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Screenshot: Terminator 2D: No Fate Nostalgia isn’t new, and neither is blatant nostalgia bait. I’m actually okay with it though, especially since I’m the target of this one. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was seminal to my childhood cultural appreciation. I saw Terminator 2: Judgment Day  in the theater as many times as I could convince my parents to let me go, and later rented Terminator on VHS to see where it all started. Ironically, I would probably have ignored any tie-in games, because those were notoriously bad. A game based on a movie or TV show was usually an instant ignore. There were exceptions, and as later console generations came around the stigma wore off a bit. I have a feeling that if a game like Terminator 2D: No Fate came out back then, it would have gone a long way to break that stigma. Terminator 2D: No Fate is a 2D sidescrolling action game that, despite its clever “2D” moniker, is an earnest attempt at recreating some of the very worst habits of early video game developers when creating movie tie-in games. But it adds a few modern amenities, and has some pretty great pixel art animations that put arcade games of that era to shame. Not having severe hardware limitations helped, I’m sure, but Terminator 2D: No Fate captures the type of graphics you might remember games having when you were a kid. But as someone who plays a lot of retro games, and as often as I play modern games, Terminator 2D: No Fate skirts the line between modern and retro in the best ways. Screenshot: Terminator 2D: No Fate One of the issues that tie-in games had in that era was how to balance story and gameplay. A lot of the time most story beats would be glossed over in pixelated cutscenes that approximate what you would see on screen interspersed with gameplay that was often only bearing a slight resemblance to the parts of the movie it took inspiration from. Ironically, Terminator 2D: No Fate handles its version of Terminator 2: Judgment Day the exact same way, either through nostalgia or necessity, or both. But it actually works here. Terminator 2D: No Fate hits most of the major story beats from Terminator 2: Judgment Day , and manages to make some compelling gameplay sections. Most of the time you play as Sarah Connor, which is a surprise–but it makes sense. John Connor is too young to be running and gunning and the T-800 is a tank that should be nigh unkillable in most scenarios. You do get to play as an older John Connor during the future war sections. But I honestly feel like this is also, maybe, due to a lack of time and/or creative ideas. Half of the levels are based on throwaway lines or scenes flashed in the movie only briefly. Again, this is something that tie-in games were notorious for, so I’m of the mind to actually consider these  faux pas  as ironically clever nods to yesteryear.  Screenshot: Terminator 2D: No Fate It’s not unusual for video games, especially tie-in games, to change the gameplay up as you go. There are run and gun sections, driving sections, short beat ‘em up levels and even a short stealth-ish gameplay section. Each section plays slightly differently than others, and not a single section stands out as bad. The run and gun sections are easily the most fun, as the gunplay feels fun and visceral. Overall, developer Bitmap Bureau made a game that controls tight and is very fun. After you finish your first playthrough you have the ability to choose different routes, which leads to some levels being swapped out with others. I really like the idea of having alternate routes that change the events as they happened in the movie, but I feel like that would have been more impactful if you can make the decisions from the beginning. Like most of the other content in Terminator 2D  you have to unlock the different choices by playing through the game. I would have almost preferred the alternate story choices to be there from the beginning so you can find out that making a certain choice actually changes the end you expect instead of the canon ending being the first and default ending you can see. Screenshot: Terminator 2D: No Fate Terminator 2D: No Fate tries very hard to seem like a retro game, but it actually has more modern game sensibilities than not. It has multiple game modes, including boss rush, endless modes, and a story mode that forces you to play through all of the Sarah Connor sections with no continues.  And of course, there is a lot of love shown for the movies–with lots of Terminator references thrown in beyond what’s in the second film. There’s even a homage to the first movie as an alternate route has you killing all of the cops in a police station à la Terminator –but this time as Sarah Connor instead of the T-800. Despite this, there’s a surprising lack of “I’ll be back.” Terminator 2D: No Fate is a Love Letter to Terminator and Retro Games My biggest gripe with the game is its difficulty and length. I was able to play through the entire game in less than 4 hours. And I don’t mean a single run (which takes me only about 40 minutes.) I mean the entire game, hardest difficulty, unlocking everything. I’m not an exceptional game player, and while I do have some serious retro video game muscle memory, it feels like Terminator 2D: No Fate is just too short and too easy for the price tag. I”m hoping for some free DLC in the future Overall, Terminator 2D: No Fate seems to be worth the added wait after all of the delays. Despite its short length, it is one of the best faux retro games I’ve played in a long time. Don’t expect anyone to be able to port its high frame high fidelity pixel art onto an SNES or Genesis cart, but then again, I’ve seen people do crazier things.Dotemu might be the premier retro style developer, but developer Bitmap Bureau comes close to dethroning them.

