Rules for Indie Filmmakers, according to NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW | TIFF

I have seriously jacked up my YouTube algorithm by falling down the Nirvanna the Band The Show rabbit hole before seeing Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie last week. I'm kind of okay with it though.

This show and the run and gun approach reminds me of making videos and movies as a kid. There's something ethereal there that tickles a nostalgic part of my brain without being commercial. These lads have the sauce.

I like this interview though. Their energy and dynamic is contagious. Creativity comes out of restraint, know the rules to "break" them, and use what you got.

Also, happy Update Day everyone.

Apple Podcasts – Spotify – YouTube – Direct Download

"In this episode, Jerrad and his guests recap the brand new PlayStation State of Play, discussing what the highlights and lowlights of the presentation were. The topic of the show centers on gaming blindspots as the guys discuss which games or franchises they haven’t touched, for one reason or another. Lastly, covering what they played this week, Max and Mike discuss their experience with Highguard and how they’re feeling after learning that almost the entire development team was laid off earlier this week. Jerrad quickly provides impressions and explanations of Drop Duchy, Winter Burrow, and the newly released critical darling, Mewgenics."

Always a pleasure to chat with Jerrad and nice to have essentially back-to-back chats with him. It was a total surprise to me that my dear friend Michael Ruiz would also be on the show.

We had a great time chatting about the State of Play hours after it aired. I loved our discussion about Highguard too, which things are not looking great for these days. Give the show a listen and if you want more thoughts on the State of Play, here you go.

Well, Sony's February 2026 State of Play was slammed. Before talking about the announcements that hit home for me, we must focus on the biggest news—my PlayStation 2026 predictions remain intact.

"Saros from Housemarque, Marvel's Wolverine from Insomniac, Marathon from Bungie, and MLB The Show are the only first-party PlayStation Studios developed games released in 2026."

I won't lie, that Horizon Hunters Gathering announcement last week had me nervous.¹ No commitment there though makes me feel slightly better. I wonder if and when Sony decided to cut the reveal from the State of Play.

The opening slate of reveals were decent, a strong start for a wider audience with the likes of a Kena sequel, Ghost of Yōtei Legends, and maybe 4:Loop, but I locked in for yet another Resident Evil Requiem trailer. Capcom is on the verge of spoiling too much before launch in two weeks, but man does that game look incredible.

Some more strong, diverse titles filled the next chunk. It's both unbelievable and believable that Dead or Alive 6 Last Round has jiggle physics in photo mode.

Control Resonant looks weird and wild. The Inception-style walls and being able to walk on buildings seems like a super daunting mechanic to create. Feels like a mind bender for sure. I need to hurry up and play Quantum Break...

Even more stuff that appeals to people other than me. It is strange to see Game Freak make a super stylized 3D action game, but go them. That Shinobi Ops game has a unique camera perspective, but that's about it as far as I can tell. I want nothing to do with that chicken man game. Star Wars: Galactic Racer looks neat. It's cool to see them go back to racing in a very Motorstorm / Burnout sort of way. 007 First Light looks more and more polished. I hope IOI sticks the landing.

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, Konami comes in and takes this State of Play to a whole new plane of hype starting off with the confirmation that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is finally, finally free from the prison of the PS3 and its Cell Processor. I replayed the game six years ago (gosh how has it been that long already?) during that COVID-furloughed spring. Skimming through that article, I do wonder how the iconic loading/installation screen will be handled or if we will have lost it in the aged of SSDs. Peace Walker is here too, but even more exciting is the inclusion of Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel. I do wish there was one more game in here, especially considering how packed Vol. 1 is—something like Rising Revengence or even just round it out with Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain. The Acid titles would have been neat.

Be still my heart because Konami revealed the first new Castlevania game in 12 years, and it is 2D from the folks behind Rogue Prince of Persia and Dead Cells. Belmont's Curse looks slick as all get out and, once again, procrastination pays off for Chapter Select.

Silent Hill: Townfall looks spooky. I get Alien Isolation vibes from the little handheld CRT. The fog looks good bathed in red light. The Silent Hill franchise is a huge blindspot for me. I own a copy of the Silent Hill 2 remake, but that's it and still in the shrink wrap. Konami is in the midst of a renaissance with Silent Hill it seems and I don't hear anyone asking them to stop.

Saber Interactive has the rights to a John Wick game. I liked the trailer and hope the game takes heavy inspiration from Sifu, which has always screamed John Wick to me.

Marathon's launch trailer and "server slam" announcement are pure hype.

I missed this bit in the stream due to issues, but Panic and House House's Big Walk played their original gameplay trailer from 8 months ago. I guess the announcement was that the game is coming to PlayStation? While a bit disappointing, I think the game itself is interesting. Reminds me of The Witness but for friends. I don't think this is a surprising take, but proximity chat is having quite the moment in the gaming space lately. I am curious about the mechanic and suppose my first exposure will be Marathon here at the end of the month.

Marvel Tōkon Fighters gave us sweet, sweet X-Men footage and a date. Too many fighting games are out that seem super cool to a guy who never plays them outside of a Mortal Kombat game with his wife every few years.

The whole State of Play wrapped up with a pair of God of War announcements and, upon reflection, I'm not sure they were the slam dunk most people felt they were. Sony Santa Monica revealed that they have begun development on a God of War remake of the original trilogy. That's cool and all, but with not even a lick of footage or concept art, all we are left with is speculation. Is it going to adopt the camera and combat of the PS4/5 games or stick with the top down camera? Is TC Carson, who was in charge of this whole closer, re-recording the lines? What's going to be the approach to Kratos' attitude and violence? In all seriousness, will the sex mini-games and flagrant scenes be redone or axed? The industry has shifted so far from that type of presentation that I actually think it would feel out of place these days.

Sure, in the Valhalla DLC, SSM got to play with Greek architecture and enemies. I loved the look and music. The franchise is one of my all time favorites—and you don't have to go far to hear why. I find it difficult to get excited without knowing and seeing more.

More concerning is, why is Sony Santa Monica announcing that this trilogy is entering development now? Where is Cory Barlog's new game? What about the assumed new God of War game because surely there is more given how well the last game sold and that the studio has not stopped making these games for 20 years? I feel like they got the order of the announcements wrong. I want more than a logo.

That wasn't all though. A brand new 2D, metroidvania God of War prequel was shadow dropped called God of War: Sons of Sparta, which I seem to always want to type as "Songs of Sparta." It's made by Mega Cat Studios, who I want to call "Mad Cat Studios." The game's story was written by the team behind God of War (2018) and Ragnarök. I don't dig the art style, at least up close. I booted the game up last night and it looked better from my couch. The game feels a bit odd to me, like something that would have come out in the PS3 era. The last time Kratos was in 2D was in Shovel Knight and before that was a mobile Java game–God of War Betrayal–which is canon. I am reminded of when Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime came out at the same time, except the classic title in this scenario is just a JPEG and probably 4-5 years away.

The State of Play was good stuff with the proper ups and downs of an E3 press conference. It was much bigger than I think anyone anticipated, certainly myself. Somehow, 2026 is poppin' off more and I am here for it. My biggest takeaways are Marathon looking like absolute fire, a brand new 2D Castlevania game from a studio that seems to understand the genre, and that God of War finds itself stuck in the Asphodel Meadows.

Footnotes

1. I should have made a blog post about that reveal, but this footnote will do. I'm not huge on the "Fortnite-ifcation" of its art style. The bigger hangup is the cartoonish approach to combat. We got Hunters dashing like Naruto and an old guy with a Mad Max-style motor hammer spitting flames. It doesn't feel related to the world of Horizon to me. I think the core concept of a team of hunters taking down giant robot dinosaurs is very appealing. I do understand the desire to shake it up, branch out, try new things. I can't fault Guerrilla for that. ↩

I finally did it. After years of longing, hoping, conniving, and hacking ways to record Nintendo DS and 3DS footage, I finally sent mine off to loopy and had them install a USB-C capture mod on my Majora's Mask-themed New Nintendo 3DS XL. And ohmygoodness.

Before we continue to ogle at razor sharp pixels, I want to share how I ended up here.

I have always had a desire to play portable games on the big screen. From a total misunderstanding of the purpose of the N64 Transfer Pak to the Game Boy Player that I got for my ninth or tenth birthday (I cannot seem to remember which), I have always preferred playing my portable games on a television. Unfortunately, there has never been a consumer-facing official method for playing DS or 3DS carts on the TV.

Sure, there are the NitroDS developer kits from back in the day—actually, a mom and pop down the street has had one for sale for years that I have contemplated. One can only dream of the 3DS capture cards that Nintendo's Treehouse used at E3. There have been plenty of mods for the DS over the years, including this wild one through the audio jack. There was even supposed to be a DS Consolizer from Woozle before he formed PixelFX.

The most appealing of all these was a mod for the New 3DS XL from katsukitty, which Marc "Try4ce" Duddleson from My Life in Gaming did a video on back in 2019. This was the dream as it would tackle both DS and 3DS at their native resolutions. The catch was katsukitty was shut down not long thereafter.

