Godzilla vs. Biollante on 4K Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection) $25 (was $50) See at Amazon Monster movie fans can save big on films featuring the King of the Monsters for a limited time. The Criterion Collection's trio of Godzilla releases are on sale for 50% off, including the recently released Godzilla vs. Biollante on 4K Blu-ray and standard Blu-ray. Released in March, the 1989 film is just one of several notable Godzilla offers in the massive Criterion Collection half-off sales event at Amazon. Best Criterion Collection Deals at Amazon Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Criterion Collection 50% Off Sale Godzilla, David Lynch, Guillermo del Toro, Kurosawa, and more See at Amazon Blu-ray collectors don't need to wait for Prime Day 2025 to score great deals, as the annual Criterion Collection Summer Sale just kicked off. Hundreds of 4K Blu-rays, 1080p Blu-rays, and box sets are 50% off at Amazon and Barnes & Noble through July 27. But while you technically have a whole month to shop the deals, many of the most popular Criterion releases tend to sell out long before the official end date during these half-off promotions--especially at Amazon.Here are some of the movies that often disappear before the sale ends: Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films Box Set, the superb 4K remaster of Pixar's Wall-E, The Princess Bride, Dazed and Confused, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, The Shape of Water, Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Yojimbo/Sanjuro, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Uncut Gems, and The Silence of the Lambs. Godzilla: The Showa-Era 15-Film Box Set (Criterion Collection) $112.48 (was $225) See at Amazon We put together a giant alphabetized list of Criterion Collection movie deals that you can check out below. We also created sections for some of the notable franchises, directors, and actors featured in The Criterion Collection. So if you're looking for every 50% off deal related to Godzilla, Guillermo del Toro, David Lynch, Akira Kurosawa, the Coen brothers, Martin Scorsese, and Akira Kurosawa, we have breakdowns for all of them.Continue Reading at GameSpot

As a Canadian who has spent the last two and a half years working as an intern architect in Helsinki, these questions have been on my mind. In my current role, I have had the opportunity to participate in numerous architectural competitions arranged by Finnish municipalities and public institutions. It has been my observation that the Finnish system of open, anonymous architectural competitions consistently produces elegant and highly functional public buildings at reasonable cost and at great benefit to the lives of the everyday people for whom the projects are intended to serve. Could Canada benefit from the adoption of a similar model? ‘Public project’ has never been a clearly defined term and may bring to mind the image of a bustling library for some while conjuring the image of a municipal power substation for others. In the context of this discussion, I will use the term to refer to projects that are explicitly in-service of the broader public such as community centres, museums, and other cultural venues. Finland’s architectural competition system Frequented by nearly 2 million visitors per year, the Oodi Central Library in Helsinki, Finland, has become a thriving cultural hub and an internationally recognized symbol of Finnish design innovation. Designed by ALA Architects, the project was procured through a 2-stage, open, international architectural competition. Photo by Ninara (flickr, CC BY 2.0) In Finland, most notable public projects begin with an architectural competition. Some are limited to invited participants only, but the majority of these competitions are open to international submissions. Importantly, the authors of any given proposal remain anonymous with regards to the jury. This ensures that all proposals are evaluated purely on quality without bias towards established firms over lesser known competitors. The project budget is known in advance to the competition entrants and cost feasibility is an important factor weighed by the jury. However, the cost for the design services to be procured from the winning entry is fixed ahead of time, preventing companies from lowballing offers in the hopes of securing an interesting commission despite the inevitable compromises in quality that come with under-resourced design work. The result: inspired, functional public spaces are the norm, not the exception. Contrasted against the sea of forgettable public architecture to be found in cities large and small across Canada, the Finnish model paints a utopic picture. Several award-winning projects in my current place of employment in Helsinki have been the result of successes in open architectural competitions. The origin of the firm itself stemmed from a winning competition entry for a church in a small village submitted by the firm’s founder while he was still completing his architectural studies.  At that time, many architecture firms in Finland were founded in this manner with the publicity of a competition win serving as a career launching off point for young architects. While less common today, many students and recent graduates still participate in these design competitions. On the occasion that a young practitioner wins a competition, they are required to assemble a team with the necessary expertise and qualifications to satisfy the requirements of the jury. I believe there is a direct link between the high architectural quality outcomes of these competitions and the fact that they are conducted anonymously. The opening of these competitions to submissions from companies outside of Finland further enhances the diversity of entries and fosters international interest in the goings-on of Finland’s architectural scene. Nonetheless, it is worth acknowledging that exemplary projects have also resulted from invited and privately organized competitions. Ultimately, the mindset of the client, the selection of an appropriate jury, and the existence of sufficient incentives for architects to invest significant time in their proposals play a more critical role in shaping the quality of the final outcome. Tikkurila Church and Housing in Vantaa, Finland, hosts a diverse range of functions including a café, community event spaces and student housing. Designed by OOPEAA in collaboration with a local builder, the project was realized as the result of a competition organized by local Finnish and Swedish parishes. Photo by Marc Goodwin Finland’s competition system, administered by the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), is not limited to major public projects such as museums, libraries and city halls. A significant number of idea competitions are organized seeking compelling visions for urban masterplans. The quality of this system has received international recognition. To quote a research paper from a Swedish university on the structure, criteria and judgement process of Finnish architectural competitions, “The Finnish (competition) experience can provide a rich information source for scholars and students studying the structure and process of competition system and architectural judgement, as well as those concerned with commissioning and financing of competitions due to innovative solutions found in the realms of urban revitalization, poverty elimination, environmental pollution, cultural and socio-spatial renewals, and democratization of design and planning process.” This has not gone entirely under the radar in Canada. According to the website of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), “Competitions are common in countries such as Finland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. These competitions have resulted in a high quality of design as well as creating public interest in the role of architecture in national and community life.” Canada’s architectural competition system In Canada, the RAIC sets general competition guidelines while provincial and territorial architect associations are typically responsible for the oversight of any endorsed architectural competition. Although the idea of implementing European architectural competition models has been gaining traction in recent years, competitions remain relatively rare even for significant public projects. While Canada is yet to fully embrace competition systems as a powerful tool for ensuring higher quality public spaces, success stories from various corners of the country have opened up constructive conversations. In Edmonton, unconventional, competitive procurement efforts spearheaded by city architect Carol Belanger have produced some remarkable public buildings. This has not gone unnoticed in other parts of the country where consistent banality is the norm for public projects. Jasper Place Branch Library designed by HCMA and Dub Architects is one of several striking projects in Edmonton built under reimagined commissioning processes which broaden the pool of design practices eligible to participate and give greater weight to design quality as an evaluation criterion. Photo by Hubert Kang The wider applicability of competition systems as a positive mechanism for securing better public architecture has also started to receive broader discussion. In my hometown of Ottawa, this system has been used to procure several powerful monuments and, more recently, to select a design for the redevelopment of a key city block across from Parliament Hill. The volume and quality of entries, including from internationally renowned architectural practices, attests to the strengths of the open competition format. Render of the winning entry for the Block 2 Redevelopment in Ottawa. This 2-stage competition was overseen directly by the RAIC. Design and render by Zeidler Architecture Inc. in cooperation with David Chipperfield Architects. Despite these successes, there is significant room for improvement. A key barrier to wider adoption of competition practices according to the RAIC is “…that potential sponsors are not familiar with competitions or may consider the competition process to be complicated, expensive, and time consuming.” This is understandable for private actors, but an unsatisfactory answer in the case of public, tax-payer funded projects. Finland’s success has come through the normalization of competitions for public project procurement. We should endeavour to do the same. Maintaining design contribution anonymity prior to jury decision has thus far been the exception, not the norm in Canada. This reduces the credibility of the jury without improving the result. Additionally, the financing of such competitions has been piece-meal and inconsistent. For example, several world-class schools have been realized in Quebec as the result of competitions funded by a provincial investment.  