Will Borger
@edgarallanbro.bsky.social
Pushcart Prize-nominated fiction writer/essayist.
Co-founder/Editor-in-Chief @skyboxcritics.com.
Words: MLR, Purple Wall, ASP, The Rupture, YourTango, Vet. Life.
Games: Rolling Stone, IGN, PC Gamer, Digital Trends, Shacknews, Unwinnable, Restart +
Co-founder/Editor-in-Chief @skyboxcritics.com.
Words: MLR, Purple Wall, ASP, The Rupture, YourTango, Vet. Life.
Games: Rolling Stone, IGN, PC Gamer, Digital Trends, Shacknews, Unwinnable, Restart +
Pinned
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. isn't just a PC port of a 19-year-old game: it's the reason a diehard fighting game community can 'finally reach out and play with each other across the world'
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O's arrival on PC marks the start a new era for the series that pioneered 3D fighting games.
www.pcgamer.com
I interviewed several members of the VF community about why VF5: R.E.V.O. matters for @pcgamer.com. VF is so important, and it's so good to see that community get their moment and help them tell that story.
Big thanks to @wes.readonlymemo.com for the opportunity.
www.pcgamer.com/games/fighti...
Big thanks to @wes.readonlymemo.com for the opportunity.
www.pcgamer.com/games/fighti...
Okay. Happy Thanksgiving.
@edgarallanbro.bsky.social Your bo7 zombies review was beyond embarrassing. Lots of second hand embarrassment reading that shameful review.
November 27, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Okay. Happy Thanksgiving.
Reposted by Will Borger
“What if we added roguelike elements…” the devs say, as I let out a deep sigh.
liking game genres that spawned from the arcades condemns you to forever suffer cuz no one outside of the bubble gets it and every developer wants to the appeal to the guy who doesn't get it
November 26, 2025 at 4:58 PM
“What if we added roguelike elements…” the devs say, as I let out a deep sigh.
My problem with Yakuza is that I played 0 first. That was a mistake. The other games aren't bad, it's just like... eating sushi for the first time at some legendary sushi joint in Japan and then only getting Very Good/Great Sushi after that and knowing you'll never have sushi that good again.
man i miss playing yakuza 0. very rare that you know you are playing one of the best games ever while you’re in the middle of it but that was the one.
November 26, 2025 at 7:27 PM
My problem with Yakuza is that I played 0 first. That was a mistake. The other games aren't bad, it's just like... eating sushi for the first time at some legendary sushi joint in Japan and then only getting Very Good/Great Sushi after that and knowing you'll never have sushi that good again.
Reposted by Will Borger
liking game genres that spawned from the arcades condemns you to forever suffer cuz no one outside of the bubble gets it and every developer wants to the appeal to the guy who doesn't get it
November 26, 2025 at 2:45 PM
liking game genres that spawned from the arcades condemns you to forever suffer cuz no one outside of the bubble gets it and every developer wants to the appeal to the guy who doesn't get it
Reposted by Will Borger
"All of this, food bloggers say, erodes the simple promise of a recipe: that someone has actually cooked it before you have."
NEW: AI “recipe slop” is overrunning search and social. Food creators say Google’s AI Overviews and glossy fake food pics are drowning out real, tested recipes — collapsing traffic and setting home cooks up for disaster, especially this Thanksgiving.
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
AI Slop Recipes Are Taking Over the Internet -- And Thanksgiving Dinner
Food bloggers see traffic dip as home cooks turn to AI, inspired by impossible pictures
www.bloomberg.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:43 PM
"All of this, food bloggers say, erodes the simple promise of a recipe: that someone has actually cooked it before you have."
Reposted by Will Borger
Thurs
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
If there are five days to call Mastercard + Visa, THESE ARE YOUR FIVE DAYS
THANKSGIVING
BLACK FRIDAY
CYBER MONDAY
HIT THOSE PHONE LINES
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
If there are five days to call Mastercard + Visa, THESE ARE YOUR FIVE DAYS
THANKSGIVING
BLACK FRIDAY
CYBER MONDAY
HIT THOSE PHONE LINES
#SaveSpeech
with Black Friday being this Friday the 28th, this is the time to maximize the impact we can have via call campaigns
If you plan to participate in this call campaign, imo you should heavily prioritize calling Visa/MC as heavily as possible between the 27th and the 1st of dec
with Black Friday being this Friday the 28th, this is the time to maximize the impact we can have via call campaigns
If you plan to participate in this call campaign, imo you should heavily prioritize calling Visa/MC as heavily as possible between the 27th and the 1st of dec
Spoke to my source familiar with internal workings at Mastercard. The holiday call campaign re payment processor censorship is working, there is a lot of pressure being felt from your calls. This is resulting in increased response times at a core moment for Mastercard due to the holiday season
November 26, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Thurs
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
If there are five days to call Mastercard + Visa, THESE ARE YOUR FIVE DAYS
THANKSGIVING
BLACK FRIDAY
CYBER MONDAY
HIT THOSE PHONE LINES
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
If there are five days to call Mastercard + Visa, THESE ARE YOUR FIVE DAYS
THANKSGIVING
BLACK FRIDAY
CYBER MONDAY
HIT THOSE PHONE LINES
Reposted by Will Borger
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
This is the same reason Alien spends so much time with the crew of the Nostromo before the xenomorph shows up and why many of the deaths hit. You don't want Dallas to buy it in the vents because you like him.
