Alex Donaldson
@apzonerunner.com
Video game critic. Owner/Final Boss @RPGSite.net, Editor-at-large @Eurogamer.net, occasional freelancer & consultant.
Into: Arcade cabs, Watches, Dogs, Whisky, fighting games (esp SF), RPGs (esp FF), NFL (Rams), Lego, Poker & Blackjack
www.donaldson.zone
Into: Arcade cabs, Watches, Dogs, Whisky, fighting games (esp SF), RPGs (esp FF), NFL (Rams), Lego, Poker & Blackjack
www.donaldson.zone
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
bowser got that dog in him
In Super Mario 64, parts of Lethal Lava Land are actually made out of leather, which simply appears to be stone due to the low resolution of the textures.
November 15, 2025 at 6:37 PM
bowser got that dog in him
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
Japanese politician and Diet member Taro Yamamoto questions if Japan is a colony of the United States.
I do not know this man but find it an interesting question to ask
I do not know this man but find it an interesting question to ask
November 14, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Japanese politician and Diet member Taro Yamamoto questions if Japan is a colony of the United States.
I do not know this man but find it an interesting question to ask
I do not know this man but find it an interesting question to ask
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
Tweet
In today's Last Elixir video, we shine a spotlight on one of FFVII’s most memorable scenes. Enjoy a detailed breakdown of Dyne and Barret’s Corel Prison duel and a measured look at how it was reimagined for FFVII Rebirth.
youtu.be/cdYSAIbveN0?...
In today's Last Elixir video, we shine a spotlight on one of FFVII’s most memorable scenes. Enjoy a detailed breakdown of Dyne and Barret’s Corel Prison duel and a measured look at how it was reimagined for FFVII Rebirth.
youtu.be/cdYSAIbveN0?...
The Legacy of FFVII's Rawest Scene
YouTube video by Last Elixir Productions
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Tweet
In today's Last Elixir video, we shine a spotlight on one of FFVII’s most memorable scenes. Enjoy a detailed breakdown of Dyne and Barret’s Corel Prison duel and a measured look at how it was reimagined for FFVII Rebirth.
youtu.be/cdYSAIbveN0?...
In today's Last Elixir video, we shine a spotlight on one of FFVII’s most memorable scenes. Enjoy a detailed breakdown of Dyne and Barret’s Corel Prison duel and a measured look at how it was reimagined for FFVII Rebirth.
youtu.be/cdYSAIbveN0?...
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
Been laughing at this for about 10 minutes.
November 14, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Been laughing at this for about 10 minutes.
bruh why is the AI in Pokemon Puzzle League so brutal. I don't remember it being like this. they are absolutely destroying me
November 14, 2025 at 6:01 PM
bruh why is the AI in Pokemon Puzzle League so brutal. I don't remember it being like this. they are absolutely destroying me
Me on Metroid Prime 4. I'm concerned tbh.
"Samus, there's something interesting over there. Are you sure we don't need to use that?"
I feel my soul leave my body...
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond delivers the series' trademark gameplay - but one very annoying addition might derail the whole thing:
www.eurogamer.net/metroid-prim...
I feel my soul leave my body...
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond delivers the series' trademark gameplay - but one very annoying addition might derail the whole thing:
www.eurogamer.net/metroid-prim...
November 14, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Me on Metroid Prime 4. I'm concerned tbh.
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road has a great PC port so far and plays perfectly on Steam Deck. Our impressions: www.rpgsite.net/feature/1894...
November 13, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road has a great PC port so far and plays perfectly on Steam Deck. Our impressions: www.rpgsite.net/feature/1894...
I made a switch to cut out as much UPF as I could and regardless of if this link is certain or not what I can say is when I made the switch, even without cutting it out entirely, I instantly started feeling better in myself
Ultra-processed foods may help explain rising bowel cancer in under-50s, study suggests
Ultra-processed foods may help explain rising bowel cancer in under-50s, study suggests
Research among women finds those who eat more UPFs have greater risk of early onset of polyp that can lead to cancer
Women under 50 who have a diet high in ultra-processed foods (UPFs) stand a greater risk of having abnormal growths in their bowel that can lead to cancer, research suggests.
