iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

My phone game making this announcement at 3:30 in the morning for me was incredible lol. Very down for magical girls in space in the future preventing interplanetary warfare. Sure why not lol. Them going like three months without any big story update makes it more absurd. youtu.be/Oi2LI0a6OZA?...

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Puella Magi Sorana Magica [Our Fates, Our Futures] Reveal PV

YouTube video by Puella Magi Madoka Magica Magia Exedra【Official】

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Getting multiple character names wrong in the alt text 🫠 Poor Iroha and Kuroe 🫠

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I’ve always been 50/50 if I beat Final Fantasy IX when I was growing up (the final dungeon specifically), but if I hadn’t before I just finished my replay! I had an awesome time revisiting a game that meant a ton to me. Love the characters, the RPG and battle systems are cool, and the minigames rock

Normal combat screen in Final Fantasy IX. I took an off screen pic of the Iron Giant (here called Iron Man) because he is one of my favorite monsters. Zidane, Eiko, Vivi, and Steiner were in my party for the final dungeon.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

I finished The Adventures of Elliot yesterday. It’s an action RPG with some light Zelda flavoring. The four nearly identical maps + dungeons you explore are annoying and combat is repetitive, but overall I had a good time playing it, I liked Elliot and the rest of the characters, and it ended strong

Elliot tells Faie the fairy in town with a smile “Let’s go Faie. You and me. Our adventures aren’t over yet!

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Crunchyroll / Sony buying and killing RightStuf and then locking their store to their most expensive subscription plans is top tier nonsense. They better not have anymore Blu Ray exclusives at this point.

Email showing on August 14 Crunchyroll is locking the Crunchyroll Store to their two top membership tiers.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

What a mess Sony is ending physical discs. I like actually owning things and it’s going to suck needing so much more additional storage space especially as memory costs continue to soar. They just deleted a ton of movies people own and are getting rid of two of their digital stores so you know 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I finished watching Dr. Stone. The ending was odd in spots, but overall I was happy with it and was glad all the characters got to say quick goodbyes in the very short runtime left. Definitely going to miss the show, I really dug its “this will always be fun, since science is never boring” attitude.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

I was playing the new Star Fox multiplayer with friends (it was fun!) and one of our rando teammates was religious Slippy lol.

A picture from online Star Fox 2026 matchmaking showing Slippy Toad and the gamer tag name psalm42:1

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Haven’t been posting about the games I’ve been playing lately. My main game is Atelier Totori which I got like 14 years ago and never got far in. I’m in the third year now and having a blast. Managing your time, travel, crafting, adventuring etc. is excellent fun. I like the main character a lot too

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

I had put it off, but I recently started chipping away at watching Thunderbolt Fantasy Season 4 and just finished the last two episodes and the finale movie. My nearly decade long journey with the series was absolutely worth it. Incredibly entertaining show. Hope it gets a Blu Ray release one day.

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Reposted by Justin Mikos

Mike Futter | Wishlist The Final Cut of Lilith Cunningham! @futterish.fsquared.biz · 12/06/2026

Players will not tolerate AI usage. They especially will not tolerate it being hidden. It destroys trust twice over. 1666: Amsterdam could have done really well. This has killed momentum. And you cannot undo the decision to inject AI into your pipeline.

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Reposted by Justin Mikos

Sean Chiplock 🟡 🔜 Animate! Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) @sonicmega.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

I am incredibly excited for [GAME] and can’t wait to play it right after I finally get around to finishing [GAME] [GAME] [GAME] [GAME] [GAME] [GAME] [GAME] [GAME] [GAME] [G-

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I just finished Mina The Hollower tonight which ruled. Felt like I was playing a new absolute classic like Super Metroid and A Link to the Past. The game feel is excellent and I love how dense the world design is. Opening it up bit by bit was compelling and always fun throughout. Highly recommend it

Mina in the Hollower’s Guild. One of the members says “IT’S HOLLOWIN’ TIME!” in all caps which made me laugh.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I had been playing Xenogears the last few weeks and the more I played the more I felt I had a lot to say so I decided to write an extensive review of it. It’s an emotional rollercoaster with high highs and low lows, but I’m very glad I played. Check it out :) www.justinmikos.com/blog/xenogea...

justinmikos.com

Xenogears Full Review

I finally made the time to sit down and play Xenogears as part of finishing my PS3 backlog and after more than 61 hours of playtime, credits were rolling. Since the Xenoblade games especially had...

