Twenty Sided
type: channel
description: Videogames, programming, and videogames.
date: 2026-06-07T21:58:26Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
generator agent: https://wordpress.org/
items: Getting Scammed on Facebook
items: The New God of War Looks Cool
items: Wednesday Action Log 06-3-26
items: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is Good
items: Wednesday Action Log 05-27-26
items: Girls und Panzer: We’re having a match! Pt. 2
items: Busy Past Few Days
items: Wednesday Action Log 05-20-26
items: Girls und Panzer: We’re having a match! Pt. 1
items: GuP delayed by a day
items: Simpsons Catchup Binge: I Spoke Too Soon
items: Wednesday Action Log 05-13-26
items: Girls und Panzer: Tanks, we ride them!
items: Mommies in My Media? Maybe
items: Wednesday Action Log 05-6-26
items: Girls und Panzer: Isn’t This Series Fifteen Years Old?
items: My Favorite Very Okay Franchise
items: Wednesday Action Log 04-29-26
items: Meditation Via Video Games
items: Wednesday Action Log 04-22-26
items: Finding the Topic Again
items: Simpsons Catch-Up Binge: Flanderization
items: Wednesday Action Log 04-15-26
items: Some Thoughts on Star Trek Lore
items: Minigames And Their Modern Applications
items: Wednesday Action Log 04-08-26
items: Expedition 33 and Why Mini Maps Matter
items: Wednesday Action Log 04-01-26
items: Play It For The Articles: Haydee
items: Brief Revisit of Resident Evil: Requiem
items: Wednesday Action Log 03-25-26
items: I Can’t Decide If I Like Resident Evil 9

Getting Scammed on Facebook
type: item
creator: Paige Francis
date: 2026-06-08T04:01:49Z
subject: Paige Writes
description: Right after I wrote the last Girls und Panzer post, my mother found a deal on Facebook marketplace. My spouse’s primary vehicle was in the shop with a so-far un-findable problem. It *drives* fine, but there is a concerning warning light about the automatic transmission fluid temperature coming on as soon as the car […]
encoded: Right after I wrote the last Girls und Panzer post, my mother found a deal on Facebook marketplace. My spouse’s primary vehicle was in the shop with a so-far un-findable problem. It *drives* fine, but there is a concerning warning light about the automatic transmission fluid temperature coming on as soon as the car is driven. And only if it’s driven, if you let it *sit* idling the error doesn’t come on, lending creedance to the idea that it may actually be a transmission oil temperature problem. But no one can actually *prove* that so far and the only solutions mechanics have been willing to pursue is “find someone who knows more than me” or “swap out expensive parts until the problem goes away.” Well, my mother saw a marketplace listing from a known family friend (I don’t know these people, but I know who they are. They are actually related through marriage.) These people were selling off an uncle’s possessions (basically an estate sale) who had recently been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. He was being moved into assisted-living at that very moment, was likely facing multiple surgeries, and they wanted to sell his excess “toys,” cars, and utility vehicles to raise immediate cash for the family. He didn’t need them, no one wanted them, etc. Plausible? Possibly. Here’s were it gets questionable. The list of things for sale were *mostly* of the description I mentioned…toys. There was a side-by-side, a couple of motorcycles, a jet ski, a couple of good lawnmowers and a small Kubota garden tractor. A pressure washer and a diesel generator, which I had questions about because the picture provided looked like…someone had taken a picture of the diesel generator when they decided to buy at Home Depot or Tractor Supply. But there was also a fridge, a stove, a PlayStation 5 and some games. Two older vans, but both kind-of rare camping models; a Vanagon and a Ram. Both in good shape. I mean, that’s a real interest; but not something you run across often. And then t…

The New God of War Looks Cool
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-06-06T17:03:29Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: I used to like David Jaffe’s games. The Twisted Metal games were a mainstay with my friends when I was young and I really enjoyed the original God of War games. He made power fantasies to make angry punks like me feel strong and cool. Both of those franchises were quite good at doing that […]
encoded: I used to like David Jaffe’s games. The Twisted Metal games were a mainstay with my friends when I was young and I really enjoyed the original God of War games. He made power fantasies to make angry punks like me feel strong and cool. Both of those franchises were quite good at doing that job. Then after he made those games, what has he done? His last attempt at a game was Drawn to Death on the PS4. A game so bad that when Sony gave it away as part of the Playstation Plus program it was still impossible to find a lobby. I tried it. The game sucked. The style was awful, the controls sucked, and the weapons felt like Nerf toys. Now as you may be able to tell, I was VERY ready to go in on Jaffe. He’s said some incredibly stupid stuff in the past and I can’t say I like him much. But I have to say, the chuds online have taken a bad take from a guy who is related to a product they claim to like and have really run away with it. Jaffe’s assertion was that nobody wanted to play a God of War game where the protagonist isn’t a power fantasy icon. He said that Laufey looks too normal, implying that she’s ugly. He said that he doesn’t find Deborah Ann Woll unattractive, but finds the character model in the trailer was ugly. Feels like a bit of a stretch to me, but fine. And he also essentially said that Laufey isn’t a protagonist that people want to play as. This is the same stuff people were saying about playing as Atreus in Ragnarök, but with a grosser bend to it because he’s commenting on a woman’s likeness not being attractive. Now as far as the losers parroting Jaffe without understanding what he was saying: <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-60323" src="https://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/488276165_122290363202008906_2617293647239373618_n.jpg" alt="" width="354" height="442" srcset="https://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/488276165_122290363202008906_2617293647239373618_n.j…

