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Screenshot: Whirlight: No Time to Trip Point and click adventure games are not really that popular anymore. You really have to understand hardware limitations, and the exciting merger of new multimedia possibilities and gameplay. Point and click adventures were—for their time—cinematic in a way that most other games weren’t. Nowadays the whole “point and click” gameplay seems a little quaint, but I’m glad there are those out there still paying homage to my childhood favorites. And Whirlight – No Time to Trip  does exactly that, by taking inspiration from Day of the Tentacle  and Sam & Max Hit the Road —which happen to be two of my very favorite early point and click games. Screenshot: Whirlight: No Time to Trip Developed by imaginarylab—the studio behind Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town  (itself inspired by the Escape From Monkey Island  series)— Whirlight – No Time to Trip  is being handled by true veterans of the genre. That’s why I was excited to check out its Steam Next Fest demo ahead of the event (which runs from February 23rd to March 2nd). Whirlight – No Time to Trip  is a time-traveling point and click comedy starring an eccentric inventor and a determined artist as they hop between time periods trying to stop a global catastrophe. Hector is a brilliant but unlucky inventor from the 1960s who is accidentally hurled into the 1990s where he meets Margaret. Together they embark on a journey through time and space, solving puzzles and interacting with strange environments and characters. There is some good news for those who like the concept of point and click adventures but hate looking for the right places to click, and then deciding what the right action to use in whatever context menu. There are no more context menus, and each area of the environment that can be interacted with is easily highlighted. I can’t wait to see more of Whirlight – No Time to Trip  when the full game is released. The developers obviously understand the heart and humor that made those old games timeless.

Photo: Julian Ramirez Listen. We're from Chicago. And, in Chicago, tradition is king. Sure, it might now be called the Willis Tower, but you won't catch us saying anything but Sears. It's Comiskey. It's Field's. We go to Jewel. We're a city that works, and a city that loves to be recognized for the things we've done that have left a lasting impact on the country and the world. That's why every single year, we're proud to hit the floor at the Chicago Auto Show. It's a tradition that's been around for a full 118 editions as of this year, with the first show all the way back in 1901. Photo: Marielle Bokor Most of the crew here at Culture Combine have been attending for years, first as kids pulling our parents hands towards the coolest sports cars, trucks and of course, the "rides." But we'll get to that later. While some would say it's not quite the same post-COVID, not sprawling over several halls the way it used to, this show maintains its title as the largest auto show in North America while also being one of the most important, oftentimes being THE place that the newest innovations in automotive technology are revealed. Photo: Julian Ramirez The show has always featured impressive indoor tracks, and as far back as its inception electric, steam and gas powered cars on the same floor. In the 60s, supercars and exotics were introduced, and every single show there's something brand new and amazing to fawn over. While the last years have heavily focused on the many advances in hybrid and electric tech and have seen all the major automobile manufacturers turning classics like the Corolla, Escalade, and Jeep Wrangler fully plug-in, this year saw a lot of retro style coming back in. That's not supposed to be there... Photo: Julian Ramirez This year's Chicago Auto Show put a heavy focus on Chi-Town Alley, which isn't dedicated to the new models, or any manufacturer, but instead focuses on car culture, especially that here in Chicago. This showcase is all about Chicagoland car enthusiasts, and owners auditioned via video to get their ride a spot on the floor. And it's here where we found, at least in our opinion, the stars of the show. Photo: Julian Ramirez Chicago Auto Club Orale! came with their best in show lowriders. And it's not just about the amazing paint jobs - it's every little detail, from golden rims to door inlays, crushed velvet interiors, etching and embroidery. No part of these familiar cars go untouched, and they get amazing hydraulics and killer tires to boot. These cars are truly amazing, and a vibrant reflection of the beautiful Latino culture right here in Chicago. But that's not all they were doing in the alley- they were also dropping huge engines into '95 Civics and proudly displaying those beautiful 90s conversion vans with the curtains and 3 rows of seating that usually had a VCR in back. If you know you know. Photo: Marielle Bokor It's not the only place we caught wood paneling and cushiony consoles though. It seems that's even creeping into today's most cutting edge electric vehicles, and we're here for it. There's nothing quite like the thought of driving a boat of a Buick, getting 500 miles per charge, and also having that limousine experience. Photo: Marielle Bokor Speaking of, one of the other crazy things on the floor was the beetle-like, matte golden CyberTaxi. Following Tesla's already loved/hated PS2 aesthetic with the Cybertruck, I guess they thought, why not do this with a driverless taxi? Photo: Marielle Bokor It's reminiscent but the matte gold, classic curves and suicide doors make it more of a looker than its big brother -- until you get inside, where it's as spartan and frightening as a future where fascist dictators reign supreme. And yet still somehow...compelling? Photo: Marielle Bokor If you're looking for more to do on the floor, you'll be happy to know that Camp Jeep's up and running, though, I will caution you that somehow every single year Jeep manages to catch us by surprise with just how tricky the terrain they build for their test course is. Just when we thought it was safe to strap ourselves into a Wrangler 319 our guide was gunning it for the 75 degree hill with an "Ope!" here and a slightly more concerning "Woah!" going down the stairs. (It doesn't seem that scary to go up and down stairs in a car, but...when the moment comes - it'll hit different. Photo: Julian Ramirez If one ride where you have to constantly think "Should a car be able to do this" wasn't enough, you can also hit up the Bronco track. This one's longer, and the tech involved is more prominent, but it's just as involved. Today's Bronco has cameras everywhere so you can be surefooted in any situation, an on-the-fly sway bar release to help you avoid highpointing, and enough driving modes to make you sweat a little. Photo: Marielle Bokor If you want something a little lower key, head to Subaru's forever foresty display, where you'll find...puppies! Just like last year, Subaru's teamed up with a local rescue to bring adorable pups to McCormick place, and if you sign a waiver, you can head straight into a pen full of adorable animals just waiting to chew your sweater strings, play tug-of-war or give you big slobbery kisses. Being in Chicago affords us a lot of opportunities, and we enjoyed sharing this one with you. If you're not that into specs, admire the design, and if you're local, get your tickets to visit the show before it wraps up on February 16th.

