iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

It is with great sadness that I must report that the MiG-31B no longer has Pulse Lasers. QAAMs are absolutely nuts, but they can't fill the pew-pew-shaped hole in my heart. Finished AC8's campaign. Will post miscellaneous, broadly spoiler-free thoughts in comments as they come. #Blutoid #AceCombat8

The MiG-31B from Ace Combat 8's Aircraft Tree. It can equip Long-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (LAAMs), Semi-Active Air-to-Air Missiles (SAAMs), and/or Quick-Manuever Air-to-Air Missiles (QAAMs) for its special weapons.

The MiG-31B from Ace Combat 7's Aircraft Tree. It can equip Long-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (LAAMs), Semi-Active Air-to-Air Missiles (SAAMs), or Pulse Lasers (PLSLs) as its special weapons.

4100

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Shout-outs to Project Aces for giving me an excuse to indulge in some topical SkyEye posting. #Blutoid #AceCombat

A radio message from AWACS SkyEye from Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies. It reads "Today's my birthday! A victory sure would be nice."

10161

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Been replaying Super Mario 64 in anticipation of its 30th anniversary in North America and just rolled credits with all 120 stars. #Blutoid

The ending screen of Super Mario 64. Figures of Mario and Princess Peach are stood atop a cake with a sign that reads "Thank you." "The end" is written underneath the picture of the cake.

The file select screen of Super Mario 64. My most recent run was played on "Mario D."

2140

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Shout-outs to the underpaid Half Price Books employee who keeps cranking out these gems. #Blutoid

A used PlayStation 3 copy of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with custom box art which replaces the figure on the cover with Garfield.

0100

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

And that's credits rolled on Tales of Symphonia! Not nearly as big of a fan of it as I was Skies of Arcadia, but I suppose it's a perfectly cromulent (if honestly kinda bloated) ARPG. From here on, though, I think Tales is strictly a "co-op with the Missus" sorta series for me. #Blutoid

The end screen of Tales of Symphonia. From left to right, Raine, Genis, Lloyd, Colette, Zelos, Regal, Presea, and Sheena stand together in a field. "Fin..." is written in the bottom-right corner of the picture.

0110

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Still thinking. Still dreaming. 🌀 #Blutoid

040

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

80ish hours into our co-op playthrough of Tales of Berseria with only the final boss left to conquer... ...and only today did the Missus and I discover the game had a world map screen/quest log this whole time. #Blutoid

2110

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Tetris for me. I can appreciate the elegance of its design, but actually playing it just stresses me out. #Blutoid

060

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Vanilla/Peach Faygo cake, anyone? *Very* spongey (if a bit too crumbly) angel food cake sorta texture to it. The peach flavor really came out after a night in the fridge. #Blutoid

A pair of pink/orange cakes - one in a springfoam pan and the other in the bottom part of a brownie pan - cooling on a stovetop.

290

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Imagine going back in time 30 years and telling someone that game cartridges would end up outlasting optical discs. #Blutoid

1141

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

In these times of *waves broadly at the market for gaming hardware*, I think the safe money on the way forward's probably on the expansion of mobile as a gaming platform. However... Whackadoodle market analyst me wonders if these conditions could be an opportunity for an arcade resurgence. #Blutoid

360

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

The Nine Steam Games I Would Have Invited to My Wedding if We Hadn't Gotten a Quickie at the Courthouse to Make More Time for Secret of Mana Co-op™ Tried to keep it eclectic so hopefully there's at least SOMEthing for everyone. I can personally vouch for all of 'em, though. #Blutoid

From left to right, top to bottom: Sid Meier's Covert Action Classic, Slay the Princess - The Pristine Cut, Lost Technology, Switch 'N' Shoot, E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy, Crash Dive 2, Marble it Up! Ultra, Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition, Invisible Inc.

