Cities: Skylines — Zoning Laws and Existential Dread | WOTS Review Cities: Skylines turns city planning into a slow-burning obsession, where every road is a gamble, every zoning decision has consequences, and traffic is the final boss. What starts as a humble town…

whatsontheshelf.blog/2026/03/10/c...

Cities: Skylines asks a simple question: what if everything was your fault?

New review on WOTS 👇🕹️🎮

#CitiesSkylines #CityBuilder #SimulationGames #StrategyGames
#GameReviews #PCGames #ConsoleGaming #WOTS

Here is all the comic cons / festivals I'm confirmed for in 2026!

I'm also on the waiting list for the following shows:
MCAF | May 15-17
TCAF | June 6-7
Montreal Comiccon | July 3-5
Ottawa Comiccon | Sep 1-13
Quebec Comiccon | Oct 10-11

#comics #comiccon #torontocomicon #tricon #yeticon #wots

Binding of Isaac (PS4) – Crying in the Basement | WOTS Retrospective Grotesque, brilliant, and deeply uncomfortable, The Binding of Isaac is a roguelike that weaponized trauma, tears, and procedural chaos—and in doing so, reshaped an entire genre. Fifteen years later, it’s still impossible to forget.

Fifteen years later, The Binding of Isaac is still uncomfortable, grotesque, and impossible to put down. A basement full of tears, trauma, and genre-defining chaos.

#WOTS #GameRetrospective #Roguelike #IndieGames #GamingEssay

Disco Elysium – Dancing With Myself | WOTS Review A conversation-driven RPG where your own mind becomes the loudest character in the room. Disco Elysium is a haunting, hilarious, and deeply human detective story that interrogates failure, identity, and redemption—one internal argument at a time.

🧠🎭 Disco Elysium is a game where your skills argue with you, your failures define you, and every conversation feels like a philosophical fistfight. 🎮🕹️

#DiscoElysium #RPGs #NarrativeGames #IndieGames #WOTS #GameReview #TopShelfGames

After three years, this video started going up in views.

You should watch it if you haven't already.
It's one of my favorite games of all time.

#WayoftheSamurai #WotS #SamuraiDou #PS2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFDJ...

“I’ll Be On Tomorrow for My Dailies” – How Games Turned Play Into Obligation What started as free-to-play convenience has quietly reshaped how games are designed, sold, and played. From DLC and on-disc content to battle passes, daily logins, and monetized FOMO, this is a look at how modern games stopped rewarding play—and started punishing absence.

“I’ll be on tomorrow for my dailies.”

Free games didn’t save gaming—they changed what games ask of us. From DLC to battle passes, this is how play turned into obligation.

#WOTS #Gaming #GameDesign #FreeToPlay #DLC

Neon White – Heaven’s Fastest Headache (In a Good Way) | WOTS Review Neon White is a contradiction in motion—an elegant, adrenaline-fueled speedrunning puzzle shooter wrapped in some of the most baffling dialogue this side of heaven. When it works, it absolutely sings.

Neon White is pure speedrun brain rot in the best way—tight levels, addictive movement, and “just one more run” energy wrapped around some truly wild writing choices. A messy masterpiece that still earns its wings.

#NeonWhite #GameReview #IndieGames #Speedrunning #WOTS

A Golden Era for Gamers, a Brutal Era for Developers A golden era for players is proving to be a brutal era for developers. Six of 2024–2025’s biggest hits generated billions in revenue, yet publishers like Sony, Square Enix, and Microsoft cut thousands of jobs. Here’s how corporate greed is reshaping the industry behind the games we love.

Billions in revenue, thousands of layoffs. Gaming’s golden era for players hides a brutal one for developers. A closer look at Helldivers 2, Rebirth, DD2, DOOM, Donkey Kong & Monster Hunter.

#WOTS #GamingIndustry #Layoffs #Helldivers2 #FF7Rebirth #Capcom #Nintendo #DOOM

a baseball game is being played in front of a tbs advertisement Alt: Randy Johnson, pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks, strikes out a member of the Atlanta Braves

New post is up on WOTS:

whatsontheshelf.blog/2026/01/27/b...

#MLB #Baseball #HallOfFame #BBWAA #Cooperstown #WOTS

Punch-Out!! (NES) – Little Mac, Big Memories and Bigger Asterisks | WOTS Retrospectives Punch-Out!! for the NES is one of my earliest gaming memories—an endlessly replayable boss rush of patterns, timing, and wildly dated stereotypes. Little Mac may be the underdog, but this game stil…

New post up on WOTS:

whatsontheshelf.blog/2026/01/20/p...

🎮🕹️

#PunchOut #NES #RetroGaming #Nintendo #WOTS

Lyrics of Labor – Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford A foot-tapping baritone with a gut-punch message: “Sixteen Tons” turns coalfield economics into a four-minute warning about work, debt, and dignity. From company stores and scrip to modern debt tra…

New post is up on WOTS

whatsontheshelf.blog/2026/01/14/l...

