Crowning the greatest video game of all time is like picking a favorite child; it’s basically impossible. Some fans choose based on their personal preference, while others decide through an intricate critique of the design and polish, and some use sales as a metric. While commercial success doesn’t determine the quality, some of the greatest video games ever are also the best-selling, such as Minecraft and Red Dead Redemption 2. Nintendo, in particular, is known for having some of the most well-known video game franchises that always deliver must-play titles, from The Legend of Zelda to Super Mario Bros. And when it comes to nostalgia and innovation, it’s hard to beat the Nintendo Wii.

With an unorthodox controller, an imaginative premise, family fun, and magnificent games, the Wii became a household staple for millions of families. And if we’re talking about the Wii, no game is more iconic or emblematic than Wii Sports, which was bundled in with the console at launch and went on to become one of the best-selling video games of all time, at around 83 million copies. Beyond its commercial success, though, Wii Sports is truly one of the all-time best video game experiences, a trailblazer that redefined the medium and became synonymous with the Wii. Today, twenty years after its launch, Wii Sports remains one of Nintendo’s greatest triumphs, a seminal title that marked an entire generation and made us appreciate video games beyond the classic genres and stories.

What is ‘Wii Sports’ about?

Image via Nintendo

Back in 2006, the Nintendo Wii launched, using its iconic Wii Remote and motion controls to completely reinvent the way games are played. While the console had a few launch titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wii Sports was packaged with every console of the Wii. This game is technically one of the best-selling of all time, but that is mainly because everyone who bought a Wii got it for free, matching the sales of the console. Still, that only meant it became even more accessible, getting into the hands of everyone.

This multiplayer video game features five different sport-focused modes, including boxing, bowling, golf, tennis, and baseball. Using the Wii Remote and sometimes the Nunchuk, players can intuitively play these sports by using similar actions and pressing buttons — you swing the remote as you would a golf club or a baseball bat, you aim it on the bowling lane, you throw punches during the boxing matches. Whether they want to play against the computer AI with infamous challengers such as Matt, or go toe to toe with friends and family, players have a range of modes and options to play. It may seem like a small game, but it was a genuine sensation; after all, it was given to everyone for free, plus you could spend hundreds of hours replaying the same games over and over again. There was a genuine thrill in playing it, too, especially during the boxing matches. You literally felt as though you were actually doing sports, even though you were in the comfort of your home. Many a jokes played on the fact that “nerds” could finally be good at sports, which got old pretty fast, but it wasn’t exactly incorrect.

Nintendo recently revealed Nintendo Switch Sports, one of the best video games on the Nintendo Switch and a spiritual successor to Wii Sports. While it was met with mixed reviews, it is still a modernized version of a classic game. Back in the Wii era, Nintendo also released Wii Sports Resort, which offers more mini-games, sports, and other modes to play. Many consider it superior to the original, with much more content and fleshed-out games. Still, it is hard to beat Wii Sports considering how iconic it is.

‘Wii Sports’ is The Pinnacle of Multiplayer Gaming

There are many great video games on the Wii, but none are as legendary as Wii Sports. Titles such as Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl are great, but there is a certain feel to this game that is unmatched. The vibe and aesthetic were closely connected to the Wii, creating a bit of synergy between game and console that we seldom see in modern gaming, thus enhancing the brand value and recognizability. As soon as the music starts, players know they are in for a good time, especially since that tune is still ingrained in pop culture and memes to this day.

Outside of just being a fun video game, Wii Sports is among the best multiplayer games. Sure, there are titles like Minecraft or Fortnite, but Wii Sports stands alongside those, or maybe even above, for many reasons. The main appeal of multiplayer games is to share a bonded sense of entertainment and simply enjoy good company, and this game embodies that perfectly. It can get gamers riled up with a competitive spirit or have them rooting for each other against a common enemy. Wii Sports evokes a similar nostalgic feeling of playing sports with friends after school; it has that laid-back vibe while also having the traditional stakes that accompany a typical sporting event; there is a winner and a loser. By combining video games with physical activity, it is not only emotionally, but also physically stimulating, and in the presence of friends and family, it is even more memorable.

