Category: Games

May is finally here, and ThinkGeek is ready to do some spring cleaning on its clearance section. To kick off the new month, the digital store is offering 75% off all clearance items, plus an additional 25% off all items in your cart. That 25% off discount applies both to full-price items and clearance items that have already been slashed by 75%. In case you don’t feel like doing the math, that’s a full 81% off clearance items that are already on sale.

Some important information: This sale only runs for 24 hours, so you’ll want to grab whatever you’re interested in buying between now and 9 PM PT on May 1 (12 AM ET on May 2). Once you add things to your cart, you’ll see the discount automatically applied–no coupon code needed.

If you’re not familiar with ThinkGeek, the retailer is one of the top online places to get officially licensed merchandise and collectibles from practically any fandom or interest, from Star Wars and Game of Thrones to Pokemon, Borderlands, Dungeons & Dragons, and many, many more. ThinkGeek’s stuff tends to be reasonably priced in general, but with this sale, you’re getting multiple stacked discounts that make these items more affordable than ever.

The clearance section currently offers quite a wide range of items, including Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, and Marvel products. Some of them are ThinkGeek exclusives, and everything is officially licensed. Browse the full collection of items on sale at ThinkGeek, and see some of the products that caught our eye below.

SHOP THINKGEEK’S ONE-DAY CLEARANCE SALE »

Solar Orbit Necklace

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Just a reminder–Mother’s Day is coming up in just a couple of weeks, so this might be a good chance to pick up something your mom or significant other would like. This solar system necklace crafted with gemstones is particularly stunning. (Plus, check out our other Mother’s Day gift ideas if you need some more inspiration.)

Twerkbot9000

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This little dude has one purpose only: to twerk until his little plywood body can twerk no more. This DIY robot kit comes with 212 laser cut pieces and other supplies so you can actually put it together yourself–and of course, display it somewhere where everyone can see and be amazed.

Borderlands Hand-Painted Framed Resin Masks

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These hand-crafted resin masks come mounted in a shadow box frame for display. Note that right now, only the Psycho Bandit replica appears to be available.

Star Wars BB-8 USB Car Charger

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Take Star Wars’ adorable rolling droid with you on the go, plug it into your 12V vehicle power adaptor, and let it charge your electronics with its two 2.1A USB charging points.

Fallout Shower Curtain

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Based on Bethesda’s Perk poster, this Fallout shower curtain is both practical and a cool piece of decor for your bathroom.

Super Nintendo Triptych

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Been looking for some wall art for your gaming area? This wall art set pays tribute to the SNES controller, and each piece comes framed with a metal wall hanger on the back.

Pikachu Coin Bank

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It’s a Pikachu that will hoard all your spare coins–what else do you need to know?

Undertale Soundtrack Vinyl 2LP

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Whether you actually own a record player or enjoy collecting vinyls for the aesthetic, you’ve got some solid options to consider in this sale, including this gorgeous Undertale album or this double LP for Dark Souls II.

Star Wars C-3PO and R2-D2 Chrome Figure Set

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It’s a great time to pick up this chrome-plated figure set if you’re a Star Wars collector, as its full list price is $200 and it’s already 50% off (pre-discounts). Featuring the OG droids, each model lights up and comes with interchangeable accessories.

Twinkling Milky Way Skirt

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This gorgeous skirt is a dream for anyone who likes cosplay, space, and/or sparkly things. The three-layered skirt is woven with over 60 small LED lights and has six adjustable modes.

The Art of God of War: Exclusive Edition

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This collector’s item comes with a digital download for God of War, a hardcover coffee table book offering a behind-the-scenes look at the game, and a cloth-covered portfolio with art inspired by the game. This particular edition is exclusive to ThinkGeek with only 1,500 total available to sell.

Last month, Oculus revealed that its next step in VR gaming would be a two-pronged approach: a revision of its original headset with the Rift S and a standalone headset in the Quest. Specs and features had been detailed alongside a Spring 2019 release window and a $400 USD price tag for each package. Now, Oculus has announced that both will launch simultaneously on May 21–pre-orders for Rift S and Quest are now open as well.

The Rift S makes several improvements over the original Rift, a platform that has been out since March 2016. First off, the Rift S has an increased resolution; it’ll display 1280×1440 per eye, 2560×1440 in total, although it now displays in 80Hz (down from 90Hz). Another addition is integrated audio on the headset and a more comfortable, secure headstrap. The biggest feature, however, is the company’s new inside-out tracking technology called Oculus Insight. This negates the need for external motion sensors since there are five built into the headset, capable of full positional tracking.

