• Activity
  • Votes
  • Comments
  • New
  • All activity

    4. Digital Detox discussion: November 2026

      ~life Ask
      The goal of the monthly Digital Detox topic is: to evaluate and potentially address toxic or controlling aspects of tech in ways are meaningful for you Please make this topic what you want it to...

      The goal of the monthly Digital Detox topic is:

      to evaluate and potentially address toxic or controlling aspects of tech in ways are meaningful for you

      Please make this topic what you want it to be. There's no right or wrong way to post in it.

      All people posting in this topic will be automatically added to the Digital Detox notification list. If you do NOT want to be added to the list, please let me know in your comment.

      Monthly Discussion Starter: What media (books, podcasts, videos, etc.) do you recommend that portray problems with modern technology and/or solutions to them?

      21 votes

    10. November 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion

      ~games Text 246 words
      Week 3 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! Quick links: Backlog Bingo Site Week 1 Discussion Week 2 Discussion Week 2 Recap 10 participants played 10...

      Week 3 has begun!

      • Post your current bingo cards.
      • Continue updating us on your games!

      Quick links:

      Week 2 Recap

      • 10 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 27 games out of their backlogs.
      • There were 0 bingo wins.
      • Tongues have played an important part in 7% of games played so far (3 out of 45).

      Game List:

      Week 1 Recap

      8 participants played 8 bingo cards and moved 18 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins

      • The games played spanned a period of 33 years: from Ecco the Dolphin (1992) to Mohrta (2025)

      Game List:

      7 votes

    17. CGA-2026-11 🌍️🪀 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Mother 3

      ~games Text 1069 words
      Introduction There are some people who, when you mention the title Mother 3, feel a warmth in their heart and a stirring in their soul. And then there is everyone else who, when you mention the...

      Introduction

      There are some people who, when you mention the title Mother 3, feel a warmth in their heart and a stirring in their soul.

      And then there is everyone else who, when you mention the same title, go "huh?"

      The Mother series holds a cult-classic status: strongly beloved by those familiar with it, but often completely unknown otherwise. Part of the reason it's somewhat unknown is that the series itself has a somewhat storied and scattered pattern of releases, while the other is that it's known by completely different names depending on where you are in the world: Mother for some, EarthBound for others.

      Stay with me for a moment as we break down the series' release history:

      • 1989: Mother releases in Japan for the Famicom
      • 1989: English localization of Mother is completed but never released
      • 1994: Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū releases in Japan for the Super Famicom
      • 1995: English localization of Mother 2 releases as EarthBound
      • 2003: Mother 1+2 compilation releases in Japan for the Game Boy Advance
      • 2006: Mother 3 releases in Japan for the Game Boy Advance
      • 2008: Unofficial English localization of Mother 3 releases
      • 2015: English localization of Mother releases for Wii U Virtual Console as EarthBound Beginnings

      So, for Japanese audiences, the game had 3 releases spanning 17 years:

      • Mother (1989)
      • Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū (1994)
      • Mother 3 (2006)

      For the rest of the world, the game has only had two releases, out of order, spanning 20 years:

      • EarthBound (Mother 2) (1995)
      • EarthBound Beginnings (Mother) (2015)

      To date, there is no official non-Japanese release of Mother 3. English-speaking audiences have been using this fan translation.

      I have never played any of the Mother/EarthBound games and don't actually know very much about them myself. As our default host this month, I wish I had more to offer, but I hope to learn more as I play. If anyone else wants to chime in with background info, tips, or stories about the series, I'm sure it would be worthwhile as we settle in to explore this month's much-beloved yet still under-appreciated game.

      Mother 3

      Versions: JP, EN Fan Translation

      Platforms: Game Boy Advance

      Genre(s): RPG

      Links: Mobygames, Wikipedia

      Stores: eBay, Nintendo Switch Online JP

      Game Setup

      The main purpose of this topic is to get people up and running with the game. As such, it's recommended that you:

      • Share which version of the game you're playing
      • Share what hardware you're playing it on
      • Share if there are any tools/mods that you recommend
      • Share anything you think is important for people to know before they start the game
      • Ask questions if you need help

      Another purpose of this topic is to revisit the game and its time period:

      • Do you have any memories or associations with this game itself?
      • What about its system or era?
      • What aspects of retro gaming were common at the time?
      • What other games from the same time period are you familiar with?
      • What are you expecting from this game in particular?

      Finally, this topic is the beginning discussion for people starting to play it:

      • Post updates sharing your thoughts as you play.
      • Ask for help if you get stuck.
      • Offer help to others.

      It is recommended that you reply to your own posts if you are making consecutive updates so that they are in the same thread.

      Important

      • Any links to the game should be legal distributions of the game only. Please do NOT link to any unauthorized copies.

      • Put any spoilers in a dropdown block. Copy/paste the block below if needed.

      <details>
<summary>Spoilers</summary>
 
Spoiler text goes here.
</details>

      FAQ

      What is CGA?

