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Ah, yes. It's early February so that means it's time to stop living in the moment and look ahead to that third Saturday in April that half the vinyl record community holds deep in their heart or outward disdains: Record Store Day. The 2026 Record Store day list is out and of course I took a quick look at it to sort out exactly which releases I'm excited for and which I'm confused by. TV Girl - The Night in Question: French Exit Outtakes There are plenty of mid Teens bands that really hyped up their releases and made them collectors items. TV girl is at the forefront of that with their albums going out of print as quickly as they came back with variations to behold. Some of their debut album French Exit's pressing have broken into triple digits to acquire one, in no short part thanks to their tiktok success.. So it should be no surprise that this collection of outtakes from that heralded debut is gonna be highly sought after and one I hope to spin on my table. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Global A Go-Go Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros' Global A Go-Go was one of my early RSD pickups back in 2010. Having just gotten into the hobby a few years previous and The Clash being one of my early high school obsessions, that simple black copy was a must buy. So seeing this brand spanking new multi-color variant brings a little tear to my eye. I kind of really want to get it, despite already having the album and listen to it constantly. I swear I am not a variant hunter, but this one may be too good to pass up. Little Feat - Little Feat This one is a mix of "readily available" and "look at those extras". Little Feat is a fantastic band and their RSD releases have been pretty darn good with not just being a whatever repress. This one adds tones of extra songs, either as unreleased alternate versions or outtakes from their early recording sessions. It's definitely a release for diehard fans or those who haven't heard of Lowell George and crew. But is that what most vinyl ends up being? Quick Hits! John Fuschiante - To Record Only Water for 10 days Very expensive OOP album that is a prime RSD repress. This is what RSD is for: albums that are hard if not impossible to find on vinyl! Iris DeMent - The Way I Should (30th Anniversary) First time on vinyl for this fantastic album form this incredible songwriter? Yes Please! Swamp Dogg - Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted More Swamp Dogg is a good thing. April March - Villerville New album that's RSD exclusive? Strange release plan but I dig it. Weezer - 1192 Early demo versions of the Blue Album ? Why the hell not?!

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.

Maybe you're like us, and you grew up in the golden era of TV - catch jingles in commercials, TV special events, and full blocks of entertainment for the whole family. Or maybe you're a streamer - you're not the only one. You're locked in commercial free and bingeing a whole season in a few days. It's a feat, and you're good at it. Either way, a lot of us love television, and we're entering a new golden era, where shows are lickably gorgeous, have amazing stories, and return to the zeitgeist the term "must-see-TV." Yeah, we're late getting you this list, but that just means you've got more time to argue it and suggest your own favorites, and that you're probably done watching your faves and have room for one more thing to watch, especially ahead of wicked winter weather. So...just push play. Andor It's hard to believe that a prequel to a prequel could become the best told story in a franchise, but Andor was just that. We all know what's coming, but the series unfolded in a way that not only fleshed out so many intricate little details and pieces of a larger story, but kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.  Whereas a lot of shows and movies in the Star Wars universe tend to lean on epic dogfights in space and lightsaber duels, Andor leans much more towards intrigue and emotion. The action is there and fantastic when it happens (the massacre in Palmo Plaza might be one of the best and most heartbreaking action sequences in the SW universe), but Andor is so much more than blaster fights between stormtroopers and rebels.  In season 1, Cassian (Diego Luna) is thrown into a revolution as an unwilling victim of circumstance. By season 2, he's accepted his role as an integral part of that revolution, though he still struggles with the overwhelming urge to leave it all behind for a simpler and happier life. Cassian is far from alone in this struggle and far from the only person pivotal in it, and Tony Gilroy and company brilliantly give every character time to breathe and shine. Every member of the fantastic ensemble cast is, in fact, struggling with trying to make a better, happier life in a fascistic universe with a revolution boiling over the frog pot, which is something that makes the show so hauntingly relatable and realistic. No one in the show is spared from sacrifice, and indeed so many sacrifice literally everything. Andor is a tragic story where no one is spared from tragedy, but that's part of what makes such a hopeful and inspiring tale.   - Aaron Peacemaker  Screenshot: John Cena. Peacemaker. It’s a different world now, and at least for us, it felt like we were staring down the barrel of the end of the massive popularity of comic book movies and shows. And while, at least in this author’s opinion, Marvel hasn’t really returned to form, DC is showing up in big ways in the cinema and at home. Peacemaker is a show I never envisioned caring about, and by the time the final credits rolled on Season 2 I couldn’t stop caring about every single character in it. James Gunn marries gravity, humor and a sincere appreciation for the source material with an understanding of his audience that reaches deep. On the surface, Cena’s crude, nude semi-super seems unrelatable - until he’s confronted with the mirror and a realization maybe he’s not the hero. Harcourt wears her toughness as a badge of honor, but it’s a crutch - a scar, even. Adebayo wants to be someone different from who she is desperately but can’t get away from it. Vigilante, well - he’s…him. Peacemaker is as much about found family, facing your own demons, and the process of deconstructing as it is a hilarious yet comic accurate romp through a lesser told story in the DC universe, and this was one of two shows we couldn’t stop telling everyone to go stream in 2025. It’s now 2026, but we don’t plan on changing our tune - so go stream it now, and rediscover or ignite a new passion for hair metal while you’re at it.  - Marielle Pluribus   Rhea Seehorn in "Pluribus," now streaming on Apple TV. Vince Gilligan is known for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul—both fantastic shows. But before that, he worked on a little sci-fi show called The X-Files. So sci-fi has always been in his blood. I think out of all of my friends, I might have been the only one that knew the show was coming out, let alone psyched as hell for it. And it didn’t disappoint. Pluribus takes the hive mind concept that was popularized on television by Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Borg—but instead of a menacing, zombie-like threat, The Others (as the hive is referred to in this show) are only too happy to please. While the end of the world doesn’t really seem like that bad of a thing to what’s left of humanity and the assimilated majority, the show follows Carol as she wrestles with this new reality. Known for her work as Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, Rhea Seehorn brings a frantic, grounded humanity to Carol that is absolutely essential amidst the surreal kindness of the hive. She manages to make the resistance to "paradise" feel not just logical, but necessary. Pluribus proves that Gilligan hasn’t lost his touch for character study, even when the character is one of the last ones left. It skirts the line between existential dread and absurdity, and the first season is nearly perfect. -Antal The Pitt Noah Wyle. The Pitt  I’m not one to miss a medical drama. Ok, maybe that’s not 100 percent true since there’s some rather large holes in my history with them. But I did watch all the way through ER, and while I wouldn’t call House a straight up medical drama, it definitely involves strange diseases and people collapsing dramatically. One time, a doctor even made fun of me for watching ER while I was in the ER.  When you ask most doctors which medical show was the most accurate, most of the time, the answer is Scrubs - a show I’ve yet to finish watching in its entirety. Or at least that had been the answer before Noah Wiley put the coat back on for The Pitt .  I loved 24 for its unconventional “real-time” conceit, but I think it’s even better suited to the world of an emergency room in an underserved community. The entire first season of this medical drama happens in one solitary ER shift. Looking back on everything that went on, I’d have told you it was almost hard to believe that much could happen in just one 15 hour shift but having just spent 6 hours in a trauma one ER, I can absolutely believe it.  