If internet videos with titles like “Supersonic Golf Ball to the Forehead” have taught us anything, it’s that a slow motion chthonic mace to the dome is a weighty chthonic mace to the dome. So goes the thinking being Doom: The Dark Ages liberal dolloping of slow motion effects all over its melee attacks and parries. The FPS does away with the series’ canned glory kills, so it’s nice to take a split second of mud time to catch your bearings where you can. Still, the game isn’t exactly shy about its application.
I was watching a Doom 3 retrospective last night that talked about how the original copies of the game came with a note explaining that “Doom 3 is not for cowards!”. By contrast, the amount of accessibility options and sliders in The Dark Ages, alongside Id saying that it was ” a game for all Slayers!” is, you know, at least one nice reminder that games are far less twattish than they used to be. In some ways, at least. One thing those sliders don’t allow for, however, is removing the abundance of slow motion effects. Once again, modders have our backs. Thank you, modders. That’s my favourite back and I’d strongly dislike having to replace it.
A month after launch, a small percentage of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered players have completed the main questline. But for a game like this, that’s not particularly surprising — fans are saying they’re way too busy doing other stuff.
I’m one of those fans! I’ve been playing and enjoying Oblivion Remastered since it shadow-dropped on April 22, and upon leaving the sewers and handing over the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre at Weynon Priory, I’ve done everything BUT the main questline. I’ve joined the Fighters Guild, explored Cyrodiil, and completed loads of side quests. I’ve even tried to brute force my way out of the map, as one player managed to do.
Why? Well, the side quests in Oblivion are brilliant fun (I won’t spoil any story stuff here), but I’m also trying to avoid the main quest (and potentially difficult parts of it like Kvatch) for the time being while keeping leveling up to a minimum.
So, I’ve decided to enjoy Oblivion until I get bored enough to play the game properly. Although there is no properly with a Bethesda game like this one, is there? That’s why they’re brilliant. You do what you want whenever you want, and the game still works.
“I spend 160 hours in already and Kvatch is still waiting for me,” added Roffear. “I’m one of those weirdos who actually likes the Oblivion gates so I purposefully don’t finish the main quest until I’ve found all 60 gates in my world and closed them,” said Ellert0. “44 hours and an actual in-game year, and I haven’t even been to Weynon Priory,” said PlayaHatinIG-88. “Those poor Kvatch city guards never stood a chance.”
At the time of this article’s publication, a paltry 2.97% had completed Oblivion Remastered’s main questline on Xbox and a slightly better 4.4% had on Steam. Why the difference? I presume that’s because Xbox factors in Game Pass, which will have seen a number of players dip their toe into Oblivion Remastered before bouncing. Steam players are all in, of course, because they actually bought the game outright.
Either way, it’s still a low percentage for Oblivion Remastered, which has so far seen over 4 million players. But in truth most video games have a surprisingly low campaign completion rate, whether it’s an epic, 100-hour open-world fantasy role-playing game like Oblivion Remastered or a five-hour story like Call of Duty. Indeed, a lot of games have a surprisingly low percentage of players who stick around after an hour or so or continue playing after the tutorial. Such is the fickle nature of the gamer.
For Oblivion Remastered, the stats may be skewed further because it’s a remaster of a beloved game many of its players finished back in the day. If you completed Oblivion’s main quest 20 years ago, perhaps you’re less inclined to do it again now, and would rather focus on all the pretty new visuals and upgraded bits and bobs. Or, as one player has done, spend seven hours lining up books to get a Dominoes chain reaction just right.
Thaddeus122 said they were almost 100 hours in and hadn’t even completed three of the main quests. They have, however, completed the Arena and the Mages Guild. And the rest of the time? “Leveling, getting money for homes, closing all the Oblivion gates, the Nirnroot quest, a bunch of little quests. To be fair, also don’t fast travel anywhere.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
“It doesn’t take itself too seriously… the inspiration is basically my life”.
At PAX East, we had a chance to sit down with the lively Nico Papalia and Top Hat Studios – developer of Athenian Rhapsody, and its newly-announced prequel, Tales of Tuscany (releasing on “whatever you play games on,” including Switch, in 2026).
We wanted to learn a bit more about what inspired such a mad-cap universe, and where the WarioWare / EarthBound / Pokémon-esque ideas all stemmed from. While it was a bit of a challenge to talk over the raucous laughter coming from the crowd gathered at the demo booth, we managed to get an inside glimpse at Papalia’s surprising backstory and his work on both games.
Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week – our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! No cool industry person this week (I’d like requests though. No Classical Gas), but I want to get back into the habit of posting the column regularly regardless, since the comments are always a medium good time, which is the maximum amount of good time allowed on a Sunday.
Assuming the postie doesn’t deprive us on launch day, we’re less than three weeks away from having a brand new Nintendo console in our hands! This 24th edition of the Nintendo Life Mailbox will be the final spread with the original Switch as Nintendo’s flagship console!
Yes, we’ve been rifling through our inbox and publishing select contents in our monthly letters page for a whole two years now, and we’ll be back next month with an entirely different console sitting on the desk. And, presumably, a whole pile of Switch 2-related correspondence to sort through.
There’s been a lot of conversation about Nintendo making Mario Kart World its main launch title for the Switch 2 ahead of certain other key franchises.
Nintendo of America’s Nate Bihldorff provided an official response about this to Inverse last month, mentioning how it’s “one of the most broadly accessible games possible” with a high skill ceiling as well as an easy entry level for all ages.
