raymond padilla, Author at RPad.TV

Most Anticipated Movies of 2026

2026 looks to be a fantastic year for moviegoers, with a great mix of massive blockbusters, mainstream movies with broad appeal, and charming independent films. In the video below, Paul Semel and Marcus Beer join me to talk about the most anticipated movies of 2026.

As a lifelong comics fan, I will watch every DCU and MCU movie released, but my heart is owned by charming indies that tell personal stories. With that in mind, I’m excited for the films coming out this year. Two of the last three years have been fantastic for me in theaters; they had an optimal mix of nerd movies and indies for my liking. Only 2024 was lacking; it didn’t have a Past Lives or Rental Family to dazzle me. Thankfully, this year should have both the variety and quality I crave.

Raymond’s Most Anticipated Movies of 2026

Since this is my site and the other two aren’t to defend their choices (and you should really watch the video below), I’ll give you my top three choices. Play the drumroll in your head please….

Meet the Gigahearts Silva Bell!

In late 2025, I picked up a Mashed Voltaire fuzz pedal from Gigahearts, a small builder based in Manchester, England. It sounds great, has superior build quality, and was shipped quickly. I was so impressed with Gigahearts’ work that I emailed the company to see if it could build the dual-overdrive pedal that has been floating around my head for more than a year. The overdrive pedal of my dreams has become a reality in the Gigahearts Silva Bell.

Combining Two Relatively Uncommon Dirt Pedals

The Gigahearts Silva Bell combines modernized versions of the circuits found in the Bixonic Expandora and the Colorsound Power Boost. The Power Boost was designed by Gary Hurst, creator of the Tone Bender fuzz, and was released in the late 1960s. Many consider it to be the first overdrive pedal. Jeff Beck and David Gilmour are two of the most famous guitar players that used the Colorsound Power Boost extensively.

A Conversation with Acclaim CEO Alex Josef

Acclaim CEO Alex Josef Talks About the Company’s Revival

Here’s a chat I had with Acclaim CEO Alex Josef. As a kid that grew up in New York and spent several years in Oyster Bay, Acclaim was a big deal to me. My brother and I loved playing games like Wizards and Warriors and WWE WrestleMania, and thought it was supremely cool that the publisher was within walking distance from our house. We loved walking by the original Acclaim office whenever we got Italian ice at Bonanza’s.

In the video below, Acclaim CEO Alex Josef told me about why he and his partners wanted to revive the Acclaim brand, the challenges he’s faced in the company’s first seven months, some of the videogames he’s launching with (Katanaut and Takala were particularly interesting to me), his plans and dreams for the company’s future, and more.

5 Thoughts on Rogue One After Andor

The Andor season 2 finale was phenomenal, like most of the series. It was so good that it compelled me to watch Rogue One right after the credits rolled. Similar to how Rogue One added context and depth to the original Star Wars trilogy, Andor reframed and redefined the events of Rogue One. It was fun watching Rogue One after Andor and reading my old review. Time and tons of new information have changed some of my opinions and reinforced others.

After digesting 24 excellent episodes from Tony Gilroy and crew, here are five random thoughts on Rogue One after Andor.

WrestleQuest Review With Special Guest Ray Carsillo

Former EGM editor, excellent friend, and fellow pro-wrestling smark Ray Carsillo was my guest for this episode of RPadTV 3000. This time around, Ray joined me for a WrestleQuest review. This game is the latest from the fine folks at Mega Cat Studios. Some of you might have played Mega Cat’s Coffee Crisis, which is a retro beat-’em-up that’s reminiscent of Double Dragon. The studio’s latest game is an old-school turn-based RPG infused with pro-wrestling awesomeness.

On paper, Ray and I should have loved this game. We both love classic RPGs and we both love pro-wrestling. However, as you know, videogames are not played on paper. They’re played on your television. In the WrestleQuest review above, Ray and I talk about how numerous pacing issues and even more bugs combined to turn a game that we should have loved into one that we merely liked.