The Pitt doesn’t turn away from the actuality of medicine, the disparity of care, lack of resources, or grueling nature of a 15 hour shift to begin with. It looks at the mental health of the doctors and doesn’t hesitate to question them and their ability to ethically provide care. Each person on the medical team is a fully realized character with depth and nuance, and while several stories are simultaneously told each is compelling, important and urgent. Punches aren’t pulled as far as outcomes- not everyone just needs a bandaid and discharge papers. The presence of medical students serves to help us understand what’s happening in a way that doesn’t dumb it down for people who are actually in the profession and helps keep The Pitt as medically accurate as possible - something that’s been celebrated by many an ER doctor I’ve since randomly surveyed on it.  The Pitt has it all - great storytelling, compelling medical content, fully fleshed out characters, and enough excitement to keep you on the edge of your seat and hotly anticipating the next shift, which is due to start January 19th.  - Marielle Ken Burns' The American Revolution Ken Burns, The American Revolution. Behind the Scenes. I grew up watching Ken Burns’ documentaries, especially The Civil War. I was hyped when I learned Burns was finally tackling the founding of our country, and the result is extraordinary. In The American Revolution , he strips away the mythologized, 'marble-statue' version of figures like Washington and Franklin, presenting them instead as desperate, flawed humans fighting a war they were losing for most of the runtime. This isn’t the glorified account of battles we learned in elementary school. Using primary sources, Burns gives us a ground-level look at a messy insurgency, led by flawed men terrified of the noose. It’s a side of history I’d never examined before, laid bare by Burns’ masterful filmmaking. - Antal Honorable Mention: SNL this year Marcelo Hernandez and Ariana Grande in 'Dance 101' on SNL. SNL Universal Media Village. 2025 saw Saturday Night Live reach a truly notable milestone - its 50th anniversary. Kicking it off loud, the 50th season began with a star-studded special that reminded us why this show continues to be an institution and a high watermark of excellent comedy.  After all this time, and after so much time spent celebrating this momentous occasion, Season 51, occupying the latter half of the year, could’ve perhaps rested on its laurels, but instead, created some of the funniest things we’ve seen on the show in years, finishing up the year strong with a Christmas episode full of absolute insanity, great celebrity appearances, and a teary-eyed exit to the immensely talented Bowen Yang that’ll make you laugh and cry the way only SNL can.  For us though, it was all about SNL tapping into some truly funny and talented guest hosts who have the comedic chops to not only keep up with a cast as talented as SNL’s current lineup, but also to absolutely lead them into even higher heights of hilarity. In the hands of the likes of Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande you get amazing skits. Bad Bunny turns out to be multi-talented and extremely funny, with his Pete Hegseth cold open being the most viewed of the season, and his K-Pop Demon Hunter skit not falling far behind. He’s charming and earnest and absolutely able to deliver the comedic payout. Inventing Spanish was another favorite from his run. Sabrina Carpenter’s appearance as host and musical artist was a massive success, too, with another insanely memorable cold open featuring the ongoing insanity of the Domingo sketch , her absolutely nailing the energy of a 12 year old boy on a podcast on Boys Podcast ,  a completely unhinged performance that literally inspired me to include SNL with Girlboss Seminar , and Shop TV: Pillow that had me giggling into my much less suggestive pillows.  Finally, Ariana Grande’s return for Christmas reminded us why we loved her on SNL in the first place - an insane vocal range coupled with a courageous comic flair that makes her down for just about anything, from the very weird and somehow so Ariana Elf on the Shelf Support Group skit to Dancing 101 , which recalls, at least to me, some of SNL’s finest weird dance moments, to the incredibly touching yet also incredibly silly Delta One Lounge , where she and Bowen Yang are once again a perfect pairing, even as he leaves the show for other horizons, and where we get one of the most ridiculous and touching moments ever: Cher telling Yang that people think he’s a “little too gay” but that he’s “perfect to her.” And, if you were already up in the SNL Youtube, you’d have found the gold that is Espresso Martini Safe Room. It was cut for time in the actual aired SNL Christmas episode, but it’s worth searching their YouTube for, as again, Yang and Grande make the perfect foils for each other, and Ariana nearly breaks the entire cast of the skit when she refers to Season 51 newb Ben Marshall as ‘lookin’ like Phineas AND Ferb” There’s nothing like a good laugh to cure what’s ailing you, and there was plenty to ail you in 2025, so SNL returning to its finest funny form gets a nod from us for bringing the fun.

