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Thomas Nickel

@tapirfortuna.bsky.social
1.7K followers 588 following 3K posts

Writer, teaching game design & history. M!- & book-author, occasional Retronaut and dabbling in localization. Also somewhat making games - coria.itch.io/coria! Fck nazis, fck bigots. he/him

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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 20h
Today´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.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It´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!
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Lost Turntable @lostturntable.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I'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.com
sickboypodcast.com
Sickboy Podcast
A show about what it's like to be sick 🤙
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We just flew over the island Jan Mayen and wow... What a sight! That is one beautiful volcano.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The 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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Yesterday 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.
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speedy @spdcooler.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Sakura Wars!! Happy 30th anniversary!!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
30 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,…
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
And here's a little something for #randomgamesaturday. A slightly groady copy of Rockman X3.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Happy 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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Luigi-time.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
On my way to meet the wonderful folks at @mtwo-game.bsky.social !
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What a lovely morning in Shibuya! It's so nice before the crowds hit...
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Akihabara'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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
More Mikado - I made sure I bought the album by @fantomiris.bsky.social. Very excited to give this a listen soon!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Seeing 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.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I 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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
No 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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Let's see how this goes!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Typhoon Dujuan is about to arrive and we already have some proper rain tonight. Let's see, what's up tomorrow!
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Presservation @presservation.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The 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.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I 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!!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
One 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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Aah, 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.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Aaaand we're almost off to Tokyo - together with @weltraumimport.bsky.social and @dark1x.bsky.social. See you in roughly 12 hours, I guess!
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Matt Bors @mattbors.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
It was exactly ten years ago today, on my 33rd birthday, that I posted this comic online.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I 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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
With 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!!
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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
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I 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
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Damned To Hellgore 🐦‍⬛ (andrew elmore) @elmore.zone · 10/09/2026
Thinking 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.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Four 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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Just another day for #PlayStation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouau...
youtube.com
The Simpsons - Sideshow Bob stepping on rakes
YouTube video by Octopus Panda
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Well put.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The YouTubers are at it again. Well, guess this is still easier money than prostitution..?
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
a) 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!
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chiba_latte @chibalatte.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Someone is into shmups at the local rescue
Screenshot of cat adoption page with multiple cats with shmup names (Gradius, Raiden, Twinbee, Garegga)
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Here´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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Capcoms #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.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
It´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"?
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The 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...
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Gray @grayillustrates.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Suda51 and James Gunn aren't involved. JP Universe mentions using AI on their website. This is an empty shell of a sequel. Hard pass.
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有限会社エムツー M2 Co., Ltd. @mtwo-game.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Toaplan Arcade Garage: Flying Fire Shark Now available globally from Clear River Games🦈 #Toaplan #M2STG
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Beyond 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.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Beautiful.
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
After enjoying the to Dungeon Antiqua games so much, this looks like something in the same vein - I´m in!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
It'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!
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Soo, 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...
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Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
And that's a wrap for Gamescom 2026. It was fun! More on that soon.
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Tom, Legally Certified Date Simmelier @iiotenki.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
You'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
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