Stephen King's The Dark Tower - 8-Book Box Set

$68.90 (was $161)

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Amazon has a terrific deal on Stephen King's epic dark fantasy series The Dark Tower. For a limited time, you can get all eight novels in one box set for only $68.90, which is nearly $100 off its original retail price. The Dark Tower 8-Book Box Set often sells for around $100-$120, though the price has shot up to around $150 multiple times in recent months. The $69 deal is the best price we've seen in a long time and just a few bucks shy of the all-time low.

The Dark Tower is Stephen King's longest and most iconic series. It debuted in 1982 with The Gunslinger and finally wrapped in 2004. The series garnered critical praise and earned the author legions of new fans. The Dark Tower deftly blends fantasy, science fiction, and western genres to tell the story of the last gunslinger Roland Deschain's quest to find the eponymous Dark Tower.

Stephen King's The Dark Tower - 8-Book Box Set $68.90 (was $161)

All told, the eight book box set eclipses 4,700 pages across the seven mainline novels and Book 4.5, The Wind Through the Keyhole, which was published in 2012. This box set includes trade paperback editions of the complete series. On their own, the paperbacks carry list prices of $16-$20--though you can typically save a few bucks on each.

• The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
• The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
• The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
• The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
• The Dark Tower 4.5: The Wind Through the Keyhole
• The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
• The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
• The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

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Along with the books, you’ll get a collectible case to keep them safe on your bookshelf.

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The developer behind Astro Bot has a handbook for all new employees that contains the following phrase: "We aim for quality, not quantity." Team Asobi studio director Nicolas Doucet showed off this slogan at a Game Developers Conference session last week, where he argued, "It's okay to make a small game."

GameDeveloper reports that Doucet shared how this approach helped Team Asobi thrive with Astro Bot, one of GameSpot's 10 best games of 2024. Additionally, the 3D platformer has racked up nominations and awards at GDC and the DICE Awards. "The prospect of a game you can actually complete is a really, really positive argument [for small games]," Doucet said. "That meant being okay with the game being 12 hours, but if it had been eight hours--and the eight hours were fantastic--we would have settled for that to reach consistent quality."

Following a "less is more" approach helped Team Asobi keep Astro Bot from ballooning in all sorts of ways. For instance, Doucet reportedly told audience members that the game's narrative has fewer than 5,000 words and cinematics top out at roughly 12-and-a-half minutes. This means players are in control over 98% of the time in Astro Bot.

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Verdansk returns to Call of Duty: Warzone next month. Ahead of the release, Activision has shared a new video to reveal that Infinity Ward's original Verdansk map has been completely rebuilt from the ground up with new technology, but it still aims to be faithful to the original design.

Warzone launched with Verdansk five years ago, and now players will get to experience the map with improved visuals and lighting, as shown in the video below.

Activision reveals that the remake of Verdansk is a collaboration between Beenox, High Noon Studios, and Raven Software developers, with the intention to capture the original map with the new technology that's now available.

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Turn 10 has announced that the track Fujimi Kaido will be making a return in Forza Motorsport in May to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary.

The track is a fictional closed course circuit set in Japan, in the town of Fujimi, in the Nagano Prefecture. Fujimi Kaido debuted in the first Forza Motorsport in 2005, and appeared in Forza Motorsport 3 as well as 4. Turn 10 has been recreating the track in 2023's Forza Motorsport since the game's launch, and this updated version stretches 10.24 miles (16.5 km). It has 144 extreme turns and a 27,111 ft summit (826 meters).

Turn 10 also said that this it'll be adding more anniversary content in Forza Motorsport, including some highly requested and fan-favorite cars, as well as more unlockable driver suits and special events.

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A bunch of Paramount 4K Blu-rays were on sale earlier this month, including a handful of Mission: Impossible steelbooks. Unfortunately, these deals quickly sold out at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you missed the price cuts, Amazon is bringing back most of the Mission: Impossible offers with its new Big Spring Sale, giving you a chance to save on Mission: Impossible 4K Blu-ray steelbooks through March 31. Three of the four restocked Mission: Impossible 4K steelbook edition Blu-rays are available for $15: Mission: Impossible 1, Mission: Impossible 3, and Mission: Impossible 5 - Rogue Nation. These typically cost $26, and their new price of $15 is the lowest we've ever seen. The Mission: Impossible 6: Fallout 4K Steelbook Edition Blu-ray is also in stock and available for $17.49 (was $31).

