A month after launch, a small percentage of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered players have completed the main questline. But for a game like this, that’s not particularly surprising — fans are saying they’re way too busy doing other stuff.

I’m one of those fans! I’ve been playing and enjoying Oblivion Remastered since it shadow-dropped on April 22, and upon leaving the sewers and handing over the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre at Weynon Priory, I’ve done everything BUT the main questline. I’ve joined the Fighters Guild, explored Cyrodiil, and completed loads of side quests. I’ve even tried to brute force my way out of the map, as one player managed to do.

Why? Well, the side quests in Oblivion are brilliant fun (I won’t spoil any story stuff here), but I'm also trying to avoid the main quest (and potentially difficult parts of it like Kvatch) for the time being while keeping leveling up to a minimum.

So, I’ve decided to enjoy Oblivion until I get bored enough to play the game properly. Although there is no properly with a Bethesda game like this one, is there? That’s why they’re brilliant. You do what you want whenever you want, and the game still works.

It seems a lot of other players are doing the same thing. “I'm BUSY doing OTHER STUFF like hunting for SLAUGHTERFISH in Lake Rumare,” the wonderfully named redditor MrCrispyFriedChicken said in response to the percentage completion stats for finishing Oblivion Remastered’s main questline.

“I spend 160 hours in already and Kvatch is still waiting for me,” added Roffear. “I'm one of those weirdos who actually likes the Oblivion gates so I purposefully don't finish the main quest until I've found all 60 gates in my world and closed them,” said Ellert0. “44 hours and an actual in-game year, and I haven't even been to Weynon Priory,” said PlayaHatinIG-88. “Those poor Kvatch city guards never stood a chance.”

At the time of this article’s publication, a paltry 2.97% had completed Oblivion Remastered's main questline on Xbox and a slightly better 4.4% had on Steam. Why the difference? I presume that’s because Xbox factors in Game Pass, which will have seen a number of players dip their toe into Oblivion Remastered before bouncing. Steam players are all in, of course, because they actually bought the game outright.

Either way, it’s still a low percentage for Oblivion Remastered, which has so far seen over 4 million players. But in truth most video games have a surprisingly low campaign completion rate, whether it’s an epic, 100-hour open-world fantasy role-playing game like Oblivion Remastered or a five-hour story like Call of Duty. Indeed, a lot of games have a surprisingly low percentage of players who stick around after an hour or so or continue playing after the tutorial. Such is the fickle nature of the gamer.

For Oblivion Remastered, the stats may be skewed further because it’s a remaster of a beloved game many of its players finished back in the day. If you completed Oblivion's main quest 20 years ago, perhaps you’re less inclined to do it again now, and would rather focus on all the pretty new visuals and upgraded bits and bobs. Or, as one player has done, spend seven hours lining up books to get a Dominoes chain reaction just right.

Thaddeus122 said they were almost 100 hours in and hadn’t even completed three of the main quests. They have, however, completed the Arena and the Mages Guild. And the rest of the time? “Leveling, getting money for homes, closing all the Oblivion gates, the Nirnroot quest, a bunch of little quests. To be fair, also don't fast travel anywhere.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The director of Thunderbolts* — now officially renamed The New Avengers — has explained why one character in particular had to die early on in the movie, and how conversations with the actor who played the character went.

Warning! Spoilers for Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers follow:

Early in Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers, Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) is killed by Ava Starr / Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), unceremoniously shot in the head as the assassins come to blows within a covert O.X.E. facility. Taskmaster dies in her first and only scene in the movie.

While Marvel’s Thunderbolts* promos had inserted Taskmaster into shots later on in the movie to make it look like the character would make it at least a decent chunk of the way through, her fate had been called into question when the character appeared to be removed from certain shots in pre-release trailers.

Making matters even more obvious, Kurylenko was the only member of the Thunderbolts* not to appear in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal. So, for MCU fans who were paying attention, Taskmaster’s death wasn’t exactly a surprise. But for many it will have come as a shock, especially so early in the film.

So, why did Taskmaster have to die? In an interview with The New York Times, director Jake Schreier said the idea came about as a result of the movie feeling “a little bloodless,” and a desire to have a “real tension” between characters who were capable of killing people.

“That was a tough one because it’s a character that matters to a lot of people and we don’t want to take that lightly,” Schreier said.

“That idea came after the strike when it just felt like the movie at that point was a little bloodless. It’s not rated R, but if we were trying to tell a story that had real tension about people who killed people for a living, you needed to depict that in a way. Obviously, we could have introduced a new character and then gotten rid of them, but then it wouldn’t have the resonance or potentially the shock of doing it to Taskmaster.”

Schreier admitted it wasn’t easy to tell Olga Kurylenko, who played Taskmaster in Black Widow, that she’s return for Thunderbolts* only to be killed off early on.

“It’s like in sports: players want to play,” Schreier said. “Olga’s a great actress and of course that’s a hard conversation to have, but she was an absolute pro about it and willing to show up, and I’m very grateful for that.”

Earlier this month, Schreier told Entertainment Weekly that the team behind Thunderbolts* felt they needed to kill Taskmaster early “so that you didn't really know who was going to make it."

"The decision to do it when we did it, we went through a lot of different versions of that, and we thought very carefully about it," Schreier added.

"And it felt like, while it would've been very nice — and Olga is a wonderful actress — to have her on the team for longer, that death would've kind of reverberated a lot harder and made it harder to find our tonal balance if it had happened later in the film.

"And it would've occupied such a kind of more emotional space that would've stepped on what we really need to be building. And we have so little narrative real estate to do it, which is the connection between Yelena and Bob [Lewis Pullman], and the movie is really going to hinge on that. And so in order to keep our tone and to build that team together, it actually felt best, even if it feels a little cold-blooded, to have that happen early."

According to the film’s co-writer Eric Pearson, Taskmaster was originally intended to have a much bigger part in the movie, and she was meant to have an important connection to Ghost.

“That's one of the biggest changes from my final draft, because in the last version that I did, [Taskmaster] lived out the whole movie and there was a pretty big subplot of her and Ava connecting as two characters that were raised in labs and being controlled by other people,” Pearson told IGN.

So, that’s that for Taskmaster, but of course the other Thunderbolts*, that is, The New Avengers, live on, and will appear in Avengers: Doomsday alongside, or potentially in conflict with, the (true?) Avengers. Check out IGN's Thunderbolts Ending Explained: What Happens in the Post-Credits and How Does It Affect the MCU? for more.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Final Destination Bloodlines is making a killing at the global box office, shooting past the $100 million mark on launch weekend.

An even split of $51 million domestically and $51 million internationally make for an impressive $102 million globally. That’s the best opening weekend box office for a Final Destination film. With this start, Bloodlines looks on course to become the highest-grossing Final Destination film so far, ahead of current record-holder The Final Destination ($186.1 million in 2009).

Final Destination Bloodlines also looks set to successfully revive a franchise that has been dormant since 2011's Final Destination 5, which made $157 million worldwide.

IGN’s Final Destination Bloodlines review returned an 8/10. We said: “Final Destination: Bloodlines amps up the absurdity of Death’s design, and the resulting horror-comedy will have you dying laughing.” If you’ve seen the movie, check out our Final Destination Bloodlines ending explained.

Meanwhile, MCU flick Thunderbolts* is now up to $325.7 million worldwide after three weeks. For context, Captain America: Brave New World ended its theatrical run with $415 million at the global box office.

Sinners continues its impressive run at theaters. Ryan Coogler’s horror movie now has $316.6 million at the global box office. And A Minecraft Movie is inching towards $1 billion, with $928.6 million at the global box office.

Photo by Eric Milner. 2025 Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

We’re seeing big deals this weekend since Amazon decided to drop its Memorial Day sale a week early. Given the holiday is the unofficial start to summer, we’re seeing deep discounts on portable speakers and backup power, which are great for outdoor gatherings and camping trips. Other home essentials like lawn mowers, routers, and TVs are also hitting some of the lowest prices this year. So, it’s time to get shopping.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

While you’ll probably want to spend lots of time outside in the coming months, we’ve also found some tablets, LEGO sets, and puzzles on sale for those rainy days. And if you’re anticipating Magic: The Gathering’s epic Final Fantasy TCG crossover drop in June, the pre-orders are still live for the latest sets and single cards. Be sure to grab them before they sell out or prices skyrocket. You’ll probably want to keep your latest TCG investment protected, and luckily, PJU has a great deal on sleeves and toploaders, too.

