S.O.P.H.I.A.
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If Frostpunk was about survival, then Frostpunk 2 is about stability--or at least the pursuit of it. Survival is still at the heart of Frostpunk 2’s gameplay and themes, but 11 Bit Studios wants its players to think bigger this time around. How do you create a thriving, expansive metropolis in a frigid and unforgiving wasteland? According to co-game director and design director Jakub Stokalski, “With that type of story, the scale needed to change, and with that came different city building mechanics [and] different depictions of society.”
If you’ve followed Frostpunk 2’s development or checked out the recent beta, then you probably know what Stokalski means by scale. Frostpunk 2 moves at a much brisker pace than the original. Rather than managing your city hour by hour, Frostpunk 2 moves day by day. Production, as long as your factories are properly staffed, moves at a constant pace. That’s not to say you don’t need to manage your workers and citizens. Like in the original, they still need food, shelter, and warmth in order to survive, but these issues come and go at a quicker rate. To give some perspective, I burned through nearly 200 weeks with a population of over 10,000 in just two hours.
In order to match the scope and pace of Frostpunk 2, 11 Bit Studios needed to rework some of its fundamental city building mechanics. Rather than constructing facilities on a radial grid, Frostpunk 2 lets you create entire districts inside of hexagonal tiles. This gives your city a more freeform structure as different districts spill out from the city center and expand across the frozen tundra.
You can’t just build anywhere, though. Every tile needs to be frostbroken before districts are erected, and that requires resources and a small workforce. Additionally, you can only frostbreak tiles adjacent to other frostbroken tiles. This means if you see a natural resource in the distance, you must first carve a path through the ice before you can build an Extraction District and start harvesting its resources.
The frostbreaking mechanic adds a natural push and pull to Frostpunk 2’s progression and city expansion. You could focus all your efforts on frostbreaking nearby tiles to expand your domain, but if you prioritize that over building housing, food, and extraction districts, your city won’t last long. There’s a thin line between expansion and development you need to walk in order to succeed. These changes give a fresh perspective on the world of Frostpunk, and--in the early hours at least--provide a different kind of challenge than the original.
The human element also plays a huge role in this push and pull between expansion and development. At the outset, Frostpunk 2 has you managing a much bigger population this time around, and with that comes new factions, laws, and hierarchies. You could enact double shifts at the factories to earn more resources, but this could lead to discontent, sickness, and even death. If you let any of those issues get out of hand, your city could fall. Conversely, if you’re too lax on your workforce, you may not be able to keep up with your city’s growing demands. Like the original, Frostpunk 2 feels like a delicate balancing act that routinely asks you how far you're willing to go for the greater good. Are you willing to exile the elderly population in order to conserve food rations? Apparently I am.
A big part of managing Frostpunk 2’s population is communing with the council and passing laws. Gone are the days of Frostpunk’s Captains. Instead, the Steward alongside a council of 100 delegates are responsible for proposing and passing laws. The council regularly meets, and during those meetings you can review and propose a law for the council to vote on. Much like in the first game, these laws range from child labor to work compensation laws. However, in order to pass a law you need a majority vote. The delegates will typically vote based on your performance, but you can negotiate or pressure delegates if things are looking dire. If you’re doing a really poor job, the council can even vote to remove you from office. Alternatively, Frostpunk 2 also has Twitch integration that will allow viewers to assume the role of the council--something that will surely make the experience much harder or significantly easier depending on the community.
In order to match the scope and pace of Frostpunk 2, 11 Bit Studios needed to rework some of its fundamental city building mechanics.
Your performance isn’t the only thing the council factors into their decisions. Your relationship with different factions can also play a huge role. If you abuse the Frostlanders, don’t expect them to back you during the next town hall. Factions are much more than just political pawns, though. Each faction has its own set of beliefs that can inform your play style and shape your city. Some laws and research might directly support one faction while simultaneously harming another.
As Stokalski puts it, “Every faction has a vision that ends in something they would call utopia: a set of ultimate technologies [and] ultimate laws that for them is the ideal world. The trick is [...] that every utopia ends up being a dystopia for someone else. The core meaning of the game lies in you trying to navigate these different visions, and trying to find your way through it [to] build a society that you, as a player, leader, and human being, are comfortable with.”
However, Stokalski stressed that these difficult decisions aren’t built around shock value or gratuitousness. Choices designed to simply shock or frustrate the player have a short shelf life. The key, as he puts it, “lies in the fact that every step we [try] to include you, the player, and your values, worldview, and outlook into the game’s system itself.” It’s not always about picking the lesser of two evils, but filtering these decisions through your own beliefs and trying to make sense of the immediate consequences and the eventual repercussions.
Going into Frostpunk 2, my biggest concern was that the shift in scope would overshadow the intimacy of the original. Your meager population and how they reacted to your decisions brought that world to life, and that back and forth between you and your citizens gave Frostpunk character. It felt like the pace and mechanics of Frostpunk blended perfectly with its difficult decisions and tactile consequences. In theory, the more 11 Bit Studios zooms out and expands on that original idea, the more it could trivialize those intimate moments, but that isn’t the case here. Based on my preview, it seems Frostpunk’s cold, icy heart is still intact, despite its many shake-ups.
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Larian Studios' Swen Vincke has opened up about crunch culture at the studio, acknowledging that the team did, at times, "have to do a bit of crunch" when "things happened that [the studio] didn't foresee".
In the Q&A Vincke hosted after his address at the Digital Dragons conference in Poland, Vincke was asked if the team ever had to crunch – that is, the term given to the extreme overtime studios compel staff to do to get a game ready for its release date – and whilst Vincke said the team wasn't "overly" required to crunch, and it was "certainly less on BG3 than we did in the past", "It would be a lie to say that we didn't" crunch at all.
"We didn't overly crunch," Vincke said (thanks, GR+). "but we did have to do a bit of crunch. And I think, to be honest, you will always have a little bit when you're trying to finish something, especially when there's so much complexity that needs to be brought together."
