With Star Wars Day arriving this weekend (May 4), we've seen no shortage of early discounts and deals for Star Wars video games, merchandise, and other collectibles. However, Star Wars is also getting a unique collaboration, as Truff has teamed up with Lucasfilm to bring fans a Darth Vader-themed hot sauce. Speciality food and condiment collaborations with major franchises have a tendency to sell out, so if you're interested in Truff's (pricey) Star Wars-themed hot sauce, you may want to order soon.

Truff Star Wars Dark Side Hot Sauce $40

The Dark Side Hot Sauce features a flavor profile built around ghost peppers and black winter truffles. Those two unique ingredients should combine to give you a strong kick of heat mixed with an intense earthy note. It's also gluten-free and vegan, so it's safe for those with these dietary restrictions. However, unless you really love the bottle--and it indeed looks awesome--you should probably stay away from Dark Side Hot Sauce if you aren't a fan of very spicy sauces.

See at Truff

Truff notes that this is one of their hottest sauces to date. On the Scoville Scale, the Dark Side clocks in at a staggering 800,000 to 1 million SHU. That puts it in line with a standard Ghost Pepper, so again, you might want to reconsider tossing it on your food if you're used to spice from jalapeno peppers or habanero peppers, as this is well beyond your run-of-the-mill heat.

While the hot sauce itself is a great gift, it's the Star Wars packaging that really seals the deal. The hot sauce bottle features a black and red design with Darth Vader's helmet serving as its cap. You'll also get a custom box that makes this a cool gift for friends and family.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Fanatical is celebrating the arrival of May with the appropriately named May Madness Sale. This annual event is one of Fanatical's biggest sales each year, with discounts on thousands of PC games. In addition to the deals that will be available for the next couple of weeks, the sale features 24-hour Flash Deals each day starting at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.

The limited-time deals for May 1 are definitely worth checking out, as the selection includes two recently released games. Persona 3 Reload is on sale for only $42.69 (was $70), and Dragon's Dogma 2 is discounted to $56, which is the lowest price we've seen on the PC version of Capcom's RPG since its March launch.

Along with discounts, Fanatical is giving shoppers who spend over $12 a chance to spin the Fanatical Wheel and earn a variety of free games, coupons, or other special bonuses. The biggest prize available on the wheel is the Star Prize, which gets you the Razer Edge cloud streaming handheld. All purchases also include a 5% off voucher for your next full-priced order.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Marvel Rivals is inspired by Overwatch, but one area where the game stands out is in its decision to utilize a third-person perspective as opposed to the first-person viewpoint of Blizzard's hero shooter. Why third-person? According to NetEase Games, using a "third-person shooter" foundation as its combat core allows for players to fully embody the superheroes and villains they're playing as, especially when combat isn't limited to guns.

Executing ranged and melee attacks using quick targeting necessitated the use of a third-person viewpoint and was decided early on in the development of Marvel Rivals. At the same time, NetEase ran into a few challenges when adopting this system, as Marvel characters come in a wide range of shapes and sizes.

"We've been playing around with camera rules, tweaking positions, adjusting FOV (field of view), and fine-tuning hero performances to make sure they all shine," NetEase wrote in a developer diary on the Marvel Rivals Discord. "Another challenge is encouraging players to switch from FPS to TPS. If you're used to FPS games, leaping into our TPS realm might feel a bit like going into a whole new world!"

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Starfield's recently announced May Update--an enormous update full of quality-of-life improvements--is set to go live on May 15, but it's far from the only thing Starfield fans have to look forward to. In a YouTube video highlighting the new update, Bethesda also revealed that another long-awaited feature is finally in the works: a vehicle that will allow players to drive across the surface of the game's 1,000+ planets.

"The team is working on our first land vehicle, so you can drive around on planets," lead creative producer Tim Lamb revealed near the end of the video. "Obviously, we're [also] working on more quests and the massive Shattered Space expansion."

Starfield launched in September 2023 with no vehicles (or alien mounts) available for players to make use of when traversing the game's many planets. At the time, game director Todd Howard indicated that Boost Packs--jetpack-like devices that can be found throughout the game--should be enough to get players where they want to go.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Kura Sushi has announced its newest limited edition Bikkura Pon collaboration with Dragon Ball Super. The sushi "eater-tainment" company has collaborated with Spy x Family and Demon Slayer in the past, and will bring Dragon Ball fans new merch and themed rolls at its locations nationwide starting today through June 30.

