Episode 6 of season 2 of The Last of Us is directed by Neil Druckmann, and when viewed through that lens, its intentions become clearer. It contains some of the scenes that fans of The Last of Us Part 2, and presumably its creator, hold dearest. This allows Druckmann to tightly control the sacred bond between Joel and Ellie, as well as giving space to further explore characters barely present in the game – the final moments of Eugene’s life strains the connection between the protagonists in new ways. Joe Pantoliano imbues the doomed Eugene with a dash of class, Bella Ramsey slots nicely back into the role of a younger Ellie, and Druckmann steadily steers the whole ship, but this chapter is undeniably Pedro Pascal’s. His pitch-perfect portrayal of Joel reminds us of what both Ellie and the show have lost.

Framed around each of Ellie’s birthdays following their return to Jackson, episode 6 delicately displays Joel’s urge to fulfil his role as a father. It's rooted in the very first scene, in which we see him as a teenage boy: The conversation between Joel and his father, played with warmth yet underlying hardness by Better Call Saul’s Tony Dalton, presents the poisoned chalice passed down from Miller to Miller. That struggle of generational fatherhood is what has driven Joel ever since. Sarah was his world before the outbreak. Then he grieved her, holding onto her memories until Ellie arrived. By the end of this episode, she’s 17, and he’s on the brink of losing another daughter. It’s a crossroads he’s contending with, and one brilliantly displayed by Pascal throughout, as he battles to do the right thing by her.

It’s perhaps best conveyed in the final moment between them – and the very last conversation between Ellie and Joel before his death. Their porchside chat is perhaps the most affecting in all of the game, so it's a huge relief to see it recreated so well here. The vulnerability in Pascal’s face is all-consuming, as he barely utters a word but lets his eyes speak for him. He’s terrified of losing Ellie, but he’s expressing it in a way that he can’t really control, and a way that will infect her, too – his tears filling that cursed cup once more, ready for Ellie to sip from and make the same selfish mistakes he did. It adds extra heartbreaking context to her “I’m gonna be a dad” quip from earlier in the season. She’ll aim to break this cycle, but little in her present-day actions suggests this.

Though that’s giving more thought to the present day than episode 6 can muster, which is my major reservation about this episode. The series of flashbacks is heartfelt and works excellently when it comes to building out the protagonists of The Last of Us’ past and future, but I can’t help but feel like momentum has stalled here. It feels off to spend a whole episode exploring Ellie’s history when we’ve just ratcheted the tension on who she’s become. And with only one episode left to go in the season, it feels like the only road to a satisfying finale will involve covering a lot of ground in a short period of time. It’s not so much a criticism of what this episode does, but more of its place within season 2.

Bella Ramsey feels much more at home as a younger Ellie, portraying a wide-eyed, excitable version of the character with a far greater verve than the more fearsome evolution we got last week. It’s best shown in her and Joel’s visit to a nearby museum, where Ellie takes a heartstring-tugging trip into orbit, thanks to a tape recording and a long-forgotten space capsule. The smile that dances across her face is a rare moment of levity in a show, that, up until this moment, has been irrepressibly bleak. As we watch the pair enjoy their respite, it feels like some of that season 1 magic has been rebottled.

But, as ever, what The Last of Us giveth with one hand, it taketh with the other, not letting us sit with this flash of joy for long. Episode 6 finally answers a question posed in the season premiere: What did Joel do to Eugene to make Gail resent him so much? Pantoliano is given his time to shine as Eugene, a member of the Jackson community whose time is ticking away thanks to an infected’s bite. His introduction enables Joel and Ellie’s dynamic from season 1 to resurface, and echoes of their experience in Salt Lake City can be felt. Joel has lived long enough in this world to be wary of Eugene – any sense of optimism (or hope that Eugene can be healed) is long gone. Not Ellie, though: She still carries an element of naivety and wants to help Eugene.

The mercy killing carried out by Joel only sows more seeds of distrust between him and his surrogate daughter. In his lie to Gail about it, Ellie realises just how easy it is for Joel to hide the truth. It’s in this moment that the fissures in their relationship really start to crack wide open. What Joel did isn’t necessarily wrong, but it runs counter to Ellie’s moral code and how she would’ve dealt with Eugene. It effectively means that she now knows that Joel has been lying about what happened in that Firefly hospital, and the revelation of him lying about Eugene is a great choice by Druckmann. It’s an example of adaptation for the better – which this season largely hasn’t landed for me – and a much more impactful, and logical, option than having Joel and Ellie traipse all the way back to Salt Lake City as they do in The Last of Us Part 2.

It’s something the episode as a whole does to great effect as it further explores the intervening years and Joel and Ellie’s dynamic, offering new glimpses into previously unseen moments. Joel catching Ellie doing things she maybe shouldn’t be doing at 17 and his built-in resentment for Seth (due to his former life as a policeman, like Joel’s dad) add more shades to the character, even though he’s long gone in the present day. These little touches and grandstand speeches combine to great effect to help us fully understand why Joel made every decision that led to his death, all the way up to rescuing his eventual killer from a horde of infected. Above all else, it’s the desire to be a protector that forged the Millers’ poisoned chalice – and eventually led to his downfall.

Strap in for a ripper round of savings that’ll leave you over-encumbered in no time, like a stroll through an Oblivion market. From slashing prices on open-world epics to trimming the tag on sports sims, these deals breathe fresh life into your gaming roster without shredding your budget. Let’s kick this off right by saving a bundle now.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I’m celebrating the 13th bday of Max Payne 3, a bullet-riddled Brazilian holiday that, I think, delivered Rockstar’s finest ever third-person shooting. From the neon-soaked favelas of São Paulo to the rain-slicked rooftops of downtown, this one taught a new generation of gamers how gloriously satisfying it is to dodge incoming hailstorms of lead and drop one-liners that now very much speak my middle-aged "too old for this shit" language.

I still have powerful memories of the single-player campaign’s noir-tinted heartache; watching Max slump through betrayal, loss, and mob hits with a drink in one hand and a gat in the other. Totally worth a replay. Needs to be remastered ASAP.

• The Witcher 3 Comp. (-75%) - A$19
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Expiring Recent Deals

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Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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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.”

Final Destination has made its bones bringing audiences’ worst fears to the big screen. Through a twisted mix of horror and absurdity, the franchise explores the cosmic balance of life and death, building stories (and tension) around the idea that disasters are not averted, only delayed, and Death cannot be cheated.

For those who want to watch or rewatch the full Final Destination saga ahead of Bloodlines, we’ve compiled this chronological list of the series’ six movies.

How Many Final Destination Movies Are There?

Six Final Destination movies have been released since the franchise debuted 25 years ago. Outside of film, there are also six original Final Destination novels (not counting novelizations of the movies) and two comics.

Which Final Destination Movie Should You Watch First?

There are two potential starting points: Final Destination (to view the movies in release order) or Final Destination 5 (to view them in order of their narrative chronology). Given Final Destination isn't a franchise with a crucial throughline, we recommend starting with the original.

Final Destination Movies in Chronological Order

The following blurbs contain broad spoilers for each movie.

1. Final Destination 5

The earliest-set movie in the franchise is Final Destination 5, which takes place in (or just before) the year 2000. Like the four movies prior, it introduces a group of people who avoid a deadly disaster — this time, a bridge collapse — thanks to the protagonist's premonition.

Final Destination 5 is purposely hazy with its place on the timeline until the very end, when we discover it leads straight into the original Final Destination.