Mission: Impossible 1 and Mission: Impossible 3 Steelbooks

Along with gorgeous steelbooks to store and protect your Blu-rays, they include heaps of bonus features like commentary from Tom Cruise, various documentaries, a look at how the stunts were performed for the films, and more.

It's worth noting that the 4K Steelbook Editions for Mission: Impossible 2, Mission: Impossible 4 - Ghost Protocol, and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One are all sold out at the time of writing, but it's still worth checking Amazon's listings in case they're also restocked.

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The Assassin's Creed Shadows development team at Ubisoft has released a heartfelt statement following the launch of the game. In a post on Reddit, the studio said many on the development team spent the launch weekend reading fan reactions, and the team is feeling the love.

"We just want to say thank you. The sheer amount of love and positivity we've received has been incredibly heartwarming," Ubisoft said. "Seeing your excitement, your thoughtful reactions, and your joy has meant the world to us. After years of hard work, there's nothing more rewarding than watching the community connect with what we've created."

Also in the post, Ubisoft said its staffers won't be able to reply directly to every message, but assured fans that "we're listening."

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Dune: Awakening, Funcom's upcoming survival MMO set in an alternate version of author Frank Herbert's legendary sci-fi universe, will buck the trend of many survival games by not launching in an early-access state when it arrives for PC on May 20. Nor will it have any kind of subscription fee, as some MMOs do.

Creative director Joel Bylos delivered the news in a recent video, diving into Funcom's post-launch plans for the sci-fi survival game.

"The key things that you need to know about Dune: Awakening's launch are that it will not launch in early access and it will not have a monthly subscription," Bylos said. "It will receive regular free updates, including new content, new features, and quality-of-life improvements."

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Juan Soto hopped on the subway and swapped one New York borough for another to become the highest-paid player in baseball. The Japanese phenom, Roki Sasaki, reunited with the growing list of his compatriots in Dodgers blue, making the World Series champions an even more formidable outfit. Corbin Burnes headed to the Arizona desert, the Cubs swung a trade for Kyle Tucker, and the Red Sox beefed up their rotation by acquiring ace Garrett Crotchet. It was an offseason of typical upheaval that even saw the Oakland Athletics leave their 57-year-old home for a temporary stay in Sacramento. But as the weather warms and spring training draws to a close, the return of the MLB season is just a few days away, which can only mean it's also time for the newest iteration of MLB The Show. While last year's game was one of minor iterations, MLB The Show 25 takes a few steps in the right direction by introducing a few long overdue changes to modes like Road to the Show and Franchise.

Road to the Show (RTTS) has grown stale over the past couple of years, with little to no improvements and an irritating connection to the card-collecting mode, Diamond Dynasty. This isn't the case in The Show 25, as it severs that link and completely overhauls the opening few hours of your career with the addition of amateur baseball. Now, you begin your journey to the Major Leagues as a fresh-faced high school student. By playing well in the three available games, potentially winning a high school championship, and showcasing your talents at the MLB combine, you'll garner interest from both MLB teams and the eight different college programs included in the game, such as Vanderbilt, LSU, UCLA, and Texas. You can opt to sign with an MLB team straight out of high school as an 18-year-old--like previous years' games--or head to college for four years to further improve your attributes and, ideally, increase your draft stock.

Each college has a rating from one to five stars in "exposure," which impacts your draft status and rating among scouts, and "skill development," which determines how many upgrade tokens you'll earn to improve your ballplayer. Once you've chosen a college that fits your needs, the game fast-forwards to your senior year as you prepare to compete in the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Depending on the outcome of each game, you can potentially play in all four on the way to winning the national championship, which will significantly boost your standing in the draft if you also play well enough. After signing for an MLB team, you can expect to be fast-tracked through the minor leagues, as opposed to spending more time in AA and AAA if you decided to skip college, so there are some impactful choices to consider.