With the depletion of that fund, it is no longer clear if any further schools will be commissioned in Quebec under a similar model. While high quality documentation has been produced, there is a risk that developed expertise will be lost if the team of professionals responsible for overseeing the process is not retained. École du Zénith in Shefford, Quebec, designed by Pelletier de Fontenay + Leclerc Architectes is one of six elegant and functional schools commission by the province through an anonymous competition process. Photo by James Brittain A path forward Now more than ever, it is essential that our public projects instill in us a sense of pride and reflect our uniquely Canadian values. This will continue to be a rare occurrence until more ambitious measures are taken to ensure the consistent realization of beautiful, innovative and functional public spaces that connect us with one another. In service of this objective, Canada should incentivize architectural competitions by normalizing their use for major public projects such as national museums, libraries and cultural centres. A dedicated Competitions Fund could be established to support provinces, territories and cities who demonstrate initiative in the pursuit of more ambitious, inspiring and equitable public projects. A National Competitions Expert could be appointed to ensure retention and dissemination of expertise. Maintaining the anonymity of competition entrants should be established as the norm. At a moment when talk of removing inter-provincial trade barriers has re-entered public discourse, why not consider striking down red tape that prevents out-of-province firms from participating in architectural competitions? Alas, one can dream. Competitions are no silver bullet. However, recent trials within our borders should give us confidence that architectural competitions are a relatively low-risk, high-reward proposition. To this end, Finland’s open, anonymous competition system offers a compelling case study from which we would be well served to take inspiration. Isaac Edmonds is a Canadian working for OOPEAA – Office for Peripheral Architecture in Helsinki, Finland. My observations of the Finnish competition system’s ability to consistently produce functional, beautiful buildings inform my interest in procurement methods that elevate the quality of our shared public realm. The post Op-Ed: Could Canada benefit from adopting Finland’s architectural competition system? appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Don't Feel Like Fighting? Check Out These Other Terrific PC Games Brawlhalla Brawlhalla (for PC) 3.5 Good The Blue Mammoth Games-developed Brawlhalla is a free-to-play fighting game—available on PC, console, and mobile—that builds upon Smash's wild, character-focused gameplay by introducing unlimited wall-jumps and various other movement options that facilitate fun combat.The expanding character roster also features the likes of G.I. Joe's Snake Eyes, WWE's Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Tomb Raider's Lara Croft, and Street Fighter’s Chun-Li. Many of these licensed fighters require spending cash, but that's fine; it's worth spending $20 for all current and future characters, because this platform-fighter is just that exciting. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (for PC) 4.0 Excellent Capcom continues resurrecting its classic titles for modern audiences with Capcom Fighting Collection 2. This compilation features cool deep cuts not found in previous entries, including Power Stone and Project Justice. Along with the nostalgia, you'll enjoy new upgrades like online multiplayer (but no crossplay) and revamped display options. If you've had your fill of Street Fighter, this is a great way to broaden your fighting game horizons. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (for PC) review Dead or Alive 6 Dead or Alive 6 (for PC) 3.5 Good Dead or Alive 6, much like its immediate predecessor, is one part fighting game, one part fashion show, and one part schlocky action movie. Individually, each of the game's widely differing elements might not stand up to scrutiny. After all, DOA 6 isn't the best fighter, doesn't offer the deepest character customization, and doesn't quite reach the Tekken series' level of story insanity.Still, Dead or Alive 6 is a fun and surprisingly strategic PC game that offers enough freshness to warrant playing with its new Break Blow and Break Hold tools. Plus, the game's familiar Triangle System and Danger Zones are highly entertaining, too. Divekick Divekick (for PC) 3.5 Good Iron Galaxy Studios' Divekick is the most hipster fighting game ever created. It's the product of the indie scene that mercilessly parodies fighting games and their die-hard community, yet demands that you be part of the underground circle to fully get all of the references and in-jokes.It's an odd game, but an interesting one if you open your mind to the insane concept of a two-button fighter based entirely on the idea of jumping and kicking. And 20-second rounds. And one-hit kills. And a line of scrimmage. Yes, Divekick is a fighting game freak show, but one worth checking out. Dragon Ball FighterZ Dragon Ball FighterZ (for PC) 4.0 Excellent Beside Fist of the Northstar and Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure, there are few anime properties that are as intrinsically suited to the fighting-game treatment as the Dragon Ball series. Spanning multiple series, movies, and generations of characters, Akira Toriyama's manga-turned-anime-turned-game series is all about buff monkey men, humans, aliens, and androids trading blows in actual earth-shattering battles.The series' latest video game adaptation, Dragon Ball FighterZ, ditches the Xenoverse games' arena-brawling model in favor of 3-vs.-3, tag-team fighting on a 2D plane. The gameplay shift is just one of the many reasons Dragon Ball FighterZ is being held aloft as one of 2018's notable titles. Its beautiful design, intense combat, and accessible control scheme add up to a game that anyone can jump into for Super Saiyan thrills.Plus, you can kick Cell through a mountain. Dragon Ball FighterZ (for PC) review Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (for PC) 4.0 Excellent The King of Fighters series is great, but Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves resurrects the SNK fighter that started it all. Familiar faces like Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui battle real-life guest characters like DJ Salavatore Gannaci and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo gather for this excellent take on fundamental, 2D fisticuffs. Rich mechanics add depth to both offensive and defensive play, while comic book-inspired graphics give brawls a distinct visual identity. Crossplay multiplayer shines with rollback netcode. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (for PC) review Garou: Mark of the Wolves Garou: Mark of the Wolves (for PC) 4.5 Excellent Upon its 1999 release, Garou: Mark of the Wolves—a surprisingly deep and visually stunning entry in the long-running Fatal Fury series—was hailed as SNK's wondrous response to Capcom's Street Fighter III. Nearly 20 years later, SNK has finally given the fighting game the proper PC treatment by releasing it with numerous additional graphics options, leaderboards, and rollback, online versus play.Despite removing and downplaying some series-specific elements, Garou doesn't feel any less of a Fatal Fury game, however. It's set in the Southtown, and it features multiple fighters with classic Fatal Fury lineages, whether it's blood relationships to, or martial-arts tutelage from, older characters. Kim Kaphwan isn't in the game, for example, but his sons continue his legacy of swift, combo-heavy tae kwon do kicks.The result is an excellent game that boasts beautiful animation, Just Defend parries, and the strategic T.O.P. system that delivers increased attack damage, limited health regeneration, faster super-meter build up, and an exclusive special attack when your activate the mode. Guilty Gear Strive Guilty Gear Strive (for PC) 4.0 Excellent The Guilty Gear series reigns as the king of anime-style fighting games due to its gorgeous art style, and a rich, demanding, and lighting-quick combat system. Unfortunately, its oceanic depth and mountainous skill ceiling proved inaccessible to the causal player—until now. With Strive, developer Arc System Works streamlines the series’ unique combat mechanics to make them more newcomer-friendly, while retaining the older games' creative richness. Strive comes with fewer extra modes than its predecessors, but there is a lot to love in this PC game, including astounding visuals, impressive character play styles, and snappy, lag-free online play courtesy of top-tier, rollback netcode. Strive is an approachable series entry that shakes up the Guilty Gear formula in the best ways possible. Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- (for PC) 3.5 Good Guilty Gear is a niche series within a niche genre, one that's enjoyed a cult following since its first appearance in 1998. With Xrd -SIGN-, developer Arc System Works ditches the series' 2D sprites in favor of 3D cel-shaded graphics in an attempt to expand its audience. Likewise, series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari sought a more approachable play style that maintains the depth and high skill ceiling that long-time Guilty Gear fans love.Still, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- keeps the series familiar fighting action (Roman Cancels, Bursts, and Dusts) that enables creative offensive and defensive play. Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- (for PC) review Killer Instinct Killer Instinct (for PC) 4.0 Excellent When Killer Instinct debuted for Windows 10 in March 2016, it represented the latest chapter in the continued PC fighting game renaissance. With its arrival, Microsoft's one-on-one game of fisticuffs joined the likes of Guilty Gear, The King of Fighters, Street Fighter, and other high-profile series that now grace the personal computer.Killer Instinct has a combo-heavy engine that caters to both novices and pros, incredibly detailed graphics that boast ridiculous particle effects (everything explodes!), and an over-the-top, NBA Jam-like announcer who screams your accomplishments ("C-c-c-combo Breaker!") at the top of his lungs.Killer Instinct is part of Microsoft's Play Anywhere initiative. So, if you buy Killer Instinct from the Microsoft Store, you'll also be able to play it on Xbox One at no additional cost. It has cross-platform play with Xbox One, too, thus expanding the online player base. There's a Steam version, too. Even better, the game's ridiculously good netcode ensures smooth play across the globe. Killer Instinct (for PC) review The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match Final Edition The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (for PC) 5.0 Outstanding The King of Fighters '98—with its hops, rolls, blowback attacks, and meter-filling Advance and Extra modes—is one of the best fighting games ever made, so it's no surprise that developer SNK has returned to the title many times since the game's original release.In 2008, SNK celebrated the game's tenth anniversary by porting the team-based fighter to the PlayStation 2 as The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match, a game loaded with extra characters (including the almighty '96 Boss Team!), stages, moves, and gameplay modes. Now, a tweaked Ultimate Match is available for purchase under the title The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition.This version adds numerous graphics options and good, but not great, online connectivity that lets you battle other KOF fans around the globe in 3-vs.