On July 1, I attended my 13th Barry Manilow concert. This one was in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and it was one to remember. Barry’s voice was strong and spectacular, and I got to spend quality time with friends old and new. It was a night of beautiful music and memories. Below are photos and videos from this wonderful experience.
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Let’s be honest: the Xbox Store is absolutely flooded with games. On any given Tuesday, you can scroll through dozens of massive, 100-hour open-world RPGs or gritty military shooters. But every once in a while, you stumble across something so beautifully ridiculous that you just have to pull the trigger.
That’s exactly how I ended up downloading Do You Even Forklift? last weekend. I saw the title, noticed it was on sale for about six bucks, and thought, “Why not?”
I expected to play it for ten minutes, laugh at the joke, and delete it. Instead, I spent the entire afternoon completely obsessed. Here is why this weird little physics puzzle game is the hidden gem your Xbox needs right now.
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There is a distinct, surreal kind of vertigo that comes with being a parent and sharing the defining pop culture touchstones of your own youth with your child. I vividly remember growing up in the mid-1990s, completely spellbound by a groundbreaking little movie called Toy Story and spending hours playing the tie-in video game on the Super Nintendo with my cousins. Fast forward to this past week, and my wife and I found ourselves walking into a theater—holding the hand of our own three-year-old son to see Toy Story 5. It is an incredibly cool, full-circle moment, even if it does make me feel incredibly old.
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If you’re anything like me, your roguelike folder is probably bursting at the seams. Between Hades, Dead Cells, and a dozen indie titles trying to capture that same lightning in a bottle, it takes something genuinely distinct to make me stop and take notice.
Enter Realm of Ink for Xbox, an isometric rogue-action game developed by Leap Studio and published by 4Divinity. Coming in at a very reasonable $24.99, this title mixes intense hack-and-slash combat with a stunning classical Chinese art style. I’ve spent the last few days hacking my way through its gorgeous, watercolor-esque world, and it has some incredibly cool ideas that set it apart from the crowd.
Here is my honest take on whether this ink-washed adventure is worth your time and hard-earned cash.
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Let me preface this by saying I am completely burnt out on modern horror trailers. They either give away the entire plot in two minutes or compile every single jump scare into a neat little montage, leaving absolutely nothing for the actual theater experience.
So, when the buzz around Obsession started getting dangerously loud, I made a conscious choice to tune it out. I didn’t read the synopses. I didn’t look at the deep-dive theories. All I knew was that both hardcore horror fans and notoriously stiff critics were losing their minds over it. I watched just enough of the trailer—maybe thirty seconds—to confirm the vibes were immaculate, bought my ticket, and walked into the theater with absolutely zero expectations.
What I wound up watching completely shattered me.
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Back in 2025, I took a trip to the charming town of Spatterville and discovered just how satisfying it can be to breathe new life into a faded world. In my original review of Spray Paint Simulator for Xbox, I highlighted how the game masterfully balances meditative, rhythmic gameplay with the light strategic fun of running a business. Watching a rusty bench or a worn-out door transform under a perfect, crisp layer of paint was incredibly gratifying.
Now, developer North Star Video Games and publisher Whitethorn Games have dropped the Submariner DLC, and it is time to grab the masking tape, pack up the ladders, and see if this new content captures that same magical, uplifting energy.
For just $3.99, the Submariner DLC adds two brand-new, vastly different jobs to your work order list. If you thought the base game pushed your precision to its limits, wait until you see what these new canvases demand.
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When James Gunn’s Superman hit theaters last summer, it felt like a breath of fresh air. It was optimistic, colorful, and pointed toward a bright future for the new DC Universe (as I wrote in my review of the 2025 Superman movie). Naturally, I went into the new Supergirl movie wondering if we were going to get a carbon copy of that specific tone.
Instead, this film carves out a completely distinct identity—and it really works.
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Last night, in Reading, Pennsylvania, I attended my 12th Barry Manilow concert. It was his final performance in this town, one I had never been to. When I bought my ticket for the show several months ago, I had no idea what I was in for, but I’m sure glad I decided to go because it was a night filled with magical moments, serendipitous opportunities, and unforgettable music.
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If you told me at the start of the year that one of my favorite Xbox gaming experiences of 2026 would be a sequel to a niche, Japanese arcade shoot-’em-up (SHMUP) that hasn’t seen a mainline entry in over two decades, I probably would have laughed. Yet, here I am, completely hooked on Psyvariar 3.
Developed by Banana Bytes (the team behind Sophstar) and published by Red Art Games, this vertical shooter is an absolute masterclass in high-risk, high-reward gameplay. For $19.99, it offers an incredible amount of content that both honors its arcade roots and modernizes the genre for today’s controllers.
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If you read my recent post defending the 2018 Robin Hood reboot, you already know that I am a massive fan of the legendary outlaw. I’m not a folklore purist; I don’t need every adaptation to strictly copy traditional tales. From movies and books to the tremendous new TV show currently airing on MGM+, I can always find something to enjoy in every interpretation of the character. I love seeing how different creators spin the mythos.
But nothing could have fully prepared me for the emotional gut-punch of The Death of Robin Hood starring Hugh Jackman.
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