Nic McConnell

Nic McConnell

@mcconnell.bsky.social

Bayou Billy fan account. Runs @instructionderby.bsky.social Instruction Derby: A video game manual stream! Wednesdays at noon Pacific twitch.tv/nicmcconnell He/him Works in games doing Age Ratings Posts/Opinions my own, I don’t speak for my employer

4.8K followers3.4K following22.4K posts

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Replying to @mcconnell.bsky.social

Wednesdays at noon pacific, I host a stream called Instruction Derby where I have a look at video game manuals past (and present!) and read through all the character, color and weirdness within. I’d love for you to join for Storytime! twitch.tv/nicmcconnell Wednesdays, noon Pacific

Man this demo is fun

Nic McConnell@mcconnell.bsky.social

Ratshot - holy cow this came out of nowhere and is way up top on my “games I’ve got to play” list. It’s sort of like Antonblast in that movement and momentum play a big role with a little Shotgun Cop Man platforming…but very much its own thing. The demo is brief but very much worth playing.

This was the first game I played on PlayStation - my parents got it for me alongside the console and I had no idea what it was, but I played it and immediately loved it. Heck of a game here

Gaming Hell@sarahssowertty.bsky.social

Ooh, this week's Console Archives release is pretty interesting- Raiden Project, the PS1 double-pack of Seibu Kaihatsu's Raiden and Raiden II with a cool 3D background for its menus! www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXjS...

Idk much about Toronto politics but it seems like the “tough on crime” guy got crushed. Heck yeah

The Local Magazine@thelocal.to

Results and analysis from Toronto’s municipal election—from Olivia Chow’s decisive victory, to close races for city councillor and school trustee. thelocal.to/olivia-chow-...

Nic McConnell reposted

There can never be another "water under the bridge" administration ever again, and part of that is going to involve shaming everyone on board with this one - voters included - as the disgusting pig racists they are

The Bulwark@thebulwark.com

RFK: "There's five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don't produce science. They don't win the Nobel Prize. They don't win the Fields Prize. They don't win the Wolf Prize. They don't produce literature."

Nic McConnell reposted

Let the dominoes fall, Serbia and Brazil

Ricky Davila@therickydavila.bsky.social

The people of Serbia celebrating the defeat of the dictator who held full authoritarian control of their country for nearly 14 years. This is what democracy looks like.

Are there any good English writeups about the election in Brazil? I have a general idea of what’s been going on but I’d really like to place Lula’s comeback against the backdrop of the right wing surge in the legislature and how social media played a role.

Nic McConnell reposted

So how did Lula come from behind to defeat Bolsonaro? In short, turnout. Bolsonaro's vote share barely moved. But Lula banked millions of votes from those who didn't vote in the first round & won eliminated candidates' votes. A remarkable mobilisation. Second round turnout is usually below first.

God DAMN is this good news

Bloomberg News@bloomberg.com

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came from behind to win Brazil’s runoff election, halting a right-wing wave sweeping Latin America and defying predictions that the 80-year-old political veteran had finally reached the end of his extraordinary career. bloom.bg/4BsvV24 📷: Maira Erlich/Bloomberg

Nic McConnell reposted

phenomenal news out of Serbia here’s hoping Brazil can keep their own strongman out despite blatant election interference

Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social

Read: Serbia's long-serving strongman leader conceded defeat to a diverse, student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government

Nic McConnell reposted

There was a fucking hole in our planet’s *atmosphere* Like a legit, no joke, “this will unravel our entire ecosystem” hole in the world, and then we fixed it by working together across national and political lines As a species we decided, “we will survive” Let’s do that some more

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

Can the state compel counties to ignore this? This little stunt should result in life in prison for everyone in the White House

weltschmerzing.bsky.social@weltschmerzing.bsky.social

"The letter — sent to every county in the state, according to a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles — also said local officials would “risk significant federal scrutiny” if they failed to comply to the Justice Department’s demands." www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/u...

Nic McConnell reposted

Coincidentally, I’ve noticed an uptick in families opting to dig out their old Wii or buying an old 360 w Kinect rather than buy into a new console. These are folks who don’t follow games stuff so it may not be directly tied to rising costs but it may signal a shift towards the older stuff

Chris Person@papapishu.bsky.social

Sorry still thinking of $1,200-$1,800 dollar console just conceptually. Those are Real Computer numbers. You can just get a real computer for that kinda cash. The entire premise of the console is “this is a baby computer you don’t control but it’s standardized and affordable” but they can’t do that.

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Obviously games have progressed a lot in tons of ways, but it’s easy to wrap your head around a good 360 game or Wii game if you’re a young kid or teen in a way that it just isn’t for something significantly older

Not saying young people can’t appreciate Mario 64 or Link to the Past, but doing so requires a bigger leap and level of interest beyond what I think most casual console players are open to in 2024. In conclusion I think Wii stuff is going to get expensive

Coincidentally, I’ve noticed an uptick in families opting to dig out their old Wii or buying an old 360 w Kinect rather than buy into a new console. These are folks who don’t follow games stuff so it may not be directly tied to rising costs but it may signal a shift towards the older stuff

Chris Person@papapishu.bsky.social

Sorry still thinking of $1,200-$1,800 dollar console just conceptually. Those are Real Computer numbers. You can just get a real computer for that kinda cash. The entire premise of the console is “this is a baby computer you don’t control but it’s standardized and affordable” but they can’t do that.

I think it’s unlikely that folks break out their old SNES for a number of reasons, but something like the Wii or 360…that’s an easy sell. Cheap (for now), huge libraries, works easily on modern TVs. And really, the games themselves aren’t too far off what we have now!

Nic McConnell reposted

Reason and Rhyme has been out for a week! It's a perfect game to play with a friend this weekend, we are approaching 50 positive reviews for the game, thanks to everyone who has played so far! store.steampowered.com/app/4461870/...

store.steampowered.comReason and Rhyme on SteamBirds of a feather solve puzzles together! An online co-op puzzle adventure for 2 friends (or soon-to-be-friends)
Walaber@walaber.com

Would you believe our game is built from basically just 1 texture?

Coincidentally, I’ve noticed an uptick in families opting to dig out their old Wii or buying an old 360 w Kinect rather than buy into a new console. These are folks who don’t follow games stuff so it may not be directly tied to rising costs but it may signal a shift towards the older stuff

Chris Person@papapishu.bsky.social

Sorry still thinking of $1,200-$1,800 dollar console just conceptually. Those are Real Computer numbers. You can just get a real computer for that kinda cash. The entire premise of the console is “this is a baby computer you don’t control but it’s standardized and affordable” but they can’t do that.

Universal school meals is one of the most basic, beneficial, affordable and easy to sell policies in the world and yet

Katie Bergh@katiebergh.bsky.social

About 2 million kids have lost SNAP since deep cuts were enacted last year. The ripple effects: Kids losing SNAP also lose automatic enrollment for free meals at school. And as more kids lose SNAP, their schools may be forced to drop Community Eligibility.

Nic McConnell reposted

the end of this one got an audible “holyyyyy shit” outta me

Bobby Silverman@robertsilverman.bsky.social

If you're a connoisseur of on-brand James Dolan pettiness, grudge-settling, and ham-fisted dumbassery, have I got the article for you www.nytimes.com/athletic/771...

Some cool stuff in this thread

Dominic Tarason@dominictarason.com

Okay, now the Next Fest page is set to Personalized by default, it's giving me some REAL sicko stuff (positive, laudatory even), like... RUIN: 35th ANNIVERSARY DEFINITIVE EDITION A remaster of a game that never existed.