Craig Bamford
@spacetalk.bsky.social
I write about space, in several places. Used to write about other stuff? But now pretty much it's space. I also talk about gaming here, though. Also politics, sadly and mostly unwillingly, but I do try to damp it down a bit
...someone clearly missed that delighted Gen Z kid with the PSP
What people miss is being young
“I miss blockbuster video” the library has every dvd totally untouched and I never see you there
December 12, 2025 at 11:52 PM
...someone clearly missed that delighted Gen Z kid with the PSP
Reposted by Craig Bamford
I’m a single issue voter and my issue is that those busses that bend in the middle should make accordion noises
December 11, 2025 at 7:57 PM
I’m a single issue voter and my issue is that those busses that bend in the middle should make accordion noises
The stuff here about not having an escape hatch as devs is really resonant to me
I've played sooo many games where the standard difficulty curve was a clearly-untested mess because they assumed players would just fix it themselves
I've played sooo many games where the standard difficulty curve was a clearly-untested mess because they assumed players would just fix it themselves
Why Silksong doesn't have difficulty settings or sliders: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
December 12, 2025 at 9:53 PM
The stuff here about not having an escape hatch as devs is really resonant to me
I've played sooo many games where the standard difficulty curve was a clearly-untested mess because they assumed players would just fix it themselves
I've played sooo many games where the standard difficulty curve was a clearly-untested mess because they assumed players would just fix it themselves
I am honestly confused as to why they even do this, all the hype is drained before you even have a vertical slice
Last night's biggest surprise was Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, led by Casey Hudson, who directed KOTOR (and Anthem). Exciting news for lots of people... but Lucasfilm says the studio was founded this year, which means that 2030 is an *optimistic* guess. Maybe it'll be a PlayStation 7 game
December 12, 2025 at 9:39 PM
I am honestly confused as to why they even do this, all the hype is drained before you even have a vertical slice
Enjoying gachaposting on the TL because it feels like that thing where you let off a few shots to keep rent prices down
Wuwa 3.0 looks good btw
Wuwa 3.0 looks good btw
December 12, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Enjoying gachaposting on the TL because it feels like that thing where you let off a few shots to keep rent prices down
Wuwa 3.0 looks good btw
Wuwa 3.0 looks good btw
Only economists could be so thoroughly dim that they'd be surprised by "normal people despise the idea of being forced to move by rent hikes"
You can screech "NIMBY" at them all you want, they're just gonna keep voting for whichever politician tells you to fuck off the loudest
You can screech "NIMBY" at them all you want, they're just gonna keep voting for whichever politician tells you to fuck off the loudest
Um, ok...
This paper forthcoming at the JOP provides evidence that rent control in Germany actually made tenants MASSIVELY *less* NIMBY.
This result was in the opposite direction of the authors' pre-registered expectations.
And the effect sizes are, truly, massive.
This paper forthcoming at the JOP provides evidence that rent control in Germany actually made tenants MASSIVELY *less* NIMBY.
This result was in the opposite direction of the authors' pre-registered expectations.
And the effect sizes are, truly, massive.
December 12, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Only economists could be so thoroughly dim that they'd be surprised by "normal people despise the idea of being forced to move by rent hikes"
You can screech "NIMBY" at them all you want, they're just gonna keep voting for whichever politician tells you to fuck off the loudest
You can screech "NIMBY" at them all you want, they're just gonna keep voting for whichever politician tells you to fuck off the loudest
It IS kinda funny that one of the only categories E33 didn't win (that it COULD win) was the one that wuthering waves took
Granted, player's choice, so yeah
Granted, player's choice, so yeah
December 12, 2025 at 12:43 PM
It IS kinda funny that one of the only categories E33 didn't win (that it COULD win) was the one that wuthering waves took
Granted, player's choice, so yeah
Granted, player's choice, so yeah
I like how the trailer implied that the Board [itself/themselves] decided "well that was fun, now let's switch things up a bit"
Remedy has said that Control Resonant "not a safe sequel," with its new melee combat and action RPG focus.
"This is not a Soulslike game. I want to be very clear about that," said creative director Mikael Kasurinen, while commenting, "We know what the competition is... expect combat to be good."
