In case you were curious what my opinion is about this week's new entry in the SILENT HILL franchise, I wrote some of my thoughts down for Skybox. I think you'll be able to split the reactions to this down the middle by who likes maddening stamina-combat games and who doesn't. I don't. At all.

It’s so funny for Sucker Punch to burn good will like this right before a release. Your game stars a woman, there’s no universe where the people trying to scare you don’t think it’s gay and soy.

Game Night: Punch Every Bug You See in ‘Star Fire: Eternal Cycle’ (Minus World Article) hard-drive.net/news-games/g...

It's Friday, and you know what that means: I'm back on @hard-drive.net to talk about #indiegames. This week, I've been playing the Chinese roguelike STAR FIRE: ETERNAL CYCLE:

However you define political violence, the right is responsible for much more of it. The Anti-Defamation League (hardly a left-wing org!) found that all “domestic extremist-related killings” in 2022 were done by right-wing extremists, the vast majority (84%) white supremacists. trib.al/ycZNDE1

Kind of a crazy question, but if anyone in my Bluesky network happens to know someone who knows someone with any knowledge of historical Japanese marriage customs, I've got some questions I'd love to ask an expert.

Revisit the whole "hopepunk terrorist" angle that went underexplored in the Krakoan era. It's not a superhero book anymore; it's utopian political sf/f.

relevant life lesson from comics on this one

It's sort of fascinating how the Occam's Razor on today's SHf/DualShockers incident could be two different things: - Valnet screwed up. - An inexperienced freelancer screwed up. Either or both are likely. (And it's never a bad time to spread the good word: Don't Work for Valnet Sites.)

This was a nice surprise. One of the other guide writers at IGN pointed me at this Reddit post about the SILENT HILL 2 guide I wrote last year. Nice to know somebody appreciated all my dumb jokes. As one of the commenters said, you do get loopy when you're writing these things at 3 AM.

...stop sending me press releases about "holiday gift guides." It's still technically summer. Do not threaten me with your tinsel mayhem until I've survived Thanksgiving.

It's Friday, so let's talk #indiegames. I'm back at @hard-drive.net with my weekly column, in which I discuss the recent EA release STICK IT TO THE STICKMAN. It's actually fairly popular already, so I screwed up that part of my column's mission statement again. Read this anyway.

being in games world gives you a leg up in understanding the stupidity of our culture while also ensuring that no one outside of that world really takes anything you have to say that seriously

I get why people on Bluesky/Twitter/Facebook aren't fedposting in this environment, but when the NYT has apparently adopted a similar stance...

"A good review also expands the conversation on a work of art rather than just evaluating it... A seasoned critic will give me background on that movie’s production... point out other things I wouldn’t have noticed and/or known without their help."

The Abundance Guys are selling fake solutions in order to protect the oligarchs funding their fancy conferences, their think tanks, their new Substack blogs, and their speaking tours. Pass it on.

I don't think anyone with an honest memory of those consoles can actually forget how poor their sales were, as it's likely been an itch in their brains ever since. The actual draw as a Dreamcast owner was how experimental most of its library felt, even in 2000.

Every time you see an inaccurate post mentioning how Silksong, Clair Obscur, etc was made by like 12 people in their basement with no internet remember that some C-Suite exec is going to point at that when signing new games, cutting studios and teams, and dismantling foundational pillars

Get ready for @madsmatic.bsky.social latest "Pie In The Skybox" comic strip, and shoutout to those who understand the final panel I see you 👀 skyboxcritics.com/2025/09/05/p...

It's Friday, so I'm back talking #indiegames at @hard-drive.net. This week, I'm covering the recent release RA RA BOOM, which feels like the '90s arcade brawler adaptation of one of the weird cartoon shows that only ran at 4 AM. Check it out:

Rogue.site is now a reality! Thank you to everyone along the way who helped make it possible. If you like what you see, and want more of it. Consider pledging your support with a subscription. Your funds will go to support independent games journalism written by humans, for humans.

Offer received and accepted, funemployment ends homies. I release my employment jelly to the wild now, thank you friend.

I considered writing a long carefully constructed argument laying out the harms and limitations of AI, but instead I wrote about being a hater. Only humans can be haters.