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Amazon's Big Spring Sale includes a massive Buy Two, Get One Free promotion on movies, books, toys, and more. Movies and TV show box sets tend to be among the most popular items during these sales, but it's not necessarily easy to sift through the chaos. To help you score some 4K Blu-rays and box sets for great prices, we've put together alphabetized lists with dozens of notable movies and TV shows eligible for B2G1 free. As always, you simply need to add three products that are tagged "Savings: Get 3 for the price of 2" to your cart. It's a mix-and-match sale, so you can pair two Blu-rays with a book, for example. At checkout, Amazon applies discounts to all of the items, and those discounts add up to the value of the cheapest eligible product.

See all B2G1 Free Blu-rays B2G1 Free Movies on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon

• 2001: A Space Odyssey -- $22 ($34.98)
• A Few Good Men -- $18 ($31)
• Air Force One -- $16.70 ($27)
• Akira - Limited Edition -- $25 ($35)
• Akira -- $18.64 ($30)
• Alien: Covenant -- $18 ($31)
• Alien: Romulus -- $27.42 ($50)
• Alien: Romulus - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $47.75 ($66)
• Aliens -- $25 ($35)
• Alita: Battle Angel -- $19.52 ($31)
• Amadeus (1984) -- $27 ($30)
• Arrival -- $19 ($22)
• Avatar: The Way of Water -- $22.79 ($39)
• Blade Runner: The Final Cut -- $22.19 ($35)
• The Blob (1988) - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $27 ($45)
• Captain America: Civil War -- $26.25 ($39)
• The Cell - Limited Edition -- $35
• Christine - 35th Anniversary Edition -- $17.60 ($31)
• The Chronicles of Riddick - 3-Disc Limited Edition -- $30
• Civil War -- $19.75 ($19.57)
• Cowboys & Aliens -- $22.44 ($40)
• Cujo -- $23 ($40)
• Deadpool & Wolverine -- $30
• Death Becomes Her - Collector's Edition -- $26 ($40)
• The Departed -- $20
• Die Hard -- $21.31 ($27)
• Doctor Sleep -- $22 ($35)
• Donnie Darko - 2-Disc Special Edition -- $30 ($50)
• Drag Me to Hell - Collector's Edition -- $29 ($40)
• Drive - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $30 ($46)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- $25 ($40)
• Evil Dead (2013) - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $29 ($45)
• Ex Machina -- $18 ($23)
• Face/Off -- $22.85 ($40)
• The Fifth Element -- $18.70 ($31)
• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete -- $18 ($31)
• Ghost in the Shell -- $15.85 ($23)
• Gladiator -- $19.52 ($26)
• Graveyard Shift -- $29 ($45)
• The Green Knight -- $13.67 ($23)
• Hackers - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $31.49 ($45)
• Heat -- $19 ($31)
• Highlander - 30th Anniversary Edition -- $16.49 ($23)
• Jackie Brown -- $28
• Jaws - 45th Anniversary Limited Edition -- $21 ($35)
• John Wick -- $15 ($23)
• John Wick: Chapter 2 -- $17 ($23)
• John Wick: Chapter 4 -- $22
• Kill Bill Vol. 1 -- $28
• Killer Klowns From Outer Space - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $33 ($45)
• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes -- $30 ($50)
• Kong: Skull Island -- $16
• The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare -- $22.80
• Misery -- $22.78 ($40)
• Mission: Impossible 2 -- $23 ($26)
• Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol -- $19.37
• The Mist - 4-Disc Collector's Edition -- $20.49 ($35)
• The Mummy -- $15.85 ($23)
• Needful Things -- $21 ($40)
• The Northman - Collector's Edition -- $20 ($25)
• Nosferatu: Extended Cut -- $28 ($33)
• One Piece Film Red - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $30
• Pacific Rim -- $22.27
• Point Break (1991) - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $31 ($45)
• Prey -- $26 ($39)
• Rambo: First Blood -- $18 ($23)
• Ratatouille -- $22 ($35)
• Ready Player One -- $25 ($35)
• Reservoir Dogs -- $14.70
• The Revenant -- $18.15 ($27)
• Robocop Director's Cut -- $31.65 ($50)
• RoboCop 2 Collector's Edition -- $28
• Rules of Engagement -- $22.44 ($40)
• Rush -- $24.80 ($40)
• Sanctum -- $26 ($37)
• Se7en -- $25 ($30)
• The Shining -- $25 ($35)
• The Silence of the Lambs -- $25.33 ($40)
• Silver Bullet - Collector's Edition -- $24 ($40)
• Sleepy Hollow - 25th Anniversary Steelbook Edition -- $23 ($31)
• South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut -- $23 ($26)
• Spider-Man: No Way Home - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $32.40 ($56)
• The Substance -- $25 ($43)
• Team America: World Police -- $22.48 ($26)
• They Live - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $24
• Tommy Boy - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $30
• Tommy Boy -- $26
• Top Gun -- $18.85 ($26)
• Total Recall - 30th Anniversary Edition -- $18 ($23)
• True Lies -- $23.59 ($39)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? -- $26 ($35)
• Wolf Man (2025) - Limited Edition Steelbook -- $37 ($40)
• Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie - Steelbook Edition -- $22.49 ($30)
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time - Steelbook Edition -- $21 ($30)
• Zack Snyder's Justice League -- $30 ($35)
• Zodiac -- $22 ($23)

