Choose what kind of farmer you want to be! Operate realistic tractors, harvesters, field sprayers, and other machines. Start logging with heavy forestry equipment, or tend to adorable farm animals like cows, sheep, chickens, goats, and their offspring. Operate more than 120 authentic machines by Case IH, CLAAS, DEUTZ-FAHR, Fendt, John Deere, KRONE, Massey Ferguson, New Holland, Valtra & many other acclaimed manufacturers from around the world. There’s a lot more to do after plowing, removing weeds, harvesting crops, or collecting eggs from chicken coops: Produce valuable goods made from your harvest to expand your flourishing business with new factories and production chains! Don’t worry, there is always time to relax and walk around your vast arable land while visuals change through the atmospheric seasons. New and improved in-game tutorials show you the ways of the farm if you’re new to country life.

Square-Enix's line of HD-2D role-playing games have been hailed for how they balance nostalgic appeal with modern-day visuals, and next month, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales joins that growing library. A new demo for the game is also available right now, giving you an early slice of the next title from the creators behind Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default.

An action-RPG with real-time combat, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales follows the adventurer Elliot and his fairy sidekick Faie on their journey to complete a thousand-year mission. As part of their mission to lift the curse placed on Princess Heuria of Huther, Elliot and Faie will explore different periods in history, from humanity's strife-filled Age of Reconstruction to the height of prosperity in the Age of Magic. Every era has a looming threat that Elliot and Fae must deal with, and like previous Square-Enix games, the entire experience looks like an homage to Super NES-era JRPGs.

"The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales has some elements to overcome--a chatty companion character and, let's be honest, a clunky title," Steve Watts wrote in his preview. "But it also showed that HD-2D can be applied to other genres that we remember fondly from decades ago. And more than just empty nostalgia or homage, it looks to build on those elements."

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Mortal Kombat Klassic: Sub-Zero

$32 | Releases August 23

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Mortal Kombat Klassic: Reptile

$30 | Releases August 23

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Mortal Kombat is back in the spotlight thanks to the release of the new live-action film, and if you're looking to bring some of that video game magic home, you can check out two new collectible action figures. McFarlane Toys is expanding its line of Mortal Kombat toys with two new "Klassic" Sub-Zero and Reptile figures. Bearing a design that harkens back to their arcade roots, each figure is also constructed from translucent materials to make them stand out on your shelf and you can preorder them ahead of their August 23 arrival.

Mortal Kombat Klassic: Sub-Zero $32 | Releases August 23

The greatest weapon of the Lin Kuei ninja order, Sub-Zero, has been realized in a cool blue plastic inspired by his ice clone ability. The figure comes with an alternate set of hands, a base, and is packaged inside a display box. Featuring 22 points of articulation, it's seven inches tall.

Preorder at Amazon Mortal Kombat Klassic: Reptile $30 | Releases August 23

Similar to Sub-Zero, Reptile has also been manufactured in a plastic that makes the infamous assassin almost invisible. Featuring a smoky translucent design, the Reptile figure also comes with an alternate set of swap-out hands, a full range of articulation, display box packaging, and is the same height as Sub-Zero above.

Preorder at Amazon More Mortal Kombat Klassic Figures

To expand the collection--and host your very own Mortal Kombat tournament--you can pick up several more figures from McFarlane Toys. The lineup currently includes fan-favorite characters like Johnny Cage, Raiden, and Ermac alongside a regular version of Reptile.

• Ermac -- $30
• Jade -- $35
• Johnny Cage -- $32
• Kitana -- $30
• Noob Saibot -- $35
• Raiden -- $29.51
• Reptile -- $30
• Reptile (Invisible) -- $32
• Sub-Zero (Ice Clone) -- $30

Mortal Kombat 2 Blu-ray preorders are now live

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It's nearly the end of May, and Fanatical is celebrating with another one of their annual sales on digital games. The May Madness sale, live and running until May 31, has over 10,000 discounted digital games available, including brand new titles like Resident Evil Requiem for $57.39 (was $70) or Crimson Desert for $59.49 (was $70). But another interesting aspect is that even preorders for upcoming games are discounted. You can get 007 First Light for $60.89 (was $70) or The Blood of Dawnwalker for $59.49 (was $70), just to name a couple. Along with these every day discounts, each day of the sale will also include multiple limited-time Flash Deals offering even bigger discounts on select titles popular games. And finally, if you spend $15 or more on a single purchase, you can get an extra digital game or coupon code. Keep in mind, all of these games come as digital download codes for redemption on Steam.

