Halloween is close than you think, making now a great time to prep for spooky season by picking up this new compilation featuring two horror stories by Stephen Graham Jones. Graham Jones is a big name in the world of horror novels, winning numerous writing awards like the Ray Bradbury Award and the Bram Stoker Award. If you're seeking an introduction to his work, the new Saga Doubles two-novel compilation featuring The Killer on the Road and The Babysitter Lives is a solid place to start. Not only does it include two of Graham's stories in one, but you can also grab the book at a slight discount for $18.59 at Amazon (normally $20).

Saga Doubles: Killer on the Road & The Babysitter Lives $18.59 (was $20)

Combining two novels into one, the 480-page paperback double pack features full versions of Graham's books Killer on the Road and The Babysitter Lives. If you're unfamiliar with these book, The Baby Sitter Lives is a haunted house tale while Killer on the Road is a thriller that follows a high-school student targeted by a serial killer. Along with both books, this Saga Doubles edition sports unique dual-sided binding with new cover art for both books.

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On the fence? A short sample of the book is available on Amazon, giving you a chance to read through a few pages before making a purchase. Graham Jones' unique writing style is bound to appeal to most readers--but be sure to give the digital sample a look if you're not quite sure you want to add it to your shelf.

This double-pack is part of a new series of compilations from Saga Press, which pull together two books into a single package. There are several other compilations joining the Saga Doubles line soon, including Saga Doubles: Red Star Hustle + Apprehension that includes crime stories from award-winning authors Sam J. Miller and Mary Robinette Kowal. It releases for $20 on October 21. Saga Doubles: Dreadful Dark: Tales of Nighttime Horror/Merciless Sun: Tales of Daylight Horror bundles two anthologies--one featuring horror stories that take place in the day, the other at night. It arrives a bit earlier on September 2 for $20.

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Epic Games apparently removed passive XP gains from Fortnite's main Battle Royale and Zero Build modes on Thursday afternoon, in the midst of its Summer Road Trip event that will award a free Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 car body for gaining XP to complete a series of daily quests. Playing Battle Royale had awarded 550 XP per minute, or a little less than half a level per hour, just for existing in the game mode--but that's no longer the case.

While this certainly is a bit of a nerf, it's actually not typical for Battle Royale and Zero Build to give passive XP. In fact, passive XP was only just added to those modes at the beginning of the current season--before then, we lived without it. The change had made leveling the battle pass this season meaningfully faster.

Assuming the change will stick for a while, there are two fairly obvious potential reasons for the change. The Summer Road Trip event is one of them, since its quests simply require gaining XP to complete. You only need to gain eight total levels across these quests, so the lack of passive XP in BR probably won't slow anyone down very much. Another possibility is that we're approaching the end of Chapter 6 Season 4, and this change will make it a little tougher for folks who are just now getting started on the battle pass to catch up before the season ends on August 7.

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

$28 (was $33)

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Amazon has the Detective Pikachu Limited Edition Steelbook on sale for only $28. Released in late April, this 4K Blu-ray edition had climbed to as high as $42.49 last month (and prior to launch). The current $28 price matches the all-time low for this adorable collectible version of charming live-action Pokemon film.

Detective Pikachu originally released on Blu-ray back in 2019. At the time, Best Buy had an exclusive edition with a steelbook case. That version is long gone--Best Buy doesn't even carry movies these days--and is regularly listed for ridiculous prices on eBay and other marketplaces. The new edition comes with a different steelbook case featuring Ryme City's best detective.

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Bungie had a lot to prove going into Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate. After a year marred by shock layoffs, the delay of its upcoming shooter, Marathon, following poor player feedback during betas, and less-than-favorable views about Destiny’s monetization system, all eyes were on the studio to see where it would take its most beloved franchise next. 2024’s Destiny 2 expansion, The Final Shape, was one of the series’ most successful. It beautifully and coherently tied up a decade’s worth of story, culminating in a tense and exciting battle against the biggest, baddest Big Bad that the universe had ever seen: The Witness.