Screenshot: Quarantine Zone: The Last Check To be completely honest, Quarantine Zone: The Last Check  isn’t really a game I would seek out on my own. Despite it being at the intersection of Papers, Please  and No, I’m Not a Human , something about Quarantine Zone ’s lack of distinctive art style and its janky look initially put me off. But I kept seeing headlines like “sleeper hit” and with big Steam numbers, I decided to see what the fuss was all about. It turns out that my initial instinct was correct, but after playing Quarantine Zone: The Last Check  through its campaign mode, I realized it’s a little worse than that. Plus bugs. So many bugs. In Quarantine Zone , you play dual roles: the base commander managing resources, and the front-line agent conducting inspections. Whether that’s realistic is really an aside, as for gameplay purposes it streamlines the player’s interaction with the base management aspects and the gatekeeping duty which is Quarantine Zone ’s marquee gameplay feature. You are the final arbiter of whether these people can potentially live, or die. Make a wrong decision and people die. Make the right decisions and people die. It’s a job I wouldn’t envy in real life. But this is a video game, and therefore a safe space to play with the more extreme regions of what we find tolerable. Right? Screenshot: Quarantine Zone: The Last Check I don’t want to offend anyone who enjoys playing Quarantine Zone . This isn’t a critique on you, but more like a critique on myself. I mean, again, it’s all make believe. And even though I more often than not play as a “good guy” in video games, I’ve played a lot of violent games and even enjoyed the darker aspects. There’s just something about Quarantine Zone  that gives me an uneasy feeling. I think some people call it “the ick.” Maybe it’s the barebones presentation. Perhaps there’s a snobby part of me that would gush over Quarantine Zone  if it had some sort of flashy or avant garde art style. Or even if there was an attempt at making some sort of poignant or timely observation about human suffering or narratively tying the extreme suffering of a zombie apocalypse with a warning about authoritarianism or something. Quarantine Zone  doesn’t even attempt such pretentiousness. Screenshot: Quarantine Zone: The Last Check I’ve seen the gameplay loop described as satisfying in other reviews. It’s satisfying, but I wouldn’t say that it’s necessarily fun in a mechanical gameplay sense. The fun comes from scrutinizing the hapless souls who come through your checkpoint. Some of them are obviously infected–from known and obvious symptoms like blood red eyes, or bitemarks smack-dab in the middle of their forehead. To those with less obvious signs of infection. Are they just sick or are they about to become a bloodthirsty zombie? There is a quarantine zone with a limited amount of space, but sending even one infected person there means it's a death sentence to the whole group of other “what ifs?” The longer you play through the campaign, the more tools are unlocked to help you find symptoms. From a simple stethoscope to a handheld MRI/X-Ray scanner, there is a whole range of symptoms to look out for. Thankfully, you can mark patient’s symptoms on your handy tablet, so if they survive quarantine you can see if they’re getting better, worse, or staying the same. Screenshot: Quarantine Zone: The Last Check Quarantine Zone  does a great job in creating uncertainty. Sometimes I feel like it would be safer to just send a survivor to my limited space quarantine chamber and deal with their symptoms as they progress. It’s almost a relief to come across a survivor with an obvious symptom so you can send them to their quick death. But sometimes you get symptoms you’ve never seen before. Whether they’re infected or not, if you want to get more information that requires vivisection. Thankfully, this is done without pleading or crying from your victims–er, patients. But the squishy, bloody mess their extracted organs make when you subsequently test them doesn’t make the procedure–and the patient’s sacrifice–seem adequately reverential, much less respectful. Quarantine Zone: The Last Check  somehow manages to keep its tone serious, but not so serious as to ruin your good time of deciding what ants live or die under your magnifying glass, so to speak. That is, until, you’re forced to engage with the game mechanically. Screenshot: Quarantine Zone: The Last Check When Quarantine Zone  bases its activities on more mechanical gameplay like shooting and moving, it feels as cheap and janky as the whole thing looks. A particularly egregiously bad section is the base defense section where you fly around in a lone drone dispensing immense firepower on hordes of zombies. It does nothing to enhance the core gameplay, but instead breaks up the base management/gatekeeping flow. Bizarrely, despite being full of armed guards and guard towers, they don’t help at all during these sections. If there was