James Cunningham
@jamesac68.bsky.social
I've been writing for Hardcore Gamer since its first issue in 2005, which may be a long time to do anything but it hasn't gotten boring yet. james (at) hardcoregamer (dot) com
Really looking forward to Factory Town 2. @easmussen.bsky.social's first Factory Town was a bit rough in the UI department but still a lot of fun once you got used to it, and I can't wait to do it all again with new automation toys in a tropical setting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEcR...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEcR...
Factory Town 2: Paradise [Official Trailer]
YouTube video by 82apps
www.youtube.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Really looking forward to Factory Town 2. @easmussen.bsky.social's first Factory Town was a bit rough in the UI department but still a lot of fun once you got used to it, and I can't wait to do it all again with new automation toys in a tropical setting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEcR...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEcR...
Embargoed trailer so I'm not going to grumble about the game but I can say that any time I see this type of run animation I die on the inside. Stop it, it's stupid! Let your character have some dignity rather than being defined by a trope refined beyond the point of anything any human has ever done.
November 12, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Embargoed trailer so I'm not going to grumble about the game but I can say that any time I see this type of run animation I die on the inside. Stop it, it's stupid! Let your character have some dignity rather than being defined by a trope refined beyond the point of anything any human has ever done.
Someday I'm going to make a list of "I love everything about this game except playing it" games.
This thought brought to you by seeing mention of The Outer Wilds, which I'm sure I'll give a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th chance later on.
This thought brought to you by seeing mention of The Outer Wilds, which I'm sure I'll give a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th chance later on.
November 11, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Someday I'm going to make a list of "I love everything about this game except playing it" games.
This thought brought to you by seeing mention of The Outer Wilds, which I'm sure I'll give a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th chance later on.
This thought brought to you by seeing mention of The Outer Wilds, which I'm sure I'll give a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th chance later on.
I know this review is taking some heat but to me it looks perfectly reasonable. Arc Raiders used AI? Ok, 2-star penalty. Everything is great but it uses AI is like a Michelin 3-star meal with just a bit of dogshit on the plate. It tinges everything. The correct amount of dogshit is zero.
For Arc Raiders to ride the wave of human sociability all the way to the bank, while also being so contemptuous of the thing that makes us social animals in its own workflow demonstrates a lack of artistic integrity that I find impossible to ignore.
Our review: https://bit.ly/49bVn01
Our review: https://bit.ly/49bVn01
November 11, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I know this review is taking some heat but to me it looks perfectly reasonable. Arc Raiders used AI? Ok, 2-star penalty. Everything is great but it uses AI is like a Michelin 3-star meal with just a bit of dogshit on the plate. It tinges everything. The correct amount of dogshit is zero.
I hate that I'm pleasantly surprised by the news the Supreme Court has upheld gay marriage, but also I'm very happy the Supreme Court has upheld gay marriage. It shouldn't feel like a victory but somehow it does.
apnews.com/article/supr...
apnews.com/article/supr...
Supreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide
The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
apnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
I hate that I'm pleasantly surprised by the news the Supreme Court has upheld gay marriage, but also I'm very happy the Supreme Court has upheld gay marriage. It shouldn't feel like a victory but somehow it does.
apnews.com/article/supr...
apnews.com/article/supr...
It's finally time for water in @keengamesstudio.bsky.social's Enshrouded! The major update, Wake of Water, has landed bringing in water as a physical in-game object, plus a new biome featuring plenty of watery exploration. And a complete rework of all weapons, too!
hardcoregamer.com/swimming-in-...
hardcoregamer.com/swimming-in-...
Swimming In the Depths as Enshrouded's Wake of Water Releases
The big feature for Enshrouded's Wake of Water update is exactly what the title states, which is an all-new biome with a tropical water theme.
hardcoregamer.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
It's finally time for water in @keengamesstudio.bsky.social's Enshrouded! The major update, Wake of Water, has landed bringing in water as a physical in-game object, plus a new biome featuring plenty of watery exploration. And a complete rework of all weapons, too!
hardcoregamer.com/swimming-in-...
hardcoregamer.com/swimming-in-...