Akira / Lord of the Rings Trilogy / Kill Bill Vol. 1

Amazon's Big Spring B2G1 Free Sale is its biggest of the year thus far, offering an eclectic mix of genres across film and television. The promotion even features some recently released 4K Blu-rays, including Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Jackie Brown as well as the horror hit Nosferatu. Anime fans, meanwhile, can get the new Akira Limited Edition Steelbook (4K Blu-ray), Attack on Titan: Final Season - Part 3 (Blu-ray), and Steelbook Editions of Yu-Gi-Oh and One Piece movies.

Speaking of steelbooks, Amazon's sale includes a nice assortment of 4K Steelbook Editions of older classics and cult hits such as The Blob, Hackers, and Point Break. Recently released 4K Steelbook Editions of great films like Alien: Romulus, Tommy Boy, and more are eligible for the promotion, too.

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The First Berserker: Khazan has all the familiar hallmarks of a souls-like--from a bonfire-esque checkpoint system that respawns enemies to XP you can lose upon death--yet its primary influences might not be what you would expect. While its parry-heavy combat is immediately reminiscent of From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, its level-based structure, weapon skills, and approach to gear are clearly inspired by Team Ninja's Nioh. Developer Neople has some ideas of its own, too, including a multifaceted progression system and cel-shaded art style that makes The First Berserker visually distinct from most of its contemporaries. As a result, this souls-like manages to feel familiar while also carving out an identity of its own, delivering a challenging yet rewarding experience that's anchored by a hard-hitting defensive style of combat and a degree of freedom in how you choose to play.

In terms of story, you play as the eponymous Khazan. Once a legendary general famed for saving the empire from the fearsome Berserk Dragon, he's falsely branded a traitor at the game's outset. After being mercilessly tortured--with the tendons in both of his arms severed--and exiled to a mountainous, snowy tundra, our hero manages to escape and forms an unlikely alliance with a mysterious entity known as Blade Phantom, who grants Khazan otherworldly powers in his quest for revenge.

What follows from here is a fairly boilerplate tale that's relatively light on story despite its ties to a broader world. The First Berserker is set in the Dungeon & Fighter universe--known for the MMO Dungeon Fighter Online and, most recently, the fighting game DNF Duel--so those familiar with the eclectic series might appreciate Khazan's origins. Those unfamiliar won't feel lost without this additional knowledge, but The First Berserker also gives you little reason to care about its narrative or dark fantasy world. Paper-thin characters anchor a forgettable tale that often tries to elicit emotion from characters you know next to nothing about. At least Ben Starr adds some gravitas in his role as the gruff protagonist.

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Amazon's Big Spring Sale has arrived, offering steep discounts on dozens of 4K Blu-ray movies. Frugal shoppers will find plenty of 4K Blu-rays on sale for $13 or less, so it's a great time to add a few more films to your collection. You'll have until March 31 to peruse the sale and see if anything catches your eye--but since everything from The Lion King to The Big Lebowski is included in the event, there's bound to be something of interest.

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A bunch of animated movies are part of the event, including the aforementioned The Lion King. Typically sold for $35, you can pick it up for just $13. You could also pick up Toy Story 4 for $8.55 (was $9.64) or Lightyear for $11.08 (was $35). Another Disney classic, The Little Mermaid, is discounted to the great price of $12 (was $39), and since it's packed with bonus features like a Sing-Along Mode, interviews with the cast and crew, and other behind-the-scenes footage, it's an excellent choice for longtime fans.

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If you've ever wanted to see how Marvel Snap's stylish art direction was developed, you'll want to check out the new art book, The Art of Marvel Snap. The book is available now and discounted to $45 (was $50), and it's part of a B2G1 free sale at Amazon.

The Art of Marvel Snap $45 (was $50)

Marvel Snap is one of the best mobile free-to-play games of recent memory, thanks to its killer combo of easy-to-learn TCG gameplay and cool card designs. While many of Marvel Snap's cards use art directly from the comic book source material, there are also plenty featuring original art created specifically for the game. The Art of Marvel Snap is a full-color, detailed hardcover collection that recently launched on March 18. It showcases many of the original card illustrations along with commentary from developer Second Dinner on the development process.

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The Art of Marvel Snap looks to be a great choice for fans of the game or the Marvel Universe in general, especially while it's a few dollars off. However, if you're looking to maximize your deal, you can pick it up as part of Amazon's B2G1 free sale. Dozens of books are eligible for the sale, including a selection of other Marvel artbooks, encyclopedias, and graphic novels.

With Daredevil: Born Again currently airing on Disney Plus, you can pick up the graphic novel of the same name that inspired the show, as it has been reprinted for 2025. The comic series Daredevil: Mayor Fisk was also a major influence on the series, and you can pick up a trade paperback edition of the full run for $18 (was $20). Other highlights here include Wolverine facing down one of the deadliest interstellar warriors in Predator vs. Wolverine, the Doctor Doom: Books of Doom collection, and the Dark Avengers Modern Era Epic Collection omnibus.

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Target is offering big discounts on dozens of Lego sets from now until March 29, including sets from Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, and other popular collections. Over 50 Lego kits are included in the sale, and since they range from children's playsets to premium collectibles, there's a little something for everyone. Amazon is matching many of these deals, so you have a second place to shop if one retailer sells out. And because many sets are down to their best prices we've seen in months, there's a good chance that'll happen.

Note that these deals are only available to Target Circle members, but you can join Target Cricle for free and get immediate access to all the Lego discounts and the rest of Target's big Spring Sale deals.

See all Lego deals at Target Target Lego DealsMarvel Lego Deals

• Captain America vs. Red Hulk Battle Super Hero Toy (223 pieces) -- $44 ($54) | Also at Amazon
• Iron Man with Bike and The Hulk Toy (68 pieces) -- $12.57 ($14.79) | Also at Amazon
• Rocket & Baby Groot Minifigure (566 pieces) -- $38.39 ($48)
• Venom Mech Armor vs. Miles Morales (134 pieces) -- $8.15 ($9.59)
• War Machine Mech Armor Toy (154 pieces) -- $12.74 ($15) | Also at Amazon

Star Wars Lego Deals

• Ahsoka Tano's T-6 Jedi Shuttle (599 pieces) -- $46.39 ($58) | Also at Amazon
• Boba Fett Mech Action Figure (155 pieces) -- $12.79 ($16)
• Boba Fett's Starship Microfighter Set (85 pieces) -- $11.72 ($13.79)
• The Clone Wars Yoda's Jedi Starfighter (253 pieces) -- $28 ($35)
• Captain Rex Y-Wing Microfighter (99 pieces) -- $9.09 ($10.69) | Also at Amazon
• Creative Play Droid Builder (1,186 pieces) -- $70 ($100)
• Crimson Firehawk (136 pieces) -- $24.22 ($28.49) | Also at Amazon
• Darth Vader Mech Action Figure (139 pieces) -- $13.59 ($16)
• Invisible Hand 25th Anniversary Set (557 pieces) -- $40 ($50)
• Luke Skywalker X-Wing Mech (195 pieces) -- $13.25 ($15.59) | Also at Amazon
• Mandalorian: Paz Vizsla and Moff Gideon Battle (289 pieces) -- $25.59 ($32)
• Mos Espa Podrace Diorama (718 pieces) -- $49 ($70) | Also at Amazon