Wednesday Action Log 06-3-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-06-03T04:01:23Z
subject: Action Log
description: This week I got bored, so instead of finishing my Terraria world that had only two bosses left, I started playing BALL x PIT. Because apparently half of the games I play are roguelikes, BALL x PIT is just Breakout, but a roguelike. I’m enjoying it so far. Some of the characters gimmicks seem like […]
encoded: This week I got bored, so instead of finishing my Terraria world that had only two bosses left, I started playing BALL x PIT. Because apparently half of the games I play are roguelikes, BALL x PIT is just Breakout, but a roguelike. I’m enjoying it so far. Some of the characters gimmicks seem like someone thought it sounded like fun, so they just threw it in there. You got some simple ones like, scattered aim, but shoots twice as fast, or balls always pierce until they hit a wall, and then some just silly ones like, battles become turn-based, or just strait up plays the game as a gimmick. I ‘ve still been busy, so my free time is limited, so that’s about all I played of interest. What’s everyone else doing this week?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is Good
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-05-30T16:01:42Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: A few weeks back I made an article complaining about badly implemented mini-games. That was spurred on by what was on offer in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I have since finished the game, then finished getting the platinum trophy for the game, and I have some thoughts. I thoroughly recommend the game, but before I […]
encoded: A few weeks back I made an article complaining about badly implemented mini-games. That was spurred on by what was on offer in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I have since finished the game, then finished getting the platinum trophy for the game, and I have some thoughts. I thoroughly recommend the game, but before I spend the next several paragraphs talking about how much I love it, I’d like to get the bad out of the way. I stand by my previously written opinion. The mini-games are unfair and frustrating due to sloppy controls and otherwise poor implementation, in my opinion. The mini-games are all side content or gateways to optional content so that doesn’t hurt the game too much. Though, I’d argue that it doesn’t matter if the content is primary or secondary to the story, it’s still a part of the game which means they should have done a better job with it. Some of them were a blast though. The parry “dance” segment was a highlight to me. It’s super frustrating at first but slowly became fun to me. Crushingly punishing but fair, which is what I like in a challenge. The overall difficulty curve, though, is all over the place. Some areas along the main path feel like a decent challenge and then you’ll hit a boss that feels nearly impossible in comparison. Then it falls back to feeling like cakewalk. The further the game goes on the worse the problem gets, however it was never more than peculiar to me. Not really a problem so to speak and more an annoyance that caused me a bit of confusion. Lastly, as far as my gripes go, the end game is opened up awkwardly. You get to the point where the game essentially says, now go ahead and explore until you feel like fighting the final boss. You reach this point anywhere from level 40 to level 60 depending on how much you wanted to grind and/or optimize. You then get thrust into encounters far, far harder than you’ve dealt with anywhere else. If you go through all the end game content you’ll end up at or near max level and have not…

Wednesday Action Log 05-27-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-05-27T04:01:15Z
subject: Action Log
description: This week I’ve been to busy to do much except play Terraria. I’ve just beaten Golem, and I’m now being incisive if I should work on my base, or try to progress more. I’m writing this a bit late, and I’m sleep deprived, so I’m keeping this short. how’s everyone else this week?
encoded: This week I’ve been to busy to do much except play Terraria. I’ve just beaten Golem, and I’m now being incisive if I should work on my base, or try to progress more. I’m writing this a bit late, and I’m sleep deprived, so I’m keeping this short. how’s everyone else this week?

Girls und Panzer: We’re having a match! Pt. 2
type: item
creator: Paige Francis
date: 2026-05-25T04:01:55Z
subject: Paige Writes
description: The “getting familiar with riding tanks” match feels like it’s sorting the world a bit, but a fair warning: just as a commenter mentioned in my first post on Girls und Panzer, a HUGE cast is introduced. And this series is only 12 Episodes. Despite the many shorts and bonus content OAV’s, and MANY films; […]
encoded: The “getting familiar with riding tanks” match feels like it’s sorting the world a bit, but a fair warning: just as a commenter mentioned in my first post on Girls und Panzer, a HUGE cast is introduced. And this series is only 12 Episodes. Despite the many shorts and bonus content OAV’s, and MANY films; we will never get good characterization or story arcs for everyone shown SO FAR, let alone the additional characters introduced. Is this a failing? I would say disappointing more than an actual failure. There are a few people who make important contributions without getting the story support they probably deserve, but for the most part characters are used appropriately, and don’t get unnecessary lore dumps which would be a different sort of problem. A secondary question probably deserves addressing, rather than spending too much time on the subject when a certain school is introduced: most of the world we live in, but especially the societies of the West and the Pacific Rim, still feel the looming presence of World War 2. On one hand, we are approaching one hundred years since the beginning of the war that bent the historical timeline significantly. On the other hand, certain practices in Germany especially during that period are currently fresh on everyone’s mind. Girls und Panzer is a Japanese production, so there is of course more representation of Japanese tanks and tactics (this will come up in the future, especially) than a western production would center. But also since this is a Japanese production, German World War 2 tanks, and you’ve probably noticed, some German regalia that some would find at least vaguely in poor taste; are featured. The actual name of the anime *is* Girls und Panzer…that’s not just the title I’m choosing to use. WWII German machinery is featured prominently in this series. Is it a problem? Thankfully, there isn’t any of the unfortunate The three things that tend to stand out to viewers as questionable are that one member of the Oarai Ac…

Busy Past Few Days
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-05-23T16:01:44Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: Everything is busy but it’s fine. The past few days have been a blur of Urgent Care and Emergency Room visits followed by crashes of exhaustion. Nothing was ever life threatening, but my wife was extremely uncomfortable. We wanted to make absolutely sure that it wasn’t a heart attack or anything potentially dangerous so we […]
encoded: Everything is busy but it’s fine. The past few days have been a blur of Urgent Care and Emergency Room visits followed by crashes of exhaustion. Nothing was ever life threatening, but my wife was extremely uncomfortable. We wanted to make absolutely sure that it wasn’t a heart attack or anything potentially dangerous so we went and everyone’s fine. However in all that excitement I just plainly forgot to plan anything for an article for today. Now I won’t lie and say I typically spend weeks researching the articles I write. I do my best to be as honest and entertaining as I can, but I am a procrastinator and I’m no genius. If anything my brain cells look like this trying to shape ideas that have long since dissolved: My brain is empty and devoid of wrinkles. So… In lieu of an article, I will leave you with a discussion prompt: What is your favorite game in a genre that you typically don’t care for? For instance, I don’t typically care for racing games but the game Split Second is a classic that never gets old for me. It has a lot in common with many Kart racers but feels more sleek and fast. Please forgive me for my lack of planning. Next week I’ll have a longer article summing up my thoughts on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 since I just finished 100%ing it and have a lot of (mostly positive) things to say.

