Really hoping 2026 can deliver a number of games that drive the medium forward in turn, despite some large name franchises dominating the release calendar.

I will also say that haters using the singular accidental use of an AI generated art asset to disparage an otherwise incredible game feels uninformed, desperate, and pathetic. Both things can be true.

Even if it wasn't explicitly Sandfall's fault for these AI assets appearing in the release of the game, having a zero tolerance policy for this AI slop is essential for sending a message to the rest of the industry.

But determining who delivered a better performance in that game is a far more difficult task

For those interested, the working title of the piece is "But is it art if your audience is Nazis?"

I've actually spent most of tonight trying to write a piece about how grifters like Asmongold and his ilk have irrevocably harmed the games industry by pandering to bigots as a means of garnering engagement, but it's been hard to avoid devolving into writing "fuck you" over and over again.

(No, I don't think their Blade game exists)

I was hoping I'd be able to resist the draw of a Star Wars themed expansion, but they got me.

Update after finishing: it remained really good throughout! Impressive start to the new DC cinematic universe, or whatever they're calling it.

Donkey Kong Country was the first game I ever played. I used 30 year old knowledge of Donkey Kong Country to find a hidden banana in this game. I genuinely can't describe how happy that made me.