When exploring options for Chapter Select Season 6 - Pokémon, it felt like the scene was still shrouded in mystery behind foreign modders and complex soldering. I tried emulating the DS on my iPhone, Mac, and Wii U—the Wii U is actually the best bet for playing and capturing outside of a modded console.

But in 2024, I saw Tito's video on a new board from loopy, the brains behind the original 3DS capture mod. After a year's worth of waffling, I sold off some old stuff overdue for eBay and sent my sole 3DS off to an address in Utah, hoping for the best.

And the best was returned to me a couple of weeks later.

The cutout is is so clean that it looks official, like it was always meant to be there. It charges the console and spits out the video—the dream of USB-C realized. Now, being on a Mac, I have to resort to alternative software to view the footage. There are two multi-platform options—cc3dsfs and xx3dsfml. I went with cc3dsfs because it is the most recently updated and it has a Raspberry Pi version for TV play. That's the next goal. I want to set this up with a Pi and feed it into my Retro-TINK 4K Pro for advanced upscaling features.

For now though, I am using the Mac app. I did grab this icon of the 3DS camera app that has been stylized for macOS and apply it to the app; just to give it that little flare, because this app needs some. The app and its menus are clearly multi-platform in there approach, which makes total sense. We are modding the 3DS for video out after all. There is no official flavor here.¹

All the options you might want are here though. You can split the screens apart and scale them independently. There's screen placement, menu bar removal, profiles, etc. There's even Black Frame Insertion, but I didn't test that. As for the scaling, you can scale by factors of 0.5x, so native scaling is totally achievable. I actually did not test for or see an option for interpolation should you opt for a 0.5x integer scale.

Inside a 4K display area, this means that you can scale the 3DS's native top screen resolution of 400 x 240 nine times to get 3600 x 2160 or scale the DS native resolution of 256 x 192 eleven times to get 2816 x 2112. I hooked my MacBook Pro up to my LG C1 and, yep, it looks stunning.

Here's a fun comparison with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, which I started playing on Switch 2 this year. It's cool to see the original next to the remaster. Notice the bloom of the lamp on the 3DS—I kinda like it more. You can see the thick lines for the cel shading that age gracefully on Switch. Please forgive the different text, but Athena's pose is the same. Actually, its interesting they went from a san-serif to a serif in the remake.

The catch with this approach is that there's no room for the 320 x 240 bottom screen. You can do a 6x scale on the top screen and 3x for the bottom screen to fit both. This is really dependent on whether or not the game you are playing is top or bottom screen heavy. A game like Phantom Hourglass would definitely demand a bottom-screen-first approach, while Super Mario 3D Land can probably just be the top screen all the time.

Now, there are built-in settings to put the two screens up together and scale them based off a percentage. Here's an example of Ocarina of Time in a 70-30 split and Super Mario 3D Land in a 3x scale.

And let us not forget the original Nintendo DS! When booting a DS title on a 3DS, if you hold the "Start" button, the console will run the game it is original resolution. Inside cc3dsfs there is a crop option for "Native DS." I tested out Yoshi Island DS and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. The results were sharper than I could have imagined. It reminded me of the first time I saw this comparison shot of A Link to the Past in My Life in Gaming's RGB 101. It was like when I put glasses on for the first time inside a Walmart Vision Center and was able to tell the giant yellow blur in the sky was the rollback mascot.

The pixels are sharp. The colors are rich. All this information, depth, detail was hiding beneath the surface of those TFT LCD panels. I can confidently say I have never seen DS games this clear before, even when emulating.

And that's why I wanted a real-hardware solution. Emulation can get you so far, even emulate things on a hardware level like with FPGA. Emulation can even take you beyond, like the Analogue 3D for example.² There are undeniable pros. The challenge for Nintendo's seventh and eighth gen handhelds lies within the touch screen, microphone, and the complexity of the 3DS emulation itself. Heck, even certain DS titles (like the Pokémon titles) are difficult to emulate, as I discovered when making Season 6 of Chapter Select. Cartridges could have funky workarounds or IR sensors. Some stuff you just can't properly emulate.

I never have to wonder if my New 3DS XL is running a 3DS game correctly. It is. No doubt enters my mind if the quirks of HeartGold are being masked or portrayed the right way. And if I want to enhance those experiences, like I did with Metroid Prime Hunters for this past season of Chapter Select then I can! I'm thrilled to have bit the bullet and modded my 3DS. Now I can capture any console in my collection off real-hardware. There are no more hangups or holdbacks. Expect to see crispy footage in our season on Castlevania—from the NES all the way to the PS5 and everything in between.

Here's one more for ya.

You can hear this one and see it.

Footnotes

1. Now, cc3dsfs is under an MIT license, which means anyone can do whatever with the software as long as that software also has an MIT license. Perhaps with all these AI coding tools and agents now, a more Mac-focused version could be made? ↩

2. Speaking of which, Analogue just updated the 3D with a "Force Progressive Output" feature that removes the interlacing of 480i games. I gave it a quick test with Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness and, yeah, I will be playing that way when we get to it for Chapter Select. A complete game changer! Powered by emulation! ↩

After 11+ incredible years I’ve decided to leave Meta in March. This was a difficult decision and I have nothing but deep appreciation for Mark and Boz’s leadership, gratitude to the company, love for my coworkers, and excitement for our Horizon and VR roadmap.

I’m incredibly proud of multiple eras of my work at Meta. I helped to build the Oculus Content team, Meta’s first content production and dev rel organization, and producing a lot of highly reviewed and industry applauded titles. I’m also proud of building the Metaverse Creative Team, empowering Design and Art, and raising our quality bar.

Why now? And the answer is relatively boring: This seems like a good time. I am going to chase animals with a camera.

Jason Rubin has had an unique career, to say the least. His tenure at Meta alone was all VR gaming from the beginning, back when it was called Oculus. I suspect he was a major player in the acquisition of Beat Games, bringing Resident Evil 4 to VR¹, that Batman game I have pledged to play, and the probably-dead-forever VR version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Meta and Jason's efforts over these 11 years have kept VR gaming accessible and in conversation. Heck, they have been the conversation.

Before Meta, Rubin tried to save, but ultimately went down with the ship named THQ, did some start-up stuff, and, of course, co-founded Naughty Dog. Now? He's going to go off and take more photos in Africa. He's pretty good at it.

As for "why now?" I think the answer is a bit more than "boring" Meta is clearly done with VR gaming. From my Big Three Predictions piece last month;

"A small VR footnote tangent: PSVR2 is an undeniable commercial flop. I just saw one open-box at Best Buy for $150. PlayStation Studios has effectively made zero titles for the headset. Might be the most I've ever overpaid for a game console/peripheral ever. Lately, Meta seems hellbent on killing VR gaming by shuttering their first-party teams they paid millions to acquire. The only glimmer of hope is Valve's new Steam Frame. If I ever buy another VR headset—and of course I will—odds are it'll be a Frame paired with a Steam Machine. I gotta play Alyx at some point, right?"

Footnotes

1. The first time, not the remake. ↩

YouTube's algorithm seems to think I would like this song by Gregory Dillon and frutiger dillon titled Windows98. The song is not my cup of tea, but what caught my attention was the thumbnail.

Excuse me. That is clearly meant to evoke Bliss in Windows XP.

The default wallpaper in Windows 98 was a nice shade of teal.

The video gives me winamp energy. What's worse is that the guy is using what appears to be a 5th gen iPod, which wasn't out until 2005.

Sure, it's all "vibes" I guess, but all this just pulls me straight out.

The Art of the Unintentional Masterpiece – Brian Henken

"There are masterpieces and there are absolute disasters. Some games go on to be all time classics that are beloved for years, while others are are a stain on the fabric of the entire industry. Sonic 06. Heavy Rain. Gollum. Forspoken. Bubsy 3D. Balan Wonderworld. These are all games that are seen as some of the worst that gaming has to offer, but what if I were to tell you that I believe that they're are quite the opposite. What if I were to tell you that all of these "bad games" are actually some of the best experiences you can have in gaming?"

Another banger from my good friend Brian. But the real reason I am linking to it is that Brian has finally, finally re-uploaded part of his original Donkey Kong 64 video essay that has lived rent free in my mind for the last 15 or so years. Watch the whole thing, but especially the final segment.

And if you wanna hear Brian and I talk about Kingdom Hearts, you don't have to go far.

Apple Creator Studio is here and the launch hasn't been the smoothest.

Now, I hopped right on upgrading Final Cut Pro yesterday. Dylan Bates does a great walkthrough of the new features. I can't wait to use the Beat Detection. I tried it out for just a sec in an edit today and hoooooo baby, it seems slick.

But for the now "Freemium" apps once know just as Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, things have taken a dire turn. Jason Snell points out the many hitches.