PJU 200 Card Sleeves and Toploaders

Portable Speaker Deals

Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 300

Anker 325 Power Bank (PowerCore Essential 20K)

Roborock Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo

Tablets Are On Sale

LEGO Set Deals

Amazon Fire TV 55" 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV

Buy One, Get One 50% Off Books

Switch 2 Accessories Are Already Discounted

Greenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn Mower

Get 1 Year of Peacock Premium for $24.99

Ravensburger Puzzle Sale

Xbox Core Controller

TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System

ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K Monitor

Squishmallow Sale on Woot

MTG Final Fantasy Pre-Orders

Disney has officially begun its year-long celebration of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary and they invited us to preview all of the festivities it has planned throughout Summer 2026, and this guide will provide you with everything you need to know about the entertainment, food and beverages, merch, and more.

From the return of Paint the Night to new retro food items to a Disneyland Key that will unlock surprises all across the park, there’s a lot to look forward to when planning a trip to the park. Below, you will find the twelve things you need to know about Disneyland's 70th anniversary, and we'd love to hear what you are most excited about!

1. Paint the Night Is Back With Elsa, Anna, and Over One Million LED Lights

The return of Paint the Night, the fan-favorite nighttime parade that first debuted for Disneyland’s 60th anniversary, has perhaps received the most buzz in the lead-up to the celebrations of the park’s 70th. The parade’s initial run ended in 2016 and is now back with over one million LED lights, the return of Frozen’s Anna and Elsa, and more.

2. Disneyland is More Affordable Thanks to Limited-Time 70th Anniversary Ticket and Disneyland Hotel Offers

For those hoping to make a trip to Disneyland for its 70th anniversary celebrations, Disney is offering a few deals to make the trip a little more manageable. Guests will be able to purchase a multi-day theme park ticket for as low $360 with a special 3-day, 1-park per day ticket. There will also be an option to get a 4-day, 1-park per day ticket for as low as $400. These tickets will be good for May 16 - August 14 and they don’t need to be used on consecutive days.

For those looking to stay on property, guests will be able to save up to 20% on select stays at the Disneyland Hotel between May 16 and August 14. This will also give them the chance to check out how the Disneyland Hotel is celebrating its own 70th anniversary as well, as the hotel will have special decorations, themed in-room celebrations, unique beverages, and more.

Staying at a Disneyland Resort will also put guests just steps away from Downtown Disney, which is dressed up for the occasion. Alongside 70th anniversary medallions placed around the area with favorite Disney characters that are great photo spots and other decorations, the path to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will continue to offer all of its many food and shopping experiences.

3. World of Color Happiness! - A New Version of the Disney California Adventure Water Show Featuring Inside Out

World of Color Happiness! is the big new nighttime spectacular for Disney California Adventure, and it is actually the seventh version of World of Color since its debut in 2010. This show is all about celebrating happiness with over one million water fountains and projections, and it takes inspiration from Walt Disney’s words from Disneyland’s opening day park dedication, “To all who come to this happy place… welcome!”

Inside Out’s emotions are front-and-center in World of Color Happiness!, with Joy and the other emotions making up parts of the logo. Guests will be able to help alter the story of World of Color Happiness! and can vote on whether Sadness, Anger, Disgust, or Envy are featured in various scenes on the Disneyland app.

World of Color Happiness! also features a brand new pre-show with The Muppets, who also happen to be celebrating their 70th anniversary this year. As for the music, highlights include Boyz II Men, who recorded a special rendition of ‘Rainbow Connection,’ and FITZ, who recorded a new original song called ‘Makes Me Wanna Move.’

Check out our thoughts on 2023’s World of Color - ONE for Disneyland’s 100th anniversary, another very impressive and emotional show

4. Wondrous Journeys Celebrates Over 60 Walt Disney Animation Studios Films With Fireworks, Projections, and Music

Disneyland’s nighttime spectacular Wondrous Journeys, which first debuted for Disney’s 100th anniversary, is back for Disneyland’s 70th. This show celebrates over 60 films in Walt Disney Animation Studio’s catalog and, as Disney puts it, “illustrates the possibilities, excitement, heartache, and determination we all face when working to make our dreams come true.”

Wondrous Journeys is pretty much the same as it was, but it remains a favorite nighttime spectacular for fans of all ages. It’s also a show that is slightly different depending on where you are in Disneyland, as Main Street, U.S.A., Sleeping Beauty Castle, Rivers of America, and the façade of it’s a small world all offer unique experiences and moments.

Check out our thoughts on Wondrous Journeys in my Disney 100th Anniversary Guide, but this is a must-see show that is filled with so much heart, emotion, and truly special moments.

5. Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! Shines a Spotlight on the Importance of Friendship with Toy Story, Coco, and More

Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! is another returning parade that’s getting a new run for Disneyland’s 70th and it features many fan-favorite characters from beloved Pixar films like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Turning Red, Luca, Soul, Coco, Inside Out, Monsters, Inc., and Up.

The show is nearly identical to what it was when it debuted during Pixar Fest 2024, and it’s just as fun and still carries the same message.

“This parade wants to honor and celebrate the more recent films that Pixar produced where you feel like there are characters who feel lesser than… like they don’t belong,” Susana Tubert, creative director at Disney Live Entertainment, told us. “And through these friendships, they're upheld, they're celebrated, and they're accepted. And that's the message that we want this parade to share with our guests - that it's okay to be you, that you can bring your authentic self to Disneyland, and at the end of the day, we're better together.”

6. Tapestry of Happiness Brings a Special Projection Show to it’s a small world that Celebrates Disneyland’s Past

it’s a small world’s Tapestry of Happiness was the big surprise during the entire Disneyland 70th Anniversary Media Preview. For roughly five minutes, this show transforms the façade of it’s a small world with projection effects and music and celebrates the history of Disneyland in such a beautiful way.

The whole show is inspired by Disney Legend Mary Blair, who was responsible for the timeless design of it’s a small world, and many of Disneyland’s biggest attractions and shows get their time to shine, including Pirates of the Caribbean, the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Enchanted Tiki Room, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and many more. It’s made even more special as the songs from those experiences are woven into The Jonas Brothers’ ‘Celebrate Happy’ Disneyland 70th Anniversary theme song, and it’s really just the best.

That's not all for it's a small world after all, as Coco's Miguel and Dante have been added to the attraction just in time for the 70th anniversary. Additionally, a brand-new verse from the late Richard M. Sherman will be added to it's a small world on July 17.

7. The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade at Disneyland Stars Duffy and ShellieMay

Going into this 70th Anniversary Media Preview, we were perhaps most excited to take a look at The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade led by Duffy and ShellieMay. For those unfamiliar, Duffy was first designed as the “Disney Bear” in 2002 for Disney World’s Disney Springs, but he proved to not be very popular.

However, Tokyo Disney Resort took the idea and gave him a name - Duffy - alongside a story, friends like ShellieMay, and so much more, and it proved to be a great decision. He is very popular overseas, and now he and ShellieMay get a chance to shine stateside along other Disney favorites in a smaller parade that is still so worth a watch.

8. Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! Is the Perfect Place to Take Your Kids For Some Dancing and Fun

Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! is another pleasant surprise aimed at younger guests and encourages them to get up and dance and sing with Mickey and his friends.

This time around, Mickey and Minnie are trying to find Goofy, Daisy, and Pluto as they are missing from their party, and we get to visit each of their differently themed houses (two of which come with bubbles and fake snow!) for a fun adventure.

The music is fun and upbeat, and it will undoubtedly be a great place to escape the heat for a few moments and let kids get some energy out with some of their favorite characters!

9. Disneyland 70th Merch, Led by the Disneyland Key, Is a Celebration of Today and Yesterday

As with any big milestone at a Disney Park, there is a ton of new merch available for guests to celebrate with. For Disneyland’s 70th, the team at Disney wanted to not only celebrate this momentous occasion in 2025, but also honor the past. However, the item that has garnered the most buzz during the preview was the Disneyland Key.

This interactive key is now available and allows guests to “unlock magic” in all of the nine lands in Disneyland. There is one lock not-so-hidden in each land and there is a keyhole that fits the key perfectly. Each one does something special when unlocked, including playing music and showing lights and more, and it also adds that land’s icon to your key.

