Straley explained his decision to leave Naughty Dog by saying he felt like he was going through the motions, constantly answering the same questions. He realized this repetition wasn’t healthy for his creativity and that he needed fresh challenges and opportunities to express himself.
Hyung-tae Kim received a Presidential Commendation on December 10th for his contributions to the growth of the game development industry in Korea. According to reports from Daum (translated by Automaton), the award was presented at the 2025 Korea Content Awards, an event organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
So, I heard from the folks at Crystal Dynamics about the new Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. They’re saying they’re tweaking the difficulty to be a bit more forgiving for how we play games today. The original Tomb Raider was notoriously hard – you basically had to learn from your mistakes and memorize where all the instant-death traps were, like those huge rolling boulders and spike pits. That was a big part of the experience, but apparently, they’re moving away from so many ‘game over’ moments and making exploration a little less punishing. It sounds like they want it challenging, but not quite as brutal as before.
The holiday favorite National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation arrived on HBO Max November 1st, but will leave the service on December 31st. The film, directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik and written by John Hughes, follows Clark Griswold’s hilarious attempts to create a perfect Christmas for his family and has been a big hit with viewers. Currently, it’s the No. 3 most-streamed movie on HBO Max, behind only Christmas with the Kranks and Elf, and ahead of other popular holiday films like A Christmas Story, Bad Santa, and The Polar Express.
Starting Tuesday, December 16th at 9am Pacific Time / 12pm Eastern Time, you can pre-order Michelangelo, Raphael, Bebop, and Rocksteady figures from McFarlane Toys at both Entertainment Earth and Amazon. Each figure will cost $27.99 and will include weapons, pets, and interchangeable parts, plus a comic book. You can find a complete list of included accessories below.
We’ve already given away three free games: Bullets & Brains, Retro Drive: Revamped, and Bubble Trouble Adventures. Here’s how it works: to get each new free game, you need to have already claimed the previous one. The next free game, One True Hero, will be available on December 15th, but you can only get it if you previously claimed Bubble Trouble Adventures. If you haven’t claimed Bubble Trouble Adventures yet, it’s currently on sale for $2.49. Once you get it, you’ll be all set to unlock the rest of the games in the giveaway without needing to make any further purchases. You also need to sign up for the No Gravity Games newsletter to participate.
Many people think of Shonen Jump whenever they think of anime, but that’s not entirely accurate. Shonen Jump has plenty of competition, and other publishers regularly release anime that are just as popular and well-made—sometimes even better. There are a few standout examples that prove this point.
This year’s most exciting movie is a fantastical musical about K-pop stars who fight demons while pretending to be a boy band. The fact that the Academy Awards didn’t properly recognize it highlights how often Hollywood misses out on genuine cultural trends.
Captain America has starred in countless exciting stories, from suspenseful political dramas to grand space adventures. For decades, his comics have been a way for Marvel to explore important issues facing America, and these stories are a big reason why he’s become such a legendary superhero.
Doctor Doom’s impact in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will inevitably be measured against Thanos, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first major villain. Thanos remains a terrifying figure for the Avengers, and Marvel Studios continues to find ways to include him in new projects. Here’s a ranking of every version of Thanos that has appeared in the MCU, based on their power.