Naturally, following such a satisfying and full-circle conclusion, Destiny players were concerned about what a new saga would look like. The seasonal content that followed The Final Shape was lacklustre at best, with major character deaths thrown in seemingly for the shock factor rather than meaningfully contributing to the narrative. As a result, player numbers plummeted to some of the lowest that Destiny 2 has ever seen. Bungie’s best-in-class narrative team seemed to be floundering, so when I jumped into The Edge of Fate, I was skeptical, to say the least. I need not have worried. Well, not for the narrative aspect, anyway. From a gameplay perspective, there are a lot of concerning stumbles.

The 14-mission campaign is monotonous, at best. While Bungie has completely reworked the armor and gear systems--more on that later--the best aspects of it are locked behind the now-trademark Destiny 2 grind. With your power level reset and the weapons in your Vault effectively powerless, Bungie claimed this was to put everyone on an even footing ahead of the new saga, but in reality it feels like years of work and thousands of hours of grinding for the best weapons was a pointless endeavour.

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Earlier this month, Skybound and QuarterUp announced that Rex Splode would be joining Mark Invincible, Atom Eve, and more on the playable roster for Invincible Vs.--the 3v3 tag-team fighting game coming next year. Today, during Robert Kirkman's panel at San Diego Comic-Con, the Invincible creator announced another new fighter for the game, and this one is a little more beastly.

Battle Beast--the fearsome warrior who travels the Invincible universe looking for a fighter to give him a glorious death--is the latest entrant into the Invincible Vs roster. The reveal trailer for the giant showed off some of his smashing moveset--including one attack where he smashed his club into Bulletproof so hard, it knocked off his head and limbs.

Battle Beast becomes the sixth confirmed fighter for Invincible Vs., joining the previously mentioned Invincible, Atom Eve, Bulletproof, and Rex Splode, as well as the Viltrumite Thula. Two other Viltrumites, Lucen and Omni-Man, did feature in the game's initial reveal trailer in June, but neither have been officially confirmed as playable characters.

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It seems horror fans are destined to mourn the loss of Kojima's Silent Hills project until the end of time--but that doesn't mean there aren't games out there picking up the torch left behind by its playable teaser, aptly named P.T. Indeed, developer Broken Bird Games has absorbed some of Kojima's vision to craft the eerie mind-bender Luto. In this atmospheric horror title, you'll spend your time as a character stuck in a loop within their home, trying desperately to figure out, well, why.

If you're interested in checking out this chilling mystery but want to know what kind of time investment you're in for before you do, we'll fill you in on how long it takes to beat Luto and how many chapters stand between you and the finale.

How long does it take to beat Luto?

How long it takes you to finish Luto will depend largely on your puzzle-solving abilities and how well you pay attention to your surroundings. Even with its occasionally obtuse puzzles, Luto is still a relatively brief horror experience that is focused on giving you a meaningful dose of the creeps without wearing its gimmicks too thin. With this in mind, you can expect it to take between 3-5 hours to finish the campaign. Of course, if you're using a guide to assist with puzzles in Luto, you can almost certainly wrap things up even quicker.

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The Last of Us: Part I and Part II Scripts (Hardcover)

$66.63 (was $70) | Releases December 16

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The Last of Us fans will soon be able to read the complete story in script format thanks to a new book from Dark Horse. Surprisingly, we aren't talking about the HBO adaptation here. The Last of Us: Part I and Part II Scripts is a hardbound omnibus containing the scripts for the Naughty Dog video games. Publication is slated for December 16, making it a well-timed gift idea for fans of The Last of Us.

The Last of Us: Part I and Part II Scripts is available to preorder for $66.63 (was $70) at Amazon. You won't be charged for your order until it ships, and Amazon will automatically apply any additional discounts it offers before launch to your preorder.

The Last of Us: Part I and Part II Scripts (Hardcover) $66.63 (was $70) | Releases December 16

The 616-page hardcover book contains the complete scripts for The Last of Us (2013), The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014), and The Last of Us Part II (2020).

The first game and the Left Behind DLC were written by Neil Druckmann, Naughty Dog's current creative lead and president. The sequel was co-written by Druckmann and Halley Gross. The duo, alongside Craig Mazin, most recently penned the scripts for the final two episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 for HBO.

This will probably be a fascinating book to pore over and have by your side during your next playthrough. But it might be of even greater interest to aspiring game writers. Scripts, like many areas of game development, aren't talked about by developers or publishers. Unless you work in the industry, chances are you've never had access to a script for a AAA game until now.

