iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Our newest episode of Regen is up- this time we're taking a look at Red Alert 2: youtu.be/ppRUlyjN6Gw?...

youtu.be

Is Red Alert 2 our new favorite RTS? - REGEN #005

YouTube video by Regen Podcast

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pang @birthbydrip.neocities.org · 20/09/2026

to wrap up my trio of klonoa articles for this year, I've got a look at empire of dreams, another valiant effort by the now production jobbers to keep a namco series trucking. the results actually sets a new standard for klonoa puzzling, and you can read about how in the link below!

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Iron Spike @ironspike.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

So convenient, every dev and publisher you need to block on one page

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

4 games you're looking forward to the most (no DLC allowed)

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Thanks to @birthbydrip.neocities.org for organizing and producing Episode #4 of Regen; this time covering the Dreamcast-exclusive Toy Commander! Give it a listen: open.spotify.com/episode/5Sbi...

open.spotify.com

A French Auteur Casts His Dream... - Regen #004

Regen Podcast · Episode

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pang @birthbydrip.neocities.org · 31/08/2026

and finally, I wrote this review to coincide with the release of our Regen episode on Toy Commander! @reynhester.bsky.social and I take a look at several missions and detail and discuss the variety this game exhibits www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WXs...

youtube.com

A French Auteur Casts His Dream... - Regen #004

YouTube video by Regen Podcast

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pang @birthbydrip.neocities.org · 31/08/2026

next up for today... I'm digging back into the dreamcast well after a long absence to explore Toy Commander, a shockingly cool vehicle sandbox experiment from the minds behind Alone in the Dark and Little Big Adventure. link below!

first paragraph: It’s difficult to judge solely from the cover what kind of game this is, but the first real mission spells it out: drive an RC car up a series of oddly modeled ramps to get onto a countertop, and push an egg into a pot of boiling water using the collision physics. From there the game skews towards more traditional objectives — combat and racing — but the mission design still includes unique geometry as a key consideration. Many missions provide rickety, railless scaffolding for the player’s vehicles to climb even without extraneous obstacles to push them off or impede their progress. Given that every mission is played against a par time, simply lighting a fire under the player is enough to force tight execution on these perilous ascents.

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HotPocketHPE @hotpockethpe.neocities.org · 28/08/2026

Short little article on Cyberdreams, a 90's Doom WAD themed around Cyberdemon puzzle maps, with a fantastic community MIDI pack released in 2024. By no means perfect, but I found it charming and fulfilling (no doubt helped by its short length). hotpockethpe.neocities.org/essays/cyber...

hotpockethpe.neocities.org

Cyberdreams Review - HotPocketHPE's writings

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Double Fine @doublefine.com · 27/08/2026

To honor Tim Curry's memory, we are making Brütal Legend FREE on Itch.io, for 666 minutes: itch.io/s/199277/the...

itch.io

Brütal Legend | The Tainted Coil shall rule forever! by Double Fine Productions

A sale by Double Fine Productions, 100% off Brütal Legend

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pang @birthbydrip.neocities.org · 24/08/2026

still positive on aspects of klonoa 2 (likari is a knockout puzzle concept and I can't wait to see how dream champ tournament expands on it) but the rest still falls flat for me. link to my review below!

first paragraph: Splitting the majority of the puzzle gameplay off to Moonlight Museum puts Lunatea’s Veil in a position to carry forward the original game’s action elements, but Lunatea’s Veil seems uninterested in reprising the quirks from the original. Where Door to Phantomile emphasized levels that curved in on themselves, obstacles that crossed between playable planes, and enemy variety, Lunatea’s Veil hews much closer to prototypical 2D platformer elements — featureless running and jumping within the plane. Basic checks on one’s ability to wield Klonoa’s enemy-based double-jump are absent when not contextualized by one of the few new gimmicks, such as with giant worms that appear out of walls to eat Klonoa unless fed prior with an enemy, which appear long past their expiration date late into the game. When these won’t suffice, a trite 3D snowboarding section fills the void. Oddly enough, this ends up highlighting the puzzles that dot each level; the proper platforming is only grist between them.