#LyricsOfLabor #LaborHistory #MusicWriting #WOTS

Ethics in Video Game Consumption Video games are built on crunch, consolidation, and compromise. Is ethical consumption even possible—or is it just a question of how much you’re willing to ignore?

New post up on WOTS:

whatsontheshelf.blog/2026/01/13/e...

#VideoGames #GameEthics #WOTS #GamesWriting

Race to Git Gud – Lost Kingdoms (Day 4): Castle Doctrine Katia stomps through Castle Grayl’s armor-lined hallways, detonates one too many Will-o-Wisps, and duels a hooded runestone bearer with main-character energy.

Castle Grayl is a hallway simulator with armor statues that basically beg to be poked. Unfortunately, the Will-o-Wisps also beg to be poked—and they explode in chain reactions like it’s their hobby.

#RaceToGitGud #FromSoftware #RetroGaming #WOTS

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of 2025 – A WOTS Year in Review In WOTS’ first year back, we’ve seen indie bangers, expanded our Chillers playlist, watched the industry chew up its workers, and stared at a never-ending sea of 8/10 review scores. Here’s the Good…

whatsontheshelf.blog/2025/12/26/w...

In WOTS’ first year back, we’ve seen indie bangers, expanded our Chillers playlist, watched the industry chew up its workers, and stared at a never-ending sea of 8/10 review scores.

#WOTS #VideoGames #Retrospective #YearInReview #IndieGames #WOTSChillers

Lyrics of Labor – 1913 Massacre by Woody Guthrie The first entry in Lyrics of Labor digs into Woody Guthrie’s “1913 Massacre,” a stark retelling of the Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan. We walk through the lyrics, the strike behind the song, and how one Christmas Eve tragedy became a lasting indictment of corporate power.

Kicking off a new WOTS series: Lyrics of Labor.

First up is Woody Guthrie’s “1913 Massacre,” a brutal Christmas Eve in a union hall turned into one of the sharpest labor songs ever written.

#LyricsOfLabor #WoodyGuthrie #LaborHistory #WOTS

A Love Letter to Civilization VI Late to the Civilization party, I found myself falling hard for Civ VI — the game that made “just one more turn” a lifestyle. Even as Civ VII stumbles, my heart belongs to its predecessor.

Just one more turn… became just one more week. A love letter to Civilization VI, the strategy game that had me hooked like no other.

#CivilizationVI #Civ6 #StrategyGames #WOTS #LoveLetter #Gaming

Race to Git Gud – Lost Kingdoms (Part 3): Sewer Sludge and Snowy Peaks Katia trudges through one of FromSoftware’s most obnoxious sewers, hunts a not-that-Mind-Flayer, and then gets sent to play fantasy DoorDash in the snowy mountains of Rohbach—all in search of her missing father.

Part 3 of Race to Git Gud: Lost Kingdoms is live. Sewer sludge, snowy peaks, rude Mind Flayers, and a princess doing fantasy DoorDash on the way to Castle Grayl. ❄️🧠💀

#RaceToGitGud #LostKingdoms #FromSoftware #RetroGaming #WOTS

Marvel Token: Fighting Souls Beta – Ms. Marvel, Autocombos, and the Future of Marvel Fighters | WOTS Reviews Hands-on with the Marvel Token: Fighting Souls beta as a Ms. Marvel main. I get zoned out, abuse jump throws, poke at assists and autocombos, and dig into what this ArcSys-built Marvel fighter might mean for the future of Marvel fighting games.

Jumped into the Marvel Token: Fighting Souls beta as a Ms. Marvel main, got zoned to hell, fell in love with jump throws anyway. ArcSys chaos, Marvel flair, and a surprising amount of fun.

#MarvelToken #FightingSouls #FGC #FightingGames #ArcSys #WOTS

Race to Git Gud – Lost Kingdoms (Part 1): Decks, Dragons, and Depressing Fog Kicking off a new Race to Git Gud series with one of FromSoftware’s forgotten GameCube oddities, Lost Kingdoms—part card game, part action RPG, and all black fog, skeletons, and questionable random encounters.

Kicking off a new arc in Race to Git Gud with one of FromSoft’s deepest cuts: Lost Kingdoms on GameCube. Decks, dragons, black fog, and bad decisions. New post up on WOTS. 🐉🃏

#RaceToGitGud #LostKingdoms #FromSoftware #GameCube #RetroGaming #WOTS

Sonic x Shadow Generations – A Spin Dash Through Time | WOTS Review A slick remaster meets a sharp new spotlight: Sonic’s greatest hits collide with Shadow’s edgier set pieces in a fast, funny, occasionally janky tour through the series’ past. The 2D/3D split still divides, but Radical Highway steals the show — and Shadow quietly runs away with the game.

Shadow shines, Radical Highway rules, and nostalgia hits hard in Sonic x Shadow Generations.

