iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 11h

I LOVE Doctor Who 💙💙 With so many wonderful stories throughout the show’s decades-long run, narrowing down my ten favourites was no easy task. Even so, I’m happy with my selections and had a blast talking about them in this article. Hope you enjoy 😃

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

My 10 Favourite Doctor Who Stories

The adventures across time and space that I will never forget.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Sound Shapes is basically if you took that one level in Ristar I really like and made it an entire game. In other words, it slaps.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I am really good at counting up to 16 (XVI) in Roman numerals. I am also a gamer. These two things are related.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Can’t wait for the Ocarina of Time remake to not pick up any of my tone-deaf humming… #Zelda #OcarinaOfTime #NintendoDirect

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

If you own a Vectrex and live in South East Queensland, hit me up. I want to be your friend 😁

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

If I wanted to visit a fictional Miami this much, I would just drive down to the Gold Coast. #GTAVI

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I recently dug up an old high school essay I wrote on #BioShock. At the time, I thought it was the smartest thing I had ever written. Looking back on the assignment now, eleven years later… yeah, it’s a total train wreck.

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

Roasting My Year 12 BioShock Essay

Would you kindly give me an A?

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I don’t care what you put in the other three slots - as long as ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ is on your cinematic Batman Mount Rushmore, we can be friends 😊

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

If you're an Australian or New Zealand based Narrative Designer, reach out! I want to pick your brains and tell you how cool you are.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

How it feels reading about everyone going to #Gamescom and you’re stuck in Australia…

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

What do you call a Christopher Nolan protagonist who uses a wooden horse to defeat their enemies? The Bark Knight. #TheOdyssey

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Can’t wait to play the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding level in NBA 2K27.

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Reposted by Harry Fritsch

James O’Connor @jickle.net · 03/07/2026

I’d like to think that the backlash against PlayStation has been strong enough that we *might* get one of those “okay we were testing the waters here and clearly people like discs, we’ll keep them going for another few years” social media posts in the next week or two

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Are you a gamer in Brisbane? I’ll be attending the @qldgamesfestival.bsky.social tomorrow at the Brisbane Powerhouse - playing cool local games and chatting with cool local gamers. If you’re in the area, come and say hi!

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Reposted by Harry Fritsch

Qualbert.com @ GCAP 🔜 PAX @qualbert.com · 27/05/2026

Despite its monumental impact on early 3D gaming, once you remove the bias of nostalgia, there's no denying that the N64 controller is an awful design. Can 8BitDo deliver an overhauled design while still retaining essential elements of the iconic controller? www.qualbert.com/reviews/8bit...

qualbert.com

8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller Review | Nintendo Nostalgia

8BitDo brings the 90s Nintendo nostalgia with an all-new updated N64 pad. Find out all about it in our 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth controller review!

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Reposted by Harry Fritsch

Sean Jordan | Sharing Great Games You Probably Never Played! @greatestgames.substack.com · 23/05/2026

If you are still reading Valnet sites for some reason, here's your reason to stop. And if you're still writing for them, here's your reason to quit. Start a Substack or site of your own and let me know - I'll promote it! This is evil, exploitative stuff no writer should ever agree to.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Pay-per-click sucks. It incentivises cheap trend-chasing and clickbait slop. In a previous life, when I was a contributing writer for TheGamer, we would get paid around $15USD per article. That felt incredibly low for researching, drafting, formatting etc. Turns out they had further to fall.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Big four berries ranked: 1. Black 2. Blue 3. Rasp 4. Straw

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

To be fair, everyone thinks their mixtape is a 10/10

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

I've misspelt beautiful enough times in my life that my phone now auto-corrects to baeutiful

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

The Wii had that special something when it came to its design, appealing to a wider audience with its compact build and clean aesthetics. I look back at this now 20-year-old (!) system and why at least some of its mammoth success can be attributed to the way it looked in your living room.