      Colossal Game Adventure (CGA) is Tildes' retro video game club.

      Each month we will play a different retro game/games, discuss our thoughts, and bask in the glorious digital experiences of yesteryear!

      Colossal Game Adventure is a reference to Colossal Cave Adventure. It's one of the most influential games of all time, one of the first text-based interactive games, and one of the first games to be shared online.

      What do we want to do with this group? Play influential games; interact with each other through text; and share the love for retro games online!

      It also abbreviates to CGA (because we love chunky pixel art), and its name communicates the Colossal amount of fun and excitement that we have with retro video Games in our shared Adventure of playing them together.

      Do I have to sign up?

      No. Participation is open to all.

      There is a Notification List that will get pinged each time a new topic goes up. If you would like to join that list, please PM u/kfwyre.

      Are there restrictions on what/how to play?

      Each month will have a focus game or games that will guide our discussions. Beyond that, there are no restrictions. The philosophy of CGA is to play in a way that works for you!

      This means:

      • Choose whichever version of the game you want.
      • You can use cheats, save states, mods, etc.
      • You can watch a streamer or longplay instead of playing it.

      If you have already played a game and want a different experience:

      • Try a randomizer or challenge run.
      • Play a different version of it.
      • Play a related game (sequel, spiritual successor, something inspired by it, etc.)

      There is no wrong way to participate in CGA, and every different way someone participates will make for more interesting discussions.

      What is the schedule?

      Each month the Insert Cartidge topic will be posted on the 1st, while the Remove Cartridge topic will be posted on the 28th.

      Nomination and voting topics will happen in March and September (every 6 months).

      Schedules are also posted then.

      All CGA topics are available using the colossal game adventure tag.

      What do Insert and Remove Cartridge mean?

      Inserting and removing cartridges are our retro metaphor for starting and stopping a given game or games.

      The Insert Cartridge topic happens at the beginning of the month and is primarily about getting the game up and running.

      The Remove Cartridge topic happens toward the end of the month and is primarily about people reflecting on the game now that they've played it.

      There are no hard restrictions on what has to go in either topic, and each can be used to discuss the game, post updates, ask questions, etc.

      16 votes

    23. Share something niche!

      ~talk Ask (survey)
      How about something different from the usual popular topics on the frontpage for a change. What's going on in your far-away corner of the web (edit: and outer world)? Don't worry if that thing you...

      How about something different from the usual popular topics on the frontpage for a change. What's going on in your far-away corner of the web (edit: and outer world)? Don't worry if that thing you care about might be seen as too small, boring or out-of-place. If you're excited about it, let me know :)

      20 votes

    29. November 2026 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion

      ~games Text 132 words
      Week 2 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 2 has begun!

      • Post your current bingo cards.
      • Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 1 Recap

      8 participants played 8 bingo cards and moved 18 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins

      • The games played spanned a period of 33 years: from Ecco the Dolphin (1992) to Mohrta (2025)

      Game List:

      14 votes

    33. Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of November 15

      ~games Text 93 words
      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week! Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle...

      Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week!

      Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle are most worth my attention?”

      Rules:

      • No grey market sales
      • No affiliate links

      If posting a sale, it is strongly encouraged that you share why you think the available game/games are worthwhile.

      All previous Save Point topics

      If you don’t want to see threads in this series, add save point to your personal tag filters.

      2 votes

    43. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      ~movies Ask
      Warning: this post may contain spoilers

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.

      Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.

      9 votes

    44. What's your favorite action scene?

      ~talk Ask (survey)
      Could be a movie, could be a game, and for whatever reason: Cool explosions, fights, disasters, CGI, you name it. Hell, maybe it managed to tie the action in question into the story or setting...

      Could be a movie, could be a game, and for whatever reason: Cool explosions, fights, disasters, CGI, you name it. Hell, maybe it managed to tie the action in question into the story or setting unusually well. That counts too. Links to view the scenes are obviously appreciated, but if you can't find one, don't sweat it!

      I got inspired to ask this one in part because I've been rewatching some of my favorites from movies recently, and in part because I'm a huge fan of games that focus on having as many giant explosions as they can muster. So I figured a good way to find some more stuff like this might be to post about it! And it gives me an excuse to share my own favorites, which I have trouble not talking about, truth be told. (I'll save that for a top-level comment, though)

      42 votes

    45. What have you been listening to this week?

      ~music Ask (survey)
      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as...

      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as well, we'd love to see your hauls :)

      Feel free to give recs or discuss anything about each others' listening habits.

      You can make a chart if you use last.fm:

      http://www.tapmusic.net/lastfm/

      Remember that linking directly to your image will update with your future listening, make sure to reupload to somewhere like imgur if you'd like it to remain what you have at the time of posting.

      8 votes

    47. What programming/technical projects have you been working on?

      ~comp Ask (survey)
      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's...

      This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's interesting about it? Are you having trouble with anything?

      9 votes