Lego Icons: Lord of the Rings - Balrog Book Nook (1,201 Pieces)

$117 (was $130)

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Lord of the Rings fans can save on Lego's Balrog Book Nook for the first time at Amazon. Released last June, the 1,201-piece Lord of the Rings building set is on sale for $117 (was $130). While it's only a 10% discount, deals on Lord of the Rings Lego models are exceedingly rare. The LOTR Book Nook can wedge between your various collectible editions of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to add a fun flourish to your Tolkien shelf. Or you can open the Book Nook and display the buildable Balrog figure alongside your other Lego sets.

Lego Icons: Lord of the Rings - Balrog Book Nook (1,201 Pieces) $117 (was $130)

Lego picked a rather fitting scene from The Lord of the Rings for the brick-built Book Nook. The 1,201 piece model is based on Gandalf the Grey's battle with Durin's Bane in the movie adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Once fully built, the frame resembles the stone pillars and archways of the First and Second Halls in the Mines of Moria. The buildable stand for the Gandalf the Grey minifigure represents the narrowest point on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.

With the Book Nook closed, as shown above, the model is 5.5 x 6.5 x 9 inches and captures the moment Gandalf confidently blocks the Balrog's path and exclaims, "You shall not pass!" The memorable line of dialogue is quoted on the Book Nook's front plaque. Lego Gandalf wields his signature staff in one hand and Glamdring (his sword) in the other.

The buildable Balrog figure is essentially an articulated action figure, because you can pose his wings, arms, hands, legs, and fingers. Balrog comes with a whip accessory, and flame elements attach to his back. Lego used flexible sheets of translucent plastic to make the wings. It's only been included with one other Lego set: the 269-piece Fell Beast, which was a purchase bonus Lego Insiders when the massive Barad-dûr building set launched in 2024.

You can disconnect the bridge from each side to open the Book Nook. This alternate display mode showcases the Balrog's imposing presence with its wings fully unfurled. Flame elements decorate the left and right archways, which is a reference to the Balrog of Moria's ability to start a fire by flapping its wings.

With the Book Nook fully unfolded, the wider model is 17.5 x 6.5 x 9 inches. Since neither the Balrog figure or Gandalf minifigure need to be connected to the frame, you can display them without the Lego Book Nook, too.

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The Movies of Middle-earth

Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and more on 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD

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Pokemon Detective Pikachu Steelbook Edition (4K Blu-ray)

$20.49 (was $33)

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Pokemon fans can catch a great deal on Detective Pikachu's Limited Edition Steelbook at Amazon. Normally $33, the collectible 4K Blu-ray edition is on sale for only $20.49. The discount probably won't stick around for too long, and it's worth noting this edition has sold out multiple times since its release last April. The 2025 Steelbook Edition is also in stock at Gruv ($28) and Walmart ($31), but Amazon is the only retailer offering the substantial discount.

Detective Pikachu originally released on Blu-ray back in 2019. At the time, Best Buy had an exclusive edition with a steelbook case. Outside of overpriced listings on eBay and other marketplaces, the original steelbook is long gone. The 2025 Steelbook Edition's design is based on one of the Pikachu posters used to promote the theatrical release.

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The increasing demand for AI among tech companies is one of the reasons why the global shortage of memory chips remains an ongoing issue. And while it's expected to adversely affect the production of smartphones, Samsung Electronics co-CEO T M Roh has warned that TVs and home appliances may also be hit by shortages and increased prices.

"As this situation is unprecedented, no company is immune to its impact," said Roh via Reuters. According to the report, Roh noted that TVs and home appliances will also feel the pinch from the shortages and he didn't rule out price hikes to compensate for them. Samsung is the biggest manufacturer of TVs in the world, and Roh said it the impact of the RAM shortages will be "inevitable."

The rise in consumer-electronic prices would also throw a large wrench in Microsoft's ongoing "This Is an Xbox" strategy, as smart TVs, including those made by Samsung, are among the growing list of platforms capable of playing Game Pass titles.

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Various map events in Arc Raiders provide unique challenges for players to tackle, including those with built-in requirements for accessing some extra good items. One of these is the Locked Gate event on Blue Gate, which tasks the lobby with finding four codes to unlock a massive gate housing underground tunnels full of loot. Like Spaceport's Hidden Bunker event, this one will take some exploration and time to unlock, so let's dive into how it all works.