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2K is rumoured to have secured the official FIFA license to develop the next FIFA game.
That's according to unverified claims from retailer @mohplay_inc_, which alleges that "the partnership is confirmed, and 2K will be developing a new football game series", albeit without sharing their source.
Whilst not confirmed in any official capacity at all – which means we can only take this news has a hefty rumour for now – it does back up prior claims from earlier this year that 2K and FIFA may have been in talks for the former to succeed development of the FIFA series after EA announced it would be taking its football franchise forward without FIFA branding.
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Chillblast has just announced a new range of pre-built gaming PCs that aim to provide good all-round specs, beefy performance and fantastic aesthetics for what are generally decent prices. Named Edge, this range of three new PCs hits the mid-range, upper-mid-range and absolute top end of the market in generally compelling packages that you may well want to consider.
For most people, the Karve (from £1,449.95) is likely to be a good choice, pairing a six core & 12 thread AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, a derivative of one of our favourite budget CPUs with an RTX 4060 Ti to offer a system that should muster 1080p HFR gaming, and push into 1440p. Elsewhere, this PC also doesn't skimp on components with a 240mm AIO for cooling the 5600X, as well as offering a 2TB Crucial P3 Plus inside for storage, which is an excellent PCIe 4.0 SSD in a good capacity, 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, and an 80+ Gold-rated Corsair RMe 750W PSU for powering the system. The 4060 Ti inside is also vertically mounted for better aesthetics, which goes hand in hand with the white case that the Karve comes in.
Going up the price ladder, the Vantage (from £2,029.99) swaps to using a Hyte Y60 case, which is in-keeping with the trendier angle Chillblast is going for with these new PCs, and packs in Intel's marvellous i5-14600K CPU with 14 cores and 20 threads. This is a CPU that, in our testing, offers strong performance in content creation workloads, and while it isn't as impressive as AMD's -X3D chips for gaming, it's still more than competent. This is paired with an RTX 4070 Super, which is the best of Nvidia's Super refresh of cards, and offers fantastic results at 1440p with RT on demanding titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, as we noted in our review. The Vantage uses the same Crucial P3 Plus 2TB NVMe drive, adds in 32GB of DDR5-5600 CL40 RAM, and opts to up the PSU to an 850W 80+ Gold Corsair RMe option. The 14600K is cooled by a 360mm AIO this time, while the 4070 Super is also vertically mounted, too.
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Don't worry, Helldivers – developer Arrowhead has a solution for unscrupulous hosts who are kicking fireteam members from the lobby just before they secure their rewards.
Asked if players could "keep 50 percent of the samples collected if [they] get kicked by an arsehole lobby leader when the dropship has been called" – a fair question given griefing does happen in Helldivers 2 – community manager Twinbeard stressed that a "solution" is on the way.
"We're actually working on a solution to mitigate problems with, well, 'getting kicked by an arsehole lobby leader' as someone once eloquently put it," Twinbeard responded in the game's Discord community. "No ETA on that, but it's coming."
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Infamous is celebrating its 15-year anniversary today, May 26, 2024. Below, we look back at how its focus on traversal paved the way for modern AAA superhero games.
Soaring over a canyon in an Iron Man-like suit of metal armor in Anthem. Swinging through the financial district as a giant Sandman crushes cars below him in Spider-Man 2. Few mechanics in gaming feel as good as superhuman traversal. One of the most electrifying examples of superhero movement came 15 years ago when Sucker Punch launched Infamous.
Infamous--which was inspired by Batman Begins, Channel Zero, Shooting Wars, and other comic and comic adaptations--put you in control of the electrically powered superhuman Cole MacGrath. The city he fought to protect--or sometimes abuse if you chose that moral path--was also his source of power.
"We wanted to give you powers that worked well in a video game context, and video games are really good for shooting things, ranged combat," Infamous game director Nate Fox said in a 2009 interview with Engadget. "So we figured we'd have a lot of that in the game, and electricity was a good marriage to that because shooting a lightning bolt into somebody's face is something that everybody understands."
Cole MacGrath, protagonist of the first two Infamous games. Outside discharging bolts of electricity, Cole could grind on rails at accelerated speeds, float through the sky using propulsion from his hands, and navigate over nearly any building in Empire City. Infamous's traversal wasn't nearly as fast-paced as Insomniac's later Spider-Man series, but it was also gripping and dynamic. A climbing system similar to the one found in Assassin's Creed underlined everything Cole could do with his powers. It made it feel like every part of the city was scalable--and that's exactly what Sucker Punch was aiming for.
"We quickly found that electrical powers were super fun and crazy beautiful," Fox said. "After that, we had a ton of development work to do, both building a streaming world and creating a climbable city."
Empire City was a playground in every way. Buildings were lined with pipes that players could grapple, a railway that Cole could grind ran throughout the city, and rooftops were surrounded by so many climbable objects--power lines, billboards, antennas--that there was never a shortage of routes to take as you flew through the city.
That achievement was special in 2009 as seamless open worlds weren't nearly as spectacular as what we see in sandboxes today. They had been done before, but something of Infamous's scale was technically impressive as an open-world sandbox that had no slowdown from end-to-end.
"The urban climbing in Infamous is spectacular," said Sucker Punch co-founder and Infamous programming lead Bruce Oberg in a 2009 interview on the official PlayStation blog. "You can go anywhere you can see, and there are no loading screens. It's truly an open-world sandbox."
Combining rail grinding and Cole's electrical floating ability was a wonderful way to connect the city and superhero gameplay. The electrical abilities were a natural extension of both the player and the world around them.
Much like every other major city set in a fictional comic universe, Empire City was loosely shaped to resemble New York City. This was not because of its iconic landmarks or deep history, but because of the influence that Grand Theft Auto 3 had on the team.
Fox has mentioned multiple times that swinging aimlessly around New York while looking for someone to help was a major point of inspiration for the team. DNA from both games can be seen in the free-flowing gameplay that made Infamous's side missions and collectibles such a joy to complete.
