2025

2026 is almost here and with the new year comes a new year of games that will be released. Since I love games, I am going to share my most anticipated games for 2026.

Resident Evil Requiem

Ever since I got my first Playstation in the 90s, Resident Evil has been one of my favorite franchises. From the cheesy lines of the early games to absolutely insanely scary game that 7 was, I was a fan of it all. Yes they had some missteps along the way, like Resident Evil 6, but they have more than made up for that with 7 and Village.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

Yes, this game has been out for years on PC and Playstation, but it coming to Xbox and as a Play Anywhere title, has me very excited. Yes I am addicted to Achievements, but at the same time, I prefer my Xbox controller for gaming.

High on Life 2

Squanch Games really outdid themselves with the first one. I loved the humor in it and I love Rick and Morty, so High on Life 2 is on my list of games to check out next year.

007 First Light

I am not a big Bond fan, honestly I have never watched a James Bond film all the way through, but there is something about this game that has me excited. I am not that great with stealth, but there is something about the game that has me wanting to check it out.

Pragmata

This game looks absolutely incredible, the combat looks great, and the story seems like it’s going to be very interesting. I cannot wait to check it out.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

I have played all of the Lego Batman as well as the Arkham games and to combine the two along with Nolan’s trilogy just seems like a mashup that is either going to work great together or be absolutely insane, but either way it should be a lot of fun.

Fable

This is such a great series. It never lived up the what Peter Molyneux described, but they were still fun games in their own right. This new entry looks like it’s going to be bigger than anything that came before it.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra

Captain America and Black Panther teaming up to stop Hydra? That sounds amazing! Plus I love most super hero games, so this is definitely a game I will be playing.

Marvel’s Wolverine

Another Marvel game, this time by Insomniac. The Spider-Man games that they did were a lot of fun and seeing the gameplay for Wolverine has me wanting to hack and slash through the world taking out anything that gets in my way.

Grand Theft Auto 6

Of course GTA6 is on the list, I think it is on most people’s list of games to play. I am not sure if it will actually be out in 2026, but if it is, I will definitely be there to kill, steal, and do yoga.

These are just some of the games I am excited for, there are plenty more that I have probably forgot about or that haven’t even been announced yet. Next month Xbox will be holding a Developer Direct so we might get release dates for Fable and other games, maybe even a shadow drop or two. I can’t wait to see what else 2026 has in store for gaming,

I try to use Linux for most things. Sometimes, though Windows is just better and easier. I spent weeks trying to get Playwright and Node.JS setup through Portainer and no matter what I did, it just would not work out. I would have Playwright and NodeJS setup, but it wasn’t the right version numbers to work together. At one point Portainer became disconnected with my Docker setup. Finally I gave up and decided to do it on Windows.

After weeks of working on getting just Playwright and NodeJS setup. After long hours of trying over and over. After about 10 minutes of setting it up and configuring it to how I needed, PlayWright with NodeJS was setup on Windows. Both of them were as simple to install as just double clicking it. Maybe if I had a GUI setup for it, Linux would be easier, but the last time I did that, it was just slow and clunky. I’m not even sure a GUI would have helped in this situation given the fact that it just wouldn’t pull the right version of Playwright, so I don’t think having a GUI would have affected that.

Most of the people I asked said that Linux is usually easier and they prefer to work on Linux than Windows. This most certainly was easier to setup on Windows than it was my server. I guess I should consider setting up a Windows server for things to run automatically on that as well. Do you run a Windows server with your Linux ones for cases like this?

I have been 3d printing for a while. I have an Ender3, with the default bed that it comes with. One issue that has come up recently is that my prints wouldn’t fully stick to the bed. I leveled my bed  more times than I can count and have a BLTouch. In Octoprint I saw how uneven my bed was, with highs and lows being in places that no amount of adjusting could fix. I even tried using glue and blue tape. The glue helped a bit, but still curled up. The blue tape just would not stick with the heat. I even used glue and then put blue tape over it. That did not work either.

At one point I had a glass bed, but the nozzle got too close and scratched it, so I probably threw it out. I also used a lot of glue with it, so I didn’t want to go that route again. I ended up getting a PEI bed, but I had low expectations. I am glad that I was wrong. Not only did prints stick better than it ever has, the first layer is smoother than ever.

If you have issues like I had or if you just want smoother first layers, I highly recommend getting a PEI bed for your prints. Now I just need to figure out why the layers look so bad, they don’t on calibration cubes and it’s not always rough, it just depends on the gcode it seems. That will be a question for another day, however.

