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    4. Games: Your personal year in review for 2025

      Ask (survey)
      I know Steam Replay isn’t out yet, but I figure it’s still a good enough time to get the ball rolling. This is your place to share any and all thoughts on your gaming for 2025. Games you talk...

      I know Steam Replay isn’t out yet, but I figure it’s still a good enough time to get the ball rolling.

      This is your place to share any and all thoughts on your gaming for 2025.

      Games you talk about do NOT have to be limited to this year’s releases.

      Feel free to share:

      • Favorites
      • Disappointments
      • Surprises
      • Memorable moments
      • Self-reflections
      • Anything else!

      Let us know how your gaming for 2025 went.

      37 votes

    7. Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 14

      Text 93 words
      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week! Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle...

      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week!

      Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle are most worth my attention?”

      Rules:

      • No grey market sales
      • No affiliate links

      If posting a sale, it is strongly encouraged that you share why you think the available game/games are worthwhile.

      All previous Save Point topics

      If you don’t want to see threads in this series, add save point to your personal tag filters.

      9 votes

    9. November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion

      Text 403 words
      Week 3 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Weeks 1-2 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 3 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Weeks 1-2 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 2 Recap

      11 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 43 games out of their backlogs!

      There were 2 bingo wins. Congrats to u/Wes and u/J-Chiptunator! 🎉

      Also, in my rush last week to get the recap up, I forgot to celebrate u/Wes's win from Week 1. So, additional congratulations!

      • Only 1 game this time had an ALL CAPS TITLE, but 9 games had PARTIAL CAps titles.
      • The shortest title was 5 characters: Venba
      • The longest title was 12 words: Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch (The witch of the Ihanashi)
      • We had the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, and 7 represented. Half of the digits!
        (Note that this only works if I read "I Expect You to Die" as "One: Expect You to Die", which I do)

      Game list:

      Week 1 Recap

      12 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 24 games out of their backlogs!

      • 25% of the games played started with the letters P and R
      • 13% of the games played have ALL CAPS TITLES
      • 21% of the games played have a number in their titles

      Game list:

      19 votes

    10. CGA-2025-12 🏴‍☠️🏝️🍌 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Secret of Monkey Island

      Text 1691 words
      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Introduction

      Deep in the Caribbean, the pirate haven of Mêlée Island is home to the deadliest brood of ne'er-do-wells what ever sailed the seven seas: the infamous scurvy seadog Meathook; the buccaneer Sword Master whose name is feared in every corner of the isle; and most horrifically, the spectral ghost pirate LeChuck. Onto these disreputable shores late one night arrives the hapless, clueless, and utterly guileless flooring inspector Guybrush Threepwood, with nothing to his name but the dream of somehow becoming a real pirate himself.

      Discover a thrilling world of swordplay, thievery, and, er, treasure huntery in The Secret of Monkey Island. Insult your enemies, fire the cannons, find true love, concoct mysterious voodoo brews, poison guards, evade cannibals, traverse hellish catacombs, raise a pint of grog, and (maybe) discover the Secret for yourself!

      The Secret of Monkey Island

      Happy December! This month we're playing the legendary 1990 Lucasfilm Games point-and-click adventure from the minds of Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman.

      You see, one of my favorite rides in Disneyland is Pirates of the Caribbean. You get on a little boat and it takes you through a pirate adventure… Your boat keeps you moving through the adventure, but I’ve always wished I could get off and wander around, learn more about the characters, and find a way onto those pirate ships.

      • Ron Gilbert, from the Lucasfilm Adventurer, Fall 1990

      I was sorting through some boxes today and I came across my copy of Tim Power's On Stranger Tides, which I read in the late 80's and was the inspiration for Monkey Island. Some people believe the inspiration for Monkey Island came from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride — probably because I said it several times during interviews — but that was really just for the ambiance. If you read this book you can really see where Guybrush and LeChuck were plagiarized derived from, plus the heavy influence of voodoo in the game.