"I think everybody fired up Grand Theft Auto 3 and thought, 'This game is so cool. I wish I were a superhero in this city!'" Fox said. "I mean it's kind of obvious, right? So, ta-da! That's the game we started to look at and make."
While Sucker Punch may have been a recognizable name in 2009, Infamous was new to the gaming world. The grungy, gray backdrop of Empire City could have fallen flat if it weren't filled with incredible platforming that's still incredibly fun to play 15 years later.
The team at Sucker Punch made a jump from making the Sly Cooper series to making a huge, sandbox-style comic-book adventure. Its roots developing a cartoonish and visually colorful platformer with incredibly sharp gameplay shine in how players get Cole McGrath moves around rooftops and highway underpasses.
Cole wreaks havoc. "What we really [wanted] to do is come up with our equivalent, and I am not in any way likening our work to Miyamoto's, but we need our Zelda to the Mario," said Sucker Punch co-founder and Infamous producer Brian Fleming in an interview with AOL. "We need a title that works better earlier in the lifecycle of the game, of the platform, we need something that is a good complement, that brings out different skill sets that we have, but is similar enough that the technology you build and things could be brought forward into a Sly game someday."
Little did Fleming, Fox, and Oberg know in 2009 that Infamous would go on to become a cornerstone of Sucker Punch much like Sly Cooper. Its sequels built on its amazing traversal mechanics and made Infamous a beloved name in open-world superhero game design--even if the last entry, Second Son, released in 2014. Fans have been clamoring for a new entry or remake every year since.
"We developed a bunch [of] different pitches and the idea of doing a superhero comic sort of universe," Fleming said. "It kind of felt like a half step away from that, but still played off some of the strengths in terms of art, and presentation and all that, so you know, you start talking about it, and then we had a lot to learn about doing realism and character design, and play control with real people. It took a long time. It's a journey."
Traversal is the most important element in open-world game design and Infamous is one of the earliest games to make superhuman movement the core gameplay. Insomniac's Spider-Man--one of the most celebrated superhero games of the last decade--shares DNA with Sucker Punch's latest Infamous game, Second Son.
Iteration is a huge element in how the entire game industry--not just a single game or series--gets better. Infamous was one huge step in improving how it feels to control a superhuman in a sandbox. While Cole may not be as notable as Peter Parker or Bruce Wayne, he's a big part of why it feels so good to swing, parkour, and fly around the big city in dozens of other games.
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A Mortal Kombat YouTuber and modder is accusing Warner Bros of "threatening to destroy" his YouTube channel.
In a lengthy statement on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, ToastedShoes – an Australian YouTuber with 800K subscribers and 1.7m followers on TikTok – claims he has received an "Intellectual Property Infringement Notification" directly from Warner Bros which asks him to delete "all Mortal Kombat 1 videos from [his] channel or else".
"This morning I received an IP infringement notification directly from Warner Brothers stating that the Mortal Kombat mods in my content 'infringe' on their intellectual property rights," Toasted said. "I've been requested to delete all Mortal Kombat 1 videos from my channel or else they will issue copyright strikes and essentially delete my channel in its entirety.
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Bungie has won its court battle against cheat and mod site, AimJunkies.
As reported by journalist Stephen Totilo, AimJunkies, aka Phoenix Digital, was instructed to pay the Destiny 2 developer $63,210 in damages – that's the revenue the company is thought to have earned selling the cheats – setting a new precedent in what's thought to be the first lawsuit wherein a jury has ruled on a game-cheating case.
The jury threw out AimJunkie's countersuit that Bungie had illegally accessed one of its computers, but founder David Schaefer says they will "fight this" and appeal the verdict.
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The families of those killed in the Uvalde school shooting in 2022 have filed lawsuits against Call of Duty publisher Activision, accusing the company of "grooming" the 18-year-old who shot and killed 19 children, two teachers, and injured 17 others.
As reported by The New York Times (£) (thanks, PC Gamer), the dual lawsuits – one filed in California, the other in Texas – claim that the killer bought a Daniel Defense M4 V7 on his 18th birthday after seeing the gun in Call of Duty games.
It's the lawsuits' position that by using real-life weapons, Activision is "the most prolific and effective marketer of assault weapons in the United States".
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Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has shared the "disappointing news" that its physical PS5 North America deluxe editions have been delayed once again, this time to July 2024.
In a statement posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, last night, the team said it was "so hoping not to have to update [...] with any further news of delay", but it had "run into more production issues", further delaying the shipping of physical copies of the North American PS5 version until later this year.
"Due to production changes outside of our control, we have had to follow certain processes specifically set by production companies when manufacturing the PS5 discs, and unfortunately, the approval for particular regions has taken much longer than expected," Larian explained in the statement.
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Summary
- Vibrant, family-friendly action in a unique toy-shooter setting.
- Team up in a co-op story campaign or compete in diverse player-versus-player modes.
- Preorder today
Greetings, Xbox community! I’m Joe Henson, Creative Gameplay and Marketing Director at Digital Cybercherries. Today marks a thrilling milestone: the launch of Hypercharge: Unboxed on Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. Our tiny team has poured heart and soul into creating this game, and we’re ecstatic to finally share it with you!
Xbox enthusiasts are in for a treat with Hypercharge: Unboxed—a game where family-friendly fun meets exhilarating first and third-person action. Our game transports players into the world of sentient action figures, tasked with defending the Hypercore against a battalion of rogue toys.Introducing Hypercharge: Unboxed
Hypercharge: Unboxed combines the nostalgia of action figures with the excitement of modern gaming. Whether you’re teaming up for the online cooperative story campaign, engaging in local split-screen play, or playing offline with player bots, there’s something here for everyone. Our player versus player offerings are equally robust, with modes like Capture the Battery, Infection, and King of The Hill, designed to test your skills against other players.
In Hypercharge: Unboxed, you don’t just play as a toy—you become one. From the moment you break out of your packaging, the game is a playground of imagination. Build defenses, gather resources, and discover hidden treasures across expansive, interactive environments.
