Ben Stovall Blog

Tag: music

  • 2025: Year in Review

    2025: Year in Review

    It’s certainly been a year, huh? Seems like there’s always bad news, doesn’t it? Times like these makes me appreciate beautiful stories and media all the more, and I’d be remiss to let this tradition slip aside. So, here’s to 2025 and what we had to enjoy this year. As always, some spoilers below.

    Books

    I’m like a broken record saying I wish I’d read more, aren’t I? That’s even more true this year; I read a total of two books. Reading fell to the wayside pretty early this year, as I focused on painting and playing Warhammer, had intermittent bouts of hyper-fixation on Warcraft, worked on my D&D campaigns, and wrote for this blog. That said, I did really enjoy the two books I read!

    Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

    Alright, they were the first two books of this series. It’s been getting a lot of attention lately and I received the first as a gift for my birthday. I had a great time reading it, and I’d hope there’s something to be said about it and its sequel being the only books I managed to stick with long enough to finish this year. A fun book in a fun style unlike anything I’d ever read, since I’ve never read progression-fantasy. Heartily recommended, though it certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste.

    Movies

    This year, my ’98 Tahoe finally kicked the bucket. Blew a literal gasket, and it would’ve cost more to fix than the car was ostensibly worth. Twenty-seven years of service isn’t something to scoff at; the point is I lost easy means of getting to the theater this year, and only made it out twice. One was for the Minecraft movie on Mother’s Day (I hold firm to the belief my sister had a thumb on the scale there), and while that movie proved to be more fun than I’d been willing to bet going in, it’s not going to get any further mention than this. Instead, I want to talk about …

    Superman

    James Gunn’s Superman feels like the first time a movie’s been made in my lifetime that understood this character. This wasn’t the one other time I got out to the theater this year; instead, I bought the movie digitally as soon as I could after hearing rave reviews from some very trusted sources. (Shout out to OSP’s great video on the movie.) I truly loved every minute.

    It’s certainly a James Gunn film, though, replete with everything you might’ve expected after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy. This wasn’t a detriment for me, but I trust you to know your own taste.

    Sinners

    Is there a person alive that hasn’t walked away loving this movie? When it came out, my YouTube feed had nothing but praise for it. I saw it pretty late in its theatrical run, hitching a ride with my mom and sister. I’d managed to dodge spoilers, but I guessed from the first frame of our villain’s introduction that we had a vampire on our hands. And, look, every bit of praise you’ve heard for this movie? It’s on point. It’s really that good.

    Wake Up Dead Man

    I’ve loved every movie in this series, and this is certainly no exception. Josh O’Connor is perfect in this movie, and as long as Daniel Craig keeps doing this, I’ll keep watching. But, to be honest, I didn’t think this would make the list, because it wasn’t in any nearby theaters. I’d have loved to have the chance to get out to one to see it on the big screen, but its limited release placed it a bit too far out of my range. I haven’t had Netflix myself in over a year, and as much as I wanted to see this film, I wasn’t going to subscribe for it alone. While at my mom’s on Christmas however, we threw the movie on since we’d meant to see it together anyway. I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint (beyond my inability to enjoy it at a theater).

    TV

    With painting taking over so much of my interest earlier this year, I didn’t watch a whole lot of TV. Mostly, I listened to podcasts or podcast-adjacent media while focusing on making my orks just the right shades of green. That said, there was some adaptations and continuations I ensured I tuned into. (And I watched Ted Lasso! But I already wrote a bunch about that show here, so.)

    Invincible Season 3

    Oftentimes in my life, when an adaptation has begun that I’m unfamiliar with, I’ve checked out the source material to get my hands on the story ASAP. When it comes to Invincible, I’ve been battling that urge. I’m frankly too fond of the version of the story we’ve been getting that I don’t want to change my relationship with the show to be one of comparison; I don’t want to spoil my ability to be surprised by the story!

    The third season’s continued to shock and amaze me, and it was all the better for not having that long mid-season break like its predecessor. Looking forward to more!

