In Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, you’ll be connecting all of Australia to the Chiral Network. Along the way, you’ll find a few optional facilities. One of them belongs to someone called the Ghost Hunter. If you come across this one early, you won’

This might be the most supportive office chair I’ve ever sat on.

Most of what happens within the video games we play is invisible to us. Even the elements we're looking straight at work because of what's happening behind the scenes. If you've ever watched a behind-the-scenes video about game development, you might've seen these versions of flat, gray game worlds filled with lines and icons pointing every which way, with multiple grids and layers. These are the visual representations of all the systems that make the game work.Assassin's Creed ShadowsThis is an especially weird dichotomy to consider when it comes to lighting in any game with a 3D perspective, but especially so in high-fidelity games. We don't see light so much as we see everything it touches; it's invisible, but it gives us most of our information about game worlds. And it's a lot more complex than "turn on lamp, room light up." Reflection, absorption, diffusion, subsurface scattering--the movement of light is a complex thing that has been explored by physicists in the real world for literally centuries, and will likely be studied for centuries more. In the middle of all of that are game designers, applying the science of light to video games in practical ways, balanced with the limitations of even today's powerful GPUs, just to show all us nerds a good time.If you've wondered why many games seem to be like static amusement parks waiting for you to interact with a few specific things, lighting is often the reason. But it's also the reason more and more game worlds look vibrant and lifelike. Game developers have gotten good at simulating static lighting, but making it move is harder. Dynamic lighting has long been computationally expensive, potentially tanking game performance, and we're finally starting to see that change.Continue Reading at GameSpot

You hear that? The heavy thudding sound of someone running for their lives? Running around at the speed of sound, perhaps? Maybe this person, sprinting as far as their body can carry them, has places to go and has to follow his rainbow? That person i

Every week, hundreds of artists share their work on the Blender Artists forum. I'm putting some of the best work in the spotlight in a weekly post here on BlenderNation. Source

Whatever your day job, many of us would love to jump behind the controls of a dump truck for a lark. In the real world, that takes training and expertise …read more

The Criterion Collection 50% Off Sale Godzilla, David Lynch, Guillermo del Toro, Kurosawa, and more See at Amazon Blu-ray collectors don't need to wait for Prime Day 2025 to score great deals, as the annual Criterion Collection Summer Sale just kicked off. Hundreds of 4K Blu-rays, 1080p Blu-rays, and box sets are 50% off at Amazon and Barnes & Noble through July 27. But while you technically have a whole month to shop the deals, many of the most popular Criterion releases tend to sell out long before the official end date during these half-off promotions--especially at Amazon.Here are some of the movies that often disappear before the sale ends: Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films Box Set, the superb 4K remaster of Pixar's Wall-E, The Princess Bride, Dazed and Confused, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, The Shape of Water, Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Yojimbo/Sanjuro, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Uncut Gems, and The Silence of the Lambs. Godzilla: The Showa-Era 15-Film Box Set (Criterion Collection) $112.48 (was $225) See at Amazon We put together a giant alphabetized list of Criterion Collection movie deals that you can check out below. We also created sections for some of the notable franchises, directors, and actors featured in The Criterion Collection. So if you're looking for every 50% off deal related to Godzilla, Guillermo del Toro, David Lynch, Akira Kurosawa, the Coen brothers, Martin Scorsese, and Akira Kurosawa, we have breakdowns for all of them.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Club Mocchi-Mocchi Plushie Deals at Amazon Zelda, Mario, Kirby, Sonic, and more See at Amazon We’re inching closer to Prime Day, but you don’t have to wait until July 8 to save a few bucks on some of the best video game-inspired plushies around. Tomy's Club Mocchi-Mocchi collection is filled with ultra-soft, officially licensed plushies themed around Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Animal Crossing, and more popular franchises.While many of the standouts hail from classic Nintendo franchises, one of our favorites is the 15-inch Cuphead plush. Fans can get this very cute Cuphead plush for $27 (was $35) at Amazon. This is the lowest price ever for Club Mocchi-Mocchi's Cuphead plush, which is large and chunky enough to be used as a pillow. Cuphead 15-Inch Plush by Club Mocchi-Mocchi $27 (was $35) Cuphead displays a wide range of facial expressions in StudioMDHR's brilliant boss rush action game--and in Netflix's TV adaptation--but Club Mocchi-Mocchi opted for happiness with its officially licensed 15-inch plush. The result is an adorable recreation of the beloved character.Since Cuphead's cup head has a handle on the back, you could attach it to your backpack to have the world's largest keychain plush. In all seriousness, it's worth noting that this plush topples over if you try to display it without a support behind it. And yes, it's because Cuphead has an enormous head.Cuphead isn't the only large Club Mocchi-Mocchi plush available for a discount. Check out deals on Nintendo and Sega designs below. See at Amazon Club Mocchi-Mocchi 15-inch gaming plushiesClub Mocchi Mocchi Plush DealsOther great deals on 15-inch plushies at Amazon include Super Mario's Goomba for $24.49, Mario Kart's Blue Shell for $22.50, and Zelda's Octorok for $23. The list below also includes a few deals from Best Buy, Walmart, and Target. You can get a 15-inch Yoshi Egg plush at Best Buy for $21 and 6-inch Animal Crossing plushies for $10 at Walmart. Target has a 13-inch Dr. Eggman plush for only $20. You can pair Sega's iconic villain with a 15-inch Sonic plush for $25.Continue Reading at GameSpot

At the beginning of every run in Monster Train 2, you have to choose the two best clans to take with you. But with such a wide variety of them, and the ability to mix and match, it’s hard to decide on which ones to bring with you. For our money, thes

Still tending to your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Then it might be worth picking up the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Official Complete Guide. The hardcover guide is still available at Amazon--and it’s even seeing a slight discount right now. Best of all, this is the updated version published in 2023, meaning it includes details for all the major updates and the Happy Home Paradise expansion. Animal Crossing: New Horizons Official Complete Guide $50 (was $55) Published by Future Press, this comprehensive 668-page guide covers everything you need to know about the game, including information on all the islanders, all the craftable items, and every collectible from seasonal events, updates, and DLC. There’s also a section covering unique island designs--so if you need inspiration for your next big project, you’ll find plenty of examples in this official guidebook.The original version of this guide was published in 2020. While the 2020 edition is still available, we recommend the updated 2023 edition, as it includes information on all the additional content released between 2020 and 2023--such as Happy Home Paradise--and is a much better fit for anyone playing New Horizons in 2025. See at Amazon Future Press is also responsible for the new Metaphor: ReFantazio strategy guide and the popular Elden Ring strategy guides, along with dozens of other titles. If you’re interested in rounding out your bookcase with premium video game books, be sure to check out the full collection.Folks who haven’t yet purchased Animal Crossing: New Horizons will find it on sale for just $40 (was $60) at Woot--an Amazon company. If that deal sells out, it’s also discounted to $52 at Amazon.Continue Reading at GameSpot