When you unlock each one - and don’t worry, you don’t have to do this all on one trip as it will save your progress - you can head to the Mickey Topiary Finale lock by the entrance of the park to unlock the final surprise. After you put the key in the lock and some bubbles fly to the sky in celebration, a secret compartment in the key will unlock with one of nine commemorative trading pins inside. These pins represent the lands of Disneyland and are just a fun way to celebrate you accomplishing your quest.

You can check all the 70th Anniversary merch offerings in the slideshow above and with the link right here.

10. Disneyland Food and Drinks Offer a Window Back in Time With a Delicious Twist

One of the best things to do at a Disney Park is try out all of the new food and drink offerings made available with a festival or big event, and the 70th anniversary is no exception. There are over 70 items to try during this year-long celebration, and they’re a mix of new delights and dishes inspired by Disneyland’s past.

What Chef Steven Medina and the team are doing with Disneyland’s 70th is very special, as the team really wanted guests to get a glimpse of what it was like when the gates opened for the first time. For example, there’s a Banana Split and a plate of Apple Pancake Rolls that guests can try that are recreations of actual items that were available on Disneyland’s first day.

As for the new offerings, these are new spins on beloved favorite treats like the 70th Celebration Churro. This twist on the park classic matches the purples, and blues, and pinks of the anniversary and features an ube sugar coating, marbled blue raspberry drizzle, and sprinkles.

You can check out the 70th anniversary food offerings in the slideshow above and right here!

11. Toy Story Midway Mania!, Carthay Circle, Downtown Disney, and Much More

There really is a ton of things to do and experience for Disneyland's 70th anniversary, and I wanted to highlight a few others to look out for, including a new glow up for Toy Story Midway Mania! This attraction at Disney California Adventure now features a ton of 70th anniversary stickers that Andy has put up that net you bonus points when you hit them. It's a very fun addition that adds some flair to the well-known attraction.

Also in DCA, Celebrate Happy: A Little Bit of Magic Every Night will illuminate the outside of Carthay Circle with lights, projections, and a special visit from Tinker Bell, and Animation Courtyard (which is one of my favorite places in all of Disneyland) now features Encanto, Coco, Soul, The Princess and the Frog, Zootopia, and Moana.

For those with MagicBand+, there will be special Disneyland 70th anniversary interaction points that will all do something fun, including those at Jungle Cruise and Frontierland that print out actual tickets that commemmorate this milestone.

12. Walt Disney - A Magical Life and More Experiences to Come

While the celebrations for Disneyland’s 70th begin on May 16, the actual anniversary won’t happen until July 17, which is also the same day Walt Disney - A Magical Life will make its big debut. This will be the first time Walt Disney will become an Audio-Animatronic and will welcome guests into his office to hear about his story.

We recently had the chance to go to Imagineering to learn more about this project, and you can read all about how Disney is bringing Walt back to life. This experience will open alongside an Evolution of a Dream exhibit that features many items from Walt’s past and another that celebrates the history of Disney’s cast members.

For more, check out our story of how a century of Disney Magic began and our list of the 25 best Disney animated movies of all time.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.

After about a hundred hours of being happily hunched over my Moza AB9 FFB Base and MH16 Flightstick, bolting in the Moza MTP Throttle and MTLP Panel felt like quite the level up. All that gear is starting to morph my office space into a serious simpit. Pretty soon I’ll be needing a flight suit, a spare 60K for this helmet, or maybe just intervention from my loved ones before those purchases can happen.

When I affixed it to my port side, the MTP Throttle delivered a fighter-jet-inspired grip, 27 programmable switches, an adjustable detent system for afterburner and trim positions, and game-changing vibration feedback that let me feel every gust and buffeting breeze.

Perched to starboard (or connected above the MTP, if you’d prefer), the MTLP Take-off and Landing Panel brings 25 Hall-effect-driven switches, a true-to-life parking brake lever, and telemetry-driven lighting straight from an iconic F/A-18 cockpit. And, when paired together, this Master Blaster of a peripheral is a chonk requiring 170 x 430mm worth of real estate.

Putting this bundle through its paces, mostly in an A-10 Warthog in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (complete with bunghole-puckering canyon runs), was a blast. I feel I’ve experienced every yaw-trim tweak, afterburner snap, gear-down click, and parking brake yank these peripherals can muster. Before I elaborate more, though, let’s talk about the deep end – prices. Or click here to skip the window shop to my continued thoughts.

Contents

• Prices
• Moza MTP
• Moza MTLP

Current Prices

Moza MTP Throttle

After you take a small age to bind every function to it, the MTP Throttle will competently emulate the full-range control demands of your fave fighter, from idle settings to screaming afterburner engagement and even centre-detent modes for precision yaw or spacecraft simulations. Inspired by carrier-based fighter throttle panels, its aluminium alloy grip felt substantial and reassuring in my clammy hands, far removed from the hollow plastic of my many budget joysticks from the Pentium-II days of yore.

Surrounding that dual-split throttle grip are 27 perfectly backlit physical switches, which include rotaries, toggles, and a Hall-effect mini-joystick. Basically,you have everything you need to assign flaps, trim, weapon selection, or camera angling/zooming without reaching for an immersion-breaking keyboard (which, let’s face it, should have little business in your sim-pit).

Tack on a 15-bit magnetic encoder for drift-free, ultra-precise throttle position sensing and dual vibration motors that more-than-decently rumble out aerodynamic buffeting or overspeed warnings, and you’ve got an impressive piece of all-in-one thrust control. Everything about this looks premium and feels smooth and crisp to the touch; a product worth an asking price that’s steeper than your average Immelman.

Sliding the lever forward in MSFS 2024’s A-10 felt mesmerising; the adjustable damping screw lets you dial in a heavy carrier-style feel or a nearly frictionless slide for rapid thrust chops, perfect for the Warthog’s “your ordnance delivered in 5 minutes or it’s free” strafing runs. Switch presses registered instantly, and the haptic feedback added subtle jolts when breaking the sound barrier in my mental Top Gun montage. After hours of gun runs and canyon drifts, wrist fatigue was minimal, thanks to the throttle’s ergonomic layout and smooth travel path.

In the final analysis, anyone craving realistic, customisable thrust control should find the MTP Throttle hard to resist. It commands a decent chunk of desk real estate and demands PC-only drivers, but its build quality, precision, and immersive feedback make it worth the investment. If you want to feel every ounce of power from idle to afterburner, this is a brilliant addition to any simmer’s ongoing flight(s) of fantasy.
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Moza MTLP Panel

As veteran eyes would have already spotted, the MTLP Panel is designed to ape the landing controls of an F/A-18, giving you 25 Hall-effect-monitored switches for gear, lights, flaps, and more, all laid out to guide your fingertips instinctively without glancing down. Its signature parking brake lever reproduces the spring-loaded recoil and rotation of real jet brakes, complete with a reassuring click on release that is satisfaction plus.

The composite housing and aluminium accents of the MTLP are consistent with the superb build quality of its sister MTP unit (though the hook and gear levers do feel a tad cheaper). Moza has struck a balance between sturdiness and lower weight so it stays firmly in place even during my most enthusiastic brake yanks (to let bogies fly right by–that old Pete Mitchell chestnut). Meanwhile, telemetry-driven LED indicators glow to confirm gear status or landing-light activation, turning your desk into a mini runway light show.

When I deployed landing gear during a low-altitude A-10 approach, the brain-muscle memory switch flick felt instantly familiar and satisfying, a vast improvement over fumbling with on-screen menus. The brake lever’s Hall-effect sensor gave crisp, drift-free inputs, and I never once forced a failed gear-up on final. Its compact footprint meant I could palm-reach each switch without looking down like a learner (after)burner or lifting off my stick.

Ultimately, the MTLP Panel makes takeoff and landing procedures more immersive and efficient, but at around A$299 (US$150) it’s definitely a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. If you’re piecing together a full fighter-jet cockpit and crave that final touch of realism, just be prepared to clear desk space or mount it securely.

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Better Together

There’s something undeniably thrilling about wielding hardware that echoes the heft and detail of real combat aircraft, especially when you’re diving into my test case scenarios (close-air support missions). The MTP Throttle and MTLP Panel aren’t merely flashy desk ornaments; they integrate seamlessly into Moza’s Cockpit Suite for drag-and-drop mapping, telemetric lighting, and vibration tuning, delivering an immersive sim experience.