    Murderbot

    I mentioned in my post on Ted Lasso that the reason I got AppleTV was specifically to watch the Murderbot adaptation, and it was well worth the cost of the service those couple months I had it. Some of the humor added to the show wasn’t to my taste exactly, but it ultimately didn’t detract from the overall experience. I adore this series of books, so I’m looking forward to watching however much they adapt for the screen.

    The Mighty Nein

    With three seasons of Vox Machina under their belt, I think Critical Role has become a master at adapting their D&D games into excellent animation. From the first three episodes, I knew this wouldn’t disappoint. At times, it almost felt like The Legend of Vox Machina ran so this show could sprint. The hour-long runtime, the animation quality, the acting – all are superb in both shows, but it miraculously feels like it’s been kicked up a notch in The Mighty Nein.

    I do wish we’d gotten a little more resolution on that season finale, but I will admit that of the threads left hanging, none are the primary story of the episode. That one was certainly cleared up by the end. It’s a bold ending, and I’m eagerly awaiting our next season of this show.

    Music

    This year I did something fun and I compiled a playlist of songs I was introduced (or reintroduced) to in 2025 for the purpose of posting it to this blog! You can find it here. Most were thanks to my Discovery Weekly (which hasn’t been infested with AI slop yet by some miracle) on Spotify (much as I am growing to dislike the app lately). Others were needle drops in some of the media I’ve enjoyed this year, and a many were direct recommendations from friends.

    I wanted to specifically shout out two songs. First, Radio by Bershy was a needle drop in Dispatch and the song absolutely blew up afterward. In the space of months, it’s racked up 18 million listens up from only a few thousand. I saw this post on the Dispatch subreddit over a month ago of Bershy being blown away by the sudden attention and it renewing her love for making music! It doesn’t get better than that.

    Second, I’ve be absolutely obsessed with Hey You by Belair Lip Bombs since it dropped this fall. It landed on my top songs of the year with some 30-odd listens. Since September. (It released in August but that’s when I first heard it, alright?)

    (You can certainly tell when I played Dispatch from this playlist, huh?)

    Video Games

    Speaking of Dispatch, let’s get into the expertise of this post. I’ve been playing video games as long as I can remember, that makes me an expert, right?

    Dispatch

    It’s been a while since we’ve had a game like this. I didn’t play too many of the games released by Telltale studios, but I’d been eager to get my hands on this one since its announcement. It absolutely delivered, and I’m excited to see more from AdHoc Studious, especially with their partnership with Critical Role! I’m locked in for whatever they make next.

    Oblivion: Remastered

    A game that absolutely defined my childhood got a surprise remaster this year, and just as it did when I played it in 2006, I was consumed once more by this game. I kept delving into Oblivion gates, kept questing for each faction, until I hit a wall with my character reaching the maximum level and my enchants feeling like they couldn’t get better. I had only the Thieves’ Guild, the Shivering Isles, and the last couple quests of the main story left when I set it down. Might be something I get back around to at some point. Though, I’ve already gotten every achievement in this game once before, so I don’t really feel the need to do so again. (Luckily.)

    Megabonk

    One man asked, “What if I made Vampire Survivors in 3d?” And then he sat down and did the damn thing. It’s a blast to play. I’d gotten final boss kills on about half the roster of characters and 100 of 108 achievements before I set the game down. By then, I’d played nearly 40 hours, and the game only cost ten bucks. I can’t recommend it enough.

    Pacific Drive

    On the recommendation of a friend, I picked up this game earlier this year and I had a ton of fun with it. It reminded me a lot of Subnautica, but instead of the horror of the endless ocean, the horror is an endless road trip that you kind of love anyway. I didn’t quite get around to beating this game (yet); I mostly played it while I was enjoying a week off from work in the Spring. If it weren’t for painting, it might’ve been the only think I’d done that whole week.

    Hades II

    Hades is going to be one of the best games of this decade. It’s a masterpiece, full stop, and somehow, Supergiant managed to deliver a sequel that built upon it in every way with new weapons, new systems, an alternate route that gives the game twice as many unique bosses as the first. Players had one major criticism of the game when it first released, but an update has made adjustments to that pain point and it’s already a thing of the past.

