kfwyre's recent activity
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of February 15 in ~games
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Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre LinkThis is the first fan translation game I've ever played, and I'm honestly amazed at how great of a job the translator(s) did. Obviously I can't judge the text compared to the original or anything,...This is the first fan translation game I've ever played, and I'm honestly amazed at how great of a job the translator(s) did.
Obviously I can't judge the text compared to the original or anything, but the game felt exactly, 100%, like the PSX games I played back in the day. On a technical level, I was impressed at how integrated all the translations were. I was expecting something slightly jankier (like, translated overlays or the translation being subtitles on the bottom of the screen or something). Instead, this really does feel like an official English release of the game. If I picked it up without knowing it was an unofficial fan translation, I never would have guessed.
I think it's unbelievably awesome that things like this are possible these days, by the way. I played a nearly 30-year-old PlayStation game in a language it wasn't released in on my handheld Linux computer. WILD.
In terms of the game, I, like many others, didn't finish it and don't intend to. That's not to say I didn't like the game. In fact, on its own terms, I think it's pretty awesome.
If I had played this game as a kid, it would have absolutely enthralled me. It would have been the kind of game that would make me watch the clock at school, anxiously waiting through every passing minute, so I could get back and continue playing.
How do I know this? Because that's exactly what I did with Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2! This game reminds me a lot of that one, and it has bumped the recent remake up my to-play list quite significantly.
With modern eyes, though Racing Lagoon has some rougher spots: the framerate in the city shots, the handling, screen readability in general, the grind. It also takes a bit of time for the plot and characters to develop, so while I loved the aesthetic of the game (so good!), I found myself rolling my eyes a bit at the "RACING IS LIFE" and "I'M MARRIED TO MY CAR/THE STREETS" at the beginning.
I like that the game isn't afraid to get meditative and existential. The way it kind of deeply contemplates life or highlights yearnings, paired with its aesthetics, made it capture the essence of r/TheNightFeeling quite well. Sometimes it felt like the game was laying it on a little thick, but at other times it landed exactly the way that it needed to.
I ended up reading through much of this fantastic GameFAQs guide to get a feel for the rest of the game. It, of course, hits the main points as a guide should, but it's naturally missing all of the context and panache that the game's delivery has, so it was a little underwhelming as an attempt to get myself closure. Like most SquareSoft games, the ambiance and general vibe of the game are fantastic and do so much to elevate things.
Anyway, I'm really glad I tried out Racing Lagoon and I legitimately enjoyed the several hours I did end up playing it. I also think it's genuinely magical that there are skilled and passionate people out there who do things to keep old games like this alive and reaching new audiences.
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Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentOoh, two and a half hours?! I'm going to have to find time for this.Ooh, two and a half hours?! I'm going to have to find time for this.
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Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI'm normally a fan of playing with the original resolution and graphics (everyone conveniently ignore the fact that I played Wind Waker with an HD texture pack please), but for this one I felt...graphics that were just too muddy to accurately assess turns and twists in tracks
I'm normally a fan of playing with the original resolution and graphics (everyone conveniently ignore the fact that I played Wind Waker with an HD texture pack please), but for this one I felt exactly the same as you. After struggling through the first few races, I increased the internal resolution and turned on anti-aliasing and PGXP (perspective correction). It made the screen MUCH more readable for me.
Ditto on the handling too.
I'm actually of the opinion that most racing games age rather poorly, because so many of them were limited by what was capable at the time. It's hard to go back to a lot of them because the jank that we would have overlooked at the time was just, you know, part of how things were.
Like, I put innumerable hours into Ridge Racer and its handling is... unique. I don't think I could go back to that today.
This game definitely suffers from the same phenomenon a bit.
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Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Early Access trailer in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI like that the game has several different clans that you get to mix and match. Each one has their own unique "spin" on things, so there's a lot of different variety in how you play and what you...I like that the game has several different clans that you get to mix and match. Each one has their own unique "spin" on things, so there's a lot of different variety in how you play and what you combine. I also like its more tower-defense-style setup. It scratches a similar itch to StS for me, but it's different enough that I don't feel like I'm just playing that again.
