CannibalisticApple's recent activity
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Comment on What do you think about Destiny 2’s imminent death and games as a service? in ~games
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Comment on ‘Backrooms’ stuns with $81 million debut, ‘Obsession’ has another unprecedented jump, ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ suffers 70% drop in ~movies
CannibalisticApple Link ParentAlas, Kane Parsons went on record on this Youtube video confirming the cynics are right: Okay, obviously that's just a joke, but felt compelled to share it because it's an amusing comeback, and I...Alas, Kane Parsons went on record on this Youtube video confirming the cynics are right:
This is actually all true. They don’t tell you this, but 96% of all movies released in North America and Europe are actually directed by the same person. They call him “The Older Gentleman.” He has had all of Hollywood in a chokehold for decades now. They make you sign over all of your intellectual property, life rights, and genetic information to him when you enter the industry. He loves movies.
Okay, obviously that's just a joke, but felt compelled to share it because it's an amusing comeback, and I find the concept of some super-hidden conspiracy surrounding "The Older Gentleman" having Hollywood fully under his thumb to be actually pretty intriguing. Like... That'd actually make for a fun movie. You could get really meta with that concept.
On a more serious note, I agree with your skepticism about whether this marks some turning point for theaters. I recall some similar discourse for Iron Lung marking a big turning point for fully independent filmmakers to get into theaters due to its success, and having similar doubts.
The thing is, all three films were made by fairly notable Youtubers. I saw Iron Lung in theaters specifically because it was made by Markiplier, a YouTuber I've followed for many years and whose genuine passion and struggles in getting it into theaters felt like it deserved to be rewarded. I'm sure the same applies for at least the initial success of Obsession, at which point word of mouth boosted its popularity beyond fans of Curry Barker. The Backrooms meanwhile is an incredibly popular bit of internet horror, with the film directed by a popular Youtuber who became famous for making video content for it.
That doesn't mean their success is purely due to the fame of the directors among younger audiences. If they were bad films, they'd be very quickly and loudly mocked and derided. But I can't discount that as a driving factor behind their initial hype.
If the same films were made by other, "established" directors, they might not have done nearly as well. Still well regarded, but probably wouldn't get as much attention and traction outside of horror fans. (And, given how Hollywood tends to handle most adaptations of popular internet media... Yeah, The Backrooms would probably suck.)
At the end of the day, I doubt Hollywood will learn the right lesson from this. I don't even know what that lesson is exactly, but... Well, Hollywood executives have long proven to fail to understand what actually appeals to the masses and drives success. They might try to go in more on lower budget horror movies, or horror movies in general? Or maybe try to tap more Youtubers and Tiktokers to direct or at least appear in movies in hopes of getting an audience boost...?
Whatever the case, I don't think this will mark a big shift since part of the success comes from the popularity of the directors themselves among Gen Z. But who knows? Maybe this will at least inspire them to make some lower budget original films that actually feel fresh instead of bloated, grandiose sequels and spinoffs. Maybe they'll give some younger talent more chances, too, if only to try to recapture these successes.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentHooray! Enjoy the chaos! :DHooray! Enjoy the chaos! :D
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI started playing another game: Little Known Galaxy! It's a cozy farming game set on a spaceship, and a nice little reprieve. I won't lie, I'm not a big fan of the character sprites (head's a bit...I started playing another game: Little Known Galaxy! It's a cozy farming game set on a spaceship, and a nice little reprieve. I won't lie, I'm not a big fan of the character sprites (head's a bit too bulbous, and body proportions feel weird), but this game has serious charm to it. The space ship is a pretty neat setting, there are aliens who aren't just oddly-colored humans (though so far they're in a distinct minority), we can go to multiple planets...
Biggest downside is that it seems to require a LOT of grinding and small, tedious tasks to acquire resources. For instance, you need 80 stones to make a Dark Matter Refiner, and regular rocks can have multiple types of drops. Meanwhile the sale price of items seems fairly low, so I can see income becoming a pain in the late game. And our movement is SLOW. Like... it's probably my number one complaint. And the game has gotten no updates since 2024, so it seems to be complete and unlikely to change that. I may need to look into mods just to speed it up...
Still, it's charming and I like it so far. This game fits no squares, but a more open-ended game like this is a good one to end the month!