While B-movies have always been a staple of the physical media realm, this month is taking it to a whole new level. Some of the most exciting, weird, gross, and downright crazy movies are getting releases this month and it's awesome! There are some classically good movies coming out, so let;s highlight the good, the bad, and the steelbooks (so many steelbooks). Keeper 4K - February 3 While I may have ragged a little bit on the film in our best of 2025 movies post, I have somewhat come around on it on a second watch. A lot of my critiques of the brooding in the sunlight not working well with the pacing that's tailor made for dark scenes were lifted. Now those scenes feel much more rewarding, especially when juxtaposed with the film's more outwardly horrifying scenes. It's definitely worthy of a watch, especially in 4K to skip out on the artifacting streaming can cause in the dark spots. Nightcrawler Steelbook 4K - February 17 Nightcrawler is such a great, disturbing look in to a reckless and demented guy taking his ambitions way too far. It's a slow and disturbing movie that is getting this action oriented steelbook cover that doesn't really make much sense, but I assure you the film is sick, uncomfortable, and a damn fine film. Tank Girl 4K - February 24 Cult films don't get as iconic as Tank Girl. This gem of the 90s isn't a perfect film; if anything it's watchable and entertaining because of it's raw, completely uneven feel. It completely envelops you in its world and keeps you there for every thrilling second of its runtime. Vinegar Syndrome Ultra line is always chock full of extras and premium packaging, something that may seem unnecessary especially for a "low brow" film, but thats what makes them and physical media in general special. Shoestring Slashers Part II & '90s Nightmares - Q1 2026 Terror Vision is one of my favorite labels simply because of how obscure and weird their releases can be. These box-sets exemplify that perfectly. Low budget, barely there horror and pure 90s shockers are the kind of films that would be lost to time if it weren't for boutiques like Terror Vision. While there have been some delays in their releases due to unforeseen circumstances (these admittedly are scheduled for Q1 2026), that shouldn't stop you from picking these collections up once they're out in the wild! Quick Picks! Last Screening aka Derniere Seancev - another one from Terror Vision, this one being from their new line of releases focusing on Giallo films. Excalibur 4K & Westworld 4K from Arrow Video - Both of these films are a great time and these releases have been getting some early previews and they seem fantastic! The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection 3 - Always fun to see Christopher Lee's weird horror films in a collection like this!

Screenshot: Fellowship I knew it was coming. Preseason 2 is coming up, and that means all progression in Fellowship  will be wiped. This is a bit troubling to me because Fellowship  is the game my group has been playing for the last few weeks. It’s a group consisting entirely of middle-aged men with jobs, kids, and other worldly responsibilities that prevent us from spending hours glued to our computers. Well, I can, because that’s mostly what I do. But they can’t. And a progression wipe sounds like a terrible, unfun thing. I know Fellowship  wasn’t exactly coy about seasonal wipes. Anybody paying attention to the store page would notice it quickly. But if you’re a casual player, you might not even take the time to check. Screenshot: Fellowship I see people saying that even casual players can finish the seasonal progression with only a few hours a week. But we’re lucky if we can get in two solid hours of game time. It’s possible we’re outliers, but Fellowship —at least on the surface—looked like a game that would fit that play schedule perfectly. We can knock out around 4-5 dungeons a night, and that’s on our best nights. Not only that, it discourages players from jumping in mid-season. That’s a bummer for the player base. I know the idea is that everyone starts on equal footing at the start of each season, but the fact is that most players will get through the content and then put down Fellowship  until the next season hits. Screenshot: Fellowship The preseason wipes do have us talking about changing up the group configuration. I’ve been playing tank, but I was traditionally a healer in World of Warcraft . Alternatively, I can play the new tank (or new healer) coming out with Preseason 2. Fellowship  is a great game for those that want a standalone World of Warcraft  Mythic+ experience without all the extra time commitment. If it wasn’t for Fellowship , we couldn’t do this type of content as a group without the massive playtime that the others just don’t have. In fact, I introduced two of the players in our four-person group to WoW -style dungeons through Fellowship . Screenshot: Fellowship As far as I know, Fellowship  is the only game that captures that MMO feel without actually being an MMO. They strip the "Massive" out of the genre and focus on the small group fun. There’s nothing quite like the classic holy trinity mechanic: one player is built to tank aggro, others focus purely on DPS, and one person tries to keep everyone alive. There is no character creation in Fellowship , which might be a downside for some, but it removes another barrier to entry. I know I would take at least 30 minutes to figure out who I’d want to play, and another 10 just to figure out their name. There’s none of that stress and hassle here. Developer Chief Rebel does a great job of capturing that World of Warcraft  feel, all the way down to the art style. Fellowship  is like seeing a really great tribute band at a bar, or seeing a comedian perform a spot-on impression. Some of my amusement comes from the fact that it’s so unabashedly a WoW  clone. Well, a clone of a very specific aspect of WoW . Screenshot: Fellowship Mechanically, Fellowship  is sublime to play. Its starter dungeon difficulty is too easy, but it provided a perfect learning curve for a group that not only never played Mythic+ together, but never even played an MMO-style game together. Learning proper character spell/ability rotations is easy with tooltips that let you know specifically what each skill does. There are even some quality-of-life features that you can’t get in WoW  without messing with add-ons, like the ability to track teammates' interrupt cooldown timers. As you play, your character increases in power by getting items with higher stats. As you level up, you can unlock new abilities and talents through what looks  like a convoluted Path of Exile  skill web, but is actually just a linear progression. Screenshot: Fellowship However, the real progression isn’t in the talent points and gear you acquire, but how far you can travel through the Mythic+ inspired gauntlet of increasing difficulty. These add timers and modifiers that ramp up the challenge and pressure. The seasonal wipes won’t stop us from playing Fellowship  completely. In fact, we’ll probably use it as an excuse to switch up roles. But even then, I don’t know how long that will keep our interest. There is a solution to this, and ironically, Blizzard has had it in place in the Diablo  series for years. Just make a main, non-seasonal "Eternal Realm" progression mode alongside the seasonal characters. I have a feeling Chief Rebel might make this concession in the future, but it might not be before my friends and I are long gone.

