iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Playing the Good Videogame.

Reposted by Rick Lane

Helen Carmichael - Forbidden Solitaire @bchezza.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

Check out this cool article packed with BTS details on how we made Forbidden Solitaire in the latest PC Gamer! Thanks @ricklane.bsky.social for interviewing us and @nightsignalentertainment.com !

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Mike Futter | Wishlist The Final Cut of Lilith Cunningham! @futterish.fsquared.biz · 15/10/2026

Sega is pulling TW: Shogun 2 from sale, just a couple days after launch. Why? Undisclosed AI use so obvious and atrocious that fans lit the Steam Discussions on fire. And vibe coding defenders have a new trophy on their slop mantle. Game is apparently crashing left and right. Brand immolation.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Agreed. Where the hell is my roadie run? Why would you take that out? It's so distinctive!

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Sean Barrett @nothings.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

The announcement page is bragging about how much faster the new one is, but this presumably isn't because the new has clever human or AI coding, it's because the old launcher used Unreal Engine 4, basically the least fit-for-purpose software codebase used for any project ever.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Giving the new Gears a whirl. Enjoying it well enough, but that initial shader compilation is heinous.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

He's ok now, though he was lucky. It was a pretty gnarly injury and I'm amazed it's healed so well.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

That's how he hurt his ear.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

To balance things out, here's a nice one I took of him a few days ago (with the cone on).

A picture of a tuxedo cat with a recovery cone on, sleeping in a small grey bed next to a window.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Our cat has had a recovery cone on for nearly two weeks after injuring his ear. It's finally healed and my partner took the cone off this evening. Five minutes later she sent me this photo:

A picture of a tuxedo cat cleaning himself so vigorously that his head is blurred in the photo.

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Chris Tapsell @christapsell.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Hello! Small bit of good games media news I wanted to share: Eurogamer editorial (non-guides) is up for consecutive months year on year, and on average since May, despite being down more than 40% full time staff (plus video, commerce, DF etc) for that period. I am very, very, very proud of the team.

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Joe Siegler @joesiegler.blog · 13/10/2026

Richard B. Gray - LEVELORD 11/15/1957 - 10/12/2026 Just heard the news that an old friend of mine has passed on. Richard Gray - aka Levelord has departed the planet. I know he's dealt with cancer on and off for awhile now, a word that I cannot stand. Word comes from his wife Olga.

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Buckinghamshire Archives @bucksarchives.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Just got a photo of the new archive under construction. Looks good. Great climate control.

The Unreal Tournament map Facing Worlds.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

I (distantly) recall this!

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Ed Fenn @fennit.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Tangentially related but custom FPS levels also lead to all UK magazines having to certify attached media with the BBFC ratings board. Long ago when building a demo disc one PC Zone employee wanted the front cover splash of "Over 1 thousand Doom levels on disc!". But didn't have time to playtest.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Here's a fun piece about the wild west of unregulated FPS level packs, which were sold in stores in the mid '90s until a lawsuit changed copyright forever. www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/th...

pcgamer.com

The advent of first-person shooters introduced a wild frontier of unregulated level packs

Revisiting the forgotten fourth state of PC gaming.

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Chris Kerr @kerrblimey.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I've been mulling over this for a while, but if you're a game journo who has worked under Valnet and want to confidentially share your views on how the company is managing its publications and treating workers, I am all ears. Signal: kerrblimey.43 Email: chris.kerr@verticalslice.news DMs open

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

This week's Disk Cleanup is with Blue Prince creator Tonda Ros, who told me about his lifelong love of Myst, playing Big Walk as his first proximity voice chat game, and going ALL IN on UFO 50. Read on! www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus...

pcgamer.com

Tonda Ros, creator of Blue Prince, has played UFO 50 for almost 700 hours: 'I think it's easily my favourite game of the last 20 years'

The designer of 2025's celebrated puzzler guides us through the games on his PC.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

pcgamer.com

Tonda Ros, creator of Blue Prince, has played UFO 50 for almost 700 hours: 'I think it's easily my favourite game of the last 20 years'

The designer of 2025's celebrated puzzler guides us through the games on his PC.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Thank you! And cheers for pointing those out. I'll get those fixed ASAP.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Oh, and I should have mentioned, but there is a BONUS QUESTION in this one, and it is PET RELATED. I won't be offended if you read it just for that.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This is like if the Jolly Green Giant encouraged kids to eat asbestos.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Catching up on Slow Horses. Enjoyed Season 5 a lot. Maybe not the strongest plot wise, but comedically, it's sharp as ever.

