Matt James

I just finished Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and it’s really excellent.

Nowhere near as hard as Blasphemous 2 but still challenging.

The Game Kitchen is so good at making difficult bosses feel fair.

And the optional challenges are on the same tier of platforming as Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

The Pokémon store in Singapore airport

The pop-up Nintendo store in Singapore airport

Singapore airport best airport imo

The Best Video Games of 2025 (So Far) The first half of the year brought a new gaming console and a stacked slate of fantastic games. Here are the best of them.

I guess 2025 is more than halfway over? I don’t know if I believe that but @benlindbergh.bsky.social and I wrote about our favorite games of the year so far.

www.theringer.com/2025/07/18/v...

‘College Football 26’ and the Return of ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,’ Plus Tony Hawk Himself! | Button Mash

I have a blister on my thumb for the first time in 20+ years and it’s because of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Remake.

New Button Mash!

open.spotify.com/episode/0VCx...

Texas Deserves Far Better Than This The recent flooding in and around Kerrville has exposed a number of failings in the state’s disaster preparedness and response. It also kicked off a widespread public blame game. Officials have long b...

I wrote a little bit about Kerrville and Texas, a couple of places that are special to me that I'm still rooting for.

YouTube video by PlayStation Ghost of Yōtei - State of Play Gameplay Deep Dive | PS5 Games

This was one of the most impressive gameplay deep dives I've ever seen. This team knows exactly what made Ghost of Tsushima special and what they can do to make Yotei even better. I couldn't be more excited. It's probably the only game that has a shot at stealing Game of the Year from Clair Obscur.

Elon Musk’s Grok Has Lost Its Non-Sentient Mind The X chatbot went off the rails this week, tweeting a slew of antisemitic content and praising Adolf Hitler. Now, CEO Linda Yaccarino has left the company, and the future of AI chatbots feels even mo...

I wrote about the Grok Situation

I think if/when people actually leave twitter it won't take long for them to realize that most of the people they want to interact with are here.

People seem to have the perception that bluesky is mainly a place for political discourse. I know you've personally done a lot to combat that narrative.

Not only are they not paying someone to do jersey swaps, but you have to also assume that there was no photographer's image licensed at all in generating this.

Let me know what you think! It's not for everyone but at worst it's a really memorable experience.

‘Death Stranding 2' and the First Half of 2025 in Games | Button Mash The Ringer-Verse · Episode

New Button Mash!

•Ben talks with Justin Charity about Death Stranding 2
•Ben and I run through the best games of the year SO FAR and look forward to the most exciting releases of the rest of 2025

open.spotify.com/episode/12na...

YouTube video by fluffydragonite Cynthia Erivo + LA Phil performing Purple Rain - Coachella 2025 Weekend 2

Man I saw her sing Purple Rain live this year and basically left my body for five minutes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSCj...

Brooklyn has roughly one billion picks tonight and the draft is at Barclays AND YET it somehow feels like an entirely neutral draft site.

Kinda feels like we’re going to eventually get like a decade of Spurs/Thunder Western Finals.

This dude needs to wear #2 on the Hornets then. Apologies to… [looks it up] Grant Williams.

Just chiming in to say that for what I do, I hate that their episode images don’t have characters in them.

Alright well that’s pretty fucking weird too

I gotta know the middle initial of every single Knueppel brother immediately.

What actor’s expression in a movie will stay with you the rest of your life?

(This counts)

If you grew up in NJ like me, you learn that whenever someone makes fun of NJ you remind them that Staten Island is firmly in New York.

Shai looks about as hype as someone who found a decent parking space.

The Pacer's "Yes 'Cers" logo altered to say "No 'Cers"

Reggie Miller in the stands looking dour

🎶Curb Your Enthusiasm theme plays🎶

Every Pacer fan in that crowd is standing there like they left their body and floated out of the arena.

I'm rooting against the Pacers BUT if TJ McConnell wins this game for the Pacers and ends up getting a statue in Indianapolis it would be the funniest little statue in all of the NBA

It’s crazy how much the epilogue recontextualizes everything that came before it

It’s so wildly serious and meaningful. Looks like a fun thriller and ends up making profound statements about trauma.

It’s a gamble on a future hall of famer that cost very little so I totally understand the acquisition, I just think it’s going to be tough to keep him healthy/effective through 90+ games with everyone trying to run him up and down the court and play him particularly physical.

I just don’t see his body holding up for an entire physical playoff run even w/ managed minutes.

The fit is incredible but it won’t matter if he’s in street clothes or hobbling around the court in May/June.

If he defies Father Time another year it’s a home run but it’s historically unlikely at 37.