Neil
@neilisainmdom.bsky.social
Irish C/C++ programmer. Love reading and talking about games and movies mostly!
He/him, I speak English, Irish and Portuguese!
He/him, I speak English, Irish and Portuguese!
Reposted by Neil
A write up on why reading other critics is worthwhile in all instances, with extensive quoting from others works I have read, and publicly sharing the very large games writing resource document I've been slowly accumulating links for these past months (years)
open.substack.com/pub/breaking...
open.substack.com/pub/breaking...
A Reading Manifesto
or a theory on how to break through circuitous discourse
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:11 PM
A write up on why reading other critics is worthwhile in all instances, with extensive quoting from others works I have read, and publicly sharing the very large games writing resource document I've been slowly accumulating links for these past months (years)
open.substack.com/pub/breaking...
open.substack.com/pub/breaking...
Reposted by Neil
This wasn’t about leaking GTA VI.
It was:
Rockstar illegally firing union members to stop the studio from unionizing.
it directly contradicts Rockstar’s PR narrative and confirms almost everything that people suspected was going on.
It was:
Rockstar illegally firing union members to stop the studio from unionizing.
it directly contradicts Rockstar’s PR narrative and confirms almost everything that people suspected was going on.
November 7, 2025 at 12:30 AM
This wasn’t about leaking GTA VI.
It was:
Rockstar illegally firing union members to stop the studio from unionizing.
it directly contradicts Rockstar’s PR narrative and confirms almost everything that people suspected was going on.
It was:
Rockstar illegally firing union members to stop the studio from unionizing.
it directly contradicts Rockstar’s PR narrative and confirms almost everything that people suspected was going on.
Reposted by Neil
Something worth noting: Rockstar is leaning HEAVILY on the excuse that the unionising employees were "leaking private company information"
They want people to assume this means game info or assets.
But I will bet you CASH MONEY this translates to:
'they were comparing salaries and work contracts"
They want people to assume this means game info or assets.
But I will bet you CASH MONEY this translates to:
'they were comparing salaries and work contracts"
"Rockstar, Rockstar, you're disgusting, we charge you with union busting," the protesters declared.
'All you had to do was follow the damn law, Rockstar!': Workers are protesting outside Take-Two after GTA 6 dev's alleged 'brazen' union-busting
"They can get used to seeing us on their doorstep."
www.pcgamer.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Something worth noting: Rockstar is leaning HEAVILY on the excuse that the unionising employees were "leaking private company information"
They want people to assume this means game info or assets.
But I will bet you CASH MONEY this translates to:
'they were comparing salaries and work contracts"
They want people to assume this means game info or assets.
But I will bet you CASH MONEY this translates to:
'they were comparing salaries and work contracts"
Reposted by Neil
Totally engrossed with The Séance of Blake Manor, 7 hrs in and it might be the best detective game I've played since Obra Dinn, maith sibh @spookydoorway.bsky.social!
store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/...
store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/...
Save 10% on The Séance of Blake Manor on Steam
The Séance of Blake Manor is a supernatural detective mystery, set in 1897 Ireland, where you investigate the disappearance of Evelyn Deane in a remote hotel full of secrets and other-worldly occurren...
store.steampowered.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Totally engrossed with The Séance of Blake Manor, 7 hrs in and it might be the best detective game I've played since Obra Dinn, maith sibh @spookydoorway.bsky.social!
store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/...
store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/...
Reposted by Neil
I wrote about historical fiction and romantic visions of the past in this year's videogames. Read it below!
Ghost of Yotei, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Mafia: The Old Country each, to different degrees, complicate our vision of the past.
Ghost Of Yotei And Other Historical Games Are Rewriting Old Myths
Ghost of Yotei, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Mafia: The Old Country each, to different degrees, complicate our vision of the past
kotaku.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
I wrote about historical fiction and romantic visions of the past in this year's videogames. Read it below!
Reposted by Neil
The Séance of Blake Manor is OUT NOW!
Can you discover what has become of Evelyn Deane and uncover the secrets of Blake Manor itself?
store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/...
Can you discover what has become of Evelyn Deane and uncover the secrets of Blake Manor itself?
store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/...
October 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM
The Séance of Blake Manor is OUT NOW!
Can you discover what has become of Evelyn Deane and uncover the secrets of Blake Manor itself?
store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/...
Can you discover what has become of Evelyn Deane and uncover the secrets of Blake Manor itself?
store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/...
Reposted by Neil
Citizen Sleeper 2 received the "Code the Rights - Best Game 2025" award from Amnesty International earlier today, at the CEEGA Awards in Poznań 🥳
It recognizes "games that address human rights topics in an innovative way" and it's a really cool initiative:
www.amnesty.org.pl/code-the-rig...
It recognizes "games that address human rights topics in an innovative way" and it's a really cool initiative:
www.amnesty.org.pl/code-the-rig...