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentThanks! Also, the tl;dr for this topic is: Either add 3 points to a game already on the list. Or nominate something new. That's it!Thanks!
Also, the tl;dr for this topic is:
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Either add 3 points to a game already on the list.
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Or nominate something new.
That's it!
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Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkCGA Announcement: The nominations topic for the next 6 months is now up. Please read the topic text to see how it will work. I specifically limited options this time around because I feel like...CGA Announcement: The nominations topic for the next 6 months is now up. Please read the topic text to see how it will work.
I specifically limited options this time around because I feel like last time we got a little flooded. I think focusing our efforts a bit more is a step in the right direction. Hopefully this isn't TOO limiting, but if it turns out that it is, we can always swing the pendulum back in the other direction.
I'm also going to use this topic to talk about some potential changes I'd like feedback on. Let me know your thoughts.
Change #1: Moving the Remove Cartridge topic from the 20th to the 28th.
The 20th has felt pretty early to me, month after month. I originally set that date to give a longer runway for conversation and to separate it a bit from the Tildes Book Club discussions.
There's not a lot of overlap in participation between CGA and Book Club, so the latter feels like a non-issue. Also, 10-11 days (for most months) feels like TOO much runway for discussion. I'm thinking it's better if we push it back.
The only month this really crunches is February. I originally didn't want the Remove Cartridge topic to step on the next month's Insert Cartridge topic, but now that we've done several months of this, I feel like the two can coexist pretty easily.
Change #2: Adding a "Lobbying" topic prior to voting.
Once all the nominations are available and boosted points have been tallied, I think it would be a good idea to have a short topic where people can really sell other people on choices and lobby for their favorites.
It doesn't work well in the voting topic itself because comments like that get relegated to replies (because we have to keep the top level comments clean for the script). Also, doing full lobbying within the nominations topic can feel a little early since it's not entirely clear what all the choices would be.
I know I personally edited my final vote probably five or six times last time simply because I kept getting swayed by other people, so I think having a designated space to talk it out beforehand is good. I also think this gives a better chance to smaller, lesser known games. Someone passionate about one can really sell everyone on it.
My current thought on the rotation would be:
- Nominations (48 hours)
- Lobbying (24 hours)
- Voting (48 hours)
Anyway, let me know if you have strong feelings on these. Also, feel free to use this comment as a place for any meta discussion about CGA itself: feedback, ideals, celebrations, frustrations, etc.
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Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic
We are up for another round of nominations for Colossal Game Adventure, Tildes' very own retro video game club! These nominations will form the ballot for the next round of voting, in which will...
We are up for another round of nominations for Colossal Game Adventure, Tildes' very own retro video game club!
These nominations will form the ballot for the next round of voting, in which will we choose the next SIX games to play after March's Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls).
Nominations for CGA do not start fresh each time. We rollover the top 50% of nominations from the previous round, and we decay their vote totals by 30%. So, many of the previously nominated games are still eligible to win in the upcoming voting.
Procedural Details
Nominations will be open for 48 hours from the time of this posting.
Anyone can nominate. You do not have to have previously taken part in CGA in order to participate.
Anyone nominating in this topic will be added to the CGA notification list if they're not already on there (unless you request otherwise).
There is no hard definition for "retro." Choose whatever you feel fits that label.
Games that have been nominated in the past but were cut are still eligible for nomination again. They do not get "locked out" of CGA.
Voting will follow in a separate topic, and I will also be trying out a "lobbying" topic this time around to see how that goes. More on that in the comments.
Nomination Process
Everyone has the ability to take one (and ONLY one) official action for the nominations topic.
EITHER: Boost a rolled-over title.
This will add 3 points to the title's rollover points from the previous round.
You will also be able to add points to the game during the voting round.
The purpose of this is to limit new nominations if there are games already in the list that strongly interest you.OR: Nominate a new title.
This will add a new game/arcade special to the ballot.
An arcade special is a group of shorter/smaller games meant to be played together.
Any new title starts at 0 points.
Nomination Formatting
Please do the following:
Bold your action (boosting/nominating).
If nominating, please link to your title on MobyGames. (You do not need to do this for boosting since the links are already in the list.)
