I’m Mike, an erstwhile indie dev and podcaster, now a newsletter author (it's totally free) and game mini-reviewer with no patience for the anti-woke crowd. Each issue of VGGN features a new (usually fun) topic. Read 'em all at https://vggpodcast.com/news/https://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3muzetyasds2jI used this first part of my week off work to wrap up VGGN issue #46, available now and free as always. The feature topic this issue is cameras and photography in video games. Read it: https://vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-046.pdf Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Get Notified: vggn.eo.page/sub08 Sep 2026 15:51 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3muzetyasds2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3muqi4xzfxs2fMini-Review: Resonance - A Plague Tale Legacy (PS5 Pro) What a great game. Fans of action-adventures like Uncharted and modern Tomb Raider maybe (and certainly if you played and enjoyed the first two A Plague Tale games) should put this on your must-play list. It tells a great…05 Sep 2026 02:55 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3muqi4xzfxs2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mukvk3zhj22fThis never happens, but The Blood of Dawnwalker arrived a day early *and* it's a steelbook edition (which the listing does say, but I didn't realize until checking it again now - nice). I'd start it tonight if I wasn't already playing the new Plague Tale (and will start the new Onimusha after it).02 Sep 2026 21:39 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mukvk3zhj22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mua7vfx5lc2wMini-Review: Bionic Commando 2009 (Xbox 360) I have a soft spot for games most people consider bad, but this one really tried my patience. There are good (or at least interesting) ideas in the art and level design and bosses, but the execution is so wonky and cumbersome that it…29 Aug 2026 15:45 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mua7vfx5lc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mttr73goh22uThis aged about as well as milk, excuse the cliche. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/take-two-denies-gta-6-will-launch-without-a-physical-version-thats-not-the-plan/ But of course they're calling the GTA 6 "code in a box" a physical release, as if the decision itself isn't insulting enough. Word-play trickery. #NoDiscNoBuy #PSBlackout24 Aug 2026 16:50 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mttr73goh22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mtsijf4sq22uVGGN issue #45 is out now, just as the #PSBlackout begins. My thoughts on that (and why I'm not sure I'll be taking part) and games I'm embarrassed to say I haven't played (with community responses). Read it: https://vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-045.pdf Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Get Notified: vggn.eo.page/sub24 Aug 2026 04:42 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtsijf4sq22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mtrrzlql522eMini-Review: Onimusha - Dawn of Dreams (PS2) While I was playing, Capcom released this as a PS2 classic (digital only, but it's only $10) on PS4 and PS5 for anybody interested in checking out the last mainline Onimusha before next month's Way of the Sword releases. As to the…23 Aug 2026 22:00 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtrrzlql522ehttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mt2ii3nykk2eMini-Review: Beast of Reincarnation (PS5 Pro) I feel like I have a good grasp on what happened in the story, but if I was asked to explain it, I probably couldn't. Don't worry, though; no spoilers here. Opinions have been mixed, with some (like me) loving it the whole way…14 Aug 2026 15:38 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt2ii3nykk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mt2estsr2c2eWell, I had planned to play Genma Onimusha (original Xbox - an expanded version of the first game) for my Onimusha series play-through before moving forward with Dawn of Dreams, but I was spoiled on those remasters. Just not in the mood for D-pad tank controls, so I'll skip it.14 Aug 2026 14:32 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt2estsr2c2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3msixlzh6i222Mini-Review: Onimusha 3 - Demon Siege (PS2) Capcom hasn't remastered the third game in the main trilogy yet, but the PS2 version holds up great. French actor Jean Reno joins the cast of heroes this time, but only with a few spoken lines in French at the beginning and the end…07 Aug 2026 16:21 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3msixlzh6i222https://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3ms4czsfhis2dMini-Review - Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (PS4 on PS5 Pro) Different heroes, including the main protagonist Jubei (instead of Samanosuke), but the same third-person action with fixed camera angles. Whether a product of this remaster or improvements to the original I'm not…02 Aug 2026 15:40 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms4czsfhis2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mrx4amxycs2yIs BlueSky a dead site, or am I doing it wrong? I'm probably doing it wrong. Anyway, see below. Is there a game or series it seems everybody else played, and you think you'd enjoy, but just never got around to? For some, it's games like Zelda, Pokemon, Mass Effect, Fallout... but could be anything. [contains quote post or other embedded content]31 Jul 2026 13:56 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrx4amxycs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mrs6mdx2a22aMini-Review - Onimusha: Warlords (PS4 on PS5 Pro) My backlog is full of games and franchises that I just never got around to, like Onimusha. I begin my 4-game series run (a 5th coming soon) with the first game's remaster, now with 3D controls (or tank controls as an option, for…29 Jul 2026 14:55 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrs6mdx2a22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mrn2l4smac2aNon-Review: 007 Racing (PS1 on PS3) After my 007 game marathon, I kept regretting that I didn't at least *try* 007 Racing, a game I didn't think I'd like, but without which the series run just lacked closure. So I tried it. I actually thought I *might* enjoy it after the first…27 Jul 2026 13:59 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrn2l4smac2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mrktfeaue22aMini-Review: Aphelion (PS5 Pro) I'll start by saying I didn't *dislike* Aphelion. In fact, it's a type