Wednesday Action Log 05-20-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-05-20T04:01:22Z
subject: Action Log
description: This week was just more Terraria. Due to the difficulty of the bosses in legendary mode, especially the three mechanical bosses being combined into Mechdusa, I’ve experimented with different ways to fight bosses. So far I’ve found some success with fighting bosses in a giant pool of lava with the lava shark mount. The main […]
encoded: This week was just more Terraria. Due to the difficulty of the bosses in legendary mode, especially the three mechanical bosses being combined into Mechdusa, I’ve experimented with different ways to fight bosses. So far I’ve found some success with fighting bosses in a giant pool of lava with the lava shark mount. The main two benefits of this method being decent mobility, and projectiles being greatly slowed. So far this strategy has worked for the Queen slime, and Mechdusa, but I don’t know if it’ll work that well for the other bosses. Especially since I have to keep making giant pools of lava, and it’s getting a bit tedious. What’s everyone else doing this week?

Girls und Panzer: We’re having a match! Pt. 1
type: item
creator: Paige Francis
date: 2026-05-19T06:08:55Z
subject: Paige Writes
description: Where were we? Everyone decides to attack the Panzer IV team, Saori and Hana panic until Miho calms them down, they start speeding away to avoid getting shot, Mako is napping on the ground directly in front of the speeding tank AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA… Hana hits the brakes and as the tank slows Mako executes a perfect […]
encoded: Where were we? Everyone decides to attack the Panzer IV team, Saori and Hana panic until Miho calms them down, they start speeding away to avoid getting shot, Mako is napping on the ground directly in front of the speeding tank AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA… Hana hits the brakes and as the tank slows Mako executes a perfect leap onto the front deck of the tank. Or, almost-perfect as she falls on her face immediately. Saori pops up out of the commander’s cupola and to no-one’s surprise, knows Mako. Miho recognizes Mako from their encounter that morning, and Saori immediately interjects “So *that’s* why you were late.” One of the other teams lands a shot near the tank so everyone climbs back in, now with Mako on board. Straight ahead is a wooden suspension bridge with metal plates laid out, apparently to facilitate tanks driving across it. Miho doesn’t trust it fully, so she runs ahead and guides the nervous Hana across. Unfortunately they don’t even make it halfway when Hana over-corrects and hits one of the metal wires binding the bridge, causing it to unravel and dangerously affect stability. AND just then the Stug III crests the hill behind them, firing a shell that hits the Panzer IV’s left fender solidly enough that it helps realign the tank on the bridge, but also catches Hana off guard and knocks her out. Miho jumps back in to help with Hana and the I-Go pulls up next to the Stug; the two begin advancing down the hill. Hana is still out cold so Miho prepares to drive, despite claiming to “not be very good at it.” I don’t remember this ever being tested, but like most of Miho’s claims about her own abilities, I suspect this is a product of the trauma from her upbringing; she’s probably more than adequate. Especially considering no one else here has ever driven a tank. But that’s not explored now, for sure, as the tank suddenly starts moving in reverse. Mako has seized the controls, having literally just learned how to drive the Panzer IV. As in, the ac…

GuP delayed by a day
type: item
creator: Paige Francis
date: 2026-05-18T04:01:19Z
subject: Paige Writes
description: Hey, folks. My weekend got offset by about 8 hours, and it has pushed my scheduling off by a workday. I will have Episode 3 of Girls und Panzer ready to go tomorrow. Thanks for the positive feedback, it’s been a lot of fun! Paige
encoded: Hey, folks. My weekend got offset by about 8 hours, and it has pushed my scheduling off by a workday. I will have Episode 3 of Girls und Panzer ready to go tomorrow. Thanks for the positive feedback, it’s been a lot of fun! Paige

Simpsons Catchup Binge: I Spoke Too Soon
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-05-16T16:01:32Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: My understanding of when Flandersization kicks into The Simpsons was faulty. I was led to believe that as early as Season 4, Ned Flanders had become a complete caricature of himself. In fairness, it’s not as though somebody directly told me this, but it was the information that I sort of gathered by discussion. I […]
encoded: My understanding of when Flandersization kicks into The Simpsons was faulty. I was led to believe that as early as Season 4, Ned Flanders had become a complete caricature of himself. In fairness, it’s not as though somebody directly told me this, but it was the information that I sort of gathered by discussion. I was wrong. It seems that the consensus is that the true distillation of the character didn’t happen until far later, and I can see that now for sure. To be honest, I got into the show long after the golden years were over, so I have always had a few ideas of what the characters were like and didn’t think there was any sort of great shift. I got into The Simpsons when it started getting syndicated on TBS back in the day. I never watched the show when the “good” seasons were coming out. The series is far from new to me, but I always had a mixed jumble of episodes from Seasons 2-10ish episodes randomly sprayed at me, as opposed to keeping up with new episodes week by week. When I DID tune in for new episodes it was around Season 16. All the tropes were established and I knew what to expect. So I understood that the show had lost its shine, but I never got to see the gradual fade from greatness that everyone else saw before me. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to do this series of write-ups and watch through to see where my mind has changed. One MASSIVE shift I’ve noticed is that I no longer hate Lisa. When I was younger I always saw her as the whining, obnoxious brat obsessed with having the moral high ground. She felt far more like an obnoxious small adult than an actual child. Having now seen the show from the beginning, I’m seeing how sweet and fun Lisa used to be. She was written as a precocious child instead of as the self-appointed moral center of the family. You see her love for her family. You see her playing and genuinely having fun with Bart instead of being his victim. I’m massively saddened by how awful her character gets treated by the writ…

Wednesday Action Log 05-13-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-05-13T04:01:56Z
subject: Action Log
description: Not a whole lot going on this week. I’ve (for some reason) decided to make a new Terraria world, in master mode, with the Zenith seed. It’s bad. Bombs can drop from pots and trees, traps are many times more common, and many other terrible features. One of the (very few) upsides is that most […]
encoded: Not a whole lot going on this week. I’ve (for some reason) decided to make a new Terraria world, in master mode, with the Zenith seed. It’s bad. Bombs can drop from pots and trees, traps are many times more common, and many other terrible features. One of the (very few) upsides is that most blocks take less hits to brake, so I guess that’s nice. I have no idea how many times I’ve died so far, but it’s at least in the triple digits. How’s everyone else doing?

