Credit where credit is due to u/Ok_Bed8734 on Reddit and joshveer1138 on Youtube, as that is where I got the pictures in this post from. If you want to check out some videos of this gun being shot, I'll link some for you down below...
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IWRkrvatHz8
If recent polls are to be believed, Democrats have a solid shot of gaining control of the US Senate, even by winning in states that were solidly pro Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
According to a Times/Siena poll, Mary Peltola leads Dan Sullivan by 7% in Alaska, Kansas is a dead heat with 45% support for each major candidate, Brown leads Husted by 3% in Ohio, Talarico leads Paxton by 6% in Texas and Hinson leads Turek by only 1% in Iowa.
The same poll found that Trump had a 57% disapproval rating in those same states.
Democrats are also competitive in five other states Trump won by double digits in 2024: Florida, Nebraska, Mississippi, South Carolina and Kentucky. President Trump has kicked off a barnstorming tour seeking to energize Republican voters in red states including Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio and Nebraska.
Through his MAGA political action committee, Trump has pledged to spend $400 million to boost Republicans in the midterms. At the same time, the Senate Leadership Fund is spending $100 million in Texas to bolster Paxton in what has become an unexpectedly competitive state.
"Not only is there a swing away from the Republican Party compared to 2024, but the swing actually seems to be somewhat bigger in red America than in blue America, and that's putting these states that Trump won easily very much into play," said David Hopkins, a political science professor at Boston College, told Reuters.
How many Senate seats do you think Democrats will have when the 2026 midterm elections are finished? For reference, the US Senate currently has 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats.
Looking back, some of the best racing video games that I have ever played in my roughly 3 decades of living are Burnout 2 and Burnout Paradise.
So, when Wreckreation 1 was teased and came out, I was curious to try it out, even if I had some hesitancies.
Fast forward to a couple of days ago, I saw that the game was on sale on Steam and I decided to take the plunge and buy it considering Steam's generous return policies.
For perspective, I also recently played Burnout Paradise for a point of comparison to Wreckreation 1.
The Good
The car customization is much more in depth, even allowing you to choose from a couple dozen engine sounds. It's cool to be able to change the weather, traffic density, time of day or even your own car whenever you want to, not to mention putting props and jump stuff wherever you want on the map. Having fast travel available is a plus and while I don't think there's any big name bands or licensed music, I feel like the music selection and the fact there's several different radio stations of specific genres to choose from is a nice plus. One upside of the map being so empty is that you can drive through all of the empty areas like it's GTA V, while Paradise City felt a bit more limiting.
The feel of Wreckreation is that it definitely tries to be an homage to the Burnout series while also trying to flesh out their own ideas for what they think an arcade racer should be.
The Bad
Compared to the Burnout franchise, Wreckreation 1 feels like it's a game on a shoestring budget in the alpha/beta phase and they released it like it was a fully finished game with fully finished game pricing. The kicker is that if what I've seen is correct, Wreckreation 1 used to be in much worse shape just a few months ago before some fixer updates. The physics don't feel too natural or the best, there's only one kind of boost type for cars, the map feels pretty empty and barren and some of the car noises just don't sound that good. With road rage or marked man in burnout paradise, at the higher levels you actually feel like you're in danger from other drivers and they actually try to take each other out while in Wreckreation 1, they just seem to drive around and Road Rage is more of a takeout the amount of passive players before the clock runs out, not a survive the onslaught sort of situation. Also, I have only played the game for 2 hours or so, and it seems like Burnout Paradise has much better opportunities for stunt runs. So far, Wreckreation 1 seems a bit too easy, maybe I might need to try turning up the traffic density even if my framerates on my PC might drop.
Burnout Paradise was and is a much more fully baked and cohesive game than Wreckreation 1 and the map is more densely populated with things to do and stunt jumps and runs.
Conclusion:
If you keep your expectations low and get this game on sale, it could be a relatively entertaining arcade racer for you. Wreckreation 1 is a game with triple A ambitions and ideas with single A execution.
https://youtu.be/B4xjxlFlEa0?si=b9cg_LpoJowJa4Vc&t=245
Start the video at the 4:05 mark to see the clip I'm mentioning
I'll post the text of the clip I'm referring to below
Interviewer: In 2020, on video, you said there should be an assault weapons ban, large magazine ban and that God requires us to do more than our thoughts and prayers. If there was an assault weapons ban or a large capacity magazine ban in the Senate would you vote for it?