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Andy Robinson @andyrobinson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In general, the kind of content journalists want to create, and the most engaged readers want to see, makes the least money. We all try to do good stuff, but it’s increasingly tough. Publishers and devs with galactic revenues ask for support, but few give back. Support your media!

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Elle @elleisanisland.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

tracking the Ring

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Just one more season, David. C'moooon.

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Joshua Wolens @joshuawolens.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

did journalism today www.pcgamer.com/games/halo/h...

PC Gamer headline: How every major character in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment would fare if they had to survive the plot of Halo 1

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"Sorry I can't, I'm Wardogging." "Richard..."

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Special thanks to my partner, who has put up with three weeks of me describing playing Wardogs as "Wardogging."

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Jeremy Peel @jeremypeel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The quotes in this are off the chain. "Even thinking about it now, I've got to turn my fan on." "I'm a big 'New Folder 3' kind of guy." "I used to have all my passwords in plain text on my desktop." @ricklane.bsky.social gets the best interviews. www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus...

pcgamer.com

William Pugh, co-designer of The Stanley Parable, has over 1,600 hours in Dota 2: 'It's not a game made of love. It's a game fuelled by hate and a desire to conquer'

The founder of Crows Crows Crows guides us through the games on his PC.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"YOU NEED TO GO TO THE CRIMSON FORT. THE *CRIMSON* FORT, YEAH?"

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It makes a big point of telling you that you have to figure out navigation for yourself. But then all the characters talk like someone who thinks the best way to communicate with a non-native speaker is to shout your language at them louder.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Finally gave Blades of Fire a whirl now it's on PS Plus. Love the world and the combat, but tonally it's a bit like someone asked "What if Dark Souls had all the narrative subtlety of throwing a brick through a window?"

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Certainly, I remember it emphasising "keep moving to not die".

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It's been a while since I played it, but doesn't the whole game revolve around a dodge mechanic that protects you?

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Recall it being said that Activision would end up taking over Xbox post-acquisition, but I didn't expect it to be quite so literal.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Disk Cleanup time! This week, Dragon Age co-director and BioWare veteran Mark Darrah told me all about playing Factorio with his son, why he increasingly prefers short games, and why he'll never be a pro streamer. Read on! www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus...

pcgamer.com

Mark Darrah, co-director of Dragon Age: Origins, has played Riven for 3 minutes and Factorio for 832 hours: 'If you want to know what kind of programmer someone would be, have them play Factorio'

The BioWare veteran guides us through the games on his PC.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

pcgamer.com

Mark Darrah, co-director of Dragon Age: Origins, has played Riven for 3 minutes and Factorio for 832 hours: 'If you want to know what kind of programmer someone would be, have them play Factorio'

The BioWare veteran guides us through the games on his PC.

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Reposted by Rick Lane

Steven (with a PH) @sjksalisbury.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Christening a baby is nothing like christening a ship. I know that now. Once again I can only apologise.

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

For this week's @pcgamer.com column, I played the adventure game so scandalous it was physically destroyed by UK Customs. www.pcgamer.com/games/advent...

pcgamer.com

I played the adventure game so scandalous that it was physically destroyed by UK customs

What vile debauchery could lie within Sex Vixens from Space?

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Reposted by Rick Lane

Ted Litchfield @dilfpatrol.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I can't believe @ricklane.bsky.social got me to sympathize with the UK government at the expense of something called "Sex Vixens from Space" www.pcgamer.com/games/advent...

pcgamer.com

I played the adventure game so scandalous that it was physically destroyed by UK customs

What vile debauchery could lie within Sex Vixens from Space?

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Every Nexus Mods mod is like "EVEN MORE revealing Skyrim armour" while every ModDB mod is like "You play as Gordon Freeman's third cousin as he visits Black Mesa..."

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