iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 53m

Yooooo, Vex Mage for under a dollar. store.steampowered.com/app/2700810/... Great Devil Daggers-like shooter, but bigger, more polished, and with multiplayer and full VR support. Wildly undersold.

youtube.com

VEX MAGE | Launch Trailer | Meta Quest & Steam/SteamVR

YouTube video by Fast Travel Games

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 57m

If the bosses don't veto it (and I'd be very surprised if they did) my final Steam sales roundup this week is going to be 'Sickos Games For Freaks And Weirdoes'. Fuck's Quest 2 is absolutely going to be on there.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 59m

Virtual Desktop. Get it. It Just Works. You can set it to auto-connect to PC on load so it's literally just one click.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 1h

I've seen people say that about fiddlier setups. The Index with its cables and tracking stations, etc. If I want to play something in VR, it's like ten seconds of putting my wireless Pico 4 on and firing it up.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 1h

Oh. Oh wow. Yeah, so, Spectral Tower is widely considered one of the worst dungeon crawls ever made. Some people are just using their translation powers for evil.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 3h

Oh, that Titanfall 2 VR mod looks REALLY good. github.com/CircuitLord/... This is why I don't think VR will ever die. Too much hardware in circulation, too many people making cool things. But it sure could use a bit more investment from the people with the purse-strings...

youtube.com

Titanfall 2 VR | Release Trailer

YouTube video by CircuitLord

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 4h

While the lead maintainer of Ironwail has said that he just doesn't know if there's AI code in there. He doesn't personally use it hasn't been scouring every commit to vet it. I think that's basically going to be the case for a while in everything but entirely sealed single-user projects.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 4h

And probably the most unhinged single map to date is The Immortal Lock, which is basically a whole semi-non-linear game in one level with four times more enemies than ALL OF QUAKE. It was made by a newcomer to the mapping scene. She's currently working on a sequel. www.slipseer.com/index.php?re...

youtube.com

Quake - The Immortal Lock

YouTube video by Amelie C. Langlois

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 4h

Jams have become one of the most popular formats for Quake projects since Arcane Dimensions, too. Rather than extended campaigns, each map is a self-contained adventure. This leads to some very large individual maps. The headline map in QBJ3 is an entire multi-ending episode unto itself. Save often.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 4h

And once you've got the game and your source-port of choice set up, you can play stuff like Quake Brutalist Jam 3, which is the single biggest community collaboration to date. www.slipseer.com/index.php?re...

youtube.com

QUAKE BRUTALIST JAM III - Release Trailer

YouTube video by Fairweather

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 4h

The quickest way to jump into things is just to play the Nightdive version of the game. The new 'episode', Dawn Of The Machine is amazing and is far, far bigger than it first appears. But most modern mods will require you to install a source port. Ironwail & VKQuake are nigh identical. I prefer VK.

github.com

GitHub - Novum/vkQuake: Vulkan Quake port based on QuakeSpasm

Vulkan Quake port based on QuakeSpasm. Contribute to Novum/vkQuake development by creating an account on GitHub.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 4h

For those who haven't played Quake since the 90s, the scene has undergone an amazing renaissance. There's always been good Quake mods, but it feels like the release of Arcane Dimensions in 2015 revitalized everything. Since then, Nightdive have remastered the game and Machinegames have expanded it.

moddb.com

Arcane Dimensions mod for Quake

An alternative universe of Quake featuring new game play features, a massive variety of monsters and 30+ maps to explore!

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 5h

It's basically a toss-up between Ironwail and VKQuake. Both have 99% identical features, but VKQuake has slightly better support for the content in the Nightdive remaster. github.com/Novum/vkquake AFAIK everything that runs on Ironwail will also run on VKQuake so I rank it as fractionally better.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 5h

Thank you for taking the time and energy to really unpack things and put into words what many were struggling to. Also I already see some people circling the wagons and getting publicly angry that you're being insufficiently wrathful. I hope things remain calm.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 5h

This is also proof that some mod scenes are just endless reservoirs of creativity. This was a jam based on a simple one-word prompt: Rooftops. No other restrictions or requirements, beyond 'We're using Arcane Dimensions as the base mod', which just gives mappers more options, not less. One word.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 5h

Okay, yeah, literally the FIRST THING I see in this mod is some hardcore mapper flexing. This is Quake 1.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 5h

Oh hell yes. Been excited about this since the first WIP screenshots rolled in. It looks like some of the best mappers around have done some magical stuff with the concept.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 5h

Wonder if it shares code? Titanfall 2 is a Source engine game, after all.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 5h

This is a fantastic read, and echoes almost all of my feelings on the matter. There's some complex moral reckoning that needs to happen here. And there is no good comfortable answer that will please everyone.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 6h

As always, Steam Hype ends the week with a roundup of all the releases, demos and updates that we didn't have time for full articles on. Interesting slate of stuff here, too! Plus, we've got more sales roundups running on Saturday and Sunday, so look forward to that!

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Reposted by Dominic Tarason

Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 01/10/2026

Oh dang, the first update for Corru Observer in a year just went up! My favouritest browser game, possibly ever. There's a *little* bit of new content in this version but mostly it's a big polish-up/remaster kinda deal. The earlier chapters have been brought more in line with the later ones.

corru.observer

ATTENTION::'mindspike logging active'

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 01/10/2026

Try out the game that was wild enough to get on janked-up mic without a pop guard in a bare concrete room and sing its praises. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxIr... My segment begins at 7:06

youtube.com

The Unearthed Treasure Room 2: An Alternative Showcase of Overlooked Games

YouTube video by ANALGESIC PRODUCTIONS

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maurimo ☀️ @maurimo.dev · 9h

hey!!! this game anthology with 22 games from awesome creatives is now FREE!!! GRATIS!!! 🥳🥳 play The Cartomancy Anthology right meow!! store.steampowered.com/app/1869870/...

store.steampowered.com

Cartomancy Anthology on Steam

Dive into the world of divination with the Cartomancy Anthology, a collection of introspective and compact digital experiences presented together in a virtual tarot deck.

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Memento (artemis) Morty 🌙 @mementomorty.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

A murder of crows? You mean caws of death??

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 9h

I think people would be up in arms if they changed the english voice acting.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 9h

Yeah, it's nice with mouse and keyboard, but it really feels like it was built for VR.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 9h

This is such a funny decision considering that literally everything else in the game is a complete remake. Everything is tuned up and improved, except the english voices. I think they understood the brief.

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The Other Happy Place @theotherhappyplace.bsky.social · 9h

I remember when ai first launched and I realized in horror how specifically LOISH has been robbed. Just took everything whole and put in their blender. And to hear people say her work is AI? I'd have to go to the hospital.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 10h

Your daily reminder to please be normal about videogames. If something is just okay, or merely 'good' then just treat it as such! So many people turn every single misstep in a series into a personal affront, a vessel for all their anxieties and possibly a spear-tip to jab in some mad culture war.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 10h

Ooh, they added an Armored Core arena mode to Dolls Nest. If you missed out on this first time, it's Armored Core combat in Demon's Souls-like structure. Also it's about biomechanical combat dolls that live only to devour one another, so some of you (yes, YOU) will make it your entire personality.

store.steampowered.com

Save 20% on Dolls Nest on Steam

Dolls Nest is a 3D action game where you can customize mecha girls and explore a ruined world. As a Frame Unit, your adventure will pit you against the gigantic autonomous factory world of Hod. Overco...

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 10h

Oh dang, The Talos Principle 2 was already huge (and doubly so with the expansion) - this might just make it endless, if there's enough people around interested in making puzzles for it.