Examples:
Boosting a game:
- Boost: Lode Runner
Nominating a game:
- Nomination: Portal 2
Nominating an Arcade Special:
- Nomination: Windows in the 90s
Minesweeper
Chip's Challenge
JezzBall
It is recommended (but not required) that you share why you are nominating/boosting a particular game as well.
Rollover Titles
Game Rollover Votes Arcade Special: Back in a Flash
Bloons Tower Defense
Line Rider
Motherload
QWOP
Stick RPG22 Sid Meier’s Pirates 21 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow 20 Another World 19 Metroid Prime 19 Descent 18 Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 17 StarTropics 15 Arcade Special: Behind the Wheel
Lego Island
Rally-X
Sega Rally Championship15 Crystalis 15 The Colonel’s Bequest 15 Threads of Fate 15 Beneath a Steel Sky 15 Metroid 14 Arcade Special: Scroll Lock-on
Einhander
Ikaruga
Paradroid
Raid on Bungeling Bay
Thunder Force IV14 Tetris 13 Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist 13 Tony Hawk’s Pro-Skater 2 13 JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future 12 Lode Runner 12 Arcade Special: The Grue That Binds
Border Zone
Twisted!
Zork12 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 12 11 votes -
Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentGreat minds! I'm literally writing the text for that topic right now. XD Stay tuned!Great minds! I'm literally writing the text for that topic right now. XD
Stay tuned!
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Comment on Humble Bundle Books: (Almost) the entirety of Discworld for $16 in ~books
kfwyre Link ParentIf you're someone who's bothered by typos in titles then you're a perfect fit for having title editing rights! Feel free to ask our overlord for the permissions if that interests you. I don't do...If you're someone who's bothered by typos in titles then you're a perfect fit for having title editing rights! Feel free to ask our overlord for the permissions if that interests you.
I don't do nearly as much editing as our GOATs @mycketforvirrad or @cfabbro, but it's nice to be able to make the occasional tweak or two. Also I'm mad that I saw this topic multiple times and didn't even notice the typo until now!
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Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre LinkCGA Announcement: We have officially ejected the cartridge for Racing Lagoon. No worries if you're not done -- there is still plenty of time left in the month to play! This topic is for people to...CGA Announcement: We have officially ejected the cartridge for Racing Lagoon. No worries if you're not done -- there is still plenty of time left in the month to play!
This topic is for people to share their parting thoughts and experiences. Spoilers are NOT required to be hidden for this topic, so if you're reading this before you've finished, be careful about reading any comments here.
If you would like to be added or removed from the Notification List, please PM u/kfwyre.
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CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
____----------- _____ \~~~~~~~~~~/~_--~~~------~~~~~ \ `---`\ _-~ | \ _-~ <_ | \[] / ___ ~~--[""] | ________-------'_ > /~` \ |-. `\~~.~~~~~ _ ~ - _ ~| ||\% | | ~ ._ ~ _ ~ ._ `_//|_% \ | ~ . ~-_ /\ `--__ | _-____ /\ ~-_ \/. ~--_ / ,/ -~-_ \ \/ _______---~/ ~~-/._< \ \`~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##--~/ \ ) |`------##---~~~~-~ ) ) ~-_/_/ ~~ ~~Yokohama
1999
You've got big shoulders and big dreams
Headlights flash
I challenge you to a race
You Me START START | | | | | | | | \ \ \ \ \ \ ---- ----CRASH | | | | FINISHDrat! It's always those hard turns, isn't it?!
You and your big shoulders win
Take your prize from my loser car
Prize
______ ______ __ / \ / \ | \ ______ ____ __ __ | $$$$$$\| $$$$$$\| $$ ______ ______ | \ \ | \ | \| $$_ \$$| $$_ \$$| $$ / \ / \ | $$$$$$\$$$$\| $$ | $$| $$ \ | $$ \ | $$| $$$$$$\| $$$$$$\ | $$ | $$ | $$| $$ | $$| $$$$ | $$$$ | $$| $$ $$| $$ \$$ | $$ | $$ | $$| $$__/ $$| $$ | $$ | $$| $$$$$$$$| $$ | $$ | $$ | $$ \$$ $$| $$ | $$ | $$ \$$ \| $$ \$$ \$$ \$$ \$$$$$$ \$$ \$$ \$$ \$$$$$$$ \$$
For those that didn't play the game, that's basically Racing Lagoon in a nutshell! Except, well, the plot gets more involved (and... weird), and there's a city map you get to cruise on, and you can save at a gas station, etc.