Girls und Panzer: Tanks, we ride them!
type: item
creator: Paige Francis
date: 2026-05-11T04:01:49Z
subject: Paige Writes
description: As promised! Episode 2 of Girls und Panzer: Tanks, we ride them! We learn almost everything we “need” to know about Sensha-do, or Tankery; in this episode. “How does this thing even work, anyway?” is kept appropriately vague, because there are certain story beats that require more suspension of disbelief than others. But ultimately, how […]
encoded: As promised! Episode 2 of Girls und Panzer: Tanks, we ride them! We learn almost everything we “need” to know about Sensha-do, or Tankery; in this episode. “How does this thing even work, anyway?” is kept appropriately vague, because there are certain story beats that require more suspension of disbelief than others. But ultimately, how precisely the tank-shaped hole that contains this show is dug isn’t really the point. Our guiding principle is friendship, and “finding your own Tankery;” a concept that will be brought up a couple of times. But while Tankery in the world of Girls und Panzer may be more gimmick than mechanic, the tanks themselves flip that situation. Mostly outside of battle. This episode ends in a cliffhanger that marks the transition of the series from something like the “slice-of-life” style we’ve seen so far, to; early in the third episode, something closer to a sports anime. Following the first-time viewing of the full opening song, which I will skip because its primary point is to show most of the characters who appear throughout the series, we pick up right where we left off in Episode 1: all the Sensha-do members being disappointed by the Panzer IV (4) and its condition. But more importantly, someone brings up that obviously the school needs more than one tank, right? Sensha-do is a team sport. The propaganda film showed some kind of simulated battle between teams of tanks. The student council informs the students that even though Tankery was discontinued at Oarai many years ago, the school’s former tanks *should* still be around. As in, on the ship. Somewhere. Anywhere. But there are no records, apparently. Soooo…everybody just go look for tanks. Plausibility ranking: Sure, why not? Saori complains this wasn’t what she pictured when she signed up for Tankery. The propaganda film explicitly stated this would make her popular with men and she doesn’t see that happening AT ALL. Anzu (the student council president) tells Saori their Tankery inst…

Mommies in My Media? Maybe
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-05-09T16:01:43Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: With Mother’s Day around the corner I find it an appropriate time to consider an archetype that is often missing or ignored in video games… mothers. I sat with a couple friends and tried to think about the most interesting mother characters in video games and it was weirdly hard to come up with many. […]
encoded: With Mother’s Day around the corner I find it an appropriate time to consider an archetype that is often missing or ignored in video games… mothers. I sat with a couple friends and tried to think about the most interesting mother characters in video games and it was weirdly hard to come up with many. Story spoilers for: God of War (2018), Resident Evil 7 and 8, The Binding of Isaac, and Undertale. Freya of the new God of War era is amazing. She’s written to be badass, smart, and layered with complexity. Her relationship with Baldur is complicated and strained. What she did to give Baldur his immortality made a permanent rift in their relationship but you can feel the strained love in every interaction they have. It feels like in an alternate timeline she could have worked things out if she just found the right angle to approach things and got Baldur to see the loving motivation behind her choice. It’s tragic. Then later she embraces her power and does what she can to help Kratos and protect everyone else she can along the way. She embraces her strength and channels her anguish and her love into a driving force. In Resident Evil 8 there are 3 mothers of note. Mia, Lady Dimitrescu, and Mother Miranda. Mia is relatively unimportant except that her identity is used by Mother Miranda. Miranda uses her powers and general manipulation to get Rose into her hands. Her whole motivation through the game is the desire to bring her daughter back, consequences be damned. She proves to be a force of nature, tearing down everything and everyone around her for the chance to get her baby back. It’s bittersweet and manages to humanize a truly monstrous character. The other mom in RE8, Lady Dimitrescu, has motivations that are a bit less altruistic. Lady D just wants to maintain her life under Miranda. She runs the castle and keeps the peasantry in check. She has 3 adopted “vampire” daughters that she seems to care a great deal about, but the love she has for them isn’t quite as palpab…

Wednesday Action Log 05-6-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-05-06T04:01:31Z
subject: Action Log
description: This week I played a few different games. I finished my skyblock Terraria world. After it got into hardmode most of the difficulty of it being a skyblock disappears, you can get wings, and you’ll probably already have a few mob farms set up so it’s just kill a boss, farm some loot, kill a […]
encoded: This week I played a few different games. I finished my skyblock Terraria world. After it got into hardmode most of the difficulty of it being a skyblock disappears, you can get wings, and you’ll probably already have a few mob farms set up so it’s just kill a boss, farm some loot, kill a boss, farm some loot. I also bought a small game called Scritchy Scratchy. It’s a short idle game about scratching scratch cards, it was $7 and I got a few hours of fun out of it. I also learned that Rimworld has a multiplayer mod that just works with minimal hassle. I don’t know how well it works on the newest version, but it’s not given any trouble in version 1.5 so far. Anyway, How’s everyone else doing?

Girls und Panzer: Isn’t This Series Fifteen Years Old?
type: item
creator: Paige Francis
date: 2026-05-04T04:01:25Z
subject: Paige Writes
description: Girls und Panzer the anime debuted in 2012. It was created or conceived sometime in 2011 as a TV series, with ideas likely originating a few years earlier. Takaaki Suzuki, who is variously listed as an assistant-producer, advisor, or consultant; had previously acted as a military history advisor for Strike Witches and Upotte! before 2010. […]
encoded: Girls und Panzer the anime debuted in 2012. It was created or conceived sometime in 2011 as a TV series, with ideas likely originating a few years earlier. Takaaki Suzuki, who is variously listed as an assistant-producer, advisor, or consultant; had previously acted as a military history advisor for Strike Witches and Upotte! before 2010. Strike Witches and Upotte! featured high school girls (Japanese) as the personifications of World War II aircraft and guns, just as the slightly-later Kantai Collection starred high school girls (Japanese) as the personifications of WWII warships. All of these series achieved success; wide and outrageous success in every case except Upotte! But Girls und Panzer did it differently, and is the only property still working with the original plot and characters. All of the media properties I have named were the products of several trends intersecting. Alternate history that deviated from or built on World War II was the origin of many anime in the first two decades of the twenty-first century. The slice-of-life anime trend factors mainly because the cast more often than not was taken from a class of high school girls. The main characteristic of this type of anime does not feature, however. That is, slice-of-life centers on the daily encounters and challenges of “normal” life, or secondarily blows them up to absurd levels for comedic effect. The school club anime surged around the same time. This type of anime most frequently depicted unusual or rare activities at its peak, but was also used to frame several other genres from spicy, to horror, to sports. In fact the sports anime provides a lot of structure for Girls und Panzer, although as several reviewers have noted the series plays very loosely with the sports anime tropes in order to center other elements. Finally it has to be included that Girls und Panzer is solidly “moe,” a creation style that does not really have a direct analogue in the English language. “Moe” is typically descr…

My Favorite Very Okay Franchise
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-05-02T19:47:05Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: I’ve discussed the series before and it’s time to give it a true spotlight. The Yakuza series is a kooky blast. I love it. There’s tons to do from bowling to batting to mahjong, there really is something for everyone. And I never would have even given any of the games a chance if it […]
encoded: I’ve discussed the series before and it’s time to give it a true spotlight. The Yakuza series is a kooky blast. I love it. There’s tons to do from bowling to batting to mahjong, there really is something for everyone. And I never would have even given any of the games a chance if it wasn’t for a YouTube let’s play series that spotlighted the game. I assumed that the Yakuza games were just Japanese Grand Theft Auto. I think that was the common thought at the time and likely still is. But the fact of the matter is they are very very different. The majority of the Yakuza games are more akin to beat ’em ups with RPG elements than the third person shooters of the GTA franchise that people are familiar with. The series is extremely experimental with its gameplay. Yakuza 1-3 are mostly the same style of combat. You play as Kazuma Kiryu and punch, kick, and bash your way though enemies and pump points into improving stats and skills. Yakuza 4 added a few characters with different playstyles that really varied up the gameplay loop. Yakuza 5 got really wild and pretty divisive with the edition of an idol questline for one of the main characters. It revolved entirely around rhythm games and it was mandatory. I enjoyed it but it pushed a lot of people away. Yakuza 6 got back to the roots of the series. You play as Kiryu again as the only protagonist. Then 7 was a JRPG. Turn-based combat. Complete genre jump. Those are just the mainline titles, too. Yakuza 0 revolves entirely around money and forgoes the use of experience points. It’s all about the grind. Yakuza Dead Souls is a what-if zombie game with the worst shooting controls I’ve used since Syphon Filter on the PS1. Ishin is Yakuza set during the end of Edo period. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii includes ship combat kind of similar to Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. They don’t always stick the landing, but they are constantly trying new things and its typically a blast to see the similarities and differences in each game. The main…

Wednesday Action Log 04-29-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-04-29T04:01:26Z
subject: Action Log
description: This week I’ve been more Deep Rock Galactic, but now one of my siblings is playing with me. They’ve been mostly just playing Scout (which is understandable) and I’ve been jumping between classes depending on the mission. Having another person instead of Bosco means that some missions are so much easier, the salvage operations are […]
encoded: This week I’ve been more Deep Rock Galactic, but now one of my siblings is playing with me. They’ve been mostly just playing Scout (which is understandable) and I’ve been jumping between classes depending on the mission. Having another person instead of Bosco means that some missions are so much easier, the salvage operations are most notable, Bosco is nice to have, but two people during the drop pod repair is so much better. The game s&box just released, so I’m probably going to be trying that out when I have time. How’re you guys doing this week?

Meditation Via Video Games
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-04-25T16:01:33Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: A few years ago Playstation Plus released PowerWash Simulator as a “free” monthly release and I tried it out. I didn’t care for it. The controls felt imprecise and the expected completion percentage for each surface and job was too high. I just found it frustrating. So I stopped playing and uninstalled it. That’s what […]
encoded: A few years ago Playstation Plus released PowerWash Simulator as a “free” monthly release and I tried it out. I didn’t care for it. The controls felt imprecise and the expected completion percentage for each surface and job was too high. I just found it frustrating. So I stopped playing and uninstalled it. That’s what I tend to do a lot with the PSPlus games. I keep paying for it each year because I will never learn. YOU CAN’T MAKE ME. Well, recently I was extremely manic. Luckily, extreme mania for me just looks like really high anxiety and a struggle with impulsive spending. At least from the outside looking in. But with that mania came a restlessness with the games I was playing. Nothing could hold my attention. For reference, right now my rotation of console games that I switch around through are Ace Combat 7, UFC 5, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, PGA 2K25, and Balatro. Balatro was too frustrating, PGA and UFC were too repetitive, I had marathoned COE33 the night before and wanted something else, and I’m in the end game grind with AC7 so it’s in the small doses of completion phase. TLDR: nothing scratched the itch. So I spent some time looking through my digital library of games that I felt like may have had more milage, and there was PowerWash Simulator. I enjoyed browsing r/powerwashingporn back in the day. It was really satisfying to see the process of cleaning and the end result. Maybe it was worth another shot. I booted the game up and, after a few moments of reacquainting myself with the controls and mechanics, I felt a feeling of calm take over. Something about the slow progress made by the repetitive but non-identical tasks took my brain and squeezed out the panic. I was powerwashing a wall in the game but it really did feel like my brain was getting a bit of a squeegee too. My previous judgements had stemmed from a mental state that just wasn’t going to allow for a pleasant experience with a new different type of game. That all got me thinking about just …

Wednesday Action Log 04-22-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-04-22T04:01:24Z
subject: Action Log
description: This week I started a Skyblock world in Terraria. I started it mostly out of curiosity, but I am enjoying the change of pace. There’re only two islands in the whole map, one is the spawn island, which is made of only plain dirt and cloud blocks, and the other has the shimmer. Most of […]
encoded: This week I started a Skyblock world in Terraria. I started it mostly out of curiosity, but I am enjoying the change of pace. There’re only two islands in the whole map, one is the spawn island, which is made of only plain dirt and cloud blocks, and the other has the shimmer. Most of the ways you get materials are from slimes. On the surface they drop grass seeds, acorns and more ore. In the underground they drop stone, dirt, web, granite, and marble. Mimics can spawn pre-hardmode and will drop gold chest loot. Finally, the Eye of Cthulhu will drop a demon altar, and the Eater of Worlds/Brain of Cthulhu will drop dungeon bricks so you can fight Skeletron. How’s everyone else doing this week?

