January 2025

The third annual Developer Direct has come and gone. While we were anticipating seeing four titles today, DOOM: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and a mysterious fourth one, we actually got five. One even was put onto Game Pass today. They are the previously unannounced Ninja Gaiden 4 and a remastered Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was released on Xbox Series X/S today.

Ninja Gaiden was a part of my childhood. I played it on NES and even back then it was harder than most other games. It was so hard in fact that I never wanted to play any of the newer ones. Ninja Gaiden is up there with Souls Games, where if I played them I know I would rage and be miserable. I am happy for everyone who does like these kind of games though.

For the other three games, they all look great. I can’t wait to play the new DOOM game. I just revisted the original DOOM and DOOM 2, though I never got through the DOOM expansion. For some reason that just seems impossible for me to get through. Even on the easiest setting, I just seem to always die and rage quit. Maybe I will revisit it at some point, but the rest of the game, the game that I remember and love, was still great. I will definitely be checking out DOOM: The Dark Ages.

South of Midnight and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 both look really interesting as well. They are both new properties I believe and both look like they have a really interesting story to tell. One thing I do like about South of Midnight is the stop motion animation feel to it, I think that’s pretty unique for a video game. I am going to check those out when they release later this year.

Are any of these games ones that you’re interested in? Have you already been playing Ninja Gaiden 2 Black? Let us know!

DOOM: The Dark Ages releases May 15, 2025

South of Midnight releases April 8, 2025

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 releases April 24, 2025

Ninja Gaiden 4 releases Fall 2025

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black released January 23, 2025

Wave 2 of January’s Game Pass titles have been announced and there are a lot more of them than there was in wave 1. Coming to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass are Lonely Mountain: Snow Riders, Gigantic: Rampage Edition, Eternal Strands, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, Shady Part of Me, Sniper Elite: Resistance, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, and Far Cry New Dawn.

That’s not all, Starbound will be coming to Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass Standard as well. Game Pass Standard will also be getting Flock, Gigantic: Rampage Edition, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Magical Delicacy, Tchia, The Case of the Golden Idol, Shady Part of Me and Far Cry New Dawn.

It’s worth mentioning that five of the games mentioned for Game Pass Ultimate are not out yet and will be released on Game Pass day 1, so while Wave 1 might have been underwhelming, five day one releases helps make up for it.

On top of the games coming to Game Pass, Diablo IV and Valorant have new content available to subscribers. A new season of Diablo IB means that you can complete the journey to earn a new Raven Pet. Valorant players have a new Agent available. Tejo who comes from Colombia is an Initiator class and is available now.

Along with everything mentioned above, Game Pass Ultimate has the following perks available to subscribers as well. An Xbox exclusive colored Lotti Outfit and Fuzzy Percy Amitoi tag are available in Throne and Liberty. Bruce Lee Bundle is included with EA Sports UFC 5 and who wouldn’t want to play as the father of mixed martial arts? In celebration of the Lunar New Year, a new tank and fighter plane is available in War Thunder. Finally Enlisted players will have access to the US Starter Pack which includes US Assaulters with M3A1 Grease Guns.

I know I said that it was a dry beginning to the year, but since we are still in the first month, I will take it back. I would say this more than makes up for it. Which of these will you be playing?

Earlier this week Nintendo officially revealed the Nintendo Switch successor, which is officially called the Nintendo Switch 2. The new console was revealed in a video after months of leaks. The new console looks similar to the old one, but rounder and more sleek. It features magnetic Joy-Con controllers, a new button on the right Joy-Con, and more. It’s confirmed that the Switch 2 will be backward compatible with most Switch games, though there doesn’t appear to be an IR sensor or an Amiibo interface, so games may be playable, but missing some features of the original hardware.

The video also showed off the first look at Mario Kart 9. The game’s design has drawn some criticism over a redesign of Donkey Kong. The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to be released this year with a Nintendo Direct showcasing the console on April 2.

I have had a Nintendo Switch for a while now, since before the pandemic, but it’s mainly sat there not being played much. I use it for Nintendo exclusives, but admittedly I prefer PC and Xbox over Nintendo and Playstation. I always say I will play it more and then never do, though we have played a decent amount of Mario Kart 8 when we did use it. Who knows, maybe I will pick it up and play Mario Kart 9, especially if it has some decent third party exclusives.

