New CoD Mode Turns Dead Enemies Into Your Worst Nightmare

The Blu-ray release of the original Berserk anime sold out immediately at Amazon when it launched last month. If you weren’t able to secure a copy, you have another chance to do so now. A fresh printing of Berserk is available to preorder on the Crunchyroll Store. Like Amazon, the anime juggernaut sold out of its initial batch of Berserk Blu-rays, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see it sell out again. Crunchyroll lists May 10 as the release date for the upcoming printing, so you won’t have to wait too long to start watching the anime that was adapted from Kentaro Miura’s legendary manga of the same name in 1997. Preorders are discounted by 20%, dropping the price from $60 to $45.

Set in a world of swords, sorcery, and gruesome monsters, Berserk is a captivating tale of fate and destiny, heartbreak and betrayal. Created by the late Kentaro Miura and spanning decades of chapters, Berserk is often hailed as one of the anime series of all time thanks to its dark story and stunning animation. It’s a show that you definitely don’t want your kids to see, and while it does make some changes to the saga, it’s still a faithful adaptation.

If you’re looking for even more Berserk, check out the excellent deluxe editions of the original manga, which are beautifully oversized hardcover volumes that give this wonderful manga the premium treatment it deserves.

Berserk Manga Deluxe Editions

Best Buy is running a three-day sale this weekend, offering big discounts on video games, laptops, PC hardware, audio equipment, and more. There are hundreds of deals available, but they’re only sticking around through Sunday, April 28. To help navigate the listings, we’ve put together a quick roundup of some of the noteworthy deals available in Best Buy’s three-day sale.

While all the deals we’ve picked out are available to everyone, it’s worth noting that My Best Buy Plus members get access to additional savings on select items included in the sale.

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Video games

Best Buy is cutting prices on select PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch physical games. This includes big releases from last year, like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Dead Space for $30 each, which is a big drop from their normal $70 price tags. Fighting game fans can grab the recent Tekken 8 for just $50 and Mortal Kombat 1 for $$40, while souls-likers can snag Elden Ring for $40 and Lies of P for $45. And while there aren’t many Switch games in the sale, there are a few gems like Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, which is on sale for $20 (was $40).

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Gaming consoles and hardware

Best Buy’s gaming software deals are great, but the retailer is also discounting a selection of new gaming hardware, including a PS5 Slim console bundle that comes with a digital copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for just $450, which equates to a retail value of $570. PC gamers looking for a new way to play their Steam library on the go can also grab PC gaming handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go for $700 (was $750) or the Asus ROG Ally for $400 (was $500)

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Laptops and computers

For a more standard PC gaming experience, there are also numerous laptops and pre-made gaming PCs on sale from brands like Asus, Razer, Corsair, and more. For example, you can snag the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 gaming laptop with an Intel 13th gen Core i7 CPU, GeForce RTX 4060, and 16GB of RAM for just $1,050 (normally $1,450).

As for desktops, the iBUYPOWER Y60 Black with an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X CPU, GeForce RTX 4070Ti Super, 32GB RAM, and 2TB NVMe SSD is down to $1,950 (normally $2,100) and includes a free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Along with the gaming rigs, select Apple Macbooks are on sale. While the savings aren’t as big as some of the other laptop deals, you can still save $150 on new MacBook Air and Pro models, such as the 14-inch MacBook Pro with Apple M3 Chip, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD for $1,850 (was $2,000).

• iBUYPOWER Y60 Black desktop – Ryzen 9 7900X CPU, GeForce RTX 4070Ti Super, 32GB RAM — $1,950 ($2,000)
• Acer Nitro V 15-inch gaming laptop — GeForce RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $900 ($1,100)
• Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 16-inch gaming laptop — Intel 13th gen Core i7, GeForce RTX 4060, 512GB SSD — $1,050 ($1,450)
• Asus ROG Flow X13 13-inch gaming laptop – Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, integrated graphics — $700 ($1,250)
• MacBook Air 13-inch – Apple M3 chip, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD — $1,400 ($1,500)
• MacBook Pro 14-inch – Apple M3 chip, 16GB Memory, 1TB SSD — $1,850 ($2000)

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Gaming accessories (PC and console)

Best Buy’s three-day weekend sale is also great for anyone looking to upgrade their gaming setup with new accessories. A bunch of SteelSeries accessories are on sale, including the Apex Pro TKL keyboard and the Arctis Nova 7 headset, both of which occupy spots on our best gaming keyboards and headsets lists, respectively. Similarly, one of our favorite gaming mice, the Logitech Pro X Superlight, is on sale for just $115 (was $160). PS5 players can upgrade their console’s storage space with the WD-Black SN850P 4TB NVMe SSD with a pre-attached heatsink, which is available for $350 (was $500).

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TVs and monitors

Need a new display for your home theater or office? Well, this weekend is probably a good time to grab one since a bunch of TVs and PC monitors are on sale. The TV deals include 4K models like the Insignia F30 75-inch LED 4K and the high-end 75-inch Samsung QN800C Neo QLED 8K.

