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Follow me here, True Believer. I have a point with this detour. In the fifth season of Happy Days, things were looking a little played out. Richie Cunningham was aging quickly for America's Favorite Teen. Just two years before, the Duke of Cool, Arthur Fonzarelli had literally jumped the shark and viewers were starting to wish the shark had gotten the Fonz. The Happy Days megahit was starting to fade. But then a little indie sci fi film about space taxation, Star Wars, exploded into the cineplex and everyone suddenly had alien fever! Donny and Marie Osmond did a whole Star Wars themed episode with Kris Kristofferson as Han Solo. The Star Wars crew celebrated Life Day and Happy Days creator, Garry Marshall, correctly sensing the alien mania of the zietgist said, "Happy Days Needs An Alien." By God, he was correct! A young, up-and-coming comic from Los Angeles blew everyone away in his auditions and Robin Williams became Mork from Ork and debuted in Happy Days, trying to kidnap Ron Howard for the deluxe, full anal probe, before The Fonz beat him back with... his thumb. (That's true. Look it up.) As back-door pilots go, this was a pretty succesful one. A back-door pilot is when a TV show producer wants to make a different show and doesn't have the studio approval (or budget) to make it. So he conveniently guest-stars a whole new character and concept in the middle of his successful show, disregarding the plot of his successful show and secretly launches a new series from within. The Happy Days episode was a hit. Kids loved Mork and the network ordered a whole series of Mork & Mindy. Garry Marshall's little back-door pilot was a success and so was his first back-door pilot, Laverne & Shirley. Which brings me to Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a backdoor pilot for not one, but two different potential spin-off movies. One starring The Punisher. (He's in the trailer. So no spoiler here.) And the other starring Sadie Sink's "mysterious" character. We already know Sink's character is signed on for at least Avengers 6. (And might even show up in the massive party-boat that is Avengers 5: It's Doomsday Time.) This movie has two different spin-off movies incubating in it's chest, ready to burst out on movie-goers in 2027. And so Peter Parker, in a 2.5 hour long back-door pilot for these other, yet-to-be made movies, has to solve the easiest possible mystery for anyone who's read a Marvel comic in the past 60 years, using his unique and individual superpower: Conversations. So many conversations. Conversations at crime scenes. A few phone calls. Conversations on multiple rooftops. A few more phone calls. More rooftop conversations. Then a conversation in an active battle scene. Then conversations in a govt facility. And also conversations in his memories. And also a conversation in a hospital room. And at a gravesite. So many conversations. My God. The conversations. And it's hard to gain momentum in your Spider-Man movie, if so many scenes are conversations between two or three characters in static locations. (The Doomsday trailer seems to continue this trend. It's one conversation after another with multiple characters, all in static locations. Galactus help us.) Spider-Man: Brand New Day also features my least favorite version of Spider-Man. Sad Spider-Man. Sad Spider-Man doesn't quip when he fights crime. Sad Spider-Man isn't particularly funny. Sad Spider-Man cries a little bit. Sad Spider-Man's powers don't work really well. Sad Spider-Man gets angry too. And in this case, Sad Spider-Man is diminished because so much of his journey is focused on another character's emotional arch that is totally unrelated to Spider-Man and his bullshit. To his credit, he never flirts with an emo haircut, a black suit and disco dancing around Manhattan. Perhaps that would've been a step too far. And Spider-Man has a good reason to be sad. His aunt died. His mentor died. His best friends have forgotten him due to a wizard's spell. I think he's a frustrated virgin. And the whole world doesn't know who he really is. He's not only lonely, but he actively makes himself even lonelier in the film. He's truly his own worst enemy. Which is crazy because this movie has an insane number of villains in it, but over half of them are only brief cameos in an early montage. Don't fall in love with any of them, because they're on screen for less than 5 seconds. Blink and you'll miss the Tarantula! Sure, he's pals with The Punisher now, but that friendship is based on fun stories of things that happened off camera and we've never seen them interract before and the friendship is argumentative and contentious and they both think the other one is kinda ridiculous and a pain-in-the-ass. It's difficult for me to invest in this new relationship, when the perfectly good relationship with Ned and MJ is just sitting there, waiting to be reactivated magically or whatnot. There are a few cameos from other MARVEL characters and we wait kinda a long time for a really big action sequence. Over an hour and hoo boy, it IS a doozy and worth the wait. But that's a lot of conversations to slog through to eventually see some combat. But if I'm being honest: I fell asleep in this movie a few times. Literally fell asleep. Dozed off. But I woke up before I face-planted right into my popcorn bag and snored in front of the stranger to my left. I have never fallen asleep in a Spider-Man movie before. Unheard of. I really like the previous three Spider-Man movies. They're zippy fun. Discovering powers (Wowee!) and keeping or failing to keep a secret identity (Golly Gee!) and the Night Monkey (whoever he is!) and a bunch of old villains and a handful of old Spider-Man showed up (Zoinks!) . Plus the wizard! There's a lot to like about the original films. They're fun. And I'm a sucker for a fun Spider-Man film. Brand New Day is really well made. But it's not particularly fun. And I think it suffers for that. To the credit of the director and his D.P. and the colorist, this film looks fantastic. The colors are brighter. New York looks and feels like New York. The practical Spider suit looks like a million bucks. The combat looks a lot like the Insomniac games, but honestly, that's not a bad thing. The game combat is top-notch Spider-Man stuff. And the mid-film combat scene is both thrilling and a little terrifying in the best possible way. So, this isn't a total waste. It may not interest me, but I have to recognize that it's really, really well made. And for the folks who do like Sad Spider-Man, it's some premium, well-made artisanal Sad Spider-Man. I know folks who were genuinely touched by the film and that's the experience I hope viewers have with it. Maybe you will too. I saw it. I'll probably watch the fight sequences again when they come out on Youtube. But I can't imagine myself ever watching this again all the way through. A little sad Spider-Man goes a long way. Remember Joy? We should try Joy again. We suffer from a lack of Joy. I don't think the viewing format really matters. See it on a big screen or wait until it's on Disney+ or whatever. There is a post end credit scene, but it's barely worth mentioning. Have a friend tell you what it is and get to the bathroom 8 minutes earlier. You'll thank me for it. ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spider-Man: Brand New Day Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Battalon (as the other Guy InChair), Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo and Sadie Sink as Exactly Who You Think She Is.

