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Sasha's Retrobytes 🏳️‍⚧️ @sharkabytes.bsky.social · 6h

Happy 25th birthday, Alien Resurrection! A game that clawed its way out of development hell three years after its planned release date. Released to mostly middling reviews, including its legacy: Gamespot's, who criticised it for what would soon become the standard: modern controller FPS controls.

A photo of Alien Resurrection for PS1 with a little xenomorph statue next to it

A snap of Gamespots website with its review of Alien Resurrection and 4.7 score.

The game's control setup is its most terrifying element. The left analog stick moves you forward, back, and strafes right and left, while the right analog stick turns you and can be used to look up and down. Too often, you'll turn to face a foe and find that your weapon is aimed at the floor or ceiling while the alien gleefully hacks away at your midsection. Add to the mix a few other head scratchers - such as how the triangle button controls item and health use - and you'll be wondering how Sony let this get by without requesting a few different control configuration options.

Beyond the control issues, Alien Resurrection is gruelingly hard. That is, it's hard to the point where you'll spend as much time reloading your save file as you will spend playing the game. The near-mythical PlayStation mouse peripheral is supposed to solve many of the game's control problems, but the 99.9 percent of PlayStation owners who've never even seen the device will find the game almost unplayably difficult to control and unreasonably hard to enjoy. It's a dramatic answer to a problem far more easily solved by adopting the control scheme from EA's Medal of Honor.

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Sasha's Retrobytes 🏳️‍⚧️ @sharkabytes.bsky.social · 6h

Little bit of trivia about twin sticks in FPS on PS1: Medal of Honor in 1999 pips Alien Resurrection to the post on having modern FPS controls. BUT, the only reason why it's a lesser-known example is because they're buried away as the *fourth* option after a couple of really odd ones.

A snapshot of Medal of Honors control config screen with a render of a dual shock. The fourth option is left stick move, right stick look, and having fire buttons on triggers.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6h

And yet I saw virtually *no one* ask that question. Everyone, from normies to seasoned political commentators, was just like "oh I guess I have to have an opinion on this now." Why? Who said so?

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6h

So everyone's *first* question should have been, "why are we talking about this?" Why not other political issues that affect more people? Why not other *trans* issues that affect more people? Why not other *HS sports* issues that affect more people? Why this very particular, specific, rare thing?

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6h

There is nothing in "reality" that dictated that turn in the discourse. Rather, there was a specific set of people with power & money who decided they wanted everyone talking about this, and so they pushed it into culture. Just like with skinny jeans.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6h

... had never in their lives given that particular subject a thought. Yet suddenly everyone was talking about it, being pressed to have an opinion on it.

Why? Were there suddenly, in reality, lots more trans girls playing HS sports? No. Did HS sports take on some new significance? No.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6h

For some reason, though, people seem to have difficulty bringing that same analytical distance to politics. To take one very obvious recent example: all the sudden, everyone was talking about trans girls in high school sports. I'd venture to guess that 99% of the people involved ...

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6h

This all seems obvious enough when discussing fashion. Everyone accepts, on some instinctive level, that the fashion world -- its rules, its trends, its prominent figures -- is socially constructed. What would it even mean for it to "reflect reality"? We are making the reality as we go!

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6h

Nothing wrong with arguing about skinny jeans, of course. But we should also have some analytical distance and be able to keep in our heads that "reality" did not simply cough up skinny jeans all the sudden. People did. People made those choices & those choices are subject to critique.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6h

When all the culture & fashion magazines start talking about, I dunno, skinny jeans, we should not simply conclude, "oh, skinny jeans are happening," as though it's some natural force. These things don't just happen-- someone chooses. Someone with power or money wants us talking about skinny jeans.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 6h

All I want in life is to persuade everyone, when encountering politics & culture, to ask, "why are we talking about this?" I mean that very literally: anything you encounter on your screens reflects a choice. Someone covered that, talked about that, rather than the many other things out there. Why?

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Synthminded @synthminded.bsky.social · 10h

Just gonna point out that for all the “WE WERE FOUNDED ON CHRISTIAN VALUES” rhetoric, Thomas Jefferson literally edited his own bible to remove any reference of Jesus as divine.

AmeriKraut @inchargeofthegirls.bsky.social · 15h

we told you, vivek.

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Tom Alucardznable @tomaznable.bsky.social · 12h

I'll give it due credit, the Economy is a very cute version of the Ingram.

Top half of the Moderoid AVS-98 Economy model kit.