-3 action. The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (for PC) review The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match (for PC) 4.0 Excellent Like The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition, The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match is a dream match that eschews a storyline so that developer SNK could include as many characters as possible—even some that are canonically dead, like crime boss Geese Howard. As a result, Unlimited Match boasts one of the largest fighting game rosters of all time, with a 66-character strong lineup.King of Fighters 2002 Ultimate Match continues the series tradition of excellent combat. Although it lacks KOF '98 UMFE's three radically different fight mechanics (Advanced, Extra, and Ultimate), Unlimited Match has a lone system that resembles Advanced Mode. This fighting style gives you plenty of offensive (Dash, Run, Hops, Super Jumps) and defensive (Guard Cancel Strike, Guard Cancel Roll Throw) options for setting up or evading traps. Excellent rollback netcode lets you play people around the world without hiccup. The King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition The King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition (for PC) 4.0 Excellent The King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition brings SNK's incredibly dense, 3-vs.-3, team-based fighter to the PC via Valve's video game marketplace. It's an all-around excellent fighting game, and one of the best in SNK's rich catalog.If you've rumbled with friends and foes in the version that appeared on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, you'll feel right at home here: The intricate combat mechanics, meter management, and the best sprite-based graphics ever seen in a fighting game are brought over successfully in this Steam port.Even better, The King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition contains all the console DLC and the King of Fighters XIII: Climax arcade features. Similar to The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match Final Edition, The King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition has decent online play, but you can expect some hiccups. The King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition (for PC) review The Last Blade The Last Blade (for PC) 4.0 Excellent SNK put weapons-based, 2D fighting on the map with 1993's delightful Samurai Shodown, but the developer went on to refine the idea of sword-based combat four years later in a somewhat lesser-known Neo Geo title: The Last Blade.Released to the Steam platform with several contemporary bells and whistles, The Last Blade boasts excellent swordplay, a dozen exquisitely designed characters, and a gorgeous anime- and manga-style presentation that make its 19th-century Japanese setting one of the most beautiful in fighting-game history. Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite (for PC) 3.5 Good Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite has taken its fair share of flack since its reveal, and the venom is not at all unwarranted. The initial trailer for the tag-team fighting game featured dull, washed-out graphics, and Capcom highlighted the new novice-friendly, auto-combo options that are designed to help casuals bust out cool-looking moves in an otherwise hardcore genre. As a result, fight fans were highly skeptical of the game, as was I.Fortunately, my Infinite sentiments changed upon logging several hours with the game. The Infinity Stone hook and the move to 2-vs.-2, tag team action make Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite an incredibly fun PC game to play in both casual and hardcore sessions.Still, Infinite has presentation and MCU-focused roster issues that prevent it from rising to the very top of the fighting game elite. Mortal Kombat XL Mortal Kombat XL (for PC) 4.0 Excellent When NetherRealm Studios released the blood-drenched Mortal Kombat X to consoles in 2015, the one-on-one fighting game continued to evolve via free and paid updates that added characters, balanced the roster, and improved online play. However, the High Voltage Studios-ported PC version of the game received zero post-launch support, much to the dismay of hardcore Mortal Kombat fans.Thankfully, that changed with the Mortal Kombat XL update, a version of MKX that finally gives PC gamers all the extras that console-based fight fans have enjoyed for some time now. I dislike the idea of paying more money for PC content released long after the console version, but it's hard not to love the additions, which include even more fighters, stages, costumes, and gore.Paid DLC added plenty of guest fighters, which has becoming commonplace in the fighting game circle. They include the Predator and Friday the 13th's Jason Vorhees. The King of Fighters XV The King of Fighters XV (for PC) 4.0 Excellent Developer SNK took KOF XIV's core, revamped the MAX meter, added the Shatterstrike counter system, and gave the character models an eye-catching redesign to create one of the best fighting games in recent history. KOF XV features an updated fighting engine that facilitates fast-paced, creative combat, and near-flawless rollback netcode that will keep you knuckling up with online rivals for hours on end.The game's dense with options. You can play the narrative-driven Story mode, use DJ Station to listen to more that 300 music tracks culled from SNK's rich, decades-long game library (many compositions unlock as you play Arcade mode), engage in casual and ranked online battles, view leaderboards, and check out match replays. In a community-fostering move, SNK included an esports-friendly tournament mode tailor-made for locals and majors like Evo. You can save 15 custom teams, set up brackets and rulesets, and register up to 32 entrants. It's a great touch. In addition, KOF XV lets you join online lobbies to play against others or simply spectate. Mortal Kombat 11 Mortal Kombat 11 (for PC) 4.5 Excellent Mortal Kombat 11 is far more than the guts and gore titles on which the series built its fame. The narrative sequel to Mortal Kombat X, Mortal Kombat 11 uses time travel to pit characters against their rivals in the past in order to alter the present. Whatever.Mortal Kombat 11 continues the series tradition of chop-socky action and otherworldly mysticism to lay the foundation for military operatives, ninjas, gods, and monsters to punch each other squarely in the face. With its character customization, HDR10 support, smooth animations, and new offensive and defensive meters, MK11 is the best Mortal Kombat game to date. Mortal Kombat 11 (for PC) review Samurai Shodown Samurai Shodown (for PC) 3.5 Good Clashing swords, blood spurts, and tense, measured play define Samurai Shodown, SNK's beloved weapons-based fighting game series. This series refresh, the simply named Samurai Shodown, carries those elements to PC after the game first appeared on console. If you've waited this long in hopes that Samurai Shodown would add many PC-exclusive extras, you may be disappointed; this is largely the same game that appeared elsewhere. Still, Samurai Shodown's unique, defense-orientated gameplay makes it a fighting game to check out for sword-swinging, blood-letting action. Prep for lengthy load times, though. Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection (for PC) 4.0 Excellent Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection, SNK and Digital Eclipse's follow up to the delightful SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, contains all the SamSho games that appeared on the original Neo Geo, plus production art, SNK staff interviews, and a true surprise—an unreleased title that only briefly saw a location test. Overall, Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection is a wonderful piece of playable history, with the only blight against the PC game being its mediocre online components. Skullgirls 2nd Encore Skullgirls 2nd Encore (for PC) 4.5 Excellent Skullgirls 2nd Encore, the update to Reverge Labs's critically acclaimed original game, takes cues from many highly regarded fighting titles and blends it with the series' unique, cartoony, art deco-influenced visual style.However, Skullgirls 2nd Encore's graphics aren't all that separate it from the competition. The indie fighter boasts a Capcom vs. SNK-style ratio system that lets you select up to three characters to battle up to three rival characters, as well as a Marvel vs. Capcom-style assist system. The fighter also has a built-in system that automatically stops infinites, those annoying and abusive combos that never end. SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium (for PC) 4.5 Excellent With Match of the Millennium's rerelease, the secret best fighting game in the SNK vs. Capcom crossover series finds a new audience. Featuring an 18-character default roster (Athena, Chun-Li, Dan, Felicia, Guile, Haohmaru, Iori, Ken, Kyo, Leona, Mai, Morrigan, Nakoruru, Ryo, Ryu, Sakura, Terry, and Zangief), and three deep groove systems that replicate beloved the companies' beloved fighting game engines, SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium sees two fighting game universes collide in marvelous fashion.That would be more than enough variety, but Match of the Millennium offers additional goodies. It features standard Sparring, Survival, and Time Attack fighting modes. Olympics, however, is the most intriguing mode, as it lets you indulge in several non-fighting game minigames. For example, you can blast Metal Slug's Mars People in a first-person shooting mode or guide Ghost 'N Goblins' Arthur across pits to snatch up treasure. The Versus points that you earn here unlock extra super moves for the default and secret characters. These contests have the depth of early mobile phone games, but they're a nice diversion from the standard fighting game action.Match of the Millennium is a genuinely entertaining and rich fighting game that combines challenge and strategy with a hefty helping of lighthearted humor. SoulCalibur VI SoulCalibur VI (for PC) 4.0 Excellent The weapons-based combat series has seen its ups and downs over the years, but with SoulCalibur VI, developer Bandai Namco has taken what's worked in the past—swift, strategic combat and robust character customization—and paired it with the new Reversal Edge and Soul Charge battle mechanics to create an engaging PC fighting game that'll shine in all sorts of battles, whether they're between buddies or on big esports stages like Evo.Combat is crisp and rewarding, with a universal control scheme that makes it a breeze to pick up a new character. Each fighter has a horizontal attack, vertical attack, kick, block, parry, sidestep, guard-crushing Break Attack, and Critical Edge super attack. This control scheme will feel familiar to anyone who's played recent SoulCalibur titles, and it leads to some tense combat moments as you attack and defend. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (for PC) 4.0 Excellent Film aficionados rely on The Criterion Collection to take vital classic and contemporary movies and present them in thoughtful, information-filled packages for modern audiences. Until very recently, the 40-year old video game industry lacked its own Criterion Collection, letting important pop culture contributions slip into oblivion due to incompatible hardware and software formats, expired licenses, and plain neglect. Thankfully, the games preservation experts at Digital Eclipse have taken up the task, blessing gamers with titles that celebrate classic titles via accurate emulation and a bounty of production-related extras and modern touches. The company's first foray into the fighting game genre is Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection.This collection doesn't include Street Fighter: The Movie, the Street Fighter EX titles, or X-Men vs. Street Fighter, but you will find all the core arcade releases. The lineup includes Street Fighter (1987), Street Fighter II (1991), Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (1992), Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (1992), Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (1993) Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994), Street Fighter Alpha (1995), Street Fighter Alpha 2 (1996), Street Fighter III: New Generation (1997), Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact Giant Attack (1997), Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998), and Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight For The Future (1999).Even better, you don't just get the games. This collection includes a sprite/animation view, design documents, a historical timeline, and a jukebox. In short, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is a love letter to one of the most important video game franchises of all time. Street Fighter V: Champion Edition Street Fighter V: Champion Edition (for PC) 3.5 Good In February 2016, Street Fighter V arrived on PC with many flaws that detracted from the stellar gameplay, including awful server instability, no true single-player mode, and a surprisingly limited multiplayer Battle Lounge. However, over the course of the last few years, developer Capcom released several updates that addressed (most of) those issues while also adding new stages and playable characters.Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, with its fresh and returning characters, new fight systems (like the cool V-Skills and V-Triggers mechanics), interactive stages, Cinematic Story Mode, and cross-platform play with PlayStation 4 owners, finally makes the one-on-one fighting game a title to pick up even for gamers who don't have Evo dreams. Street Fighter V: Champion Edition (for PC) review Street Fighter 6 Street Fighter 6 (for PC) 5.0 Outstanding Following Street Fighter V's lukewarm reception, Capcom had much to prove with Street Fighter 6. Thankfully, the developer not only righted the previous title's wrongs, but exceeded expectations by including nearly everything that fans would want in a contemporary fighting game.The title's powered by the new Drive Gauge, a meter that's full and ready for action at the beginning of each round. With the Drive Gauge, you can unleash the Drive Impact, Drive Parry, Drive Reversal, Drive Rush, and Overdrive moves (read our review for a breakdown of each one). It, along with the Dynamic and Modern control schemes, gives you more combat flexibility than any previous Street Fighter game. The result is one of the best fighters ever crafted, one that enables hype-fueled moments in casual and competitive play. Street Fighter 6 (for PC) review Tekken 7 Tekken 7 (for PC) 4.5 Excellent Tekken 7, like the main-line Tekken games that came before it, is a tale of fathers and sons attempting to murder each other to purge the Mishima clan of the Devil Gene, a magical bit of DNA that transforms certain people into hell spawn.The excellent combat accentuates the narrative ridiculousness. Like its predecessors, Tekken 7 is a fighting game that features simple, limb-mapped controls, massive character move sets, and numerous juggles that let you keep a combo flowing, if you're skilled enough to input the correct move at the right moment. With Tekken 7, the series receives super moves (Rage Arts) and enhanced, special attacks that can blow through an opponent's attack (Power Crush).Tekken 7 is an incredibly tense game of jabs, feints, and sidesteps, because any hit may lead to a long combo sting. Factor in characters with move sets that emulate real martial arts, interactive stages that let you knock people through floors and walls, and terrific slowdown effects that happen when both fighters' health bars are in the red and they perform close-quarter melee attacks, and you have a fighting game that's essentially an interactive martial arts flick. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (for PC) 3.5 Good Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 pits Marvel's superheroes against Capcom's video game characters in a frantic 3-vs.-3, tag team brawl. The 48-character headcount is impressive, but it's the individual characters and visual aesthetic that truly make the game shine (unlike its Infinite sequel).Marvel's side has several popular and obscure characters, including Captain America, Iron Man, Iron Fist, and She-Hulk, and Spider-Man. Capcom's side mainly comprises characters from the company's fighting and action games, including Final Fight's Mike Haggar and Street Fighter's Ryu. The comic book-style graphics, with their bright colors and heavy black lines, gives Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 an eye-popping look.In terms of gameplay, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 builds upon its Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds predecessor by including a three-button control scheme, the momentum-changing X-Factor mechanic, and retooled aerial combat. Ultra Street Fighter IV Ultra Street Fighter IV (for PC) 4.5 Excellent Ultra Street Fighter IV marks Capcom's fourth version of Street Fighter IV and the third version available on the Steam platform. Like vanilla Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV, Ultra's combat is centered on Focus Attacks, a move that lets your character tank a blow and unleash a counterattack.This final iteration adds five new characters (Decapre, Elena, Hugo, Poison, and Rolento), six new stages, a YouTube upload option, Edition Select (which lets you pick different versions of characters, based on their past Street Fighter IV iterations), and Double Ultra (which makes a character's Ultra Combos available simultaneously, in exchange for reduced damage).It's Street Fighter IV's best and meatiest update, though some balance issues prove a bit irritating in play. Still, Ultra Street Fighter IV is an excellent, competitive one-on-one fighting game.

Want to get yourself verified on Bluesky? The company just made a verification form available to the public, and you can use it to submit a request to get yourself a shiny blue check mark. This comes about a month after Bluesky first launched its verification program, which focused primarily on verification from third-parties and Bluesky itself. This latest change, however, allows you to apply for verification directly with Bluesky.The different types of Bluesky verificationUnlike X and Instagram, Bluesky doesn't charge you for verification. However, there are three different kinds of verification on the service and it can get a bit confusing. The first and easiest type of verification is self-verification on Bluesky. This is open to anyone who owns a domain name. You can easily link your Bluesky account to the domain, which changes your handle to the domain name. Self-verification doesn't come with a blue check, however. Credit: Pranay Parab There are two types of blue checks: a scalloped blue check and a simple circular one. The scalloped blue check is for organizations designated as trusted verifiers. These include Bluesky itself, and a select few third-party organizations. When these trusted verifiers assign blue checks to an account, that account gets a circular blue check. Bluesky says it reviews all accounts verified by third-party organizations.Who can get verified on BlueskyAccording to a post by the Bluesky Safety account, you need to have an account that's "active and secure, authentic, and notable," if you want to get verified. The company defines these things quite clearly in the verification form. You need to have a complete bio, show regular activity on the platform, and have a profile photo. Bluesky recommends enabling two-factor authentication as well.To meet the "authentic" criterion for verification you need to be a "real person, registered business, organization, or legitimate entity." Your handle and display name should align with who you really are (or your business), as your account "must be the unique presence of the person or business it represents." You also want to add a link to your Bluesky account on your official website, since this is also checked for verification.Finally, to qualify as a "notable" account, your account should be important in your field or geographic region, the company says. To determine notability, Bluesky says it looks at things like "professional recognition, media coverage in established publications, presence on credible reference platforms, or other evidence of public interest."How to get verified on BlueskyIf you haven't been verified yet on Bluesky, then you can go right ahead and fill out this form to request it. Once you do that, sit tight until you hear from Bluesky. If you receive no response at all, it probably means that your request wasn't approved. You'll hear back from the company if your account is selected for verification, and Bluesky may request an ID to verify your identity. Once you get your account verified, the blue check may be revoked if you violate community guidelines. You can also hide your verification badge by going to Bluesky Settings > Moderation > Verification Settings > Hide verification badges.

Video games' soaring prices have a cost beyond your wallet - the concept of ownership itself As the industry's big squeeze reaches consumers, a grim bargain emerges. Image credit: Adobe Stock, Microsoft Opinion by Chris Tapsell Deputy Editor Published on May 22, 2025 Earlier this month, Microsoft bumped up the prices of its entire range of Xbox consoles, first-party video games, and most (or in the US, all) of its accessories. It comes a few weeks after Nintendo revealed a £396 Switch 2, with £75 copies of its own first-party fare in Mario Kart World, and a few months after Sony launched the exorbitant £700 PS5 Pro (stand and disc drive not included), a £40 price rise for its all-digital console in the UK, the second of this generation, and news that it's considering even more price rises in the months to come. The suspicion - or depending on where you live, perhaps hope - had been that when Donald Trump's ludicrously flip-flopping, self-defeating tariffs came into play, that the US would bear the brunt of it. The reality is that we're still waiting on the full effects. But it's also clear, already, that this is far from just an American problem. The platform-holders are already spreading the costs, presumably to avoid an outright doubling of prices in one of their largest markets. PS5s in Japan now cost £170 more than they did at launch. That price rise, mind, took place long before the tariffs, as did the £700 PS5 Pro (stand and disc drive not included!), and the creeping costs of subscriptions such as Game Pass and PS Plus. Nor is it immediately clear how that justifies charging $80 for, say, a copy of Borderlands 4, a price which hasn't been confirmed but which has still been justified by the ever graceful Randy Pitchford, a man who seems to stride across the world with one foot perpetually bared and ready to be put, squelching, square in it, and who says true fans will still "find a way" to buy his game. The truth is inflation has been at