atomicpoet

atomicpoet, 3 months ago to random

I’m doing this! 🎉

Tonight’s movie is So Undercover (2012) starring Miley Cyrus, Jeremy Piven, and Mike O’Malley.

This is Miley’s awkward period, the time right before Bangerz. Everyone still thought of her as Hannah Montana, she was causing controversy with her bong photos. Of course, no one even suspected Wrecking Ball was coming. How quaint.

During this period, Miley decided to focus on acting, and this was one of her movies. Per the description:

A tough, street-smart private eye is hired by the FBI to go undercover in a college sorority.

Clearly, I’m not the intended demographic for this movie. This was for younger millennial girls newly arrived in college.

Nevertheless, I’m ready and willing to watch this movie. It makes for interesting cultural history for me.

iMDB rates this a 5.0, which means “meh”. Take that for what you will, I don’t necessarily trust iMDB.

Nevertheless, just looking at the cover, I know exactly what kind of film this will be. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. But I expect to do lots of groaning tonight.

atomicpoet, 11 months ago to fediversenews

Do you know there’s an XMPP-enabled version of the Fediverse? Here’s an example of one such site:

https://mov.im/

Also, you can set up Friendica to work with XMPP. To wit:

Server admins can configure their ejabberd or prosody XMPP/Jabber servers to authenticate against the Friendica user database. If configured this way, every Friendica account is also a XMPP/Jabber account and can be used with any XMPP/Jabber client.

See also: https://wiki.friendi.ca/docs/chats

So XMPP is a totally valid protocol you can use with the Fediverse right now. As for why few people do this, I don’t know. Maybe they really do believe that Google “killed” XMPP—which is, in fact, untrue.

@fediversenews

atomicpoet, 8 months ago to random

A few days ago, someone asked me in what way console gaming is seen as more regarded than PC gaming—and, in my view, undeservedly so.

Here’s an example. Do a search for a book about PC gaming, you won’t find much on Amazon. Sure, you’ll find lots of books on how to build a PC for gaming, but not a whole lot about actual PC gaming. You know, the games made for PC.

Theres lots of books about the history of Nintendo and PlayStation. But in terms of the history of PC gaming, not much is written.

And when it comes to a history of gaming in general, PC gaming gets a few mentions but not really a whole lot.

Because of this, an errant mythology is now believed about gaming as a whole. It goes something like this: Atari made video games popular. Then there was a video game crash. And then Nintendo “saved” gaming.

But that’s not exactly what happened.

In reality, there may have been a crash in the arcade and console gaming space, but not for PC. In the early 80s, the Apple II, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, and IBM exploded in popularity. And with it, interest in gaming too.

It wasn’t word processors and drawing apps that caused this explosion in growth. It was gaming. We all begged our parents to get a PC so we could do our homework. But in reality, we were using those machines to play Donkey Kong, King’s Quest, and Lode Runner.

Here’s what a lot of people don’t realize. In the early 80s, the console/PC divide wasn’t so cut and dry. A Colecovision was meant to morph into an Adam computer. A Commodore 64 could connect to your TV and could play cartridges. Even an NES had PC aspirations—in Japan “Famicom” was short for “family computer”.

It’s sad to say but the history of PC gaming is being forgotten. This is a damn shame because the majority of games have not been released for consoles. So many of them are still PC exclusive.

(Nowadays mobile gaming is becoming even more important.)

But this isn’t just about games. It’s about people. Yes, Shigeru Miyamoto is important to gaming history. But you know who is just as important?

Roberta Williams, the mother of PC gaming. She was the designer of King’s Quest, Laura Bow, and Phantasmagoria. You know what else she did? She co-founded Sierra.

And until the 90s, Sierra was the most important company in PC gaming. Its effects can still be felt today in the fact they published a little known game known as Half-Life—which gave Valve their own foothold in the industry, and subsequently, Steam.