As we look to the news for more information on the tragic death of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer, we also turn to the gifts he gave us that touched our hearts and shaped our childhood (and adulthood.). I’m still personally coming to grips with what a world without The Princess Bride would have been like for me.  It not only shaped my humor, it allowed me to understand that the heart of a story transcends its genre, and that you CAN have everything at once - an epic fantasy, a comedy - and a romance. It taught me each character can have a story that can flow into the main narrative - and that a movie CAN hold a candle to, and even perhaps elevate, the source material. Goldman’s story took on even more meaning and was made even more poignant through the lens of a grandfather spending his time reading that “kissing book” to him, and watching him groan at every page turn to not being able to put it down. If you’ve ever read Cary Elwes' book, As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, (which, if you haven't, and you're a fan, you should!) there’s a couple of things that stand out - one of which is that William S Goldman, the source of this epic story - didn't just trust anyone with his story. It took a long, long time to get that movie made, and was only entrusted to Rob Reiner, someone who truly believed in it.  You can tell a lot by the way people orbit a person, and Reiner’s casts oftentimes became like family, or at the very least dear lifelong friends. This was certainly true of the amazing cast of The Princess Bride, who spoke so intensely fondly of him throughout the years.  Perhaps because The Princess Bride was the work of Reiner’s that was closest to my heart (I walked down the aisle to the theme, after all) - it’s their voices I wanted to hear as I tried to come to grips with such a terrible thing as Reiner’s murder. Maybe because I wanted to check on them - and maybe because I wanted to feel that connection between the work and the man through them.  If you feel that way too, let’s have a look together: Cary Elwes , who’s authored a book about his time on the set of The Princess Bride , let this picture from set express his grief, simply saying 'No words...' Mandy Patinkin , on the other hand, not only seemed to somehow adequately express what a tragedy this killing was, but also shared an impactful story from his time working with Reiner on the film.  I n a quote to EW, he said  : ““How do we process this unthinkable tragedy? Loss after loss after loss. What is happening to our world? What is happening to our human race? What is happening to our world? What is happening to our human race?” “When we were filming the scene in the Princess Bride, where Inigo kills the six-fingered man and says: ‘I want my father back you son of a bitch’ take after take after take, Rob kept asking me to do less do less, do less,” Patinkin continued.  “In my sleepless night, I realized he wanted less anger from me to allow my broken heart to be felt. Now I’m hearing his voice tell us all to do more, do more, do more to repair the human soul, to repair our hearts, to repair our country, to repair our world, to never give up, to keep fighting, to keep living for every soul taken from this earth, that no longer has the life and breath to raise their voices for a better world, we must raise our voices for them.” Chris Sarandon shared a wonderful photo of the cast along with his condolences: Fred Savage similarly, shared this amazing picture, along with words of gratitude: Meanwhile, Christopher Guest and his wife, Jamie Lee Curtis , had this to say to USA Today: In a statement to USA TODAY , actors Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis said they "are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends." Guest starred in Reiner's 1984 directorial debut, "This Is Spinal Tap." "Our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them," the statement said. "There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis." "We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve." Robin Wright echoed those sentiments in her statement : "I am deeply shocked and devastated. I cannot begin to imagine what the family is experiencing or what they will have to endure in the months and years ahead. It is truly heartbreaking," she tells EW. "Rob was one of the most loving, compassionate, and kind people I have ever known. He was an extraordinary director and the impact he had on me has stayed with me throughout my career. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," she concludes. Billy Crystal , who was an extremely close friend, may have been at the scene shortly after the couple was found, and understandably has not made any public statements, though Reiner was often mentioned as his “dearest friend” with a deep family history including a very deep friendship with Reiner’s father Carl, that lasted until his death.  If, like us, you’re trying to process this tragedy, we hope that you’ll find a little comfort hearing remembrances of Reiner through the eyes of his friends – the cast of a film that has not only delighted us as children, provided laughs in dark times, and been a part of some of our happiest moments.  “Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”

Jason Haight-Ellory, Chris Eccleston and Annete Badland at Chicago TARDIS 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor It’s hard to properly convey the privilege of having gotten to see Christopher Eccleston at Chicago TARDIS this year. As fellow Whovians, we are always super hyped to see a Doctor or companion grace the stage of any local convention, and we’ve been privileged to pack into panel rooms where the likes of Tennant, Tate, Smith and Gillian were set to appear. They’re amazing pieces of the Doctor Who legacy. Still, we can’t overstate what it meant to be in the room with the Ninth Doctor - a cornerstone of the series and someone without whom the series may not have continued.  Doctor Who is a sci-fi show that’s stood the test of time in a way almost no other series has. Beginning in 1963, it’s managed to make its mark not just in the UK where it originated on the BBC, but worldwide. Every Doctor and every companion has added to its tapestry with their own take on the Time Lord, a singular hero who roams time and space but always returns to his love affair with the human race, and admiration of their tenacity.  Chris Eccleston with Annette Badland at Chicago TARDIS 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor Each actor who’s taken on the iconic role has left their mark, from the curmudgeonly First, Hartnell, on to the Cosmic Hobo, Second Doctor Patrick Troughton and the beloved and bescarved Colin Baker’s Fifth Doctor.  Fans in the UK and abroad could count on these Doctors to solve impossible problems, take on incredible companions, and take them on incredible journeys. Until they couldn’t, when the show went dark after Paul McGann’s run.  After a long absence, Eccleston took up the mantel, and the Ninth Doctor leapt to life on the screen, with his now iconic companion, Rose. His Doctor caught the attention of a new generation, and at the same time reminded lifelong fans why they’d follow the Doctor across space and time.  