As I browse the Microsoft Store, I wonder just what went wrong. Nearly all of the new releases from well-known publishers have ratings of three stars or less. Games from companies like Konami, Bethesda, and EA have sunken to a whole new low. They aren’t what players expected, and come with a whole slew of problems. AAA games almost always succeeded in the past. Now AAA games are terrible, buggy, disappointing, and worse....

I recently spent the weekend at my local anime and comic convention, and noticed the huge number of people dressed up as characters from My Hero Academia . Even vendors took part in the madness, harboring a plethora of My Hero Academia merch in their booths. It’s safe to say that My Hero Academia is the most popular anime around right now. Most of the time, shows don’t live up to expectations and seldom deserve the hype surrounding them—that’s not the case here....

Traditional Valentine’s Day gifts are fine if you’re a traditional kind of couple. But for most geeks? We’re far from traditional! There’s nothing wrong with liking flowers and chocolates, but this year why not go a step further and gift your significant other something a little more geeky? Geeky can be romantic! If you’re at a loss for what that means, no worries. Here are some of the best geeky Valentine’s Day gift ideas for your nerd partner....

You know what’s great? Games. Games come in many shapes and forms, and they all have a place. There are video games, board games, card games, physical games, and plenty of other types. They all have one thing in common: fun! But one type of game rises above the rest for me, and that’s the video game. My friend Joel has an article on why board games are better than video games , and while he has some great points in favor of dice and cards, I still think video games are the superior way to get your gaming fix....

In the world of MMORPGs, there are two big games that have the attention of most players— World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV . They’re both fantastic games worthy of playing, but in my opinion, FFXIV just barely edges out WoW as the better game. Before you scream that I’m crazy and tell me how about WoW has been the king of the genre for over a decade, just hear me out!...

If you, like the rest of us, are currently stuck at home playing D&D remotely, you’ve probably turned to Discord as a way of organizing games, finding others to play with, and possibly even rolling dice and actually playing. But these awesome features aren’t included out-of-the-box. Instead, you need to add some bots to your server. In fact, you only need two bots and we’ll show you how to install them....

For comedy movie fans, Adam McKay should be a familiar name. He had his start as head writer for Saturday Night Live , where he teamed up with cast member Will Ferrell to create several well-known comedy projects, including the website Funny or Die. By the late 2010s, McKay had started taking on more dramatic projects, which earned him his first Academy Award. He even has his name and trademarks stamped on shows like Motherland: Fort Salem , Dead to Me , and the latest HBO phenomenon Succession ....

Funnyman Paul Rudd has had an illustrious acting career spanning more than three decades—and he’s still going strong. While he initially made his mark via TV and stage, he’s now remembered most for his filmography. Beyond his memeworthy antics and ageless looks, Paul Rudd exhibits a talent that feeds into his comedic style—even in against-type roles—that’s full of poking and prodding snarky remarks. Here are our picks for the best Paul Rudd movies of all time that showcase his capabilities as a modern Hollywood actor....

Ridley Scott is a masterclass filmmaker. His name is stamped on landmark films that defined their genre, and it’s all thanks to his ability to craft epic-scale projects with gorgeous visuals, immersive atmospheres, tense moments, and compelling characters. He’s also known for his disciplinarian methods for scheduling, which makes him able to direct one or two films every year without affecting their quality. But most of all, his projects are celebrated for their strong female characters....

The Simpsons remains one of the most popular cartoons around, with over 700 episodes for the whole family to enjoy. Matt Groening’s animated TV sitcom is such a crowd-pleaser because it caters to all ages—a funny, family-friendly show that also nods to various adult themes, concepts, and innuendos. Although it might fly over younger heads, The Simpsons frequently references drugs—especially hallucinogenic ones—in some of the show’s more trippy episodes. Armed with the creativity offered by psychedelics, the animators of The Simpsons have been able to stretch their imaginations and play with all sorts of weird concepts....

