Magazines

PC Gamer Top 100 2025

Because I still haven't been buying enough games lately...!

Similar to the retro games list I went through the other day, I came away from this one noting 13 titles I already own, but here there was only one I'd played before (well, only one I'd completed — the original Doom is on both lists, and while I've played it a bit, I've never been through it thoroughly). I did find 28 to keep in mind for future purchasing, and a further 16 that piqued my interest enough to look into more and decide whether to add to that 'wants' list or not — which means only 42% of the list made me think "nah".

One thing that definitely intrigued me was how changeable this list can be. I get that they publish it every year so don't want it to be basically the same with a few tweaks (otherwise who would care?), but, having only recently looked at their 2024 list, some changes were so big they were immediately obvious.

For example, the top ten is 60% the same, and some of that is due to the kinds of small shifts you'd expect: Doom drops out by falling from #10 to #11; Red Dead Redemption II rises from #15 to #10, which is a relatively minor reevaluation (and it's been in the top ten previously, so hardly revelatory). Except it's not just those kinds of small moves, nor new titles entering: last year's #5, Persona 5 Royal, plummets to #49; while a game that was released 20 years ago, Dwarf Fortress, suddenly jumps from #16 to #3. I'm not sure such a reappraisal was prompted by anything, either (although it has also previously been in the top ten, so this is closer to RDR2 in scale).

I guess it's just changing voters and/or adjusted final-total calculations. And there is certainly consistency in places (the top two are identical, for instance). It's just kinda wild that things can fall so far, or (higher up the list) drop out entirely, while old games where nothing's changed fly up, or even enter the list. Keeps it lively though, I guess.

(I also have physical copies of the 2021 and 2022 lists, and after I thought of this I tracked down the 2023 version too, which tempted me to work out a ranking-of-rankings for the last five years. Is it worth the time and effort, though? I don't know... but once I had the idea, it became almost inevitable, so now I'm doing it.)

Magazines

The Greatest Retro Games of All Time

Because I haven't been buying enough games lately as it is...!

Well, I came away from this list of 100 noting 15 titles I already own (or, er, have acquired), on top of 10 I've already played sufficiently that I don't necessarily want/need to play them again — so that's a quarter of the list off the bat. Mind you, another 25 were of enough interest for me to note down...

Comics

Judge Dredd Megazine
#472
Okay, I went back and read the interviews and two strips that were standalone. I liked the latter; the former ended up adding books to my to-buy list. So, that's good, I guess.

Podcasts

The Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast
Christopher McQuarrie on Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Part One

Podcasts

The Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One — The Live Spoiler Interview with Christopher McQuarrie

I didn't listen to this fifth and final part of Empire's epic deep dive into M:I-7 back when it came out because it took so bloody long to be released: it was recorded in July, Part Four came out in September, and this last instalment wasn't released until Christmas Day — that's almost four months later. The Empire spoiler podcast costs money — I would've wasted three or four months of sub fees just waiting for this to turn up. Anyway, I've just re-subbed to listen to the new Final Reckoning episode(s), so before that I've gone back for this one.

More importantly: what McQ has to say is fascinating and insightful, so this is as brilliant as usual.

Comics

2000 AD #2376

Doctor Who Magazine
Mancopolis Parts 1–5
The advantage to accidentally being five issues behind with DWM is I can read the 15th Doctor’s whole first comic strip story in one sitting — the prime advantage to that being it was over more quickly…

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine Find the 600!

DWM published its 600th issue this week, and alongside the main mag was this special 16-page supplement of... well, it's a funny one. There's a potted history of the magazine, focusing on just a handful of specific issues from throughout its history; then a spot of silliness in a photo-based comic strip about the creation of the cover (sort of); and then a bunch of random quotes from the 15 'main' Doctors. In the rich history of Doctor Who-related magazine supplements, I'm not sure this is going to be remembered as fondly as, say, the Radio Times ones...

Podcasts

The Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One ft. Christopher McQuarrie Part Four

It felt like I had to wait forever (it's actually only been nine days), but here it is: the final part. Oh no! Over so soon? Actually, no, because there's a bonus live show they did too. And anyway, across the four parts they talked for 11½ hours — that's enough for four commentary tracks, even on a film as long as M:I-7. But I want more! Not just because I'm greedy, but because McQ is so insightful and a joy to listen to and learn from. Good thing that live show is reportedly 3 hours long, then...

Podcasts

The Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One ft. Christopher McQuarrie Part Three

Finished off Part Three on my commutes today. Now just impatiently waiting for Part Four. In the meantime, back to the regular Mission pod...