"In our ongoing quest to offer memorable and engaging dining experiences, we have partnered with Dragon Ball Super, a series as beloved for its dynamic storytelling as we are for our innovative dining," said Sally Kurosaki, Kura's head of promotions and licensing. "This collaboration was highly requested by our guests and we’re ecstatic to bring a new level of excitement combining the thrill of Dragon Ball Super with the joy of Japanese cuisine."

Gallery

The collection includes acrylic stand keychains, foam sticker 3-piece sets, and pins featuring Dragon Ball Super characters. The Dragon Ball Super x Kura Sushi Bottle Set with straw and lanyard will be available for purchase for $16 starting June 1 at the restaurants.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Star Wars Day is this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than with a new Star Wars book? Everything from novels and children's books to art books and encyclopedias is on sale ahead of the event, making this the perfect time to fill your bookcase for cheap. And if you're looking for something for your daily commute, you'll also find plenty of audiobooks available on Audible--most of which can be purchased using free monthly credits if you're an Audible Member.

If you need help sifting through all the deals, here's a look at the best Star Wars books on sale for Star Wars Day. Many of these will likely disappear next week, so be sure to check them out while you can.

Not a reader? Then maybe you'll be interested in the Star Wars: Skywalker Saga Complete Box Set, which compiles all nine mainline films into either a Blu-ray or DVD collection. These are technically UK releases, but since they're region-free, you can watch them anywhere.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The last of Destiny 2: Into the Light's Brave arsenal is finally unlocked, bringing two last fan-favorite weapons back into players' hands. Of all of them, Luna's Howl might be the most prestigious, so it makes sense that it was left for last. The revised hand cannon could be almost as ravenous a predator of the Crucible as the original version, which was sunset way back with the Beyond Light expansion.

Like the other Brave arsenal weapons, you'll need to knock down a quest in order to unlock the ability to farm Luna's Howl reliably in Onslaught. It doesn't take much work, though, especially if you've got an hour or two to spend clearing waves of enemies. Luna's Howl has some pretty phenomenal potential rolls, though, making it a great gun to farm to take into Iron Banner and the Crucible. Here's everything you need to know about Luna's Howl, including which god rolls to chase.

Table of Contents [hide]

• How To Unlock Luna's Howl

How To Unlock Luna's Howl

As with the other weapons in the Brave arsenal released in Into the Light, you can get Luna's Howl by completing quests in the Hall of Champions and taking part in the new Onslaught activity. You'll first need to complete the Feats of Strength quest with Lord Shaxx in order to unlock the full potential of the Hall of Champions. That also means knocking out the first weapon-specific quest you can pick up from Shaxx's right-hand bot, Arcite 99-40, called Stranger Danger.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Tennis, at its core, is a game about legacy. Names like Billie Jean King, Pete Sampras, and the Williams sisters are immortalized through legendary matches, on-court triumphs, and tournament dominance that have shaped the history of the sport. It seems appropriate, then, that the Top Spin series has lived on in similar reverence since Top Spin 4, which was released over a decade ago to critical acclaim. Now, with developer Hanger 13 at the helm, Top Spin makes its long-awaited return. It serves up an ace in the all-important gameplay aspects, but double faults on content and troubling microstransaction focus mean it’s still far from a grand slam.

Gameplay takes center court in the newest entry and it's excellent. Moving around the court feels great thanks to a strong sense of momentum and weight. That's especially true on different surfaces, as the firm footing of a hard court gives way to sliding around on clay. It looks authentic, and factoring in the different starts and stops on the numerous types of surfaces is an important consideration when playing a match.

Different shots are mapped to various buttons and do an excellent job conveying just how sophisticated volleys are. Whether you are hitting a hard straight shot, curving slices, or smashing a ball right up the line with hard-to-handle top spin, the various options are meaningfully different. A simple timing system lets you tap for controlled returns, or hold to generate power, with both options depending on releasing at the right moment to determine accuracy. It’s straightforward, and rewarding to execute . There's a place and application for each, like intentionally hitting a slow rolling shot to give yourself an opportunity to reposition yourself on the court, or sending a lob high over the head of an opponent who has creeped too close to the net.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Despicable Me 4 hits theaters on July 3, and a bunch of new Lego sets are now available ahead of its release. Some of these are fairly big builds inching close to 1,000 pieces, while others barely clock in over 100 pieces--so whether you're a veteran builder or brand-new to Lego, you should have no problem finding something that fits your (or your kid's) skill level. Keep in mind that some of these are already selling out at select retailers, so consider checking them out soon if you're interested.