2. Final Destination

The beginning of Final Destination connects to the end of the fifth movie through the Flight 180 disaster. High schooler Alex Browning has a vision of his fight exploding midair, kicking off a series of events that lead him and several others to deboard the plane. The vision comes to fruition, and the group is left to evade Death and its relentless pursuit to reclaim their lives.

3. Final Destination 2

Set a year after the first movie, Final Destination 2 introduces a new group of characters and another averted disaster: a massive traffic accident initiated by the series’ infamous logging truck. The film connects to Final Destination through Flight 180 survivor Clear Rivers, who attempts to help the new group cheat Death.

4. Final Destination 3

Final Destination 3, set in 2005, features an all-new cast of characters (excluding Death). The inciting accident here is every amusement park goer’s worst nightmare: a deadly roller coaster malfunction. As the formula goes, the survivors, led by high schooler Wendy Christensen, spend the movie trying to prevent Death from collecting its debt.

The events of the first two movies are referenced in Final Destination 3, though it features no returning characters.

5. The Final Destination

The franchise’s fourth film, The Final Destination, is set around 2008-2009 and follows a new group of survivors led by college student Nick O'Bannon. Nick foresees a disastrous crash at a racetrack and saves himself and a handful of other spectators, thrusting the group into Death's all-too-familiar game of cat and mouse.

6. Final Destination: Bloodlines

2025’s Final Destination: Bloodlines, released 14 years after the previous movie, straddles the series’ timeline; it primarily takes place in the present, though its intro scene is set in the 1960s, depicting a disaster at a fictional version of Seattle’s Space Needle. Unlike previous Final Destination movies, Bloodlines’ protagonist (college student Stefani Reyes) has visions of the past rather than the future. The movie explores her familial connection to and the present-day consequences of that 1968 disaster.

Bloodlines is notably the final movie in which the late Tony Todd appears. Todd reprises his role as William Bludworth, who previously appeared in Final Destination 1 and 2.

Final Destination Movies by Release Date

• Final Destination (2000)
• Final Destination 2 (2003)
• Final Destination 3 (2006)
• The Final Destination (2009)
• Final Destination 5 (2011)
• Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)

What's Next for Final Destination?

After almost 15 years, Final Destination is back. Whether Final Destination continues from here will likely depend on how the new movie performs, but it seems like the slasher franchise is headed in a solid direction.

Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.

Amazon has officially launched its Memorial Day sale ahead of the weekend. When I first saw the landing page for the sale, my initial thought was "Is it Memorial Day weekend already?", but the answer is no. Memorial Day is still more than a week away, with the actual holiday landing on Monday, May 26 this year.

I've been covering Amazon sales for quite a few years now and this is the earliest I have ever seen the retailer launch its sale. Last year the Amazon Memorial Day sale didn't actually begin until the Monday before, and even that felt like it was still too early. With the 2025 sale offering an entire additional weekend for shopping, it seems like we can expect even more upcoming sales to get extended by Amazon this year if this trend continues.

Should You Shop the Amazon Memorial Day Sale Early?

Paramount Pictures is shifting around its movie calendar, resulting in delays for The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 that will see both Nickelodeon movies arriving months later than previously planned.

According to Variety, the highly anticipated Aang-focused Avatar movie will no longer arrive January 30, 2026, as it’s now slated to premiere October 9 that same year. On the bright side, Paramount has shared a brand-new logo for the film that you can see below.

It puts The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender’s release date back nearly nine months later than fans were expecting. This is the second delay for the follow-up to Nickelodeon’s beloved fantasy series, with its original release date previously set for October 10, 2025.

No reason for today’s delay was announced, though it appears confirmed voice cast members Steven Yeun, Dave Bautista, and Eric Nam remain attached to the project.

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender is said to focus on the original Avatar protagonist in a story that takes place many years after the series came to an end. It received its official title at last month's CinemaCon and is the first of three movies planned to take place in that universe.

Also now delayed is the release of the long-awaited Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem sequel, which was announced shortly before the first film premiered in 2023.

Those eager to see how Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo’s story will continue now have a much longer wait in store, as today’s delay pushes its premiere from October 9, 2026, all the way to September 17, 2027.

That nearly one more year of waiting to see how that tantalizing mid-credits scene from the first movie pays off. Details about its plot and cast remain under wraps for now, but fans do at least have the Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series to help fill the gap in the meantime.

While we wait for any updates, you can read up on all the news surrounding Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender show, which is expected to arrive sooner than the animated movie.

As for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2, you can click here to check out why director Jeff Rowe thinks Shredder will be “100 times scarier than Superfly.”

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

TCGplayer’s Mayhem Sale is easily the best daily deal right now for both Pokémon TCG and Magic: The Gathering fans. For one day only on May 16, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, shoppers can earn 10 percent back in store credit on everything across the site.

That includes singles, sealed product, preorders, and supplies. Subscribers get an even better return with 12 percent back, plus any loyalty bonuses they've built up. With the Pokémon singles market currently going through a major correction, this is the ideal time to scoop up chase cards that have become far more affordable.

TL;DR: TCG Player Mayhem Sale

Final Fantasy fans diving into Magic: The Gathering have even more reason to celebrate during TCGplayer’s Mayhem Sale. Preorders for the upcoming Final Fantasy crossover set are live now, and they’re all included in the 10 percent store credit promotion. That means if you're looking to lock in iconic characters like Tifa, Sephiroth, Cloud, or Y’shtola in premium foil treatments, you're not only getting ahead of release day scarcity but also stacking credit toward your next order. With singles like Tifa, Martial Artist (Borderless Surge Foil) at $450 or Cloud, Midgar Mercenary (Mythic Extended Art) at $125, the cashback can add up fast, earning you as much as $45 store credit from just one card.

MTG Final Fantasy Single Cards

For collectors chasing the Neon Ink variants, the value gets even better. Cards like Traveling Chocobo (Mythic Borderless Neon Ink Blue) and Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER (Extended Art) are already priced at a premium due to limited availability and collector demand. Getting 10 percent back on these high-end preorders is essentially a rebate on the kind of grail-tier singles that rarely see discounts. And because these cards won’t be widely available again once the initial wave sells out, now is the perfect time to secure them.

Even for buyers with more modest budgets, the Mayhem Sale applies to lower-cost preorders too. Whether it’s grabbing a Rare Cloud’s Limit Break for under $20 or a standard Sephiroth, Planet's Heir for less than $10, you’ll still get cashback toward future pickups. This makes it easier to build a full collection over time without blowing your budget all at once. And since TCGplayer supports hobby shops and small sellers, it’s a good way to invest in your collection while supporting the broader Magic community.

Destined Rivals Preorders

Pokémon TCG collectors have a lot to be excited about. Prices are dipping across the board, and the Mayhem Sale stacks real value on top. Cards like Greninja ex and Magikarp have seen huge drops, making them far more attainable. Journey Together is full of alternate rares and stamped promos that are now priced under ten dollars, and even premium pulls like Lillie’s Clefairy ex are well below the $150 mark.

The Glory of Team Rocket

Prismatic Evolutions is another standout, with high-end cards like Umbreon ex finally within reach. Getting $110 in store credit back on a single Umbreon purchase is the kind of value that doesn’t come around often.

Journey Together

With major price corrections in the Pokémon market and competitive cashback across the board, TCGplayer’s Mayhem Sale stands out as the best daily deal in the trading card space. It’s a rare chance to buy when prices are low and still earn credit toward your next round of pickups. If your collection has been on hold or your decks need tuning, this is the time to make it happen.