Side note: I also have to say, as a primarily VR-based flight simmer, having so much functionality “where it ough to be” at one’s fingertips, as opposed to blindly faffing about on a keyboard, is next-level handy. Put simply, I cannot go back from here.

Whether you’re lining up for a low-and-slow bomb run or wrestling a heavy bomber through crosswinds, these peripherals elevate every cockpit interaction. If you can afford the mid-to-high-end price of admission, I say cue up some Kenny Loggins, engage those detents, retract your gear, and turn ‘n’ burn in an altogether higher tier of tactical.

Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.

It's never a bad time to get into the Legend of Zelda. Nintendo's legendary action-adventure franchise has seen over 25 mainline games and a handful of great spinoffs, and if you own a Nintendo Switch and subscribe to their online service, you have access to just about every single Zelda title to date. But the green-clad Hero of Time transcends just video games, so we've put together a gift guide for that special Zelda fan in your life. From the video games and controllers, books to apparel, and even an amazing LEGO Deku Tree set, there's quite literally something for both new and old Legend of Zelda fans alike.

Legend of Zelda Video Games

With the Nintendo Switch 2 just around the corner and both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom receiving performance upgrades, you can still pick up two of the best games the system still has to offer. And if you're waiting a bit to pick up the Switch 2, there are still plenty of other Legend of Zelda games to keep you occupied. Skyward Sword HD and the Link's Awakening remake are the best ways to revisit these older titles, while Echoes of Wisdom finally allows players to take control of Zelda. The first two Hyrule Warriors titles are incredibly fun action games, so be sure to check them out before Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment releases on Nintendo Switch 2.

Legend of Zelda Controllers and Accessories

Now what if you already have all these Legend of Zelda games, what are you supposed to play them with to show your support of the franchise? Luckily there are tons of great Zelda-themed controllers and accessories to deck your system out with. From official Zelda Joy-Con (I have Skyward Sword HD set, they look incredible!) and pro controllers to third-party Nintendo Switch dock covers, you'll be sprucing up your game room setup in no time.

For more things like this without the Zelda theme, you can check out our guide to the best Switch accessories.

Legend of Zelda Encyclopedias

Legend of Zelda Manga

There are an impressive amount of Legend of Zelda manga and encyclopedias that look great a shelf or coffee table. We put together a breakdown of all the Zelda books you should know about, like the wide breadth of manga covering the games from the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and even both Oracles of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. The encyclopedias are great collectibles for any Zelda fan, as they offer closer looks at the lore and history of Hyrule, complete with old concept art and sketches.

Legend of Zelda Puzzles, Cards, and Board Games

There are tons of great jigsaw puzzles for adults, and the Legend of Zelda-themed puzzles are among our favorite. The 1.000-piece Hyrule map puzzle would look right at home framed over a fireplace once complete. You can also find a handful of classic board games with a Legend of Zelda skin, such as the Monopoly Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition or Legend of Zelda Uno. Also, be sure to have a look at the official Zelda playing cards (these are Japanese imports only!).

LEGO Great Deku Tree Set

Legend of Zelda Amiibo and Action Figures

There are dozens upon dozens of available Nintendo Amiibo figures, and the Legend of Zelda characters make up a healthy chunk of them. You can scan these figures on your Nintendo Switch system to unlock different features in various Nintendo Games. Check out our breakdown of every Legend of Zelda Amiibo. You can also grab a couple of Legend of Zelda action figures from the IGN store, like super detailed Zelda and Ganondorf Figma action figures from Tears of the Kingdom.

Legend of Zelda Apparel

Also available on the IGN store are tons a great Legend of Zelda apparel items. T-shirts, hoodies, and crew necks all with sweet Legend of Zelda designs are available in various sizes. The designs vary from retro pixel art to stylized images of classic scenes from throughout the series' entire history. I'm a big fan fan of the Wind Waker stained glass crew neck, myself.

Legend of Zelda Replica Weapons, Drinkware, Vinyl Records

Everything listed here is just scratching the surface of the awesome collectibles and items you can get with a Legend of Zelda theme tacked onto it. On the IGN store, you can pick up a replica Master Sword and Hylian Shield, great for future cosplays or game room displays. I highly recommend the 2LP vinyl record set from iam8bit which include a collection of the some of the series' best tracks. On Amazon, you can find an array of Zelda memorobilia like mugs, thermoses, and coasters. You can even buy a working ceramic ocarina!

Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.

Memorial Day Weekend may still be a week away, but some Memorial Day deals are already here. Whether you're looking to gear up with a pair of noise-canceling headphones for your summer eurotrip or want to get your yard in tip-top shape with a lawnmower, there's something on sale for you. Amazon even has a special buy one get one 50% off promotion on a wide range of books.

TL;DR: Deals for Today

That’s not all you can grab, as Magic: The Gathering’s epic Final Fantasy TCG crossover still has pre-orders live for their latest boxes. To ensure you get your favorite characters, some pre-orders are open for single cards, too.

Switch 2 Accessories Are Already Discounted

beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian

Greenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn Mower

LEGO Star Wars R2-D2

MTG Final Fantasy Pre-Orders

Buy One, Get One 50% Off Books

Get 1 Year of Peacock Premium for $24.99

Xbox Core Controller

Amazon Fire HD 10

TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System

ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K Monitor

Ring Doorbell

Ravensburger Puzzle Sale

Squishmallow Sale on Woot

Skytech Gaming PCs are Discounted

With Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returning for Season 3 on July 17, the marketing is about to heat up for the continuing mission of Captain Pike and the rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise. But some Trek fans may be a bit confused by the teaser trailer for the new season, which hints at the inclusion of a holodeck – technology that wasn’t really seen in the world of Trek until Captain Picard’s Next Generation adventures kicked off in 1987.

Since TNG was set about 100 years after The Original Series, which in and of itself is set about a decade after Strange New Worlds, this moment in the teaser trailer seems like a bit of a continuity gaffe. And yet there’s Spock (Ethan Peck) and La’An (Christina Chong) standing on the very familiar grid of the holodeck – La’An even has on period clothing, indicating she’s heading into some holo-adventure.

Watch the teaser here:

Other shots in the trailer seem to be setting up a murder-mystery episode – Clue in space! – with the whole cast getting to play dress-up… no doubt on the holodeck with La’An. But again, you ask, why is there a holodeck on the OG Enterprise at all!?

Well, first of all, let’s put aside all the other possibilities that sci-fi (or even basic storytelling) offer us. This could be a dream, or it could be an alien creation, like a reality created by Q (or a Q-type being like Trelane, the TOS one-and-done character who turned out to basically be a baby Q, and is rumored to be returning for this season of SNW). Or this could be time travel! Or an alternate reality! Or…

Nah, this is a holodeck. But the thing is, the holodeck didn’t originate on Next Generation. Not really. In fact, the concept goes back to this version of the Enterprise (no bloody A, B, C or D…). According to Memory Alpha, the book Inside Star Trek: The Real Story reports that Trek creator Gene Roddenberry wanted to include a holodeck-like area on the ship in the third season of The Original Series, but budget constraints proved prohibitive. He finally did get the idea onscreen, however, on Star Trek: The Animated Series in 1974. In the episode “The Practical Joker,” a version of the holodeck is featured – but it’s called a “recreation room.” Sulu, Dr. McCoy and Uhura use it to go to the beach, and then to a forest, but even back then holodeck malfunctions were a thing. (The ship’s computer becomes the practical joker of the episode title and causes all kinds of mischief for the folks in the rec room.)

But beyond that, Star Trek: Discovery also featured something that was holodeck-adjacent, if not an actual holodeck. This was in Season 1 of that series, which is set even earlier than Strange New Worlds. Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) are undergoing some military training exercises in what amounts to a holographic setting. There’s no grid on the wall, but then again, there’s no malfunction either! Seems like a win?

All of which is to say, yes, holodeck tech did exist in some form back during Captain Pike’s era. Now let’s see if they call it a “rec room” – if they do, then you’ll know the writers are really paying attention to Trek history.

If you're looking for DTI codes, IGN's got you covered! In this article, you'll find a list of all the active and working Dress to Impress codes in May 2025 that you can redeem for free rewards and bonuses in DTI, including outfits and accessories like hats, bags, and jewelry.

