Heroes Volume 3 : Villains


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Wow, I didn't think it was possible to go from absolutely loving a show and never being able to get enough of it, to never wanting to watch it again within the span of an hour. Last night's episodes were so bad with so many plot holes/twists crammed into two hours it was painful to watch. I am seriously disappointed.

care to explain which plot holes you were disappointed with?

Looking back on it, while I still enjoyed the opener, there are some big continuity problems and I really hope the show doesn't continue to do this, because to me that hurts the story (one of the things I love about Lost is its ability to keep continuity in check). Some of the complaints posted here about the story are valid arguments to be made, and some are so bad that it in turn makes the story bad/cheap because it just doesn't add up, so we'll see where this goes.

No need to Spoiler tag anymore, we US people all already saw it!

Spoiler Tags need to be kept for at least a couple of days because people may of tivoed it, plus people may want to discuss the 3.03 promo

Spoiler Tags need to be kept for at least a couple of days because people may of tivoed it, plus people may want to discuss the 3.03 promo

Nah, the Best advise is If you haven't seen it, you shouldn't come here to this thread!

We need to distinguishing between Episodes that has already aired, and future episode spoilers.

A problem, is when people May think a Spoiler tag is about last night's episode, but it's actually about future episodes... see the problem here?

So they are going to make Sylar the good guy now?

In the sneak peek, they give Sylar a woman to feed on?

That's what I want to know!

May I know where you got the "Claire's Choose a Side" picture that you're using in your signature? A widescreen wallpaper version would be sweet. Thanks :D

what was growing on mohinders back? looked nasty as hell.

as for claire, i think sylar just unlocked her true potential, and its starting up slowly. Im very interested to see where this all leads to.

And is linderman god? seriously, wth is up with him being a ghost?

I think its nikki, just somehow linderman has screwed with everything once again.

they got rid of ellie in a rather horrible way i thought.

Nah, the Best advise is If you haven't seen it, you shouldn't come here to this thread!

We need to distinguishing between Episodes that has already aired, and future episode spoilers.

A problem, is when people May think a Spoiler tag is about last night's episode, but it's actually about future episodes... see the problem here?

True oh well we have this discussion every year :p

I still haven't seen the episodes but I know what happens way before like at comic-con so reading them is not new to me :p but I can see how to could annoy peeps!

I have to ask the same thing because it seems like I completely missed that if its been mentioned before.

If you remember in Season 2 he was ill with the virus in Haiti, I think thats where we saw him last.

I realized too that the season starts about exactly one day after the last one ended, well actually on the SAME day, nathan being shot.

So keeping that in mind, wasn't nicky just working for the company just mere days before? And now shes totally off in a different place, with apparently a whole new personality, that also has a whole new different power?

Some people are thinking Stacy is a Clone, not Nicky herself

1. Season 2 ended with Noah going back home (weren't they moving?), saying that he had made a deal with the company. In season 3, he's locked up in that super high security thing, where all the other bad guys are.

Maybe the Deal is to have him Locked up?

2. Claire sees Nathan being shot on TV, supposedly on the same day in which sylar gets her and on the same day in which her dad has been both at home and at level 5 or whatever.

3. That leads to the question: how the hell did Sylar travel from NY to whatever the hell claire is now SO fast? Wasn't she in california or something like that? How did he know where to find her?

I think Claire was home the whole time! How Sylar travel SO fast? I thought he could fly just like Peter? Either case, that seem to be the case with Season 1/2 as well

Monica will return. I hope she doesn't get killed though. Love me a Pretty black girl! ;)

Ok...

So the deal was for him to go home, tell clair to STFD and then go back to his cell in a high-security thingy when he has NO powers whatsoever? Sylar can't fly, and with Season 1/2 we knew four months had passed and everything was explained in episode 8. But here, there's no 'gap' to fill because it started right off where they left, although for half of the characters it looked as though half a year had passed.

And Angela? She was watching his son getting shot on TV and was all "we did what we had to do" and now she's all "you stupid son get the hell back to where you're from"?

I like the new story but the whole gap-filling was all a big mess.

care to explain which plot holes you were disappointed with?

