Most - or now all, of the point & click series received fan-remakes that modernized the series up to KQVI standards, with voices, graphics, and interface.
Also, if you want more action while still doing adventure gaming stuff, give the Quest for Glory II remake a shot. It has RPG mechanics, a battle system, while still having King’s Quest style stuff. The parser is optional there, but helpful when you want to talk with NPCs.
AGDI: KQ1, KQ2, KQ3, and Quest for Glory II.
If you want a modernized remaster of Maniac Mansion (the game pictured in OP), you can play MM Deluxe. It is modeled after Day of the Tentacle’s interface.
Oh, for fans of Sierra, there is now a talkie VGA version of KQ4 - Rosella’s Peril. It came out in late 2025, so I figure those who want to experience that game without parser, that is an option.
Hopefully, Linux developers will create a tool to blacklist DRMed products from being installed. I don’t want to unwittingly install Enigma, Denuvo, Easy Anti-Cheat, and other foul things onto my machine.
Good. I want to be able to easily mod my Palworld with monstergirls after I have switched to Linux.
I am waiting for SteamOS Desktop to be a thing. It is my preference for my PC to be boring in all ways unrelated to entertainment. Yes, I already know about Cachy and Bazzite, but I would like an 800lb gaming company to be supporting my power-casual OS. Stuff like documentation, working Nvidia drivers, minimizing the need for the terminal, and so forth is important for me.
Asian games, both perverse and standard. Translation patches don’t necessarily make the internal workings of a game able to run on English locale. As to specific games, I don’t recall at the moment - I play too many.
I wouldn’t mind a Steam Whistle, if it lets me have privacy and security.
I don’t do just Steam. As said before, I sometimes use mods or play niche games, such as ones that require Japanese locale, Windows v3.1, GOG games, and so forth. While I am not a true power user, my needs definitely go beyond Steam alone. I had tried out Mint a year ago, Hero, Lutris, Mini Galaxy, and so forth failed to work smoothly with my games.
Granted. I really hope he is raising a protege to take the helm when the time comes, or divides up the Steam Kingdom and lets the best folk win.
Which is good. It is just that I don’t have much patience for troubleshooting, I prefer to just game or work. For me, I would stick to Windows if it weren’t for Microsoft likely being a bad actor.
I am waiting for SteamOS Desktop to be released before switching. I want the support of an 800lb corporate gorilla, that prioritizes gaming. I use mods and play niche games, so I need a Linux that balances casual users while allowing for some power user stuff.
I already know about Bazzite and Cachy, but again, I want the support of a focused giant who won’t die or change hands.
There are things that are probably within reach of NK, such as Taiwan. TSMC manufactures the majority of the world’s advanced microchips, and a fair chunk of the older stuff as well. NK can afford the oblivion of Taiwan, but almost everyone else would feel the shock for decades if Taiwan suddenly became a crater. To a lesser extent, the same can be said of Japan.
Mind, the Trump Regime doesn’t understand the value of Taiwan, so Kim probably couldn’t use that as a direct hostage against the US. Trump tried to extort Taiwan, asking for money or else the protection of the US could be pulled. That is just… 🤦
The key point, is that NK does have influence, it is just a question of how angry other nations would get if that stick smacks someone.
Considering the horrid state of economics and corruption in Russia, it is doubtful that their nuclear stockpile and submarines are fit for the job. Honestly, I think North Korea might have more reliable nukes, even if it is less than a handful. With Russia, it would be a fusion roulette.
IMO, the key points for handling a nuclear power is two or three things:
1: Identify potential replacement of leadership, who would be open to negotiation. They just need to see value in having dealings with other powers. It could be a gift, political legitimacy, or the threat of being removed from the census.
2: Collaborate with “outside” powers to cushion the repercussions of removing the target country’s inconvenient leadership. For example, offering aid to civilians, moving military forces around to increase or ease tension, establishing narratives, ect.
3: The actual removal of the existing leadership. Trump sent a special forces team into North Korea. That was stupid, but a carefully planned operation with a genuine goal, such as eliminating the Kim family, might work out. This assumes that China is participating, as the northern border is probably less secure against intrusion. At this point, China probably doesn’t want North Korea around, because Kim could point a missile at someplace unwanted, and unprompted.
I am not saying it to be easy, it is more about leaders having enough guts and foresight to consider such measures. Putin’s Russia certainly does some of this, considering the shadow fleets, hacking, and influencer operations. Krasnov is an example of removing leadership without even involving blood, by influencing politics from afar.
I think that is the wrong approach. North Korea is the result of what you advocate for, a people who do not know the possibility of other lifestyles. The complete isolation of a country is similar to locking up a child in a basement: It corrodes the mind and prevents escape for something better.
This isn’t to say that Russia, Israel, nor North Korea shouldn’t be impacted by their harmful characters. Instead, they should be treated like post-WW2 Japan, where outsiders force reforms. In Japan’s case, that was the dismantling of mega-corporation zaibatsu, ensuring democratic voting, removing previous leadership, reconstruction programs, and so forth.
It isn’t much different from tending a garden, where you both help and harm to ensure that the best plants get ahead of weeds.
A: Videogames are not just made by the US. As it turns out, Europe, Asia, Africa, and many other places create stuff. It is a way for people to explore other cultures, without needing a plane ticket nor permission from governments.
B: Russia isn’t known for its general prosperity for the ordinary person. Also, it is in a state of war, which means less of everything that people like. Constant reminders of what isn’t there, may speed an end to Russia’s aggression. Hopefully, things will go Nepalese.
C: Be it books, games, or movies, the fundamental crux in many of them revolves around the interactions of people. A major element of videogames is helping out people and being helped in turn, trading things, meeting folks with different ideas and appearances, ect. These are good things for people to learn.
This sucks.
However, I think it is important for Steam to continue operating in Russia: by seeing the living standards of other people across the world, younger Russians will develop those same expectations. Everyday things like furnishings, food, how people treat each other, and so forth. When the Russia we know dies, it will be important for the Russians of the future to have ideas and desires to drive them forward. Also, Russian authorities won’t be able to fully inspect ALL media for LGBTQ+, which means that people will see something that they “shouldn’t”.
In the long run, the media that people consume will determine how they feel their nation should become. It is my hope that Putin’s Russia will die in the coming years, and a better nation born from the ashes.
I like AI, and see no issue with disclosing how it is applied. People who are pro-AI would like to further hone their craft, by understanding what workflows and issues are involved. Anti-AI folk can simply avoid what they dislike. Either way, it is win-win.
I think there is a very practical reason to attribute AI contributions: AI models are improving in ability. Being able to know when and what contributed the code, would allow people to more easily deploy newer AI to examine the work of previous AI, to improve or replace it. Plus, some AI will likely be specialized in specific domains, so you wouldn’t want different agents from stepping on each other’s toes. Something oriented around GUI design, probably shouldn’t be handling graphics optimizations.
This removal of authorship will just make things more difficult in the long run.