4110

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Brb, slapping some old RX 560s into a bunch of surplus Optiplex towers and reselling 'em as "Lean Machines." Say "pretty please" at checkout and get a decent 8bitdo controller bundled in for free with your order. #Blutoid

030

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

I *will* stop confusing component and composite some day. But not today. #Blutoid

3170

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Welp, looks like I've figured out my birthday plans for this year. XD #Blutoid

A section of the Steam listing for Ace Combat 8. Advanced access starting September 28th is included as a preorder bonus.

060

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Finally introduced the Missus to Die Hard aaaaaand... she's decided it's not a Christmas movie. 😔 #Blutoid

470

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

"Here, Colette. If you're old enough to become an angel then you're old enough to try Malört." #Blutoid #TalesOfSymphonia

Lloyd and Colette from Tales of Symphonia about to share a beverage.

1101

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Give me your favorite Non-Trek performance from a Star Trek actor. I will never pass up an excuse to post this masterpiece. m.youtube.com/watch?v=hA7l...

m.youtube.com

Sesame Street: Patrick Stewart Soliloquy on B

YouTube video by Sesame Street

020

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

An old workstation hooked up to an eGPU and a couple 8bitdos is *basically* the same thing as a Steam Machine, right? #Blutoid

An HP Z1 Entry Tower workstation PC connected to an old GTX 1660 on an eGPU dock and a pair of Rareware 40th Anniversary 8bitdo controllers.

2131

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Look Nintendo, it's your business if you want to make Peppy sound like Neelix or whatever, but that train conductor on Macbeth had better still sound like he's inexplicably from Alabama. #Blutoid

1130

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Mint, the color > Mint, the flavor #Blutoid

A mint green cross-body backpack with brown accents.

250

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Finally, the time has come to begin part two of the GameCube's "Plural Nouns of Something-ia" duology. First time playing a Tales game solo. Only other experience is being the Missus's healbot co-op buddy in Tales of Graces. Hoping the real-time combat doesn't filter me.🤞 #Blutoid #TalesOfSymphonia

A hastily thrown-together mockup of Tales of Symphonia's cover where the characters' faces have been sloppily replaced with the faces of Vyse and Aika from Skies of Arcadia. The two games' titles have been combined into "Tales of Arcadia: Skies of Symphonia Legends."

1110

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

SUBJECT: Alfredo Pizza STATUS: F***ing Loaded #Blutoid

A chicken-and-mushroom pizza with Alfredo sauce.

1140

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

At long last, Skies of Arcadia is officially out of the backlog! Will post more detailed thoughts about it in the comments, but overall, it was a great time. I'd say it's probably in the same tier for me as FFVI and TTYD - juuuust below Chrono Trigger and Radiant Historia (my beloved). #Blutoid

One of the ending slides from Skies of Arcadia Legends. It depicts the characters Vyse, Aika, and Fina along with text which reads "A young boy had a dream. A young girl had a passion. A mysterious stranger had a mission. And the world will forever know their story."

7181

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Oh boy, the chance to shill for games other than Odama, Kick Master, and Covert Action! But also those too. #Blutoid

0100

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

84% of chests found and 2,238 kills isn't quite enough for the top Swashbuckler Rating, but we've slain the four giant overworld monsters and got all the crew, chams, moonfish, bounties, and discoveries. I think I'm just about ready to make the final push to the end. #Blutoid #SkiesOfArcadia

1121

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

The Robocop trilogy's MPAA ratings really are peak environmental storytelling. #Blutoid

2110

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Long after humanity has gone extinct, after the last star has burnt out of the sky, after the universe itself has contracted back into nothingness... ...something somewhere will still be playing Super Nintendo games through ZSNES. #Blutoid m.youtube.com/watch?v=jDln...

m.youtube.com

Ancient Emulators: Chrono Trigger on ZSNES 0.150

YouTube video by DarkenZero24

1101

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Just under a couple hours into Crimson Desert and... yeah, this just isn't my thing. Would probably opt for a refund if I'd paid for it. But as is? No harm, no foul. That said, here's an obligatory "new game had a glitch wurst game evar" pic for funsies. #Blutoid

There's a joke about "rock bottom" in here somewhere, but (and I cannot stress this enough) this game really isn't worth getting upset about.