Talarico: Depending on the details of the legislation, yes.
Interviwer: So an assault weapons ban is still on the table?
Talarico: Absolutely. And I think what most Texans want is a senator who is going to honor the 2nd Amendment. I believe every Texan has a right to bear arms, to protect themselves and their families, I don't pick and choose between the amendments in our Constitution, but no amendment is absolute, including the freedom of speech, and so what we need is common sense gun safety measures, and that's exactly what I worked on in the legislature and that's exactly what I'm going to work on as a US Senator.
This clip has been shared by Gun Owners Of America on Instagram and was liked by Brandon Herrera
This clip could be the difference between a toss up election against Paxton versus giving Paxton a slight advantage in November's US Senate election.
I could go on so many rants on historical inaccuracies in media, but today I'm gonna focus on this one specifically.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is by far the most popular and best selling western video game of all time. The game is set in 1899 so it's understandable why cartridge revolvers and even semi automatic pistols are so common in the game, given that the Colt Single Action Army was introduced almost 30 years before that. There are only two cap and ball revolvers in the game, the LeMat and the Navy, which is only available in the online mode.
One of the more glaring examples I've seen of this phenomenon in film is The Lone Ranger 2013. It's set in 1869, but constantly uses cartridge revolvers like the Colt Single Action Army that wouldn't be invented for the next 4 years. It had a budget of over 250 million dollars, so it wasn't a budget issue that made them use guns that didn't exist at the time the movie was set in. Heck, the 45 Colt cartridge wasn't even invented when the Transcontinental Railroad was being constructed, but there's a shot in the movie where you can clearly see "45 Colt" stamped right on the barrel of a gun that didn't exist at the time of the movie is set in.
Even in western media where cartridge revolvers were definitely of it's time, it's like they're the only handguns that you see, no cap and ball revolvers on set.
Western media I've seen that seems to be the most historically accurate in it's depiction of weaponry at the time the media is set in is Hell On Wheels, or that famous gun shop scene from The Quick And The Dead (1995).
When cartridge revolvers started to gain popularity in the late 1800's, cap and ball revolvers didn't just magically disappear. Several sources claim that the best selling handgun of the 19th century wasn't the Colt Single Action Army, it was the Colt Pocket Model, a cap and ball revolver. Many famous Western celebs used cap and ball revolvers even after cartridge revolvers became popular, like Wild Bill Hickok and Jesse James. The American Civil War saw hundreds of thousands of cap and ball revolvers used or produced for the war, so right after the war ended, there was a horde of cheap surplus cap and ball revolvers that entered the civilian market.
However, I might understand why cartridge revolvers are as common in westerns as they are. Cartridge revolvers can shoot smokeless gunpowder while cap and ball revolvers can't unless they have a cartridge conversion, they're easier and quicker to reload, not to mention easier to clean and less prone to rust if you use smokeless gunpowder. From a logistics perspective in the prop department, cap and ball revolvers might create an unnecessary hurdle if you don't need to use them.
Several sources claim how popular the Colt Pocket Model was in the 1800's.
Rock Island Auction Company says that the 1849 Pocket Model was "the best selling sidearm of the 19th century."
True West Magazine says that 330,000 Colt Pocket Models were sold from 1850 to 1873, even edging out the Colt Single Action Army revolver in it's 19th century sales numbers, with about 192,000 Colt SAA's being produced before 1900.
I've been looking at Colt cap and ball revolvers and I'm not sure which one I would want to get the most considering my personal experience with blackpowder firearms is extremely limited.
It seems like the 1851 Navy is more popular and common than the 1861 Navy. Why do you think companies have seemed to focus on producing or stocking 1851 Navy replicas more than 1861 Navy replicas? Are 1851 Navy replicas easier to manufacture considering the ramming lever system might be simpler than what's in the 1861 Navy?
If you want to make this a 1851 Navy vs 1860 Army debate, that's fine as well if you don't have direct experience with a 1861 Navy.
Is it a chicken and egg problem where 31 caliber pocket models aren't offered by many retailers, not many people buy them, so retailers and manufacturers don't really carry them or produce them because there's not much demand for them?