Here's a look at the four Despicable Me 4 Lego sets up for grabs. These Despicable Me 4 sets are far from the only new Lego sets that launched on May 1. Lego also released an adorable Mood Cubes set based on Pixar's Inside Out 2. Star Wars fans should also check out the new sets released ahead of Star Wars Day, including the Ultimate Collector Series TIE Interceptor.

Despicable Me 4: Minions and Gru's Family Mansion (868 pieces) $100

Piece together Gru's quirky mansion with this large building set. Plenty of cool details and accessories are included with the set, including a red couch, fireplace, and rocket-style bedroom. Rounding out the package are six minifigures and buildable Minions.

See at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Lego Store Despicable Me 4: Brick-Built Gru and Minions (839 pieces) $55

Snap together a posable Gru figure along with a bunch of Minions. This is essentially a piece of home décor, though both Gru and the Minions are posable, allowing you to rearrange them as you see fit. The Minion figures do a great job showing off their wide-range of expressions, while the Gru figure has an appropriately unsettling smile. The poor guy just has a hard time looking happy.

See at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Lego Store Despicable Me 4: Minions Music Party Bus (379 pieces) $40

This smaller set consists of less than 400 pieces, making it a great choice for new builders. It includes a 2-in-1 build that converts from a party bus to a party playset, with the side of the bus opening up to reveal a bunch of cool accessories inside.

See at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Lego Store Despicable Me 4: Minions and Banana Car Toy (136 pieces) $25

The smallest Lego set of the bunch includes four Minions, a small car toy, and heaps of accessories for them to hold. It's also the cheapest at $25--though some retailers are already selling out, so move fast if you're interested.

See at Amazon See at Best Buy See at Lego Store

Best Gaming & Tech Deals This Week

• New Star Wars And Marvel Disney Plus Blu-Rays Have Arrived, But You May Want To Order Soon
• Nintendo Switch Mario Party Controller Bundle Drops To New Low Price
• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Preorders Are Discounted
• + Show More Best Gaming & Tech Deals This Week Links (3)
• Super Mario RPG Is On Sale For Its Best Price Yet At Amazon
• Save $10 On Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Preorders
• Fallout-Themed Magic: The Gathering Cards Get Nice Discounts At Amazon

PlayStation has revealed this month's batch of free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers. All PS Plus members will be able to claim a quartet of freebies starting May 7: EA Sports FC 24, Ghostrunner 2, Tunic, and Destiny 2: Lightfall.

If you haven't claimed April's PlayStation Plus free games yet, make sure to do so before next Tuesday.

PS Plus games for May 2024

EA Sports FC 24 is a fairly recent game, as it was released in September 2023. EA's first soccer game since it parted ways with FIFA, EA Sports FC 24 might have a new name but it's still the same beautiful game. With a ton of licensed teams and leagues, and impressive technology powering the entire experience, this was a solid attempt from EA to establish a new franchise.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Bethesda has announced it will be releasing Starfield's biggest update since launch on May 15. Referred to by Bethesda as the May Update, the patch will include updated planet surface maps, new gameplay difficulty options, and new ship-building customization options, among other new features. It's also available in Steam Beta right now.

The announcement was made via a five-minute YouTube video uploaded to the Bethesda Softworks YouTube channel, featuring interviews with the game's lead producer, Joe Mueller, art director Istvan Pely, and senior producer Tim Lamb.

"We've seen a lot of feedback online that players really want a lot more utility and detail in our surface maps," Pely explained. "So we took what's there, we blew it all up, and instead, now we have a whole new aesthetic to the surface maps where you can see the terrain, all the detail in the terrain--trees, rocks, all the structures in the loaded zone. It's a lot easier to navigate."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Apex Legends Season 20: Breakout is nearing its end, and today, developer Respawn Entertainment gave players a taste of what's coming in Season 21 via a new episode of Stories From The Outlands, entitled Based On A True Story. The episode introduces players to Season 21's debut Legend, a portal-hopping anomaly who goes by the name Alter.

Narrated by Alter herself, Based On A True Story seems to imply that Alter is not from the same dimension as the other Legends (save for Wraith, who is also from another dimension). The episode reveals that Alter's parents are dead--and may have been murdered--but verifiable information is sparse in terms of her origins, and she seems to revel in the fact that she's an enigma--and a potentially unreliable narrator.

Throughout the episode, Alter reveals she's a highly skilled fighter, and has been trained as an assassin by a mysterious organization. Physically, she resembles a sort of cyberpunk tiefling, complete with horn-like antennae on her head and a Doc Ock-esque mechanical arm sprouting out of her lower back like a tail. Though she does appear to be mostly human, her voice has a bit of an inorganic tone to it, similar to the voices of robotic Legends like Ash, Pathfinder, and Revenant.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Almost a decade has passed since Rocksteady Studios wrapped up its Dark Knight trilogy in Batman: Arkham Knight, but at long last, a new game set in that universe has been revealed for Meta Quest 3. The Caped Crusader will be swinging back into action in a new virtual reality game developed by Republique and Iron Man VR studio Camouflaj.

The studio says that it is aiming to capture the feel of the Arkham series, and a full reveal will be shown in the months to come. You can get a glimpse of the direction that the studio is going in with the cinematic trailer below, which teases Batman taking on his greatest foe yet: too many damn rats.

"We are committed to building upon the beloved foundation laid by the legendary team at Rocksteady, and driven to do it justice," Camouflaj said in a press release. "Batman: Arkham Shadow is being crafted to be the ultimate VR game and take full advantage of Meta Quest 3. Leaning into our eight years of dedicated VR game development history has enabled us to not only create a distinctly Arkham-feeling game but done in a way that leverages the immersive magic only VR can provide."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The stakes will be raised at Dave & Buster's in the coming months, as the national arcade chain will allow customers 18 and older to gamble on games. That means you could bet money against a friend or loved one on Skee-Ball or ping pong--let alone any arcade games available at your local location.

CNBC reports Dave & Buster's is teaming up with Lucra, a self-described "technology provider of gamification services," for this new gambling initiative. Wagering will be possible within the Dave & Buster's app for loyalty members.

"This new partnership gives our loyalty members real-time, unrivaled gaming experiences, and reinforces our commitment to continuing to elevate our customer experience through innovative, cutting-edge technology," said Simon Murray, senior VP of entertainment and attractions at Dave & Buster's in a press release.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Bethesda dropped Fallout 4's next-gen update earlier in April, and it's fair to say that it's garnered a mixed reception from players--mostly thanks to technical issues and mod compatibility problems. Now, PC mods that remove the next-gen update are surging in popularity on Nexus Mods.

These mods, which include the "Fallout 4 Downgrader" and "Steam - Skip Next-Gen Update," have roughly 60,000 downloads as of this writing, and they've each been out for less than a week. As their names imply, the former allows you to roll back the next-gen update with relative ease, and the latter (apparently) tricks Steam into no longer prompting you for the next-gen update at all.

It's worth noting that we have not used either of these mods for ourselves, so your mileage may vary--the Downgrader requires your Steam credentials to work, which is potentially hazardous to say the least. Generally speaking, most popular mods for games are updated to work with every major patch, but it's definitely not guaranteed.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Ahead of Star Wars Day, eBay has partnered with Billie Lourd to curate two unique Star Wars collections ahead of Star Wars Day. Lourd played Lieutenant Connix in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and is the daughter of Carrie Fisher. The Light Side Collection and Dark Side Collection are filled with memorabilia, collectibles, and plenty of autographed gear for fans to bid on or buy outright.

See the Light Side Collection See the Dark Side Collection

As you'd expect, many of the products in the two collections are quite pricey. For example, the Dark Side Collection includes a Ralph McQuarrie Darth Vader Concept Helmet for over $14,000, while the Light Side Collection features a Princess Leia Funko Pop signed by Carrie Fisher for $5,750. The event runs through May 4 at 11:59 PM ET, though some products--including the two we just mentioned--are being sold for a fixed price or accept offers, so fans don't have to compete in auctions for all of the products.

Other cool collectibles include a Star Wars Darth Vader Helmet signed by David Prowse for around $350 and the Star Wars Master Replicas Anakin Skywalker Lightsaber Hilt for $200. Keep in mind that these prices will almost certainly increase as we inch closer to the end of the event, as more people toss in their final bids.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Indika is a hard game to define. It looks like a horror game, but it's not scary--at least not in the conventional sense. It plays like a third-person puzzle game, but most of the puzzles don't require much thought. What Indika definitely is, however, is a fascinating psychological examination of faith and doubt that's supported by remarkable visuals and mature writing. Occasionally, its ambitions get a little unwieldy, but developer Odd Meter's decision to take on these heady themes and confidently explore nearly all of them is an impressive feat.