Well, the biggest one was how Sylar went from NYC at the end of Season 2 to where ever Claire was staying at the beginning of season 3 with almost no time in between (and he also knew where she was staying, even though I don't remember him ever finding out). Giving Claire's power to Sylar is a huge turning point in the overall plot of the series, and they did it way to quick with no explanation of how Sylar was able to find her.

I think they crammed way, way too many plot twists into the first two episodes. So much so that many of sub-plots felt flat and under-developed. It didn't feel like I was watching the same show. Season 1 and even Season 2's pacing was much better.

Well, the biggest one was how Sylar went from NYC at the end of Season 2 to where ever Claire was staying at the beginning of season 3 with almost no time in between (and he also knew where she was staying, even though I don't remember him ever finding out). Giving Claire's power to Sylar is a huge turning point in the overall plot of the series, and they did it way to quick with no explanation of how Sylar was able to find her.

I think they crammed way, way too many plot twists into the first two episodes. So much so that many of sub-plots felt flat and under-developed. It didn't feel like I was watching the same show. Season 1 and even Season 2's pacing was much better.

I felt that way as well. And I'm a hardcore! I'm going to rewatch the season 2 finale.

Just watched the whole thing. They're making the same mistakes as with season 2 and I don't like it :(

I felt like I was watching an entirely different show.

Thoughts:

The episode seemed to start right off were it left ... except for:

1. Season 2 ended with Noah going back home (weren't they moving?), saying that he had made a deal with the company. In season 3, he's locked up in that super high security thing, where all the other bad guys are.

2. Claire sees Nathan being shot on TV, supposedly on the same day in which sylar gets her and on the same day in which her dad has been both at home and at level 5 or whatever.

3. That leads to the question: how the hell did Sylar travel from NY to whatever the hell claire is now SO fast? Wasn't she in california or something like that? How did he know where to find her?

4. Whatever happened to Niki, Micah and Monica? Wasn't Niki DIAF-ing in some old factory after the lamest twist in heroes history?

5. And you could see Mamam Petrelli being Sylar's mother LIGHT YEARS away. At least I figured it out halfway through episode two. It wasn't a shocker, it was just another silly twist.

And the good things:

1. I love ELLE!!!!

1. Noah made a deal that he would have to go back with the company, not go back and work with the company, thus the reason he is locked up. He made this deal so the company would not 'react' to claire's plan of going public.

2. I don't see any problems with this. Day's do last 24 hours long and to be quite frank they never said that sylar was attacking on the very same day Nathan got shot.

3. Sylar has a lot of abilities we don't know about and while that may sound like a cop out it is what it is. Also, I believe we've seen sylar disappear in at least one situation where it seems he just flys away. That would be in the first season after being shot at by Parkman just after Sylar tried to attack Molly at the FBI. Also, how did he know where claire was? Well he was looking over Mohinder's laptop which had some pretty detailed information on claire.

4. I'm sure Micah and Monica will be explained as for Niki I believe she is dead and Tracy is probably her twin that we all thought was dead

5. I don't know how you could see it half way through episode 2 without having had read spoilers ahead of time but to each his own. That said, I am interested to see how it all plays out :)

Well, the biggest one was how Sylar went from NYC at the end of Season 2 to where ever Claire was staying at the beginning of season 3 with almost no time in between (and he also knew where she was staying, even though I don't remember him ever finding out). Giving Claire's power to Sylar is a huge turning point in the overall plot of the series, and they did it way to quick with no explanation of how Sylar was able to find her.

I think they crammed way, way too many plot twists into the first two episodes. So much so that many of sub-plots felt flat and under-developed. It didn't feel like I was watching the same show. Season 1 and even Season 2's pacing was much better.

As I just said, Sylar had access to Mohinder's laptop and files on Claire. It isn't to hard of a stretch to assume he wouldn't have used his super memory he got in season 1 to remember where it said Claire was currently located.

Also, I agree it is a huge turning point giving him Claire's power, that said I think it makes for good balance between him and peter.

