Games

2025 brought us a fantastic year for science fiction television, with standout shows like The Eternaut, the third season of Invasion, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, Black Mirror season 7, and Foundation season 3, among many others. Several shows really captured the public’s imagination and became the most discussed, popular, and impactful series of the year. Featuring both brand new stories, continuations of established franchises, and clever adaptations, these programs leave us eager to see what the future holds for sci-fi on TV in 2026 and beyond.

Guard Crush Games and Supamonks teamed up to create Absolum, a highly-rated beat-’em-up with roguelike features. Released in October 2025 on all major consoles and PC, the game takes place in the world of Talamh, where players battle an evil king and his army, the Crimson Order. Players choose from a variety of characters and classes, each with unique skills and abilities. Throughout each playthrough, they can also equip rituals to further enhance their character’s power. Absolum marks the debut title for French studio Supamonks, who handled the game’s artwork and animations.

Although fantasy and science fiction are the most popular anime genres, especially for shows aimed at young men (shonen) and older men (seinen), there’s a lot more to discover. Historical anime, often blended with other genres, are surprisingly influential and create captivating stories set in the past. While these shows don’t always stick to historical facts, they offer unique and detailed world-building you don’t often find in modern anime. Here’s a list of some excellent historical anime that every fan should check out.

In the early 1980s, Nintendo was facing bankruptcy and urgently needed a hit product. Luckily, they had a promising young designer named Shigeru Miyamoto, who created Donkey Kong. Originally intended to utilize a surplus of unsold Radar Scope arcade machines, the game quickly became something much bigger. Donkey Kong was a huge success, earning hundreds of millions of dollars in its first two years and rescuing Nintendo. But its impact went beyond just financial success; Donkey Kong was a groundbreaking game that established many of the design principles still used in games today.

Batman is known for always having backup plans, but his enemies have repeatedly used those very plans against the Justice League. Some of his most dangerous foes, like the AI system Brother Eye (which was manipulated by Maxwell Lord and Lex Luthor), actually came about because of his careful preparation. However, the biggest failure of Batman’s planning wasn’t when a villain discovered it – it was when a friend did.

Christopher Sabat, the voice actor for All Might in My Hero Academia, recently told ComicBook that he initially believed his character wouldn’t survive long enough to reach the final season, let alone fight in the last battle. However, he was pleasantly surprised by how the anime handled All Might’s final confrontation with All For One, describing it as both inspiring and cool – a sentiment many fans share.

Christopher Nolan recently told Empire magazine about the effort his team put into realistically portraying the long sea journey in his latest film. He wanted the voyage – and the characters’ appearances, including their beards – to feel authentic. Nolan explained he prefers using real hair over wigs or fake beards because it allows for more convincing action and practical effects. “You want the physicality of real hair,” he said, “so you can put a firehose on the guy and do all the things we need him to do.”

Here are just 10 first-person shooters worth keeping an eye on in 2026. 

The recent announcement of a new Mega Man game is particularly noteworthy. Set to release in 2027 and playable on both older and current consoles, it’s coming at an interesting time for the gaming industry. By 2027, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S will likely be nearing the end of their lifespan. This timing could also mean the game will be one of the first available on the next generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles – a rare opportunity in today’s gaming landscape.

Two games are leaving Xbox Game Pass on December 31st: Carrion and Hell Let Loose. Carrion is a unique horror platformer where you play as the monster, escaping from the scientists and soldiers who imprisoned it. Think of it like the movie The Thing, but you’re controlling the creature instead of the humans.