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The fact that this book exists at all is honestly pretty remarkable--unprecedented, even. We couldn't find a single other full video game script in book format. The closest published example we thought of was The Skyrim Library, a three-volume series compiling all of the written lore found in The Elder Scrolls V.

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In June, Capcom announced a second fan-art contest for Street Fighter 6, where artists could submit entries for a chance to have their art inserted into the game for use in the "Here Comes A New Challenger" screen. A winner was chosen for each of the 26 current roster members, but the winning entry for newcomer Kimberly has stirred up some controversy--namely, allegations that the artwork broke the contest's strict "no AI-generated images" policy.

Via Kotaku, an X user named "hoodratt20xx" put together a comprehensive Google Doc of what they think are telltale signs of AI use in the winning Kimberly entry as well as entries for other characters. Another X user, Galena_Bismon, shared a similar analysis via a post on their feed.

Kimberly from Street Fighter 6

"I have reason to believe that one of the winning entries for New Challengers 2 is partially or fully made with AI," hoodratt20xx wrote in the document. "I don’t make these accusations lightly and honestly would love to be proven wrong. I have gathered a list of evidence that I believe will shed some light on the matter and hopefully with this information you will take action in regards to this."

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As part of the Battlefield 6 reveal, it appears we've learned that the military shooter is not coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Insider Gaming noticed that the wishlist page for Battlefield 6 suggests the game will be exclusive on console to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and will also come to PC.

The Xbox link on the Battlefield 6 website points to an Xbox product page for the game on Xbox Series X|S, and not Xbox One. The PlayStation store page does not mention specific platforms, but if the game is not coming to Xbox One, it stands to reason that it would also bypass PS4.

GameSpot has contacted EA in an attempt to clarify the platform availability for Battlefield 6. We also asked EA if the company has any plans to support the Switch 2.

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Diablo 4 will finally release in China following governmental approval by China's National Press and Publication Administration.

As spotted by Wowhead, Diablo 4 was one of just seven foreign-made games to be approved in July by the government agency, with 127 Chinese-developed titles also approved. That brings the total number of foreign games approved to release this year in China to 62.

While the number of approved foreign games has increased in recent years due to the approval process now occurring monthly instead of every two months, there was a period from July 2021 to March 2022 when no new games were approved for release. Last month, China approved a record 158 new games for release--a multi-year high according to Chinese news outlet Yicai Global.

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Following Microsoft's latest mass layoffs that affected around 9,000 people--including dramatic cuts at Xbox--CEO Satya Nadella sent a memo to staff that was shared on Microsoft's blog. In the memo to staff, Nadella addressed what he called the "why, what, and how" of the decision to cut so many jobs.

Nadella said the decisions that led to the layoffs were "among the most difficult we have to make."

"I want to express my sincere gratitude to those who have left. Their contributions have shaped who we are as a company, helping build the foundation we stand on today. And for that, I am deeply grateful," he said.

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The Boys: Season 4

$38 (was $56) | Releases August 19

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Superhero movies and TV series are everywhere these days, but if you're looking for a takedown of the capes and tights crew, it doesn't get much better than The Boys. The series only has one more season left before it concludes, but you can catch up on its most recent season with the upcoming The Boys: Season 4 Blu-ray launching on August 19. Even better, preorders for The Boys: Season 4 Blu-ray are discounted to just $38 (was $56) at Amazon ahead of its launch next month. And if you need to catch up on the three previous seasons, all three are also available on Blu-ray now.

The Boys: Season 4 $38 (was $56) | Releases August 19

The Boys: Season 4 Blu-ray is a two-disc set featuring all eight episodes of the fourth season, along with a selection of extras, including 14 deleted scenes, gag reels, and more.

The Boys: Season 4 picks up six months after the events of Season 3, and sees The Boys collaborate with the CIA to thwart the plans of Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) and Homelander (Anthony Starr), who are attempting to seize control of the US Government. That job is easier said than done, considering that Butcher (Karl Urban) has only months to live and must find a way to regain the trust of his former teammates.