Oculus Quest (left) and Oculus Rift S (right)

While the Rift S remains a PC-based platform, the Oculus Quest packs everything you need into the one unit. The standalone VR headset is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor–a significant upgrade over the specs of the lesser mobile counterpart the Oculus Go. Quest also features Oculus Insight with four built-in sensors to offer full positional, six degree-of-freedom tracking. It’ll display an impressive 2880×1600 resolution (a bit of a bump from the Rift S), but at a lower 72Hz. Two options for storage space will be available: 64GB at $400 and 128GB at $500.

A pair of revised Touch controllers come with each headset, which reposition the motion sensor rings to be above the face buttons to track better with the new Insight sensors. We’ve spent some time with the Oculus Quest and will have a definitive review on GameSpot soon.

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Yet another video game is getting spun into a movie. Deadline reports that a film based on Saints Row is in development, with F. Gary Gray attached to direct. Gray directed Straight Outta Compton, The Fate of the Furious, and the upcoming Men in Black: International.

Greg Russo is writing the script; it’s at least his second video game job, as he’s also writing the script for the Mortal Kombat reboot movie in the works at Warner Bros.

The movie is produced in part by Koch Films, a division of Koch Media, which owns Deep Silver and the rights to Saints Row. THQ previously held the rights, but Koch Media acquired the rights and developer Volition out of THQ’s bankruptcy auction. Last year, Volition and Saints Row returned to THQ … sort of … when THQ Nordic (which itself acquired the THQ name) acquired Koch Media and all of its assets.

The Saints Row movie has been in the works for a long time. Back in 2009, the rapper 50 Cent announced that he was working on a Saints Row movie when the franchise was with THQ.

There have been four main Saints Row games so far, but it’s not clear if the story will be based on any plot from the franchise or if it’s something entirely new. Also unknown is who will star in it, when production may begin, and when it could be released. In Hollywood, projects tend to get announced and take a long time to materialize, if they ever do.

The Red Woman Melisandre has been wandering around Westeros for most of the run of Game of Thrones, trying to prepare people for the Great War–the big throwdown between the living and the dead. When the Night’s Watch was trying to convince the lords of Westeros that the White Walkers were coming, Melisandre believed it immediately, and convinced Stannis Baratheon to help the Night’s Watch prepare for them.

When the army of the dead finally reached Winterfell in Episode 3 of Game of Thrones Season 8, The Long Night, Melisandre had already had a big influence on everything that happened leading to that point. She resurrected Jon Snow after he was betrayed by his Night’s Watch brothers; she led Stannis to his doom fighting the Boltons at Winterfell, which led Davos to join up with Jon; and she suggested Daenerys meet with Jon and hear what he had to say about the threat of the Night King. And when Melisandre ran into Arya Stark during the battle, she had an influence on her, as well–one that recalled their earlier meeting, way back in Season 3.

If you don’t remember the interaction between Arya and the Red Woman, it’s because it was pretty fleeting. It happened back in Season 3, when Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie were nabbed by the Brotherhood Without Banners. Gendry had decided to stay with the Brotherhood and smith for them, but that changed when Melisandre caught caught up with them.

In exchange for the money they needed to feed and arm themselves, the Brotherhood–led by the moral outlaw Beric Dondarrion–sold Gendry to the Red Woman. She intended to use his king’s blood–Gendry is King Robert Baratheon’s bastard–for her spells to help Stannis defeat his enemies and take the Iron Throne.

Arya confronted Melisandre briefly as she and Stannis’s men were carting Gendry away.

“You’re a witch,” Arya said. “You’re going to hurt him.”

Melisandre, for her part, was arrested by seeing Arya and immediately did her magic vision schtick.

“I see a darkness in you,” Melisandre replied. “And in that darkness, eyes staring back at me. Brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes. Eyes you’ll shut forever. We will meet again.”

It wasn’t clear what Melisandre was foreseeing during the interaction, other than the fact that Arya was going to go on to become a frighteningly effective killer. “Brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes” seemed to refer to the many victims she’s racked up over the years. But then Arya found Melisandre at Winterfell, and both instantly recalled their last meeting and how Melisandre said they would meet again.

“You said I’d shut many eyes forever,” Ayra said in their final meeting. “You were right about that too.”

“Brown eyes, green eyes–and blue eyes,” Melisandre answered. The two locked eyes as Arya realized what Melisandre meant in that moment: She was referring to the blue eyes of the White Walkers, and it was that revelation that sent Arya to the godswood.