What about you? Will you be trying to pick up the Switch 2 this year or waiting  for a bit?

Looks like Xbox is doing another January Developer Direct this year. The last few years, in January, they show off games that will be coming soon. It’s a smaller event showing only a handful of games and usually has some release dates revealed. This year’s event will be on January 23 at 1PM Eastern.

This year’s Developer Direct is going to focus on four games: South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and an unannounced game. Rumor has it that the unannounced game could be the rumored <a href=”/gaming/oblivion-remake-announcement-in-january”>Oblivion Remake</a>. Seeing as how the three known games all have 2025 release dates, whatever the unreleased game is, more than likely has a 2025 release date as well. It could very well be released on the 23rd for Game Pass.

If it is, it could be why the initial Game Pass drop for the year was a little underwhelming. Two Microsoft owned IP releases in a month could be why they didn’t add a lot of third party games to the lineup. Either way, we will find out what the third game is and potentially get release dates for the other three in a few weeks. Which ones are you excited about?

Wave 1 of January 2025 Game Pass games has been announced. The games are Diablo, My Time at Sandrock, Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders, Rolling Hills, Lightyear Frontier, and EA Sports UFC 5. On top of these 6 games, Road 96 returns today as well. The last few months, Game Pass has included at least one Activision Blizzard game, so having Diablo coming to the service isn’t that surprising. There are rumors that a Call of Duty: World at War is going to hit the service in May and that no other COD will come before that. If it’s true, then assuming this trend continue, we could see more Diablo, Crash Bandicoot, or Spyro pop up before then. There are also persistent rumors since August that Microsoft has secured a deal to bring Marvel’s Activision games back to the store and presumably Game Pass. This would mean that Amazing Spider-Man 2, Web of Shadows, Deadpool, and more would be coming back. These games were previously delisted and the only way to get them is through physical copies of the game. Some copies, like Amazing Spider-Man 2 are listed for $99 or more for the Xbox One version of the game. As always, take these rumors with a grain of salt.

Are you excited for these first Game Pass games of 2025? Is there anything you’re hoping for in Wave 2 or beyond? Let us know in the comments.

It is bound to be a big year for Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic 4. Not only are they getting a movie starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, but they are getting added to Marvel Rivals soon as well. The image was posted on the official Marvel Rivals X account, it includes Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, The Thing, and Invisible Woman. The image also features H.E.R.B.I.E, a robot created by Mr. Fantastic and Master Xar of the Xandarians in the comics. Before the image was posted, Human Torch and The Thing were leaked for the game, but now we know for sure that all 4 members and potentially their robot friend too, will be in the game.

Recent leaks also show Ultron, Deadpool, Emma Frost, Modok, and more would be added to the game eventually. On January 6 at 11:00AM EST, there will be a trailer showcasing the Fantastic 4, could it also feature some other new heroes? Marvel Rivals season 0 is set to end on January 10 at 1:00AM EST. It’s unknown if season 1 will begin right away or if there will be a gap between seasons. We should have more answers than questions come Monday.

Are you excited for Fantastic 4 coming to the game? Is there anyone you’re hoping to play as in the future? Let us know.

Along with movies, 2025 features anniversaries of some pretty big games as well. Unfortunately not all of these are available to buy or stream on modern devices so going back and playing some might be harder to do than others.

• Pong (50th)
• Space Invaders (45th)
• Donkey Kong (45th)
• Pac-Man (45th)
• Super Mario Bros. (40th)
• Duck Hunt (40th)
• The Legend of Zelda (40th)
• Metroid (40th)
• Chrono Trigger (30th)
• Tekken 2 (30th)
• Command & Conquer (30th)
• Twisted Metal (30th)
• Time Crisis (30th)
• Resident Evil 4 (20th)
• God of War (20th)
• NBA Street (20th)
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (20th)
• Mass Effect 2 (15th)
• Red Dead Redemption (15th)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (10th)
• Life is Strange (10th)
• Super Mario Maker (10th)
• Bloodborne (10th)

It seems so surreal how old some of these games are. Red Dead Redemption does not look that old. Some of these should definitely get a remake or remaster soon, or even just a sequel. Twisted Metal’s sequel was reportedly cancelled, but the show should return for season 2 soon, so maybe that will renew interest in the games. Resident Evil 9 should be shown soon, especially if the rumored 2025 release date is real. A God of War remaster/remake is rumored to be in the world and the 20th anniversary would be a good time to release it. Metroid Prime 4 should be released this year, possibly even a launch title for the Nintendo Switch successor.