Prismatic Evolutions

Surging Sparks

Stellar Crown

Shrouded Fable

Twilight Masquerade

Temporal Forces

Paldean Fates

Paradox Rift

151

Obsidian Flames

Scarlet and Violet

Silver Tempest

Lost Origin

Fusion Strike

MTG Final Fantasy Starter Kit

MTG Final Fantasy Bundle

MTG Final Fantasy Play Booster Box

MTG Marvel's Spider-Man Scene Box

Prismatic Evolutions Surprise Box

Team 17 Chains Of Command Game Bundle

Xbox Core Wireless Gaming Controller – Velocity Green

Expedition 33 Lumiere T-Shirt

Skytech Chronos Gaming PC Desktop

Skytech Chronos Gaming PC Desktop

Cooler Master NR2 Pro Mini ITX

SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 7 44mm LTE AI Smartwatch + Free SmartTag2 Bundle

Xbox Game Studios Game Bundle

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

Sekiro Statue

Split Fiction (PS5)

Akira 4K Blu Ray (Steelbook)

Squishmallow Sale

Skytech Gaming PC Desktop

Yeedi S14 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop

Dreo Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Countertop

Dreo Pedestal Fan with Remote

Silent Hill 2 OST 6LP Vinyl

Silent Hill f - PS5 + Steelbook

Pathfinder Second Ed. Asian Fantasy Bundle

Dreamegg Portable White Noise Machine

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Ever since Frank Herbert released his seminal sci-fi novel Dune in 1965, readers have been consumed by the expansive and complex political wranglings of his influential stories. While Herbert only wrote six Dune novels while he was alive, since his death, his son Brian Herbert and bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson have authored many new canon Dune stories. In fact, the series is currently at an astounding 23 novels and counting; spanning 15,000 years. If you're wondering where to start and how you're supposed to read them, we're here to help.

With Dune: Messiah on the horizon, now is the perfect time to dive into the novels that started it all. Below we've detailed out the entire Dune book timeline for your convenience. Reading all of the Dune books in order can be a bit tricky depending on where you start.

How Many Dune Books Are There?

There are technically a total of 23 Dune Books in the franchise, but there are only 6 novels officially written by Frank Herbert himself. All of the books listed below are technically canon, and fit somewhere in the Dune timeline, but many of them have been written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

How to Read the Original Series in Order

1. Dune
2. Dune Messiah
3. Children of Dune
4. God Emperor of Dune
5. Heretics of Dune
6. Chapterhouse: Dune

All Dune Books: Chronological Reading Order

Warning: Each of the blurbs in this piece contains spoilers for the Dune book series.

The Butlerian Jihad by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Despite being written decades after the original Dune, Herbert and Anderson use this prequel — the first in a trilogy — to establish and expand on much of the world building and lore from the original. Chronologically this novel takes place earliest in the Dune canon around 10,000 years before the events of Herbert's original novel. Setting up the feudal and technologically-barren world of the books, this story follows the beginnings of a brutal world-changing war between the last free humans and the artificial intelligence and robotics they created.

The Machine Crusade by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

In the second book in Herbert and Anderson's trilogy, readers get to meet more vital players in the wider world of Dune. As the war rages on, readers spend time with ancestors of House Atreides and House Harkonnen while the humans continue their battle with the evil sentient computer overlord Ominus. Dense worldbuilding and intricate plotting fill the pages of this book which builds on what's come before while setting the stage for an epic final battle.

The Battle of Corrin by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Set 100 years after the events at the beginning of The Butlerian Jihad, the book finds Ominus' plan for universal domination moving ever closer to success. As the most gruesome era of the war begins, history is made. Ominus' dangerous games push the universe to breaking point as each planet does what it must to survive. Establishing much of the status quo of the original book, this entry vitally introduces the battle ready iteration of the Fremen Paul meets in Dune.

Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

The next chronological step in Herbert and Anderson's trilogies is the "Schools of Dune." After another large time jump—this time 83 years—the story focuses on a burgeoning world without the so-called "thinking machines" and how that impacts the universe. Following disparate characters as they venture around the galaxy, there are important reveals about the growing Butlerian movement, and the dangerous violence that's thrumming across the universe.

Mentats of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

With the thinking machines all but destroyed a school is established to train "Mentats" humans of supreme intelligence who can essentially replace the machines the war demolished. Other academies are being founded too including a new school of the sisterhood on Wallach IX. But within their ranks is a young woman desperate for vengeance who could bring down everything. As the schools battle for survival, so does the universe as the Butlerian fanatics rise.

Navigators of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Continuing the origin of the Bene Gesserit, Mentat and Suk Schools, this final book in this trilogy focuses on the ever-growing threat of the anti-technology forces who were inspired by the Butlerian Jihad. Can reason win out against the ever growing fanaticism spreading across the universe? That's the big question as Herbert and Anderson build on this growing chasm.

House Atreides by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Finally gaining on the original Dune novels, the first book in the Prelude to Dune trilogy takes place just 35 years before they begin. Complex threads come together as we get introductions to some major players like Leto Atredis, Duncan Idaho, Baron Harkonnen, and the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam. Political shenanigans are at a high here as games are played, loyalty is sought, and the stage is set for an epic battle that will change the universe.

House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Continuing the Prelude trilogy this novel continues to establish the drama and scheming that lays the groundwork for the original Dune novels. As Houses Harkonnen and Atredis struggle for power, the Bene Gesserit begin to plot towards their ultimate aim: creating the chosen one known as the Kwisatz Haderach, by introducing Leto to his concubine Jessica. So if you've always wanted to know what led to the events of Herbert's beloved books, here's your answer.

House Corrino by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Topping off the Prelude trilogy is this action-packed novel that centers around Leto, Jessica, and their soon to be born son Paul. As the parents eagerly await their new arrival, the witches of the Bene Gesserit couldn't be more excited as they know their chosen one is on the way. But if you've read the Dune books you'll know they might be less than happy with the result.

Princess of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Telling the stories of the two women in Paul Atreides' life, this companion novel focuses on the wife he was forced to marry, Irulan, and the woman he fell in love with on his adventures, Chani. Their dueling stories drive forward this book that gives an expansive look at the women around Paul and how their lives and experiences led them to him for better or for worse.

The Duke of Caladan by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

The final new trilogy before we reach Herbert's first Dune novel, the Caldan stories center around Paul's father Leto Atreides and his rise to power in the universe. Through honesty, action, and integrity, Duke Leto finds himself with ever more power and status in the political center of the galaxy, but his new status sets him on a dangerous and ultimately fatal course.

The Lady of Caladan by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

When Lady Jessica betrayed the Bene Gesserit her life was changed forever, in this book we see how that choice and its fallout changed the shape of the universe. When pitted against the ancient order how can one woman — and her love for her family — ever win? And what lengths will she have to go in order to make the ultimate choice and more pressingly to survive?

The Heir of Caladan by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

As this trilogy comes to an end it centers on the rise of Paul Atriedes better known to the universe as Muad’Dib. But he has yet to take on that title here and instead must go on a journey to find himself and the strength to lead. If you've made it this far then you're about to be rewarded by reading the original novel that started it all...

Frank Herbert's Dune

The book that sparked it all, Herbert's soft sci-fi introduced readers to House Atreides and their young son Pual as they embark on a quest to control and run the wealthy Spice trade on the arid planet Arrakis. Focusing on the interplanetary politics and expansive planetary landscape of his world, Dune is an exceptionally dense read but it's essential to understand the scope of Herbert's creation. While it was obviously the first published Dune book, since Herbert and Anderson's many prequels, it now hits somewhere in the middle of the reading list.

Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Acting as both a prequel and sequel to Dune, this story follows Paul Atreidis before and after the events of the book. As a young child he's entangled in the dangerous politics of the universe as they prepare for his father's wedding. When we join him after Dune we learn more about his time with the Fremen and his relationship with his lover Chani as the pair build a life together.

Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah

Speaking of Paul Atreidis, he's at the center of Herbert's second book where we join him a decade after becoming Emperor. After taking on the mantle of Messiah to the Fremen Paul has unintentionally inspired another universal Jihad, creating havoc and war across galaxies. Thanks to his visions Paul hopes to change the dire future he's created but it won't be easy.

The Winds of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

With Paul lost in the deserts and thought to be dead this book builds in the time between Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Catching up with Paul's mother Jessica, her daughter and Emperor Regent Alia, and Duncan Idaho, this is a galaxy spanning adventure that adds context and history to the original writings of Herbert while introducing important lore and worldbuilding.

Frank Herbert's Children of Dune

As the ecological landscape of Arrakis changes drastically so does the shape of the universe. Paul of Atreidis young children Leto and Ghanima deal with his legacy in Herbert's third book as they battle against their fates and wonder whether they'll end up just like their dad. The Spice trade comes under threat from an unexpected source and a new leader emerges.

Frank Herbert's God-Emperor of Dune

After the shocking events of the last book we join Leto 3500 years later. How is he almost 4000 years old? Well he merged with a Sandworm in Children of Dune and has since been ruling the universe with an iron fist and brutal regime. This novel follows Leto and inspects his impact on the cosmos as he attempts to keep his rule and hold on the Spice trade no matter what.

Frank Herbert's Heretics of Dune

Get ready for another time jump! This time we're visiting Arrakis 1500 years after the death of God Emperor Leto. Humanity is burgeoning once again and Sandworms have made a resurgence. Three new civilisations reign, including the Bene Gesserit who are struck with a near impossible choice: keep their behind the scenes role as master manipulators of the universe or become true leaders to make the most of the power vacuum in the universe.

Frank Herbert's Chapterhouse: Dune

Finding themselves in a brutal battle with another Matriarchal organization, the Honored Matres, the Bene Gesserit become entangled in a war for survival against their violent foes. This was Herbert's final book and ends on a famous cliffhanger which he was never able to resolve as he died after its publication. But his son and collaborator Anderson would later continue the story.

Hunters of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

The first of a duology that adapts notes left by Herbert for what was planned for Dune 7. Continuing the story from Herbert's books this title explores the fallout from the war between the Bene Gesserit and the Honored Matres, as well as the return of the many, many descendants of the humans who were scattered across the universe during the reign of God Emperor Leto.

Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Filled with clones, shocking returns, and a huge reveal about the antagonists of the series, this is an event level book that brings together the many loose threads left by the original books. Combining a complex structure, multiple character arcs, and an epic final battle this is a true climax to the overarching Dune series, which has been evolving and growing since 1967.

Will There Be More Dune?

A jump starter is an essential part of car's emergency kit, and a cordless one eliminates the need to plug it into an available cigarette lighter. You don't need to pay a premium for a jump starter that reliably gets the job done, either. Amazon is currently offering Amazon Prime members this AstroAI S8 Pro 12V 3,000A cordless car jump starter for $32.99 shipped after you clip a 45% off coupon code "AQ97FOMC". Not only does it function as a jump starter, it can also be used to recharge your smartphone in a pinch.

AstroAI S8 Pro 12V 3,000A Car Jump Starter for $32.99

Between layoffs, studio closures, and funding drying up, it’s fair to say that the games industry has been having a rough time. Enrique Fuentes, CEO and co-founder of Teravision games, experienced that turbulence much too closely for comfort when he and his team released Killer Klowns From Outer Space, an asymmetrical horror game based on the 80s movie of the same name. The game was well received (IGN gave it a 7, calling it “as silly and entertaining as the movie that spawned it.”) and trailers for the title racked up hundreds of thousands of views online. But the team found itself in a difficult spot after launch, the same difficult spot that many in the games industry found themselves in.

“As you know, 2024 was a pretty tough year for the whole industry. So it was a little bit slow for us to close our next project,” Fuentes says. Despite working with companies like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Xbox, Teravision was having difficulty finding a follow-up project to Killer Klowns. With time running out, the studio and its veteran developers with 20 years of experience in the industry looked towards something novel: making a game within Fortnite. In less than a year, Teravision has released three Unreal Engine for Fortnite (UEFN) games. Its fourth game, launching today, takes advantage of the official The Walking Dead content pack released in UEFN.

Made in partnership with Skybound, the company co-founded by The Walking Dead’s creator Robert Kirkman, Teravision’s newest UEFN game is a King of the Hill style multiplayer PvPvE project called Courtyard King, where players fight each other as well as NPC zombies for control of territory in The Walking Dead’s infamous prison location.

Everything The Walking Dead related in Courtyard King is made using official assets released for UEFN, including character models based on Rick Grimes, Negan, and Daryl Dixon. But the project goes further than just assets; Teravision worked with the writers at Skybound to craft the game’s story and dialogue.

“We have worked with big brands in the past… and UEFN was something that we were experimenting with… but we never imagined that was going to be the root where we’re going to be engaging with a company like Skybound,” Fuentes says. “But I mean, UGC, it’s one of the biggest things in gaming right now.”

UGC, or user-generated content, is driving one of the biggest trends in gaming right now thanks to platforms like Fortnite. This kind of playground style game making has found massive audiences in services like Roblox already, but the ‘U’ in UGC typically refers to the end user, AKA players at home. UGC developed by professional studios is a newer concept, and Fortnite’s Unreal Engine 5-based tools were perfect for experienced devs like Teravision.

“It made sense because we come from an engineering background and it was a platform where we could experiment in and assume some of the risk,” explains Fuentes. “Because instead of a multi-year project like Killer Clowns From Outer Space, these are projects that we could put together in weeks or months.”

Teravision’s experiments resulted in the launch of Havoc Hotel, a roguelike shooter where you fight through levels in a hotel, with each cleared floor earning you currency to purchase more powerful weapons. The first Havoc Hotel was a modest hit, enough to keep working on the series. Eventually we got to Havoc Hotel 3, which is now consistently one of Fortnite’s most popular games.

Teravision’s game designer, Martin Rodriguez, says given the studio previously made Killer Klowns in Unreal Engine, the jump to UEFN — a modified version of Unreal Engine 5 — was not only convenient, but gave the experienced devs a leg up when creating their games in UEFN. The systems are streamlined, and processes are a bit more “drag and drop,” as Rodriguez says. “For us, it just removes some of the work that we would’ve done otherwise and allows us to focus on just making better games and explore different new creative ideas."

While the engineering side had no trouble adapting to UEFN’s Unreal-based tools, the game design team was presented with a unique challenge. Games like Havoc Hotel began as experiments as opposed to fully-fledged games, but quickly grew to become their own thing. And Teravision’s creative director, LD Zambrano, quickly learned that UEFN games were different from traditional games in many ways.

“A traditional experience we have had designing other [non-UEFN] games is where players relate through objectives that entice cooperation and competition, right?” Zambrano says. “In [UEFN’s] case, we have found that even though those objectives are still relevant and we still can use that game design sensibility and bring them there, I found that there are a lot of experiences that are very popular within the Fortnite ecosystem that are kind of just context. They’re weird situations and interactions that don’t necessarily translate into a very clear competition, but they still work.”