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple (edited )Link Parent...Yep, this one definitely works better with some time to sit than trying to take it in all at once. Let's just say even the AI don't take it well, and Day 3 starts very rough on at least one......Yep, this one definitely works better with some time to sit than trying to take it in all at once. Let's just say even the AI don't take it well, and Day 3 starts very rough on at least one route. (It's *Mute. Not even counting that as a spoiler. The files involve the history of the ship she was designed to protect, including the previous iteration of her AI. It's obvious even before reading the files that it'll inevitably cause a big psychological conflict because they'll expose every lie she was told about how the Space Joseon Dynasty came to be.)
On that note, I'm doing both girls' routes! That mainly involves doing one route normally, and then rushing through the second girl's save file by scrolling through the documents. The scrolling is fairly annoying because it only scrolls a couple lines at a time, and you can't hold down on the down-arrow or a controller button to make it consistently scroll. You have to manually scroll down. It's really tedious, especially on Steam Deck. Theoretically I could just open a document and close it to have it marked as read (and that happened often), but I like seeing their commentary.
Anyways, thank you for support and encouragement! And twists on bingo categories sounds fun! I can think of some fun workarounds. Fantasy Life, for instance, has an actual Life System where your jobs and capabilities are named "Lives"...
EDIT: TIL that wireless mice DO work with the Steam Deck. And the scroll wheel works with Hate Plus. Sooooo much better than going one single line at a time...
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Comment on 'Stop Killing Games' movement gains momentum: California Assembly passes game protection bill in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentFirst, I disagree that malice and intent are prerequisites to use the word "killing". We use "killing" to describe neglectful parents who carelessly let their children to waste away or ignore...First, I disagree that malice and intent are prerequisites to use the word "killing". We use "killing" to describe neglectful parents who carelessly let their children to waste away or ignore serious injuries and illnesses, or corporate decisions to cut corners and/or ignore expert advice that lead to inevitable disaster, such as the case with numerous building collapses and catastrophic fires with double- or triple-digit death counts, or the Titan submersible implosion.
Second: I'd argue that the provocative nature is actually part of the reason the movement has seen this level of success.
People often use "kill" to describe companies shutting down products and services, as seen with the site Killed by Google. On a lesser level, gamers also often use it to describe bad updates to online games that chase away significant parts of the player base. If a still-online game losing activity due to bad decisions feels like it's been "killed", then people definitely feel that way about companies shutting down games.
And this whole movement is driven by that feeling.
Video games just don't really matter too much to politicians. While the request is basic and reasonable (or at least, some parts), they have bigger and much more urgent priorities, so they won't go out of their way to discuss it without popular support from the public. For an initiative to become eligible for consideration by the EU, it requires a petition with 1 million signatures from 7 countries. That's the bare minimum to get it on the legislative floor, at which point it could lead to change or be totally dismissed.
And the petition nearly failed due to various circumstances, despite being popular. I think Scott Ross put it best: "The problem isn't getting gamers to care about games; it's getting people to care about anything. And frankly, that is a checkmate move." The petition only managed to get a final boost and hit the required signatures in the last month before the deadline after he posted a video with a final plea and it went viral.
Meanwhile, it's already made its way to the UK Parliament who rejected any notion of amending laws. The door isn't totally shut, but there have been multiple negative responses about them intending to change laws. They also raised reasonable concerns about legal responsibilities with fan-run servers or corporate messiness making it hard to determine where responsibility falls (e.g. that Saudi Arabian group taking over EA). And while the EU Parliament so far seems to be pretty favorable so far, there's still a mess of copyright and trademark laws and regulations that have to be investigated and taken into consideration. So, it's going to take a bit of work and research to implement anything.
This is a movement with no corporate backing or major funders to advertise it, and no particular reason for politicians to especially care compared to other issues. This movement is driven almost entirely by popular support. Even now, it's the common people's passion for it that's making the EU Commission take it so seriously. If either the EU or UK petitions had failed, who knows when someone else would try to get this in front of a legislature? Scott was planning to give up if the EU petition failed, and that failure would likely deter future efforts and feed into people's general apathy and cynicism.
So if a provocative name like "Stop Killing Games" evokes enough passion from gamers to voice vigorous support, then good. It feels like an uphill battle in getting people to care about anything these days, and sometimes we need to provoke people to get anything done.