Screenshot: Gunstoppable I’m playing a game. I know I should be having fun. I love first person shooters. I like fast first person shooters. Even the game thinks I should be having fun: the music is pumping, the bullets are flying. My guns are chugging away (plinking, really) – but I’m just not having any fun. Usually I can find something to love about some of the worst games, but this neon drenched bore fest called Gunstoppable is painful. I hate writing negative reviews. I don’t program. I’ve dabbled in game design, but not on a professional level and though I’m not a stranger to it, there’s only a few times I put my work out there to be judged by strangers. Sure, I’ve kicked the hornet’s nest with scathing reviews a few times, but even then I temper it with lots of “I don’t wish ill will onto these people.” I feel the same for Gunstoppable, even though it’s so damned hard to find something nice to say. Even the game’s title is such low hanging fruit it should have been reserved for an ability or something rather than the title of the whole freakin’ game. The Steam store for Gunstoppable is full of screenshots showcasing busy action scenes with a handful of enemy types highlighted in garish colors in a semi-coherent art style. And that’s exactly what you get. But somehow it all looks and feels worse in motion. It’s a truly ugly game. Screenshot: Gunstoppable The sound design isn’t much better. In games, guns gain a lot of their meat and heft from the sounds they produce, and Gunstoppable would have been better off substituting in fart noises and loud sighs than the pitiful attempt at Machine Gun Sounds ™ it puts out. The voice acting, on the other hand, is surprisingly not bad–though it’s also not the greatest. But it certainly doesn’t help that the sound editing is also terrible, and the voice over just sounds like audio clips being played over wet meat sounds…I mean, gameplay noises. So anyways, I’m playing this game. The music is…pumping. And I’m standing still shooting bullets into a crab that’s doing its best to be a big scary boss by impotently shooting missiles into the ceiling. This Mechwarrior (or Macross) transplant is named Fluffy or something, in an obvious nod to Borderlands, but without mustering even a tiny fraction of the attitude even old and spent Borderlands 4 could put together. Screenshot: Gunstoppable When I first started Gunstoppable I thought I was starting a tutorial or an intro level that would ease me into the world and mechanics and then set me out on a more traditional roguelike/rogue-lite type of experience. Nope. Gunstoppable throws you in and you’re moving and shooting from the start. Despite my overwhelmingly negative review so far, there are some good things going for Gunstoppable. Gunplay is actually relatively tight, even if the guns themselves feel like you’re shooting air soft rifles. There are only a few guns to choose from, and choosing faster firing guns seems to be better than choosing slower guns (like the rocket launcher). The premise of the game is moving faster makes you do more damage, but it really just seems to increase your fire rate. It could possibly do both but my energy and will to live was so quickly being sapped by playing the game I had to move onto something else. Gunstoppable also does have roguelite elements with meta progression possible after a run is ended, but that would have required me wanting to play more than the six or seven runs I attempted. I’ve been having far more fun playing the Kex engine port of Doom + Doom II, and those games came out like 30+ years ago. There are just so many better first person shooters to play, and I recommend you go play those instead.

Screenshot: Big Walk. (House House) In a year teeming with hotly anticipated releases, like Wolverine and Grand Theft Auto 6, one of the games I was looking forward to the most was Big Walk by developer House House, the team behind Untitled Goose Game. If you are unfamiliar with Untitled Goose Game, I suggest you go play that and come back. I’ll wait. Okay, now that you understand what House House is capable of, you can understand why I’ve spent the last few years waiting for this game. And it turns out it's come at the best time possible, since games like Peak and REPO have taken physics-based chaos and proximity chat games into the stratosphere in terms of popularity for both players and those players’ favorite streamers. Screenshot: Big Walk. (House House) But Big Walk appeals to me in a way those other games don’t. I don’t want to lose you here, but Big Walk feels like multiplayer Myst. Yeah, that CD-ROM game from the 90s. To be fair, it’s been remade and modernized a few times over the years–most recently in 2020 (and is still being updated as of this year!). But while Myst and puzzle games that gravitate towards being Myst-like tend to be cryptic, slow, and boring for those that aren’t explicitly into that sort of thing, Big Walk takes away the pomp and circumstance and leaves nothing but fun and co-op puzzle solving. My absolute favorite thing about Big Walk is its puzzles. There is a vast variety of them, and while some puzzles are similar, no two are exactly the same. Unlike most games that are similar to Big Walk, you aren’t just collecting items and hoping to get them back. You find tools you sometimes need or sometimes choose to use, etc. The puzzles themselves are very clever with a variety of teamwork-based tasks, like handing off heavy items in a chain, timing-based puzzles, puzzles based on logic, and others where communicating symbols and complex tasks have to be through a system you and your friends figure out. It's led to some really fun and hilarious interactions. And failure is never permanent. You can’t die in Big Walk, and any failed puzzles can be retried as many times as you like. Screenshot: Big Walk. (House House) While Big Walk is physics-based and relies on proximity chat–which is a must–it doesn’t feel gimmicky. Instead, these components are a part of the presentation. Many puzzles, for instance, would be easier or even trivialized without proximity chat. And getting lost and having to find your friends again is part of the adventure. There are in-game items like maps, walkie-talkies and other similar items to make communication and pathfinding easier, but it doesn’t solve these problems outright. In fact, carrying items reduces what you can hold in your hands, or takes up valuable backpack or hip slot space. Exploration is a major factor in Big Walk, and it's a lovely world where realistic backdrops are in juxtaposition to player characters and structures painted in primary colors. Screenshot: Big Walk. (House House) If you can see something in Big Walk you can get there eventually, even if that means finding items to make new keys to progress to the next area. Most of the game’s progression is based around gathering items to unlock keys that then give you access to new areas, needed information and other surprises. You can get lost in exploration just as easily as you can in trying to figure out solutions. While a lot of games that rely on physics and proximity chat can be played in rounds, Big Walk has a more permanent progression. You can create different saves to play with different groups of friends, but since Big Walk has an intentional ending,your mileage may vary in terms of replayability down the road. Let’s hope that House House releases a few DLC levels–bonus points if they’re cheap, free, or there is some other way to support the developers while keeping updates free. Screenshot: Big Walk. (House House) You can’t play Big Walk solo, unfortunately. But you can play with just one other friend if that’s all you have available. The game scales the puzzles based on up to a 4 player group, but in an online lobby you can play with up to 11 friends, which I assume would be absolute chaos. I have to admit I haven’t had a chance to see what Big Walk looks like with a full 4 or 12 player group yet, but I can’t wait to get more of my friends to jump in with me. I love Big Walk’s charm and presentation, which help go a long way in selling it. But I stuck around for the great exploration, clever puzzles, and unadulterated fun with friends. Games that can warm this reviewer’s jaded heart are few and far between, and Big Walk does so easily. It’s not only one of my favorite games this year, it’s one of my favorite games I’ve ever reviewed in ten years of being a game reviewer, and I’m going to convince all my friends to go on this Big Walk with me.