Our design philosophy centres on simplicity and fun, reminiscent of classic shooters but without overcomplicated gameplay mechanics. Players will feel the nostalgia of their childhood toys, with the added twist of strategic combat and exploration.Additionally, it includes several accessibility features, such as customized volume controls, adjustable difficulty, pause functionality, adjustable input sensitivity, no quick time events, adjustable text size, and steady camera.
Key game features include:
- 1-4 player online/local cooperative play.
- Full split-screen support, including online/local.
- Single player/offline play with player bots.
- Difficulty scales based on the number of players.
- Wave-based shooter with a story campaign.
- Classic player-versus-player game modes (up to eight players).
- First and third-person camera perspectives.
- Cross-platform support.
- Optimized for Xbox Series X|S.
- Xbox achievements.
- 60 fps+.
Join Our Community
We’re eager to connect with you and hear your thoughts on Hypercharge: Unboxed. Join our community on Discord: to share feedback, get updates, and engage with other fans. Hypercharge: Unboxed is available for wishlist or pre-order now. The list price is $29.99, and pre-orders receive a 10% discount. Get in on the action today.
HYPERCHARGE Unboxed
Digital Cybercherries Limited
$29.99 $26.99HELP SGT. MAX AMMO TO DEFEAT MAJOR EVIL AND SAVE THE HYPERCORE! There was once an ancient line of action figures, who created a magical power source that would allow humans to keep their favourite childhood memories of their toys. This ancient power source is known as the Hypercore. Inside the Hypercore are the beloved memories of our favorite toys. If Major Evil destroys it, these memories will disappear forever. Defend it with everything you've got, or see our cherished toys turn into lost treasures of the past! Hypercharge is a first and third-person shooter action figure game you've always dreamed of! Grab your friends, complete objectives, defend the Hypercore against waves of weaponized toys, and defeat Major Evil together in the story campaign! PLAY CO-OP WITH YOUR FRIENDS Work together as a team to defend the Hypercore. Grab a friend, break out of your toy packaging, and get ready to fight waves of classic toys. Prepare for each wave by searching for weapons, resources, and even hidden secrets. OFFLINE PLAY FOR SOLO PLAYERS Not everybody likes to play online. Hypercharge supports Offline, Split-Screen and Local play. You can progress and unlock everything in-game while playing solo. PLAYER BOTS Don’t have a team to play with? Don’t worry, we’ve got you solo players covered. Player bots listen to your commands, collect resources, and even help to build defences. UNLOCK ACTION FIGURES In Hypercharge, hundreds of unlocks are available, all of which can be earned directly in-game without any microtransactions. PLAYER VERSUS PLAYER MODES Go head-to-head against other action figures as you fight to become top of the scoreboard! Classic PvP modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Battery, Infection, and King of the Hill.The post Hypercharge: Unboxed Launches on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One May 31 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
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One of the best video game art books is getting a long-awaited follow-up later this year. The Art of Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course will be published by Dark Horse Books on October 22. The original Cuphead art book is a stunning companion for the base game, as it beautifully captures the painstaking process of animating a game designed to look like a 1930s-era cartoon. And now, Cuphead's lone expansion is receiving the same treatment.
Two editions of The Art of Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course are available to preorder at Amazon, including a gorgeous limited edition for Cuphead superfans. You'll also soon be able to get an inside look at the making of Netflix's The Cuphead Show.
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Three excellent indie games made by Doinksoft Studio—Gato Roboto, Gunbrella, and Demon Throttle—are getting a special physical collection on Nintendo Switch appropriately dubbed The Doinksoft Collection. The $35 collection launches on August 30, but you can preorder a copy now at multiple online retailers.
For more game deals, you can grab a preorder for the Nintendo World Championships Deluxe Edition, save up to 50% on physical PS5, Xbox, or Switch games at Best Buy, and secure a hard-to-find Metaphor: ReFantazio's Collector's Edition preorder now that it's back in stock--at least for now.
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Skull and Bones - Ubisoft's extraordinarily long in the works (and not particularly good) open-world pirate adventure - is getting a free week-long trial next week, and it'll coincide with the launch of the live-service game's second season of post-launch content.
When Skull and Bones released in February - some 11 years after its troubled development started - Ubisoft trumpeted "record player engagement", but did not share sales figures. It's unclear just how well the pirate game has done for the publisher, then, but Ubisoft evidently believes it needs a bit of a boost given its impending week-long trial.
That'll take place across all platforms - Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC (via Epic and Ubisoft Connect) - from Thursday, 30th May until Thursday, 6th June. During that time, players can sail as much as they like with access to the whole thing, and progress will be carried over should they decide to purchase the full game. And to tempt those wallets out, Ubisoft is slashing the price of Skull and Bones by 50 percent across all platforms for a "limited time".
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On May 24, 2022, Salvador Ramos entered his former school, Robb Elementary, in Uvalde, Texas, and murdered 19 children and two teachers, while injuring 17 others. Now, on the two-year anniversary of the school shooting, the families of the Uvlade victims have filed multiple lawsuits, including one in California that's targeting Call of Duty publisher Activision and Facebook and Instagram's parent company, Meta, for their alleged role in putting the gun in the killer's hands.
Via The Washington Post, the lawsuits were filed by attorney Josh Koskoff, who contends that Activision and Meta share responsibility for "grooming... socially vulnerable" young men with violent video game fantasies. The complaint also states that both companies "knowingly exposed the Shooter to the weapon, conditioned him to see it as the solution to his problems, and trained him to use it."
"Over the last 15 years, two of America’s largest technology companies--Defendants Activision and Meta--have partnered with the firearms industry in a scheme that makes the Joe Camel campaign look laughably harmless, even quaint," continues the complaint. "To put a finer point on it: Defendants are chewing up alienated teenage boys and spitting out mass shooters."
