iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 23h

Nobody: ... Me: Yeah but they could shadowdrop Worms (SNES), Worms (Mega Drive) and Worms Armageddon (N64) on Nintendo Switch Online, like tomorrow or something, and they'd have the online functionality for free. You never know! [Resumes silent contemplation]

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 28/09/2026

I'm going to introduce a new holiday where the remorseless supernatural character chases you around the world on a demonic motorbike and lops your fingers off with a comb because the UI of your game is so miniscule as to be unreadable. I'll probably call him Fontzie.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 27/09/2026

An increasingly common thing I see: people assuming that very small teams, making the childhood games we loved, only had really compartmentalised roles like "manual" or "producer". Everyone needs a job title, but there was a ton of creative overlap that mostly goes unacknowledged! It got messy.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 26/09/2026

Good god, I assumed this was lost media... This taught me binary and other computer concepts when I was 5! www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-PF...

youtube.com

The Matics - Episode 0

YouTube video by Shadoks & Co.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 26/09/2026

I think the main reason I've never seriously considered getting a dragon is the amount of time I'd spend going back-and-forth about what to name it.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 25/09/2026

Oh, goody; we've now moved into the "A Dystopian Timeline so hilariously improbable, we get a gag where unfrozen super-cop Sylvester Stallone side-eyes this whole ridiculous advertising endeavour before deservedly smashing the screen with his fist" phase of 2026.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 25/09/2026

Just unironically used the term "snackable" to refer to a video and now I'm going to have to exile myself to the Barren Lands.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 24/09/2026

I saw this post and it suddenly reminded me of the 2000s-era emulation rush , where truly hardware-accurate code was overshadowed by quick, sloppy jobs to get games running "like what you remember", particularly in 3D. I have to hope that quality, deliberate work will ultimately win out here, too.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 22/09/2026

I have a routine these days. A short while before I actually need to sleep, I'll head upstairs. Close the curtains. Put the lamp on. Make the bed. Make sure I've got a full water bottle in arm's reach. Take my phone up and plug it in, with a YouTube video queued to sleep to. Pre-bedding helps.

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barleybap @barleybap.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Batman: TAS implies the existence of Batman: Any%.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 21/09/2026

It's Fantasy World Dizzy, I'm afraid. Sorry, everyone. It introduced me to so many notions I hadn't encountered in video games before; from conversations with NPCs, red herrings, item persistence, metahumour, how to walk on clouds... It wasn't even the first Dizzy, but it was MY first Dizzy.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 18/09/2026

Nobody: ... Me: Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy is a technical marvel on the NES! The ability to set down and have it remember positions of basically all the objects in the game, changing time of day, smooth scrolling, Dizzy's face changing depending on the situation, dynamic music...

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 17/09/2026

What if, instead of figuring out how to limit his powers for a Superman game, you just leaned fully into them and made a musou at an insane scale? Let me rip up skyscrapers and hit people with them. For gameplay pressure, add a time limit because Jimmy Olsen has fallen into quicksand, or something.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 16/09/2026

I'm not genuinely cross about how they've grouped the metallic elements of the Periodic Table, I just actinoid.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 14/09/2026

The instructions on my ready meal said "pierce film lid in several places" so I went to the library, the park, a greengrocers.. These things aren't as convenient as they're made out to be.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 13/09/2026

Where's my Unreal Engine 5-quality remake of Sonic 3D Blast, please?

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 12/09/2026

Since there's a whole new generation (and also the old generation, again) warming themselves up to whinge about Navi, let me tell you the story of Ortho...

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Kevin Bunch (ubersaurus) @atariarchive.org · 11/09/2026

It's really funny seeing streaming services discover how TV works from first principles. Or at least it would be if they hadn't completely gutted the entire film and TV industry first.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 11/09/2026

Ocarina of Time's art style is the new "what should we call Metroidvanias".

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 09/09/2026

Maths-based Stephen King horror sequel... Carrie: the Remainder Reviews prove highly divisive.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 09/09/2026

The core notion that Samus is a cool character is correct. This doesn't mean that you have to continue to PROVE she's cool by giving her action hero lines, vendettas, vampiric urges or reasons to flip out in battles. Samus is cool because she's a badass hunter who still chooses to save the animals.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 09/09/2026

New to #MecchaChameleon and interested in trying it on Switch 2? Here are the basic controls when playing with Joycons (no mouse) or a Pro Controller to get you started.

A plain text list of controls. It reads:

BASIC MOVEMENT CONTROLS
Move - Left Stick
Camera - Right Stick
Run - L
Jump - B
Start Climbing - B (hold)
Taunt - D-Pad Up
Poses Radial - D-Pad Down (hold)

ADVANCED MOVEMENT CONTROLS
Create Fakes - R
Remove Fakes - Right Stick (click)
Strafe - ZL (hold) + Left Stick
Turn on spot - ZR (hold) + Left Stick

CLIMBING CONTROLS
Move - Left Stick
Ascend - B
Descend - A
Detach - L

PAINTING CONTROLS
Enter/Exit Paint Mode - Y
Move Brush - Left Stick
Camera - Right Stick
Paint - ZR
Zoom In/Out - R (hold) + Right Stick Up/Down
Select Paint Slider - D-Pad Up/Down
Adjust Paint Slider - D-Pad Left/Right
3D Eyedropper Tool - B
Change brush size - ZL (hold) + Left Stick

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 09/09/2026

Extremely tempted to play Star Fox Adventures using my Switch's N64 controller, as the Krazoa originally intended.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 08/09/2026

Watching "The Man Trap" for Star Trek's 60th and it's really making me want a packet of Walker's ready-salted crisps. A classic sci-fi story, holding a lens up to the modern-day and going "no YOU like salt actually". Makes you think.

