Latest Articles
Latest Articles
Subtraction by Addition I recently tried my hand at State of Decay 2, an Xbox One/PC exclusive where the player attempts to build a functioning community in a world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse. The game doesn’t appear to have…
A Journey for the Senses Adventure games are hardly a new thing. For decades, series like Myst, Monkey Island, and Telltale’s The Walking Dead have provided alluring and enrapturing settings for us to explore. Whether it be navigating a mysterious island, traversing a cove…
In Vogue Since 1995 E3 is right around the corner, and with it, a new opportunity to roast/honor our favorite publishers and developers. That’s right, it’s E3 bingo time, folks. This year, The Punished Backlog has its own game board…
Gorgeous New Environments in the Open World Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for the upcoming One Piece open-world RPG, One Piece: World Seeker. Whereas the initial announcement trailer focused on a Marine base and its surrounding farmland and forests, this new…
Dontnod’s Latest Coming June 5th Dontnod Entertainment and publisher Focus Home Interactive have released 55 minutes of developer-led footage for their upcoming action-RPG Vampyr. The footage, taking place roughly six hours into the main story, gives an overview into the…
Searching for Our Sole Survivor Well, this is it. 12 episodes completed, 14 castaways voted out, and we have reached finale night on this season of Survivor. Ghost Island will come to a close as three more people will be eliminated,…
Chest Pumps and Heartbreaks Mark This April in Fantasy We’re back with another fantasy update, and this one’s a doozy. As opposed to March, which brought us a quantity of releases at the cost of quality, April has all but…
New Year’s Eve and Drake Highlight This Episode of Atlanta Following the near-impossible-to-top high that was “Teddy Perkins,” the next chapter of Atlanta floats gently back to Earth. “Champagne Papi” is an episode that, while entertaining and full of its…
The Punished Podcast
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In this episode of The Punished Podcast, we reflect (and debate) the games that should be prioritized in our backlog in 2026.
In this episode of The Punished Podcast, we discuss the role of review scores in the gaming industry, especially for us as critics.
In this episode of The Punished Podcast, we discuss and listen to the best video game soundtracks, composers, and sound design.
Presenting the most anticipated video games of 2026, but in a stylish package: our annual Fantasy Gaming league. New year, new season.
What are the games that still hold a special place in our heart, even if we think they’re bad games? Why do they have a hold on us?
Video game adaptations are everywhere — shows, movies, books, board games, music, and more. But what makes them work? Let’s discuss.
Punished Notes
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In a Punished Notes dedicated entirely to Resident Evil Requiem, Sam wonders if the post-zombification of the game’s world bears a resemblance to our own post-pandemic one.
In his latest Punished Notes, Sam gets into some New Year’s Gaming Resolutions, as well as a few predictions (and hopes) for some big gaming anniversaries coming up. Also: Wuthering Heights?
In the latest Punished Notes, Sam covers Doritos and Mountain Dew games, Kirby Air Riders, and… the blues?
In this edition of Punished Notes, Sam discusses how the incredible fall game release lineup is kind of killing him, among other thoughts
In the latest edition of Punished Notes, Sam talks about Lumines, visual novel and Roger, and other random thoughts from random games.
In this Punished Notes, Sam dives into how the latest Bethesda shooter harkens back to a simpler time in AAA gaming, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and more!
Punished Chat
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As part of our Game of the Year coverage, here are some DIFFERENT awards for the year’s best games!
Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of this year’s biggest new releases. What do the writers at The Punished Backlog think of it so far?
From the classics to new releases, we discuss the “Big Three,” the best anime ever, and what makes these series stand the test of time.
Donkey Kong Bananza is one of the biggest game releases of 2025. Does it work? Does it deserve its score of 91? We share our thoughts.
On the fence about Nintendo’s latest console? Six of our writers sat down to share our initial Nintendo Switch 2 impressions.
After a drama-packed premiere, our writers got together to share our The Last of Us Season 2 impressions so far.
Punished Favorites
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To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Game Boy Advance, here are The Punished Backlog’s favorite GBA games of all time!
The Punished Backlog writers have already covered their favorite Pokémon games. But what about our actual favorite pocket monsters?
In our list of the best Pokémon Games, find out how the generations stack up in honor of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary.
In our list of the best GameCube Games, see how classics like Metroid Prime, Melee, and Double Dash stack up.
While we here at The Punished Backlog could not be more excited about a new Nintendo console, we also figured it now is the right time to pay tribute to the first Switch and all its best games!
Indie games are labors of love, and this year, it looks like there will be a lot to love! These are our most anticipated indie games of 2025.