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Audio version is now up on Spotify as well! open.spotify.com/episode/3dxE...

open.spotify.com

Regen #003 - Klonoa

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

New episode of Regen is up, this time we're tackling the dreamy platformer Klonoa! youtu.be/bRmf1ZGKjdA

youtu.be

Is KLONOA the platformer of our dreams? - Regen #003

YouTube video by Regen Podcast

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pang @birthbydrip.neocities.org · 14/08/2026

to tie in to my arcade-style article from a couple weeks back, I did a quick write-up of my experiences over the last couple years running private arcade clubs for us to compete and learn games together. if you haven't tried making one, you should give it a shot! link to the article below

first paragraph: I’ve attended MAGFest six times now, and one of my favorite events each year are the tournaments. Regular head-to-head genres tends to monopolize the proceedings – fighting games, action puzzle games, TCGs, etc. – but they also put an emphasis on featuring less common tournament fare, including score-based games! In some cases this may be implemented through simultaneous play (a Typing of the Dead tournament I was in once was structured this way), but for others, the format allows everyone to watch each competitor play through a game superplay-style and mark their scores on a local leaderboard. I loved this concept so much that I started participating in online variants of the same concept with friends over the last two years, and it’s been a rousing success.1 My friends and I have played many more games off the beaten path, gained competency in the “prestige” titles, and explored some score systems that people rarely talk about. Below I’m going to offer a few reasons why an arcade club can be a benefit to your friend group and give some tips on setting it up and maintaining it.

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burst_error @bursterror.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

The second installment of my GnG exploration series is up, covering Ghouls 'n Ghosts 'n Super Ghouls n' Ghosts 'n all the ports of course! youtu.be/Rf-2YUxnXgQ Sharing around is very appreciated, enjoy!!! 👹

youtu.be

I Beat Every Version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts | Daimakaimura & Chomakaimura Retrospective

YouTube video by Burst Error

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HotPocketHPE @hotpockethpe.neocities.org · 14/08/2026

Essay on the terminals in classic Marathon (spoilers). It turns out text is a very useful tool in games, especially if you frame it well! hotpockethpe.neocities.org/essays/marat...

hotpockethpe.neocities.org

For The Love of Terminals

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Episode 2 of Regen is up- this time we're talking Vanquish: www.youtube.com/watch?v=75Lp...

youtube.com

Regen #002 - Vanquish

YouTube video by Regen Podcast

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Panic @decisivepanic.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

New video. It's about Dishonored and how the immersive sim design philosophy affected it, its development, and its reception. youtu.be/ihUMSt1pDvM

youtu.be

What Happened to Dishonored?

YouTube video by Panic

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

That's awesome, congratulations!

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HokutoAndy 🤜🤜➡️ 🦶👊 @hokutoandy.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Jun Suemi Wizardry illustrations. archive.org/details/wiza...

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Heather @monochrome-disposition.itch.io · 11/07/2026

Here's my entry for the #toxicyurivnjam Straining Against the Limit. It's a story about true love and genital mutilation, a relationship between a hopelessly romantic trans woman and her cisgender Mistress who just wants to leave a mark on something. monochrome-disposition.itch.io/straining-ag...

monochrome-disposition.itch.io

Straining Against the Limit by Monochrome Disposition

a life-long process of scrambling and undoing

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

sat down with @birthbydrip.neocities.org @reynhester.bsky.social and raph to discuss killer7/10 for the first episode of the Regen Podcast youtu.be/GIynFvQU-DI?...

youtu.be

Regen Episode 001 - Killer7

YouTube video by Regen Podcast

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Next up, we translated a rare interview for the Sega Saturn cult classic Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru. It turns out Hiroshi Iuchi from Treasure had a much larger role than the staff credits suggest. shmuplations.com/taromaru/

shmuplations.com

Shinrei Jusatsushi Tarōmaru – 2024 Developer Interview - shmuplations.com

This illuminating interview with graphic designer Kenichi Nemoto covers the conception and design of the Sega Saturn cult classic Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru.