Finding the Topic Again
type: item
creator: Paige Francis
date: 2026-04-20T04:01:29Z
subject: Paige Writes
description: So on top of dealing with an emotional crisis for the last few weeks, work schedules had to significantly change this week. As someone who relies heavily on routine and task completion this has thrown me off significantly. The dogs just reminded me again that things are not going the way they’re supposed to, as […]
encoded: So on top of dealing with an emotional crisis for the last few weeks, work schedules had to significantly change this week. As someone who relies heavily on routine and task completion this has thrown me off significantly. The dogs just reminded me again that things are not going the way they’re supposed to, as they have interrupted me once again, resulting in two of the dogs going out for a quick romp. Normally everyone would be home right now, just finishing dinner and preparing for the upcoming week. This keeps shorting out my editing, and eventually I decided to just throw out what I was writing and start something new. It did occur to me pretty quickly last week that my post on Star Trek lore kind of wandered off-topic and never really addressed the point I intended to make. Steve Shives’ video was about how Starfleet is never really held accountable for mistakes, even when episodes, story arcs, or even entire properties really indicate that they should be. Starfleet Academy is the most recent and glaring example, and the entire first season seems to be making the point. Bringing back Holly Hunter’s character to lead Starfleet and start training a new generation (heh) of cadets, especially the one she is most directly responsible for harming prior to the series start, sets up a tacit acknowledgement that “just doing what is right according to the rules” was *probably not the best decision*. And then in the end, as I wrote, they bring it all to a boil to make the message clear….and then just throw it out the window. Really weakly, too. They don’t just water the message down, they literally run away from it. I want to be clear this doesn’t *ruin* the series. Not for me, not for anyone I know who enjoyed the show. But it was, in my opinion, a bad choice. It made the conclusion…anticlimactic. I am looking forward to the next season and I’m sad at the moment we already know it will be the last. Of course, things can change. Remember that the people in charge, more t…

Simpsons Catch-Up Binge: Flanderization
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-04-18T16:01:43Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: Recently I started watching the Simpsons from Season 1 forward after I had the terrible realization that there were episodes from the “golden years” that I had never seen. I didn’t get into the Simpsons until my middle school years when it was syndicated and shown on TBS after school every day. It was my […]
encoded: Recently I started watching the Simpsons from Season 1 forward after I had the terrible realization that there were episodes from the “golden years” that I had never seen. I didn’t get into the Simpsons until my middle school years when it was syndicated and shown on TBS after school every day. It was my background show I watched when I did my homework. I got a couple of the box sets of DVDs back in the day but never actually got around to watching any except the very first episode back then. Now, with the power of disgusting corporate conglomeration into a monopolistic monstrosity I can watch the whole series on Disney+. My goal is to catch all the way up. Thirty-seven seasons of wildly varying content. I want to see where things went wrong and where they start to pull back together, as I actually like some of the newer episodes I’ve seen here and there. So far I’m just up to Season 4 and I have to say, the term “flanderization” is off the mark. Season 1 Ned Flanders was the All-American perfect neighbor with the beautiful house, yard, wife, and kids. He was everything Homer wanted to be, which is what made him so mad. Cut to Season 3 Ned Flanders. Same guy except now we know he’s religious and featured more frequently. That small change has been seen as so drastic and so wild as a shift that it birthed its own page on TV tropes and spawned many a video essay. But I think that reaction is unearned and misguided. With Flanders it really just feels like a natural evolution. We knew he was a goody-two-shoes, so it only makes sense that he would get his strict moral character from somewhere. Religion feels like a solid direction for it to have come from. The complaint people tend to have is that his character gets boiled down to nothing but a side character for religious jokes, but I don’t really see that at all. We regularly learn more about Ned and get spotlights showing more about his character over the seasons. There is an episode or two that feature Ned that have …

Wednesday Action Log 04-15-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-04-15T04:01:51Z
subject: Action Log
description: This week was just killing time with more Deep Rock Galactic. But I did pick up Teardown again. I’ve always had a fondness for voxel based games. And, Teardown is just beautiful, the gameplay is simple, but I just love the feedback with the lights and sounds. Sometimes you just need to be given a […]
encoded: This week was just killing time with more Deep Rock Galactic. But I did pick up Teardown again. I’ve always had a fondness for voxel based games. And, Teardown is just beautiful, the gameplay is simple, but I just love the feedback with the lights and sounds. Sometimes you just need to be given a sledgehammer and just be told ‘break that’. So aside from playing property damage: the game, I’ve just been busy with work. How’s everyone else this week?

