Happy July, folks! As the summer blazes on, what better way to avoid the heat than by cranking the A/C, kicking your feet up, and listening to some Weekend at Dave’s?

We’ve got a stellar episode prepared for you. Following our 2023 Gaming Preview episode, our editorial team here at The Punished Backlog is back with a mid-year check-in. What games have we enjoyed? What are our thoughts on 2023 thus far?

Perhaps most importantly, we’ll be recapping our Fantasy Gaming results up till now—and making some “waiver wire” selections based on the next six months. Just like the weather outside, our competition is heating up!

Catch the full episode here:

MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Note: This episode was recorded on 6/26/23, before the releases of Oxenfree II: Lost Signals and Exoprimal.

Another note: Despite his comments to the contrary at 51:45, Sam too saw a score increase post-waiver wire (by dropping Fire Emblem: Engage). He and Amanda share the number-one Fantasy spot with 92.5 apiece. Exciting!

(0:00) — Intro
(2:14) — 2023 Mid-Year Check-In
(16:41) — Reflecting on Our Fantasy Teams So Far
(28:26) — Explaining the Fantasy Waiver Wire
(31:50) — Time for Waivers!
(53:31) — Getting Sidetracked and Talking About Movies
(55:57) — Outro

Song Credit:
Intro: “Let’s Do The Fooka-Fooka!” from Super Mario RPG (2023) (Yoko Shimomura)
Outro: “[Sector 4] – Ravaged Rustworks” from Hey! Pikmin (Masato Kouda, Kento Hasegawa)

Looking for some helpful visuals as you listen to the podcast? Check out our episode guide below:

1. Amanda - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
2. Sam - Starfield
3. David - Final Fantasy XVI
4. David - Diablo IV
5. Sam - Resident Evil 4 Remake
6. Amanda - Hollow Knight: Silksong
7. Amanda - Dead Space Remake
8. Sam - Forza Motorsport
9. David - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
10. David - Marvel's Spider-Man 2
11. Sam - Street Fighter VI
12. Amanda - Baldur’s Gate 3
13. Amanda - Redfall
14. Sam - Fire Emblem Engage
15. David - Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
16. David - The Last of Us Factions
17. Sam - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
18. Amanda - Assassin's Creed Mirage

• Oxenfree II: Lost Signals - July 12
• Exoprimal - July 14
• Pikmin 4 – July 21
• Remnant II – July 25
• Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon – August 25
• Sea of Stars – August 29
• Lies of P – September 19
• Mortal Kombat 1 – September 19
• Detective Pikachu Returns – October 6
• Alan Wake 2 – October 17
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder – October 20
• Star Ocean: The Second Story R – November 2
• WarioWare: Move It! – November 3
• Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name – November 9
• Persona 5 Tactica – November 17
• Super Mario RPG – November 17
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – December 7

1. Amanda - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
2. Sam - Starfield
3. David - Final Fantasy XVI
4. David - Diablo IV
5. Sam - Resident Evil 4 Remake
6. Amanda - Hollow Knight: Silksong
7. Amanda - Dead Space Remake
8. Sam - Forza Motorsport
9. David - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
10. David - Marvel's Spider-Man 2
11. Sam - Street Fighter VI
12. Amanda - Baldur’s Gate 3
13. Amanda - Redfall
14. Sam - Fire Emblem Engage
15. David - Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
16. David - The Last of Us Factions
17. Sam - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
18. Amanda - Assassin's Creed Mirage
19. Amanda - Drops Redfall, picks up Super Mario RPG remake
20. Sam - Drops Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, picks up Super Mario Bros. Wonder
21. David - Drops Suicide Squad, picks up Mortal Kombat 1
22. David - Drops TLOU Factions, picks up Pikmin 4
23. Sam - Drops FE Engage, picks up Alan Wake 2
24. Amanda - Drops... nothing! (She holds!)

The post Weekend at Dave’s: Episode 10 – 2023 Mid-Year Check-In & Fantasy Waiver Wire! appeared first on The Punished Backlog.