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pang @birthbydrip.neocities.org · 19/06/2026

as promised! I sat down and recorded a *full hour-long commentary* for my Super Monkey Ball expert+extra+master 1CC! without getting into the grubby speedrunner weeds, this will explain all of the fundamental concepts and stage strats you need to get a casual 1CC. enjoy! youtu.be/r5WhWyXm6f4

youtu.be

Super Monkey Ball Expert 1CC Commentary (w/ Extra+Master)

YouTube video by pang

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LynnVi @1ccneet.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

///NEW GAME ANNOUNCMENT!!! - TOTAL CHAOS AGAINST APATHY - an arcade-styled action game made by yours truly! No parries, no dodge rolls, just CHAOS! Coming very very soon! Hopefully within the month! Be sure to Wishlist on Steam! #indiegame #gamedev #indiedev #arcade #steam #actiongame #lowpoly

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PandaMonium @pandamonium.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Crazy Taxi players: If you are a chronic player of the first game/classic map, this article is a very good read. It breaks down why passenger destinations change, how they change, and ways to “crack the code.” birthbydrip.neocities.org/articles/cra...

birthbydrip.neocities.org

birthbydrip - Crazy Taxi Crash Course: How to Clear $20,000

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pang @birthbydrip.neocities.org · 15/05/2026

for some reason the wii section of my site is barren despite cursed mountain being the very first post on there, so I'm rectifying that now with an overview of boom blox! the game is daunting in its breadth, and it's built on a very solid physics system and set of interactables. link below!

front matter and first paragraph of link below

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Otacon @tulamark.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Toriyama was a real one for this.

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ziad 🇱🇧 @ziaddd.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

i decided to be original this year and make a video essay on shadow of the colossus. the new ziad content era starts now www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECje...

youtube.com

Shadow of the Colossus and control

YouTube video by ziadbruh

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Herbert @xxgr1llmast3rxx.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

grids.fun/t/video-game... I made a TRVE GAME GRID

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Have actual stuff I'm finally able to work on, but in the meantime, more lists:

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News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

BREAKING: Extraordinary scenes as Iranian citizens start forming human chains outside key infrastructure sites. This is Kazerun Power Plant in Fars province, southern Iran (🎥 i24 News)

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

rige racer type 4- a classic 🫡

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Luke ☕️ @lukegirard.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

After 4 years, I'm finally able to pinpoint my thoughts on Ninja Gaiden Black! A lot of work went into this, and after ages of fighting with myself to put something together, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Shares and comments are appreciated <3 lukegirard.neocities.org/posts/ngb-an...

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

go do it even if it's ass- sounds like getting to a theater might would be a good boost to morale

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aleks @aleksandraht.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

I can't believe how much time has snuck up on me, but today is already one year anniversary of Metal Garden's release! (It's also 30% off right now for the Steam Spring Sale!!) store.steampowered.com/app/3539440/...

store.steampowered.com

Save 30% on Metal Garden on Steam

Travel through an overgrown megastructure, and discover what lies beyond it. Metal Garden is a short, atmospheric singleplayer FPS game.

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Oni is a "I like way this sucks" pick- obviously unfinished, but has some amazing ideas. Think the Infamous 1 wins out over 2 for me, as the first game gets more mileage out of your abilities and the playable space (also think that 2 kind of wastes the vibrant Louisiana setting.)

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Mythic 🦊 @mythicalredfox.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Thinking about this quote from Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi again.

Picture of Marjane Satrapi alongside a quote from her. The quote reads:

The world is not divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don't know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you.

And our governments are very much the same...

- Marjane Satrapi, Iranian-French graphic novelist

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John @redletterday95.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

the "finally, some bad fucking food" rotation

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