Zambrano compares UEFN games to the school yard. “I have found that there is this way of approaching each other that brings me back to recess, which is you meet somebody and make up some sort of game that might not make sense, but still you’re engaging and creating friendships. That’s what I mean about some of these games becoming a ‘context.’”

In that way, one unique thing I learned about Courtyard King from Teravision is that it is an infinite game, meaning there is no final winner at the end of a round. Instead, matches continue forever with players jumping in and out, switching teams. And while there will always be a team that is winning, there will never be a final round where a true winner is crowned.

“Players can drop in and drop out whenever they want. They can even change teams whenever they like, which generates situations for betrayals. Maybe you enter a party with your friend, but then in the middle of the match you don’t tell him and change teams. Which is very Walking Dead-like.”

Is this a future for game developers? On the one hand, it puts them in the sandbox of other, bigger players like Epic Games or Roblox. But for studios looking to experiment without burning through their entire funds, while having access to a large player base and big IP assets like The Walking Dead, Enrique Fuentes says there’s a lot of upside.

“We can actually assume the risk as an indie developer in [UEFN]. Because last year, we couldn’t even think about starting a three-year project. We could do something in a few weeks with a smaller team and that completely changes the paradigm for a new developer. This is now a viable model where you can actually support an 80 person studio like we do, and we can assume the risk,” Fuentes says. “It’s something that if you have the right ideas, the right creativity around it, if you understand the market well enough and you have the right thinking, execution becomes possible and it doesn’t take years, it actually takes weeks, maybe months. I think this is a dream come true for indie developers.”

Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.

Ralph Fiennes has been tapped to play President Coriolanus Snow in Lionsgate’s latest book-to-movie adaptation, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

The Conclave and Harry Potter alum’s attachment to the upcoming film was revealed via the official Hunger Games X/Twitter account today. He’s the latest in a long line of Hunger Games casting reveals, and he’s also got one of the most important parts to nail.

Doom: The Dark Ages is finally here, and if you’re a handheld gaming PC nerd like I am, you’re probably wondering whether or not the Asus ROG Ally X can handle it. I’m setting 30 frames per second as the bare minimum for playability, but anything higher is welcome, especially 60fps (which would be ideal, but unrealistic for such a demanding game).

The last game in the series, Doom Eternal, was renowned for how well it ran on the Ally, but if you’re expecting that same level of performance out of The Dark Ages, I’m sorry to say you’re going to be disappointed.

Funko unveiled their lineup of Funko Pop! Collectibles for Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Friday, spoiling the reveal of an important new character that fans didn’t know (for certain) would be in the movie.

If you don’t want to know who that character is then STOP READING NOW!

No, seriously, this is your final warning!

The Funko Pop figures for The Fantastic Four: First Steps include Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, Thing, Silver Surfer, Galactus and Invisible Woman, who is paired with … her and Reed’s toddler son Franklin Richards.

In the Marvel comics, Franklin is Reed and Sue Richards’ first child; their daughter Valeria would follow years later. The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer revealed that Sue is pregnant in the movie. These collectibles suggest that either First Steps takes place over a long enough period of time to go from Sue announcing her pregnancy to Franklin being of toddler age.

Given that Reed and Sue were exposed to cosmic rays during the fateful space flight that beget the Fantastic Four, it’s not surprising that their offspring would be born with powers. Perhaps the first manifestation of Franklin’s mutant abilities is rapid growth upon birth?

It’s the sheer scope of his mutant powers that makes Franklin one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. His powers range from telepathy and telekinesis to warping reality and matter to creating pocket dimensions and communicating on the astral plane.

You can see the Sue and Franklin collectible in the slideshow below.

As IGN’s Jesse Schedeen recently wrote, “Franklin is the one being on Earth whose power is so great it rivals that of cosmic entities like the Celestials and Galactus. And he’s destined to only grow more powerful with age. The FF have met multiple adult versions of Franklin from the future, suggesting that he’ll one day grow to become an immortal defender of the entire Marvel Universe.”

With the MCU’s next two event films being Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, it’s quite possible we’ll see a future adult version of Franklin Richards in one of them, perhaps alongside his younger sister Valeria.

This wouldn’t be the first time – and almost certainly won’t be the last – that merchandising products have spoiled a Marvel project ahead of its release. Toys spoiled reveals for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Thor: Love and Thunder and Captain America: Brave New World. Heck, this wouldn’t even be the first time toys revealed something from The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

While there are cases where a toy or tie-product showed a character, location or costume design that wasn’t in the final movie, more often than not the products – which are made well in advance of a film’s release – are out in the public and on store shelves before the film’s in theaters. (That’s the main reason why Jon Favreau successfully fought to keep the reveal of Grogu in The Mandalorian a secret until the series premiered.)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters on July 25th.

Death Stranding fans, it seems like you’ve got something really killer coming your way. The sequel game, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, is set to arrive in June and the franchise’s star, actor Norman Reedus, recently teased some of the game — as well as a key tidbit about the future film adaptation — in an interview with IGN.

“If it was an option, yeah, for sure,” Reedus revealed when asked if he would consider playing himself in a future film version of the game which was announced to be in the works from Michael Sarnoski and A24 last month. “I don’t know what’s happening with it. It’s so pre pre pre right now. But yeah, of course.”

@ign Norman Reedus teases Death Stranding 2 while promoting From the World of John Wick: Ballerina! #deathstranding #normanreedus #ballerina #johnwick #interview ♬ original sound - IGN Entertainment

We also asked Reedus about his confusion with the first game and if he still felt that way going into the second one, but it seems he deeply trusts creator Hideo Kojima, whose reputation obviously precedes him. “As far as working with him and understanding where his head’s at, I don’t think anybody can understand where his head’s at,” the Walking Dead alum explained. “He’s just that guy, he’s out there and he’s got great ideas. But story-wise, I did know what was happening more. There’s more action in it, there’s more of a definite goal to get to.”

That said, no matter what’s going on in the Death Stranding world, Reedus is happily along for the ride. “It’s always a trip working on those things,” he told IGN. “It’s great, but it’s wild.”

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach will be released on June 26, 2025.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

Back at the start of April, Nintendo Switch 2 fans noticed mention of variable refresh rate, or VRR, on informational pages about the system that soon disappeared. Now, the company is clarifying just how and where VRR is working on the Nintendo Switch 2.

In a statement to NintendoLife, Nintendo says the original information about VRR published on the site was incorrect: "Nintendo Switch 2 supports VRR in handheld mode only. The incorrect information was initially published on the Nintendo Switch 2 website, and we apologise for the error."

In response to VRR support for docked mode coming in a future firmware update, NIntendo said it has "nothing to announce on this topic."

So while the Switch 2 will support VRR as an option for the handheld side of things, it looks like right now, those using their new console on the TV won't see the same features.

The update arrives after a lot of head-scratching, as the original VRR mention was first noticed and then swiftly erased. Mentions of it disappeared gradually from different sites over time, as catalogued by Digital Foundry contributor Oliver Mackenzie.

While this might disappoint those hoping for variable refresh rate on the Switch 2's TV settings at launch, it might not mean all hope is lost. Sony issued an update rolling VRR support out to PS5 consoles post-launch, so it stands to reason we could see something similar happen here.

In other Switch 2 news, Nintendo just dropped a list of games that are getting free performance upgrades on the Switch 2, ranging from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet to Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser also insists the company will have enough Switch 2 units to meet demand "through the holidays."

