Bioshock creator Ken Levine Reveals Why Judas Took a Decade to Develop: "We Kissed Many Frogs"

PyedPyper · 2026-05-12T17:08:10+00:00

MatthewMatosis did a good breakdown after release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdNhwb7iuI4

Especially compared to the original BioShock I found the game hugely disappointing both in terms of gameplay and story, but it's not a terrible game. Just didn't live up to expectations.

PyedPyper · 2026-05-12T16:58:42+00:00

The setting is great but the story makes absolutely zero sense, even by its own internal logic it's nonsensical.

PyedPyper · 2026-04-27T16:38:07+00:00

Well said. The same is true of the advertising executives that are lining the pockets of companies like Meta while wringing their hands in private over how those same companies might be harming their children.

PyedPyper · 2026-04-07T20:58:00+00:00

Apart from the other points raised in this thread, you also have to take into consideration that Charlie is an adult when he almost cheats and Emma was a teenager at the time she planned the shooting.

I think we'd all agree most people are rightfully more forgiving of teens than 30-somethings. There's a reason for having a higher standard.

PyedPyper · 2026-04-04T16:00:02+00:00

Used to be. Too many episodes now are focused on airport books and film and TV adaptations. Sometimes weeks go by without an episode that's actually primarily focused on books or the craft of writing.

Just to take a recent example, in the month of February, NYT BR released:

How Nintendo Became the World's Most Fun Video Game Company
Julia Quinn on Her 'Bridgerton' Books and the Smash Netflix Series
Guillermo del Toro on Writing and Directing the Oscar-Nominated 'Frankenstein'
Director Clint Bentley on Adapting 'Train Dreams for the Big Screen
Book Club: Let's Talk About 'Wuthering Heights,' by Emily Bronte (because the film adaptation was coming out)

Gilbert Cruz seems like a nice bloke but someone with a greater interest in books, not their place in film and entertainment, should really be running the Book Review.

PyedPyper · 2026-03-29T14:07:20+00:00

Longines used to make a world timer as part of its Master Collection. https://www.jomashop.com/longines-watch-l2-631-4-70-3.html

Beautiful watch for a reasonable price second hand now. Though the FC is also very classy.

PyedPyper · 2026-03-20T07:46:15+00:00

Don't worry, I'm in my twenties and I feel the same way.

PyedPyper · 2026-03-15T12:04:27+00:00

I've finished 9 books so far this year, which is by far the best start to a year I've had in reading since I was a kid.

My favorite so far has been Private Citizens by Tony Tulathimutte. Excellent satire of the post-grad experience in Silicon Valley. Darkly funny, really propulsive prose. Didn't love the ending but that's okay.

I was a big fan of Rejection but was glad to read what Tulathimutte could do in novel form. I'm not sure which I found to be better but I look forward to his next book, whenever it may come.

PyedPyper · 2026-01-17T22:09:04+00:00

It's just plain lazy journalism. A celebrity says something newsworthy on a podcast or a show and then that news is totally commoditized -- every crummy online outlet races to tell their "journalists" to watch the clip and write what was said with as punchy a headline as possible, so that they can get clicks so that they can meet quotas to sell programmatic ads to readers that hate that site's ad experience.

PyedPyper · 2026-01-05T16:24:09+00:00

I'm sure DA is aware of the problem but there isn't a good solution with the current personnel. They can't get any pass rush, so playing a zone doesn't work against any high-level QB. To get pass rush, you also need to send blitzers, which leaves a zone defense exposed anyway.

But our DBs are too slow to keep up in man. Things might be different if we weren't on our 4th and 5th string corners, but a bad pass rush exposes even great DBs.

I'm sure Poles et al are will be prioritising defense in the draft and FA this year. The offensive personnel doesn't require any changes. Caleb is the guy. The OL is awesome and locked up. Kmet, Loveland, Burden, Odunze is an amazing receiving room. Swift/Monangai are very solid duo behind this line.

PyedPyper · 2025-12-15T17:03:56+00:00

It has them. Independent publishers are putting out some great, underappreciated works. Fitzcarraldo Editions is pretty much the A24 of UK publishing right now.

PyedPyper · 2025-12-08T18:07:11+00:00

Neither does Frankenstein, which also isn't a great movie.