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If you're looking to finally pull the trigger on some more recent releases like Resident Evil Requiem and Crimson Desert mentioned above, this sale has plenty of titles that launched within the last year or two at nice new discounts. Marathon is Bungie's next big thing, available for $34.39 (was $40) for the new extraction shooter. I'd also highly recommend Mixtape, a slice of life John Hughes-inspired teenage romp set to a killer soundtrack for $18 (was $20). And if you're a fan of gigantic open world RPGs with plenty of customization and humor to boot, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is down to $28.19 (was $60).

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Nintendo Switch 2: Choose Your Game Bundle

$500 | Launches June 7, 2026

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On May 12, Nintendo announced a new $500 Nintendo Switch 2 Choose Your Game Bundle that includes the console and a digital game code. The download code can be used on one of three possible titles: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokemon Pokopia. When purchased separately, Mario Kart World retails for $80, while Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokemon Pokopia both retail for $70. At the Switch 2's current $450 price tag, that saves shoppers at least $20-$30 depending on which game you buy. Once the price hike goes into effect, then you're essentially getting one of those full-priced digital games for free. If you've been looking forward to buying it, good news: the bundle is available to preorder now at Best Buy, GameStop, and Nintendo.

Nintendo Switch 2: Choose Your Game Bundle $500 | Launches June 7, 2026

As mentioned above, this new bundle includes the Switch 2 console, Switch 2 dock, a set of Joycon 2 controllers, and all the necessary components to hook the device up to your TV. You also get a voucher code that lets you pick one of three digital edition games from the Nintendo eShop:

• Mario Kart World (normally $80)
• Donkey Kong Bananza (normally $70)
• Pokemon Pokopia (normally $70)

There is only one voucher per console, and you can only use the voucher once. However, once you've redeemed the game, it's added to your library permanently and you'll be able to download and play whenever you want. You can also share the downloaded game to other Switch 2 devices you own or those on your NSO family plan via the Swtich 2's Virtual Game Card system.

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If you're planning to pick up the bundle but aren't sure which game to use the voucher on, you can check out our reviews for Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Pokemon Pokopia--all of which scored 9/10 from our reviewers--to see which might appeal to you most. Note that you'll have to download the full game to your Switch 2 before you can start playing, which can take a while depending on the file size and the strength of your internet connection. Luckily, the Switch 2 ships with 256 GB of internal storage, which is more than enough to download and install any of the games on offer. It can also be expanded using a microSD Express card. Here's the data footprint of each of the three games you can pick, in case you're curious:

• Mario Kart World: 22 GB
• Donkey Kong Bananza: 9 GB
• Pokemon Pokopia: 6.2 GB

If the games in this bundle don't appeal to you and you just want to grab a Switch 2 at the lowest possible price, you can do that at most major retailers for $449. As long as you get your order in before September 1, you'll still get the old price before the increase. While Nintendo may not reduce the cost of its first-party games very often, you still have floods of excellent indies to choose from via the eShop and the many physical edition games available for the system.

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The planet of Proteus offers a slew of resources for you to loot in Subnautica 2, but some of the most difficult ones to find are minerals. Minerals such as Titanium, Copper, and Silver are used in a variety of crafting recipes, and you'll often have to head out on scavenging trips just to get enough of one resource for a single item on your to-do list. However, perhaps the most difficult mineral to find in Subnautica 2 is Gold.

Gold isn't used too frequently in Subnautica 2, but you'll suddenly need it for a crafting recipe and likely have no idea where to look. For a full explanation on how to find Gold, keep reading the guide below.

Gold location in Subnautica 2

Unlike many of the other minerals in Subnautica 2, you won't just find a deposit of it in some random location. Instead, you'll have to progress the story of the game before you're able to even access the area of Proteus that has Gold.

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For the past few years, major first-party exclusives for both the Xbox and PlayStation consoles have been expected to arrive on PC after a certain period of time--if not same-day. However, with brands now looking to differentiate themselves in the current hardware market, the winds seem to be shifting. Reporting from various sources in the last few months has indicated that Sony intends to step away from bringing some of their high-profile exclusives to PC. This approach has now apparently been confirmed by Head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst himself.