"This is not a Soulslike game. I want to be very clear about that," said creative director Mikael Kasurinen, while commenting, "We know what the competition is... expect combat to be good."
Control Resonant Is “Not a Safe Sequel,” and “Not a Soulslike,” Says Remedy
Control Resonant sees the Alan Wake developer explore new genre territory: an action RPG focussed on melee combat. The studio says it's confident.
thisweekinvideogames.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:34 AM
I like how the trailer implied that the Board [itself/themselves] decided "well that was fun, now let's switch things up a bit"
...less than 10 mil and they beclowned EVERYBODY, absolutely unreal
December 12, 2025 at 4:14 AM
...less than 10 mil and they beclowned EVERYBODY, absolutely unreal
...I'm trying to think of which arc this is adapting and honestly drawing a blank
December 11, 2025 at 11:03 PM
...I'm trying to think of which arc this is adapting and honestly drawing a blank
This is the flip side of that other thing I mentioned.
Because Nadella's Microsoft doesn't give a fuck about users anymore, only about Azure hosting, they're getting absolutely demolished anywhere that they DON'T have a monopoly.
Feel sorry for these devs, but that's the company these days.
Because Nadella's Microsoft doesn't give a fuck about users anymore, only about Azure hosting, they're getting absolutely demolished anywhere that they DON'T have a monopoly.
Feel sorry for these devs, but that's the company these days.
Guessing the Call of Duty numbers must be Actually Brutal if they're getting out here and halfway apologizing. That lines up with my experience, I keep seeing matches that don't fill up all the way before start, players quitting more regularly mid-match... www.callofduty.com/blog/2025/12...
www.callofduty.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:36 PM
This is the flip side of that other thing I mentioned.
Because Nadella's Microsoft doesn't give a fuck about users anymore, only about Azure hosting, they're getting absolutely demolished anywhere that they DON'T have a monopoly.
Feel sorry for these devs, but that's the company these days.
Because Nadella's Microsoft doesn't give a fuck about users anymore, only about Azure hosting, they're getting absolutely demolished anywhere that they DON'T have a monopoly.
Feel sorry for these devs, but that's the company these days.
... there's no fucking way, there MUST be weird accounting shit going on there
I know you can see the parts where they saved money, the overworld in particular, but no wayyy
I know you can see the parts where they saved money, the overworld in particular, but no wayyy
Clair Obscur cost less than 10 million to make that's fucking ridiculous
what do you mean it's actually totally reasonable to put it in the indie category I can't believe this
what do you mean it's actually totally reasonable to put it in the indie category I can't believe this
December 11, 2025 at 10:23 PM
... there's no fucking way, there MUST be weird accounting shit going on there
I know you can see the parts where they saved money, the overworld in particular, but no wayyy
I know you can see the parts where they saved money, the overworld in particular, but no wayyy
The thing that isn't being squared is that people are at least theoretically okay with using AI to generate stuff they don't care about, but are very NOT okay with it when its products are presented to them.
Why wouldn't they be? You're showing that you don't care about what you're giving them!
Why wouldn't they be? You're showing that you don't care about what you're giving them!
It's just two parallel realities: one for an executive class so enraptured by the promise of labor savings that creative departments are pushed into creating AI slop, and one for everyone else, who view the slop with their own eyes and are repulsed by the rank aesthetics of automation
December 11, 2025 at 10:13 PM
The thing that isn't being squared is that people are at least theoretically okay with using AI to generate stuff they don't care about, but are very NOT okay with it when its products are presented to them.
Why wouldn't they be? You're showing that you don't care about what you're giving them!
Why wouldn't they be? You're showing that you don't care about what you're giving them!
Lmao this is absolutely the reason why I hate calling myself a "journalist", it just makes me feel like a clout chaser
("Reporter" I can handle. Clark Kent is a reporter. "Ink-stained hack" would be better, except that I haven't been involved with print for years.)