Guy InChair is the Culture Combine's newest movie reviewer. He analyzes films. Reviews will be thoughtful, non-toxic and spoiler-free. Please enjoy. My first question when Nolan announced his intention to make a big-screen adaptation of The Odyssey, was "Why? Who is this for?" The story of The Odyssey is one of mankind's oldest shared narratives. People tend to know some part of it or even the broadest strokes of the very loose plot. What more needed to be said about it that the Coen Brothers neglected to say in O Brother, Where Are Thou? But this film neatly sidesteps any questions of necessity by grounding itself into this gritty, weirdly realistic magical world of Chris Nolan film. Where fantastical things happen with such banal reality that their essence defies questioning or deeper analysis. The giants are giants because they are giants. This guy fights crime in fetish gear because he's Batman. These guys fight backwards in time because they're Tenet. Digging any deeper doesn't answer any questions or enhance viewing. Acceptance is key. Simply put, Nolan wrote and directed The Odyssey because no one else had really attempted a big-screen adaptation before and because the episodic nature of the story can be subtly shaped to make commentary on the world we find ourselves living in today. Odysseus has a monologue in the last third of the movie that's speaking directly to the conditions of his world and his life; but more broadly can be applied to our modern world too. Some thing has been lost because of the choices of one man. Take from that whatever you will... Nolan's world is casually fantastical. Yes, there are Gods. Yes, they speak to us in ways that make sense. Yes, there are fantastical beasts that walk this Earth. Yes, they make sense. Nolan's insistence to do things realistically, in camera, without CGI absolutely works and it's impressive to see a master filmmaker work his craft; creating illusions that would've dazzled Georges Méliès. Performances, across the board, are pretty fantastical. And a Nolan film has more stars in it than The Muppet Movie. Big name actors took small roles to be on this ship with Nolan and Damon. Devoting their talents to tell this story, no matter the size of the role. Damon understands the assignment. He's in crazy good shape and all the old Bourne Identity skills come into play here. Hathaway goes for the Oscar gold in her performance thats passionate without being maudlin. And even Spiderman is pretty great in this movie as "Angsty Teen Son". Some reviewers online are criticizing him as being the weak link of the cast. I don't see that at all. Online film crybabies are screaming about Elliot Page playing a Greek Warrior. He's great. They're dumb and transphobic. Online film crybabies are screaming about Lupita N'Yongo as Helen of Troy. She's great! They're dumb and racist. Nothing in this film warrants public outrage for the clickbait farms. Ignore all of that. Nolan shot the film to be seen in 70MM IMAX. If you can see it that way, you should. The nearest theater that's showing the film in that format is 90 minute from me, each way, so standard IMAX will do. And if that isn't your cup of tea; seeing it in standard format works too. Look, this is grandiose filmmaking at it's best. Watching it on your phone, in six months, isn't going to give you the full experience. See this one in the theaters, while you can. Two cautionary notes: There is some cruelty to a dog in this movie and it genuinely sucks. I hate that stuff. Dogs deserve better. Tread lightly. And also, if you're like me and body horror stuff freaks you out; the Circie's Table scene is a rough ride. I legitimately thought about leaving the room, during that scene. It really messed me up. Good God. Now back to my first question: Why make The Odyssey? Because the story deserves to be told. Because it has lessons to teach us and because a master filmmaker can and should make whatever the Hell he wants. We're very lucky to be alive to see it. (On the biggest screen possible.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Odyssey Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland. Opened July 17th.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back for its fourth season, and its first episode is an absolute diamond. Be warned, spoilers abound ahead. (L-R): Anson Mount as Captain Pike, Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga, and Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh in season 4, episode 1, of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+ In between the season 3 finale and season 4 premiere, the crew of The Enterprise had been on a grueling series of nonstop missions for six months, and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) tells Captain Pike (Anson Mount) of how much of a toll that can take on a crew and himself personally. “We all need weekends once and awhile, even you,” she says, while reminding him she also enjoys heading up away missions. Pike is still reeling from the loss of Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano), who last season transformed into The Beholder statue, a perpetual prison guard standing watch over the banished Vezda, one of last season’s big bads. Mount does a brilliant job throughout the episode showing the emotional weight Pike is carrying on his shoulders, just barely being able to hide the grief behind his eyes in a few scenes. After meeting with Admiral April (Adrian Holmes) and being informed he’s up for a promotion, Pike and the crew are ordered to observe a category ten interstellar squall, a phenomenon rarely seen in the Alpha Quadrant. I certainly don’t remember any crew in any Trek franchise encountering one, but the Enterprise’s Lanthenite Chief Engineer Pelia (Carol Kane) says she has before and quips she might’ve been “in a phone box at the time.” (L-R): Rebecca Romijn as Una and Anson Mount as Captain Pike in season 4, episode 1, of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+ It’s a fun little Easter egg and the third time in Strange New Worlds has referenced Doctor Who. In the season 3 episode The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail, an unmistakable TARDIS appears for just a second trapped alongside the Enterprise in a massive ship. In the season 3 finale, Pelia mentions a time traveling doctor she once knew. While a crossover between the two franchises would be epic and something that I would personally love, it’s not something likely to happen. Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman told Syfy Wire recently there were “too many corporate hurdles” for such a meld. But still, it’s a nice little nod to something that could have been. The Enterprise sets out to view the squall, receives a mysterious mayday from inside and while trying to investigate, gets sucked in. After a rough ride, the ship emerges on the other side heavily damaged, with nothing working but life support. A nearby planet shows a source of iridium, which would give the crew what it needs to get the ship running again, and Number One gets her wish for an away mission. She heads off to the planet via shuttle with Lieutenants La’an (Christina Chong) and Ortegas (Melissa Navia). The planet is lush and beautiful in a primordial sort of way. But the source of the iridium is a bit far off for the away team and something BIG lurks on the way in between. A phaser blast seems like a mosquito bite to the beast and we soon learn why. (L-R): Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, and Rebecca Romijn as Una in season 4, episode 1, of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+ After the Enterprise gets ship-napped by unknown aliens, the crew discovers they’re in a most unexpected and precarious place – Earth as it was 65 million years ago. The beast is a T-Rex. Our away team are standing among real, actual dinosaurs on prehistoric Earth. The Enterprise’s captors are revealed to be actual native Martians, as Mars appears on the viewscreen as a very much habitable and life-filled planet. The Captain of the ship, Battle Commander Cassell (Saffron Burrows), tries to claim salvage rights on the disabled Enterprise, saying that the ship is needed in a war with an insectoid species known as the Dol'drm. The Martians and Dol’drm can’t communicate, and the Martians believe they have no desire to do so – only the desire to spread across the planet and feed on everything. What follows is a wonderful and poignant exploration of a classic bootstrap paradox. The Dol’drm are also from the Sol System, inhabiting the fifth planet, which at the time was not Jupiter. The crew is very careful to follow longstanding advice and try not to step on (or kill) anything while on Earth and attempts to hide their temporal origins from the Martians. Commander Cassel eventually discovers their true place in the timeline, and she prematurely ends what was a potentially burgeoning relationship between the Federation and Martians of eons past. Cassel steals antimatter from the Enterprise to make a bomb, one that will completely annihilate the Dol’drm. The Enterprise crew doesn’t want to be part of what will be a genocide and does all they can to stop it up until the near end of the episode, when Pike realizes that without the destruction of the fifth planet, the Federation, the solar system, and humanity itself would no longer exist in his present. Saffron Burrows as Cassell in season 4, episode 1, of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+ Much like many other classic causal loops, it turns out that the crew of the Enterprise was not only responsible for their own appearance in the past, but assisted in the extinction of the Dol’drm, the dinosaurs, and the Martians, along with the eventual evolution of humanity. Cassel’s wholesale slaughter of the Dol’drm in the hope it would thwart the destruction of Mars end up being the cause of it becoming a barren wasteland millions of years in the future. It’s a very familiar and sometimes overused trope, but Strange New Worlds does it so very well, and Valles Marineris gives us a fictional glimpse into a very real theory that maybe once in the very, very distant past that the red planet had life. We grapple with some very dark moral quagmires. It’s a stand-alone adventure that also has repercussions and reverberations throughout the franchise. In short, it’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from the series and hopefully, a good portent of what’s to come for the rest of the season. Stray observations: I’m wondering why at least Captain Pike and Admiral April didn’t get a visit from the Department of Temporal Investigations. While it technically doesn’t YET exist in 2262, La’an got a visit from them in season two after traveling back in time to the 21st century. I’m not exactly sold on the awkward beginnings of the mentor relationship between Uhura and new Vulcan cadet A’Sha. The arrogant Vulcan is off-putting towards a beloved crewmember trying to help thing has been done A LOT before and usually plays out the same way. I’m also not completely sold on the tension between Ortegas and Scotty. It feels a little forced and seems like we might be headed into an awkward at first reluctant romance that’s a surprise for everyone but the audience. I hope I’m wrong. Speaking of tropes, I did enjoy the Captain passes on promotion one as it played out in this episode, if only because it keeps true to the timeline of what we know and Number One got a much deserved promotion. How La’An is going to deal with the emergence of her new augment superpowers can go myriad ways and I’m here for it. Also, how about that punch? It’s been a long time since I’ve watched Voyager, but does (and if so, how) this impact or somehow retcon Distant Origin, the episode where the reptilian humanoid Voth are descendants of dinosaurs? Then again, the Voth do resemble Silurians quite a bit, so maybe there’s some other timey wimey Doctor Who related things happening here. Valles Marineris was almost TOO packed and I wish we’d have gotten a longer runtime. While I loved the Enterprise crew trying to grapple with the fallout from realizing their dark responsibility in humanity’s creation, it felt a little rushed. Mount’s and Burrows’ captain to captain chemistry was stellar, and I’d have liked to see them given more time onscreen to teach each other about their respective civilizations.