All that said: out of curiosity, what alternative name or description would you propose?
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Comment on What are your personal crackpot conspiracy theories about the world right now? in ~talk
CannibalisticApple Link ParentSee, I'm talking about more than just "little nods" for adults. At the end of the day, Pixar and most other family films are made for children first and foremost, with hidden humor and subtext for...See, I'm talking about more than just "little nods" for adults. At the end of the day, Pixar and most other family films are made for children first and foremost, with hidden humor and subtext for parents who have to go to the theaters with their kids. A lot of adults probably wouldn't go see those films on their own. Media aimed at all ages though is something that can genuinely appeal to individuals of all ages.
Since this started from Star Wars, let's use that as an example. George Lucas is on record that it was made for kids... But it was at bare minimum made for older kids, because the original film is a bit more gruesome than most kids' films. I mean, there's the many, many deaths for one, which isn't too weird for kids' movies but we see the skeletons of Luke's aunt and uncle after they're murdered. Then there's all the torture that happens off screen to Leia.
More than that, it doesn't try to dumb things down to be more appealing to kids. There are actual, serious politics as the focal point, death and torture scenes, two of the main characters are criminals—with Han in particular being a smuggler in debt to Jabba the Hut for dumping a shipment to avoid getting arrested, not due to any moral qualms with being a smuggler—and heavily nuanced adult relationships.
and also accidental incest before Lucas decided to make Luke and Leia twinsThe end result? It genuinely appeals to all ages. It has cute and marketable aliens and robots for kids, an actually serious story and characters for adults, and action sequences that appeal to everyone. My mom talked about going to see it in college with her friends and walking out super energized, one guy jumping and pumping a fist in the air. Not many family movies would get that sort of reaction from young adults—or heck, get them to go out of their way to see it without having to accompany a kid.
George Lucas seemed to have a knack for finding that sort of "sweet spot" because the only other franchise I'd consider just as appealing to all ages is Indiana Jones, and even that has a caveat for featuring at least one pretty gruesome death that might be too much for little kids. But there's a reason those two franchises have left such a strong mark on pop culture: you can enjoy them at any age.
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Comment on Website is unhappy in ~tildes
CannibalisticApple LinkGuys... I think I may have jinxed it. This morning I randomly remembered the time the front page crashed from someone posting an article about authors named "Null" causing server errors on various...Guys... I think I may have jinxed it. This morning I randomly remembered the time the front page crashed from someone posting an article about authors named "Null" causing server errors on various sites due to messy code due to parsing issues. And then a couple hours later, the site crashed. So yeah, may have jinxed it by thinking of that dark, dark day... My bad.
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Comment on What are your personal crackpot conspiracy theories about the world right now? in ~talk
CannibalisticApple Link ParentThe original trilogy came out before my time, and, well... my whole preschool was obsessed with it in the 90's. And the prequel trilogy definitely tried to aim at kids with Jar-Jar, so you're not...The original trilogy came out before my time, and, well... my whole preschool was obsessed with it in the 90's. And the prequel trilogy definitely tried to aim at kids with Jar-Jar, so you're not entirely wrong.
That said, I wouldn't call it aimed at kids, but aimed at all ages. Sounds similar, but there's a distinction because they're not trying to pander to a specific age group, making it much more enjoyable for everyone in the process. Plenty of action with none of the usual "softening" in kids' media, and no dumbing things down or adding stupid jokes to annoy adults. Genuinely mature themes and nuances not as some hidden bonus for adult viewers, but as part of the core story.
...Actually, now that I think about it films made for all ages feel surprisingly rare, especially in recent years with how hyper-focused studios are on market demographics...
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentGiven how much you need to sneak around things that want to kill you (I assume, haven't played it but that's definitely a bit part of the original), I support the notion that Subnautica 2...Given how much you need to sneak around things that want to kill you (I assume, haven't played it but that's definitely a bit part of the original), I support the notion that Subnautica 2 qualifies. Well done for sticking to the theme even outside the games!