i rewatched it (poltergeist, that is) in the last few years and i was surprised at how *much* it was doing. just casual character building and scene-setting that didn't matter. things like the contractors working in the yard, or the tv remote thing. or the weed.
it felt *lived-in*. the whole film.
it felt *lived-in*. the whole film.
November 26, 2025 at 2:14 AM
This is the same reason Alien spends so much time with the crew of the Nostromo before the xenomorph shows up and why many of the deaths hit. You don't want Dallas to buy it in the vents because you like him.
I muted that thread days ago, but every now and then someone RTs a QT onto my timeline and I am happy to say we have now reached the "so you hate waffles" and "you're just making up a guy to get mad at" stages of the discourse.
Folks, I *wish* that was something I imagined.
Folks, I *wish* that was something I imagined.
November 26, 2025 at 1:40 AM
I muted that thread days ago, but every now and then someone RTs a QT onto my timeline and I am happy to say we have now reached the "so you hate waffles" and "you're just making up a guy to get mad at" stages of the discourse.
Folks, I *wish* that was something I imagined.
Folks, I *wish* that was something I imagined.
Reposted by Will Borger
My wife and I have been doing this since before we were married (we call it "giving each other projects") and I can say that @marioprime.bsky.social is right and it rules.
This Xmas, take @marioprime.bsky.social's advice on buying a used PS2:
"I've loved going back and rediscovering some truly terrible games from the [PS2] era ... To feel the passage of time. To feel that things do progress. And the art gets more interesting"
postgame.substack.com/p/18-reasons...
"I've loved going back and rediscovering some truly terrible games from the [PS2] era ... To feel the passage of time. To feel that things do progress. And the art gets more interesting"
postgame.substack.com/p/18-reasons...
November 26, 2025 at 1:24 AM
My wife and I have been doing this since before we were married (we call it "giving each other projects") and I can say that @marioprime.bsky.social is right and it rules.
Reposted by Will Borger
It would be disastrous if Santa Ragione were to close. Really hope this gets resolved and/or Horses is a success
NEW: Indie studio Santa Ragione is facing closure after its surreal horror title, Horses, was barred from Steam ahead of its upcoming December release
The studio behind Saturnalia and Wheels of Aurelia said Valve has yet to adequately explain why an early version of Horses was blacklisted in 2023.
The studio behind Saturnalia and Wheels of Aurelia said Valve has yet to adequately explain why an early version of Horses was blacklisted in 2023.
Indie dev Santa Ragione facing closure after Steam ban
The Italian studio's upcoming horror title, Horses, has been barred from Steam ahead of its release in December.
www.gamedeveloper.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:07 PM
It would be disastrous if Santa Ragione were to close. Really hope this gets resolved and/or Horses is a success
I don't really drink caffeine, especially coffee, because it makes me violently sick. I am so tired this morning that I am drinking caffeine because if I don't I will fall asleep at my desk.
November 25, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I don't really drink caffeine, especially coffee, because it makes me violently sick. I am so tired this morning that I am drinking caffeine because if I don't I will fall asleep at my desk.
Reposted by Will Borger
Otters + Snow =
November 24, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Otters + Snow =
Reposted by Will Borger
dawg lmao
November 25, 2025 at 1:49 PM
dawg lmao
Reposted by Will Borger
Oh hey look, it's my first piece for the AV Club!
The HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quest might modernize these ancient RPGs, but could anything recreate the experience of playing them on the NES? www.avclub.com/dragon-quest...
A quest for relevance: Dragon Quest’s remakes search for the impact it had in the ‘80s
The HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quest might modernize these ancient RPGs, but could anything recreate the experience of playing Dragon Warrior on the NES?
www.avclub.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Oh hey look, it's my first piece for the AV Club!
Reposted by Will Borger
Okay fine. If 25 people send me proof of purchase of a game file annual subscription….i will post a selfie in the Mario costume my stupid friends got me. I am posting this late in the hopes no one does this
November 25, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Okay fine. If 25 people send me proof of purchase of a game file annual subscription….i will post a selfie in the Mario costume my stupid friends got me. I am posting this late in the hopes no one does this
Reposted by Will Borger
Think it's also time to start acknowledging that there's a bunch of people who don't actually play the games, and their whole engagement with the medium is doing culture war bullshit with games they haven't played as a pretext
Two months after firing over Charlie Kirk comments, Ghost of Yotei dev blames harassment campaign, not 'bad joke'
aftermath.site/sucker-punch-c...
aftermath.site/sucker-punch-c...
