Pixelated Sausage - Attack the Backlog

This week's episode is kind of a nothing episode, with a little bit of Forza Horizon 6 and thoughts on what to play next.

This week's episode is (kind of) all about Redfall, the last game from Arkane Austin.

This week's episode is all about Trepang2, a great game with a bad name that has one glaring issue keeping it from potential all-timer status.

This week's episode is the beginning of my Metal Gear replay and is all about the very first Metal Gear, originally released for the MSX2 before eventually making its way to the NES, Commodore 64, and PC.

This week's episode is all about RoboCop: Unfinished Business, the follow-up to RoboCop: Rogue City which is basically just Dredd, but with RoboCop instead.

This week's episode is all about Mafia: The Old Country and how it starts slow and never quite finds its footing gameplay-wise, but has a strong enough narrative to see it through to the end.

After a few years away, I finally returned to Resident Evil with Village, a game full of tall ladies, a zombie Santa Claus, and more dolls than anyone could ever want.

I asked my dad if he wanted to watch me play any game for Father's Day and he asked for Call of Duty since he used to play all of them before his serious stroke a few years ago. Long story short, it didn't go so well...

This week's episode is about how Doom Eternal wants you to play it the way it wants you to play it and isn't open to how you want to play it.

This week's episode is a little bit about Hades and a lot a bit about how my Xbox Series X has slowly been dying, one overheat after another.

This week's episode is 1) the last time I'll be talking about Stardew Valley (I promise) and 2) all about how Stardew Valley has weaseled its way into my top 100 games of all-time.

This week's episode is all about my continued love affair with Stardew Valley, with a little bit of Forza Horizon 6 on the side.

This week's episode is all about Stardew Valley and how it's become my surprising comfort game while I go through a difficult time in my real life.

This week's episode is all about Mixtape, a game I really liked and almost loved because of a shared love of music. What holds it back is the fact that as a game, there's just not much going on, but if that doesn't bother you, you may end up having a wonderful time as one of yesterday's heroes.

This week's episode is all about returning to Galloping Ghost Arcade for the first time in over a decade, hanging out with friends, and my first impressions of the ARC Raiders "Riven Tides" update. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode is all about what it's been like playing games at full power, reminding myself of how inconsistent HDR is, and how Split Fiction is kind of all over the place. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode is all about making the decision to move away from direct capturing in favor of less distractions and better performance--like finally utilizing 120hz and VRR--and continued thoughts on Crimson Desert. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode is all about some life (and content) changes that needed to be made--god do I hope this isn't your first episode--and my initial thoughts on Crimson Desert after playing it for about 12 hours. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode is all about Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and how it made me realize I may not like classic Assassin's Creed anymore. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

In this week's episode, I finish digging a hole, take a stroll through Chernobyl, hunt monsters in 1896, and make sure all my Pokemon friends are still okay. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode is all about the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4, my first Resident Evil in almost four years. Long story short: it's good to be back. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode is a bit of a break with nothing new, just a smidge of ARC Raiders talk and a second shot given to Marathon. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's terrible episode is all thanks to MindsEye breaking me in a way I never expected and not even Pokémon Pokopia or Split Fiction could save me from almost having an anxiety attack. Next week can't get here fast enough. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode features my very early impressions of Marathon, my controversial thoughts on Shadow of the Colossus after finally beating it, and the simple good time that is Lil Gator Game. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode features the end of my Stardew Valley story, an annoying night of ARC Raiders, and the good, the bad, and the ugly of Romeo Is a Dead Man. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode features my weird obsession of messing with Haley in Stardew Valley, the fun of fighting Queens in ARC Raiders, and how A Game About Digging a Hole is a game about digging a hole. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode features me coming to terms with the fact I'm terrible at Sifu, my long-awaited return to Stardew Valley, and, you guessed it, more ARC Raiders. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode features my disappointing journey with Cozy Caravan and, you guessed it, more Arc Raiders. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This week's episode features my final thoughts on Final Fantasy VII, my first time playing ARC Raiders with a friend, and the surprising nightmare that was Little Kitty, Big City. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

I appreciate a lot of Final Fantasy VII--the music is great, the story is surprisingly interesting, and I love the way the game transitions from gameplay to cutscene--but I hate playing so much of it. I've never been a turn-based person and the ATB system hasn't done anything to change that, and then there are all the minigames (and boy are there a lot of minigames). Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the game, I just wish I played it when it originally came out instead of now, almost 30 years later. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

After wanting to play it ever since it was first announced, I finally played, beat, and loved Astro Bot; it reminded me of when I used to love PlayStation and those PS2 days that'll always be the best gaming time of my life. But that's not all folks, in addition to Astro Bot, I talk about Stray and CloverPit, beating the former and being done with the latter. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

In this first Attack the Backlog of the new year (and in its different format), I talk about some of the silly things that annoyed me in Cyberpunk 2077, followed by a discussion of the potential games I hope to play in 2026, including what's first on the docket. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