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentSo today I started Hate Plus, the sequel to Analogue: A Hate Story. Which is notable because this game forces you to play over three days, unlocking a limited number of files per day. Perhaps for...So today I started Hate Plus, the sequel to Analogue: A Hate Story. Which is notable because this game forces you to play over three days, unlocking a limited number of files per day. Perhaps for the best, because this sequel delves into files detailing how the ship somehow became a Joseon Dynasty Court Drama In Space, so uh... we already know this story doesn't end well.
Yeah, I am already seeing a LOT of tragic stories being set up. Also I can tell this was written pre-Trump because... well, let's just say I got some major déjà vu from like, the third document I read. Feels like it eerily predicted certain aspects of American politics...
As a sequel, supposedly we can copy our save data from the first game to continue. Alas, for some reason that option just doesn't appear for me. Thankfully it opens with a brief questionnaire so it's easy to just basically recreate whichever ending we want. Though sadly, without importing saves we can only choose one of our AI heroines, as the harem ending was non-canon. A shame, I really wanted to see them bicker and angst over these files together. Apparently it might be unlockable though...
Well, thanks to encouragement from @Wes, and whoever upvoted his comment, I have decided that Hate Plus qualifies for Zombies. In a totally philosophical sense. Because we can choose between our two AI guides, and well... I think both qualify.
Minor spoilers for both games to justify this decision
On one hand we have *Hyun-ae, our original guiding AI who is the copy of an actual girl who died, made like 2 minutes before death. She is the reason I asked about AI clones of dead people's minds, and I chose her as my companion.
Then we have *Mute, who was always an AI and was never human. Except she was also present before the ship's logs were erased and society was set back by 3000+ years. And the *Mute we see in the logs has the same sharp tongue and rude manner, but was also 1600 years old and wasn't nearly as subservient to men. She's the old lady with the eyepatch on the game's cover, and her behavior matches that stern exterior.
It is pretty clear that the *Mute we know is a shell of that former one. The original one was killed to make this new society possible, and effectively reanimated as the rather childish and immature girl we know.
...I do not think she will take these files well. I picked *Hyun-ae for my first run-through, but I'm going to have to start a second save with her to get her thoughts.
So yeah. I was going to play this game no matter what and didn't plan to mark a square, but thanks to Wes I changed my mind. And now I have a third bingo!! :D My legal counsel wants me to emphasize how much credit Wes (and to a lesser extent the anonymous voter) deserves for encouraging this decision.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentHmm... Yes, I suppose so. Perhaps. In my defense, I actually forgot Another Crab's Treasure is a soulslike. I knew it was a genre I didn't usually play, but I thought it was a Metroidvania. I just...Hmm... Yes, I suppose so. Perhaps. In my defense, I actually forgot Another Crab's Treasure is a soulslike. I knew it was a genre I didn't usually play, but I thought it was a Metroidvania. I just played it for the crabs :D
But very well, I'll consult legal counsel on next steps and how to best prepare for my upcoming trial.
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of May 24 in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI've actually played Beat Cop on my Switch! Never finished it, it didn't really stick with me that much. The tone may be hit or miss with people, it definitely goes for the grittier depiction of...I've actually played Beat Cop on my Switch! Never finished it, it didn't really stick with me that much. The tone may be hit or miss with people, it definitely goes for the grittier depiction of police work. I vaguely recall some catty remarks to a female officer character at a meeting, and I think opportunities to indulge in corruption.
My main thought is that it missed a great pun opportunity by not being a rhythm game.
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Comment on Do you prefer to 100% games, or to move on to new experiences? in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentInstead of erasing all your progress, maybe you can just make a second profile on your Switch 2 and leave the original save intact? I have a second profile, and I've been tempted to make a new...Instead of erasing all your progress, maybe you can just make a second profile on your Switch 2 and leave the original save intact? I have a second profile, and I've been tempted to make a new save on there for similar reasons.
I'm seeing all these videos and screenshots of custom builds and totally altered areas that look incredible and give me ideas, but once I load the game I'm immediately wary of changing the areas too much. Most of my playtime has been focused on rebuilding existing infrastructure or enhancing "natural" features. Most of my changes to the landscape involve just carving out caverns for stuff like hot springs, adding tunnels to the museum and the island in Bleak Beach (though I'm topping it with plants to look like a coral reef from above), or making a new island in the Wastelands to put the Freezing Chambers. Even in Pallet Town, I've barely done anything though I do have plans. (Someday, I will rebuild The Under from Pokémon Colosseum, mark my words.)
