Silent Hill f (PS5)

Back in 2022, Konami announced a full revival of the Silent Hill IP that included a number of video game projects, including a teaser for Silent Hill f (SHf), developed by NeoBards Entertainment. Even back then, SHf stood out for its distinct Japanese flair, which came from a desire to bring the series back to its roots after worry that the series had grown too “Western” following the Team Silent era (games that they clarified were influenced by Western media, but filtered through a Japanese lens, creating a unique blend of both sensibilities). To this end, they brought on famed horror game writer Ryukishi07, known for the When They Cry series of visual novels, and set the game in 1960s Japan. When this entry finally released in 2025, it not only received critical praise, but became the fastest-selling game in the series, with one million copies sold in only three days.

From the outset, the concept of SHf intrigued me as someone open to exploring other aspects of Silent Hill that developers hadn’t yet tapped into and as someone used to legacy media experimenting with their format once in a while. As such, it was a day one buy for me and I started playing it as soon as I got the chance. Thanks to a combination of personal health factors, however, as well as my prior reviews locking myself into viewing every single ending, it did take me a bit longer than I had initially thought to truly complete the game. Although I found the final product flawed like any other Silent Hill game, I can confidently say that trying out a new direction paid off spectacularly.

Fobia Vol. 1

Note: Product received for free in exchange for a copy of Powers Squared Vol. 1 and an honest review.

When you’ve dedicated yourself to creative works, it’s natural to want to branch out and try new things when inspiration strikes. One such medium creatives have branched out to is comic books, whether they’re actors, like Keanu Revees (BRZRKER) or David Dastmalchian (Count Crowley), or content creators, like penguinz0 (Godslap) or Jacksepticeye (Altrverse). Now, Derrick Acosta of Mega64 fame has thrown his own hat into the ring with Fobia, a horror anthology inspired by other anthologies like Tales from the Crypt and Slow Death, among others. In an impressive feat for a first-time independent comics creator, he managed to raise $34,671 on Kickstarter to bring Vol. 1 of his dream to fruition, with physical books on the way and a Vol. 2 already in the works. As an independent comics creator myself, it’s nice to see someone else with a burning passion for the medium and, as a Mega64 fan, I was curious about his latest venture.

Little Nightmares III (PS5)

Following the success of Little Nightmares II in 2021, it was inevitable that publisher Bandai Namco would want to continue capitalizing on the series, with Little Nightmares III in development under Supermassive Games after original developer Tarsier was purchased by Embracer. Despite the change in hands, I wanted to continue supporting the Little Nightmares IP due to its more unique approach to horror. After waiting patiently for the long-awaited third entry, I found myself enjoying it at first, only to end up getting gated enough by the game’s own mechanics to put it down before getting the chance to finish it.

Stubs - Frankenstein (2025)

Frankenstein (2025) starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Lauren Collins, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz. Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro. Based on Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. Produced by Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber Run time: 150 minutes. Color. USA. Gothic Science Fiction

If you’re like me, when you think of Frankenstein’s Monster, you immediately think of Boris Karloff, the star of James Whale’s 1931 film; part of the Universal Monsterverse, which for some are the classic horror films. While many of these films are based on classic books, sometimes the adaptation is very loose, which is the case with Frankenstein (1931).

A couple of years ago, I found out for myself by reading Shelley’s book. Not that it ruined my enjoyment of the classic film, but when I heard that Guillermo del Toro was going to make a film based on the book, I was hopeful that it would be closer to the source material. I’m happy to report that, though there is some poetic license taken, including the ending, the new Frankenstein is closer to the Shelley novel.

Second Look - Touch My Katamari

As the popularity of the Katamari series continued, the series later ventured back into the handheld space, this time with a launch title for the PS Vita in 2012 (2011 in Japan) called Touch My Katamari. Unfortunately, the game was a failure, resulting in the series going all but dormant for 14 years until the announcement of Once Upon a Katamari, at least partially attributed to the PS Vita itself failing as a system. The formal return of the franchise led me to dig out my copy of Touch My Katamari, which I last played in 2013 according to my save data, to reevaluate my opinions. Looking back on it, although I noticed more flaws in the game this time, I still found it an ultimately entertaining experience, even if not the best.

Katamari Forever

While Beautiful Katamari was the first Katamari game to be absent from a PlayStation console, it would return to the PS3 with Katamari Forever, a tribute to five years of the franchise. I actually remember playing this game when it first came out and liked it enough to consider it my personal favorite of the series, but over time I had forgotten the nuances of the game itself. On booting the game back up again in anticipation of Once Upon A Katamari, this turned out to be because I hadn’t played it since 2011. While I was noticing more flaws this time, I was ultimately reminded why I considered it my favorite, and still is.

Second Look - Beautiful Katamari (+ DLC)

As the Katamari series continued to show success, a new console game was made following the handheld Me & My Katamari. In a departure from previous titles which were on the PlayStation family of systems, this new game, Beautiful Katamari, was released exclusively for the Xbox 360; the intent was to go multiplatform, however only the Xbox 360 version ever got made. After mainly sticking with the PlayStation line for the longest time, since it has most of the games I want to play, Beautiful Katamari was on my radar when I finally branched out to the Xbox systems, and so I played it once I got the chance. At the time, I did not buy the DLC, which I would later check off my shopping list when the Xbox 360 store was shutting down, but I would not revisit the game again until the announcement of the upcoming Once Upon A Katamari.

As of this writing, I have yet to resolve some issues I have been having with my Xbox 360, so it was fortunate that I was able to play this game again, DLC included, on the Xbox Series X as part of the backwards compatibility program, though I will admit to playing with a DualSense through a converter to make it more comfortable for me to play. On my most recent playthrough, I liked it more than I remembered, though my feelings remain mixed.