iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Willa Harlow Ross @willaharlowross.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I try pretty hard to avoid the "make up a guy to get mad at" thing, so I spent several hours in the past couple days looking up professional reviews of FINAL FIGHT. I think I'm more angry at the real thing than I would have been at the guy I would have made up in my head.

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Thats how so many can run into us and still continue to buy into the idea that theres nothing under the surface of these games and we're just hipsters looking for cred

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Part of the issue is that early hardcore arcade culture is mostly documented in Japanese magazines and in books. Not too much out there on the internet. I think because of this, many see the current culture as a modern reinterpretation rather than a continuation of an older culture

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Willa Harlow Ross @willaharlowross.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I know this is obvious to everyone who follows me who's played arcade games longer than me, but I'm genuinely stunned at just how systemic is the widespread ignorance, incuriosity, and intellectual dishonesty regarding arcade design (and bmups in particular).

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Willa Harlow Ross @willaharlowross.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

'Final Fight's combat feels simplistic even for its time, and by today's standards it feels far too limited to be really engaging, and the game is practically impossible to complete without continues.' Yeah you know what other game has a very simplistic set of rules and inputs? "Go".

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Ultra64 @superultra64.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The second loop for that door having the enemy ambush from behind is so incredibly funny

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Cass (makes games) @cassmakesgames.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

New Blog Post: Why I Love Unfair Traps in Arcade Games People usually dislike hard memo traps in arcade games, or at best think they're "not that bad". I love them, though, and I think arcade games would be worse without them. Here's why: duckberet.com/blog/i-like-... (game: Violent Storm)

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LAKESPIRIT @lakespirit.love · 02/10/2026

lakespirit.love/posts/2026-1... NEW ARTICLE!! STREETS OF RAGE 2, FINAL FIGHT, THE FLOOR, THE CEILING LETS TALK BEAT EM UP FUNDAMENTALS i establish a basis thru the latter, and get into the nuances thru the former. its a long one!! intended to inspire curiosity

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

It took a few days but I finally made it to stage 4 in a run! Tap dodging vertically is still super hard for me. The distance I dodge is way too big. Will take some more practice! #Progear

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Lamia Enthusiant @nzadnilbad.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

New PB. Currently #4 for online leaderboards. Need to start practicing some harahara.

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Blader's Alt @bladerlbm2.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Dying to the bullet pattern you just spent 2 hours practicing to perfection:

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Boghog @boghogstg.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

If you disable the voices in Muchi Pork you're anti art btw

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Boghog @boghogstg.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

It's over All the content's done, just need to make music, tweak a few things & draw more shit and it'll be finished

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Willa Harlow Ross @willaharlowross.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In the same vein as my earlier SHMUP DOC, I've made one for Beat Em Up games I'm interested in playing someday. Thoughts and recommendations welcome! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

BMUP DOC

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Willa Harlow Ross @willaharlowross.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I just 1cc’d it as my first beat em up clear.

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GuileWinQuote @guilewinquote.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

To be a hardcore retro video game collector you must have a fuckton of money and also no taste in decor at all. In fact your taste begins with lightstrips and ends with a giant backlit box that says GAMECUBE on it

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Blader's Alt @bladerlbm2.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I am not joking when I say this, doing a Final Fight 1cc changes how you view Action games

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nicole🎃🕸️ @renaryuugu.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

I can't stop thinking about the guy hitting a clip in dig dug

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I started playing #Progear yesterday! The last time I played it was early 2025 I believe. I think its already time for save state practice because I forgot how to play stage 3. I chain die immediately at the start 💀

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Blader's Alt @bladerlbm2.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Why should a game meet the player where they are, instead of the other way around?

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Dragon Ball Z Budokai 1 & 2 and Tenkaichi 1 & 2 are what i have the most memories of! I also had Star Wars Battlefront 1 & 2, and Ghost Rider (the GoW clone)! For the Nintendo stuff i played some of the classics on the Wii virtual console and especially loved the N64 Zelda games

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I feel nostalgia for the console itself but the games i was playing as a kid on there werent heavy hitters

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Boghog @boghogstg.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Dunno about that. Think about some "aspirational" games that you admire but can't play very much at a high enough level cuz they're too hard & demand too much commitment. Does reducing their dynamics & therefore diminishing their unique value actually help YOU or anyone? I dont think so

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The marathon is 26 miles cause a dude had to run that distance to deliver an urgent message, then died right on the spot. Some things carry meaning beyond targetting players.

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I believe! 😤 Just gotta put in the work consistently!

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

With your level of experience you have plenty of time!!

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

2026 really was the year of Final Fight! So many of us cleared it for the first time this year

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Final Fight is the most recent influence on me. I would still say its not as significant as DBFZ. However what it has taught me is that there can be an enormous amount of depth in a singleplayer game, that still sates my competitive drive, and that lets me chase skill progression

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

DBFZ had a few impacts on me. 1. I'm not afraid of or intimidated by losing. 2. It refined my self reflection and made it more honest and calm. 3. It taught me I don't like hobbies that indefinitely require homework to stay in competitive shape

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

DBFZ completely shattered the ego I had built up from DS2 and DS3. I was not good at my game anymore. And the gift of hindsight revealed to me I was an average player in Souls as well!! I played DBFZ for almost 5 years.

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I spent a few years playing Dark Souls 3 PVP as my main game. It was during this time I thought about getting into fighting games. DBFZ was announced at E3 and I decided arbitrarily that will be the one!

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Dark Souls II is a game I picked up during college. I went my entire childhood without ever thinking I was "good" at a game. DS2 gave me confidence that I could learn how to play harder, more intimidating games. I have more hours in DS3 but DS2 is where this started.

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Skyrim released when I was in high school. I had already played Oblivion a lot, but the hours I put into Skyrim were on another level. Unfortunately this is the game that taught me about video game addiction! To unhealthy levels. It also shaped my tastes in games at the time.

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the game I remember playing most often with my childhood friends. It released when I was in 6th grade! If people came over no matter what it was supposed to be for, we had to set up smash

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is the oldest memory of a game I have. I remember watching my older cousin playing it at my grandma's house. It is what made me interested in gaming. I remember constantly wishing I could play this game but never could, until the Wii

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Mason @finalmasonry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026