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

If you're in the process of building out a new gaming PC and you're looking for the best gaming processor, this is it. Right now, the recently released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 desktop processor is back in stock on Amazon at its retail price of $489 shipped. The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market (across both AMD and Intel) and a better choice for gamers than the more expensive Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.

The Gamer's Choice: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU

It might be a smart move to gear up ahead of the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s an easy bet when it comes to finding the right headset – for one, we’re extremely sure accessories such as headsets are going to be forward compatible. And two, we already know which headsets are among the best across all price ranges. If you don’t already have one lined up to use on your Switch 2 or if you’re looking to upgrade from the set you were using with your first Switch, I have my top recommendations for headsets here, all of which I’ve had firsthand experience with and/or have reviewed here on IGN myself.

Similar to my best PS5 headsets and best Xbox headsets guides, there are a few nuances I took into consideration when making my selections for this specific platform. One of which is portability; for example, I’m hesitant to suggest getting the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro even though it has consistently topped our lists – one of its biggest features is its mixamp/DAC, which connects the headset to your systems, and that gets unwieldy for a device that’s about versatility and taking on the go. I’m also accounting for the fact that you only have access to USB-C ports when playing handheld, so all of the wireless headsets recommended here come with a native USB-C dongle to make connectivity easy. Above all else, I prioritize sound quality and comfort in my choices because if those factors aren’t the focus, what would we even be doing here!

TL;DR – These Are The Best Nintendo Switch 2 Headsets:

The Switch 2 does have Bluetooth capabilities, but I wouldn’t recommend that for gaming scenarios due to the inherent audio delay. While the wireless headsets here can connect via Bluetooth, my recommendations run primarily on a 2.4GHz wireless connection, and there are a few picks with a 3.5mm wired aux connection, too. Regardless of which you go with, you’ll be getting a great headset for the money – I can vouch for each pick, and if you need a little extra convincing, I have all the details you need to know below.

Best High-End Wireless Headset

Audeze Maxwell

As pre-orders sell out and tons of references are revealed, Magic: The Gathering's upcoming crossover with Final Fantasy is shaping up to be its biggest ever. Today, we get to add to that fun with six cards that are available in the upcoming set: three featuring classic concept art by Yoshitaka Amano, and three with more recent art by Toshitaka Matsuda.

Flip through the gallery below to see all six cards, and read on to learn where to find them yourself:

The cards we are revealing today are part of the "Through the Ages" bonus sheet that is within the larger main set. That means they are all reprints of existing cards reskinned with concept art and characters from different Final Fantasy games - so while there are no brand new or mechanically unique cards here like the ones that have been shown off recently or those in the Commander decks we previously revealed, they do have art that stretches back all the way to the very first game in the series.

Unlike the cards in the main set, Through the Ages cards do not become legal in Magic's Standard format (though they still are if the existing card was already legal there, of course), essentially just making them alternate art versions of those cards. That said, they can be found in both the fancier Collector Boosters as well as one in every three of the regular Play Boosters that are used for Limited events like Draft and Sealed.

That means if you plan to play a lot of this set either at your local game store or digitally on something like Magic: The Gathering Arena, you are likely to see these cards in action quite frequently. Five of the six cards here are Rares, which means they won't show up as often, but Thrum of the Vestige is notably an Uncommon. That's a reskin for one of Magic's most ubiquitous cards, Lightning Bolt, and I wouldn't be surprised if this particular printing has quite the impact on the set.

The Warrior of Light reprinting of Jodah, the Unifier is also certain to be a popular one - Jodah is a powerful and common Commander, and the art used here is Amano's from the Japanese boxart of the original Final Fantasy. Similarly, Amano's iconic art for Final Fantasy 4's Cecil Harvey has been repurposed for one of Magic's strongest partner commanders, Tymna the Weaver, which has only ever been reprinted once before this.

These cards launch physically as part of the larger Final Fantasy set on June 13, with the digital versions going live on MTG Arena and MTGO on June 10. And if you are a Final Fantasy fan who isn't into Magic yet, there is still reason to be excited, as FF7 Remake series director Tetsuya Nomura said the design of Sephiroth on one card is different for some cryptic reason.

Tom Marks is IGN's Executive Reviews Editor. He loves cards games, puzzles, platformers, puzzle-platformers, and lots more.

LEGO Ideas is an absolute treasure trove of potential. These fan-submitted builds gain traction in the community and sometimes become actual sets. LEGO Ideas have become the source of some of the most popular builds, like the new LEGO Pixar Lamp set that will be arriving in June. Not all popular ideas get turned into sets, but the most recent build to reach 10,000 supporters certainly seems like it has potential.

The iconic "This is fine" meme created by web comic artist KC Green has been turned into a potential LEGO set and has reached the second 2025 review stage. You can get a good look at what the set would look like below.

LEGO Ideas This Is Fine Set

Although it may not look like it, this set is actually made from a total of 1,016 LEGO bricks. It's a book nook style display that is meant to sit upon your shelf among your books or other LEGO creations. It isn't often that we see memes as LEGO sets, but the creator of this build (eat.sleep.build.repeat) has high hopes for this particular creation. Here's a snippet of what they said about this build in their product idea submission:

"I believe memes have been quite overlooked by Lego while still being a massive part of the internet and internet culture. The set itself also includes great potential, in its style. It could be used as a piggy bank, book nook or other display options, being a great option for both meme and lego enthusiasts alike."

Popular LEGO Ideas sets you can buy now

Will This Set Become a Real Thing?

Unfortunately, even some of the best LEGO Ideas do not turned into a real set. That being said, it is definitly possible. Now that it has reached 10,000 supporters, it has entered the review stage, which is a lengthier process that requires various considerations. One of the biggest hurdles for any idea is whether or not LEGO can secure the rights to the IP. In this case, it does seem a bit more likely due to it not being from a major franchise, but it depends on whether or not LEGO wants to move forward with the set and if the creator of the original comic alllows it to happen.

There are a ton of other really cool LEGO Ideas that are currently sitting in the review phase that are just as likely to move forward to production. This list includes a Monsters, Inc. - Boo's Door Set, Planet Express Headuarters, and even your old pal Clippy from Microsoft Office.

AI Darth Vader has been out in Fortnite for roughly an hour, and already people have managed to get the Dark Lord of the Sith to swear.

Fortnite's new AI buddy has a death grip on all manner of cool and strange features, including the ability to serenade you, join and leave squads at will, respond intelligently to the player, issue cued and impromptu dialogue, summarize gameplay events, and warn the player if something's about to go down.

Within an hour of the feature going live, however, Fortnite players have popped up all over social media sharing reports and videos of Vader being manipulated into saying the kind of things very much associated with the Dark Side.

If I told you that Hurry Up Tomorrow, the latest onscreen vanity project co-written by and starring Abel Tesfaye, opens with the Canadian singer-songwriter-sometime-actor blowing raspberries at his own reflection in a dressing room mirror for a solid minute, would you believe me? As far as first images go, it's a pretty apt summation of the experience as a whole. Your reaction to it is a fairly solid indication of whether you’ll be onboard for what little Hurry Up Tomorrow has to offer, your thoughts on the music Tesfaye has made (and the public persona he’s cultivated) as The Weeknd notwithstanding.

Named after Tesfaye’s latest studio album and directed by It Comes at Night’s Trey Edward Shults, the navel-gazing and over-indulgent Hurry Up Tomorrow centers around a fictionalized account of the days preceding and following an incident in 2022, in which Tesfaye lost his voice while performing on stage in Los Angeles. It cuts back and forth between the “Can’t Feel My Face” singer (as himself) preparing for a series of performances with his entourage in tow – including Lee (Barry Keough), his manager and confidant – and Anima (Jenna Ortega), a mysterious woman who is drawn to Tesfaye, and whose name may or may not be an overt nod to the Jungian psychological concept of the same name.

