Welcome to the latest edition of Punished Notes! For the 40th(!) edition of this column, I’ll discuss how the incredible fall game release lineup is kind of killing me. Then, I’ll have an extra-long set of Lightning Round notes where I’ll talk a little about Hollow Knight: Silksong, the latest Nintendo Direct, some other gems I’ve been playing, and more. As always, thanks for reading!
That’s Too Much, Man
Within the next couple of months, the gaming world will receive so many big new releases that everyone here at The Punished Backlog is super excited about something. In the coming weeks, we’ll see massive, tentpole AAA titles (Ghost of Yotei, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond), hard-hitting indies (Hades II, Mina the Hollower), quirkier genre fare (Kirby Air Riders, Pokemon Legends: Z-A), notable remakes and remasters (Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake), and way, way more. Anyone who loves gaming and hopes to keep up with everything new should be elated at what’s to come.
Me, though? I’m overwhelmed by it all.
In fairness, there’s no particular reason for me to worry about release dates and big games all coming out around the same time. Sure, I like to keep up with new games as much as I can, mainly so I can keep up with the zeitgeist, but I play (and certainly write about) old games all the time. It doesn’t matter if I play something for the first time ten days or ten years after its release, so there shouldn’t be any self-inflicted pressure to be up-to-date all the time.
Still, I like being on the ground floor when something truly notable comes out. I like that I can speak to my friends about it all at the same time. I like the communal feeling of a large portion of the gaming world experiencing that Hot New Title all at once. My apprehension at the tsunami of games isn’t that nothing interests me, it’s that so much of it interests me, and I want to share that excitement with anyone I can.
Logistically, this is impossible. There’s only so much time in the day and so much money in my bank account. Emotionally, it’s also ill-advised: the more I crave the twitchy action and movement in failure-based games like Hades II, the less time I have to dig deeper into the twitchy action and movement in currently available failure-based game Hollow Knight: Silksong. This constant magnetism towards shiny, new objects pulls me away from the shiny, new object I already have. If I’m always itching for something new and exciting, how could I ever take the time to truly appreciate anything?
It certainly doesn’t help that the rapid decay of this country’s political checks and balances – along with our leaders’ continued abdication of basic humanity – we see on a daily basis makes me yearn for the “right” kind of escape. It also doesn’t help that I’ve spent so much time over the past few months trying to address my own never-ending acid reflux issues, which involves me cutting so many of my favorite foods and beverages out of my diet, making the joy of a good distraction all the more essential to my sanity. It’s a real challenge to find the gaming experience that’ll lift me up when I think five of them can in one month.
A hobby like gaming – one that involves intricate fantasy worlds, cartoon mascots, and an emphasis on good ole’ fashioned fun – shouldn’t stress me out like this. It’s a remarkable privilege to write a blog like this at all. I just can’t deny that my desire to play everything sometimes hinders my ability to enjoy anything.
It’s okay. Paying $40 for Super Mario Galaxy 2 – a game I already own and have played all the way through multiple times – on Switch 2 will fix me. No doubt about it.
This constant magnetism towards shiny, new objects pulls me away from the shiny, new object I already have. If I’m always itching for something new and exciting, how could I ever take the time to truly appreciate anything?
LIGHTNING ROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- I’ll have a lot more to say in our upcoming round-up of thoughts on Hollow Knight: Silksong, but I wanted to mention one thing here: I think my favorite part of the game is how narratively cohesive its entire world is, as well as how even the smallest game design elements underscore that cohesion. Obviously, in a story about religious zealotry and the folly of the most vulnerable being the most devoted, it makes perfect sense that, say, the enemies at the highest parts of the Citadel drop more rosaries than the peons at Bone Bottom. The narrative themes also tend to hit the hardest in small moments, like when I take from a corpse on the Eastern-most side of the world a missing key that unlocks doors in a prison all the way on the Western side. Without a single word uttered, I can already piece together a small story, and these little tales are littered throughout Pharloom at every turn.
- I think I’d still name Donkey Kong Bananza as my Game of the Year so far, but Silksong might be neck-and-neck. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, and even the most unnecessary and optional of challenges feel essential to the overall experience.
- Despite my love for Bananza, its recent DLC was fairly disappointing. As much as I appreciate a lot of the fan service of DK Island, that’s all it is. The Emerald Rush portion of the offering has some fun to be had, but not enough for me to get that deep into it. I do genuinely regret paying $20 for it, which is not something I thought I’d say when Nintendo first announced it.
- Speaking of Nintendo DLC, the fact that Pokemon Legends: Z-A will have paid DLC available on launch day is egregious. It was bullshit when EA did it with Mass Effect 3 over a decade ago, and it’s bullshit now. (For more on this, check out Episode 9: DLC of the Punished Podcast.)
- By the time you’re reading this, Hades II will be out. I loved the first Hades and have no doubt I’ll adore the sequel as well. That said, I’m going to wait on this one, even though it has received absolute rave reviews. I just can’t imagine going from a tough-as-nails experience that requires constant focus and skill-honing (Silksong) to another game that scratches a similar itch and asks the same level of focus and skill-honing from the player. At the very least, I can’t play these games back-to-back.
- Though I’m still very excited about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, especially since it’s on my Fantasy Gaming team, every trailer for it is fairly lackluster. I think Motorbike Samus looks cool as hell, but what a strange way to show it off, just months before release.
- Last note from the recent Nintendo Direct, but I’m still appalled we’re getting a Dragon Quest VII remake. Of all the games in the series to get this kind of treatment right now, it just so happens to be the one I don’t like?! They couldn’t remake one of the games that’s NOT a horrible slog in its opening hours?!?!
- I gave tactical RPG Unicorn Overlord a shot recently, and I really liked it! I love how its battle system involves classic Fire Emblem-style auto-combat within a real-time strategy structure. Don’t know if I’ll ever finish it, but it’s absolutely worth a shot if you appreciate some great 2D fantasy animation and long battles.
- Giant Squid’s Sword of the Sea might be one of the best “vibey” games of 2025. Much like Journey or Abzu, the game is a constant visual and sonic delight, and the simple-yet-effective snowboarding (sandboarding?) controls are like if Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater existed in a gorgeous, tantalizing world full of unexplained mysteries.
- I mentioned before that I’ve been dealing with reflux issues lately, and as a result have had to make major lifestyle adjustments, at least for the time being. Among other things, I have to avoid acidic and spicy foods, alcohol, and carbonated beverages, which all sucks on its own. You know what I miss the most though? Fun beverages. I don’t mean cocktails or beer; I simply miss having a random Cherry Coke or blue Gatorade. Of all the things I yearn for the most, I never imagined it would be the most artificial of flavors.
I like the communal feeling of a large portion of the gaming world experiencing that Hot New Title all at once… Logistically, this is impossible.
Sam has been playing video games since his earliest years and has been writing about them since 2016. 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 though critical analysis and in-depth reviews to better understand the medium's artistic merit.
Twitter: @sam_martinelli.