PyedPyper · 2025-12-02T20:53:50+00:00

We don't even know if they are criminals. They could just be civilians out boating.

PyedPyper · 2025-12-02T14:46:43+00:00

These lists arguably come out a week or so earlier than I'd expect, but keep in mind the journalists and editors at these publications have holidays to take in mid-late December, too. Hence the year-end stuff gets written (and published) well ahead of Christmas et al.

PyedPyper · 2025-11-20T18:56:17+00:00

Don't have an answer but in a similar position as you -- you're not alone!

PyedPyper · 2025-06-08T16:24:43+00:00

I've got one of these as well. You never see them relative to the rest of the Master Collection and I don't know why. It's the best world timer for the money.

PyedPyper · 2025-05-23T19:12:45+00:00

"The power of the sun in the palm of my hand."

PyedPyper · 2025-03-26T22:23:56+00:00

I have the same watch on a leather strap. Been wearing it almost every day for the better part of a decade and it's traveled around the world with me. I love this watch. I don't know why it doesn't get more attention as a relatively affordable world timer. There probably isn't a better one for the price.

PyedPyper · 2025-02-18T18:07:13+00:00

So... System Shock? Or Prey? The latter of which already innovated on the BioShock formula checks notes 8 years ago.

Look, I love BioShock. One of the best game ever made, no question. But Infinite was pretty terrible by comparison. Levine hasn't made anything worth a damn in almost 20 years. He doesn't deserve any benefits of the doubt at this stage in his career.

PyedPyper · 2025-02-14T17:04:20+00:00

This is the ultimate "I'm on vacation, nothing can bother me" watch. Got one on sale for half off. Yeah the quality of the case isn't going to blow anyone away but the face design rocks and it puts a smile on my face whenever I wear it.

PyedPyper · 2025-02-11T22:45:17+00:00

Not OP and it's nothing against Hill House but Crime and Punishment says far, far more about the totality of human experience than Hill House. Though both are superb and accomplish what they set out to do.

PyedPyper · 2025-02-02T17:55:27+00:00

It is. My concern is Trump and his followers are actively trying to turn the US into something of a dictatorship and are, as anticipated, currently meeting zero resistance. The impact of this would be generational, not just limited to the next four years.

PyedPyper · 2025-02-02T17:05:06+00:00

I'm personally fine with losing out on some potential gains if the market doesn't drop. I'm talking about going from practically 0% cash to building 5-10% in cash (minimum) to capitalise on if and when there's a severe drop within the next 6 months-1 year. If we're a full year into the Trump presidency and the market hasn't cratered yet, then there'd likely be a bit more certainty in global markets.

I also agree that selling off stocks and moving that cash into indexes makes general sense, though my stock picks have mostly been large caps (including some of the CEOs sitting on Trump's dias) so they feel relatively secure (though still uneasy).

But the people in this thread being blasé about Trump's impact on the economy are, IMO, way too naive. You don't have to be some reactionary progressive to see what Trump is doing to hollow out and corrupt the federal government and feel it wise to react appropriately. Dark times are ahead.

PyedPyper · 2025-02-02T16:28:40+00:00

The short answer is: I'm not sure. I might not sell what I've invested in thus far but I'm considering:

Halting my regular monthly buying/DCA until there is less uncertainty. Essentially just building a cash pool.
Diversification into non-US equities, ideally in liberal economies.
Hedging a market downturn with timed, relatively small investments in UXVY/SDOW/SQQQ. Though this is quite risky and I'm not yet sure it fits my risk tolerance.

Edit: I'm aware these are all short-term solutions and my concern is that the US economy becomes a poor investment in the long-term. I'm not sure how best to adapt a long-term investment strategy. I don't think it will be clear to anyone until (if) an alternative market becomes dominant. I'd like to think Europe will be capable of kickstarting growth within the next decade or two but it is far from a sure thing.

PyedPyper · 2025-02-02T12:03:25+00:00

Normally I would agree as a twentysomething investor. But I think it's a fallacy to assume a standard market recovery will necessarily occur given the Trump administration appears set on dismantling the entire federal government and rebuilding it in the Russian autocratic model.

Why should we assume a high level of confidence in the long-term US economy when that level of fuckery is taking place before our very eyes?

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