It is, at the risk of sounding glib, the role Tesfaye was born to play: The Basquiat-haired Lothario of modern R&B and pop, whose brooding demeanor and crooning falsetto catapulted him from the depths of anonymity to the heights of mainstream superstardom. The register of the performance has shifted over time, but its baseline remains static, even as he drops the stage name and steps into Hurry Up Tomorrow’s big-screen spotlight. For an excruciating hour and 45 minutes, the wounded, misunderstood, self-destructive, sullen-hearted bad boy of Tesfaye’s multiple chart-toppers is front and center.

He cries; he whines; he dejectedly slumps on the floor while madly pouring his heart out to an answering machine, begging and pleading for recognition and reconciliation with an unnamed, unseen lover. If you’ve listened to a single album by the Weeknd – or hell, a single song – you get the gist. All the while, Lee hovers at the periphery like an impish, all-seeing Jiminy Cricket, gyrating wildly on the floor and doling out lines of cocaine like it's both on clearance and going out of style.

A Nintendo Switch 2 port of Red Dead Redemption 2 could be out by the end of 2025, and there are reports of a next-gen upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.

That's according to GameReactor, which reports sources "close to Rockstar" have said a Switch 2 version of Rockstar's Wild West romp is on the way, along with a "next-gen upgrade patch" that will also improve the game for current-gen systems (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S).

Though details are sketchy, GameReactor's sources assert the port and the upgrade patch could be out as early as later this year.

It echoes similar claims made by Nintenduo, which reports the Switch 2 version of Red Dead Redemption 2 should be released in Take-Two's current financial year, which ends March 31, 2026. It's unclear if the port will release digitally-only or be sold as a physical edition, too.

We considered Red Dead Redemption 2 a "masterpiece" when it released in 2018, awarding it a 10/10. IGN's Red Dead Redemption 2 review said: "Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game of rare quality; a meticulously polished open-world ode to the outlaw era."

Perhaps red Dead Redemption 2 coming to Switch 2 wouldn't come as a huge surprise. In a Q&A with investors following Take-Two's most recent financial results, CEO Strauss Zelnick answered a question about the publisher's support of the Switch 2 by saying he felt "great optimism" for Nintendo's new platform. In fact, he said Nintendo's support of third-party publishers this time around was better than it had been in the past.

"We're launching four titles with Nintendo Switch 2, and that's I think a bigger array of releases than we've ever offered before with a new Nintendo platform," he said. "Historically, being a third-party in the Nintendo business has been a bit challenging. I think Nintendo has been very forthcoming in addressing that. And we're stepping up too, because we have great optimism for the platform. In terms of what we would bring to any platform, we address it on a case-by-case basis, we obviously want to be where the consumers are. But we would not necessarily bring every title to every platform. There are also great catalog opportunities as well."

Specifically, Take-Two is bringing Civilization 7 (June 5, launch day), the NBA 2K and WWE 2K series (unclear which games, or when), and Borderlands 4 (September 12). Those admittedly aren't surprising inclusions, as Take-Two was already publishing all four franchises on the Nintendo Switch. But Zelnick's quote does make it sound like the door could be open in the future to other releases, especially from Take-Two's back catalog. GTA 6 probably won't make the cut, but perhaps GTA V or red Dead Redemption 2?

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

With perfect timing for the launch of the Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy set, TCG Player’s Mayhem sale is offering more with each purchase by offering store credit back in return (including Pokémon TCG as well).

The sale runs for one day only, May 16, from 9 AM to 11 PM. With that added store credit, you’ll then get to unlock money off future purchases. Earn enough, and you could even end up buying some free cards from this gorgeous set.

Still, while the above are incredibly pretty, several of the singles from the Final Fantasy MTG sets can be quite expensive (like with any TCG), especially with several borderless or Surge Foil cards skyrocketing towards $600.

So if the expense of buying these pricey options are putting you off, after grabbing the incredibly affordable FF MTG starter kit for $20, try grabbing one of my handpicked, top 10 MTG cards from the Final Fantasy set, and earn some extra credit to complete your collection by the time the set launches on June 13.

Traveling Chocobo

Netflix has announced it will roll out AI-generated advertising — including the dreaded pause ads — in the middle of its programming on the ad-supported tier from 2026.

The news, which was reported by Media Play News, doesn’t specify how the company will target the viewer for these ads; will they be individualized based on watch history? On whatever the viewer is watching at the time? At this point, we know next to nothing about how the ads will work on the backend, or even how they will be presented. But they are coming.

President of advertising Amy Reinhard recently revealed that the company sees its effort as a merging of the things Netflix excels in. “Either they have great technology, or they have great entertainment,” she explained at the recent Upfront for advertisers event in New York City. “Our superpower has always been the fact that we have both.”

The exec added: “When you compare us to our competitors, attention starts higher and ends much higher. And even more impressive, members pay as much attention to mid-roll ads as they do to the shows and movies themselves.”

Reinhard revealed ad-supported tier subscribers watch an average of 41 hours of Netflix per month, which, Kotaku worked out, equates to roughly three hours of ads per month for those viewers. That's a lot even if the ads aren’t AI. But in 2026, they will be.

Netflix has yet to give an official date for the change to be implemented.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

Upon release back in 2020, American developer Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima was generally well-received for its fictionalized depiction of historical Japan. The game’s director Nate Fox recently talked about his commitment to bringing the same kind of cultural sensitivity to the upcoming Ghost of Yotei, emphasizing the importance of research, respect, and listening to cultural advisors.

While Ghost of Tsushima had us take on the role of Jin Sakai as he defends Tsushima from a Mongol invasion in the 13th century, Ghost of Yotei skips forward to 1603, where we play as female warrior Atsu in Ezo (modern day Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island). She is out to wreak vengeance on a band of outlaws who murdered her family.

Ghost of Tsushima paid homage to classic samurai movies (with its black-and-white “Kurosawa mode” named after legendary Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa), so it will be interesting to see if Ghost of Yotei takes any influence from Japan’s many movies featuring tough female warriors exacting revenge, like the Lady Snowblood series.

In a recent PlayStation Blog post, Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei director Nate Fox talked about how the research trips to Japan have not only been the “best part” of working on the games, they have also been highly inspiring and eye-opening.

“Everyone from Sucker Punch that went on those reference gathering trips came back to the studio with a driving passion to bring a sense of authenticity to our fictional depiction of these real life places," he commented, emphasizing the importance of getting the feel for a place in person, and then using this experience to craft an original, in-game environment that matches the spirit of the real location.

Comments made by Ghost of Tsushima’s English-to-Japanese localization producer Daisuke “Dice” Ishidate on Twitter / X back in May 2024 echo these sentiments: “The Ghost of Tsushima development team told me that 'we want to create enjoyable entertainment, not a history lesson...' I think that maybe the reason for Ghost of Tsushima’s success is not objective historical accuracy but its subjective period drama-like style (and flair).” (As reported by Automaton).