3D printed white plastic tray with two compartments, resting on a green surface. Visible layer lines show the additive manufacturing process with the default Ender 3 bed.

3D printed white plastic organizer tray with two compartments, a perforated base, and visible layer lines, sitting on a green surface used with blue tape.

A 3D-printed white plastic organizer tray with two compartments and rows of small holes on a green grid surface, with a PEI bed. Now to dial in and make the layers look better.

In January, after weeks of going back and forth with Google, I finally got Serpbear working on my server. I have since then reconfigured Portainer and had to set it up again, but this time it just won’t work. No matter what I do, it’s given me the error: “Google Ads: Failed to connect to Google Ads. Please make sure you have provided the correct API info”. At one point, before reconfiguring everything it was working, so I have the same keys and accounts that once worked, only for them to no longer work.

I tried different forks, each one had their own issues. After days of trying to get it connected, I gave up. When the script and forks have been updated, probably in a few weeks, I will try again. In the meantime I will stick with Ubersuggest.

It’s a shame, I liked the way Serpbear laid everything out, it was much easier to understand than the typical way of looking at the data. The keyword suggestions were especially helpful. Other options have these too, but like I said, Serpbear just laid everything out nicely. If you can get Serpbear working, I highly recommend it, but getting it to that point can prove quite difficult.

Xbox has finally announced the next game in the Halo series, the next Halo game is Halo Campaign Evolved. This is a remake of the original Halo Combat Evolved. The game is said to include more levels and weapons than the original had. There are some other changes with  this version of the game too. For the first time, Halo is going to be in Unreal Engine 5. Their previous engine was a custom one that’s been modified and upgraded ever since the first Halo game. Halo also has one other change, for the first time ever, you will be able to play it on Playstation.

Since the beginning, the Halo IP has been owned by Microsoft. While Halo Combat Evolved did appear on Mac, it hasn’t been on any other console until now. Xbox Game Studios head, Matt Booty said “our biggest competition isn’t another console” “We are competing more and more with everything from TikTok to movies”. This mimics what Netflix said years ago “We compete with Fortnite more than HBO”.

The biggest question now that Xbox has come out and said that this other media is a competition, will the likes of HBO and Netflix keep their apps on the Xbox? Probably. For years Netflix has considered video games to be a competitor, just because Xbox has called them a competitor publicly, doesn’t mean that they were going to treat them any different. They have probably considered them a competitor privately for years. To take away their users’ access to these apps on their devices would potentially disrupt how users use these services.  Personally my Xbox Series S is used more for apps than it is playing games.

With Halo coming to Playstation, this opens up a whole new player base. There are people who have never touched an Xbox who are going to be able to play it. My first experience with Halo was with the first game very briefly. Halo 2 was where I sunk in and got hooked though. Online multiplayer was great, when they added that to the Halo Anniversary Edition, I got my first real experience with Halo 1 multiplayer then. Unfortunately, Campaign Evolved is just that, the campaign. There won’t be any PVP multiplayer in the game. It makes sense though. With Halo Infinite and Halo Master Chief Collection, they probably don’t want a third PVP experience at the same time. Even still, I am excited to see the changes to the game.

Are you excited for the next Halo game? What do you think about it going to Playstation?

There have been a lot of good games over the years, but there are some that are so good that  you want to play again. In this new series, I will highlight some older games that deserve some modern day graphics and game play. Even if not a full on remake, even just a remaster would be nice too.

The Adventures of Willy Beamish

The Adventures of Willy Beamish is the story of a nine year old boy on his last day of school for the summer. Throughout the game, you are walking a thin line to avoid being sent to military school while at the same time preparing for a frog race competition. The game was originally developed by Dynamix and released in 1991 by Sierra-Online. In recent years, the game was re-released on GOG by Activision.

StarTropics

StarTropics is one of the only NES games that wasn’t released in Japan. It was a 1991 action adventure game  developed and published by Nintendo. In the game you play as a 15 year old boy who’s weapon is a yoyo and he takes aliens. The game was re-released by Nintendo for the Wii Virtual Console as well as the Nintendo Classics library for the Nintendo Switch Online Service.

The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants

The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants  is a 1991 platform game that is based on the Simpsons. The game was developed by Imagineering and published in 1991 by Acclaim. In the game, you play as Bart Simpson as he collects or destroys items that aliens need to build their ultimate weapon. The game was released for the NES initially, but was then brought to PCs, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, and Game Gear.

There are many other games that deserve some modern day love too, this is just the tip of the ice berg. Have you played any of these games? What do you think, are they worthy of a remake? Let me know in the comments

Update: Microsoft has issued the following statement to Windows Central in regards to this rumor:

“We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered and built by Xbox. For more details, the community can revisit our agreement announcement with AMD.”

In the last few years it is clear that Microsoft is doing some new things that haven’t been done in the gaming space, like bringing their first party games to their competition. Even though Sarah Bond announced that Xbox would have a new console set to be announced in 2026 and they just announced changes to their Game Pass service, a new rumor suggests that they will be instead going full third party. This rumor comes from insider SneakersSO:

Without going into too much detail, not long after the last round of layoffs (next one should be coming in Q1 26 btw – and its going to be just as massive as the last one), some rumblings out of Xbox starting coming out that were a little hard to believe.

The ramifications of the CoD GP gambit not working out were just starting to get properly measured, but the thing that really stuck out to me was that suddenly, really concrete plans for actual MS Xbox HW went from being definitive, to up in the air, which was really startling given that this thing was meant to be out relatively soon. It was one of those situations where, despite folks being told ‘hey, we wanna pull the trigger on this in 2026’, the steps you would need to take in the lead up to delivering a new console gen weren’t being met. Lots of things that were ‘sure things’ started getting pushed. The Costco retailer pulling Xbox, and apparently they are one of many that we’ll learn about soon, told me all I needed to know.

To sum it up: the future of Xbox is software publishing, with a significantly honed-in focus on profitable IPs (CoD, WoW, Minecraft, Candy Crush, Forza Horizon), Cloud gaming being the home of the ‘Xbox platform’, transititioning GamePass into basically becoming the point of entry subscription for xCloud access (which will continue to drive its price tag higher btw, they aren’t done there just yet either), and releasing their software on any device that has a marketplace and users willing to buy their titles.

Maybe some OEM thing will take up the Xbox name, but given what is clearly a collapse in favorable mindshare and faith in said brand, i’m not even sure a 3rd party OEM is gonna want to have an Xbox console by the time MS is done with their reorienting of the division.

If this is true then gaming’s next generation will look a lot different, with Sony and Nintendo being the only two to choose from. Even though they are both consoles, they aren’t exactly in direct competition with each other. Playstation usually goes for power while Nintendo goes for innovation and fun, with the Switch 2 being a console and handheld. It’s possible that Sony will pivot and start to be in more direct competition with Nintendo, but up until now they have mainly focused on Xbox. Even their Playstation Plus service had an overhaul to more closely resemble Game Pass in recent years. This lack of competition could also cause them to not be as consumer friendly. New games are already up to $70 with some rumors saying that the next Grand Theft Auto could be closer to $100.

The future of gaming could be a lot different if one of the three big console makers leave the market. Do you think Microsoft would be willing to leave the console market after already announcing next generation hardware? Let us know.

Last night, I preordered the Final Fantasy VII Remake. I could have played it on PC or even Playstation, but I have an unhealthy addiction to Xbox Achievements and just got a PC, so buying it on Play Anywhere with Xbox Achievements just made sense. It also came with the original Final Fantasy VII for Xbox and for PC. That is what convinced me to preorder it though. I knew when it was announced at the Nintendo Direct that I would be picking up, but I was going to wait until it was on sale or at least wait until it came out, but the preorder bonus material was too good to pass up.

I played a lot of Final Fantasy VII growing up. Multiple playthroughs, different choices made each time, I loved it. With the preorder I can play the original versions of the game now, which is great because I can go through them before the the remake releases on January 22, 2026. I wish more games did this. I have fallen for this kind of preorder bonus three times now. Fallout 3 had me preorder Fallout 4 and South Park Stick of Truth had me preorder Fractured But Whole. I love this idea because it gives you something to play right away in anticipation of playing the new game. I know not all studios can or will do this, I just think this is the best way to get people like me to preorder.

Imagine if movies did this? If you preorder Superman on digital, you get a free digital copy of Creature Commandos or something like that. That might even help curb pirating, though having less streaming services would help more with that. More bang for your buck, that’s for sure, but it’s too bad movie studios won’t do that.

Are you excited for Final Fantasy Intergrade to finally be coming to Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S?

Acclaim was founded in 1987 and remained a big player in the video game industry until 2004. In 2004 the company filed for bankruptcy. Since then the company sold its assets and was pretty much dormant.

In March 2025, they announced that the Acclaim trademark was purchased by a group of executives. The plan was that they would relaunch Acclaim Entertainment as an indie publisher as well as reclaim former Acclaim IPs. Earlier this week, Acclaim held its first showcase to announce its first slate of games.