"What strikes me most about it is how even Apple is stuck with the App Store and its limitations. Developers are quite familiar with how limited Apple’s back-end systems are and how they can inflict frustration on developers and customers alike. But it’s another level when the same thing happens to Apple and its own apps.

For example, yesterday the old versions of Numbers, Pages, and Keynote were updated, apparently with the only new feature being a dialog box that appears when you launch it that says “Use the New Version of Numbers,” with a button to Open New Version."

I dealt with this very issue today. A client of mine likes to keep and edit YouTube thumbnails in Keynote. I opened the now "old" version of Keynote to be met with a dialog box saying "Go to App Store" to get the latest version. But it's not an update like I thought. It's an entirely separate application. I guess I need delete the old one, because I have two apps named Keynote in my Applications folder. I didn't think I could do that.

It's embarrassing that I have to juggle this installation like this. I just upgraded yesterday to SoundSource 6 and had a clearer time than with Keynote here.

"I’m also struck by the fact that Apple has had to do the App Store trick of attaching subtitles to the names of every app it makes, because the design of the App Store has led to stuffing keywords into titles becoming somehow a best practice. So it’s not Final Cut Pro anymore, it’s 'Final Cut Pro: Create Video.' And Numbers is 'Numbers: Make Spreadsheets.'"

If only someone could change the backend of the App Store search and upgrade support...

When I opened Keynote and did my thumbnail thing, I noticed a big, ol' bright blue box in the inspector on the right-hand side.

This trumps Fandango and F1 ads for me. Ads in the UI is what Microsoft does.

Out of curiosity (and a hope to remove the ad), I clicked on it.

Do you see how to close the ad should you not want to sign up? It's okay. Take your time. No, clicking outside the window does not work. I'll help you.

It seems the "close in the upper right-hand corner" from Safari on iOS has crept its way into Keynote. And it is practically the same shade of gray in the black and white photo. I can't tell if it is a total lack of care or intentional obfuscation. Probably a mix of both.

"But if you’ll forgive me, I find it hard to get too worked up about icon designs when Apple is putting ads for a professional creative suite in its free productivity apps. Which is the greater offense to the user experience?"

A greater offense indeed.

Marathon is Out March 5

Pre-Order Trailer | Marathon

I haven't played a Bungie game since wrapping Destiny 2: Forsaken expansion back in the fall of 2018. I am quite jazzed for Marathon.

I dig the boxy, angular design on the weapons, scopes, and HUD. I've finally dialed in on what the art direction reminds me of—Mirror's Edge—clean, dystopian with splashes of neon. Throw in biological growth, swamps, and you've got yourself this striking presentation.

March 5 is closer than I expected, but I don't mind that. The only thing is it is one week after Resident Evil Requiem, so I am a bit cooked.

The most disappointing thing is that there is no physical version of the game at all. And to boot, the only place you can pre-order the digital game is on Steam, PSN, or Xbox. No retailers seem to have digital codes for sale. Sony (rightfully) wants ever cent they can squeeze out of this launch. Puts me and my Best Buy gift card in a pickle though...

I'll probably just stick with the base $40 game and I can buy a pass later if The Boys™ really get into this one. 2026 is off to a great start.

We Wanted to Be Serious About Screen Time. We Changed Our Minds—And Everyone Was Fine - Emily Marler

via The Enthusiast

"To be fair, we always said we’d introduce video games (active) before television (passive); the question was when and how. I remembered a 2014 article in which technologist Andy Baio explained his chronological approach, starting with a plug-and-play device full of 1980s arcade classics on his son’s fourth birthday. 

Clearly, we couldn’t even wait that long."

Abby and I never really considered active v passive when it comes to our approach with Eloise. I wish I had.

I, too, remember Andy Baio's experiment and quote his quoting of Steve Martin far too often;

"I got a great dirty trick you can play on a three-year-old kid… Whenever you’re around him, talk wrong. So now it’s like his first day in school and he raises his hand, ‘May I mambo dogface to the banana patch?"

And so far at the ripe young age of three, Eloise has played a Pac-Man cabinet in a friend's basement one time and "played" LEGO Rock Band once, so I think we've held pretty strong. She's never even sat down and watched me play a game outside of her oblivious state of infancy.

We've been intentional about what we show Eloise on a screen. Hyper and fast shows are out, super slow, methodical shows are in. She gets maybe one a week at home? Her grandparents are another story where she certainly gets her fill and exposure amplified. I have heard the Go, Diego, Go! theme song far too many times for someone who has never ever seen the show.

I'm even more conscious of the movies in her life of which there are two—My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. No good vs. evil, no sing-alongs, no danger. The scariest part is Totoro's snoring/roaring. I think all our other parenting friends' kids know all the Disney characters and princesses. Mine is blissfully unaware of the movies behind the books, toys, and songs.

"When our toddler throws herself on the floor because we won’t play Animal Crossing before breakfast, I can see why other parents worry that screens have some sinister hold on our children.

And we see the same thing with television. She's asked us to have her breakfast while watching TV (a common occurrence at the grandparent's abode apparently). She has thrown quite the fit when an episode ends and the black box goes dark. Those fits lead to losses of privilege and natural consequences, which just flat out suck to enforce.

I remember her daycare teacher's telling us once that they can tell who are the "iPad kids" and that was not a glowing compliment.

There is an undeniable hold. I think of the time I took Eloise to a Chick-fil-A and in the booth behind us, a mother was letting her toddler watch Peppa Pig at 2X speed. My brain couldn't even handle it. Eloise would not turn away if I did not redirect her. I firmly believe little toddler brains were not meant for this kind of stimulation. And that's the passive kind. It is why I have held strong on introducing her to video games directly.

"But then I hear her giggle when we wake a sleeping Blathers, or name the flowers we’ve planted."

Eloise knows who Mario is; whenever she sees him she blurts out an unbelievably adorable "Mario! He says 'Wahoo!'" We've read the Rosalina storybook. You better believe I want some of those "My Mario" toys. She pushes the music button on a Tom Nook Christmas ornament all the time and finds him on the boxes of the games when she visits my office. She giggles and knows names. She's just blissfully unaware of the games behind it all.

I'm not saying Marler and co are "parenting wrong." Far from it! There are days man where I wish we just gave her all the movies and shows. Bluey seems cute. Sometimes we need Pandora's Box to help reign in the chaos of toddlerdom. Real life is...real. It take discernment, practice, and, like Frog says in the story Cookies "willpower." I believe moderation and intentionality are key. If you can teach your kids that while learning some yourself, I think we'll all be in a better place.

The title says it all. Next Wednesday, the Season 7 finale all about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will air for Chapter Select.

I wrapped editing the audio up yesterday. I wanted to get it out this week, but it would have been a crunch and I still need to export the video and make the episode art. I decided to give myself some breathing room and hold onto it for one more week.

My apologies for the extended wait to an already long wait of a season. We are all primed to start Season 8 - Castlevania as well. I suspect we will be venturing into those titles in the coming weeks. We have no commitment to a date, but we are eager; more so than we have been in a while, I think.

The Metroid Prime 4: Beyond episode is a good one. I think you will enjoy it. See you then, bounty hunters.

Guest Appearance on The Very Best Podcast with Jerrad Wyche

Apple Podcasts – Spotify – YouTube – Direct Download

I had the distinct honor and privilege of joining my friend Jerrad Wyche on the inaugural episode of The Very Best Podcast—I love the name. It is a show all about Pokémon, the games, memories, the best, and the worst of the world's most popular franchise.

The structure is well thought out and Jerrad is a superb host. It was a treat to talk more about Pokémon and have fun with it. Keep tabs on this show throughout the year. It'll be a great way to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD – Update Overview

"Swing into action as Dixie Kong in both single-player and two-player local co-op, and race through high-speed versions of each level in Turbo Attack.

Plus, players on Nintendo Switch 2 can enjoy enhanced resolution, higher-definition graphics, and quicker load times! GameShare support has also been added, so if one player has the game, they can share it locally with someone who doesn't have it."

Happy to see more free updates to Switch 1 games for Switch 2, but man, that Turbo Attack mode looks like it was made for kids that watch videos at 2x speed.

Reminds when I could play Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock at hyperspeed 5 on expert. Maybe I was one of those kids...

It is I, the Ghost of Corrupt Data Past and I have returned to warn thee of SD card failures and the importance of backing up data.

Yesterday, I turned on my 3DS to check how it boots without the SD card installed (I'm shipping the console out this week for a mod 👀). I popped out the card and confirmed my suspicion that it would be best to keep the micro SD card with the system. Before though, I thought it wise to back up the SD card in case anything happened in transit.

I plopped the card in my MacBook Pro and another in a dock. Opened Disk Utility to format the latter and suddenly, the 3DS console's micro SD card vanished—the "no longer mounted or visible to the system" kind of vanished. After staring like this at my monitor for a spell, I tried mounting the card on any of the other Mac computers on my desk (a shockingly high grand total of three these days), I had come to the conclusion that the card was, as they say, borked.

