From Peak to Cairn, climbing games are all the rage right now, and you can add Ascenders: Beyond the Peak to the list. So how does Ascenders stand apart from its peers? By offering a grim approach to mountaineering, blending it with Lovecraftian horror and resource management. In another macabre twist, the game even offers an option to cut some dead weight loose from your ascent--quite literally.

Billed as an exploration roguelite that fuses turn-based climbing and expedition management with rope physics and permanent consequences, each run takes place on a mountain cursed with mysterious Lovecraftian threats hidden within the rocks. Every expedition is a desperate attempt to reach the summit, and losing a member of your party doesn't just reduce your resources, but the overall morale of your group as you make your way to the top.

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The world's a bit terrible right now, so if you're looking to hide away from reality and get a dose of serotonin when it's very needed, this new cozy game is exactly what you're looking for. Developed by Uncommon Games, Animalkind sees you take control of an ancient mech that can collect, store, craft, and build--oh, and you're a tiny animal.

Choose between a cat, corgi, or raccoon and customize your character before landing snout-to-face with a mysterious, but demanding, portal. Of course, I chose a pink corgi, but I'm not here to judge anyone choosing to play as the standard little raccoon--he's still really cute.

There are several biomes to explore, all linked by various portals, but I found myself returning to my original base more and more often to craft more intricate items of furniture, add new buildings, and decorate the area. While the options are nowhere near as expansive as the likes of Pokopia or Animal Crossing, Animalkind's cutesy designs are more than enough to win me over.

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Remember that C button on your Nintendo Switch 2? It's that button that you may have accidentally pressed instead of the Home button right above it. Well, Nintendo really wants you to use it to activate GameChat, and the company will grant you points and icons in return.

Until April 22 at 5:59 PM PT / 8:59 PM ET, you can earn 100 My Nintendo Platinum Points simply by opening GameChat, which Nintendo promoted as the Switch 2's "defining" feature. You can then use those points to claim up to 13 icons for your Switch profile, each 10 Platinum Points each. That means you'll need a little more than the 100 points you get from activating GameChat if you want every icon--you can earn Platinum Points from completing My Nintendo missions.

While you can look at these icon elements on the Nintendo Switch Online app within your Switch 2, you can't redeem any of them without actually starting up GameChat. We found that simply opening the GameChat menu without even starting a chat will do the trick and allow you to claim these limited-time icons, so you don't even have to fully use the feature.

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Microsoft is bringing back the Xbox FanFest event this year, and it's going on tour to help celebrate Xbox's 25th anniversary. Microsoft announced today that in addition to the Xbox FanFest that was already announced for Los Angeles, the show will hit the road and make seven stops globally.

These will include:

• Cologne, Germany
• London, UK
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Seattle, USA
• Sydney, Australia
• Tokyo, Japan
• Toronto, Canada

Microsoft said each FanFest will be "unique to the location in which it's held." Fans can expect "in-person experiences that bring the worlds of Xbox to life with opportunities for players to connect with one another," Microsoft said.

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Lego Toy Story: Slinky Dog Bookends (1,311 pieces)

$150 | Releases May 1

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Lego Toy Story: Lotso (570 pieces)

$40 | Releases May 1

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Lego Toy Story: Alien with Pizza Planet Rocket Ride (714 pieces)

$60 | Releases May 1

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Buzz, Woody, and Jessie are returning for another animated adventure, as Toy Story 5 is scheduled for a June 19 release. This time around, they'll be facing competition from modern electronics (more specifically, a frog-shaped tablet), but a decidedly old-school way to celebrate the upcoming film is to pick up one of the three new Toy Story Lego sets launching later this year. Preorders are now open, and they'll begin shipping on May 1, giving you plenty of time to snap them together before heading to the theaters the following month. Here's a look at the Slinky Dog, Lotso, and Alien sets up for grabs. There's also a cute Toy Story Celebration Train & RC Car Lego set available right now, in case you're itching for a set to build today. Plenty of existing Lego Toy Story sets can be found on the Lego Store, so if none of these four catch your eye, there are plenty of others to peruse.

Lego Toy Story: Slinky Dog Bookends (1,311 pieces) $150 | Releases May 1

Not only is this the largest of the trio at over 1,300, but it might just be the coolest, too. It lets you build a model of the iconic Slinky Dog that can be attached and detached from two buildable books. Inside the books are a few hidden secrets--including a tiny Slinky Dog figurine and a Woody minifigure. Whether you decide to use the build as bookends on your shelf or standalone figures throughout your home, it looks like a pretty unique model.

The $150 price tag might be a bit hefty, but you're getting a Slinky model that spans more than 17 inches, two minifigures, and two buildable books. And because Slinky can be displayed standalone or attached to the books, there are plenty of ways to change up its appearance. Like all the other sets on this list, it's compatible with the Lego Builder App.

Preorder at Lego Store Preorder at Amazon Lego Toy Story: Lotso (570 pieces) $40 | Releases May 1

Standing over 6.5 inches tall, this adorable version of Lotso features posable eyebrows, arms, hands, and a tilting face. You can also pose him with or without his walking stick, making it a robust model to display in your home theater. It can even double as a toy for young builders.

