Articles

I, Billionaire

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I, Billionaire

Many of todays fashionable technologies are sold as inevitable steps toward a better future, yet their development is often driven by vanity, profit, and wishful thinking rather than necessity. From self-driving cars and Martian colonies to neural implants, AI, and bio-hacking. These projects frequently ignore practical limitations and social consequences. Science fiction may inspire innovation, but it also provides cautionary examples that todays tech evangelists seem determined to overlook.

8 April 2026

Pond-erings

5 Games If They Traded Dev's

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5 Games If They Traded Dev's

Frostpunk --- Metro 2033Assassin's Creed --- DishonoredBioShock --- Surviving MarsMegaquarium --- Power Wash SimulatorHardspace Shipbreaker --- Factorio

31 March 2026

Pond-erings

Alien: Earth

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Alien: Earth

Rather than dissecting why Alien: Earth failed, this article rebuilds it into something closer to the franchises strengths. By removing the hybrid android storyline, refocusing the narrative on the Maginot crew, and restructuring the series around the capture and containment of its alien specimens, the result is a more cohesive survival-horror mystery. Through parallel timelines, corporate intrigue, and a stronger emphasis on the creatures themselves, this reimagining aims to transform a muddled first season into a proper Alien story.

20 March 2026

Pond-erings

Chopping Block: March 12th 2026

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Chopping Block: March 12th 2026

Maneater, The Thaumaturge, White Shadows

12 March 2026

Chopping Block

Star Wars: Strong with the Force, Weak with the Logic

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Star Wars: Strong with the Force, Weak with the Logic

The Star Wars original trilogy remains a landmark of science-fiction cinema, yet decades of scrutiny highlight numerous narrative inconsistencies. A New Hope contains questionable tactical decisions and character motivations, while The Empire Strikes Back features implausible space physics, navigation gaps, and convoluted Imperial plans. Return of the Jedi introduces further tactical improbabilities in the rescue of Han Solo. Despite these flaws, the trilogys enduring influence and storytelling strength remain undisputed.

7 March 2026

Whole Plots

The Deadlands Game Design Document

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The Deadlands Game Design Document

Manage an armored truck as it travels around the zombie ravaged wilderness. In this 2D pixel art side-scroller that blends rogue lite and RTS elements in a race against the clock. Modify the truck and its multiple trailer cars, manage supplies and resources while completing missions for communities of survivors. On the roads and muddy back trails you'll need to frequently stop to deal with obstacles, breakdowns, or to salvage wreaks. But the moment the player stops zombies attracted by the noise, will attack from all sides. The player can array their truck crew with all manner of weapons and position them around and atop the truck trailers to defend while others clear obstacles or effect repairs.

2 March 2026

The Deadlands

News Update: February 2026

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News Update: February 2026

News Update: February 2026

26 February 2026

News

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Undead pirates, cursed Aztec gold, and an immortal monkey are easy enough to accept. The real fantasy in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is Jack Sparrows waterproof flintlock, a sinking dinghy that somehow keeps sailing, and a jail cell that seems to ignore engineering altogether. This deep dive picks apart the films most delightfully absurd moments while celebrating exactly why Gore Verbinskis supernatural swashbuckler remains such a wildly entertaining adventure.

21 February 2026

Whole Plots

Chopping Block: February 13, 2026

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Chopping Block: February 13, 2026

Boxes: Lost Fragments, Factorio: Krastorio 2 Mod, and The Plane Effect

13 February 2026

Chopping Block

Little Nightmares - Terror

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Little Nightmares - Terror

Dripping with dread and wrapped in the groaning steel hull of The Maw, Little Nightmares is a masterclass in atmospheric horror. Through distorted soundscapes, unsettling environmental storytelling, and the tiny silhouette of Six against monstrous adults, Tarsier Studios crafts a nightmare that lingers long after the credits roll. This isnt horror built on gore or jump scares, but tension, scale, and the suffocating feeling that something is always waiting just out of sight.

6 February 2026

Games.design

Jurassic World Rebirth

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Jurassic World Rebirth

Jurassic World Rebirth had all the right ingredientsdinosaurs, intrigue, a high-stakes missionbut somewhere along the way, it lost the plot. Beneath the spectacle is a story that almost works, if only it were given room to breathe. So instead of just tearing it down, I took a different approach: rebuild it. This is a ground-up rewrite, keeping what works, cutting what doesnt, and shaping the film into something that mightve lived up to its potential.

3 February 2026

Pond-erings

News Update: January 2026

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News Update: January 2026

News Update: January 2026

29 January 2026

News

Chopping Block: January 26th 2026

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Chopping Block: January 26th 2026

Dread Dawn, Magic Archer, and The Strange City

26 January 2026

Chopping Block

Pathfinding to Novelty

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Pathfinding to Novelty

Designing enemy AI is usually about refinementbut this time, I may have wandered into something entirely different. What started as a simple experiment for Golem Mancer has turned into a deeper exploration of adaptive systems that learn, shift, and counter the player over time. Its equal parts promising and uncertain. This is a look at that processwhere pathfinding becomes strategy, and the line between obstacle and opponent starts to blur.

20 January 2026

Golem Mancer

Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim: ES6

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Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim: ES6

Few games have the staying power of Skyrimand fewer still get as many second chances to prove it. Beneath the endless re-releases lies a sprawling, systems-driven RPG that still captivates and still cracks under pressure. This is a look at what holds up, what doesnt, and where Bethesda needs to aim next. Because if Skyrim is the foundation, then Elder Scrolls 6 has a lot to live up toand even more to fix.

14 January 2026

Games.design

Aliens: In Space, No One Can Hear Your Plot Holes

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Aliens: In Space, No One Can Hear Your Plot Holes

Aliens is revisited as both a standout sci-fi action film and a story filled with notable inconsistencies. The analysis highlights issues with the LV-426 colony timeline, Weyland-Yutanis questionable decisions, and the Colonial Marines tactical missteps, alongside smaller technical nitpicks. Despite these flaws, the films strong pacing, tight cinematography, and memorable characters reinforce its status as one of the most enduring and beloved sequesl and action films of the 1980s.

11 January 2026

Pond-erings

Chopping Block: January 8th 2026

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Chopping Block: January 8th 2026

FAR: Changing Tides, Gylt, and Noita

8 January 2026

Chopping Block

Jurassic World

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Jurassic World

Jurassic World roared into theaters as a triumphant revivalbut beneath the spectacle, the seams start to show. From baffling safety oversights to questionable science and inconsistent character logic, the film leans hard on nostalgia while quietly unraveling under scrutiny. This isnt just nitpickingits a closer look at where the illusion breaks, and how a blockbuster built on precision chaos sometimes forgets the precision part entirely.

3 January 2026

Whole Plots

News Update: December 2025

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News Update: December 2025

News Update: December 2025

31 December 2025

News

7 Games That Are Ready to Resurge

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7 Games That Are Ready to Resurge

Some games dont failthey just arrive too early, too late, or too quietly. This is a look back at a handful of titles that never got their due, despite bold ideas, cult followings, or the bones of something much bigger. From experimental mechanics to undercooked franchises, these are the games that deserved a second shot. Because sometimes the most interesting stories in gaming arent the hitstheyre the ones that never got the chance to become one.

26 December 2025

Pond-erings