23rd completed game of 2026 is Assassin's Creed 2 (2009). I love the lushly-rendered Renaissance setting, and the swordplay brilliantly evokes Errol Flynn films. Puzzles were surprisingly tough, in a good way. I only wish the Ezio Collection allowed you to opt out of the game's momentum-killing DLC.

You know it's going to be a tough week when you're this exhausted by 10 AM on Monday, lol

Mildly bummed that the Ezio Collection versions of Assassin's Creed 2 make you play through two superfluous DLC missions *right* between the penultimate chapter and the conclusion. The pacing was so good! Whyyy...

I saw this sign at a yard sale today and it made me chuckle

Hello People of Earth. Have you reviewed Adventures of Elliot? We'd like a Bloodgod +1 tomorrow.

Just heard the first cicada of the season - I love 'em more every year

✨ I will be apart of the Gaming for Good Trevor Project 2026 Raid Train this weekend!🚂 The Trevor Project is a non-profit suicide prevention organization that provides 24/7 crisis support services, research, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ young people. Check out the schedule!⬇️ r3dlabs.com/events/gamin...

This is for anyone who needs it. You should know that there’s always support and I truly hope you have access to it.

I genuinely think Garth Brooks being an Amazon exclusive musician has done psychic damage to our country.

OK, the new Star Fox is very cool - cheers to Velan for improving on what I thought was an unassailable 1990s classic.

We've been rewatching Buffy for the first time in decades (and my wife's first time seeing Seasons 4-7), and there's still a lot to love here!

Lord have mercy, the pizza turned out perfect tonight

Just voted, woop woop

There are few things that get me to abandon a new podcast quicker than 5 minutes of announcements and front matter before the hosts get to the topic at hand. Put that stuff at the end, y'all!

Our local Juneteenth festival was amazing this weekend - grateful (as ever) for my city!

I did not have "drive a carriage carrying Leonardo da Vinci and his flying machine prototype through the Italian countryside while flinging bandits into rocks" on my Assassin's Creed 2 bingo card. This is some Resident Evil-caliber nonsense (in a good way).

Geez, Assassin's Creed II (2009) is better than I expected. Outside of attending a local festival, I've spent most of my holiday playing it and it's a hoot!

So for this Juneteenth, I went back and updated my feature on the need to incorporate more Blackness into your gaming perspective, more relevant now than when I wrote it years ago. Check it out on @pcmag.com www.pcmag.com/opinions/cel...

HAPPY JUNETEENTH #blackskygamers ✊🏾 Take today to reflect, connect, & embrace how far we’ve come as a people and bring awareness to the fights we still have ahead of us. NEVER FORGET & SPREAD AWARENESS OF THIS MAGNIFICENT DAY 🖤✊🏾 Would love to see how you all celebrate #juneteenth

22nd completed game of 2026 is Baby Steps (2025). It's as good as folks said, though I never totally warmed to the stoner schlub protagonist. Also, it's nice to see another game take the intentional approach to traversal that Death Stranding took back in 2019; that's just catnip to me!

Baby Steps is going well

21st completed game of 2026 is Mina the Hollower (2026). This was worth the wait, even if a handful of minor missteps keep it from being a masterpiece (please Yacht Club, patch in Zelda-style maps!). Every NPC and region is a hoot, and the bosses are all brilliant as well. It's a delightful 8/10!

Boy, Mina the Hollower and Baby Steps now are both good games that would be *significantly* better with an in-game map. It sucks to go in circles because level designers thought they had the craftsmanship of Valve, FromSoft, or Nintendo. They're not bad at it, but that's a very high bar to clear.

The Lands Between Fundraiser Stream is Live! youtube.com/live/3ETgCSF... Direct donations can be made here: www.zeffy.com/en-US/donati...

Grilled Cajun salmon and pea/mushroom risotto was a hit tonight

Now that the dust has settled, here is a curated list of 20 indie games to keep an eye out for!!! bossrush.net/2026/06/top-...