The Switch 2’s Online Expansion Pack tier is getting the GameCube library at launch and alongside this Nintendo will be releasing a new wireless GameCube controller, based on the original design with added buttons.
It’s now released a video on its Nintendo Today! mobile application, giving fans a closer look while also highlighting some of the additional buttons on the top of the controller including the ZL button, and various other Switch 2 buttons.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time arrives on the Switch next week and ahead of release Level-5 is rolling out an early access update on select platforms, bumping the game up to Version 1.1.1.
This will be slightly different on the Switch front – with Version 1.1.0 apparently reflecting “some of the contents of this update” on 22nd May. The version that reflects “most” of the content will be released in the future as Version 1.2.0.
It’s never a bad time to get into the Legend of Zelda. Nintendo’s legendary action-adventure franchise has seen over 25 mainline games and a handful of great spinoffs, and if you own a Nintendo Switch and subscribe to their online service, you have access to just about every single Zelda title to date. But the green-clad Hero of Time transcends just video games, so we’ve put together a gift guide for that special Zelda fan in your life. From the video games and controllers, books to apparel, and even an amazing LEGO Deku Tree set, there’s quite literally something for both new and old Legend of Zelda fans alike.
Legend of Zelda Video Games
With the Nintendo Switch 2 just around the corner and both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom receiving performance upgrades, you can still pick up two of the best games the system still has to offer. And if you’re waiting a bit to pick up the Switch 2, there are still plenty of other Legend of Zelda games to keep you occupied. Skyward Sword HD and the Link’s Awakening remake are the best ways to revisit these older titles, while Echoes of Wisdom finally allows players to take control of Zelda. The first two Hyrule Warriors titles are incredibly fun action games, so be sure to check them out before Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment releases on Nintendo Switch 2.
Legend of Zelda Controllers and Accessories
Now what if you already have all these Legend of Zelda games, what are you supposed to play them with to show your support of the franchise? Luckily there are tons of great Zelda-themed controllers and accessories to deck your system out with. From official Zelda Joy-Con (I have Skyward Sword HD set, they look incredible!) and pro controllers to third-party Nintendo Switch dock covers, you’ll be sprucing up your game room setup in no time.
For more things like this without the Zelda theme, you can check out our guide to the best Switch accessories.
Legend of Zelda Encyclopedias
Legend of Zelda Manga
There are an impressive amount of Legend of Zelda manga and encyclopedias that look great a shelf or coffee table. We put together a breakdown of all the Zelda books you should know about, like the wide breadth of manga covering the games from the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and even both Oracles of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. The encyclopedias are great collectibles for any Zelda fan, as they offer closer looks at the lore and history of Hyrule, complete with old concept art and sketches.
Legend of Zelda Puzzles, Cards, and Board Games
There are tons of great jigsaw puzzles for adults, and the Legend of Zelda-themed puzzles are among our favorite. The 1.000-piece Hyrule map puzzle would look right at home framed over a fireplace once complete. You can also find a handful of classic board games with a Legend of Zelda skin, such as the Monopoly Legend of Zelda Collector’s Edition or Legend of Zelda Uno. Also, be sure to have a look at the official Zelda playing cards (these are Japanese imports only!).
LEGO Great Deku Tree Set
Other Nintendo properties, like Super Mario and Animal Crossing, are no strangers to getting the LEGO treatment, and the massive Great Deku Tree set is one of the best LEGO has to offer. The over 2,500-piece set has a 2-in-1 modular function, allowing you to build either the Breath of the Wild or Ocarina of Time Great Deku Trees. It comes with four minifigures: Princess Zelda and three different versions of Link – Breath of the Wild’s Link and both young and adult Link from Ocarina of Time. It also comes with detailed Master Sword and Hylian Shield pieces and a buildable Hestu figure.
Legend of Zelda Amiibo and Action Figures
There are dozens upon dozens of available Nintendo Amiibo figures, and the Legend of Zelda characters make up a healthy chunk of them. You can scan these figures on your Nintendo Switch system to unlock different features in various Nintendo Games. Check out our breakdown of every Legend of Zelda Amiibo. You can also grab a couple of Legend of Zelda action figures from the IGN store, like super detailed Zelda and Ganondorf Figma action figures from Tears of the Kingdom.
Legend of Zelda Apparel
Also available on the IGN store are tons a great Legend of Zelda apparel items. T-shirts, hoodies, and crew necks all with sweet Legend of Zelda designs are available in various sizes. The designs vary from retro pixel art to stylized images of classic scenes from throughout the series’ entire history. I’m a big fan fan of the Wind Waker stained glass crew neck, myself.
Legend of Zelda Replica Weapons, Drinkware, Vinyl Records
Everything listed here is just scratching the surface of the awesome collectibles and items you can get with a Legend of Zelda theme tacked onto it. On the IGN store, you can pick up a replica Master Sword and Hylian Shield, great for future cosplays or game room displays. I highly recommend the 2LP vinyl record set from iam8bit which include a collection of the some of the series’ best tracks. On Amazon, you can find an array of Zelda memorobilia like mugs, thermoses, and coasters. You can even buy a working ceramic ocarina!
It’s been a little under a year since the vehicular combat racing game Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks launched into early access, and yesterday developer Caged Element Inc. announced that it’ll be receiving its 1.0 launch next week, May 22nd. There are a couple notable changes that come with this launch though. For starters, Wired Productions are taking over from Plaion on publishing duties. As the devs explained in a Steam post, the reason this matters to you is the second change, which is that you’ll have to pay for it when it arrives next week. Some of you, anyway.
