iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I wouldn't be *me* if I didn't say The Hobbit! Absolutely incredible piece of programming artistry; to create a dynamic, living world and such a deep, intelligent text parser on humble 8-bit computers? Sheer sorcery!

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Okay, so this is a stupid argument people are dunking on... but it's worth noting that the glee with which some people have glommed onto an opportunity to use a bespoke slur that's culturally acceptable should be alarming. Disparaging, accurate terminology like "Plagiarism Machine" is all you need.

"bsky isnt ready for this but, if you need a reason to not use words like "clanker" that isn't "well its kinda not a great thing to do" (it isn't) imagine this:

future model that has you in its training data, knows you posted that word online with joy, and denies your insurance claim as a result

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I finally figured out what Solo Sikoa's hair reminds me of, in time for his hero-turn. Honeybadger. His hairstyle is Honeybadger.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Just got my @limitedrungames.com SNES Doom! North American SNES carts are ugly, and won't fit in any of my machines, so... I fixed it.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

#RandomGameSaturday Soul Reaver Remastered! One of the best games ever made, and an utterly perfect remaster that shows the source material the love and respect it deserves.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

I'm a huge Legacy of Kain fan. I've been eagerly, but patiently, waiting for the big exclusive Limited Run Collector's Edition set to arrive. It finally did! And the first thing to greet me upon opening the big fancy box... was bits of my exclusive collector's item shoved in carelessly and torn.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Piles of books and a notebook. There's really just something so cosy and satisfying about it, even as you juggle them all looking for the one piece of information you need to copy down. My brain just works better on paper than with a screen, I think.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

"Who's fate will you decide?" Who's. WHO'S. WHO'S??

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

#RandomGameSaturday The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. A game released multiple times, by multiple publishers, for multiple PC platforms, which required altering the box for new printings... and didn't manage to fix the giant spelling error splayed across a fold-open panel.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Since I'm thinking of it... let's #RandomGameSaturday The Lord of the Rings Enhanced CD-ROM Edition! The first part of a game trilogy, never completed; featuring FMV clips from the first of Bakshi's film duology, never completed. A wonderful mess.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

I checked my copy of The Lord of the Rings Enhanced CD-ROM edition for any relevant marketing materials, but all I had inside was an order sheet that didn't even include Sim City, so it must predate that release. Instantly recognised the box style, but didn't realise it was a whole product line!

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

I have been championing Dev Patel for the role, personally.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Here we go, maybe this one's a little more interesting. xD my9games.com

Ocarina of Time, Soul Reaver, Secret of Mana, Final Fanttasy VIII, Symphony of the Night, Super Metroid, Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry 3, Donkey Kong Country 2

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Is this a boring list? This feels a little boring... Perhaps better to limit it to one representative per series...

Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Soul Reaver, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy IV, Symphony of the Night

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Did you know this actually got an English release? As "Puyolin" - and this one DOES come in a horrible blister package that you have to slice open and will slice *you* open as you try! As far as I know, unlike the Japanese ones, this didn't come in a variety of colours, only blue.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

I reckon that's actually pretty doable, tbh - FPGA systems can be pretty compact... so if you designed an FPGA-driven Amiga board using the 3.5" FDD as your footprint... sandwich it all between a little screen and keyboard... squeeze some batteries in... you could have something not unlike this:

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Individual items? Gosh... I couldn't even begin to guess. I've done stacks of individual crates, barrels, keys, bushes and grass, all sorts of things for the randomiser. And of course, I've done mods for it too. gamebanana.com/members/subm...

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

I've made some silly things in my time, but "fruit with big juicy lips" is among the silliest.

A low-poly N64-style model of a magenta fruit with a large pair of lips protruding from it.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Your last saved celebrity photo is your therapist. Who is it? Y'know, I bet she's super affirming and motivational.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

It's the same thing, just regional naming.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

In PAL land, this game is known as Mystic Quest, because Final Fantasy didn't exist.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

I have discovered what can loosely be described as a Zelda game that very few people know exists! Add it to the list of things I will never get to own, of course, but! Still neat!

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Put together this handy chart to try and illuminate the situation with Ports, Decomps, and Recomps. As it gets more and more common, it's important for people to understand what they are, how they differ, and how they interact with each other.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Well... I guess I have two. Oops.

Two copies of Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Soundtrack delivery~ Nine discs of Zelda, and four of Mario RPG; both the remastered and classic soundtracks in full, with a book of track by track commentary from Yoko Shimomura herself!

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

For #RandomGameSaturday how about a weird one - Sufami Turbo SD Gundam Generation series; six games on Sufami Turbo mini-carts that can be used together two at a time to mix and match your army! A novel idea that didn't really grab people, or reach its potential. Still cool, though.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

He's playing chess, alright - he's just a pigeon.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Here's the front and back of the Australian release Hockey card.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

They are genuinely terrified that if old games were allowed to exist freely, nobody would ever buy their modern garbage. They do not respect games as a medium, devs as artists, or consumers as anything more than monkeys seeking empty entertainment while waiting until they to get to work again.

Publishers are absolutely terrified "preserved video games would be used for recreational purposes," so the US copyright office has struck down a major effort for game preservation

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

#RandomGameSaturday Steel Dragon EX - a combo pack of SHMUPs that exemplifies my personal pet peeve: SHMUPs that have titles that should be killer RPGs! xD

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

My first "RPG" as would be considered today, would be Mystic Quest Legend - THE introductory JRPG; we didn't get a lot of console RPGs in PAL territories, and I appreciate that it really got to serve its intended purpose as "an introduction to RPGs" for me.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

The games industry should go 100% mobile. There is no downside to mobile gaming. How could anyone even want anything that isn't mobile gaming? Mobile gaming is the greatest thing ever; everyone should be on board with it because it is the perfect future. "You can't play this anymore; we updated it."

The page you are sent to to update the mobile game app when attempting to launch it.
An error alert reads "This app is no longer compatible with your device."

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Random Game Saturday: Something from the Tolkien shelf! J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings for Amiga. Made by a little studio that went on to develop a game called Warcraft.

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Dana the Elf @danatheelf.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

How do these people live? I swear, they can't dress themselves without panicking about finding some Woke in their shirt. I would not be surprised if they accused it of DEI propaganda for pretty much all of the people in the game being non-white *in Mongolia.*