Vampire Crawlers is a great example of “spooky, not scary,” or something with the atmosphere and vibes of horror but no actual scares.
Sam Martinelli
Sam Martinelli
Sam has been playing video games since his earliest years and has been writing about them since 2016. He joined The Punished Backlog in 2017 and became an Editor in Fall 2021. He’s a big fan of Nintendo games and complaining about The Last of Us Part II. You either agree wholeheartedly with his opinions or despise them. There is no in between.
A lifelong New Yorker, Sam views gaming as far more than a silly little pastime, and hopes through critical analysis and in-depth reviews to better understand the medium's artistic merit.
Bluesky: @sam-martinelli.bsky.social
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Our 2026 Fantasy Gaming league heats up! Read on for our second waiver wire of the year, plus mid-October standings.
Our list of the best cozy games covers puzzles, platform adventures, farming, shop sims, visual novels, and much more.
In Sam’s latest Punished Notes, he covers the new Fire Emblem, has a few thoughts on Final Fantasy X (all these years later), and even a bit on… tapas?
Nintendo’s latest console is still early in its life, but it’s already racking up hits. These are the best Nintendo Switch 2 games so far.
In this podcast episode, we discuss video game protagonists. We debate create-a-character versus heroes and share our favorites.
If you want to get into retro gaming, you need the right mindset. Here are a few suggestions to make the whole experience easier for you.
Super Mario Sunshine is probably the beloved plumber’s most polarizing adventure. Punished Backlog editors Sam and David discuss why that is.
I shouldn’t have to play a crappy spin-off to truly enjoy Kingdom Hearts. Games aren’t homework!
In our list of the Best Video Game Dogs, we highlight the old and the new, the lithe and the chonky, the magical and the normal. They are all good dogs!