iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 05/10/2026

Just so people know the kind of perspectives I have to manage when curating games into lists by genres, there are many who have ideas like this.

A YouTube comment that reads, "Those are not RTS. RTS must be medieval."

340

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/08/2026

People often don't believe I get the comments I do, but this is so far the most unhinged take on a false AI accusation I've received.

A YouTube comment that reads, "I COMPARED it to AI, never suggested it was AI. Otherwise I would have said "it could be" instead of "it looks like"."

010

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 25/08/2026

Whenever I mention that Cities Skylines 2 is the most played city builder on Steam, of course some are upset at that but then there's a whole demographic who simply deny the numbers... This causes them to continuously be confused at the state of gaming and why developers make the decisions they do.

A collection of 5 YouTube comments that read:
1. "most played? steamcharts say otherwise :D"
2. "I think CS is doing a pretty good job of ending themselves tbh..."
3. "City SL2 was the biggest rubbish game ever, thats why they sold it and it is not the most played."
4. "source? (on Cities Skylines being the most played) i highly doubt it , because 2 was pretty bad tbh"
5. "It's likely being the most played city builder currently because of its recent updates, but it's likely to fall down and once again lose to its predecessor after people get tired of it."

A graph of the playercounts of the most played city builders on Steam. Cities Skylines 2 (15K), Cities Skylines 1 (13K), Manor Lords (10K), Timberborn (6K), Workers & Resources (4K), Anno 1800 (4K), Anno 117 (2K).

170

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 23/08/2026

Sometimes people get so deep into discussing topics within their own circle they stop realising the conclusions they've made aren't actually objective truths. They make confident statements like this as if some authority dictated it when really it's just a subjective opinion.

A YouTube comment that says "As you well know, in Homeworld, infrastructure consists of capital ships and autonomous megastructures. They perform exactly the same functions of production, research, storage, and repair as the buildings in a classic RTS( which we’ve already discussed) but they’re mobile. Nowhere in the core of the genre does it say that base construction must take place on the ground or be purely static."

011

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 08/07/2026

Nobunaga's Ambition (1983)

A screenshot of Nobunaga's Ambition and it's such an old game it only has 4 colours, showing a map of a landmass split into regions and Japanese script listing details on the right.

010

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 08/07/2026

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1985)

A super retro screenshot of Romance of the Three Kingdoms showing an above view of some kind of empire with details written on the right in Chinese script.

110

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 08/07/2026

Centurion: Defender of Rome (1991)

A view from above of a battle between units on a field, it's pixelly graphics and a screenshot of Centurion: Defender of Rome.

110

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 08/07/2026

Fields of Glory (1993)

A screenshot from Fields of Glory showing an above view of a battlefield with various units fighting.

110

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 08/07/2026

In today's "every game is a copy" investigation, Lords of the Realm 1 (1994) because that was "back when devs made original games instead of just copying". Ah yes, the Fields of Glory, Stronghold, Centurion Defender of Rome, Castles, Warlords, Genghis Khan, and more... 'clone'.

A screenshot from Lords of the Realm 1 showing a map with a road along a coast with forest at the top and water below, viewed from above.

141

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 07/06/2026

Stronghold 4 just got revealed! We were sponsored [ad] so I can show off what the game is now: youtu.be/7yvK3e9Jkt0 Have a watch to see a breakdown of the new gameplay and ask any question so I can check and answer that for you.

The title "Stronghold 4 is real!" with the background being a set of medieval buildings and orchards from the game itself. A castle gate decorates the top of the image.

061

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 06/06/2026

Just so you know, this is how I toast a burger bun at home and if a burger restaurant does it worse than this I get severely disappointed.

010

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 03/06/2026

Made a post about YouTube membership that outlines some things you might want? youtube.com/post/UgkxKdh...

A photo of my cats feet crossed over with her tail going between them.

000

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 30/05/2026

We're live streaming now with a long day of weekend city building! Come join: www.twitch.tv/GamerZakh Follow there to keep up! Also if you don't know, I've been posting bonus videos on Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/GamerZakh (some free public ones too)

An image of GamerZakh looking serious with his fist to his chin as if in judgement. The background is a painted image of the river Nile with the great pyramids in the distance, from Pharaoh A New Era.