Chris Eccleston and Annette Badland at Chicago TARDIS 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor But for Eccleston, it wasn’t a walk in the park. In fact, it was anything but, with his run famously being shorter than we’d hoped due to problems behind the scenes with showrunners and executive producers that he made clear, but were not resolved. In a series with missing episodes we’ve searched for across decades, Eccleston’s short tenure felt like one of the biggest missing pieces of them all.  Regardless of what was going on behind the scenes, it’s impossible to look away from Eccleston’s Doctor. He’s immediately everything we love about the Doctor - a lonely alien with a warm heart(s) that’s burdened to roam space and time with companions that can’t follow him to the end.  Episodes like The Empty Child show off Eccleston’s amazing range and ability to switch from darkness to impish, childlike joy and exhilaration.  One of the first questions he was asked as he arrived (against all odds, just like the Doctor would) in the middle of a blizzard, was how he found his character, and given his complicated past with Russell T Davies, the answer was quite a surprise, and perhaps a sign that that conflict has since been resolved: “Around this time, Russell T Davies used to wear a big brown leather jacket, and he’d specified in the script, the very first scene, that he’s not dressed like, you know, a children’s entertainer. It’s just - he looks normal.”  Paying a compliment to the showrunner, he continued  “So basically…and of course, Russell’s intelligence is off the scale - so I based it kind of on Russell in terms of energy - and that’s why. It’s always been a boy’s world, unfortunately - and that’s why we need to have a female Doctor Who showrunner.” “So I thought about Russell’s otherness, which he had because of the level of his intelligence.” He went on to explain his take on the Ninth and how he approached the audition -  “I was running, and I thought, I’m going to ask for an audition for Doctor Who because I thought - Time Lord - he’s a lot of times, falling through time, so he doesn’t have a home. I can play that” “There’s something sad about the Doctor - because he lost his planet,” Eccleston continued, a look of recognition on his face. “He’s lost his people, which is why he loves humans so passionately, why he’s always trying to save things - because he’s lost them.” “Did you ever discuss this [with Davies]” asked Jason Haight-Ellory, who took over as the panel’s moderator when Eccleston arrived.  “No, we didn’t. No. Oh not at all.” said Chris. Eccleston went on to mention working with Davies on another project called Second Coming: “I remember one sequence in Second Coming where the character I played, who was the second incarnation of Christ, was receiving information as he was speaking. My director was a little bit lost so I asked Russell, I said ‘How’s he doing this? How’s he getting this information?”  “Oh, he’s downloading it” was his response.  “Actually, it’s quite abstract, but it’s quite clever” Eccleston said of the response, “so I worked with tht, and I think I probably gained insight on how Russell wanted the Doctor playing from that note.”  The actor went on to recall his first encounter with the Doctor.  “The first Doctor I remember was Patrick Troughton. It was a black and white image. I remember - and the only time I was interested in the Doctor, considering me professionally and as a child, was when the regeneration happened. I was really taken with this notion that it’s the same character with a different physical appearance - as a child and also from a technical point of view, wanting to see how they did that.”  Annette Badland at Chicago TARDIS 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor “It’s the character” interjected Annette Badland (who had taken the hotseat in the beginning of the panel as fans awaited Eccleston’s arrival in the snow, and who we will feature in a separate article soon) “We are all aliens. We’re all different. We respond in different moods, to someone new. We have many faces. So I think we relate.” Chris Eccleston and Annette Badland at Chicago TARDIS 2025. Photo : Marielle Bokor “That’s brilliant” quipped Eccleston “I wish you directed!” before going on to say “I think the hardest thing with the role is, if you don’t do a second series, you can’t look at the things you did wrong. I think that’s very- I think if you watch every single Doctor - they get better in their second series because they go - with actors, I think, they’re tryin to do that. There’s a lot of professional pride in me talking - but it’s the otherworldliness, how you present that” “It’s one of the greatest roles you’ll ever play,” Eccleston continued. “You rely on your heart and your goal. I think he’s got - he, she, it, they, whatever the Doctor is is most wonderful. You can be anybody now and it’s always good. It’s all about empathy, isn’t it?” On Margaret,Annette Badlands’ infamous villain, he said, “Certainly Margaret was the first character challenge. We were in Cardiff Bay, in a restaurant with the twinkling lights, and it was like we were in Edward Pond. It was playful, it was flirtatious, but one was going to destroy the other. That’s where he [The Doctor] gets dark - when there’s a threat to humanity, and the darkness is there to counterbalance the lightness and levity”   We certainly appreciated the time we had with Eccleston, even if it did get cut short just like his run as the Doctor so he could safely escape the storm. We could easily bask in his charm, appreciate his intelligence and humor, and look forward to adventures we might have in the future, since it WAS at this panel they announced Eccleston’s amazing Ninth Doctor would be making a return to the series with a brand new run of audio adventures with Big Finish, which we got to see a live action trailer for (and which will include Billie Piper as Rose) that we’ll look forward to and may or may not already have on our pre-order lists .

Rob Reiner, 1996. Via Wikimedia Commons What was first reported a few hours back as unknown victims found dead in Reiner's Brentwood home was unfortunately updated and confirmed to be the legendary Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer , dead of what appears to be stab wounds, according to TMZ via Consequence . For children of the 80s, Reiner was an icon - someone who brought to life some of the most epic and influential stories we'd remember forever. As a person who thinks the book is inherently better, Reiner's interpretation of The Princess Bride is my exception. How would we know it goes to 11 without Spinal Tap ? Not to mention Stand By Me , When Harry Met Sally or a million other things Reiner brought humor, heart and uncomplicated intelligence. Reiner was also an activist who fought for equal rights via the foundation he co-founded as well as through membership in the Social Responsibility Task Force and was never afraid to reinforce those beliefs via social media. Reiner led with laughter and kindness that he wove into his work and "IRL" persona, and we can't help but feel a light go off in that little corner of our childhoods with him leaving so soon.

