As someone who has just started learning Japanese again properly, this Pokémon advert is like catnip. ぽこ　ぽけ　ぽこ　ぽけ　ぽこあぽけもわ! youtu.be/hmpVg2PyMOA?...

@qazimod.bsky.social Denshattack! EP is out! youtube.com/playlist?lis...

After 8 years of waiting I finally played (some) UFO50! It's everything I hoped it would be - lots of brilliant old school designs with slightly modern touches, particularly in the controls. I'm currently limiting myself to the first 11 games, but lots of hidden depth and mechanics. 4 early favs:

I didn't quite like the farce of No Other Choice as much as the slow passion of Decision to Leave, but the cinematography on display here is incredible (yet again). Park Chan-wook doing things you just don't see elsewhere in cinema.

I probably know about a third of Hirigana now, and following on with Japanese song lyrics with the parts I now know, has been a really satisfying feeling! Super motivating to learn more of it!

Touhou Artificial Dream in Arcadia is the most SMT III thing I've played in years - monster fusion, classic grid dungeons (with a cool incentive for exploring every tile of a dungeon floor), and graphics which feel like you are playing on a Nokia. The music is awesome too! youtu.be/jK9C0DEF9kM?...

New Game+ Showcase highlighted one I definitely forgot about... Denshattack! But as I mentioned on the podcast, I'm probably not even aware yet of the games that'll be my favourites of 2026. youtu.be/DBLzuO368OQ?...

Gen Hoshino performing at the Nintendo Museum to bring in the New Year! youtu.be/mlshcZ3uZ80?...

Favourite albums of 2025

Best films I watched in 2025

@playingcatchup.bsky.social real life Promise Mascot moment 😂 (got the music in my head now!)

I had a lot of fun discussing my favourite games of 2025 with Tom, and hope you enjoy listening too! There was so much variety this year that it was really difficult to whittle down from my shortlist of 15. Although some of these didn't make the podcast I highly recommend all of these!

Sony’s Japanese MiniDisc ads with Jamiroquai

Using genAI in any part of your creation process is just a bad tactic. Nobody is going to buy a game they wouldn't have bought because it used AI, but many people who would have bought a game now won't. Like, I was thinking of eventually buying BG3, but now I don't want to support Larian anymore.

When the guy in the office offers to rap the ad. (The last fade out yeah is incredible) youtu.be/GHkDxb7v5k4?...

If you like Geometry Wars 2 then Sektori is the easiest recommendation going. Below is my high score run on classic mode but campaign mode is a lot more interesting with elements of Gradius, Resogun, Galaga Legions - and Vampire Survivors in the mix too. Highly recommend! youtu.be/k3Zx0I8xBRc?...

Not sure what all these developers are doing wrong delaying their game? Every Kawaii Girls game always releases on time on the Nintendo eShop!

Starting to think about End of the Year lists. Big empty spot on albums this year - plenty of my favourites have released stuff, just haven't got around to them. Yet!

Absolum: Went into the house in the burning village, and got the Guardian Heroes reference I was looking for.

This is the story of Sega's R360: The legendary arcade cabinet that spun players around and left arcade floors far too early. Exclusive interviews, developer quotes, and more! I'd appreciate not only everyone watching, but also sharing this post and the video! youtu.be/I-LnKFILB5I

@qazimod.bsky.social I'm finally upto Iridis Alpha in the Jeff Minter Collection. You got any tips to beat the 3rd wave clouds consistently so I can get into the game proper? Watched a quick YouTube tutorial to get an idea of the game flow too.

Time to start Super Sonic Racing!

Katamari, Mario Kart, Sonic - videogame music has been excellent this year!

It feels uncomfortable for me to be so much at odds with the critical consensus, but everything I have seen and heard (and the demo played), makes me ever more sure that new Shinobi just isn't very good. I wish I felt differently as I really like the dev and the series. youtu.be/M0uP-oD87v0?...

Liking the Sonic vibes this time around! Day one for another Thomas K Young jam.

Absolute poetry.

Looking at the dev, Bubsy 4D is going to be legit good!

Looking better than Mario Kart, Sakurai!

The demo has some similarities to Shinobi PS2 (locked room enemy encounters, cool slowmo execution mechanic), but it kinda ends there. It lacks level design, world feel, and thumping music. It doesn't feel like Shinobi. I'm so disappointed.

Summer Gaming! (Sponsored by Orange and Green)

Bits & Bops Demo - an obvious facsimile of Rhythm Heaven - even down to the sound effects and stage jingles - from a place of admiration. It misses the magic though - some minigames don't feel satisfying and I think it's down to a lack of animation feedback and flourish. Still looking forward to it.

Accidentally discovered a massive level skip on 81 on Barb @tommyill.bsky.social

A very modest selection of games from the Doncaster Gaming Market. Always fun to see how much retro games have risen in price.

60 hours later, I have finally finished Wizardry (1981). It was an absolute blast of a game. I definitely will be wanting to talk more about this game, how it plays today, and its gigantic legacy.

Around 1/3 of sales for Switch 2 hardware are from Japan. This really shows the effectiveness of having a (relatively) affordable version for the home market and Nintendo’s constant marketing push to keep their brand on the pop culture forefront.

I think I'm going to need an afternoon and some coffee to answer this quick survey.

I'm once again irrationally annoyed at all the talk about how easily the Switch 2 screen scratches in the dock, so you definitely need a screen protector. You don't! Put. Felt. Strips. In. The. Dock.

Here’s a thread of some of the games we covered on the latest episode. These are titles featured in the various recent showcases that @mwjimmy.bsky.social and I are particularly looking forward to playing, or at least finding more about. Let’s go!

I had a lot of fun chatting through the highlights of the summer showcases with Tom (and trying to guess his favourites too!)

this is pretty wild, this game was a "phantom game" called "Navinosuke -The Yo-kai Buster-" that was in made 20 years ago but never officially released for GBA by SNK/Nazca former Metal Slug developer and it will be revived for nintendo switch in 2026 by KOHACHI STUDIO now! kohachistudio.com/yokai/

Years later! 48/48 Superb ranks - now to go for perfects!

Happy Switchmas everyone! If you happen to somehow pick up the Welcome Tour, please let me know so I can add you to the Nintendo Fanboys list.

I've never done anything like this before, so it was a bit of a personal challenge to put it all together! I've included some music from the series, so enjoy the Shakuhachi and Taiko in-between my tones. #SamuraiWarriors #MusouMay

I tried to make a case for Balatro being very very good, but not quite GOTY material. TOEM and Wakaido Case Files also worth checking out for fans of those genres.

The lack of decent dpad options on PS5 is actively putting me off buying 2D games on the platform, going instead for the Switch. I wish they'd open the platform up more. Or just let me use a PS4 pad on PS5 games.

Got to talk about one of the most charming/quirky/weird DS games - an oft forgotten sequel to GC Chibi Robo.

Share the last 4 games you've played and expose your gaming habits.

This week I talk about one of Nintendo's most memorable games - Emio: The Smiling Man. (Thank you for listening through some of my technical issues - my enthusiasm broke the recording no doubt!)

Everything I love about Prince of Persia, is here in The Lost Crown. Longer form thoughts on the podcast.