November 24, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Think it's also time to start acknowledging that there's a bunch of people who don't actually play the games, and their whole engagement with the medium is doing culture war bullshit with games they haven't played as a pretext
Reposted by Will Borger
We did something different with the credits for Demonschool. We used this format: name, title, lengthy description of what they did. Often you see credits in games where you don't know what the credited developer was actually responsible for. We wanted to give people proper, actual credit.
November 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
We did something different with the credits for Demonschool. We used this format: name, title, lengthy description of what they did. Often you see credits in games where you don't know what the credited developer was actually responsible for. We wanted to give people proper, actual credit.
I think I'd swap Solo and The Force Awakens, but honestly, yeah, I agree.
haven’t seen ROS or Solo but this seems like a pretty ball-knowing list from Pritzker, particularly if he volunteered the name “Star Wars” rather than “A New Hope”
November 24, 2025 at 8:56 PM
I think I'd swap Solo and The Force Awakens, but honestly, yeah, I agree.
Reposted by Will Borger
Now that folks have had the weekend to see WICKED: FOR GOOD, I'm over at @thewrap.com going long about how the ending doesn't just fail to meet to moment, it fails to live up to what Jon M. Chu and co. set up in Part 1.
"The girl in the bubble," indeed.
www.thewrap.com/wicked-for-g...
"The girl in the bubble," indeed.
www.thewrap.com/wicked-for-g...
The 'Wicked: For Good' Ending Fails to Meet the Moment | Commentary
The ending of "Wicked: For Good" avoids the darker conclusion from the book, but does a disservice to the sociopolitical commentary in the process.
www.thewrap.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Now that folks have had the weekend to see WICKED: FOR GOOD, I'm over at @thewrap.com going long about how the ending doesn't just fail to meet to moment, it fails to live up to what Jon M. Chu and co. set up in Part 1.
"The girl in the bubble," indeed.
www.thewrap.com/wicked-for-g...
"The girl in the bubble," indeed.
www.thewrap.com/wicked-for-g...
Reposted by Will Borger
For @aftermath.site, I spoke to @imodrew.bsky.social, the Sucker Punch dev fired after making a Charlie Kirk joke.
She paints a picture of an industry that all too often ignores bad actors until those bad actors threaten them financially.
aftermath.site/sucker-punch...
She paints a picture of an industry that all too often ignores bad actors until those bad actors threaten them financially.
aftermath.site/sucker-punch...
Two Months After Firing Over Charlie Kirk Comments, Ghost Of Yotei Dev Blames Harassment Campaign, Not ‘Bad Joke’
"I really don’t want this to happen to anyone else, because I feel like with the state of everything, it will absolutely happen to other people," says Drew Harrison
aftermath.site
November 24, 2025 at 6:58 PM
For @aftermath.site, I spoke to @imodrew.bsky.social, the Sucker Punch dev fired after making a Charlie Kirk joke.
She paints a picture of an industry that all too often ignores bad actors until those bad actors threaten them financially.
aftermath.site/sucker-punch...
She paints a picture of an industry that all too often ignores bad actors until those bad actors threaten them financially.
aftermath.site/sucker-punch...
I wish everyone had this mindset for every game they played.
We use "progression" as a shorthand for "my numbers are bigger and so I am more powerful," but genuine, meaningful progression isn't tied to stats and loot, it's in your growth as a player. Imagine the industry that could imagine this.
We use "progression" as a shorthand for "my numbers are bigger and so I am more powerful," but genuine, meaningful progression isn't tied to stats and loot, it's in your growth as a player. Imagine the industry that could imagine this.
Honestly one of the coolest start-up messages I've ever seen. Game: store.steampowered.com/app/3594120/...
November 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I wish everyone had this mindset for every game they played.
We use "progression" as a shorthand for "my numbers are bigger and so I am more powerful," but genuine, meaningful progression isn't tied to stats and loot, it's in your growth as a player. Imagine the industry that could imagine this.
We use "progression" as a shorthand for "my numbers are bigger and so I am more powerful," but genuine, meaningful progression isn't tied to stats and loot, it's in your growth as a player. Imagine the industry that could imagine this.
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November 24, 2025 at 4:25 PM
If you liked this thread, you should subscribe to Skybox on Patreon so our little indie website can continue to write cool things and pay our writers fairly to do it. $5 gets you access to our Discord and a special weekly podcast and $10 adds a special monthly deep dive podcast on top of that.