Some Thoughts on Star Trek Lore
type: item
creator: Paige Francis
date: 2026-04-13T04:01:15Z
subject: Paige Writes
description: Steve Shives posted a video the other day about how more recent Star Trek properties are more willing to show flaws and failures; imperfections in the characters and institutions featured in the stories. But also, prominently; how they almost always “take it back” in the end. “Fall short of committing.” “Pull the rug out.” Most […]
encoded: Steve Shives posted a video the other day about how more recent Star Trek properties are more willing to show flaws and failures; imperfections in the characters and institutions featured in the stories. But also, prominently; how they almost always “take it back” in the end. “Fall short of committing.” “Pull the rug out.” Most especially regarding Starfleet, which is the ultimate authority and representative of *all* humans and allied species and cultures in most Star Trek media. Shives pointed out three examples from the Picard series, Strange New Worlds, and most recently the first series of Starfleet Academy. The Picard example can to an extent be laid next to the blender the whole idea was run through at some point, and Strange New Worlds; being very episodic in nature, I would be willing to not take overly seriously because what’s true in one episode isn’t necessarily true in the next. (I want to be clear, this is based on taking things at face value and REFUSING to look even slightly deeper…my opinion changes once that is done.) But the Starfleet Academy example is very clear and unapologetic, as that series IS built on an overarching narrative with specific actions and a named and repeatedly featured villain. But in the end, despite creating an obvious and understandable story arc, the writers choose essentially to have the protagonist of the backstory NOT LEARN anything, or change because of events even though that is repeatedly shown throughout the series, but defend their decisions which they have regretted for two decades with “hey, everybody makes mistakes. You have to understand the context, blah blah blah.” I mean, it’s a choice; but the story naturally supported a different conclusion. It was sitting right there. The whole series was based on the idea. And I’m not gonna tell you about it because spoilers. A lot of people will be tempted to argue about this along the lines of “New Trek” vs ‘Old Trek.” There are topics here that are relevant; heck I in…

Minigames And Their Modern Applications
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-04-11T16:01:08Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: Not long ago every game had an ill conceived, tacked on multiplayer mode that everyone ignored. Like, who the hell played the Last of Us’s multiplayer? I did. I was forced to if I wanted to get the platinum. But it was a needless waste of time and money for the devs for a middling […]
encoded: Not long ago every game had an ill conceived, tacked on multiplayer mode that everyone ignored. Like, who the hell played the Last of Us’s multiplayer? I did. I was forced to if I wanted to get the platinum. But it was a needless waste of time and money for the devs for a middling game mode with a very short half life. The multiplayer modes never needed to be included. Nobody wanted them. Thankfully that has mostly gone away. A relative of the tacked on multiplayer mode has persisted however: the minigame. As I stated in my prior article, I’ve been playing through Expedition 33. And as I’ve stated several times in the past, I’m a completionist. That means I am doing everything offered in the game so far, including some of the most frustrating unfun segments I’ve dealt with in my life. First of which was a long platforming challenge in a game with floaty, imprecise controls. Jump puzzles in games where platforming clearly isn’t even considered in the design of the controls is always a nightmare and I’ll never understand why devs feel the need to jam them in. E33 is far from the worst I can think of but it is the most recent. Back in the day when I played Maplestory there were quests that I just walked away from. The controls didn’t allow for enough precision to justify the effort. Elden Ring has some hidden items that force you to platform VERY carefully to reach. Just because you can run and jump in a game doesn’t mean you should need to lower your head and plow through some poorly conceived nonsense. Later on I played volleyball with some sentient paintbrushes and this was what pissed me off. E33 has one of the most satisfying combat systems in a turn based game I’ve played in a very long time. King of the mechanics that are employed is the parry. Few things feel better than nailing a string of parries and landing a crushing counter. Even without the parry system the combat is great. But the ability to completely negate an enemy’s damage by learning their patterns …

Wednesday Action Log 04-08-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-04-08T04:01:39Z
subject: Action Log
description: I haven’t done much this week. I’ve been too busy to play much Terraria, so instead I’m playing Deep Rock Galactic. Not much going on there, just playing solo and collecting stuff from this current season. What’s everyone else doing this week?
encoded: I haven’t done much this week. I’ve been too busy to play much Terraria, so instead I’m playing Deep Rock Galactic. Not much going on there, just playing solo and collecting stuff from this current season. What’s everyone else doing this week?

Expedition 33 and Why Mini Maps Matter
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-04-04T16:01:05Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: I recently picked up and started playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I’ve been really enjoying it so far. It’s the French-est thing I’ve ever seen or experienced, which is novel to me. Like, it’s aggressively French. The Eiffel Tower, mimes, French curse words, berets… Add some sexually aggressive men and some wine and you’d basically […]
encoded: I recently picked up and started playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I’ve been really enjoying it so far. It’s the French-est thing I’ve ever seen or experienced, which is novel to me. Like, it’s aggressively French. The Eiffel Tower, mimes, French curse words, berets… Add some sexually aggressive men and some wine and you’d basically be in Paris. The visuals are beautiful. The combat system is the most engaging turn-based system I’ve played since The Legend of Dragoon. The story, at least from what I’ve seen so far, is incredibly interesting. I do find myself a bit frustrated every time I pick up the controller, however. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m no expert navigator. I use my GPS to get around pretty much everywhere outside of the few places I frequent in my area. I disassociate and pretend to pay attention to directions that are given to me like they aren’t basically in a foreign language. I do my best to learn routes and landmarks and I get by okay. However in video games I typically don’t have that problem. Typically if there’s a free roam element to games there is an accompanying mini map or map screen that allows you to set waypoints to follow. It has become so ubiquitous that I now rarely even think about it. I just press the menu button, find my destination, and go. So when I’m playing this fun new game which has themes of adventure and exploration, I feel a little frustrated when I roam around areas and get completely lost. All that Expedition 33 gives you for navigation is a compass. You are told a general direction to head and sent off to figure it out. In the overworld you’re given a map to look at, albeit rather devoid of details. Why is this a problem? I like to complete games. It’s my thing. It’s hard to complete an open world game when you can get easily turned around and have very little idea of which paths that you’ve already explored. Worse than that, though, is that I feel punished for checking out cool features in levels. If I spend a bit…

Wednesday Action Log 04-01-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-04-01T04:01:10Z
subject: Action Log
description: Not much this week, just taking our time with Terraria. We’ve been hanging out post Plantera, waiting for the Angler to give us the materials for the shellphone. I think my favorite feature in this version is the banner menu, going on a mining trip and not having banners fill my precious inventory space. Also […]
encoded: Not much this week, just taking our time with Terraria. We’ve been hanging out post Plantera, waiting for the Angler to give us the materials for the shellphone. I think my favorite feature in this version is the banner menu, going on a mining trip and not having banners fill my precious inventory space. Also happy April fools day I forgot about it so I don’t have anything silly lined up so, how’s everyone else this week?

