Streaming tonight at 8 p.m. I know last night I said I would actually progress in Baby Steps but then we started late and I saw a cardboard box on top of a ladder so I had to spend three hours getting THAT but now we're going to progress

Fingers crossed that Dwayne Johnson and Benny Safdie's Lizard Music adaptation is a huge hit and spawns a whole Daniel Pinkwater extended universe. Can't wait for Snarkout Boys And The Avocado Of Death as their version of The Avengers

I try not to write too many things that are JUST dunks on societal bad actors but, like, sometimes the spirit of the dunk moves ya

if you’re a visual learner i made you some maps of where the people quoted in this article as supporting portland being occupied by troops live

Wrote about the entertainment industry trades trying to will this nonsense into existence

Even 20 years ago, the mention of the word "cookies" meant you were probably going to at least see come cookies. Today, though...?

In which @plumberduck.bsky.social unlocks a powerful new speedrun technique:

I am creeping steadily closer to the absolutely deranged position of naming Baby Steps my GOTY

A little late to the party but I wrote about how Final Fantasy Tactics remains pretty close to the perfect game: Somehow one of the most enjoyable RPG grinds of all time, while being married to a story that Final Fantasy, as a whole, has never really come close to topping.

I deleted that joke because although it was totally benign it was too easy to imagine it as a screenshot on Twitter

Streaming tonight at 8 p.m. We're having too much fun with Baby Steps so we will continue to have too much fun with Baby Steps. I promise to not get distracted this time and make actual progress, unless I see something distracting, in which case we're probably fucked

Put some thoughts together on Hades II, and why the roguelike genre still works - when you care enough to MAKE it work. www.avclub.com/game-theory-...

My one genuine Final Fantasy Tactics tip is to not be afraid of Calculators/Arithmatickers. Yes, it can be complicated. Yes, you'll end up nuking your own guys every now and again. But MP-less, instant Holy, Arise, or Flare anywhere you want on the battlefield is so worth it.

They called it "Hades II" 'cuz "The War With Grandpa" was taken

I've written many times about how much I love Delita, so it was an absolute pleasure to talk to The Ivalice Chronicle's Gregg Lowe about bringing him to life, the voice work of Tactics, and its lasting message. My interview here. www.cgmagonline.com/interviews/f...

Thing I just noticed after hitting credits on FFT: The Ivalice Chronicles: Although the War Of The Lions animated cutscenes don't play during the game proper, they're still available in the Chronicle (you have to hit Play Movie) on the scene in question.

I got to see The Onion's fun and funny and refreshing Jeffrey Epstein: Bad Pedophile, which also finds the true-crime industry dead in its cell. Wrote about it: www.avclub.com/jeffrey-epst...

New roommate has instant boundary issues

Video games are so fuckin' good

There's a very dumb story circulating today, taking advantage of usual slow news Saturday to get people to replicate, with their headlines, a claim that some AI firm has Hollywood talent agents "circling" to sign their fake AI creation. Sometimes people just say shit! www.avclub.com/ai-actress-a...

Having a pleasant, war-ravaged morning writing news stories. Ate my war-ravaged breakfast. Wife's out of the house at the moment, spending time with her friends at the war-ravaged Friends Of The Library store she volunteers at. I take a sip of my coffee. Mmm! War-ravaged!

Chatted with @tethilus.bsky.social and he's down to watch me flail my way up a mountain, so we're going to do some Baby Steps on tonight's stream, 8 p.m. Pacific

Sometimes you make a picture for a story but you're really making it for yourself www.avclub.com/avatar-fire-...

Wrote about Baby Steps, a game where every inch of progress feels precious www.avclub.com/game-theory-...

Streaming babby steps, twitch.tv/Plumberduck

If I did a late-night, low-key stream of Baby Steps tonight after I get off work (so like 10 pm Pacific) would people be into that?

I don't know when I'll get around to formally covering it but Hades 2 hit 1.0 today and has only gotten better from what was already a very good start. (Also, no duh, but the Switch 2 version is a VERY good way to play it.)

Here's my review of Ghost Of Yotei. Kinda represents all of AAA gaming in 2025 to me: A massive, expensive, and visually beautiful spectacle holding up a story you've played before and gameplay you've done before. www.avclub.com/ghost-of-yot...

I don't know what y'all are putting in flu shots these days but it shore do fuck you up two days after the fact

One insane thing about Baby Steps is that you start having distinct emotional reactions to your left and right foot. Righty? That guy's solid. Righty doesn't let you down. Lefty is a FUCK-UP, and I'd say it to his face.

I won't have anything formal written up about Baby Steps until Friday but suffice it to say that eating that fucking pear is the best I have felt playing a video game in living memory.

Happy birthday to Women Of Action! Here's the latest installment of @carolinesiede.bsky.social's excellent series @avclub.com

I wear my mask less vigilantly these days but it blows my mind that we didn't acclimate, society-wide, to using them in high-traffic, enclosed areas. Doctor's office, grocery store - I have gotten so many fewer colds since I started wearing it and it kicks ass.

Late start to the stream tonight, 8:15 pm

Peak proves that the line between slapstick and poetry is often very narrow @tethilus.bsky.social www.twitch.tv/plumberduck/...

I don't really do well with live music and I haven't been to a comedy show in ages but if I get a chance to stump for the movie trivia night at my beloved Hollywood Theater here in Portland you know I gotta.

Streaming tonight at 8 p.m. John is back! We're playing Peak! I'm excited.

Finding good writing on the internet shouldn't be so damn hard, which is why we've put together this weekly roundup of must-read stories from across Paste Media

Literally every game I'm playing right now is still under embargo, so I used the column this week to talk about gamebooks (using the very fun, if slightly simple, Warp Your Own Way as an in) www.avclub.com/game-theory-...

You have to make your own fun in this world. For instance, today I started making myself laugh by imagining what it'd be like if Francis Dolarhyde, the villain of Red Dragon, had picked a different animal/color combo as his nom de serial killer. "Bow before the hunger... of The Big Green Rabbit!"

Woof, that one fucked me up

Battle doomscrolling by posting 5 small pleasures in life: 1. God's Not Dead 2: God's Not Dead 2: He's Surely Alive 3: God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness 4: God's Not Dead: We the People 5: God's Not Dead: In God We Trust

I went to the pinball factory and came away with some thoughts about fandom, Star Wars, and the push-and-pull between artistic expression and needing to work your niche www.avclub.com/star-wars-st...

Streaming tonight at 8 p.m., I appear to have gotten my capture card working properly with the Switch 2, which means it's time for the un-triumphant return of trying to solve Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom problems in the dumbest ways possible.

Streaming at 8 p.m. Another solo stream, we're gonna play some Peak!

Is was This Many years old when I found out Rickety Cricket is married to Bones, which feels ironic

wrote about the fake but also very real @mcrofficial.bsky.social language www.avclub.com/my-chemical-...

I wrote about Silksong and The Difficulty www.avclub.com/game-theory-...

I have finally, finally, finally hit credits on Blue Prince. I stand by my critiques - I think the randomness detracts more than it adds, and I'm never going to be a "draft tiles and build a house" guy. But I'd be lying If I said this didn't feel pretty dang good.

Home from work trip, time for the Plane Movie Review Friendship: An extended ITYSL sketch, (mostly) non-derogatory The Day The Earth Blew Up: Cute, good REM AMV Novocaine: Weirdly sweet, kind of boring Black Bag: So hot I felt a little weird watching it on a plane.