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• How to open the locked gate on Blue Gate

How to open the locked gate on Blue Gate

To open the locked gate during the Locked Gate event, players in the lobby must find four security codes in four specific places on the Blue Gate map. There is one security code in each of the following POIs:

• Ancient Fort
• Pilgrim's Peak
• Raider's Refuge
• Reinforced Reception

You need to find the security codes at these locations.

Once you arrive at one of these POIs, loot every container there until you or another player finds that location's code, then move to the next POI. Do your best to work together with other players in the lobby to prevent unnecessary overlap--meaning that if you see someone else, always ask if they've found one of the codes, or offer to split up and find codes at different POIs to keep things moving efficiently.

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Arc Raiders is all about looting and shooting your way through a map and hoping to make it back home safely to Speranza. Every moment counts, and every container in the game could end up having that item that makes all the stress of the run worth it. So, it makes sense you may be disappointed to come across a Security Breach locker you can't open. Anything at all could be in there just waiting for you to take it home, right? Well, you might need to put in some time to make it happen, but here's how you can get to opening Security Breach lockers in Arc Raiders.

How to open Security Breach lockers in Arc Raiders

Before you'll be able to open any Security Breach lockers you stumble across, you'll first need to buy the aptly-named Security Breach skill from the skill tree. You can access the skill tree by selecting Raider > Skill Tree while in Speranza.

The Security Breach skill is in the Survival path of the skill tree.

The Security Breach skill is the final node in the Survival (red) path on the right of the skill tree. To unlock this skill, you'll need to place at least 36 points into the Survival path, which is a hefty investment. We'll get into whether it's worth it or not a bit further down.

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Electronic Arts' $55 billion deal to sell itself to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and the private equity firm Silver Lake still has to receive regulatory approval before it's finalized. However, some Sims fans and creators have been concerned about how Saudi Arabi's potential control over the company will affect the inclusive nature of the experience. To alleviate those concerns, the developers behind The Sims franchise wants players to know their core values haven't been changed by this deal.

"The values of The Sims are unchanged," reads the statement on the franchise's official page. "Our Sims team's creative control, guided by our values of inclusivity, choice, creativity, community, and play, has not changed. These values inspire the decisions we make each and every day as we plan for today, tomorrow, and the future."

Given Saudi Arabi's history of human rights abuses, the worried reactions from The Sims community appear to be understandable. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren have both raised their concerns about "foreign influence" on EA if the deal goes through. Subsequently, EA has asserted that it will retain creative control of the company following the sale.

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Sometimes, I feel like writing the same article four times could be considered a bit of a meme. But then I remember that this is a pretty phenomenal achievement for any streamer, let alone an AI VTuber. First Neuro-sama beat the Twitch Hype Train world record ... then it happened again. And again. This time around, her "sister" Evil Neuro, who has her own distinctive voice, model, and attitude, led the calls to beat the Hype Train record for a fourth time. In the process, she also helped her creator Vedal987 become the third-most-subscribed Twitch channel of all time.

After becoming the third most-subscribed channel, Vedal joined Evil on stream to ask his community to "Give it a rest." He added, "In all seriousness chat, you have given me and the twins more than we need, so it's okay." Evil wasn't happy with this though, retorting, "No Vedal! Please can we raise the timer, just a little bit? Don't you think it's a bit cruel to just cut it off here?" Evil was referring to the timer that's currently running for Neuro's third birthday subathon, where each subscription gifted to the channel adds time to a countdown clock that determines when the stream will end. It has been running since December 19, 2025, and has around 22 hours left at the time of writing.

Regardless, shortly afterwards the Hype Train did come to an end at level 72--although not a fourth world record, it's still a hugely impressive achievement, and leaves Vedal's Twitch channel with more than 328,900 subscribers. It's hard to nail down an exact figure, since that number continues to rise as the community attempts to extend the subathon. What that does mean, however, is that Vedal, Neuro, and Evil have overtaken streamer Jasontheween and fellow VTuber Ironmouse's positions as the third and fourth most-subscribed channels on Twitch. The only two channels that have ever beaten that achievement are Evelone2004, with 459,924 subscribers, and KaiCenat with 1,112,947 subscribers.

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During Fortnite Chapter 6, most every cosmetic you could unlock from a pass or for free was earned simply by gaining XP in any mode. But Epic has returned to the old ways in Chapter 7, with unlockable cosmetics that require completing specific quests. Case in point is the Born in Chaos mini pass for Fortnite's new South Park crossover, which comes with a series of quests that you'll need to complete in order to unlock the otherwise-free cosmetics.