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If you've never watched it, The Boys is a live-action adaptation of the comic book series created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. While it follows the general plot of the comics--a team of vigilantes who keep corrupt superheroes in line--it also makes significant changes to the source material, allowing for more character development amidst the ensemble cast that includes

The previous seasons are also available on Blu-ray, and you can get all of them at a pretty good price. Seasons 1 and 2 are available in a combo pack for $28.49 (was $46) and Season 3 is priced at $26.65 (was $50).

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Part of the fun of any Mario Party game is finding someone you love to play from Mario's long history of lovable characters. Super Mario Party Jamboree has 20 characters unlocked from the get-go, giving you plenty of choices for who you want to dominate the board with. However, there are two characters you have to unlock separately: Pauline and Ninji. If you want to play as either of them, you're in luck, as we'll tell you how to unlock them below.

How to unlock Pauline and Ninji in Super Mario Party Jamboree

You don't need to make any major progress in Super Mario Party Jamboree to unlock Pauline and Ninji. Instead, you simply need to enter the giant hot air balloon in the Party Plaza--the same one you use to access game modes.

Normally, you'd use L and R to cycle through game modes while you're in the hot air balloon, but you can actually gain full control over the camera. Once you're up in the air and scouting out locations, just use the left stick to move around freely.

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After Hideo Kojima's Silent Hills fizzled out as a project, leaving the free mood piece P.T. as the only concrete work ever to be tied to Konami's revival project, it inspired a slew of P.T. copycats. This trend has stretched on for years, and can still be seen today. Focusing on looping residential hallways in first-person while ghosts poke their heads out at scripted moments, many creators loved P.T. but often took the wrong lessons from the legendary playable teaser. At first glance, Luto is the latest in a long line of P.T. wannabes, but it doesn't take long for it to stand out from the pack as an especially unpredictable and unconventional horror story.

In Luto, you play a character stuck in an emotional rut and a literal loop. Waking to a smashed bathroom mirror, protagonist Sam exits into an L-shaped hallway, passes some locked doors, heads down the stairs, and out the front door. The next day, Sam wakes to a smashed bathroom mirror, exits into an L-shaped hallway, passes some locked doors, heads down the stairs, and out the front door. The next day--well, you get it. But where so many games struggle to distance themselves from Kojima's original blueprint, Luto takes this kernel of an idea and expands on it in creative, and sometimes wondrous, ways.

I originally played a demo of Luto a few years ago, and I was surprised to hear a narrator has since been attached to this horror story. The voice of an almost gratingly upbeat British man gives the game the sense of something more like The Stanley Parable, which rings only truer when the narrator seems to comment on what I'm doing with reactivity and near-omniscience. I hated this addition to the game at first. The creaks of the floorboards in the empty house, once so eerie in the demo, were now drowned out by a narrator who seemed to spoonfeed me the story. Why did they spoil its tense atmosphere with this chatterbox?

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A legal disclaimer is pointing towards Battlefield 6 releasing on October 10, though publisher EA has not yet officially announced a release date.

Following the debut of Battlefield 6's debut trailer, fans spotted a legal disclaimer page on the Battlefield website that stated preorder offers would expire on October 10, seemingly confirming that to be the game's release date. EA has since removed the legal disclaimer page, but not before folks like Wario64 saved the image and took note of the date.

The legal disclaimer date lines up with an earlier report that Battlefield 6 would arrive October 10. It's currently unclear if EA will offer earlier access to the game prior to October 10 for those who preorder a more expensive version, as has been the case with Battlefield games in the past.

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After similar pressure was placed on Steam just last week, another storefront, Itch.io, has followed suit and culled the vast majority of its adult and sexual content. It cites the efforts of the organization Collective Shout, the same group that also went after Steam, as the primary reason for the removal of said games.

Rumblings of these removals picked up late on July 23, when creators started noticing that games with NSFW tags had been "shadowbanned" on the platform, while some others noted that their games had been entirely pulled. In the early hours of July 24, Itch.io shared a statement confirming the removals and clarifying the circumstances that led to the sweeping changes.

The statement begins, "We have 'deindexed' all adult NSFW content from our browse and search pages. We understand this action is sudden and disruptive, and we are truly sorry for the frustration and confusion caused by this change."

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