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  I'm starting with my Mastodon post about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. I really liked the first season. The creators nailed the spirit of the original series. They explored the unknown and different kinds of life to reflect our own world right now. I see more parallels with the very first show than with TNG or others. That original series took bold risks for its time. I think those same bold choices contributed to the new show's cancellation.

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  Starfleet Academy aired too soon and was too direct. It said clearly that humanity must embrace endless diversity to thrive. The episodes were all over the place. Some ideas felt naive, while others were deeply wise. The team really wanted to experiment and push boundaries. That courage likely cost them the show. It's scary to think about what happens to the franchise if that spirit disappears from its DNA. I'm grateful the creators made two seasons.

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  Is Disney trying to buy Epic Games? If they do, expect mass layoffs, free game giveaways ending, and new paid assets for Unreal Engine.

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  I had some spare change in my wallet, so I figured I’d support an indie dev and try a new experience. I’m not a fan of mopping, but for some reason, I actually wanted to do it in-game. I ended up refunding it though. I won't call out the specific title, but why do the tools in a cleaning sim just jitter in mid-air without any surface contact? It’s a total immersion breaker. I expect to see the rag actually scrubbing the floor. If I wanted to wave a stick around, I'd play Hogwarts...

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  @Kye Hi. Maybe you are looking in the wrong places? Or maybe I misunderstood you. At least on Bluesky, under the aiart tag, there is a lot of art created with AI, including some of mine. On Reddit there are also creators who make AI music. Since generative AI is at the cutting edge of technology, the tools still require some knowledge. But the barrier to entry is getting lower every year, and the communities are growing. So I’m sure that if you are patient, your heart will not be broken.

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  I love exploring open-world games. After uncovering yet another new location in AC: Shadows, I felt a sharp sense of how impoverished the game world is. There are too many settlements with nothing but NPCs walking in circles and maybe a shrine if you're lucky. It feels like a massive missed opportunity. This world is neither cozy nor diverse. #gaming #acshadows #assassinscreed #openworld

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  AC: Odyssey came out way before Shadows from the same studio yet feels more advanced in its details. The NPCs there behave with more variety and follow much longer paths. While that world has its flaws too, it feels more alive and diverse. I have a favorite forest there where the fog rolls in uniquely at certain times of day. The cities are more memorable and the NPCs are actually interesting to watch. The world feels like a living, breathing place where everyone has their own business.

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  Starfield actually has a really cool narrative justification for New Game+. Respect for that. But overall, the game gives me major cognitive dissonance. You really have to go out of your way to make space this boring! Not to mention the population issue: planets are packed with pirate outposts and abandoned locations, but there are only a handful of 'cities' with tiny populations. Where are all the normal people?

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  I’m watching the trailer for the new Starfield expansion and wondering if it’s even worth jumping back in. I rushed through the first DLC as fast as possible, honestly having to use the console half the time just to get past game-breaking bugs. Playing it felt almost physically painful. This new DLC... well, it actually looks like a proper expansion of the base game rather than some Lovecraftian nightmare, which is cool. But then I remember the constant loading screens and the overall blandness.

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  Today Lay of the Land was released. This game helped me realize how much I’m missing friendly NPCs in open-world games. My brain just can’t handle the feeling of isolation and constant threat. I feel a sense of meaninglessness in my actions and the game mechanics. What’s the point of building a house in a game if you’re alone and can’t even have a pet? It turns out that having these preferences can make a player turn away from an otherwise good game. #games #layoftheland #openworld

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  Sometimes I'm criticized for being too demanding about games. True, but my points can be valid. When Voidtrain’s first trailer came out, I noted issues with narrative and repetitiveness. I received a rude reply from the game's marketing director, saying the justification would be revealed later. Well, it wasn't. The game has mixed reviews, including the same issues I pointed out from the first trailer. Moments like this give me confidence that sometimes my judgments are a...

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  Just watched some reviews of Pragmata and I'm feeling pretty confused. It's been a while since I've seen such forced and contradictory reviews. I think the game will be forgotten in a month. For some reason, it reminds me of Vanquish.

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  The #StopKillingGames discussion in the European Parliament was amazing. I was especially moved by MEP Catarina Vieira's speech in front of the EU Commission. It was full of #gaming references. It makes me feel that people actually care about what is happening. Special thanks to #Ubisoft for being so obviously evil that it led to such a strong defense of gamers' rights.

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  According to the "leaks," AC: Black Flag Resynced won't include multiplayer, the Freedom Cry DLC, and probably the modern-day storyline, but it'll have some other content instead. Can such a rework be called a remake or a remaster? As IP owners, they're free to do whatever they want, but it doesn't look great. Remake - demake = ? #games

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  Just finished Star Trek: Lower Decks. It’s absolutely a magnificent creation by fans, for fans. It ended on a high note, but to be honest, I expected something a bit different from the final season. I was expecting more focus on character relationships and their personal growth, but instead, the ending felt more 'classic' in a way. In the sense that the 'lower decks' weren't really the lower decks anymore. But the way it fleshed out so many plot points fro...

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  I remembered Outcast - A New Beginning and gave it another shot over the weekend. It made me realize it’s one of those #games where your impression really depends on how much you paid for it. I refunded it at full price at launch, but picked it up again during the Winter Sale and finally got around to playing it properly. It’s actually a solid game overall, even if it gets pretty repetitive at times. It definitely feels unfinished, but it still manages to be an interesting experience.

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  I saw the release of Outworld Station. It’s nice when games leave early access with good reviews. And I like the genre: base building with automation in space. I almost bought it, but then realized this space-building game only lets you build on a single layer. You can expand your base sideways, but not down or up! My disappointment is off the charts. For me, this is an unbearable ludonarrative dissonance. If a game is about space, it should have at least three dimensions. #games #gaming

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  Conan Exiles is a game that leaves me baffled. It is massive, with PvE and single-player modes, cool dungeons, yet it is not demanding on hardware and does not take up much disk space. The game has many mechanics, you can study it for a long time, and it provides many genuinely good experiences. But at the same time, it is unpolished and annoying in its minor details. After 8 years, it still has strange flaws and bugs. I want to play it, but after yet another bug, I close the game. #games