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    • Nope. That lack of surround sound capability (analog) won't fly with me. Sure, I use headphones most of the time, but still.
    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it by Steven Parker If you have been reading Neowin for any length of time, you may remember that I reviewed the Sound Blaster Audigy FX Pro back in April. I found it to be an excellent budget sound card, even though it lacked support for formats such as DTS over the included SPDIF port. Anyway, Creative reached out to me again asking if I was interested in reviewing the Sound Blaster AE-X. It is a card mainly targeted at headphone wearers, which I'll get into a bit later. Before we get underway, here is a disclaimer: Creative Labs provided a free sample without any review pre-approval. Here are the full specs of it: Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Dimensions: 179 x 126 x 18 mm Weight: 263g / 9.28 oz Platform: PCI-e DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M Connectivity Options Side: Rear: 1 x HD Audio Front Panel Connector, 1 x ⅛“ Headphone port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Left) port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Right) port, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out port, 1 x ⅛“ Mic in/Line-in port, 1 x TOSLINK SPDIF-in port Surround: No DNR / SNR: THD+N: 0.0001% Dynamic Range 130 dB Recording Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Direct Mode: Line Out (Stereo): PCM up to 32-bit  384 kHz Coaxial SPDIF Out: PCM up to 24-bit 192.0 kHz Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 384kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 8–600Ω, IEM: 0.5Vrms, Low: 1.5Vrms, Mid: 3Vrms, High: 6Vrms, Maximum output power: 350mW @ 32Ω (High), Maximum output voltage: 6Vrms (High) Front Panel Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128 Output Impedance: 10Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 32–300Ω, Maximum output power: 40mW @ 32Ω, Maximum output voltage: 1.9Vrms ASIO: ASIO 2.3 Total Harmonic Distortion: THD+N: 0.0006% Dynamic Range: 114 dB Scout Mode: Yes EMI shielding: No (but it passed all the FCC emission tests) Operating temperature: 0–45°C Input Power: 12V⎓0.5A Warranty: 1 Year (MSRP) Price: $179.99 / £169.99 The Sound Blaster AE-X was announced at the end of May, and it becomes clear that it is mainly for headphone wearers. I should also note that the card does not support DDL/DTS encoding technology, but it is said to support decoding through the coaxial SPDIF port. I was able to test this working with the classic Windows Sound properties, but I could not get a DTS (decode) signal through my Logitech Z906, it defaulted to 3D sound whenever I played DTS content through Plex or Emby. In addition, this card only supports two channels (stereo) over the speakers. The surround support is limited to the Headphone Amp, so before I get underway, what we have here is a card mostly intended for headphone use, especially with its SPDIF In (Toslink) port where you could connect another device like a console. So what about the highlights of this card? The AE-X is powered by the ESS SABRE DAC (ES9039Q2M), which is capable of a 130 dB dynamic range. In addition, it supports 32-bit/384 kHz playback for deeper detail and clarity. The headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW @ 32Ω, which admittedly far surpasses standard onboard audio, offering support for studio-grade headphones. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 are also supported. What doesn't it have? No support for What-U-Hear, Super X-Fi, or the SmartComms Kit No EMI shielding, but it passed all the FCC emission tests (from the FAQ) I also want to make it clear that I am no audiophile. For me, it's purely subjective and it should just "work" out of the box. First impressions As I said in the introduction, I was a bit sad to see that the AE-X only supports stereo output, meaning it would not be on par with my ALC1220 over my speakers, as I mentioned it seems like this card is marketed toward headphone users. Since I am not an avid gamer that would rule me out as a potential customer, but I can still test its capabilities! The card arrived in a nice-looking box, as shown above. It's quite a bit larger than the Audify FX Pro that I reviewed back in April, and at first I thought the covering meant that it was EMI shielded, but it isn't as mentioned above in the highlights section. What's in the box: 1 x Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe card 1 x 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to Dual TRS Headset Splitter Cable 1 x Quick Start Guide Aside from the Quick Start Guide, which someone at my age (I guess) needs a magnifying glass to read thanks to the tiny fonts, Creative Labs also has the manual online, which first requires you to prove that you're human in order to access it (so I can't direct link it). Anyway, the box is mostly made up of cardboard, and the only plastic in it is the anti-static bag for the card itself. Design Top Bottom The card itself looks pretty cool and actually wouldn't look out of place in an all-white build. There's only one connector, and for some reason it is awkwardly placed on the side (front-facing) that is for the front panel audio connector, which will let you use the headphones through