Christian S.
@brakeman90.bsky.social
Franchise Festival podcast host. Catholic. He/Him. Black Lives Matter. Trans rights are human rights. patreon.com/franchisefestival franchisefestival@gmail.com
Waddle Dee's gone fishin'
November 28, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Waddle Dee's gone fishin'
34th completed game of 2025 is Pokemon Legends Z-A (2025). This is the best the series has been since Sun & Moon (2016), with wholesome vibes and a tactically-engaging new real-time combat system that reminds me of an MMORPG. I don't have a single complaint after 40 hours of play!
November 25, 2025 at 11:06 PM
34th completed game of 2025 is Pokemon Legends Z-A (2025). This is the best the series has been since Sun & Moon (2016), with wholesome vibes and a tactically-engaging new real-time combat system that reminds me of an MMORPG. I don't have a single complaint after 40 hours of play!
33rd completed game of 2025 is Mario Kart World (2025). It's an excellent kart racer with the best animation in the genre and an incredible character roster, but it had the impossible task of following up on the superlative Mario Kart 8. Still a lot of fun in its own right.
November 18, 2025 at 1:06 AM
33rd completed game of 2025 is Mario Kart World (2025). It's an excellent kart racer with the best animation in the genre and an incredible character roster, but it had the impossible task of following up on the superlative Mario Kart 8. Still a lot of fun in its own right.
32nd completed game of 2025 is WarioWare Inc. (2003). This was a laugh-out-loud hoot from start to finish, and is pleasantly short; you could wrap it up in a couple hilarious sittings.
November 16, 2025 at 11:14 PM
32nd completed game of 2025 is WarioWare Inc. (2003). This was a laugh-out-loud hoot from start to finish, and is pleasantly short; you could wrap it up in a couple hilarious sittings.
My wife and I enjoyed our time at Barcade in Philadelphia a few days ago. Among the games I'd never played before were Anteater (1982), Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game (1995), Mappy (1983), Pac-Mania (1987), and - my favorite - Mr. Do! (1982).
November 14, 2025 at 8:22 PM
My wife and I enjoyed our time at Barcade in Philadelphia a few days ago. Among the games I'd never played before were Anteater (1982), Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game (1995), Mappy (1983), Pac-Mania (1987), and - my favorite - Mr. Do! (1982).
Dude plays with perspective a lot, including the hilarious disparity in dog sizes here. I can't stop looking at the apparent koala bear in the carriage, though.
November 11, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Dude plays with perspective a lot, including the hilarious disparity in dog sizes here. I can't stop looking at the apparent koala bear in the carriage, though.
Got to see a bunch of rad Henri Rousseau paintings at a museum today. This one was especially interesting.
November 11, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Got to see a bunch of rad Henri Rousseau paintings at a museum today. This one was especially interesting.
31st completed game of 2025 is Mortal Kombat 3 (1995). I remember liking MK2 more, but MK3 Arcade is a *lot* more fun to play than its direct predecessor (and its stages are a lot prettier). I favored Kung Lao, Sheeva, and Sub-Zero. Curious to see how UMK3 and MK Trilogy rebalance the game.
November 7, 2025 at 1:31 AM
31st completed game of 2025 is Mortal Kombat 3 (1995). I remember liking MK2 more, but MK3 Arcade is a *lot* more fun to play than its direct predecessor (and its stages are a lot prettier). I favored Kung Lao, Sheeva, and Sub-Zero. Curious to see how UMK3 and MK Trilogy rebalance the game.
"If anybody needs me, I'll be in the cactus nook. No, not that cactus nook - the one next to it."
November 6, 2025 at 10:25 PM
"If anybody needs me, I'll be in the cactus nook. No, not that cactus nook - the one next to it."
30th completed game of 2025 is Mortal Kombat 2 (1993) via the Legacy Kollection. It's an improvement on MK1, but the arcade version proved impossible to beat due to CPU input reading. I switched to the SNES version, which was better-balanced, and kicked Shao Kahn's butt. The art design still rocks.
November 5, 2025 at 10:31 PM
30th completed game of 2025 is Mortal Kombat 2 (1993) via the Legacy Kollection. It's an improvement on MK1, but the arcade version proved impossible to beat due to CPU input reading. I switched to the SNES version, which was better-balanced, and kicked Shao Kahn's butt. The art design still rocks.