In retrospect, that might be why I like the Sparkling Skylands so much. There are a ton of buildings to repair and repurpose, and most of them are already fairly intact, making it easier to rebuild and/or clean them up without feeling like it changes too much. That involves leaving most of the mysterious stone, and sometimes even not closing up some buildings (partially because Dragapult can't fit through any opening narrower than three blocks, what the heck—). Heck, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with most of them because I am using prefab dens and huts to squirrel away some of them thanks to that pesky spawn limit.
One tip that may help you with houses to still keep the natural feel: a house just needs an enclosed space and a door. I made a "house" for Rotom by just adding fences and a fence gate in front of where it spawns. I've carved out two caverns and added a gate to make them into houses. A fully fenced-in area with a gate also counts. Also, the Leaf and Stone Dens/Huts can fit pretty naturally in all areas without feeling too artificial. For example, I have a few leaf huts around islands on Bleak Beach since they match the tropical vibe. I also have a lot of stone dens and huts located in caverns largely out of sight, even inside my underwater tunnel.
Though that said, I'm blown away by people willing to do radical stuff like removing the wall separating the back of the Withered Wastelands, or demolishing the entire volcano. I know we can do anything, but that sort of change feels especially crazy to me. I'll happily stick to sprucing up what exists or carving little tunnels and caverns, and adding more outdoor spaces like parks and such. (Rocky Ridges in particular feels like a nature preserve to me for some reason...)
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Comment on Do you prefer to 100% games, or to move on to new experiences? in ~games
CannibalisticApple LinkVery rarely. I actually have a bit of a problem finishing games, for the same reasons many others mention: I get burnt out from playing too much, my attention drifts, and then by the time I return...Very rarely. I actually have a bit of a problem finishing games, for the same reasons many others mention: I get burnt out from playing too much, my attention drifts, and then by the time I return my skills have gotten rusty. That, and many of the games I'm drawn to are fairly open-ended. They almost always have some story with some goals, but a lot don't have a definitive ending where the gameplay ends... And when I get near the end, I often drop off because I know I won't have much motivation to play after finishing it.
Besides all that, getting 100% can be really tedious depending on the game. Especially when it involves locking stuff like collectables behind checkpoints and forcing you to redo a whole level if you miss them (or even start a new game), or accomplishing feats that require heavy skill and concentration like speed trials. Heck, I couldn't even finish the main story of Yooka-Laylee because I found it too tedious to complete the challenges to earn enough level-unlocking collectables to continue the story in the late game. Similar story with Harvest Moon DS, I never got married because you need to rescue 50 Harvest Sprites by doing various things and by the time I did, I was long burnt out on the game.
So yeah. I have trouble finishing games, let alone 100%ing them. I'm just too casual of a player for the most part.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentMaybe you should use a randomizer to pick games from that special list? Or at least sort them by length so you can find short games you can actually finish within a month? In favor of Nuts: it's...Maybe you should use a randomizer to pick games from that special list? Or at least sort them by length so you can find short games you can actually finish within a month?
In favor of Nuts: it's incredibly straightforward and fairly short. My Steam Deck lists my playtime as 3.2 hours. And there's a guide with screenshots showing where to place cameras each night on Steam (helpfully hidden behind spoiler blocks) for if you get impatient. I mainly used it to check for the locations of hidden tapes for lore, and for one particularly tricky set of photos. I'd done my best to do that one myself, but I got annoyed with the camera just barely being off and wanted to get it positioned right, and then I completely misjudged the squirrel's direction for the last two and lost track of where he might have headed.
As for Squirrel with a Gun: I have already sung this game's praises. It's one of those games that embodies the pure essence of gaming, by having a totally ridiculous concept and just not even trying to be serious and which can't work in any other medium. You're a squirrel that takes on a freaking tank. You can ballerina dance around guys in suits in a pretty tutu. You shoot guns for super-jumps for platforming. Just A+ experience.
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentThanks for the encouragement! I'm happy to report I did finally kill the Duchess after boosting my stats (turns out there's a crab that gives you 500 microplastics right outside one of the moon...Thanks for the encouragement! I'm happy to report I did finally kill the Duchess after boosting my stats (turns out there's a crab that gives you 500 microplastics right outside one of the moon snail shells, so wasn't as painful to grind as I feared), practicing by dying a lot, and getting lucky! Your advice to save shell spells made me get a lot bolder with just charging her at the start.