060

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

(Potentially) final build before getting priced out of the hobby forever. 9800x3D, 9070 XT, 64 GB DDR5, 3x2TB NVME SSDs, running Bazzite. Some compromises. CL 40 RAM, lackluster mobo VRM, no optical drive (first I've ever put together without one). Had to try and save a little *somewhere*. #Blutoid

Always liked wood grain electronics so I splurged a bit to get a case with it.

Obligatory shot of the internals with the side panel removed. It blows my mind just how much bigger so many of these parts have gotten since the last time I built a PC.

5110

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

The 9 games that shaped you! Really tried to dig down deep into stuff that was truly formative and not just "my favorites" or stuff I think deserves more attention. Genre tastes, gameplay preferences, and views on the industry at large... these are the ones that shaped them all. #Blutoid #My9Gsmes

The 9 games that shaped me:
Battleship (1996)
Pokemon Red Version
Goldeneye 007
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Odama
Picross: TLoZ Twilight Princess
Shadowrun (Genesis)
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Super Mario Bros.

2111

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Post you favorite pokes! *Very* narrowly avoiding the Genwunner allegations with these. #Blutoid

30th Anniversary art of the Pokemon Slowking.

30th Anniversary art of the Pokemon Ninetales.

30th Anniversary art of the Pokemon Venonat.

30th Anniversary art of the Pokemon Sandslash.

260

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Oh SEGA, why would you do this to me? 🤢 #Blutoid #SkiesOfArcadia

A screenshot of Vyse from Skies of Arcadia traversing the exterior of the Great Silver Shrine - a space station in the planet's orbit. We're on the underside, so everything is completely upside-down.

051

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Happy Friday the 13th for all who celebrate.

020

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

At long last Ghost Babel has finally escaped the GBC. #Blutoid

040

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

First rare drop in Version 1 of #PhantasyStarOnline acquired! Useless for a RACAST, but still a fun milestone. Turns out the secret sauce is stumbling upon a 20-year-old forum post that says rare drops in the Dreamcast versions only spawn during free roam - not offline sidequests. Whoops. #Blutoid

A screenshot of the game Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast. A gun-toting robot is standing amongst some loot in the Ruins area of the game, a piece of which is an unidentified special weapon.

A screenshot of the Tekking (special item identification) menu from Phantasy Star Online. A "PHOTON CLAW" melee weapon has just been identified.

270

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

I've built a handful of PCs in my day, but this is the first time I've ever gotten fraud alerts from my bank while buying parts. Damn these prices, damn this market, and damn the boondoggle that's driving it all. #Blutoid

1100

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

This game is making me feel seen on, like, a spiritual level. #Blutoid #SkiesOfArcadia

Aika from *Skies of Arcadia Legends* wielding the "Swirlmerang" - a giant lollipop - as a weapon.

3191

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

ZERO QUALITY ZER QUAL ZERQUAL Z3RQU4L There's a lot I want to try and do during this life of mine. Realistically, distressingly, I'm probably gonna suck at most of those things - especially at first. But that's fine. I gave myself permission. "Zero quality." It's right there in my name! #Blutoid

0170

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Please get a flu shot if you can. The alternative has *not* been a good time. #Blutoid

1120

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Skulls? Crossbones? Swords? Who needs em? This here's a *real* pirate's flag! #Blutoid #SkiesOfArcadia

A blue and white flag emblazoned with a winged dolphin. It is one of three selectable flags for your airship in Skies of Arcadia.

270

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

I swear I only left it unplugged for a few days... #Blutoid

The calendar screen from my GameCube's BIOS after a few days of no power. The date and time has defaulted far into the future.

170

Z3RQU4L @z3rqu4l.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

After many, *many* years of getting them mixed up, I'm finally trying out the beloved "Plural-Nouns of Something-ia" GameCube JRPG duology. #Blutoid #SkiesOfArcadia #TalesOfSymphonia

A mashup of the cover arts of GameCube JRPGs "Skies of Arcadia Legends" and "Tales of Symphonia".

171