Mmmm…. Dangerous!
November 9, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Mmmm…. Dangerous!
A couple of weeks back I had the chance to go to Los Angeles or San Francisco for a two separate November press events. I was tempted to do both, honestly, because it's been a long while since the last one. Then I realized that might be a bad idea with the government shutdown and decided against it.
November 8, 2025 at 4:11 AM
A couple of weeks back I had the chance to go to Los Angeles or San Francisco for a two separate November press events. I was tempted to do both, honestly, because it's been a long while since the last one. Then I realized that might be a bad idea with the government shutdown and decided against it.
If GTA had kept on with the San Andreas style I might care that GTAVI is delayed. GTAIV and GTAV both made it very clear I'm not needed there any more so it was nice while it lasted.
Also, union busting Take 2 can fuck aaaaaaaaaaaaall the way off.
Also, union busting Take 2 can fuck aaaaaaaaaaaaall the way off.
November 7, 2025 at 1:12 AM
If GTA had kept on with the San Andreas style I might care that GTAVI is delayed. GTAIV and GTAV both made it very clear I'm not needed there any more so it was nice while it lasted.
Also, union busting Take 2 can fuck aaaaaaaaaaaaall the way off.
Also, union busting Take 2 can fuck aaaaaaaaaaaaall the way off.
There we go! Can't wait to find out more.
🥁 Feel the beat. Own the stage.
CRKD Drums - Coming 2026.
👉 Sign up to be notified: https://go.crkd.gg/drums
CRKD Drums - Coming 2026.
👉 Sign up to be notified: https://go.crkd.gg/drums
November 6, 2025 at 5:56 PM
There we go! Can't wait to find out more.
Election day, but thanks to early voting I don't have anything else I need to do. Only two questions on my ballot and one of them was a voter restriction measure that would have limited my early-voting ability, so that was a big old No.
November 4, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Election day, but thanks to early voting I don't have anything else I need to do. Only two questions on my ballot and one of them was a voter restriction measure that would have limited my early-voting ability, so that was a big old No.
Well that went well/poorly. Good for the Vectrex and I still need one, but I was there 2 minutes after the Kickstarter went live and the Kickstarter back-end was overwhelmed. No Founders/Early Bird for me, it just got stuck loading forever. Thanks, Kickstarter. Big help there.
🕹️ VECTREX MINI KICKSTARTER 🕹️
Vectrex Mini Kickstarter is live!! The legendary vector console is back, now in a mini size!
Support the project 👉
www.kickstarter.com/projects/185...
Vectrex Mini Kickstarter is live!! The legendary vector console is back, now in a mini size!
Support the project 👉
www.kickstarter.com/projects/185...
Vectrex Mini
The best vector console is back!
www.kickstarter.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Well that went well/poorly. Good for the Vectrex and I still need one, but I was there 2 minutes after the Kickstarter went live and the Kickstarter back-end was overwhelmed. No Founders/Early Bird for me, it just got stuck loading forever. Thanks, Kickstarter. Big help there.
Ugh, just saw the “…but if I kill you, I’ll be no different from you.” trope. It’s not the stupidest trope out there but it’s definitely near the top of the pile.
November 3, 2025 at 4:42 AM
Ugh, just saw the “…but if I kill you, I’ll be no different from you.” trope. It’s not the stupidest trope out there but it’s definitely near the top of the pile.
I've been having a great time with @ivysly.com's Evil Egg, a classic arena twin-stick shooter. Tons of enemies, excellent power-up system, and a super-chunky pixel style that gets wonderfully messy as enemies get splattered across the rooms.
hardcoregamer.com/freebie-twin...
hardcoregamer.com/freebie-twin...
Freebie Twin-Stick Arena Shooter Evil Egg Tears Into Release
The latest game serving as a love letter to the arena twin-stick shooter is a chunky-pixel freebie that just released on Steam and Itch.io, Evil Egg.
hardcoregamer.com
November 1, 2025 at 9:07 PM
I've been having a great time with @ivysly.com's Evil Egg, a classic arena twin-stick shooter. Tons of enemies, excellent power-up system, and a super-chunky pixel style that gets wonderfully messy as enemies get splattered across the rooms.
hardcoregamer.com/freebie-twin...
hardcoregamer.com/freebie-twin...