But the key points are all there:
- Racing
- Getting new parts
- Big shoulders
Anyway, let us know what you thought of the game!
Next month will be hosted by the inimitable and incredible @J-Chiptunator and we'll be playing Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls).
Month Game Host March 2026 Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru
(The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)u/J-Chiptunator Source for the ASCII art car
Source for the prize text
Source for the race art (It's me, I drew that. Art is my passion.)10 votes -
Comment on Leaked email suggests Ring plans to expand ‘search party’ surveillance beyond dogs in ~tech
kfwyre Link ParentWhat about a box that delivery drivers can put packages in so that they’re protected from the rain?What about a box that delivery drivers can put packages in so that they’re protected from the rain?
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Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Early Access trailer in ~games
kfwyre LinkLooks great (of course)! Co-op is a wonderful surprise. I’ll be waiting until it’s fully cooked to try it out (and then some, probably), but I’m not too worried about it. There’s plenty to tide me...Looks great (of course)! Co-op is a wonderful surprise.
I’ll be waiting until it’s fully cooked to try it out (and then some, probably), but I’m not too worried about it. There’s plenty to tide me over until then. I’m currently working my way through Monster Train anyway (the first one, not even the second!).
Also, it fair to say that this is going to be the Godot engine’s highest profile release so far? Pretty cool that an open source engine is getting such a big name.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
kfwyre LinkDestiny 2 I installed this after it was in a Humble Choice a few months ago but never picked it up. I was then considering installing a different big game recently, only to find out that D2 was...I installed this after it was in a Humble Choice a few months ago but never picked it up. I was then considering installing a different big game recently, only to find out that D2 was eating up a gigantic portion of my hard drive, so I figured I’d finally try out the nearly 150 GB behemoth before deleting it.
I'll begin with this: the graphics, environment design, and gunplay are all fantastic. The game feels great to play. I could see myself spending a lot of hours in this and thoroughly enjoying it.
EXCEPT
The onboarding for new players is utterly atrocious.
Plot- and lore-wise, nothing makes sense. It's incomprehensible. I assume this is because they "vaulted" old content and I'm being tossed into season, like, 5 of a TV show without having seen the previous 4.
Also, because it's been a live service game for like, a decade, there are so. many. different. things. in the game (from all the different expansions, I'm assuming). I'm 5 hours in and I'm still getting tutorial popups, many of which tell me what to do next, but don't always explain the structures or systems underneath them. It's all a bit baffling.
Also, it seems like they've put a floor on loot? I started out with items that had power levels of like, 10. But then every single thing I've gotten since has had a power level of 300 exactly. I can appreciate them circumventing grind, but also that's part of why I want to play the game in the first place -- to live out my powercreep, number-go-up fantasy.
Furthermore, either I'm misunderstanding something, or the game is still pretty buggy? It feels weird to say that about a game that feels so polished and has been out for so long, but it certainly feels true to me right now. Ammo pickups in particular seem to be an issue, as I won't always be able to get them even when I'm not full on ammo. And quest markers are often missing, even when I use my Ghost. Neither of these are dealbreakers (I mostly use the infinite ammo weapon anyway), but they're little bits of friction that hamper the otherwise super smooth feel of the game.
I do like the game, and I'm going to keep playing it, but I don't love that the game feels "busy" all the time. I'd like something more straightforward and less noisy (and buggy) but with the same great production values, environments, and gunplay.
EDIT: I just remembered another bug or maybe just a casualty of the game not being playable in sequence anymore: the game gave me an exotic gun. Cool! I later did a quest to get my first exotic weapon, which was the weapon it had already given me. Weird?