141

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 27/05/2026

For a long time people have said Cities Skylines 1 was a 'success' while Cities Skylines 2 'flopped', but I didn't actually check this until just now. If you align the playercounts to release, CS1 and CS2 essentially are performing exactly the same as each other.

A graph showing the concurrent playercounts for Cities Skylines 1 and 2. The green line and blue line bounce up and down but essentially they follow the same trajectory from the left side of the graph.

230

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/05/2026

You've been asking for unique city builders that commit to their themes, so here's Life Below: youtu.be/3mTBTk0ofUU [ad] It's launching today and it really takes the environment into how you have to build your 'city'. Check it out.

The title reads "Life Below City Builder". The images behind is split. On the left, a red and hot underwater environment with heat vents. On the right a blue coral reef with a central structure emitting bright blue tendrils.

020

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 18/05/2026

Wait is this the first time modern Firaxis has properly acknowledged the existence of Civ 2 Test of Time?

A screenshot from a recent Civ 7 video about the Test of Time update. Behind the presenter on a shelf is the box for Civ 2 Test of Time.

110

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 08/05/2026

The source of some of the confusion in the HoMM lore...

The meme from The Office where Pam is asked, "Corporate needs you to find the difference between this picture and this picture", where she replies in the frame below, "They're the same picture". The 2 pictures in this case have been replaced by the same red demon image with horns and yellow eyes. The one on the left is labelled "Deezelisk from Heroes Chronicles: Conquest of the Underworld" while the one on the right is labelled "Axis from Heroes of Might and Magic III".

120

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 02/05/2026

Have you seen a tycoon sim mix in survival colony gameplay? We were sponsored to check out Above The Snow and it's launch has been well received, so have a watch to see if you're into it: youtu.be/yQ4_eS32uP4 Thanks!

A split image, on the left a cozy lodge lounge with a fireplace and some furniture. On the right, the outside of the lodge withstanding a snow storm. The text 'Tycoon & Survival' is at the bottom.

030

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/04/2026

Did you know Tropico 7 revealed gameplay and I call Tropico games 'the most consistent city building series'? Here's a video about it: youtu.be/Uwix5G5lduI

020

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 25/04/2026

A long awaited factory sim finally released and it's one of the highest rated games of the year. Have a watch of getting started in Shapez 2 [ad]: youtu.be/soAVyc13nFc You might think combining shapes is boring but I think it's actually factory gameplay distilled.

The title Shapez 2 1.0 is shown. On the left a floating stack of coloured shapes, In the background, a factory setup with conveyor belts and glowing tubes built in a purple mist.

010

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 24/04/2026

I did an ultimate test to see if the spelling of 'defence' or 'defense' works better for videos and I'm happy to report that this groundbreaking research has resulted in the insight that no one cares.

A screenshot of a title and thumbnail test on YouTube testing both for a Tower Defence list. The top thumbnail and title uses the 'defence' with a 'C' spelling resulting in 49.7% watch time share, while the bottom uses the 'defense' with an 'S' spelling with a 50.3% watch time share.

180

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 23/04/2026

I made a video talking about the 'not Inferno' faction in HoMM Olden Era because so many people have been demanding the faction when it's just not possible: youtu.be/PVf3NOPVoX4

The meme with Megamind looking sad but he's recoloured to be red. The text "No Inferno?" is in meme text at the top. The background is the lava bug city of the Hive faction in Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era game.

140

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 22/04/2026

When people complain about me calling an early access launch a 'release' I always ask if they consider No Man's Sky on day 1 a 'release'. This tends to break brains... because the secret is there's no such thing as 'release'.

A YouTube comment, "Early access is NOT "release"!"

430

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 21/04/2026

When you want to insult a game but can't think of anything specifically bad about it.

A YouTube comment, "so the game is to just build some units and move them around on the map?"

My reply, "Well you just described about 80% of all strategy games lol"

4110

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 27/03/2026

Like Asian themed city builders? Tough luck, we don't have many. But today we were sponsored [ad] to try the Mandate Order free demo: youtu.be/O3XrrVtG2Aw More siege mechanics and plenty of resource-based city building. Have a watch!