      • Ron Gilbert, from Grumpy Gamer, 2004

      The Secret of Monkey Island is renowned for its zany humor, great (and mostly fair) puzzle design, gorgeous pixel graphics, and memorable soundtrack. Unlike other adventure games of the era, SMI invites you to try anything and everything without worry — you can't die. It's chock full of goofy swashbuckling anachronisms and hilarious good times. Maybe a little frustration too. Hey, you can just look up the answers when you get stuck. We couldn't do that in the '90s. Respect the grind.

      The game originally released for DOS, Amiga, Macintosh, Atari ST, FM Towns, and Sega CD. Those versions are no longer available for purchase in the usual places (you might try eBay but save up your pieces o' eight if you go that route). All the original versions are playable in ScummVM if you lack the necessary hardware. If you find yourself needing access to a Dial-A-Pirate wheel, the original has been helpfully digitized here for your convenience.

      Different releases of the original game have different audio and graphics. Some people have opinions about which version is best. These are all valid. I prefer the version I grew up with, but no shade on the others. They all have their own charms.

      The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is a 2009 remaster that is the official recommended way to play today. It includes fully recreated high-resolution graphics, music, and voiced dialogue, with a modernized UI. It includes a quick toggle between classic and remastered modes, which is a nice touch. The Windows version is currently on sale for 50% off from GOG (DRM-free), and also available from Steam. It is reportedly playable on Steam Deck.

      Side tangent about voice acting in the Special Edition...

      This interview with Dominic Armato hints at one of my favorite real-world stories related to Monkey Island. This aspiring voice actor was a huge fan of the first two games in the series, which were originally unvoiced. He was in the right place at the right time to land the role of Guybrush in the third installment, which was the first to have voiced characters. It's a good but not great game, and very different from the first two due to being helmed by an entirely different team. All other things aside, Armato NAILED it. He is Guybrush. He returned to voice the fourth game and then... was brought back to reprise his role in the Special Editions of SMI and MI2. It was a dream come true for him, but amazing for fans of the series too; finally the original games have full voiced dialogue and the main character is played by the guy who was born to do it.

      The rest of the voice cast is great too. This aspect of the Special Edition really rounds out the game nicely and I consider it an essential part of the experience now. That said, personally I find the SE visuals and music to be really lackluster, and I prefer the original UI as well. You can toggle the classic mode but this removes the VO too... which is why I will instead be playing the Ultimate Talkie Edition, a fan hack of the DOS release (playable in ScummVM) that adds the SE voice tracks and keeps the original everything else. It can be easily found online but I'll refrain from linking it here since SMI's abandonware status is debatable.

      From what I can tell the Special Editions of SMI and its first sequel were also sold as a bundle for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and iOS. I can't speak to the current availability of any of those but they're probably all terrible ways to experience it anyway.

      Limited Run Games has also issued a few re-releases of the original game in recent years. I don't know much about these, and good luck finding them for sale anywhere.

      Genres: Adventure, Point-and-Click

      Links: MobyGames, Wikipedia

      Game Setup

      The main purpose of this topic is to get people up and running with the game. As such, it's recommended that you:

      • Share which version of the game you're playing
      • Share what hardware you're playing it on
      • Share if there are any tools/mods that you recommend
      • Share anything you think is important for people to know before they start the game
      • Ask questions if you need help

      Another purpose of this topic is to revisit the game and its time period:

      • Do you have any memories or associations with this game itself?
      • What about its system or era?
      • What aspects of retro gaming were common at the time?
      • What other games from the same time period are you familiar with?
      • What are you expecting from this game in particular?

      Finally, this topic is the beginning discussion for people starting to play it:

      • Post updates sharing your thoughts as you play.
      • Ask for help if you get stuck.
      • Offer help to others.

      It is recommended that you reply to your own posts if you are making consecutive updates so that they are in the same thread.

