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The Circus

A curated collection of corporate absurdity, industry clownery, spineless censorship, and peak moments of delusion.

* The Circus officially opened its doors on Jan 29, 2026.

๐Ÿ†๐Ÿ’€ Hall of Shame

The absolute peak of corporate brain rot, spineless censorship, and industry clownery.

SHAME
XLGAMES: How the mighty have fallen
๐ŸคกFull Clown Mode๐Ÿ’ฉSteaming Pile๐Ÿ’€Dead On Arrival๐Ÿ’ธCash Grab Certified๐ŸชฃSlop Served๐ŸชคBait & Switch๐Ÿชฆ๐Ÿ’€Killed The Serversโณ๐Ÿซ FOMO Machine๐Ÿšง๐Ÿš๏ธAbandoned Early Access๐Ÿ›Bug Safari๐ŸฆดBare Bones๐ŸงฑHeld Together With Tape๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธPC Port Disgrace๐ŸƒRushed Out The Doorโ™ป๏ธRecycled Assets๐Ÿ“ฆAsset Flip Energy๐Ÿ‘ป๐ŸŽฏPhantom Audience๐Ÿ™‰No One Asked๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿš๏ธDead Lobbies

XLGAMES: How the mighty have fallen

XLGAMES went from MMO innovators to shutting down a desperate asset flip after just three weeks. Discover why this pathetic cash grab spells absolute disaster for ArcheAge Chronicles.

10 Apr 2026 โ€ข game thoughts
๐Ÿ’€ 21
SHAME
Nioh 3 - a shameless corporate copy-paste job
โš ๏ธProceed With Caution๐Ÿ’ธCash Grab Certified๐Ÿ“‰Wait For A Sale๐Ÿ“‹Copy-Paste Job๐ŸงŸZombie IP๐Ÿ›ก๏ธSafe Sequel๐ŸƒRushed Out The Doorโ™ป๏ธRecycled Assets๐Ÿง ๐ŸชฑWestern Brain Rot๐Ÿฉธโœ…๐Ÿ‘™โŒGore Fine, Skin Crime๐ŸŒ๐Ÿคก"Global Standard" Bollocks๐Ÿค–AI Translated๐Ÿ”คLost In Translation๐ŸŒWesternised Script๐Ÿช‘๐Ÿ’จReading Room's Empty๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ“ƒโœ๏ธChecklist Simulator๐Ÿœ๏ธ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธMap Full of Nothing๐ŸŽง๐Ÿ’คForgettable Soundtrack๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ—‘๏ธPhoned It In

Nioh 3 - a shameless corporate copy-paste job

Nioh 3 is a shameless corporate copy-paste job. I break down the recycled Ronin assets, bloated combat, AI translation, and baffling censorship.

20 Feb 2026 โ€ข game thoughts
๐Ÿ’€ 19
SHAME
John Carpenter's Toxic Commando Review - A.K.A WWZ 2
โš ๏ธProceed With Caution๐Ÿ“ก๐Ÿ”’Always Online Hostage๐Ÿ“‰Wait For A Sale๐Ÿ“‹Copy-Paste Job๐ŸงŸZombie IP๐ŸชžSoulless Reskin๐Ÿท๏ธName Only๐ŸฆดBare Bones๐ŸƒRushed Out The Doorโ™ป๏ธRecycled Assetsโ›๏ธ๐Ÿ”„Grind Required๐Ÿซ—๐Ÿ’จPadding Galore๐Ÿœ๏ธ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธMap Full of Nothing๐ŸŽ™๏ธ๐Ÿ’€Voice Acting Crime๐ŸŽน๐Ÿ”Same 3 Songs๐Ÿ’ฌ๐Ÿ˜ฌCringe Dialogue๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ—‘๏ธPhoned It Inโ™ป๏ธ๐Ÿ“‹Trope Recycler๐Ÿฅฑ๐Ÿ“–Generic Plot #47๐ŸŽญ๐Ÿ”ฎClichรฉ Bingo๐Ÿ“ก๐Ÿ’€Laggy Servers

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando Review - A.K.A WWZ 2

An honest 50-hour review of John Carpenter's Toxic Commando. Saber Interactive's latest co-op zombie FPS is just a lazy World War Z reskin.

21 Mar 2026 โ€ข game thoughts
๐Ÿ’€ 18
SHAME
The Jim Ryan era was the worst thing that happened to PlayStation
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus๐Ÿ’ธCash Grab Certified๐ŸSnake Move๐ŸชฃSlop Servedโณ๐Ÿซ FOMO Machine๐Ÿ‘ป๐ŸŽฏPhantom Audience๐Ÿ™‰No One Asked๐Ÿช‘๐Ÿ’จReading Room's Empty๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ“Š๐ŸคกFocus Group Brains๐Ÿ‘”โœจConsultant Brain

The Jim Ryan era was the worst thing that happened to PlayStation

Jim Ryan squeezed gamers for every penny while greenlighting endless live-service failures. Lets look at how his spreadsheet mentality set the industry back a decade.

22 Apr 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 16
SHAME
Bluesky's ultimate unforced tech own-goal
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus๐ŸSnake Move๐ŸŽญMask Off Moment๐ŸชฃSlop Served๐ŸชคBait & Switch๐Ÿค–AI Slop๐Ÿ‘ป๐ŸŽฏPhantom Audience๐Ÿ™‰No One Asked๐Ÿช‘๐Ÿ’จReading Room's Empty๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ‘”โœจConsultant Brain

Bluesky's ultimate unforced tech own-goal

Bluesky alienated its entire anti-AI user base by forcing the GenAI app Attie into the ecosystem. A scathing breakdown of Jay Graber's out-of-touch tech disaster.

3 Apr 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 16
SHAME
Zuckerberg and his GenAI clown show
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus๐ŸชฃSlop Served๐Ÿ“ขAll Mouth No Trousers๐Ÿค–AI Slopโณ๐Ÿซ FOMO Machine๐Ÿ™‰No One Asked๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ“Š๐ŸคกFocus Group Brains๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿ‘€Touch Grass Needed๐Ÿ‘”โœจConsultant Brain

Zuckerberg and his GenAI clown show

Zuck blew $14 billion on a tech bro to build Meta's Muse Spark LLM. It is a hilariously pathetic closed-source bot that copies OpenAI and bombs basic logic.

12 Apr 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 15
SHAME
Monster Hunter Stories 2 - Short Review
โš ๏ธProceed With Caution๐Ÿ“‰Wait For A Sale๐Ÿ”คLost In Translation๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ“Š๐ŸคกFocus Group Brains๐Ÿง›โฐTime Vampireโ›๏ธ๐Ÿ”„Grind Required๐Ÿซ—๐Ÿ’จPadding Galore๐Ÿœ๏ธ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธMap Full of Nothing๐ŸŽง๐Ÿ’คForgettable Soundtrack๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ’€EN Dub Crime๐Ÿ’ฌ๐Ÿ˜ฌCringe Dialogue๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ—‘๏ธPhoned It In๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ๐Ÿ’€Exposition Dumpโ™ป๏ธ๐Ÿ“‹Trope Recycler๐Ÿฅฑ๐Ÿ“–Generic Plot #47๐ŸŽญ๐Ÿ”ฎClichรฉ Bingo

Monster Hunter Stories 2 - Short Review

Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a heavily limited Switch game that actively disrespects your time with endless RNG grinds and massive delusions of grandeur.

25 Feb 2026 โ€ข game thoughts
๐Ÿ’€ 15
SHAME
Ninja Gaiden 4: Competently stylish, yet unfinished and low budget
โš ๏ธProceed With Caution๐Ÿ”๐ŸงฒAddictive Loop๐Ÿ“‰Wait For A Sale๐ŸŽฃNostalgia Bait๐Ÿท๏ธName Only๐ŸƒRushed Out The Doorโ™ป๏ธRecycled Assets๐Ÿ™‰No One Asked๐Ÿช‘๐Ÿ’จReading Room's Empty๐ŸŽจ๐Ÿ”ฅArt Team Revolt๐ŸŽง๐Ÿ’คForgettable Soundtrack๐Ÿ’ฌ๐Ÿ˜ฌCringe Dialogue๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ—‘๏ธPhoned It Inโ™ป๏ธ๐Ÿ“‹Trope Recycler๐Ÿฅฑ๐Ÿ“–Generic Plot #47๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒธAnime Trope Overload

Ninja Gaiden 4: Competently stylish, yet unfinished and low budget

Ninja Gaiden 4 review: PlatinumGames delivers phenomenal combat, but a strict AA budget, ugly cyberpunk designs, and a terrible new protagonist ruin this ยฃ60 release.

25 Mar 2026 โ€ข game thoughts
๐Ÿ’€ 14
SHAME
Metaโ€™s $2 billion Manus panic-buy implodes
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus๐ŸชฃSlop Served๐ŸชคBait & Switch๐Ÿ“ขAll Mouth No Trousers๐Ÿค–AI Slop๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ‘”โœจConsultant Brain

Metaโ€™s $2 billion Manus panic-buy implodes

Mark Zuckerberg tried to paste over his failing AI roadmap by buying a dime-a-dozen API wrapper for $2 billion. Then China completely vapourised the deal.

30 Apr 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 12
SHAME
What's Copilot? Even Microsoft can't tell you
๐ŸคกFull Clown Mode๐ŸชฃSlop Served๐ŸชคBait & Switch๐Ÿ“ขAll Mouth No Trousers๐Ÿค–AI Slop๐Ÿ‘ป๐ŸŽฏPhantom Audience๐Ÿ™‰No One Asked๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ‘”โœจConsultant Brain

What's Copilot? Even Microsoft can't tell you

Microsoft is pushing desperate Copilot ads on Reddit while scrubbing the brand from Windows apps. Why is this enterprise AI legally an entertainment toy?

17 Apr 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 12
SHAME
Code Vein 2: How to kill a successful new IP
๐Ÿ’€Dead On Arrival๐Ÿ“‰Wait For A Saleโ˜ ๏ธFranchise Killer๐ŸชžSoulless Reskin๐Ÿท๏ธName Only๐ŸซงModernised Into Nothing๐Ÿง ๐ŸชฑWestern Brain Rot๐ŸŒ๐Ÿคก"Global Standard" Bollocks๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ’”JP Version? Lmao No๐Ÿ‘ป๐ŸŽฏPhantom Audience๐Ÿ™‰No One Asked๐ŸŽจ๐Ÿ”ฅArt Team Revolt๐Ÿ‘”โœจConsultant Brain

Code Vein 2: How to kill a successful new IP

Code Vein 2 has launched to a disastrous 52% rating. I breakdown how Bandai Namco killed the franchise with poor UE5 performance, removed co-op, and aggressive censorship to chase a 'modern audience' that does not exist.

31 Jan 2026 โ€ข game thoughts
๐Ÿ’€ 12
SHAME
The Hollowing of Bandai Namco
๐ŸคกFull Clown Mode๐Ÿง ๐ŸชฑWestern Brain Rot๐ŸŒ๐Ÿคก"Global Standard" Bollocks๐Ÿ‘ป๐ŸŽฏPhantom Audience๐Ÿ™‰No One Asked๐Ÿช‘๐Ÿ’จReading Room's Empty๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ‘”โœจConsultant Brain

The Hollowing of Bandai Namco

Bandai Namco looks successful on paper, but the Code Vein 2 flop and Blue Protocol disaster tell a different story. With FromSoftware going independent and Shueisha building its own gaming division, Bandaiโ€™s future is going dinosaur.

10 Feb 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 11
SHAME
Anthropic accidentally open-sourced Claude Code and immediately called the lawyers
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus๐ŸSnake Move๐ŸŽญMask Off Moment๐ŸชฃSlop Served๐Ÿค–AI Slop

Anthropic accidentally open-sourced Claude Code and immediately called the lawyers

Anthropic accidentally leaked their Claude Code sourcemap and panicked with thousands of DMCA takedowns. Unpacking the hilarious hypocrisy of the "ethical" AI lab.

7 Apr 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 10
SHAME
The Phantom Audience Fallacy: How Ghost of Yลtei Stalled the IP
๐Ÿ”ดRed Nose Alert๐Ÿ“‹Copy-Paste Job๐Ÿง ๐ŸชฑWestern Brain Rot๐ŸŒWesternised Script๐Ÿ‘ป๐ŸŽฏPhantom Audience๐Ÿ™‰No One Asked๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€Boardroom Brain Rot๐Ÿ‘”โœจConsultant Brain

The Phantom Audience Fallacy: How Ghost of Yลtei Stalled the IP

Why has Ghost of Yลtei stalled at 3.3 million sales? Sonyโ€™s refusal to announce a 5 million milestone in their Feb 2026 Q3 report confirms the drop-off. I take a look at how chasing the 'Phantom Audience', the Erika Ishii controversy and shallow writing alienated the core demographic. A breakdown of the ROI trap and how Sucker Punch damaged the IP's future for a quick profit.

15 Feb 2026 โ€ข game thoughts
๐Ÿ’€ 9
SHAME
The $50 trillion bubble leaks: How the Pentagon accidentally broke the AI industry
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus

The $50 trillion bubble leaks: How the Pentagon accidentally broke the AI industry

The Pentagon just accidentally popped the generative AI bubble. While clueless users boycott OpenAI for Anthropic, both are walking into a financial death trap.

17 Mar 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 6
SHAME
AI First, Reality Last: Sovereign Governments
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus

AI First, Reality Last: Sovereign Governments

Clueless governments just blew $30 billion on Nvidia GPUs they have absolutely no idea how to use. Sovereign AI hype is a colossal grift that is actively destroying the consumer hardware market and wasting tax payer's money.

10 Mar 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 6
SHAME
AI First, Reality Last: Microsoft Antitrust Case
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus

AI First, Reality Last: Microsoft Antitrust Case

Microsoft is facing massive global antitrust raids, daily EU fines under the DMA, and a ยฃ2.1 billion UK lawsuit over cloud tying and Copilot bundling.

27 Feb 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 6
SHAME
The tech industry is in frantic GenAI PR control
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus

The tech industry is in frantic GenAI PR control

A new verified study of 6,000 executives proves Generative AI offers near-zero productivity benefits. Read why the tech industry is in frantic PR damage control.

19 Feb 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 6
SHAME
AI First, Reality Last: Case Bank of America
๐Ÿคก๐ŸŽช๐ŸŽˆ๐Ÿ“ฏThe Whole Circus

AI First, Reality Last: Case Bank of America

Leaked emails reveal Bank of America bought massive amounts of Nvidia AI hardware with zero plan on how to use it. Lets look at the "Formula 1" fiasco and the funny reality of corporate AI shelfware.

29 Jan 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 6

๐Ÿ“œ The Critique Chronicle

Documented instances of corporate delusion and industry missteps.

Sega and the Yakuza fatigue: The tipping point of a milked franchise
๐Ÿ’ธ๐Ÿชฃ๐Ÿชค๐Ÿชž๐ŸŽฃ๐Ÿƒโ™ป๏ธ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€

Sega and the Yakuza fatigue: The tipping point of a milked franchise

The disastrous launch of Yakuza Kiwami 3 proves Sega has officially milked the franchise dry. Here is why RGG Studio desperately needs to let the IP rest.

5 Mar 2026 โ€ข game thoughts
๐Ÿ’€ 7
Sega is running its company like a 2010s corporation and wondering why its games aren't selling
๐Ÿคก๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿ‘”โœจ

Sega is running its company like a 2010s corporation and wondering why its games aren't selling

Sega is wondering why their highly reviewed games are not selling. Between ยฃ60 AA Persona reskins, Denuvo delusions, and burning almost $800 million on a dead Angry Birds fad, here is exactly why their out-of-touch boardroom greed is finally failing.

30 Mar 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 6
Microsoft's $1.4 trillion AI hallucination
๐Ÿคก

Microsoft's $1.4 trillion AI hallucination

Satya Nadella has vapourised 1.4 trillion dollars of Microsoft's market cap. He is incinerating Azure profits on AI e-waste. Read the brutal truth behind the stock crash.

29 Mar 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 4
OpenAI's Sora app was always a spectacularly clueless waste of energy
๐Ÿคก

OpenAI's Sora app was always a spectacularly clueless waste of energy

OpenAI shutting down the Sora app is absolutely no surprise. Between an insane $200 paywall and a delusional AI TikTok clone, it was always a spectacularly clueless waste of energy.

27 Mar 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 4
ElevenLabs might just be the most toxic company in GenAI right now
๐Ÿคก

ElevenLabs might just be the most toxic company in GenAI right now

A critique of the toxic sales culture at ElevenLabs following VP Carles Reina's controversial 20VC interview. I analyse the sustainability of their "20x salary" quota, the "Product Market Fit is BS" claim, and why their aggressive firing policy signals a pump-and-dump scheme ahead of a potential IPO in the commoditised GenAI voice market.

18 Feb 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 4
Bungie's upcoming Marathon is walking off a Cliff
๐Ÿ’€๐Ÿชค๐Ÿ™‰๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’€

Bungie's upcoming Marathon is walking off a Cliff

With ARC Raiders dominating the extraction shooter genre, Bungie's upcoming Marathon faces an impossible battle. The ยฃ35 price tag, poor timing, and abstract design spell disaster for Sony's investment.

12 Feb 2026 โ€ข game thoughts
๐Ÿ’€ 4
Nvidiaโ€™s $100bn OpenAI "investment" was always a bad joke
๐Ÿ”ด

Nvidiaโ€™s $100bn OpenAI "investment" was always a bad joke

Nvidia is finally walking back that ridiculous $100 billion OpenAI investment. It was always a transparent attempt to pump the stock, but now the reality of the AI bubble has hit. Jensen Huang knows better than to throw cash into a money pit, yet the other tech giants are still blindly doubling down on the hype.

1 Feb 2026 โ€ข tech talks
๐Ÿ’€ 2