iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 29/09/2026

New exp. for subscribers. I excitedly picked up Torneko's Mystery Dungeon -Classic HD- and then later found out it's *probably* been at least partially vibe coded. On the no-win situation of this great game treated badly: expzine.com/2026/09/29/d... On Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 25/09/2026

Haven't posted about Resident Evil yet because Half deserves its place in the sun (er... twilight) letterboxd.com/mathewkumar/

Everyone Is Lying to You for Money
Rogue Trooper
Arrested Memory
Half

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 22/09/2026

New exp. for subscribers! I am making the wrong choices in 2026. I like noir. I like old cartoons. I like shooters! But Mouse P.I. For Hire is a collection of things I like without the backbone of a strong design: expzine.com/2026/09/22/m... Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 15/09/2026

New exp. for subs! For years I thought Monty Mole was a scab. But he was on the miner's side all along! I look at Wanted! Monty Mole, not just a wacky British platformer but one of the earliest games to make a political point: expzine.com/2026/09/15/w... On Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 09/09/2026

There's gonna be a pop up shop for merch: wizardry.info/shigotoneko_...

Images of all the Wizardry x Shigotoneko merch. T-shirts, wee towels, pins, stickers and that.

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 08/09/2026

New exp. for subscribers! I am not making the best decisions on which 2026 games to play. Video games aren't cool any more, and Denshattack doesn't manage to transcend that: expzine.com/2026/09/08/d... On Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 05/09/2026

The dashboard of a car should look like this and god DAMN I miss my 89 Accord

Honda Accord 89 dashboard image from a brochure

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 03/09/2026

Mr T defending @alexwinter.com's Freaked, as he should

Meanwhile, in the documentary, Young says Mr T made terrible decisions, citing the film Freaked, a comedy set in a sideshow, in which he played the Bearded Lady. Young says Mr T walked away three days before the film wrapped.

“I didn’t have no problem playing Freaked, because we were going against the typecast,” Mr T insists. “Brooke Shields was in it, Keanu Reeves was in it, Randy Quaid was in it. It was a fine role, but he’s putting me down for being in it. He wants to cut Mr T down.

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 01/09/2026

New exp. for subscribers! Late today because I jarred my hands really bad on my bike because of Toronto's crappy roads. I write about the early history of Enix, and a game that's too good to be unknown in the west. Door Door: expzine.com/2026/09/01/d... On Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 27/08/2026

New exp. for subscribers! I continue my way through UFO 50, and, well... something had to come after Velgress. It's Planet Zoldath: expzine.com/2026/08/27/u... These stay subscriber exclusive! Just $1 per month. Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 25/08/2026

New exp. for subscribers! I played Titanium Court, and my opinion is [rolls eyes, makes wanking motion with hand.] If you'd like to read that in far more detail, though: expzine.com/2026/08/25/t... Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 21/08/2026

Honestly I can’t see this because who is going to offer what they think would make it worthwhile? But the EA catalogue, considering Origin, Bullfrog etc. is like the fucking warehouse from the end of Raiders

The warehouse from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 19/08/2026

Love the new Toronto Tempo mascots

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 18/08/2026

New exp. for subscribers! Hey, did you know Taito almost made Lemmings in 1980? Sort of? It's (probably) the unheralded first ever game where you protect a character you don't control. Steel Worker: expzine.com/2026/08/18/s... On Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 13/08/2026

I am a true cinephile letterboxd.com/mathewkumar/

Recent Activity:
- Thumb Wars The Phantom Cuticle.
- steve.oedekerk.com
- The Odyssey

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 11/08/2026

New on exp. for subscribers! I dig deep and finally look at one of the least known most important Japanese games ever, Heiankyo Alien, and play its 2017 Pac-Man CE-inspired update Heiankyo Alien 3671: expzine.com/2026/08/11/h... Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 07/08/2026

From the exp. archive: Two for one. In 2015 I looked at System 3's Super Putty from 1993: expzine.com/2015/06/23/s... and then long-gap sequel Putty Squad from 2013: expzine.com/2015/06/25/p... and found a series that failed to reach its potential.