As spelled out in the lawsuit, the families allege that Ramos downloaded a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare that features the same DDM4V7 model rifle that he later purchased and used for the school shooting. Additionally, it accuses Meta of sending Ramos targeted ads for the same gun on Instagram from the manufacturer, Daniel Defense.
Meta doesn't allow gun manufacturers to purchase direct advertisements for weapons or explosives. But the lawsuit suggests that Daniel Defense got around that restriction by posting promotional material about the weapons on the company's Facebook and Instagram accounts. A separate lawsuit was also filed by the families against Daniel Defense.
GameSpot has reached out to Activision for comment.
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Businesses love running Memorial Day Weekend sales, and at Best Buy, that means a big sale on laptops, among other tech gear. Headlining the best laptop deals at the retailers is a Lenovo Ideapad i1, which usually retails for $500 but is on sale for $280.
The Ideapad is a budget laptop that's a solid option for lower-intensity school and work requirements--things like browsing the internet and doing research, and writing documents and emails. This model weighs 3.5 pounds and is only 0.7 inches thick, making it really easy to use on the go, and Lenovo claims it'll get 10 hours of battery life.
Lenovo Ideapad i1 The i1 offers a 15.6" screen and 8GB of RAM, but with only 256GB of SSD storage, but is workable if you're using it for tasks that are on the simpler side. It also includes an Intel i3 processor and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, as well as an HDMI output port and media reader for photo transfer.
If you're looking for more discounts, it's worth paging through Best Buy's Memorial Day sale. The retailer has more laptops on sale, along with computer accessories that include bags, monitors, and external hard drive.
There are lots of other computers on sale during Best Buy sale, as well, including gaming laptops and desktop PCs. We've compiled a few of the standouts below.
If you're in the market for a gaming laptop, check out Best Buy's deal on Lenovo's Legion Slim 5, which is equipped with an OLED display and a Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card. For more great gaming and tech deals, take a look at our roundups: Sony Electronics deals, Samsung monitor deals, gaming desk deals, and Best Buy's massive Memorial Day sale.
Gaming Laptop and Desktop Deals for Memorial Day
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Laptop (RTX 4060, 512GB SSD) -- $1,000 ($
1,450) - ASUS TUF 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (RTX 4070, 1TB SSD) -- $1,050 ($
1,400) - Dell G15 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (RTX 4060, 1TB SSD) -- $900 ($
1,150) - Lenovo Legion Slim 5 OLED Gaming Laptop (RTX 4060, 1TB SSD) -- $1,000 (
$1,480) - Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gaming Laptop (RTX 4070, 1TB SSD) -- $1,400 ($
1,800) - ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED Laptop (RTX 3050, 1TB SSD) -- $1,000 ($
1,300) - HP Omen 40L Gaming Desktop (RTX 4060 Ti, 1TB SSD) -- $1,250 ($
1,480) - Alienware Aurora R16 Desktop (RTX 4080 Super, 2TB) -- $2,750 ($
3,200)
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Laptop (RTX 4060, 512GB SSD) -- $1,000 ($
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Looking for a beautiful new gaming laptop? Then consider checking out the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 at Best Buy, as it's down to $1,000 from now until Monday as part of Best Buy's Memorial Day sale. Typically sold for $1,480, the premium laptop is great for gaming and makes an ideal travel companion with its compact design and 14.5-inch display.
And if you plan to travel with the Legion Slim 5, you'll be glad to know it weighs less than four pounds and is less than an inch thick, which is surprisingly small considering everything packed inside.
This isn't the only standout gaming laptop deal at Best Buy, as you'll also find the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (RTX 4060, 512GB SSD) for $1,000 (down from $1,450) and the HP Victus 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (RTX 3050, 512GB SSD) for $580 (down from $880). If none of the three above models catch your eye, you'll find more of our favorite Memorial Day laptop deals below. We've also included a few desktop PCs for good measure.
If you want to revamp your personal gaming setup, you should also check out our roundup of the best gaming desk deals at Amazon. A bunch of the most popular desks on Amazon are featured in the sale. For more tech deals, take a look at our roundup of Samsung monitor deals and Sony Electronics discounts at Amazon.
Best Gaming PC deals
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Laptop (RTX 4060, 512GB SSD) -- $1,000 ($
1,450) - ASUS TUF 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (RTX 4070, 1TB SSD) -- $1,050 ($
1,400) - Dell G15 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (RTX 4060, 1TB SSD) -- $900 ($
1,150) - Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gaming Laptop (RTX 4070, 1TB SSD) -- $1,400 ($
1,800) - ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED Laptop (RTX 3050, 1TB SSD) -- $1,000 ($
1,300) - HP Omen 40L Gaming Desktop (RTX 4060 Ti, 1TB SSD) -- $1,250 ($
1,480) - Alienware Aurora R16 Desktop (RTX 4080 Super, 2TB) -- $2,750 ($
3,200)
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Laptop (RTX 4060, 512GB SSD) -- $1,000 ($
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Epic has announced it's bringing Fortnite back to iOS devices in the UK "in the second half of 2025" - and launching its Epic Games Store on the platform at the same time - as the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act passes into law.
The new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act gives the UK's Competition and Markets Authority - the regulatory body that made headlines when it initially blocked Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard - new powers to prevent tech giants from using their position to disadvantage competitors and consumers.
As per the government's announcement, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act could "give consumers the room to freely choose the services they use, or stop companies from withholding information consumers need to make good decisions." It also gives the CMA powers "to intervene and direct a firm to change its behaviour to boost competition – whether that is to benefit people using smartphones or businesses dependent on cloud services."
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Assassin's Creed Shadows releases on November 15, but it won't be the only AC content arriving this holiday season. A gorgeous Assassin's Creed Displate Metal Poster is now up for preorder at Best Buy with the same launch date--giving you a cool way to decorate your game room or home office.
Since this is an exclusive item, it's unclear how long it'll be in stock. So if you want to add it to your home, consider checking it out before it disappears.
If you haven't yet preordered Assassin's Creed Shadows, Best Buy is offering a discounted bundle featuring Assassin's Creed Shadows: Gold Edition and the Displate Metal Poster for $140 (down from $160). It's available for both Xbox Series X and PS5, making it a great way to pick up wall décor for cheap. For more options, check out our Assassin's Creed Shadows preorder guide.
Assassin's Creed Shadows: Gold Edition + Displate Metal Poster
- Get the bundle for PS5 -- $140 (
$160) - Get the bundle for Xbox Series X -- $140 (
$160)
While Assassin's Creed Shadows won't be here until November, you can bide your time with a handful of Assassin's Creed games that are discounted right now. Here's a look at our favorite deals.
Best Assassin's Creed Deals
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla -- $20 ($
40) - Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Ragnarok Edition -- $30 ($
80) - Assassin's Creed Mirage -- $25 ($
50) - Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection -- $20 ($
40)
More Assassin's Creed Shadows preorder options are listed below. Multiple retailers have exclusive editions that come with unique content.
- Get the bundle for PS5 -- $140 (
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Best Buy is running a gigantic Memorial Day sale, and Pokemon Trading Cards are heavily featured in the event. Everything from booster packs to Trainer Boxes are discounted right now, making it easy to upgrade your deck and track down rare cards. What's more exciting, however, is the discount on Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn Starter Decks, as the popular decks are now just $10 (down from $17). With Lorcana's new Ursula's Return set releasing next week--including the TCG's first co-op game--now's a great time to dive into the popular trading card game from Disney.
The Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn Starter Deck includes everything you need to get playing. It features a deck designed by Team Lorcana, ensuring you have a viable set of cards to take into battle against another player. Along with the 60-card starter deck, you'll get 11 damage counters, a paper playmat, a paper tracker token, a rules sheet, and a booster pack with 12 randomized cards. Lorcana cards rarely see discounts--and are often sold out--making this one of the best deals of the weekend. Just be aware that if you order online, Best Buy will send you one of the two starter decks shown below at random.
Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn Starter Decks GalleryAs for Pokemon cards, you can pick up a variety of booster packs for $3 (down from $4.50), each of which gets you ten new cards for your collection. For something more exciting, you can pick up the Paldea Adventure Chest for $30 (down from $45). Inside the chest, you'll find seven foil promo cards featuring Pikachu, Sprigatito ex, Pawmi, Pawmo, Pawmot ex, Tandemaus, and Maushold ex, a sheet of tech stickers, a mini portfolio, a Pikachu toy, six booster packs, and a code for Pokemon TCG Live.
You'll find all of the Pokemon TCG deals at Best Buy below.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Deals for Memorial Day Weekend
- Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Obsidian Flames Booster -- $3 ($
4.50) - Pokemon TCG: Paldea Evolved Booster -- $3 ($
4.50) - Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Paradox Rift Booster -- $3 ($
4.50) - Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Booster -- $3 ($
4.50) - Pokemon TCG: Paldea Adventure Chest -- $30 ($
50) - Pokemon TCG: Combined Powers Premium Collection -- $38 ($
60) - Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Paradox Rift Elite Trainer Box -- $35 ($
50) - Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Mini Tin -- $8.49 ($
10) - Pokemon TCG: Oinkologne ex Box -- $15 ($
22) - Pokemon TCG: Mabosstiff ex Box -- $15 ($
22)
- Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Obsidian Flames Booster -- $3 ($
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The long Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and Best Buy is marking the occasion with a generous sale on video games, laptops, collectibles, and more. Many of the prices are among the best we've seen this year, but the event ends on Monday--so you'll want to make sure you carve out time to peruse its catalog. If you need some help, we've pulled together the best Memorial Day deals below.
Best Video Game Deals for Memorial Day Weekend
Super Mario Maker 2 A bunch of great games are on sale for big discounts at Best Buy this weekend, including a handful of Nintendo Switch exclusives. You can save $20 on Super Mario Maker 2, Super Mario Party, Mario Golf: Super Rush, Mario Tennis Aces, and more. Meanwhile, PS5 and Xbox Series X owner can save big on hit games like Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and plenty more. PlayStation 5 users will also find a $25 discount on the high-end Nacon Revolution 5 Pro controller. You can also grab the ASUS ROG Ally Windows gaming handheld for as low as $400.
- Microsoft Xbox Series X -- $450 ($
500) - Meta Quest 2 (128GB) -- $200 ($
250) - ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld -- $400 (
$500) or $600 ($700) - Nacon Revolution 5 Pro PS5 Controller -- $175 (
$200) - Assassin's Creed The Ezio Collection (Switch) -- $20 (
$40) - Assassin's Creed Mirage -- $25 ($50)
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla -- $20 (
$40) - Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora -- $35 (
$70) - The Crew Motorfest -- $35 (
$70) - Dead Space -- $25 ($
70) - EA Sports FC24 -- $23 (
$50) - Hogwarts Legacy - $40 (
$60) - Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown -- $30 ($
50) - Resident Evil 4 -- $30 (
$60) - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor -- $28 ($
70) - TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants -- $25 (
$30) - Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon -- $40 ($
60) - Fire Emblem Engage -- $40 ($
60) - Mario Golf: Super Rush -- $40 ($
60) - Mario Tennis Aces -- $40 (
$60) - Super Mario Maker 2 -- $40 (
$60) - Super Mario Party -- $40 (
$60)
Best Laptop and Prebuilt PC Deals for Memorial Day Weekend
Lenovo Gaming Laptop Ready to upgrade your gaming rig? Both laptops and prebuilt desktop PCs are included in this weekend's sale. One of the best gaming laptops getting a price cut is the ASUS TUF 15.6-Inch, as it gets you an RTX 4070 and 1TB SSD for just $1,050 (down from $1,400). If you want something a bit more powerful, step up to the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, as you'll get an RTX 4070 for $1,400 (down from $1,800). Alternatively, Lenovo also makes a Legion Slim 5 with an OLED display and RTX 4060 GPU that's on sale for $1,000. As for prebuilt desktop PCs, the HP Omen 40L Gaming Desktop (RTX 4060 Ti, 1TB SSD) is now $1,250 (down from $1,480). However, if your budget allows, you can pick up the superpowered Alienware Aurora R16 Desktop for $2,750 (down from $3,200). That's a lot of cash, but it gets you an RTX 4080 Super and a 2TB SSD.
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 Laptop (RTX 4060, 512GB SSD) -- $1,000 ($
1,450) - ASUS TUF 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (RTX 4070, 1TB SSD) -- $1,050 ($
1,400) - Dell G15 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (RTX 4060, 1TB SSD) -- $900 ($
1,150) - Lenovo Legion Slim 5 OLED Gaming Laptop (RTX 4060, 1TB SSD) -- $1,000 (
$1,480) - Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gaming Laptop (RTX 4070, 1TB SSD) -- $1,400 ($
1,800) - ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED Laptop (RTX 3050, 1TB SSD) -- $1,000 ($
1,300) - HP Omen 40L Gaming Desktop (RTX 4060 Ti, 1TB SSD) -- $1,250 ($
1,480) - Alienware Aurora R16 Desktop (RTX 4080 Super, 2TB) -- $2,750 ($
3,200)
Best 4K TV Deals for Memorial Day Weekend
Samsung Neo QLED 4K TV A handful of TVs are on sale at Best Buy this weekend, including options for large home theaters, small bedrooms, and more. One of the biggest discounts is for the Samsung 55-Inch Class QN90C Neo QLED Smart TV (4K, 120Hz), as it's seeing a full $500 price cut. If you don't need the most vibrant screen or fastest refresh rate, you can pick up the Insignia 55-Inch Class F30 Series LED Smart TV (4K, 60Hz) for $250 (down from $350).
- LG 65-Inch Class C3 Series OLED Smart TV (4K, 120Hz) -- $1,500 ($
1,700) - Sony 65-Inch Class Bravia XR X90L Smart TV (4K, 120Hz) -- $1,100 ($
1,300) - Samsung 55-Inch Class QN90C Neo QLED Smart TV (4K, 120Hz) -- $1,000 ($
1,500) - TCL 75-Inch Class Q7 Smart Google TV (4K, 120Hz) -- $900 ($
1,100) - Insignia 55-Inch Class F30 Series LED Smart TV (4K, 60Hz) -- $250 ($
350) - TCL 55-Inch Class S4 Smart TV (4K, 60Hz) -- $250 ($
280)
Best Apple Deals for Memorial Day Weekend
MacBook Apple products are often resistant to price cuts, but that's not true at Best Buy right now. Anyone looking for a reliable laptop should check out the MacBook Air 13.6-Inch Laptop (M2 Chip) for $850 (down from $1,000), as it's one of the best prices we've seen this year. The M2 Chip isn't the newest chip in the Apple lineup, but it's more than enough for light gaming, data processing, and other daily work (or school) tasks. And if you need new headphones or earbuds, you'll find nice deals on the AirPods (2nd Gen), AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), and AirPods Max.
- MacBook Air 13.6-Inch Laptop (M2 Chip) -- $850 ($
1,000) - MacBook Pro 14-Inch Laptop (M3 Chip) -- $1,450 ($
1,600) - iPad Air (10.9-Inch, M1 Chip) -- $550 ($
750) - Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS + Cellular, 45mm) -- $409 ($
529) - AirPods Max -- $450 ($
550) - AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) -- $190 ($
250) - AirPods (2nd Gen) -- $100 ($
130)
Best Soundbar and Headphone Deals for Memorial Day Weekend
The Sony WH1000XM5 are one of the best pairs of headphones you can buy in 2024, and this weekend the premium noise-canceling cans are on sale for $330 (down from $400). Alternatively, you'll find their predecessor the WH1000XM4, discounted to $250 (down from $350). For your home theater, the Samsung HW-B650/ZA 3.1 Channel Soundbar + Subwoofer is a nice option now that it's $250 (down from $400), as it supports DTS Virtual: X for an enhanced audio experience, as well as Adaptive Sound Lite to provide better voice clarity during loud action scenes.
- Beats Studio Pro Wireless Headphones -- $250 ($
350) - Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 -- $189 ($
279) - Sony WH1000XM5 Wireless Headphones -- $330 ($
400) - Sony WH1000XM4 Wireless Headphones -- $250 ($
350) - Samsung HW-B650/ZA 3.1 Channel Soundbar + Subwoofer -- $250 ($
400) - Sony HTA3000 3.1 Channel Soundbar -- $500 ($
700)
You should also check out Amazon's Sony Electronics sale for even more deals this weekend.
Pokemon, Disney Lorcana, and Lego Deals for Memorial Day Weekend
Pokemon TCG Scarlet & Violet Obsidian Flames Rounding out the Best Buy deals is a series of toys and collectibles. Now's your chance to pick up Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Obsidian Flames Booster Packs for just $3 (down from $4.50) or Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn Starter Decks for $10 (down from $17). Aside from TCG packs, the Lego Technic Mars Crew Exploration Rover (1,599 pieces) is seeing a $30 price cut and a variety of Funko Pops are on sale for around $8 each (down from $12).
- Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Obsidian Flames Booster Pack -- $3 ($
4.50) - Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn Starter Deck -- $10 ($
17) - Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Paradox Rift Elite Trainer Box -- $35 ($
50) - Lego Technic Mars Crew Exploration Rover (1,599 pieces) -- $120 ($
150) - Pokemon TCG Classic Collection -- $280 ($
400) - Funko Pop: Obi-Wan Kenobi -- $8 ($
12)
- Microsoft Xbox Series X -- $450 ($
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Larian Studios, the team behind the critically acclaimed Baldur's Gate 3, recently announced that those who purchased the game's physical deluxe edition for the PS5 in North America will now have to wait until July to receive the game.
The statement came from the studio's official X/Twitter account. The post reveals that the new delay is due to "production changes" outside the studio's control, and it "had to follow certain processes specifically set by production companies when manufacturing the PS5 discs." Because of the processes taken, the approval for certain regions has taken much longer.