According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier--who previously broke some initial reporting about the change in strategy--Hulst revealed in a staff meeting today that "the company's narrative single-player games will now be PlayStation exclusive." This means that the likes of Saros, Ghost of Yotei, and the upcoming Wolverine are unlikely to come to PC in the near future, though multiplayer-centric titles like the megahit Helldivers II and the recent Marathon are still likely to see cross-platform play.

While this is a disappointment to PC gamers, the business logic behind it is sound. With the overall gaming hardware market becoming more cutthroat--and more expensive--it makes sense for Sony to attempt to differentiate themselves from the competition through the tried-and-true method of big-budget, critically acclaimed exclusives. We'll have to wait and see if the strategy pays off in console and game sales.

Are you eager to unlock all Biomods in Subnautica 2? These are character upgrades that you're able to alter periodically. Some are active skills which you need to trigger, while others are passive skills that have a constant effect. Our guide has all the details that you need, so get ready for a deep dive.

Table of Contents [hide]

• All active and passive skills from Biomods in Subnautica 2
  • Biomods available by default
  All active and passive skills from Biomods in Subnautica 2

  Subnautica 2 Biomods are either active or passive skills. A select few are available fairly early in the game, though the rest have to be unlocked much later as you progress. Here's a quick summary of what you can expect:

  • Check out our mini-walkthrough so you know where to go first. One particular location that you should visit is the Welcome Center, which is a short distance away from your Lifepod. Upon restoring power to the facility, you'll be able to interact with a machine known as a Biolab. It lets you equip active and passive skills that are available by default.
  • Later once you have a base up and running, you can construct your own Biolab, which requires 3x Titanium, 1x Copper Wire, and 1x Mild Acid. This is so you can equip different Biomods without having to return to the Welcome Center periodically.
  • As mentioned earlier, the vast majority of Biomods still need to be unlocked. To do this, you have to scan specific creatures using the Bioscanner. This is an upgraded version of the device, and you can learn more about it in our Bioscanner guide.
  Biomods available by default

  The following Biomods in Subnautica 2 are available by default:

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Tom Kane, a staple in various children's animated shows and numerous video game franchises, has died at the age of 64. Representatives for Kane confirmed the news of his passing to TMZ, citing complications from a stroke the voice actor suffered in 2020.

Kane lent his voice to the universes of Marvel, Star Wars, Powerpuff Girls, and Call of Duty. His most prolific role was the voice of Yoda in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and various Star Wars shows and games, most recently Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. He also voiced established characters like C-3PO, Boba Fett, and Admiral Ackbar in other Star Wars media.

In the wider realm of video games, Kane was the original voice of Call of Duty Zombies mainstay Takeo Masaki, performing as the character from World at War to Black Ops 4. His game credits are almost innumerable, with highlights including voicing both Jim Gordon and Quincy Sharp in Batman: Arkham Asylum, Lok in Fortnite: Save the World, and Magneto in several Marvel games, including Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3.

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Imagine a Lego set that represents Batman 89, the Tim Burton classic that helped create the modern superhero blockbuster. Then imagine other sets that represent Batman Returns, Batman Begins, The Batman, and so on. You start breaking pieces apart from each set and piecing them back together. At first you can identify a chunk from one movie and distinguish it from another, but the more you mix, the more unrecognizable they become. Before long it's difficult to tell exactly where one begins and another ends. That's what it feels like to play Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, a game that litters its influences so liberally that the pastiche becomes its own reality. In the process, it recaptures the glory days of licensed Lego games by feeling, for the first time in a long time, fresh.

The freshness is what I kept coming back to throughout my time with Legacy of the Dark Knight. Like lots of people, I played Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, the 2005 Traveller's Tales game that established a house style for Lego games and began a flurry of licensed tie-ins. I loved it, and I spent countless hours plumbing its depths and unlocking every character. It was a simple game bursting with secrets to find as well as a playful take on a mythology that mattered to me.

Since then, though, the franchisification of licensed Lego became supercharged, to its detriment. At the height of its power there would be three or even four licensed Lego games released in a single year, and the series burned itself out. You can only find hidden doodads so many times. In recent years, Lego has seemed more cautious, producing more artsy takes like Lego Builder's Journey or Lego Voyagers, with far fewer licensed games. Against that backdrop, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight feels like a statement of intent. With additional care and time, this is what a Lego game can be.

https://youtu.be/DfJaUpW_P00?si=E7H8uGwVttzcUqkR

Legacy of the Dark Knight tells an original story, kind of, cobbled together and reassembled from the stories of various other Batman media. Most often these are pulled directly from the myriad movie adaptations and reboots, but it's also informed by stray influences from well-known comic arcs and at least one very notable video game influence. And since characters have crossed multiple movie adaptations and interpretations, there's some loose justifications put in to explain how the characters change over time. Jack Napier starts as a member of a regular gang, before donning the Red Hood and falling into a vat of chemicals, but he was always a sadist who liked to taunt his victims, and in this telling he even had the plan to poison people with Smilex before he succumbed to its effects himself. The Penguin is a low-level thug a la The Batman universe before he transitions to a mayoral candidate with animalistic habits as seen in Batman Returns. There are lots of other surprising developments that I'll let you discover on your own.