Active Dress to Impress Codes (May 2025)

Here are all the active Dress to Impress codes in May 2025 and the free rewards you get for redeeming them:

• LNY2025 - Cheongsam Dress and Tang Suit, expires 8 AM PT on May 19, 2025 (NEW! Re-released old code)
• HAPPYNEWYEAR - Hanfu, expires 8 AM PT on May 19, 2025 (NEW! Re-released old code)
• ANGELT4NKED - Helmet
• 3NCHANTEDD1ZZY - Wand
• ELLA - Skirt
• 1CON1CF4TMA - Sweater dress
• B3APL4YS_D0L1E - Doll accessory
• MEGANPLAYSBOOTS - Boots
• CH00P1E_1S_B4CK: Streetwear outfit set
• S3M_0W3N_Y4Y: Axe
• KREEK: Bear hat
• LANA: White shorts, shirt, and legwarmers
• LANABOW: White bow
• BELALASLAY: Black jacket with pink halter top
• LANATUTU: White dress
• IBELLASLAY: Red, green, and blonde hairstyle
• M3RM4ID: Orange mermaid set
• TEKKYOOZ: White handbag
• LABOOTS: Black boots
• ITSJUSTNICHOLAS: Black jacket
• ASHLEYBUNNI: Bunny slippers
• LEAHASHE: Sweatshirt and sweatpants
• KITTYUUHH: Black cat
• C4LLMEHH4LEY: Puffy dress and bear headband
• SUBM15CY: Necklace and eyelashes
• D1ORST4R: Bag and bow

All Expired Dress to Impress Codes

Below, you'll find a list of expired DTI codes that no longer work and can't be redeemed as of May 2025:

• Your unique Easter 2025 Easter Bunny Set code
• UMOYAE
• FASHION
• BADDIE4LIFE
• Your unique April Fools' Day 2025 Flamethrower code
• M0T0PRINCESSWAV
• CUPIDSCLOUD
• SWEETHEART (was only redeemable between February 15 and February 16, 2025 at 8AM PT)
• YEAROFTHESNAKE
• NY2025
• WINTERUPDATE (was only redeemable between 8 AM - 11 AM PT on Saturday, 14 December!)
• 4BILLION
• CHOOPIE10K
• THEGAMES
• EYELASHES
• REWARD4CLASS1C

How to Redeem Dress to Impress Codes

Follow the steps below to redeem Dress to Impress codes and claim free rewards in DTI:

1. Open the Dress to Impress Roblox Experience.
2. Click on the handbag icon on the left-hand side to open the DTI Codes menu.
3. Enter your code in the "Type here..." field.
4. Check for any spelling mistakes or errors.
5. Click the checkmark icon to redeem the code.

Why Isn't My Dress to Impress Code Working?

If the code you're trying to redeem in DTI isn't working, it's likely because of one of two reasons:

• The Dress to Impress code is expired
• There's a spelling mistake in the code

When inputting a DTI code in Roblox, make sure it's spelled correctly (for example, a capital I isn't a lowercase l, 0 and not O, and vice versa) and that there are no spaces before or after the code. We'd recommend copying and pasting codes straight from our article to ensure they're correct as we've tested and verified that the codes on this page are working ourselves.

If your DTI code still isn't working after checking for typos, it's more than likely expired and can no longer be redeemed in Dress to Impress.

How to Get More DTI Codes

To get more Dress to Impress codes, the best way is to join the official DTI Discord server. While we check for new codes daily, the quickest way to know about new Dress to Impress codes is to follow the Roblox experience's official Discord server where updates are posted in real time.

You can also check the Dress to Impress X account and the official DTI Roblox Group page.

Are There Any Upcoming DTI Codes?

Now that the Petal Update is live, we currently do not know of any upcoming Dress to Impress codes. We'll update this page as soon as we find out!

What is Dress to Impress in Roblox?

Dress to Impress is a popular dress-up Roblox Experience available on PC, console, and iOS and Android mobile devices. In it, you put on your best outfit to complete a specific theme and walk the runway in a bid to earn votes from other players and become a top model. As you gain votes, you gain ranks and can access more clothing and accessories, so make sure you're truly dressed to impress! Also, for toy lovers and collectors, you can now pre-order a mystery pack of 2 Dress to Impress minifigures right now for $30 at Walmart.

Doom. Four letters, two gunbarrels, one space marine and boatloads of demon guts is all it takes to change the face of gaming forever.

Id Software’s seminal series is ground zero for first-person shooters, PC gaming, online multiplayer, community modding, speedrunning, and so, so much more.

Video games are still living in the shadow of this infernal masterpiece three-decades later. The FPS genre has evolved a lot since the days they were called “Doom-likes,” and so has the series itself– with varying degrees of success.

How does your favorite title rank among the seven (or so) main entries in the franchise? Which Doom games cover themselves in guts and glory, and which are cursed to wallow knee-deep in the unalived? We promise not to be too rough as we rip and tear through the series to bring you every Doom: Ranked.

7. Doom 3

2004’s Doom 3 is the end result of an ultimatum John Carmack issued to the rest of Id, and it kind of feels that way.

Carmack was dead-set on making a next-generation remake of Doom to showcase the impressive new light and shadow capabilities of the IdTech 4 engine. Doom co-creator John Romero was long gone at this point, and the remaining Id OGs were staunchly opposed to what they saw as a retread– a tech demo in search of a purpose. Carmack very publicly overruled them, and thus we have Doom 3.

To their credit, Carmack and crew made some big changes in pursuit of modernizing the series. Doom 3 is a slower, more story-driven affair than the first two games. There are voiced NPCs and lore-filled terminals that you interact with in a super clever way. Its jumpscares and “monster closets” instill a sense of anxious survival horror, a sharp contrast to the run-and-gun arcade frenzy of classic Doom.

It’s a valiant effort to bring Doom to a new generation of gamer culture. The problem is that this generation was extremely ugly.

The graphics tech itself is awesome. The projectiles and explosions almost make the game’s dull metal hallways interesting, but Id’s decision to showcase the game’s lighting engine is the game’s fatal flaw. You can’t see anything. Intentionally. The game is tuned to be super dark until you switch to your flashlight, which you cannot use at the same time as your weapon.

This was largely met with derision from fans, but the combat is actually tuned around it– juggling between seeing your enemy and shooting it creates a huge amount of drama and tension. It’s actually kind of cool, just not that fun. A popular “duct tape” mod addressed this, as did Doom 3’s “BFG Edition” remaster, but it somehow makes things worse. Having your light and your gun trivializes the entire combat loop. It’s the worst of both worlds.

The new demon designs are sapped of color and charm, turning iconic abominations into run-of-the-mill Umbrella B.O.W.s. It’s impossible to envision them as anything but their counterparts in the 2005 movie. The aesthetic is very of its era and just all wrong for Doom.

Doom is a heavy metal mural airbrushed on the side of a speeding van. Doom 3 is the embodiment of nu metal butt rock– more Mudvayne than Metallica. Decent for what it is, but it would take 12 years more before the series got a refresh with some actual rizz.

6. Doom 64

Some fans insist that Doom 64 is the true sequel to Doom 1 and 2. Id closely supervised Midway Games’ development of the N64 exclusive, resulting in an interesting but ultimately inconsequential side entry in the series– A Doom gaiden.

The game still utilizes sprites, but instead of digitized photos of hand-sculpted maquettes, Doom 64’s demons are pre-rendered with the same SGI tech as Donkey Kong Country. The enemy designs are slightly more subdued, but nowhere near the grey blobs of Doom 3, and they’re a higher resolution than the vintage bestiary.

Doom 64 isn’t hurt too much by its titular console’s limitations, but there are fewer enemies thanks to small cartridge sizes, and the reduced animation frames on the shotguns really robs them of their kick. Worst of all, Midway couldn’t get multiplayer working, despite four-player, split-screen Doom deathmatches being a perfect fit for the system that gave us Goldeneye.

Still, on the whole the game looks great. Doom 64 has a uniquely bleak, gothic vibe, with a gorgeous colored lighting system that’s impressively sophisticated for the era.

Instead of MIDI speed metal, the soundtrack is a dark ambient drone. There’s no HUD, no grimacing Doomguy face, only subtle numbers and letters rendered in bleary N64 textures. The gameplay is largely the same, though a new scripted events system creates neat opportunities for map design.

