No idea why, but I get a strong association between Pragmata and the 2000 game Messiah by Shiny Entertainment

At a point where Mike Patton's screaming on King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime is comfort listening

Set up the NES Mini for my 5yo. Amazing to see how much of even basic "videogame literacy" is learned, rather than intuitive or innate. She struggled with Pac-Man, never mind games like Super Mario Bros, where you have to coordinate the D-pad with the jump button

Really looking forward to this. I loved The Banished Vault

Senior illustrator, with 20 years of experience and a specialty in game art.

I haven't been able to find a paying project for months. Can you help? Every share is appreciated.

Caught up on Thief VR. It's fun, and having Stephen Russell back is amazing, but it has none of Thief's dark, brooding weirdness. I made the argument years ago that Thief was a New Weird pioneer and I'm convinced this is why the sequels can't get it right - they position it as just steampunk stealth

Very late with this, but I have a tiny thing in this month's Edge

Saw a picture of a Yorkshire hillside and initially thought it was a Witcher 4 screenshot. Need to touch grass etc

In the same way I tell people who don't know the north that I'm from Manchester, when I live 40 minutes away, I tell people who don't know SFF that I'm a Dune guy, when I prefer The Book of the New Sun

DLSS 5 Off: a blocky character with slicked back hair and large sunglasses. DLSS 5 On: Steven Seagal with slicked back hair and large sunglasses.

this is killing me lol

If I use DLSS 5 on Morrowind, does it turn it into Skyrim?

I've finally stepped out of my no-work funk and have created (big surprise!) a newsletter. It's also a website. Please read Low Poly Mess, which is home to a weekly Tom Orry Minute newsletter as a minimum. It's basic right now, but need to get something out there lowpolymess.com

The cover of a 2008 reprint of Counter-Clock World by Philip K Dick

Marathon looks like the covers of mid-00s reprints of Philip K Dick novels

Well then. After 9 years my role of Editorial Director at Eurogamer/IGNE has been made redundant. If you’re reading this and feel I have a lot of valuable experience (I do), I’m keen to explore any opportunities (full time, consulting, other) in the games industry. I am great.

The opening paragraph for the Edge 421 cover feature on No Law

@jeremypeel.bsky.social what an opening paragraph, sir!

😅😅 never thought about an OS being sexy, I must admit, but yeah, anything is hotter than Windows at this point. And the work done on Proton - which to my non-engineer brain basically looks like magic - makes me think Linux is a fully viable gaming alternative now

Finally time for me to learn Linux then...

I'm in another brilliant issue of Edge with a review. I suspect friends might be able to guess which one is mine...

I don't understand what's going on with Teletubbies lore. I thought Teletubbies were already sort of weird TV babies? Then why do they have Teletubby babies as well as Teletubbies in the new series?

Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition on Steam Rediscover the dark fantasy classic that defined the modern ARPG genre; fully remastered with a new class, fresh content, quality‑of‑life upgrades, and an overhauled endgame. Chain brutal skill and it...

I somehow managed to miss that Diablo II released on Steam yesterday and received its first DLC in [checks age] 25 years

store.steampowered.com/app/2536520/...

The removal of base taxation and an "aid package" for returning players make it tempting to go back (assuming my base hasn't been swiped off the servers after all these months)

I'm looking to speak to voice actors/voice directors for a feature I'm working on. If you're an actor/director interested in chatting about your work, or a PR with an opportunity to talk to some actors, get in touch at rick@ricklane.co.uk. Reposts appreciated.

The Bishop Berkeley "mod" for Quake 2 is out

The Banished Vault OST is brilliant. Frequently listen to it at work

Matrix Games

Good news: there is a hardcore war game about the Spanish Civil War now. Bad news (but also more good news): the manual is half the length of Hugh Thomas' mammoth history of the Spanish Civil War. I have rarely been more excited and scared simultaneously

www.matrixgames.com/game/war-in-...

List of patch notes for Pathologic 3

I think Pathologic 3 has some of my favourite patch notes, e.g. "The dramatic mirror burial mound in the Cathedral no longer pokes the killer in the butt with its shard."

In ON3 we want to showcase and mentor 6 new voices in 1000 word features. We champion long form videogame journalism, the future of print and give freelancers a fair deal. Email info@on.games by the 8/2/26 with an example of your writing and your experience to apply. on.games

#GamesJournalism

Do you care about how chicken plumage factors into game design? This, and many other insights from Warhorse, are covered in my making of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II in Edge 420.

Huge thanks to @edwardsmithwriter.bsky.social, Warhorse and their team for giving their time and bearing with me.

This is an accurate (minus death) simulation of 50% of my work conversations...