A screenshot from the game Mandate Order showing a collection of tents within wooden walls and plenty of green grass. Cloudy mountains are in the distance beyond a dense forest.

000

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 18/03/2026

Just catching up with the whole Nvidia DLSS 5 stuff. Ah yes, photorealistic. These demonstrations are all controlled slices and you can spot dozens of issues already. Imagine how messy it's going to be when you're actually playing like a normal person.

A screenshot from Oblivion with DLSS 5 on and the eyes of a character are messed up.

140

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 13/03/2026

I dared to do it, listing the best simulation games of all time: youtu.be/5B7LYFVNKfM

A complex and messy factory viewed from above with the title Best Sims of All Time embedded into the factory setup.

141

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 09/03/2026

Adobe updated and turned one of my animations into this... Took me days to figure out how to fix it.

120

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 06/03/2026

You want upcoming simulation games? Here I list 160 of them! (it's just the top 5% believe it or not) Watch: youtu.be/28P5aH3-9qg

The title 'Sim Games 2026' in gold on the right. A classic centuries-old train is on the left running across a wooden track but this is in space. In the background, a blue-green planet with sci-fi constructions floats among the stars, which have a teal nebula through them.

130

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 03/03/2026

I list simulation games (megalist incoming)

A video editing timeline with many miniscule bars indication a great deal many things being listed in a single video.

040

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 28/02/2026

This new space colony sim [ad] is about building a moon base using real world technology. Check out the video and there's just a free demo the devs want you to try right now: youtu.be/Pqp1SFenjEU Thanks!

The title 'Possible One Lunar Industries' in front of a moon base with various travel tubes and production facilities on the grey surface of the moon.

010

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/02/2026

Got a city builder here that just got a 2.0 overhaul update! We were sponsored [ad] by Goblins of Elderstone, a survival city building game about goblins, to see what's new. Have a watch: youtu.be/A7fjxiCeaAw Thank you!

020

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 23/02/2026

This game has one of the worst titles in games... 'Chaos Island: The Lost World: Jurassic Park'

A screenshot from the video game Chaos Island. It's a view from above, some people around a camp can be controlled like in an RTS. A waterfall is in the top left and there's a dinosaur by a river.

130

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 21/02/2026

Love free demos? Have a watch, this game has a lot for a free demo and it's something for this weekend: youtu.be/pTKnpMd-LYc [ad] Aether & Iron sponsored today to try their tactical car combat and RPG detective adventure, plus they just want you to test the demo!

031

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 18/02/2026

When Maxis had soul VS...

030

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 17/02/2026

After everything we went through with Nebuchadnezzar, today we were sponsored [ad] by them for a new bundle with Pharaoh. I've been updating my mods the past couple months anyway, have a look: youtu.be/9_PESMk8W2M

021

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 16/02/2026

YouTube can automatically AI dub videos into your default language unless you do this. Quick guide to help: youtu.be/WCSKOd4M0TU

0135

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 15/02/2026

Did you know Monopoly was a reskin?

The box cover of The Landlord's Game by Elizabeth Magie Phillips.

030

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 12/02/2026

New free video on Patreon btw, just watch stuff that can't be on YouTube: www.patreon.com/collection/8...

A screenshot from the classic video game SimTower with the words 'SIM TOWER' behind the tower.

020

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 11/02/2026

SimAnt? youtu.be/GX5S90RiqQ4

A screenshot from the video game SimAnt. It's underground in a red ant colony with a yellow ant digging up from below. Some black ants are attacking the red ants.

040

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 31/01/2026

You may be old but are you this old? (this is the first 'video game'?)

A black and white photograph of a man looking very pleased at a large machine that plays tic-tac-toe. The machine is called Bertie the Brain.

230

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 25/01/2026

GOG is doing their first 2026 sale, if you wanna grab anything use this referral link: af.gog.com?as=1715782841 Thank you! I can recommend SimCity, RCT, Frostpunk, HoMM, Fallouts, Bethesda, or any Impressions games you've missed. 7500 games are discounted right now.

A screenshot of many games on sale on GOG.

140