The story of how a 98-cent toy and a Yale architect accidentally named the world's biggest sporting event. I mean, it's not exactly a bowl of footballs, but this photo is also 100 percent real. Photo: Mick Haput. Unsplash. The MLB has “The World Series.” Professional Golf has “The Masters.” And the NFL has “The Super Bowl.” But why "Bowl"? And why "Super"? The origin of the name is a lot more complicated—and accidental—than the corporate sheen of the event suggests. It is the tale of two disparate concepts colliding to create the biggest annual sporting event in the United States, an economic juggernaut generating over $600 million in ad revenue alone. It is such a massive cultural force that the commercials and halftime performers are now just as much a part of the discourse as the game itself. Here is how a soup-eating dish and a children's toy gave us the name. The Yale Bowl, 1924. Via Wikipedia. Part 1: The Architecture (Why "Bowl"?) Before 1914, the term “bowl” wasn’t associated with sporting events at all. Back then, football was played in “stadiums” and “fields.” That changed when Yale University built a massive new home for their football team. This structure was unusual; instead of building up  like a traditional grandstand, they dug into  the ground. The result was a sunken, elliptical amphitheater that looked exactly like a massive soup crockery. They literally named it The Yale Bowl. It was an architectural marvel and the first of its kind. The Rose Bowl (2018). Via Wikipedia Not to be outdone, organizers of the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena wanted a stadium as grand as Yale’s to host their annual East-West football game. The architect they hired, Myron Hunt, modeled his design directly after the Yale structure. When it opened in 1923, they naturally named it The Rose Bowl. Soon, fans started to refer to the game itself as “The Rose Bowl,” transferring the name from the building to the event. Pasadena began bringing in massive tourist dollars, so other cities copied the moniker to brand their own winter festivals. Miami created the Orange Bowl (1935), New Orleans the Sugar Bowl (1935), and Dallas the Cotton Bowl (1937). The kicker? None of these later "bowls" were actually held in bowl-shaped stadiums. The term had mutated from an architectural classification into a synonym for "Major Postseason Football Game." A Super Ball. Photo via Wikipedia. Part 2: The Toy (Why "Super"?) So we have the "Bowl." But why is it "Super"? That comes down to a distracted dad named Lamar Hunt. Hunt was the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs and the founder of the AFL. In 1966, when the NFL and AFL merged, they needed a name for the final game between the two league champions. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle—normally a marketing genius—stumbled here. He insisted on calling it "The AFL-NFL World Championship Game." From the media to the fans, everyone hated it. It was a mouthful. It lacked the punch of "The World Series." Add glitter and it's the perfect ball. A more modern Super Ball. Photo: Wikipedia During planning meetings, Hunt had been watching his children play with a specific Wham-O toy that was a craze at the time: the Super Ball. In a frantic letter to Rozelle, Hunt wrote: “I have jokingly called it the ‘Super Bowl,’ which obviously can be improved upon.”  He had phonetically combined the toy his kids loved (Super Ball) with the prestige of college football (Bowl Games). At first, the NFL brass thought “Super” was too colloquial and undignified. They brainstormed alternatives like “The Big One” and “The Merger Bowl,” but nothing stuck. The press, however, loved Hunt's placeholder. It was short, punchy, and headline-ready. By the time the game was played, the "World Championship" name was officially on the tickets, but everyone was saying "Super Bowl." The league finally gave in, and by the third game in 1969, the name "Super Bowl" was printed on the program. Photo: Dave Adamson. Unsplash The Legacy To add a final touch of gravity to a name born from a rubber ball, Lamar Hunt also advocated for the use of Roman numerals starting with Super Bowl V. He felt it gave the game a sense of dignity and historic weight—and clarified the confusion of a championship played in the year after  the season concludes. So when you watch the confetti fall this Sunday, remember: you aren't watching a "World Championship." You're watching a tribute to a 1914 architectural experiment and a 98-cent rubber ball.