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Croteam | The Talos Principle: Reawakened @croteam.com · 10h

A Puzzle Editor is more than a set of tools. It’s how a community keeps creating, experimenting, and keeping a game alive long after the original journey ends. The Talos Principle 2 Puzzle Editor & Steam Workshop are LIVE NOW!

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 10h

Okay, great as this expansion is, and dirty as Id have been done, I the game has like a limit of like 30 enemies spawned at once. A real slaughter-map for Doom often throws HUNDREDS at you in a single room. Sometimes thousands. And I don't think they can do that here without someones Xbox melting.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 11h

Day 2: 10 indie must-haves at deep discounts. All big breakout hits, some going for the cheapest they've ever been. 60% at minimum 90% at most. Stuff like this should be the backbone of any Steam library. www.steamhype.com/features/ind... Tomorrow we officially get weird though.

steamhype.com

Indie All-Timer Picks - Massive Discounts on 10 Games That Everyone Should Try

At least 60% off the foundation of any healthy PC gaming library

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 01/10/2026

WARNING! WARNING! A STEAM SALE APPROACHES! Rather than spam up all of your timelines with a gigantic recommendation thread that makes Bluesky's UI creak, I've basically got free reign to spam up Steam Hype instead! I'll be doing a sales recommendations article every day! You can find them all here:

steamhype.com

Steam Autumn Sale - Find Some of the Best Deals & Tips to Get the Most for Your Money

Site-wide discounts until October 8th

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 21h

Yeah, I'd recommend going with the Ultimate edition, which was going pretty cheap just yesterday. That includes everything that's out now, I think, but there's a new expansion releasing soon. But yeah, Ubisoft packages are frequently confusing for no good reason.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 21h

Oh, it seems really scalable. It's just that people assume that they're going to be able to max thing out at 4k and have a good time and... that's not really how things work, and haven't for a long time.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 21h

Off the top of my head... Ghost Town, Escape Simulator 2, Arken Age, The Midnight Walk, Into Black, Into The Radius 2, Clone Drone In The Hyperdome and Iron Rebellion.

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MinaSheep (Wishlist Sealed Fortress on Steam) @minasheep.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

WILD MAGIC BECKONS DEVOUT BLOOD The latest Sealed Fortress trailer is here! Along with its release date! 🏰 Wishlist on Steam! : store.steampowered.com/app/5210640/...

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22h

Also those games have the best Hard mode I've ever seen in any game. It makes something go wrong on every mission. What the problem is? You never know, just that SOMETHING is going to go south. All hand-crafted problems.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22h

AC4/FA have the best soundtrack in the series. I like the electronic noodling of earlier games and AC6's is pretty dramatic, but AC4's sorta-diegetically muffled future post-rock is so good.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22h

This isn't a complaint! It makes the flying feel more interesting! Tried a couple rounds of multiplayer and the heftier flight model means that dogfighting with other players feels cool. Pulling a high-G turn really feels like you're wrenching a giant piece of metal through the air.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22h

I assume the planes will eventually feel a bit lighter as I work my way up the tech tree, but my first impression of AC8's flight model is that it's MUCH heavier than AC7. In 7 you could roll a plane and barely change trajectory. In 8, you immediately start pulling hard towards ground when inverted.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22h

Assault Horizon was their first attempt to make AC big in America and so they dropped the Strangereal setting for generic modern military. It's still a decent game but lost a lot of soul Also AC3's original english release removed ALL the plot. Which SUPER sucks as it's a branching cyberpunk story!

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22h

Most of the games have pretty detached narratives, usually telling the story from a secondary perspective. AC8 changes that to a more first-person story but they have a lot of fun with that, with dialogue options in missions. Honestly the whole series is pretty great aside from Assault Horizon.

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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 02/10/2026

Cannot recommend this highly enough. What if Phoenix Wright was cyberpunk and made no pretenses at all about being kid-friendly. Fantastically well written so far. There's a big demo that basically acts as a pilot episode, and if you're not sold after the finale, then nothing will convince you.

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