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number8axel.bsky.social
Steven Santana
@number8axel.bsky.social
200 followers 270 following 290 posts
“Hey man I noticed you picked yoshi. Do you mind letting me have him or else.” -@pjayevans
https://breakingarrows.substack.com/
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number8axel.bsky.social
Book 29: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Read for a book club on forgiveness.
November 26, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Steven Santana
number8axel.bsky.social
Additionally re-upping the video version I also published alongside it at the time.
youtu.be/oEcl46eV2GM?...
Replaying Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
YouTube video by Illustrious Magic
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 4:47 PM
number8axel.bsky.social
Additionally re-upping the video version I also published alongside it at the time.
youtu.be/oEcl46eV2GM?...
Replaying Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
YouTube video by Illustrious Magic
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 4:47 PM
number8axel.bsky.social
Ed are you well?
November 25, 2025 at 12:03 AM
number8axel.bsky.social
If I may intrude, the instance being quoted by christa reads less like, "This game is not what I expected it to be" and more "It is not as strong an iteration as these other longstanding series."
"Meeting a game on its own terms" sounds a lot like disregarding all other works it exists alongside of.
November 19, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Reposted by Steven Santana
nickcapozzoli.bsky.social
I have a larger piece on this sitting in drafts, but I included a bit of my take in a footnote in my last blog post. Essentially, it's that if we have any problem, it's being *too* "willing to meet a game on its own terms."
Somewhat aside, I've previously argued, and long maintained the exact opposite stance on "discussing games on their own terms"—I think we as critics tend to be far too deferential to the fairly limited bounds developers and publishers set for their games. Consider how at pains many are to argue that games that are plainly political are anything but as just one very obvious example. But I also think that many reviewers are very happy to take their foot off the gas whenever a game makes a big show of signposting its genre bonafides. I could argue that's in fact what Martin has done with his review—or I would, if I wasn't happy that he actually instead used it as an opportunity to write about criticism itself, thus giving me a chance to do the same. Somewhat aside, I've previously argued, and long maintained the exact opposite stance on "discussing games on their own terms"—I think we as critics tend to be far too deferential to the fairly limited bounds developers and publishers set for their games. Consider how at pains many are to argue that games that are plainly political are anything but as just one very obvious example. But I also think that many reviewers are very happy to take their foot off the gas whenever a game makes a big show of signposting its genre bonafides. I could argue that's in fact what Martin has done with his review—or I would, if I wasn't happy that he actually instead used it as an opportunity to write about criticism itself, thus giving me a chance to do the same.
November 13, 2025 at 6:04 PM