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

I’ve been playing Xenogears this past week. I had dabbled with it when I first got it on PS3, but only barely got to the second town. Started fresh and I’m 20 hours in so way farther. Having a good time for the most part. I like the characters and there have been some cool, elaborate sequences.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

I played through MotionRec on Switch the last few days and just finished with 100% collectibles. Very cool puzzle game that I’d definitely recommend. You record your movements and can then repeat them to cross gaps and clear obstacles. It does an awesome job thoroughly exploring the mechanics.

Screenshot of MotionRec. It’s a black and white video game starring a little robot. The puzzle here on this screen revolves around crossing the tight gap over water and figuring out how to have the recorded motion needed to playback while standing on the switch that will deactivate a laser. There’s a music note as a prize to collect and a pipe to continue onwards in the bottom right corner.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I posted a new blog over the weekend, Highlights From My PS3 Backlog Part 2. Wanted to share it for the weekday and afternoon crowd in case any one missed it. Hope you enjoy it! www.justinmikos.com/blog/highlig...

justinmikos.com

Highlights From My PS3 Backlog Part 2

Last year I wrote a blog about some of the more memorable games that I have been playing from my PS3 backlog as I aim to finally finish it for good. When I wrote my first backlog highlights blog,...

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Reposted by Justin Mikos

AndyAML @andyaml.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

someone uploaded a playthrough of mixtape without any of the music to avoid copyright strikes and it is unintentionally one of the funniest things i've seen all week

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

I just posted a new blog tonight: Highlights From My PS3 Backlog Part 2. I finished another twenty games in my PS3 backlog and thus played a number of cool games so it seemed like a good time to write a new blog! Hope you enjoy it :) www.justinmikos.com/blog/highlig...

justinmikos.com

Highlights From My PS3 Backlog Part 2

Last year I wrote a blog about some of the more memorable games that I have been playing from my PS3 backlog as I aim to finally finish it for good. When I wrote my first backlog highlights blog,...

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

I had fun going to a Hatsune Miku concert last night, my first live concert since the pandemic. The crowd’s energy was infectious, the live band was tremendous, and they ended up playing a lot of songs I love. I especially dug the encore was Decorator and Odds and Ends, two of my favorite Miku songs

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

I’ve been playing Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne for the first time over the past ten days. Was kind of nervous starting due to its reputation of being tough, but I’m having more and more fun the deeper I go. The story path has been fairly breezy while the optional stuff has some good teeth.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

I had fun making the About Me video game meme that's been going around. I swapped a few categories out since I didn't care for a few of them. Also oddly, they didn't have box art for Kirby Super Star on the Super Nintendo, but that's what I picked for best retro game.

About me: Video Games Meme Going Around
Favorite Game: Super Mario 64
Best Story: Magia Record
Favorite Art Style: Odin Sphere
Biggest Impact: Trails in the Sky
Best Combat: Devil May Cry V
Overhated: Super Mario Sunshine
Underrated: Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Favorite Bad Game: Overblood
Needs Localization: Princess Crown
Criminally Overlooked: Neo The World Ends With You
Favorite Protagonist: Magia Record - Iroha Tamaki
Favorite Antagonist: BlazBlue Hazama (He's fun and playable!)
Best Soundtrack: Neo The World Ends With You
Best Multiplayer: Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Not Usually My Thing, But...: God of War II
Most Over The Top: Asura's Wrath
Best With Friends: Fortune Street
Best Retro Game: Super Metroid
Nostalgic Childhood Game: Kirby Super Star SNES
Game Everyone Should Play: Shadow of the Colossus

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I finished another game in my PS3 backlog tonight, Threads of Fate which is a Square Enix PS1 action RPG. The two campaigns are fairly similar, but the two characters give them their own flavor. Far prefer Mint, the spunky troublemaker mage. Not sure I’d actively recommend it, but I had a good time.

