The Walking Dead (Season 2)

By Rappy
in The Media Room

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

episode

Posted
Posted

Also, is there a need to black out the spoilers we have in this thread? I haven't bothered since I would think anyone who cares about the show would be watching it...

Neowin rules are that when an episode has aired, you don't need to use spoiler tags. If something has not aired, such as an upcoming death, then you use spoiler tags.

Grand Master

GameOverRob

Posted
Posted

About Carl.. I really feel Rick and his wife suck at raising him. I can understand developing a vengeful attitude, but they don't talk to him at all. He's just left to his own thoughts without his parents giving context to what's going on. No one is ever watching him so he just wanders into the shed to watch them kill Randall. Carl doesn't even think that it's wrong to blurt out "kill him". He's completely detached and it's because they suck as parents.

I completely agree, they seriously need to discipline the insolent little ******; and severely punish him when he disobeys them. (Easier said then done, sorry Carl no TV for you, no xbox and no you can't go to that party next week)

I'll bet that Daryl's brother Merril is one of the "30 guys" that Randall was talking about.

This is a very interesting thought.

Neowin rules are that when an episode has aired, you don't need to use spoiler tags. If something has not aired, such as an upcoming death, then you use spoiler tags.

I find spolier tags so annoying and pointless when they are about an aired episode. I mean seriously anyone who watches a TV show knows what day the episodes come out and if they are so stupid to come and read a thread about the show if they haven't watched the latest episode then more fool them.

Grand Master

episode

Posted
Posted

This is a very interesting thought.

It was thought for a long time that he would be The Governor. That isn't the case. Probably means he will be with the group, though. When Rick meets that group in the comics --

he gets a hand chopped off. I wonder if Merle will do that to Rick as payback for Merle losing his hand on the roof.

I find spolier tags so annoying and pointless when they are about an aired episode. I mean seriously anyone who watches a TV show knows what day the episodes come out and if they are so stupid to come and read a thread about the show if they haven't watched the latest episode then more fool them.

Agreed. If its within an hour or two of the episode airing, I can understand. But once its the next day, its fair game, to me. The problem is, when people use them wrong, its hard to tell if they are using them about an upcoming episode or an aired one.

Grand Master

GameOverRob

Posted
Posted

As others have already said i'm pretty gutted about Dale's death while I didn't necessarily like him he was a good character, just like Shane I hate him but he is a good character. Now if they had got rid of Andrea or Carol or Theodore then that would have been good and wouldn't have made the show any less interesting infact i think it would have probably improved it significantly if either of the women had been killed.

Experienced

benthebear

Posted
Posted

I like the fact that they're making Carl slowly turn into a psychopath due to the fact that he is growing up in a zombie apocalypse and knows no life before z-day (almost). I think that will continue to be really interesting material for the show later on.

I like it too. The series has greatly deviates from the comics, and the writers are doing a good job of it, but it seems they've put Carl's development on the same path. He ends up being cold-blooded.

I'll bet that Daryl's brother Merril is one of the "30 guys" that Randall was talking about.

I'll bet that they're setting up for the Governor story arc, or the AMC version of it at least.

D8RNE.jpg

HAHA! I'm not saying that you're implying the opposite, but it's something I think the writers are doing intentionally to build to something. Carl's parents are too busy trying to play parents to everyone else, and because of that, they end up, "loosing," their little boy.

Veteran

IceBreakerG

Posted
Posted

In S2E11, at the very end when Daryl shoots Dale, my sound cut out. What did he say?

It sounded like he said "Sorry brother" then there was the gun shot right when the screen went black.

Grand Master

Hurmoth

Posted
Posted

I thought the first season was bad with drama, drama, drama, but this season has been horrible. I get that they're trying to make this show as real as possible, but some of the characters they've got are dumber than a box of rocks and wouldn't last no time if this were real. Just like that image up there regarding parenting Carl. No one really talks to anyone until they're ready to blow up.

Rick said he wanted to sleep on the idea, but come on, he never once sounded like he was going to let him live. They blind folded him the entire way to the farm. It wouldn't be easy for him to find his way back to his camp, especially with walkers out there. I wouldn't see the harm in letting him go free. Well, before they tortured him.

And killing Dale off was such a bad idea. He had become the only voice of reason in the camp. I would much rather have see Shane get killed than Dale. I hate Shane.

[edit] Over at Talking Dead, they've got a poll up:

What should Rick have done when Carl walked in as he was about to execute Randall?

  1. Shoot Randall in front of Carl
  2. Tell Carl to leave. Then shoot Randall
  3. Let Randall live and lock him back up
  4. Shoot Shane

I vote for #4 :laugh:

Veteran

D!ABOL!C

Posted
Posted

any theories as to why shane came back?

im thinking its all the blood on him from when he previously took out zombies at the beginning of the episode.

Then what about Randall? He didn't have any contact with any walkers.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Why you need to take back control of your synced passwords and how to go about doing that

      By sdvxvcxbfghdgfhdfgh · Posted

      You literally have to do it on a desktop, which is incredibly annoying in our mobile-first world. What???
    • Why you need to take back control of your synced passwords and how to go about doing that

      By SteveL · Posted

      What part of "you can’t really depend on service providers to maintain features forever" is not clear enough?
    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it

      By Jaybonaut · Posted

      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 P. · Posted

      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.
    • Poll: Grand Theft Auto VI price predictions, cast your vote

      By noobient · Posted

      $80 or 90%, anything else would be financial suicide one way or another.

  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Supreme Spray LV earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      hhgygy earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      AMV earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      513
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      165
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      88
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      74
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      73
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!