Before we started the WrestleQuest review, Ray and I caught up on other news in the world of pro-wrestling. All Elite Wrestling’s historic PPV event, AEW All In from Wembley Stadium, was a great success. Unfortunately, it has been overshadowed by a backstage altercation between CM Punk and the man formerly known as Jungle Boy, Jack Perry.

Dean Takahashi | Games Journalism’s GOAT

Dean Takahashi is the best videogame journalist ever. In terms of quality, quantity, and reach, nobody can touch him. He has been covering the games beat for decades, writing for prestigious outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Jose Mercury News, Red Herring, and VentureBeat.

Within the business, he’s considered the gold standard. At this point in his career, other journalists should serenade him with “Simply the Best” or “Nobody Does It Better” whenever he walks into a room.

Dean Takahashi is someone that I’ve admired since the day I met him. I half-jokingly call him “my childhood hero,” but I truly hold him in the highest esteem. Like I said in the intro, he’s the best.

Is E3 Dead? | E3 Memories | The BeeRPad Episode 16

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and ReedPop announced that the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has been cancelled for 2023. Carefully worded quotes from both parties have some people asking, “Is E3 dead?” With that in mind, The BeeRPad hosts Marcus Beer and Raymond Padilla discuss the show in this very special E3-centric episode.

Surprised by the cancellation of E3 2023, the boys discuss:

Hellbent’s Chris Mair on Music Helping Him as a Game Designer

Hellbent Games Founder and CEO Chris Mair is one of my favorite people to hang out with on the road. We have so many common interests and our conversations can go in all sorts of directions. Obviously we’re both videogame nerds, but we also share a love for pro-wrestling, hair metal, and guitar. The last bit made him the perfect person to kick off my four-part “Guitar Heroes” series.

In the conversation about, Chris Mair and I talk about all things guitar. It was especially cool to hear about how studying jazz guitar has helped his career as a game designer and the head of a game studio. Other guitar topics covered include:

RPadTV 3000 Episode 16: John Foster | SNL Isn’t Funny Anymore

Award winning author John Foster (Leech, Rooster) dropped by to chat about Saturday Night Live with me. Before we got into the meat of the conversation, John spoke a bit about his latest book and what’s coming next. Also among the appetizers is a little rant on how much I hate when people say, “SNL isn’t funny anymore.” It’s such a lazy and thoughtless thing to say. It’s something I’ve been hearing from stupid people since high school and I hate it. So. Much.

With four cast members leaving (Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney), I fully expect some morons to say, “Saturday Night Live isn’t funny anymore,” throughout next season. The thing is, SNL is always funny. Sure, it has peaks and valleys like anything else, but writing, producing, and performing a live sketch comedy show is extraordinarily difficult. And for the most part, everyone involved with the show pulls it off.

Beyond that, SNL is always the funniest when you’ve invested the most time into it. For most people that’s usually in their teens or 20s. There are elements of emotional investment and nostalgia when people remember when SNL was best to them. Saying, “SNL isn’t funny anymore,” is inaccurate at best and flat-out dumb at worst. It may not be as funny to you as it was in the past, but humor evolves and mainstream tastes change.

At the end of the day, SNL is always funny.

Anyway, getting back to my wonderful conversation with John Foster, we spoke about:

RPadTV 3000 Episode 15: Ray Carsillo | Geeks | Sports | Bianca Belair | Summer Games Fest

Former Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) editor Ray Carsillo and I hit it off the second we met. We’re both East Coasters, named Ray, pro-wrestling fans, NY Yankees fans, comics nerds, and videogame nerds. How could we not get along?!?

One of Ray Carsillo’s more recent projects is the Geeks Who Like Sports podcast. It’s a very cool show that mixes sports and videogame fandom. Ray is a very smart and opinionated guy, so it’s great hearing his takes. His co-host, Lee Elias, is also a loud East Cost dude, so things can boisterously entertaining on Geeks Who Like Sports.

With so many nerdy hobbies in common, it was great catching up with Ray Carsillo. Some of the things we spoke about in the video above include: