The lore of the Diablo franchise features stories of cultists, demons, and Prime Evils, and several of these horrific tales have been collected into Shadows of Sanctuary: A Diablo Short Story Collection. Out soon on March 18, you can preorder this tome of dark fantasy for $19.95 at Amazon.

Shadows of Sanctuary: A Diablo Short Story Collection $19.95

Written by various authors and members of the Diablo development team, this book focuses on the pervasive evil of those games and the struggle to earn a single moment of reprieve in Sanctuary. "From the slums of Kingsport to the shores of the Cold Isles, the belching sewers of Khanduran holdfasts to a crumbling castle on the moors of Scosglen, Hell takes root in its varied forms. But a warning is offered to those who would challenge it: evil endures defeat, death, and time. Lose vigilance for but a moment, and it will return to claim what it is owed," the official book synopsis reads.

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For more Diablo reading material, you can pick up Diablo: Tales from the Horadric Library for $18.66 at Amazon (was $30). This is another compilation of short stories written by members of the Diablo development team and horror authors and should be the perfect companion to the upcoming Shadows of Sanctuary collection.

You can also check out the five official Diablo character tomes written from the perspective of familiar Diablo characters, including Deckard Cain, the archangel Tyrael, Adria the witch, Lorath Nahr, and Reverend Mother Prava. Each hardcover book provides insight into the character's backstories and the various aspects of the Diablo universe they're most familiar with, along with illustrations for various characters, locations, monsters, and more.

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Polish developer CD Projekt Red has numerous projects in development currently, and one of them is an entirely new IP. The game is in development under the codename Project Hadar. While it's still early days for this game, and not much is known, there are some key details that have been revealed so far.

Table of Contents [hide]

• When will Project Hadar be released?
• Preorder Project Hadar

Hadar is a new IP from CD Projekt.When will Project Hadar be released?

CD Projekt Red has only confirmed the existence of a new IP and has not shared when it could be released, or even a projection of when the studio wants to launch the game.

Preorder Project Hadar

Preorders for CD Projekt Red's new IP are not available yet, which makes sense given the game hasn't even been announced or assigned a release date.

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Metal Gear Solid Snake Amiibo Figure

$16 | Releases February 13

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Solid Snake is one of the coolest collectibles in Nintendo's line of Amiibo figures, but the master of stealth has been sold out for years. Finally, Snake has snuck back onto store shelves. Over at Best Buy, you can preorder the reprint of the Solid Snake Amiibo for $16 ahead of its February 13 release.

Metal Gear Solid Snake Amiibo Figure $16 | Releases February 13

Solid Snake was first introduced to the Amiibo line in 2019 and has been a consistently popular character since then. This particular version is based on his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and like other Amiibo, he offers an in-game bonus when a user taps his figure on the NFC reader of a Switch console. The figure is packed with small details like a flowing bandana, textured combat suit, and even painted-on facial hair.

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Snake is also a rarity in the Amiibo line, as he's one of a handful of non-Nintendo characters to receive the Amiibo treatment. Another example of this would be Sora from Kingdom Hearts, a hard-to-find Amiibo that's back in stock as well. Just like the character who was introduced in the 2002 game, this replica of Sora comes with a big grin on his face, even bigger shoes, and his signature Keyblade weapon.

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A brand-new Zombies map arrives in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 with the launch of Season 2, and Treyarch has released a full gameplay trailer for the map. The Tomb features a fan-favorite Wonder Weapon, which deals elemental damage and provides an additional way to heal downed teammates.

At the end of the Citadelle des Morts final cutscene, Gabriel Krafft tells the crew to take the amulet they've acquired to an excavation site in France. As seen in the trailer below, the crew finds itself at the dig site, which features underground tombs and a subterranean temple.

Gameplay for The Tomb shows off all these various layers of the map, and it gives us an even better look at the map's Wonder Weapon in action. The Tomb features the Staff of Ice Wonder Weapon, which is familiar to those who played the popular Origins map from 2012's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

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Lego NES Set (2,646 pieces)

$270

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The elusive Lego Nintendo Entertainment System is back in stock at Amazon. Despite being over four years old--it was in the first batch of Lego Nintendo releases in 2020--this set remains exceedingly popular today. Dubbed "hard to find" by Lego, the Lego NES is sold out at Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and the Lego Store. Amazon is the only major retailer that has it available for purchase. With Lego set to release a Game Boy build later this year, the NES will probably be even more popular in the coming months.

Amazon has also restocked Lego Mighty Bowser, which is the only Nintendo-themed building set with more pieces (2,807) than the NES. Plus, the most recent Lego Super Mario display model for adults, the Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi build, has received a rare discount at Amazon.

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Ubisoft has now clarified details regarding its expansion for Assassin's Creed Shadows. After getting rid of the season pass, the expansion is now a preorder bonus.

