New Humble Bundle Benefits Australia Fire Relief, Includes 29 Games

Humble’s latest bundle is a big one and for a great cause, too. The Humble Australia Fire Relief Bundle costs $25, all of which goes to three charities helping with the Australian fires. And for that $25, you get 29 games, the vast majority of which were developed in Australia.

The 29 games include Hollow Knight, Void Bastards, and Armello, in addition to Duck Game, Hand of Fate 2, and 24 others. All of the games redeem on Steam, and if you already own some of the games, you can send the game key to a friend.

All of your money goes to RSPCA Australia, which will enter fire zones and help injured animals; WIRES, which is a wildlife education and rescue service; and World Wildlife Fund, which is dedicated to wildlife response, habitat restoration for people and nature, and future-proofing Australia from further devastation. You can choose how much of your money goes to each charity or do an even split among all of them.

The Humble Australia Fire Relief Bundle is available for one week only, so if you want to help support the country’s fire relief efforts, you’ll want to do so before January 23. $25 is all that’s needed to get these games, but if you’d like to help out further, then you can donate even more money through this bundle.

Full list of included PC games

  • Hollow Knight
  • Void Bastards
  • Armello
  • Euro Truck Simulator 2 (includes Australian Paint Jobs Pack)
  • Duck Game
  • Hand of Fate 2
  • Paradigm
  • Crawl
  • The Adventure Pals
  • Regular Human Basketball
  • Satellite Reign
  • Hacknet (includes Hacknet Labyrinths DLC)
  • Mr. Shifty
  • Primal Carnage: Extinction
  • Assault Android Cactus+
  • The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game
  • Framed Collection
  • Think of the Children
  • Feather
  • Tower of Guns
  • Rising Dusk
  • Death Squared
  • Paperbark
  • Quest of Dungeons
  • The Stillness of the Wind
  • The Gardens Between
  • Paper Fire Rookie
  • Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom
  • Machinarium

Now Playing: Void Bastards Destroys Genre Barriers

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Overwatch Lunar New Year 2020 Begins, Offering New Skins And CTF Mode

Overwatch has begun its annual Lunar New Year event, which means another special mode, new weekly challenges, and loads of themed skins to collect. The “Year of the Rat” event lasts from January 16 to February 6, and is available across all platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

The new game mode is CTF Brawl Blitz, a modified version of the standard Capture the Flag mode. It puts flags much closer than usual, but you’ll need six flags (instead of the standard three) to win. You can also get cosmetic rewards by winning nine games in any mode each week. The weekly rewards are listed below.

Finally, there are a number of other cosmetics to collect through the usual means of randomized loot boxes or in-game currency. Those include the Legendary skins Opera Brigitte, Face-Changer Sombra, Mask Dancer Moira, and Samul Nori Lucio. The Sombra skin is a unique one, as it actually cycles between six different masks periodically. Those all join the Epic skins available through the weekly challenges, along with tons of icons, emotes, and sprays. You can check out the array of new skins below.

This event follows just a month after the Winter Wonderland event, so Blizzard has been dropping new goodies to collect fairly frequently. This is all while also working on Overwatch 2, which game director Jeff Kaplan said slowed the pace of seasonal events.

Weekly Challenge Rewards

  • Week 1: Monk Doomfist (Epic)
  • Week 2: Ancient Chinese Bronze Winston (Epic)
  • Week 3: Papercutting Wrecking Ball (Epic)

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Now Playing: Overwatch’s Annual Lunar New Year Event Begins – GS News Update

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Huge Amazon Warehouse Sale Includes Some Of Our Favorite Gaming Accessories

From controllers that cost 50 or 60 bucks to VR headsets that go for hundreds of dollars, there’s no shortage of gaming accessories out there, and the best products are rarely cheap. However, a new Amazon Warehouse sale is slashing the prices on dozens of gaming-related products, offering an additional 20% off lightly used items.

The sale features some solid deals on the DualShock 4 and Xbox One wireless controllers; the excellent Hori Split Pad Pro, one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers we’ve tried, is cheaper as well. If you’re looking for a VR headset ahead of Half-Life: Alyx‘s release this year, the HTC Vive Cosmos is marked down by an additional $103, dropping the price to $412.54. There are plenty of other headset options too, including the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 and the PlayStation Gold wireless headsets.

Amazon Warehouse sells like-new, open-box, and pre-owned items that have been returned by customers at a discount, so this sale is a nice opportunity to get expensive items still in great condition for way cheaper. Purchases are Prime-eligible, so you’ll get free two-day shipping if you have a Prime membership. While Amazon Warehouse products don’t come with a warranty, they’re backed by Amazon’s standard return policy. You can read more about Amazon Warehouse items on Amazon’s FAQ page.