My immediate concern was for all the saves I lost. Games can be redownloaded, but the saves cannot. I'm no stranger to backing up my DS and 3DS games, but the last time I did so was five years ago in January 2021. To be fair, I haven't played a ton of digital 3DS games since then, but there were a couple of notable titles—Metroid Prime: Federation Force and Pokémon X.

Yes, I lost my Pokémon X team before I could make the great migration to Pokémon Home for the overtime match with Logan.

After nursing my depression with a hot cup of coffee, I settled in to make a new SD card and get back as much data as I could. This part was surprisingly easy.

I hoped in the Nintendo Homebrew Discord to ask what the procedure is to format an SD card and restore the Homebrew on it. A bot interpreted my question and immediately gave me the appropriate link to the guide. I was kinda shocked. Pro tip: The SD must be formatted as FAT32. That hung me up for a sec.

There's even a script now that installs vital apps like FBI and Checkpoint, making the whole process even smoother. After following the instructions, the SD card was rebuilt and I began the time consuming process of redownloading my games from the defunct eShop. That took a while. Although, I did skip the games I have since bought physically.

Once everything was installed, I backed up the card to another SD card. Then I went to my external drive and copied over the saves I had from 2021 and restored them on device. They did work—including my original launch save of Pokémon X (not the save I used for Chapter Select Season 6), which was just before the eighth gym. This gave me hope to rebuild my team and it not be as much of a grind.

This experience also served as a great reminder to me why physical games are my preferred format. I didn't lose my Ultra Sun or Alpha Sapphire saves. I didn't lose A Link Between Worlds or Mario Kart 7 or Samus Returns. And even if one of those carts bit the dust, my other games and their saves would not be impacted. When you go all digital, you are putting all your save eggs in the basket of drives or SD cards—and when you don't make redundant backups, that basket can be risky business for those eggs.

Let my loss be a lesson to you all. Backup your saves! Off the SD card! Backup the backup! Remember, two is one and one is none.

It is that wonderful time of the year once more! I have to make my predictions for the "Big Three"—Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox. Honestly, it feels more like the "Big Two and their Little Green Sidekick" these days, but as long as Xbox ships a console developed in-house and remains the largest third-party publisher, I suppose they can stay on the list.

It's a funky year to make predictions too. Grand Theft Auto VI looms over the fall. Nintendo's new console is only seven months old, a bright future ahead. PlayStation feels stagnant, despite its sales dominance this gen. Xbox is poised to have a strong year of releases with Halo, Gears of War, Forza, and Fable all set for release for the first time in over a decade. And we can't forget the ever present rumors swirling about new Xbox and PlayStation consoles. We should all be in for a good time.

For the record and for the curious, you can go back and read all my previous years' predictions—2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

The only rule I have is that the entire written prediction must come true. That's it. I keep it simple around here, despite my consistent losing streak.

There is also the over-the-top prediction, which is dubbed the Kiefer Prediction. This was all Peter Spezia's idea from Show Me Your News! and is inspired by the fact that 24's Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, was the voice of Venom Snake in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Before I assuredly accurately predict all of 2026, we need to check in with how great I did in 2025.

Nintendo 2025 Predictions

1. Switch 2 will be at least $399.99 with some form of support for 4K. ✅
2. Nintendo celebrates the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. in style with special edition goodies and surprises. ✅
3. Three dormant IP have projects announced. ✅

Really quick, I would just like to say that I nailed my 2024 Nintendo predictions, just a year late.

I should have been bold and gone with the price I thought. The Switch 2 started at $450. The Switch 1 consoles are still very much for sale, albeit more expensive than before. Nintendo did the right thing by holding the Switch 2 price and raising...everything else. I have been extremely happy with my purchase.

Nintendo did indeed celebrate Mario's 40th anniversary. Most of the goodies and surprises are slated for this spring, like amiibo, Super Mario Bros. Wonder Switch 2 edition and DLC, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Of course, the Super Mario Galaxy Movie is out in April. I did buy Rosalina's Storybook, which has been a very good read at bedtime.

"Three dormant IP" is kind of a "know it when you see it" phrase. I think we can say 3D Donkey Kong, Kirby Air Riders, and the aforementioned Yoshi game satisfy the definition. I think Mario Tennis Fever qualifies too.

This is an excellent start to my annual predictions! The momentum is not maintained though...

PlayStation 2025 Predictions

1. A GTA VI bundle of the PS5 Pro sells for over $850 (after tax) and sells out. ❌
2. New hardware is announced (Portal, headphones, controller, etc. kind of hardware). ✅
3. Uncharted makes its return. ❌

Silly Max. Never bet on Rockstar delivering their first stated release date—or their second.

"Given Rockstar's track record of delays, I can't wait to play GTA VI in Fall 2026."

The PS5 generation has been one of many, many peripherals, so it felt like a sure bet so new PS5 adjacent hardware. I am actually in need of some desktop speakers, so I might give these Pulse Elevates a look later this year.

By far the weakest prediction in the PlayStation camp. Hard to believe that "Live from PS5" ad just teased nothing?

Xbox 2025 Predictions

1. Xbox will discuss their next home console with a launch window of 2026. ❌
2. A Game Pass mobile app is announced. ❌
3. Everything goes cross-platform. ✅

Xbox did tease the next home console and even co-launched a handheld PC, but the new console launch window is a mystery for now. The rumor mill claims the box is in the vein of the Steam Machine; some sort of PC-home console hybrid. They also seem dedicated to making their own handheld, not a ROG with an Xbox logo slapped on the brick. Given the price of Xbox Series X, I suspect whatever it is will cost north of $1K.

Shockingly, Xbox did not push a Game Pass streaming app out this year. You still have to use your browser to do so. I guess they found a way to monetize V homeOS, but not iOS?

Everything did, indeed, go cross-platform.

I can't believe how close I was to this one. Last year, I said this was "flat out absurd," in hindsight though, it doesn't feel that absurd.

Thankfully, the Switch 2 answered prayers of stable framerates and higher resolutions for Switch 1 titles. I am very much looking forward to Echoes of Wisdom this year. The Cube was, indeed, freed! No one had the Virtual Boy on their bingo card though.

Yes, I pre-ordered one.

The most absurd element was the PS3 emulation. While Sony still has not revealed any sort of official solution, that has not stopped other developers. One day those server farms of PS3 consoles can rest and let their Cell Processors go to the great Silicon Valley in the sky.

Xbox was a bit trickier to confirm or deny. The closest thing to confirmation I found was an announcement for Retro Classics on Game Pass as a collab between Xbox and Antstream Arcade. That doesn't cut the mustard for me or Kiefer. The only other Preservation Team news I found was hubbub about a job listing in May.

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I started strong and ended weak. Suppose that is par for the course. Lessons learned would be tying predictions less to specific dates and windows. Save that for the Kiefer. 5/10 isn't so bad, but I think I can do better.

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Nintendo 2026 Predictions

1. Nintendo's does something with Super Smash Bros. on Switch 2.
2. Three new ports will be announced; one from the Wii, one from the 3DS, and one from the Wii U.
3. Nintendo introduces the first wacky Switch 2 accessory, in the same vein as the Ring-Con, Labo, etc.

There was no Switch 2 Enhanced Edition or even a Switch 2 patch for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With Kirby Air Riders out and done, I suspect Nintendo will announce plans for the next—and inevitable—iteration of their platform fighter. I could also see Super Smash Bros. or Melee coming to NSO. We shall see.

The Switch 2 has had a great first six months of exclusive titles. I think the momentum will be maintained with some surprise ports, remasters, remakes. I chose the Wii, 3DS, and Wii U since those are the consoles without any support on NSO and feel like they are entering their first real nostalgia window—Wii Sports is averaging $30 for Reggie's sake! I've seen shops marking it at $45! The 3DS, in particular, is ripe for the picking of titles to bring forward.

Nintendo always has something unique for their controllers to do, ever since the Wii. Labo was introduced just after the one year mark for the Switch 1. Ring Fit Adventure was in 2019. Now, we are getting the Virtual Boy headset next month, but I think something more broad will be announced in 2026.

PlayStation 2026 Predictions

1. Resident Evil Requiem gets a PlayStation VR2 version.
2. PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution 2 delivers major improvements over PSSR v1 and fixes key problematic titles.
3. Saros from Housemarque, Marvel's Wolverine from Insomniac, Marathon from Bungie, and MLB The Show are the only first-party PlayStation Studios developed games released in 2026.

VR gaming may be never as popular as I'd like it to be, but Capcom and Sony seem to have always exchanged enough money to bring one of the biggest franchises to virtual reality since 2016.¹ I am hopeful the new Resident Evil hotness makes the jump. We know RE Engine can do it.²

PSSR has been an overall disappointment I'd say for the PS5 Pro. With version 2 rumored to be released within these first three months of 2026, the promise of FSR 4-like gains is tantalizing. We need to see the goods before we get our hopes up though. I suspect Digital Foundry will be impressed. I'd love to see games like Silent Hill 2 and Jedi: Survivor be "magically" fixed of their shimmery, messy upscaling...mostly because I haven't taken those out of the shrink wrap yet.

