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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært

@katewillaert.bsky.social

14K followers 1.3K following 3.6K posts

(WILL-ert) | Investigating forgotten gaming history | Creator of the greatest Metroid video on Youtube | Asexual, autistic, artistic, 🏳️‍⚧️(she/her) | Linktree: https://katewillaert.com/link-tree

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · Oct 19

Writers: repost a random piece your proud of.

On top of the collab with Kevin Bunch mentioned below, another piece I'm very proud of is this exploration of Metroid's likely-but-unconfirmed influences beyond the Alien films.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGwW...

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 2m

I didn't realize you could just combine things like this, now I want to start a magazine called Graphic Novels, Guitars & Gaming.

Video Game History Foundation @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social · 59m

At the height of Guitar Hero madness (2008), there was an entire 'Guitars & Gaming' magazine released, including Slash and Joe Perry interviews: https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/c4d3f3ec-ab7e-42fa-bef8-93bcffe6ff46

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 1h

Although best known for his movie posters, he also did a number of album covers, including one for Black Sabbath. I think his original intended title treatment would've worked better (like how the calligraphic circle forms horns), and IMO they should've stuck with the white background.

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 1h

RIP Drew Struzan, few artists were more inspirational to me, in high school I went through a phase of trying to replicate his style based on the sparse articles that existed about his process. (Never mastered it, but I have Opinions about what his copycats get wrong when it comes to composition.)

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 1h

(Cartoon by cassandracalin.com)

A friend texts: "Hey! Want to hag out? Hang out, not hag, lol"

Girl texts back: "No, let's actually hag out."

Cut to panel of girls dressed as witches around a cauldron.

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 5h

The desperation to make fetch happen because they’re so heavily invested feels like if five years ago they’d tried to require everyone buy VR headsets by retiring monitor support.

Tom Warren @tomwarren.co.uk · 8h

This is the future of Windows. Microsoft wants to rewrite Windows to turn computers into AI PCs that you talk to. It's now bringing AI features to all Windows 11 PCs today, in a bid to convince you to talk to your PC and let AI control it. Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/799768/...

Microsoft wants you to talk to your PC and let AI control it

Copilot Voice and Vision are now rolling out.

www.theverge.com

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 2d

Mine isn’t compatible with Win11 and I was able to get the extension.

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 2d

Reminder for people sticking with Windows 10 that you might be able to get a one year extension on security updates:

www.engadget.com/computing/wi...

Windows 10 support ends today, but here's how to get an extra year for free

Thanks to Extended Security Updates, you don't have to make the switch to Windows 11 just yet.

www.engadget.com

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Reposted by 🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært

Benj Edwards @benjedwards.com · 3d

It's free but also if you want to buy it anyway to have a handsome shelfpiece, that would be cool too! 😁

MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 3d

👀 We heard Nintendo is bringing the Virtual Boy back to gamers. While we can't get you the new add-on, the story behind this unique platform is completely free!

@jzagal.bsky.social & @benjedwards.com's "Seeing Red" is available #OpenAccess: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204506...

Hands holding a copy of "Seeing Red: Nintendo's Virtual Boy" by Jose P. Zagal and Benj Edwards. The cover depicts a Mario game in play in black and red pixels.

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 4d

Mrs. Dynamite was never officially released, so it doesn't quite count. Greenhouse was also never officially released, to this day no one is positive where it leaked out from.

🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 4d

It's complicated, here's a quick reference cheat sheet:

bsky.app/profile/kate...

🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · Jan 10

Here you go, I've summarized it in a single graphic note card that you can refer back to later. When it's all laid out like this, it's suddenly very simple, right?

Right...?

First playable female character…

At the arcade: Exidy's Score (06/1977) plus the first gender select
On computer (player-rolled): Oubliette (11/1977)*
On computer (designer-created): Tawala’s Last Redoubt (07/1981)
On home console: Wabbit (10/1982)
*If this functionality was available from the start, but was it?

In NA: Exidy's Score (06/1977) at the arcade
In JP: Tropical Dive (06/1980) or Shoei’s Streaker (10/1981) at the arcade
In EU: Ant Attack (10/1983) for ZX Spectrum

To be given a name:
Benthi aka Lorato in Tawala’s Last Redoubt (07/1981) for Apple II

To be given a name AND appear on screen (non-human):
Ms. Pac-Man in Ms. Pac-Man (02/1982) at the arcade

To be given a name AND appear on screen (human character)...

On home console: Billie Sue in Wabbit (10/1982)
On the computer: Jenny in Jenny Of The Prairie (05/1983)
At the arcade: Tropical Angel in Tropical Angel (09/1983)

By Kate Willaert / Support my research at patreon.com/acriticalhit

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 5d

Should clearly be the lead character of Tron.

🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 5d

Naming your kid Error just so you can be amused every time she introduces herself.

Kimimi🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️, but spooky 🦇 @kimimithegameeatingshemonster.com · 5d

Hello, Error! :D

A cropped photo from Zelda 2 (NES). Link is talking to a portly man in a purple costume inside a red brick house. He says “I am error.”

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 6d

My picks would be Roger Waters and Fiona Apple, but that’s me.

Emily, a Two-Shoes-Gooder @rebelmusicteach.bsky.social · 10d

I also need to know: I am fairly middle-of-the-road on Taylor Swift but someone I know called her the Greatest Living Lyricist. She is not.

Who is yours? Either the greatest or your favorite?

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 6d

I would love to get a comp or review copy.

🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 7d

Hayley Williams went hard performing her most political song on Fallon.

youtu.be/sNNYei__joU?...

Hayley Williams: True Believer | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

YouTube video by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

youtu.be

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 7d

Yup. I even witnessed an especially bad professional writer post to social media about sometimes having Imposter Syndrome.

🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 8d

It's never not weird to me that people voluntarily elect to make their hair behave the way mine does.

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Reposted by 🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært

Error 52 @error52.bsky.social · 8d

Also for a fun non-game example the English translation of Don Quixote that's on Project Gutenberg is from the 1800s and starts with a translator's note talking about the original English translation

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 8d

Do I even want to know who this person is?

🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 9d

You could say This One Takes The Cake.

🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 9d

If you ever have the opportunity to explain to a Boomer the history of some media from before their time that influenced the media of their youth, it feels exactly like doing the same with Gen Z or Gen a, but makes you feel like an immortal walking the Earth.

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 10d

For anyone unfamiliar, the Rushing Beat series was remixed (rather than localized) into games like Peace Keepers on the SNES. I have a particular fondness for that game, and keep waiting for retro fans to realize how amazing the games were and do a proper translation.

Reposted by 🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært

Jason Dyer @jdyer.bsky.social · 10d

Question for anyone who has a copy of Suspended:

Does anyone else have this particular document in their box? It is in mine, but I don't see it on any of the "documentation" sites

Letter from "Contra Central" including details about how to REPLACE wires, and also how there is a bad cable left behind by the predecessor who tried to kill everyone

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 10d

Not sure how I feel about this.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLRo...

Rushing Beat X: Return of the Brawl Brothers - Official Demo Trailer | IGN Live 2025

YouTube video by IGN

www.youtube.com

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🏳️‍⚧️ "Critical Kate” Willært @katewillaert.bsky.social · 10d

So my controversial take is that I prefer the distinction in film, b/c if I'm not sure whether I want to see a movie, I don't want the movie spoiled. But if I just watched it and want to read a deeper analysis, I *want* those spoilers discussed. So I have no use for writing that tries to be both.

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