Pokemon Legends Z-A launched on Switch and Switch 2 last week, and if you're looking to grab the new game, you're in luck. GameSpot is giving away the Nintendo Switch 2 + Pokemon Legends: Z-A console bundle to one lucky reader. The bundle includes the new Nintendo Switch 2 console and a download code for the digital Switch 2 Edition of Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The winner will be randomly selected via a raffle drawing and will be announced on October 28. Read on to see how you can enter for a chance to win--including ways to get additional entries in the drawing.To enter GameSpot's Switch 2 + Pokemon Legends: Z-A bundle giveaway, all you have to do is subscribe to GameSpot's new Deals Newsletter. Signing up is free--just enter your email below and you'll be entered into the raffle. The deadline to enter is 11:59 pm PT on Monday, October 27. Along with the chance to win the bundle, joining the Deals Newsletter email means you'll get the latest and greatest discounts on video games, Blu-rays, Lego sets, and beyond, as well as notifications on the biggest new preorders, all directly to your inbox each week.Signing up for the GameSpot Deals Newsletter gets you a single entry in the giveaway, but there are ways to earn additional entries as well. Click the link below, then follow the official GameSpot and GameSpot Deals accounts on X (previously known as Twitter), visit GameSpot's YouTube Channel, and follow the official GameSpot TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook accounts to get additional entries. Each activity gets you one extra raffle entry--so if you complete them all, that means you'll have seven entries in Nintendo Switch 2 + Pokemon Legends: Z-A giveaway. Further details on the contest are available below.Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Alduin The World Eater (619 Pieces) $32.49 (was $54) Get deal at Amazon The officially licensed Mega Bloks Collector Set inspired by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is on sale for a new low price at Amazon. The 619-piece brick-built model of the dragon Alduin is discounted to only $32.49 (was $54). This deal is slightly better than Amazon's offer during Big Deal Days ($36). Check out the impressive Skyrim collectible and two Fallout 4-inspired building sets below.Continue Reading at GameSpot

8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller $26.33 (was $40) See at Amazon 8BitDo's reimagined Nintendo 64 wireless controller is on sale for only $26.33 (was $40) at Amazon. The 8BitDo 64 is a great Bluetooth controller for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PC, and Android. Only the white edition is available for this price; the black edition has remained close to full price since the controller's July launch. At the moment, the black version is $37.21.If you have trouble syncing the 8BitDo 64 to Switch 2, you may need to download a firmware update for the controller. If you're a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber, the 8BitDo 64 is a great and markedly cheaper alternative to the $55 N64 controller sold on the Nintendo Store. It's also has vastly superior ergonomics.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Lego Marvel Iron Spider-Man Bust (379 Pieces) $48 (was $60) See at Amazon See at Target Lego Marvel Iron Man MK4 Bust (436 Pieces) $48 (was $60) See at Amazon See at Target Marvel fans can save on both models in Lego's new series of brick-built busts featuring iconic characters and costumes from the MCU. The Iron Man MK4 and Iron Spider-Man Busts are discounted to $48 (was $60) at Amazon and Target. This is the first time either of these Lego Marvel sets have received discounts since launch, and these 20% discounts aren't expected to stick around for long. Amazon is matching Target's deals, and Target's site says October 21 is the last day to save. Continue Reading at GameSpot