Happy Halloween, friends! Here are my favorite 4 Ghost Pokemon (of the moment).
October 31, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Happy Halloween, friends! Here are my favorite 4 Ghost Pokemon (of the moment).
29th completed game of 2025 is Mortal Kombat (1992) via the Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection. This game is stupidly hard in its original arcade incarnation, but "rewind" functionality let me finally topple that punk Shang Tsung. Not sure it'd appeal to anyone under 30, but I had a hoot.
October 30, 2025 at 10:29 PM
29th completed game of 2025 is Mortal Kombat (1992) via the Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection. This game is stupidly hard in its original arcade incarnation, but "rewind" functionality let me finally topple that punk Shang Tsung. Not sure it'd appeal to anyone under 30, but I had a hoot.
28th completed game of 2025 is Lunistice (2022), a breezy, indie 3D platformer with a Sega Saturn aesthetic that manages to outdo the vast majority of its source material. Plays like a dream on Switch too!
October 28, 2025 at 9:05 PM
28th completed game of 2025 is Lunistice (2022), a breezy, indie 3D platformer with a Sega Saturn aesthetic that manages to outdo the vast majority of its source material. Plays like a dream on Switch too!
27th completed game of 2025 is Baldur's Gate 3 (2023). A stunning masterpiece from start to finish, and plainly one of the best role-playing games ever made. The story's adaptability to player action and the combat encounters' complexity kept it engaging for all 120 hours.
October 26, 2025 at 11:41 PM
27th completed game of 2025 is Baldur's Gate 3 (2023). A stunning masterpiece from start to finish, and plainly one of the best role-playing games ever made. The story's adaptability to player action and the combat encounters' complexity kept it engaging for all 120 hours.
How can a creature be this perfect?
October 21, 2025 at 12:42 AM
How can a creature be this perfect?
26th completed game of 2025 is Iron Lung (2022). Like Froggo's Adventure, it's short and sweet. Unlike Froggo's Adventure, it's claustrophobically creepy in the style of the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at Disney World. Cheers to @tftblpod.bsky.social for bringing this game to my attention.
October 20, 2025 at 11:32 PM
26th completed game of 2025 is Iron Lung (2022). Like Froggo's Adventure, it's short and sweet. Unlike Froggo's Adventure, it's claustrophobically creepy in the style of the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at Disney World. Cheers to @tftblpod.bsky.social for bringing this game to my attention.
25th completed game of 2025 is Froggo's Adventure (2024), a short and sweet sidescroller in the style of Kirby's Adventure. If you have any affection for 8-bit pixel-art, snag this one to play on your Steam Deck.
October 19, 2025 at 5:46 PM
25th completed game of 2025 is Froggo's Adventure (2024), a short and sweet sidescroller in the style of Kirby's Adventure. If you have any affection for 8-bit pixel-art, snag this one to play on your Steam Deck.
Greetings from Moonrise Towers
October 12, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Greetings from Moonrise Towers
Excuse me, Roku, but WTF is this?
October 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Excuse me, Roku, but WTF is this?
Playing Silent Hill f for some proper Spooky Season fun
October 8, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Playing Silent Hill f for some proper Spooky Season fun
Gotta admit: I'm enjoying the Lost video game adaptation from 2008. Framerate and voice acting are rough, but the gameplay and quality-of-life navigation features are weirdly forward-looking for the era.
October 6, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Gotta admit: I'm enjoying the Lost video game adaptation from 2008. Framerate and voice acting are rough, but the gameplay and quality-of-life navigation features are weirdly forward-looking for the era.
24th completed game of 2025 is Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (2007). It's "just" an expansion to NWN2, but is actually the main event. Easily one of the best CRPG of the 2000s, it's hamstrung only by so-so art direction. The plot is incredible. 9/10.
September 17, 2025 at 10:21 PM
24th completed game of 2025 is Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (2007). It's "just" an expansion to NWN2, but is actually the main event. Easily one of the best CRPG of the 2000s, it's hamstrung only by so-so art direction. The plot is incredible. 9/10.