Screenshot: The Spirit Lift At this point, I’ve played more roguelike deckbuilders than I can remember. That’s not a bad thing, because when they’re good they can offer some of the most satisfying gameplay. And if they’re great, they can even dominate video game discourse. That margin between good and great is probably slimmer than I, as an outsider, can really understand. The Spirit Lift  doesn’t manage to bridge the gap, but it brings some unique vibes and solid but formulaic execution. If you’ve been playing roguelike deckbuilders since Slay the Spire  redefined the genre, I can guarantee you’ve played one that’s a lot like The Spirit Lift . Everything here is pretty standard. You can select up to three characters, each with their own flavored cards and a choice of unique starting items. You explore each floor, sometimes getting into enemy encounters and at other times running into events which can make your run harder in a myriad of ways, or occasionally offer a helping hand. There are thirteen floors to fight through, culminating in a boss fight. The Spirit Lift  is a mechanically solid game, even if it’s a little on the easy side. Though, it was engaging enough that I lost hours playing it without realizing. But it wasn’t too long before I saw everything the game had to offer. Most enemies are repeated with a few variations. And since positive status effects persist through turns, it seems like they just throw more and more enemies at you to even out the balance. Screenshot: The Spirit Lift There was also a lack of fun synergies. If there were more than a couple of fun deck combinations to play, I didn't find them. I tried a bunch of different combos, but kept going back to the same four characters—keeping two while swapping out the third. Despite seeing all there was to offer in a few hours, there technically is a lot of progression. However, that progression is very grindy. I was able to unlock all eight characters and face all of the bosses before I even unlocked the third (out of six) tiers of progression. And that was after buying just a few of the items. The meta-progression is mostly about beefing up starting stats, which, in a game that’s already fairly easy, doesn’t feel so much like a bonus as busywork. This means The Spirit Lift  doesn’t have as much staying power as its contemporaries. There’s no ascension mode or other endgame content to justify the grind or to challenge yourself to harder and harder runs. Which makes The Spirit Lift  easily picked up and just as easily put down. That’s usually a great formula for a mobile game, or even a great fit for the Steam Deck. Unfortunately, it has thumbstick mouse controls instead of native controller support, making it a pain to play on the Steam Deck. Screenshot: The Spirit Lift The most standout aspect of The Spirit Lift  is its theme. It’s set in the ‘90s. In fact, you control three high school students as they wander off from their graduation party. But it’s not the 1990s I recognize as a kid who grew up in the period. It’s a weird, alternate 1990s: something that looks like it was made by aliens who were only told about what the ‘90s were like through popular media. I don’t mean this as an insult. If anything, I was insulted by my own age, because this surreal interpretation of my childhood decade actually added an unsettling element, which fits well with the horror theme. What’s also unsettling is the incongruous art styles. The sprites representing the enemies look like they could belong to another game. I think this is to ape the low-poly style of earlier games, but it’s just something that falls into an uncanny valley instead of a set era. Even the characters, which could have been '80s/'90s high school kid archetypes, don’t really fall into those categories. The Spirit Lift  is a fun roguelike deckbuilder, but it’s not one that will stick around for long. If you’re an aficionado who needs to put your hands on every game in this genre, you’ll find that The Spirit Lift  is fun, but shallow. For everyone else, there are better alternatives out there. Unless you’re absolutely aching for that strange ‘90s vibe, don’t board this elevator.

The Pitt, S2E2. Via HBOMax. We’re back with another week of medical drama recap goodness. Just like this week’s episode of the Pitt, we’re gonna just dive in. We lose almost no time between last week’s end credits and this week’s beginning, and our focus is back to that abandoned baby – but there’s no real answers. Ok, well, I guess we have to wait a little bit longer to figure out just exactly what’s eating the new ‘res about the situation - because she’s still being awfully weird about it. Cut to our next biggest question mark - what happened to the little girl with all the bruises and (seemingly, at least) none of the trauma.  We’re checking for internal hemorrhaging, we’re wringing our hands a lot about this, we’re thinking with our gut – which for Santos can prove a double-edged sword, as sometimes she’s all gut no brain. Meanwhile, we’re back to the tug of war between Dr. Robby’s encouragement of trusting the gut and Dr. Al’s dislike of being hooked on a feeling. It’s classic Mulder/Scully, Booth/Bones stuff. Checking in on, we’re back to leaning on our gut, and still having none of it on Al-Hashimi’s part. Uh oh.  The Pitt, S2E2. Via HBOMax. Just when we thought we were going to barrel through everything that happened last week, there’s a fresh new bit of terrible coming in. Open dislocation. It’s as gory as you’d suspect. This is also an active trauma in a learning hospital, so bring on the quiz. It’s a pretty supportive environment for the students, but as soon as New Girl suggests an ortho consult, she’s getting laughed at. And ok, it might not be practical or likely, but come on, we don’t need to be all tribalist, do we docs? Louie, meanwhile, is, um, being drained. I don’t want to get into that so much, other than to say he’s a really decent dude in some bad circumstances and I’m appreciating his story in this mix. He knows what’s up, and he’s not really here to give anyone a hard time. He needs friends, and let’s face it, people whose workplace is the ER can use a jolly fellow to treat to take the edge off the… well, gestures wildly at everything I’m going to take a moment for some random other character observations. As new chicks go, Joy is not impressing me. She seems awfully detached and disinterested, and in a place where you’ve gotta trust your team and your instincts, she seems like she’s lacking in charisma, desire and passion, and that’s not going to get you far with Robby. We haven’t seen her go all wunderkind, either, so it’s still unlikely she’s going to be a favorite of Hashimi either. We’ll see though, because Santos is a lot more interesting and complex than to just be a know-it-all bully, though she still has those aspects to her. Speaking of Santos and work ethic, Santos is insane, and wants to do a double residency in the ER and surgery, with Trudy’s mom. Not the least bit jealous of course, or competitive, Trudy scoffs at this and tells her there’s literally no way. To be fair, though Santos IS sort of a wunderkind in ways, she’s also got some really bad habits and attitudes to work through, and it’s a hard job if you do have your emotions in check. This is also a fun little spike to the Crash/Santos relationship, which is a tenuous friendship held together with fierce competition. Santos goes rogue when we get back to our nun with gonorrhea in her eye, telling way too many jokes and showing way too little restraint. It’s like I said, there’s some progress needed here. The Pitt, S2E2. Via HBOMax. Luckily, she’s not in the room for our reunion with Dirty Digby. Who is very much still at the hospital actually getting the care he needs. Recall with me, if you will, the extent of the filth. Then also recall the cast on his arm, which he needs removed. If you’re to put that level of dirt and decay with neglect and flesh, well, you get…a medical issue which everyone can predict, involves insects, and which I currently do not want to say because I am not feeling particularly sound of stomach currently. Yeah. I know the grossout is a sacred part of these here genre pieces, but sometimes I cannot even, and I really, really cannot even this time. I’m not the only one who’s about to hit the dirt over this though, and we’ve got a new nurse down.  