Evil West is fun, but also frustrating. When your level design is essentially linear, with one golden path, it is BAD DESIGN to put collectibles in dead end spurs. Nothing breaks immersion like finding the correct path, then turning around to go the wrong way first so I can get collectibles.

I am SO done with dystopian games. Read the room, gamedevs. There's a wide blue ocean out there for utopian games. Find some new verbs.

Got 100% on Crypt Custodian, a fairly straightforward and satisfying Metroidvania that made some very player-friendly design choices. 1. Frequent save/fast travel points take the pain out of revisiting locations, which you do frequently as you unlock abilities.

Rolled credits on Dredge. I enjoyed a lot about Dredge-- the Lovecraftian undertones, the fishing minigames, the fluidity of navigation-- but wish it had more (ahem) depth. I wanted my decisions to matter more, but while the order may be different per player, you wind up doing all the same things.

There’s a lot to like about South of Midnight. The soundtrack is phenomenal. The exploration of southern black folklore is not something you see much (at all?) in video games, and I appreciated the focus on healing and recovery.

I love the central conceit of Expedition 33 (one of many) that dozens of past expeditions have preceded you, knowing they were doomed to fail but sacrificing themselves to move the ball a few inches forward for those who would follow. It’s deeply poignant and inspirational in today’s me-now climate.

The genius of Lode Runner is that the simplicity and weakness of the AI is actually the game’s strength, as luring the AI into traps is an essential game mechanic.

I was not prepared for the end of Act I.

Clair Obscur is amazing. Visually lush, great character design, emotional weight, evocative audio, fun combat. Some of the design reminds me of the 2007 game Blue Dragon, but far less annoying. Feels like I’m playing an epic movie.

PSA for artists depicting dice: Opposite sides of dice always add up to seven. Don't put 1 and 6, 2 and 5, or 3 and 4 next to each other. #BluePrince

The casting of a male actor in the lead role of Murderbot surprised me, because when I read the books I always thought of Murderbot as female. When I wondered why, I realized it’s because in my head, I always heard Failsafe’s downbeat voice.

@scalzi.com Just finished the Hannah Leventhal chapter of When the Moon Hits Your Eye, which was delightful in every whey. In case edits are possible for ebooks or future printings, it’s “Willy” Wonka, not “Willie”. Looking forward to the rest of the book!

Movie you’ve watched more than six times using gifs. (“Hard mode” no Star Wars, Star Trek, or LOTR)

Locks and keys: chicken or egg? If you give the player a key before the lock, it’s foreshadowing. The player knows they will find the lock in the future, and feels empowered. They have a tool they know will overcome a future obstacle. Depending on your game design, this can also be a clue.

Finished Avowed. Thoughts. Loved: * Being able to buy abilities from any skill tree * "Send to camp stash" button (although I would have also loved a "sell from camp stash" button). * Combat balance (I played on Normal). * You'll pry my wand out of my cold, dead hands.

“Smithers! I have valuables I want locked up. Get me one of those newfangled lock contraptions!” “The ones that open for anyone who knows a low-level shock spell or happens to have one of the electrical pods that seem to grow everywhere, sir?” “Good point, Smithers. Better use two.” #Avowed

“I’m… dying… limbs crushed… barely conscious… but damn if I won’t… summarize what happened… in writing… with quill and ink… for the benefit of any… adventurer… who finds my skeleton.” #Avowed

NPC: “Someone stole from us!” Me: “How horrible! Yes, of course I’ll track them down and recover that for you!” Also me: “I’ll just help myself to the contents of the glowing chest in your storeroom, and everything else that’s not nailed down, OK?” NPC: … #Avowed

I think shortbread, which requires no eggs, is poised to have a moment in the cultural zeitgeist.

If you’re reading this, chances are good you’d love Stuart Turton. I’m usually a plot guy, but I’ve fallen in love with the way he writes. His imagery is vivid and fresh. Start with The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, see if it grabs you. I just finished his 2nd, The Devil and the Deep Water. 🔥🔥

@toddhaberkorn.com’s Drifter is heart-wrenching. Outstanding work.

Parents: So your kid likes videogames, but you want to keep some parental controls in place and limit what your child has access to until they're older? I hear you. But when they ARE older, wouldn't it be great to have a library of games to bequeath to them in their own name?

Love the riff on the John Williams Superman score in the new trailer. But how many super-characters are in this thing? Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, Krypto, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, Ultraman... that's a lot of heavy lifting. But I guess so was Guardians of the Galaxy...

