Welcome to the first Punished Podcast of the new year! The Backlog crew is back and better than ever, and we’re excited to show you what we’ve been cooking up.

For episode 5 of The Punished Podcast, we’re taking a look ahead at 2024 in gaming—and running it back with our annual Fantasy Gaming draft.

Will Sam go back-to-back this year? What’s up with Hollow Knight: Silksong, and will Amanda strike out on it, yet again? Will David finally draft a decent team?

Take a listen and gauge for yourself.

MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

(Note: We recorded this podcast on January 6, 2024, before the releases of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Tekken 8, and Persona 3 Reload. This podcast also predates Microsoft’s “Direct”-like showcase, which saw Hellblade II, Avowed, and MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle all get 2024 release windows.

You’re hearing our thoughts and analysis before ANY of the above occurred—so keep that in mind while listening!)

Want the Sparknotes version of our Fantasy Gaming draft? Here’s a quick play-by-play:

Take a gander at our three contenders, now that the dust has settled. As a reminder, we’ll likely revisit these teams midway through the year in the form of a “waiver wire pick-up” draft.

We got silly with the team names this year. Hopefully, they give you a chuckle!

As mentioned before, we recorded this podcast before a bunch of January games hit storefronts. Here’s the current leaderboard, taking into account those releases (expect more commentary in a future article):

Last on the podcast, but certainly not least, was our Punished Hall of Fame segment. This episode, Sam Martinelli nominated The Legend of Zelda—the entire franchise.

Do we need to argue for its inclusion? If ever there was a series that merits the highest honor we can provide, it’s this one. Zelda defined most of our childhoods, and its sheer variety—from time-traveling escapades in Majora’s Mask to cel-shaded seafaring in The Wind Waker—never seems to taper.

Yes, the franchise has the occasional dud (I’m looking at you, Spirit Tracks). But the bad pales in comparison to the good—and even then, the bad here is arguably better than most franchises in their prime.

Here’s to you, Zelda. It’s been nearly 40 years since you graced our Nintendo consoles, and we’re looking forward to another 40 more.

The post The Punished Podcast: Episode 5 – 2024 Gaming Preview appeared first on The Punished Backlog.