If you’re all about that screen gore though, we’re now about to relocate that open dislocation. Yum. Talk turns back to King and her deposition, and Robby checks in on her, as we’d expect. Meanwhile, Dr. Al tries to be helpful, but fails. I’m not saying I don’t like her, or won’t like her, but your girl should really read the room sometimes. Trudy’s in with the nun, who is not the butt of any joke or commentary on sexual abuse in the church, and instead is just a helper who helps even when PPE is unavailable, making Santos’ jokes even less appropriate. Good thing that was behind the scenes.  Our 'crazy lady' has to re-hear over and over that her husband died (he was the DNR from the first episode) and there’s a brand new social worker on the scene, with our old standby gone for a bit.  There’s not a lot of time for a first impression here though.  We’re back to the baby, and the labs, and Dr. Al’s back to acting decidedly weirder than usual.   In another room, King’s getting hit on and hasn’t quite had it hit her yet, but this is a shortlived ruse before the cops come knocking on her patient’s door, he darts out like a bat out of hell and takes her with him, knocking her clean out on the floor. Poor King. As if a deposition wasn’t bad enough. The Pitt, S2E2. Via HBOMax. Al Hashimi and Robby are busy with the baby, and Robby’s got another trick up his sleeve, coming up with a "catch the pee trick" with the infant to get the goods he needs for more labs. You can see how his natural charisma, talent and guts would irk someone new, rational and very meticulous like Al Hashimi, but, we’ve got no time for that, as Langdon arrives to meet her.  While there’s no good time for King to get brained and become a patient in the ER she was just working in, having Langdon back to check on her first thing certainly isn’t a bad reintroduction to the quick and strange bond these two have. I like that they’re so close, but it seems almost too close, and I’ve felt that way since day one. We’ll keep tabs on that as the season progresses. The Pitt, S2E2. Via HBOMax. Cut to an insurance transfer for McKay’s patient, and that’s not the only thing rotten in Denmark she’s sniffing out. She’s also insinuating (apparently, correctly) that Noelle and Robby are dating, which seems to be correct, though we’re still trying to deny it a little. Nurses know all. The Pitt, S2E2. Via HBOMax. Langdon and King get a little more quality time, which he’s been seeking out, to have a heart to heart. He really, really wants to own up to what happened, but King idolizing him the way she seems to doesn’t really want to hear it. He’s working a program and at least seems sincere about amends, so he tells her anyway. Which isn’t to say he didn’t make excuses about it affecting his work- he did, though he admitted it later, but she reassures him that he never let her down. It’s nice to have someone in your corner, though sometimes I wonder if he’s going to live up to it. It’s at this point the cops come in to talk King through the accidental assault and inform her that she may need to go to court for it again. Cue the panic attack, because at this point she’s been panicking about the deposition, gotten brained, reunited with a mentor, and is facing more court.  Langdon takes great care of her, dimming the lights, and forcing her into some quiet time to breathe and recoup before she’s back out on the floor. Back out on the floor, we’ve got our new lady with chest pain, and Al Hashimi’s taking the students through the use of her AI charting app. All’s going decently well, students are thinking of the time they’ll save, when one of them notices it’s transcribed one medicine as a totally different one. Normally by the book Hashimi’s answer is “just proofread” and I’m back to not trusting her.  I’m also a little annoyed at the “on the nose social commentary” thing, but that’s just me. I like my medical dramas timeless, I guess? Whatever. I just don’t like it.  Time’s ticking down.  Our new curly haired friends apparently speaks Farsi, and we see the glimmer of a bond between him and Al Hashimi over it. We check in with sudden onset dementia. Still sad. Still no idea where this thread’s leading. Back to our abuse case, and the kid just never makes any noise like she’s done anything but be a boss at extreme sports, which makes her case seem even more baffling, because the kid simply doesn’t show a single sign of trauma. Santos and several others still suspect, but it’s Santos who’s gonna bulldog this through to the end no matter what, and perhaps the girls’ better served by it. I hope.  I completely glossed over the priapism incident in this episode, and that’s because, frankly, i think it doesn’t really add much. It’s an HBO show, they can show penises, this is the reality of ER work sometimes, sure. But we knew that, and this doesn’t really seem to be going anywhere. One last look at Louie and he’s not so jolly, with some tooth pain. He’s still doing fine on the drainage front, so we’re back to the priapism, where we finally get a little bit of warmth from Al Hashimi, and a little bit of actual help reassuring King about her deposition and her work in general. Ok, Dr. Al - I’m seeing where we could fit in, finally. The Pitt, S2E2. Via HBOMax. It’s groundhog’s day for us with our poor wife of the deceased and Whitaker, and there’s no words. I really wish we weren’t repeating such a gutpunch scene, but that does serve to reinforce the reality of what dementia is and how crushing it can be for patients and caretakers alike. Robby goes outside to take a breather, and he’s immediately confronted by Al Hashimi, who’s directly seeking his feedback despite their seeming headbutting. He still ducks her, but she’s giving “desperate for your approval” vibes out of nowhere, and I feel a little mad at Robby for giving stock answers and waving it off. An ambulance arrives just in time to give him a little justification to not go back to the topic, and we’ve got a combative college kid, and an end credits card.  I guess, given that the shift just started and we’re only through two hours of it, having more questions than answers is normal, but I wish we had some idea of at least one person’s fate. Oh well - we’ll leave that to next time.