I'm not a downer, I'm a realist. Sony has been relying on second- and third-party games for most of the PS5's generation—and to great success! The last few years in particular have felt like an absolute drip from their first-party teams. It's in that vein that I conclude we already know PlayStation Studios lineup for 2026.

Sure, rumors are flying about that Firesprite is making Until Dawn 2. There's a fat stack of unreleased Horizon games being worked on over in Amsterdam. Fairgame$ may or may not see the light of day. Naughty Dog won't ship this year. Sucker Punch will release the multiplayer mode for Ghost of Yōtei, but that doesn't count in the spirit of this pick. God and Hermen only know what Media Molecule, Bend, Bluepoint, and Santa Monica Studio are working on.

Now, could we see some of these games get announced? Absolutely. Santa Monica in particular is overdue for a reveal. Concerning actual releases though? 2026 is locked.

Xbox 2026 Predictions

1. OD finally gets some gameplay.
2. Steam functionality arrives on Xbox.
3. Xbox fully reveal the next Xbox console. They call it the Xbox Pro. It features a horizontal-first design.

I'm a sucker for Kojima and I would very much like to see actual gameplay soon please.

I'm not entirely sure about this one, but I am struggling with Xbox this year. Early in 2025, Microsoft "leaked" Steam as an option in a new Xbox interface. But in June, they added viewing your Steam library in the Xbox app on PC. So, was the "leak" just the PC app or is Steam library functionality coming to the Xbox console?

As I mentioned above, all signs point toward the next Xbox console being a Steam Machine-like box with PC game access. There's no reason the Series consoles couldn't be opened up like that too, I think. It would certainly help Xbox and get me to turn on my console. Steam, on the other hand, doesn't need this deal. I could see them going either way.

All right. I know I predicted the new console last year, but this prediction is different! I try to get a bit specific like with the name and design. I think consumers are tired of the verticality of the Series X and PS5, despite the whole "heat rises" thing in physics. Xbox has to stop with the terrible naming conventions. Do what all the companies do and slap a "pro" on the end. Odd are though, it’ll be some nonsense like “Microsoft Xbox 365 Copilot, Pro Version.”

Kept you waiting, huh? It’s time for my Kiefer-level prediction!

It was difficult to choose a Kiefer Prediction this year. I decided to combine multi-system style predictions with a more specific game prediction due to the sheer number of anniversaries coming up in 2026.

Zelda is turning 40 and they gotta do something , right? I suspect Wind Waker or Twilight Princess emerge from their eternal rumored slumber. I could also see a world where we get another top down remake, perhaps of the Oracle games. Or dare I dream of A Link Between Worlds being ported?

Nintendo always announces 3D Zelda well before release. The next big game being teased would be a sweet treat for the anniversary.

Pokémon is swinging for the fences this year, already with a $650 Leo set. Everyone suspects the next generation to be revealed. That makes sense to me, although I could see a world were we get the next remakes instead. I think it is also time for some Game Boy or Advance titles to come to Switch. I doubt they'd be a part of NSO, but we should let more folks buy those games again—including me.

Ever since Capcom shut down that fan remake of Code Veronica, I believe. I know that Requiem is just a month away, but that doesn't mean we can't announce a remake of one of the series' greats, right?

What has Next Level Games been up to? Gotta be more Luigi's Mansion, I think. Luigi's Mansion 3 sold incredibly well.

Metroid might be the biggest prediction in this list. I think Nintendo wants to keep the Metroid train rolling. They could do that with the other ancient-rumored remakes of Prime 2 and Prime 3, but I'd like to see the series go back to 2D again, perhaps with Mercury Steam behind the development once again.

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As generations end and begin, 2026 should be one of the more interesting years in video games. There is plenty to look forward to and speculate about. Really though, we’re all just thinking about Grand Theft Auto VI. That’ll be one for the books.

Here's to 2026 and all the video games we shall play!

Footnotes

1. How has it been that long since PSVR1 and RE7? ↩

2. A small VR footnote tangent: PSVR2 is an undeniable commercial flop. I just saw one open-box at Best Buy for $150. PlayStation Studios has effectively made zero titles for the headset. Might be the most I've ever overpaid for a game console/peripheral ever. Lately, Meta seems hellbent on killing VR gaming by shuttering their first-party teams they paid millions to acquire. The only glimmer of hope is Valve's new Steam Frame. If I ever buy another VR headset—and of course I will—odds are it'll be a Frame paired with a Steam Machine. I gotta play Alyx at some point, right? ^3c5fac ↩

Not so much a new soul any more, but still as powerful an ad as ever.

I loved my MacBook Air that I bought after high school in 2013. I pushed that 11'' harder than it ever ought to have been. It was at a time where I believed if it was a Mac, it could do anything. In a way, that was true despite the hardware limitations.

The product page back in January of 2008 had this to say.

"MacBook Air is ultrathin, ultraportable, and ultra unlike anything else. But you don’t lose inches and pounds overnight. It’s the result of rethinking conventions. Of multiple wireless innovations. And of breakthrough design. With MacBook Air, mobile computing suddenly has a new standard."

Considering every laptop took after the Air and MacBook Pro, I'd say that mobile computing did have a new standard.

Apple introduces Apple Creator Studio, an inspiring collection of the most powerful creative apps

"The apps included with Apple Creator Studio for video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity give modern creators the features and capabilities they need to experience the joy of editing and tailoring their content while realizing their artistic vision. Exciting new intelligent features and premium content build on familiar experiences of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and later Freeform to make Apple Creator Studio an exciting subscription suite to empower creators of all disciplines while protecting their privacy."

This has been a long time coming. As services revenue continues to climb, Eddy Cue and crew are always on the hunt for more. Apple Creator Studio will cost $12.99 per month or $129 per year and is available for purchase (subscribing?) on January 28.

Last year, when Apple bought my beloved Pixelmator, I had this to say;

"I really don't want another software subscription. Pixelmator Pro freed me from the death grip of Adobe. Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro have done the same with their one time purchases. The world of software is practically unrecognizable from those days of one-time purchase, buy the upgrade software days though. Development takes longer. Sustainment is critical. Recurring subscriptions keep the lights on in a more consistent, reliable manner—not that Apple truly needs that, but they also have the fiduciary responsibility to make more and more money.

Unlike Dark Sky, Pixelmator Pro won't stop working (presumably). I am curious to see what comes of all this in the years to come. Pixelmator definitely has my vote over Adobe though. "

Thankfully, I do not need to sign up for Apple Creator Studio as a Mac user—at least, for now. Apple is keeping the one-time purchase options available on the Mac.

"Alternatively, users can also choose to purchase the Mac versions of Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage individually as a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store."

I do wonder if a day may come when the courage of Apple fails, when they forsake one-time purchases and break all bonds of pro users, but it is not this day.

Gruber points out that all of the apps on Mac do not feature Liquid Glass design and speculates versioning might be the reason behind this rather than pros rejecting macOS Tahoe.

"My hope is that the UI shown today for Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, and MainStage is a flat-out rejection of Liquid Glass for 'serious' apps. My fear is that it’s only a result of their continued support for MacOS 15 Sequoia. (But I think they need to continue supporting MacOS 15 Sequoia because so many pro users are rejecting MacOS 26 Tahoe.)"

I sure hope that Gruber's hope is correct. I can't imagine a world where Liquid Glass-ifying Final Cut Pro would go well at all. Pro apps need all the dials, knobs, and buttons they can have. I need clearly divided panes and sections. I can see all the content I need in the dedicated viewer window.

When looking at the brand spanking new iPadOS version of Pixelmator Pro, I can't believe they even chose this image to showcase Apple Pencil features. How many menus/tool bars do you see?

I would have said two, but I caught the existence of the right-hand side tool bar at the last moment before posting. Squinting may help.

More egregious than potential Liquid Glass-ification are the new icons on display.

Stephen Hackett loves them. I can't help but feel like Don Corleone—look how they massacred my boy. Comparison courteous of Basic Apple Guy.

Pixelmator Pro has been murdered beyond recognition. Final Cut Pro is devoid of life. The free apps of Freeform, Numbers, Pages, and Keynote are logical redesigns given the current era of Apple's icon design. Motion, MainStage, and even Logic Pro fall into that categorization. Compressor is the only one with any personality in this new set. I do quite like that one.

Mark Gurman may be technically right in saying 99.9% of Apple's users do not care, but that's irrelevant. Apple should care and it is clear they do not.

In the end, at it's announcement, I am glad I don't have to pay for this.

I am also glad it is cheaper than Adobe Creative Cloud—6.5x cheaper.