October 24, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Citizen Sleeper 2 received the "Code the Rights - Best Game 2025" award from Amnesty International earlier today, at the CEEGA Awards in Poznań 🥳
It recognizes "games that address human rights topics in an innovative way" and it's a really cool initiative:
www.amnesty.org.pl/code-the-rig...
It recognizes "games that address human rights topics in an innovative way" and it's a really cool initiative:
www.amnesty.org.pl/code-the-rig...
Reposted by Neil
Once you learn that you don't need to have a take on every single thing that crosses your screen your life instantly improves 200%
October 15, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Once you learn that you don't need to have a take on every single thing that crosses your screen your life instantly improves 200%
Reposted by Neil
❌Proper tiling and masking for the UI sprites
✔️Convoluted ass optical illusion using a 3D camera
(Trust me, this is somehow way easier than all the other options I've tried, and more optimized too)
#gamedev #indiegame #lowpoly #madewithunity
✔️Convoluted ass optical illusion using a 3D camera
(Trust me, this is somehow way easier than all the other options I've tried, and more optimized too)
#gamedev #indiegame #lowpoly #madewithunity
October 1, 2025 at 6:23 PM
❌Proper tiling and masking for the UI sprites
✔️Convoluted ass optical illusion using a 3D camera
(Trust me, this is somehow way easier than all the other options I've tried, and more optimized too)
#gamedev #indiegame #lowpoly #madewithunity
✔️Convoluted ass optical illusion using a 3D camera
(Trust me, this is somehow way easier than all the other options I've tried, and more optimized too)
#gamedev #indiegame #lowpoly #madewithunity
Could have called it tenderware smh
Realizing it's called "firmware" cause it's between "hardware" and "software"
September 30, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Could have called it tenderware smh
Reposted by Neil
All these games have my highest recommendation. If I haven't convinced you to play them yet, take the opportunity.
Stories of ephemeral community and flickering hope in the ruins of interstellar capitalism seems particularly on point these days.
Stories of ephemeral community and flickering hope in the ruins of interstellar capitalism seems particularly on point these days.
ALL of my games are in the Fellow Traveller sale!
🚀 Build a crew in Citizen Sleeper 2 (25% Off)
💫 Find a home in Citizen Sleeper (70% Off)
🐠 Study an Alien Ocean in In Other Waters (75% Off)
+ grab another one of my publishers excellent narrative games: store.steampowered.com/sale/fellowt...
🚀 Build a crew in Citizen Sleeper 2 (25% Off)
💫 Find a home in Citizen Sleeper (70% Off)
🐠 Study an Alien Ocean in In Other Waters (75% Off)
+ grab another one of my publishers excellent narrative games: store.steampowered.com/sale/fellowt...
September 17, 2025 at 9:55 AM
All these games have my highest recommendation. If I haven't convinced you to play them yet, take the opportunity.
Stories of ephemeral community and flickering hope in the ruins of interstellar capitalism seems particularly on point these days.
Stories of ephemeral community and flickering hope in the ruins of interstellar capitalism seems particularly on point these days.
Reposted by Neil
Luis explores the spiritual connections between how games are made, what you do as a player in a game and the attitudes and beliefs of a game's characters, using Mafia as an example.
Articles like these are why we created Bullet Points. If you want to support independent criticism, links within.
Articles like these are why we created Bullet Points. If you want to support independent criticism, links within.
New this week on the site: @aguaspoints.bsky.social on Mafia: The Old Country. bulletpointsmonthly.com/2025/09/17/n...
New Gods, Old Enigmas
Monthly magazine for long-form articles and podcasts on videogames
bulletpointsmonthly.com
September 17, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Luis explores the spiritual connections between how games are made, what you do as a player in a game and the attitudes and beliefs of a game's characters, using Mafia as an example.
Articles like these are why we created Bullet Points. If you want to support independent criticism, links within.
Articles like these are why we created Bullet Points. If you want to support independent criticism, links within.
Reposted by Neil
An etymological analysis of the term "Metroidvania"
September 13, 2025 at 7:22 PM
An etymological analysis of the term "Metroidvania"
Reposted by Neil
"why would labour do this?" Because they're fascists! They're a party of racist, transphobic, genocidal, corrupt, fascists! Stop balking and go DO SOMETHING
September 14, 2025 at 12:10 PM
"why would labour do this?" Because they're fascists! They're a party of racist, transphobic, genocidal, corrupt, fascists! Stop balking and go DO SOMETHING
Reposted by Neil
Maybe it's just shame, that they voted in a load of milquetoast nazis, but every time I see people express confusion and desperately searching for some political miscalculation as reason, it's so pathetic. The reality is so blatant and consistent. Their motives are plain as day. Come on
September 14, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Maybe it's just shame, that they voted in a load of milquetoast nazis, but every time I see people express confusion and desperately searching for some political miscalculation as reason, it's so pathetic. The reality is so blatant and consistent. Their motives are plain as day. Come on
Reposted by Neil
if you're confused about how labour can call a violent far right rally in London free speech while they're having the polis arrest and beat on peaceful protesters, it's because they're fascists, k thx
September 14, 2025 at 12:03 PM
if you're confused about how labour can call a violent far right rally in London free speech while they're having the polis arrest and beat on peaceful protesters, it's because they're fascists, k thx
Reposted by Neil
The haters: I have to BUY a map, AND pay to put markers on it, AND use up an equip slot to show where I am?!