Screenshot: Witchfire This probably won’t be the last I write about Witchfire  this year. It’s just so damn good. If you told me a game was able to blend Dark Souls  with first-person gunplay, I’d be horribly skeptical. But Witchfire  not only pulls it off, I think saying it’s " Dark Souls  with guns" undercuts just what developer The Astronauts has accomplished here. Witchfire  is a first-person shooter with roguelite elements and a bit of extraction shooter thrown in for good measure. In it, you play as a fearsome "Preyer" sent by the Vatican to take out a supremely powerful witch. This witch has control of a large area, warping native inhabitants to her dark whims. Practically speaking, that means lots of dangerous enemies that want to kill you. Luckily, the Vatican is prepared to send lots of interesting and powerful guns–some conventional, others less so. Screenshot: Witchfire Each time you leave your home base in Witchfire , it feels like a run in an extraction shooter. Go into an area, fight enemies, loot chests, and accumulate items. If you die, you risk losing it all. To keep your loot, you have to extract through one of the portals scattered across the map. As you defeat groups of enemies, you can choose new powers to level up your abilities for that specific run. With the right combination of Arcana and weapons, there is the potential for some devastating synergy. The combat in Witchfire  is sublime. The gunplay has that crisp, snap-to-target responsiveness of Destiny , but with weapons that sound and feel much weightier. Weapons and items can be upgraded, bestowing upon them some interesting and unique effects. As a weapon gets more powerful, it can add elemental damage and unique abilities to mix things up and inflict maximum damage to the witch’s army of minions. The movement also feels great, with a dodge mechanic that feels like second nature to this Warhammer 40,000: Darktide  veteran. Screenshot: Witchfire Witchfire ’s gameloop requires you to replay the same levels multiple times as you uncover more secrets and extract more loot. This can be seen as grindy for some, but the gunplay is done so well I found myself replaying it gleefully. But as you play and unlock new knowledge and abilities, the witch becomes more powerful in response, with new hazards and enemy types being thrown in to change the stakes. While it has great gunplay, it also has fantastic production value. It’s extremely sleek and atmospheric. The world of Witchfire  is genuinely terrifying; even as an immortal Preyer, I felt like an interloper in this dangerous world. The sound design is also top-notch, from the boom of guns to the creak of a rope or the growl of a distant threat–everything just sounds visceral. Screenshot: Witchfire This extends to the enemy design, too. From rotting musketeers in tattered uniforms to grenadiers with rusted, heavy weaponry. They don't just shamble toward you like generic zombies–they have distinct silhouettes and tactical behaviors that force you to prioritize targets.  Witchfire  is still in Early Access, but it should be going into full 1.0 release sometime this year. For an Early Access game, it’s fantastic. According to their Steam store page’s information box, the game was about 75% complete in September of 2025–and there has been at least one other major content release since then, in December of last year. They plan on launching 1.0 in the middle of this year–and it looks like they’re on track to do that. That means if you’re waiting for Witchfire  to hit 1.0 before you finally get into it, your wait shouldn’t be much longer. Unless you’re waiting for a console version, which is planned but currently has no announced release date.

They're ba-ack! ​In the not-too-distant future, we will be getting more Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) in a way I would not have thought possible a few years ago. If you haven’t kept up with the Satellite of Love, the franchise has seen major activity in the last decade. In 2017, original creator Joel Hodgson launched a record-breaking Kickstarter to bring the show to Netflix for two seasons, hosted by Jonah Ray. Later, in 2022, the show moved to its own independent streaming platform, The Gizmoplex , for Season 13. This era introduced a second host, Emily Marsh, and experimented with a "shared universe" of test subjects, proving that the concept could survive beyond any single host. ​But now, the "classic era" team is finally returning to the format they helped define. Mike Nelson (Michael J. Nelson) is back in the jumpsuit, joined by the longest-running Tom Servo (Kevin Murphy) and Crow T. Robot (Bill Corbett). If you weren’t aware, this trio has been riffing together for years under the RiffTrax banner—they even released their own video game, RiffTrax: The Game , in 2022. While RiffTrax has kept the spirit alive through audio commentaries and live shows, they have largely operated without the puppets or the silhouettes due to rights issues. ​That changed last month. After attempting to restart the MST3K franchise independently with varying degrees of success, original creator Joel Hodgson sold his stake in MST3K to Shout! Studios. This deal paved the way for Shout! Studios and RiffTrax to officially collaborate. No fear for Joel fans, however, as he will remain attached as a consultant. ​As of today, February 2, 2026, Shout! Studios and RiffTrax have launched a Kickstarter to fund four new episodes titled MST3K: The RiffTrax Experiments. These will be classic-style episodes, complete with skits, the hallway doors, and—most importantly—the return of "Shadowrama," putting Mike and the bots back in the theater seats visually for the first time since 1999. ​The fan base is definitely on board. The project has already blown past its modest $20,000 goal—a low bar likely set to ensure the project funds immediately—and currently sits at over $750,000 and rising fast as I write this. For fans who grew up on the Sci-Fi Channel era of the show, this collaboration is nothing short of a dream come true.