more of a tower defense thing, it would have been a lot more fun, and it would have tied into the basebuilding mechanic that already existed. When you’re not shooting zombies from a drone, or checking people through your checkpoint, there’s a base management aspect, too. I didn’t mention this earlier because it feels like an afterthought. Besides letting in a couple of infected people who killed others when they became zombies (oops) I never lost anybody because I couldn’t keep up with housing and feeding my population of citizens before they were evacuated. Most of the penalties in the game are financial, and since I did a relatively decent job of disposing of the infected and letting in healthy people, I never suffered too much financially, making Quarantine Zone  rather easy. Except for all of the bugs. Screenshot: Quarantine Zone: The Last Check I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t mention how buggy the whole game is. I saw stories of softlocks, but thankfully I never got stuck from progressing. I was blocked from doing a few side quests, however. And there’s an entire gameplay mechanic that never properly worked on the Xbox Game Pass version I played. Supposedly people would try to smuggle objects inside of their body you could see through the handheld MRI scanner. I never had a single person have an object inside of them, despite thorough checks and the game letting me know I was letting these people through. Despite the main gameplay loop being reminiscent of a Milgram experiment simulator, it justifies its ickiness through “but zombies!” as so many more violent and exploitative games did in the past. And I really can’t fault it for that, or I’d be a hypocrite. Maybe I’m just getting too old for this shit. I’ll just go back to chunking people into giblets with my boltgun in Darktide  like a respectable person. But Quarantine Zone: The Last Check  is ultimately a janky, buggy mess of a game that happened to nail down the feeling of a zombie apocalypse like no other game has.

Screenshot: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond I’m still working on my 2025 back catalog through January, and I’m going to try to review everything that I played that I haven't written about yet. Starting with Metroid Prime 4 . I originally preordered Metroid Prime 4  way back in 2017. I held onto that preorder all the way until the retailer purged old SKUs and canceled i t in January of 2025. But when Metroid Prime 4: Beyond  finally did hit store shelves, its negative buzz kept me away. Did I really want to ruin my mental image of Samus and the Metroid  series with annoying Federation NPC allies and a useless open world? I mean, look at the damage Other M  did to the Metroid  series. The early buzz practically made it sound like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond  will be the last Metroid  game we’ll see in a while–and probably the last Prime  game ever. It’s too bad, because Metroid Prime 4: Beyond  does have some good stuff going for it. The controls are good–it retains the Prime -style lock on mechanics while feeling like a first person shooter that is more in-line with what contemporary players might expect. Visually, it looks like a Metroid Prime  game, but with more modern-ish graphics (this is debatable, I realize.) And the psychic suit looks flippin’ cool, even if the upgrades just tack on giant gems rather than adding any cool sci-fi flair to the silhouette. But there’s a whole lot of bad, too. Screenshot: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond The open world is probably the thing you see complained about the most. The confusion about what an “open world” game can look like is palpable. It was possible to make Prime 4  open world without having a huge open, meaningless sand pit that stands in the middle of all of the areas. The original Dark Souls , for instance, was considered “open world” back in its day, even though it has a somewhat metroidvania style way to advance through that world. Sure, you’re not unlocking abilities to get past new obstacles, but you are overcoming obstacles to unlock new areas all the same. I was hoping that Metroid Prime 4  would be closer to this than what we got. Screenshot: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond The biggest downside for me wasn’t the open world, however. It was the lack of innovative or new abilities. All of the abilities you have in the game are abilities you used in other games, just with a “psychic-something” moniker slapped onto it. From “psychic visor” to “psychic bombs” it seems like the developers just didn’t have any creative fuel left in their tank–or they were restricted by Metroid ’s strange timeline. But I have a feeling it’s the former, because timeline inconsistencies were never a problem in Nintendo IPs before. I know a lot of complaints were levelled at the Federation NPCs that accompany Samus on her journey. They’re not exactly scarce, but their appearances are sporadic