We have disappointing news to share with you.
— Larian Studios (@larianstudios) May 24, 2024
While we were so hoping to not have to update owners of the console physical Deluxe Edition with any further news of delay, we’ve now run into more production issues which means that players who pre-ordered their PS5 North America…Despite the delay, Larian Studios went on to say that it expects all PS5 physical deluxe editions for North America to be ready fairly soon:
"We expect all PS5 North America copies to be ready in around 14 days - followed by another 10 days to begin delivering these directly to players. We are also in talks with the manufacturer to understand whether it is possible to hire extra temporary staff to reduce assembly times."
The studio then apologized to those who have not had a chance to play the game because of the delay. As the post continues, Larian Studios explains why creating physical editions of the game is important to the studio:
"By committing to creating physical editions, we were hoping to preserve the almost nostalgic feeling of unboxing your newest game, and this is a commitment we're hoping to bring into the future with us, this time ensuring we continue to work closely with our partners to manage the planning and production process."
In a follow-up post,
Larian Studios said that the physical copies for Xbox have shipped, as have the physical copies for PS5 for EU and Oceania
For more news on Larian Studios, check out our story detailing how the studio has two "very ambitious" games in the works and has opened a new office.
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Earlier this week, Hellblade 2 launched to shockingly divided reviews. While critics unanimously praised the game for its visual and audible presentation, they were torn on how engaging its gameplay was. It's a topic we touched on in our own Hellblade 2 review, in which Jessica Cogswell wrote the game is "ultimately undermined by its emphasis on fidelity over story and gameplay."
In this week's episode of Spot On, Tam and Lucy dig even deeper into the subject and discuss if graphical prowess can ever truly make up for subpar gameplay, as well if there were misconceptions about what exactly Ninja Theory's latest action-adventure game set out to do.
Spot On is GameSpot's weekly news show in which managing editor Tamoor Hussain and senior producer Lucy James talk about the latest game news. Given the massive video game industry's highly dynamic and never-ending news cycle, there's always something to talk about. Unlike most news shows, Spot On will dive deep into a single topic instead of recapping all the news. Spot On airs each Friday.
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The next Doom game, allegedly titled Doom: The Dark Ages, will be revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9, according to a new report.
Insider Gaming reports that the next installment in ID Software's legendary FPS series had previously been known under the codename Year Zero, but that it now understands Doom: The Dark Ages to be the game's official title. The reveal of the game's title comes after earlier reports that indicated a new Doom game would make an appearance at the showcase.
Not much is known about this new entry, but according to the report, it will take place in a "medieval inspired Doom world" and could potentially serve as a prequel of sorts to 2016's Doom and 2020's Doom Eternal. Whether or not the game will include some form of multiplayer is still unknown.
Back in February, Microsoft revealed it would begin releasing some of its first party games on PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch. It was later reported that other Xbox first-party titles, including the still unannounced next Doom game, were still under consideration for release on non-Xbox consoles.
It's worth noting that Doom Eternal in 2020 did release on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, but that was before Microsoft's $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda, which owns Doom developer ID Software, had officially gone through. That means there's a solid chance Doom: The Dark Ages could come to PlayStation 5, though fans will have to wait for Microsoft to officially comment on the matter.
Microsoft, hot off its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, will be holding a special showcase for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 following its main Xbox Showcase. Other games rumored to be shown at the Xbox Showcase include Gears 6.
Doom and Doom Eternal have effectively rebooted the long-running FPS series, earning positive reviews and proving to be big hits for Bethesda. Praised for their single-player campaigns, 2016's Doom did feature traditional multiplayer as well. Doom Eternal instead opted for an asymmetric multiplayer called Battlemode that pitted one Doomslayer against player-controlled demons in addition to its campaign mode, and also received an expansion, The Ancient Gods. A mobile Doom game, Mighty Doom, released in March 2023.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Gets First Big Discount
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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has maintained its $70 retail price since launching in February--until now. You can finally save on the PS5 exclusive at Amazon and GameStop, with both retailers dropping the price to $55 for a limited time. As this is the first discount since release, we wouldn't be surprised to see stock sell out--especially at Amazon, considering the online retailer is still giving away Final Fantasy-themed DualSense controller skins with the game.
Depending on your location, you can get free same- or one-day delivery at Amazon with a Prime membership. It's worth noting that while free shipping is available for everyone at Amazon, ordering from GameStop will require you to spend $79 or more to get free shipping. That said, you could order online and pick it up at your local GameStop store. GameStop is selling preowned copies of Rebirth for $50, in case you want to save a little bit more and don't mind used games.
Rebirth, the sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, earned in 8/10 in our review. "Thankfully, what Final Fantasy Rebirth succeeds at eclipses what it fumbles," critic Tamoor Hussain wrote. "It's a superbly designed gameplay experience that instills a sense of freedom while also making exploration rewarding in a meaningful way. Refined gameplay that makes character synergy a focal point breathes new life into the slick and satisfying combat, and all the while it reinforces the underlying themes of the story. As a game that has the unenviable task of living up to one of the strongest legacies in the medium, it is a worthy second chapter."
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth isn't the only Square Enix game on sale for its best price yet. Fans of Square Enix's best-known series can also grab Final Fantasy 16, the latest mainline entry, for only $35 at Amazon and GameStop.
Meanwhile, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, a Nintendo Switch exclusive that has been largely unavailable at major retailers since its release last December, is back in stock and discounted to $40 at Amazon and GameStop. Note: Amazon is "temporarily out of stock" but you can still order it. However, you may need to click "other sellers on Amazon" to get the $40 price, as the listing sometimes defaults to third-party sellers.
Lastly, you can grab Star Ocean: The Second Story R for $35 for PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Once again, this is the best price yet.
Buying at least two of the games listed below will satisfy the requirement for free shipping at GameStop.
Square Enix game deals: Best prices yet
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