I love how silly baby birds look

Incredible news! Weeks after the new Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office, the mayor of Budapest, Mayor Gergely Karácsony, has had his charges dropped for illegally celebrating Pride month in his city. It appears changes are coming to Hungary. Subscribe to support our journalism.

The Dreadworm's Maw in Mina the Hollower is legit one of the best 2D Zelda dungeons I've encountered.

I made a Legend of Zelda tier list. For context, I played most of these for the first time in the 2010s, outside of a few noteworthy classics and the new entries from the 2020s.

Alright, world, I'm begging you: please please PLEASE stop using phones while driving. Yes this means at stop lights too. That's compulsive, alcoholism-esque behavior. Your texts and calls can wait until you stop!

Resident Evil tier list! I skipped games I haven't tried yet - also, Gun Survivor 2 should be in a secret category ("Z"), as it's honest to goodness one of the worst games I've ever played. Cheers to @retrogamebooks.com for getting me to make one of these :)

Smokey Bear Claims Views On Wildfires Have Evolved https://theonion.com/smokey-bear-claims-views-on-wildfires-have-evolved/

‘dear rax, my middle class parents are ashamed that i clean houses for a living’ www.patreon.com/posts/160262...

Our fourth episode on Mass Effect 3 is now live; in this one, we chat about the Ardat-Yakshi Monastery and resolve the Quarian/Geth conflict! Give it a listen on our website or your preferred podcast app. www.patreon.com/posts/season... #masseffect

20th completed game of 2026 is Forza Horizon 6 (2026). OK, I didn't roll credits, but that's bc the game wanted me to do a bunch of little challenge missions instead of races. Loved the exploration and racing, but didn't love the need to do extra stuff to reach to finish line.

Backrooms (2026)

To celebrate Pride and our wonderful community, Moonstone Island will be MATCHING YOUR DONATIONS to Mermaids, a UK charity that supports trans youth! What you can do: 1. Go to mermaidsuk.org.uk?form=donate 2. Donate! 3. Show us your donation receipt and we'll match it 💕

No Doubt singing "I'm Just A Bill" to the tune of "Just A Girl"

Yo, fellow Mina the Hollower players: I've finished the Crypt and Bayou, but can't actually figure out where the remaining areas are. Any suggestions?

Surprise I'm an official CO-Streamer for @womenledgames.com Showcase: Summer Game Fest Edition again! Cant wait to see what new games are coming out! #WLGxSGF26 twitch.tv/supernamu

Well shoot, you'd almost get the impression that pasteurization and other dairy processing techniques were implemented to stop people from getting sick. Go figure.

I've beaten two of the main bosses (Crypt and Bayou) in Mina the Hollower, and I'm getting more into the groove. I do kind of wish I had a map, a la Link to the Past, but each area is so fun I don't mind too much.

Sorry for the delay, but the next Franchise Festival episode is coming soon! Should be out by the end of this week. Expect a lot of Quarian/Geth commentary :)

I'm looking for an experienced and passionate video game Producer to join my team at Digital Eclipse Entertainment Partners. If you are interested, please apply, or if you know someone who fits the role, please pass along the following link: job-boards.greenhouse.io/digitaleclip...

Cheers to the PS2 Classics on PS5 - I've actually been wanting to play Gitaroo Man, Onimusha 4, and Psi-Ops for years! It was nice of them to do a set of games just for me, lol.

I'm mostly enjoying Mina the Hollower, but it's hard not to wish that Yacht Club had cribbed a little less from the Souls-Like genre. Did anybody play Link's Awakening and think "what this game really needs is multi-phase bosses"?

I beat Resident Evil Requiem four times! Each time was different: first run was normal, second was a slow-paced collectathon of the stuff I missed, third run was a speedrun without healing or using the Blood Collector tool on easy mode, then fourth run was at the highest difficulty.

Hello! We're recruiting a Magical Vacation specialist for our next Pantheon episode! Is that you?? Sound off.