More people need to know about folks like Roberta Williams. They made art that impacts nearly every person living on the planet today.

atomicpoet, 2 months ago to random

I can’t stand when Europeans get uppity about the USA’s culture being imported there.

My dudes, you’ve been importing your culture to the USA for 400 years.

What dominant language do Americans speak? Where do burgers, pizza, and beer come from? You think Americans just came up with that stuff on their own?

Actually, since 1492, you Europeans have been colonizing the whole world. You weren’t just importing your cultures, you were making it downright mandatory.

atomicpoet, 11 months ago to fediverse

Tech Press don’t understand the #Fediverse, so how can they understand its growth?

To hear them talk, most of them believe that #Mastodon and the Fediverse are one and the the same. Some of them go so far as to call the Fediverse the “Mastodon network”.

Which means that they don’t have a clue about what the Fediverse entails, nor how it has grown.

Case in point: between Jan-May 2023, #Misskey and its forks grew by 300,000 accounts. No one in the Tech Press reported this.

Okay, perhaps they didn’t know because the bulk of growth happened in Japan. But still, this is fairly important to know since Misskey is now responsible for generating the bulk of Fediverse content. Even so, Tech Press think the Fediverse is about Mastodon.

And now, #Lemmy and #Kbin are experiencing lots of growth, with both collectively gaining 100,000 users in a week. This is quite a noteworthy event since the #RedditMigration is part and parcel of dissension on #Reddit – a pretty major Big Social platform.

Does the Tech Media report on this? Nope. But again, that’s because they don’t understand the Fediverse nor what it entails.

Then Meta signal that a new project they’re making, #P92 (a.k.a., #Barcelona), will be joining the Fediverse. There’s even screenshots that show this app interacting with remote Fediverse servers.

But instead of reporting about how this will affect the existing Fediverse, press such as the #BBC say this is an altogether different social network than Mastodon.

That’s right! Tech Press don’t even realize P92 will be joining the Fediverse – a social network that already exists!

Is this all ridiculous? Yes.

But this is why we have to be forthright about what the Fediverse is, what it entails, and why it all matters.

We, on the Fediverse, must be our own Press.

@fediversenews

atomicpoet, 7 months ago to random

The ‘90s – an era bursting with musical revolutions, and smack in the middle, our unlikely obsession: Gregorian chants.

It was so far out there, so against the grain that its emergence was nothing short of outrageous. At the forefront of this tidal wave was our tribe, a motley crew of teens, ready to defy norms and embrace the raw, unbridled power of these ancient chants.

The event that marked the turning point was on November 2nd, 1994, in the atmospheric surroundings of the Gothic Hall in downtown New York City. The group? The Cistercian Monks of St. Benedict’s. Few knew what to expect, but by the end of the night, every soul in that hall knew they had witnessed history.

I was there, right in the middle of the hall. The lighting was ethereal, the incense heady. As the chants began, the room became electric. The monks, with their serene faces and deep, resonating voices, chanted melodies that felt like they were being pulled straight from the heavens. With each verse, they drew us deeper into a trance, a shared spiritual journey.

Among the captivated audience were a few faces that would later become synonymous with the Gregorian chant movement. There was Lydia, with her fiery red hair, who’d later start “Echoes of Eternity”. Beside her, Julian and Marcus, both mesmerized, would soon form “Monastic Pulse”. Towards the back, engrossed in the musical spectacle, were Sofia and Nathan. Their collaboration would give rise to “The Timeless Ones,” another iconic chant ensemble.

As the final notes of the chants lingered in the air, I felt changed, reborn almost. There was an overwhelming sense of having been part of something much larger than myself, something transformative. That night, not only had my perception of music been altered, but the very core of my being felt invigorated.

Inspired and on fire, my friends and I decided to take this newfound passion and share it. Together with Lydia and Julian, I co-founded “Celestial Echoes”, a group dedicated to pushing the boundaries of Gregorian chants, intertwining them with our modern experiences and stories.