While it seems like Melisandre’s prophecy for Arya was realized once she took down the Night King, we know Arya still has scores to settle–her kill list still includes Cersei Lannister and the Mountain. There’s a theory that speculates that the rest of Melisandre’s prophecy refers to the Lannister queen, who has green eyes (they’re even called “emerald green” in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels on which Game of Thrones is based). Now that the focus of the show is returning to the war for the Iron Throne with the final three episodes of the series, Arya might finally get her chance to cross those final names off her list.

We’ve got even more Game of Thrones coverage in Season 8. Check out our review of Season 8 Episode 3, a rundown of who has died this season, a list of the Easter eggs and references you might have missed in The Long Night, and some theories for the rest of Season 8. We can also catch you up on what happened to Jon Snow’s dragon, Rhaegal, and his direwolf, Ghost–who both made it out of Episode 3. Finally, we explain why it’s really dumb to say Arya Stark is a Mary Sue.

Blizzard, the gaming giant behind franchises like World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch, will not attend Gamescom this year. The company said in a statement that it’s not attending the show in Cologne, Germany as part of its “renewed effort” in 2019 to focus on game development.

Blizzard plans to return to Gamescom someday, but it’s not clear when.

“As part of a renewed effort this year to maintain our focus on development, for our current games and our future projects, we won’t have a booth at Gamescom 2019,” Blizzard said. “The show is an important one for the European and global gaming community, and we’re going to miss meeting players in Cologne this year. You’ll still be able to find Blizzard gear in the gamescom 2019 shop area, and we’re looking forward to returning to the Gamescom show floor in the future.”

Blizzard also teased in its statement that it is eager to talk about upcoming, unannounced projects “when the time is right.”

The confirmation of Blizzard dropping out of Gamescom comes just days after the company announced a bigger presence for BlizzCon 2019. The company has even more activities planned for the event, and seemingly as a result, ticket prices are going up.

In December last year, Kotaku reported that Blizzard was undergoing cost-cutting measures to prepare for a “lean 2019.” Operating a booth at a major show like Gamescom is likely no small cost, so dropping out of the show is no doubt saving Blizzard some money.

Gamescom, which is open to the public, is believed to be the world’s largest gaming show. Around 370,000 people from 114 countries attended the 2018 show, according to GI.biz. By comparison, the all-time attendance record for E3 is 70,000 from back in 2005. E3 only just recently opened to the public, while Gamescom has been public for years.

Game of Thrones fans expected a lot of characters to die during the massive battle at Winterfell in Episode 3, “The Long Night,” and technically, the episode didn’t disappoint. All told, seven minor-to-main characters were killed, if you including the Night King–not to mention the entire Dothraki horde, down to the last man, and by the looks of it, most of the Unsullied too. On paper, it sounds glorious.

So why were so many fans–myself included–disappointed once the credits began rolling? Despite being viewed by a record-breaking 17.8 million people, “The Long Night” has emerged as Game of Thrones’ second-lowest-rated episode ever on Rotten Tomatoes, next to only the Season 5 episode in which Sansa got raped. Plenty of people thought the episode was great–trust me, I’ve heard from them on Twitter since writing my review–but many fans also agree that the episode was oversimplified, underwhelming, and just plain disappointing.

Technically speaking, this episode was full of good deaths. So why did it leave me feeling so cold? As I watched characters like Dolorous Edd, Theon Greyjoy, Beric Dondarrion, Jorah Mormont, and even little Lady Lyanna die gruesomely on the battlefield, I felt nothing but a growing dread that this most crucial of episodes was shaping up to be a major letdown. And I think I know at least one reason why.

Many fans have felt mildly traumatized by Game of Thrones’ most shocking deaths over the years, whether we read them on the page or watched them unfold onscreen first. Nevertheless, I was prepared for more as the final battle at Winterfell approached. I wanted to feel that feeling again–the electrifying despair of Ned’s execution, Robb’s murder at the Red Wedding, or even Jon’s more recent (and very temporary) trip to the afterlife. There’s a specific reason those deaths were so effective: These characters had a lot left to do.

They didn’t die like storybook heroes; they died like real people in real life, with work undone, promises unfulfilled, and regrets weighing heavy on their souls. Ned never told Jon the truth about his parentage, left his daughters to be devoured by lions in King’s Landing, and never even said goodbye to his wife. Robb won the battles but lost the war, and all because of his foolish devotion to lofty ideals like love and honor. He led his loyal subjects to an all-encompassing slaughter, and left the surviving Starks–his brothers and sisters–more vulnerable than ever. All his plans for revenge and strategies to take the Lannisters down died with him. And Jon died without even a hint of the knowledge of who he really was, with the Night’s Watch in ruins and his most important battles unfinished.