Screenshot: Tears of Metal I spent many hours sitting on the couch playing the Dynasty Warriors series and other Warriors style Koei Tecmo games. Tears of Metal takes that “1 vs 1000” style and adds rogue-like elements and a few other twists to make an addictive action game that isn’t quite like anything I’ve played before. Developed by Bloodroots developer Paper Cult, there is a visual style that is similar between the games. Both are ultra stylized and ultra violent, but Tears of Metal stands out more with its hand drawn ink and marker style that give it an almost graphic novel or animated tv show appearance. Tears of Metal is a third person hack and slash style game where you and a group of soldiers take on armies of enemies to protect your island. Meteorites have hit your Scottish isle, and invaders are flocking to take chunks of space rock and conquer what you call home. Each run has its own potential for synergistic builds that allow you and the soldiers under your command. So it leans a little bit towards Mount and Blade meets Dynasty Warriors. But it’s not as simple as that, because each run is both unique in the exact types of enemy encounters, but in the types of abilities you can pick up along the way. Each run plays out like you would expect from a roguelike. You choose a character: one of three currently in the game. Choose a path, often a choice between combat or some sort of event or merchant. And each combat gets increasingly more difficult until a boss encounter at the end. There are three playable classes available in Early Access, with two unlockable. Screenshot: Tears of Metal Combat in Tears of Metal is the main event, and it is fun enough on its own. The combat is very loose, which actually tracks with its Dynasty Warrior flavor. Hits do have an impactful feel, but it’s not as precise as a soulslike game would be. You can command your units to help attack enemies, especially captains and bosses. Because the vast majority of soldiers are easily dispatched singlehandedly, wading into a huge fray is actually beneficial, as it helps you fill up your power meter so you can unleash a devastating ultimate attack, or use that energy as currency to command your units. But commanding your units in battle isn’t complicated, as it’s a single button command. Tears of Metal boasts cooperative multiplayer, too, though I didn’t get a chance to test it. Whereas in a game like Absolum (another genre combining roguelike) it felt like having a partner would be a fun addition, I feel like Tears of Metal would be vastly more fun with a friend, or with three friends as you can play with up to four players. I only know this from my Dynasty Warriors experience. And everything’s more fun with friends, right? Since Tears of Metal is releasing into Early Access today, that means it has some ways to go before it’s considered a fully finished game. Despite that, it feels like a polished product out of the gate. Rarely while playing did I remember that it was in Early Access, except for the placeholder characters that only have description “available soon.” According to the developers it takes about 10-20 hours to play everything in early access. And developer Paper Cult plans to have a relatively short early access period of 4-12 months which will see the addition of more heroes, balance, and items–among other promised additions. There are also plans to increase the price after release, though no mention of by how much on the Steam store page. And of course Paper Cult promises to listen to the community, etc. But with all of the community involvement before release this promise seems like it will be kept. I don’t know if Tears of Metal earns its moniker, but it’s definitely a serviceable hack and slash Dynasty Warriors style game. Its addition of roguelike elements doesn’t turn the subgenre on its head like what happened with Dotemu’s Absolum, but it has the potential to. I’ll be keeping an eye on Tears of Metal as it progresses towards 1.0.

There's SO MUCH content on food on Tiktok. So we're gonna narrow it down to some favorites. I’m a geriatric millennial. I’ve been around since WorldBook Encyclopedia and card catalogs, and I was warned that you can’t use Wikipedia as a primary source for your research paper. All that to say, I'm a deep skeptic. Anyone can make a YouTube video, right? And yeah, I use TikTok to dissociate from “the horrors” primarily, but the truth is, if you’re interested in cooking, there’s actually some truly educational, entertaining and fun food content for you to find and consume. Here’s our favorite FoodTok creators - and the reasons why we love them. Tini (Tineke Younger) @tinikeyounger Back in the pandemic days, I was getting certified in social media marketing via online courses, and one of the assignments was to join a new social network you’re unfamiliar with and dissect its tone, content and community. One of the first creators that caught my eye while working on that project was also relatively new to the platform at the time, with her first post on her official account coming in late 2020. I ran across her just a little later - in early 2021 - and it was love at first video. There’s a lot of “cooking for my” accounts out there, but Tini was funny, down to earth, and had a real love of cooking. Not only that, she was a true cooking nerd. She wasn’t just going to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - she was going to bake the bread, make the peanut butter, and then make the jelly. It turns out, obviously, that Tineke Younger, aka “Tini” caught more than just my eyes. Younger’s content has now gained enough traction to cause cavatappi pasta shortages around significant holidays with her viral Mac and Cheese recipe, she’s become a mentee of Gordon Ramsay, and now she’s among the new generation on Food Network. You can call it a glow-up, but it’s more than that. Tineke broke barriers in the culinary world without trying just by being herself. She made recipes that were accessible in a way that wasn’t scary to new cooks, but appealed to cooking nerds who loved to do things like make the perfect white bread for pb&j, and who managed to weave her real life into the story in a way that wasn’t self-aggrandizing or fake, but honest and vulnerable - something she continues to do today. We love to watch her because she loves to share what she does. The Salad Lab @thesaladlab While I can agree that it's important to keep realistic expectations in life and can acknowledge social media's tendency to paint everything in blindingly beautiful "aesthetic" tones until you start to feel you're fundamentally broken because your world isn't as pretty as what you see as you doomscroll, I do think that in moderation, we all need aspirations. In a weird combination of "healthy eating" and a sort of visual ASMR we have The Salad Lab. Are the recipes totally realistic and delicious? Absolutely! BUT! Do I think that my finished salad will look like the glossy front page of Food and Wine? I mean, maybe if I shop for some really exquisite wooden salad bowls and tongs...but that's not the point. The point is to make something healthy look unfathomably delicious yet attainable. And maybe to make your life a little more pretty just because sometimes. Your Barefoot Neighbor @yourbarefootneighbor Food is family, and gathering, and love embodied on a plate for a lot of us. It's in our cultural traditions, sometimes it's part of a regional identity. Being Polish and Midwestern, this is double true for me. Everyone gets fed, everyone feeds people no questions asked and makes sure they've got extra for the road. Maybe that's why Your Barefoot Neighbor's content resonates so well with me. "Come fix you a plate" is the refrain from this absolutely pastoral place to find recipes that are so down to earth and practical you can't help but sigh in relief. The great thing about Your Barefoot Neighbor (Matthew Bounds) is that it's so easy to see him as your actual neighbor. He shares his own recipe and his own life, but also goes out of his way to try other people's recipes each week as part of his content. I came across his content when searching for something to make for Valentine's Day dinner. I'd thought of making a nice dinner last minute and had been working all night, so it needed to be actually actionable, not overly complicated, and not so intimidating that I was going to burn myself out trying for perfection. Believe it or not, I made scallops for the very first time. They were fancy, but quick with not that many crazy ingredients, and I related so much to the stories he told about he and his husband and appreciated how he didn't make something that sounds unapproachable so often (scallops are so delicate!) seem unapproachable at all. Not only is Bounds super cheerful, great as a cooking mentor for those who need encouragement, and an active activist, he's also improving the community around him, often raising money for Gulf Coast food pantries and helping make meals to pass out in his community. He's unpretentious and just a joy to stop and listen to in the midst of a doomscroll whether you make the recipe or not, and I would absolutely sit down at a table with him any time. Jessica Secrest @applesauceandadhd Let me start by saying something that'll make you go "uhm..." I don't like being yelled at. I really hate being yelled at. UNLESS, apparently, it's Jessica Secrest. I started watching her content thinking "OMG, is she really gonna talk like this the WHOLE TIME?" and now she's a