By imitating and remixing so many classic movie moments, though, it does invite direct comparisons to the originals. It's simply strange to hear iconic moments with new voices. Jack Nicholson's lines as the Joker are especially seared into my mind, so it sounds just slightly off to hear him imitated by a voice that is meant to be a broader take on the character, to facilitate his various transformations. It feels unfair to lay that at the feet of the actor, who does a fine job with the material, but telling any actor to do an exact re-take of some of the most famous lines in superhero cinema history is a rough assignment. Similarly, the story can sometimes feel a little shaggy, briskly connecting two movie plots that weren't ever meant to connect. Usually this is played for laughs, so it works well enough since it gives the impression that the writing is in on the joke.

Through all of these vignettes, the story mostly focuses on building the Bat-family, suggesting that's really the most important part of his legacy. Each chapter focuses primarily on befriending a new crime-fighter like Robin or Batgirl and learning their unique mechanics for battles and puzzle-solving. You're always playing as Batman alongside one ally, though your secondary character can be switched at will most of the time. This focus keeps the characters selection relatively small, a marked change from the sprawling roster in most Lego games that has led to sorting them into character types. Jim Gordon has a pair of special guns--one that fires sticky goo and another that fires a ricochet bulb--and he's the only one with that particular set of skills. Batgirl is the only one who can hack computers, Robin can pry open cracks with his bo staff, and so on.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

Lego games are always collect-a-thons, and this one is no exception. But rather than a humongous roster, you're collecting currency to unlock new looks for your core crew, color modifiers that can be applied to any outfit, upgrade material, and trophies for your headquarters. It all feeds into itself very nicely, and I would often make a point of visiting the in-game shop to unlock new costumes. As both a Batman and Lego fan, it's just endlessly cool to see how different suits have been visualized in this style, and there are tons of extremely specific references to particular comic arcs alongside suits representing every movie and TV adaptation you can think of. I never cared much about unlocking every Droid in a Lego Star Wars game, but I want to see every single deep-cut Bat-suit this game has to offer.

Legacy of the Dark Knight also pays homage to Rocksteady's Arkham universe, most notably as the foundation of its gameplay. The rightly praised Arkham combat makes a return here, with the same basic cadence of punches, dodges, and parries, augmented with gadgets as you upgrade your gear. It's a little slower-paced, but as the enemy count and combo meter increases it almost feels like an Arkham game with a Lego visual overhaul mod. It lacks some of the brutality and precision of the Arkham games, especially with more limited gear and gadget upgrades, but it very accurately recaptures the spirit of Arkham's rhythmic combat style.

I don't want to oversell the Arkham connections, because the combat in Lego Batman doesn't reach that level of finesse. This is more Arkham Lite than a true successor to the Rocksteady games. However, the injection of even just some Arkham DNA does make combat much more satisfying than it has been in traditional Lego games, showing that even a little bit of that secret sauce goes a long way toward making a game feel more engaging.

Similarly, traversal throughout the open world of Gotham feels almost a match for the traditional Arkham games. You have access anytime to your choice of Batmobile from across the spectrum of Batman's iconic car. For the most part these feel very similar, with the ability to quickly accelerate across straightaways as well as navigate hairpin turns. They do differ where it makes sense, though. The Tumbler from the Nolan movies feels much heavier and tank-like compared to the light and nimble Batman 89 version, for example. Most of the time, though, it's quicker and easier to simply grapple up to the nearest, highest point and leap, using your natural glide to cover long distances. Again, this doesn't quite match the balletic grace of the Arkham games, but it's remarkably close.

Alright everyone, chill.

