Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 20hToday´s Ace Combat 8 Day! I´ve been playing a lot for my review (which will be in the next issue of M! Games) and well... this is absoltely amazing. GOTY-material. No other game nails this feeling of flight, of controlling an amazing piece of tech through the most beautiful skies you´ve ever seen. 250
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 30/09/2026It´s time to talk Ramen. During my stay in Japan, I managed to eat eight different Ramen. The first one was at Menya Imamura near Sugamo Station. It's a lovely chicken-based broth; their Chashu was roasted over hot coals and very, very tender. I great start! 191
Reposted by Thomas Nickel Lost Turntable @lostturntable.bsky.social · 30/09/2026I'm on the latest episode of the SickboyPodcast, My P**nis Tried to Kill Me. I talk about how I overcame a terrible condition called Sleep Related Painful Erections, and the power of teddy bears. It gets heavy at times, but we inject some humor too. Give it a listen! www.sickboypodcast.comsickboypodcast.comSickboy PodcastA show about what it's like to be sick 🤙 1113
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 29/09/2026We just flew over the island Jan Mayen and wow... What a sight! That is one beautiful volcano. 0110
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The last evening in Tokyo was spent with the always wonderful @take-mitsuyoshi.bsky.social - talking, enjoying some food and drinks... The perfect capstone for an amazing trip with @dark1x.bsky.social! 0230
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Yesterday was my second-to-last day in Tokyo and it was wonderfully aimless. Just walking through the city, going to places I didn't really know and spontanously stopping for food. 151
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 27/09/202630 years ago, Sega’s Sakura Taisen / Sakura Wars was released for the Saturn. It’s a mix of turn-based strategy, adventure, social interaction and a bit of stat-building, all wrapped in amazing production-values and tons of optimism. The cast is a who-is-who of legendary voice actors,… 1102
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 26/09/2026And here's a little something for #randomgamesaturday. A slightly groady copy of Rockman X3. 0175
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Happy 40th anniversary, Castlevania! I wrote 8 pages about this amazing game in the current issue of M! Games - take a look if you read german! 0100
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 25/09/2026On my way to meet the wonderful folks at @mtwo-game.bsky.social ! 1160
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 25/09/2026What a lovely morning in Shibuya! It's so nice before the crowds hit... 090
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Akihabara's Super Potato is a place I've actively been avoiding in the last years - it's an overpriced tourist-trap. The one in Ikebukuro wasn't as bad though, and I took a peek inside yesterday. Well... I guess they caught up now? Prices were often double or triple what other shops ask. Yikes! 160
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 24/09/2026More Mikado - I made sure I bought the album by @fantomiris.bsky.social. Very excited to give this a listen soon! 061
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Seeing real CRTs and more modern LCDs next to each other at Mikado was eye-opening. The "jump" to LCD and flatscreens was SUCH a colossal step backwards... Only modern OLEDs start catching up to the brightness, the deep blacks and the motion clarity of a good CRT. 1263
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 24/09/2026I found a Starblade machine at Mikado in Takadanobaba and well... Now I get it. The mirrored screen makes for amazing depth and the realtime-polygons are buttery-smooth. In 1991!! What an experience! This still somehow feels like science-fiction! 1489
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 24/09/2026No matter how silly the idea of having a king or royalty in general might be to us, there is one king we should all accept in our lives and pay tribute. All hail the Yakiniku King! 050
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Typhoon Dujuan is about to arrive and we already have some proper rain tonight. Let's see, what's up tomorrow! 150
Reposted by Thomas Nickel Presservation @presservation.bsky.social · 18/09/2026The American Sega Master System turns 40! To celebrate the occasion, Jeremy went to the console’s homeland, Tokyo, to hunt down Japanese versions of the games featured in SMS Works so that the book can showcase the VERY different packaging and artwork they had overseas. 2478
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 18/09/2026I spent a wonderful day out in the countryside yesterday near Kawaguchiko. The perfect antidote to the TGS-hustle the day before. Batteries are recharged now!! 0180
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 18/09/2026One TGS-highlight I'd love to share: after playing the demo of the upcoming remake of Romancing SaGa 3, I noticed a rather distinguished looking gentleman standing nearby - well, it turned out to be Akitoshi Kawazu himself! So I profoundly thanked him for his amazing work. And he signed my SaGa-fan! 0100
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Aah, it's #TGS again. It's less smelly and (a bit) less crowded than Gamescom (at least today) and I already got to check out Gleylancer and Tengo Project's upcoming Final Mission. It's a good time overall. 070
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Aaaand we're almost off to Tokyo - together with @weltraumimport.bsky.social and @dark1x.bsky.social. See you in roughly 12 hours, I guess! 0161
Reposted by Thomas Nickel Matt Bors @mattbors.bsky.social · 14/09/2026It was exactly ten years ago today, on my 33rd birthday, that I posted this comic online. 484297707665
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 13/09/2026I gave the Torneko-Port to Switch a go and had a good time so far. It´s an absolutely classical roguelike (not "lite"!) with some charming characters and graphics. It´s all a pretty basic package and scrolling is a bit choppy - but it's great to finally have that in english! 1141
