Dadnology Week 45: Ocarina of Time, True Detective, LEGO

🎮 Ocarina of Time is back, and the week ahead is a good one for the sofa

If your kids spent the weekend asking about the new Zelda, the Ocarina of Time Remake is now out on Switch 2. There are guides for whoever is holding the controller, whether that is a first-timer, someone who played the original in 1998 or a parent wondering whether a nine-year-old is ready for the Shadow Temple. For the evenings after bedtime, True Detective season 1 has earned a rare perfect score, and if Christmas is already on your mind, the LEGO, toy and iPad lists are ready before the shops get busy.

The week ahead starts strong. The Rings of Power returns to Prime Video on Wednesday, the same day the VisionQuest finale lands on Disney+, and on Thursday Pikmin 4 arrives on Switch 2 alongside Sonic Pico Park, a party game for up to eight players on one sofa.

Jump to: 🍿 Watch This Week · 🎮 Play This Week · 🎬 Movies & TV · 🎮 Gaming · 🧱 LEGO & Family · 💻 Tech

🍿 What to watch this week

Top tip: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 starts on Prime Video on Wednesday 11 November, and we rate the series 4 out of 5. Four episodes arrive on the first day, two more follow on the 18th and the final two on 25 November, which makes it a three-week plan rather than one long weekend. If you are not a Prime Video household yet, the 30-day Prime Video trial covers the whole run.

For the whole family: Smallfoot

Smallfoot has been on HBO Max since the 4th and is the easy pick for a family evening: a yeti who discovers that humans really exist, told with enough jokes for the kids and enough bite that the parents stay awake until the end.

Once the kids are in bed: Whiplash

Whiplash on Netflix is a drumming film that plays like a thriller, with J.K. Simmons as the teacher from hell and not a single wasted minute in it. Keep it for after bedtime, because the language is as sharp as the drumming.

The classic: Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting is on Prime Video, and if you have not seen it in twenty years, it holds up: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s script, Robin Williams’ Oscar-winning performance and still the most famous “it’s not your fault” in film.

Still more on the calendar

If none of those four fits your evening, the month’s catalogue has plenty more. Disaster fans get two of our 5/5 films: The Day After Tomorrow on Netflix and 2012 on Peacock, with Twister (4/5) and Hard Rain (4/5) on Paramount+ for a second night. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (4/5) is on HBO Max for a dinosaur night with older kids, and The Hunt for Red October (4/5) is on Paramount+ for anyone who misses a proper submarine thriller. In cinemas, Godzilla Minus Zero opened on Friday, Takashi Yamazaki’s follow-up to Godzilla Minus One.

Also landing this week

How to Fall in Love by Christmas, Rodeo Christmas Romance & The Gospel of Christmas — Netflix, Wednesday. Three holiday TV movies on the 11th.
Predator Hunters season 1 — Hulu, Thursday. A new documentary series.
A Christmas Castle Proposal — Netflix, Thursday. The Royal in Paradise sequel.
Snoopy Presents: 12 Days of Snoopy — Apple TV, Friday. A new animated Peanuts holiday special.
The Hunger Games films (all five) — Peacock, Saturday. All five arrive on the 14th, six days before Sunrise on the Reaping opens in theaters.
Paddington in Peru — Hulu, Sunday. The third Paddington film, for a Sunday afternoon with the whole family.

Still running

VisionQuest — Disney+, the finale lands Wednesday 11 November.
Tulsa King season 4 — Paramount+, Fridays. Ten new episodes, with Gretchen Mol joining the cast.
Stick season 2 — Apple TV, Wednesdays. Owen Wilson’s golf comedy, with Rhea Seehorn as a new coach.

Every date and platform, plus the full list, is in What to watch this week: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3, Smallfoot, Whiplash. For the whole month at a glance: New movies & shows coming in November 2026.

🎮 What to play this week

Top tip: Pikmin 4 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy

What to play this week: Pikmin 4 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy, Sonic Pico Park, Split Fiction starts with Pikmin 4, which arrives on Switch 2 on Thursday with the new Dandori Academy exam mode. If you already own the game on the original Switch, you only pay for the upgrade, and if you are still on the old console, a Switch 2 is the way in.