The games announced were nine indie games, none of which are former Activision IP. The games are:

• Talaka
• GRIDBeat!
• Pixel Washer
• TossDown
• Hyper Yuki
• Ground Zero Hero
• Basketball Classic
• The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest
• Katanaut, which is available now via Steam

You can see the entire presentation and get more information on the games in the video below. If you would like to have your game published and maybe even feature in the next Acclaim Showcase, you can do so via their website.

Do any of these games look exciting to you? Just the name alone, Acclaim has me excited. There is definitely a hit of nostalgia that hits me seeing their logo again.

Blogging has been around a long time and believe it or not, a lot of blogs are still around. They may be in the guise of articles or editorials, but it’s essentially all blog posts. You know what has disappeared from blogs? Comments. Every blog I go to either has something where you need to sign in or just no comments at all. I miss the days where you could leave a comment without the need to sign in or create an account anywhere.

Yes, it can be riddled with toxicity, but it also transforms content from being static, into a dynamic conversation. It let’s the writer know what resonated with the reader, what confused them, etc. Not only can it connect the writer and the commenter, but between it can connect commenters as well. Of course it can also have another benefit as well.

An active comment section can boost SEO, keep readers on the page longer, and signal search engines to mark the content as relevant. You just need to be prepared to moderate, in case the aforementioned toxicity starts to break out. No one wants to read 400 spam comments or people throwing slurs at each other.

Even though I am pulling for comments to come back in 2025, when I started blogging on Lep’s Lair, I used a closed system. I had it setup where every blog post was a forum post and the comments were just forum replies. I know a few websites did it that way back then, but it wasn’t something that ever caught on. Looking back now, it was probably one of the worst way to do blog posts.

I have been abnormally busy, between trying to get work done for new age verification laws that passed, to figuring out HVAC for my shed, 3d printing, medication adjustments and side effects, etc. The problem is that when you do a lot, some stuff gets pushed to the side. Unfortunately this site is what got pushed to the side this time. Things are slowing down with work and I am at a standstill with my HVAC system after I discovered the fan blade in the minisplit system was broken.

Since things are slowing down and changes are on the horizon, I will be back to blogging and everything else here. The rest of this week I will be doing shorter streams with Black Ops 6 zombie mode and then next week I will be back to story modes. I have been playing mainly on PC for a few months now, but I think I will go back to console to play things I have there, like Doom Eternal’s DLC and then jump back to PC for Doom the Dark Ages. I might even play the other Doom games since a lot of them are on PC Game Pass. By Monday I am hoping to have at least 3 new pages coded for work as well as ordered my fan blade so I can install it next week and then finish that project up.

I have lots of other projects going on too. I recently got rid of WP Project Manager and instead started using Fluent Boards, it’s different, but I think it’s better format for me. It looks a lot like Trello and lets you just drag tasks to different stages instead of going into it and choosing it from a drop down.

With Gamescom coming up and going to be getting back into story modes, I should be back to writing here more, so in the next few days I will be ramping things up. Hope you stick around.

July 2nd was a sad day. Microsoft laid off 9000 employees from all across their company, closed some game studios, and cancelled some projects. Among the projects cancelled, are an unannounced MMO, a new game by Romero Games, and the Perfect Dark remake. The cuts come after last month’s Summer Game Fest presentation where new games were shown and before next month’s Gamescom, where it’s sure to show new games. It was announced that Halo would show off what’s next for the franchise in October too. Xbox has more people playing their games and has announced that new hardware is coming, both through partnerships with ASUS and with their next generation Xbox console. The 9000 layoffs is around 4% of all Microsoft employees.

A rumor also came out that Phil Spencer will be retiring in the next few years and is currently working with Sarah Bond and her team to provide a smooth transition. The rumored retirement was said to come shortly after Xbox launches it’s next gen console. Head of Xbox communications, Kari Perez, said that “Phil is not retiring anytime soon.” Does that mean the rumor is false? That depends on what you consider “soon” to be. We know that Xbox is not going to be launching in 2025, so at the earliest it would be late 2026. That would mean that Phil Spencer would retire around early to middle 2027 at the earliest. More likely, the console would be out in 2027 or 2028, which would mean that Phil Spencer could be retiring in 2028 or 2029.

Would they announce his departure if it wasn’t for another few years? Probably not. Phil Spencer is the same age as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, announcing Spencer’s retirement now would probably have people thinking about Satya Nadella’s retirement. That could cause people to start the question of the future of the company, which in turn, could cause stockholders to sell their shares.

Hopefully everyone who is affected by these layoffs find new opportunities quickly.