Screenshot: The Berlin Apartment I love narrative games. I’ve been a sucker for them since I was a little kid. They were, at the time, a novel departure from the slew of side-scrolling action and platforming fare that littered most of the gaming landscape when I was a wee lad. Now, saying something is a “narrative” game can mean a lot of things these days, as even the term can arguably fit a few different genres/subgenres. Either way, experiencing a story–especially a poignant one–can have a huge impact when you’re actually living that experience through a game. I can tell that’s what the developers were going for with The Berlin Apartment ; it just never really worked that way for me. You might be thinking, “oh here he goes, he’s going to shit on what’s obviously an indie darling with lots of love put into it.” But I have that context, and I was rooting for The Berlin Apartment  the whole way. It just never really clicked with me, which is a travesty, really. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Screenshot: The Berlin Apartment The Berlin Apartment  is a first-person narrative game that focuses on a single apartment in Berlin and the changes it has gone through over the decades–but also, and more importantly, it tells the story of those who resided within its walls. It’s a sort of If These Walls Could Talk  but as a video game. It’s all held together by a narrative framework, set during COVID times, of a little girl “helping” her dad renovate the titular apartment. The little girl finds clues from the apartment’s past as renovation commences, and the father tells a story about each discovery, painting a rich picture of the apartment’s storied and emotional history. This game falls solidly into the “walking simulator” brand of first-person narrative games–but I don’t mean that in a disparaging way. In fact, some of my favorite games that delivered the most poignant of messages have been deemed “walking simulators.” But here I am getting bogged down in genre discussions when I should be talking about The Berlin Apartment  specifically. You can see I’m avoiding it. I feel like I’m going to beat up a cute little puppy that really doesn’t deserve it. I won’t be that harsh, but there’s a part of me that really wants to be. I have to admit: some of the problems I had with The Berlin Apartment  were with how I chose to play it. I mostly played it on my Steam Deck using an Xbox Controller. Why? Well, I don’t tell you how to play games, so don’t judge me. I’m kidding–it’s really just a convenience/preference thing. Screenshot: The Berlin Apartment As I mentioned before, in The Berlin Apartment  you play through different eras of the apartment’s existence. In each of these different eras, there is a new task you have to complete that acts like a sort of minigame. In the ‘89 story, you have to master the art of throwing paper airplanes, while there’s a Tetris-ish minigame in the ‘33 story as you pack a suitcase. But most of the time, you’ll be performing tasks that have a tactile bent, presumably in an effort to connect you to these stories. By performing the actions the characters would have to perform, it puts you in their shoes. And sure, there’s a tug at my heartstrings as I play a little girl trying her best to decorate for the bleakest Christmas ever. But these tasks felt more like a hindrance than a connection. Instead of feeling like I was sharing the plight of these moments from these characters' lives, I felt like I was doing useless busy work, pixel hunting, and other faux pas that have existed since “Doom clones” were dinged for their key hunting. Screenshot: The Berlin Apartment And for such a short game as The Berlin Apartment  to have its “gameplay” padded by hunting for the right place to put X item while struggling with the controls just isn’t fun. Not only that, but characters move frustratingly slowly. I don’t need them running around at Doom-guy speeds, but seriously, when I got to the ‘33 story and discovered I was playing as an EVEN SLOWER old man, I wanted to quit right there. Especially because you have to find a long list of items to pack, and I just did not have a good time. I’d argue that games like The Berlin Apartment  are important. But why not overlap important with fun? It’s hard to show video games as art to people when some of the very best examples of that concept are hindered by unfun design and bad controls. Okay, I’ll put down the rolled-up newspaper. I mean, The Berlin Apartment  is actually a good boy. Sorry about hammering this puppy metaphor, but look at him! The Berlin Apartment  is adorable! Seriously, though, it has a great art style. And while I heard the German dub (the native dub) is superior, I actually thought the English voice acting was superb. Screenshot: The Berlin Apartment And like I said, I can’t overstate the importance of games like The Berlin Apartment  and other “slice of life” style titles that put us into the shoes of cultures, characters, and situations we’d normally never find ourselves in. And the framing conceit is genius: I’ve worked construction and renovation projects before and it’s always fun finding stuff the previous owners left behind. I did run into a few bugs that were frustrating, and one that even impeded my progress. At one point my character kept getting focused on a point on the ceiling during a story beat, and wouldn’t stop staring at that spot. But I only had that problem on my Steam Deck, despite its “Verified” status. If you think The Berlin Apartment  is just fine and I’m a huge jerk, you’re entitled to your opinion. But I was rooting for The Berlin Apartment ; I just couldn’t get past its design foibles. Compounding that with the issues I had on Steam Deck, I ended up having a not-great experience with the game. Hopefully, you loved it, because I can tell that developer btf put a lot of heart into this one.