Indeed, Ghost of Tsushima read like a thoughtfully researched love letter to historical Japan with a dash of classic samurai movie thrown in. What inaccuracies it has were mostly artistic license used to create a more entertaining and atmospheric experience for the player, and to make the game more accessible to wider audiences. For its depiction of samurai, Ghost of Tsushima tapped into later centuries and the pop culture image of samurai as katana wielders, when they predominantly used bow and arrow in the 13th century (archery expert Sensei Ishikawa is perhaps the closest character to the samurai of that period). As for accessibility, Jin can compose haiku (the most widely recognized type of Japanese poem), however the haiku form didn’t develop until centuries later.

Although Ghost of Tsushima’s towns, shrines, and environments do feel like experiencing a nature hike through Japan from the comfort of your sofa, the game took some liberties in allowing the player to experience all Japan’s seasons. The real Tsushima is subtropical, located between South Korea and Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu. The heavy snow that Jin encounters in Act 3 is anachronistic, as the real Tsushima is too far south to experience such weather. However, this gave players the chance to experience a sort of virtual postcard of the most iconic and famous aspects of each season in Japan. Wandering the game’s fictional Tsushima, the player moves between different seasons: abundant pink cherry blossoms bringing a splash of spring to your screen one second, only to be replaced by orangey brown autumn leaves when you enter another area.

As Fox explained, the digital Tsushima was never intended to be a perfect recreation of the island, but it was meant to faithfully capture the spirit of the place. In the PlayStation blog post, he commented: “We felt that by listening to our cultural advisors and by doing research, we could deliver a respectful representation of what made Tsushima so special... For Ghost of Yotei, we’re doing the same thing.”

Fox revealed that Sony picked Hokkaido for Ghost of Yotei’s setting because it is “unbelievably beautiful.” Upon visiting the place, Fox recounted that the dev team were struck by the contrast between the majestic views and the potential threat posed by the bears that inhabit Hokkaido’s Shiretoko National Park. “A perfect marriage of beauty and danger, that was the exact feeling we wanted for our game,” Fox enthused. Added to this, in 1603 when Ghost of Yotei is set, Hokkaido was a sparsely populated, harsh northern island, which the developers felt fit with the tale of a female warrior so hell-bent on revenge that the locals start to believe she is a demon.

However, official information about Ghost of Yotei has yet to mention how and if it will address Hokkaido’s complicated history of eventual colonization by Japan. How will Ghost of Yotei depict Hokkaido’s indigenous people, the Ainu, and their language and culture? Will it portray tensions between Japanese and Ainu populations? This could be a difficult part of the game to get right.

After release, Ghost of Tsushima met with mostly positive reception from Japanese gaming media and people, gaining a perfect score from Famitsu and winning two awards at the Japan Game Awards 2021. It has also been embraced by the real life island of Tsushima, with its popularity encouraging more tourists to visit the island. The game’s director Nate Fox and creative director Jason Connell were named cultural ambassadors to the island, for their role in drawing people’s attention to Tsushima and its history. If Ghost of Yotei becomes as successful as its predecessor, it might also bring more overseas tourists to Hokkaido. However, they should probably make sure they are better prepared than the British couple who recently got stranded on Mount Yotei.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.

Darth Vader has arrived in Fortnite, and your AI buddy has a death grip on all manner of cool and strange features, including the ability to serenade to you (provided you only expect him to sing Star Wars and Disney-related songs).

As summarized by Epic Games partner Shiina, the Darth Vader AI can join and leave squads at will, respond intelligently to the player, issue cued and impromptu dialogue, summarize gameplay events, and warn the player if something's about to go down.

Darth Vader will also apparently urge you to seek professional help "if he realizes that your well-being is at risk," saying: "You are valued, Trooper. Seek assistance from the authorities. Your well-being is paramount."

If you've got a sweet spot for Vader, though, I'm sorry to inform you that Shiina reports "Darth Vader AI is NOT allowed to engage in a romantic relationship with players." And no, he won't tell you "what he did to the younglings," so don't risk his wrath by even asking.

But why read about it when you see him in action? Here's Darth Vader AI popping up unexpectedly in Nick Eh 30's match:

GAMEPLAY OF THE DARTH VADER AI, THIS IS CRAZY 😭

(via @FN_Assist) pic.twitter.com/8AbyEc7vR2

— Shiina (@ShiinaBR) May 16, 2025

Darth Vader is, of course, voiced by the inimitable James Earl Jones, who sadly died in September 2024 at the age of 93. Epic Games said Darth Vader wouldn’t be "nearly as sinister without the legendary performance of James Earl Jones," adding it was "honored to feature" his voice and thanking his estate for "the opportunity to make this happen for players." Though it didn't elaborate there on how Vader's voice was recreated, elsewhere in an FAQ, Epic explained that the dialogue of Darth Vader's responses is AI-generated using Google's Gemini 2.0 Flash model, with the audio itself generated by ElevenLabs' Flash v2.5.

In a statement, the family of James Earl Jones said: "James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it. We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character."

Players under 13 or their country’s age of digital consent, whichever is higher, will need their parent or guardian’s permission to talk with Darth Vader. Parents can approve or deny Darth's shenanigans by heading to Epic Games' parental controls and selecting “allow voice and written communication with AI Features."

TCGplayer has kicked off its one-day-only Mayhem sale, where you'll get 10% back in store credit on everything you buy on May 16, 2025 (singles, sealed products, preorders, and more all count).

Since it's a one-day event, and you likely don't have the time to dig through every possible option, I've done the hard work for you. Let's dig into the best Pokémon cards to buy today.

Top 10 Pokémon Cards to Buy Today

Since it's 10% cashback (well, store credit, give me a break), I narrowed this down to the top 10 Pokémon TCG chase cards that you should be adding to your basket right now.

This isn't just 10 random picks either, as all of these have featured in our Pokémon Card Market Watch weekly roundups: "Crashers and Climbers".

Think about it like this: It’s Pokémon eBay, but cleaner. But the thing I’ve always liked about TCGplayer is it’s not just one warehouse selling cards. Every order goes through a network of local game stores and individual hobby sellers.

It’s one of the few ways you can buy cards online and still support small businesses in the process. The marketplace is massive, the prices are competitive, and I’ve never had an issue finding what I needed (or something I didn’t need until I saw it).

If your collection has been sitting in stasis or your decklist has a few too many question marks, this is a good time to fix that. You’ll get store credit for your next order just by doing what you were already planning to do.

When Undaunted: Normandy hit the shelves in 2019, it was an instant smash hit. It's a deck-building game, a genre where you start with a small deck of weak cards that you can upgrade and tweak during play until you’ve got a much more powerful, reliable engine. But its genius is to twin these mechanics with a squad-level tactical war board game.

Featured in this article

Soldier cards let you move and fire with the matching unit on the modular board in pursuit of scenario goals, while officer cards fine-tune your deck, allowing you to focus on particular squads. It's a marriage made in heaven, giving you strategic levers in deck construction, tactical thrills as you maneuver for position on the board, while still basically feeling like a simple simulation of combat where officers bolster the morale and makeup of squads under their command.

Undaunted: Normandy's success has led to a slew of games using the same basic system, which now ranges across a much wider variety of settings and complexity levels - even into outer space with a sci-fi variant. Undaunted is a great franchise, and this buying guide is here to help you decide which of its many titles is right for you.

Undaunted: Normandy

Undaunted: North Africa

Undaunted: Reinforcements

Undaunted: Stalingrad

Undaunted: Battle of Britain

Undaunted 2200: Callisto

Undaunted Promo Scenarios

Fans of the series might be interested to learn that, in the years since its release, there have been a number of additional scenarios published in magazines and given away at conventions. Over time the publisher has made most of these available to download for free on its website, so fill your combat boots.

Matt Thrower is a contributing freelance writer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.