Check out more of the best gaming items on sale from Amazon Warehouse below. All of these items are already cheaper than usual, but you’ll see an additional discount at checkout, which we’ve indicated below. The sale also spans multiple categories, including kitchen, home improvement, Amazon devices, outdoor recreation, and more, and you can see the full offering of deals at Amazon.

Best Amazon Warehouse gaming deals

HTC Vive Cosmos Headset – $412.54 ($515.67)

HTC Vive Cosmo virtual-reality headset for PC - save $103.13 at checkoutHTC Vive Cosmo virtual-reality headset for PC – save $103.13 at checkout

DualShock 4 Wireless Controller – $29.74 ($37.18)

DualShock 4 controller for PS4 (Magma Red) - save $7.44 at checkoutDualShock 4 controller for PS4 (Magma Red) – save $7.44 at checkout

Hori Split Pad Pro – $37.73 ($47.16)

Hori Split Pad Pro for Nintendo Switch - save $9.43 at checkout

Hori Split Pad Pro for Nintendo Switch - save $9.43 at checkout

Hori Split Pad Pro for Nintendo Switch – save $9.43 at checkout

Xbox One Gears 5 Limited Edition Controller – $36.90 ($46.13)

Xbox One Gears 5 Kait Diaz Limited Edition Controller - save $9.23 at checkout

Xbox One Gears 5 Kait Diaz Limited Edition Controller - save $9.23 at checkout

Xbox One Gears 5 Kait Diaz Limited Edition Controller – save $9.23 at checkout

PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset – $46.67 ($58.34)

PS4 Gold Wireless Headset - save $11.67 at checkout

PS4 Gold Wireless Headset - save $11.67 at checkout

PS4 Gold Wireless Headset – save $11.67 at checkout

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Wireless Headset – $55.57 ($69.46)

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 headset for Xbox One - save $13.89 at checkout

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 headset for Xbox One - save $13.89 at checkout

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 headset for Xbox One – save $13.89 at checkout

Razer BlackWidow TE Chroma Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – $52.79 ($66)

Razer BlackWidow TE Chroma v2 Gaming Keyboard - save $13.20 at checkout

Razer BlackWidow TE Chroma v2 Gaming Keyboard - save $13.20 at checkout

Razer BlackWidow TE Chroma v2 Gaming Keyboard – save $13.20 at checkout

Razer Viper Ultimate Hyperspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse – $82.36 ($102.95)

Razer Viper Ultimate Hyperspeed Wireless Mouse - save $20.59 at checkout

Razer Viper Ultimate Hyperspeed Wireless Mouse - save $20.59 at checkout

Razer Viper Ultimate Hyperspeed Wireless Mouse – save $20.59 at checkout

Death Stranding Collector’s Edition – $97.14 ($121.43)

Death Stranding (PS4) Collector's Edition - save $24.29 at checkout

Death Stranding (PS4) Collector's Edition - save $24.29 at checkout

Death Stranding (PS4) Collector’s Edition – save $24.29 at checkout

Catherine: Full Body “Heart’s Desire” Premium Edition – $40.51 ($50.64)

Catherine: Full Body (PS4) Premium Edition - save $10.13 at checkout

Catherine: Full Body (PS4) Premium Edition - save $10.13 at checkout

Catherine: Full Body (PS4) Premium Edition – save $10.13 at checkout

Now Playing: Top New Games Out On Switch, PS4, And Xbox One This Week — January 12-18, 2020

Arrow’s Stephen Amell Comments on Crisis on Infinite Earths Ending

Warning: This article contains major SPOILERS for the final episodes of the Arrow-verse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths.

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Arrow’s Stephen Amell has commented on the Earth-shattering ending of the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event while reflecting on his character’s long, rocky journey to reach this point.

Amell, who has starred as Oliver Queen on Arrow since the franchise began, took to Twitter in the wake of the last two parts of Crisis on Infinite Earths to acknowledge his character’s final sendoff.

“8 seasons and an entire Universe seems like a pretty good time to step away,” he wrote. “What a ride.”

In the eighth episode of Season 8 of Arrow (aka Part 4 of the 5-part Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event), the heroic archer sacrificed himself for the sake of humanity, as he used his Spectre powers to attempt to weaken the Anti-Monitor so that the rest of the heroes could be victorious in the final battle. As a result, Arrow’s principal character takes his final bow, two episodes before the flagship series’ conclusion.