#WOTS #GameReviews #SonicTheHedgehog

Analogue 3D – The Best Way to Play N64 in 2025? | WOTS Review The Analogue 3D promises a premium, modern way to play your old N64 cartridges without the blurry mess and input lag of original hardware on modern TVs. After unboxing it, wiring it up, and revisiting games like Pokémon Snap, I’m convinced: this might be the best way to play N64 in 2025.

Finally got my hands on the Analogue 3D and put it head-to-head with my original N64. Is the fancy FPGA box really worth the price, or should you stick with the old hardware + upscaler struggle?

#Analogue3D #N64 #RetroGaming #WOTS

Dispatch – Sad Boys, Superheroes, and the Z-Team | WOTS Reviews Dispatch takes Telltale-style storytelling, throws it into a horny, hungover superhero office comedy, and somehow makes it all work. With sharp writing, a surprisingly deep dispatch system, and a cast of lovable disasters, AdHoc’s episodic drama turns saving the world into a full-time HR problem.

In a world of washed-up heroes, horny coworkers, and terrible life choices, Dispatch somehow makes saving LA feel like working in a call center from hell.

#Dispatch #GameReview #IndieGame #NarrativeGame #SuperheroGame #VisualNovel #WOTS #BacklogBattlers

From Stan to Colossus: The Evolution of Obsessive Fandom in Hip-Hop Eminem’s Stan and Tyler, the Creator’s Colossus both tackle obsessive fans, but in very different eras and contexts. Here’s how the meaning of “stan” evolved from dark cautionary tale to playful online slang.

From letters in the dark to a Six Flags panic attack, Eminem’s Stan and Tyler, the Creator’s Colossus show two sides of obsessive fandom. How did “stan” go from horror story to hashtag?

#StanCulture #HipHop #Eminem #TylerTheCreator #MusicMeaning #Parasocial #WOTS

We are gathered here today to remember Nintendo’s most misunderstood console.
Ambitious. Awkward. Unloved.
The Wii U stumbled so the Switch could sprint.

#WOTS #Nintendo #WiiU #GamingHistory #RetroGaming #VideoGames #Switch #GameReview #WOTSReviews #WiiULegacy #WOTSChillers

Scream Review – The Meta Masterpiece That Saved Horror | WOTS Review Wes Craven’s Scream (1996) sliced through the horror slump of the ’90s with razor-sharp wit and meta humor. Equal parts slasher and satire, it reinvented the genre while reminding everyone why we love scary movies in the first place.

“What’s your favorite scary movie?” Wes Craven’s Scream (1996) revived horror with self-aware humor, sharp writing, and Ghostface’s unforgettable presence.

❄️ Monster Madness continues.
#Horror #Scream #Ghostface #WesCraven #MonsterMadness2025 #WOTS

The Shining – All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Horror Icon | WOTS Review Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) is a cold, calculated descent into madness. From Jack Nicholson’s unhinged performance to the Overlook Hotel’s eerie presence, it remains one of the most unsettling and influential horror films ever made.

All work and no play makes Jack a horror icon. Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) freezes isolation, paranoia, and madness into one unforgettable film.

❄️ Monster Madness continues.

#Horror #TheShining #StanleyKubrick #JackNicholson #MonsterMadness2025 #WOTS

Alien – In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream | WOTS Review Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) fuses horror and sci-fi into a slow-burn nightmare of isolation, capitalism, and survival. With unforgettable design, iconic performances, and dread that seeps into your…

In space, no one can hear you scream. Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) blends horror and sci-fi into a slow, claustrophobic masterpiece of dread and survival.

❄️ Monster Madness continues.

#Horror #Alien #RidleyScott #SigourneyWeaver #MonsterMadness2025 #WOTS

whatsontheshelf.blog/2025/10/13/a...

The Thing – Paranoia in the Ice | WOTS Review John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) blends horror and sci-fi into a paranoia-driven masterpiece. With its unforgettable practical effects, tense score, and themes of isolation, it remains one of the genre’s most chilling films.

Paranoia in the ice. John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) is a masterclass in horror and sci-fi tension, with practical effects that still outshine CGI today.

#Horror #TheThing #JohnCarpenter #MonsterMadness2025 #WOTS

Chillers – Where Do the Children Play (Cat Stevens) Cat Stevens’ “Where Do the Children Play” balances optimism and irony, questioning progress and its impact on the most vulnerable among us. A song that chills with its timeless resonance.

Cat Stevens asks the question we all should: with all our progress, where do the children play? 🌱 A haunting classic that cuts deep.

❄️ More chills every week.
Follow for bi-weekly goosebumps.

#Chillers #WOTSChillers #NowPlaying #SongOfTheDay #MusicThatHits #WeeklyVibes #WOTS #FolkMusic

The Slayer trades speed for steel in Doom: The Dark Ages. Did slowing things down cost the series its edge?

#DoomDarkAges #Doom #idSoftware #FPS #VideoGames #GameReview #WOTS #WOTSReviews