Our journey wasn’t easy. We faced skepticism and ridicule, but we were fueled by the magic of that November night. Every time we performed, we aimed to recreate the ethereal atmosphere of the Gothic Hall, to transport our audience back to that life-changing concert.

And we weren’t alone. Across the city, other chant groups were springing to life, each with its own unique flavor, yet all bound by the shared memory of November 2nd. Our movement was more than just about the music; it was about rebellion, expression, and finding our place in a rapidly changing world.

As the years unfolded, the media’s fascination with our movement began to shift from intrigue to alarm. Talk shows, especially, turned into hotspots of confrontation. When Sofia from “The Timeless Ones” appeared on “The Sally Jessy Raphael Show”, instead of focusing on the chants’ beauty and history, Raphael zeroed in on the rebellious undertones of our movement. Questions flew about our “audacious” choice to adopt such an ancient form of expression in modern times and whether it was a sign of teenage rebellion taken to the extreme. Sofia, trying to convey the depth and spirituality of the chants, was often overshadowed by the narrative of us being these upstart rebels causing chaos and panic.

The New York Post amplified this sentiment. Articles portrayed us as the audacious youths, challenging the conventional musical landscape with our “radical” chant sessions and “provocative” monastic attire. Our dedication to Gregorian chants, instead of being seen as a return to roots, was painted as a provocative defiance against contemporary culture. And then came “Saturday Night Live”, which, in its signature style, caricatured our “rebellious” ways. They painted us as eerie, monastic figures—sinister and haunting, like dark monks emerging from the shadows, challenging the very fabric of mainstream society.

Amidst this media frenzy, we found ourselves not just representing a genre of music, but an entire subculture branded as the ultimate symbol of rebellion. It was a challenging mantle to bear, but it was also a testament to the waves we were making and the boundaries we were pushing.

Through it all, the memory of that November night kept us grounded. For me, it was a reminder of why I started this journey in the first place. The beauty, the power, and the unity I felt that night were things I wanted to share with the world.

The Gregorian chant movement dimmed with time, but it never faded. New York City, the heart of this shift, holds memories of that night and the pioneers it spurred. Even as the mainstream wave receded, an underground scene emerged. Hardcore enthusiasts continue to compose and sing chants with fervor.

Every chant I hear is a time portal, pulling me back to the Gothic Hall, surrounded by fellow renegades, all driven by a mission to reshape the world, one chant at a time.

atomicpoet, 2 months ago to random

People in the music industry, explain to me this.

Spotify pays you $0.003 each time your song gets played. Meanwhile, on Discogs, I see recently released copies of vinyl albums selling for $200.

If you can sell one vinyl album for that much money, why don’t you do it?

atomicpoet, 11 months ago to threads

Turns out, the launch of #Threads hasn't really slowed down #Mastodon account registrations. In fact, for July, they're actually higher than they've been for any month this year! As of the latest count, we're talking about:

• 2,414 new registrations in the last hour
• A whopping 57,771 new registrations in the past day

This basically means that Threads hasn't put a damper on the demand for Mastodon. It's still going strong!

SOURCE: https://mastodon.social/@mastodonusercount/110668914730609156

@fediversenews

atomicpoet, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to random

Can someone please explain to me what’s going on?

I legitimately have no idea, and I don’t know why I upset this person or even what they’re trying to communicate with me.

No, I’m not being obtuse. I really don’t know.

RE: https://mastodon.social/users/sssystemic/statuses/112129909662820466

atomicpoet, 5 months ago (edited 5 months ago) to random

Released in 1994, Wacky Wheels is a kart racer. It is the first game in the Wacky Wheels series.

We don’t need a story for this game. All you need to know is that a bunch of cute animals are competing for the podium. There’s a tiger, an elephant, a shark, and more!