it here for a while, and that inflation is a funny beast, one which often comes with an awkward mix of genuine unavoidability - tariffs, wars, pandemics - and concealed opportunism. Games are their own case amongst the many, their prices instead impacted more by the cost of labour, which soars not because developers are paid particularly well (I can hear their scoffs from here) but because of the continued, lagging impact of their executives' total miscalculation, in assuming triple-A budgets and timescales could continue growing exponentially. And by said opportunism - peep how long it took for Microsoft and the like to announce those bumped prices after Nintendo came in with Mario Kart at £75. Anyway, the causes are, in a sense, kind of moot. The result of all this squeezing from near enough all angles of gaming's corporate world is less a pincer manoeuvre on the consumer than a suffocating, immaculately executed full-court press, a full team hurtling with ruthless speed towards the poor unwitting sucker at home on the sofa. Identifying whether gaming costs a fortune now for reasons we can or can't sympathise with does little to change the fact that gaming costs a fortune. And, to be clear, it really does cost a fortune. Things are getting very expensive in the world of video games. £700 for a PS5 Pro! | Image credit: Eurogamer Whenever complaints about video game prices come up there is naturally a bit of pushback - games have always been expensive! What about the 90s! - usually via attempts to draw conclusions from economic data. Normally I'd be all on board with this - numbers can't lie! - but in this case it's a little different. Numbers can't lie, but they can, sometimes, be manipulated to prove almost anything you want - or just as often, simply misunderstood to the same ends. (Take most back-of-a-cigarette-packet attempts at doing the maths here, and the infinite considerations to bear in mind: Have you adjusted for inflation? How about for cost of living, as if the rising price of everything else may somehow make expensive games more palatable? Or share of disposable average household salary? For exchange rates? Purchasing power parity? Did you use the mean or the median for average income? What about cost-per-frame of performance? How much value do you place on moving from 1080p to 1440p? Does anyone sit close enough to their TV to tell enough of a difference with 4K?! Ahhhhh!) Instead, it's worth remembering that economics isn't just a numerical science. It is also a behavioural one - a psychological one. The impact of pricing is as much in the mind as it is on the spreadsheet, hence these very real notions of "consumer confidence" and pricing that continues to end in ".99". And so sometimes with pricing I find it helps to borrow another phrase from sport, alongside that full-court press, in the "eye test". Sports scouts use all kinds of numerical data to analyse prospective players these days, but the best ones still marry that with a bit of old-school viewing in the flesh. If a player looks good on paper and passes the eye test, they're probably the real deal. Likewise, if the impact of buying an $80 video game at full price looks unclear in the data, but to your human eye feels about as whince-inducing as biting into a raw onion like it's an apple, and then rubbing said raw onion all over said eye, it's probably extremely bloody expensive and you should stop trying to be clever. Video games, to me, do feel bloody expensive. If I weren't in the incredibly fortunate position of being able to source or expense most of them for work I am genuinely unsure if I'd be continuing with them as a hobby - at least beyond shifting my patterns, as so many players have over the years, away from premium console and PC games to the forever-tempting, free-to-play time-vampires like Fortnite or League of Legends. Which leads, finally, to the real point here: that there is another cost to rising game and console prices, beyond the one hitting you square in the wallet. How much is GTA 6 going to cost? $80 or more? | Image credit: Rockstar The other cost - perhaps the real cost, when things settle - is the notion of ownership itself. Plenty of physical media collectors, aficionados and diehards will tell you this has been locked in the sights of this industry for a long time, of course. They will point to gaming's sister entertainment industries of music, film and television, and the paradigm shift to streaming in each, as a sign of the inevitability of it all. And they will undoubtedly have a point. But this step change in the cost of gaming will only be an accelerant. Understanding that only takes a quick glance at the strategy of, say, Xbox in recent years. While Nintendo is still largely adhering to the buy-it-outright tradition and Sony is busy shooting off its toes with live service-shaped bullets, Microsoft has, like it or not, positioned itself rather deftly. After jacking up the cost of its flatlining hardware and platform-agnostic games, Xbox, its execs would surely argue, is also now rather counterintuitively the home of value gaming - if only because Microsoft itself is the one hoiking up the cost of your main alternative. Because supplanting the waning old faithfuls in this kind of scenario - trade-ins, short-term rentals - is, you guessed it, Game Pass. You could even argue the consoles are factored in here too. Microsoft, with its "this is an Xbox" campaign and long-stated ambition to reach players in the billions, has made it plain that it doesn't care where you play its games, as long as you're playing them. When all physical consoles are jumping up in price, thanks to that rising tide effect of inflation, the platform that lets you spend £15 a month to stream Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Oblivion Remastered and the latest Doom straight to your TV without even buying one is, at least in theory (and not forgetting the BDS call for a boycott of them) looking like quite an attractive proposition. Xbox, for its part, has been chipping away at this idea for a while - we at Eurogamer had opinions about team green's disregard for game ownership as far back as the reveal of the Xbox One, in the ancient times of 2013. Then it was a different method, the once-horrifying face of digital rights management, or DRM, along with regulated digital game sharing and online-only requirements. Here in 2025, with that disdain now platform-agnostic, and where games are being disappeared from people's libraries, platforms like Steam are, by law, forced to remind you that you're not actually buying your games at all, where older games are increasingly only playable via subscriptions to Nintendo, Sony, and now Xbox, and bosses are making wild claims about AI's ability to "preserve" old games by making terrible facsimiles of them, that seems slightly quaint. More directly, Xbox has been talking about this very openly since at least 2021. As Ben Decker, then head of gaming services marketing at Xbox, said to me at the time: "Our goal for Xbox Game Pass really ladders up to our goal at Xbox, to reach the more than 3 billion gamers worldwide… we are building a future with this in mind." Four years on, that future might be now. Jacking up the cost of games and consoles alone won't do anything to grow gaming's userbase, that being the touted panacea still by the industry's top brass. Quite the opposite, obviously (although the Switch 2 looks set to still be massive, and the PS5, with all its price rises, still tracks in line with the price-cut PS4). But funneling more and more core players away from owning games, and towards a newly incentivised world where they merely pay a comparatively low monthly fee to access them, might just. How much a difference that will truly make, and the consequences of it, remain up for debate of course. We've seen the impact of streaming on the other entertainment industries in turn, none for the better, but games are a medium of their own. Perhaps there's still a little room for optimism. Against the tide there are still organisations like Does It Play? and the Game History Foundation, or platforms such as itch.io and GOG (nothing without its flaws, of course), that exist precisely because of the growing resistance to that current. Just this week, Lost in Cult launched a new wave of luxurious, always-playable physical editions of acclaimed games, another small act of defiance - though perhaps another sign things are going the way of film and music, where purists splurge on vinyl and Criterion Collection BluRays but the vast majority remain on Netflix and Spotify. And as uncomfortable as it may be to hear for those - including this author! - who wish for this medium to be preserved and cared for like any other great artform, there will be some who argue that a model where more games can be enjoyed by more people, for a lower cost, is worth it. Game Pass often offers great value, but the library is always in a state of flux. Collectors may need to start looking at high-end physical editions. | Image credit: Microsoft There's also another point to bear in mind here. Nightmarish as it may be for preservation and consumer rights, against the backdrop of endless layoffs and instability many developers tout the stability of a predefined Game Pass or PS Plus deal over taking a punt in the increasingly crowded, choppy seas of the open market. Bethesda this week has just boasted Doom: The Dark Ages' achievement of becoming the most widely-played (note: not fastest selling) Doom game ever. That despite it reaching only a fraction of peak Steam concurrents in the same period as its predecessor, Doom: Eternal - a sign, barring some surprise shift away from PC gaming to consoles, that people really are beginning to choose playing games on Game Pass over buying them outright. The likes of Remedy and Rebellion tout PS Plus and Game Pass as stabilisers, or even accelerants, for their games launching straight onto the services. And independent studios and publishers of varying sizes pre-empted that when we spoke to them for a piece about this exact this point, more than four years ago - in a sense, we're still waiting for a conclusive answer to a question we first began investigating back in 2021: Is Xbox Game Pass just too good to be true? We've talked, at this point, at great length about how this year would be make-or-break for the triple-A model in particular. About how the likes of Xbox, or Warner Bros., or the many others have lost sight of their purpose - and in the process, their path to sustainability - in the quest for exponential growth. How £700 Pro edition consoles are an argument against Pro editions altogether. And about how, it's becoming clear, the old industry we once knew is no more, with its new form still yet to take shape. There's an argument now, however, that a grim new normal for preservation and ownership may, just as grimly, be exactly what the industry needs to save itself. It would be in line with what we've seen from the wider world of technology and media - and really, the wider world itself. A shift from owning to renting. That old chestnut of all the capital slowly rising, curdling at the top. The public as mere tenants in a house of culture owned by someone, somewhere else. It needn't have to be this way, of course. If this all sounds like a particularly unfavourable trade-in, remember this too: it's one that could almost certainly have been avoided.