Maya and Mint about to take on the final boss with Rue collapsed on the ground. Maya says “We will triumph!” while Mint says “Your butt’s going to hell!” Mint’s the best lol.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

I’ve been continuing to chip away at my PS3 backlog, and earlier tonight I finished Persona 3 The Answer. Was skeptical about lacking party control, but I had a great time even with some grief! Probably my favorite Persona dungeon crawling experience I played. Sped up leveling was nice too.

An all out attack is about to happen. Akihiko says the classic line “I’ve been waiting for this!”

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

When I was playing Suikoden IV last week, I wanted to get the true ending which meant no one was allowed to die in the naval battle. Funding an army is expensive so I had to grind which is always miserable. It got to the point where I muted the game and threw on music and that made it very silly lol

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

I had been playing Metal Gear Solid 3 for the first time the past few days and I finished it earlier tonight. Like other MGS games I played, once I got more comfortable with the controls and quirks and the story started kicking in, I went from iffy on it to hooked. Really glad I played it.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

I had fun doing the My Nine Games thing that’s been going around for a few days. Basically pulled from my top ten favorite games, but I skipped Super Mario Galaxy 2 for variety. Should be replaying that one soon-ish incidentally. Magia Record jumped to third place after I finished it 👀

My Nine Games:
1: Super Mario 64
2: Super Metroid
3: Magia Record
4: Trails in the Sky (original)
5: Final Fantasy VI
6: Chrono Trigger
7: Shadow of the Colossus
8: StarCraft + Brood War
9: Kingdom Hearts II

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Reposted by Justin Mikos

Supper Mario Broth @mariobrothblog.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

According to internal files and interviews, Luigi has been part of Super Mario 64 for 85% of its development time. New insights from development data allow us to narrow down when exactly he was abandoned, being the two weeks between February 6, 1996 and February 20, 1996.

The Two Weeks When Luigi Died
Last timestamp of a file (gfxmain.c) that has Luigi's code active as part of the program: February 6, 1996
Earliest timestamp of a file (shade.c) that has Luigi's code commented out, signifying he is no longer being developed: February 20, 1996
This means that the idea of including Luigi in Super Mario 64 was abandoned in these two weeks.
-By the way, what happened to Luigi?
Miyamoto: Well... until February, he was in the game. (laughs)
This is also completely consistent with a statement by Shigeru Miyamoto in a June 1996 interview.
Source: x.com user @Alieneer_TF2, shmuplations.com/mario64

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

I think I’m going to be mostly playing a few shorter games for a while. I played for a little bit already, but I started diving in deeper into Mario Tennis Fever today. This screenshot I took earlier made me laugh.

A screencap after completing a challenge tower level. Baby Mario is on the right holding a Tennis Racket taller than him. On the left in white text is the challenge name “Baby Solidarity” and below that in bigger yellow font reads “Success!”

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

I finished Trails Beyond The Horizon tonight after 115 hours. Grim Garten aside, an incredible game from top to bottom! Absolutely wild story that’s thrilling and satisfying, tons of lovable characters (heroes, villains, and NPCs), and an awesome battle system where you take big swings constantly.

Rean talking to Reporter Ferdinand. The reporter says “When you are trailing a good story, sometimes you just have to get those boots on the ground and pursue it. And I’ll pursue this to the ends of the earth!”

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

I love Trails, it’s the best lol.

All four screenshots are from Trails Beyond The Horizon. There’s a child dressed up as a penguin mascot that a father and iirc son encounter in the Chardin District. The father says “A penguin, lost in the city on her way to work…What is this world coming to?”

Shot of the Drone Shop selling an item called Sharkfernie “Merch from the movie Sharkferno” with no other explanation or preview of what it is. (Sharkferno was a movie you could watch in the prior game. It was incredible)

Sharkfernie turns out to be a cute giant plushie of Sharkferno. You can wear it as a backpack. Its mouth is wide open and has pointy teeth. It is majestic.