Doom 64 seems like the game Carmack’s co-owners were afraid Id was going to make: More Doom, slightly different. It’s just not different enough to warrant a higher place on the list. Doom 64 is a fun, fascinating, evolutionary dead end.

That brings us to another followup that doesn’t reinvent the wheel:

5. Doom II

Today’s fans demand big changes to make a sequel worthwhile, but in the olden days folks were perfectly happy with an iterative successor like Doom II.

32 new levels designed in-house by Id, a bunch of new enemies, and just one new weapon was more than enough to make Doom II the highest-selling software program of 1994.

Doom II is Doom refined. Old monsters are reconfigured in clever ways while fresh faces like the Revenant and Arch-Vile add more complexity to demon distribution. Your arsenal has only one addition, but it’s a weapon that would come to define Doom: the Super Shotgun.

So, with all this great new stuff, shouldn’t Doom II be a straight upgrade to the original? It almost is, but Doom II’s map design just doesn’t hit the same.

Maybe it’s the amount of larger, more open levels compared to the disciplined precision of the original’s holy spaces. Doom II was billed as “Hell on Earth,” but the aging tech couldn’t really produce convincing Suburbs or Downtown the same way Duke Nukem’s Build Engine would a couple of years later.

It’s also possible that John Romero was checked out. On the verge of leaving the company after clashing over Quake, Romero contributed fewer and less-interesting maps to Doom II compared to his ten definitive levels from the first game, which may be why Id programmers snuck their co-founder’s disembodied head inside the final boss.

Doom II feels like less of a journey than Doom. As shareware, the first game was divided into three (later four) clear episodes, with interstitial map screens between levels tracing your path of destruction across the moons of Mars until thy flesh is consumed by Hell itself.

As a boxed game from the get go, Doom II is presented as a barely-connected 32-level megawad. The game supposedly depicts a full-on demon invasion of Earth, but this is mostly conveyed through three different skyboxes.

Map duties were largely handled by designers American McGee, of later Alice fame, and Sandy Peterson, who really shines with unique gimmick levels like Tricks & Traps and the infamous Barrels o’ Fun. Doom II has some great maps and lots of innovative twists on the formula, but on the whole it’s a less cohesive and satisfying package than the first game.

At the time, map quality didn’t matter quite as much. Fans had already been sharing their own custom levels en masse, passed around as .wad files via floppy disks and 28-kilobaud modems. Doom II is almost more notable as a platform than as a standalone title. It gave modders and wadders a chance to shine and even go legit.

A group called TeamTNT created two megawads that impressed Id so much they bought the rights and slapped them together for retail as “Final Doom.” Today, these maps and others have been fully incorporated into the canon by modern releases of Doom II. It makes the game a more comprehensive product, but that’s not enough to elevate it above our next, and most recent entry:

4. Doom: The Dark Ages

The Dark Ages couldn’t be more different than Doom II. A sequel that refuses to offer more of the same, The Dark Ages takes a sharp turn away from the neon frenzy of Doom Eternal into a grim and gothic new setting, with drastically altered gameplay to match.

If Eternal is Doom meets Devil May Cry, The Dark Ages is Doom Souls. The gameplay isn’t slow, like some of the trailers would have you believe, but it is deliberate, and the player’s individual actions have more consequences.

Stand and fight is more than just a marketing slogan, it’s the only way you’re going to take down some bosses and badder enemies. Melee combat means getting up close and personal with monsters, trading mace blows and shotgun blasts in a boxing match from hell.

Gone is Eternal’s verticality, deliberately downplayed in homage to the original Doom’s lack of a jump button. Projectiles move more slowly, choking the battlefield with patterns that evoke bullet-hell shmups and Serious Sam. Glory kills are a shadow of their former, well, glory, taking a backseat to the new rhythms of The Dark Ages’ combat.

The most impactful addition to the Doom formula is the parry mechanism that allows the player to deflect green attacks with the integral new shield saw. It’s the backbone around which the game is designed and it’s not going to click with everybody, but

The Dark Ages brings a few firsts to the franchise, like friendly NPCs fighting alongside the Slayer and difficulty sliders to make the series more accessible. It’s also the first game since Doom 64 to lack any kind of multiplayer.

The Slayer trilogy’s online components have been a noble but largely perfunctory effort. Id decided to ditch it entirely and focus on making the most compelling campaign they could, exchanging multiplayer and snapmap for dragon riding and giant mechs. It’s bummer to see the IP that literally invented deathmatch drift away from multiplayer entirely, but frankly a lot of fans aren’t going to miss it.

You have to give modern Id credit: they just will not make the same game twice. Will The Dark Ages become the new way forward for the franchise or merely an interesting diversion like the aforementioned Doom 64? Only time will tell if it has the same staying power as our next entry,

3. Doom: Eternal

Doom: Eternal is a Doom game’s Doom game. It’s everything a fan of Doom 2016 would expect from a sequel, and while the vibe is different from its predecessor, the whole experience feels more vibrant and alive.

The Doom franchise isn’t exactly known for its awe-inspiring vistas and diverse biomes, but Eternal impressively mixes snow levels and baroque ivory fortresses in with the usual techbases and fleshy hellscapes. We’re not used to seeing this kind of environmental variety in Doom, and it’s a refreshing change of pace.

The monsters have shed the last remnants of their realistic Doom 3 designs and embraced their inner iconography. Cacodemons bleed blue again, the Imps have all their spikes back, and the former humans have once again embraced the crew cut. If Illumination ever made an animated Doom movie, this is what the monsters would look like.

In line with the more expressive demons, Doom: Eternal embraces its inherent arcadeiness. The Doomslayer now has extra lives, which he secures from glowing in-world pickups that literally say “1UP.” Weapons and items now float off the ground and spin around, easier to spot and snag as you double jump across implausible arenas with not one but two airdashes.

Doom: Eternal is unrepentantly a video game, designed for maximum readability and playability. It’s worth noting that the game’s technical performance is impeccable, offering smooth frame rates across a variety of hardware that would make its famously compatible ancestor proud.

When it comes to combat, Doom: Eternal asks a lot more of you than 2016. Ammo is much more scarce, forcing you to juggle through most of your weapons in nearly every fight. Choosing the right gun for the right enemy and exploiting their weak spots is essential, though some fans argue that the Marauders, dark Doomguy counterparts with a limited vulnerability window, are a bridge too far for the power fantasy.

Doom: Eternal’s biggest flaw is that it’s doing too much. The Doomslayer has new guns and enemies to deal with, a meathook to yank yourself across the battlefield, and a shoulder cannon with grenades and bombs and fire belches that are crucial for survival– on top of an avalanche of additional collectibles, resources, and upgrade trees

Even the Doomguy himself has gotten a little too big for his armored green britches, having somehow come into possession of a massive outer space fortress between games, a vast hub to explore that has plenty of great easter eggs and secrets but also a lot of locked doors and samey-looking hallways to get lost in.

Speaking of getting lost, Doom: Eternal suffers under a sheer mountain of lore. Endless paragraphs of indecipherable sci-fi fantasy with more proper nouns than a phone book are at your bloody fingertips. To some, it’s a welcome addition that makes the series that much more rich. For others, it’s an albatross around the neck of Doom’s action-first ethos: start shooting as soon as the screen melts.

It’s an excellent sequel, superior to its predecessor in many ways, but as a total package, it falls just short of

2. Doom (2016)

Doom 2016 is the platonic ideal of Doom.

It marries the kinetic and aesthetic purity of the original with a winking, self-aware tone that evokes not just the first game’s “Hurt Me Plenty” attitude but society’s perception of the series.

This is the Doom we envisioned in our adolescent brains. It’s the Doom of the infamous ‘90s comic, the ultraviolent nightmare that Jack Thompson and Joe Lieberman warned us about– and it is glorious. But Doom 2016 almost didn’t happen.

The game was originally conceived as “Doom 4,” designed around a dull-looking modern-day demon invasion that incorporated some of the worst excesses of 7th-gen shooter design.

Scripted setpieces, cover-based firefights, and health regeneration earned Doom 4 the derisive nickname “Call of Doom.” Why “press F to pay respects” when you could “press F to rip a demon’s jaw off and slice open its belly?”

