Jess Ragan
@mneko.bsky.social
Game fan, and game designer! Check out my latest release, Operation Hibernation for retro game consoles, on arugulaz.itch.io!
I want my games to be as, you know, organic as possible. Unfortunately, what was once a bold line between human-made and AI-made projects has become a smudge.
November 28, 2025 at 7:08 AM
I want my games to be as, you know, organic as possible. Unfortunately, what was once a bold line between human-made and AI-made projects has become a smudge.
I get distinctly irritated when I have to use tools and utilities that were "vibe coded" with AI, because that means AI was at least distantly involved in the game design process. It's a six degrees of Kevin Bacon situation, but unlike Kevin Bacon, I'm not comfortable standing that close to it.
November 28, 2025 at 7:06 AM
I get distinctly irritated when I have to use tools and utilities that were "vibe coded" with AI, because that means AI was at least distantly involved in the game design process. It's a six degrees of Kevin Bacon situation, but unlike Kevin Bacon, I'm not comfortable standing that close to it.
forums.atariage.com/topic/386163... Look, I get it. I absolutely understand how tough it can be to make a video game, BUT. You have to put in at least SOME effort. 80% of BASIC games don't meet a professional standard of quality, and you want ***AI*** to do it for you?
So, I attempted to port the arcade Yie Ar Kung Fu, using AI (Grok and Github Copilot) to the Atari 7800 (7800Basic)...
Yie_Ar_Kung_Fu_7800 source files.zip So I attempted to port Yie Ar Kung Fu to the Atari 7800 using AI (Grok and Github Copilot), as I don't know how to code. One small issue, it won't compile. Most of...
forums.atariage.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:59 AM
forums.atariage.com/topic/386163... Look, I get it. I absolutely understand how tough it can be to make a video game, BUT. You have to put in at least SOME effort. 80% of BASIC games don't meet a professional standard of quality, and you want ***AI*** to do it for you?
The not-so-incredible, edible video game mascot.
November 27, 2025 at 5:30 AM
The not-so-incredible, edible video game mascot.
An oldie from Miiverse, paying tribute to the one, the only, the eternally ancient, Abe Vigoda.
November 27, 2025 at 5:27 AM
An oldie from Miiverse, paying tribute to the one, the only, the eternally ancient, Abe Vigoda.
They've got roach spray. Do they have bug spray for overly expository jumping spider tanks?
November 26, 2025 at 2:05 PM
They've got roach spray. Do they have bug spray for overly expository jumping spider tanks?
Hachi: A Dog's Tale started out fine, but I was a little upset when they revealed the subway where Hachi died was actually Richard Gere's butthole.
November 26, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Hachi: A Dog's Tale started out fine, but I was a little upset when they revealed the subway where Hachi died was actually Richard Gere's butthole.
Here's a fun video! It's Fortefyre's Top Ten Best Looking Genesis Games. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db5W...
10 Best Looking Genesis Games!
YouTube video by Fortefyre
www.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Here's a fun video! It's Fortefyre's Top Ten Best Looking Genesis Games. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db5W...
Part of the problem with XS is its wicked excess of enemies, who are entirely too much for both the player and the hardware to handle. When the game is clogged with sprites, the arcade hardware chugs and chokes, suggesting that it's the same CPU Technos used for the slowdown-prone Double Dragon.
November 26, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Part of the problem with XS is its wicked excess of enemies, who are entirely too much for both the player and the hardware to handle. When the game is clogged with sprites, the arcade hardware chugs and chokes, suggesting that it's the same CPU Technos used for the slowdown-prone Double Dragon.
Technos is best known for its fighting games... Double Dragon, Renegade, River City Ransom, and many more. Xain'd Sleena, an aggravatingly flawed science-fiction action game, suggests that the company probably shouldn't stray from its comfort zone.
November 26, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Technos is best known for its fighting games... Double Dragon, Renegade, River City Ransom, and many more. Xain'd Sleena, an aggravatingly flawed science-fiction action game, suggests that the company probably shouldn't stray from its comfort zone.
Unfortunately, the gameplay is suspect. Sleena (who weirdly resembles Master Chief from the much later Halo series) can double jump, one of the first video game heroes with this ability, but it comes with the usual issues of a double jump. Make a leap and you're committed to it.
November 26, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Unfortunately, the gameplay is suspect. Sleena (who weirdly resembles Master Chief from the much later Halo series) can double jump, one of the first video game heroes with this ability, but it comes with the usual issues of a double jump. Make a leap and you're committed to it.
Xain'd Sleena has admirable artistic aspirations... although it doesn't reach the heights of a Capcom science-fiction epic like Forgotten Worlds or SideArms, it's got an organic and intriguing solar system for you to explore. (I really should save this for a blog entry.)
November 26, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Xain'd Sleena has admirable artistic aspirations... although it doesn't reach the heights of a Capcom science-fiction epic like Forgotten Worlds or SideArms, it's got an organic and intriguing solar system for you to explore. (I really should save this for a blog entry.)
