Atomic Heart (opens in new tab) is currently sitting pretty on Steam with over 5,000 reviews rating the game ‘very positive’, despite the wider controversy about the game’s origins (opens in new tab). The top review at the moment, however, summarises something that every player of Atomic Heart has to confront. Recommending the game after around 90 hours played, Matt_KPLS’s review says only: “BRB, i’m going to the kitchen to f*ck the fridge.”

One of the most bizarre elements of Atomic Heart is a vending machine called Nora that the player has to interact with after being attacked by it in a cutscene. With the aid of your glove, the attack is fought off, the appliance is beaten, and… things take a turn for the very weird. In some sort of transplant of a sub/dom fetish onto an appliance, the machine begins to treat you as its master and propositions you repeatedly in grossly sexual terms.

Reaction to this is mixed, but there is certainly reaction. Some people are very enthusiastic about it, in fact. “YES NORA YOU CAN TIE ME TO THE BED,” reads Nyceur’s positive review (opens in new tab). “That Fridge made me question my sexuality,” writes DashiVR (opens in new tab), “Samsung get on this!”

Other players seem less sure how to take it. “I can check ‘get raped by a fridge’ off my bucket list now,” writes Exderon (opens in new tab). Kaif simply says (opens in new tab) “The fridge touched me.” D offers an alternative name for Atomic Heart (opens in new tab): “Refrigerator Sexual Harassment Simulator 2023.”

“Rebellious dominant men turn me on,” Nora says to the player during their first meeting. “What a brute! I love tough guys, I’m on fire!” The appliance gets even more explicit, and the moment it crossed the Rubicon for me was when Nora demanded “squirt your polymer inside me.”

To give credit where it’s due, I would say that Mundfish is trying to be unsettling with Nora rather than titillating. But this is the internet, and rather than being unsettled people now want to rule 34 the hell out of this fridge (NSFL example (opens in new tab)). “I have never in my life wanted to fuck a fridge until I played Atomic Heart,” writes Nyannie (opens in new tab).

I know it’s all tongue-in-cheek, but the fact that fridges are common real world appliances does have me slightly concerned.

The thing about Nora is that, while you can use other ‘normal’ vending machines, there’s a good portion in the early part where she keeps cropping up and if you want to upgrade your stuff, you have to deal with the chat. “OMG how is it that the elevator scene went viral from Atomic Heart and not the horny fridge vendor that plays consistently overlapping horrific sexual dialog while you’re trying to add +1 to your pistol damage?!” muses L. Jacobs (opens in new tab), not unreasonably. 

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me_every_time_nora_upgrades_my_stuff from r/atomicheart

 Nora has, of course, been christened as “fridge mommy.” You will find no shortage of people online posting enthusiastically about what they would like to do with fridge mommy. Yes, I do hope my family and friends never happen to read this particular article.

You want memes? We got memes.

(Image credit: Strawberry Toast)
A popular meme format re-purposed to feature Atomic Heart's fridge as the preferred outcome.
(Image credit: Just SD)A popular meme format re-purposed to feature Atomic Heart's fridge as the preferred outcome.
(Image credit: MLS Entertainment)
A popular meme format re-purposed to feature Atomic Heart's fridge as the preferred outcome.
(Image credit: CosyKelwen01)
Popular meme but it's now about how much better the fridge is in Atomic Heart.
(Image credit: KingfromClashRoyale)

Nora disappears for a good portion of the game and you end up with ‘normal’ vending machines, leading to some plaintive wailing on various forums about how to get Nora back. Don’t worry: The horny fridge returns in later stages.

What to make of it all? The Bioshock comparison is unavoidable but the vision here, the world Mundfish has built, is compelling and unsettling all at once. Nora’s over-familiarity with the player was I suspect intended to land in exactly the way it has, both as a gross-out moment in this alternate history of robots with personality, and as something that would be endlessly clipped and debated on social media.

Or: Nora may just be something Mundfish found funny. My own thoughts somewhat echo those of Steam reviewer Sierend (opens in new tab): “This mf red fridge dunno how to act lol.” 



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In a decision which it says is intended to support skilled writers and artists, tabletop roleplaying game publisher Paizo has announced that AI art and text will not be allowed within its products. Paizo is the publisher of Pathfinder, among other TRPGS, which serves as the basis of popular videogame RPGs Pathfinder: Kingmaker (opens in new tab) and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (opens in new tab).

“The ethical and legal issues surrounding ‘AI art’ and writing prompt programs—and the serious threat they pose to the livelihoods of partners who have helped us get to where we are today as a company—demand that we take a firm position against the use of this technology in Paizo products,” said the company in a statement posted to Twitter (opens in new tab).

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Along with its own products, Paizo will extend the AI-generated content band to its  Pathfinder Infinite program, which allows other companies and fans to create and sell material officially compatible with the TRPG. That’s perhaps a bigger statement from Paizo, as many consider third-party supplements to be the lifeblood of the TRPG community.

“Our customers expect a human touch to our releases, and so long as the ethical and legal circumstances surrounding these programs remains murky and undefined, we are unwilling to associate our brands with the technology in any way,” said Paizo. 

Paizo doesn’t rule out the possibility that it may modify its policy in the future, but emphasizes that, for now, “human artists and writers” are its lifeblood:

“Stated plainly—when you buy a Paizo product, you can be sure that it is the work of human professionals who have spent years honing their craft to produce the best work we can,” the company said. “Paizo will not use AI-generated ‘creative’ work of any kind for the foreseeable future. We thank the human artists and writers who have been so integral to our success in the past, and we look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

It’s a message of support writers and visual artists will surely appreciate, although some have pointed out that it isn’t representative of a glowing record of such support: Paizo has been criticized in the past by workers—who formed a union in 2021, which the company voluntarily recognized—and writers and artists in the TRPG space have complained about Paizo’s rates. 

Frustration in writing and art industries over the consequences of AI generation has been growing over the past year. Leading sci-fi magazine Clarkesworld temporarily closed submissions (opens in new tab) due to a flood of atrocious AI-generated stories, and US Government regulators just this week warned companies (opens in new tab) to stop exaggerating the capabilities of their AI products.



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The next Bayonetta game for Nintendo Switch is almost here. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, a prequel spin-off, releases on March 17.. This installment in the beloved franchise is quite the departure from the mainline games, however, as you’ll be controlling two characters (Cereza and Cheshire) simultaneously as you navigate a colorful world from an isometric perspective. If you’re looking forward it, you can preorder Bayonetta Origins for just $49 at Super Shop when using GameSpot’s exclusive promo code GMSPTBYNT.

To cash in on the deal, head over to the Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon store page at Super Shop. You’ll see the game already listed at a discount ($55, down from $60), but after adding it to your cart and using the promo code GMSPTBYNT, it’ll drop all the way down to just $49–making this the cheapest way to get Bayonetta Origins at this time.

Though Super Shop offers free shipping that typically takes just a few days, you won’t get release-day delivery. But if you’re fine with not playing on launch day, you can’t beat this deal.

Considering Bayonetta 3 launched back in October and is currently about the same price as Bayonetta Origins at Amazon GameStop, this might be the cheapest we see Origins for quite some time. So if you’re interested in checking the game out, be sure to swing by Super Shop and pick it up while you can. Preorder deals at Super Shop have been known to sell out.

For more on Bayonetta Origins, read our preview that covers all the big differences between this and previous installments. Looking for other Switch games to play? Maybe one of these other Switch deals will catch your eye.

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