As for PC monitors, several great Samsung models are discounted, including the massive Odyssey G9 curved OLED monitor, and the smaller (and much more affordable) Odyssey G51C.

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Audio

Select speakers, soundbars, and headphones are also part of Best Buy’s sale this weekend. You can snag over-ear headphone models like the Apple AirPods Max or Sony WH1000XM4, and in-ear true wireless models like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. If you’re looking for home theater audio deals, there are a bunch of soundbars and speakers on sale as well, a few of which on included in the list below.

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More Best Buy deals

Those lists just scratch the surface of what’s available in Best Buy’s Three-Day Sale. There are tons of other discounts in other categories like home appliances, smartphones, and more–including a few collectibles like the massive Titan Cybertron Universe Metroplex Transformers toy. There are also clearance deals on Super Mario Lego sets and Pokemon Mega Construx kits. Oh, and you can snag discounted Disney Lorcana decks and booster pack boxes while supplies last.

One of the strangest games of 2022, High on Life, will receive a physical release for the first time on September 19. This physical edition of a shooter starring obnoxious talking guns extends its humorous creative liberties to its cover art. Along with a half-peeled alien “sticker,” the phrase “Game of the Year” is hastily scrawled on a faux duct-taped label. From a player interest perspective, High on Life essentially was the GOTY on Xbox Game Pass. At the end of 2022, Microsoft confirmed High on Life was the biggest launch of the year on the subscription service. It also held the title as the biggest third-party release on the service until Palworld stole the crown earlier this year.

Published by Limited Run Games, the physical edition of High on Life comes with the base game and the High on Knife expansion. This edition was initially revealed back in February as a Limited Run Games’ store exclusive, but it sold out pretty fast. If you didn’t snag a copy then, preorders are now live at Amazon. Presently, only the PS5 version is available to preorder. Fans of High on Life can also preorder the official graphic novel follow-up ahead of its publication later this year.

Limited Run was also taking preorders on a cool collector’s edition earlier this year, but it too wasn’t available for long before all copies were snapped up. In case you missed it when it first came out, High on Life was a pretty colorful action game and a solid debut from Squanch Games, which was co-founded by Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland. It’s worth noting that Roiland resigned from the studio after domestic violence allegations against him were revealed shortly after the game’s release, but the studio continues to operate without him.

As you’d expect, the game features a really weird plot about an alien cartel using humans as drugs–or basically, it riffs on that one season of Torchwood. As a bounty hunter tasked with taking down the menace, you’ll wield various talking guns with colorful personalities. Also, some of your firearms deliver so much foul language that they’d make a sailor blush. The High on Knife expansion is set a few years after the events of the main game, and kindly asks you to help the homicidal Knifey track down a mysterious package from his homeworld.

“Ultimately, High On Life is, in its own weird way, a take on what a modern Metroid Prime game could be, through the lens of Justin Roiland’s comedy antics,” Jason Fanelli wrote in GameSpot’s High on Life review. “There’s a similar sense of exploration mixed with fast-paced moments of combat, only here it’s also swelling with expletive-laden jokes and sometimes incoherent rambling.”

If you’d like to explore the universe of the game even further, the official graphic novel collects all four issues of the comic book series and is also set after the game, as humanity finds itself being hunted by a mysterious being. It’s up to the Bounty Hunter to once again bring justice to the stars. The four-issue arc mixes in a tale of redemption and zany cosmic violence for good measure.

Lastly, you can check how the game came to be with The Art of High on Life, an official hardcover art book that released in March. It features nearly 200 pages of full-color illustrations of the game’s strange creatures, weird worlds, and grotesque gunplay, as well as expert commentary from Squanch Games.

Mojang has revealed the name of its much-anticipated 1.21 update. Tricky Trials, as it’s named, will come with a host of new content, some of which the studio has shared alongside the name reveal.

But players don’t have to wait until Tricky Trails to see some new content in the game. As explained in a Minecraft Monthly video, players are now able to give their wolves armor, which can be crafted by Scutes dropped by armadillos as a part of the Armored Paws update. On top of that, players will also have the option to dye the armor to personalize it more.

Mojang has also announced that Realms Plus is now available. The difference between this and the normal Minecraft Realms is that Realms Plus features an in-game social feed called Realm Stories, monthly character creator items, improved render distance, and more.

Those looking forward to playing the Ominous Trails can do so, as long as they’re playing in Java Snapshot, Bedrock beta, or Minecraft preview. In the Ominous Trails, players drink from a bottle and enter a chamber where they’ll be forced to fight mobs. Those who survive will be rewarded with the Ominous Trail Key, which will reward players with various items via a Vault.

In addition to the Ominous Trail Key, a new melee weapon is being introduced. Players will now be able to use a Mace. What makes this weapon different from the others is that it encourages you to drop from high places. If players land the attack, they’ll be safe from fall damage, but if they miss, they’ll receive all the damage. Players can test out the Mace now by playing Java Snapshot, Bedrock beta, or Minecraft preview.