    Ultimately, Hades II didn’t hit the same emotional peak as the first for me for that first roll of the credits, but the game itself plays incredibly well and it’s an easy game to recommend.

    My Game of the Year

    It truly, truly, could not have been anything in 2025 other than Hollow Knight: Silksong. I haven’t played Expedition 33 myself, truth be told. It could very well be as excellent as everyone says it is; hell, it might be truly incredible. I believe that’s probably the case, really. All this praise wouldn’t come out of nowhere.

    Playing Silksong though, I felt a sense of wonder and awe I haven’t had since I was a child. (Or, maybe I haven’t had since I first played Baldur’s Gate 3.) The game just kept expanding and expanding. A breakable wall would reveal an entirely new zone to explore, one you could roll the credits for the game without ever seeing and never know you missed. And that’s to say nothing of the game’s final act.

    I waited years to play this sequel, and somehow it still surpassed the greatest of my expectations, the wildest of my dreams. If that isn’t game enough for you, I don’t know what is.

    And that concludes our yearly retrospective. As always, thank you for reading. Here’s to more media to love in 2026!

  • 2023: Year In Review

    2023: Year In Review

    In 2022, it wasn’t until September that I’d decided to make a retrospective post about the media I’d enjoyed that year. This time, I had it in mind from the start, and I jotted down little notes throughout about what I wanted to include. I’ve had some of the below on the list as far back as February (and my friends and family will recognize them, since I’ve talked them up all year long). As before, I’ll avoid spoilers as much as I can. Let’s get to it!

    Books

    As last year, I didn’t read as much as I’d hoped. I’ve played maybe a few too many hours of video games, watched a few too many episodes of TV shows or movies. I’m still figuring out how I want to sketch out my daily routine with my new job, but I’ll get there. Regardless, there were still several books the absolutely ensnared me and that I want to maybe draw more eyes toward.

    The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter

    I don’t really have a whole lot to say here; I liked this book just as much as I did the first and I’m excited to see more from Evan Winter. I think this could be one of those series that becomes mainstream as it gets more and more entries. With how much I’ve enjoyed this series so far, I’d hate to be wrong.

    Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

    It’s been an amazing year for Sanderson, there’s no doubt about that. Perhaps the only people coming out ahead of him are his fans, receiving five books of his this year – myself included. I was unemployed when the kickstarter for his Four Secret Projects launched and I still made an incredibly silly financial decision and backed him. I’ve only read the first two of those releases thus far, and between them and The Lost Metal, Tress is my certain favorite.

    I think something that really worked here was the perspective of the book – most Sanderson stories I’ve read are in third person, bouncing perspectives on chapter changes or on scene breaks when things are kicking off, and I think the consistent voice really enhanced this book.

    Between my love for this and Scott Lynch’s Red Seas Under Red Skies, maybe I’m just a big fan of fantasy pirate books.

    Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

    This is probably the best book I read all year, but it’s one I hesitate to recommend. It is a hard read. Horrible things happen to these characters, but then, of course they do – it’s a dark fantasy story set in France during the Black Plague, and Buehlman really makes it easy to feel the suffering of our tiny band of characters. He does not shy away from the horror of our history, and it is made much worse by the supernatural.

    Children of Time & Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

    I wonder if I’m going to end up having an “off-the-wall weird” sci-fi rec each year. In this book, a scientist, Avrana Kern, wants to make a garden world for humanity to eventually settle. A utopia with genetically-engineered servitors and an impeccable biosphere, an Eden amidst the stars. Unfortunately, a saboteur tries to utterly upend her goal, killing the monkeys she intended to see the planet with, but rather than admit defeat, she launches her nanovirus anyway and it infects a surprising host … we witness some of their development over the course of hundreds of years, then a wave of humans eventually comes to settle the garden world, discovering things are so much different than they expected.

    And – wouldn’t you know it, this duology won a best series Hugo award this year! I was ahead of the game this time.