Physical games are under siege. Collector’s Editions often come with codes instead of discs. Game-key cards for the Switch 2 only allow you to access downloads. The newest Doom isn’t playable out of the box. In one or two decades’ time, large swaths of contemporary gaming history could become completely inaccessible to future players. Lost In Cult is one of a growing number of smaller companies now trying not only to preserve that history but to celebrate it with physical releases as artfully constructed as the games they contain. Suggested ReadingNintendo Switch 2 Could Launch With Almost No Reviews Share SubtitlesOffEnglishSuggested ReadingNintendo Switch 2 Could Launch With Almost No Reviews Share SubtitlesOffEnglishNintendo Switch 2 Could Launch With Almost No ReviewsKnown for its Lock On and Design Works series of lavish printed volumes of art and writing about games, the UK-based publisher this week announced a new Editions label that will be packaging and distributing bespoke physical versions of acclaimed indie titles. The debut releases are interactive film puzzler Immortality, the folk horror point-and-click adventure The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, and the absurdist comedy Thank Goodness You’re Here! though in addition to these, Lost In Cult promises it already has lots of games in the pipeline, with new collections to be announced on an almost monthly basis. “People might think that we’ve selected our best games to start with,” marketing director Ryan Brown told Kotaku. “We actually haven’t. We’ve pretty much just released them in the order that we’ve signed them, because one thing we wanted to do right is not just in optically, in front of people, but also behind the scenes with our developer partners, like we want to make sure that they’re treated right, that they don’t get contracted and have to wait many years for the games to be released.”Image: Lost In Cult / KotakuEach collection runs roughly $80 and includes colorful boxed sleeves, posters, art cards, slip cases, and booklets featuring critical essays and developer interviews. Also a copy of the game with curator group Does It Play’s seal of approval certifying that everything is playable to completion right out of the box. Brown said they’re even working with some developers to time upcoming releases to when big new patches are ready so the physical version feels definitive. The platforms currently supported are PlayStation 5 and Switch, with Switch 2 following later in the year. Xbox remains MIA, though it’s not off the table for future releases.In just 24 hours since the announcement, the company has already sold through almost half of its limited-run collections of around 1,500 units each. But anyone who wants just a physical copy of one of the games being sold will still be able to secure retail versions for just $40 each. Those won’t come with original art or the rest of the materials that make Lost In Cult’s collections stand out, but they will be restocked on an ongoing basis. “I don’t think you can say that you’re all about preservation if you make a game and then it’s limited to 2,000 copies and it’s gone forever and costs 300 pounds on eBay,” Brown said. “For us, in promising preservation and availability, we don’t want to lock these games away. There’s going to be so many people that just want the game in a box and that’s fine. They can go do that.”The Criterion Collection, A24, and special-edition book publisher The Folio Society are cited as inspirations for Lost in Cult’s Editions publishing label, both in how games are presented and how they’re selected in the first place. “It’s really hard to pin down what that curation process looks like without sounding too overly artsy fartsy, but it is a little bit artsy fartsy, and that, you know, we kind of just know what a Lost in Cult-type game is when we see it. And that’s really hard to define, but it is a game that is usually very artful, whether that’s through its design, through its visuals, through its story. Again, that is in some way pushing the medium of video games as a serious form of art forward.”The physical medium of gaming also faces certain limitations that movies and books do not. For one, platform holders like PlayStation and Nintendo have strict rules about the certification process for physical games, down to where company logos and legal language appear on the boxes. You also can’t include developer commentary or other extras directly on a disc the way you might with an Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray re-release. When it comes to the rest of the packaging and physical inserts, however, publishers can let their imaginations run wild. Image: Lost In Cult / KotakuA devotion to physical media in the increasingly digi-fied gaming space adds Lost in Cult to a growing landscape of boutique curators who scavenge for smaller indie titles that wouldn’t otherwise have the scale or notoriety to play in a market still mostly structured around big retail stores. Fellow travelers include Limited Run, iam8bit, and Super Rare, where Brown worked previously. These companies serve collectors and fans who still cherish not just how a game plays but what it looks like when it’s displayed on a shelf, and knowing the magical experience that resides inside isn’t reliant on servers a thousand miles a way to bring it to life.“The way that we see games is just very different from how most do, like I personally care, slash we care, [that] if I pull a game off of my shelf in 40 years time I [can] go, ‘I remember that game, I want to play that.” You can pull it off your shelf, you can play it, and it’ll work. Most companies, unfortunately, aren’t really thinking about that.”While big publishers frequently invest in Deluxe Editions and Collector’s Editions, they more often prioritize digital rewards and branded merch over the games themselves and highlighting their artistry. The result is big boxes on store shelves with toys, hats, and statues instead of developer booklets, original art, or physical soundtracks. Like the three days of “early access” these editions often come with, the biggest bonuses are mostly virtual. “I personally would really, really, really love it if I managed to work with Bethesda and do a proper physical edition version of Doom: the Dark Ages,” Brown said. “That would be sick. But at the moment it is increasingly on boutique companies to solve this physical problem. And it seems a bit far-fetched for me to sit here and say I wish it wasn’t, because I have one, but I do wish it wasn’t. I do wish that this was taken seriously, and the sort of presentational aspects and ownership aspects were taken seriously across the board. I would love it if some other companies copied us.”.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.Streaming services have basically come full circle: What started as a cheap alternative to cable TV has become an expensive monthly cost in its own right, as price hikes and crackdowns on password sharing have made subscribing to multiple streaming services just as expensive, if not more so, than some conventional cable plans. Luckily, there are often discounts, deals, and loopholes to exploit that can make streaming more affordable—and sometimes even free. Here are the best streaming deals you can get right now.This month's best streaming deal Credit: Peacock The very best streaming deal right now is for Peacock. You can get an annual Peacock Premium plan for $24.99 (saving you $55) with code SPRINGSAVINGS and get all caught up on Poker Face. (Look for more Peacock deals down below.)Here are the best of the rest of the streaming deals right now:Amazon Prime VideoYou can try a 30-day free trial.Check out what's new on Prime Video this month, as well as the best Prime Video Original movies to watch.Prime Video is also available on its own for $8.99 a month, so if you’re only in it for the shows and movies, you can skip the full Prime membership and save yourself six bucks a month.AMC+You can try AMC+ for $5 for the first month (regular price is $9.99/month) through Sling TV (scroll down to see the deal). You do not need to have a Sling plan to get this deal.If you do sign up for a Sling subscription, you’ll get your first month of AMC+ for free.You can also try a seven-day free trial.You can get an annual subscription to ad-free AMC+ through Verizon's +play for $83.88 (saves you $3 per month).You can bundle AMC+ with STARZ on Prime Video for $13.99 (save $6.99/month).You can sign up through Roku for just $2.99 for the first two months.Apple TV+You can get a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+.You can get a free subscription if you’re a T-Mobile customer with a Go5G Plus or Go5G Next plan.You get three months of free Apple TV+ when you buy an Apple product.You can get a free month of Apple TV+ when you sign up through Roku.You can get Apple Music for just $5.99/month with a student discount—and it comes with free access to Apple TV+.Check out the best original series from Apple TV.The Criterion ChannelThis arthouse streamer is the best service for true movie buffs, and you can sign up for a free trial before being charged the $99.99 annual fee (which already represents a savings over the $10.99 cost of a monthly plan).Curiosity StreamSave $20 when you sign up for a Standard Curiosity Stream annual plan, and $50 when you sign up for the Smart Bundle annual plan.New users can also score $250 off a lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream’s Standard plan.DirecTV StreamYou can get two years of Max, Paramount+ with Showtime, Starz, MGM+, and Cinemax with the purchase of the Premier package starting at $124.99 per month (it saves $10 per month, or $240 over two years).Or can try a five-day free DirecTV Stream trial.You can also unlock 105+ free live channels just by signing up for MyFree DirecTV with your email and downloading the app.Discovery+You can subscribe to Discovery+ ($9.99/month) as an add-on through Sling TV—no base plan required.If you bundle it with Sling Blue or Sling Orange, you’ll get the first month free.There's also a seven-day free trial if you just want to test it out.Disney+You can get the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle with ads for $16.99 (a 43% discount off its original 29.97/mo price)Or you can get the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle without ads for $29.99 (a 42% discount off its original $51.97/mo price)You can get Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) for $10.99 per month (save 44% per month).You can get Disney+ and Hulu (no ads) for $19.99 per month (save 42% per month).You can get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ (with ads) for $16.99 per month.You can get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ (no ads) for $26.99 per month.Verizon subscribers who have an Unlimited Ultimate plan have the option to include a Disney package, which provides them with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ (with ads) for just $10 monthly (save $6.99 per month).Check out what's new on Disney+ this month.FuboTVTry a seven-day free trial of FuboTV.If you’re a new subscriber, you get 30 days free of FuboTV Pro if you’re a My Best Buy Plus or Total member (save $84.99).New subscribers also get $20 off the first month.HuluYou can get the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle with ads for $16.99.Or you can get the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle without ads for $29.99.Get an annual plan of Hulu (with ads) for $99.99 instead of $9.99 monthly (save $19.89)You can get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ (with ads) for $16.99 per month.Get Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN+ (all three with ads) for $82.99 per month.T-Mobile members can get Hulu at no cost through Hulu on Us with their Go5G Next plan.Students can get Hulu for $1.99 per month after an 80% discount.Check out what's new on Hulu this month.MaxYou can get the new Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle with ads for $16.99 (save $12.98/month).Or you can get the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle without ads for $29.99 (save $21.98/month)You can get Max (with ads) for $99.99 per year (save $19.89 per year over the monthly cost).You can get Max (with no ads) for $169.99 per year.You can get Max Premium (with no ads) for $209.99 per year (save $41.89 per year).Verizon subscribers who have myPlan have the option to include a Netflix and Max bundle package with ads for just $10 monthly per line (save $7.98 per month).Cricket Wireless includes Max (with ads) in its $60/month plan.Or if you use DoorDash regularly, you could sign up for a DashPass Annual Plan, and you’ll get Max (with ads) included at no extra cost for a year.Check out what's new on Max this month, and the best movies and TV shows to stream on Max.MGM+You can get six free months when you buy a Fire TV device from Amazon.Try for free with a seven-day trial on Amazon Prime.Or get two months of MGM+ for 99 cents/month on the Roku Channel if you join before May 22.NetflixIf you’re a Verizon customer, you can get a year of Netflix for free when you buy certain annual subscriptions through +play.If you’re a Verizon customer, you can get Netflix for a year if you buy an annual subscription to STARZ or AMC+ through +play. Read the FAQ here.Verizon subscribers who have myPlan have the option to include a Netflix and Max bundle package with ads for just $10 monthly per line (save $7.98 per month).You can save on Netflix (Standard with ads) if you’re a T-Mobile customer with a Go5G Plus or Next plan.Check out what's new on Netflix this month and the best movies and TV shows to stream this week.NFL+If you’re a Verizon customer, you can get an annual subscription to NFL+ Premium through +play for $99.99 (saving you around $80 over monthly billing)Or you could get the NFL+ for $6.99/mo or $49.99/season.Get NFL Sunday Ticket for $40 per month.Paramount+Get a year of Paramount+ Essential for $59.99 (save $2.99 per month compared to the monthly plan).You can get Paramount+ with SHOWTIME for free for a week, then it's $12.99 monthly.You can get Paramount+ for free when you sign up for a Walmart+ membership (or if you already have one) as part of your subscription.Students can get a Paramount+ Essential for $5.99 monthly.Or if you have a Hulu subscription, you can add Paramount+ with Showtime for $12.99/monthCheck out what's new on Paramount+ and Showtime this month.PeacockYou can get the annual Premium Peacock plan for $24.99 (save $55 with code SPRINGSAVINGS).Students can get Peacock Premium for $2.99 per month for 12 months.Xfinity internet customers who sign up for NOW TV for $20 a month, which includes 40 live TV and on-demand channels, can get Peacock Premium for free.Instacart+ members get a free Peacock Premium annual membershipHere are the best original Peacock shows worth watching.PhiloYou can try a seven-day free trial of Philo.ShowtimeYou can try it free for seven days with Paramount+.Get it bundled with Paramount+ across streaming services, including Hulu and Sling TV.Sling TVYou can get the Orange or Blue service for $20 for the first month, which is 50% off the regular monthly price.You can also save $38 by prepaying for the first 3 months of Sling TV.StarzYou can get a Starz subscription for $5 for three months.You can get Starz for $2.99/month for two months on Prime Video through May 27, then it's $10.99/month after.Or you can get it for $1.99 for two months if you sign up through Roku.VuduNo current deals for Vudu.YouTube TVYou can get two months of YouTube TV for $59.99 if you're a new subscriber.$59.99 for your first two months (save $46 for two months), then $82.99 per month.Get YouTube TV and NFL Sunday Ticket for $31.50 per month (plus $59.99/month for the YouTube TV base plan during the first two months)You can also try YouTube TV for free for 10 days.