Joe Hill - King Sorrow: A Novel (Hardcover) $26.60 (was $40) | Releases October 21 See at Amazon See at Walmart One of the best horror writers working today has a new behemoth of a novel just in time for Halloween. King Sorrow, the fifth novel by best-selling author Joe Hill, hits store shelves this week (October 21), and you can get a huge discount at Amazon. The 896-page hardcover is on sale for 34% off, slashing the price to $26.60 (was $40). King Sorrow is a horror-fantasy novel following a group of bookish college friends who mistakenly summon a terrifying dragon. Hill is best known as the creator of Locke & Key, The Black Phone, and NOS4A2--and for following in his father Stephen King's footsteps by becoming a horror writer.The Kindle ebook edition of King Sorrow is available for $17, while the Audible audiobook is $22 (was $25). But if you want to listen to the ensemble cast of talented performers read Hill's new novel, you're much better off signing up for Audible Premium Plus. New subscribers can get their first three months for $0.99/month. You'll receive an Audible credit each month that can be used to purchase a book of your choice. Even if you aren't eligible for the promotional offer, you can get King Sorrow's audiobook edition for $15 by subscribing to Premium Plus for one month. Joe Hill - King Sorrow: A Novel (Hardcover) $26.60 (was $40) | Releases October 21 Hill's fourth novel, The Fireman, released in 2016, so fans have been waiting nearly a decade for King Sorrow. The 896-page doorstopper--Hill's longest novel to date--takes place at Rackham College, a fictional university in Maine.When Arthur Oakes is forced to steal rare books from the college library's exceptional collection, he consults his friend group to find a way to get out of his nightmare (he really loves books). Arthur's buddy suggests summoning a dragon to thwart the drug dealer who is making him steal books. Arthur and five of his friends perform the summoning ritual using an old journal bound in its author's skin. As one would expect, using a skin-bound book to summon an evil entity is a bad idea. Once the eponymous evil is summoned, the group has the unenviable task of choosing a person to sacrifice each year. If they don't, they will be sacrificed. See at Amazon See at Walmart 20th Century Ghosts: Story Collection: 20th Anniversary Edition $15 (was $20) In August, Joe Hill's debut short story collection celebrated its 20th anniversary with a special paperback edition. Notably, 20th Century Ghosts includes the short story "The Black Phone," which was adapted into a Blumhouse horror movie starring Ethan Hawke. Black Phone 2 just released in theaters--a Walmart-exclusive 4K Steelbook Edition is up for preorder, too--so it's the perfect time to read the original story and a 14 other great horror stories. The 336-page Anniversary Edition is on sale for only $15 at Amazon and Walmart.The 20th Century Ghosts Anniversary Edition has an appropriately ghoulish cover with misty blue and magenta cover artwork. You definitely don't own a book with stained page edges that look like this. The edges have a mixture of violet and blue with magenta swirls and neon pink insects crawling around. The Anniversary Edition features a new afterword by Hill and is introduced by author Christopher Golden, who recently co-edited New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand.Beyond The Black Phone, standout stories include a Dracula follow-up called "Abraham's Boys," a Kafka-esque tale about a boy who becomes a giant insect, and "Pop Art," a moving tale about the friendship between a troubled boy and a boy made of inflatable plastic.Originally released in 2005 with a very small print run, 20th Century Ghosts was a huge critical success. It won Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Awards. At the time of its publication, Hill's identity as Stephen King's son was unknown to the publishing world and general public. He confirmed his identity in 2007 while promoting his debut novel Heart-Shaped Box.All told, the 336-page collection features 15 stories, an introduction by author Christopher Golden, and a new afterword by Hill. See at Amazon See at Walmart Joe Hill Novels and Story Collections Joe Hill has written five novels and three story collections. See at Amazon Continue Reading at GameSpot

It's an early Christmas for RPG heads, particularly those with an appreciation for Bethesda games, as Steam has discounted the Fallout Franchise Bundle by 71%.The big Fallout bundle includes the RPG that started it all: 1997's Fallout, as well as Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. You also get every DLC released for all of those games, totaling more than 15 bonus packs.The standard retail price tag for the bundle is $147.94, but it's not uncommon to see 20% discounts here and there. Right now, however, it's available at 71% off its normal price, knocking the bundle's cost all the way down to $43.56.The pre-Fallout 3 Fallout games were a little before my time, and I've never taken the time to go back and play them, so this could be a good opportunity to catch up on the series' origins while we wait for Fallout 5... or the heat death of the universe, whichever comes first.Seriously, we're probably going to be waiting quite a while for Fallout 5. BGS is working on The Elder Scrolls 6 right now, with the most optimistic possible release date falling sometime in 2026, and lord only knows how long it'll take from pre-production to shipping with Fallout 5, realistically placing the sequel's launch sometime in the 2030s.Thankfully, it does seem like Fallout 5 is next up on the list of upcoming Bethesda games, so there's some hope we'll all live to see the day it comes out.

