19th Game Finished of 2026 - Replaced (2026)

Visually stunning action/puzzle platformer with a cool cyberpunkish narrative. Occasionally it has some input quirks that are frustrating and it is maybe a couple hours too long but all in all one of my favorites of the year so far.

So Madonna showed up during Sabrina Carpenter’s Coachella set and while I was kinda hyped when it happened, it quickly soured. Sabrina let her talk and she wouldn’t shut up and it killed the flow of the show. Also, and I get it she’s 67, she looked ridiculous in that outfit.

‪35th Film Watched of 2026 - Faces of Death (2026)‬

‪It has a good hook for revisiting this bygone franchise and it mostly works as it’s generally solid throughout. There is an infuriatingly stupid sequence that nearly spoils everything but it’s saved by a pretty solid finale.‬

‪18th Game Finished of 2026 - Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020)‬

‪The story is the weakest and most disjointed of the 4 most recent open world AC RPGs but I kinda like its episodic structure and there are very high points within. The combat is maybe best in series and it’s just fun.‬

34th Film Watched of 2026 - The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

Visually striking but it feels like a bunch of shorts strung together. Taken separately they’re fun enough vignettes where the characters do Mario things., as a whole interesting narrative though, less so.

Nice. Enjoy.

‪17th Game Finished of 2026 - Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (2025)‬

‪A phenomenal remake of one of the best tactical RPGs ever and the narrative has only become more relevant with age. It’s so excellent, it’s arguably still the benchmark for similar games.‬

‪33rd Film Watched of 2026 - They Will Kill You (2026)‬

‪Has some solidly fun action scenes, some funny lines, and an absurd finale but its premise is a bit too similar to, if considerably more simplistic than, Ready or Not.‬

‪32nd Film Watched of 2026 - The Dark Half (1993)‬

‪The fact that The Dark Half is really just King lamenting his outing of his Bachman pen name is amusing in itself. Romero does a good job with a fairly fun but simplistic story and it has some cool visuals in the final act.‬

‪31st Film Watched of 2026 - The Dead Zone (1983)‬

‪I think my reading the book before hurt my viewing of the film. The scenes here are generally book faithful but nothing is given the time needed to flesh out the characters or story. It’s an unsatisfying speedrun of the book. ‬

‪16th Game Finished of 2026 - Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids (2021)‬

‪I’ve still not finished Valhalla proper but, this gives you everything base Valhalla does but in a manageable package and Ireland is great to explore while delivering a fun, interesting narrative.‬

‪15th Game Finished of 2026 - Cairn (2026)‬

‪The technical nature of the climbing gameplay here is impressive. As is the art style. As is Aava’s distaste for human interaction. In short it’s an impressive game that can frustrate as you keep falling moments away from safety.‬

I’ve not seen it but was aware of Blubberella. Didn’t realize it was a Bloodrayne parody. Wild and weird (and gross). But I guess coming from Uwe Boll, who would expect different.

Two sequels in fact.

‪30th Film Watched of 2026 - Bloodrayne (2005)‬

‪The bar is low for Uwe Boll films but this one is mostly watchable in a SyFy Original way. That said it is not good, the action is atrociously choreographed, and despite the big name cast, the acting is pretty awful. ‬

29th Film Watched of 2026 - Project Hail Mary (2026)

Another absolute winning adaptation of an Andy Weir novel. Top tier sci-fi filled with tension, strong emotional beats, and some astoundingly beautiful visuals. Easily my favorite of the year so far.

‪28th Film Watched of 2026 - Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)‬

‪A step down from the original but still, mostly, fun. It gets a little overly dark and mean spirited in the final act but it pays off nicely. Kathryn Newton was an excellent addition as Grace’s sister, Faith.‬

‪14th Game Finshed of 2026 - Minishoot’ Adventures (2024/2026)‬

‪This answers a question we didn’t know existed, what if you mixed a twin-stick bullet hell shooter with classic 2D Zelda design? Turns out it’s a pretty awesome answer.‬

27th Film Watched of 2026 - The Bluff (2026)

We don’t get enough pirate films. This one is weirdly mostly land based but Chopra is a believable badass here and the action is fun enough. Enjoyable enough time waster… with pirates.

‪13th Game Finished of 2026 - Resident Evil: Requiem (2026)‬

‪It’s a tale of two halfs. The first is up there with the best classic RE games and the second is non-stop action and fan service. Both are great and it’s my favorite RE since the original trilogy (and their remakes).‬

12th Game Finished of 2026 - Wreckreation (2025)

Despite its occasional bugs, it generally captures the feel of Burnout Paradise. And in a time where solid, good looking, high speed arcade racers are hard to come by Wreckreation scratches the itch.

11th Game Finished of 2026 - Ball x Pit (2025)

It took some time but at some point it just clicked and I wanted to unlock everything. It scratches the same itch as Vampire Survivors but being distinct enough for both to be continuously compelling.

‪26th Film Watched of 2026 - Nemesis (1992)‬

‪There are aspects of this I really enjoy (the opening action scene is fantastically stupid) but Nemesis is all over the place stylistically and none of it really works for what the film is.‬

Kill during sex

Not sure how far into RE9 I am (reached a basement/cave type area under the clinic) but so far it’s my favorite RE in a long time. I’ve mostly liked all the main entries (except 6, that can die in a fire) but the Grace sections of 9 are the classic RE that I’ve been missing.

It’s quite fun and a great entry point.

‪25th Film Watched of 2026 - Cyborg (1989)‬

‪I loved this as a kid and as an adult I can view it for what it is, a not-great, low budget apocalypse tale but, it still works for me. I think the visual style is fantastic, the villain is perfectly absurd, and JCVD does his schtick. ‬

‪10th Game Finished of 2026 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (2005)‬

‪My first real experience with the series and it was great. I think I play it more like a puzzle than a war game as I refuse to let my people die. Definitely on board to try more.‬

‪9th Game Finished of 2026 - Garfield Kart 2: All You Can Drift (2025)‬

‪It’s significantly better than the first game but that just elevates it to competently mediocre. It’s serviceable enough but unless you have a weird undying love for Garfield, there are better karting options.‬

24th Film Watched of 2026 - DOOM (2005)

It gets the setting right, features some monsters from the games, and there are guns being shot so I guess… +3 for accuracy. Aside from that, it’s kinda dull despite having The Rock and Urban in starring roles. FPS scene is super goofy.