With the family: Sonic Pico Park

Sonic Pico Park, also out on Thursday, is built for a full sofa: two to eight players solve simple puzzles together, and the fun comes from everyone getting in each other’s way. It runs on Switch 2, Switch, PS5, Xbox and PC, so it works with whatever console is under your TV. On Tuesday, Shrek 2 Remastered adds another option for younger players, with four-player co-op for $29.99.

From the backlog: Split Fiction (5/5)

Split Fiction is a 5 out of 5 and the co-op game we would bring out first if your evenings are more two players than eight. The other new releases and their dates are in the article, and the whole month is in Ocarina of Time returns, GTA 6 arrives, and November games worth it.

🎬 Movie & TV news this week

True Detective season 1 is a perfect 5/5

True Detective season 1 review – One of the best crime seasons ever made earns a 5 out of 5 for Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as two detectives chasing one Louisiana murder case across two timelines. If you have never seen it, it is the best eight hours of television in this roundup, and the Blu-ray is the way to own it.

Three family comedies for a movie night

Daddy Day Care (2003) review, Father of the Bride Part II review and The Proposal review each get 3.5 out of 5, and each suits a different evening. Daddy Day Care is less funny than you remember but still has its laughs with the kids, Father of the Bride Part II works best for dads of daughters, and The Proposal is an easy night for two, carried by Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.

Deadpool & Wolverine Easter eggs, sorted

Deadpool & Wolverine Easter eggs: every cameo and reference that matters is the guide for the second watch, when you want to know which of the cameos and references actually mean something, from Johnny Storm and Blade to the Fox logo in the Void.

Hunger Games movies in order, before the fifth film

Hunger Games movies in order – release order, timeline and Sunrise on the Reaping gives you both the release order and the story’s timeline, with runtimes and our ratings, and shows where Sunrise on the Reaping fits before it opens on 20 November. With all five films arriving on Peacock on Saturday, it is the page to open before you press play.

Two age guides: Percy Jackson and KPop Demon Hunters

Is Percy Jackson OK for kids? separates the books, the Disney+ series (TV-PG) and the films and says where a young reader should start. Is KPop Demon Hunters OK for kids? (PG, 10+ per Common Sense Media) names the scenes that frighten younger children, so you know what is coming before you watch together.

🎮 Gaming news for dads

The Ocarina of Time Remake: three guides for three kinds of player

The Ocarina of Time Remake came out on Switch 2 on Thursday, and which guide you need depends on who is playing. If you played the original, Ocarina of Time remake vs. original: What changed, and which one to play sets it against the 1998 N64 game and the 3DS version. If you are new to it, Ocarina of Time remake beginner tips: 12 things the game won’t tell you covers the settings to change first and what to keep in your bottles. And if the question is whether your child is ready, Is the Ocarina of Time remake OK for kids? puts the line at ten, in line with the E10+ rating. The background is in Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake – Everything we know, and the game for Switch 2 is the one to buy.

Is EA Sports FC 27 OK for kids?

Is EA Sports FC 27 OK for kids? A dad’s guide to the rating and the packs shows why the E for Everyone rating is only half the answer: the soccer itself is fine at any age, but Ultimate Team, with its random packs and online chat, is where a parent needs to set limits.

Is Minecraft OK for kids?

Is Minecraft OK for kids? A dad’s honest guide to the game and its online side separates the game itself (E10+, PEGI 7), which is easy to say yes to, from the online servers and chat, which are worth setting up together before your child plays alone.

Games like GTA for kids

Games like GTA for kids: open worlds that are actually OK for them is for the child who wants the open city and the fast cars but is not old enough for an M rating: open-world games rated E to T, each with a suggested age.

🧱 LEGO & family round-up

LEGO Astro Bot (40899) is a 5/5

LEGO Astro Bot (40899) review: The little hero that made us chase a free gift gets a 5 out of 5: 276 pieces, two swappable faces, a transparent cape and a display stand, and our six-year-old built it alone in under two hours. For an Astro Bot fan, the set is an easy gift.