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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 15h

Paul Ingrassia, Trump’s nominee to lead the office investigating Jack Smith, has recently been investigated for harassing a colleague, Politico reports.

“Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him..”

=
POLITICO
By DANIEL LIPPMAN
10/09/2025 08:22 PM EDT
f
In late July, Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, arrived at a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando with a lower-ranking female colleague and others from their department. When the group reached the front desk, the woman learned she didn't have a hotel room.
Ingrassia then informed her that she would be staying with him, according to five administration officials familiar with the episode. Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him, three of those officials said.

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ianbobmorris.bsky.social @ianbobmorris.bsky.social · 12h

i can understand their fears and i think their fears are stupid, they should stop fearing them

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 13h

If you ever stuck up for "ideological diversity ' or good faith debate or whatever and thought guys like Thiessen were part of that congratulations you are a huge sucker and Thiessen and the other conservatives are laughing at you now that they won.

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Paul Slimin' @legendsofthepaul.bsky.social · 6d

The right employs a two-track strategy to win the war of persuasion: to liberal audiences that hate your ideas, push the “open inquiry, everyone’s voice must be heard” to work your way in, but to conservative audiences do whatever is necessary to prohibit liberal views.

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kate bush’s husband @airbagged.bsky.social · 10h

I NEED MORE FMV GAMES PREFERABLY ONES THAT ARENT SUPER SELF AWARE BUT FUN

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Synthminded @synthminded.bsky.social · 10h

Why would you buy a shitty Trump watch when you could have this sweet #KamenRider Den-O watch instead

j-hobby.net/pb/1440176.h...

A promo image of a kamen rider themed wristwatch. The watch has a layer of sand in a clear pocket over the watch face like the Imajin form from.

Th Watch also has a glowing green version of Den-O’s symbol

The sand can shift in the transparent chamber over the face for a pleasing effect

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kate bush’s husband @airbagged.bsky.social · 11h

KKKoachella.

David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 1d

Just announced: Turning Point USA will present an alternative “All-American” halftime show (performers TBA) for those who don’t want to watch that Puerto Rican.

www.americanhalftimeshow.com

THE ALL-AMERICAN HALFTIME SHOW

Yes, the rumors are true... Turning Point USA is thrilled to announce The All American Halftime Show. Performers and event details coming soon.

www.americanhalftimeshow.com

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Kyle Hebert @kylehebert.com · 16h

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Ankle Megami Tensei @stochasticooze.bsky.social · 11h

Five years ago some protesters in Portland set fire to a single fountain and held some controlled bonfires in the streets and now every Republican thinks the city has burned to the ground despite the fact that every photo from there looks more like a hippie commune

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 20h

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Aidan Moher @aidanmoher.com · 11h

Listen to my podcast, @funfactorpod.com.

Aidan Moher @aidanmoher.com · 2d

It’s FunFactor Fuuuuuuuuesday!

On this episode of @funfactorpod.com, @tyschalter.com and dig into rumours of Square leaving Nintendo for Sony, Bill Donahue’s height, personality-driven games media, and, of course, a deep dive into Game Players’ review of *in the Resident Evil voice* Resident Evil.

Game Players 83 - Resident Evil [S1E15]

Podcast Episode · FunFactor · 2025-10-07 · 1h 25m

podcasts.apple.com

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Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 1d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Jodie Troutman @longtalljodie.com · 18h

Independent comics as an industry would barely exist these days without the tireless efforts of Kickstarter's staff behind the scenes. As they advise, keep supporting all the amazing projects you already are, but have their back in the process.

Kickstarter United @kickstarterunited.org · 8d

‼️🚨KICKSTARTER WORKERS ARE ON STRIKE🚨‼️

As of 8am this morning, the workers of Kickstarter United/OPEIU Local 153 are on strike.

WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR A BOYCOTT! Creators and allies, please continue using and supporting the platform.

Kickstarter United is on strike!
We are not asking for a boycott! Creators & Allies: Please continue to support & use the platform
swipe for ways to show your solidarity

Why We're Striking
A codified 4-day work week.
We simply want to protect the way we've been working for over 3.5 years. The 4dww has proven benefits, such as increased productivity and improved employee satisfaction. It's part of what makes Kickstarter a special, innovative place to work.
Fair pay for our lowest-paid workers.
We're fighting for livable minimum salaries for roles that are undervalued by the market but crucial to keeping Kickstarter running. We believe none of our workers should struggle to make ends meet.

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