iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The incomparable Rachel Addison returns to Analog Stick and @medium.com with a story of Christmas gifts, gaming, and rare fatherly kindness. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

To Be That Good Took AGES: A Rare Time My Father Surprised Me

The one other time was gaming related too, but that’s for another day…

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I spent a week using @corsair.com's newest budget wireless headset, and it's a good solid performer that blows away certain other more expensive models. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Corsair’s $80 HS35 V3 Wireless Sounds Better Than Logitech’s Pricier G522

It’s the bare minimum, in a good way

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Today, the excellent @cryinocto.bsky.social returns to @medium.com and Analog Stick with a look at the iconic action classic, Bullet Witch. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Bullet Witch | A Freak on a Leash, Videogaming’s №1 Nu Metal Album.

Bullet Witch Review

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It's nowhere near a "perfect port," but the obvious and immense effort that went into cramming Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered onto the Switch 2 fascinates me. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Most UE5 Games Struggle on Switch 2. Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered Doesn’t.

Koei Tecmo relit the whole game by hand instead of just switching Lumen off

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I've finished enough of DW3 Remastered to review it...and I'm going to keep playing it for the next several weeks, most likely. It's a weird thing and hey it's forty dollars! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Dynasty Warriors 3 Isn’t Remastered. It’s Something Stranger.

Koei rebuilt a clunky PS2 brawler in Unreal Engine 5 for $40, and I liked it more the longer I played.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

An exciting day! @cryinocto.bsky.social returns to my @medium.com pub Analog Stick with the most in-depth and enjoyable Resident Evil Requiem review I've read so far on the internet. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Resident Evil Requiem | A matter of perspective

Resident Evil Requiem Review

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I loved most of Control Resonant. But then it broke my brain and this @medium.com piece came tumbling out. Maybe I've become the sort of guy who should have spent 18 hours hitting dudes as Wolverine instead. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

I Remember Joel and Ellie. I Don’t Remember Gleep Glorpbloob.

Games like Control Resonant keep burying great characters under piles of lore

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Witcher 3 Remastered is fully awesome on Switch 2, and it's going to dominate my gaming week (alongside Dynasty Warriors 3). medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

I’d Rather Play The Witcher 3 Remastered on Switch 2 Than PC

PC gets path tracing, but the Switch 2’s deep, moody lighting looks more like the game I remember.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I had other plans for today, but Razer announced they are pushing forward with their goofy AI gaming headset and I just had to chime in. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Razer Built an AI Gaming Headset That Talks About Your Chicken

The Barracuda AI’s big demo has nothing to do with games, and that’s the whole problem

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Microsoft fired hundreds more people from Xbox this week. They gave Halo to Activision. They're paying Kojima millions while shutting down Ninja Theory. None of this is a plan. It's panic. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Microsoft Can’t Learn From Its Mistakes Because the People Who Made Them Are Gone

The Xbox layoffs aren’t just cruel — they’re strategically incoherent

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I played the new Dynasty Warriors 3 Remake demo several times on several machines, and wrote about it. It's super weird and I'm kind of shocked it's coming out! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

The Dynasty Warriors 3 Remake Has New Graphics, Old Jank, and the Same Terrible Dub

My demo impressions after playing on PS5 Pro, PC, and Switch 2

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Rachel Addison returns to Analog Stick on @medium.com with some wistful thoughts about Mass Effect 3's ending and romances, and the oft-hated character of Ashley Williams. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Mass Effect: My FemShep Has Never Said “Ashley Williams, I Love You”

Every playthrough, My FemShep ends up alone

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

You might know Carl St. James over on @medium.com for his Apple coverage, but back in January he wrote this epic awesome list of the best video games from each of the last 25 years. It now has a new home on Analog Stick! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

My 25 Favourite Videogames of the 21st Century

One from each year as voted for by a man who played them.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I often play loot-focused games in the background/between other games. I found one I should have skipped. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Dragonkin: The Banished Feels Like A Fake Video Game

Like, I could have made up that title, right?

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

If you’re into gaming sword combat, two really awesome examples of it came out last week. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Blood of Dawnwalker and Onimusha Destroy Other Sword Combat Games

You have to play these if you love action

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

My new @medium.com piece about my favorite game design choices also secretly contains my first impressions of Blood of Dawnwalker! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Good Game Design Plants Little Seeds

A planning brain is an engaged brain

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Today on Analog Stick, newcomer Jon Jansen Campos returns with one more tale of his time in the industry...and some good context about why game development offices often look like internet cafes. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Finding Atlantis

How losing my job led me to the place I was meant to be.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I have no love for Charlie or his messages but I also don't think anyone deserves to die. Nor have that celebrated.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

*No it's not. Bluesky still doesn't have an edit in 2026.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Not it's not! It's because you wrote gleefully about his death, got pouty towards me when no one read it even though I had no way to help you promote political rage content on my gaming blog, and harassed me with messages in the wake of my mother-in-law having a stroke she never recovered from.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Today on Analog Stick, Jon Jansen Campos is back with part two of his look back at a life in gaming. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