Nearly 16,000 93% positive Steam reviews later, co-op survival crafting game Necesse has reached the hallowed land of version 1.0.Originally released in Steam early access all the way back in December 2019, Necesse combines procedural world generation, top-down action and boss fights, base building, and a robust settlement system to create a sandbox of gathering, crafting, and adventuring that you can play alone or with friends on servers that can hold hundreds of players.Necesse has drawn reasonable comparisons to Terraria for its overall style and its love of dungeons, but its perspective, progression, and NPC systems are meaningfully distinct. It's also packing an "infinite seamless world," enabling even greater wanderlust."To celebrate the launch, we are running a 50% discount on Necesse on Steam," developer and self-publisher Fair Games ApS announced. The game is $7.49 through October 30, or even cheaper if you buy it bundled with another survival game.As it happens, Steam just rolled out a new feature that makes bundles more visible. Necesse has paired with Palworld, Core Keeper, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Tinker Lands, and Guntouchables in discrete bundles. I already own Palworld, so I can just buy that bundle to get Necesse for $6.74. That's the sale that's not on sale, baby.Communications director John "Bucky" Buckley of Palworld developer Pocketpair was out championing the full release of Necesse earlier this week. "Absolute banger," he wrote. "Lots of depth to the game, super fun to play solo or co-op and the village building aspect is insanely addictive."The 1.0 launch has clearly had an effect. According to Steam's top sellers ranking, Necesse has flown up to 17th place, just behind roguelike breakout Megabonk.Beating Hades 2, Megabonk, Dying Light: The Beast, and everyone else, the most powerful Steam release of the past month is an open-world physics sandbox with 27,000 gilded reviews.

There are so many things that make you "you," and I think one of the most idiosyncratic is the way you sign your name. Whether you dot your Is with hearts or cross your Zs, the little particularities of your signature are special. Those who try to forge it are often no-good scammers after your credit card info, your soul, or your love for Nier creator Yoko Taro.None of it is fair. None of it is right. "What's in a name?" asks Juliet. The keys to your house, Shakespeare! So, Yoko Taro offers fans some sagely advice: don't buy random, $250 signatures purporting to be his online, because they might not be."This autograph is a fake," Yoko responds on Twitter to a post sharing a Vinted link for a supposedly signed copy of the Nier Reincarnation soundtrack. "I include small unknown features in my real autographs to prevent reselling, so I can tell when one isn't genuine.""I've confirmed that nearly half of the autographs being resold are actually fake," he continues, "so please don't buy them."He, rightfully, doesn't explain what kind of "small unknown features" he adds to his real autographs to be able to distinguish them from imitations, but I'm guessing they might be deliberate imperfections. Or, perhaps Yoko Taro only feels like he's being "authentic" when he is reportedly "trembling" while signing his name on a young woman's thigh.In any case, keep your money unless you verify a signed item is the real deal, or you're in front of Yoko Taro himself in which case you can take out both your money and your thighs.Humanity ascends as the latest Nier: Automata collab has 2B sit on your desktop in DLC for a Steam app that thousands of people use every second.