("Reporter" I can handle. Clark Kent is a reporter. "Ink-stained hack" would be better, except that I haven't been involved with print for years.)
i think a (perhaps underappreciated) aspect of this whole situation is the extent to which every elite profession is filled with people who excel at drawing attention and want to be famous more than they want to do the actual job
December 11, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Lmao this is absolutely the reason why I hate calling myself a "journalist", it just makes me feel like a clout chaser
("Reporter" I can handle. Clark Kent is a reporter. "Ink-stained hack" would be better, except that I haven't been involved with print for years.)
("Reporter" I can handle. Clark Kent is a reporter. "Ink-stained hack" would be better, except that I haven't been involved with print for years.)
I swear to God I have no idea why I'm totally immune to this, I straight up uninstalled that game from disinterest
I'd say the gachas built up a gambling tolerance, but I could always walk into a casino, make fifty bucks on craps, and then walk out it's weird
(Did that once, it was hilarious.)
I'd say the gachas built up a gambling tolerance, but I could always walk into a casino, make fifty bucks on craps, and then walk out it's weird
(Did that once, it was hilarious.)
Starting to develop a CloverPit problem
December 11, 2025 at 5:24 PM
I swear to God I have no idea why I'm totally immune to this, I straight up uninstalled that game from disinterest
I'd say the gachas built up a gambling tolerance, but I could always walk into a casino, make fifty bucks on craps, and then walk out it's weird
(Did that once, it was hilarious.)
I'd say the gachas built up a gambling tolerance, but I could always walk into a casino, make fifty bucks on craps, and then walk out it's weird
(Did that once, it was hilarious.)
Lmao this was absolutely mandated by some bagholder who's in way too deep
You can tell that no thought went into it because what the fuck is Zuck doing there, or Elon for that matter, their AI attempts are famous debacles
Also AMD? C'mon bruh
You can tell that no thought went into it because what the fuck is Zuck doing there, or Elon for that matter, their AI attempts are famous debacles
Also AMD? C'mon bruh
Fucking incredible dystopian shit, comparing super rich people risking millions if not billions of lives just to make more money to people that risked their life actually building incredible things that would then make millions of dollars for super rich people.
December 11, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Lmao this was absolutely mandated by some bagholder who's in way too deep
You can tell that no thought went into it because what the fuck is Zuck doing there, or Elon for that matter, their AI attempts are famous debacles
Also AMD? C'mon bruh
You can tell that no thought went into it because what the fuck is Zuck doing there, or Elon for that matter, their AI attempts are famous debacles
Also AMD? C'mon bruh
Next in my "roll the damn credits" tour was supposed to be Alan Wake, but I wasn't as far as I thought
Also that game is very weird in that every episode seems to run around 25-30% longer than you think it will, or really should
Also that game is very weird in that every episode seems to run around 25-30% longer than you think it will, or really should
December 11, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Next in my "roll the damn credits" tour was supposed to be Alan Wake, but I wasn't as far as I thought
Also that game is very weird in that every episode seems to run around 25-30% longer than you think it will, or really should
Also that game is very weird in that every episode seems to run around 25-30% longer than you think it will, or really should
Reposted by Craig Bamford
Shot. Chaser.
December 10, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Shot. Chaser.
Lotta people getting weird on the timeline about mobile games
Like sorry I get that gacha bothers you, but the entirety of American sports are now being propped up by gambling, and EA wouldn't exist as a company (pre-Saudi) without Ultimate Team
Kiiiinda feels like this is mostly about China
Like sorry I get that gacha bothers you, but the entirety of American sports are now being propped up by gambling, and EA wouldn't exist as a company (pre-Saudi) without Ultimate Team
Kiiiinda feels like this is mostly about China
December 11, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Lotta people getting weird on the timeline about mobile games
Like sorry I get that gacha bothers you, but the entirety of American sports are now being propped up by gambling, and EA wouldn't exist as a company (pre-Saudi) without Ultimate Team
Kiiiinda feels like this is mostly about China
Like sorry I get that gacha bothers you, but the entirety of American sports are now being propped up by gambling, and EA wouldn't exist as a company (pre-Saudi) without Ultimate Team
Kiiiinda feels like this is mostly about China
I love how half the replies, including mine, are "wait but now I want a pear"
Tim Pear
Tim Pear
Welp, looks like we're teaching the LinkedIn grindset people what The Onion is the hard way.