Sonic Lego Deals

• Sonic the Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog (720 pieces) -- $49 ($70)

Harry Potter Lego Deals

• Flying Ford Anglia Car Toy (165 pieces) -- $9.59 ($15) | Also at Amazon
• Hogwarts Express & Hogsmeade Station (1,074 pieces) -- $86.79 ($124)

Disney Lego Deals

• Disney Princess Market Adventure (817 pieces) -- $83.29 ($98)
• Encanto Isabela's Flowerpot (641 pieces) -- $22.39 ($32)
• Magic of Disney Collectible (1,103 pieces) -- $70 ($100)
• Up House (598 pieces) -- $30.09 ($43)
• Walt Disney Tribute Camera (811 pieces) -- $85 ($100)

Addams Family Lego Deals

• Wednesday Figure (702 pieces) -- $30.09 ($43) | Also at Amazon

Lego Travel, Ideas, and City

• Lego Architecture London Skyline (468 pieces) -- $27.19 ($32)
• Lego Architecture New York City Skyline (598 pieces) -- $41.64 ($60) | Also at Amazon
• Lego City F1 Driver with McLaren Race Car (86 pieces) -- $8.92 ($10.49) | Also at Amazon
• Lego City Space Science Lab (560 pieces) -- $24.49 ($35)
• Lego Classic Medium Creative Brick Box Set (484 pieces) -- $18.39 ($35) | Also at Amazon
• Lego Ideas Family Tree Home Décor (1,040 pieces) -- $62.39 ($78)
• Lego Ideas Viking Village (2,103 pieces) -- $110.49 ($130)
• Lego Technic Bugatti Bolide (905 pieces) -- $31.44 ($37)
• Lego Travel Moments World Map (1,231 pieces) -- $105 ($150)

Gallery

One of the coolest options for Disney fans is the Lego Ideas Magic of Disney Collectible. The 1,000-brick display piece features Mickey Mouse from The Sorcerer's Apprentice along with several smaller scenes from Disney classics like Simba on Pride Rock and Lilo surfing in Lilo & Stitch. Typically $100, it's currently just $70. Other options include the Up House for $30.09 (was $43) and Walt Disney Tribute Camera for $85 (was $100).

A few different Harry Potter sets are on sale,including the Hogwarts Express & Hogsmeade Station Train Set. The 1,074-piece set is now $86.79 (was $124), and it features 8 minifigures, a buildable Hogwarts Express and tracks, and an adorable train station.

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During the recent Minecraft Live, players were treated to news on when the next Minecraft update will be released. Mojang has already promised more frequent updates to the blocky sandbox game, and the first one of 2025 is the Spring To Life update.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Next Minecraft release date

Next Minecraft release date

The next Minecraft update will be released on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. The 1.21.5 update sees new mob variants, new audio features, and interesting plant additions.

For players using the game's Snapshots feature, where you can try out new additions in beta form, you may already be familiar with the update's contents.

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Earlier this year, Warner Bros. closed down Monolith, the developer behind 2014's Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its 2017 sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Those LOTR games were beloved by fans in part because of Monolith's innovative Nemesis system, an AI procedural program that allowed NPCs to remember their previous encounters with the players' character and evolve accordingly. And according to former Warner Bros. Games vice president Laura Fryer, the development of the Nemesis system was inspired in part by falling sales for Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Fryer recently shared a video on her YouTube channel [via PC Gamer] where she went into detail about her relationship with Monolith while she was employed by Warner Bros. Games. As Fryer recalls, WB was alarmed by the way sales fell from Arkham Asylum's peak, and company executives believed that millions in sales were lost when used copies of the game were sold on the secondary market including stores like GameStop.

"It all started when Rocksteady shipped Arkham Asylum in 2009," said Fryer. "It was selling great. Then suddenly sales dropped off. They could see this because the data from their game analytics revealed that more people were playing than were paying. The theory was that people would play through the game and then return the game disc to a retailer and get paid, which was very common at the time. This was great for gamers because they could buy the game and then sell it back to a company like GameStop and buy something else. It was great for GameStop because then they sold that used game for a discount and they pocketed the money. For game developers though, it was a disaster because they weren't getting paid for every game--they were only getting paid for the first copy sold. They lost millions of dollars."

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Of all of the video games announced or released in the last decade, Hollow Knight Silksong ranks among the most torturous to follow. First announced in 2019 and last seen in 2022, Silksong fans are starved for more information--and a recent change to the game's SteamDB profile is providing a temporary snack.

The Silksong SteamDB page is now reflecting a change made to the game's Steam metadata made on March 24. Specifically, the game's bio now includes an opt-in option for the Nvidia GeForce Now service--and, more importantly, a change in the store page's fine print that changes the copyright date from 2019 to 2025.

Hornet from Hollow Knight Silksong

The change has resurrected hopes of a Silksong appearance at the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct livestream scheduled for April 2, as rumors swirled of the game's involvement with the Switch 2 announcement back in January. One month later, fans were alerted when the game's eShop page mysteriously disappeared, only for it to reappear later.

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Bloodborne is celebrating its 10-year anniversary today, March 24, 2025. Below, we reexamine the divisive Chalice Dungeons, which have aged more gracefully in light of Elden Ring.

Ten years after release, it's fair to say that Bloodborne is considered one of the greatest PlayStation games of all time. From its nightmarish late-gate dreamscapes to its haunting enemy design, every facet of its Lovecraftian world has been dissected and torn apart by thousands of fawning YouTube videos. Still, there's one aspect of Bloodborne that's considered underwhelming by almost everyone: its Chalice Dungeons, an entire ecosystem of optional procedurally generated content that some players don't even touch.

And while the Chalice Dungeons certainly do have their problems, on balance, they're an innovative addition to the Souls formula that prefigured the sprawling side catacombs and underground gaols of Elden Ring. Considering that all of us Yharnamites are still waiting for a hypothetical Bloodborne 2 with bated breath all these years later, perhaps it's time for us to revisit this underappreciated aspect of the game with fresh eyes. We can approach it not as merely something that's good or bad, but as a system that simply provides more Bloodborne to those of us who still haven't had our fill more than a decade later.

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Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to be 2025's biggest release, but the game still does not have a release date. The lack of a release date could make this a stressful time for some studios, according to Newzoo's Ben Porter.

He told PC Gamer that because GTA 6 looms so large, the fate of other games and studios may depend on its release timing.

"If you're a game company who's holding its breath waiting for GTA 6 to get out, and then it gets delayed by three, four, five, six months, what do you do?" Porter said. "You either have to be able to launch into that big black hole that's been left open now, or you have to extend your run rate by an additional six months--I'm certain some companies are going to tank as a result of that, right?"

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The PS One was Sony's first revised PlayStation console--a slimmer and rounder machine that was impressively smaller than the original model. What it didn't have was a crustacean influence, but at long last, an enterprising illustrator and modder have rectified that issue. Using video game concept artist Anh Dong's illustration of a "PlayStacean" as a base, modder GingerofOz detailed how he turned that drawing into a working crab-themed PS One console with incredibly uncomfortable controllers.

The project kicked off with a PS One purchased through eBay, a whole lot of 3D modeling work, and 3D-printing a shell that matched Dong's art. From that starting point, GingerOfOz got to work on cleaning the original PS One's internal hardware while dealing with several design challenges to match the artwork as closely as possible. That included figuring out the claw-troller, which does work, is locked to the PlayStacean, and isn't what you'd call ergonomic.

"I've got mixed feelings about this guy. He's just so big and clunky compared to a normal PS One. Some of the little mechanisms don't work very smoothly and this crab controller feels so bad to use," GingerOfOz explained once he'd finished building the PlayStacean.

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Minecraft is one of the most successful video games ever, but no one should expect Mojang to release a "Minecraft 2" anytime soon, or ever. Ingela Garneij, executive producer on Minecraft Vanilla, was asked recently if the company could ever come out with a straight-up sequel.

Garneij responded to IGN: "Do you think we're going to have an Earth 2? No, no, there's no Minecraft 2."

This response is no surprise at all, as Mojang and Microsoft have said for years that there will not be a Minecraft 2, at least not soon. Mojang CEO Jonas Martensson previously said, "I can't promise forever there'll never be a Minecraft 2, but for the foreseeable future there won't be."

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