Players can also enjoy Wii Sports by themselves, keeping the game’s thrilling aspects while also making it a more personal experience. However, Wii Sports is best known for being played with friends and family, purely because of the sense of competition, camaraderie, and entertainment value. Being able to put as much or as little time into it was a huge bonus, letting the player not feel hostage to the game. As opposed to many multiplayer games now, where gamers play online with each other, Wii Sports thrived on closeness; playing in the same room only added to the immersion. Wii Sports is a 2000s staple; in a way, it was already nostalgic from the get-go, and played with friends and family in the same room, it easily established itself as an iconic video game and multiplayer landmark.

The Legacy of ‘Wii Sports’

Image via Nintendo

Wii Sports might not be a Game of the Year type video game, but it is still a behemoth of a title because of its legacy, firmly cementing itself into the groundwork of multiplayer games. Wii Sports is over 20 years old, yet it remains relevant because of its popularity, quality, and iconic value, amounting to a staying power that’s nothing to be laughed at. The customizability of Miis made it more personal, tying in that nostalgic feeling and personal connection and making it more memorable, even decades later. The Miis themselves became icons in their own right, due to their distinct appearances and their peculiar way of moving. Today, you can easily find numerous videos of people imitating the Miis’ movements accompanied by the game’s iconic music. Moreover, Wii Sports still has a place in modern gaming, despite its more modern sequels. YouTubers still play this game, and since so many grew up with it, they love to see new content that emerges from every second of gameplay. Each game is something new, even if fans have played for hundreds of hours.

The Wii didn’t invent motion controls, but it made it simple and mainstream, with Wii Sports utilizing them to their fullest capacity. This unprecedented success paved the way for other consoles, such as the Xbox, to follow suit, but never as successfully. The motion controls also made active gaming a thing, making it healthy to play video games and helping market the console and game to a new demographic, widening its reach and creating new gamers. Whether it was families, grandmas, or little children, everyone could play Wii Sports because of its intuitive controls and widespread appeal. Its influence was far-reaching, too. Wii Sports is more than just a game; it also had a real-world impact on retirement communities, which set up bowling leagues where the elderly could play their favorite sports without physical strain. Another example of the game’s real-life implications was in physical therapy, where it helped rehabilitate patients by improving motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and balance. The financial footprint alone helped save Nintendo after the disaster with the GameCube, bringing the company back on top.

Wii Sports is a cultural icon that had millions of gamers competing, and twenty years later, it is still undefeated as an immersive experience that effortlessly captures the thrills of real-life competition. From its distinct and recognizable style to immersive controls and emergent gameplay, it was so easy to fall in love with it. Every time someone picked up the game, something new happened, and every time it was an absolute blast from start to finish. In a time when attention spans are short, and people have small memories, Wii Sports is a rare breed of video game that has stood the test of time through something other than nostalgia.

Mirrorball champs or not, Dancing With the Stars has featured some impeccable professional dancers in the years since the ABC competition series premiered in 2005. Derek Hough, Cheryl Burke and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are among the talent who have lit up the ballroom.

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Both Derek and his sister Julianne Hough, however, are perhaps two of the biggest names to come out of the show. After winning six mirrorball trophies, Derek became a DWTS judge in 2020. He also married DWTS troupe dancer Hayley Erbert in 2023, and two years later, the pair welcomed their first baby — adding to the DWTS cast legacy.

Julianne, meanwhile, was named cohost of the reality show in 2023 after being a pro from season 4 through season 8 and sitting at the judge’s table from seasons 19 through 24 (with the exception of season 22.)