Five new paintings will be coming to the game. In Minecraft tradition, the new paintings are inspired by real-world art. Console players can finally play Hardcore mode in Bedrock beta or Minecraft preview. In this mode, once players die, they can’t respawn, unlike in the normal mode.

As the video continues, they name various features that’ll be introduced in the 1.21 update, which include:

• Decorative Copper
• Tuff blocks
• The Crafter
• Copper Bulbs
• The Breeze
• Trail Chambers
• Trial Spawners
• Vaults
• The Wind Charge
• The Bogged
• Armor Trims
• Banner Patterns
• Pottery Sherds
• Music Disc

Further in the video, Agnes Larsson, the Minecraft vanilla game director, explained the reasoning behind calling the 1.21 update Tricky Trials. Larsson explains that it felt like a given to add trails because of the Ominous Trail. The tricky aspect came from the challenges players will face, and tricky feels like “this quirky Minecraft personality.”

The Tricky Trials update doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s expected to be available later this year.

From the moment Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo slid into their matching overalls and unleashed Super Mario Bros. on to the world back in 1993, video game fans have wondered: can video game adaptations ever be… good? For years, it seemed as if the answer was a resounding no. While some films were decent, the vast majority left a lot to be desired–such as good dialogue and storylines that, you know, made sense. Recently, however, everything has changed.

In the past few years, Netflix has earned not only financial success but critical-acclaim with its television adaptations of Castlevania, Arkane, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and The Witcher. Just last year, HBO delivered a The Last of Us adaptation worthy of the coveted “prestige tv” status, while Amazon Prime’s Fallout series has already left fans eager for its next season. And it’s not just video game-related television shows that are finding success. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the second-highest grossing film of 2023, surpassing Oppenheimer and every super hero movie released that year.

So, what happened that made video game movies, well, good? And more importantly, what does all this mean going forward? Tam and Lucy discuss the game-to-film pipeline, what’s changed, and how this movement is fantastic for indie games with interesting narratives–such as El Paso, Elsewhere and Dredge–which now have movie deals of their own.

Spot On is a weekly news show airing Fridays in which GameSpot’s managing editor Tamoor Hussain and senior producer Lucy James talk about the latest news in games. Given the highly dynamic and never-ending news cycle of the massive video game industry, there’s always something to talk about but, unlike most other news shows, Spot On will dive deep into a single topic as opposed to recapping all the news. Spot On airs each Friday.

So, you’ve decided to play Manor Lords. This strategy game from Slavic Magic sees your character grow a village from humble beginnings to economic and military powerhouse. Still, you might be wondering about the ideal options when starting your playthrough. Here’s our guide on the best difficulty options and game setup for Manor Lords.

What are the difficulty options and best game setup in Manor Lords

After you’ve spent some time designing your ruler’s coat of arms, you’ll see the Game Setup screen. This presents you with several scenario templates and options related to AI behavior, supplies, and events.

Game setup options

Here are the most notable options from the Manor Lords game setup screen:

• End goal – This determines how you’ll win the campaign:
  • Growth – Reach “Large Town” settlement level.
  • Conquest – Claim all regions.
  • Domination – Defeat other lords by claiming their territories; can only be selected if there’s an off-map adversary.
  • None – Endless play with no completion goal.
• Off-map adversary and AI aggressiveness – There’s an AI lord located off-map, but they control a couple of regions at the start. AI aggressiveness determines whether this lord will not press claims on your lands or will press claims at will.
• Raiders and bandits – Think of these hostiles as regular mobs you need to handle occasionally. You can set the frequency of raids, the years when there would be no raids, and the number of bandit camps that spawn on the map.
• Residential requirements and approval – Your villagers have needs that should be met. Failure to do so impacts the growth of your town.
• Starting season – Starting during spring means you can farm early, whereas a winter start date is just asking for trouble due to a lack of supplies and unpreparedness.

Starting out: Rise to Prosperity scenario

Manor Lords offers three scenario templates, each with predetermined settings. However, you can still tweak each setting manually. Template difficulties–Relaxing, Default, and Challenging–change all the settings.

The first scenario template is Rise to Prosperity, and we think it’s the best game setup in Manor Lords. The primary goal is to grow your town. There’s no off-map adversary, and there are no bandits/raiders either. For the most part, you can think of this as a way to learn the basics of the game, with a game flow more similar to a town management sim.

On the Edge, meanwhile, is for those who want a bit of a challenge. The key difference here compared to Rise to Prosperity is the presence of bandit camps, as well as frequent raids. This time, you have to grow and defend your town from encroaching enemies.

Facing a rival lord: Restoring the Peace scenario

Finally, there’s Restoring the Peace, which now includes an off-map adversary. Your initial concerns are the bandits and raiders near your lands. Once you’ve fended them off and feel ready, you can challenge the baron to capture the remaining territories. Domination is the end goal here, which means you have to ensure that the baron no longer holds any region on the map.

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This is everything you need to know about the difficulty options and game setup in Manor Lords. How you approach the sandbox campaign is entirely up to you. We recommend starting slow so you can learn how to manage your town and residents first. Still, if a peaceful and relaxing time isn’t your jam, then a bit of medieval warfare might suffice.