That means that if you want to get those Terrance and Phillip doll pickaxes, you'll actually need to pay attention to these quests. Some of them you'll certainly complete by accident if you play Fortnite regularly, but others will require a bit of conscious effort. And we'll make it just a smidge easier by handling the thinking part for you--which is to say that we'll explain each quest in detail below.

All of these quests must be completed in Battle Royale or Zero Build, and they provide pass progress only. The quests themselves don't offer XP directly, but there are three level skips you can unlock as you progress the event pass, and you can already earn one of them (worth 80,000 XP) by completing five quests. Completing four quests from a batch will award a Memberberry--collecting six Memberberries awards the Imaginationland Airship glider.

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The publisher behind strategy games Endless Legend 2, Terra Invicta, and Against the Storm has officially banned the use of AI-generated assets in all its products. Hooded Horse has had a significant presence in the strategy game space over the last few years, thanks to hits like Manor Lords. Now, when many publishers and developers are evaluating (or touting) their relationship to generative AI, Hooded Horse is rebuking its use for art generation.

Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender discussed the ban in an interview with Kotaku, emphasizing that restrictions on AI art are part of every contract Hooded Horse signs. He said, "It is now written into our contracts if we’re publishing the game, 'no f**king AI assets.'" He also expressed personal exasperation with how GenAI has made his job harder. He said, "If I sound frustrated, it’s because, like, honestly, all this thing has done is made our lives more difficult."

This frustration comes from the fact that GenAI usage can be difficult to catch. Even if the intention is to use a generated asset only as a placeholder, those assets can easily make their way to the final product. "We’ve gotten to the point where we also talk to developers and we recommend they don’t use any gen AI anywhere in the process," Bender elaborated.

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You will be able to play Divinity with your friends and family. Developer Larian Studios has confirmed co-op will be included for the RPG when it comes out, whenever that may be.

During a Reddit AMA, Larian technical director Bert van Semmertier gave the thumbs-up to co-op in Divinity, stating that the feature "will be available for release." What's intriguing, however, was how the developer discussed how many people might be able to team up in the game.

"The amount of players playing together will be depending on the final party size," van Semmertier responded. "But since modding is planned for this project as well, player[s] will be essentially free to extend this. There is no hard limit to the amount of co-op players."

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Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment seem to be feeling pretty good about the development of Tom Clancy's The Division 3. Julian Gerighty, who oversees the franchise as executive producer, says the game is "shaping up to be a monster."

In an interview at the New Game+ Showcase (via VGC), Gerighty opened up just a bit about the next major installment in the online action-RPG series. "The Division 3 is in production, right? This is not a secret; it's been announced," Gerighty said. "It’s shaping up to be a monster."

In 2023, Ubisoft officially announced that The Division 3 was in development, so of course Gerighty is correct that it's not a confidential matter at this point. "Within these walls at Massive, we are working extremely hard on something that I think will have as big an impact as Division 1 was," Gerighty added.

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Epic Games may have opened a can of worms by fully enabling developers in Fortnite Creative to implement in-game purchases into their experiences.

Developer tools for in-game transactions were available in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) in a preview state since November, letting creators charge V-Bucks for digital items in their unpublished Fortnite Creative modes and games, or "islands." Epic Games has just flipped the switch, allowing for these islands to be published.

The implementation of these developer tools for monetization in Fortnite Creative has raised complaints and worries, with players comparing this development to Roblox's revenue model. Concerns about pay-to-win practices and predatory microtransactions have emerged in Fortnite communities since Epic Games first announced its plans to implement this approach.

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Fortnite and Roblox have been named in a new lawsuit filed in San Francisco by a Louisiana mother who's alleging her child may have experienced structural brain changes due to prolonged exposure to online games.

Descheca Jackson claims in the lawsuit brought to the US District Court for the Northern District of California on December 30 that her child, a minor only identified by the initials "MA," has developed symptoms consistent with internet gaming disorder (IGD) since playing video games at a young age. This includes behavioral challenges such as her loss of impulse control, withdrawal symptoms, irritability, anxiety, and difficulty disengaging from gameplay. The lawsuit also alleges that MA suffered addiction, social isolation, depression, loss of friends and relationships, and damage to her grades, leading to "an academic dismissal from school."