Scroll down to find out where every Dancing With the Stars pro is now:

2025 gave us a queer sports romance that had everyone swooning over a suave Russian hockey player who knew exactly when to drop a flirty comment to leave everyone flustered. Heated Rivalry shot Connor Storrie into stardom and showcased his potential for versatility, as he not only mastered Ilya’s teasing and tough side but also the raw vulnerability that simmered beneath. However, it is his latest guest star role in Criminal Minds: Evolution that cements the actor’s range, as he steps into the BAU without a Russian accent and a dangerous glint in his eyes. Season 4, Episode 4 brings Storrie into the fold as a stalker ex-boyfriend named Lance, who plays an integral part of the season’s larger storyline about the elusive Fan, and his scenes are chillingly and humorously memorable.

Connor Storrie Plays a Deceptively Major Role in ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Season 4

In Episode 4, the Fan is firmly on the BAU’s radar, and he sends a series of photographs to the bureau, leading them down a rabbit hole to Lance, the ex-boyfriend of the woman in the pictures. At first, it seems like Lance is the Fan, as he possesses the same obsessive qualities that lead him to stalk his ex-girlfriend, and he is intelligent enough to maneuver around J.J.’s (A.J. Cook) questions without giving too much away. But upon Lewis’ (Aisha Tyler) test with a leaky pen, they realize that Lance doesn’t have the same level of obsessive compulsion as the Fan, as the real unsub would have lost their head if their writing was anything less than perfect.

In this way, Storrie’s performance becomes an integral aspect of the episode and this major storyline. He teeters on the line of ambiguity, delivering us enough sharpness that the team can organically suspect he may be the unsub, but also has enough emotional volatility bubbling beneath the surface to make us doubt the theory. It is the first time we’ve seen the Fan make a substantial play against the BAU, using Lance as a Trojan horse to access the team’s bag of tricks, thereby making Storrie’s brief role in the series a major turning point. It is the first time we’ve seen the team this rattled in a long time, as the Fan defies being pigeonholed into a copycat profile by taunting Voit (Zach Gilford) and the inclusion of Lance.

Connor Storries Showcases His Range in ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’

It’s also exciting to witness another side to the actor’s range, where there is a borderline homicidal glint in his eyes, and a deadpan face as Lance truly believes he is doing nothing wrong by stalking his ex-girlfriend. However, Storrie’s strongest scene arrives when Lance is facing off against Alvez (Adam Rodriguez), where the agent threatens and manipulates Lance into putting an end to his extracurricular activities. Alvez does so through a mix of his intimidating persona and by using Lance’s abandonment issues against him. Here, Storrie switches from furious and offended to a subdued vulnerability that is haunting to watch. It is almost reminiscent of the latter episodes of Heated Rivalry, where Storrie delivered some raw performances, but in Criminal Minds, it feels more like Lance is a rabid animal that just got broken in by Alvez.

We may have fallen in love with Storrie’s Ilya in the rink, but Criminal Minds delivers us another version of the actor that indicates his stardom will not end there. While playing a pivotal role in the season, Storrie flexes his range through an emotionally volatile performance, but he also demonstrates his capability to switch his emotions in a split second when he shares the screen with Rodriguez. He not only makes an impact on Criminal Minds, but also shows promise for his future career.

Country music star Zac Brown defended his decision to perform at the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.

“Man, I’m there for the troops, man. I’m there to honor America,” Brown, 47, insisted on the Wednesday, June 10, edition of The Pat McAfee Show. “This is patriotism, not politics for me.”

The “Thank You for Loving Her” singer is slated to perform the national anthem for the first time at a UFC event since September 2001.

The seven-match card will be held in a specially-constructed fight arena on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14 as part of President Donald Trump and his administration’s 250th anniversary celebrations for the U.S.

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Trump, 79, is expected to attend UFC Freedom 250, which will be headlined by a lightweight championship bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.

UFC Freedom 250 has been tremendously controversial, with Trump’s opponents criticizing the appropriateness of staging an MMA fight at the White House.