This was a title published by Apogee. I often wonder if this game would have been more well known if they put well-known Apogee characters like Duke Nukem and Commander Keen in this game. Nevertheless, the decision to use animals certainly hit their target demographic.

You see, in 1994, many kids didn’t have a Super Nintendo (SNES). Parents often told their young whippersnappers, “We have a PC that can do everything – go play your games on there.”

And believe me, lots of PC gaming kids envied Super Mario Kart. There was not much like it on PC. Then Wacky Wheels came along.

Is Wacky Wheels as good as Super Mario Kart? Not at all. But for a cheap shareware title with gamepad support – that also had split screen multiplayer – this was a godsend for all those kids who only gamed on PC.

That’s right, not only could you play Wacky Wheels with a keyboard, but you could also hook up a Gravis PC GamePad. Not all PC games did that back then. Even now, Wacky Wheels controls spectacularly with a modern gamepad, and let me tell you, it works like a dream!

The courses are not as varied as Super Mario Kart, but Wacky Wheels makes up for this with many game modes.

You can choose the speed of your karts (or “lawnmowers”, as the game calls them), which drastically changes your winning strategy. If you go for the 12HP karts, you’ll be relying more on your handbrake; with the 6HP karts, lots of power-ups are a requirement.

If you have young kids, there’s a “kid mode” that makes the competitive play more kid-friendly.

Multiplayer is really where Wacky Wheels shined. You had a two-player race as well as a two-player shoot-out. But there was also Comm-Bat play – which allowed you to compete with another player remotely through a LAN. Again, this was available in 1994 – it would be decades before Nintendo would offer such a feature with Super Mario Kart!

Graphically, Wacky Wheels wasn’t as good as its SNES counterpart. The pixels were more chunky, and the frame-rate wasn’t as smooth. But there’s a reason for that. Wacky Wheels was a $5 shareware title that was intended to be played even on a 386 CPU.

It’s the sound department where Wacky Wheels really shines. It’s full of SoundBlaster goodness. And wow! Does the music get my heart pumping when I’m in the midst of a race!

To run Wacky Wheels on modern hardware, you need a 1.8Ghz single core CPU and 512MB of RAM. However, if you want to run this on DOS, you need a 386 CPU, 4MB of RAM, and 6.9MB of space. Wacky Wheels has native compatibility for Windows, Mac, and Linux – although the Steam version doesn’t run on Linux natively. Nevertheless, the Steam version runs well on Linux via Proton. On a Steam Deck, it is fantastic.

Wacky Wheels is a PC exclusive. It has never been released on mobile or console platforms.

There’s no microtransactions, neither is there DLC.

Beavis-Soft developed Wacky Wheels. They made a previous game called Phylox, but this was their last game.

There was some hijinx involved with the development of Wacky Wheels. The eagle-eyed among you might notice this has a resemblance to Skunny Kart. That’s because they share some of the same code. Regardless, Skunny Kart is based on an earlier version of Wacky Wheels – which is why most people prefer Wacky Wheels.

There’s also a modern remake called Wacky Wheels HD. I have not played it, and it’s no longer on Steam – though it is available free on itch.io.

On Steam, Wacky Wheels has an 89% positive rating based on 77 reviews. Meanwhile, GOG.com gives this a 4.2/5 user rating. Most people love this for nostalgic reasons, as it gives them fond memories of gaming as a child. Detractors feel that it has not held up to the modern era.

Personally, I feel like Wacky Wheels has indeed held up. Sure, it’s not the best kart racer ever – not by a long shot. Yet, the controls are tight, and the competition is still fierce. And just look at it. Wacky Wheels is full of DOS goodness!

Wacky Wheels sells for C$5.49 on Steam. Meanwhile, GOG.com sells it for C$8.19, though it has a -79% discount at C$1.69.