Case in point, Sportsmans Warehouse doesn't offer any 31 caliber cap and ball revolvers at all or even lead balls for 31 caliber cap and ball revolvers, muzzle-loaders.com only offers 1863 remington models and the only 31 caliber models in stock at midway usa are baby dragoons or 1849 pocket models.
If my research is correct, ironically, the 1849 Colt Pocket model was the best selling revolver Colt ever made in the 19th century
Nowadays, it seems like the most common cap and ball revolver reproductions in use and on the market are full/fuller size .36 and .44 caliber models like the 1858 Remington, 1851 Navy or 1860 Army.
Games I might be interested in:
Assassins Creed games, especially if the plot/story is nonlinear. Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, Knights Of The Old Republic, Atomfall
Games that I've played but wasn't a fan of:
Mass Effect
Disco Elysium
The Witcher
Expedition 33
Cyberpunk 2077
Avowed
Similar games that I enjoyed:
Donut County
Detroit Become Human
Mafia 3
Fallout series
The Outer Worlds series
Mount and Blade Bannerlord
South Park Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole
Games that weren't my favorite but I also didn't hate them
Kingdom Come Deliverance
Games that were fun on my last playthrough but not super interested in playing them again right now
Starfield
Skyrim
Games I might want to get when they go on sale or onto Game Pass
Baldurs Gate 3
From a hardcore New Vegas fan, I was very pleased with my first complete playthrough of The Outer Worlds 1
There were a lot of things about TOW1 that felt very familiar to me as a New Vegas fan
-Pass/fail skill checks
-Talking or shooting your way out of situations
-The dialogue system
-Several ways to accomplish objectives or quests
-Several major and minor factions and faction reputations to consider
-Ending slides showcasing how your decisions panned out
-Plenty of difficult decisions to make of varying moral quandaries
-Plenty of funny moments, the At Central quest had me in stitches
-Tactical Time Dilatation is basically VATS
-Action packed and dramatic main storyline
-The downfalls of powerful corporations run amok
-A fanatical religious cult to deal with
-Freaky creatures and roaming criminals to shoot at
-A well guarded place that you need money or hookups to access (Byzantine and the New Vegas Strip btw)
Here are a few things I liked or found interesting about TOW1 that can't be found in New Vegas
-Being able to bring two human companions with you on missions
-The Unreliable being a good, mobile base to store companions, gear and tinker/modify/repair stuff
-Applying perks to companions as you level up
And here is what I missed in TOW1 coming from a New Vegas player
-No in game radio stations to listen to
-No consumable/ammo crafting
-Faction disguises seem to be nonexistent
-Perks aren't as varied as they are in New Vegas
-Not as self intuitive systems for figuring out the best weapons to use. I found myself realizing the heavy machine gun is so much better to use on Tartarus and that mantisaurs have a weak spot that makes killing them a lot easier
Other thoughts
I rarely messed with melee weapons in the game, or even the block and dodge mechanics as I didn't really feel like I needed to mess with them.
Conclusion
Is TOW1 better than Fallout New Vegas? I don't think so. Does it come really close to being as good as New Vegas? Yes.
Playing TOW1 scratched an RPG game itch for me that no other game except New Vegas has been able to fully satisfy.
I look forward to playing TOW2, Obsidian just might be my favorite game development company.
One thing that really grinds my gears as someone with a bachelor's degree in history education is when people say Trump is the worst president in US History. It doesn't grind my gears because I like Trump, it grinds my gears because people who say something like that either aren't aware of or fail to mention the other US presidents who might take that title. If someone like Mr. Beat were to say "Trump is the worst president in US History", I would completely respect his opinion because I know he has extensive knowledge of just about every president that the US has ever had. Trump has done a lot of bad things, but I would argue previous US presidents have done things that were just as bad or even worse than Trump's actions.
Let me give just a few of what I would consider the most egregious examples
Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which forced about 100,000 Native Americans out of their ancestral homelands and over 10,000 Native Americans lost their lives as a result.
James Polk started the Mexican American War as a war of conquest, took millions of acres of land from Mexico in the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and the war led to tens of thousands of people dying.
Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan and Millard Filmore did little to prevent or some cases may have hastened the arrival of the American Civil War with either the Compromise of 1850 and it's Fugitive Slave Act or their reaction to the Bleeding Kansas War
Andrew Johnson vehemently opposed Reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the Civil War, so much so that he came within just one vote of being impeached, convicted and formerly removed from office
Rutherford B Hayes was a part of the Compromise of 1877 which ended Reconstruction in the South and ushered in the era of the Jim Crow South
Grant, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison and McKinley presided over the genocide of Native Americans in incidents like the Wounded Knee Massacre
Woodrow Wilson resegregated parts of the federal government that had been integrated since reconstruction when he first entered office and had the first film ever screened at the White House be Birth Of A Nation, a racist KKK propaganda film. Woodrow Wilson also decided to thrust America into WW1, leading to the deaths and injuries of hundreds of thousands of Americans, let alone the Europeans who died or were injured as a result of Woodrow Wilson's actions.
Harry Truman ordered two atom bombs to be dropped on Japan, with low estimates of fatalities totaling to about 150,000 people, let alone the injuries and complete destruction of properties in those cities. He also seized steel mills to prevent a strike during the Korean War, and the Korean War itself led to millions of people being killed, all while half of Korea turned into a brutal dictatorship because he trusted MacArthur too much as a general initially.
Lyndon B Johnson and Richard Nixon were instrumental in escalating the Vietnam War which led to millions of people being killed or injured, let alone presiding over some of the worst civil unrest and assassinations the US has faced in it's history. And then there's Watergate and Gerald Ford pardoning Nixon for his role in it.
Ronald Reagan mishandled the AIDS epidemic, may have played a role in the crack epidemic and was a key player in the Iran-Contra affair.
And then there's George Bush starting America's military involvement in the Middle East
And Biden gave Trump a second term by refusing to step down
George Washington put down the Whiskey Rebellion and owned slaves
Thomas Jefferson was kind of a hypocrite with his slave stuff and slave affairs
Abraham Lincoln was not as abolitionist as many people think he was and he was actually kind of a tyrant during the American Civil War, you know, habeas corpus suspensions, an implementation of the draft, and so on.
FDR stripped over 100,000 Japanese Americans regardless of citizenship status of their civil rights through executive order to send them to internment camps, yet strangely he is ranked as one of the best US presidents despite this.
I also think JFK is pretty overrated as a president because he was hot and was assassinated, he was very unfaithful to his wife Jackie.
I've seen Barack Obama ranked as one of the top 10 presidents, despite his falters with drone strikes and letting Russia take Crimea, a key step in the still ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war
Think of forced reset triggers or FRT's for short as similar in function to bump stocks; they allow semi automatic firearms to achieve very high rates of fire in a very easy fashion. Because of how FRT's work, they're technically not machine guns because for every bullet that is fired there is one trigger press. You can often buy FRT's online and have them shipped right to your door, no background check necessary, essentially turning any semi automatic firearm into a machine gun with some drop in parts.
FRT's are being designed for guns like AR-15's, AK-47's and even backyard plinkers not explicitly targeted by assault weapon bans like the Ruger 10/22 and the Taurus TX22 pistol.
If one source is to be believed, several states have banned them already, but not all liberal states have outlawed them. States that have banned FRT's supposedly include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
https://freedomfingertriggers.com/faq/
That means that liberal/liberalish states like Washington, New Mexico, Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine have apparently not banned forced reset triggers.
This is the most recent and comprehensive poll I could find that polled Americans on their support for assault weapon bans. Support for an assault weapons ban among Democrats was at 85% in 2019 and 89% in 2022 also according to Gallup
If you have a more recent poll that I wasn't able to find, please feel free to share it.
Other interesting findings of the poll include the following
-89% of Democrats want gun laws to be more strict
-33% of Democrats want to ban handguns
I did find a poll from John Hopkins that's a bit more recent, but it focuses on support for safe storage laws, permit to purchase laws, red flag laws and constitutional carry laws.
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/data/national-survey-of-gun-policy
That survey found only 15% of Democrats support constitutional carry laws, 84% of Democrats support safe storage laws, and about 85% of Democrats support red flag laws.
And then there's this Pew Research poll that's a bit more dated but still worth looking at IMO.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/24/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/