creator whose videos I look forward to the most. I don't have kids. I don't have dogs. I do have lots of jobs, some that run through dinner hours, and some that mean I forget to eat. And while yes, Jessica is technically yelling instructions at you for a recipe, she's also just saying what we all don't say sometimes. I don't really feel like cooking. I have no time today. I'm in a shitty mood and I don't really care what I eat. The reality remains though, that something needs to go on the table. For you and your family. The other reality is maybe you got bad broccoli in your Instacart order and now you can't make the thing you were going to, and you need to improvise. Or, you just order takeout. The best thing about Jessica is she just does the thing, and then shares how she did it, so you can do it too, or not. And she's confident that "of course it's good, I made it!" In fact, it was her foray into sourdough (which thank GOD she did without any pretentiousness) that reminded me I could do hard things and get good results, and has even re-inspired me to maybe make my own Jane in the near future. (Also, how can you not love someone who names their sourdough starter Jane Dough.) I've learned a lot from Jessica, and I'm going to absolutely make some of the great things she's made, but the thing I've really learned the most is to do the thing, wear the thing, be good to your friends, and be confident that it's gonna turn out good. Liam @theplantslant There's plenty of "reaction" accounts on Tiktok that endlessly stitch other creators, most of the time to criticize them. And just like anything else, in small doses, that has its place. There's also plenty of debunkers - some who are selling a new solution after they tell you something isn't the solution, and some who just tell you you're gonna die from eating those Lucky Charms because of the antinutrients without a single fact in sight. Liam's the antidote. He has the facts on nutrition, but he's neither selling something or fear-mongering about micro-plastics. He's willing to try the "hacks" and high protein meals (especially if they have beans but he's also willing to tell you when something is just flat out bullshit. Not only that, he often defends creators who are making healthy choices and getting criticized for it. It goes a long way to not only see if that high protein bean salad is actually easy to make but also figure out why it might fit into your diet and meet your nutritional needs at the same time, and that's exactly what Liam's content provides. It's fun to see if the recipe turns out, interesting to find out what makes it a "hack" or not, and useful to know if it's actually good or just looks great in a Tiktok video. Reasonable, personable, and funny with great takeaways on viral food trends? I'll take that every time. Out of 10. Kbye. Dollar Tree Dinners @dollartreedinners The reality of the world at large and the US right now is that lots of people go hungry or struggle to be able to keep food on the table. As SNAP benefits get cut and grocery costs rise, food pantries strain to keep up. Even though this is a growing problem, it's also a pre-existing problem that many fail to see or address. Food deserts are real, and there's probably one very nearby to you now. Kids go hungry in the summer for lack of school lunch programs, and even those neighbors in the super nice house may have experienced job loss, sickness or any number of other circumstances that would lead to hunger. I first really got hooked on this account when she did a $20 Thanksgiving dinner. Facing rising costs I was getting sticker shock at the potential price of my own 2 person casual holiday affair, and while skeptical, by the end I was downright speechless. It was full of traditional fare and fully loaded, but she'd done it all - appetizers, great sides, and dessert - so it didn't feel lacking in any way. This is God's work. Even so, food insecurity is stigmatized, and people rarely talk about what to do if you find yourself in the situation. Dollar Tree Dinners never failed to address the reality that millions of people in the US alone face every day - very little money and a family to feed, in places where a dollar store may be the only option. And so, she goes and does the thing so many families do - tries to make the best of it. And she does, with dishes that are hearty, healthy and actually delicious. It's a no judgement zone and a place to go when you really really need the help, and we all need more of that in our lives. Maybe you don't need to get your grocery haul at the Dollar Tree today, but if you ever did, now you'll know where to turn, and should you never need it, then hopefully it gives you a desire to help end hunger in your neighborhood. At the very least, you'll learn to make a crunchwrap. Chloe Olson @_cookwithchlo Chloe Olson reminds me of the earliest days of Alton Brown, in the OG Good Eats era, and I mean that in the best way. Now, she doesn't have elaborate sets or hunchback assistants, but she does have that same cool cooking nerd aura that endeared Alton to us in the first place. And while she's got sass, she's also got plenty of kitchen knowledge to go with it. I think the first time I really started to pay attention to her content was when she was reviewing the best expensive things she didn't regret buying ( a lesser done take than the best inexpensive kitchen items) and later on, her practical lessons for the kitchen that help you learn the basics you can apply to everything. A particularly good one is her video on heat control, which will, if taken into consideration when cooking, will take you from someone who can't cook to someone who can pretty quickly. Snackolator @snackolator If you wanna tell us you don't snack, I'm gonna tell you you're a liar. As someone who used to shop for people professionally, I can tell you firsthand that nearly everyone's got a pack of Oreos or some Flamin' Hot Cheetos on the order with all their organic fruit and veg. The world of snacks is wide and wonderful, and honestly, hard to keep track of even if you're in grocery stores and convenience stores on the daily. Lucky for you, one man has taken on the enormous burden of keeping track of every new flavor of Oreo, every limited edition energy drink or soda, and every type of chip and candy on Planet Earth. But that's not all. He also does the hard work of keeping up with every ridiculous product the nation's fast food and fast casual restaurants are baiting us back in with, from Shake Shack to snack wraps and whatever ten new things Taco Bell puts out on a weekly basis. These quick updates come daily and will help you be that person that's always got the hottest new snacks on offer and the best deals on stuff you love. And that's some social currency for you at the next cookout, potluck or picnic. Alexis Nikole @alexisnikole There's a lot of food just growing all around us, and most of us will never notice or take advantage. And yeah, lots of the reason for that is because we're not really sure what's edible and what will actually kill us. Still, foraging is a useful skill to have, and you can really miss out on some tasty treats if you don't learn those skills. Luckily for us, there's the Poison or Snack lady, aka Alexis Nikole. She can teach you how to make dandelion wine and how to not die from berries you pick off a bush. She's got a Miss Frizzle energy that's hard to ignore, and she's also fully cottagecore, weird and wonderful and enjoys more than a dash of whimsy in her content. Which makes her incredible, unique and educational all in one. We love that. Now, don't die, but do go find some free snacks outside your front door. Roll for Sandwich @adventuresinaardia Now, I probably don't need to introduce you to Roll for Sandwich, but I will anyway, because (and I'm pulling one of those "I remember when" moments here) I remember when he had just started the series and it was all paper plates and testing fates. I'm a very beginner to D&D but I loves me some good RNG any day, and the idea of rolling to see what your lunch would turn out to be was intriguing. And it is. But to keep it interesting and continue to expand on it - to involve other huge fandoms, and try out ingredients from all over the world while you do it? That's genius. So it's no surprise that we've seen this series last longer and get better. And look, there's been plenty of imitators. People roll for Girl Dinner, Breakfast, BBQ - everything you can think of. However, none seem to incorporate the spirit of a real D&D game the way Jake does, nor go as far with sets, lore and production. Roll for Sandwich is the kind of thing that you just can't replicate, and Jake's the kind of guy you root for, even when he's about to drink a reindeer pate and garlic yogurt milkshake thing. Season to season, new big bads rise, from the celery curse to the ketchup spectre (Jake hates ketchup, which makes his frequent rolls for it unfortunate and hilarious). And new surprising things come together into something beautiful from the random rolls of dice. Enough that an entire cookbook came out of it! If I ever met Jake at one of his live events, I'd like to take him to some sort of endless sandwich ingredient bar, no dice allowed, and see what he'd come up with, before sitting down for a good TTRPG. This is my must-see TV on Tiktok and while I love the reruns, I'm always salivating for a new season. Baked Baking - @mattbellassai Another creator who's a bit of a foodie guilty pleasure is Baked Baking, aka