The expansion is called Claws of Awaji, made by the developers behind Assassin's Creed Mirage. Here, protagonists Yasuke and Naoe travel to the island of Awaji beyond Osaka Bay. A new enemy called the Sanzoku Ippa will hunt down Yasuke and Naoe as they try to secure a lost treasure. Naoe also gets a new weapon type--the bo staff.

Claws of Awaji will add over 10 hours of additional content to the game and will be released later in 2025. While the expansion is a preorder bonus, it will also be available as a separate purchase later on. Those who preorder will also get the extra "Thrown to the Dogs" side quest.

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Unmatched is an asymmetrical miniatures board game, and a new edition based on The Witcher is now available at Amazon. Unmatched: The Witcher is designed for up to four players, and each player controls iconic Witcher characters like Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer, and more. Two Witcher sets are available, giving you access to seven characters and four unique battlefields. Best of all, both sets are compatible with other versions of Unmatched, letting you pit Geralt and Ciri against characters from other universes like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.

Unmatched: The Witcher - Steel & Silver $50

This version of Unmatched: The Witcher gets you everything you need to start playing, including miniatures of Geralt, Ciri, and the Ancient Leshenand beast, and two battlefield options. Note that this version is sold by a third-party seller but is shipped by Amazon.

See at Amazon Unmatched: The Witcher - Realms Fall $50

Realms Fall features Yennefer & Triss, Eredin, and Philippa characters plus two unique battlefields. Like Steel & Silver, it’s a complete set playable right out of the box and fully compatible with other Unmatched sets. This set is also sold by a third-party seller but shipped by Amazon.

See at Amazon Geralt and Yennefer miniatures from Unmatched: The Witcher

The Witcher Unmatched sets feature the same core game rules as other versions. The game pits players against each other, each one controlling a unique character with their own abilities. Games typically run for up to 40 minutes and are intended for ages nine and up.

Interested in having Geralt and pals face off against characters from the Marvel universe? Check out For King and Country to get miniatures for Black Widow, Black Panther, and Winter Solder for just $24 (was $30). This also comes with a Helicarrier battlefield, which should be a nice change of pace from the fantasy landscapes of The Continent. Another solid choice is Brains and Brawn featuring She-Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man--though it’s a bit more expensive at $36.

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Over the last couple of years, challenging video games have earned a devoted following of fans looking to put their skills to the test. Those are the kind of games that Fanatical is offering a pretty good bundle deal on, as the site has a bunch of roguelikes, metroidvanias, and more on sale.

Like other Fanatical deals, the more PC games you grab the better your discount, with the Ruthless Bundle starting at two games for $6. From there, you can get three games for $8 and the best-value deal here is five games for $12.

Build Your Own Ruthless Bundle See at Fanatical

• Aura of Worlds
• Hellbreach: Vegas
• Asterogues (Steam Deck Verified)
• Spectator (Steam Deck Playable)
• Duck Paradox
• The Golden Eyed Ghosts (Steam Deck Playable)
• Nephilim Resurrection
• Grime: Deluxe Edition (Steam Deck Verified)
• Dark Devotion (Steam Deck Playable)
• Children of Morta: Complete Edition (Steam Deck Verified)
• Wall World Complete (Steam Deck Verified)
• Aeterna Noctis (Steam Deck Verified)
• Rampage Knights (Steam Deck Playable)
• Dwarven Realms (Steam Deck Playable)
• Margoq's Lair
• Deflector (Steam Deck Verified)
• Souldiers (Steam Deck Verified)
• Mana Spark
• Bosorka (Steam Deck Verified)
• Arboria and Flame Keeper Double Pack
• Moonlighter: Complete Edition (Steam Deck Verified)
• For The King - Deluxe Edition (Steam Deck Playable)
• Zoeti (Steam Deck Verified)

As for the games on offer, there are some great titles to choose from. Metroidvania fans in particular will want to check out Aeterna Noctis, Souldiers, and Grime, as these have distinct visuals and solid gameplay loops. If you enjoy that action-packed genre, then this is a pretty solid trio of games to consider.

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Cloud's crushes and love interests are up to players to decide, not Square Enix. At least, that's according to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi after previous comments were construed to say that the protagonist's relationship with Aerith had a sibling vibe to it.

Speaking with Automaton, Hamaguchi clarified how a quote was taken by fans from an Inverse interview last month with the game director. "As creators, we will continue to convey (the relationships between our characters, etc.) through our content," Hamaguchi told Automaton. "For example, no one will make any official statements about who Cloud likes, who Aerith likes, and so on."

This explanation comes after Hamaguchi referred to Aerith as a "sort of sisterly character pulling Cloud along and encouraging him" in December. Fans apparently took this to mean the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director was officially chiming in on a longstanding discussion about the game's love triangle between Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa. But now Hamaguchi is saying that isn't the case at all.

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The newest patch for Dragon Age: The Veilguard is out now, and some believe it could be the game's final update. The newest patch is mainly focused on bug fixes.

