It may be hard to believe, but 2023 will mark 25 years since the Pokemon anime first premiered in the west. That’s a quarter century of battles, exploration, and boneheaded decisions by Ash Ketchum.

To commemorate this momentous landmark, we’re taking a look back by rewatching the earliest days of Pallet Town and beyond. Join us on this most marvellous trip down memory lane, and remember to stock up on Super Potions for the journey ahead!

Nintendo has kept the Zelda franchise going for decades—almost 40 years, in fact. In that span of time, we’ve been graced with dozens of games, though some admittedly feel like bunts rather than homeruns. With Tears of the Kingdom being a massive success, let’s take a look at the Legend of Zelda series and rank the games from worst to best.

Note: Due to the expansive nature of the Legend of Zelda series, spin-offs have been omitted from the ranking. This includes: BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets, Wand of Gamelon, Faces of Evil, Zelda’s Adventure, Link’s Crossbow Training, Hyrule Warriors, and Hyrule Warriors Legends.

Survivor is an extraordinary reality TV show that has been captivating audiences for over 40 seasons, and it shows no signs of slowing down. I have curated an impressive list of seasons that you absolutely must experience. Oh, and fear not, as this list is completely spoiler-free, so you can fully enjoy the excitement and surprises of each season! Here are my takes for the best survivor seasons, ranked.

10. Season 33: Millennials vs. Gen X

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X has a lot of good going for it: an amazing cast, a heartfelt and satisfying winner, absolutely bonkers moments, and surprise vote-outs. However, a moment that really makes this season stand out has to do with a scene where one contestant comes out to another. It’s a moment that is not only joyous but actually one that plays significantly into the season’s theme.

If you ever wanted to ride out into the sunset with a majestic steed, you can finally do that (at least virtually) in the Horse Ranch expansion pack. This beloved animal was one of the most sought-after companions in the Sims universe, bringing in fanmade creations with mods over the years. But now, players can acquire their very own stallion without using these enhancements, where they can teach, nurture, and raise horses.

While some aspects of the pack stand out from the rest, others lack a certain kind of substance that ultimately makes it feel like it’s missing something. So, without further ado, we’ll go over the things Sims 4 Horse Ranch does well and ways it could’ve done better.

With more potential installments in the rebooted Modern Warfare series to come in the future, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and ranking every Modern Warfare Call of Duty title so far. 

The next game, assuming leaks, rumors and speculation all come true, is set to be developed by Sledgehammer Games and continue the story and setting established in Modern Warfare 2 (2022). It’ll be the sixth MW game Call of Duty has produced, but which are remembered as the pinnacle? Here’s all of them, ranked from worst to best. 

Anime series are easy to binge in just a few sittings, but there’s nothing more enjoyable than watching one with your partner or significant other. Here are our picks for the best romance anime you can watch with your partner.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague

I know. The title sounds absolutely silly and frivolous, but I promise you, if you’re into romance anime at all, this is one to keep on your radar. The titular Ice Guy himself, Himuro, is a snow woman descendant, which basically means that he can inadvertently summon snow and mini blizzards around him based on his emotional reactions. It also means that when he’s interacting with his office crush Fuyutsuki, tiny snowman pop out of his body to symbolize his happiness and excitement.

One Piece is host to a wide variety of characters, but the female characters in particular are some of its best. Host to tragic backstories aplenty and triumphant moments of success and dominance, they’re capable of carrying the fandom’s interest with ease (and not merely due to Eiichiro Oda’s “specific” choices in character designs). Of the many shown throughout the series though, these are our picks for the top 10 best One Piece female characters.

10. Jewelry Bonney

The only female member of the Worst Generation, Jewelry Bonney is one of the more mysterious members of this list.

Fictional products like Duff beer in The Simpsons, or even fake movies like Stab in the Scream franchise have always been a huge part of entertainment. Even though real-life games have appeared in famous movies, like the time Thor played Fortnite in Avengers: Endgame, many video games have also been made up for the screen. From Disney animated movies to Black Mirror, many fictional games were invented either to make a good original story or just to poke fun at something that already exists. Some were more creative than others, and some just aimed to be hilarious. Some of the games on this list had actual titles released simultaneously with their original media. Still, just like the Wonka bars from Willy Wonka in the Chocolate Factory, it’s just not as magical in the real world. With that said, let’s check out the best games in TV shows and movies that we’d love to play — and we mean the exact version from the screen, not a cheap knockoff.

Bonestorm and Dash Dingo (The Simpsons)

With over 30 years of history, The Simpsons have many fictional IPs within their yellow universe. Some of their fictional gaming industry was already explored in The Simpsons Game (2007), with levels like Grand Theft Scratchy and Medal of Homer making fun of actual successful game franchises. Still, we never got the chance to experience Bonestorm or Dash Dingo.

The realm of the otome game is a weird and wonderful place. Sometimes, you’ll pursue a variety of pretty, non-threatening suitors after exchanging a series of group texts. Other times, you’ll look to seduce a lovable single father, or a responsible pet owner.

As for Hatoful Boyfriend? You date pigeons. That’s right: YOU. DATE. PIGEONS.

With all signs pointing to Sledgehammer Games developing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (III? A backwards E? Who know what crazy symbol variation of three they’ll use this time) for fall 2023, we thought it’d be enjoyable to take a trip down memory lane and revisit every CoD title they’ve made in the past. Here’s every SHG Call of Duty, ranked. 