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Comment on Pandora's Legacy: An escape-room style jigsaw puzzle in ~games.tabletop
kfwyre Link Parent🥰 Thanks for the rec! We would definitely play something else by her. Also, you can appreciate this: The initial build took me and my husband almost an entire Saturday. We thought it was...Omg twinning
🥰
Thanks for the rec! We would definitely play something else by her.
Also, you can appreciate this:
The initial build took me and my husband almost an entire Saturday. We thought it was particularly tough because there was no reference image, so we were constructing it entirely from what we could see on the individual pieces.
It was
a littlea lot tedious, but we were like “well, they did say this would be tough and take a while.” When we finally finished it, it was like finishing a marathon. We were elated! What a victory to build the entire puzzle from scratch!It wasn’t until we were repacking everything after we finished that we realized there was a poster in the first box with an image of the completed puzzle that we could have been using the whole time. 🤦♂️
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Comment on Pandora's Legacy: An escape-room style jigsaw puzzle in ~games.tabletop
kfwyre LinkMy husband and I just finished this, and we really enjoyed it! It took us probably 10 to 15 hours total, and we did it over the course of about a week and a half. It's a satisfying jigsaw puzzle...My husband and I just finished this, and we really enjoyed it! It took us probably 10 to 15 hours total, and we did it over the course of about a week and a half.
It's a satisfying jigsaw puzzle in its own right, but it's got a lot of additional escape-room-style puzzles built in to it, many of which are cleverly executed. There are a lot of "unlocks" in the game, where you'll complete a riddle, then open one of the sub-boxes which will give you new jigsaw pieces, a new tool, new puzzle components, etc.
It uses a companion website that you use to put in answers to riddles, get hints, and even utilize for some of the puzzles directly. The website saves your progress so that you can return to it (the game is way too much to do in a single sitting).
The site has full repacking instructions for all of the different parts of the game so that it's fully replayable. We're passing our copy on to some friends of ours. The only consumable you need is tracing paper, but the game comes with extra sheets, and you could always buy some more if you end up running out.
As is the case with any game like this, there were some puzzles that we didn't particularly love, but the game hits a lot more than it misses. There were some really clever ones. It has some quality "aha!" moments where something finally clicks.
We did get unlucky though: our copy has a misprint that made one of the puzzles unsolvable. Thankfully, we were able to get the answer for that puzzle from the hints on the website and could still proceed. For anyone curious, it was the
Spoilers
Hedge Maze puzzle
To be honest, we weren't terribly torn up about missing this one, as it seemed kind of tedious in the first place. XD
All told, it was a thoroughly enjoyable time and we recommend it if you're the kind of person who thinks this sounds like fun. We played it together, but it's definitely playable solo too.
And, hopefully this goes without saying, but this isn't an ad! I'm sharing this simply because we had a great time with it and think other people might enjoy it as well.
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Pandora's Legacy: An escape-room style jigsaw puzzle
21 votes -
Comment on Tildes Book Club schedule 2025 - 2026 in ~books
kfwyre LinkOur current book, Terry Pratchett’s The Truth, is available with a bunch of other Discworld novels in a current Humble Bundle. Two big caveats: The last time they ran this bundle, it was region...Our current book, Terry Pratchett’s The Truth, is available with a bunch of other Discworld novels in a current Humble Bundle.
Two big caveats:
- The last time they ran this bundle, it was region locked to the US and unavailable outside of it. I assume that remains the case for this one.
- Instead of DRM-free downloads, these are linked to a Kobo account.
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Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentDoes the emulator you’re using let you use save states? I’ve been using those to help myself along.Does the emulator you’re using let you use save states? I’ve been using those to help myself along.
Humble 15 Time Capsule
It's the 15th anniversary of Humble Bundle!
Do you feel old? I feel old.
Anyway, this has some old throwback games for anyone who remembers the OG bundles (back when every game they offered had DRM-free options and Linux support -- remember then?). It's been a LONG time since I've thought of Osmos or And Yet It Moves
The standout of this bundle is, IMO, Inkbound. Think Slay the Spire meets Diablo with color. It hooked me during the last Backlog Burner and I couldn't stop playing it.