For his part, Brown — who is also expected to headline a fan fest during Freedom 250 weekend — insisted that his sole focus is honoring the “8,000 active service members” expected to attend.

“I mean, f*** all the division. I don’t believe in that,” Brown told host Pat McAfee. “I love this country. I love all the people that have sacrificed so that I can live my American dream and that everyone that lives here gets a chance to do that if they work hard and make the right decisions. So it doesn’t have a place in politics for me.”

Brown said that he’s excited for the event on a personal level too as he’s a “massive UFC fan” who has watched “every single UFC [event] probably multiple times.”

“It’s my favorite sport,” he added. “I’m honored that [UFC CEO Dana White] is giving me the chance to do this … Getting to do the anthem for this, with the Marine Band, is going to be sick. We’ve been working up some arrangements with them. It’s an honor, man.”

The musician concluded, “I’m so excited for this weekend. And it’s history, man, getting to be part of American history, man. Having the first sporting event that’s on the lawn of the White House. I mean, it’s an honor.”

Ahead of the event, Trump has hinted that an MMA arena on the South Lawn of the White House could become a permanent fixture.

“Many don’t know that in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower — 1889 it was built — was supposed to be taken down immediately after the World’s Fair,” Trump said in a TikTok video on June 2. “And then they said, ‘You know, we sort of like it, let’s leave it up a little bit longer.’”

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He then teased, “We’re building something in front of the White House that’s quite attractive to a lot of people. It’s going to have a big UFC fight on June 14, and I’m looking at it, and maybe we’ll never ever take it down.”

The UFC event is one element of the Trump administration’s plans to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday. A series of concerts were due to be held under the “Freedom 250” banner before headliners Martina McBride, Bret Michaels and more all backed out over questions about whether the shows were truly nonpartisan.

Trump later suggested cancelling the concerts outright, instead scheduling a MAGA rally in Washington, D.C on June 24, featuring music from Lee Greenwood and Christopher Macchio.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 14 seconds ago

They don’t make movies like they used to. The complete lack of romantic comedies in movie theaters is proof that the genre has fallen from the heights it reached in the late 90’s and 2000’s. That didn’t stop George Clooney and Julia Roberts, two of the most popular stars in history, from doing their damndest to bring it back by sheer force of will. 2022’s Ticket to Paradise did the impossible by earning over $150 million at the box office, and now it’s available on Netflix for everyone who misses a lost era of cinema. 

An Excuse For Clooney And Roberts To Go On Vacation

Clooney and Roberts play David and Georgia, a divorced couple, forced back into each other’s lives when their daughter Lily (The Last of Us star Kaitlyn Dever) has a whirlwind romance in Bali with Gede (French model Maxime Bouttier), resulting in a sudden destination wedding. David and Georgia both agree that this marriage is a mistake and work to sabotage it while pretending to be supportive of their daughter. If you think you know every single plot beat from that two-sentence description, congratulations, you’ve seen a romantic comedy before, because you’re right. 

Ticket to Paradise throws a few complications at the family, including Georgia’s pilot boyfriend, Paul (Emily in Paris star Lucas Bravo), deciding he should come along for the ride, and Lily’s best friend, Wren (Billy Lourd) is sticking around for the wedding. The plot is a loose excuse to show the gorgeous Bali countryside, even if it’s actually Hamilton Island, Australia, and to give Clooney and Roberts an excuse to work together on-screen again. 

This is the type of film where the reviews don’t matter. Ticket to Paradise isn’t a great film. This is the cinematic equivalent of popping bubble wrap: a brief moment of fun where all the terrors and responsibility of the world melt away, combined with the nostalgia of being young again. You don’t need a review score to tell you how, in 2026, you’ll feel about a George Clooney and Julia Roberts romantic comedy. You already know. 

Ticket To Paradise Is The Best Rom-Com Of The Decade

Ticket to Paradise was never intended to be a box office success, though it was, easily clearing its budget of $60 million. The movie was destined to be a streaming hit. As part of Universal’s new partnership with Netflix, the film has left Peacock behind to find a new audience on a streaming platform people actually use. Since debuting on Netflix, it’s been in the top five, proving that George Clooney and Julia Roberts can still bring in an audience like no one else. 

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell tried to bring back the rom-com a year later with Anyone But You, and again, it was a hit, bringing in over $220 million in theaters. If established Hollywood megastars and the young, up-and-coming stars of tomorrow can both find success with romantic comedies, why aren’t more coming to theaters? Where’s the constant stream of light-hearted, low-stakes storytelling that defined so much of the 90s and 2000s? 

Instead of kicking off a rom-com revival, Ticket to Paradise is an anomaly. It’s a film with no villain, the lowest stakes imaginable, and coasts entirely on the raw chemistry of its two leads. It’s also one of the best rom-coms of the decade and the perfect watch when you’re with and need something that everyone will love or at least, tolerate.

Ticket to Paradise is now on Netflix.

For the most part, the last six years have been a great time for cinema. From genre-defining masterpieces like Dune: Part Two to Oscar-winning indie darlings like Everything Everywhere All At Once, the 2020s as a whole have offered some exceptional cinematic achievements. From 2021 until the present, however, there have also been some truly awful movies; shameful disasters that give the art form a bad name and prove that not just anyone deserves to be given the budget to make a motion picture. There are many reasons why a film could be awful, from clunky artistic direction to a poorly-written script, and the worst of the worst of the last six years checks all of those boxes and many more.

Some awful movies are even worse than others, however. As such, every year of the last six years has had an awful film that stands out above all the others as the bottom of the barrel of that year. From so-bad-they’re-good cult classics like War of the Worlds to embarrassing streaming originals like Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate, these films show just how unexciting, unappealing, unfunny, and uninteresting movies can be when done without any true semblance of passion or artistic competence.

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2021: ‘2025: The World Enslaved by a Virus’

Image via Wesely Bros

Not many people have watched the English-language German film 2025: The World Enslaved by a Virus. Good. It really should stay that way. There are plenty of Christian films that are legitimately strong movies made by a team of creatives who clearly knew what they were doing, but this? It’s far and away one of the worst movies of the last 25 years, a beyond-incompetent disaster made by people who probably had never seen a single movie before in their lives. It’s a Christian persecution fantasy with zero artistic value, barely any semblance of a plot, and politics so confused that they’re almost dizzying.

All of this could perhaps be forgiven if 2025: The World Enslaved by a Virus were at least funny, but this is one of those instances of a movie being so bad that there isn’t even any ironic humor to find in it at all. Stupidly written, visually appalling, and complete with some of the worst acting that cinema has seen at any point during the 21st century, it’s entirely incompetent dystopian fiction that has nothing to offer beyond conspiracy theories that can be taken down with so much as a puff of wind.

5

2022: ‘Morbius’

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

Morbius is one of the saddest instances of a box office disappointment of the 2020s as a whole. Released by Sony in April, the film was a financial whimper that nevertheless became the target of countless memes mocking it on social media. Sony took this as a sign that they had a so-bad-it’s-good classic on their hands and decided to re-release the film in theaters in June, only for it to bomb a second time. This failure was entirely deserved, too: This complete mockery of the cinematic medium doesn’t even have the decency to be terrible enough to become a cult classic.

Instead, Morbius‘ biggest sin is that it’s boring. Complete with terrible performances, ugly visuals, one of the worst post-credits scenes of any movie, and a poorly-plotted story that’s nothing short of nonsensical, it’s everything that a comic book film should aim not to be in this post-Infinity Saga era of the genre. There’s no life, no heart, and no humor in this irredeemable slog, only CGI noise that doesn’t lead anywhere interesting or even remotely entertaining.