Me:
Me:
a man speaking into a microphone with the word good written on his face
Alt: A gif of Donal Glover holding a mic. He pauses before saying "Good" with a menacing glower
media.tenor.com
September 13, 2025 at 6:21 PM
The haters: I have to BUY a map, AND pay to put markers on it, AND use up an equip slot to show where I am?!
Me:
Me:
Reposted by Neil
In a landscape with so many incredibly tightly-designed metroidvanias, Silksong's exclusion of quality-of-life features is not an oversight!! It is essential to understanding the game!
I think my favorite insight in this piece is in how it considers annoying design decisions diagetically. an exploitative religious economy, charging the devout to use a bench, skimming off the top when they want to save their rosary beads, etc
reviewed Silksong, whose friction is fundamental to its humanism. (may we, twisted by this historical moment into alienated vermin, be like the bugs)
www.slantmagazine.com/games/hollow...
www.slantmagazine.com/games/hollow...
September 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
In a landscape with so many incredibly tightly-designed metroidvanias, Silksong's exclusion of quality-of-life features is not an oversight!! It is essential to understanding the game!
Reposted by Neil
Hecate & Melinoe 💜💚
(a repost to celebrate Hades 2 final release)
(a repost to celebrate Hades 2 final release)
September 12, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Hecate & Melinoe 💜💚
(a repost to celebrate Hades 2 final release)
(a repost to celebrate Hades 2 final release)
Reposted by Neil
Chants of Senaar is 40% off on steam at the mo (~ £10). I reckon it's one of the best videogames I've played.
Save 40% on Chants of Sennaar on Steam
In this award-winning puzzle adventure game, play as the Traveler on a quest to reunite the Peoples of the Tower. Observe, listen, and decipher ancient languages in a fascinating universe inspired by ...
store.steampowered.com
September 8, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Chants of Senaar is 40% off on steam at the mo (~ £10). I reckon it's one of the best videogames I've played.
Reposted by Neil
Actually, Frankenstein is a doctor success at the Venice film festival
August 31, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Actually, Frankenstein is a doctor success at the Venice film festival
Reposted by Neil
If you are wondering why some large AAA games have felt boring, despite huge quality increases in content, it's because of huge playtesting panels.
Whereafter a single person being confused means a level is redesigned. Where self-talk gets added for any issue.
Where everything has to be fixed.
Whereafter a single person being confused means a level is redesigned. Where self-talk gets added for any issue.
Where everything has to be fixed.
I feel like the unspoken fourth line of this one is that it's impossible to please everyone and if your only goal is to hammer down every feedback mole that pops up you will end often with everyone unhappy. Have your audience and creative goals in mind. Not everything NEEDS fixing
a friend of mine who's worked on a somewhat recent free multiplayer game says this about player feedback that I feel like is very astute
hearing the feedback is frequently important but responding to it well almost never means just doing what the players say they want
hearing the feedback is frequently important but responding to it well almost never means just doing what the players say they want
August 27, 2025 at 6:49 AM
If you are wondering why some large AAA games have felt boring, despite huge quality increases in content, it's because of huge playtesting panels.
Whereafter a single person being confused means a level is redesigned. Where self-talk gets added for any issue.
Where everything has to be fixed.
Whereafter a single person being confused means a level is redesigned. Where self-talk gets added for any issue.
Where everything has to be fixed.
Reposted by Neil
In the Future All Food Will Be Cooked in a Microwave, and if You Can’t Deal With That Then You Need to Get Out of the Kitchen
In the Future All Food Will Be Cooked in a Microwave, and if You Can’t Deal With That Then You Need to Get Out of the Kitchen
As a restaurant owner - I'm astounded at the rate of progress since microwaves were released a few short years ago. Today's microwave can cook a frozen burrito. Tomorrow's microwave will be able to cook an entire Thanksgiving Dinner. Ten years from now a microwave may even be able to run the country. Recently I was watching a livestream of a local microwave salesman.
www.colincornaby.me
August 3, 2025 at 8:35 PM
In the Future All Food Will Be Cooked in a Microwave, and if You Can’t Deal With That Then You Need to Get Out of the Kitchen
Reposted by Neil
Apple is delisting Wheels of Aurelia from the App Store, because it's... "obsolete". Our statement:
July 15, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Apple is delisting Wheels of Aurelia from the App Store, because it's... "obsolete". Our statement: