Latest news with #TheDarkAges
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Donald Trump eyes White House lawn as potential UFC battleground for nation's 250th anniversary
The Dana White– connection continues to thrive. And now it's heading straight to the White House lawn. President Donald Trump made a bombshell announcement during the 'America 250' event on the eve of July 4 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds: the UFC will organize a mixed martial arts fight on the grounds of the White House to celebrate America's 250th birthday in 2026. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The event is expected to draw nearly 25,000 spectators to the historic venue. 'Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White? We're going to have a UFC fight. We're going to have a UFC fight, think of this on the grounds of the White House,' Trump told the crowd. He continued, 'We have a lot of land there, we're going to build a little. We're not, Dana is going to do it. Dana is great, one of a kind, going to be UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we're going to do that as part of '250'.' Trump further emphasized the scale of the celebration, adding, 'We're going to have some incredible events, some professional events, some amateur events. But the UFC fight is going to be a big deal, too.' The White House press secretary later confirmed Trump's intentions, calling them 'dead serious.' A UFC official also told CNN that plans are actively being discussed to bring the event to life. The UFC and Donald Trump has a long history It is no secret that Trump and White have been close allies since the early days of the UFC when the sport was banned in nearly all of the states in the US. Moreover, it was termed as 'human cockfighting' owing to the violent and unorganised nature of the promotion when it kicked off in 1993, and in the later years, popularly known as 'The Dark Ages'. Moreover, Trump even offered his illustrious 'Trump Taj Mahal' in Atlantic City way back in 2001 when the UFC was struggling to find venues for its events. And in recent times, this bond has only grown stronger with the POTUS attending multiple UFC PPVs since 2019, including UFC 244, UFC 299, UFC 309, UFC 314, and UFC 316. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Apart from this, Dana White was also part of Trump's presidential campaign and, alongside Joe Rogan, was a big part in getting Trump back into office. It will be interesting to see how the UFC brings its fighting DNA to the culture of the White House. Also Read:
The Star
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Review: 'Doom: The Dark Ages' reinvents run-and-gun formula … again
LOS ANGELES: The rebooted Doom series has been a masterclass in reinvention. Bucking the trend of military shooters, the id Software team crafted a brilliant gameplay loop that's the spiritual successor to the run-and-gun action the developers pioneered in 1993. It relied on movement, herding enemies and creating satisfying combo-based combat while introducing exploratory elements. The sequel Doom Eternal refined that formula, emphasising vertical gameplay that made the Doom Slayer protagonist feel like a fighter jet, according to game director Hugo Martin. The third entry for the reboot goes in a different direction. A vision that works Doom: The Dark Ages is a prequel to the first two games and lets players discover the events leading up to the original reboot. It finds the Doom Slayer as a tool of the Maykrs as he's deployed to help the Sentinels in their battle against the minions of hell. Over the course of 22 levels, players will be in the heart of the Argenta Unholy Wars' politics and drama as the villain Prince Ahzrak searches for the Heart of Argent, a power capable of making him a god. He and his hell minions attack the Sentinels, who are hiding that power and trying to keep it out of his hands. The beauty of The Dark Ages is that players don't need to know much about the past games. They can jump into this chapter and enjoy the spectacle of seeing the Doom Slayer become the ultimate demon-fighting machine. When playing The Dark Ages , veterans will notice that this version of the Doom Slayer is a different beast from the past games. Developers at id Software revamped the combat to emphasise a more ground-based approach. If Doom Eternal made players feel like a jet pilot, The Dark Ages will make them think they're controlling a zippy modern tank. Most of the combat revolves around a shield that can deflect attacks and protect against projectiles while dicing fodder with a Captain America-like throw. Further in the campaign, the shield is imbued with runes that give it other ways to attack. Aside from offence, the shield also has a role in exploration, with players using it almost like a grappling hook at certain nodes. They can also crash through weakened walls or destroy pulleys that hold doors shut. It's a simple tool that's controlled by two buttons, but id Software does a remarkable job of giving it versatility, so that it can do much more, especially when combined with weapons. Weapon versatility The Dark Ages has an arsenal with enough versatility that players won't be leaning on two weapons. The fan favourite Super Shotgun can handle a wide range of encounters, but the Doom Slayer will encounter enemies that move too quickly or have attacks that take advantage of its limited range. That's when players will have to rely on other weapons and their properties, which emerge when they're powered up at the Sentinel Shrine. The team at id smartly crafted weapons to encourage players to switch them up, depending on the circumstances. If players need to stun enemies, the Cycler can shock swarming adversaries, giving players the opportunity to thin the herd. The Rocket Launcher has the ability to regain health when players parry an attack and enter the splash damage zone. Combine this with the melee weapon and shield rune upgrades, and players have several strategies to survive the demon horde onslaught. The weapons and shield forge a fascinating offshoot from the combat of the first two games. It's ground-based but manages to feel fast while satisfying players' desire to combo attacks, showing off the Doom Slayer's maneuverability. The gameplay echoes the original Doom titles that reward players who can circle strafe around attacks and dodge the shower of projectiles that flash across the screen. In The Dark Ages , series veterans do the same thing, albeit with a bigger arsenal and solid defensive moves that make dodging unnecessary. In fact, the campaign has moments where it feels as though the Doom Slayer is slugging it out with Cyber Demons, trading blows while blocking the enemy's melee attacks. At times, combat is essentially a heavyweight prize fight in mid-fisticuffs. A flow state The developers mix up the main gameplay with levels, in which players control an enormous mech called an Atlan and pilot a dragon named Serrat. The giant robot action gives players a sense of scale in these battles where they fight enormous demons mainly with melee attacks. The simple fighting mechanics work as the behemoths don't have much in terms of subtlety of movement. Meanwhile, the dragon levels are less successful but still exhilarating. Flying Serrat is more complicated than controlling the mech and requires a different set of skills. Players have to locate aircraft and shoot them down while also locking in on other adversaries, while dodging attacks, in order to blast them away. The developers do a notable job of mixing these elements of play through the campaign. For example, players fly their dragon and take down a massive enemy hell-icarrier (for lack of a better word) and they can land Serrat atop the vehicle, enter it and wipe out the enemies inside. All of this flows remarkably well, and that's the driving force behind the gameplay. Amid the whirlwind of extreme violence, The Dark Ages builds a momentum in its level design and pushes players along. And though it has secrets and rewards exploration, the team lays out these secrets in way that keeps propelling the Doom Slayer forward. In other words, it's a game that keeps the energy going forward and doesn't stop until its epic conclusion. – The Mercury News/Tribune News Service
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Doom: The Dark Ages does what Doom does best, forging carnage in a forge of chaos
Don't you think video games are getting too complicated? Every title coming out these days feel compelled to drop me into a 200-hour increasingly cinematic sandbox filled with fetch quests that demand dozens of hours exploring vast open worlds for what, just to kill off the bad guy for world peace? Well, Doom: The Dark Ages is exactly that but it's honest about it, and bluntly effective. After years of watching the franchise from the sidelines, occasionally nodding along to Mick Gordon's brutal soundtracks without context, I finally dove headfirst into it. What I discovered wasn't just my entry point into the series, but a reminder of why sometimes the most sophisticated gaming experiences come wrapped in the simplest packages. The Dark Ages positions itself as a prequel to the modern Doom trilogy, casting the legendary Slayer in a medieval-meets-sci-fi setting where alien overlords, demonic hordes, and humanity's last defenders clash across sprawling battlefields. The premise couldn't be more straightforward: you are an unstoppable force of nature, demons exist, and your job is to make them not exist anymore. No moral complexity, no branching dialogue trees, no companion approval ratings to manage. Just pure, undiluted aggression channeled through increasingly creative methods of digital violence. What struck me immediately was how liberating this clarity felt. In a gaming landscape increasingly obsessed with cinematic storytelling and player choice consequences, The Dark Ages presents a different philosophy entirely. The Slayer speaks exactly one word throughout the entire campaign, yet his character development through body language and environmental storytelling proves more compelling than most fully-voiced protagonists. There's something profoundly satisfying about a character who solves every problem by hitting it really, really hard with medieval weaponry. Rip and tear, stand and fight by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo The Dark Ages' isn't very good with it's storytelling but let's honest it doesn't really need to be. Instead, it is the Doom's ages old combat formula, which is subtly evolved but still maintain its frenetic DNA. The introduction of the Shield Saw fundamentally changes how encounters unfold, shifting from Doom Eternal's emphasis on constant movement to a "stand and fight" mentality that initially sounds counterintuitive to everything the franchise represents. Yet somehow, it works brilliantly. While shields have mostly been known to be defensive equipment to humans, for the Slayer, it's a weapon, traversal tool, and tactical game-changer rolled into one circular buzzsaw of destruction. Parrying incoming attacks feels satisfying in a way that transcends mere mechanical feedback; there's a rhythm to combat that emerges naturally as you learn to balance aggression with precise timing. Unlike the rigid resource management that sometimes made Doom Eternal feel like solving an equation under pressure, The Dark Ages allows for more improvisational approaches to demon disposal. The weapon roster adapts familiar tools to the medieval setting without losing their essential character. The Super Shotgun remains the close-quarters king, but new additions like the skull-spitting gatling gun and chain-attached railgun offer fresh approaches to crowd control and armour piercing. Each weapon feels purposeful rather than redundant, contributing to a combat system that rewards experimentation without punishing players who develop preferences. What impressed me most was how the game manages to feel both more accessible than its predecessor while maintaining tactical depth. The shield bash's traversal capabilities replace Eternal's air dash system seamlessly, while the parry mechanics add a layer of skill expression that never feels mandatory for success. It's a delicate balance that many action games struggle with, providing systems that enhance experienced play without alienating newcomers. Hell on earth (but make it medieval) Beyond the moment-to-moment combat, The Dark Ages succeeds in creating environments that justify their existence beyond being demon-killing arenas. The level design strikes an excellent balance between linear progression and exploratory freedom, with larger hub areas offering multiple objectives and secrets to discover at your own pace. These aren't the overwhelming open worlds that dominate modern gaming, but focused playgrounds that reward curiosity without overwhelming players with busy work. The medieval aesthetic could have easily felt like a gimmicky departure from the series' established visual language, but id Software wisely blends fantasy elements with the technological underpinnings that define Doom's universe. Watching massive mechs stomp across castle battlefields while dragons soar overhead creates moments of genuine spectacle that feel earned rather than manufactured. These setpiece moments, while not always mechanically perfect, serve their purpose as palate cleansers between the more intense combat encounters. The game's approach to progression also deserves mention for how it respects player time. Upgrades feel meaningful without being overwhelming, and the currency systems are straightforward enough that you're never confused about what you need or where to get it. Secrets are well-integrated into level design, offering genuine rewards for exploration without requiring exhaustive searching to find every hidden item. When glory kills actually feel glorious Perhaps what surprised me most about The Dark Ages was how it made me reconsider my relationship with action games in general. I've spent years gravitating toward narrative-heavy experiences, convinced that emotional investment required complex storytelling and character development. The Dark Ages demonstrates that engagement can come from perfectly tuned mechanics and clear, achievable goals just as effectively as any branching storyline. The game's violence is cartoonish in the best possible way—so over-the-top that it transcends any concerns about real-world implications and becomes pure digital catharsis. There's an almost meditative quality to chaining together perfect parries, weapon swaps, and glory kills that creates its own form of flow state. The feedback loop is immediate and satisfying: see demon, devise elimination method, execute plan, admire results, repeat. This isn't to say The Dark Ages completely abandons narrative ambition. The wordless characterisation of the Slayer, the environmental storytelling embedded in each level, and the broader mythology all contribute to a surprisingly coherent world. But these elements serve the gameplay rather than demanding attention in their own right, creating a more integrated experience than many games that pride themselves on their storytelling. The campaign's 22-chapter structure maintains excellent pacing throughout its roughly 20-hour runtime, never allowing any single element to overstay its welcome. Even the occasional mech and dragon sequences, while mechanically simpler than the core combat, provide necessary variety and spectacle without derailing the overall experience. The sound of silence (and chainsaws) If there's one area where The Dark Ages stumbles, it's in the audio department. While I haven't really spent hours slaying on Mick Gordon's composition, yet somehow his absence is immediately noticeable, and I guess it would be even more so for someone who have been a regular of series' previous entires. While Finishing Move's soundtrack is competent, it lacks the driving intensity that made Gordon's work such an integral part of the Doom experience. The music often fades into background noise rather than amplifying the on-screen chaos, a significant departure from how seamlessly audio and gameplay integrated in previous entries. This isn't a fatal flaw, but it does represent a missed opportunity to elevate already excellent gameplay with equally excellent audio design. The sound effects themselves remain top-tier, every shotgun blast, demon roar, and shield clang carries appropriate weight, but the musical backing never quite matches the energy of what's happening on screen. Until it is done (for now) Doom: The Dark Ages succeeds as both an entry point for newcomers and a worthy addition to an established franchise by remembering that complexity and sophistication aren't synonymous. It knows exactly what it wants to be and executes that vision with laser focus. Now I understand what I'd been missing all these years. The Dark Ages doesn't just serve as my belated introduction to the series, it's a masterclass in why Doom has endured for over three decades. What I initially dismissed as mindless violence revealed itself as carefully orchestrated chaos, where every system works in harmony to create something greater than the sum of its parts. The sophistication I'd been seeking in complex narratives and sprawling worlds was here all along, hidden beneath layers of demon viscera and shotgun shells. This realisation feels almost embarrassing in hindsight. I'd spent years chasing elaborate gaming experiences, convinced that depth required complexity, when Doom was quietly perfecting the art of elegant simplicity. The Dark Ages strips away every unnecessary element to focus entirely on what matters: the pure joy of interactive entertainment. No padding, no filler, no respect for your time wasted on anything that doesn't contribute to the core experience. In a year likely to be dominated by sprawling open worlds and narrative epics, Doom : The Dark Ages offers something increasingly rare: a game that respects your time, trusts your intelligence, and never forgets that fun should be the primary objective. Sometimes that's exactly what hell ordered. Our rating: 4/5 AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
BreakingNews.ie
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Doom: The Dark Ages Review - A medieval brawl with a modern twist
There's just nothing quite like dissecting demons or blasting them in the face with a shotgun. Doom has been a staple of the first-person shooter genre since the 1990s and has set the benchmark for how a shooter should feel to play. id Software are masters at making you feel like a badass demon slayer. With each new iteration, they reinvent the formula without losing the DNA that makes Doom so special. Advertisement Doom: The Dark Ages continues this tradition, offering an action-packed first-person shooter with enough weapons to satisfy anyone's power fantasy. Before delving deeper into the combat, it's worth noting how impressive the game looks. It runs consistently at a smooth 60fps on the Xbox Series X. While the environments are your standard Doom fare—Gothic cathedrals and barren hellscapes—they harness the power of modern consoles with more enemies on screen and larger set pieces. There are plenty of secret areas to