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Thomas Nickel

@tapirfortuna

Writer, teaching game design & history. M!- & book-author, occasional Retronaut and dabbling in localization. Also somewhat making games - http://coria.itch.io/coria! Fck nazis, fck bigots. he/him

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09.08.2023
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Latest posts by Thomas Nickel @tapirfortuna

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Burgertime with @try4ce.bsky.social and @dark1x.bsky.social during my teaching-break. That Burger Hannes in Wiesbaden makes some amazing smashburgers!

09.03.2026 15:35 πŸ‘ 17 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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20 years ago, a port of the first two Sakura Wars games came to the PSP in Japan - and despite attemps to finally localize those amazing games, Sony is said to have blocked the attempt in one of their harebrained US-schemes. Well - good thing there are excellent translation-patches for Saturn today!

09.03.2026 08:06 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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It's done - all articles for the upcoming issue of M! Games are finished and handed in. ThereΒ΄s some nice reviews and specials to look forward to when itΒ΄s in stores in 10 days or so!

08.03.2026 20:05 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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With Street Fighter II turning 35 these days, this is my choice for #randomgamesaturday. As arcades and game centers were not really a thing in Germany, my first contact with the game was the SuFami/SNES-port. After some initial scepticism, I really got into it and I love the series to this day!

07.03.2026 10:36 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

This is one of the most stupid things IΒ΄ve seen in a long time and whoever came up with the idea for this "aptitude test" should be beaten over the head with a bag full of doorknobs.

06.03.2026 15:08 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Und was ist mit den beiden?

06.03.2026 02:24 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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... the game is already sold out and a ton of people came in and asked for it". Nintendo and TPC might have a real hit on their hands. IΒ΄m excited for the sales-numbers next week! Until then, IΒ΄ll keep building and crafting. Maybe IΒ΄ll have some fun and make Pinsir and Heracross move in together!

05.03.2026 16:26 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Indeed, I joined a friend today when they did exactly that: Went into town to buy a Switch 2 and a copy of Pokopia. One store was sold out, the Media Markt had three copies left and the local independant gamestore owner said: "I didn't expect much and just ordered a normal amout of copies...

05.03.2026 16:26 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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... already and I'm convinced, that this game will be a tremendous success with lots of longevity. IΒ΄ll even go one further: Following the discourse among my friends an other people I know, this seems to be the game that makes a lot of sceptics seriously consider finally buying a Switch 2.

05.03.2026 16:26 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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#PokΓ©mon #Pokopia is out and it's a tremendous game. You can clearly feel the DNA of Dragon Quest Builders, but it is MUCH less chatty than DQB2. ThereΒ΄s bigger worlds and more freedom and tons of fun PokΓ©mon, combat was left out and I don't miss it at all. I put in a ton of hours for my review...

05.03.2026 16:26 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Well, why not! Just a pity they only have the stupid US-cover of Musha Aleste and not the awesome japanese one. Also it seems like Sakura Wars 3 wasn't in the system, so I went with the first one. Which is also brilliant. my9games.com

05.03.2026 08:35 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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And besides, it's always nice being in Strasbourg - it's just a wonderful city and the amazing weather also did its part.

04.03.2026 14:19 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I got me a nice copy of Hokkaidō Rensa Satsujin: Okhotsk ni Kiyu - an adventure-game by the legendary Yuji Horii, which he wroter after the first Dragon Quest. A nice find, I think and very affordable.

04.03.2026 14:19 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Yesterday was spent in Strasbourg - sightseeing, eating, shopping - the full program. I went there with @dark1x.bsky.social, @try4ce.bsky.social and @calistri.bsky.social; we climbed the cathedral took some great pictures and also visited the amazing Little Tokyo.

04.03.2026 14:19 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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The PlayStation 2 turns 26 today! When it was released, I wasn't such a big fan - quite a few games on Dreamcast simply looked better. Still, once developers came to grips with the unique hardware, the PS2 become an absolute powerhouse - the amount of amazing games on PS2 is mindboggling.

04.03.2026 14:11 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
PokΓ©mon, Horror & Messepreise
PokΓ©mon, Horror & Messepreise YouTube video by gatorchen

Podcast-Time! Our new episode is out and this one is a bit more freestyle - wanna hear us talk about Resident Evil 9 and Pokopia? Tune in! Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3Mtu... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/p... YouTube: youtu.be/_wfgUpM6Ugc?...

03.03.2026 18:13 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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American Cooking Simulator: Multiplayer πŸ¦…πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ The Most Patriotic Cooking Sim of all TIME! A chaotic co-op cooking game where you cook burgers with GUNS

Friends, friends, friends! You need a timeline cleanser: Right now, the Kickstarter for the American Cooking Simulator has gone live! This crazy co-op cooking game by an adorable student team lets you cook burgers... using guns! Play the demo! Back it now! You won't regret it. #kickstarter #indiedev

03.03.2026 16:09 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
American Cooking Simulator: Multiplayer πŸ¦…πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ The Most Patriotic Cooking Sim of all TIME! A chaotic co-op cooking game where you cook burgers with GUNS

My Friends Just Started their First Kickstarter: American cooking Simulator Multiplayer. Take a Look and Support this Young, amazing Team! www.kickstarter.com/projects/fre...

03.03.2026 15:11 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Yay, mail from Japan! With this and Rave Racer, it feels almost like arcade-racing is finally back!

02.03.2026 12:34 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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It's #randomgamesaturday and here's Hana Taka Daka!? - a fun Taito-STG for PC-Engine. I frankenstein'd my copy from an empty box I found in Germany (5€) and a card from Japan (more).

28.02.2026 15:51 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

i think 2026 is probably the worst year of video games ever and it isnt because the games are bad its because people have for some reason started to engage with every single game that comes out in the most aggressively and wrongheadedly negative way possible. its genuinely pathetic

27.02.2026 17:28 πŸ‘ 999 πŸ” 126 πŸ’¬ 93 πŸ“Œ 6
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M2 is here - so follow these fine folks, okay? @mtwo-game.bsky.social

27.02.2026 19:11 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It's all about the bird with the attack-eyebrows.

27.02.2026 14:39 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I like them. The eyebrow-bird might be my favorite. Although the other two are cool as well.

27.02.2026 14:32 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

VERY IMPORT PSA - DROP EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW AND LEAVE THE WONDERFUL FOLKS FROM M2 A FOLLOW!! bsky.app/profile/mtwo...

27.02.2026 10:23 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

If you want to see what a REALLY good arcade-port looks like, look no further. M2 are absolute masters of their craft and Kyukyoku TigerHeli is proof of that.

27.02.2026 10:15 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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While I wouldn't call myself a hardcore fan, a visit to the PokΓ©mon Center in Ikebukuro is a firm part of every trip to Tokyo. ItΒ΄s just such a fun place and friends always order something from there.

27.02.2026 08:29 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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30 years of #PokΓ©mon - the japanese originals came out on this day in 1996. For quite a while, we were wondering about that "Pocket Monster"-game that clogged up japanese sales-charts. I certainly did not expect it to come west. When it did, well... I could see why it was such a big thing.

27.02.2026 08:29 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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15 years of 3DS in Japan! This little handheld had a pretty wild Story from it's announcment to it's release, price-drop, Updates and it's success after that. I quite like the original model still. It looks and feels really nice ans the 3D-effect was pretty cool. More thoughts on the EU-anniversary.

26.02.2026 17:45 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It's quite wonderful. A Capcom 3d Arena fighter. It's also on modern system now.

26.02.2026 15:29 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0