the front PC audio jack. Since the front panel Headphone Amp has fewer capabilities than the rear headphone port, I decided not to use it. Rear of card PCI-e interface The rear of the card is completely open and is normally where you would find the front panel connector. The PCIe interface side is completely covered, which initially made me think it was EMI shielded. I/O panel Side (front-facing) with Front panel connector On the outer rear bracket side we have the TOSLINK SPDIF in, Coaxial SPDIF out, RCA line out (Right), RCA line out (Left), Headphone out, and Mic/Line in ports. On the front facing portion of the card itself is the F-panel connector. Usage Test System Our test system consists of the following: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER (BIOS F12) Corsair RM1000x (2024) Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut (33x33x0,2mm) 2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 6000MT/s CL36-38-38-80 T-Force Z540 2TB (PCIe Gen5) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition (NVIDIA) Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Windows 11 25H2 Pro I installed the card into the Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER which includes the RealTek ALC1220 onboard audio. For our subjective listening tests, I used the Coaxial SPDIF port to my Logitech Z906 speakers. For headphone tests I used the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Wireless DJ Headphones that I reviewed last month. After installing the audio driver, I installed Creative Nexus, which is a relatively new app designed for the latest Sound Blaster cards. Then I discovered the AE-X needed both a driver update from 1.00.15.0001 to 1.01.09.000 and a firmware update from 1.00.06.0000 to 1.00.06.0002, then I was set to go. It should be noted that the card did not work without the driver (not Plug and Play). As you can see above, you can manage the firmware, driver, and inputs via Advanced Settings on the Device tab. By default Nexus enabled "Direct Mode". Upon clicking on Acoustic Engine, the Equalizer can be enabled and set to four different presets, which are: Gaming Music Movies Footsteps Enhancer There's also a dedicated Scout Mode for gamers. I mainly used Tidal and Spotify in the past week to listen to some of my Liked Songs (which now total over 700) in Shuffle mode; there were no pops or interference that I could hear. I also found a 5.1 Surround Music playlist on Tidal that sounded really great over Studio Max 2 headphones. When I reviewed the Audigy FX Pro, I went out and purchased a Logitech Z906 set second-hand for €100 specifically to use with the card, but in this instance all I could get on the AE-X was the 3D output of surround sound through Coaxial SPDIF and although it still sounded great, it isn't quite as good as DTS Interactive via my onboard Realtek ALC1220. Conclusion So what have I learned? The AE-X lacks multi-channel support for 5.1/7.1 setups and drops support for modern surround technologies like Dolby or DTS, functioning strictly as a stereo output device. So to really benefit, you will need Studio-grade headphones to "hear" the benefits of this card. With that being said, I can imagine it will appeal to gamers who are switching between console and PC. By utilizing the SPDIF in port, you could just plug your headphones into the AE-X (front or rear port) and then switch between PC and Console without having to move the headphones to a different port. As I said in the Sound Blaster Audigy review, the EQ in the Creative Nexus app offers safe presets, which allows a user to further tweak the lows, mids, and highs for a personal listening experience. Of course it all depends on the headphones you hook up to it. Speaking of headphones, I kind of wish I had higher-quality Studio-grade headphones to really test this card with; I'm not usually wearing headphones in my day to day duties. The only time I will wear them is if I want to listen to music very late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors, so my rating (verdict) is based on this fact. Someone with a PC/Console setup and wears headphone religiously to game, and consume media will benefit much more than I from the high-quality Headphone Amps that are included in the AE-X. Once again, I do feel like Creative could have gone the extra mile to support the S/PDIF port a bit more. Why include it if you're not supporting the main popular digital formats? It seems like the decision was more of a legacy-based one, offering uncompressed 2-channel PCM audio, for users with high-fidelity audio systems and external DACs. Maybe I will be lucky enough to review a card that truly includes all these features in the future. I am sure readers with far more knowledge on audio systems than me will correct me in the comments below. I'll just say I am happy to learn what I don't know! Where to buy The Sound Blaster AE-X is available to purchase now in preorder for $179.99 on the U.S. Creative website, or for £169.99 on the Creative UK website and will start shipping to customers from June 25.
    • $80 or 90%, anything else would be financial suicide one way or another.
    • Or... just use Bitwarden. Free, and has on-prem option as well. Works both on desktop and mobile, wherever you are. The age of local password files is over.
    • Thanks
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