Matt Bellasai. He's as skilled at "gardening" as he is at actual baking, and controlled chaos is what you get when you put those things together. For all the silliness and classic "gardener" moments he has where he forgets to turn the oven on or off, or actually forgets what he was making in the first place, the goofiness and pantsless man has serious baking chops. He frequently pulls off things like french macaron and croquembouche while he's pretty far gone "in the weeds" as some would say. He's also great at coming up with stuff you'd only come up with while elevated, like funfetti cinnamon rolls and giant toaster pastries. You can't help but giggle with him and then immediately want to follow in his footsteps, as stumbly as they may be. For a cook who's often turned off by the strict nature of baking, Baked Baking helps me relax and enjoy the process, and if you get nothing but laughs out of it, it's still worth the watch. Hopefully, though, you'll get some great recipe ideas and a kitchen full of pastry. Amaury Guichon @amauryguichon / Remember when I was talking about visual ASMR food content? This is the king. Amaury is like Jacques Pepin (Hello fellow kids raised on PBS!) the next generation. To say he specializes in chocolate is like saying Picasso's pretty good at painting. The thing is you can tell that he loves what he does, and he's absolutely unbelievable at it. And for me, the bonus feature is that it's not just stuff on PVC frames - when he makes a showpiece everything is not only edible, but Paris patisserie worthy. If he makes a peach out of chocolate, it'll be filled with the most insane peach jam filled cake or cookie interior. A girl can dream, and just once I'd like to see one of those creations in person - and maybe take a bite. Ian @ianinrealtime Another subgenre of food content I love to consume is travel food shows. I think it started with Rachael Ray's $40 a Day, oddly enough, but my love for No Reservations and Anthony Bourdain is inextinguishable. Ian might not be the next Bourdain, but he certainly has a love of travel and food, and a weird, golden retriever sort of frenetic energy that's hard to be mad at. His interesting travels always involve food, whether it's a Dunkin in Dubai or somewhere much more posh, and it's worth watching simply to see where he shows up with what. Sebabryks @sebabryks There's never a wrong time to reconnect with your culture. And a lot of times, that means the food. I'm personally of Polish heritage, and even though I'm living in a city that's second only to Warsaw in Polish folks, I've noticed, at least around me, a lot of the Polish places starting to fade out. Couple that with the loss of my grandma a few years back, and it's been harder to get my paws on the food that raised me. I find myself yearning for golabki, pierogi and a whole bunch of other things that were simply part of every holiday and a few times a week for me at one point. That's why I'm glad to have found Seababryks. He's from Poland originally and moved to Chicago more recently, and he's been exploring the Polish food of Chicago as it is today. This is showing me new places and reminding me of old ones, and generally connecting that link back up for me. If you're like me and want to reconnect with the food you were raised on, Tiktok can be a powerful tool. Just one search for what you're looking for can flood in a ton of content based around it, and soon you'll have recipes and restaurant recommendations for places you can head to in your own area or beyond. The algorithm is powerful, and using it to your advantage is a power move that can drive great results - and tasty ones, too! Take a gander at all this content and add your own recommendations in the comments!

Screenshot: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Via Fatshark “From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh it disgusted me.” This line from the trailer for the game Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is something I probably quote way too often. But it really captures the merciless brutality of the 40k universe as much as the famous “in the grim darkness of space, there is only war.” Despite how captivating the Warhammer 40,000 setting is, I admit most of the lore I know about any iteration of Warhammer is through video games – but I’ve played a lot of Warhammer games over the years. That’s why I feel qualified to say that not only is Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (Darktide) one of the best Warhammer games I’ve ever played, it’s also one of the best 4 player co-op Left 4 Dead style games I’ve ever played. And its new Skitarii class is a great addition to Darktide’s roster. Skitarii, as I hinted at above, are the military forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Functionally, that means you’re a cyborg death dealer in service of the God Emperor of Mankind. Screenshot: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Via Fatshark As with other Darktide classes the Skitarii has, functionally, three different builds. However, the Skitarrii has a uniquely circular talent tree that helps facilitate builds that don’t necessarily go down only a single branch of the skill tree. That opens up some fun possible synergies with teammates, or some serious solo damage potential. It also means any “class” of Skitarii can branch into any grenade or keystone without sacrificing too much. The Skitarii enables some tricks that other classes don’t possess, like the ability to automate those pesky data interrogator sections. You can also have your servo skull help get up fallen comrades, or use it like a fire grenade to burn away the heretics. Then there’s my personal favorite grenade: the arc grenade. It not only clears away groups of enemies, it can also potentially disarm ranged enemies–all while making an effect that reminds me of a haunted house electric chair prop. It’s fantastic. With the new class comes class specific weapons, which are, predictably, also pretty powerful feeling (and are sure to get a tweak towards normal in an upcoming patch.) The Arc Rifle is not only deadly, but arcs its electricity to spread the “love” to nearby enemies. The Galvanic Rifle sounds like it’s more of the same, but it’s actually a powerful single shot rifle that reminds me of a spicier version of the M1 Garand. But my favorite of the Skitarii weapons is the Phosphor Pistol. Not only does it spread a fire damage over time effect, it penetrates and has great range. It’s also just satisfying as hell to shoot chunks of flaming bullets at enemies. Now if you read this entire article shouting “this isn’t right!” your experience may indeed differ, because I mostly used Skitarii on mid tier difficulty, as my group is getting its Darktide skills back in order. But that being said, Skitarii was enough to get my Darktide group back together, and with the Steam summer sale still on for another day it’s a great time to jump into Darktide.

I can’t go back. You can’t make me. I’ve been using the Logitech PRO X2 Superstrike for about a week now, and I will never use a traditional mouse for gaming again. When the Logitech PRO X2 Superstrike Lightspeed mouse released earlier this year, the hype was real. Sentiments on the internet were mostly in the range of “game changing” and “a quantum leap in mouse technology.” Now, that sounds buzzy as hell, and I didn’t want to fall for the hype. I know that optical mice have come a long way since the legendary Microsoft Intellimouse. I have to admit that I’m more of a fan of Razer’s form factor when it comes to mice. It’s a bit of an ironic twist after being such a Logitech fan in my formative computing years. But I haven’t really been using anything Logitech in years. Which is apparently my mistake, because they’ve been making some pretty impressive mice over the years. But I’m an old school gamer, and I never really cared too much about super light weight and super high DPI. The mice I used just seemed “good enough.” To say that the Superstrike was eye opening is an understatement. It’s rare that a piece of technology makes me rethink how I use that technology, and raises the bar so high it makes my previously “premium” products feel cheap. I know, I know. This isn’t a paid advertisement, and I’m not trying to sell you a monorail. This is seriously the real deal. Image: Logitech PRO X2 Superstrike. Logitech What makes the Superstrike stand out the most to me? The HITS technology is the biggest draw for me. HITS stands for Haptic Inductive Trigger System. It’s designed to replace traditional microswitches, and I have to tell you: I don’t think I can go back to traditional switches after using the Superstrike. Logitech claims that its inductive sensor technology reduces latency by up to 30 milliseconds, but the real win for me is in the feel. The mouse’s hardware syncs with the inductive sensing system to generate tactile response every click–or you can turn it off completely. Me? I dialed the click all the way up to 6, and this massively improved my click times. Think of it like a bumpstock for a semi-automatic rifle. I know, it’s a gross comparison after they were infamously in the news a few years back, but I really can’t think of a more apt example. The haptic feedback hits back at the right timing making it feel like you can click many times faster than normal. So if you’re playing a game where you shoot a gun that can fire as fast as you click, HITS will definitely be an improvement. And even when that isn’t true, the