Screenshot: Cairn We are, seemingly, in the middle of a climbing game renaissance. Following the meditative flow of Jusant  in 2023 and the high-stakes co-op of 2025’s Peak , Cairn  arrives to offer yet another distinct perspective on the ascent. These games aren’t just copying each other; instead, they focus on vastly different aspects of the vertical journey. Developer The Game Bakers describes Cairn  as a “realistic simulation.” It’s not a simulation in a funny Goat Simulator  way–I think those “sims” mostly died off. And it’s not super technical in a way you would expect super old-school “simulator” titles were. But it does use super persnickety and technical climbing as its main mechanic while tracking hunger, thirst, warmth, and a hybrid of health/stamina. So that’s sim-like, right? Screenshot: Cairn I’m not trying to bash Cairn , or any claims the developers made. In fact, outside of dedicated survival games like The Long Dark , I haven’t had such high stakes as I did in Cairn . Even if you have a route plotted out, you can make a mistake that ends with you falling to your death. And even if you’re not playing in a permanent death mode, dying can set you back a long time because of how sparse the save points can be. One lapse of judgment or moment of being impatient can quickly lead to a slip and deadly fall. The first thing I’m going to talk about is the climbing mechanics–because that’s what sets Cairn  apart from its contemporaries. Cairn  employs a system that requires you to place one limb at a time. It’s “simplified” by having the limbs selected sequentially automatically and being placed with a single button (“X” on controller). For ultimate control you can even select limbs individually, though that feels a bit unwieldy. Screenshot: Cairn Unlike climbing in other games where your character will snap onto handholds automatically, Cairn  requires you to carefully place your hands and/or feet manually. This means having to reach for handholds, and hope the ledge you’re putting your foot on is wide enough. This can lead to some interesting climbing scenarios–such as bracing lead character Aava against a rock to chimney up a cliff.  This also leads to some hilarious limb contortions and leg placements. Before I got really good at climbing, I would frequently have Aava going into what can only be described as a “crazy legs” state. This happened often enough that my observing wife started calling Aava “ol’ crazy legs.”  She’s not entirely wrong. But just because the climbing can lead to some meme-worthy moments doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel good in a tactile way. Which it does. In fact, I found myself so engrossed with placements and handholds that I was holding my breath until Aava was able to get to the next ledge, or place a vital piton. Screenshot: Cairn That doesn’t mean that the climbing is perfect, however. Some of my biggest frustrations came from Aava being unable to realize she’s standing on a ledge, so instead of rising to her feet, she is stuck crawling and grasping when a normal person would just stand up. I lost significant progress once because Aava became exhausted while not realizing she was on a ledge, which led to her going into a ragdoll state and rolling slowly off of a cliff. It would have been tragic if it wasn’t so hilarious looking. At worst, climbing can feel like QWOP . But once you acquire a good rhythm and understanding of how it works, it’s fantastic. Cairn  isn’t just about the climb; it’s about the metabolic cost of the ascent. To keep Aava alive, you have to manage hunger, hydration, and exhaustion—often by scavenging supplies from the packs of dead climbers or rooting through garbage left by previous expeditions. Screenshot: Cairn This brings me to my main issue with the game's "realism": Aava’s baffling lack of preparation. Why would a professional climber start a summit attempt without a calculated supply loadout? A mechanic centered on pack weight versus calorie density would have been fascinating. Instead, the game relies on standard video game survival tropes where you’re forced to forage as you go. It’s a missed opportunity, but it does force you to be strategic. The game isn’t only about survival, either. It’s about Aava, who is going through her own emotional journey. Aava is a pro climber with a very "climb punk” character design. I feel like she’s a character in a horror story that, if you unwound her bandages, would fall apart into a mess of limbs. Screenshot: Cairn  Emotionally–and this is a crux of the story and Aava’s character development–she is more of a mess of mental health issues. Aava’s frustration often shows through, and it frequently felt like she was getting mad at me  for my failures. She yells, screams, and practically throws tantrums when the mountain pushes back. It creates a strange dissonance; the badass, solo-climbing professional persona is hard to maintain when the character seems as tightly wound as her bandaged body. While this volatility is clearly an intentional narrative choice to show her unraveling, it can be off-putting to watch a supposed expert lose her composure so consistently. Screenshot: Cairn And of course there’s Kami, the mountain that’s never been summited before. The mountain itself has stories to tell, and they’re mostly told through encountering historical sites, coming across letters left behind, or finding dead climbers. For a mountain that’s never been summited, there is crap everywhere. This game touts the “leave no trace” principle of outdoors living–one that I stand by personally–but shows an outdoors full of abandoned buildings and garbage strewn everywhere. It’s not exactly unrealistic, but it’s as disappointing to see it in the game as in real life. Cairn  isn’t a perfect game, but it’s a game that does a good job of balancing emotional impact and climbing gameplay that requires patience and attention to detail. I’m still not 100 percent sold on the climbing mechanic, but I really like the idea behind it. Maybe a sequel or another game will take the idea and make it work a bit better. But it’s a fun game, and one that had me absolutely absorbed for hours.

Screenshot: MIO: Memories in Orbit Metroidvania games are surging. I’d love to call it a renaissance, but honestly, it’s mostly a flood of titles hybridizing old-school exploration with Soulslike  mechanics, all chasing the ghost of Hollow Knight . MIO: Memories in Orbit  does exactly this, right down to the cryptic storytelling. Yet, it’s not worse off for it. Despite embracing every trope of its genre, MIO  stands out as a solid, beautiful example—though it is marred by quirks that are clearly driving players away. MIO  is not a bad game. It does little to reinvent the wheel, but that works to its benefit. The controls are tight, the mechanics are high quality, and it feels genuinely great to play. While it submits to genre conventions, it occasionally subverts them smartly. For instance, there is no immediate dodge mechanic. You do unlock one, but not until you’re a significant chunk of the way through. This forces you to handle early confrontations with spacing and movement rather than relying on i-frame spamming. Screenshot: MIO: Memories in Orbit However, the DNA of Dark Souls  feels less like an inspiration here and more like a ghost haunting the design. You collect Nacre (souls) which you lose upon death unless you’ve "crystallized" (banked) it. There are curveballs—no corpse run to retrieve lost currency, for one—but MIO  leans hard into the genre's least accessible traits: brutal boss fights and demanding platforming. Early on, MIO  feels surprisingly fair. I’d almost call it easy, or at least welcoming; it seems to want  you to win. Maybe I’m just someone with less patience or time these days, but I crave that feeling of continuous forward progress. MIO  delivers that feeling perfectly—until it slams into a wall. The game takes a sudden, jarring turn toward difficulty that feels less like a challenge and more like a punishment. Getting lost is standard for a Metroidvania, but getting stuck because a path is obscured by foreground art is frustrating. I found myself halted not by a puzzle, but because I missed an entrance hidden behind the game’s own beautiful visuals. Based on the achievement data I was seeing, I’m not alone. Before I was even a third of the way through, my progression achievements were already flagged as "Rare," with less than 5% of players reaching that point. While early achievement data can be skewed, it suggests a massive early drop-off. The signposting is weak, and often I struggled to understand how a new upgrade was the key to an old obstacle. When it works, it’s brilliant—asking you to use an upgrade in a surprising way—but these moments are rare. Screenshot: MIO: Memories in Orbit The biggest offender, however, is the "Corruption" mechanic. As the story progresses, the game permanently removes segments of your health bar. While this makes narrative sense (the world is decaying), it feels terrible as a player to be permanently downgraded. It is especially egregious when you have spent hard-earned currency to buy health upgrades, only to have them effectively deleted. It leads to a bitter mindset in close fights: "I would have survived that hit if the game hadn't stolen my health." It’s more than just the health downgrade, though; it’s the opportunity cost. There are items I explicitly chose to forgo in order to spend my currency on health, only to have that investment taken away. It just doesn’t feel great. That said, MIO  is gorgeous. I really dug its "future machine meets spiritualism" aesthetic. I don’t usually dedicate sections of reviews to graphics unless they are stellar, and MIO  is both stellar and noteworthy. The soundtrack is also a highlight—easily my favorite of the year so far. Screenshot: MIO: Memories in Orbit MIO  comes agonizingly close to being an early Game of the Year contender for me. If not for a few hostile design decisions, it would likely make my "Best of 2026" list. If you are a die-hard fan of Metroidvanias with patience to spare, definitely check out MIO: Memories in Orbit . For everyone else, be warned: this beautiful machine has sharp edges.