Ultra-processed foods are typically defined as industrially produced products that are often ready-to-eat, contain little in the way of whole foods, fibre and vitamins, and are typically high in saturated fat, sugar, salt and food additives. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I made a switch to cut out as much UPF as I could and regardless of if this link is certain or not what I can say is when I made the switch, even without cutting it out entirely, I instantly started feeling better in myself
Wrote a bit about the fascinating erosion of the delineation between console and PC, which has been happening in some form or another practically since the console's inception but feels to have accelerated with Steam's consolization moves and Microsoft declaring PCs "an Xbox"~~
Whatever Valve says about its PC-first credentials, its new Steam Machines are another step closer to obliterating the once-indelible line between console and PC
www.eurogamer.net/whatever-val...
www.eurogamer.net/whatever-val...
November 13, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Wrote a bit about the fascinating erosion of the delineation between console and PC, which has been happening in some form or another practically since the console's inception but feels to have accelerated with Steam's consolization moves and Microsoft declaring PCs "an Xbox"~~
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
Valve is doing a great job building a true gaming ecosystem with a unified OS that spans multiple devices.
If they lean into retail expansion and ramp up marketing, they could really break out of the niche space they currently occupy in hardware and compete with the big 3.
If they lean into retail expansion and ramp up marketing, they could really break out of the niche space they currently occupy in hardware and compete with the big 3.
Steam verified program is expanding to include Steam Machine and Steam Frame. If games are already Steam Deck verified, they'll automatically be verified on Steam Machine steamcommunity.com/groups/steam...
November 12, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Valve is doing a great job building a true gaming ecosystem with a unified OS that spans multiple devices.
If they lean into retail expansion and ramp up marketing, they could really break out of the niche space they currently occupy in hardware and compete with the big 3.
If they lean into retail expansion and ramp up marketing, they could really break out of the niche space they currently occupy in hardware and compete with the big 3.
The Steam Machine is absolutely a PC, but in its feature set you see Valve consolizing that experience at the same time that console offerings shift towards PC trappings too. I don't think this is a seismic 'moment'; just a beat in the continuing inevitable erosion of the line between console & PC.
Valve is shuffling towards the console space with a dinky cuboid Steam Machine. But what is it exactly? Here's everything we know www.eurogamer.net/steam-machin...
November 12, 2025 at 7:03 PM
The Steam Machine is absolutely a PC, but in its feature set you see Valve consolizing that experience at the same time that console offerings shift towards PC trappings too. I don't think this is a seismic 'moment'; just a beat in the continuing inevitable erosion of the line between console & PC.
the children yearn for the gaming cube once again
new Steam Hardware coming in 2026 store.steampowered.com/sale/hardware
-Steam Controller
-Steam Machine
-Steam Frame
-Steam Controller
-Steam Machine
-Steam Frame
November 12, 2025 at 5:58 PM
the children yearn for the gaming cube once again
In that email leak, the reveal that Epstein & Maxwell were the sort of people who'd tick the 'important' exclamation mark before sending emails. Further proof that jail is the right place
November 12, 2025 at 2:23 PM
In that email leak, the reveal that Epstein & Maxwell were the sort of people who'd tick the 'important' exclamation mark before sending emails. Further proof that jail is the right place
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
sure put this IDW comics stuff in. whatever. when's tekno coming
Get ready for a victory lap! There's more FREE content coming soon to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds!
✨ NiGHTS - December 2025
🍌 AiAi - January 2026
💥 Tangle & Whisper - February 2026
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is available now!
✨ NiGHTS - December 2025
🍌 AiAi - January 2026
💥 Tangle & Whisper - February 2026
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is available now!