LEGO Zelda Great Deku Tree (77092): both trees on video

LEGO Zelda Great Deku Tree (77092) review: 2-in-1 is a 4.5 out of 5, and with Ocarina of Time back on Switch 2 this week, it is the set to put next to the console. It is a 2-in-1, so you choose between the Ocarina of Time tree and the Breath of the Wild tree, and our new video shows both versions side by side in real fog, filmed in slow motion on the same stage:

One LEGO Set, Two Deku Trees: Ocarina of Time vs. Breath of the Wild (77092)

If you only have a minute, the short Empty board to LEGO Deku Tree shows the whole build of the scene from a bare table to the finished photo. And for the ending of the game, LEGO Zelda Ocarina of Time: The Final Battle (77093) review (4.5/5) turns the fight against Ganon into a 1,003-piece diorama. More of our LEGO videos are on the Dadnology YouTube channel.

LEGO gifts for adults and for teens

The best LEGO gifts for adults: The sets on our own Christmas list runs from Iron Man Mark 3 and Dragon Ball’s Shenron to One Piece ships, Star Wars, Notre-Dame and Snoopy, with our verdict on the ones we have built. The best LEGO gifts for teens is for the young builder who wants something for the shelf: animals, flowers and Pokémon, from a sea otter to Eevee and Pikachu.

Dinosaurs, ships and tractors

For younger children there are three new toy guides. The best dinosaur toys for kids compares Schleich, Jurassic World, LEGO and Playmobil, The best ocean animal and ship toys for kids covers sharks, whales and pirate ships that actually float, and The best Bruder toys for kids helps with ages and sizes for combine harvesters, tractors and timber trucks.

💻 Tech round-up

RTX Spark laptops: who they are for

Is an NVIDIA RTX Spark laptop worth it? Who it is for, and who should buy a MacBook explains what the new chip does well, why unified memory matters for running AI on your own Windows laptop, and who is still better off with a MacBook. If you are already choosing between models, ASUS ProArt P16 vs Dell XPS 16 Creator vs Surface Laptop Ultra compares the three best-known ones on display, price and everyday desk use, and names our pick.

iPad or iPad Air as a Christmas gift

iPad or iPad Air: Which iPad to buy as a Christmas gift compares the iPad (A16) and the iPad Air (M4) on chip, Apple Intelligence, Pencil support, keyboard and screen. If the budget stretches, the iPad Air is the one that will still feel fast in a few years.

Dadnology Take

Wednesday belongs to The Rings of Power, with four episodes to start, and Thursday to Pikmin 4 or, if the whole family wants to play, Sonic Pico Park. For a night on your own, True Detective season 1 is the strongest thing you can start this week, and on Saturday, when all five Hunger Games films arrive on Peacock, you have exactly six days to catch up before Sunrise on the Reaping opens in theaters.

The Dadnology Week archive: missed last week? Catch up with Dadnology Week 44.

Buy now(Ad)

Prime Video (30-Day Free Trial)True Detective: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo Switch 2)LEGO Astro Bot (40899)Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M4), 128GB, Wi-Fi Nintendo Switch 2

❓ FAQ

What were the biggest dad-relevant stories in week 45, 2026?

The Ocarina of Time Remake arrived on Switch 2 on 5 November, True Detective season 1 earned a perfect 5/5, and Christmas gift lists for LEGO, toys and iPads arrived early. Next week brings The Rings of Power season 3 on Wednesday and Pikmin 4 on Switch 2 on Thursday.

What is the best family pick from week 45, 2026?

For movies, Smallfoot on HBO Max is the easy family yes. For games, Sonic Pico Park supports 2 to 8 players on Thursday, and the Ocarina of Time Remake is rated E10+ with no online play or purchases.

Is the Ocarina of Time Remake OK for kids?

It is rated E10+ and has no online play or purchases. We put the line at ten, with a parent nearby once Link grows up and the game turns dark.

What did Dadnology publish this week?

Three Ocarina of Time Remake guides (remake versus original, beginner tips and an age guide); a 5/5 True Detective season 1 review and three family-comedy reviews; Deadpool & Wolverine Easter eggs and a Hunger Games order guide; age guides for Minecraft, Percy Jackson, KPop Demon Hunters and EA Sports FC 27; games like GTA for kids; the LEGO Astro Bot review plus LEGO gift lists for adults and teens; dinosaur, ocean and Bruder toy guides; and three tech guides on RTX Spark laptops and the iPad.