Aside from all its posable pieces, Lotso comes with a few hidden Easter eggs that you'll discover throughout the build. As usual, you'll get a set of instructions in the box, though it's also compatible with the Lego Builder App, which gives you a rotatable 3D model to explore and makes the build process smoother than ever.

Preorder at Lego Store Lego Toy Story: Alien with Pizza Planet Rocket Ride (714 pieces) $60 | Releases May 1

While the adorable Alien has moveable arms, hands, feet, and head, that's not what makes this set exciting--it's the functioning rocket ride machine. By turning a handle on the side of the machine, you can make the toy shift up and down. Other cool bonuses include a coin dispenser with space for two coins, a tiny slice of pizza, and a few hidden Easter eggs scattered throughout the set.

The Alien can be placed inside the rocket ride or taken out and posed separately, and because many of his joints can move around, it's easy to find a funky pose for him in your home theater. Considering it has a unique interactive feature, its $60 price tag is actually pretty reasonable for a brand-new Lego set.

Preorder at Lego Store Preorder at Amazon Lego Toy Story: Celebration Train & RC Car (206 pieces)$40

Though it's not exactly new (it launched last summer), this kid-friendly set was released to celebrate Toy Story's 30th anniversary. Along with minifigures for Woody, Jessie, Buzz, and Bo Peep, it lets you build a train engine, two floats, and a car. The train engine can connect to the two floats, which feature interactive components like a seesaw and a spaceship with a cockpit that opens to hold a minifigure. This is ideal for young builders, as it includes Starter Bricks that should speed up the construction process, and each bag in the box comes with a character--so they can start playing with the toys before the entire set is completed.

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Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami has sold his new studio, Unbound, to Stellar Blade owner Shift Up.

Unbound is currently working on "original" PC and console based games that Shift Up said are being designed to appeal to the "global market." You can watch the announcement video for the partnership below.

Fans have theorized that some of the eerie-looking art mixed in with the developer quotes might be for whatever Unbound is working on, but that remains to be confirmed. Mikami is known for his work on spooky games, and the art in the video surely seems to be in line with that.

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The RPG Crimson Desert from developer Pearl Abyss continues to put up strong sales numbers. The Korean studio has now confirmed that Crimson Desert has passed 4 million in sales.

That's up from 2 million sales in the game's first 24 hours and 3 million in sales after less than a week. "Thank you to all the Greymanes who have been a part of this journey with us and for all of your incredible love and support," Pearl Abyss said of the new sales milestone.

Crimson Desert released on March 19, and Pearl Abyss has released numerous updates since then to address issues and fan feedback. One of the biggest updates replaced AI-generated art that fans noticed. Pearl Abyss hasn't fixed or addressed everything, though, as fans are still irked by the game's inventory management. On the more positive side, fans have discovered all kinds of cool stuff in the game, including the best drip and how NPCs will do work for you.

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The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hit theaters on April 1, and it's putting up huge numbers right out of the gate. The animated film brought in $34 million in the US for its opening day, which is good for the biggest opening day so far in 2026, outpacing Project Hail Mary ($33.1 million).

It's also the highest opening for a movie that opened on a Wednesday in April in US history, beating a record set by April 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($31.7 million), according to Deadline.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie went on to make $146.3 million over its first three days on Easter weekend in 2023 and $204.6 million over the five-day period from Wednesday-Sunday. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, meanwhile, is projected to make $128.2 million over its first three days and $186 million for its first five.

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It's going to be a busy weekend at theaters with the release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and preorders for its upcoming Blu-ray release have already gone live at multiple online retailers. While the home video release doesn't have a release date yet, the Mario Movie sequel will be in cinemas for at least 5 weekends, and Blu-ray editions tend to drop a few months after their theatrical runs, so you've got plenty of time to preorder. It also gives you plenty of time to decide which version of The Mario Galaxy Movie Blu-ray editions to bring home. In addition to the standard 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD releases, there are also steelbook and collector's edition versions available to preorder, some of which are exclusive to specific stores. Here's a breakdown of each version and what you can expect to pay. One thing to note about all of these releases is that special features and tech specs have yet to be revealed, but we'll update this post when we know more.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: Walmart Exclusive Collectible Tin (4K Blu-ray)

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Like lots of games, Minecraft is celebrating April Fools' Day with a good, old-fashioned joke. But rather than simply making a silly social media post, developer Mojang is fully committed to the bit, and this year's joke comes in the form of a playable game update.

The Herdcraft Update is live now, and gets rid of the inventory system entirely, leaving players' inventory items to follow them around the in-game world like sheep.

"Herdcraft is a completely new (and very permanent) way to play Minecraft," creative communications director and writer Cristina Anderca explained in a blog post announcing the update. "Instead of spending minutes, hours, years on end trying to organize the chaos in your inventory, you get to be present in the world, together with your new friends: all the items and blocks that you own!"

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Embark Studios released a bonafide hit in Arc Raiders, and its use of AI was controversial. The studio's top boss, Patrick Soderlund, was recently promoted to executive chairman of publisher Nexon, and now he's given a presentation in which he shed more light on the company's approach to AI in gaming.

"Every company has a plan; most will get it wrong," he said about how game developers will use AI (via GamesRadar).

He said there is a "race" going on now to find and implement the best AI-based strategies to help developers, but he said the winners "won't be the first movers."

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