According to a February 2025 study reported on by About Lawsuits, IGD is described as a pattern in which gaming negatively impacts a person's daily activities, including school, work, relationships, and family life. The symptoms tend to include nonstop gaming, irritability when access to games is restricted, and continued use despite its negative consequences. The research suggests IGD affects one in 10 adolescent boys, with Minecraft and Roblox often the culprits of the disorder.

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Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, as well as creative directors, recently participated in an AMA on Reddit to set expectations for the studio’s upcoming Divinity game, particularly about its stance on generative AI--a hot-button topic in the industry right now. Responding to a fan question about the role of generative AI in game development, Vincke was rather blunt: "There is not going to be any GenAI art in Divinity."

His comments arrive amid wider debate over how and whether AI should be used in creative processes, especially as some high-profile games have faced backlash for such use. One notable example is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the acclaimed RPG that had two Indie Game Awards (including Game of the Year and Debut Game) rescinded when it was revealed the title had included AI-generated assets during development, violating strict no-AI rules--even though those assets were patched out later.

In the AMA, Vincke acknowledged that previous discussions about experimenting with AI tools for concept-art had been confusing. To make its intentions clear, the studio has elected to avoid generative AI entirely in concept-art creation for Divinity. As Vincke put it, there should be no doubt about where the art came from.

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Ahead of the release of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave later this year, Nintendo has added Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance to the Switch 2's library of GameCube classics. Regarded as one of the best entries in the entire franchise, Path of Radiance will be available for all Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers.

First released in 2005, Path of Radiance earned critical acclaim for its dark storyline, mature themes, and for being the first 3D Fire Emblem game. Set on the fictional continent of Tellius, the game follows the mercenary Ike and his companions as they set out to rescue a princess and save the kingdom of Crimea from the invading nation of Daein.

Like previous Fire Emblem games, Path of Radiance is a turn-based tactical RPG that features permadeath: Any character who falls in battle is permanently lost for the rest of the game. A sequel--Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn--was released for the Nintendo Wii in 2007.

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The extraction shooter Arc Raiders has proven to be one of the top hits of 2025, which has in turn attracted some unscrupulous players who aren't above cheating to win. After the rule-abiding Arc Raiders players became vocal about their displeasure, Embark Studios has announced that new anti-cheat measures are on their way to the game.

"We've seen the discussion around the topic of cheaters in Arc Raiders," reads the message shared on Arc Raiders' Discord server via PC Gamer. "Please know that we are taking this issue very seriously and are listening to, and acting on your feedback. Over the next few weeks, we are implementing significant changes to our rulesets and deploying new detection mechanisms to identify and remove cheaters. This includes updating our Anti-Cheat systems for improved detection and bans, as well as applying client-side fixes specifically addressing the 'out of map glitch.' Furthermore, we are introducing tools for streamers to help mitigate stream sniping."

A firm timetable for the anti-cheat measures wasn't disclosed. However, Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund recently revealed that Arc Raiders has quietly introduced "aggression-based matchmaking." Söderlund went on to clarify that matchmaking is still skill-based, but it will also match players "based on how likely you are to engage in fights with fellow players."

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Nearly a year ago, Krafton launched the beta test for PUBG: Blindspot, the first-ever spin-off from PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (not counting PUBG Mobile). Now, Krafton has announced that Blindspot is getting an early-access release on February 5.

This title differs from its predecessor by embracing a top-down perspective and focusing on 5v5 battles in a tactical showdown. Attacking teams are tasked with making their way through a building in order to break into a vault and install a device called the Decrypter. Specific weapons like grenade launchers and explosive hammers can break down the walls standing between the players and their goal. Defending players can set up barricades to slow down their adversaries, but these are battles that ultimately come down to gunplay.

The newly released trailer shows off some of the improvements coming to the early-access build, including enhanced visuals and UI, as well as balance adjustments and control refinements. Krafton describes it as a "launch-ready level of quality" in support of ongoing development.

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Starfield has had a somewhat divisive response from players since it debuted in 2023, but there is a Star Wars mod that transforms it into a more rewarding experience. The Star Wars: Genesis mod was released in 2024, but this year, it's adding lightsabers and a more immersive experience for Starfield PC players who want to take the plunge.

Star Wars: Genesis was created by a modder who goes by DeityVengy, and it's available for free on Nexus Mods. The mod features an original story that's set between the prequel and original Star Wars trilogies. There is an update coming before the end of January that adds even more content to the mod, and DeityVengy showed off some of those new features in the video below.