Before my recent hospital stay, I wrote a column every week on @hard-drive.net about #indiegames. After some time off, I'm back on the site to talk about last month's HEARTWORM. Check it out:

We're excited to announce the Games for Palestine charity page is now LIVE on Itch. Over 300+ games with proceeds going to UNRWA USA in support of Gaza relief. Thank you to everyone for your support. The bundle launches on Sept 2nd 9am PST. Link: itch.io/b/2979/play-...

Ok, first version of the #PAXWest Gen AI Slop Booth list is up: docs.google.com/spreadsheets... This is primarily from the exhibitor's list and publicly available info. If you know about something I've missed let me know

Are you talking about that website for elves who didn't grow up among other elves? Yeah, Forlornhub.

I reminded myself of something today: it's a shame that the best costume Colossus ever had was a one-off from the "Asgardian Wars" crossover.

Just to put out a general announcement: this is a real thing that happened to me, so I've canceled my plans to attend this year's #PAXWest. Probably not a great idea to bomb around the WSCC for 4 days while I'm still in cardiac recovery.

My bad movie group checked out Amazon's WAR OF THE WORLDS tonight. I'm still digesting it, but it absolutely does feel like somebody made its trailer as a joke, then someone mistook it for a full pitch. No opportunity here was not squandered.

Hello. I wrote a nice long essay about AI and this very strange moment where we're constantly told we're living in the dawn of a strange new future but the only thing that's actually clear is that everyone feels pretty unmoored and uncertain. I hope you'll read it

I rewatched HARD-BOILED today, or maybe saw it for the first time? I'm starting to wonder if the version I saw back in the '90s was some kind of stripped-down American edit that actively reworked a bunch of the story.

Op-Ed: Tech Workers Must Challenge the Political Power of Their Bosses www.theurbanist.org/2025/08/14/o...

I have a great deal of affection for Alan Moyle's PUMP UP THE VOLUME (1990), which did not do well in theaters.

Don't overthink it: what comic book panels/pages live in your head rent-free? Drop four and tag #comicsdna

One shopping mall, soon to be rebranded to “Malltroidvania,” is trying an unorthodox method to stay relevant in a challenging financial climate. paletteswap.site/dif...

This isn't great, but it's not HOMEFRONT, which is still the undredgable nadir of RED DAWN fanfiction premises.

I Had A Heart Attack on Tuesday. Here's What It Taught Me About B2B Marketing Strategies:

AI Could Never: Hylics by @broganchattin.bsky.social "The order of our world is nonsensical and at times inhumane, it is our responsibility to find ourselves within the nonsense and push back against the world, hopefully finding kindred spirits along the way." Read on:

AI Could Never: The Beginner’s Guide by @murph04.bsky.social "There’s not a cheat code for understanding art, just like there isn’t a cheat code for understanding people." Read on:

I went ahead and wrote about the most human video game I could think of, as part of Skybox's week-long denunciation of AI "creative" tools and all who sail under their black flag.

I remember how weird the video game coverage was in the Chicago Tribune when I was a kid. It wasn't just that it got things wrong, but the tone was like an editorial by a disinterested parent. "This does not and could never matter." 40 years later, the New York Times is still doing it.

Featuring an intro by me, with a larger piece in production, I am pleased to be a small part of this series of windmill backhands delivered to LLM-driven content production. The dream was to automate tedious tasks for creative people; the reality is automated creative tasks for tedious people.

I'm starting my week at Skybox, where I'm once again talking about indie survival horror. HEARTWORM's been on my radar for quite a while now, and it's finally releasing later this week.

Thanks to everyone who tuned in to the Woke And Gay Stream! I just checked the totals and we raised $11,873.60 for @translifeline.org! Thank you to all the guests that made it the show it was, I love you all. 🏳️‍⚧️Trans rights are human rights🏳️‍⚧️

It's Friday, so I'm talking #indiegames at @hard-drive.net. This week, I've been playing s.p.l.i.t., a narrative-driven horror adventure by the creator of BUCKSHOT ROULETTE. Check it out:

Tune into twitch.tv/HardDriveMag at 8PM ET tomorrow for the start of our Woke And Gay Charity Stream, and the world premiere of HAKUNA MINOTTI! Donate to Trans Lifeline: bit.ly/harddrive2025