.

"We'll decide what happens next.

More here:
Van Graan: 'You always back the decisions on the pitch' - Irish Examiner

Carshalton Athletic are preparing for an enticing FA Trophy tie this Saturday after winning an enthralling league battle with fellow play-off hopefuls Bognor Regis Town, writes James Barrett-Sterling.

In a game that saw the woodwork hit three times, several saves by both goalkeepers and a host of spurned chances, it was midfielder Kershaney Samuels' first goal for the Robins that proved the eventual difference at Colston Avenue.

The 1-0 win moved Carshalton up into the top five of the Isthmian Premier League and was also their third straight victory on the bounce.

And, while he plots his sides approach against visiting Aveley in the FA knockout competition this coming weekend, player/manager Peter Adeniyi has been most pleased with his squad's recent defensive resolve.

"Bognor are a very good side and I was pleased we restricted them to few opportunities during the game," said Adeniyi.

"I'm very satisfied with a third clean sheet in a row. If you don't concede then you wont lose football matches and weve been stressing that recently.

"We are lucky to have an outstanding crop of defenders here, plus goalkeeper Kleton Perntreou has done his part when required. All of them have played exceptionally well lately."

Bobby Price, one of those aforementioned defenders, almost spectacularly opened the scoring last Saturday with a 25 yard screamer in the third minute that hit both posts without going over the line.

That set the tone for an exciting game that swung back and forth, but Samuels match-winner arrived on 24 minutes he burst to the edge of the Bognor area before playing a neat one-two with the unselfish Tommy Bradford to score past keeper Adamou Tangara.

The visitors had won five of their last six matches ahead of their visit to Colston Avenue, and James Crane came close to equalising before the break as his 15 yard strike cannoned back off a post.

Either wasteful finishing or good saves by Tangara kept Carshalton from adding to their lead after the break, while Perntreou was called into late action by Ashton Leighs angled drive to help preserve his sides clean sheet.

It was a really enjoyable game playing against Bognor and Im sure any neutral wouldve loved watching it, added Adeniyi whom came on as a 40thminute substitute for the injured Luke Read.

We did miss a few chances to make the game safe but, after each one, we said to each other we are not conceding today and the boys did their jobs to make sure that happened.

Saturdays FA Trophy game against Aveley is Carshaltons tenth knockout game of a busy season, but its a competition that does offer a route to Wembley.

The Robins have already beaten Merstham, Frome Town and Tooting and Mitcham United to reach the first round proper, while lower-league Aveley have won four matches to reach this stage.

Carshalton fans will be hoping their team can channel the spirit that saw them take National League Barnet to a replay in a third round proper last season.

Carshalton Athletic vs Aveley is at Colston Avenue on Saturday 14thDecember (kick-off 3pm).

Excerpt from:
Carshalton prepare for FA Trophy tie with 1-0 win over Bognor Regis - Richmond and Twickenham Times

Over the past year, President Donald Trump has talked and talked and talked. He has talked at photo ops at the White House. He has talked at impromptu press conferences while abroad. He has talked at campaign event after campaign event.

And I have watched or read it all -- poring over the transcripts to find the most, um, notable quotes. Below, we've gathered the best of the best -- or worst of the worst, depending on your point of view -- lines of 2019.

The President celebrated the new year with a 90+ minute Cabinet meeting -- and cameras were rolling the entire time. He answered question after question as his Cabinet sat silently.

The President of the United States offers his thoughts on Syria.

This is so revealing. All of life is a casting call for Trump. These generals were good because they were good looking and strong. Even more than Tom Cruise!

"Computer boards."

"Computer boards."

Is that how that goes? The buck stops with everybody? (Remember: Trump hardly ever takes the blame for anything -- especially the things that are his fault.)

11. "I was obviously a good candidate. I won every debate. I won everything I did, and I won, and I won easily."

When Trump said this, the 2016 election had ended 797 days ago.

Trump's response here to a question on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg following her illness was -- dare I say it -- presidential.

Trump on the global situation: America 🙂 Rest of world 🙁

"The Pocahontas Trap?" Is that a Disney flick?

In this quote from Trump's interview on CBS News before this year's Super Bowl, Trump questioned his intelligence community's assessment of Iran. Worth nothing: His "intelligence people" didn't say Iran was a kindergarten, they simply said they believed the country to be in compliance with the nuclear deal Trump pulled out of in May 2018.

The Mueller report hadn't come out yet.

Donald Trump on North Korea. Yup!

Donald Trump and Texas sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love then comes ... ah, you know the rest.