Even many of the series’ villains got similarly ill-timed ends. Tywin’s scheming may never have stopped if Tyrion hadn’t sent a quarrel through his gut, and the subsequent battles would have turned out much differently. When Khal Drogo gave Viserion his crown of molten gold back in Season 1, he cut short the would-be Targaryen king’s entire life work–conquering Westeros and regaining the Iron Throne for his family. Viserion believed he was the Last Dragon, which made his death somewhat tragic–even if it was also well deserved.

These deaths hit fans hard because they rang true. In real life, very few people get the privilege of fulfilling their “character arcs” before they die. Unlike in stories, there’s never a good time to go. This is one of the many ways Game of Thrones has always adhered to a relative sense of realism, and it’s one of the things that has made the series so beloved and addictive. These deaths weren’t devastating gut punches simply because they were unexpected or shocking–it was because their victims left so many plot threads hanging, so much undone and unsaid.

This is one of the many failures of “The Long Night.” Look at most of the major deaths: Jorah, Theon, Beric, and Edd all had no possible role to play going forward. Yara has secured the Iron Islands and has no need for Theon, Jorah returned to his queen and died protecting her, Beric fulfilled his purpose of protecting Arya, and Edd doesn’t need to uphold the Night’s Watch anymore, because there is no Night’s Watch after this. They all died with their character arcs complete, their farewells given, their failings redeemed or forgiven, and their plot threads tied up into neat little narrative bows.

Certainly Lyanna Mormont, who Jorah recently reminded us was “the future of their House,” is an exception. But she was by any definition a minor character in the grand scheme of things, and the dooming of House Mormont is nothing compared with the tragedy for which fans had prepared in this episode. There are many more characters whose deaths would have been more shocking, emotional, and impactful, precisely because they would have left acts undone, things unsaid, and destinies unfulfilled: Daenerys or Jon, Bran, Arya, or Sansa, Tyrion or Jaime, Sandor, Varys, Sam, or even Gendry.

Obviously, I want as badly as any Game of Thrones fan to see the Hound light his brother the Mountain’s stupid, giant head on fire, for Sansa to rule the North with Tyrion at her side, for Jaime to turn on Cersei and end her reign of terror once and for all, for Gendry to be legitimized and revive House Baratheon from the ashes, for Sam to write the Song of Ice and Fire, and a million other things. You know what else I wanted? For Ned Stark to expose Cersei’s lies, for Catelyn to hug her children again, for Robb to conquer the South, for Stannis to retake Winterfell from the treacherous Boltons, for Kahl Drogo to lead the Dothraki across the Narrow Sea with Daenerys at his side and conquer the Seven Kingdoms in her name–you get my point.

The shocks of those threads being left hanging in the wind made Game of Thrones a better story, and knowing there were real stakes in the show’s biggest battle ever would have too. This was literally the fight between life and death, the heroes’ last stand against a seemingly unstoppable force of nature itself. And the main characters all had so much plot armor that Sam was able to spend large swathes of the battle simply lying on the ground sobbing with a mob of hungry zombies piled on top of him, and come out fine on the other side.

It may make for a happier ending when the final three episodes have aired and all is said and done, but this is not the Game of Thrones I used to love.

Image: HBO/Helen Sloan

Avengers: Endgame has been in theatres for less than a week, and it’s already one of biggest box office successes in the history of cinema. It’s now made an astonishing $1.342 billion worldwide, which makes it the 10th biggest movie ever.

It edged out Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($1.341 billion) to take the No. 10 spot. Endgame will surely continue to make lots more money as its run in theatres continues, so it’ll be interesting to see where it lands when all is said and done.

The No. 1 biggest box office smash worldwide is Avatar, which made $2.78 billion. You can see the full Top 10 list below, as compiled by Box Office Mojo.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel has raised the bonus threshold for Avengers actors. Years ago, actors would receive bonuses when a Marvel movie passed $500 million; it was later raised to $700 million, and now bonuses aren’t paid until Avengers movies hit $1.5 billion. Endgame will surely reach that amount, which the actors should be happy about.

Top 10 All-Time Worldwide Box Office

via Box Office Mojo

1. Avatar — $2.788 billion
2. Titanic — $2.187 billion
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens — $2.068 billion
4. Avengers: Infinity War — $2.048 billion
5. Jurassic World — $1.671 billion
6. The Avengers — $1.518 billion
7. Furious 7 — $1.516 billion
8. Avengers: Age of Ultron — $1.405 billion
9. Black Panther — $1.346 billion
10. Avengers: Endgame — $1.342 billion

Read next: Chris Pratt Shares “Illegal” Avengers Endgame Video From Film Set

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