The Gamer I Thought I Wasn’t

Growing up without the latest hardware and spending years wondering if I belonged in the industry I loved.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Analog Stick (and @medium.com) newcomer Jon Jansen Campos is here with a personal story about Ragnarok Online, and how it inspired a whole career in game development! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

How Ragnarok Online Led Me to a Career in Games

A snapshot of the golden age of online gaming in the Philippines.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I caved on the Switch 2 version of Elden Ring. The newly added stuff is cool, and it's great that other platforms got it as a tiny DLC pack! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

The New Elden Ring Content Is Absolutely Worth It

The Switch 2 port didn’t leave others in the cold

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

New Analog Stick contributor Ben Copeland arrives with a look at the gaming sensation that is Big Walk. It stands out in a crowded genre by doing its own thing, and seems like a perfect co-op game. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Big Walk Is a Great Step Forward for ‘Friendslop’

Hanging with the bros — the game

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Here's a lighthearted one to end my writing week. Crimson Desert has my favorite take on audio logs in a long time. I'm editing some other pieces from Analog Stick contributors that will also be out soon! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

The Best Stupid Thing in Crimson Desert

Because we can’t make a game without audio logs

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

The new Star Wars game seems cool so far. Shame about who published it! I have some thoughts about all of this now live on @medium.com! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Star Wars: Zero Company is Impressively Risky

I only wish it released under better circumstances

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Oh hey! Analog Stick just hit 350 followers! Click here if you want to be number 351, or if you just want to check it out! medium.com/analog-stick

medium.com

Analog Stick

All things gaming and gaming tech, both new and retro.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I wrote up some spoiler-free thoughts on Crimson Desert's new story, which even in just a few hours of play is already a dramatic improvement. Check it out over on @medium.com! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Crimson Desert Rewrote Its Entire Story in Five Months

An impressive plot overhaul improves the game’s biggest weakness

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Analog stick newcomer Lazar Šutilović is here with some pre-launch thoughts on The Blood of Dawnwalker. I'm also pretty excited about this game myself and looking forward to playing it next week! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

‘The Blood of Dawnwalker’ Is a ‘Witcher-like’ With a Plan for Domination

An upcoming eclectic mix of RPG designs is shaping up to be the next genre heavyweight and the start of a new gaming saga

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I dug my old Philips headphones out of the closet and they're still just *so good.* It's wildly frustrating that business/capitalism swallowed and destroyed their audio division. xander51.medium.com/these-headph...

xander51.medium.com

These Headphones Should Have Become Legendary

Philips built the best models and then gave up

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I've been thinking about horse combat in games lately. Has any game's mounted action ever fully clicked with you? medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Mounted Combat Almost Always Feels Bad

I yearn for cooler horse gameplay

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I'm one of those rare people that sometimes insists on playing games in Quality Mode. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

The Case For Quality Mode

Pixel counts don’t matter except for when they do

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I almost skipped Mortal Shell II. That would have been a mistake! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Mortal Shell II Gets It

Cool graphics are a must

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Reposted by Alex Rowe

SAXON @cryinocto.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Tank controls… ✓ Limited resources… ✓ Residence containing evil… ✓ Jill Sandwiches… Let me pack my lunchbox ↓Check out my review of Classic Resident Evil in Analog Stick↓ #Videogames #Retrogames #Review #ResidentEvil #RE #Medium

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I published a little review of the newest release of Sacred 2 Remastered. It was quietly dropped on the original Switch last week for some reason! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Sacred 2 Remastered: The Fourth-Best Action RPG on Nintendo Switch

A badly-timed new port

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

One of my favorite old Diablo Clones still holds up! Read more about it in my new @medium.com piece, if you'd be so kind. :) medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

My Favorite Forgotten Diablo Clone

Sacred nailed an open world two decades before Diablo IV

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Do you like Resident Evil? Then you might totally love @cryinocto.bsky.social's deep-dive classic review article I just had the honor of adding to my Medium pub, Analog Stick. Please check it out! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Classic Resident Evil | Whatever you say I am, that’s what I’m not

Reviewing Classic Resident Evils

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

My up and down time with the Oblivion remaster made me nostalgic for Skyrim, and then I accidentally played bunch of it. New piece now on @medium.com! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Skyrim: Eternally Awesome?

A game with immense heart that took over the world

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 is finally worth buying. I never thought I'd get to say that! medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

The HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 Headset Transformed From Bad To Awesome

A true tech redemption story

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

The Switch 2 version of Oblivion Remastered feels like it was made by just a couple of passionate people, not a billion-dollar megacorp with endless resources. They couldn't salvage the mess for Nintendo's weaker machine. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

Oblivion Remastered On Switch 2 Is Super Frustrating

The makings of a miracle port, buried under glitches

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Off the top of my head, the Batman Arkham series and BioShock 1/2 come to mind as the best uses of this, haha.

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Alex Rowe @xander51.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

I've realized that I spend a significant percentage of my entertainment time mining digital ore. medium.com/analog-stick...

medium.com

I’m Always Looking For Iron Ore

Crafting systems and the endless materials that power them

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