Marty Silva and Hugo Martin salvaged Doom 4 from the shores of development hell by stripping it into a back-to-basics, gleefully indulgent romp that fully rekindles the lost soul of the series.

It’s no coincidence that retro “boomer shooters” comeback began right around Doom 2016. The aggressive, push-forward gameplay has you leaping onto cacodemons in midair as Mick Gordon’s impossibly detuned guitars belch out riffs of pure hype. It’s here we first see the glory kills, expanded on in future sequels but never quite as elegant as their debut.

Simple is the operative word of Doom 2016, and sometimes to its detriment. Unlike later games, there’s little incentive to cycle through your weapons. It’s easy to let the rockets or the SSG carry you to the Spider-Mastermind. Still, the barebones approach is appreciated, particularly when it comes to the plot.

It was John Carmack who famously compared video game stories to those of x-rated movies: “It’s expected to be there, but not important.” Doom 2016’s less-is-more approach is extremely refreshing after the dense Metal Hurlant nightmares of its sequels. The storytelling is never really bad in Eternal or The Dark Ages, but also never quite as funny as the Doomslayer seething with impatient rage as exposition drones on.

It took some huge guts to name the 2016 reboot “Doom,” but that very confidence is what propels this game to greatness. There’s only one shooter in the world that could possibly top Doom 2016.

But first:

1. Doom

Doom has more than earned its spot on the Mt. Rushmore of the medium.

As chronicled in the excellent book Masters of Doom, the game's creation is a brilliant example of developers stripping away extraneous details and focusing on what works. As a followup to Id’s groundbreaking but plodding and plain shooter Wolfenstein 3D, original designer Tom Hall dreamed up a sprawling space RPG with multiple playable characters, an inventory system, and a thick “bible” filled with backstory and lore.

Carmack and Romero rightly recognized all of this as chaff that got in the way of the fast and brutal gameplay they envisioned. They slowly stripped away unnecessary flavor and realism until what remained was a bare-bones, no BS exercise in adrenaline. Doom is like the titular Xenomorph in Alien: One must respect its purity.

There’s no mouselook in the original Doom. Aiming on the y-axis literally doesn’t matter, you can hit that Imp on a ledge above you as long as it’s centered on your gun. Doomguy cannot jump, and his only interaction with the world besides shooting, punching, and chainsawing is a single “use” button that you’ll spam endlessly as you search each legendary map for secret doors.

Anyone can pick up the game today, whether through a fan-made source port or an official rerelease, and immediately understand the assignment. Run, gun, rip and tear. Find keys and snag powerups to keep Doomguy alive as he stares bullets through your soul from the UI.

To say Doom has aged is to say Tetris or Pac Man has aged. Its simplicity is its greatest strength– there’s almost no friction between you and the coveted “flow state” towards which all action games aspire. Doom’s kinetic appeal makes it immortal,

Released as shareware, anyone with a working PC was free to play the first episode of Doom, from the iconic first moments of E1M1 to beating the Bruiser Brothers in Phobos Anomaly. You could mail a check to Id if you wanted more, but the sheer accessibility and availability of Knee-Deep in the Dead’s nine perfect levels all but ensured Doom’s dominance.

Doom became shorthand for gaming itself. The moral panic over video game violence resulted in pundits and politicians alike warning parents of the gory, demonic slaughter simulator warping their children’s minds, blaming the shooter for real-world tragedies. It's a sad footnote in an otherwise unparalleled success story, and a formative moment in gaming history that helped shape a still-developing industry.

At the start of every new project, the current developers at Id play through the original Doom, to re-familiarize themselves with its brilliance and look for interesting new ways to expand the formula.

Every single entry on this list is in some way a response to the first game, either trying to recapture its glory or recreate what makes it fun. Some games succeed, others have faltered, but they’re all chasing after perfection that was already achieved in 1993. Doom is still the best Doom.

Where does your favorite Doom rank on the spectrum? Would you have put Eternal above 2016? Should we have included the surprisingly awesome mobile phone RPGs? Leave a comment and let us know.

This review contains spoilers for season 2, episode 6 of Doctor Who, “The Interstellar Song Contest.”

“The Interstellar Song Contest” somehow manages to squeeze in enough moving parts that it could probably fuel an entire season of Doctor Who. A galactic Eurovision in space (debuting the day of its earthbound counterpart’s final round), well-realised antagonists, surprise cameos, and more all jostle for attention in a tight 45-minute runtime. It’s a lot to take in, and the episode does end up a little bloated, but the script holds it all together with a sharp sense of fun. Writer Juno Dawson gleefully leans into Doctor Who’s love of big, pulpy sci-fi spectacle, wheeling out “delta waves” and “mavity” jokes, and the result is an episode that feels remarkably alive and focused in spite of all it has to pay attention to. Director Ben A. Williams even matches Dawson’s maximalist energy with confident, striking visuals, none more so than a chilling sequence where 100,000 people are flung out of a space station. It’s yet another stand-out example of season 2 nailing its horror-inspired themes – the scene alone is one of the highlights of the whole season.

It’s also the season’s best showing from its side characters so far. With so much plot to juggle, it would have been easy to let them blur into the background like usual, but “The Interstellar Song Contest” gets surprising mileage out of its supporting cast. Even the episode’s cameos (such as Rylan and Graham Norton) serve a larger purpose, but none more notable than the dramatic reappearance of Carole Ann Ford as Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter. It’s a huge cameo that avoids feeling like empty fan service, with just enough weight to justify its impact. Despite everything “The Interstellar Song Contest” is already trying to balance, the episode makes a clear effort to ensure its characters actually matter, not just take up space, whether that’s in a one-off appearance or the return of the character that gave the very first Doctor Who serial its name.

The same can be said for this week's main threat, “Kid” and “Wynn,” members of an alien race known as the Hellions, humanoids with distinctive horns protruding from their heads. They won’t be troubling any all-time great lists, but rather than rolling out moustache-twirling schemes, their plan is rooted in a tangible motivation: revenge for the destruction of their homeworld for profit, an event tied to the Song Contest’s corporate sponsor. This also ties neatly into one of the season’s strongest throughlines: its timely and affecting look at issues of race, displacement, and discrimination. From the Doctor and Belinda’s reflections on community in “The Story & The Engine” to the unflinching depiction of 1960s racism in “Lux”, these topics have been explored with a deft hand so far this season, and that continues with the broad-but-effective allegory for the marginalized that is the Hellions.

It’s easy to empathise with their anger, made all the more troubling when considering that they’re out to kill 3 trillion people in response. That makes pitting them against the Doctor increasingly more interesting. Their confrontations are surprisingly intense, and “The Interstellar Song Contest” even does a good job of playing up 15’s quirky veneer to set up a dramatic jolt later on. One minute he’s blasting back into the space station on a confetti cannon, the next he’s lashing out. His sudden outburst reveals a darker edge that has been largely hidden this season, and it’s a welcome return of a more complex side to the character. But while the intent is clear and the scene mostly works, it does feel a little sudden.

As we approach the end of the season, Belinda remains a captivating presence, but she also feels like someone caught in the same character development rush as the Doctor. Her unique background provides a sturdy foundation, but her connection with the Time Lord now ironically feels both hyper-accelerated and strangely static, forced to carry the emotional heft of an incoming two-part finale without the organic growth a longer episode, or season, might have allowed. There are several great ideas sprinkled throughout “The Interstellar Song Contest”, such as Belinda’s fear of being displaced in time and space, or her distrust of the Doctor after seeing the Time Lord’s rage, but it all ends up feeling rather sidelined by the end. Ultimately, while “The Interstellar Song Contest” is bursting with ideas, and its ambitious scope is one of the many reasons it’s so enjoyable, it also unfortunately gets squeezed by the season’s eight-episode sprint. Still, it’s a testament to its energy and ambition that it remains so undeniably charming, even if it leaves you wishing there was just that little bit more to experience.

When The Mandalorian and Grogu is released next year on May 22, 2026 – the first new Star Wars movie to hit theaters in six and a half years – and then Grand Theft Auto VI hits four days later on May 26, 2026 – the first new GTA game in 12 and a half years – which one do you think is going to be the bigger deal? And which is going to be same old/same old?