    Movies

    I saw as many new movies at home as I did in theaters this year – which is to say, I didn’t see that many movies. It isn’t that I don’t like movies, I love film, but going to the theater has become unbearably expensive and when I’m home, I usually gravitate toward games or shorter-form media instead. Despite all that, I saw a few movies that really mattered to me this year.

    Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

    I had a lot of fun seeing this movie and I’d love to see this gang of adventurers again someday – another heist, a dungeon crawl, whatever. We’ll see if anything comes of that. Hasbro continues to prove itself a poor parent company with layoffs right before Christmas this year despite D&D having a banner year all around (more on that later).

    Oppenheimer

    This is the first biopic I’ve ever seen. I wanted to give it a shot because I’ve been enjoyed every Christopher Nolan film I’ve seen and I was interested in the subject. I loved it. I don’t know when on earth I’ll find time to watch it again, but I know that I want to. The use of color and black-and-white presentation really blew me away when I discovered the reason for it.

    Puss in Boots: the Last Wish

    This movie released last December and I kept hearing praise for it all over the place. On a whim, once it showed up on Amazon, I rented it and it still blew me away with how fantastic it was. It’s an animated movie that treats its audience, kids and adults both, with respect. It’s incredibly stylish with crisp and beautiful animation. It was the first thing to be thrown onto my list for this blog post this year – hell, I saw it about a week before I started really getting back into writing, so maybe it was just straight-up inspirational for me.

    Music

    I didn’t include music on my list last year because I am perpetually behind on music and my tastes haven’t changed much from my teenage years. Luckily, they didn’t need to.

    This is Why from Paramore dominated my listening for several weeks when it dropped back in February. I had the album on endless repeat, especially Running Out of Time and You First. I’ve also been obsessed with The Adults Are Talking from the Strokes’ The New Abnormal since I heard it this summer. (Which, yes, is from 2020. As I said, perpetually behind.)

    Video Games

    It’s probably because they dominate most of my time as my primary hobby, but this feels like the real meat-and-potatoes of the post to me. Maybe I just trust my opinions about video games more than I do anything else since I’ve been playing them as long as I can remember. Regardless, here’s some of the highlights of my year and anyone who knows me will already know what my game of the year is.

    Core Keeper

    Survival games are hit-or-miss for me. If it finds me in the right mood, or it’s got a good story or good RPG elements, I can get hooked. But it can also have both of those things and just still fail to grab me. Core Keeper was a hit, right on target. It’s got a full release planned for next year, and I played the hell out of it for a few weeks this summer. My friends and I enjoyed it immensely, getting all the way to the hard edge of the progression curve right before their big biome update a few months ago. I’m glad to know there’s new stuff waiting for me whenever I get back into it. (And I will!)

    God of War: Valhalla

    It feels like Santa Monica Studio made an excellent little bonus game mode they could’ve sold for like $20 and they handed it out for free. It’s an excellent epilogue for Ragnarok, and it is what I’m going to get back to playing the moment I finish drafting this post (hopefully I’ll be done with its story when this goes up).

    Roboquest

    Roguelites put their gameplay front-and-center – if that doesn’t work, the whole game fails. They must be fun to play. And Roboquest is a freakin’ blast. The gunplay here is so immaculate and satisfying (I really love the comic-book style sound effects that pop up right next to your guns) that it’s a blast to play through. And it’s got 2-player co-op! Grab your best brobot and run-and-gun to your mechanical heart’s content! You will not regret it.

    My Game of the Year: Baldur’s Gate 3

    If I still had the time on my hands like I did when I was a teenager slamming through Dragon Age: Origins runs, I’d probably have six completed playthroughs by now. I’ve yet to make good on my goal to get all of the achievements (a few of them are contingent on a co-op run I have in Act 3 that my friend and I haven’t gotten back to yet), but it’s still my plan to do it. Even that new one for an Honor Mode completion. I can’t wait to see what Larian does next (and I really appreciate the post-release support. That reunion party was exactly what I wanted when I finished the game the first time).

    Well, there we have it. Farewell, 2023. As always, thank you for reading. Here’s to many new stories and adventures in 2024. Happy New Year, everyone.