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2023: ‘Spy Kids: Armageddon’

Image via Netflix

Though some may call it divisive, Robert Rodriguez‘ Spy Kids franchise at least offered three iconic installments that many cinephiles hold as fond cinematic memories of their childhood. The franchise was never the same again, reaching its most abysmal point to date with the fifth main installment in the series, Spy Kids: Armageddon. Though a little more than half of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked it well enough, earning it a 55% score on the Tomatometer, its 4.3/10 rating on IMDb and 1.7/5 rating on Letterboxd make it one of the lowest-rated movies of the decade on both platforms.

It’s no wonder this family spy romp was as much of a flop with general audiences as it was. The smallest members of the family are bount to find at least a few redeeming qualities to have some fun with it, but anyone over the age of 10 is going to inevitably have a difficult time with this trite, poorly-written cheesefest. Bad performances, terrible visuals, poorly-shot action, and no semblance of a sense of excitement whatsoever all make this the worst possible thing to play on the family TV on a Saturday night.

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2024: ‘Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate’

Back when it originally came out in 2010, Megamind didn’t receive much fanfare, even though it performed well financially. It was in the years following its release that it slowly started to grow more and more of a cult following, becoming one of the most beloved standalone DreamWorks movies ever. With this gradual cult resurgence, Peacock saw dollar signs. As a pilot to their series Megamind Rules!, the streaming platform ordered DreamWorks Animation Television to produce Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate, which is now the lowest-rated film of the decade thus far on Letterboxd.

By no means is this level of hate an exaggeration, but rather a fully-deserved reception for what’s essentially a visually atrocious, poorly written, shoddily directed cashgrab. Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate is both an insult to fans of the original (who had been begging for a proper sequel for years) and an affront to the animated medium itself, a complete misfire without a single aspect worthy of even the slightest of praise. The animation? Awful. The humor? Awful. The voice acting? Awful. The story? Awful. There’s virtually nothing here for anyone who enjoys movies that actually have something of value to offer.

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2025: ‘War of the Worlds’

Image via Universal Pictures

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Typically, it takes some time for a terrible movie to start garnering a cult following with an ironic appreciation of it, eventually cementing itself as a so-bad-it’s-good disasterpiece. Such wasn’t the case with War of the Worlds. From the very moment it came out, this screenlife contemporary adaptation of H. G. Wells‘ 1898 literary sci-fi classic (if one can even call it an adaptation) immediately grew a reputation as one of the most hilariously awful movies of the decade.

Not only does War of the Worlds live up to the hype: It’s even worse than anyone who hasn’t actually seen it could possibly imagine, the sort of cinematic catastrophe that must be seen to be believed. It’s easily one of the worst movies of the last 40 years, with some of the most shameless production placement, awful acting, and dull writing that the modern cinematic landscape has ever seen. When done right, screenlife thrillers can be irresistibly entertaining, but there was virtually nothing in War of the Worlds that was actually done right.

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2026: ‘Mercy’

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

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So far, 2026 has been a relatively good year for thrillers, but by no means does that imply that there haven’t been some duds. Case in point: Mercy, which came out at what’s probably the worst-ever time to release a sci-fi thriller that’s overtly and shamelessly in favor of Artificial Intelligence. Placing Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson in a position where they have zero chance to deliver anything of value or leverage any of their skill, it’s a film that (somewhat admirably) manages to mix bad politics, horrible aesthetics, and poor writing in equal measure.

There’s nothing original here, nothing fresh or exciting, nothing that delivers any kind of impact that will last beyond the credits. Mercy is more of a cheap knock-off of the infinitely better sci-fi thriller that was Minority Report, without any of the creativity, stakes, or heart. It’s emotionally shallow, narratively nonsensical, and way too ambitious for its own good. This year has offered some pretty awful movies, but so far, none have sunk as low as Mercy.

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Mercy

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Release Date

January 19, 2026

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Runtime

100 minutes

Director

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Timur Bekmambetov

Writers

Marco van Belle

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