The one spot where the Arkham comparisons fall short, though, is the stealth. The Arkham games were notable for living the fantasy of Batman, turning you into the predator and criminals--a cowardly and superstitious lot--into the prey. Stealth in Legacy of the Dark Knight is passable but unremarkable. You can sneak up on enemies for an instant takedown, but you have fewer tools to inspire fear in a room full of enemies or disappear if you're spotted. Instead of clearing a full room, I would often take out a couple enemies, get spotted, and finish off the rest with traditional combat. It's an unfortunate weak spot in a game that is otherwise extremely effective at emulating what are widely regarded as the best Batman games.

And within those strong underpinnings, Legacy of the Dark Knight thrives on variety without feeling bloated or overstuffed with half-baked characters and mechanics. The open world of Gotham has tons of caches to find, Riddler and Cluemaster puzzle challenges, AR combat and racing challenges, crimes to stop, and even short environmental puzzles to unlock fast-travel points. Even within an individual mission you're never doing one thing for too long, as you'll transition from combat to puzzle to platforming challenge and back again. The story campaign itself moves at a brisk pace with lots to do, but you can also just get lost in Gotham finding things to unlock and empower your Bat-family.

With so many options at my fingertips between multiple allies, I appreciated the addition of a sonar ping similar to Arkham's Detective Vision that would highlight objects of interest. Sometimes this would be necessary to scan a clue or follow footprints, but you can also use it to show the way forward. I have felt incredibly stupid at times playing past Lego games, knowing that I'm overlooking something obvious that's gating my progress forward. I never struggled with that in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, because the ping system was always there to highlight objects of interest. Most of the level gating involves breaking apart certain objects and then building them into some prop to move forward, so in a pinch this helped me identify which objects to break or even which ones were breakable.

Adding another wrinkle of strategy is a stud-multiplier system that, if it has been in other Lego games, it must have been one that passed me by. Other Lego games have featured multipliers as unlockable bonuses, but in Legacy of the Dark Knight, it's a meter you build that then slowly drains. This actually adds a layer of decision-making to your wanton destruction, since it's best to build up a multiplier before going after a particularly high-value stud. It's just another way this game adds a tiny bit of extra depth--not enough to be overwhelming or feel out of place in a Lego game, but enough to keep it engaging for adults.

And on that note, this is certainly a game aimed at adult Batman fans who are familiar with the character's rich history in cinema. Batman himself is portrayed with his trademark stoicism, but he's also a puckish, Bugs Bunny-style mischief maker. Nested within the reference-laiden story are individual references to influences as diverse as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Street Fighter 2. The writing is sharp and frequently laugh-out-loud funny. This game in particular shows off a knack for timing and sight gags with cinematic flair.

The extended Bat-family plays a prominent role in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

Silly as it often is, this is a game that makes a point to show the passage of time. Bruce gets visibly older as the story proceeds and enters different phases of his life and his relationships with his allies. The iconic Bat Cave itself slowly develops from a natural rock formation with a handful of computer consoles to a sprawling technological marvel that documents your accomplishments and unlocks and allows you to customize many parts of it to your liking.

In a larger sense, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is fundamentally about time and the changes that come with it. It's been more than 20 years since Lego games hit it big with Lego Star Wars, and for a while, it felt like it had lost its way and become a whirring franchise-printing machine. Legacy of the Dark Knight rights the ship by getting back to fundamentals with deeper focus, razor-sharp writing, and just the right amount of mechanical complexity. For the first time in a long time, this is a return to form for the Lego series. It's still simple, but not quite as simple, it's bursting with even more secrets, and it's another playful take on a mythology that I love. It's the most fun I've had with a Lego game since 2005, and a template for how Lego games can rebuild into something greater, piece by piece.

PlayStation Plus prices will increase for new subscribers starting May 20, but depending on your subscription status, it might not be time to panic--yet. According to Sony, only "select" regions will be affected for now, and it blames "ongoing market conditions" for the increases.

So far, only monthly and three-month subscriptions are being affected, with new US subscribers facing an increase of $1 for a one-month PS Plus Essential subscription and a $3 increase for the three-month version of that subscription tier. For now, the annual subscription price to PS Plus remains unchanged.

Current subscribers will not pay extra--unless they reside in Turkey or India--but letting your subscription lapse and then rejoining PS Plus at a later date will result in you paying the higher rate. Overall, the new prices look like this:

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Imagine a Lego set that represents Batman 89, the Tim Burton classic that helped create the modern superhero blockbuster. Then imagine other sets that represent Batman Returns, Batman Begins, The Batman, and so on. You start breaking pieces apart from each set and piecing them back together. At first you can identify a chunk from one movie and distinguish it from another, but the more you mix, the more unrecognizable they become. Before long it's difficult to tell exactly where one begins and another ends. That's what it feels like to play Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, a game that litters its influences so liberally that the pastiche becomes its own reality. In the process, it recaptures the glory days of licensed Lego games by feeling, for the first time in a long time, fresh.