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 12/09/2026With the new game coming up, I went for Ace Combat 7 for this #randomgamesaturday - hands-down one of my favorite games on PS4. Controls feel spot-on, the skies and clouds seem endless and the music is nothing short of amazing. I have VERY high hopes for the next one!! 1111
Reposted by Thomas Nickel Eric Ravenscraft @lordravenscraft.bsky.social · 11/09/2026"Sony let Kojima's next experimental game slip away to Xbox" "The hot new Looney Tunes movie was barely saved from oblivion by Ketchup Entertainment" "No one can figure out the premise for a new Muppet Show" we are living through an era of exceptionally high incompetence from corporate leadership 191868456
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 11/09/2026I gave Razing Core by @badcomputer.bsky.social a go and I´m glad I did - it's an amazing STG for Master System and would have blown minds, had come out back in the day. I played it via Mega SD on Mega Drive on my CRT. If you like 8bit- and shooting, take a look! badcomputer0.itch.io/razing-core 0101
Reposted by Thomas Nickel Damned To Hellgore 🐦⬛ (andrew elmore) @elmore.zone · 10/09/2026Thinking of spending decades building a successful development studio, then irresponsibly ballooning production budgets to the point that one non-megahit can be fatal, then putting cement shoes on our new game before tossing it into the sea and blaming its failure/layoffs on uhhh economic headwinds. 3294
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Four years ago, I took the Shinkansen to Kyoto. I was lucky to be in Japan despite mostly closed borders (it was still covid-times) and could see Kyoto without the hordes of tourists crowding the place today - and I´m still very grateful for this wonderful opportunity! 1100
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Just another day for #PlayStation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouau...youtube.comThe Simpsons - Sideshow Bob stepping on rakesYouTube video by Octopus Panda 060
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 08/09/2026The YouTubers are at it again. Well, guess this is still easier money than prostitution..? 151
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 06/09/2026a) By this point I´m absolutely sick of the GTA-hype and b) seriously? This year we had three absolute Capcom-bangers, a ton of amazing indies, we´re getting a new Ace Combat, we had Quartet, Pokopia and more. Just because the western AAA-machine is cooked doesn´t mean it´s a bad year for games! 1102
Reposted by Thomas Nickel chiba_latte @chibalatte.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Someone is into shmups at the local rescue 8949541647
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Here´s the japanese PlayStation port of Street Fighter Zero for #randomgamesaturday. Yeah, the game is more of a preamble to the better Zero 2, but I already loved how this one felt. The huge sprites, the music, the game-feel - all fantastic. And it also gave me a first glimpse at Resident Evil! 0242
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Capcoms #Onimusha Way of the Sword is coming out today and this is one you shouldn´t miss. I played through the whole game for my review (in the next M! Games) and I loved pretty much every minute. Characters and acting are great, the views are lush and beautiful and the swordplay is pitch-perfect. 5111
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 03/09/2026It´s also wild that Sony now divides their state of play between a basic one and one for games from Japan/Asia. I believe this is called "othering"? 040
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 03/09/2026The chat in that State of Play certainly is... something. Well, Sony worked hard for that reaction. I´m a bit sorry for the devs who do their best making the games shown there... 150
Reposted by Thomas Nickel Gray @grayillustrates.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Suda51 and James Gunn aren't involved. JP Universe mentions using AI on their website. This is an empty shell of a sequel. Hard pass. 151748726
Reposted by Thomas Nickel 有限会社エムツー M2 Co., Ltd. @mtwo-game.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Toaplan Arcade Garage: Flying Fire Shark Now available globally from Clear River Games🦈 #Toaplan #M2STG 03311
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Beyond the Beyond was released 30 years ago. The first traditional console-style RPG (Persona and King's Field are very unique) came with high hopes. And hey, they didn´t westernize the box-art! In the end, it only turned out okay - not a masterpiece, but not the dud it´s often portrayed as. 0123
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 31/08/2026After enjoying the to Dungeon Antiqua games so much, this looks like something in the same vein - I´m in! 020
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 29/08/2026It's Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits for #randomgamesaturday. When it was released, it was met with a collective shrug. It has some problems, but it also has a fun battle-system and some interesting characters. I met one of the programmers at Gamescom and he was surprised someone remembered it! 0311
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 29/08/2026Soo, Gamescom's over. I had overall a pretty good time. Walked tens of thousands of steps, talked to some amazing devs, played some very fun games and met some great people I haven´t seen in a while. I was happy I went and will share some observations here... 3243
Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 28/08/2026And that's a wrap for Gamescom 2026. It was fun! More on that soon. 090
Reposted by Thomas Nickel Tom, Legally Certified Date Simmelier @iiotenki.bsky.social · 27/08/2026You're a vertical shooter. Translating the entirety of the first Darius collection was a job that took me two days and cost Taito or whoever footed my bill like $500 back in the day. If you wanna save money, just don't hire generalist agencies where like half the fee is pure profit margins lol 151406477