Christian S.
@brakeman90
Franchise Festival podcast host. Catholic. He/Him. Black Lives Matter. Trans rights are human rights. patreon.com/franchisefestival franchisefestival@gmail.com
Looks like this Ogre Battle NPC has a bright future in writing political fundraiser messages
25th completed game of 2026 is Batman (1990). Too many annoying platformer and tough boss sequences, but the sprite art is some of the NES' best and Batman's movement suggests a more agile Castlevania protagonist without sacrificing the sense of weight. C+
My wife's been working on a gigantic Godzilla paper craft, and it's incredible
24th completed game of 2026 is Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009). Heard for years how good this is, and it was true! One of the best action games I've played - I couldn't put it down. And I'm not even a Batman fan! It's cool to see the DNA that would lead to Spider-Man nearly a decade later.
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.
OK, the new Star Fox is very cool - cheers to Velan for improving on what I thought was an unassailable 1990s classic.
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!
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!
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!
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.
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 :)
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.
It's ultimately a minor thing, I guess, but I always appreciate how well the Forza Horizon games nail the essence of dawn and dusk.
19th completed game of 2026 is Super Kiwi 64 (2022). It's a short, well-crafted ode to the Nintendo 64 platformers of yesteryear that plays better than any of them. There are some vaguely eerie visual details, but it retains a buoyant energy through credits.
Oh my goodness, @coreyinhd.com: get a load of Google's AI hallucination about my show, lol - didn't know you were on the crew!
18th completed game of 2026 is Demon's Souls (2009). Awkwardly positioned as the bridge between King's Field 4 and Dark Souls, there's a lot to like here: the voiceovers, combat, world design, and boss arenas are a treat. Still, the lengthy run-backs to tough bosses make it hard to recommend.
17th completed game of 2026 is Majin & The Forsaken Kingdom (2010). An often-overlooked PS3 gem, this puzzle-heavy action-adventure game feels like Fumito Ueda was asked to design a Zelda game. The story alternates between forgettable and incoherent, but the visuals and level design are excellent.
Spinning the new Modridge LP while making dinner tonight - great record, @garybutterfield.bsky.social!