Did almost rage-quit when on one good run, I got stuck in the tiers/steps around her throne. I was hoping I could jump to safety from the spin attack and just fell into a gap I could not escape before she killed me.
But I prevailed without changing the settings further, and even got a bit into the next area before getting killed by a balloon fish! At which point I decided to stop because I can tell this is the kind of game that will eat up a lot of time, and I want to play some other games. But hey, I killed the duchess and am now a true and proper rebel!
Thanks again for the encouragement and tips!
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple (edited )LinkWait, when did I get moved to Team Motivated? I was on Team Mellow! ...actually know what, makes sense. I think I was only on Team Mellow because I started the month with a life-consuming Pokopia...Wait, when did I get moved to Team Motivated? I was on Team Mellow!
...actually know what, makes sense. I think I was only on Team Mellow because I started the month with a life-consuming Pokopia addiction. Which I have mostly gotten over. Mostly. And I did manage to achieve two Bingos...
wait I won't be on trial for being switched to another team right? Right??
Anyways, here's my card!
Flux Custom bingo ✅ 20/25 Set in space
✅ Analogue: A Hate StoryHas multiple playable characters Has both combat and puzzles
✅ Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)Has a fishing minigame Is mostly text-based
✅ Analogue: A Hate StoryHas great reviews, but not your usual type Your friend loves it
✅ Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)Came out more than 10 years ago
✅ Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)Has been played at a Backlog Burner
✅ Another Crab's TreasureA romhack or total conversion mod
✅ Pokémon Kanto Expansion PackHas a calm vibe
✅ NUTSIt’s already installed
✅ Say No! More★ Wildcard
✅ NUTSHas more than 3 words in its title
✅ Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)Has zombies
✅ Hate PlusFocuses on exploration
✅ Doki Monsters: QuestRecommended by someone on Tildes
✅ Say No! MoreYou're giving it a second chance Is beatable without killing any enemies
✅ Say No! MoreOwned for more than 2 years
✅ NUTSFrom a genre you don’t normally play
✅ Another Crab's TreasureYou have to tinker to get it running Features a mystery
✅ Analogue: A Hate StoryMakes you think
✅ Analogue: A Hate StoryHas a third-person perspective
✅ Pokémon Kanto Expansion PackNo new games to add yet, because I spent today playing Pokopia and then trying to beat the Duchess in Another Crab's Treasure. Which I finally did, without changing any settings any further! :D And then I got killed by a puffer fish and decided to just stop there for the month.
That said, since I got my bingo, I'm actually kinda done with the card? Probably. The remaining games I want to play tomorrow don't really fit the remaining squares as far as I know. Unless... Do AI clones of dead people's minds count as zombies for bingo purposes?
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Comment on May 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentGot a second bingo!! I played Another Crab's Treasure, which I got from @kfwyre at the last giveaway and was played back in November 2024 by @Wes. My thoughts as I played it: wow I kinda suck at...Got a second bingo!!
I played Another Crab's Treasure, which I got from @kfwyre at the last giveaway and was played back in November 2024 by @Wes.
My thoughts as I played it: wow I kinda suck at soulslikes :D
I have died a lot. I have changed the settings to be a bit easier (low for all Assist options), and I still die a lot. I have been killed by the Duchess countless times. I do not think I have the patience for this genre to play it hardcore.
But, the setting has my attention. There's a lot of charm to it with all the ocean puns, though the constant death did wear at me. I actually was planning to stop after meeting the Moon Snail, but instead I am very intrigued by why the Duchess suddenly did a 180 on how pretty her castle is and why everyone is dead or evil/possessed/whatever is going on.
I may need to just... Tweak the settings again. Because, you know, I keep dying. Yet I feel like I'd be wounding my pride if I change it again, since I can get the Duchess's health down until she starts the spin attack... It feels like with a little/lot more effort and better stats, I can do it. But I also don't want to grind 1500 microplastics to raise my stats...