I recommend it – perhaps not for everyone, but definitely for anyone who has a fondness for DOS gaming. There are more beautiful, more technically impressive kart racers out there. But how many of them feature VGA graphics with sweet SoundBlaster tunes? And how many of them allow you to control a cute panda who throws hedgehogs at the competition? If this appeals to you, Wacky Wheels is your ticket!

atomicpoet, 3 months ago to random

Maybe webcomics are just really hard to make but almost all of them are terrible.

The only exception is Perry Bible Fellowship. But I guess that’s not technically a webcomic since it appeared in a university paper.

atomicpoet, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to fediversenews

So far, I’m not liking how Threads posts render on my Akkoma server.

Too much of it is no text – just a big ginormous paperclip.

And what is that paperclip? Well, when I click on it, it opens up a new tab to reveal… a screenshot of a Tweet.

All of this could be bloody avoided if Threads people put the contents of the tweet in their posts. Or even better, if Threads actually rendered these pictures in the post and put in alt-text as well.

I’d tell these Threads people how bad these posts look on the Fediverse, but none of them can see my replies. Thanks, @zuck!

(Also, if the link to the post doesn’t show up, don’t blame me. Blame Threads. You don’t need to click it anyway since I’m providing a screenshot of what I’m seeing.)

@fediversenews

RE: https://threads.net/ap/users/17841445114285241/post/18424180516023009/

atomicpoet, 1 year ago to RedditMigration

There’s a #RedditMigration to the #Fediverse happening right now. And many of those former #Reddit users are creating accounts on #Lemmy and #kbin.

Funny enough, last December, I predicted there would be another Big Social migration to the Fediverse. I even predicted it would happen in June.

I just didn’t think that Reddit, of all platforms, would be the one to cause the migration.

Big Social has a habit of creating shitty user experiences, and attempting to squeeze every bit of ARPU possible.

Until recently, if you didn’t like it, your only option was to kick rocks.

Reddit doesn’t give a damn. There have been plenty of Reddit alternatives in the past, and almost all of them have crashed and burned.

Except this time, when people join #Lemmy and #kbin, they are interacting with a network of 10 million Fediverse accounts – possibly more. No Reddit alternative has ever had 10 million accounts.

Understand this. Even if Lemmy and /kbin make up an insignificant chunk of the Fediverse right now, everyone who uses those services can talk to 10+ million Fediverse accounts.

Which means that this time Reddit detractors have serious options.

And believe me, more Big Social platforms will cause further migrations to the Fediverse. Each time this happens, that detraction will compound more and more.

Reddit probably doesn’t think this is a big deal. They probably think this is like the other times users expressed dissent.

But this time, these Redditors are discovering the Fediverse.

atomicpoet, 20 days ago to random

Nowadays, nobody blinks an eye at vinyl making a comeback. Vinyl actually outsells CDs. It now accounts for 8% of the music industry’s revenue.

But is that a good thing?

Well, it’s good for record stores. So long as vinyl keeps local record stores open, that’s definitely a good thing. And I appreciate that vinyl, in its roundabout way, keeps interest in all other physical media alive.

The only video rental store in my town, Video Cat, now sells vinyl. If vinyl helps keep them open, I’m happy. Case closed.

But… I still think vinyl’s supposed superiority over everything else is tantamount to snake oil.

Once you hear an open reel tape running at 7½ IPS and above, you become well aware of vinyl’s limitations. To me, as far as analog media is concerned, that’s the high watermark. And who else agrees with me here?

The music industry. If they’re going analog, it will be on open reel tape. And this has been the case since for more than 75 years.

But it gets better. Digital enthusiasts will talk about the virtues of CD audio, and they’re right. In terms of audio, CDs are damn good.

We can get better, though.

The best musical format I’ve ever heard are Super Audio CDs. Unlike CDs, they don’t use pulse-code modulation to convert analog into digital. Instead, they use pulse-density modulation encoding with 1-bit values sampling at 2.8224 MHz.

This doesn’t make much of a difference when you’re hearing from a basic stereo set-up. However, if you happen to have a 5.1 channel surround sound home theatre, then Super Audio CDs are phenomenal.