Pokemon Legends Z-A made two systemic changes that have allowed Magikarp, patron saint of latent potential, to shine like never before. Firstly, with this new installment, The Pokemon Company leaned into cooldown-based, real-time combat that can directly involve the player character. Secondly, it gave Magikarp a gun.One of the OG first generation Pokemon, Magikarp has long been treated, both by fans of the games and by actual citizens of the Pokemon universe in the anime, as something of a placeholder. A bookmark. A seedling. Something you check in on every now and then to see if it's turned into a Gyarados yet. Its signature move, Splash, accomplishes nothing, and its base moveset has never included any of the usual Water-type showstoppers.That changed with Pokemon Legends Z-A, at least for one Magikarp. Around the game's rendition of Lumiose City, you can encounter wild Alpha Pokemon red-eyed apexes of their species. And deep in the waters of the city's Vert Plaza park, or possibly splashing menacingly around the grass, prowls an Alpha Magikarp capable of using Hydro Pump, one of the stronger and better-known Water-type attacks (even if its inaccuracy makes it less popular competitively).Wild Pokemon can and will attack you personally, Hydro Pump has impressive range, and Alpha Pokemon hit hard for their level. You can probably see where this is going: straight to an involuntary pressure washing.This particular Magikarp's monumental achievement obtaining a move normally reserved for its competitively successful evolution has earned it its own entry in the storied halls of Bulbapedia. It also has planted seeds of fear in the hearts of Lumiose park goers, and after nearly 30 years as the butt of a joke, I think its violence is justified. (Note: our US managing editor, Rollin, was "the victim of this exact thing last night.")YOU WERE NOT KIDDING LMAOOO https://t.co/vl7mC9bGAE pic.twitter.com/4uRsGIRKUqOctober 17, 2025 Stories and videos of this Magikarp's power have been spreading around the Pokemon community since the release of Legends Z-A. May it inspire other Magikarp to step up, try harder, and turn into Gyarados just a little bit faster.Our Pokemon Legends Z-A review returned a 4/5, with Catherine praising its slice-of-life feel and memorable characters.Pokemon Legends: Z-A's real-time combat changes make one of the series' best non-damaging moves basically redundant and one of the coolest Gen 6 Pokemon "utter garbage."

The latest Steam mega-hit is Escape from Duckov, a PvE looter shooter partly parodying Escape from Tarkov but largely doing its own thing to great success.Escape from Duckov, released on October 16, is the latest from developer Team Soda of Snake Force and Soda Crisis of fame. Published by China's bilibili, and now the publisher's highest-rated Steam release, the game combines top-down shootouts with extraction shooter-adjacent "raids" and scavenging, all done up in cute ducky wrapping. And boy has it worked.According to a Steam post from Team Soda, Escape from Duckov had sold over 500,000 copies as of October 19. At the time of writing, it's currently the fourth top-selling game on Steam's rankings, right behind three variably massive shooters: actual extraction shooter Arc Raiders, Counter-Strike 2, and 7 million seller Battlefield 6 at the top.SteamDB reports that it has 117,473 people playing right now, with a concurrent peak of 182,509 earlier today. Holy flock.Escape from Duckov is sitting at 5,969 Steam user reviews at the time of writing, averaging a sterling 95% positive. Bilibili's backing has no-doubt helped over 4,200 of those reviews are in Simplified Chinese, indicating the game has a huge Chinese audience but folks the world over have demonstrably clicked with the cute and simple formula.I'm sure it also helps that this game is only $18 at full price, and just $15.83 at its current 12% discount (available through October 30)."This game is like quack, can't put it down," writes Steam reviewer Chad. (Damn, I was gonna make that joke.) We were also quite taken with the game during its Steam Next Fest showing earlier this year, with it even winning over our extraction shooter-averse Ali.With five maps, over 50 weapons, an upgradeable base, skill tree and crafting progression, and multiple difficulty modes, Escape from Duckov feels precision-engineered to be hard to put down. The devs reckon you'll find "50+ hours of content for a single playthrough," with Steam Workshop support offering player-made additions for those who want them.Some Chinese devs played Stardew Valley and loved it, but wanted something more "carefree" now their anime life sim RPG is tearing up Steam Next Fest, and it's hard to put down.

Bitcoin price dropped 2.5% on the day to attempt to fill the latest weekend CME futures gap, while traders warned that $100,000 could fail as support.

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British Columbia is moving to ban new crypto mining connections to protect its Hydro power grid. For years, analysts have argued this is the wrong approach.

The ban is part of an effort to manage electricity demand and ensure industrial development is powered by clean electricity.

Selling builds near $0.20 resistance after multiple failed breakout attempts, while macro stress keeps traders defensive across alt markets.

Glassnode says last weeks selloff cleared out excess without breaking structure, while Enflux points to renewed institutional layering from Blockchain.coms SPAC and Bitmines $800 million ETH buildout as signs of deeper market resilience.

GOP lawmakers are scheduling a followup meeting with crypto CEOs after they meet this week with Senate Democrats on the market structure bill, sources say.

The digital asset treasury bubble might have burst, as chairman Thomas Lee said, but the firm added over $1.6 billion worth of ETH during the crypto correction.