Games

Manifest was a compelling show that skillfully combined science fiction, mystery, and realistic drama. It followed the passengers and crew of a plane that vanished, only to reappear five years later. The series explored the emotional impact of being missing for so long, while also unraveling the enigma of what happened to the flight. Now, the show’s creator, Jeff Rake, is back with another story that expertly mixes futuristic concepts with relatable human struggles.

I didn’t play Wheel World when it came out last July, and that was a mistake. It’s a unique open-world game centered around cycling – exploring, racing, and a compelling story – instead of the usual fighting and upgrades. While players and critics loved it, the game didn’t stay in the spotlight for long with so many big releases in 2025. Now, in 2026, Wheel World deserves to be rediscovered as one of the most overlooked open-world gems of last year.

Man, I remember when X-Men first hit the arcades! These cabinets were huge – some even had two screens and enough controls for six players at once. It was awesome because you and all your friends could team up and beat up bad guys together. The game’s look actually came from that early X-Men pilot, Pryde of the X-Men, before the popular cartoon series really took off. It was a huge hit back then, and thankfully they ported it to home consoles and even mobile, so we can still play it today!

Released in 2019, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was created as a spiritual successor to the beloved Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Developed by Koji Igarashi, a former lead on the original Castlevania games at Konami, Bloodstained benefited from the high expectations set by Symphony of the Night, which many fans consider the best Castlevania title ever made. The game started as a successful Kickstarter project and went on to receive excellent reviews. Its success has led to a sequel, and now a prequel is coming this year, continuing the legacy of the creators behind the most celebrated Castlevania games.

The Justice League has a long and complicated past, but these seven stories offer a great introduction to the team’s history. They highlight some of the League’s most memorable and accessible moments, making them ideal for new readers and the perfect starting point for anyone wanting to become a fan.

In 2022, Lucasfilm released the novel Brotherhood by Mike Chen, a story set during the early Clone Wars. It’s widely considered one of the best Star Wars books ever written, focusing on the bond between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The novel includes a subplot featuring Mill Alibeth, a young Jedi with a rare ability to feel the pain of others – a challenging gift during wartime – and who seems to hint at the future character of Ahsoka Tano. Recently, Lucasfilm unexpectedly published a sequel to Brotherhood.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, creator Tony Gilroy explained why Bix Caleen wasn’t shown accompanying Cassian Andor on a mission in Season 2, and whether budget cuts influenced that decision. He confirmed budget was a factor in some choices, explaining he moved a mission involving Bix and Cassian to ‘off-screen.’ Gilroy pointed out that the first scene at the safe house in 204 reveals they had just completed a mission where Cassian killed someone who recognized them. He emphasized that storytelling is about where you show things, not just what you show. While it would have been easy to write scenes of them working together, it was a question of finding the right place for it within the story and making it relevant. Ultimately, that particular mission happened off-screen, taking place in the year before the Coruscant safe house scene.

Trinity’s life is a bit confusing because her adventures happen in the future, but currently, she’s still a baby. After recently freeing Moray Island from the villain Mouse Man, Wonder Woman went back to Themyscira to rest and prepare for future challenges. She left her daughter, Trinity, with her sisters, but they started behaving strangely due to the influence of Strife, the goddess of discord. However, Strife’s plans go beyond just causing trouble, and Trinity is key to what she’s planning.

As a huge Spider-Man fan, I’m really excited about Brand New Day! It picks up right after the crazy events of No Way Home, and it’s essentially a fresh start for Peter Parker. Doctor Strange’s spell wiped everyone’s memory of him, so he’s back to being a mysterious masked hero. What’s cool is the story jumps forward four years, showing us what Peter’s been doing all that time before he gets pulled into another big adventure on the streets.

Even though Star Trek was known for pushing boundaries – and sometimes included ideas that haven’t aged well – it was surprisingly difficult to actually get truly shocking or controversial stories on television. Gene Roddenberry and his writers often came up with plots designed to provoke strong reactions, but network executives usually preferred to play it safe. A good example is the episode featuring the immortal ‘Man from Earth,’ which ended up being much tamer than the original, more provocative version that was proposed.