I liked a lot about Cyberpunk 2077--from the side missions to the combat to the visuals and plenty more-- but the character of Johnny Silverhand and the performance of Keanu Reeves was not one of them. This wouldn't have been a big problem if he wasn't such a crucial part of the main story, but he is and can't help but show up all of the time, so I couldn't help but only like Cyberpunk 2077 when I thought I was going to love it. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

But I did like it. A lot. (Please don't hurt me Undertale fans.) This episode is, surprise surprise, all about Undertale, an RPG where you can complete the entire adventure without killing a single soul...or you can kill everyone if that's your fancy. It's up to you (or me in this case) to decide what kind of tale you want to tell. Spoilers: I went the pacifist way. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Pokémon Legends: Z-A, "set in Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon. After arriving in Lumiose, players will befriend a Pokémon that will become their first partner Pokémon—Chikorita, Tepig, or Totodile—thus beginning their journey as a Pokémon Trainer." Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Grindstone, "a puzzle game where epic adventures are just your 9-to-5. It’s your job to mine grindstones from the Creeps that lurk on the mountain in over 250 levels of intricate puzzles and hazards, all in the hopes of saving up enough grindstones to take your family on a much needed vacation." Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Troublemaker, "an action-adventure-beat-'em-up game about the most important and terrifying part of everyone's life: High school. As Budi, the new transfer to one of Indonesia's finest high schools, literally fight your way to the top of the social food chain through the school's annual student fighting tournament, aptly named Raise Your Gang." Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Rage 2, an open-world first-person shooter, which "brings together two studio powerhouses--Avalanche Studios, masters of open world insanity, and id Software, creators of the first-person shooter--to deliver a carnival of carnage where you can go anywhere, shoot anything, and explode everything." Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Transformers: Galactic Trials, "an intense fusion of arcade racing and robot combat. Evil Nemesis Prime has stolen the Prime Relics that bestow incredible powers on whoever possesses them. Now the Autobots and Decepticons are in an explosive race to recover these powerful artifacts – which side will you fight for?" Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Bang-On Balls: Chronicles, "a quirky, absolutely content-packed, destructible open-world sandbox adventure with combat, platforming, character customization, and collect-a-thon scavenger hunt experience." Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about South of Midnight, "a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world." Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny, "a vibrant, universe-spanning mashup that brings iconic Nickelodeon heroes into a world of fantasy-style tropes and real-time RPG action. Get ready to roll the dice and dive into a wild, action-packed adventure with SpongeBob, Katara, Leonardo, and others as they swing spatulas, bend water, slice katanas, and more." Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Fruitbus. "Fruitbus is a cute culinary adventure, set in an open world where taste is everything. Upgrade your trusty truck and visit a whole world of new destinations together. Discover fresh fruits and vegetables on each island of the Gustum archipelago, learn their customs and cook meals that will make someone’s day." Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Death Stranding. "In the future, a mysterious event known as the Death Stranding has opened a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to grotesque creatures from the afterlife roaming the fallen world marred by a desolate society. As Sam Bridges, your mission is to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America. Can you reunite the shattered world, one step at a time?" Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about the crash-fueled racing game, Burnout Revenge. "This time it’s not about winning. It’s about total domination and an utter disregard for the rules of the road. Burnout Revenge launches you into the fastest, most dangerous racer on the road. Exact revenge on rush hour traffic, vindictive rival racers, and everything else that gets between you and the finish line. This time it’s personal. This time it’s about revenge." Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Another Crab's Treasure, a soulslike where you play as a young hermit crab trying to get his shell back. While it may look cute and inviting, it's a surprisingly challenging soulslike that thankfully has a solid collection of accessibility options for those who need them, including the option to equip and one-shot-kill gun as a shell. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This is the ideal. With every Second Runs episode, I hope to find out I not only still love the game I'm playing, but that I love it even more. That was the case with Sleeping Dogs. I remembered liking it a lot the first time I played it, but I adored it the second time. I adored it so much, I made it one of the rare games I 100%-ed, completing every aspect of the game, DLC included. Not only that, but I think I might do it a second time with the original release (which is truly insane if I do it). Long story short, Sleeping Dogs is a fantastic game, one well worth playing if you've never played it before.

This episode is all about Maneater, a game where you play as a shark and eat a whole bunch of sea life and human life and never once listen to the superior Hall & Oates song. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Shovel Knight, an action-platformer that takes much inspiration from classic games of the 8-bit era--like DuckTales, Castlevania III, and, most notably, Mega Man--and then uses that inspiration to make itself into a classic of this era. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)

This episode is all about Cruis'n Blast, an arcade racer I've been wanting to play for a while that, to my surprise, works more like a time trial racer than a traditional competitive racer. Anyway and as always, thank you for watching or listening, I hope you enjoy this here episode, and I hope you have a wonderful wonderful rest of your day. (And if you haven't already, or are a listener and not a watcher, please like, subscribe, hit the bell, and all that jazz; it may not seem like much, but it goes a long way in helping support the show and site in general. I would appreciate it greatly.)