Starting out as a prototype in the Big Mode Game Jam in 2023, Backpack Boy has had a multi-year journey to make its way to 1.0. The first commercial game of developer Chuck & Niles Games, Backpack Boy isn’t going to redefine the sidescrolling puzzle genre, but it’s a charming game that does a whole lot of things right.

Agent 64: Spies Never Die gave me a hit of nostalgia that throwback hardware and old games can’t. For one fleeting moment, it actually felt like I was a kid again, showing my friends a brand-new N64 cartridge. It’s a rare feeling to chase, but with Agent 64, Replicant D6 managed to catch it.

I’ve been reviewing games for almost a decade at this point, but I’ve been playing games a whole lot longer than that. It’s rare for me to find a game that will easily capture my attention for hours. I’m not talking about mandatory play sessions I do for these reviews. That’s me shouldering through games that might even be fun, but aren’t fun because now I’m playing them for work. Splatoon Raiders was the opposite. I sat and played for hours without even glancing at the clock

I’m playing a game. I know I should be having fun. I love first person shooters. I like fast first person shooters. Even the game thinks I should be having fun: the music is pumping, the bullets are flying. My guns are chugging away (plinking, really) – but I’m just not having any fun.

In a year teeming with hotly anticipated releases, like Wolverine and Grand Theft Auto 6, one of the games I was looking forward to the most was Big Walk by developer House House, the team behind Untitled Goose Game.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back for its fourth season, and its first episode is an absolute diamond. Be warned, spoilers abound ahead. (L-R): Anson Mount as Captain Pike, Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga, and Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh in season 4, episode 1, of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streaming on Paramount+, 2026. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+ In between the season 3 finale and season 4 premiere, the crew of The Enterprise had been on a grueling