Technologies

Doom The Dark Ages Review: Blood, Steel and Burnout

Guns and heavy metal weren’t enough this time around.

Doom: The Dark Ages is the third game of the new «Doom» era since the franchise was rebooted in 2016 and was followed up with a second game, Doom Eternal, in 2020. While this newest title makes some big changes to the game, and I do mean «big,» it does feel like it’s lost a bit of that Doom charm that made me giddy whenever I saw the phrase «rip and tear.»

For this latest go-around, developer id Software tweaked the Doom formula to go beyond just shooting enemies and is far away from the platforming that was found in Doom Eternal. The result is a blend of action that really sings when everything is timed right but also falls flat outside of the action. There’s just a lack of areas where my adrenaline starts pumping compared to the previous Doom games.

To lay the groundwork for Doom: The Dark Ages, the game takes place before the events of the 2016 reboot. Doomguy, referred to as the Slayer throughout, was transported to Hell following the events of Doom 64 in order to fight the hordes of monsters. Some point after battling demons for billions of years, he’s transported to Argent D’Nur, a different realm inhabited by humans who fight against the hordes of Hell in this epic war with futuristic weapons with a medieval motif. As the Slayer, he’s there to help the humans win and what follows is a very dramatic, almost Game of Thrones-type story but it feels shallow.

And I get it. Doom wasn’t ever really about the story but it has been since the reboot. What I love about the reboot is that I’m playing as the same character as I was 20 years earlier in my high school computer lab. A character who had returned from the depths of Hell and was being used as a living weapon to defeat the army from Hell once again. Then, in Doom Eternal, we learn how Doomguy was a mythical hero in that other realm and traveling to that realm was this satisfying experience that felt like the equivalent of a heavy metal album cover.

In Doom: The Dark Ages, I didn’t feel that same excitement to learn more about Doomguy’s past. The attempt at intrigue just didn’t work, so making my way through the chapters was a slog at times. Don’t get me wrong: The action was exciting, most of the time, but it takes a while to get to that pinnacle of where all the new elements of the game fit into place.

Doomguy’s New Toys (and Tricks)

Of those new elements, the most significant is the addition of a shield. It’s weird playing a Doom game with a shield but it’s part of id’s attempt to redefine the gameplay by adding some depth. The shield provides four kinds of actions that are important while playing, including the most obvious one, defense.

Some of the enemies have particularly big guns that can tear you apart if you don’t use your shield. As you might expect, there’s a shield throw, a la Captain America, so you can use it as a weapon. This throw can be an instakill for weaker enemies or a stun for tougher ones as it tears into their bodies.

Doomguy also has a shield bash that does some damage but acts as a way to quickly dash at enemies as well as break open barriers throughout the levels. Lastly, there’s the shield parry. Some enemies shoot out green projectiles that can be parried back at them, which is required to defeat some enemies. I appreciated that there’s an option to make the parry window more generous or tighter, depending on what works for you.

Another change is the arsenal available to Doomguy. Doom Eternal introduced a few new weapons along with the franchise mainstays like the Chaingun and BFG 9000. But in Doom: The Dark Ages, it’s all new weapons with the exception of the shotgun that you start with. The new guns are pretty intense but they do have a similar feel to other weapons like the Accelerator in comparison to the Plasma Rifle.

Each gun has an alternate fire that makes it act like a new weapon. For example, the Shredders feel like a standard machine gun that shoots bolts into enemies. Later in the game, you can unlock the alternate version, called the Impaler, that fires big spikes and acts almost like a non-scoping sniper rifle because it deals huge damage with headshots. Another weapon, the Pulverizer, is most notable for its design, which crushes skulls and shoots out bone pieces in a spread to take out multiple enemies at once. Guns weren’t the only new weapons for Doomguy, as there are also new melee weapons, the most notable being the Flail.

The shield and every weapon can be upgraded via gold, rubies and wraithstones found throughout the levels. This is where the action can get fun because upgrading weapons in a certain way can have different effects on enemies, from dealing damage to nearby enemies to having a longer stun or making enemies drop more ammo or armor. There’s a combination of upgrades that creates this fantastic harmony between the shield and the weapons. There’s a lot of experimentation available for players to make their favorite weapon even more fun to use.

Big Maps, Bigger Fights

Arguably, the most noteworthy change in Doom: The Dark Ages is the open levels. Previous games were more constrained, with players having to clear out rooms. In this game, there are big maps with multiple areas that need to be cleared to complete the chapter. This allows for a lot of exploration as there are plenty of secrets to find. Enemies are scattered throughout, but there are areas where a barrier will pop up and you’ll have to deal with hordes of demons in a closed-off space similar to the previous Doom games. Like the rest of Doom: The Dark Ages, these levels have a medieval look with some futuristic accents here and there. This style, which is also shown in Doom Eternal, creates a remarkable presentation on the Xbox Series X when combined with the heavy metal music.

Speaking of presentation, the two «big» additions to the Doom franchise are the dragon and the Atlan mech, which are available on certain levels. The action changes similarly when riding either one. Whether you’re on the dragon or the mech, you progress through the levels and do a combination of attacking and dodging enemies’ attacks. Traveling on both is fun but where the dragon flies throughout the levels and can chase down certain enemies, the Atlan smashes buildings as it fights giant demons. While enjoyable, I have to admit, I didn’t mind them being limited to certain levels; there wasn’t a lot to do with them.