Nintendo's Easy Modes – Scott's Stash

A timely video from Scott Wozniak. In the footnotes, I wrote this;

"I actually think it is over 20 years, but I don't want to go down the rabbit hole to see which game first introduced an auto-complete assist if you die too much. I think it'd be one of the New Super Mario Bros. titles."

Turns out Scott did the research for me and I was correct.

Watching these little assist modes in action, within the context of the game, these are far more elegant than I could ever imagine an Big Tech AI (not video game AI) ghost trying to play the game for the player. You know who knows how to beat the game? The developers that made the game.

Man, I wish the years matched up...

Another year has come and gone, but Max Frequency remains. This year was one of reality checks and battling stagnation brought about by a creative slump. When I ended 2024, I was locked in. I was ready to keep the train rolling. Then, I sputtered throughout the year.

The front half of 2025 was strenuous, to say the least. I was looking for more traditional, full-time employment as self-employment faced an unprecedented season of slowness. As the weeks ticked by and no jobs came to light...stressed doesn't begin to describe my state of mind.

Here at the end of the year, our situation has completely turned around. Work is steady and has a promising road ahead. I started editing videos for other YouTube creators, which has kept my skills sharp, even though I have not put out as many videos myself this year. It's only by the grace of God, stepping out of my comfort zone into faith, and a fair bit of hard work that I am not back in some cubicle grinding away under flickering florescent lights.

In the midst of all this, I kept on blogging, playing games, recording podcasts, and making essays. Not as much as I hoped, but I still did it. And even though my output may not have had as high of a quantity, I believe in earnest the quality was at an all-time high. And in a continuing theme, dreams kept on coming true, as you will see below.

To those old and new readers alike, thank you all for another year. Now let's see how it all went.

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It has dawned on me how long these "In Review" articles are now, so please use this Table of Contents if you wanna hop around.

• Statistics
  • Blog Stats
  • Podcast Stats
  • YouTube Stats
• 2025 Gaming In Review
  • What I Bought in 2025
  • What I Played in 2025
  • What I Would Like to Play in 2026
• Crème de la Crème of 2025

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Statistics

Blog Stats

As a quick refresher, 2024‘s total view count was 6,560 views with 6,088 visitors. You can see 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020, if you like. Here are the statistics for 2025;

• Total Site Visits = 18,092
• Unique Visitors = 17,453
• Total Page Views = 28,420

Most viewed articles/pages:

• Puzzmo is Not a Good iOS App with 5,812 views
• How dbrand's Switch 2 Dock Adapter Works with 2,165 views
• I Think Kottke is Missing the Mark with Pluribus with 1,272 views
• Home with 1,197 views
• How to Backup and Play Your Games and Saves on Delta for iPhone (or any Emulator) with 798 views

Top countries:

• United States of America with 9,654 views
• United Kingdom with 1,284 views
• Canada with 797 views

Total articles published in 2025 – 199 Total articles published – 1,554

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You all blew 2024 out of the water.

Last year's stats were a bit incomplete considering the change in hosting I did in the spring. I said that it would be a nice thing to have a solid starting point in 2025. We certainly had that and I am curious how this year's numbers will influence future years-in-review. For the first time ever, the Home page was not the top slot...or even in the top three.

That is all because I was linked to on Daring Fireball not once, but twice in 2025. John Gruber sent me, essentially, a year's worth of traffic in 1~2 months. And then another sizable blip at the end of the year. Thank you John.

I also landed on a new console launch nerve with my article about dbrand's Killswitch 2 dock adapter and how it works.¹ Funny how one customer support email turned into my second most viewed article for 2025. Last year I said never underestimate folks' desire to emulate games and dump ROMs. This year, I say never underestimate a new console launch and the zeitgeist around it.

Podcast Stats

• Chapter Select all time downloads = 68,231 (unique) / 20,188 (IAB) with 20 episodes published in 2025
  • 63,851 / 16,277 with 29 episodes published in 2024
  • Gain of 4,380 / 3,911 | 7% / 24%
• The Max Frequency Podcast all time downloads = 94,561 (unique) / 15,973 (IAB) with 6 episodes published in 2025
  • 91,530 / 13,415 with 13 episode published in 2024
  • Gain of 3,031 / 2,558 | 3% / 19%

Podcasting was the area I fell the most short with in 2025. I struggled to maintain any sort of consistency and drive. The Max Frequency Podcast only had six episodes this year, but those six were great. There was a big focus on Nintendo Switch 2 coverage and Nintendo itself. I want to do more in 2026 and already have a dream guest lined up for January~February. Can't wait for you all to hear it. Can't wait to break 100K lifetime (unique) downloads this year too.

As for Chapter Select, man, I really considered canning the whole show. I was in a dark place with this one that carried over from 2024. I powered through it though and our Metroid Prime season came out in time for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. We should be recording that episode this weekend too. With Resident Evil Requiem only a month away and a slate of Castlevania games ahead of us, I am feeling far more positive on the whole.

YouTube Stats

YouTube Statistics	Max Frequency Channel	Max Roberts Essays Channel	Max Frequency Library Channel	Combined Channel Totals for 2025
Total Views	14,784	1,723	2,510	19,017
Live Stream Views	277	N/A	N/A	277
Watch Time Hours	346.6	212.3	96.1	655
Likes	258	127	170	555
New Subscribers	55	82	13	150
Lifetime Views	475.5K	1.7K	2.7K	479.9K

The top five viewed videos across all of the channels in 2025 were:

• Fast & Furious Los Bandoleros Short Film | Chapter Select Super Special - Season 4 with 3,508 total views
• 2 Fast 2 Furious Movie Commentary | Chapter Select Super Special - Season 4 with 1,879 total views
• How I Use Obsidian to Track my Video Game Collection with 1,294 total views
• The Spirit of Super Mario Galaxy with 948 total views
• How Astro Bot Breaks the Fourth Wall with 533 total views

Surprise! The Fast and The Furious return to the top spot. Rather than illegal uploads of the films, looks like Google Search and AI-powered search grabbed ahold of these two. I guess there aren't a lot of reviews and commentaries on Los Bandolero...strange.

Outside of the Fast Family, I am just happy to see my video essays crack the top five. The Spirit of Super Mario Galaxy – A Video Essay got a boost when my pal Wizawhat mentioned it in his video I'm Kind Of Torn On Donkey Kong Bananza. That video got a whopping 48,388 views. I had maybe 200~ views before his video. Never underestimate the power for friendship.

Astro did pretty well considering the seven month gap between uploads.

If you read, listened, or watched anything I made this year—thank you. Means the world to me that you'd tune in. Here's to the new year and all it has in store of us!

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2025 Gaming In Review

I wanted to do better this year about sharing and reflecting on what I played, my annual "resolution" games, and—new this year—what I bought. I'll share each list and a little commentary below. For more robust thoughts, the linked games below will take you to either my Game Notes for that title or that game's entry in my game library.

With all that said, let's start with the physical games I picked up throughout the year.

What I Bought in 2025

Title	Console	Date	Price
Neir Automata	PS4	3/5/25	$24.54
The Messenger	PS5	3/20/25	$32.09
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33	PS5	4/29/25	$49.90
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash	3DS	5/12/25	$6.95
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom	Switch	6/5/25	$0
Mario Kart World	Switch 2	6/5/25	$85.19
Castlevania Dominus Collection	PS5	5/31/25	$48.76
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1	PS5	8/13/25	$16.04
GoldenEye 007	N64	11/16/25	$30.83
Alien Isolation	PS4	12/10/25	$18.60
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy	Switch	12/10/25	$0
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor	Wii	12/11/25	$29.98
Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock	PS3	12/11/25	$8.77
Yoshi's Woolly World	Wii U	12/12/25	$13.95
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater	PS5	12/19/25	$15.98
Titanfall 2	PS4	12/29/25	$5.34
Total Sum			$386.92

A couple of years ago, I looked back at my annual pickups and was ashamed at the grand total of 65 games. That felt obscene to me. Since buying them, I have played seven. In my weak defense, most of that list was made up of collecting efforts. Looking back, I see the Splinter Cell games, lots of Castlevania, and Rock Band titles.²

Now, don't get me wrong, I love collecting video games and consoles. I am just not currently in a position to collect as much as I was a few years ago. Home ownership and a kid will do that to you. Plus, I bought a PS5 Pro and a Switch 2 at launch, so I still spent an obscene amount of money.

I did better in 2024 with a total of 41 games, but I wanted to do better in 2025. My budget is not what it used to be, but more importantly, I have a massive collection that I haven't even come close to playing in its entirety. I think going from 65 to 16 in just two years is quite good. Three of them were gifts; I snagged the Metal Gear Solid games on deep discounts and used coupons. If it wasn't for my annual shopping trip with Logan, this list would have almost been 10 games. Now to keep it up in 2026.

What I Played in 2025

Here is the list of games I played and beat throughout the year.