On paper at least, these should be two of the biggest pop culture events of the year – the Barbenheimer of 2026. A new Star Wars movie? A new GTA title!? Grand Theft Watto!!? And while we can guarantee that GTA 6 will be huge – it’s already huge – The Mandalorian and his little friend are actually far less of a sure thing.

It reminds me of when I was a kid and I told my Noni that I would eat pizza every day if I could. And I meant it! She was like, no, you’d get sick of it eventually. But man, pizza every day sounds amazing! You know what though? Noni was 100% right. Pizza every day is actually really freaking gross, and it’s bad for you, and it’s bad for the people selling the pizza in the long run because eventually I’m just going to not want to even think about pizza again for a long, long time.

And this is where we’re at with Star Wars right now: It’s pizza every day, over and over again. But GTA… the anticipation for a new GTA game has been building for years. And in some ways, that very anticipation is a big part of the allure of the franchise as well. It’s something Lucasfilm and Disney would do well to take note of.

It’s not that GTA has a bigger cultural footprint than Star Wars. On the contrary, everyone knows who Darth Vader is (even my Noni did, I expect; at the very least she got me a TIE Fighter toy for my third-grade graduation). But the GTAs of the world are still aimed at a tighter demographic. The reason something like GTA can make as much money as it does (more on that in a sec) is because folks spend a lot more playing a game like that than they do going to see a movie. Its success is not because more people are playing it than are watching Star Wars. But one must also consider the lasting impact of a game of this nature, the amount of time that it takes to complete, the replayability, and the interactivity versus the, frankly, old-fashioned act of watching a movie or show and then moving on.

2015’s The Force Awakens, which kicked off the era of modern (i.e., Disney) Star Wars, brought in $2.071 billion at the box office worldwide. But Lucasfilm’s hyperdrive motivator was already starting to lose some steam by the time the Sequel Trilogy closed out: The last new Star Wars movie to be released, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, made $1.077 billion, almost half what The Force Awakens did. Star Wars was already feeling pretty commonplace after just four short years of its return to the big screen, and the numbers bear that out.

The Force Awakens actually serves as a better comparison than Rise of Skywalker to the last Grand Theft Auto game, GTA 5, since the game came out in 2013. That just lets us compare the amount of money the two properties brought in a little more cleanly since it’s just a two-year gap between releases. And even though Rey, Finn and Poe’s first adventure (remember them?) is also the fifth-highest grossing film of all time worldwide (not adjusted for inflation), its numbers still pale in comparison to those of GTA 5.

So about that: Released in September 2013, GTA 5 made a billion dollars in three days. By May of 2014, the game had sold 33 million copies, which would come to approximately $1.98 billion in sales (based on a price of $60 per unit, which is an estimate and doesn’t take into account sale prices, for example). I know – you’re thinking, ‘That’s still below The Force Awakens’ $2.017 billion and it took nine months to get there.’ But whereas The Force Awakens made all that theatrical dough in just a couple of months before leaving theaters, GTA 5 just kept on grabbing the loot year after year after year.

In 2023, Barron’s reported that GTA 5 had grossed over $8.5 billion since its release in 2013. And last year, publisher Take-Two revealed in an earnings report that the game had, at that time, continued to sell approximately five million units every three months. This is of course in part due to the fact that GTA 5 has been released on three generations of consoles over the years, and the revenue from GTA Online must be considered as well.

By comparison, the combined box office total of all the Disney-era Star Wars movies – The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One, and Solo – is $5.934 billion. That’s, well, a few billion dollars less than what is essentially a single game in GTA 5. But the other money that the Star Wars franchise brings in is a little harder to track – Blu-rays, digital downloads, streaming, merchandising, theme parks, and, of course, its licensed video games as well.

Things get a bit opaque here because while having, for example, all the Star Wars movies (and TV shows) available on Disney+ exclusively is certainly a draw for potential subscribers, it’s also difficult to attach a dollar value to that scenario. Ditto the theme parks. Yes, you too can rub elbows with an ersatz Rey while at Galaxy’s Edge, and you can also pay $200-plus for a custom lightsaber to shut up your kid’s whining, but how much does that add to the overall take-home of quote/unquote Star Wars itself? (Star Wars games, meanwhile, can be hit or miss; for every Jedi Fallen Order success there’s an Outlaws that has a rough go of it.) Does all the Star Wars stuff in the world that people can and do buy make up that extra three billion dollars to put the series at the same gross revenue point as GTA 5? Maybe.

But that’s only one Grand Theft Auto game as compared to the entirety of the modern Star Wars line. Of course, GTA’s online multiplayer mode, with its new cars and interactive events, keeps players coming back over and over again – easily spending beyond the price of the game itself thanks to its in-game currency. (And by the way, why doesn’t GTA have a more extensive line of merchandise IRL? Where are my GTA toys? Why can’t I go to a GTA theme park in California, or even better, Florida, where I can get in an awesome car and run over people to my heart’s desire before buying a custom uzi!?)

Well actually, maybe that’s where the real difference between these two franchises – in the here and now of the year 2025 – can best be articulated, and why people rolled their eyes when, for example, the Ryan Gosling/Shawn Levy Star Wars movie Starfighter was officially announced recently compared to the incredible excitement that can be felt around any and all GTA 6 news. As noted, it’s going on 13 years since a new GTA game was released. Compare that to the constant watering down of Star Wars through streaming shows, announced movies that never happen, bad movies (and, sure, some good ones!), and the aforementioned ever-present merchandising that we’ve been inundated with since at least 2014, when the marketing build-up to The Force Awakens kicked in. There’s just so much Star Wars now.

And that brings me back Noni and my pizza dreams – dreams that were dashed (Dash Rendar’d?) when I realized she was right about too much of a good thing. Sure, sometimes the toppings are different, and some days it tastes better than others, but Star Wars is just always there now. There’s nothing special about it anymore.

But GTA… GTA brings me to a different Noni memory. Rockstar only serves new editions of the beloved franchise on the most special of occasions. It’s sort of like lasagna on Christmas! We didn’t get lasagna all the time growing up, so when we found out Noni was making sauce and lasagna was in the offing, it was awesome. The meatballs and sausage sliced up, the oozing ricotta, the basil leaves on top, the toasted Italian bread to go with it – just the best. And it wasn’t just the actual lasagna, but even the anticipation of it. Knowing that it was coming was almost as good as actually sitting down and eating it. It was a rare and special thing, like a new GTA game.

Rockstar also has a history of delaying new installments of the series – they will serve no wine before its time. The result of this philosophy is that when a new GTA title finally is released, there is a huge demand, but also the amount of time and resources that have been put into the game are clear in the finished version. With all due respect to the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, there was obviously no plan in terms of the trilogy part of it all. (One day Rian Johnson will say how he really feels about the 180-degree turn The Rise of Skywalker took after his film.) Audiences aren’t dumb; they can tell the difference between something that is rushed to make a date versus a work of art that is given its due time to develop and evolve as it should.

Is the GTA series an outlier in the world of games? Certainly. And yet, as of 2023, Minecraft had sold over 300 million copies (including sales across the many platforms it's released on) and Tetris had sold over 520 million copies. (GTA 5 is at 200 million+ and the Grand Theft Auto franchise overall has 430 million units sold.) And that’s just the top of the pile of best-selling games. People like video games! Who knew?

It’s crazy to think now that there was a 16-year gap between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace. It was a relatively fallow period for Star Wars (even if the expanded universe and merchandising continued), and when George Lucas finally did return to theaters in 1999 with young Ani and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, there were lines around the block everywhere. That was excitement. There was huge anticipation for a thing we all loved that we hadn’t gotten a new installment of in a long, long time. The same happened 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, which we had all thought was the end of the Star Wars movies forever, when The Force Awakens rekindled the Star Wars flame. Audiences were truly amped to return to that galaxy far, far away again.

And that gap between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, that 16 years, that’s not far off from the 13 years that will have passed between GTA 5 and GTA 6. The expectations, the hopes, the theorizing, the fun of knowing a new game in the series is coming. It’s almost as important as the game itself.

But in the case of the next Star Wars movie… which is the continuation of a TV show… which has had three seasons already… and at least a couple of spin-offs… well, it’s gonna be kind of hard for audiences to get too excited for that, I think. Sure, it may prove to be a good or even a great movie – I hope it does.

But you have to wonder. How many people are gonna say to themselves, “Eh, I’ll wait for when it hits streaming.”