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Happy 2026! A new year means it’s time for a new thread of all the games I beat this year! I love tracking this in real time as I go. Feel free to follow along! You can also follow my progress over on my podcast’s Patreon if you prefer: www.patreon.com/posts/147431...

1. Ristar - 3 hrs I had always been curious about this & never got around to playing but I'm so glad. Excellent 2D grapple platformer where you grab ledges, enemies, bosses, everything. Gorgeous expressive sprites with some truly unique world design. Music by Tomoko Sasaki was top notch as well.

2. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - 15 hrs 9 min Narratively this is a mixed bag. Mechanically however it's excellent. It's the Metroid Prime combat you know with some new abilities & twists. The exploration & puzzles were fun. The open world ultimately felt unnecessary. Music was top notch as always.

3. Big Hops - 13 hrs 42 min This game is a must play for any 3D platformer fan. The game is bursting with charm and heart. Delightful characters. Bright and challenging design. Great music. Tight controls. It's a fun ride with a few hiccups here and there but all in all a great time.

4. Marvel Cosmic Invasion - 3 hrs The folks over at @tributegames.com never miss but this might be my favorite beat 'em up I've ever played. Character variety is excellent. The pixel art & level design is top notch. Easter eggs abound for Marvel fans. A killer 16 bit inspired OST. So fun to play.

5. Hollow Knight: Silksong - 31 hrs 37 min I mean what else is there to say. I mainlined this game over two weeks. It's all I played till I was done. Incredible world building. Memorable characters. Incredible exploration. Tight & precise platforming & combat. Visually stunning. Phenomenal music.

6. Metal Gear Solid - 12 hrs 15 min Boy my assumptions about this were wrong. I loved it. The camp. The drama. The story. The music. Perfect. Was the writing bad sometimes. Were the boss fights terrible. Were the shooting controls awful. Yes. Did that ruin my good time. Nope. I really enjoyed this.

8. The Saboteur - 10 hrs 14 min Most "fuck yeah dudes rock" game I've played & it rules. Dialogue was straight out of a cheesy action movie & was perfect. The gameplay was tight. Story & setting kept me hooked. Not sure whether it was the right timing or quality or both but I loved my time with it.

9. Scott Pilgrim EX - 2 hrs 52 min If you love beat 'em ups & Scott Pilgrim this is an easy recommend. Fun new story by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Delightful characters. Incredible OST by Anamanaguchi. Gameplay is tight &fun. Pixel art & world design look like its jumping right out of the comic/anime.

10. Cloudpunk - 12 hrs 18 min The world design & setting were top notch. Incredible dialogue & voice acting. Phenomenal world building. Flawless synth cyberpunk soundtrack. Gameplay became a little repetitive but the story kept me invested. The voxel sprite work was on another level. A must play.

Boy howdy, I didn't enjoy that game *at all*, but I really appreciated that they committed entirely to a vision and executed on it. Not everything has to be for me, haha.

Thanks for sharing. This is my point! I think I want more games that elicit strong reactions in both directions! Capital A art does that in all mediums.