It’s worth noting that Sledgehammer Games have contributed to a lot of Call of Duty titles over the years, including Modern Warfare 2019 and its sequel, Modern Warfare 2 (2022). For this list, though, we’re only taking into account the games in which they were the lead development studio (or one of them). Games in which they’ve been an assisting studio won’t feature. That means there’s four titles to deal with. They’re all ranked below, from our least favorite to the best they’ve made yet. 

A certain clever clogs once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, and in the grand scheme of things that logic may indeed ring true. However, if you were to apply the same philosophy to gaming, you’d be surprised at how comforting doing the same thing over and over again can be.

Personally, I often like grinding, even in the toughest and most brutal of video games. There’s just something satisfying about consistently improving and upgrading your character in an area you know like the back of your hand. In other words, when it’s done right, grinding can be a good way for players to relax and unwind.

With Bethesda Game Studios’ next big game on the horizon, anticipation for the company’s first new IP in 25 years is reaching a fever pitch. To help shed some light on the many worlds fans will be exploring when Starfield launches on Sept. 6, the studio has released a trio of new animated shorts.

These animated teasers stand in stark contrast with some folks’ concerns leading up to the interstellar space RPG’s launch. Namely: Starfield is going to be an empty, lifeless No Man’s Sky-esque experience.

2023 has marked the arrival of some of the most entertaining, emotional, and intense anime seasons. From slashing Demons in grueling, bloody fights or actively avoiding being hunted for a six-million dollar bounty to adapting to living in a world inhabited by the undead, we’ve rounded up the best contenders to create a list of the best must-binge series of the year so far.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – Season 3

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Demon Slayer’s third season takes place during the Swordsmith Village arc, where viewers will get to see Tanjiro and the Hashira duo of Muichiro Tokito and Mitsuri Kanroji step into the limelight and go head-to-head against two of Muzan’s fiercest Upper Moon henchmen.

Few consoles possess the sheer resonance and overwhelming mindshare of the Xbox 360. Not only did it help usher in the huge industry shift to online multiplayer culture we see today, but it was also a fertile hotbed for independently-developed classics like Limbo, Braid, Castle Crashers, Super Meat Boy, and many more.

From 2005 to 2016, Microsoft’s sophomore console was home to a ton of acclaimed games, and even though it’s a reasonably young system in the grand scheme of things, there are still some rare titles that’ll yield some surprisingly decent results money-wise.

While we’re still waiting for the next great new MMORPG to take the world by storm like World of Warcraft did years ago, there are still plenty of great active ones to choose from. These are the 10 most popular MMORPGs on PC in 2023, ranked specifically by their peak concurrent players.

Editor’s Note: Hard data for concurrent player counts do not exist for MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft. Therefore, it has been excluded from this list. We are aware that they would undoubtedly be right at the very top of this most popular MMORPGs in 2023 list if we had access to reliable data from which to source.

It may be hard to believe, but 2023 will mark 25 years since the Pokemon anime first premiered in the west. That’s a quarter century of battles, exploration, and boneheaded decisions by Ash Ketchum.

To commemorate this momentous landmark, we’re taking a look back by rewatching the earliest days of Pallet Town and beyond. Join us on this most marvellous trip down memory lane, and remember to stock up on Super Potions for the journey ahead!

When it comes to Metroid, there’s almost no need for an introduction. It’s the franchise that helped to kick-start the Metroidvania genre, and stands among most any of Nintendo’s other properties as one of the best series in gaming. Of the many titles the series has put out though, some are definitely better than others, which is why we’ve compiled our ranking of the best Metroid games of all time.

14. Metroid Prime: Federation Force

Federation Force certainly isn’t a bad game, but it doesn’t feel as “Metroid” as other games in the series; due in no small part to the absence of a playable Samus.

With Call of Duty’s DMZ extraction mode well established within Warzone and incorporating aspects of The Boys in the form of the Temp V Field Upgrade, I wanted to don my developer hat and conceive of five truly ludicrous things Activision could do with the mode in the future.

The inclusion of the aforementioned Temp V has been controversial, with some loving it and treating it as an excellent anti-camper device and others adamant that superpowers do no belong in the mode at all.

Like its predecessor, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has a lot of secrets hidden in the skies, the surface, and the very Depths below. Run in any direction and you’ll always bump into something interesting to see, but let’s step away from the big picture and observe a few aspects of the game. If you focus on the small, you’ll find tiny details that get easily overlooked in Tears of the Kingdom.

10. Lightroots Lead to Zonai Shrines

Tears of the Kingdom had just as much to do with the sky as it does the deep, dark depths beneath the surface. Aptly named ‘the Depths,’ the underground caverns are equally as vast as the lands above, but it’s dangerous down there. It’s a good idea to make regular trips into the Depths for Poes, items, and Zonaite.

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. In a time where you struggle to hear the word “free” commercially, Microsoft’s Games with Gold being a part of their Xbox Live Gold service served as a light in the dark for players interested in trying their hand at something different without a financial commitment. Alas, the time for that light to shift colors and go dim has finally come.

On July 17, Microsoft announced that they will be introducing Xbox Game Pass Core as a replacement for Xbox Live Gold. Along with the 18 year old service, Microsoft said that they will be discontinuing the Games With Gold feature starting September 1, which means that the constant influx of free games that Xbox Live Gold members had access to will be coming to a halt.