Van says “Guess we just crashed a cat wedding.” Indeed, there are two cats facing about six other cats. Between them are flowers and a fish. Not shown in this screenshot, church bells are ringing. The cars organized this event themselves and timed it for when the bells ring. This was built up to over the course of three games. It is incredible.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Have had a bit going on lately so not a lot of free time, but I’ve been having fun slowly chipping away at Trails Beyond The Horizon. I just cleared the Intermission so maybe I’m halfway-ish done? Having a great time outside of the Grim Garten which is pretty dull. It’s no Reverie Corridor.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

So excited my copy of Trails Beyond The Horizon arrived earlier today. I finished the prologue and the opening cutscenes of Act 1. I loved catching up with the characters, the new battle system seems cool, and hyped for the adventure ahead. Feels so good to be back!

Kevin saying “So even though I’m a bit of a third wheel here, howsabout we kick this trial’s butt with the power of friendship?”

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

There’s a local pizza place I loved going to for years a few towns over and I was sad driving up to it today because I saw it was completely closed down. There’s a few of them in San Diego thankfully and I learned one was close by and it turned out to be basically just as good thankfully!

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

I just posted My Top Ten Favorite Games Of 2025 blog! It's my 15th one I've posted since I started blogging back in 2012! I had a lot of fun writing it and it wound up being my longest one to date. Hope you all enjoy it :) www.justinmikos.com/blog/my-top-...

justinmikos.com

My Top Ten Favorite Games Of 2025

If nothing else, 2025 was another great year for video games and I’m excited to share my thoughts on my favorites as always. I beat 28 new games including remakes this past year and I thought...

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy New Year! Hope we all have a great year :)

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

I’m working on my 2025 GOTY blog still (lot going on lately!), but I can do some other stuff: Favorite old games I played for the first time: Gran Turismo 6 and Overblood (lol) Favorite anime: CITY Favorite old anime: Hajime No Ippo S2 & S3 Favorite Song: Links by ClariS Favorite Movie: Zootopia 2

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Merry Christmas y’all! Hope every had or is having a good one :)

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Wanted to share my blog for the afternoon crowd. I don’t normally ask this, but if you agree Gen AI has no place in art, I hope you’ll reshare this blog. We’re all connected online here and I want the message to reach Falcom! Thank you so much to everyone who has shared it so far! Y’all rock :)

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

I wrote a new blog, "Dear @falcom.co.jp , Please Stop Using Generative AI In Your Company." This blog is a letter of sorts to one of my favorite developers. I hope the message reaches them and can cross the language barrier so they can course correct immediately. www.justinmikos.com/blog/dear-fa...

justinmikos.com

Dear Falcom, Please Stop Using Generative AI In Your Company

Normally on my blog I write about things I enjoy, but today is different as I’m addressing this blog primarily to Nihon Falcom, creators of the Trails and Ys series, and also to other Falcom, RPG,...

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

This happened earlier today and made me laugh. All skill taking out these robots lol.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Feels pretty surreal after 6.5 years I finally finished Iroha Tamaki’s story in Magia Record thanks to the fan translation of Arc 2. I still have some more main story stuff to watch (Puella Historia is the big one), but wow it was amazing. Plan to write a blog later this month when I’m all done.

Infinite Iroha rejects the final villain Mikoto Sena by saying “But if we strive to seek joy, we can find hope again and again.”

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Youtube trying to piece together some kind of narrative from my weird watch history was very amusing. The bizarre award they gave me was hilarious. Thanks Youtube lol.

A screen from Youtube’s year end review thing - “Your Youtube award: Most likely to quote obscure anime openings at the most random times”

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

I’m looking at eshop sales and oof this a lot of pressure to decide if I want to get Yakuza Kiwami on sale before the sale runs out. As long as I decide before I’m 80 I should be ok.

Picture of the on sale wishlist screen on the Nintendo eshop. Unlike most games that are on sale for a week, Yakuza Kiwami with the Switch 2 upgrade path is listed for being on sale for only 17136 days left. You have nearly 47 years to claim it or you are out of luck.

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Justin Mikos @justinmikos.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Been playing Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga 2 for the past week or so. I flew through the first eight dungeons in 20 hours, but the final dungeon has been significantly tougher and has asked more than everything before it including the first game.

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