Another Game Awards has come and gone–and with it an amount of cringe and commercialization that wouldn’t fly with other award shows. But it's also the best place to see all of the cool upcoming games in one place. Here’s a list of games that were announced or featured at The Game Awards that we’re most excited about: Orbitals: Last time I went all in for a game based on art style alone was Cuphead , which worked out great. I know art style isn’t everything, but Orbitals  achieves a unique retro anime aesthetic I haven’t seen in a game before.  Add in co-op gameplay, and I’m totally into it.   Ontos: Frictional Games is one of my favorite developers. They make up for their lack of volume with some truly high quality fare. The Amnesia series is renowned, and I still tell people that Soma is a must-play. Ontos looks like a spiritual successor to Soma  in a lot of ways. It’s a shame developer Frictional Games (not Fractional, Geoff) isn’t returning to its isolated desolation roots (think the Penumbra series) but Ontos looks like it’ll be a whole new form of mind fuck.  TankRat: At first glance, TankRat looked like a mindless action game, but it has a few mechanics  that really got me interested. As you fight your way through a devastated containment area teeming with monstrous mechs, you use parts to upgrade and reshape your Tank to make sure you’re up to the task. Your ultimate goal is an area called “Highpoint” where the “only way out is through.” Truthfully, they had me sold at “TankRat” so everything else is just icing.  Coven of the Chicken Foot: Coven of the Chicken Foot is definitely a standout title. Playing as an elderly woman who can’t fight or get around and has to rely on her companion wasn’t on my radar  but after watching the trailer I can’t wait. Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic  I loved Knights of the Old Republic , and I’m a Mass Effect fan, so having Casey Hudson’s new studio Humanoid Origin release a new Star Wars game set during the Old Republic era is a literal dream come true. We haven’t gotten to see much, but my hype levels are higher than Anakin’s midichlorian count. Star Wars: Galactic Racer This game is nostalgia bait, and I’m here for it. This is another Star Wars game we didn’t get to see too much of, but what we saw was amazing. Now, this isn’t podracing, but it looks fast and gritty in a way that plucks those nostalgia strings. They know what they’re doing. They even featured an older looking Sebulba. I wonder if he’s finally given up his sabotaging ways ( I doubt it.) I saw some people saying that he outlived his old foe Anakin, but I say that Ani just beat him to the grave.  Bradley the Badger I was hesitant about putting this on the list because it doesn't necessarily look good . In fact, the humor seems like it's from an earlier era–and in a bad, cringe sort of way. But there’s also something about parody that I love, and while some games have pulled it off (just barely) the vast majority fail hard. The mixture of 3D platforming and live action managed to get this one onto this list. I can’t help but love Evan Peters. Decrepit   I’m a huge first person fan. If you can play in first person, I’d probably choose that as my preference. (Yes, I played all of Grand Theft Auto 5 in first person.) But I’m also a huge Dark Souls fan. It’s hard to reconcile the two things, but Decrepit is attempting to bridge the gap. Violent, dark, and with soulslike risk-reward, Decrepit is high on my “I can’t wait.” list. Just look at that creature design!  Tomb Raider(s) Okay, I know there are actually two Tomb Raider games coming out–but I can’t help but be equally hyped for both. Does Tomb Raider 1 need another reimagining/remake? Yes please. Do we need a (presumably) new era Lara Croft at full potential in a new game? Fuck yes. Lara looks like she’s ready to raid some tombs and kick some ass.  John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando Okay, attach John Carpenter’s name to anything and I’ll check it out. I even watched Ghosts of Mars, and I genuinely feel like Carpenter owes me something for that one. I also loved Saber Interactive’s World War Z , and Toxic Commando looks like more of that–but with zombie-like monsters instead of just zombies. I’m actually going to ding this one for the IN YOUR FACE personality it’s trying to convey (I grew up in the 90’s. Fuck that noise.) But there’s a severe vacuum in the co-op zombie action space, and Toxic Commando can do a lot towards filling that. (Check out Warhammer 40,000 Darktide in the meantime for best-in-class.) Total War: Warhammer 40,000 The mad bastards at Creative Assembly are doing it. After announcing a new game in the Medieval branch of Total War , they’ve also graduated from fantasy Warhammer into epic space Warhammer . In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war–and we’ll be able to wage that war on a grand scale. There hasn’t been a release date announced yet, but I’m hoping the wait won’t be too long.  Forest 3  This trailer had a bunch of clues to what franchise it was a part of, but I missed them all. It wasn’t until Forest 3 popped up that I realized I was, indeed, watching a trailer for a new The Forest / Sons of the Forest sequel. It seems like Forest 3 will be a departure for the series, but I really like the new sci-fi element.  Did we miss one you're really excited for? Let us know in the comments.

Screenshot: Death Howl A soulslike with tactical turn-based combat and deckbuilding sounds like way too much, but developer The Outer Zone dared to dream big. I used to be a big proponent of the idea that if you add too many elements to a game, you just end up with a game with a bunch of mediocre parts. I don’t feel that way anymore. In fact, I’m excited how developers these days come up with clever ways to bend and break gameplay rules. It’s an entire gaming renaissance that is barely acknowledged. But great concepts, even if realized, aren’t always executed perfectly. Death Howl is a game I was initially wary of, but then fell in love with. The gorgeous, dreamily haunting pixel art mixed with a novel and engaging combination of gameplay mechanics hooked me right away. You play as Ro, a grieving mother who refuses to accept the death of her son. Instead, she goes into the spirit world to fight her way to him in an effort to bring him back. I’ve always appreciated the types of stories where you kill gods, or fight your way through hell–so Death Howl ’s premise is something I definitely could get behind. Mix that with a folklore-steeped Scandinavian purgatory and you get a game that feels like a lost legend, one that balances the cosmic scale of defying the afterlife with the intimate, crushing weight of personal grief. Screenshot: Death Howl As Ro, you explore this spirit world and encounter strange creatures, uncover secrets hidden in the map, loot items, and run into grid-based combat encounters. There are many benefits to exploring the world–not just for items that you can use to craft new cards, but also quests that give you unique cards as rewards, and other items you can find to help your quest. If you accidentally walk into combat, you can initially cancel with no penalty, but once combat progresses there’s no going back–and there’s no “undo” button in combat, either. Any misclick can lead to the end of that combat encounter. I failed often, but I took the ‘git gud’ approach to Death Howl ’s combat encounters–only to realize that I wasn’t getting the same return on investment ratio I was getting with Dark Souls –so to speak.  