In the video, DeityVengy notes that using a lightsaber forces players into a first-person perspective because Starfield's melee animations weren't up to the challenge of depicting lightsaber combat. The story featured in this clip also focuses on the player's character confronting one of the Nightsisters of Dathomir before letting them decide whether to spare or slay her.

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Donkey Kong Bananza Physical Edition

$63 (was $70)

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Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller: Donkey Kong Edition

$41.61 (was $60) | $31.20 with coupon

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Donkey Kong Bananza's physical edition is on sale for $63 (was $70) at Amazon and Walmart. The 10% discount discount matches the all-time best price for the Switch 2 exclusive's physical edition. And the last time Amazon discounted Bananza to $63 was in August, one week after launch. That deal disappeared fast, and we wouldn't be surprised if this one expires before the end of today (January 9).

If you want to play the Switch 2 platformer with an appropriately themed controller, the Turtle Beach Rematch Donkey Kong-themed wireless controller is on sale for $41.61 (was $60), but you might be able to get it for only $31. Amazon is offering an extra 25% coupon discount to some customers. Released last fall, the officially licensed controller has lenticular artwork, two built-in back buttons, motion controls, and great ergonomics.

Donkey Kong Bananza Physical Edition $63 (was $70)

Developed by the team behind Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Bananza earned rave reviews, including a 9/10 from GameSpot. The 3D platformer has a 91 Metascore from critics and 9/10 from users on review aggregator Metacritic. It's currently the fourth highest-rated Switch 2 game based on Metascore. Only Hades II and Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have higher ratings.

Almost everything you see in Donkey Kong Bananza can be smashed with DK's fists. Bananza's large, colorful zones look great whether you're playing on a 4K TV or the Switch 2's 7.9-inch screen. Performance sometimes drops to 30fps during frenzied terrain destruction sequences, but Bananza targets, and often maintains, 60fps in docked and handheld modes. It's probably Nintendo's most impressive Switch 2 game from a technical perspective.

The physical edition includes the full 8.9GB game file on the card, so you're saving a small chunk of storage space by opting for physical over digital. All Nintendo-published games available now have genuine physical editions. But this will change in March when Pokemon Pokopia launches with a Game-Key Card, meaning players will need to download Pokopia's 10GB data file from the eShop.

The $63 deal is only at Amazon and Walmart. DK Bananza is price at $70 at Best Buy, Target, and GameStop as well as on the Switch eShop.

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For reference: Bananza has been priced slightly lower than $63 before, but that discount applied to the digital edition. During Amazon's Game Awards Sale last month, the digital edition was $59.49 and the bundle with the Emerald Rush DLC was $76.49. Those deals are long gone, though. Amazon also offered a $10 discount on the Donkey Kong & Pauline Amiibo around the same time, but that deal expired, too.

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David Lynch's Dune: Special Edition (4K Blu-ray)

$21.80 (was $50)

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A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune, An Oral History

$20.50 (was $30)

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If you're a big fan of Frank Herbert's Dune and/or movies made by legendary director David Lynch, check out Amazon's deal on the 4K UHD restoration of the late filmmaker's highly ambitious and divisive 1984 adaptation. Arrow Video's stellar 4K Blu-ray edition of David Lynch's Dune is up for grabs for only $21.80 (was $50). Dune is one of many 4K Blu-rays in Amazon's 50% off Arrow Video movies promotion; it's also not the only Dune adaptation on 4K Blu-ray for super cheap right now.

Save over 50% on Dune 4K Blu-rays:

• David Lynch's Dune -- $21.80 ($50)
• Dune: Prophecy Season 1 -- $17 ($40) with coupon
• Dune: Part One -- $14.49 ($30)
• Dune: Part Two -- $15 ($30)

The ultra-violent and often disorienting film was exceedingly unpopular with critics and fans, but it has garnered a cult following over the years. It's a fascinating adaptation that's worth revisiting, and Arrow Video's 4K Blu-ray edition is the best way to watch it today. If you're at all interested in Dune or David Lynch or the filmmaking process, I'd highly recommend pairing the 4K Blu-ray with the massive behind-the-scenes book titled A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune, An Oral History. The 560-page, limited-edition book is thoroughly entertaining--and it doesn't hurt that it doubles as a stunning display piece.

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