ability to set the feel and actuation point is enough by itself. Another major advantage is the tunable actuation point. I like to have a very sensitive actuation with a very clicky mouse, but you can choose anything that best suits your needs and/or playstyle. But Logitech impressively managed to fit all of that into an ultralight 61g body. Image: Logitech PRO X2 Superstrike. Logitech. It’s hard exactly to express just how light this mouse is. I’ve never had to put grip tape on a mouse before, but the Superstrike was so light it was hard for me to get a proper grip on its smooth plastic sides. And it has 90 hours of battery life, which is just insane. While it’s possible to use the Supertike wired, there’s really no reason to since Logitech's “Lightspeed” wireless transmitter has no noticeable latency. But this light body comes with trade-offs: there are no frills. This is a very basic mouse. In fact, it’s so basic that some configurations can’t be used unless you have Logitech’s G Hub running on your computer. There’s also no backlighting or RGB. For those that like their mice to make fun colors, you’ll have to settle for black and white plastic–unless, of course, you customize it yourself. Key technical specifications for the mouse include: Sensor: HERO 2 Optical Resolution: 100 – 44,000 DPI Max Acceleration: > 88 G Max Speed: > 888 IPS Polling Rate: Up to 8,000 Hz (LIGHTSPEED Wireless) / 1,000 Hz (USB Wired) Weight: 61g (2.15 oz) Battery Life: ~90–95 hours (continuous motion) Buttons: 5 Programmable Switches: Electromagnetic/Inductive sensors with customizable Haptic Actuators Lighting: None (RGB removed for maximum battery efficiency) Dimensions: 125 x 63.5 x 40 mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.6")

Sonic The Hedgehog is one of the most iconic video game characters ever, and he’s been the star of numerous TV shows, video games, and movie adaptations. Today is the speedy little hedgehog’s 35th birthday, and while he’s gone through many redesigns, his core philosophy of “gotta go fast” has been consistent. Screenshot: Sonic the Hedgehog The first time I saw Sonic in action was probably the first or second time I saw a Sega Genesis in all its glory, with its graphics that were superior to Nintendo’s NES, marketing hype with terms like “blast processing” and slogans that promised to deliver a level of action that Nintendo wasn’t capable of: Sega does what Nintendon’t. I was there for all of it. Screenshot: Sonic the Hedgehog But why did Sonic leave such a lasting impression? Everyone knows the story: Sega President Hayao Nakayama knew that Sega needed a definitive mascot, since Alex Kidd wasn’t edgy enough, and Naoto Ohshima’s Mr. Hedgehog won out, and became the speedster we know as Sonic. But it takes more than an edgy mascot to sell copies, and a combination of technological prowess, clever design, and great music helped propel Sonic the Hedgehog into legendary status. While Sonic embodied the in-your-face attitude that was so sought after in the ‘90s, he persisted thanks in part to his strong visual identity that oozes out of that 16-bit world. Sonic doesn’t just stand idly by: he reacts to his environment. If he’s on a ledge he waves his arms for balance, and if you put the controller down eventually he loses patience and taps his foot at you, urging you to get him moving again. Screenshot: Sonic the Hedgehog If you’ve played Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog, you’ll notice that they feel incredibly different to play. That’s because Sonic has momentum. To get Sonic to pass successfully through the game’s iconic loop-de-loops, for instance, Sonic needs to be going fast enough. Sonic even loses momentum when running up hills, and takes longer to stop the faster he’s going. That’s not just “blast processing.” That’s all possible because developer Yuji Naka pulled off some absolute assembly-level wizardry to utilize the Genesis’ Motorola 68000 processor to the fullest extent. Naka wrote a groundbreaking collision algorithm that allowed Sonic to smoothly traverse curved surfaces and loops, combined with an incredibly efficient way to update the Video Display Processor. This meant the screen could scroll at faster speeds without flickering or dropping frames—a masterclass in rendering and physics that gives Sonic his signature weightiness and makes the speed feel incredibly tactile. Screenshot: Sonic the Hedgehog The music in Sonic the Hedgehog is also iconic, especially the Green Hill Zone theme. Composer Masato Nakamura didn’t just make video game music, he was a musician and even a member of a massively popular J-Pop group called Dreams Come True. Fun Fact: Sonic the Hedgehog was originally revealed by being painted on the side of the band’s tour bus during its “Wonder 3” tour. While the first game’s soundtrack isn’t considered the best, it is foundational. I played through Sonic the Hedgehog to see if it still holds up after 35 years, and I think it does. It doesn’t get as much love as the other entries in the series, but that’s mostly because Sonic continued to find out what was fun to do as Sonic in the 16-bit era. Screenshot: Sonic the Hedgehog That’s probably why there’s the strange and jarring change of pace between the fast and open Green Hill Zone and the much slower, precision platforming required immediately after in Marble Zone. Maybe the developers were still figuring out how to make a Sonic level. I can see the logical progression the developers were making by introducing trickier platforming and block pushing in a second level. Just imagine a Sonic franchise that stuck to this philosophy and how it might have affected the shift into 3D. Instead, the sequels leaned more into crowd pleasing speedy setups with loops and corkscrews–and honestly, I think that’s where Sonic is at his best. Screenshot: Sonic the Hedgehog But while speed might seem to be the goal for a character named Sonic, that’s not always true, especially in his first outing. There are plenty of alternate routes and even secrets to find if you decide to practice each level to maximize routes. And while Sonic the Hedgehog only takes about 2 hours for an average player to beat,if you’re playing on original hardware, losing all of your lives and continues means starting the game from the beginning. And while obtaining a Sega Genesis console and a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog isn’t too costly, most will likely choose to play the game through one of the many modern platforms on which it's available. Screenshot: Sonic the Hedgehog The bottom line? Sonic the Hedgehog holds up all these 35 years later. And with so many indie retro-like offerings, it’s not even too far off from what you might find as a modern game. While Sega hasn’t made hardware for a long time, Sonic has continued to be a pop culture icon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we were still talking about him 35 years from now.

Steam Machine. Image: Valve There’s something to say about a company that looks at the current hardware market and says, “fuck it, we’ll do it anyways.” Which is exactly what Valve Software has done with the impending release of the Steam Machine. Reviews are out, and the consensus is: “it’s great, but it’s expensive.” That’s fine, really. The hardware hellscape is unprecedented, and in a world where it’s increasingly hostile for the casual PC gamer to get into PC games, having a Steam Machine is a nice way to get in without all the doubt–even if you’re paying a premium. But even as console prices are going up–something that is, before these AI driven times, unheard of–people want to play games. Even as I write this I have to wait in line and figure out how I’m going to afford any of the four offered Steam bundles. With an entry price of $1049, many will balk. For those people, there’s at least a more DIY approach. Alongside the sign-ups for the Steam machine today comes the news that you can install Steam OS on desktops. Which is a great way to finally get out of the Windows ecosystem (for those that are too afraid to fully commit to learning Linux all at once. ) Unfortunately, only AMD CPUs are currently supported – but Valve is working on expanding that support in the future. Meanwhile, I want the Steam Machine because I was sold on the original Steam Machine promised over 10 years ago. I’ve also been sold on Steam hardware after loving the Steam Deck, and using it far more than I thought I could. It turns out that having access to Steam’s vast library of games is a huge plus. Having a green check mark telling me that the game will run fine on my system helps, too. I’ve spent my entire life configuring computers and hardware for optimal frame to visual fidelity ratio, and it’s nice to leave some of the work out of it. Especially since my Steam Machine will be used as a living room fixture. Steam Machine. Image: Valve But for the tinkerers, you can mess with Steam Machine too. Unlike traditional consoles that lock everything up, SteamOs isn’t walled off–for instance, you can install the Epic Game Store Launcher. The Steam Deck created a whole new wave of interest in handheld PCs, and I have to wonder if the Steam Machine will start to bring in console players that want access to Steam’s library of games. If you want a Steam Machine you can sign up to reserve your slot now. Valve decided to keep scalpers and bots in check by allowing more days for reservations both for verification purposes, and so people have lots of time to get in and not feel left out. So anyone that signs up before the 25th will be on equal footing to secure a slot, or get stuck on the waitlist. Steam Machine registration: https://store.steampowered.com/hardware/steammachine Steam Machine. Image: Valve Steam Machine Specs: Core Hardware Specs CPU: Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 (6 cores / 12 threads) up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP. GPU: Semi-custom AMD RDNA 3 with 28 Compute Units, 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, 110W TDP. Memory: 16 GB DDR5 RAM. Storage: Available in 512 GB or 2 TB NVMe SSD (internally upgradable/expandable via a high-speed microSD slot). Connectivity & Ports Networking: 2x2 Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and 1 Gigabit Ethernet. Video Out: DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 4K @ 240 Hz or 8K @ 60 Hz) and HDMI 2.0 (up to 4K @ 120 Hz). USB Ports: Front includes two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1; back features two USB-A 2.0 and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2. Accessories: Features a dedicated 2.4 GHz Steam Controller wireless adapter. Power & Design Dimensions: Roughly a 6-inch (~160mm) cube. Power Supply: Internal power supply (110-240 V) with an average power draw of ~175W under heavy load. Software: Pre-installed with Arch-based SteamOS