      IMPORTANT: Any links to the game should be legal distributions of the game only. Please do NOT link to any unauthorized copies.

      IMPORTANT: Put any spoilers in a dropdown block. Copy/paste the block below if needed.

      <details>
<summary>Spoilers</summary>

Spoiler text goes here.
</details>

      FAQ

      What is CGA?

      Colossal Game Adventure (CGA) is Tildes' retro video game club.

      Each month we will play a different retro game/games, discuss our thoughts, and bask in the glorious digital experiences of yesteryear!

      Colossal Game Adventure is a reference to Colossal Cave Adventure. It's one of the most influential games of all time, one of the first text-based interactive games, and one of the first games to be shared online.

      What do we want to do with this group? Play influential games; interact with each other through text; and share the love for retro games online!

      It also abbreviates to CGA (because we love chunky pixel art), and its name communicates the Colossal amount of fun and excitement that we have with retro video Games in our shared Adventure of playing them together.

      Do I have to sign up?

      No. Participation is open to all.

      There is a Notification List that will get pinged each time a new topic goes up. If you would like to join that list, please PM u/kfwyre.

      Are there restrictions on what/how to play?

      Each month will have a focus game or games that will guide our discussions. Beyond that, there are no restrictions. The philosophy of CGA is to play in a way that works for you!

      This means:

      • Choose whichever version of the game you want.
      • You can use cheats, save states, mods, etc.
      • You can watch a streamer or longplay instead of playing it.

      If you have already played a game and want a different experience:

      • Try a randomizer or challenge run.
      • Play a different version of it.
      • Play a related game (sequel, spiritual successor, something inspired by it, etc.)

      There is no wrong way to participate in CGA, and every different way someone participates will make for more interesting discussions.

      What is the schedule?

      Each month the Insert Cartidge topic will be posted on the 1st, while the Remove Cartridge topic will be posted on the 20th.

      Nomination and voting topics will happen in March and September (every 6 months).

      Schedules are also posted then.

      All CGA topics are available using the colossal game adventure tag.

      What do Insert and Remove Cartridge mean?

      Inserting and removing cartridges are our retro metaphor for starting and stopping a given game or games.

      The Insert Cartridge topic happens at the beginning of the month and is primarily about getting the game up and running.

      The Remove Cartridge topic happens toward the end of the month and is primarily about people reflecting on the game now that they've played it.

      There are no hard restrictions on what has to go in either topic, and each can be used to discuss the game, post updates, ask questions, etc.

      Closing Thoughts

      How appropriate, you fight like a cow.

      24 votes

    11. Tildes Minecraft: What do you want to see in the next season?

      Ask (survey)
      I'm planning to launch Tildes Minecraft season 3 some time mid November. What mods should we add or remove? Any other recommendations or requests? Edit: As per the majority of the feedback, season...

      I'm planning to launch Tildes Minecraft season 3 some time mid November. What mods should we add or remove? Any other recommendations or requests?

      Edit: As per the majority of the feedback, season 3 will be delayed until the beginning of January.

      Edit 2: Server goes online January 3rd, 2026 at 11am Pacific time.

      36 votes

    16. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 becomes first indie game to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards

      Ask
      Definitely a well deserved GOTY. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but my friends have been raving about it! Lots of indie games nominated this year. Really feels like we're in a golden age of...

      Definitely a well deserved GOTY. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but my friends have been raving about it!

      Lots of indie games nominated this year. Really feels like we're in a golden age of indies.

      72 votes

    24. Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 7

      Text 93 words
      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week! Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle...

      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week!

      Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle are most worth my attention?”

      Rules:

      • No grey market sales
      • No affiliate links

      If posting a sale, it is strongly encouraged that you share why you think the available game/games are worthwhile.

      All previous Save Point topics

      If you don’t want to see threads in this series, add save point to your personal tag filters.

      12 votes