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Friday Fun Thread for July 17, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Video Game Thread

Playing anything fun?

I'm playing Deus Ex. I've cleared out Liberty Island without killing anyone. Lots of baton, electric prod, pepper spray (surprisingly useful), and tranq dart usage. Fun, but time consuming way to play. I even had to take a few bullets in the process of keeping these wretches remain alive. I think I covered everything worth doing. Picked up all the weapon mods, used the account info for the ATM instead of hacking it (more credits this way), rescued Herman, etc.

The NSF commander has some good points about the plutocracy strengthening the governments and corporations while weakening the individuals.

Empires of the Undergrowth - pleasant surprise, very interesting RTS. Ant colonies as factions, underground layer for nests, surface layer for resources to contest, and perhaps invade other nests. Neat campaign framing - gene stealer ant colony in lab setting as overarching story, isolated missions between main story chapters, stylized as microdocumentaries, varied ant species in scenarios highlighting their tactics, dynamics, food sources (with narrator guiding you along, in character). Main story is more light hearted, with fun voice acting (first 60 seconds here give a good impression). The slightly indirect control over the ants can be a little annoying, but ant respawns are cheap, losses expected. Challenging, "Hard" mission difficulty is really is exactly that. Highly recommended, a lot of fun.

It's also currently a steal at 70% off.