Welcome to the first Punished Podcast of the new year! The Backlog crew is back and better than ever, and we’re excited to show you what we’ve been cooking up.
The Punished Podcast Episode 5
For episode 5 of The Punished Podcast, we’re taking a look ahead at 2024 in gaming—and running it back with our annual Fantasy Gaming draft.
Will Sam go back-to-back this year? What’s up with Hollow Knight: Silksong, and will Amanda strike out on it, yet again? Will David finally draft a decent team?
Take a listen and gauge for yourself.
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(Note: We recorded this podcast on January 6, 2024, before the releases of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Tekken 8, and Persona 3 Reload. This podcast also predates Microsoft’s “Direct”-like showcase, which saw Hellblade II, Avowed, and MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle all get 2024 release windows.
You’re hearing our thoughts and analysis before ANY of the above occurred—so keep that in mind while listening!)
Timestamps
- 0:00 – Intro
- 3:15 – Thoughts on 2024?
- 7:53 – Unannounced or Speculated Games You’re Anticipating?
- 13:27 – Sam Rants About George R.R. Martin
- 18:28 – 2024 Fantasy Gaming Draft: The Rules
- 22:38 – 2024 Fantasy Gaming Draft: The Draft
- 57:01 – 2024 Fantasy Gaming Draft: Vibe Check
- 59:44 – Sam’s Hall of Fame Nominee
- 1:17:15 – What Are You Currently Playing?
- 1:20:28 – Outro
2024 Fantasy Gaming Draft – The Recap
Want the Sparknotes version of our Fantasy Gaming draft? Here’s a quick play-by-play:
- David — Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Amanda — Hades II
- Sam — Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Sam — Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Amanda — Persona 3 Reload
- David — Dragon’s Dogma 2
- David — Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Amanda — Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Sam — Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Sam — Princess Peach Showtime
- Amanda — Hollow Knight: Silksong
- David — Rise of the Rōnin
- David — Avowed
- Amanda — Star Wars Outlaws
- Sam — The Plucky Squire
- Sam — Metroid Prime 4
- Amanda — Frostpunk 2
- David — Black Myth: Wukong
The Final Teams, Post-Draft
Take a gander at our three contenders, now that the dust has settled. As a reminder, we’ll likely revisit these teams midway through the year in the form of a “waiver wire pick-up” draft.
We got silly with the team names this year. Hopefully, they give you a chuckle!
Post-January Fantasy Standings
As mentioned before, we recorded this podcast before a bunch of January games hit storefronts. Here’s the current leaderboard, taking into account those releases (expect more commentary in a future article):
Why the Legend of Zelda Franchise Is Our Newest HOF Inductee
Last on the podcast, but certainly not least, was our Punished Hall of Fame segment. This episode, Sam Martinelli nominated The Legend of Zelda—the entire franchise.
Do we need to argue for its inclusion? If ever there was a series that merits the highest honor we can provide, it’s this one. Zelda defined most of our childhoods, and its sheer variety—from time-traveling escapades in Majora’s Mask to cel-shaded seafaring in The Wind Waker—never seems to taper.
Yes, the franchise has the occasional dud (I’m looking at you, Spirit Tracks). But the bad pales in comparison to the good—and even then, the bad here is arguably better than most franchises in their prime.
Here’s to you, Zelda. It’s been nearly 40 years since you graced our Nintendo consoles, and we’re looking forward to another 40 more.
Song Credits
- “Rogueport” (Yuka Tsujiyoko, Yoshito Sekigawa) from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- “Victory Fanfare” (Nobuo Uematsu, Naoyuki Honzawa) from Final Fantasy VII Remake
- “Changing Seasons” (Atsushi Kitajoh, Shoji Meguro) from Persona 3 Reload
- “Wii Menu Theme” (Kenji Yamamoto, Minako Hamano, Masaru Tajima) from Metroid Prime 3
- “Title Theme” (Koji Kondo, Toru Minegishi, Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai) from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
