Luke Mitchell 🎮🐻

Our team always comes up with a stellar Top 10, showcasing awesome titles and maybe a few that you wouldn’t expect near the top!

Hey Bluesky 👋

We’re Big Bear Energy, a friendly, no-fluff indie game PR agency here to help small studios, solo devs and emerging game teams get noticed.

We take care of launch campaigns, press kits, media outreach, store-page optimisation, social media strategy and community building

Traveling abroad during Xmas was never something I felt like I could do, so I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am. ❤️

So, this year, I’m going to re-write the narrative of what the holiday period means to me.

Matt and I will be flying to L.A. ne week to spend Xmas and NYE with *chosen* family l care about. Celebrations, theme parks, escape rooms, insane food, parties, shows, all alongside truly wonderful people.

This time of year is tough for me now. 2 years ago, I spent my last Xmas Day with my Mum, while she was in hospital.

Last year, Xmas was seriously difficult. Despite spending it with other loved ones, it was a sad time, and being in my home, without Mum, was the worst. (1/3)

I know I call you my sugar daddy but you know pancakes can’t pay for my airfares from Australia right?

Does getting paid in pancakes make you a high class whore or a low class whore?

SAW YOUR FACE AND MIIIIIIIIIINE

That looks incredible! We really need to make banana pudding more of a thing here in Australia.

New movie review from me! I love Wicked, and I love this movie, even though it doesn't quite solve the "Act 2" problem with the theatre musical.

Lumines Arise is a special game; I can’t stop playing it!

Solid movie though, some good jump scares. You can see all the pieces here and why they fleshed it out into a full universe. Strong foundations, especially wild given the real life people it’s based on were apparently con artists.

First thought - chaining your dog up outside on the first night in a new house is the worst, and then nobody went to feed them in the morning first thing? Irresponsible pet ownership in movies kills me. I hope they all die now anyway 😂

Alright it’s Halloween, so I’m going to start my watch of the whole The Conjuring franchise, starting with the first one from 2013!

I’ve seen this one before back when it came out, but it’s been a while. Let’s see where it all began!

Support video game journalists!! Especially local indie publications!!

Reviewing Battlefield 6 felt like a huge task, particularly after flying to L.A. (on a trip that turned out to be personally life-altering) to be a part of its big reveal.

Thankfully, the game is genuinely great, and even after publishing I’m itching to jump right back in.

I think one of the saddest things about being a millennial is remembering a time when technology was advancing in a way that made life better and easier and more exciting instead of actively, intentionally worse

❤️ thanks to everyone who came along and checked it out, and for the incredibly kind words afterward.

🧵(4/4)

I’m stoked, and it was a fantastic addition to my PAX weekend - the expo that I love so much right here in Melbourne every year.

Queer voices are important - not just in games journalism, but ALL journalism - and I’m thrilled to be even a small part of leading that charge.

🧵(3/4)

I’m super proud of what I’ve built (with the help of my wonderful team)… and today, we had a packed house at our panel; they had to turn people away due to capacity.

Then, we nailed it! Important conversation and insights, and 5 fabulous people all sharing their experiences from the heart.

🧵(2/4)

So today I hosted a panel called “Out, Loud and Critical: Queer Journalists Changing Games Media”.

Since starting Checkpoint Gaming 11(!) years ago, focusing on the importance of queer voices in the video game industry has been paramount.

🧵(1/4)

Once again, thrilled to have roped in a bunch of incredibly talented people to have meaningful discussions during @paxaus.bsky.social 🥰

The Life of a Showgirl is fine, but I think she forgot to include an actual memorable hit on there? It all just blends.

That’s fair

I loved Good Boy.

It’s rare for a movie to offer something completely different, and seeing horror from the perspective of a dog made for a terrifying, uncomfortable and compelling watch.

Indy is easily the best pet actor in history. A must see for anybody who loves dogs.

2025 Finished Game #31 - Wheel World

A little open world racing game with a lot of heart, a neat sense of humor, lo-fi beats and gorgeous visuals. Riding around with my ghost demon pal made for a lovely couple of afternoons over a lazy weekend that was much needed!

2025 Finished Game #30 - I AM YOUR BEAST

A super entertaining way to spend a couple of hours. Challenging, frustrating, fast-paced and fabulous. If I was a speed runner I’d have a field day with this. Cool stuff!

2025 Finished Game #29 - DOOM: The Dark Ages

Always a fun franchise, but this one dragged on a little bit too long for me! Still love ripping and tearing through demons, and I enjoyed it, but the flying bits and giant-demon bits weren’t the best.

2025 Finished Game #28 - Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping

Another super cute and satisfying puzzle mystery game. I hope they keep making more Duck Detective games, they’re so wholesome and satisfying to play through in an afternoon. Love!

2025 Finished Game #26 and #27 - Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

Really enjoyed this underrated gem from DONTNOD. They really nailed how young people interact with one another, the importance of friendship and how we change as we grow older. Really queer, and really neat.