and mostly tolerable. My problem isn’t with their characterizations, but rather the stakes they represent and fail to have any meaningful commitment to. Characters are left to die multiple times, and by the time a similar moment comes up during the game’s finale, it had no more emotional impact. I mean, spoilers, but not spoilers because the moment is done so poorly that I wish I was warned about it beforehand. My point is, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond  would have been much better with less extra, and more focus on Samus, the planet and its hazards/obstacles, and whatever cool new power-ups that can be attained. Instead you get a completely mute Samus–which feels like a huge overcorrection from her portrayal in Other M –and a whole bunch of filler that just isn’t Metroid Prime  worthy. Even if we got a purely by the numbers Prime  sequel it would have fared better. Screenshot: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Metroid Prime 4: Beyond  isn’t all bad. The psychic suit is very cool looking, and I didn’t hate how the motorcycle handles–but it exists only to solve a problem the developers created: a hub world that is too big and empty to walk across. The boss fights were mostly interesting spectacles. Except for the final Sylux boss fight that was just a mess. I think this is going to kill the Prime  series for at least another decade–and that’s if it’s not dead for good. Without a Donkey Kong Bananza  sized revival, which would include new and daring ideas that already run against what fans want with Metroid , I don’t see the Metroid Prime  series continuing anytime soon. It was already a request by Nintendo of America, and with its troubled development culminating in a big “womp womp” Nintendo will probably steer clear of any more adventures with the Amazonian-like bounty hunter. Well, I say to that: fie!

Me, at CES. Photo: Antal Bokor It started with an email that asked (as many have before it): Will we be seeing you at CES? Why, no. I don’t go to CES. Travel is expensive, and I don’t get paid enough to do that (when I get paid at all). But I always wanted to do CES, and a little voice in my head wouldn’t let it go. I applied, got accepted, and before I knew it I was paying way too much for a plane ticket that wouldn’t even get me there for the media preview days. So I boarded a plane to Vegas, and despite its popular tourism slogan (the most successful tourism slogan in the world, thanks to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority [LVCVA] and ad agency R&R Partners), what happens in CES is written about by every major publication that covers technology or anything tech adjacent. CES 2026. Photo: Antal Bokor I ended up having one full day to tackle CES (despite planning for two), and I made the most of it. It’s not like this is my first convention or tradeshow. I’m a veteran of such activities, having cut my teeth on the likes of Wizard World and IHHS (now Fan Expo and The Inspired Home Show , respectively) among many others. And I knew I wouldn’t be getting the breaking news from CES, but at least I could get "on the floor" coverage. There’s also just something magic about CES. Historic announcements have been made here in the past, and major news breaks every year. I wanted to finally be a part of that. So I wasn’t just at CES to cover it professionally, it was almost like I was on a pilgrimage to the tech mecca. It was both more and less than I expected. One of many robots I would encounter on my journey. Photo: Antal Bokor While the Las Vegas Convention Center is world renowned, I couldn’t help but think it was a little shabby compared to McCormick Place. My first impressions were just “meh.” But I was here. Next thing I knew I’d be looking at monitors, gaming peripherals and more that haven't even hit the market yet. Me "helping" the robot set the board back up. Video: Antal Bokor But then I was surrounded by robots. “Where are all the people?” I thought as I walked around, played tic-tac-toe, and interacted in other ways with a variety of robots. Yes, I did put my hand in here. Photo: Antal Bokor Some booths showcased nothing but robotic hands in varying configurations. “Look at all of those degrees of freedom,” I thought to myself, walking past a display that would have had Sarah Connor hyperventilating. Hand dances and marionettes abound as multiple robotic manufacturers wanted to show you how great their hands were. And I really had to hand it to them. CES 2026. Photo: Antal Bokor But it turns out this is all stuff people have seen before. To be fair, I've never really stood toe-to-toe with so many robots trying to solicit my attention, but the real future was in the other hall with its neat gaming peripherals and the buzzword that even crept into the robotics section: AI. Oddly satisfying. Photo: Antal Bokor But I guess robots were old news, because while I was watching robots mow lawns and clean swimming pools, everyone was in the Central