Now you’re not just hearing music in front of you. You’re immersed in sound. I’ve heard classical music on Super Audio CD where it literally feels like you’re present in the orchestra pit. That’s how good it is.

Of course, you can get even better sound if you got to your local movie theatre. But let’s be honest. Most of us will never own a personal IMAX system.

atomicpoet, 2 months ago to random

Why is everyone suddenly listening to country music now?

atomicpoet, 11 months ago to random

We all need to normalize single-user Fediverse servers so that all these federation/defederation wars can be minimized.

atomicpoet, 11 months ago to random

More and more, I use LLMs to check my “tone” to ensure that I don’t sound like a jerk when I reply to people.

This is actually something that other autistic people might find useful.

atomicpoet, 2 months ago to fediversenews

Since Mangane is unknown to most of you here’s an explainer.

There are three main microblogging flavours of the Fediverse:

1. Mastodon, Glitch, Hometown, etc.
2. Misskey, Firefish, Sharkey, etc.
3. Pleroma, Akkoma, etc.

For atomicpoet.org. I used to use Pleroma but I’ve migrated to Akkoma. The Pleroma/Akkoma flavour is quite unique in that, not only is it perhaps the most resource efficient—it allows you to use different front-ends.

This is where Mangane becomes interesting because it is an incredibly user-friendly and attractive front-end developed by @clovis. And, in fact, I think it provides the most user-friendly and attractive UI/UX on the Fediverse.

Three servers that use Mangane are:

• bdx.town
• social.wedistribute.org
• atomicpoet.org (this one)

Why am I so enthusiastic about Mangane? Because not only is it good-looking and user-friendly, it provides excellent rendering for text-formatting. And its management of reposts (both regular and quoted) is spectacular.

Anyway, I’ve been testing Mangane for months. I’ve been using it on a live server for two weeks. I’m pleased with the results.

@fediversenews

atomicpoet, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to random

Should I continue my movie reviews & live posts?

atomicpoet, 3 months ago to random

What is up with rom-com protagonists always being travel writers?

I realize I’m not the targeted demographic here, but why not make a rom-com about a love-starved librarian instead?

Or, I don’t know, why not a lady blacksmith—hammering away at her hopes and dreams?

atomicpoet, 7 months ago to random

I’ve written an oral history of the 90s Gregorian scene, the growth of chant kid culture, and its continued impact on music today. I’m going to present a new chapter each day.

---

Sacred Sounds, Secular Souls: An Oral Journey through Gregorian ‘90s

Chapter 1: Whispers from the Walls: The Silent Sound Before the Storm

The early ‘90s New York music scene was always evolving, always hungry. Hip-hop beats from the Bronx and grunge in downtown venues painted the vibrant soundscape of a city always on the cusp of the ‘next big thing’. Yet, as these genres claimed their territory, there existed an undercurrent—a silent yearning for something more timeless, deeper. The echoes of an ancient tradition could be faintly discerned amidst the city’s ceaseless rhythm.

In the aftermath of Vatican II, the Catholic Church had seen profound changes, not least in its musical traditions. Gregorian chants, once the revered sounds of monastic life, had taken a backseat, making way for more contemporary forms of worship. But in the sacred confines of New York’s historic churches and amongst a small group of scholars and enthusiasts, these chants remained alive, though hushed, waiting for their renaissance.

I remember an evening at McSorley’s Old Ale House, just a few months before Gregorian chants would make headlines. While a Celtic band dominated the stage, a whispered conversation in a dimly lit corner piqued my interest. Vanessa Hughes, a music journalist friend of mine with an ear for the arcane, was talking about the profound impact of the chants, especially post Vatican II, describing them as a “reservoir of spirituality waiting to overflow.”

(Continued…)

atomicpoet, 9 months ago to random

Hold up. Apparently, people in Mexico eat Canadian food. And there’s a Canadian restaurant chain called “Vancouver Wings” that’s not only popular, it has 100+ locations.