Light the Fuse - The Official Mission: Impossible Podcast
2x04 Inside the Action with the Cast of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Podcasts

The Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One ft. Christopher McQuarrie Part Three

As if these weren't divided up enough already (in terms of recording, this is Day Two Part One (with at least one, but possibly two or even three, more parts to come)), I only listened to the first hour or so of this 2½-hour edition — not because it's not good (it's excellent), that's just how my time management worked out.

Podcasts

The Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One ft. Christopher McQuarrie Part One & Part Two

Since 2018 and the last time the Empire podcast + McQ dived deep into a Mission, they've spun off their "spoiler specials" into its own podcast — and made that subscription only, grr. But these are so good that I've paid up so I can listen to 'em. The sheer length (5½ hours across these first two parts, with at least two more to come) means it can get a little rambling, going off on tangents here, there and everywhere rather than being laser-focused on the filmmaking, but that's kinda fun in its own way too. And when it really gets down to the meat of it, it's as super-insightful as ever.

Comics

2000 AD #2300

Many years ago, I read comics regularly — you can go scouring through this blog's history to find them, if you want; we're talking back c.2011. The problem was, I was never very good at keeping up, and I fell further and further behind until I just gave up. 2000 AD was one of the titles this happened to, with my reading coming to an end in March 2013 with Prog 1792. But every now and then I get a hankering for regular comics...

And so, almost a decade on from last foray into the world of regular comics reading, I decided to start again. This is the first issue I bought on that mission... one which came out back in September. Yeah. So, that's how well this has gone — I'm starting almost five months behind. But I'm not giving up before I've even really begun, oh no. I'm gonna catch up and keep going. Yeah I am. ...okay, we'll see. But I live in optimism.

Anyway, this particular issue was a massive crossover, where all of the strips dealt with a multiverse zombie apocalypse situation. So big an event, it continued into the companion magazine...


Judge Dredd Megazine #448
I know my limits. Well, I don't (clearly), but I knew enough to not go all-in and subscribe to the Megazine too — this is a one-off to complete the zombie crossover.

Podcasts

The Stack
537 ‘Sight & Sound’s greatest films of all time
Really interesting interview with Mike Williams, the editor of Sight & Sound, about the 2022 edition of their once-a-decade poll.
[Listen to it (again) on Monocle.]

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #584

I rarely bother to mention it (the last time was in 2016), but I buy DWM every month, and usually read at least some of it. This is a special issue, though, because it's packed with info about the forthcoming era — "forthcoming" as in "doesn't start for a whole year", and yet already we're learning about it. That's a level of marketing I can get behind.

Also of particular note: the comic strip this issue picks up directly where The Power of the Doctor left off, beginning a 13-part tale (which will unfurl monthly until the first 60th anniversary special airs, this time (ish) next year) that's the official first adventure for the 14th Doctor. The comic strip's never been allowed to do something so vital before. Exciting times.

Podcasts

The Empire Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible – Fallout Spoiler Special Part 3 ft. Christopher McQuarrie

Following on from parts one and two, another three hours of McQuarrie's priceless insights into the moviemaking process. Can't believe it's taken me this long to get round to finishing it, because it's so good.

Podcasts

The Empire Film Podcast
Mission: Impossible – Fallout Spoiler Special
Part 1 ft. Christopher McQuarrie
Part 2 ft. Team Empire

If you thought Empire's Rogue Nation podcast was long, well, Chrises Hewitt and McQuarrie have really outdone themselves here: Part One alone beats it, and Part Three (which I've barely started) is even longer again. In between, Part Two sees the Empire team chat about the film for a brief 48 minutes.

Podcasts

The Empire Film Podcast
Christopher McQuarrie Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Special

Empire's legendary near-three-hour chat with writer-director Christopher McQuarrie about Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. That's longer than the film itself, fact fans. And I could happily have listened to a couple of hours more. Looking forward to the one they've recorded for Fallout.

Articles

The Book of Jeremy Corbyn
by Anthony Lane (from The New Yorker)

Chances are you've heard about this somewhere else, but it's brilliant, so...

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #500

Awesome double-magazine 500th issue, including a very candid interview with Steven Moffat, with snippets like this.

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine #474

After Empire's huge movie poll yesterday, today it's DWM's turn. To mark the 50th anniversary, they asked fans to rate every Doctor Who story ever (right up to Matt Smith's Christmas regeneration), and this issue is dedicated to the results (which therefore replace the previously-defintive poll held in 2009 when the series reached 200 stories).

Lots of new entries (41 full-length stories have been produced since then), lots of changes, lots of things to agree and disagree with. But I won't spoil any of that here, go buy it for yourself (which you can on iTunes as well as in print, if you're so inclined).