Hall looking at all the cool new game and monitor tech. I have no idea what's going on here. Photo: Antal Bokor LG Display @ CES 2026. Video: Antal Bokor And again, “AI” was everywhere. But then another new concept kept getting my attention: Micro RGB. Now what the heck is that? So TVs traditionally use white lights behind a screen to create colors. Micro RGB technology uses tiny red, green and blue LEDs directly in the backlight. That means, using this technology, we can get some of the most color accurate and color popping visuals ever. And walking through the LG booth area, I can totally see it. But it’s also not entirely new—It's a bridge technology. It's dazzlingly bright and colorful, but essentially 'Super Mini-LED,' not an entirely new category of screen. Still, it does make for a pretty impressive picture. The real OLED killer is probably the QDEL or NanoLED displays that Sharp and others had tucked away. It looks like QDEL with its Quantum Dot inorganic crystals is the real deal, but the technology is still years away. Armed with the knowledge of Micro RGB, AI, and the determination to “see everything” I walked the floor in earnest, trying to get the best coverage I could. Then a peculiar thing happened–I kept looping around to the same few sections. Even armed with the floor map and knowing what kind of stuff I was looking for, I was trapped in an endless loop. Like the backrooms, just with lots of technology. I had to stop to watch this torture machine. Who thought this was a good idea? Video: Antal Bokor Another trend I noticed was the sheer volume of handheld PCs. The Steam Deck opened the flood gate to imitators and other bandwagon jumpers, with companies like MSI (with their Claw 2) and ASUS (ROG Ally X) being some of the big ones. One of many flying vehicles we can look forward to. You need a pilot's license to fly this one . Photo: Antal Bokor It also seems like flying cars are the future. Okay, they’re not really cars, but there was a whole fleet of electric and/or small engine VTOLs to take a look at. Some of them didn’t feel possible–as in, I wouldn’t mind getting in that because it couldn’t possibly lift me up. While others required a pilot’s license to fly. I’m going back to Vegas in a few months (just for fun), and I’ll definitely plan on being back at CES next year. Next year I will know better what I’m doing, so I might actually get some breaking news to share. But this year was fun, and now I know what to expect. Notes from the CES Show Floor: The Best (and Weirdest) of the Rest 8BitDo at CES 2026. Photo: Antal Bokor Best Competitive Spirit:  My personal winner was the 8BitDo booth, just for the competitive spirit they had. (To recap, if you beat their designer in a game of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves  you won a fight stick. You could also win  with a controller via a scratch off. I got a canvas bag out of it!) Not pictured: Me wearing this . Photo: Antal Bokor Best "Iron Man" Moment:  I tried on a Hypershell X  exoskeleton and walked up some stairs. That was pretty neat. It was the first “exo” anything I wore and, despite how little it felt like it was assisting, I really felt like I was touching the future there for a minute. I came into a losing game. Photo: Antal Bokor Biggest L:  I played games with three different robots. I lost. (Shout out to SenseRobot  for being the coolest, and surprisingly one of the most affordable at around $1000-$1600 retail.) The Physical Toll:  I walked 6 miles on the show floor. (And 4 more on the strip that night). Worst Meal:  I ate one of the worst burritos I ever had in my life. (Thankfully comped by my CES media lunch ticket.) Biggest Win:  1 Person recognized our publication. A shout out to that woman at the LG booth who knew CultureCombine .  You really made my weekend! Best "Feel":   Gamesir has some impressive gamepads. I was told they were trying for a real “high end quality” feel and I think they nailed it. Similarly, Chinese manufacturer ATK Gear had some awesome looking keyboards, with switches that feel like I could type on all day. Not as clicky as I prefer, but pretty good feeling nonetheless. Best Off-Grid Tech:  The SPOG (Solar Panel, Off-Grid) trailers were really high end and luxurious. I stepped into a camping model, and was incredibly impressed. Tribbles? Photo: Antal Bokor The Star Trek Moment:  I can’t find anymore information, but there was a robot called "Moxy" (or something similar) by a Chinese company. It looked suspiciously like a Tribble from Star Trek . The QR code didn't work, so I couldn't confirm if it was safe to bring on a space station or if it would start multiplying rapidly, but I sure would love to get one. Touched by Nvidia: There were a lot of Nvidia Partner signs proudly displayed, like some of Nvidia’s good fortune and wealth will rub off onto them just by having the sign. Final Wish:  I want a sign like The Verge  has, and an entire entourage. It was like a posse walking the halls.