There's so much here. First, Trump was comparing his rally to the Academy Awards because of the amount of press that was covering it. (But I thought he hated the media?) Then he's saying that the Oscars, like everything else, aren't as good as they used to be. And finally, he is attributing the decline of the Oscars to the fact that some of the actors have taken shots at him. He truly contains multitudes.

This an unedited "sentence" from the President of the United States. Someday.

When a protester interrupts a speech, that's when Trump's real bullying tendencies emerge.

Remember: Trump views himself as an entertainer first and everything else second. So his measure of success is whether people are having fun.

Oh, that is rich. Important note: Donald Trump made over 8,000 false or misleading claims in his first two years in office, according to The Washington Post's Fact Checker. By October 2019, that number had risen to 13,435.

Trump has already said, repeatedly, that "Keep America Great" is his preferred 2020 slogan. Also, he's been running for a second term since the day he won in 2016.

In which Donald Trump claims to have invented the word "caravan."

Yup. He said this.

Words fail.

This is not edited. He really said these sentences back-to-back.

So, the President was declaring a national emergency on the southern US border because "we have to do it," not because he said we had to do it on the campaign trail. But ask yourself this: If it was such an emergency, why did Trump wait more than two years into his term to declare it one?

Important thing to always remember about Trump: Nothing is ever his fault. He is always the undeserving victim of other peoples' malice, incompetence or both.

(Trump while taking questions). ABC > NBC. But, IT'S CLOSE!

"Now I do politics." -- The President of the United States

Wait, so former President Barack Obama told Trump he was planning a "big" war against North Korea? Interesting! I am sure that conversation happened exactly as Trump said it did!

Ah, those rich -- and dusty -- days. Man, they were great. Tough on the allergies. But great.

It IS true. Voters seemed to believe that Trump's often rambling, hard-to-understand speeches.

"When the wind stop blowing, that's the end of your electric." -- The President of the United States. (Also, Trump is mocking the "Green New Deal" here.)

Trump has even turned his infamous love for cursing into some sort of anti-elites mantra. Amazing.

I assume Trump is referring to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusing himself from the Russia probe. Or maybe former FBI Director James Comey for launching the probe. Or deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for forming a special counsel to look into it. Maybe all of the above. Either way: It's total bullshit!

Agreed. How else does anyone watch "Succession?" (Also, Trump may have gotten a *little* off-topic during his CPAC speech.)

Trump is talking about why he is speaking for so long and so far off-script. It's because of love, obviously.

From good to great in two sentences: The life of Donald Trump.

Trump was in Iraq to meet with generals. His first thought? Bring in the cameras. Let's make a movie.

So, Trump is saying he deserves credit for the 2018 midterm election! The same 2018 election in which Republicans suffered a near-total loss: Democrats made a net gain of 39 seats in the House, picked up 7 governor's mansions and hundreds of seats in state legislatures across the country.

Republicans DID win the Senate, and those 32 "big, fat rallies" probably helped -- but with 26 Democratic seats up for reelection and only nine for Republicans, the 2018 Senate map was one that Republicans should have capitalized on -- not just survived.

He is totally and completely obsessed with crowds. And crowds staying. And loving him. This feels like a good place to end the CPAC portion of our tour.

So, if Trump wasn't president, we would be running on wind power right now? Also, he's right -- the wind does "only blow sometimes."

So, if Hillary Clinton was president right now, we'd have no oil or gas. Just wind. And you know the wind "only blows sometimes."

Why did Trump suddenly out of nowhere start talking about his potential 2020 opponents? Oh, I have no idea. But the crowd LOVED it.

It's fascinating that Trump understands the job of being president as getting lots of people to show up to rallies.

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States! Whether on "The Apprentice" or pushing his NAFTA replacement, you have to admit Trump has a flair for salesmanship.

Honestly, same.

You got hammered with a hurricane. But that's over now. And I am here now. Like, that's literally what he is saying here.

"That's Puerto Rico and they don't like me." -- Donald Trump, literally 10 seconds before he said this.

This is a classic Trump pitch -- and it's at the core of his appeal: Trump and other "regular" people are in a cultural war against "elites" in government, media and everywhere else.

What's that? You're right! It is strange that a billionaire who never lived outside of New York City before he moved to the White House has successfully become the voice of the common man.

The super elite: The elite, but with bigger houses. And boats.

Remember that Trump's natural state is as a bully. it's where he's best and most comfortable.

Trump is referring to the surveillance of a former aide -- Carter Page -- as part of the FBI's counterintelligence probe into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election. And this "spying" was totally lawful -- approved by a FISA court and re-approved three times. Just saying.

Wait, being president is hard? I had never thought of that!