I had no idea there was anyone in the world wanted to eat Canadian food. And I had no idea Mexicans had a particular taste for Canadian food.

atomicpoet, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago) to random

When you go to a Western mall, food courts are a side attraction. Most of the food there is fairly generic fare.

But when you go to an Asian mall, food courts are the main attraction. People come for all kinds of diverse eats.

I’m at Parker Place in Richmond, BC, Canada right now. This is what’s here:

• Singapore beef jerky
• Steamed buns made in a basket
• Bubble waffle with Hong Kong milk tea
• Fruit with shaved ice
• Xinjiang skewers with lamb, chicken, and beef
• Macau cafe
• Dim sum with rice cake and fried noodles
• Rice spaghetti
• Vegetarian bento boxes
• Red bean bakery
• Barbecue pork on rice
• Cart noodles with curry
• Vietnamese coffee

Sadly, my favourite Szechuan joint just closed down forever 😢

But yeah, these malls are the place to go for Asian food.

atomicpoet, 1 month ago (edited 1 month ago) to random

Lots of people keep telling me “old” games are better.

I call B.S. on that whole notion.

I’m old enough to experience the near-infancy of gaming. My first console was an Atari 2600. I remember going to different arcades and seeing Pong cabinets in the corner.

Except for a brief year in 2004, I’ve never stopped gaming. And I can say with complete confidence that the quality of gaming has mostly improved.

By no means am I saying old games are crap. If that were true, I wouldn’t own so many of them. I still own an NES, Genesis, Saturn, etc. I still emulate Atari 2600. I have The C64 Mini.

I agree that many old games are some of the best games.

But nowhere near as many games were released in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and ‘00s as there are now. And of the games released, the batting average is nowhere near as good as you remember.

For every Yars Revenge there was an E.T.

For every Super Mario Bros. there was an Action 52.

For every Phantasy Star II there was a Desert Bus.

If this were not true, the Angry Video Game Nerd wouldn’t have been able to sustain an entire career talking about crappy old games for the past 20 years.

People also don’t consider the numerous creature comforts that have come to exist now that simply make gaming better. There was no online multiplayer. Input options were limited. Accessibility, such as colour blind mode in fighting games, didn’t even exist.

But the thing that gets me about so many of these retro gamers is they seem to believe that every game released nowadays is a DRM-laden AAA title teeming with micro-transactions.

This simply isn’t the case. The majority of games made nowadays are actually indie titles, made by small studios – some of them by solo developers – lacking DRM and micro-transactions. Tens of thousands of indie games get released every year. And every day, there’s an indie game released that blows away the retro game that inspired it.

Cuphead is better than Megaman. I’m sorry, it’s true. Not only does Cuphead have a better art style, it’s a more engaging and satisfying run-and-gun.

Yoku’s Island Express is better than Sonic Spinball. I mean, the fact I’m even making the comparison is absurd. Yoku’s Island Express has a richer pinball experience and a better story.

Jet Kave Adventure is better than Chuck Rock. The better game mechanics and story are in Jet Kave Adventure. Put those games side-by-side, and what I’m saying will be readily apparent.

When it comes to making video games, today’s indie developers have a huge advantage over game developers of yesteryear because, not only do they have access to better tools, they can learn from the old games an improve on them. In other words, they have the benefit of hindsight.

The question I have whenever these discussions arise is simply this: why aren’t you playing new indie games? Not only is the quality often superior, it’s a more affordable experience than spending C$30 on an old, used NES cartridge.

Why are you missing out on games like Shovel Knight, Pizza Tower, Toree 3D, Super House of Dead Ninjas, Untitled Goose Game – and many, many more?

atomicpoet, 3 months ago to random

#Fediblock coop.masto.host

REASON: spam, lack of moderation, and no identifiable admin running it.