Justin W
@uhhjustinwagner.bsky.social
Nerd with can't-shut-up disease | He/him | Bylines in PC Gamer and Gamesradar | Opinions are the result of whatever's wrong with me | Pay me to ramble: [email protected]
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Justin W
@uhhjustinwagner.bsky.social
· Oct 11
I tried the Bubsy 4D demo, and it spits on the series legacy by actually being pretty good
The washed-up platforming mascot is back. Again.
www.pcgamer.com
I wrote about Bubsy for a major videogame journalism outlet, so there goes the first and last item on my bucket list
www.pcgamer.com/games/action...
www.pcgamer.com/games/action...
Was reading Gillen/Mckelvie's Young Avengers and this splash page kicks so much ass
January 17, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Was reading Gillen/Mckelvie's Young Avengers and this splash page kicks so much ass
Testament of Ann Lee was a beautiful, powerfully sad movie. Intense and prob hits especially hard if you were raised religious. Also been all-in on Burning Crusade pre patch which fucks hard; skipped it the last time but hoping to at least hit 70 and do some 5mans this time.
January 16, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Testament of Ann Lee was a beautiful, powerfully sad movie. Intense and prob hits especially hard if you were raised religious. Also been all-in on Burning Crusade pre patch which fucks hard; skipped it the last time but hoping to at least hit 70 and do some 5mans this time.
I was really feeling it in 2021 man
January 13, 2026 at 7:56 PM
I was really feeling it in 2021 man
Late Christmas present to myself, finally got an OG Xbox—time to drown out the perpetual sense of impending doom with some JSR Future
January 12, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Late Christmas present to myself, finally got an OG Xbox—time to drown out the perpetual sense of impending doom with some JSR Future
The moonwells from WoW always felt kind of ethereal and mysterious to me, especially when I was younger. Running around Teldrassil as a kid on my uncle’s computer as a lvl 1 Druid was the first time I was like “this videogame shit is for real”
January 11, 2026 at 12:45 AM
The moonwells from WoW always felt kind of ethereal and mysterious to me, especially when I was younger. Running around Teldrassil as a kid on my uncle’s computer as a lvl 1 Druid was the first time I was like “this videogame shit is for real”
The thing to know about racing at this speed is that it's all skill and requires, at the very least, a quadruple-digit IQ
January 10, 2026 at 7:33 PM
The thing to know about racing at this speed is that it's all skill and requires, at the very least, a quadruple-digit IQ
MK World is weird because I think the open world mode is a dud and the wall riding/grinding isn’t nearly as prominent in casual play as I hoped it’d be but Knockout Tour is the best mode they’ve ever added and it’s not close. Game could suck ass and I’d still play it for KO Tour
January 10, 2026 at 2:24 PM
MK World is weird because I think the open world mode is a dud and the wall riding/grinding isn’t nearly as prominent in casual play as I hoped it’d be but Knockout Tour is the best mode they’ve ever added and it’s not close. Game could suck ass and I’d still play it for KO Tour
Deadlock! It’s what’s for dinner
Valve spent 2025 ripping apart Deadlock and putting it back together, and it delivered better live service than most live service games
Valve's futuristic MOBA has been figuring itself out on the fly, and I kind of prefer that to a carefully considered roadmap.
www.pcgamer.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:54 AM
Deadlock! It’s what’s for dinner
David Lynch said in an interview re:Mulholland Drive that films are roads (when asked why some of his movies linger on shots of roads and highways so much). You strap in and linearly head somewhere; where is slowly revealed. I wonder if you could capture videogames in similar language, or how
January 9, 2026 at 11:24 PM
David Lynch said in an interview re:Mulholland Drive that films are roads (when asked why some of his movies linger on shots of roads and highways so much). You strap in and linearly head somewhere; where is slowly revealed. I wonder if you could capture videogames in similar language, or how
Fuck yeah man
Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics adds Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is now available via the Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics app for Switch 2, Nintendo announced.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is now available via the Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics app for Switch 2, Nintendo announced.
Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics adds Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is now available via the Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics app for Switch 2, Nintendo announced.
www.gematsu.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:52 AM
Fuck yeah man
Suffice it to say, the police state makes American life an increasingly miserable prospect, and arguing over the minutiae of each case is a distraction and a trap. The truth—that these ICE shootings are pure evil and unacceptable—is nakedly obvious and should prompt unity and resistance
January 8, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Suffice it to say, the police state makes American life an increasingly miserable prospect, and arguing over the minutiae of each case is a distraction and a trap. The truth—that these ICE shootings are pure evil and unacceptable—is nakedly obvious and should prompt unity and resistance
F-Zero X is a perfect 10/10. With that said, genuinely fuck Big Hand
January 1, 2026 at 7:50 PM
F-Zero X is a perfect 10/10. With that said, genuinely fuck Big Hand
Reposted by Justin W
10. Finally, ending this thread with a fantastic feature by @uhhjustinwagner.bsky.social, who took my idea to profile YouTube essayist Majuular -- who's spent 2+ years exploring the Ultima games one by one -- and knocked it out of the park.