Totally responsible rhetoric here from the President of the United States! Very normal! (Side note: I couldn't find the article Trump read that said "everybody's being stabbed.")

A real, unedited sentence from the President of the United States.

... said the President of the United States about the speaker of the US House while in a foreign country -- and with thousands of grave markers in the background of his TV shot.

"If I made any statement about anybody it would be like a big headline, why would he do that when he's overseas?" -- Donald Trump, literally two minutes before saying this.

In which Trump suggests that the Queen of England has never had a better time -- ever -- than she did hanging out with him over the past few days.

In sum: Tariffs are beautiful. But only when you are a piggy bank. And have "all the money."

Trump 2020 slogan: Won't get fooled again!

French wine is great.

Wait, people walk around in $2 billion undershirts? Or they don't? Either way -- our geniuses are better than China's geniuses, I guess?

Be best.

In any normal presidency, this would be a news story for a week. The President of the United States accusing the opposition party of committing "many crimes"!??! Without evidence, to boot! But because Trump says things like this -- again, with zero evidence -- all the time, it barely causes a ripple.

Me in 8th grade: "I DO SO have a girlfriend. She's a model and she totally loves me. You can't meet her. She lives in Montana. She writes me every day. But the letters are private."

Melania T. has a nice ring to it! Trump was talking, by the way, about his decision to redo Air Force One because he didn't like the "baby blue" color picked by First Lady Jackie Kennedy.

OK. So, Point 1: Trump doesn't believe in pollsters. Point 2: He just met with a pollster and he is "winning everywhere." THIS ALL MAKES SENSE TO ME!!!!

Truly stunning stuff here. What Trump, who is, reminder, the President of the United States, seems to fail to grasp is that a foreign county would almost certainly have a motive for passing along negative information about Trump's opponent.

This explanation is the best one I've seen about why Trump uses Twitter so much. He loves to be able to drive news cycles -- even if the news cycle is unfavorable to him. The power to do it is intoxicating to him -- someone who spent his whole life trying to get coverage for himself from what he believed to be a biased media. Now, he can make the news with a single tweet. And he loves it.

Nobody? Ever? [Consults first page of any history book ever.]

This is accurate -- especially if your definition of "treated supposedly very badly" is "was assassinated."

This seems to suggest that Trump doesn't believe Kim is a bad guy -- and that many of the reports of the atrocities by Kim are, uh, "fake news?"

My college jazz fusion band was named "Instantaneously Wealthy Behemoth."

First, Trump is saying his record of appointing federal judges is behind only that of America's first president. Second: "Your favorite president, Donald Trump."

If you are looking for an encapsulation of why Trump won in 2016 -- and why he could win again in 2020 -- this is it. This is Trump at his anti-elite, populist best -- railing against a system that he argues hates and disdains the average person.

Pretty low-stakes then, right?

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is no dummy. He knows that the way to Trump's heart is through flattery and obsequiousness. Hence, a "beautiful" birthday card.

Zero subtlety from Trump here when it comes to suggesting that Biden has something wrong with him.

Japan: It's nonstop. It's big. It's beautiful. And clean! This is the stuff of travel brochures (do those even exist anymore?)

"Canada: Not happy like the US is happy" has potential as a future slogan for our neighbors to the north. Trump said this during a press conference in Osaka, Japan, on Canada Day.

Same.

Donald Trump on his election night: "One of the most extraordinary and exciting evenings in the history of television and the history of anything." The history of anything!!

Uh, OK. (Trump is talking about MS-13 here.)

The President of the United States would like you to know he has "poor" friends, ladies and gentlemen.

These were two sentences that the President said back-to-back. And, no, I have no idea what he believed the connection to be -- or if he believed there to be one.

I laughed out loud when I read this quote about former special counsel Robert Mueller's testimony on Capitol Hill. Not kidding.

Crowd size has long been Trump's stand-in for popularity. If 8,000 people in North Carolina turn out to see his rally, how can he be unpopular in all of these "fake" polls? The logic flaw here, of course, is large enough to fly a 747 through.

Yes, of course, the crowd began chanting "Lock her up!" after Trump said this. On a related note, the 2016 election ended 997 days before he said this.

Well, this is good news!

I don't really have much to add here.

Information for life!

"Big beautiful hands of yours." -- The President of the United States.

This was supposedly an official White House event. Which means taxpayers were paying for the costs of it, not Trump's 2020 campaign. Which is weird because, well, the speech was totally and completely political.

The best winning. So much product.

The President of the United States on guns.

Go here to see the original:
Donald Trump's 199 wildest lines of 2019 - CNN