December 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I love how half the replies, including mine, are "wait but now I want a pear"
Tim Pear
Tim Pear
So yeah can we stop pretending that it's just reactionary fundies that are the problem with this kind of thing?
It isn't just fundies that are the problem, it's NEVER just been fundies that are the problem, and if you're going to effectively oppose this stuff than you'll need to accept that.
It isn't just fundies that are the problem, it's NEVER just been fundies that are the problem, and if you're going to effectively oppose this stuff than you'll need to accept that.
Just heard disappointing news that @warren.senate.gov will co-sponsor the Kids Online Safety Act again despite overwhelming opposition from LGBTQ, human rights, abortion rights, and racial justice groups.
This is a horrific betrayal of her constituents, particularly trans youth and their families.
This is a horrific betrayal of her constituents, particularly trans youth and their families.
Why Are Some Democrats Backing MAGA's Anti-LGBTQ+ Censorship?
From late-night host cancellations to removing LGBTQ+ history from government sites, politicians in both parties are contributing to the overwriting of the internet — a place where lots of queer and t...
www.teenvogue.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:17 PM
So yeah can we stop pretending that it's just reactionary fundies that are the problem with this kind of thing?
It isn't just fundies that are the problem, it's NEVER just been fundies that are the problem, and if you're going to effectively oppose this stuff than you'll need to accept that.
It isn't just fundies that are the problem, it's NEVER just been fundies that are the problem, and if you're going to effectively oppose this stuff than you'll need to accept that.
Update: rollin' credits on Star Ocean now, and I'm quite pleased, especially as it had been in my half-finished backlog for ages
It's theoretically got another playthrough in it, using different characters, but I'm just not that enthused about doing that in long RPGs.
It's theoretically got another playthrough in it, using different characters, but I'm just not that enthused about doing that in long RPGs.
Like I'm on the last dungeon in Star Ocean now, and I used the skill system to break that game over my knee. And why wouldn't I? The tools are there, devs put them there, gonna use them to get those credits rolled.
December 10, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Update: rollin' credits on Star Ocean now, and I'm quite pleased, especially as it had been in my half-finished backlog for ages
It's theoretically got another playthrough in it, using different characters, but I'm just not that enthused about doing that in long RPGs.
It's theoretically got another playthrough in it, using different characters, but I'm just not that enthused about doing that in long RPGs.
Reposted by Craig Bamford
My guess—and it is just a guess—is that they thought they'd have more time. They were expecting to have until the midterms at the very least, not that his popularity would crater immediately.
Now, if they fuck with elections, it'll look like Saddam shit instead of Xi or Putin shit. Laughably fake.
Now, if they fuck with elections, it'll look like Saddam shit instead of Xi or Putin shit. Laughably fake.
There's a lot of shitty shit Trump can do to fuck with elections, but seeing as how Dems keep winning, he seems to be doing a crap job of it.
December 10, 2025 at 12:21 PM
My guess—and it is just a guess—is that they thought they'd have more time. They were expecting to have until the midterms at the very least, not that his popularity would crater immediately.
Now, if they fuck with elections, it'll look like Saddam shit instead of Xi or Putin shit. Laughably fake.
Now, if they fuck with elections, it'll look like Saddam shit instead of Xi or Putin shit. Laughably fake.
It remains incredibly weird how firmly game journalists are planted in these guys' heads
Game journalism is essentially dead, it's like two reader-supported part-timer websites and Gene fucking Park now, but instead of taking the victory lap you're just boxing shadows
Game journalism is essentially dead, it's like two reader-supported part-timer websites and Gene fucking Park now, but instead of taking the victory lap you're just boxing shadows
December 10, 2025 at 10:51 AM
It remains incredibly weird how firmly game journalists are planted in these guys' heads
Game journalism is essentially dead, it's like two reader-supported part-timer websites and Gene fucking Park now, but instead of taking the victory lap you're just boxing shadows
Game journalism is essentially dead, it's like two reader-supported part-timer websites and Gene fucking Park now, but instead of taking the victory lap you're just boxing shadows