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In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Beth Schwartz opened up about Ollie’s fate, as she assured fans that the demise of the Lazarus Pit-resurrected character is permanent on this occasion.

“Yes, he is really dead this time,” she confirmed to the outlet. “Because the whole point of this death and the culmination of what brings us to the crossover is that everything he’s learned throughout the series and these past eight years has led him to this moment to give the ultimate hero’s sacrifice.

“And that’s his life — to save everyone else. That’s what a hero does. His journey has led him to make that ultimate sacrifice for his family, for his friends, for the other superheroes. And it just worked out in the timing of doing Crisis that the story made sense.”

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However, Schwartz also revealed that this is not the last we have seen of Amell on Arrow, as “he will be in the series finale” in some capacity, adding that it’s now up to Amell and the other shows to decide whether the character should make any future appearances on screen.

“These are questions for the other showrunners, but it starts off the Legends of Tomorrow season,” she said of the impact of Oliver’s death on the rest of the characters in the Arrow-verse. “Arrow was the first show, and all the other new shows came from Arrow. Every single character on the shows have their own relationship and emotional connection to that character and they’ll forever be changed by his death.”

In our review of the final two chapters of Crisis on Infinite Earths, we praised Oliver Queen’s sacrifice, saying he was “given the heroic sendoff he deserves” in an “extremely endearing ending sequence that really sets the tone for the Arrowverse going forward.”

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For more on the Crisis on Infinite Earths ending, read about how DC’s TV and Movie Universes are now officially connected and check out our round-up of Twitter reactions in the aftermath of the surprise cameo no one expected.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Epic Games Store Exclusives ‘Critical’ To $680m Earned So Far

Epic Games Store has generated $680 million since in its first year, with the platform’s exclusives having “driven the majority of revenue so far”.

Talking to GameDaily.biz, Epic Games Store General Manager, Steve Allison, explained that growth and revenue created by the store is “ ahead of our early expectations”. He noted that exclusives account for 90% of all the store’s new releases, and are the main provider for Epic’s revenue despite strong performance from non-exclusive games.

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“Exclusives have been critical in gaining momentum in the presence of a competitor that began 2019 with more than 90% market share,” Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told GameDaily.biz. “Securing exclusives for Epic means we can significantly assist developers with product funding and invest in marketing and awareness knowing that these efforts bring in new customers to our store, rather than just sending more business to the incumbent.”

Epic promises that “tons” of exclusives are heading to the Epic Game Store in 2020, indicating that its strategy is here for at least the foreseeable future.

The $680m revenue comes from the 108 million PC customers that use the Epic Games Store. Those users have also claimed more than 200 million free games, thanks to Epic having offered 73 games free of charge over 2019. The company plans to continue offering free games in 2020, too.

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The company’s revenue figures also relate to actual spending by customers, without any discount coupons included. Epic reports that $23 million in discounts was funded by the company in the period.

Last year Tim Sweeney explained that the company’s intentions with EGS exclusives was to disrupt the status quo in games retail. Currently, PC gaming is dominated by Valve’s Steam platform, which takes a higher cut of profit from sales away from developers than Epic does. Sweeney has said that Epic would end exclusivity deals if Valve commits to offering developers a better return on their profits.

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Grab This Free PC Game For A Limited Time

For the past week, the Epic Games Store has been giving away Sundered: Eldritch Edition, but with a new Thursday comes a new free PC game from the Fortnite company. This week’s title is Horace, a story-focused puzzle-platformer about a good-natured robot who’s in with a tough crowd and asked to do some nefarious things.

Horace’s story is funny and full of heart, yet also tragic at times. It’s also a challenging platformer, with some fun surprises along the way. To claim it on the Epic Games Store, all you need to do is head to Horace’s store page, click “Buy Now,” and complete checkout. You won’t be charged, but you will be able to install and play Horace any time you want.

If you want to see some gameplay, be sure to check out GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb and its Horace Quick Look. They show off part of the story, some tricky sections of puzzle-platforming, and one of the surprises you can expect from the genre-blending adventure.

Horace is free to claim until January 23, when it will be replaced by Epic’s next freebie, logic puzzle game The Bridge.

Originally, the Epic Games Store’s free games program was supposed to end last year, but the company recently revealed that it’s extending the free game giveaways through 2020.

Now Playing: The Biggest Games To Play In 2020 And Beyond

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Smash Bros. Ultimate Is Getting Six More DLC Characters

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s fifth and final Fighters Pass character is Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but there’s still more DLC on the horizon. During today’s big reveal stream, game director Masahiro Sakurai reconfirmed that another wave of DLC fighters are already in development for the title.

Six more characters in total will be released for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Sakurai revealed–one more than the first wave of DLC. All six will arrive by December 31, 2021. According to Sakurai, the fighters have already been chosen, although he hasn’t shared any hints as to who they’ll be.

The new DLC characters will be bundled in Fighters Pass Vol. 2. Nintendo hasn’t announced pricing details for the pass yet, but it will be available for pre-purchase beginning January 28–the same day that Byleth and the next wave of Mii Fighter costumes arrive. If you do purchase the Fighters Pass, you’ll get a bonus Mii Fighter costume based on the Ancient Soldier gear from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Releasing alongside Byleth is a new stage: Garreg Mach Monastery. Like other DLC fighters, Byleth also comes with an assortment of new Spirits to unlock, as well as 11 additional music tracks taken from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. If you don’t have the first Fighters Pass, you can pick up the Byleth challenger pack individually for $6 USD.

The Mii Fighter costumes, meanwhile, each run for $0.75. Among the new additions is a Mii Gunner costume based on Cuphead, which also comes with a music track taken from that game. The other new Mii Fighter costumes include Assassin’s Creed’s Altair (Swordfighter), a Rabbids hat, and Mega Man X and MegaMan.exe (Gunner).

Now Playing: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Byleth Reveal Trailer

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Fire Emblem: Three Houses DLC Adds A Fourth House

How many houses are in Fire Emblem: Three Houses? Three. It’s right there in the name. But a new piece of DLC will add a fourth house, because nothing is certain in this topsy-turvy world.

A trailer for the “Cindered Shadows” side story introduces the Ashen Wolves, a group of outcast students secretly living in the Abyss–a dark area below the monastery. The small band of students are eager for a teacher, and consider themselves an unofficial fourth house.

The Ashen Wolves are composed of Balthus, Hapi, Yuri, and Constance. As Balthus explains, “The surface world turned its back on us, and we did the same in return.” The trailer appears to show members of Golden Deer accompanying Byleth when discovering the Ashen Wolves, so it seems likely this side story will add the new faction to your existing campaign rather than replace it.

This is the final piece of the Fire Emblem: Three Houses Expansion Pass, which is available for $25 / €25. The other three waves included alternate officer outfits for Byleth, more Auxiliary battle maps and support items, more quests, and the ability to recruit the recurring Fire Emblem character Anna. The Cindered Shadows DLC will be available on February 13.

The announcement was made right alongside another big Nintendo reveal for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Byleth, the hero of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, is joining as the fifth DLC character in the first Fighters Pass. A new Fire Emblem stage will also be coming to the game, modeled after the Garreg Mach Monastery.

Now Playing: Fire Emblem: Three Houses – Cindered Shadows Expansion Reveal Trailer

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Dark Samus And Richter Amiibo: You Can Still Pre-Order The Newest Smash Bros. Amiibos

Nintendo’s latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation gave fans their first look at Byleth, the Fire Emblem: Three Houses character that rounds out Ultimate’s first batch of DLC fighters, and six new Mii Fighter costumes, including Cuphead. While the new DLC won’t be available until January 28, don’t forget about the pair of new SUper Smash Bros. Amiibos releasing tomorrow, January 17. After being temporarily sold out, Dark Samus and Richter are available to pre-order once again at multiple retailers.

Dark Samus, the major antagonist of the Metroid Prime trilogy, and Richter, the protagonist of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, are the newest Echo fighters in Ultimate. As Echo fighters, Dark Samus and Richter are essentially mirrored images of the character they are based on. Dark Samus is floatier than Samus, and Richter’s Holy Water attack is aura-based rather than fire-based like Simon’s. Like all Smash Bros. series Amiibos, you can scan Dark Samus and Richter into Ultimate and send them off to battle against other Amiibos to level them up and earn rewards.

Nintendo revealed Dark Samus and Richter last November. Pre-orders were sold out up until recently, though Amazon is still currently out of stock. If you’re looking to pick up either Dark Samus or Richter (or both), you’ll probably want to do so sooner rather than later. Amiibos tend to come and go and third-party resellers jack up the prices post-launch once stores run out of stock.

Dark Samus made her first appearance in Metroid PrimeDark Samus made her first appearance in Metroid Prime

Dark Samus | $16

Richter Belmont is a descendant of Simon Belmont in the Castlevania seriesRichter Belmont is a descendant of Simon Belmont in the Castlevania series

Richter | $16

Now Playing: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Byleth Reveal Trailer

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