Screenshot: Death Howl Since there are no movesets to memorize, or weapons to learn the feel for, improvement in  Death Howl means trying different combinations of cards in your 20 hand deck, and seeing what works and what doesn’t. Unless you’re a deckbuilding savant (I’m not) Death Howl can feel a bit frustrating. I remember what it was like as a kid trying to play other kids with my crappy Magic: The Gathering deck–because that’s all I had. Death Howl allows you to craft new cards to help fill in any tactical gaps you might have.  Battles take place on a grid. I would have preferred hex-based, but Death Howl at least avoids the pitfall of always punishing movement or always punishing turtling by having a variety of enemies to fight–healers, those with one touch kills, ranged, melee, and more. Combat is turn-based, with movement and abilities enabled by spending mana. Each region has its own set of unique cards, which allows you to build and try multiple different decks during your playthrough. But that’s also one of my biggest gripes with Death Howl .  Screenshot: Death Howl It really feels like Death Howl  doesn’t respect your time, or even your preferences. If you find a fun weapon in Dark Souls,  it might not be viable for the entire game (though more often than not it would be) but you wouldn’t be outright penalized for using it in a different area of the game. In Death Howl , any regional cards are penalized by costing more mana. Further, any other ability upgrades–like totems, which enable much needed bonuses–are undone for any new region you enter, forcing you to level up a whole new set of bonuses that are region specific. And it’s around the time I realized this fact when the honeymoon period wore off. That’s when I just had to grit my teeth and get into the grind. It was like I had to learn to love it for what it was, not what I wanted it to be. Though I still feel like it might be a better game if it didn't punish the player for progression.  Screenshot: Death Howl But there are other ways that Death Howl  gives players a break. You can fast travel between this game’s bonfire equivalent (called ‘stone circles) as long as you aren’t holding a quest item. If you die, you lose whatever experience you’re carrying just as you would expect–but you’re not forced to fight through every group of enemies again. Instead, you’ll start the fight with the same health as you did when you originally started the encounter. This is pretty forgiving, but it also led to me throwing myself against the wall until I finally got the perfect RNG to get through the fight. I played Death Howl  on my Steam Deck for the majority of my playtime–and while it runs great, I ran into a fair number of bugs that didn’t let me select cards properly while playing with my Steam Deck docked, leading to a lot of frustration. I hope these bugs are fixed on a Day One patch, otherwise you might have to undock your Steam Deck to get past the issue before you can redock it.  Screenshot: Death Howl Death Howl  is a unique game. It has a brilliant core concept with some strange design decisions that make it feel like a bit of a grind when it really doesn’t have to be. But I do love it for what it is. When my deck works the way I want it to, Death Howl  is great fun. Despite the bugs and baffling design choices, this is the most fun I’ve had with a deckbuilder since I first played Slay the Spire .  Death Howl  is out December 9th on Steam and GoG, and will be coming next year on consoles with a physical edition confirmed for Q1 2026.

My first impressions of Cloudheim when I saw it was: “Hot damn! What a cool looking game.” While it leans towards a more anime/gacha visual style (not really my thing) I can’t deny how gorgeous it looked in screenshots. It reminded me a bit of Genshin Impact x Legend of Zelda , with creature designs that could be something out of Studio Ghibli. However, games aren’t just as good as their visuals, and Cloudheim definitely has potential. But I can’t help but feel like Cloudheim is suffering from a bit of an identity crisis. Is this going to be a narrative driven game, or is it going to be an open physics-based sandbox? Who knows? It might even be both.  Cloudheim definitely plays a bit loose with who you can play as. I’d argue it’s less of a role-playing game and more of a class-based open world co-op adventure game with some progression mechanics. Characters aren’t distinct entities. Instead, your class is determined by the weapon type you carry. There’s nothing wrong with this, per se, but those coming in expecting a more traditional role-playing game character creation might be in for a bit of a culture shock.  The physics-based combat is as-advertised, and fun on its own. Environments are often destructable, and I found amusement by kicking my enemies off of ledges or into pillars–which break down appropriately. But the combat doesn’t feel polished and as engaging as I had hoped. There’s a fine line with physics-based combat systems, and right now Cloudheim is teetering a bit more towards Goat Simulator style jankiness than what I would expect from a serious action role-playing game. But this is really just this author’s humble opinion–the community will be able to weigh-in soon enough. There is also the clunky base building system. I felt like I was infodumped during the hectic tutorial, so there is obvious room for improvement there. I was tasked with constructing a number of buildings in a row with very little context for why. It would have been better if Cloudheim  paced this out—perhaps having me build a station, complete a task in the world, and then return to introduce another aspect. I really just wanted to get out there and explore, kick a few more enemies off ledges–you know, have fun. On the upside, the fact that your base is built on the back of a giant flying turtle definitely earns points in my book. However, the effect is largely visual; in reality, you’re in an instanced environment disconnected NV from the greater world. It's practical for game performance, but a bit disappointing for the fantasy. I’m hoping the introduction to crafting can be smoothed out as the game progresses through Early Access. Cloudheim is going to be in early access for the next 9-12 months, as stated in the Early Access information box on its Steam store page. Developer. Noodle Cat Games promises regular updates as the community plays the game and provides feedback. I have some high hopes for Cloudheim , because developer Noodle Cat Games is founded by David Hunt, lead designer on Fortnite . If even a small spark of that success touches Cloudheim Noodle Cat will have a winner on their hands. The Early Access roadmap is a bit vague on when , but it definitely has a long list of exciting things to look forward to, like new islands, weapons, enemies, dungeons, characters, class abilities–among many other items. Cloudheim releases today on Early Access on PC, but there are also plans for Cloudheim to come to consoles on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X soon.