The 1 season we got of Journeyman was not enough. This time travel series starring Kevin McKidd was a better Quantum Leap, and has AFAIK never been available on streaming services. Today my Google-Fu hit paydirt, however, and so I offer it to you all as a holiday gift. archive.org/search?query...

@thinkygames.com, maybe ban Sokoban variants in next year's Confounding Calendar? It's not that I hate pushing boxes (although, yes, I hate pushing boxes), but I'd love to see what OTHER ideas people have in the one-screen puzzle space.

Wildfrost was not on my radar, but it showed up on Game Pass this week and last night I played until 2 AM and I just want to hop back in and play some more. If you like roguelike deckbuilders, give it a shot.

Today on Confusing User Interfaces, we're featuring this button from the Windows 11 sound devices properties screen. Is "Don't Allow" the current setting, or the action that will happen when you press the button? Pressing it changes the label to "Allow". Why is this not a checkbox?

"Wishlist" is the new "preorder".

Of all the trailers I saw, the one that got me most interested was Dispatch, as an IP. I would watch that animated series in a heartbeat.

This year's Confounding Calendar is reminding me how much I hate Sokoban.

Started replaying Burnout Paradise again last night. Such a brilliant design. Takedowns feel SO good thanks to the camera work. Every event you beat adds a car into the world for you to hunt. Amazing soundtrack. Tons of ramps and billboards to discover. #1 on my “wish they’d make a sequel” list.

It's amazing how quickly I went from never seeing Ariana Grande in my Facebook feed, to every second post in my feed being a photo of Ariana Grande.

As a trailing-edge gamer, I'll get to Path of Exile 2 eventually. What I'm certainly not going to do is pay for early access to an unfinished game that will ultimately be free when it's fully-baked.

Just rolled credits on Spider-Man 2 last night at 100%. What an (pardon the pun) AMAZING game. I loved pretty much everything about it, but a few things stand out.

Trying to sort out my thoughts about Ashen. Three design decisions make it rage-inducing. 1. Your companion can be either human or AI 2. Your companion sometimes disappears, or doesn't show up at all 3. If you die while trying to reach the money you lost on your previous death, it's lost forever.

I make games (with directors!), and I'd be hard-pressed to look at a game and tell you if X or Y is because of the game's director, or any of myriad other contributors and circumstances. A "Best Game Direction" award (let alone other categories) from a jury of non game devs is ludicrous.

If you're asking, "Why is this <x> instead of <y>?", almost always: "Budget." Most things require work from humans, who have limited time. Things that seem easy take a surprising amount of resources to make. Sometimes "cheaper" has to win, even if it breaks immersion, because shipping is a feature.

Since discovering them this summer in DC, I'm utterly in love with Cava. It's basically a Middle Eastern Chipotle, but with a flavor palette that hasn't been beaten into the ground. The food is delicious and satisfying, and every time I go (like tonight) I just can't believe how good it is.

Arcane is so... lush. I adore its art direction and animation style. Sad it's going to be 2 seasons and done.

In this house, we believe "dice" is always plural.

Do not understand the popularity of butter chicken in a world where chicken tikka masala exists.

Just rolled credits on Dungeons of Hinterberg, which was a delight. I partícularly appreciated the obvious care that went into every dungeon, each a hand-crafted showcase of the mechanics unique to its region. It was the cozy social sim RPG I didn’t know I wanted. @microbirdgames.bsky.social

If you want to feel like Ethan Hunt, have a bowl of Raisin Bran. From the moment you add the milk, you're on a ticking clock to finish before it becomes soggy and gross. "This breakfast will self-destruct in 5 minutes."

Doing all the side quests before advancing the main story:

Okay, HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! 🎉 Introducing the Thinky Games database - a treasure trove of incredible games you'll love to solve! Start exploring: thinkygames.com/games/

I printed and solved this today. It took under 2 hours and created moments of delight. Start on page 1 and do not peek ahead.

Watching people serve from the side of the table in Olympic table tennis, my son asked if that was the meta.

A small thing, all things considered, but I'm going to miss the Bungie Bakers Babble, Cook the Book, and Marvel Snapchat internal Teams chats.

Pet peeve: "For those of you who don't know me, I'm <name>, <role>." That leading phrase is never necessary. Just introduce yourself.

It is extremely rare to make something and have it received with widespread enthusiasm and love. With Destiny I have now experienced that twice-- with Gambit in Forsaken, and with The Final Shape (all up, and more specifically Dual Destiny, made by the team I manage, whose glow I merely bask in).