You play as Indika, a nun tormented by a demonic voice in her head, as she travels across a nightmarish interpretation of 19th-century Russia to deliver a letter. Most of the game consists of traveling from point A to B, solving a few puzzles, and watching cutscenes, but within these tasks are moments of introspection and self-discovery. Along the way, she meets an escaped convict named Ilya who claims God speaks to him. What ensues is a nuanced exploration of faith and doubt, love and hate, and pleasure and suffering. Both characters believe in the same God; rather than pitting a believer against a nonbeliever, Indika explores the space that exists between two interpretations of the same faith. This specificity allows Odd Meter to delve into different shades of Christianity and examine how the same texts, rituals, and prayers can be bent to ascertain different meanings.

Gallery

These frequent philosophical exchanges could have easily come off as overwrought or self-indulgent, but all these musings are in service of the characters and their development over the course of the story. For example, Indika tells Ilya she joined the convent of her own volition, but because her decision was fueled by emotions and experiences that were out of her control, can she really say she became a nun through her own free will? Ilya challenges this notion, and declares that free will is how we rise above our biological dispositions. Reflective conversations like these are key to Indika's character as she grapples with her faith and attempts to make sense of her life.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Xbox has several games coming out in 2024, particularly in the latter half. We might already know the release windows for the games too, as Microsoft is most likely going to reveal them at its showcase on June 9.

According to The Verge, Starfield's Shattered Space expansion is set to launch in September, and Bethesda's Todd Howard has already confirmed that its release window is sometime in this fall. Following the showcase, Microsoft is also airing a "mystery event" which is reportedly a Call of Duty direct detailing the latest entry. The next installment is reportedly due for a late October release.

Avowed and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are apparently getting a November launch, and then the year closes out with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in December, according to the report.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Between the advent of cozy games, farm sims, rhythm games, narrative adventures, and more, we're in something of a golden age of non-violent games. If you want to take a break from shooting and punching and instead just relax with some chill vibes, you have myriad options available to you. Endless Ocean: Luminous is an aquatic take, letting you freely explore the ocean with no danger or violence to speak of whatsoever. It sometimes straddles the line between game and edutainment in ways that could be engaging, but achingly slow progression and a lack of realism leave it feeling washed up.

Scientists say only 5% of the ocean has been explored. The name Endless Ocean, and the unexplored nature of the ocean itself, suggests an incredible degree of possibility and adventure. In practice, though, there actually isn't all that much to do in Endless Ocean: Luminous. You can take part in a Solo Dive, in which you explore a seemingly randomized map; a Shared Dive, which is just a Solo Dive with friends exploring the same map together online using Nintendo's Switch Online service (complete with its usual shortcomings); and Story Mode, which gives you short missions consisting of objectives accompanied by a little dialogue.

With this dearth of options, its approach to progression gating further compounds the lack of variety. After the first handful of story missions, the others are locked behind scanning ocean creatures in Shared or Solo dives. To scan you just hold the L button in the direction of sea life until the meter fills, which then gives a detailed look at the creatures in your scan. But the progress gates are set so absurdly high that the novelty wears off quickly. One of the earliest gates is set at 500 scans, which felt high but reasonable. The next was at 1,000, so I had to get another 500. That rubbed me the wrong way. By the time I reached the next gate, set at 2,000--meaning I needed another 1,000 scans--the chill vibes were gone. I was just annoyed. It's hard to overstate how frustrating it is to spend almost an hour roaming around a randomized map scanning fish, only to exit the map and find I've only gained another 200 pips toward my next story goal. Plus, judging by the creature log, there are just under 600 species of sea life total in the game. Why would you need to scan 2,000 times to see a mid-game story mission?

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Disney Dreamlight Valley is home to a wide variety of lovable characters, including a handful of romantic partners who get to spend time together in your village. One such character introduced in the Thrills & Frills update is Daisy Duck, who happens to be Donald Duck's sweetheart. In this guide, we'll tell you how to unlock her so that you can open up her boutique for selling Touch of Magic designs.

How to unlock Daisy Duck in Disney Dreamlight Valley

Daisy Duck can be unlocked by speaking to Mickey and accepting the quest "You Have Mail!"

Mickey will ask you to set up Daisy Duck's house. You can do so by opening Furniture Mode and placing it somewhere in your valley. Afterward, you can interact with the sign in front of the construction site and pay Scrooge McDuck 20,000 coins to fully build the home.

Continue Reading at GameSpot