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

The Wii Was Chic

How a console's look can make a big difference.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Traditional save points may be rather obsolete in the age of auto-saving and save states, but when implemented well, they can be a surprisingly immersive tool to complement a game’s tone and worldbuilding. Find out more by reading my latest article 😃

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

Savouring the Save Points

A love letter to how video games remember you.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Is this anyone else's favourite galaxy? Just me?

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

My DualSense’s battery is absolutely cooked and it’s made me realise just how much modern living rooms aren’t set up for wired controller gaming.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Record Store Day sales delivering the goods 😁

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

I published this article a year ago about stopping to smell the roses (bomb flowers?) in Twilight Princess and how just aimlessly roaming around its Hyrule helped me stay calm during periods of teenage stress.

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

Relieving Stress in Twilight Princess

I feel so Hyrule.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to beat ‘em ups, that’s kind of the whole point. You can read all about why I find the presentation of these games so striking in my latest article 😃

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

The Surface Level Appeal of Beat ‘Em Ups

And why I don’t mean that as an insult.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

A trip away from home can be an amazing experience, but with the caveat that you have to leave some video games behind. I share some personal stories about gaming homesickness in my latest article, including an anecdote about perhaps the dorkiest thing I have ever done in my life. Enjoy!

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

Leaving a Game Behind

There's no place like home (consoles).

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

There was a point in my childhood when I knew so little about video games that I asked one of my more learned friends what the difference was between a Wii and a Nintendo Wii? This is a true story.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

I was hoping Cairn from the @thegamebakers.com would be a fun and challenging climbing simulator - which it totally was! But I also ended up taking away so much more from this beautiful game. You can read about my evolving journey with Cairn in my latest article ☺️

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

Cairn Took Me to the Summit and Somewhere Deeper

Climb ev'ry mountain.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Support physical games media. Let’s get this over the $100k mark people!

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Oh, how I love a good Metroidvania. And I’ve played plenty of great ones over the years! I look at some of my absolute favourites from this storied genre in my latest article 😃

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

My 7 Favourite Metroidvanias

Or, my favourite castleroids, if you'd prefer.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

I went to this cool arcade in Montréal and played the Switch 2 remake of #OcarinaofTime. The Nintendo rep who was there stressed that it was “still an early build of the game”.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Is The Legend of Zelda an RPG? A: No B: Absolutely not C: Snowpeak Ruins is the best Zelda dungeon D: All of the above

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Any Desert Golfing pros around, let me know what the strategy is here please

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

A love letter to the towns of JRPGs and why their calm, relaxing vibes are often the ideal respite from the adventuring and battling that takes place outside their walls.

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

JRPG Towns are Cool

I also list my ten favourite JRPG towns because why not?

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Crazy that it’s 2026 and the most convenient way for me to currently play Chrono Trigger on a home console is to dust off my old Wii U, boot it up and select Wii mode, excavate my Wii Classic Controller Pro, plug it into my Wii Remote (which probably needs its batteries changed)…

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Even if this is my main contribution to the magazine, it would still be worth it 😄

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Who are some of my favourite writers in video games? What do I do for a day job whenever I’m not writing about games on Substack? Find out the answer to these questions and more in my (belated) Q&A responses 😃

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

You Asked. I Answered!

Belated responses to my Q&A.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

North Melbourne really North Melbourneing today

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

I sat down with my better half, Virág, and chatted all things gaming, theatre, Glee, Nintendogs, Pico Park, Just Dance, and my conrtoversial Harry Potter hot takes.

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

Married to a Gamer – An Interview with My Wife

Yes, she's a massive Gleek.

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Harry Fritsch @thevgstoryteller.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

In celebration of Daxter’s 20th anniversary (or near enough to it), I look back and what made the game so special and how it manages to transcend its parent series by establishing its own delightful identity 🧡

thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com

Daxter is a Perfect Portable Spin-off

The Ottsel's time to shine!

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