Games

Released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is considered one of the best Star Wars games for that console. You play as Dash Rendar in this third-person shooter, piloting a variety of vehicles. The game takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and features familiar locations and characters across its four chapters. While it wasn’t a massive success at launch, many fans appreciate it today for its faithful depiction of the Battle of Hoth and other elements of the Star Wars universe. It’s now available on Steam and other modern devices.

Indie games are now more popular than ever, moving from a small, dedicated following to widespread recognition. What began with just a handful of unique titles has grown into a huge collection of amazing games, and the future looks bright with exciting new releases on the horizon. Here are six noteworthy indie games to keep an eye on.

While Stephen King has written many successful books, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, also known as IT, remains his most enduring creation. Tim Curry’s iconic portrayal in the 1990 miniseries cemented the monster’s place in pop culture, and Bill Skarsgård’s recent work in the IT films and the Welcome to Derry TV series has only increased its popularity. Interestingly, IT isn’t limited to its own novel and occasionally appears in other King stories, hinting at the possibility of more to come for this terrifying creature.

Electronic Arts had a strong year, with three of the top ten best-selling games. This is largely due to their consistently popular sports titles. However, the biggest hit of 2025 was actually Battlefield 6. Remarkably, Battlefield 6 only being on sale for 82 days out of the year – it was released on October 10th – didn’t stop it from selling over 20 million copies and continuing to fly off the shelves.

The ranking of influential manga artists this year held a surprising twist: Eiichiro Oda, creator of One Piece, landed in 10th place, at the very bottom of the list. According to a report from the Japanese media outlet Courrier, Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man, topped the list. Courrier explained that the release of Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc was a key factor in Fujimoto becoming a worldwide phenomenon in 2025, but there’s another interesting reason why he was named the most influential mangaka of the year.

Okay, so from what I’ve been reading, don’t expect the next Xbox or PlayStation anytime soon – we’re probably looking at 2027 or 2028 at the earliest. Honestly, I think that’s a good thing. The current consoles, especially with the PS5 Pro coming out, are already pretty powerful, and it feels like there isn’t a huge leap possible with today’s tech. Plus, consoles used to get cheaper over time, but now they’re actually getting more expensive! With things like tariffs driving up costs, it makes sense to hold off on new hardware until things stabilize. A rushed launch would probably mean a more expensive console, and nobody wants that.

Many popular and highly-rated TV shows, including Lost, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, and Black Mirror, have suffered from at least one weak episode. However, seven original Netflix shows stand out because they consistently deliver quality – not a single episode feels like a letdown, even across multiple seasons. This makes them excellent choices for a binge-watching session.

It’s remarkable how consistently the video game industry – from large developers to small independent creators – manages to produce so many scary and engaging games. While there’s always a lot of low-quality games released, a few truly stand out as exceptional.

Honestly, some of these games really stood out more than others. Picking a favorite was actually easier than I thought it would be, which was a nice surprise! Want to know which one really grabbed my attention in this crowded field? Let’s run through the contenders, starting from the bottom and working our way up to my top pick.

If you’re reading this in 2026, we wrote it back in 2025. It makes you wonder what the future holds! Do we have flying cars now? Has the PlayStation 6 been revealed? It’s exciting to think about all the possibilities.