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 06/08/2026

He only made one pot of biryani? I assume he used this recipe and he must be running out by now

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 04/08/2026

New exp. for subscribers! A lighter, more positive tone than last week. On the adorable, free Find Your Words from Capy, where the only problem really was that I wanted more: expzine.com/2026/08/04/f... On Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 04/08/2026

Am I the only person that sees it

Quake Shambler. It’s his mouth, right? Sort of?

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 03/08/2026

Christopher Nolan: I think it would be more interesting if the Trojan War was *really* about trade routes

It’s George Lucas. What can I say? Game recognises game

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 02/08/2026

New exp. Dispatch! All the month's articles and links, in one handy location! expzine.com/2026/08/02/t... Subscribe and get the newsletter in your inbox every month for free: expzine.kit.com

The Art of Pantomime in Church title card.

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 30/07/2026

New exp. for subscribers! Did my piece on Vampire Survivors resonate with you? Why not subscribe for just $1 and get exclusive access to a monthly bonus article on UFO 50 among other perks? Today, perfection. It's Velgress: expzine.com/2026/07/30/u... Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 28/07/2026

New exp. for subscribers! June the 28th be with you. I played the odd man out of Atari's arcade Star Wars releases, Return Of The Jedi, and find a possible first: expzine.com/2026/07/28/s... On Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 26/07/2026

*My* kind of adventure game.

It's Wishbone And The Amazing Odyssey but I've changed it so it's Ken Bone and the Amazing Odyssey. Why have I done this?

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 21/07/2026

This seemed extremely cool but the mention of it being an "AI breakthrough" made me concerned these secrets are AI slop, but it does sound like they're aware and safeguarding: scrollprize.org/tutorial5

The model only sees small local patches — smaller than a full letter — so it cannot learn to "draw" plausible letterforms.
Labeling is conservative: only regions where strokes are clearly and repeatably visible get labeled.
Validation regions are held out, so you can measure whether the model generalizes.
Final readings are always reviewed by papyrologists. Machine output is never treated as a substitute for reading.

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 21/07/2026

New exp. for subscribers! I finally learn all about Vampire Survivors and it makes me depressed about where game design is now. expzine.com/2026/07/21/v... Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 16/07/2026

Living in a city where it is currently hazardous to *breathe the air* got me doomscrolling and this really stood out to me. In nearby Hamilton the council refusing to pause data centre development for due diligence exactly as the city chokes under the result of climate change

Before the 9:30 a.m. ET meeting began, under skies yellowed from wildfire smoke, residents holding signs of "people over profits" and "dump the data centre" gathered outside city hall.

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 14/07/2026

New exp. for subscribers! Yes, football fever is still wracking my body and mind! The doctors are concerned, because I’ve turned to playing Jaleco/Tose’s Goal! expzine.com/2026/07/14/g... Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 09/07/2026

New for subscribers! I wrote a guide for Nutmeg! (Sumo Digital, 2026) so here's a review of it. It's a football manager game for people who are put off by football manager games. And love extreme skeuomorphism! expzine.com/2026/07/09/n... Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 09/07/2026

Somehow, this is true. Getting this collection was a huge deal for me

The Bundled Doonesbury, which had basically every comic on a bundled CD. I *really* did not grasp the early ones

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 08/07/2026

Hey... there's always good times with friends.

A very crappy mock-up of Larry and Moe in front of a Pong machine. This only makes sense if you buy The Journal of Stoogealogical Studies Vol. 2!

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 07/07/2026

During the World Cup I've been enjoying playing the "Nostalgic Deckbuilding Football Manager" NUTMEG! But I couldn't find a good beginner's guide. So I wrote one. Released early for subscribers, How To Play NUTMEG! expzine.com/2026/07/07/h... Patreon: www.patreon.com/expzine/post...

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 07/07/2026

Oh no… all my bonks gone

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Mathew Kumar @mathewkumar.com · 04/07/2026

Scotland fans watching a team with a tenth of their population take the world champions to the brink

Some evangelical prick on the telly saying “JESUS, I SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE FOR OTHER PEOPLE, AND I WANT THAT FOR ME.”

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