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Kevin Bunch (ubersaurus) @atariarchive.org · 08/09/2026

For Star Trek’s 60th anniversary, why not revisit the article I posted earlier this year about the history of the Mike Mayfield fan game and how it wound its way to the Atari 2600? www.atariarchive.org/blog/stellar...

atariarchive.org

Stellar Track – March 1981, Atari Archive

At first glance, Stellar Track seems like a minor VCS release, and it is – as a Sears exclusive that requires the instruction manual to learn to play,...

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 08/09/2026

You can't really see the rain on YouTube so Ganondorf just looks the moistest he's ever been.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 06/09/2026

An unexpected use for Tails, Destroyer of Worlds.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 06/09/2026

It still feels like unbridled sorcery to be able to boot up an official game in 2026 and go "Yes, I would like to play as Amy in Sonic 1 with Tails as my buddy while we go on a quest for all seven Chaos Emeralds, thanks. Oh, and I'll have that bubble shield too."

Marble Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 1. Amy, a pink hedgehog, and Tails, an orange irritant shaped like a two-tailed fox, are walking across purple bricks topped with green grass floating atop lava.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 04/09/2026

You might think you're having a wedding in 2026, but if you haven't got a Stars On 45 vinyl mixing everything right down to a simple 4/4 beat, are you even celebrating? www.youtube.com/watch?v=43mv...

youtube.com

Long Play Album II - ABBA Medley (Remastered)

YouTube video by Stars on 45 - Topic

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 04/09/2026

Oh, yeah, from that time I thought "you know, what Duke3D really needs to be a contender is a map based on Mario Kart 64's "Block Fort".

A Duke Nukem 3D multiplayer map that has the same basic layout as Mario Kart 64's Block Fort. Four identical structures in red, blue, yellow and green are linked by grey stone bridges.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 04/09/2026

In an unexpected but welcome turn of events, I've just recovered a load of my Duke Nukem 3D and Half-Life maps from 25+ years ago that I thought had been lost to time. ...I'm a bit scared to actually load them.

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tucker @tuckeryart.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Kongs

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 01/09/2026

Can we just get Super Mario 65 already I'm sick of all these spin-offs

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 31/08/2026

Was looking forward to Whisper of the House and its strong Unpacking vibes, but sadly, the text is miniscule. And you need to read the prompts to work out what item you're holding.

An isometric pixel art apartment with a mezzanine bedroom. A tiny text prompt over a yellow rug reads "Warm, bright, and full of energy."

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 30/08/2026

Okay, just hear me out, right, a chronological video series going through every video game that's got cavemen or dinosaurs in it and then I put them all in a big tier list at the end. Then, as an epilogue, a Prehistoric Gaming iceberg. Yeah! Yeah?

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 28/08/2026

You've got to practice jokes about docks, harbours and piers, because timing is quay.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 27/08/2026

The fact the Peter Cullen's passing has made it to the front page of BBC News shows you how much he meant to people. I can only think of a few notable voice actors who'd receive such acknowledgement. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Peter Cullen: Optimus Prime and Eeyore voice actor dies

Cullen voiced the heroic Optimus Prime in the Transformers TV series and then the Hollywood films.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 26/08/2026

I don't know why but I saw this and immediately had to freehand-mouse draw it. I think it's the way his pupil exists in 3D space.

A bad sketch of Bart Simpson from the Tracey Ullman era, having eaten all of the cookies.

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two-faced and quixotic @eyeteeth.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library takes donations and serves communities in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and Republic of Ireland. They say that loved ones are only truly gone when their names are no longer spoken. Give us a reason to keep thanking Ms. Parton for her hard work.

donate.imaginationlibrary.com

Home

Make a donation and support Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in communities around the world and help put more books into the hands of more children.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 25/08/2026

Bittersweet memory That's all I am taking with me Goodbye, please don't cry And I will always love you

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kate bush’s husband @airbagged.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

RIP TO ONE OF THE GREATEST TO EVER DO IT

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柿本カルキ @dummymegan.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

過去の缶バッチ用イラスト

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 23/08/2026

The puppets episode of Strange New Worlds would have been fine as a curio in a larger season when we got Trek on the regular. When there's no more on the horizon, and it's 10 episodes per season, the whimsy just can't hit in the same way no matter how well-made it is. Like the puppets, it's fluff.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 22/08/2026

I'm genuinely stumped. Why do we give a shit about where Harry and Meghan might live, where their kids will go to school, anything like that? I could sort of get it if they were an active part of the Royal Family, a institutional curio that drives tourism. They're not. They're just rich and posh!

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Josh Scherr @joshscherr.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Optimist: The glass is half full Pessimist: The glass is half empty Game Writer: why did no one tell narrative there's a glass in this game

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Double Fine @doublefine.com · 21/08/2026

Confirming: When you buy a DF game now, you support us directly!

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 20/08/2026

Looking back, it's so wild that OG Mortal Kombat only had these few characters.

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