All the new additions id Software introduced in Doom: The Dark Ages are welcome changes to keep a franchise that’s been around for more than three decades feeling fresh. I still can’t shake the feeling that something’s missing, though. It just doesn’t have the same pull as the last two Doom games. Because of that, it never gave me the same rush while playing. There were stretches where it honestly felt boring, which is wild to say about a Doom game. It definitely picks up in places and delivers some great moments, but I kept wishing there was more meat on the bones — just something that made me care more about this adventure.

Doom: The Dark Ages comes out on May 15 for Xbox, PlayStation and PC, and it’ll be available on Game Pass at launch. Players who purchase the Premium Edition of Doom: The Dark Ages will gain access to the game on May 13.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, May 10

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 10.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is that extra-long Saturday one, and some of the answers were pretty tough! I thought for sure the answer to 6-Across was two words, but nope, it was only one. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Common inclusion in a tourist’s brochure
Answer: MAP

4A clue: Olympic honor
Answer: MEDAL

6A clue: Any of a set of green plastic toys in «Toy Story»
Answer: SOLDIER

8A clue: Still on the loose
Answer: ATLARGE

9A clue: Driver’s license or passport
Answer: PHOTOID

10A clue: Star of the Eras Tour
Answer: SWIFT

11A clue: 30, 45 or 50, on a beach bottle: Abbr.
Answer: SPF

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Chills (out)
Answer: MELLOWS

2D clue: Prompt after swiping one’s card at an iPad cash register
Answer: ADDATIP

3D clue: Form groups of two
Answer: PAIROFF

4D clue: Flittering fliers around a flame
Answer: MOTHS

5D clue: Totally authentic
Answer: LEGIT

6D clue: Sticky stuff
Answer: SAP

7D clue: No turn on ___» (road sign)
Answer: RED

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 10, #229

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 229, for Saturday, May 10.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

I always start Connections: Sports Edition by scanning for clues I know that can’t fit into too many categories. Today, I spotted names of particular places, and was off to the races with the green group. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Players sometimes disagree.

Green group hint: Also Lumen, or U.S. Bank.

Blue group hint: Academic sports organizations.

Purple group hint: Tennessee signal-callers.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Things an umpire calls.

Green group: NFL stadiums.

Blue group: First words of college conferences.

Purple group: QBs drafted by the Titans.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is things an umpire calls. The four answers are ball, out, safe and strike.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is NFL stadiums. The four answers are Allegiant, Gillette, Lambeau and Soldier.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is first words of college conferences. The four answers are American, Atlantic, Big and Southeastern.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is QBs drafted by the Titans. The four answers are Levis, Locker, Mariota and Ward.

Technologies

GoldenEye 007, Tamagotchi, Quake Blast Into Video Game Hall of Fame For 2025

One revolutionized first-person shooters on consoles, another taught us how to care for a virtual pet, but they all deserve a spot in history.

If you grew up blasting aliens at the arcade, there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with at least one of this year’s Video Game Hall of Fame inductees. The World Video Game Hall of Fame announced its 2025 class this week, celebrating four games that helped define an era: GoldenEye 007, Tamagotchi, Quake and Defender. These titles were selected for their cultural influence, staying power and contributions to the evolution of gaming.

From a pioneering multiplayer shooter (GoldenEye 007) to the game that sparked the virtual pet craze (Tamagotchi), these titles have an influence that reaches beyond the gaming industry. The Hall of Fame, which is housed at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, recognizes games that shaped the gaming industry and permeated pop culture.

This year’s inductees join a roster of classics, including Tetris, Pac-Man, Minecraft and The Legend of Zelda, cementing their place in gaming history.

«This quartet of games represent leaps in technology and how people played when they arrived in the 1980s and 1990s,» CNET senior reporter and video games expert David Lumb says. «With respect to the other nominees, these four earned their spots in the Hall of Fame, each being so popular that they were practically inescapable in their day. First-person shooters, side-scrollers, couch co-op shooters and digital pocket pals — all of these are iconic entries in video gaming history.»

GoldenEye 007 (1997)

GoldenEye 007 revolutionized first-person shooters on consoles, which were largely seen as a PC genre, dominated by games
like Doom and Quake. Its use of four-player split-screen multiplayer mode was legendary, cementing local multiplayer as a staple of console gaming. The video game, based on the James Bond film, became the third best-selling title for the Nintendo 64, trailing only Super Mario 64 and Mario.

Tamagotchi (1996)

Tamagotchi introduced the world to virtual pet care, blurring the line between gaming and real life. The keychain-sized device let players feed, clean and care for a digital pet, turning everyday moments into interactive gameplay. It became a global craze, especially among girls and younger kids, a demographic often overlooked by game developers in the ’90s.

Defender (1981)

Defender challenged players with its intense gameplay and complex controls, setting a new standard for arcade difficulty. It pioneered the side-scrolling shooter while introducing complex, multi-button controls, including thrust, reverse, fire, smart bomb and hyperspace, making it one of the most demanding and skill-based arcade games of its era. It really helped separate casual players from hardcore gamers.

Quake (1996)

Quake raised the bar for 3D gaming with its fully real-time 3D graphics and gritty, atmospheric design. It didn’t just change how games looked, it changed how we played, thanks to its groundbreaking online multiplayer. On top of that, its modding tools helped kickstart a vibrant community, letting players create everything from new levels to entirely new games.

These four titles were selected from a list of 12 finalists, which included notable games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Frogger and NBA 2K. Since its inception in 2015, the Hall of Fame has recognized nearly half 50 games that have shaped the gaming landscape.