Reading Time: 12 minutes Effective marketing begins with reliable information about your customers and your campaigns. That’s where email analytics tools come in. They help you analyze customer engagement, optimize email performance, and drive meaningful growth. But in a sea of tools that promise ‘insight,’ it’s hard to know where to start. Whether you are a solo marketer or part of a larger team, finding email analytics software that aligns with your goals can make all the difference between guesswork and identifying your growth funnel. This blog post reviews some of the best email marketing analytics tools to set up reliable, actionable campaign reporting. What is an Email Analytics Tool? An email analytics tool is software that tracks, measures, and reports key email marketing performance metrics of your campaign, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. This enables marketers to develop informed, data-driven strategies that boost ROI and help in personalizing campaigns. The data shared by the tool depends on how advanced it is. It further taps into the behavioral side of your customer, such as customer journeys.   5 Benefits of Using Email Marketing Analytics Tools For lack of better words, intuition is good in marketing, but data is better. With email marketing analytics software, you can know your customers like the back of your hand, deliver hyper-targeted and behavior-triggered marketing campaigns, and always be sure of your actions. Put simply, email analytics tools turn raw data into actionable insights, and here’s how you can level up your game using them: Improve Campaign Performance: Analytics tools provide data on what’s working (and what’s not) by focusing on key conversion metrics and customer behavior. This helps you make data-backed tweaks to email content, subject lines, delivery times, offers, and more, leading to better email engagement and results. Understand Your Audience Better: Your email analytics software will reveal insights into your audience’s behavior, preferences, and habits with just a few clicks. It’s crucial to know when your readers open and engage with emails, which CTA they interact with the most, and what offers they’re likely to click on. This is because it empowers you with incredibly valuable insights to create personalized and relevant messaging. Improved Targeting and Personalization: 78% of marketers agree to rely heavily on personalization for their email marketing campaigns. Analyzing data on customers’ behavior and preferences helps you understand your audience better and tailor campaigns to their specific interests and needs. This can lead to higher engagement and better response rates. Optimize Send Times and Frequency: Since 61% of customers prefer receiving promotional emails weekly, your tool could be used to customize and create emails specifically for your audience. As a result, instead of relying on guesswork about when to send, you can determine the optimal time and cadence based on real customer behavior. This reduces unsubscribe rates and makes your emails more likely to be read. Identify and Segment High-Value Leads: The most significant benefit of using email marketing analytics software is knowing your core audience versus those who will never take action, saving you thousands of marketing dollars. These tools are designed to identify which customers are most engaged, enabling you to build targeted segments for follow-up campaigns. Understanding the value of what an email analytics tool can do for you is the first step, but picking the right tool is where the magic begins. Let’s break down the key factors to assess.   How to Choose the Right Email Marketing Analytics Software Picking the right tool can be overwhelming when you have so many options. But the best tool is the one that’s right for your business goals, team, and depth of insights needed. So, before you make the plunge, here are the key factors to consider. Let’s go over them in detail. Metrics and Reporting Abilities: Your email analytics software should identify top-performing audience segments, highlight geographical and device trends, and uncover content preferences across subject lines, visuals, and text. Most importantly, it should track conversions and attribute revenue, helping you connect every campaign to real business impact. Integration with Your Tech Stack: Today’s email marketing analytics tools must be self-sufficient and smoothly integrate with your tech and marketing ecosystem, such as your CRM, CDP, Ecommerce, or internal marketing automation software. The more your platform works smoothly with your entire tech stack, the swifter its implementation and usage. Integrated systems reduce manual jobs, eliminate silos and empower your teams to collaborate and work smarter. Real-Time Analytics: Real-time analytics allows you to monitor and optimize performance on the go and serve your customers with the best possible experience. It lets the marketing team respond to customers’ needs instantly, adjust campaigns in real time, and improve campaign ROI. Ease of Use: When picking a tool, always check for intuitive navigation, visual reporting, customizable dashboards, and precise documentation. A user-friendly tool will speed up execution, reduce ‘handover’ time, and allow your team to move quickly from insight to action. Scalability: The final question that remains, is the platform scalable? Does it have enough capabilities to grow with your business, audience, and campaign scale? Choosing a scalable platform protects you from future roadblocks, avoids costly migrations, and ensures your investment continues to deliver long-term. Once you have narrowed down your choices based on your overall goal, the next step is to analyze the tool based on its offers and your needs. Not all email analytics tools are created equal, and understanding which capabilities are essential to you can save money, time, and frustration.   5 Key Features to Look for in an Email Analytics Software While the basic features remain the same, all email analytics tools will have a hero feature that shines, one that will let you experiment with content formats and style. Meanwhile, another will have the most gorgeous data visualization of your campaign reports you have ever seen. Your job is to pick what works best for you. Let’s examine a list of features that go beyond basic metrics and improve customer engagement. 1. Detailed Campaign Insights Your email analytics tool should help you turn data into insight, and insight into action. This means the tool must provide real-time insights on campaign performance, including detailed metrics like email open rates or click-through rates. Marketers can use this feature to monitor live campaigns and quickly identify customer trends or issues that need immediate action. Here’s what a tool’s dashboard on campaign performance looks like, once the email has been sent. Why this is a key criterion: Having real-time visibility on data that helps you make better decisions for your customers beats any other feature by miles. It’s a marketer’s opportunity to pivot, optimize, engage, or build on campaigns. 2. Custom Dashboards Custom dashboards show you charts and tables to digest customer data swiftly and clearly. They allow you to build tailored views of your core metrics, pulling in data points that matter most to your unique goals. Whether it is campaign performance, audience segmentation, or simply the result of an A/B test experience, these dashboards provide a sharp glance at once to maximize ROI. Your tool’s custom dashboard should allow multiple reports to be created for a desired destination. These reports should have different granularities, such as time ranges, chart types, or tables, just like the one below. Why this is a key criterion: Custom dashboards cut through the noise by allowing you to focus on metrics that matter, eventually boosting efficiency and the ability to make strategic decisions fast. 3. Automated A/B Testing Automated A/B testing can help marketing teams save time, effort, and resources, especially when dealing with hundreds of emails at once. This feature automates the A/B test of your email campaigns, enabling you to test different content, time, frequency, offers, and content blocks, automatically selecting the winning variant. Why this is a key criterion: Marketers rely on it to continuously improve performance, remove guesswork, and bring out the best of their campaigns, not assumptions. 4. Campaign Error Breakdown The campaign error breakdown, a little-talked-about feature of the email marketing world, tells marketers why their campaigns fail. Was it due to an invalid address, poor optimization, spam complaints, or a technical error? This granular reporting can save teams thousands of dollars in marketing money by simply diagnosing the issue and refining their lists and templates for better delivery. Why this is a key criterion: Understanding why your brand emails are not hitting the right inbox is crucial for healthy email list management and ensuring your messages reach the inbox, not the spam folder. 5. Link Click Tracking through Click Maps This feature can be rather beautiful. Its ability to use hot and cold colors and tell marketers exactly where their customers are clicking—a simple breakdown highlighting the hotspots of engagement—makes it attractive. It’s an intuitive feature that helps marketers quickly identify which links, buttons, and content or images in the email have drawn the maximum attention from customers. Why this is a key criterion: With these insights, teams can build on their content, refine email layouts, and place the messaging where it draws maximum attention to boost conversion. Heatmaps turn raw click data into digestible insight.   How to Integrate Email Marketing Analytics Tools Into Your Martech Stack Pro tip: Invite not just your growth team, but also your product, engineering, and data teams before you begin any migration-related task. This is also when your team should export all relevant events, metric nomenclature, and other platform-specific jobs to ensure the migration doesn’t fail. Now, as you begin the mammoth task of integrating email marketing analytics into your Martech, know that it’s not just a technical step, but a strategic one. When done right, it provides a single source of truth for customer insights and allows you to create consistent, data-driven experiences across every touchpoint. 