Winter's beautiful, but also brutal. Photo: Marielle Bokor Ok, y’all. There’s a storm coming,and chances are it’s going to hit a healthy portion of the US. And while gale force winds, snow and ice are just a regular Wednesday here in the Midwest, we know that’s not the case for everyone. And to be honest, we in the Midwest know that you should always take these things seriously. Better to have a full pantry and no snow than no way to get to the store with no cat food and your pets are eyeballing you like a freshly roasted turkey. So, in case you didn’t know, or maybe if you just want to run down a quick checklist, here’s some things to have on hand to not only keep you safe, but fed and entertained, too. Don’t Panic, Do Take Stock: There's a full stairwell and a car in this picture. Things can escalate quickly in a winter storm. Photo: Marielle Bokor We learned what happened when everyone panic buys toilet paper, milk and eggs during COVID. Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t go to the grocery store. You probably should. Because the reality of this storm is such that you could be without power, and you could be in a situation where walking to a store or driving would be too treacherous to attempt. What to look for: Make sure you have first aid essentials. Make sure there’s basics, but also make sure you’ve got food you can eat without the ability to microwave or otherwise cook it. Think crackers and cheese, Spaghettios, Pop Tarts - etc, etc. It’s not going to seem necessary until it is, but trust us, those strawberry pop-tarts are a godsend when your power’s out and you’re starving. Prep the House, Prep the Car You think you can drive out, but the reality is - sometimes you can't even get out of your parking place. Photo: Marielle Bokor We all like to think the storm’s no big deal, overhyped, whatever. And you know what? You might be right. But if the storm hits the way  they say it might, you could encounter downed power lines due to ice accumulation, accidents out on the road, impassable areas, etc.  Making your way anywhere in waist deep snow is a feat. Staying dry and warm is key to survival. Photo: Marielle Bokor Find blankets, water and food. Make sure your car and home are stocked with them. Beyond the basics, think about first aid for the car, tire chains where needed, any of those cool tire inflation/jump start things, and scrapers. Gloves, hats, coats. The reality is, when weather like this hits, if you get stranded, even if you’re not far from home, it can take emergency services additional time to reach you, and hoofing it to the nearest town will be that much harder.  You need phone chargers. More of them than you think. Power banks and weather radios, too. Especially with the projected ice accumulation, you can count on some places not having power for hours to days, maybe longer. For your house? Plastic over windows, blackout curtains , heck - those little snakes you can make to cut out the draft under doors - all are clutch in the event of windchills like some of us are scheduled to see.  If you’re somewhere like that, or somewhere it’s going to get below freezing at all, also, don’t forget to run a continuous trickle of water in your pipes so that they don’t burst, or wrap them.  Candles are great, and flashlights, but oil lamps are even better. Nothing you can do about exploding trees , though.  Embrace the Winter Vibes It's really very pretty. Photo: Marielle Bokor Once you’ve got safety down, it’s time to take it that next step further and really embrace the slowdown life is naturally bringing your way.  Learn the concept of hygge . It’s a Danish concept built around warmth and coziness. Once you've got the essentials down, you can find things that'll make weathering the storm a lot more fun. Yes, you heard me. Now's the time to set up cozy reading corners full of books, blankets, and places to put warm drinks. Now's the time to have an electric kettle on standby , or if you don't have electricity, a standard kettle. Apple cider, tea, coffee and cocoa are the things to grab here. Bake. It warms up the house when it's frigid out, and you get treats! This is a fantastic time to see what you can mix up, from bread, to pancakes and cookies. Get out your art supplies - coloring books, crafts, etc. Pull out old gaming consoles -especially ones that run on batteries like Game Boy or Game Gear. Bust out the board games - all three of these ideas don't even require electricity, and can bust boredom if and when your internet goes down. Find your comfiest, warmest clothes and make sure they're on standby. And, if you're in the right place with the right people, embrace the snuggle. Build a blanket fort for your Netflix bingeing and never come out of your fuzzy fleece world. The bottom line: Don't go out unless you have to, and prepare for emergencies if you do. Make sure people know where you are, and don't think you're smarter than below zero windchills, ice accumulations of up to an inch, and several feet of snow, because the truth is, a storm system like this is to be respected, and it doesn't ask, it demands it. Be safe out there, and we'll see you on the other side.