Pirate Borg and its inspiration, Mork Borg. Photo: Marielle Bokor Mork Borg was an absolute phenomenon in the TTRPG world that spawned countless third party expansions and characters, using the generous third party Mork Borg license. Bolstered by the art ofJohan Nohr with a design by Pelle Nilsson, it took TTRPGs back to the basics in an exciting way. Not exactly OSR, but very much in the vibe of OSR. If OSR was classic rock, Mork Borg was Swedish death metal. Back when I originally played Mork Borg, I really liked the rules light approach and its extreme take on tabletop tropes that made them as satirical as they were intriguing to engage in. So when the cyberpunk themed CY_Borg released I was there for it. Sadly, by then my TTRPG group had dissolved and I was back to playing through campaigns in my head. I almost completely missed the pirate themed Pirate Borg when it released back in 2023, so when there was a starter kit and the expansion, Down Among the Dead, released earlier this year, it was the perfect chance to get back into it. Pirate Borg Pirate Borg is written and illustrated by Luke Stratton through that third party license I mentioned earlier. But its soul is very Mork Borg, and it's compatible with Mork Borg if you ever want to take your tortured players on a high seas adventure. If you enjoyed the art in Mork Borg, Pirate Borg is very much inspired by Nohr’s work, and looks like it could sit right along Mork Borg on the shelf. In Mork Borg, the overall theme of the game is super dark, with the calendar of Nechrubel hanging over your head. The world can literally come to an end, potentially putting any long term campaign ideas to an end–though any clever GM could work around that. But instead of focusing on the nihilistic, Pirate Borg wants players to be more opportunistic–pillaging and plundering across the Dark Caribbean, which exists in a version of Earth that isn’t quite ours. That doesn’t mean it entirely ditches the dark nihilism and apocalypse tone that Mork Borg adopted, and its core book even lays out a comprehensive history that includes the end of days. Pirate Borg really nails the pirate atmosphere. There are rules and rolls about carousing and drinking, bar fights and even for holding your breath (cue Sonic drowning music.) Also, pirates don’t wear armor–since it doesn’t stop black powder guns anyways, and it can get you a quick trip down to Davy Jones’ locker if you try. The Pirate Borg Starter Set. Photo: Marielle Bokor You even get to roll to see what kind of hat you wear–anything from a bandana to a fancy tricorne or a morion. And just like Mork Borg, there are lots of tables to let RNG decide your players’ fortunes and/or fates. In Pirate Borg you’re also–ostensibly–part of a crew. This allows for ship combat, and even combat against massive sea creatures. Ship combat is also where Pirate Borg seems to get a little more complicated. Here the rules light mindset is ditched for ship actions, crew actions and other optional complications like wind direction. This is all underpinned by a magic system that revolves around the use of a psychedelic substance made from ground up undead called Ash. This is appropriately Mork Borg, and so are the potential outcomes for any such ventures into the use of Ash. Ill effects can have effects up to and including permanent stat loss or instant death, while on the other side you can see some stat gains. While all of that is technically old news, there was a handful of new Pirate Borg stuff released this year: an expansion book, a starter set, and a GM screen. The Pirate Borg Starter's Set and Down Among The Dead expansion. Photo: Marielle Bokor Starter Set The starter set is a great place to actually start if you’re just now planning on playing Pirate Borg, and it’ll probably be where I start with my group. Inside the starter set is a player’s guide, which is all of the player oriented stuff from the core rulebook separated into its own softcover pamphlet style variant. This is definitely appreciated, and contains plenty of information to get you and your players through the starter set stuff without needing the core rulebook, but of course that’s always good to have. There is also a 60-page intro adventure, 58 tokens, 12 resin dice, 22 handy reference cards, 10 poster sized maps, 25 character sheets, 6 laminated character creation sheets and even two dry erase markers. They give you everything you need to run the game, but even so I decided to add a few extra touches by printing out my own character sheets and making the treasure map more beat up and ancient looking than I was willing to do to the original. Of course, that’s a luxury I have by having both the digital and print versions–which is something I always try to do when buying TTRPG books and sets online. The adventure that comes with the starter set is meant to be more than a one-shot, consisting of several parts that will take a group about three or four hours each to complete. And with a total of four parts it’s a great start to a Pirate Borg campaign, with enough pirate adventures to whet your appetite for the immediate future. The starter set’s adventure is filled with everything a pirate would (or wouldn’t) want to encounter in an adventure through the Dark Carribean: zombies, drugs, treasure (with the requisite map), encounters on the high sea and more. Down Among the Dead and the GM Screen. Photo: Marielle Bokor Down Among the Dead If you’ve finished with the starter set, or already have a seasoned crew of salty dogs you want to take on new adventures, Down Among the Dead is an expansion that includes three new character classes, three new adventures, a parrot poker game, house rules, and lots of tables and generators. Is your crew having a hard time figuring out what your ship’s flag is going to look like? The flag generator will have you hoisting your very own Jolly Roger in no time. While I haven’t had a chance to run the three adventures that are included in Down Among the Dead, they remind me of old school D&D modules, which seems perfect for an OSR style game. They’re light on narrative with lots of traps, lots of loot, and only subtle nudges to guide the players–as opposed to putting them on rails. “Lost to the Locker” has you (or your players) escaping from Pirate Hell–and I always love a good “fight your way out of hell” scenario after a party suffers a TPK. “Into the Maelstrom” has the PCs hunting a vampire pirate on his castle-on-a-boat style ship. Finally, "Venom in the Veins” takes place in a snake temple run by the ghost of a malevolent druid. Down Among the Dead also comes with three new character classes, as well as bunch of new skills to bestow upon your established characters. The Antiquarian is an adventuring researcher type good at deciphering languages, and exploring trap-filled temples. The Deep One is a playable version of the NPC class from the Core Rulebook–an amphibious deep water dweller that can be ancient and giant, or small and wily. And then there’s the Unlocked Soul–an undead pirate that is cursed and bound by ghostly magic from the Locker. Pirate Borg's Down Among the Dead expansion and GM Screen. Photo: Marielle Bokor The books themselves are printed and bound beautifully. Down Among the Dead is hardcover and has two reading ribbons included to help mark pages for reference. Down Among the Dead also has a cool embossed cover (not to mention the limited edition that is bound in leather, which is still available as of this article’s publication). Unfortunately, unlike OG Mork Borg, there are no foil effects–but there are loads of pages of full color art in both Down Among the Dead and the Player’s Guide booklet. This extends to the GM screen, which is not only a great reference, but it’s also very cool looking–I just wish it was a bit taller. Pirate Borg's Starter Set and Down Among the Dead expansion. Photo: Marielle Bokor If you, like me, loved Mork Borg and wanted an excuse to jump back into it, Pirate Borg is fantastic. And with the Starter Kit there’s really no excuse not to try it out–and if you have a seasoned crew, Down Among the Dead is a great way to expand those pirate adventures.