discover, including plush toys and Codices, which make each area feel less linear. You can also find new skins for your weapons hidden in nooks and crannies, often behind puzzles that act as a carrot on a stick for players. While Doom Eternal focused on giving players a large variety of weapons, The Dark Ages strips things back and provides a more melee-focused experience. The Shotgun, Chaingun, and Rocket Launcher are still available, but they serve more as companion weapons. Advertisement This change may irk some fans, but those willing to adapt will find it just as satisfying as previous entries. Parrying projectiles The biggest addition is the new shield, which fits the medieval aesthetic while doubling as both an offensive and defensive weapon. The developers said their goal was to make you feel like a tank—to stand and fight rather than dodge and weave. The shield allows you to parry green projectiles from demons—a mechanic that plays a central role in combat, with some mini-bosses requiring well-timed rebounds to break their defences. Offensively, you can lock on and smash into enemies from afar. Later, the shield gets upgraded with a rotating saw that continually stuns tougher enemies while slicing through weaker ones with ease. The shield's versatility makes it one of the most satisfying weapons in the game, evoking the feel of the axe in God of War . Launching it and watching it return is always rewarding. Advertisement It takes time to get used to the melee focus, but once you enter the flow state—slicing through smaller enemies to regain health before tackling behemoths like the Cyberdemon—it clicks. Each enemy has an exploitable weakness. The Pink Rider, for example, is weaker than his mount, while the Shield Soldier becomes vulnerable once his defences are lowered. Robust package The Dark Ages continues Doom's tradition of combat experimentation. You start with the parry ability and later unlock upgrades like Runes, which add even more nuance. 'Ground Fissure' creates a shockwave upon parrying, 'Holy Swarm' unleashes daggers, and 'Auto Turret' does exactly what it says. You can also upgrade melee weapons such as the Power Gauntlets or the medieval-themed Flail by increasing damage or reducing cooldowns. It's a robust package, full of variety and replayability. Advertisement Some fans may miss the emphasis on Doom's signature Glory Kills, but the developers said these would interrupt the pacing with so many enemies on screen. Accessibility options are excellent—sliders adjust incoming and outgoing damage and fine-tune the parry window. Normal difficulty ('Hurt Me Plenty') offers a decent challenge, though seasoned players may prefer the more punishing 'Ultra-Violence' mode. While the gameplay is undoubtedly a blast, some of the missions can be repetitive. You are often dropped into a location, asked to destroy four demon portals or have to take down the bosses' grunts before you can kill them. Advertisement Some missions become repetitive—clear four demon portals, defeat grunts before facing bosses—but detours break things up. You ride dragons and pilot mechs in explosive set pieces. The mech levels are a highlight: giant, punchy, and gloriously straightforward. The dragon segments are less compelling—fiddly lock-on mechanics and underwhelming gameplay drag them down. Dragons and mechs The more traditional missions are balanced out with detours where you get to fly on a dragon and operate a giant mech. The latter is much more fun and straight forward as you are essentially a giant Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot able to smash demon Titans. They do not overcomplicate things and I always looked forward to those levels. While the dragon level help break things up, what you actual do in the levels can be quite dull. To destroy hell ships you have to lock on to their missile launchers and dodge them to break their shields. It is far from thrilling gameplay but there is nice mix between flying around destroying ships and slaying demons on the ground. Where The Dark Ages falters is in its story. As a prequel, it had the chance to delve deeper into the Doom Slayer's origins. While it is more cinematic story than previous games, as a prequel it could have gone much deeper into Doomslayer's origins. Instead, you are dropped into the ongoing war between the forces of Hell and the Night Sentinels and their allies the Maykrs. The Doomslayer is their secret weapon, and you are seeing how he is summoned when their forces are getting overwhelmed. You learn through the game how he is being controlled by them and eventually how he breaks free of their control. It is not a terrible story, but it feels like a missed opportunity not to expand on the lore in a substantial way. At the same time, I did not expect to be an HBO drama, and if it was too earnest it would detract from it. Ultimately, The Dark Ages could turn off hardcore Doom fans who see it as too much of a departure from Eternal. However, if you come in with an open mind, you will find another great entry in a series that is constantly evolving while still honouring its considerable lineage. Our score: 8/10