Game	Started	Beaten	Console	Notes
Citizen Sleeper	12/31/24		PS5 Pro/Portal
Metroid Prime Hunters	1/12/25	4/26/25	Nintendo DS	Metroid Prime Hunters Notes
Penny's Big Breakaway	1/12/25		PS5 Pro
Astro Bot	1/14/25	1/24/25	PS5 Pro	Astro Bot Notes
Helldivers 2	1/22/25		PS5 Pro
Batman: Arkham Shadow	1/29/25		Meta Quest 3S
Super Mario Party Jamboree	2/8/25		Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom	2/16/25		Switch
Fortnite			PS5 Pro
Star of Providence	2/21/25		Switch
God of War: Ragnarök	3/11/25	3/27/25	PS5 Pro	God of War - Ragnarök Notes
God of War: Ragnarök – Valhalla	3/28/25	4/3/25	PS5 Pro	God of War Ragnarök -Valhalla Notes
Mirror's Edge	4/29/25	5/8/25	PS3	Mirror's Edge Notes
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33	4/29/25	11/24/25	PS5 Pro	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Notes
Mario Kart World	6/7/25		Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour	6/10/25		Switch 2
Donut Dodo	6/24/25		Switch 2	Donut Dodo Notes
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption	6/25/25	7/27/25	Wii	Metroid Prime 3 - Corruption Notes
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney	7/28/25	8/25/25	Switch 2	Apollo Justice - Ace Attorney Notes
Stray	8/26/25		PS5 Pro
The Last of Us Part II Remastered	9/1/25	10/19/25	PS5 Pro	The Last of Us Part II Remastered Notes
It Takes Two	9/23/25		PS5
Hades II	9/25/25		Switch 2
Alan Wake Remastered	10/23/25	11/1/25	PS5 Pro	Alan Wake Remastered Notes
Tunic	11/2/25	11/12/25	PS5 Pro	Tunic Notes
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond	12/4/25		Switch 2

The year started out not great. Not because of Citizen Sleeper, but because I decided to start a dice rolling RPG while sick with the flu for a week off my PlayStation Portal. I was not in a coherent headspace for that kind of gaming.

There are quite a few multiplayer games. Helldivers 2, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Fortnite, and Mario Kart World, plus some not-logged titles from my annual trip with The Boys™ like Kirby Air Riders, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I've been thinking a lot about the (seemingly) bygone era of local, party multiplayer lately. Online only gets you so far. I miss those late nights with friends.

Looking at my PlayStation Wrapped, I played ol' reliables. I assume Alan Wake Remastered was eked out by just a couple of hours into the number six slot. Nintendo is promising their "Wrapped" sometime this month, which makes more sense to me. Xbox presumably is doing the same, but mine would be zero hours for that console in 2025 anyway.

The year wasn't very high for completion. Some of these games you never really "beat" though, you know? Mario Kart World will be in rotation for years to come. Despite my inability to beat the first difficulty tier in Donut Dodo, I know I will play this one for ages. My thoughts are pretty well solidified on that one. I'm not sure how this low completion rate makes me feel though. I know I didn't play as much this year. That bums me out, so I suppose not beating as many games also bums me out.

It has dawned on me in reflecting and writing this piece that I have chained myself to the desk and really only play when I can also record the footage. Why am I restricting play time to only recording time? "Play" is in the name of the metric. I've realized I am weighing myself down with unjustified terabytes of footage at the sacrifice of enjoying this hobby I have had for the last 27 years. This revelation is so appalling to me that I have already started a significant 2026 pledge game on my PlayStation Vita. When I want footage, I'll migrate the save to my PS3 and pick up seamlessly.

I wanted to start throwing together a personal top ten as well, like the crew does over at Digital Foundry (and like we used to do at DualShockers).³ I find myself playing fewer current year releases, so my personal favorites are nowhere near what a traditional "Game of the Year" list might look like. Given I barely beat more than ten games this year, the list sure is something.

• 10. Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour
• 9. Mirror's Edge
• 8. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• 7. Donut Dodo
• 6. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
• 5. Mario Kart World
• 4. Astro Bot
• 3. The Last of Us Part II Remastered
• 2. Tunic
• 1. Alan Wake Remastered

I told you. Welcome Tour is a fun little game and people need to get over the price tag. Mirror's Edge was more frustrating than I remember. Clair Obscur really fell apart for me in the back half, especially in the plot area. Donut Dodo is sublime—use an arcade stick if you can. Not to spoil the incoming episode of Metroid Prime 4, but this might be the prettiest game I played this year. Mario Kart World is a big puzzle world to me as my eyes and mind adjust to this new trick-based form of racing. I find it endlessly engaging. Astro Bot is rock solid and pure gaming joy. Sorry not sorry about The Last of Us Part II being so high. The chronological cut was fascinating. Tunic was a mind bender that my brain sorely needed.

My favorite game I played this year was hands down Alan Wake Remastered. Snappy, fun, and full of personality. It reminds me of games from the seventh generation, which makes sense...since it came out during the seventh gen.

So how did I do with my annual "resolution" games?

• Alan Wake Remastered
• Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
• God of War: Ragnarök
• Mirror’s Edge
• Tunic
• Batman: Arkham Shadow
• Pikmin 4
• Resident Evil 4 VR (PS VR 2)
• Stray
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

I beat half. I'll take that as a win! I did start Stray one sleepy afternoon, but was swiftly bored and got a Chipotle burrito for dinner instead. I cannot believe this nominated for Game of the Year at The Keighley's in 2022—or that it is getting a movie. I am baffled.

I also did boot up Batman: Arkham Shadow, which felt really cool and good. I needed the Elite Strap though. The stretchy fabric of the included strap is just not great for long play sessions. The strap is so expensive though. Good thing it was on sale and I used a $25 gift card from Christmas to help afford the silly expensive strap.

I didn't touch the other games though. I chalk it up to the Switch 2 launch derailing summer efforts and pushing myself to finish the Prime games. I struggle quite a bit with more than one game at a time too.

What I Would Like to Play in 2026

Back in July, I wrote this little tangental bit in Naughty Dog Introduces a New "Chronological" Mode in Part II;

"Semi-related, I have had a major hankering to replay the Uncharted games and, even more so, the Jak & Daxter games. I have a desire for those PS2/PS3 era games that were lighter, shorter, etc. I was using Sly 2: Band of Thieves as my test game for my PS2 Slim after its tune up. The intro cutscene was so enticing in and of itself. I think there is some reminiscing in my future."

I want 2026 to be a comfortable, classical, reminiscent year. While there is no shortage of new hotness in 2026, I find the list below to sound far more enticing and fun than the latest AAAA gaming. Continuing the My Life In Gaming-inspired tradition, here's my 2026 list in alphabetical order—now with 10 new entires—because I am a glutton for punishment.

• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Final Fantasy VII
• Ico
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies
• Quantum Break
• Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
• Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
• Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Titanfall 2

And the leftovers...

• Batman Arkham Shadow
• Pikmin 4
• Resident Evil 4 VR (PS VR2)
• Stray
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Donkey Kong Bananza is the most recent on the list. I had an eShop gift card from my birthday in June and snagged this at launch. I tried playing but had a pretty bad day and it soured my opening minutes with the game. I also wanted to be able to capture in 4K and that wasn't possible at the time. Now 4K capture is possible and I am in a much better headspace to break rocks and collect bananas.

Quantum Break is a must for me now.

My friend Mike bought me Final Fantasy VII digitally on my PS3 after I said I was considering playing the remake this year. I've never beaten a Final Fantasy game. I dabbled in XV and played half of III on SNES.

I love this tradition of playing an Ace Attorney game every year. I must confess, I never played the 3DS titles or the Investigations spin-offs, so the next couple of years with be all new to me and that has me excited.⁴

I'm particularly eager to play Sin & Punishment: Star Successor thanks to Mark's recommendation. Plus, it is apparently only six hours long. More six hour games please.

Titanfall 2 is a recent addition (and purchase!) due to the sad news of Vince Zampella's untimely death. I've always been told about its campaign and some slick hallway level, whatever that means. Wish I had played it sooner, but there's no better time than now.

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Crème de la Crème of 2025

Here’s a list of the posts, shows, and projects I am most proud of from 2025, mostly in publication order.

Wasting a Generation – Sony's Live Service Graveyard

Sometimes, you forget you wrote a thing until you go back for the annual review. 😅 Looking back, I cannot believe I did not mention Marathon. While Sony keeps shuffling and scratching out these live service projects around like a sketchy accountant, do not be fooled into thinking they have abandoned the live service dream. They announced two new studios in 2025—Dark Outlaw Games and teamLFG—both of which I assume are working on multiplayer titles given their lineage.⁵

Despite leadership departures, Fairgame$ hasn't been cancelled—yet. Ghost of Yōtei Legends is indeed real and is launching in 2026. While not a first-party title, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls could also be an avenue of live service-ish revenue for Sony, especially when they own EVO.

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The Spirit of Super Mario Galaxy – A Video Essay

I put serious effort into this one and am still proud of it from top to bottom. I have to admit, sometimes I watch the Shorts I put out just for fun.