I just beat Xain'd Sleena. Pro-tip: don't waste your time on Xain'd Sleena.
November 26, 2025 at 9:07 AM
I just beat Xain'd Sleena. Pro-tip: don't waste your time on Xain'd Sleena.
I really do not like the "hour per credit" thing companies like G. Rev and Treasure have going on with their shooters. Look, motherfuckers, I PAID for the game. Don't wheedle out credits so miserly. I should have ALL the credits!
November 26, 2025 at 7:50 AM
I really do not like the "hour per credit" thing companies like G. Rev and Treasure have going on with their shooters. Look, motherfuckers, I PAID for the game. Don't wheedle out credits so miserly. I should have ALL the credits!
Also! Enough of this bullshit claiming that the Atari 2600 and 5200 are from the same generation. It's literally the successor to the 2600, as plainly evidenced by the name. The ColecoVision in America and the Famicom (NES) in Japan were released a year apart from each other!
November 26, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Also! Enough of this bullshit claiming that the Atari 2600 and 5200 are from the same generation. It's literally the successor to the 2600, as plainly evidenced by the name. The ColecoVision in America and the Famicom (NES) in Japan were released a year apart from each other!
It's very easy to get lost in an American-centric mindset when covering video games, but it's important to remember that yes, other countries did exist and were playing video games around that time. The British had an entirely different gaming ecosystem in the 1980s, dominated by Spectrum and Amiga.
November 26, 2025 at 6:53 AM
It's very easy to get lost in an American-centric mindset when covering video games, but it's important to remember that yes, other countries did exist and were playing video games around that time. The British had an entirely different gaming ecosystem in the 1980s, dominated by Spectrum and Amiga.
Evidently the provincial video game character Horace is a copyright hot zone. Gee, I guess I'd better not post this drawing I did of him on Miiverse!
November 25, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Evidently the provincial video game character Horace is a copyright hot zone. Gee, I guess I'd better not post this drawing I did of him on Miiverse!
November 25, 2025 at 3:16 AM
I think Xain'd Sleena has more "Aw, come on!" moments in its design than a lot of other platformers from that era. The insane slowdown (dude! You're an ARCADE GAME!) doesn't help matters much.
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 AM
I think Xain'd Sleena has more "Aw, come on!" moments in its design than a lot of other platformers from that era. The insane slowdown (dude! You're an ARCADE GAME!) doesn't help matters much.
It's a shame I wasn't able to watch Robotech as a kid, because it is sooooo much better than Voltron. Okay, sure, it's been dumbed down a little, but Go-Lion was dumbed down a LOT.
November 24, 2025 at 9:13 AM
It's a shame I wasn't able to watch Robotech as a kid, because it is sooooo much better than Voltron. Okay, sure, it's been dumbed down a little, but Go-Lion was dumbed down a LOT.
Speaking of Barney Miller, here's pixel art of Wojohowicz (Max Gail, the only guy in the cast other than Hal Linden who's still alive!).
November 24, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Speaking of Barney Miller, here's pixel art of Wojohowicz (Max Gail, the only guy in the cast other than Hal Linden who's still alive!).
I'm toying with the idea of a Barney Miller game for the NES, because 1. I love that show, 2. A muted color scheme would be perfect for a 1970s television series. The 12th precinct is nothing but color-starved brown walls and murky aqua floor tiles.
November 23, 2025 at 11:57 AM
I'm toying with the idea of a Barney Miller game for the NES, because 1. I love that show, 2. A muted color scheme would be perfect for a 1970s television series. The 12th precinct is nothing but color-starved brown walls and murky aqua floor tiles.
There was a Ghostbusters game, made by HAL and reviewed by the esteemed @vgjunk.bsky.social a few years ago. A good ways through, they show you an ominously looming portrait of the villain. It's supposed to inspire awe and fear, but instead comes off as "George Carlin sculpted entirely from scabs."
November 23, 2025 at 11:51 AM
There was a Ghostbusters game, made by HAL and reviewed by the esteemed @vgjunk.bsky.social a few years ago. A good ways through, they show you an ominously looming portrait of the villain. It's supposed to inspire awe and fear, but instead comes off as "George Carlin sculpted entirely from scabs."
You can make good NES artwork, of course... it just takes a lot more finesse. On paper, it's got sixteen background colors and sixteen sprite colors, just like the Master System. In practice, these colors are grouped together in fours, and some colors cannot co-exist in the same tile.
November 23, 2025 at 11:47 AM
You can make good NES artwork, of course... it just takes a lot more finesse. On paper, it's got sixteen background colors and sixteen sprite colors, just like the Master System. In practice, these colors are grouped together in fours, and some colors cannot co-exist in the same tile.
If you are a pixel artist as well as a programmer, the Master System will almost certainly be your preference.
November 23, 2025 at 11:38 AM
If you are a pixel artist as well as a programmer, the Master System will almost certainly be your preference.