What do you call a Christopher Nolan protagonist who uses a wooden horse to defeat their enemies? The Bark Knight. #TheOdyssey
Harry Fritsch
@thevgstoryteller.bsky.social
(he/him) a writer and gamer who loves mixing the two together 📖🎮 weekly Substacker: https://thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com/ occasional TikToker: https://www.tiktok.com/@thevgstoryteller owns a Game Gear Micro (the blue one)
Can’t wait to play the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding level in NBA 2K27.
I’d like to think that the backlash against PlayStation has been strong enough that we *might* get one of those “okay we were testing the waters here and clearly people like discs, we’ll keep them going for another few years” social media posts in the next week or two
Are you a gamer in Brisbane? I’ll be attending the @qldgamesfestival.bsky.social tomorrow at the Brisbane Powerhouse - playing cool local games and chatting with cool local gamers. If you’re in the area, come and say hi!
Despite its monumental impact on early 3D gaming, once you remove the bias of nostalgia, there's no denying that the N64 controller is an awful design. Can 8BitDo deliver an overhauled design while still retaining essential elements of the iconic controller? www.qualbert.com/reviews/8bit...
8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller Review | Nintendo Nostalgia
8BitDo brings the 90s Nintendo nostalgia with an all-new updated N64 pad. Find out all about it in our 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth controller review!
qualbert.com
If you are still reading Valnet sites for some reason, here's your reason to stop. And if you're still writing for them, here's your reason to quit. Start a Substack or site of your own and let me know - I'll promote it! This is evil, exploitative stuff no writer should ever agree to.
lex luddy@lexluddy.xyz · 2mo agoOn Thursday evening Valnet issued new contracts to writers at TheGamer instituting a minimum article viewership threshold for payment. Most writers already have pay tied to article performance, but this new system would mean that if a piece didn't get X number of clicks you wouldn't be paid for it.
Pay-per-click sucks. It incentivises cheap trend-chasing and clickbait slop. In a previous life, when I was a contributing writer for TheGamer, we would get paid around $15USD per article. That felt incredibly low for researching, drafting, formatting etc. Turns out they had further to fall.
Kotaku@kotaku.com · 2mo agoVideo game website company reveals galaxy brained new plan to play writers nothing if their posts don't get enough clicks https://kotaku.com/one-of-the-worst-companies-in-games-media-reveals-new-plan-to-only-pay-writers-per-click-2000698959
Big four berries ranked: 1. Black 2. Blue 3. Rasp 4. Straw
Because believe it or not, Sega has other great legacy franchises beyond Sonic 🤯
The French Studio Breathing Life into Sega’s Past
Lizardcube does what Sega kinda don't.
thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com
To be fair, everyone thinks their mixtape is a 10/10
I've misspelt beautiful enough times in my life that my phone now auto-corrects to baeutiful
The Wii had that special something when it came to its design, appealing to a wider audience with its compact build and clean aesthetics. I look back at this now 20-year-old (!) system and why at least some of its mammoth success can be attributed to the way it looked in your living room.
The Wii Was Chic
How a console's look can make a big difference.
thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com
Traditional save points may be rather obsolete in the age of auto-saving and save states, but when implemented well, they can be a surprisingly immersive tool to complement a game’s tone and worldbuilding. Find out more by reading my latest article 😃
Savouring the Save Points
A love letter to how video games remember you.
thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com
Is this anyone else's favourite galaxy? Just me?
Turns out that Nintendo can be just as fun to read about as their games are to play 😊
Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald – A Book Review
A superb exploration of a global entertainment juggerment, the people behind the games, and the impact of play on people's lives.
thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com
My DualSense’s battery is absolutely cooked and it’s made me realise just how much modern living rooms aren’t set up for wired controller gaming.
I published this article a year ago about stopping to smell the roses (bomb flowers?) in Twilight Princess and how just aimlessly roaming around its Hyrule helped me stay calm during periods of teenage stress.
Relieving Stress in Twilight Princess
I feel so Hyrule.
thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to beat ‘em ups, that’s kind of the whole point. You can read all about why I find the presentation of these games so striking in my latest article 😃
The Surface Level Appeal of Beat ‘Em Ups
And why I don’t mean that as an insult.
thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com
A trip away from home can be an amazing experience, but with the caveat that you have to leave some video games behind. I share some personal stories about gaming homesickness in my latest article, including an anecdote about perhaps the dorkiest thing I have ever done in my life. Enjoy!
Leaving a Game Behind
There's no place like home (consoles).
thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com
There was a point in my childhood when I knew so little about video games that I asked one of my more learned friends what the difference was between a Wii and a Nintendo Wii? This is a true story.
I was hoping Cairn from the @thegamebakers.com would be a fun and challenging climbing simulator - which it totally was! But I also ended up taking away so much more from this beautiful game. You can read about my evolving journey with Cairn in my latest article ☺️
Cairn Took Me to the Summit and Somewhere Deeper
Climb ev'ry mountain.
thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com
Support physical games media. Let’s get this over the $100k mark people!
CONTINUE? Magazine@continuemag.bsky.social · 4mo agoTHIS. IS. IT. The FINAL 24 hours of our Kickstarter. It's been the absolute ride of our professional lives and we can't thank you enough! There is also still A GIANT MOON about to COLLIDE WITH THE MAGAZINE. If we hit $100k, we CAN STOP THE MOON. www.kickstarter.com/projects/con...
Oh, how I love a good Metroidvania. And I’ve played plenty of great ones over the years! I look at some of my absolute favourites from this storied genre in my latest article 😃
My 7 Favourite Metroidvanias
Or, my favourite castleroids, if you'd prefer.
thevideogamestoryteller.substack.com
I went to this cool arcade in Montréal and played the Switch 2 remake of #OcarinaofTime. The Nintendo rep who was there stressed that it was “still an early build of the game”.
Is The Legend of Zelda an RPG? A: No B: Absolutely not C: Snowpeak Ruins is the best Zelda dungeon D: All of the above