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Severed from Severance

Man, I am still sour on Severance's sophomore season. Feels like I am still alone in that too.

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Nintendo Switch 2 Coverage

Nothing like a new Nintendo console to get me writing and podcasting.

Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal Thoughts & Impressions

I love the written coverage, but the decision to turn this into a 50 minute video derailed my essay production more than I could have anticipated. Not everything needs to be a video.

Looking back, the Switch 2's screen is nowhere near as "tasty" as it's nerdy alphabet soup recipe would imply. There are serious issues with the response time. HDR is not close to accurate/possible. VRR is a mystery. Given the 2~3 hour battery life, if you are portable-first with the Switch, maybe hold off until a "Pro" model or revision.

I stand by my assessments on Game Chat, Game Key Cards, and the stacked nature of Switch 2's first six months. If you are a Day One Nintendo gamer, you have been feasting these last six months.

Switch 2 Both Is and Isn't Nintendo's Most Expensive Console

I made lots or tables this year, which is not the norm for me.⁶ The sticker shock for the Switch 2 gave plenty of folks something to talk about online, but one Polygon article did not sit right with me.

MFP45 - "Nintendo Gave Me a Gift" with Peter Spezia

Always a joy to podcast with Peter.

How dbrand's Switch 2 Dock Adapter Works

Don't be afraid to email support to ask a clarifying question. Just don't forget to blog about it.

Nintendo Tried GameChat Nearly 20 Years Ago

During the summer, I went back and watched every Nintendo E3 press conference since 2006. It was eye opening to relive the golden era of gaming press conferences, personalities, and the rise and fall of the Wii to Wii U. It also was an excellent reminder that no idea is too old for Nintendo to revisit. This was a good idea to do during the launch year of the Switch 2.

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The Prices Are Too Damn High

Where Did the Price Drops Go

Re-reading this piece, man, I crushed it. I know it is only 7~ months old, but I stand by my cellphone market analogy for the console market. I also stand by that the gaming ecosystem is wider and more accessible than ever.

Xbox Raises All the Prices

Not one day later, Microsoft kicked off the tariff and AI-RAM-induced price increase. Dark times ahead.

It will never not be funny that the Xbox Series X became more expensive than a PS5 Pro.

We Need to Talk About Game Prices, Review Scores, and Quality

Review scores are detrimental to the industry, accelerating a race to the bottom (more below). When paired with price and a litany of other factors, a 10/10 for $20 and 10/10 for $80 varies widely. It's all subjective and I think the numbers have damaged the conversation in a significant manner.

I'll quote myself;

"The score is never just the game. It's never just the price. It's a messy amalgamation of countless factors, moods, decisions, ideas, vibes, and market research..."

"...(Review scores) reduce an experience to a number; years of work to one number. We just look at numbers. What's the score? What's the price? If they overlap in the right way on our personal Venn Diagram, then we might proceed. "

PlayStation and Nintendo Raise All the Prices

I can't believe the cheapest this generation will ever be was its launch.

Not to Be Outdone By PlayStation and Nintendo, Xbox Raises The Prices Again

You can't make this stuff up.

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The Blood Red Capture Gremlin Saga

I had major capture issues this year that led to months of technical support and troubleshooting. While frustrating in the moment, I do love a good technical challenge.

I Have a Problem with Elgato

I faced a major hiccup in my HDMI capture chain when upgrading to the Elgato 4K X. I decided to do my due diligence as a consumer and reach out the tech support. It was quite the journey.

I Have a Problem with Elgato and Switch 2

Nintendo is doing whacky stuff with its HDMI signal and the capture card companies were not ready. During this temultuous time and given my aforementioned issues with the 4K X card, I jumped ship to AVerMedia. The grass is not all green over there. Their macOS support is almost non-existent. I'd probably switch back to the Elgato 4K X now that I am no longer daisy-chaining capture cards.

I Have a Problem with HDMI Capture

I haven't been this discouraged by a technical problem in a long time. It was an all consuming and depressing issue. I do hope this article helps future users.

HDMI Gremlin Evicted

I needed a celebratory drink after this one.

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Introducing My Game Library

It's been a much slower process than I planned on, but I still love that I have gone a completely custom route for logging my game collection. Within Obsidian, I have already gained the inherent benefits of internal linking to these titles across the board.

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Daring Fireball Worthy

The reason the ol' blog got so much traffic this year.

Puzzmo is Not a Good iOS App

Popped open Puzzmo just now and the experience seems much better. No tears when zooming in on crossword puzzles. There is this vertical, frosted glass bar in the lower right corner to quickly navigate to the different types of games. I didn't seen any ads, but that could be a network level thing.

Still a shame that Puzzmo kicked off its native app the way it did.

I Got "Fireballed"

Still reeling from the response.

I Think Kottke is Missing the Mark with Pluribus

Best text to open after landing from a flight. Still processing the idea that Gruber might just read my stuff; or at least, the stuff that catches his eye. Guess my next Daring Fireball-related goal is to be on The Talk Show.

Daring Fireball Inspired

The Difference (and Similarities) Between Millions of Lonely Gamers and AI Romantics

As I re-read these posts, I am surprised at how much I wrote. I straight up don't remember the length and depth. Nice to be reminded and delighted, if that's not too narcissistic to say.

There is More to Theaters than Nostalgia and Affection

I will be making it my mission to drive four hours away to see The Odyssey in 70mm IMAX this summer. Waiting to see this on a TV would be a crime; or inside Fortnite; or on a Game Boy Advance.

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The Mount Wario-ification of Mario Kart

Still think this concept best encapsulates Mario Kart World.

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Silksong Hastens the Death of the Critic – Endless Mode

Made this meme, which I think might sum up my opinion better than my opinion piece.

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How Astro Bot Breaks the Fourth Wall – A Video Essay

This essay took longer than I expected to publish, but I did hit my goals within its structure and design. This was a fun one to put together.

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Naughty Dog Celebrates 40 Years with a Strange 90-Second Video Interview

What a strange saga to celebrate this major anniversary a year late.

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Analogue 3D is Shipping and Looks Very Good

A fun summary of what just might be Analogue's best console to date. Still an absolute shame that they launched the Funtastic colors just a few weeks after shipping the original models. I would have absolutely bought a Grape or Gold model. I think next time Analogue has a console, I will wait for the variant.

Footnotes

1. I have traveled with mine a handful of times this year and I think it is the best case I've used for a portable console. ↩

2. Including a pristine copy of Symphony of the Night for PS1. ↩

3. And I did a couple of times here at Max Frequency. ↩

4. I'm not sure it is fair to put an entry from a series I play annually on the list, but it is my list! I can do whatever I want with it! ↩

5. I like the logo for Dark Outlaw Games. ↩

6. But I keep saying that and keep making tables, so maybe I do make tables now. ↩

Grok's Gruesome New Hobby – 512 Pixels

Stephen Hackett quoting Elissa Well at The Verge;

xAI’s Grok is removing clothing from pictures of people without their consent following this week’s rollout of a feature that allows X users to instantly edit any image using the bot without needing the original poster’s permission. Not only does the original poster not get notified if their picture was edited, but Grok appears to have few guardrails in place for preventing anything short of full explicit nudity. In the last few days, X has been flooded with imagery of women and children appearing pregnant, skirtless, wearing a bikini, or in other sexualized situations. World leaders and celebrities, too, have had their likenesses used in images generated by Grok.

Before Eloise was born, Abby and I made the decision to not share her face online, except for the sometimes annual holiday family photo. Joanna Stern made a great little video about it six years ago.

I have quite strong feelings about sharing stuff my kid and my friends' kids do online. The core of my logic boils down to, I shouldn't have posted as much as I did and I was a semi-aware consenting teenager when MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter took over my online life. How could my (for now) three-year-old daughter even know what is happening? She cannot.

We were asked a lot about our decision at first. One grandparent actually thought we never took photos at all of her. After a brief explanation, folks seemed to understand or even respect our decision.

If we did share photos, what would I signing her and myself up for? One possibility, it turns out, is this horrific and disgusting use of generative AI.

Back to Stephen;

Clearly, a lot of folks on X don’t care about much of this. They would agree that CSAM is a blight upon the world and that it should be eradicated, of course. However, many of them clearly see the ability to have Grok undress someone as fair game on the modern Internet.

I could not disagree more.

“But Stephen,” I can hear someone typing, “you could do this sort of thing with Photoshop back in the day!”

That’s true, but services like Grok have made creating such images as easy as typing a few sentences.

I had the same thought about Photoshop. The difference is the complete lack of friction with a generative chat service. You don't need to know how to use a photo editing application. You just have to know how to describe what you want.

More than highlighting the horrible capabilities of "AI," I keep thinking about the people writing these prompts. It reminds me of a quote from The Last of Us that Bill says when the trio approaches the church basement to gather supplies.

"Well, as bad as those things are, at least they are predictable. It's the normal people that scare me. You of all people should understand that."