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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…
Two New Victims to Ghost Island Come on in, guys! Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to uncharted waters. This is the first of what hopefully will be many installments in a weekly column about the greatest show on television: Survivor. Yes,…
Putting Old Classics Under the Modern Microscope Though video gaming as a medium is still relatively nascent, enough time has passed since the original Pong that we as gamers have begun to set aside many of the icons of the…
Embracing the Weirdness Legendary Gary is delightful in its weirdness. The indie adventure game takes a casual approach to strategic combat and offers an experience that is half grab-bag-of-unrelated-styles and half touching mise en abyme. A Story of Two Worlds…
Honoring the Best Publisher, Developer, and Game of 2017 The time has come. After weeks of deliberation, voting, and award coverage, we have arrived at the fourth and final wave of our Best of 2017 feature: Game of the Year!…
Breaking Down the Evo 2018 Lineup The Evo 2018 Championship Series lineup was announced last Tuesday (February 6th) on a livestream hosted by Red Bull Esports. The eight game lineup—down one game compared to last year—will consist of Street Fighter…
Big Releases and Big Delays Headline Month of January Our fantasy gaming league is off to the races! After an exciting draft, the Punished Backlog staff kicked back, relaxed, and watched the madness unfold for the month of January. The…
The Punished Podcast
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In this podcast episode, we discuss the history of open-world video games: the good, the bad, and everything in between. (Also, GTA VI!)
In this Fantasy Gaming-centric episode, we recap the first half of 2026 before delving into our first waiver wire of the year.
In this episode of The Punished Podcast, we discuss the rise and fall of E3, game trailers, authenticity, and the big bucks.
In this episode of The Punished Podcast, we discuss the past, present, and future of games media and journalism.
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.
Punished Notes
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In the latest Punished Notes, Sam talks about Splatoon Raiders, Kingdom Hearts, Denshattack!, and…baking?
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.
Punished Chat
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After all playing Disco Elysium, several writers weigh in on the good, the bad, and the very ugly of the cult classic.
Mina the Hollower released last month to rave reviews. How do the writers at The Punished Backlog feel about it?
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.
Punished Favorites
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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!
Anime is often known for its flashy visuals, but just as important is the music. Here are 11 of our top anime character theme songs ever.
From big AAAs to indie gems, this year’s shaping up to be a delight. Here are the 19 best video games of 2026 we’ve played to date.
From the bird and the bear to the earliest console shooters, here are The Punished Backlog’s top 16 Nintendo 64 games of all time!
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?