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Doom: The Dark Ages' game review
Doom has always managed to stay at the cutting edge of the first-person shooter (FPS) genre — something it practically invented with the original 1993 release. Synonymous with pulse-pounding gunplay, the franchise saw a major revival with 2016's Doom and its follow-up, Doom Eternal. Rather than a direct sequel, Doom: The Dark Ages is iD Software's bold attempt to expand the mythos further. Acting as a narrative bridge between the end of Doom 64 and the opening of Doom (2016), while carefully sidestepping the non-canonical Doom 3,The Dark Ages takes the series in a bold new direction. With a heavier focus on melee combat and medieval fantasy aesthetics, the gamble pays off. The story centres around a key MacGuffin known as the 'Heart of Argent', a precursor to the Argent energy mined by humans in Doom (2016). This mysterious artifact sets the stage for a fierce conflict between the forces of Hell and the Sentinels of Argent D'Nur. You play as the Doom Slayer, a former space marine turned superhuman demon-slayer, now under the control of a third faction: the Maykrs. Enslaved and deployed like a weapon, you are sent to battle Hell with a very short leash. While the plot may initially seem like standard action-game fare, it is clear that iD Software is attempting to weave a more cohesive lore around its dark fantasy setting, albeit with mixed results. At times, the exposition feels overwrought, borrowing the brooding tone and deliberate pacing of Dune. Still, I found its predictability oddly comforting. The art direction is phenomenal, and the slower moments gave my hands a chance to recover before the next burst of ultra-violence. The Dark Ages delivers a near-hypnotic gameplay experience. It is fluid, immersive, and meditative in a way that few shooters manage. Compared to the frenetic chaos of Doom Eternal, this entry feels more controlled, more rhythmic. Once you are locked into the flow of melee-gunplay combat, it is almost like dancing through a storm. Early on, the game arms you with a shield-chainsaw hybrid and introduces parrying as a core mechanic. Time your moves right, and you will deflect green hellfire back at enemies, opening them up for brutal finishers. One standout moment saw me parrying fireballs while surrounded by towering demons, triggering a chain reaction of gory carnage. It was exhilarating and gory. Then come the Kaiju levels. Yes, you get to pilot a mech and take on skyscraper-sized demons with your bare metal fists, Pacific Rim style. Do not worry — this is not a spoiler; it is in the trailers. These levels are a visual and gameplay spectacle. And because no dark fantasy would be complete without dragons, The Dark Ages lets you ride your very own cybernetic flying beast. It is not quite as jaw-dropping as the mech segments, but it is undeniably fun — especially when you are blasting down hellships and boarding them mid-flight. Doom: The Dark Ages Publisher: Bethesda Developer: iD Software Price: ₹4,999 on Steam, Xbox One, Playstation 5 Of course, a Doom game lives and dies by its arsenal. You begin with your trusty shotgun before unlocking the Quake-inspired nailgun. The standout weapon, however, is the Skullcrusher — a monstrous gun that grinds skulls and fires bone shards in wide, devastating arcs. While the guns are slick and satisfying, they serve more as support tools for your melee and shield play. Combat becomes a dance of crowd control, perfectly timed parries, and brutal finishing moves. As you explore massive levels, defeat demon hordes, and collect gold, you will be constantly upgrading your weapons — giving you ample reason to revisit previous stages. Visually, The Dark Ages is a technical marvel. Running on iD Tech 8, the game renders massive levels and colossal enemies with breathtaking clarity. From detailed ground-level skirmishes to epic aerial battles atop dragons, the scale is immense and fluid. One flying level, which has you soaring through a demon-infested city, is a standout set piece. The Dark Ages may be the best-looking game of the year, with a unique visual identity that makes many Unreal Engine titles look generic by comparison. Doom: The Dark Ages is an absolute must-play for fans of fantasy, action, or first-person shooters. It is a triumphant reminder that one of the genre's founding fathers still knows how to innovate, stay relevant, and deliver unforgettable experiences. Without question, one of the games of the year.