Did my best to make the page layout do it justice. 🧙♂️
Did my best to make the page layout do it justice. 🧙♂️
'A good idea, infinite drive, and lots of Diet Pepsi': How YouTube essayist Majuular's life changed course telling the story of Ultima across 2 years and more than 20 hours of documentaries
What's it take to make "a real contender?"
www.pcgamer.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:43 PM
10. Finally, ending this thread with a fantastic feature by @uhhjustinwagner.bsky.social, who took my idea to profile YouTube essayist Majuular -- who's spent 2+ years exploring the Ultima games one by one -- and knocked it out of the park.
Did my best to make the page layout do it justice. 🧙♂️
Did my best to make the page layout do it justice. 🧙♂️
My last big feature of 2025. This was the year I switched to writing about games almost exclusively and it’s been an incomparable opportunity to learn and improve. It is an incredible gift that I can cap off the year with a lengthy profile talking about games and the stories players tell about them.
'A good idea, infinite drive, and lots of Diet Pepsi': How YouTube essayist Majuular's life changed course telling the story of Ultima across 2 years and more than 20 hours of documentaries
What's it take to make "a real contender?"
www.pcgamer.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:21 PM
My last big feature of 2025. This was the year I switched to writing about games almost exclusively and it’s been an incomparable opportunity to learn and improve. It is an incredible gift that I can cap off the year with a lengthy profile talking about games and the stories players tell about them.
Reposted by Justin W
CHRISTMAS NiGHTS INTO DREAMS
SONIC TEAM 1996
SEGA SATURN
SONIC TEAM 1996
SEGA SATURN
December 25, 2025 at 12:05 AM
CHRISTMAS NiGHTS INTO DREAMS
SONIC TEAM 1996
SEGA SATURN
SONIC TEAM 1996
SEGA SATURN
Power’s out, time to play videogames the way they did in the Before Times
December 24, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Power’s out, time to play videogames the way they did in the Before Times
Reposted by Justin W
Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
I had five fascinating conversations for this RPS piece, gathering perspectives on genAI chatbots in games, as seen in Where Winds Meet. Thanks to @meghna.bsky.social, @pyrofoux.bsky.social, @maxkreminski.bsky.social, and @chrisgardiner.bsky.social www.rockpapershotgun.com/horrible-bor...
"Horrible", "boring", and "cheap": Experts pan new chatbot NPCs, but some leave room for optimism
We speak to a collection of developers and AI experts about the potential impact of LLM-powered NPCs in videogames.
www.rockpapershotgun.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
My GOTY list now that I’ve played some more stuff
December 23, 2025 at 6:18 PM
My GOTY list now that I’ve played some more stuff
As I practice the art of list making for an upcoming article (and because making lists is fun), here are my top 4 movies
December 22, 2025 at 7:40 PM
As I practice the art of list making for an upcoming article (and because making lists is fun), here are my top 4 movies
The Series X controller d-pad makes every other d-pad feel like shit from a butt
December 22, 2025 at 6:57 PM
The Series X controller d-pad makes every other d-pad feel like shit from a butt
Just learned about BioMenace remastered. God I have seen what you’ve done for others and i want it for Commander Keen
December 22, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Just learned about BioMenace remastered. God I have seen what you’ve done for others and i want it for Commander Keen
Turning all my Deadlock lobbies into an absolute bastion of cheer and goodwill
December 22, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Turning all my Deadlock lobbies into an absolute bastion of cheer and goodwill
I enjoy writing stories about The Cainiac’s videos because the discussions in the comments are usually pretty chill and thoughtful! I think the photo of a man with a bag on his head defuses any tension
Nobody can agree what an 'immersive sim' is, but OG Fallout lead Tim Cain has his own definition: 'The very elements that make something an immsim are the ones that I also think make good RPGs'
Lots of games are immersive, lots of games are simulations, but which ones nail both qualities a la Deus Ex?
www.pcgamer.com
December 21, 2025 at 12:27 AM
I enjoy writing stories about The Cainiac’s videos because the discussions in the comments are usually pretty chill and thoughtful! I think the photo of a man with a bag on his head defuses any tension
Not exactly a thrilling playthrough today (these games are long before my time) but still quite a cozy, kind of beautiful RPG. Sega Ages version is great. If you just play one Phantasy Star, I'd go with 4.
Phantasy Star was released 38 years ago!
One of the most influential series in the early days of "JRPGs", pushing narrative and characters writing forward, while featuring an original science-fantasy setting.
Also one of the first games with a female protagonist, Alis Landale!
One of the most influential series in the early days of "JRPGs", pushing narrative and characters writing forward, while featuring an original science-fantasy setting.
Also one of the first games with a female protagonist, Alis Landale!
December 20, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Not exactly a thrilling playthrough today (these games are long before my time) but still quite a cozy, kind of beautiful RPG. Sega Ages version is great. If you just play one Phantasy Star, I'd go with 4.
It has been interesting to watch Clair Obscur discourse on X devolve into howling madness after I got a lot of flak for saying I thought the game was basically fine in my review on release. I feel like in 10 years we will all wonder why such a Normal ass game was worth the fuss
December 20, 2025 at 6:53 PM
It has been interesting to watch Clair Obscur discourse on X devolve into howling madness after I got a lot of flak for saying I thought the game was basically fine in my review on release. I feel like in 10 years we will all wonder why such a Normal ass game was worth the fuss