With its simple character designs and a game world that often looks like a young kid designed it by cutting up and sticking together different bits of colored paper, Pikuniku sometimes feels like a video game adaption of a children's book. It tells a simple story that doesn't always quite make sense, it's pointedly very silly, and there are scenes within it that seem to be based on how a child understands the world. A giant company pays a town by making money rain from the sky; a trendy nightclub will only let you in if you dress "cool" by wearing sunglasses; you play a game someone "invented," but which is, essentially, just basketball mixed with soccer.But Pikuniku (Japanese for "picnic") never feels like it was designed specifically for children. It's a game about battling a corporate takeover, and the writing has the playful, sarcastically irreverent tone you're more likely to see from someone in their 20s or 30s. But the childish veneer is charming, and while Pikuniku isn't the deepest game around, it's lovely, funny, and engrossing in its own weird way.At the game's opening, your character--Piku, an entity made up of an oblong red body with dots for eyes and two long spindly legs coming out of it--awakens in a cave, prompted by a ghost to go outside. The opening tutorial doesn't take long, because the controls are simple: You can jump, causing Piku to spin haphazardly as he moves through the air, you can kick in any direction, and you can curl your legs into yourself and roll around in ball form. You spend the rest of the game wandering through the small game world, encountering characters and helping solve their problems until, eventually, you find yourself fighting against Sunshine Inc, a giant corporation that is sending robots all over the land to harvest natural resources from the game's three regions.Progression rarely requires much thoughtful effort. You explore the world on a 2D plane, talking to as many people as you can, kicking at everything, and solving objectives as they're handed to you. There are platforming elements that require some finesse, especially when you explore some of the slightly more challenging optional side quests that pop up throughout the game. Pikuniku is entertaining rather than challenging, though, and even the hardest areas you'll find are unlikely to trip you up for longer than a few minutes. But this is to the game’s advantage--it’s accessible to inexperienced and young players, and I never felt like the game would have been more enjoyable if it pushed me harder. Piku’s weird, wobbly walk, his awkward jump, and the force of his kicks mean that just moving through the game world is inherently entertaining.Your ability to kick everything and everyone is crucial, and much of the puzzle solving in the game comes down to kicking an object from one place to another. The kick mechanic is great fun, with objects reacting differently depending on the angle and distance you hit them from, although there are occasional moments of frustration when, for instance, a box gets wedged into a corner and is tricky to get out. Getting stuck for a moment kicking something out of a corner, or dealing with an object that isn’t behaving how you’d like, can interrupt the flow of gameplay.You can kick every character you meet in the game with no real punishment, which rarely stops being funny. In a few other instances Piku needs to don different hats or use items he has collected to push forward. Again, the mechanics around this are quite simple--if you see a blooming flower, for instance, you know that you need to use the watering can hat on it because a silhouette of that hat will appear above it. This makes it easy to keep track of what you might now be able to do or unlock when you find a new item. It’s not the deepest mechanic, but it means that finding a hat or item can spark immediate excitement when you already know what it’ll do.Pikuniku throws little minigames and oddities at you among all the platforming to mix things up. At one point early on, you're asked to draw a new face for a scarecrow using the analog stick; later, you need to win a button-matching dance-off against a robot. There's even a Dig Dug parody, which amusingly devolves into a little joke about how some retro games don't age well. There are boss fights, too (there's no combat in the game otherwise), and while they're not super involved affairs they use the game's simple mechanics to good effect.Pikuniku is a funny game on numerous levels--the script often undercuts tension and plays with tropes in amusing ways, the goofy way you flip when you jump is a constant source of amusement, and the game will often throw you into strange situations without much explanation. Mess with a toaster in someone's house, for instance, and you'll be hurled into the "toast dimension," which is essentially a dungeon area that you can escape by completing the simple platforming challenge within. In another instance, you enter a pottery store that is clearly begging you to smash everything inside it--it's a clear Zelda homage, but the real delight is in the merchant's zen approach to your destruction. Pikuniku is playful and mischievous. Even the soundtrack is wonderfully kooky, and often faintly reminiscent of Koji Kondo's work with Nintendo. However, Pikuniku doesn't last long. You can jump back in after the end credits, which roll within about three hours, and enjoy the aftermath of everything you achieved, but even mopping up the last few missions and trying to collect all the optional trophies scattered around the game world doesn't add much. The world you're exploring is compact, and it doesn't take long for you to feel like you've seen everything there is to see. Pikuniku is so charming, and so much fun, that I wanted more time with it (even though the ending is great and absolutely bonkers). The game wrapped up before I was ready to leave it behind, and more story content, or another village to explore, would have gone a long way.Pikuniku also comes with nine two-player levels, as well as a multiplayer version of Baskick, the aforementioned basketball/soccer hybrid featured in the campaign. These levels are divided between co-op challenges where Piku and his identical friend Niku need to work together and competitive levels where you race one another. You can play with two detached Joy-Cons, and the game holds up well on the smaller screen if you're playing in portable mode. This is not a major component of the game, though, so don't expect a whole second campaign. You're unlikely to get more than an hour out of these levels, but its simplicity makes it ideal to play with a younger relative or someone with little gaming experience.While Pikuniku is a light experience, it's got enough charm and verve to stick with you well beyond completion. From Piku's weird wobbly gait and looping jumps in the opening right through to the game's funny, bizarre ending, Pikuniku is more gripping than its simple aesthetic and playful tone would suggest. It'll make you feel like a kid again.Info from Gamespot.com

GameStop reported its sales results for the 2018 holiday season, which showed the company suffering decreases to many of its top revenue generators. Hardware, software, and pre-owned sales all decreased in the 2018 season, whereas accessories and digital currency grew.The total global sales for holiday 2018 were $2.63 billion, which was a 5% decrease compared to the 2017 holiday period. But that compares the nine weeks ending January 5, 2019 to the nine weeks ending December 30, 2017, which the store notes isn't a comparable sales period. By shifting the sales periods to end on January 5 and January 6, respectively, total store sales increased 1.5%. That includes a 3.6% increase in the US that helped offset a 3.1% decrease internationally.The company also broke down several types of revenue for comparison. New hardware sales were down 6.1%, due to the Xbox One X launch in 2017. It says this was partially offset by the growth in Nintendo Switch sales. New software decreased 8.3%, due mostly to Black Ops 4 launching outside of the holiday window in October 2018, versus Call of Duty WW2 in November 2017. Its pre-owned sales declined 16.4%. