RION

My Pixel 4a is getting its software support dropped, meaning no more security patches and increasing vulnerabilities. So I installed LineageOS for microG, a fork of LineageOS that has microG. I chose this one because LineageOS has good support for "older" devices like mine unlike GrapheneOS, and getting microG bundled in the fork is a turnkey solution for getting me access to Google services when I need them.

The installation process itself was very simple, I just followed the guide on the LineageOS site and ignored the optional stage for installing a GApps package since I already had microG. The pre-install work was more complicated, and required downloading a few tools and drivers for the Android Debug Bridge (adb) to work. I think this is the biggest barrier to entry - if you can get everything set up for the install, you shouldn't have any trouble with it.

After loading in and getting basics like Wifi and fingerprint lock set up, I was off to the races. The install comes with a very lean set of FOSS apps, as well as F-Droid to grab more. I immediately went and got Aurora Store off there so I could access the Play store and all its apps, which worked without a hitch. In fact, everything I've installed has worked as well as I would expect with the stock ROM with the exception of Google Contacts, which would not sync from my google account (and I can't even definitively say this was a ROM-related issue). Even my banking apps work despite my device not passing the SafetyNet check. Your mileage may vary depending on your apps and their requirements, but I myself was pleasantly surprised. The only thing I think I'm losing out on is NFC payments using Google Pay, but that's not a big deal for me.

Barring that one exception, everything just works and I'm glad I went this route. I was already happy with my Pixel 4a, and buying a whole new phone just because Google decided it couldn't be bothered to update it anymore would've left a bad taste in my mouth, especially as I'd be giving up features (headphone jack and fingerprint sensor on the back) I value. Now it's time to ride this baby out for as many more years as I can.

• Atmosphere is great. Not only is it aesthetically interesting, but the brutalist architecture and midcentury décor are a great complement to the game's themes. The Federal Bureau of Control is an arm of the US government, and predictably choked by bureaucracy and procedure. Institutions like the FBC are the closest thing most people have to alien intelligences in their lives - uncaring, inscrutable collectives that seem to know everything about you, or at least more than you're comfortable with, and channel that info to unseen ends. They were there before you were born, and will be there after you die, and will probably file a report about your death to be locked away in one of countless file cabinets, just for archival purposes. The environmental design of the Oldest House reinforces this uncanny bureaucratic vibe, which dovetails nicely with the actual alien threat which has infiltrated it to wreak havoc. The Hiss corrupts locations with cubic outgrowths and harsh red glare like a cancer's spreading mutation, suspending corpses in midair and pushing mindless singsong babble out of their mouths. Chef's kiss.

• Great performances, ESPECIALLY in the multimedia. Dr. Darling's presentations could be delightful or haunting but always interesting (also, the FMV fit so well into the game's style). Arish's VA might be my favorite of the tertiary characters, it just sounds really authentic. I generally thought Courtney Hope did a great job as Jesse - my only complaint being there were a few places where I expected a lot more emotion out of her, and it felt strange for her to be so restrained. Could be up to direction though.

• Story was... sufficient, but elevated by the atmosphere and performances. The plot never really wowed me, and I only failed to predict certain story beats because I WAS expecting to be wowed and figured they surely wouldn't go the predictable route. For something that takes extensive inspiration from the SCP project, I really expected things to go a little more off the rails, although I appreciate that there was at least one "content screw" moment.

• Gameplay is solid. Yeeting random bits of sheetrock at aliens never gets old, and the shooting feels good enough. I thought the different forms of the service weapon were cool, although I pretty much used Grip and Pierce the entire time. The mod system, however, felt strange. There's a lot of different ones, some specific to each weapon form, but I usually just stacked whatever increased my DPS for weapon mods, and a mix of stat and ability boosts for personal mods. I think I would've preferred Bioshock style upgrade stations, or otherwise another system with less randomness.

• DLCs were okay. AWE is an extended ad for Alan Wake 2, largely disconnected from the main story with one or two standout scenes. Foundation is a bit of falling action for the main story and offers some interesting lore and a different environment, but feels largely anticlimactic, especially given the lack of emotional stakes as compared to the main story.

It's an easy recommend at its current $10 sale price on Steam if you're looking to get lost in a very intentional, unique setting for a little bit.

So glad I never spent money on this past buying the first game—not only do they treat their employees like dogwater, they can't even squeeze out the big thing that justified Overwatch 2*

:brace-cowboy:

My top picks:

• Super Auto Pets: GOATed autobattler feature cute animals that mercilessly KO each other with blunt force trauma. Pausable at a moment's notice. Excellent entertainment when recovering from a bout of simultaneous salmonella and campylobacter. Available on iOS and Android with a free base version (Pet Pack #1 alongside a randomized weekly pack) and two paid expansion packs, costing $5 and $10 respectively.

• Simon Tatham's Puzzles: A collection of 40 singleplayer logic games. Personal favorites include Net (non stressful version of the pipe connecting hacking mini game from Bioshock), Mines (minesweeper but without RNG that forces you to guess), and Untangle (arrange points so their connecting lines don't intersect). Available on iOS and Android for free. No ads.

• SNKRX: Snake with autobattler characteristics and a bumpin soundtrack. $2.99 on Android and iOS . No ads.

• 10000000/You Must Build A Boat: A duology of fast paced match 3 games with upgrade progression. Largely the same game, but YMBAB has a little more polish, some additional mechanics, and a prestige/ascension mode. Fun to play through once in a while but lack of variation means it gets stale before long. $2.99 each on iOS and Android(linking to developer page for sake of brevity).

Honorable mention to emulators—thousands of great games across many systems for free! Post your emulator and ROM recommendations too, I guess.