We've said this time and time again: Smaller cons hold a bit of special magic to them. They're perfect chance to spend sometime with like minded people in a non hectic, not overcrowded venue and discuss the smallest detail of the fandom. Such was the case during these two fantastic panels. First up was the trio of Jo Martin (the Fugitive Doctor), Steph De Whalley ( 15th Doctor companion Anita Benn), and Susan Twist (Susan Triad). Right off the bat, all three members of the panel discussed the discovery of the vast world of cons and being honored to represent the series beyond their time on the show. For us fans who are well aware of the con circuit, its always refreshing to hear that actors appreciate the second like their work get beyond the show. Having depicted a mysterious version of the Doctor, Jo Martin certainly got a lot of attention during the audience Q&A portion and was more forthcoming about the future of her character than one would think. She responded positively to questions about a show revolving around her Doctor, teasing that it is a very real possibly. Later asked what she would like her Doctor to do in the future, Martin had to navigate a little more carefully but hoped some capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial art the mixes dance and acrobatics) could be in the Doctor's future, Susan Twist, certainly the most recent focal point of three on Doctor Who, delved into her history with Russel T Davies, after being asked if her character's plot line was possibly inspired by her perfect stage name or it was a happy coincidence. She admitted to not really knowing and being really impressed with all the theries the fans made (like thinking that her name and history had been planted online as a ARD) before she was revealed as ... well, spoilers. Twist recalls having met Davies well before being on the show and being asked to be on the show with out an audition, something the panelists and audienced agreed must have fed into the character he wrote. Towards the end of the talk questions began to expand beyond the world of Who. Martin discussed her time on Mike Leigh's Hard Truths, which at the time the iconic British writer/director claimed to her would be his last film, but is currently is filming his 16th feature. "He lied to me!" She jokingly exclaimed, much to the glee of the crowd, before relaying how happy she was to work with Leigh.. All three were then asked who they would love to work. De Whalley immediately noted Olivia Coleman, Martin instantly noted Judy Dench, and Twist lamented that she never worked with Maggie Smith. Of course the conversation returned to Who before the end of the panel and Steph De Whalley shined the brightest. She proudly declared to have eaten every bite of food on screen (and beyond in additional takes) during her time on Doctor Who, which was met with a bit of astonishment form her fellow panelists and Ncuti Gatwa while on set. And when asked what they all wanted their TARDIS to look like if they were the Doctor, de Whalley invoked the inside of the Spice Girls tour bus from Spice World.. And let's be honest, who wouldn't want that!

Carole Anne Ford -via ChicagoTARDIS.com It’s hard to overstate the privilege we have when we talk about Chicago TARDIS. Born out of a different convention called Visions, Chicago TARDIS is not only one of the OG conventions for sci-fi fans with a storied history and great traditions that have stood the test of time, it’s also a convention that’s consistently drawn amazing guests from around the world.  Doctor Who is an institution at this point, having been, at least in our opinion, the crown jewel of the BBC and British TV in general since November 23, 1963, and having created a timeline full of fantastic characters - Doctors, companions and pepper-shaker shaped villains alike.  Whether you kicked off your time as a Whovian with Chris Eccleston and the New Who revival or you’ve been a fan since William Hartnell first explained that his police box was bigger on the inside, Chicago TARDIS has not only welcomed you, but had something special for you.  Just like we talked about with Trek, it’s a rare and unique privilege to have a chance to talk with the people who were there when it all began, as well as those who carried the torch, and that’s why we were so excited to see Carole Ann Ford, one of the original Doctor’s companions, alongside Katy Manning, the third Doctor’s companion, Jo Grant.  What’s even neater is seeing the two take the stage together and talk about all those weird what-ifs we can imagine as fans, but only so far. There were the standard questions about what the actresses may have gotten to take from the costume room (apparently half of a copper costume for Katy, who ‘wouldn’t have chosen her companion’s clothes in the first place’), but what was more interesting were their responses when asked about the legacy of the show.  Katy Manning via ChicagoTARDIS.com The pair first touched on the core of the show - the changing faces and pathos of the Doctor himself, with Carole adding that the companions have got ‘more and more beautiful over the years.’ Both actresses agreed that it’s a beautiful thing to see the Doctor change the way that they have, experiencing things through the eyes of those young and old, black and white, and everything in between.  Though both actresses are now also huge fans of the series, when originally asked where that fandom started, Manning quipped  “I was 16 when the show started, and I was like wow, this is a really cool show, but I’m 16. Hello! You think I’m sitting at home at night on the radio?” Manning did mention that she’s now a huge fan, having picked up the show much more recently, and explaining her journey with it as experiencing her childhood with Doctor Who now.  Fans also asked how they thought Susan Foreman and Jo Grant would’ve gotten on, should there have been some sort of timey wimey mishap that found the two in the same decade, and both women agreed heartily that they’d likely get along just as well as they did in real life. Manning made a brief joke about having stalked Foreman originally to begin the friendship, but the two imagined that they’d get on great, and even potentially go shopping together. We were so glad to get to eavesdrop on this lovely conversation between two people who could have been friends, that thanks to the BBC and a shared favorite show, are now actually living the life we imagine Jo Grant and Susan Foreman would’ve lived had they travelled together with the Doctor. Stay tuned for even more from the Chicago TARDIS floor as we continue to travel with Doctors, dance with Daleks and shoot the shit with the Slitheen.

Screenshot: Scrabdackle Act 1 What do you get when you put together a bit of metroidvania, a pinch of soulslike, a dash of Terry Pratchett, a few cups of Zelda  and a whole bucket of charm? Apparently you get Scrabdackle , a hand drawn, top down adventure game developed by jakefriend. It looks like a game I would have come across in the corners of some early digital distribution storefront years ago, replete with hand drawn animation that looks like it was drawn in MS Paint. Screenshot: Scrabdackle Act 1 Scrabdackle puts you in control of novice wizard Blue as you learn new spells, fight strange creatures, and meet loads of peculiar NPCs as you get Blue back to Wizard Academy. Forced to learn about the world and its dangers, Blue has to (eventually) learn new spells and other tricks to navigate the world and overcome its obstacles. With metroidvania style open world gameplay, Scrabdackle lets you explore the way you want–until you come across an obstacle that you have to use some yet undiscovered item or spell to overcome. It’s a classic gameplay loop, but Scrabdackle stands out in both its whimsical charm and scope–because Scrabdackle looks like it’s going to be a big game. Screenshot: Scrabdackle Act 1 Scrabdackle is releasing into Early Access, so that means it’s technically not a finished game, but it does release with its entire first (of three) acts completed. According to the developer that means 12-18 hours of gameplay. But that also means you’re going to have to wait a year between Act 2 and another year after  that before Act 3 releases. Get in early because the game will increase in price slightly as each new act releases, though what kind of increase to expect is not explicitly stated. I’ll probably be dipping into Scrabdackle after major updates to see how it’s coming along. In fact, developer jakefriend even equates each of these Acts as an episode in a season of TV–as “they’re designed to be played with a little time to digest between each,” which sounds like a perfect reason not to wait until its finished development until playing.  Scrabdackle will release on Steam Early Access December 2nd.