of narrative exploration game I love. It's a sci-fi mystery that unfolds through an adventure on an alien planet, and it had me engaged and guessing what would happen (I was…26 Jul 2026 16:45 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrktfeaue22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mrgb5iu32k2aWhat's a game (or two, or three) you're embarrassed to admit you've never played? A game you think you'd enjoy, and other people love or even say is essential, but you just never got around to it, didn't own the console it was on, etc.? Some answers (if any) will appear in VGGN with a credit/link.24 Jul 2026 21:08 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrgb5iu32k2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mrfjfqsotc2pMini-Review: A Hat in Time (PS4 on PS5 Pro) My son (18) loved this game when he played it recently, and wouldn't let up until I fit a playthrough into my schedule, so here we are. It's a 3D platformer (think Yooka-Laylee, Mario Odyssey, Astro Bot, Psychonauts) with stuff to…24 Jul 2026 14:03 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrfjfqsotc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mqz4gr5qzk2pMini-Review: Return to Monkey Island (PS5 Pro) At last, I've played through what's probably the conclusion to the Monkey Island point-and-click adventure game saga. I've jumped around through this series, having played the 4th game on PS2 years ago, then remasters of the first…19 Jul 2026 15:39 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqz4gr5qzk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mqwnenvc7k2yVGGN Issue #44 collects all 22 of my James Bond 007 game mini-reviews. Also, a depressing Recent Events in light of horrible GTA6 and PlayStation disc news, and XBOX layoffs. Read it: https://vggpodcast.com/news/vggn-044.pdf Archive: vggpodcast.com/news Get Notified: vggn.eo.page/sub18 Jul 2026 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqwnenvc7k2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mqp44iodi22yMini-Review: 007 - First Light (PS5 Pro) My 007 marathon ends with the recently-crowned king of Bond games, First Light. It's every bit as good as I'd heard. My biggest worry was that it would just be a re-skinned Hitman (both made by IO Interactive). I loved their Hitman WoA…15 Jul 2026 16:07 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqp44iodi22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mqfimicgis25Mini-Review: 007 - NightFire (GBA on Retron5) First, the good. It's a technical marvel that this game is as substantial as it is and runs as well as it does as a first-person shooter for the GameBoy Advance. On a tiny screen, it looks pretty good; kudos to the devs for a true…11 Jul 2026 20:24 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqfimicgis25https://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mq7ta3twuk2oMini-Review: James Bond 007 - The Duel (Sega Genesis on Retron5) I was an Atari/Nintendo kid growing up, so I never owned a Sega system (I had a GameGear for a while as an adult, but I digress). I added a few Genesis games to my collection over the years (this one is a recent…09 Jul 2026 14:18 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq7ta3twuk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mq6i5twpnc2aMini-Review: James Bond Jr (NES on Retron5) 181287 That's the cheat/password to start the game with 99 lives, infinite ammo, and no time limit. Without it, I would have given up in the first stage when I realized that even with save states to undo mistakes, the 45-minute time…09 Jul 2026 01:27 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq6i5twpnc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mpzog46mfs2fMini-Review: 007 Legends (Xbox 360) This one has a reputation as rushed and unpolished, with an abysmal 45 Metacritic score, and I can see it. I liked it well enough to feel like my time with it wasn't wasted, but there's a lot wrong. It may not all be the developer's fault…07 Jul 2026 03:36 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpzog46mfs2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mpuuhjnhxs2fMini-Review: James Bond Jr (SNES on Retron5) Until recently, I didn't know this game existed, or that there's a game based on the same cartoon for the NES too (which I'll play and mini-review soon). For that matter, I'd never heard of James Bond Jr at all unless I somehow just…05 Jul 2026 05:41 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpuuhjnhxs2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mpu5glgnh22fMini-Review: 007 - Goldeneye Reloaded (Xbox 360) I seem to remember this game being criticized a lot at the time, but I found very little about it to dislike. It doesn't seem to be a Goldeneye 64 remake; rather, a re-imagining of the original movie with a few nods to the game, like…04 Jul 2026 22:49 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpu5glgnh22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mppncfrfzc2fMini-Review: 007 - Blood Stone (Xbox 360) Everybody's favorite British secret agent with a license to commit mass murder (at least in these games) returns for a second adventure on Xbox 360, this time in an original story that ends in a "who's the real mastermind" cliffhanger…03 Jul 2026 03:49 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mppncfrfzc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mpov27a2zk2kI think PlayStation is counting on most physical disc buyers to switch to digital, given no other choice. What I think they’ll find though is that many of us are both, but the absence of discs makes owning an expensive console just for digital games a non-starter.02 Jul 2026 20:35 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpov27a2zk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mpmkieyvt22fMini-Review: 007 - Quantum of Solace (Xbox 360) This (and PS3) is probably the version most people remember. While the PS2 game was made by Eurocom and shares the same vision of blending Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace into a single intertwined narrative, they're different…01 Jul 2026 22:21 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpmkieyvt22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vggenerations.bsky.social/post/3mpkiz5dyx227Mini-Review: Broken Sword 2 - The Smoking Mirror (Remastered / iPhone) I've been playing this point-and-click adventure bit by bit on my phone for several weeks, but cast to my TV because even with my glasses, there's a lot going on for such a small screen. I always thought…01 Jul 2026 02:49 +0000at://did:plc:ecg4auew2xpsb4xusfl45cpv/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpkiz5dyx227