Do you want to see any of these games remastered, remade, or rebooted? Are you going to be playing any of these classics this year? Let us know in the comments.

2025 is here and this year is a big anniversary year for some amazing movies. Some of these seem like they came out just a few years ago, but then 10 years have passed. I have not watched them all, but I think I will make it a point to watch a lot of them that I haven’t seen or that I haven’t seen in a while this year. And when I say watch them, I mean watch their whole series, so all movies in the Rocky, Jaws, etc. series.

• Fantasia (85th)
• Pinocchio (85th)
• Psycho (65th)
• The Sound of Music (60th)
• Lady and the Tramp (70th)
• Jaws (50th)
• One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (50th)
• The Empire Strikes Back (45th)
• Friday the 13th (45th)
• Airplane! (45th)
• Superman II (45th)
• The Shining (45th)
• 9 to 5 (45th)
• Back to the Future (40th)
• The Breakfast Club (40th)
• Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (40th)
• Rocky IV (40th)
• The Goonies (40th)
• The Color Purple (40th)
• Beverly Hills Cop (40th)
• Ghost in the Shell (30th)
• Die Hard with a Vengeance (30th)
• Se7en (30th)
• Billy Madison (30th)
• Toy Story (30th)
• Pocahontas (30th)
• Braveheart (30th)
• A Goofy Movie (30th)
• Heat (30th)
• Bad Boys (30th)
• Clueless (30th)
• Jumanji (30th)
• Batman Forever (30th)
• Shaft (25th)
• Requiem for a Dream (25th)
• Gladiator (25th)
• Memento (25th)
• X-Men (25th)
• Cast Away (25th)
• Final Destination (25th)
• Unbreakable (25th)
• Chicken Run (25th)
• Remember the Titans (25th)
• American Psycho (25th)
• Scary Movie (25th)
• The Emperor’s New Groove (25th)
• Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (25th)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (25th)
• Goodfellas (35th)
• Edward Scissorhands (35th)
• Home Alone (35th)
• Sin City (20th)
• Batman Begins (20th)
• Walk The Line (20th)
• Chicken Little (20th)
• Mr & Mrs Smith (20th)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (20th)
• Revenge of the Sith (20th)
• War of the Worlds (20th)
• Sky High (20th)
• Madagascar (20th)
• Robots (20th)
• Corpse Bride (20th)
• The Family Stone (20th)
• Brokeback Mountain (20th)
• V for Vendetta (20th)
• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (20th)
• The Social Network (15th)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (15th)
• How To Train Your Dragon (15th)
• Black Swan (15th)
• Tron: Legacy (15th)
• Despicable Me (15th)
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (15th)
• The King’s Speech (15th)
• Shutter Island (15th)
• Kick-Ass (15th)
• Toy Story 3 (15th)
• Inception (15th)
• Memento (15th)
• The Book of Eli (15th)
• Megamind (15th)
• Tangled (15th)
• Inside Out (10th)
• The Peanuts Movie (10th)
• The Force Awakens (10th)
• Creed (10th)
• Jurassic World (10th)
• The Hateful Eight (10th)
• Mad Max Fury Road (10th)
• Birdman (10th)
• It Follows (10th)
• Sicario (10th)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (10th)
• Kingsman (10th)
• The Revenant (10th)
• The Martian (10th)
• The Peanuts Movie (10th)

I can’t believe some of these are that old. Ten years for Age of Ultron, the Martian and Birdman? It just doesn’t seem possible, but I guess it is. Personally I think covid messed with my sense of time a bit so fourse years is condensed into what seems like one year at this point. Will you be watching any of these movies this year to celebrate their big milestones?