The update fixes an issue where Rook was limited to only being able to flirt with Lucanis in a specific conversation. It also addresses a "blocking" issue with a puzzle in the Converged City, as well as a particularly horrible-sounding bug that caused Rook to get caught in a drowning loop when allies should be rescuing them. There is one quality-of-life change in the update as well, and this adds recommended levels to side quests.

BioWare has signaled that this may be the final significant update for The Veilguard, saying it is happy with the game's stability levels now and is shifting its focus to look for game-breaking bugs if they should appear. BioWare concluded its note by saying "Dareth shiral!" This translates to "farewell," and many are taking this to mean BioWare is moving on from The Veilguard.

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Nintendo has announced the next batch of games coming to Nintendo Switch Online. Fatal Fury 2, Sutte Hakkun, and Super Ninja Boy will all be available as part of the subscription service's Super NES game catalog starting today, January 24.

Like all other SNES games, you only need to be subscribed to the base Nintendo Switch Online tier to check out these games. Fatal Fury 2 is the 1994 SNES port of an arcade fighting game by SNK. This sequel helped cement Fatal Fury as a true rival to the fighting game monolith that is Street Fighter and is the SNK game that introduced Mai Shiranui, who is now an iconic character for the company. Fatal Fury 2's addition to the service is relevant because Mai will come to Street Fighter 6 on February 5 and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves launches on April 24.

Meanwhile, Sutte Hakkun and Super Ninja Boy can be considered hidden gems. Culture Brian released Super Ninja Boy for SNES in North America in 1993 and is notable for being an early action-RPG that mixed overworld and dungeon exploration, real-time sidescrolling beat-'em-up combat, and some platforming. Sutte Hakkun is a puzzle-platformer released for Super Famicom's ill-fated Satellaview service in 1997. It's rare that Satellaview games ever get re-released by Nintendo, so it's certainly a novelty to have on Nintendo Switch Online now.

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Over four years after its undeniably rocky launch, Cyberpunk 2077's recent Steam reviews have reached the coveted "overwhelmingly positive" rating.

Per Steam's user-review data, 95% of the 12,818 reviews written by users over the past 30 days were positive. (Cyberpunk 2077's overall score--the average of all 716,126 of its reviews--is still sitting at "very positive.")

When Cyberpunk 2077 launched back in 2020, it was in pretty rough shape. So rough, in fact, that it led to developer CD Projekt Red's near-total restructuring. But the studio was quick to learn from its mistakes, and spent years working to fix the game's broken bits, and improve on its strengths.

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A new report suggests NHL players are increasingly turning to video games and weed edibles during their downtime, as opposed to boozing like players of past generations took part in regularly.

Twenty-two-year-old Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies told The Athletic that because technology has advanced so much, it's very easy to "live a virtual life instead of a real one." Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs, 23, said, "We'll all go out for dinner, but then guys will generally go back to their rooms to play video games."

One anonymous defenseman told the site that playing video games with teammates can help with camaraderie. "You just have to be more open," this person said. "I'll try to drag guys out of their comfort zone, and then I'll play video games with them."

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A regular library typically doesn't have a section devoted to out-of-print video game magazines and promotional materials, but that's a gap that the Video Game History Foundation is looking to fill next week when it opens the doors to its virtual library. The non-profit organization has been steadily collecting video game materials for several years, and its public library will be accessible starting January 30.

"After years of collecting, cataloging, and digitizing video game history materials, the VGHF is finally opening the virtual doors to its library--wherever you are," the group said in a statement (via VGC). Some of the materials teased by the organization include high-resolution scans of Final Fantasy 7 artwork and more than 1,500 video game magazines.

Good things come to those who wait - the Video Game History Foundation Digital Library launches on January 30th, 2025. (We'll tell you all about it then!)

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— The Video Game History Foundation (@gamehistoryorg.bsky.social) January 23, 2025 at 9:43 PM

The VGHF added that its library will be home to "never-before-seen game development materials," and with powerful search options teased, it could become an invaluable resource for video game historians to make use of.

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Circana has shared new video game data that shows how challenging 2024 was for video game hardware. Total spending on PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch devices in the US declined a gargantuan 25%, dropping to $4.9 billion (down from $6.45 billion in 2023).

For December 2024 specifically, spending on new video game hardware fell 29%, declining to $1.1 billion. PS5 hardware sales in December 2024 dropped by 18%, with Xbox Series X|S and Switch sales each declining a more precipitous 38%.

A major drop in spending on video game hardware is expected, of course, given PS5 and Xbox Series X|S being past their prime selling peaks and the Switch's maturity in the market, Circana's Mat Piscatella said. That said, Piscatella commented that the decline was bigger than he expected.

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The brief was simple. I commissioned artists to create a fantasy world, and hide as many dogs and bones as they can inside it. Now it’s your job to find them all! With 15 art pieces to choose from, and 1500+ hidden objects, you will have a lot of searching to do.