Bad vs Not For Me

By Ethan Rodgers Posted Saturday Jun 13, 2026

Filed under: Epilogue, EthanIRL 0 comments

I say all the time that horror and comedy are the two most personal areas of life in terms of taste. They both prey on expectation to make their impact. That’s why hearing your drunk uncle tell the same joke for the 50th time is exhausting instead of humorous. It’s why knock knock jokes are mentally draining by the time you hit adulthood, too. Same goes for scares. The first time I watched Jeepers Creepers 2 I immediately developed a fear of scarecrows that I haven’t fully shaken, but I won’t have a panic attack watching the same scene again and again because the novelty is gone. The only scare left is the residual fear from the first time I saw it. And it’s also why the “mirror scare” in horror movies just doesn’t really work anymore unless you throw in a misdirect. We expect it now as a culture.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Bad vs Not For Me”

 


 

It’s called a segue

By Patrick The Sioux Chef Posted Friday Jun 12, 2026

Filed under: Epilogue, Patrick 9 comments

“I try to imagine what Twenty Sided would be like if Pat was running it. That would be a very different kind of website.” – Shamus, Jul 7, 2016

I don’t know about running it. How about some totally unprofessional hot takes on a beloved franchise, instead?

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “It’s called a segue”

 


 

Wednesday Action Log 06-10-26

By Issac Young Posted Wednesday Jun 10, 2026

Filed under: Epilogue, Action Log 9 comments

This week I’ve been all over the place.

I played a bit more BALL x PIT. It’s a good game, I had fun, but I wasn’t really in the mood to hunt down a bunch of item fusions. It wouldn’t even take that long, I just don’t feel like it.

I played a bit of Rainbow Six Siege with some friends. I don’t know if many peoples here are even interested in that game. But for anyone curious about the state of the game, the character Dokkaebi just got changed from being able to make peoples phones ring too making them explode.

I’ve been playing Rimworld a bit. Just dabbling with making a melee focused xenotype. They run fast and can hit things with sticks real good.

Right before writing this I was messing around with hammer(the source engine map editor). Not much interesting in that regard, but it’s funny how fast muscle memory comes back for that kind of program.

What’s everyone else doing this week?

 


 

Getting Scammed on Facebook

By Paige Francis Posted Monday Jun 8, 2026

Filed under: Epilogue, Paige Writes 4 comments

 

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 there were the “regular” cars. There were five that I remember; a couple of late model pickups, nothing special. An almost new Outback, and a late-model CR-V and RAV-4. All three of which they were advertising VERY cheap. My mother asked if any of those cars would make good substitutions for what was in the shop with an unknown problem, as the price was PHENOMENAL and she knew these people and trusted them.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Getting Scammed on Facebook”

 


 

The New God of War Looks Cool

By Ethan Rodgers Posted Saturday Jun 6, 2026

Filed under: Epilogue, EthanIRL 4 comments

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.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “The New God of War Looks Cool”

 


 

Wednesday Action Log 06-3-26

By Issac Young Posted Wednesday Jun 3, 2026

Filed under: Epilogue, Action Log 3 comments

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

By Ethan Rodgers Posted Saturday May 30, 2026

Filed under: Epilogue, EthanIRL 3 comments


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.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Is Good”

 


 
From The Archives:

The Strange Evolution of OpenGL

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Programming Language for Games

Game developer Jon Blow is making a programming language just for games. Why is he doing this, and what will it mean for game development?

 

Zenimax vs. Facebook

This series explores the troubled history of VR and the strange lawsuit between Zenimax publishing and Facebook.

 

PC Hardware is Toast

This is why shopping for graphics cards is so stupid and miserable.

 

The Mistakes DOOM Didn't Make

How did this game avoid all the usual stupidity that ruins remakes of classic titles?

 

Tenpenny Tower

Bethesda felt the need to jam a morality system into Fallout 3, and they blew it. Good and evil make no sense and the moral compass points sideways.

 

Black Desert Online

This Korean title would be the greatest MMO ever made if not for the horrendous monetization system. And the embarrassing translation. And the terrible progression. And the developer's general apathy towards its western audience.

 

Bad and Wrong Music Lessons

A music lesson for people who know nothing about music, from someone who barely knows anything about music.

 

The Dumbest Cutscene

This is it. This is the dumbest cutscene ever created for a AAA game. It's so bad it's simultaneously hilarious and painful. This is "The Room" of video game cutscenes.

 

Batman: Arkham Origins

A breakdown of how this game faltered when the franchise was given to a different studio.