Screenshot: Hytale It’s been a crazy rollercoaster for Hytale. This Minecraft-meets-RPG style game was declared dead in June 2025, when Riot Games dissolved the studio. Despite its trailer on YouTube getting 60+ million views, Hytale has been mired by changes in focus during development, and eventually stalled out altogether. Then, in November of last year, original founder Simon Collins-Laflamme bought the rights back from Riot Games to save the project he started. A few short months later we have the game in our hands. And despite the developers saying that it “isn’t good yet” (a warning they issue before you buy the game), it seems plenty good to me–and the 420,000 people who watched it on Twitch on launch day. For a non-Steam launch, hitting a rumored 2.8 million logins in 24 hours is record-breaking. Screenshot: Hytale If you’re not familiar with it, Hytale is basically Minecraft but with an emphasis on being a role-playing game, with actual dungeons and loot progression, and more care taken to how it feels to interact with the world. In fact, Hytale started with a group of Minecraft modders called Hypixel, running one of the biggest Minecraft servers in the world (regularly hitting 100,000 concurrent players). But in 2014, Mojang changed their EULA, crashing the server's revenue by 85% overnight. That was the wake-up call they needed to build their own platform. Screenshot: Hytale Hytale began development in secret around 2015, and in 2018 they released a trailer that accumulated 30 million views in less than a month. There was definitely interest in a newer, better Minecraft. But after being acquired by Riot Games in 2020, development stalled when they spent millions trying—and failing—to rewrite the game in C++. In fact, Hytale as it is today is back to a hybrid engine (C# client, Java server), so most of the code is probably more than four years old at this point. I spent a few hours on launch day getting a feel for Hytale, and I’ve had nothing but a great first impression. Hytale is a gorgeous game, and that’s mostly because of its art direction. I had a few “whoa, that’s a cool vista” moments in Minecraft, but I had at least a dozen yesterday just running around to see as much as I could of the world. Screenshot: Hytale One of the biggest improvements over Minecraft that I experienced in my first few hours is just how much better everything feels, especially combat. Combat and harvesting in Minecraft always felt floaty, like your character isn’t really ever coming into contact with anything. Combat in Hytale is punchy and tactile. It actually feels like you’re making contact, which is a surprisingly huge upgrade to those just used to the air-swish feeling of combat in Minecraft. The weapons I found were also fun and varied with multiple different attacks. While crafting in Minecraft is mostly done from a single crafting table with recipes from memory, Hytale takes a role-playing game route. Recipes are locked behind progression, with items requiring specialized work stations to create. So even if you know how to make a better weapon from memory, you won’t be able to do it unless you find the recipe for it in the world. Screenshot: Hytale Hytale is definitely an Early Access game–there are entire sections of the game that I found walled off with “work in progress” signs. My computer also chugged in some parts, so there is definitely room for optimization. But everything that was available was compelling and fun. Hytale launches with two of its three main game modes: Adventure, its marquee RPG mode, isn’t available at launch, but it launches with Exploration mode and Creative mode. Exploration is a survival-focused prototype of the future "Adventure" story mode. Creative mode is just what you think: it lets you build and explore without limitations–or, I should say, much fewer limitations. Exploration is like Survival mode in Minecraft—”build, craft, survive” as you “Explore an Echo of Orbis.” Screenshot: Hytale It seems like Hytale has been worth the wait. It’s definitely making waves on Twitch and bringing in millions of players. The developers say they have secured funding for the next few years of development. And even if the developers say the game “sucks” right now, I definitely recommend checking it out.