Tomas Franzese

Maybe I am just bad at shooters, but I still think that most extraction shooters aren't very fun because there's no true payoff or win state, just a sense of relief when you extract. Arc Raiders found a sweet spot as it's very solo and casual-friendly, so it didn't just appeal to hardcore players.

Started my first run of Marathon loaded with my best equipment from the tutorial and immediately got shot and killed as soon as I spawned. I think I just don't like extraction shooters.

Yeah, I think I'm cool with it, especially now that we'll have to pay for a new center.

Scott Pilgrim EX Is Less Streets Of Rage, More River City Ransom Welcome back to Remastered, my weekly newsletter on the ever-evolving nature of retro gaming. This week, I have a review of Scott Pilgrim EX for you all! If you enjoy what you read, consider subscribi...

For this week's Remastered, I reviewed Scott Pilgrim EX! I also used it to show how this beat 'em up is mostly in conversation with River City Ransom, unlike @tributegames.com's other recent brawlers: www.remastered.blog/scott-pilgri...

I agree lol. It's just the one thing they have tried to do multiple times and failed.

The only thing they haven't been able to nail down is a Resident Evil multiplayer game. Other than that, even their misses do fairly well (if not commercially, then critically).

Yeah, gaming academia is woefully underdeveloped. Hoping to help change that.

I do think it's fascinating that we'll look back on this console generation as the one where games were available on all platforms but also took like 7 years to make.

So the thing about Highguard is that it was the final reveal at The Game Awards and people didn't like it. Then, a bunch of people willed it to fail as a live service game up to its release. Then, it came out and did actually kind of well but the studio struggled because of the Tencent money they...

Oshawott at 29 is also a shock

Indie World Showcase 3.3.2026 YouTube video by Nintendo of America

A solid Indie World Showcase all around, with a lot of games I'm looking forward to. While I'm not on the Mixtape hype train with everyone else, I can't wait to play Blighted, Minishoot' Adventures, Denshattack, My Little Puppy, Woodo, and inKONBINI. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DCt...

Yeah, I think niche-focused sites will have a bit of a resurgence as stuff goes more indie. Being generalist makes more sense to maximize reach and revenue, but I personally tend to become more interested in stuff with a clear and specific focus.

I've been feeling this a lot lately too. I know I'm not my job, but it does just suck when you dedicate a decade+ to something and feel like you don't have much to show for it, even though you do good work.

The biggest thing I’m really struggling with since the layoff, and I know I’m far from the only one, is feeling like I have a “place” in media - and have like I’m not doing enough. There’s a constant feeling that I’m not trying hard enough or doing enough - that I really have to fight back.

Was planning on skipping it but now I'm really considering buying it.

a pixel art of mario and yoshi in a video game scene ALT: a pixel art of mario and yoshi in a video game scene

#5: Yoshi's Island - I never actually played this one all of the way through until now, and I'm amazed at how well this game holds up today. It's an all-time classic for a reason, and was a bright and beautiful game for me to experience at a time when I really needed something like that.

It ultimately just makes people feel like their argument is stronger because they have a point of data to back it up. I also see that same mentality applied to technical performance sometimes. In reality, those things are just a small parts of a much bigger piece of art.

Sadly that's a circumstance of those articles doing well and how people are just generally drawn to popular things. Still, it's not indicative of game quality, which is sometimes the subtext when it is brought up.

Yeah, I find the obsession with it kind of gross. It also mirrors the infinite growth mindset of many of the companies who make the games. Number needs to be high and keep going up or else it's a flop.

a pixel art of mario and yoshi in a video game scene ALT: a pixel art of mario and yoshi in a video game scene

#5: Yoshi's Island - I never actually played this one all of the way through until now, and I'm amazed at how well this game holds up today. It's an all-time classic for a reason, and was a bright and beautiful game for me to experience at a time when I really needed something like that.

Pokemon Legends: Atreus

I think that's a Saturday, but it'll probably be out around then. They showed too much of the game for it to be like 22 months out and not 11 or 12.

Just confirmed my attendance at Summer Game Fest this June! I know it's still a ways out, but please reach out if you're an editor looking for freelance support from the event. I'm very much open to work related to SGF.

The Duskbloods, maybe a Zelda spin-off or re-release, or something more casual.

Do you think Mr. Windychu votes Republican?

Pokemon Winds And Waves Are Skipping Nintendo Switch, And That's A Good Thing Hopefully, Pokemon Winds And Waves take the technological leap forward that the series needs.

For @gamespot.com, I wrote about how Pokémon Winds and Waves being a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is a good thing if it means the series can leave the technical problems of the Nintendo Switch 1 titles behind: www.gamespot.com/articles/pok...

These games look good, so I'm hoping that release date is closer to January 2027 than November 2027.

It looks great!

Yeah, the UI and UX is also pretty bad, and it's not that fun solo. Arc Raiders nailed all of those things.