Director of https://nitter.cf/t.co/KPGbQRhkDu @Nintendo_NWR. Video guy https://nitter.cf/t.co/xlE1kvvvrf Professional Star Fox historian.
Iowa
Joined January 2011
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Got some new followers from recent Star Fox news (the best reason to gain followers) so let me introduce myself.
I'm a games journalist and part time video game historian with a specific fascination with Star Fox. I make video and documentaries. youtu.be/Ml4xe3SZ8tY?si=N_f-…
ALT https://youtu.be/iD8-gZWrxZw?si=l2_iiWN9Ysj8Ahse
ALT https://youtu.be/Ml4xe3SZ8tY?si=gbqLshR6VVdjFY4J
ALT https://youtu.be/gE8zUFdbmw8?si=nojOPLudRBMtJNAb
ALT https://youtu.be/3qlHsd7ReyE?si=UmgLrh0wF3wWcbsS
My new VGHF project is up just in time for Halloween! In it I compare and contrast the reactions/coverage of Castlevania Symphony of the Night and Castlevania 64. youtu.be/pwQOb4AjKYI
Somehow Jordan and I have become the Call of Duty team for NWR. We did not ask for this burden nor are we qualified. But we're here with some hot casual takes. youtu.be/WeUEFkJw_Gg
FYI Wild Blue Skies from Chuhai labs just shadow dropped onto the Switch eshop. I've got a copy in hand and plan to review it as soon as I can. My thoughts on the PC version are already up on NWR.
share.nsapp.nintendo.com/hom…
John Rairdin NWR retweeted
yo @TimSweenyy you should organise an AI game dev boycott where all AI game developers refuse to publish on steam and only publish on Epic
Tim Sweeney is criticizing Valve again over Steam’s requirement for developers to disclose their use of generative AI.
The Epic Games CEO called the policy “abhorrent,” arguing that developers are being forced to make a “political statement” that could be used against them by a “hate mob.”
Sweeney has been criticizing the policy since 2025, previously comparing the disclosure to a “Scarlet Letter” and arguing that AI will eventually be part of almost every game production process.
Something I've found really helpful in life is trying to avoid doing anything that incites a mob against me. Stop being mad at the mob and ask how you managed to get that many people to be mad at you.
The wall that surrounds the Gerudo fortress in Ocarina of Time is facing the wrong way. I think it's high time we talk about that. Let's get into some niche Ocarina of Time lore!
youtu.be/36QG6gHd0ME
I get what you're saying but traditional does not mean original, it means customary (as in Tradition). As the most often seen form of Zelda, (to the point that it's generally referred to as "The Zelda Formula") it would generally be considered traditional.
It's infuriating to see so many Zelda fans not know what they are talking about.
The "OOT Model" of 3D Zelda isn't the "traditional model" the original LOZ is. BOTW is a modernization of the original LOZ.
The OOT Model only came about because the technology didn't exist at the time for the devs to make a true open world LOZ like the original.
If you prefer the OOT model that is fine but don't say it's the traditional model cause it sure as hell isn't.
John Rairdin NWR retweeted
This is what I mean when I say that AI steals code the same way genAI steals art.
This quoted post is unavailable.
If you missed it yesterday, Neal Ronaghan and I took a look at the Switch 2 version of Dragon's Dogma 2 and came away pretty happy with it. youtu.be/1W9RpJYRTvQ
John Rairdin NWR retweeted
John and Neal team up to take on our review of Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen on Nintendo Switch 2 youtu.be/1W9RpJYRTvQ
For those of you not paying attention to the Iowa Gubernatorial Race, it's between a very sassy little nerd who was so good at being auditor that the governor had to nerf him, and a dude we can't seem to confirm lives in Iowa. There is a correct answer here :P
Find someone who looks at you the way Yoshi looks at Aerith
ALT https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/6cd603d2-233b-48b9-85c0-ac366f247899
scheduling roof repair is fascinating because you just never know if you're going to get a person in an office ready to schedule an appointment or a dude on a roof who 100% isn't writing anything down.
Simultaneously feels like it was written by someone who hasn't played either series while also featuring a damn good Link cosplay.
Since I'm very briefly in the end of this clip, I figure it's safe to mention that there is an interview with me as part of the Croc 2 behind the scenes content. It was awesome to be included and share my perspective on this era of video game history :)
#Croc was a hit. So, what came next? Argonaut's Jez San and Fox's David Stalker reveal how Croc 2 came to be, and games historian John Rairdin compares it to the original, in this first look at the 90-minute Croc2mentary from the Croc 2 Kingdom of the Gobbos remaster 🐊
Remember to wishlist Croc 2 Kingdom of the Gobbos, coming to PS5, PS4, Switch, XBOX Series X|S, Steam & GOG on October 29!
argonautgames.com/croc2remas…
#Croctober #Croc2
Now that we have the full soundtrack for Star Fox 2026, I went through and pulled all of the new music (not directly from Star Fox 64) into its own playlist. I tried to arrange it in an overall nice listening order. There's some great stuff in there. music.nintendo.com/shared/en…
John Rairdin NWR retweeted
Someone recreated my game with AI and is now threatening to publish it on Steam unless I pay him $200.
Obviously, I'm not paying.
First video: my actual game.
Second video: the AI-generated clone.
He apparently found my game through Twitter, fed it into an AI tool, and recreated what he saw.
Now he's asking for $200 or he'll publish it.
I’m sharing this as a heads-up because I assume I’m probably not the only indie dev he's doing this to.
I guess we have to be more careful about sharing our projects publicly now. You can spend months making a game, post it online, and someone can apparently try to recreate it with AI almost immediately.
Not gonna lie, it’s kind of funny, but also not funny at all.
#indiedev #indiegame #unity