November 11, 2025 at 11:19 PM
sure put this IDW comics stuff in. whatever. when's tekno coming
tbh regardless of where you land on this debate abt what is 'owed' to the future class, I don't think anything controlled by one solitary person where that person can allegedly say something like this out loud without breaking a sweat should be allowed to become this insurmountable lol
Just want you to know that when I asked Geoff why he gave the silent treatment to an open letter written by his own "future of games" program (& co-signed by 3000+ industry peers), he replied:
"Because that's my show and nobody gets to tell me how I should use my platform". 💀💀💀
"Because that's my show and nobody gets to tell me how I should use my platform". 💀💀💀
“Don’t gather some of the most brilliant activists in the industry, treat us like crap, and then expect us to do nothing about it.” After the Game Awards cancelled its Future Class programme, @alyssamerc.bsky.social talked to its former honorees
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
November 11, 2025 at 8:27 PM
tbh regardless of where you land on this debate abt what is 'owed' to the future class, I don't think anything controlled by one solitary person where that person can allegedly say something like this out loud without breaking a sweat should be allowed to become this insurmountable lol
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
In 2006 a high school English teacher asked students to write to a famous author & ask for advice.
KURT VONNEGUT - born 103yrs ago today - was the only one to respond.
His reply was a doozy.
KURT VONNEGUT - born 103yrs ago today - was the only one to respond.
His reply was a doozy.
November 11, 2025 at 10:39 AM
In 2006 a high school English teacher asked students to write to a famous author & ask for advice.
KURT VONNEGUT - born 103yrs ago today - was the only one to respond.
His reply was a doozy.
KURT VONNEGUT - born 103yrs ago today - was the only one to respond.
His reply was a doozy.
Horowitz is really just being a Fleming lore purist as ever (he has spoken negatively about the films lack of canoncial thread before), but if the people in the writers room for the new film are genuinely this thick, given by the film franchise's extremely lax rules, they're already fucked
James Bond’s death in No Time to Die is causing a nightmare for the next film. Writers are stuck because Bond “was blown to pieces.”
Anthony Horowitz, author of three 007 novels, says:
“You can't have him wake up in shower and saying it was all a dream."
radaronline.com/p/james-bond...
Anthony Horowitz, author of three 007 novels, says:
“You can't have him wake up in shower and saying it was all a dream."
radaronline.com/p/james-bond...
November 11, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Horowitz is really just being a Fleming lore purist as ever (he has spoken negatively about the films lack of canoncial thread before), but if the people in the writers room for the new film are genuinely this thick, given by the film franchise's extremely lax rules, they're already fucked
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
“Don’t gather some of the most brilliant activists in the industry, treat us like crap, and then expect us to do nothing about it.” After the Game Awards cancelled its Future Class programme, @alyssamerc.bsky.social talked to its former honorees
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
“We were effectively props”: young stars of game development feel let down by the ‘gaming Oscars’
Announced in 2020 by the Game Awards as an inclusive programme for the industry’s next generation, the Future Class initiative has now been discontinued. Inductees describe clashes with organisers and...
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:33 PM
“Don’t gather some of the most brilliant activists in the industry, treat us like crap, and then expect us to do nothing about it.” After the Game Awards cancelled its Future Class programme, @alyssamerc.bsky.social talked to its former honorees
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
A brief defence of dialogue choices (286 words):
A brief defence of dialogue choices
In games, the player needs to have something to do.
medium.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:42 PM
A brief defence of dialogue choices (286 words):
this is legitimately a travesty
「Suicaのペンギン」2026年度末をもって“卒業”へ。Suica誕生25周年を機に、新たなイメージキャラクターへバトンタッチ。作者の坂崎千春氏も感謝のコメント
https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/2511112m
https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/2511112m
November 11, 2025 at 8:41 AM
this is legitimately a travesty
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
I regret to inform you that they found drugs in the Suica penguin’s apartment
November 11, 2025 at 7:59 AM
I regret to inform you that they found drugs in the Suica penguin’s apartment
Reposted by Alex Donaldson
They used to wiretap your phones to collect this kind of information from you but now you pay for a Bluecheck and post it yourself
November 10, 2025 at 10:16 PM
They used to wiretap your phones to collect this kind of information from you but now you pay for a Bluecheck and post it yourself