You’ll find lots of creepy scenes and moments in anime, especially in horror anime series, and especially in the anime adaptations of famed horror mangaka Junji Ito’s stories. But it’s not only in horror anime. In fact, many non-horror anime series have started incorporating creepy scenes and moments in their shows—from body horror to unsettling images—to add dread and terror. When done right, it can escalate the tension we feel as we’re drawn towards the climax of a scene....

Zombies have gained a bad reputation—not just in anime, but in nearly every form of media. With so many poorly done zombie stories out there, no one would blame you for skipping the subgenre as a whole. But here’s the thing: there are actually lots of high-quality anime series with zombies that put new spins on tired tropes and deliver engaging stories that feel fresh and original. Even when an anime series features “traditional” zombies, the story can still be frighteningly good as long as it’s executed well and features unique characters and clever plot twists....

When it comes to action movies, it’s hard to think of a decade that had more cinematic hits than the 1980s. It was one packed with gems that we still enjoy going back to. The action movies from the 80s had a special factor that’s missing from today’s films—a nostalgic mix of low-quality special effects, over-the-top violence, and the fact that creators were still working out all the elements that make for a great action flick....

Biography movies (also known as biopics) come in all kinds of flavors, but most of them tend to be focused on musicians, politicians, soldiers, and geniuses. What about actors? Even though Hollywood loves making movies about itself, the majority of them are fictional. If you dig around a bit, however, you’ll find several great biography films about real actors and actresses. Here are my picks for the best biographical movies that give a peek into the Hollywood industry, where famous actors toil behind the scenes with work, love, heartbreak, family, and addiction....

Mobile games are perfect when you’re on the go. While I do love my Nintendo Switch’s portability, it’s a bit of a hassle to carry around when you’re just running errands or heading to an appointment. But my smartphone comes along with me everywhere, making it the perfect device for killing time when I’m away from home for whatever reason—and there’s no better time-killer than mobile games. Unfortunately, a lot of mobile games require Wi-Fi or data these days, even when the game itself is single-player....

Artists in movies often fall into one of two main stereotypes. First, you have the pretentious snob who charges thousands of dollars for what amounts to a colored rectangle. Second, you have the starving near-hobo who sketches on paper scraps while drunk on the cheap whiskey they bought instead of dinner. But you know what? There are so many great movies about art that go beyond these tired tropes, or at least dive deeper in ways that excavate far more depth than these clichés usually offer....

Few filmmakers come out with a directorial debut so strong that it can be considered one of the best films ever made. Even fewer can say that their first five films sit in the company of cinematic masterpieces. But Terrence Malick can. Badlands , Days of Heaven , The Thin Red Line , The New World , and The Tree of Life all garnered critical acclaim at one point or another, even if in some cases—like with The New World —it took some time before critics reevaluated the picture....

Not everyone has access to a local retro gaming store. Even if you do happen to know an old-school games store nearby, it might not carry the game you’re looking for. After all, certain games are exceptionally rare. Here are the best sites to buy the retro games you want! 6.eStarland Although eStarland sells a lot of newer games, the store doesn’t fall short in the retro gaming department. It has a huge quantity of common retro games and systems like the NES, SNES, and Genesis....

Science fiction literature was blessed by minds like Jules Verne and Isaac Asimov who put cutting-edge ideas to words. Likewise, science fiction cinema has been pushed forward by imaginative movie directors who have the keen ability to execute their visions so profoundly. Indeed, not every film director has the capability to take audiences into the streets of Los Angeles in 2049 or through the creepy hallways of The Nostromo while a creature hunts down the ship’s crew....

Action movies are typically packed with brutal fights, fast-paced car chases, and blazing gunfights. But few action sequences are more visually thrilling than what we see in martial arts movies featuring kung fu, aikido, karate, and more set to an epic soundtrack. Martial arts movies are rarely about how big and strong characters are, but rather how much control they have over themselves and how much mastery they can exhibit over their abilities....