Latest Articles
Latest Articles
The Cost of Fame Robbin’ Season continues in full force with Atlanta Season 2’s second episode, “Sportin’ Waves.” From drug deals gone bad, to shopping trips turned to shopping sprees, to acoustic covers, there’s a lot to unpack here. Let’s dive…
Time to Switch Things Up Come on in guys! And please, drop your buffs by the door. Because we’re rip-rearin’ and ready to… swap? Hope you’ve been taking notes on who’s who in Survivor: Ghost Island because now the tribes…
Super Mario Sunshine: The Pianta Project While I forgot when my fascination with speedrunning began, I can safely say it exploded after rooming with the illustrious Jbop1626 in college—a phenomenal Ocarina of Time and GoldenEye speedrunner, running both these games…
Smash, Octopath Traveler, and Ports… Glorious Ports Well…wow. That was a Nintendo Direct that started off with all of us here being generally pretty whelmed before dropping a major bombshell on us. Let’s get started with our thoughts on the…
Trump Discusses Violent Games in Wake of Stoneman Douglas President Donald Trump met with video game industry leaders, members of congress and senate, and critics of video game violence in a private meeting yesterday to discuss video game violence in response…
Put Your Detective Pikachu Hats On Nintendo has once again stealth announced a new Direct. Dropping tomorrow—Wednesday, March 7—at 2pm PT, the Nintendo Direct will provide a half hour’s worth of information on Switch and 3DS games releasing in 2018.…
Climbing the Mountain Within You Minutes into my first playthrough of Celeste, I found myself breathing more heavily than usual. The 2D platformer certainly presented some light challenge early on, but that wasn’t what was causing such a physical sensation.…
Robbin’ Season Starts Off Strong Donald Glover is no stranger to success. Initially a sketch comic during his studies at New York University, Glover quickly gained traction with his writing work on the show 30 Rock. In 2009, Glover took a…
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.