Play It For The Articles: Haydee
type: item
creator: Paige Francis
date: 2026-03-30T04:01:28Z
subject: Paige Writes
description: Haydee is a 2016 Metroidvania-style third-person shooter that centers exploration and platforming…and survival. Many people would consider those descriptions somewhat redundant to “Metroidvania-style” but I think it’s important to point out survival was an aspect of almost all video games of the Metroid and Castevania era, and an important distinction for those games and the […]
encoded: Haydee is a 2016 Metroidvania-style third-person shooter that centers exploration and platforming…and survival. Many people would consider those descriptions somewhat redundant to “Metroidvania-style” but I think it’s important to point out survival was an aspect of almost all video games of the Metroid and Castevania era, and an important distinction for those games and the “genre” as a whole is that later exploration opens up areas seen but not available early in the game. Survival in Haydee is much more like early Resident Evil games: you have to avoid getting hit and conserve your ammo, medpacks, and saves. On top of that, your inventory is small and non-specialized and save points are rare. And just as you have to have a typewriter ribbon available in Resident Evil to operate a save point, Haydee must have a diskette…a separate inventory item. Over the past decade two sequels have been released to increasingly positive ratings. But I suspect most people don’t notice the game until they see the cover art: The most superficial search, or just checking Haydee‘s Steam page; confirms the main character (who is indeed the titular “Haydee”) is THICC. The game seems designed specifically to ogle her. And yet, it’s not an “adult” game. It actually feels a lot like a Tomb Raider game designed by someone who wanted to take the giggling prurient views of Lara climbing over ledges to the max. The tutorial actually does a masterful job of “show, don’t tell” to both explain the character you’re playing as and guide you through learning the controls. To start with, whether you are *all* “Haydee” or not, there are clearly a lot of you, and you are to some degree a robot or cybernetic being, given the arms: Your first challenge is to approach a door and press the correct button on your keyboard or controller to activate it. Next you learn to use the “jump” button to climb: Climbing over a ledge, or jumping to a ledge, comprises three actions. First, jump UP to grab a ledge, fall…

Brief Revisit of Resident Evil: Requiem
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-03-28T16:01:22Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: So, last week I talked about how RE9 felt like 2 games superglued together. Since then I’ve played through the game 3 more times in the hunt for the platinum trophy and I am fully committing to what I wrote before. Leon’s sections of the game are an action-packed blast akin to RE2make and REm4ke. […]
encoded: So, last week I talked about how RE9 felt like 2 games superglued together. Since then I’ve played through the game 3 more times in the hunt for the platinum trophy and I am fully committing to what I wrote before. Leon’s sections of the game are an action-packed blast akin to RE2make and REm4ke. It still keeps the weird particularities of Resident Evil games’ identity but isn’t exactly hard. Grace’s sections are scary and have you feeling underprepared and nervous at all times. It’s a very entertaining, though messy experience. I’m basically bedridden with the man flu right now and don’t have much else I want to discuss, so I will instead ask you all a question. What’s you’re favorite 7 out of 10 game? Like, you know it’s objectively not great but you still love it anyway for whatever reason.

Wednesday Action Log 03-25-26
type: item
creator: Issac Young
date: 2026-03-25T04:01:00Z
subject: Action Log
description: This week was just Terraria. We haven’t really made much progress since last week since my sibling and I are jumping between different playthroughs. Our main world is early hardmode, and our second world is almost caught up at just before the Wall of Flesh. The only thing noteworthy about this run, is that through […]
encoded: This week was just Terraria. We haven’t really made much progress since last week since my sibling and I are jumping between different playthroughs. Our main world is early hardmode, and our second world is almost caught up at just before the Wall of Flesh. The only thing noteworthy about this run, is that through sheer determination and luck, I got a shadow key from the dungeon without killing Skeletron by using a hoik to get through the walls of the dungeon, I did die many times but it was worth it for the novelty alone. What’s everyone doing this week?

I Can’t Decide If I Like Resident Evil 9
type: item
creator: Ethan Rodgers
date: 2026-03-21T16:01:10Z
subject: EthanIRL
description: This “review” will be spoiler free for Resident Evil Requiem. I rarely preorder games anymore. I’ve learned to wait to see if a game turns out to be a disaster or if I lose interest. My backlog is big enough. I don’t need to add to it and waste money at the same time. On […]
encoded: This “review” will be spoiler free for Resident Evil Requiem. I rarely preorder games anymore. I’ve learned to wait to see if a game turns out to be a disaster or if I lose interest. My backlog is big enough. I don’t need to add to it and waste money at the same time. On this particular release I deviated from that path for Resident Evil: Requiem because I’ve grown very attached to the series in the recent past. Also the few trailers I ended up seeing sold me on it. Now that I’ve gotten the game and gotten through to the end of it, I’m left conflicted. I enjoyed my time, but was the game actually good or do I just love the IP? I’m a more recent fan of the franchise, if you can call 2017 recent. Resident Evil 7 is my favorite horror game of all time and it was my first true foray into the franchise. I had dabbled in the past, but never played through a full game until I had a wander through a house full of aggressively welcoming swampbillies. From there I was hooked. I’ve now played through and 100%d each main title in the franchise except RE3 because of a long burnout-related break and RE6 because that game is a mess. Basically what I’m saying is that I’ve taken in a lot of the IP in a short amount of time and I love the franchise now. That means Requiem had me hyped when I saw that my favorite emo-haired 40-something was back to kick ass. So I picked it up and took my time through things. When I was starting the game I was met with a weird settings prompt. Which perspectives did I want for which characters? Odd. Even weirder is the suggestion that Grace’s sections be played in first person and set Leon’s sections to third person. That was my first indication that the devs took a chance on a somewhat weird approach. They were going to combine the horror-first focus of RE7’s design with the actiony gameplay focused design of RE4. Now, in theory, there’s nothing wrong with that approach. Resident Evil: Requiem would hardly be the first game to have two very different …