The freshness is what I kept coming back to throughout my time with Legacy of the Dark Knight. Like lots of people, I played Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, the 2005 Traveller's Tales game that established a house style for Lego games and began a flurry of licensed tie-ins. I loved it, and I spent countless hours plumbing its depths and unlocking every character. It was a simple game bursting with secrets to find as well as a playful take on a mythology that mattered to me.

Since then, though, the franchisification of licensed Lego became supercharged, to its detriment. At the height of its power there would be three or even four licensed Lego games released in a single year, and the series burned itself out. You can only find hidden doodads so many times. In recent years, Lego has seemed more cautious, producing more artsy takes like Lego Builder's Journey or Lego Voyagers, with far fewer licensed games. Against that backdrop, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight feels like a statement of intent. With additional care and time, this is what a Lego game can be.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Hopes that preorders for Grand Theft Auto 6 would start on Monday seem to have reached a dead end.

Some content creators in Best Buy's affiliate program claimed to receive emails indicating that GTA 6 preorders begin on May 18, and optimistic fans speculated that a third trailer for Rockstar's next blockbuster would drop at the same time. But such heresay seems to be a pipe dream, with an administrator in the (unofficial) GTA Forums claiming that a source in a European distribution company "confirmed there's no pre-orders," per IGN.

As of Monday morning, GTA 6 has yet to emerge on any major online retailer. Assuming that holds for the rest of the day, it'll end another chapter in the long wait for GTA 6, defined by the GTA fan base's restlessness and eagerness to grasp at straws. The latest rumors of GTA 6 preorders even boosted stock prices for Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two----leading to a drop Monday morning, which has since been recouped.

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HD-2D, the retro-cool art style spearheaded by Square Enix and imitated by many others, was originally built as a way to pay homage to classic Super NES-era role-playing games while also making them look distinctly modern. And to that end, it's been used exclusively for RPGs like the Octopath Traveler series and the Live A Live remake. The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, then, represents the next big evolution of this concept, showing that the art style can just as easily apply to other classic genres--this time, the top-down action-adventure game.

I played about two hours of The Adventures of Elliot in a demo that takes place about 3-4 hours into the game. At this point in the game, the main quest was to seek a magical shield, but I was given freedom to roam almost anywhere in the open world across two distinct time periods. Square Enix noted that this build of the game has incorporated some feedback from the public demo released last July--faster movement speed, a weapon-shortcut menu, and a selection of difficulty levels. The difficulty was set to Easy by default in my demo, but I switched it to Normal and kept it there without too much trouble.

On the topic of menu options, I should mention one more. Your fairy companion, Faie, is very chatty. Her voice is cloying, and she talks frequently, with an odd babytalk affect. It's a lot. Players of the 2025 demo must have given feedback on this too, because the build I played had a menu option devoted to Faie's chattiness. Her default is set to "Chatty" but you can switch her to "Reticent," which tones her down, a little. I played the majority of my demo with the default Chatty option but switched to Reticent to see the difference, and she still chimed in quite a bit. I have a high tolerance for these things but even I found Faie a little offputting, so I imagine some players will have a stronger reaction.

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The US Library of Congress has amassed numerous treasures deemed worthy of preservation over the years, and recently, the original Doom soundtrack has made the cut. Now sitting alongside other cultural artifacts that were added this year--like Beyonce's "Single Ladies" and Weezer's debut blue album--Robert Prince's Doom soundtrack is being honored for its part in ID Software's genre-defining first-person shooter.

As part of the selection criteria for the National Recording Registry, sound recordings need to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and can only be added 10 years after it was first created. The program has been running since 2002 following the creation of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, and the first 50 entries were officially announced in 2003.

So what Doom so special? According to the Library of Congress, Doom's soundtrack earned its place by being an "adrenaline-fueled soundtrack" produced during an era when video game composers had to deal with limitations of the time. "Prince composed the perfect riff-shredding accompaniment for the game's demon-slaying journey to hell and back," the Library said in a statement. "Taking advantage of his knowledge of MIDI, Prince even worked to ensure that the sound effects he created could cut through the music by assigning them to different MIDI frequencies."

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