1. Auditing Your Current Martech Stack A Martech stack audit before you begin will tell you everything you need to move forward. Where is the data flowing from? Which source reports on customer activity? Are there any duplications in metrics? Does the data in your CRM tool align with the data in your email tool? Is your campaign data properly flowing into your analytics platforms for reporting? A thorough audit will reveal all of this and more, which should be documented for all relevant teams to sign off on and learn from. Defining what gets shared ensures every tool gets the data it needs, eliminates blind spots, and creates a unified view of your customers. 2. Defining Key Metrics and Integration Goals Before you unplug your current system, you need to know exactly which key fits into which lock. Were you tracking and digging deeper into behavioral trends to measure campaign ROI, or were your campaigns defined at a surface level? Outlining what success looks like for your email analytics tool at the start opens up avenues for exact paths to follow, processes to set, and establishes clear guidelines. This can be done once your integration KPIs are set, for precise outcomes. Without clear email marketing metrics and goals, you risk drowning in data with no direction. Defining success upfront keeps integration linear, focused, and impactful. 3. Configuring Data Flow and Synchronization To maximize the output of your integration, ensure your data moves smoothly, accurately, and in real time. Set up your data pipelines carefully, double-check events and field mappings, and test for accuracy across platforms. Ensure your events and email metrics match and align with your CRM, marketing automation, and BI dashboards. Flawless data flow means fewer silos and blind spots, eventually enabling marketing teams to run campaigns smoothly with reliable insights. It ensures every team, from marketing to growth, operates with the same playbook. 4. Choosing the Right Email Analytics Tool After a thorough scan of the email marketing analytics software on the market, selecting the right one for your tech stack can feel overwhelming. Even when all the tools look the same, they differ in terms of the value they bring. Some can bring advanced data visualization, while others are ahead of everyone by using AI-powered features. Some may have a massive CRM ecosystem, while others may be seamless and intuitive to use — you have to prioritize your and your team’s needs, and future growth. The right tool is excellent for what you need today and promising for what you need tomorrow. It sets you up for long-term success. 5. Documentation. Training. Handover. Everything we have discussed so far will be useless if your team finds it difficult to use the new tool. While each tool will have its own set of best practices for onboarding a new client, the following flow works best. Set up a video onboarding session, and share its recording Send out detailed, easy-to-digest navigational documents Appoint a POC and have them set up initial campaigns Set up bi-monthly checkpoints to refine workflows and adaptation Weekly blocker and feedback sessions This process will also allow you to gather insights on what keeps your team at bay, highlight challenges, and enable the marketing tool to set customers up for success. Empowered teams turn integrated tools into business results.   5 Best Email Analytics Tools for Assessing Performance Email personalization, using data and insights to fuel campaigns, cross-channel marketing, and now leaning on AI to optimize campaigns and workflows aren’t just a ‘good-to-have’ feature anymore, but a must-have. Collectively, these features shape a brand’s image and how customers experience their product. Here’s a round-up of the top email analytics tools, each standing out in its unique specialization. 1. Best for AI-Powered Campaign Reporting: MoEngage MoEngage is a customer engagement and data platform that offers deep analytics across email, push notifications, SMS, and more. It unifies data to provide a single view of cross-channel interaction with customers. Its AI-powered optimization insights and journey mapping tool allow brands to design compelling and contextual emails based on customers’ behavior, preferences, life cycles, and even future trends. What stands out about the solution: MoEngage suggests the best email send times and content recommendations, which makes crafting email marketing campaigns easier, even for teams without deep technical expertise. Some of the world’s biggest brands, like SoundCloud and Poshmark, use MoEngage for its AI-powered predictive analytics, allowing them to tailor their campaigns to customers’ next best actions. 2. Best for Advanced Segmentation: Mailchimp Marketing teams of all sizes adore Mailchimp’s user-friendly and intuitive interface. The platform excels in providing reports on email open rates, performance, conversion, and segmentation. Specifically, its visualized dashboards give you actionable insights about your audience’s behavior. For example, you’ll know which subscribers are responding to what kinds of email content, making it easier to segment them. What stands out about the solution: Mailchimp lets you compare your campaign performance over a specified time frame. This allows you to gain more detailed insights into engagement and revenue metrics that matter most to your email campaigns. 3. Best for Funnels: GetResponse GetResponse is a popular choice for brands looking to build robust email marketing workflows without needing a developer. It stands out in its ability to monitor deep engagement workflows, fine-tune strategies, offer recommendations, and scale campaigns effortlessly. The tool offers a wide range of automation templates and funnel-building options for marketing teams to create campaigns quickly. What stands out about the solution: GetResponse goes beyond the basic functionalities of your email analytics tool and offers top-notch features like lead scoring and conversion funnels, all in one place. For teams that want to map out complex journeys, GetResponse’s visual workflow builder is a steal. 4. Best for Dynamic Dashboards: ActiveCampaign ActiveCampaign is a one-stop shop that combines marketing automation with detailed email analytics, making it the go-to tool for small to mid-sized businesses. It tracks every customer touchpoint and ties it back to email behavior, making automation seamless. Furthermore, its custom reports and tagging options allow marketers to segment contacts in specific ways. With its shareable and dynamic dashboards, you don’t need to shuffle through your data anymore to figure out the most important email metrics. What stands out about the solution: ActiveCampaign offers site and event tracking, so email engagement can be connected directly to customer behavior. It also blends email analytics directly into automated workflows, allowing marketers to tweak campaigns in real time. 5. Best for Personalized Benchmarks: Klaviyo Klaviyo helps brands connect the dots with data and build long-term relationships. It offers personalized benchmarks to help you compare your metrics to those of your competitors. Klaviyo can create real-time email performance metrics tied directly to revenue, allowing an immediate peek into campaign performance and making ROI tracking effortless. It also has automated flows for major events like cart abandonment and post-purchase follow-ups for built-in performance benchmarking. What stands out about the solution: Klaviyo’s detailed revenue attribution reporting provides brands with crystal-clear insights into driving sales.     Take Your Pick From the Best Email Analytics Tools We have discussed at length what makes a powerful email marketing analytics tool. Robust features like real-time insights, error diagnostics, and visual heat maps complement a solid data visualization and the tool’s ability to read customer data and tie it back to the email marketing campaign. MoEngage offers a robust suite to help marketers optimize every email and drive meaningful results. Take the next step towards more intelligent email marketing — schedule your demo today. The post Best Email Analytics Tools for Setting Up Campaign Reporting appeared first on MoEngage.

Max may be adding the "HBO" back into its name, but don't let that fool you into thinking that streaming is getting any better for classic film fans in 2025—great movies older than a few decades are still hard to come by on popular subscription services like Hulu and Netflix. Sure, you could sign up for The Criterion Channel, the streaming service from the boutique media label dedicated to highlighting the best in classic and contemporary films (if you are any kind of film history geek, it's practically a moral imperative). But you actually don't need to pay anything at all to enjoy a substantial library of Criterion-approved gems: As spotted on Reddit (and possibly inspired by a Redditor and Letterboxd user who goes by the handle "Geekstache"), Tubi now has a category page collecting all the movies in the Criterion Collection that you can watch for free on the ad-supported service. "For the Cinephiles"Of course, Tubi can't come right out and say it has curated its own little Criterion corner (Criterion would probably take issue with that; plus, it's not like it's the blessing from Criterion that makes a movie great). Instead, it classifies these 150+ films—from old Hollywood screwball farces like Bringing Up Baby, to imported epics like Akira Kurasowa's Ran, to recent indie darlings like Greta Gerwig's Frances Ha—as being "For the Cinephiles." (I'm sure it is just a coincidence all of them have been released on Blu-ray and DVD in fancy Criterion editions.) The category includes a ton of movies I've long been meaning to see—and you too, probably. There are even a few I own on Criterion DVD that I haven't gotten around to actually watching yet (It Happened One Night, All That Jazz). Of course, streaming on Tubi isn't exactly equivalent to watching in high definition on a feature-packed disc, or even on The Criterion Channel itself—you'll have to sit through commercial breaks, for one thing, and its unlikely Tubi will be offering up the same pristine restored prints. But you also won't be paying for the privilege, and you can save yourself the time you'd otherwise spend endlessly scrolling for something good to watch.