William Shatner at ST-CHI: Trek to Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor I think this panel writeup might need a preface: William Shatner is legendary, especially to the Star Trek fandom, because he was Captain James T. Kirk. THE Captain Kirk. One of the most iconic characters in our modern culture. William Shatner himself is a treasure, and I just need to clarify that we’re never laughing at the man. Okay, maybe a little bit. But it’s from a place of love. And he’s certainly getting up there in years, and I can’t tell if that’s making him genuinely stranger, or if that his advanced years is is making his mask slip a little bit easier–because Shatner has always had a bit of a reputation, especially for his acerbic come backs. William Shatner at ST-CHI Trek to Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor Shatner arrives in the panel room carrying a bag of sushi. He tells the story:   “They said to me today, ‘what would you like to have for lunch? You got some sushi.’ "That would be nice." ‘We'll go get you Sushi.’ "So, I'm sitting at a table reading about the condition of the world (and there’s no) sushi. So, now I come in here (to the panel room). And as I'm coming in here, ‘here's your sushi.’ "So, if any of you know about sushi, it has a limited taste like, you know, the moment it's out of the sushi maker's hands it's already decaying. So I said, how am I gonna eat this? They said, ‘eat it after (the panel)’ and I said "it'll decay! So, you're going to have to forgive me. I'm going to talk to you. We're going to talk about anything and everything. And while we're talking I'm going to eat my sushi.” So we all had a chance to have lunch with William Shatner. Or, rather, he ate sushi while taking questions from the audience. William Shatner at ST-CHI Trek to Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor It was delightful in a way that only Bill Shatner can delight. One of the standout stories was when an audience member asked him about Jimmy Darren, who not only played as Vic Fontaine in Deep Space Nine , but also starred in TJ Hooker alongside Shatner. “I haven’t seen him in a long time. Did he die?" Once an audience member confirmed Darren’s passing, Shatner replied cheekily “I’ll see him soon" before continuing with the story: “So Jimmy (Darren) and I did this police show together. So we jump from one roof to another–the whole thing. We were running up and down roofs in Los Angeles, chasing the bad guy… Jimmy one day says to me, ‘Bill, I’m afraid of birds. I have a thing about birds. They’ve frightened me.’ "Yes, but Jimmy, we’re jumping from roof to roof." The birds are all over the place. He says, ‘I know, I’m frightened to death.’ "Jimmy, my loving, beautiful, singing, Italian friend. Was afraid of birds. He would deny it. But he’s in no position (to complain.)” William Shatner at ST-CHI Trek to Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor Shatner then went on to talk about stunts, and how he didn’t believe Tom Cruise could possibly do his own stunts because of how much money any injury could cost the studio. Shatner said, “Millions of dollars (in lost revenue). The insurance company is not going to insure you…. If Tom Cruise you know” [Shatner mimics getting an injury, and continues] “ I'll be back in an hour an hour. Tens of thousands of dollars (of money wasted). What are you talking about? I don't give a shit about your little toe. Seriously, and there he is flying off motorcycles into space. He's not going to hurt his toe, he’ll split open, like a melon!" Shatner then told a story about when he wanted to do his own motorcycle stunt. Shatner, a self proclaimed motorcycle “aficionado”, argued for doing a risky motorcycle stunt that involved jumping sand dunes.  “I can do (the stunt). I’ve got it. I’m really good (at riding a motorcycle.)” [Shatner mimics arguing with a studio exec] “No no, listen, I can do it, ‘’No Bill, because the insurance company won't insure us. If you do, we're going to get a stuntman to do it.’ Ah, jeez, man, I've could have done it. I'm telling you, I could have done it! And they do the (stunt.) The stuntman’s on the motorcycle. It leaps up and lands everybody's great. He's lying on the ground. He broke his back. And then somebody who's watching the filming comes running down. ‘I'm his girlfriend, I'm his girlfriend, I'm his girlfriend,’ and I'm standing, looking at him, saying, what's the matter and his girlfriend comes running down, and she looks up and says, can I have your autograph? And sand is falling off his face. And I took him back to Vancouver. He was a Canadian stuntman, and he remained a paraplegic for the rest of his life.”  And of course a fan asked about his time in space. Shatner went into low earth orbit on the second flight of Blue Origin back in 2021. Back then, he was practically in tears relaying the feelings he had while experiencing earth from orbit for the first time. That feeling has evidently since faded.  William Shatner at ST-CHI Trek to Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor “(Have I been) to real space? Yeah. There’s no sushi there.” Shatner said before giving a long rambling answer about hydrogen gas, the Hindenburg disaster, and how he lamented being on the second Blue Origin flight, instead of the first, and what it was like being weightless. Shatner also commented on the utter blackness of space, comparing the black of space he saw with absolute darkness in experienced while spelunking: “I've been in Kentucky to a cave. In Kentucky, where they shut the door. And so there's no light at all. No itinerant light at all. Pure blackness is not what you see when you pull the drapes down. You're seeing little bits of light somewhere. In a cave with an airtight door shut–that's black. It's so black that you feel you.can put your fingers in it. It's palpable. Not only that–it's so surrounding that you lose your balance. You have nothing to balance you. You lose your sense of balance. I look up into that blackness, and I see the blackness of space now." "Since you're all here, obviously interested in science fiction and science fiction involves space: the final frontier. Uh, it's not the final frontier. I'm here to tell you death is the final frontier. (Space) is one of the Frontiers, but it's not the final -- Look at this beautiful piece of fish.”