Yeah, I think I'll give it a day or so for my pride to fade so I can tweak the settings with less shame :D
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Comment on When did you realize you were different? in ~talk
CannibalisticApple LinkIn terms of neurodivergence, I can't remember a specific moment I became aware. My parents were on top of getting me proper support, and never hid my diagnoses or anything. Like, I attended many...well it all started when I looked at an apple one day, and thought it looked really, really delicious...In terms of neurodivergence, I can't remember a specific moment I became aware. My parents were on top of getting me proper support, and never hid my diagnoses or anything. Like, I attended many sessions with a specialist all about properly interacting with people. For me, it was "normal" though I knew it was different from other kids.
One memory of realizing I'm different was the revelation that I'm asexual. I don't even remember how I stumbled upon the AVEN site (Asexuality Visibility and Education Network), but I spent a whole night in high school just reading multiple FAQ pages and feeling my mind blown at how everything clicked into place. I'd never been interested in sex scenes in books, and I'd never even experienced a crush like most girls my age. The idea of sex had honestly always been gross to me.
It was a bit of a shock to have these details slot into place, I honestly spent the next couple days just processing. Even thought about talking to our school's counselor, but decided against it after reaffirming her job was more geared towards educational advice (though she did try to encourage me to talk to her anyway). The downside was that I was in a relationship at the time. It was fairly casual (at least, in my mind), the sort of relationship where it felt like the "next step" in our friendship. So, got to harbor some mild guilt because it felt like I was lying to them. I broke up with them pretty soon after that, but thankfully we're still very close friends.
On a brighter note, I figured it out fairly early. A lot of people only realize it later, often after dealing with the weird societal pressure to have sex in college. So I got to avoid that whole mess, and kinda chuckle from the sidelines at how frantic some people were about it. Was nice to go into college without having that anywhere on my mind as a potential pressure, especially as I saw at least one friend particularly stress over it.
I still have confusion over where I sit on the romantic spectrum though. I'm 90% sure I'm aromantic, but... eh, not really a concern to me.
So, I have no specific experience with or opinions on Destiny 2. That said, I search Reddit for posts with "update" in the title, and since the announcement, I've seen several about how this final update looks like it will actually be the best thing to happen to Destiny 2. They talk about how it's adding a lot of features that have been desired, removed or neglected, and they lament how these planned features likely would have kept the game alive.
The general sentiment in those posts echoes this line from your post:
And... Yeah, that's my general stance on the industry as a whole.
Game developers care about games, but in AAA, they don't get to make the final decision. So many games have been ruined by bad executive decisions. It's obvious with live service games because they'll force in incredibly intrusive microtransactions and various "features" meant to force active engagement like season passes, features which take up developers' time that could be spent improving the game as a whole.
It extends to the whole industry though. I remember reading an article about Telltale Games a few months before it went under, and it was a deep dive into how the person in charge became a heavy micromanager who wouldn't give developers any real say. I remember hearing how Deus Ex was forced by executives to be split into two games to maximize profits, leading to a sudden ending and incomplete narrative with that "sequel" still no where in sight. I remember an interview with a Pokémon developer about how they were forced to cut X & Y's development sooner than they expected because Nintendo and/or The Pokémon Company wanted to get the game translated into every language for a simultaneous global release. And so many games that were butchered or never saw the light of day.
Nearly every AAA game's problems can be traced back to executive decisions meant to fuel greed. Many of them genuinely don't get what appeals to gamers. They see only numbers and bottom lines, having no care for people's individual visions, and completely fail to understand what makes certain games so massively successful. They pour in millions into ideas that they think will make money because they see other games in that genre making a big profit, but they don't get that gamers will get bored of the same copy/paste formula. Games in over-saturated genres need innovation to stand out and succeed—and executives either see innovation as a gamble they don't want to risk, or they bet on the wrong types of "innovation" because they don't understand gaming.
With Destiny 2, the sentiment I see on reddit is that because the game is shutting down, the executives have completely stepped back. So the developers can finally release an update with the GOOD features that they know the fanbase craves, but which wouldn't have fit the corporate agendas to wring every bit of money they could from the playerbase.
I'm not personally opposed to live service games as a concept. There are experiences that can only be had in such games, so many tales of in-game events that can never be replicated. But executives need to let developers do their thing and stop injecting so much damn control. Or at least leave such decisions to people who actually understand gaming and gamers.