Me: Yay, final paragraph and I’ll have this article written!
Wind: Ha-ha! There goes your power!
Wind: Ha-ha! There goes your power!
November 1, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Me: Yay, final paragraph and I’ll have this article written!
Wind: Ha-ha! There goes your power!
Wind: Ha-ha! There goes your power!
While it can't match its AAA predecessor with AAA budget, @thqnordic.com's Wreckreation is still a great time. Full-on aggressive racing in a wide-open map built for turning into an epic stunt-racer playground, or whatever else you use its tools to design.
hardcoregamer.com/review-wreck...
hardcoregamer.com/review-wreck...
Review: Wreckreation
There's a huge amount of fun to be had tearing up the countryside in Wreckreation's open-world aggressive racer.
hardcoregamer.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:12 PM
While it can't match its AAA predecessor with AAA budget, @thqnordic.com's Wreckreation is still a great time. Full-on aggressive racing in a wide-open map built for turning into an epic stunt-racer playground, or whatever else you use its tools to design.
hardcoregamer.com/review-wreck...
hardcoregamer.com/review-wreck...
Really clear rainbow-arc thingy in the clouds-
October 28, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Really clear rainbow-arc thingy in the clouds-
Accidentally posted about politics elsewhere and now I'm being told I should vote for the guy who only got rid of his Nazi tattoo when it impacted his campaign, rather than the woman in her mid-70s who did good work as governor. You'd think I'd know better than to talk politics online.
October 28, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Accidentally posted about politics elsewhere and now I'm being told I should vote for the guy who only got rid of his Nazi tattoo when it impacted his campaign, rather than the woman in her mid-70s who did good work as governor. You'd think I'd know better than to talk politics online.
I know everyone loves Balatro but every time I look at it I see the poker theme and Nope on out of there. I know it's not a poker/gambling game, but the theme is enough to keep me away. Kind of like westerns, which is another theme/setting that's an interest x 1/3 debuff.
October 28, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I know everyone loves Balatro but every time I look at it I see the poker theme and Nope on out of there. I know it's not a poker/gambling game, but the theme is enough to keep me away. Kind of like westerns, which is another theme/setting that's an interest x 1/3 debuff.
This went up when I was away- Full Metal Schoolgirl, ignoring the weirdly shoehorned-in pervy bits, is a pretty decent combat roguelike let down by its camera and checkpointing system. Fun when it works, then overly-punishing on run's end.
hardcoregamer.com/review-full-...
hardcoregamer.com/review-full-...
Review: Full Metal Schoolgirl
Full Metal Schoolgirl is an action-roguelike where the company Meternity Jobz has angered a couple of Japanese schoolgirls.
hardcoregamer.com
October 26, 2025 at 5:18 PM
This went up when I was away- Full Metal Schoolgirl, ignoring the weirdly shoehorned-in pervy bits, is a pretty decent combat roguelike let down by its camera and checkpointing system. Fun when it works, then overly-punishing on run's end.
hardcoregamer.com/review-full-...
hardcoregamer.com/review-full-...
Really looking forward to checking Mouseward out when I get home. Right now, though, is-
October 24, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Really looking forward to checking Mouseward out when I get home. Right now, though, is-
Reminder to myself when I get home from vacation. Win11 is still new and Copilot needs to be burned out at the roots.
October 22, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Reminder to myself when I get home from vacation. Win11 is still new and Copilot needs to be burned out at the roots.
You can’t tell me what to do!
October 21, 2025 at 5:07 PM
You can’t tell me what to do!
Going for a walk on the ocean.
October 21, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Going for a walk on the ocean.
Everyone be good this week, I’m off until Friday to Acadia National Park. Exhibits are closed but the mountains are open.
October 21, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Everyone be good this week, I’m off until Friday to Acadia National Park. Exhibits are closed but the mountains are open.