Good morning!

I go on vacation for five minutes, and the gaming industry decides to lose its mind. Doom got medieval, Nintendo declared war on modders, and Rockstar dropped a GTA 6 trailer so spicy it made my Steam Deck combust out of jealousy.

In this edition, we’ve got:

• Doom: The Dark Ages – slower, heavier, still brutal... now with 85MB discs!

• Nintendo’s new "brick first, ask later" policy

• GTA 6 Trailer 2 – beer physics, betrayal theories, and yes, ray-traced abs

Here’s everything you need to know this week in the world of gaming.

TOP STORY

I played 'Doom: The Dark Ages'...

You ever wonder what would happen if Doomguy traded his jetpack for a medieval helmet and said, “What if I just took my time?” Well, Doom: The Dark Ages answers that question… kinda.

This is the third game in the modern Doom reboot saga, but instead of "rip and tear until it’s all gone in 30 seconds," it’s more like “rip, tear, then take a stroll to admire the scenery.”

What’s New?

• Gone is the breakneck, wall-hopping chaos of Doom Eternal. In its place: wide, horizontal maps, slower pacing, and actual room to breathe (and maybe find that one secret you missed for the fifth time).

• It’s still very much Doom. Guns go boom, demons go splat, and the visuals are so crispy they could shatter glass, but there’s a method to the madness now.

• Combat is slightly more tactical and less “speed metal on bath salts.” Think chess... if chess involved flamethrowers and hellbeasts.

Why It Works (Mostly):

• For some reason, this is the first Doom game I could play for hours without puking. Yes, really. No motion sickness! Maybe it’s the reduced verticality or more grounded movement. Whatever it is, thank you, id Software.

• Difficulty settings are nuts. Want a chill demon-hunting stroll? Done. Want your soul crushed by projectile hell? That’s an option too. You can tweak everything, from enemy aggression to how fast bullets fly.

The Catch:

• It kinda feels like Assassin’s Creed III. Not bad, but definitely a transition game. Like it’s caught halfway between old-school brutality and modern story-driven polish.

• Chapters are more stop-and-go than free-flowing. You’ll finish a level, get your stats, then move on. Very “Xbox 360-era” vibes.

• Also: Steam Deck owners, beware. As of now, it doesn’t boot. ROG Ally? Golden. Just... drop everything to low and pretend it’s intentional.

Final Thoughts (From Vacation Me, Hiding From Rain in Orlando):

I’m digging it. Solid B+. Not “Game of the Year blow-my-brains-out” good, but really fun, especially if Doom’s usual intensity was too much for you. It runs well, looks stunning, and gives just enough reason to keep playing.

If you’re on Game Pass, it’s a no-brainer. Download it. Shoot some demons. Don’t step on the lizards.

LATEST NEWS

GENERAL

• Congrats, PS5 fans, you just bought a fancy 85MB coaster. Microsoft and Bethesda are back at it, shipping Doom: The Dark Ages with more plastic than actual game data. At this point, they might as well just mail you a download link on a napkin. (PushSquare)

• Nintendo just pulled the plug… literally. Mod your Switch now and Big N might brick it into a paperweight. Piracy? Nah, they’re pirating your console. (Twitter/X)

QUICK LINKS

• Palworld had to remove game features because of Nintendo lawsuit.

• It Looks Like We're Gonna Get Half-Life 3 Before GTA 6 And The Elder Scrolls 6.

• Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 devs give modders the game’s internal editor to create anything they can dream of, including custom campaigns.

• New Switch 2 specs show large performance dip in undocked mode.

• Nearly 200 Overwatch developers at Blizzard form a new union: The Overwatch Gamemakers Guild

• Xbox's Forza Horizon 5 Is Selling Extraordinarily Well on PS5, Surpasses 1.2 Million Copies Since Launch

• Sony weighs up even more PS5 price increases in response to US tariffs

LATEST VIDEO

My GTA 6 Trailer 2 Analysis

While I was off dodging Disney adults in full Mickey choreography mode, Rockstar casually dropped the second GTA 6 trailer, and yeah, it looks absolutely unhinged in the best way.

We’re talking beer bottles that slosh, muscle deformation tech from Red Dead now applied to humans, and ray-traced everything - even the sweat probably. Draw distance? Infinite. Lighting? Pure sorcery. Frame rate? Haha, 60fps? That’s cute. This beast is basically locked to 30FPS on console so it can look this absurdly good.

Oh, and if the Bonnie & Clyde vibes weren’t obvious enough, expect heartbreak, betrayal, or maybe the most romantic co-op shootout of all time.

Want the full breakdown, tech talk, dumb jokes, and a woman who mimicked Mickey’s every move at Fantasmic?

👉 Watch the full video here. Trust me, it's a ride.

WHAT’S TRENDING?

MOST POPULAR:

The Twitch throne is still firmly held by Just Chatting, with its endless scroll of chaos and casual convos. Meanwhile, the usual gaming juggernauts are holding their ground (with a few bumps):

🥇 Just Chatting – 57.6M hours watched (📉 -0.7%)
🥈 League of Legends – 19.1M hours watched (📉 -0.7%)
🥉 Grand Theft Auto V – 19.0M hours watched (📉 -1.2%)
🎯 Counter-Strike – 15.4M hours watched (📈 +0.3%)
💥 VALORANT – 12.2M hours watched (📉 -7.5%)

TRENDING:

These are the games making waves this week. Some came out of nowhere, others are having a resurgence—but all of them are blowing up:

🔥 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – 2.9M hours watched (📈 +169.5%)
🔥 Street Fighter 6 – 1.9M hours watched (📈 +102.3%)
🔥 Overwatch 2 – 1.6M hours watched (📈 +49.1%)
🔥 Dune: Awakening – 3.6M hours watched (🚀 new spike)
🔥 DOOM: The Dark Ages – 5.3M hours watched (launch hype in full swing)