Games & Humor

Linda Holmes' annual list of highlights from pop culture includes TV, movies, games, podcasts, TikTok videos and whatever else made the year a little easier.

2020 is almost over — and if you're anything like us, you spent a lot of time this year escaping into video games. Here are five favorite independent games that helped us get through the year.

This year's most anticipated video game, Cyberpunk 2077, has received backlash from both consumers and retailers. Now, retailers are offering refunds.

CD Projekt Red's hotly-anticipated new game turned out to be a buggy mess — but beyond that, it's just a bad game that doesn't do justice to the gritty, anti-corporate nature of its source material.

We've invited the Haims to play a game called "You're my Wonderwall." Three questions about Liam and Noel Gallagher, the brothers behind Oasis.

With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore, NPR's Scott Simon updates "A Visit from St. Nicholas" for 2020.

Sony also pulled the game from its online store. Developer CD Projekt Red delayed Cyberpunk several times for tweaks, but players on consoles, particularly older models, reported bugs and glitches.

Musician Andrew Bird shares how composer Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas inspired his new holiday album Hark! Then he performs a song off the album called Christmas in April.

Jonathan Coulton's kids Theo and Eleanor help their dad and Ophira Eisenberg translate and navigate the latest teen slang. It's "lit!" Are the kids still saying that?

Three out of six women who work at NPR named Carol make their Ask Me Another debut as they lend their vocals in a music parody game that changes the lyrics to Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmastime.

Composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez try to spot fake holiday album titles in this speed round. Hold onto your novelty elf hats because William Shatner's Shatner Claus... is real!

Host Ophira Eisenberg and house musician Jonathan Coulton discuss office holiday parties, and regret they can't raid the NPR supply closet this year.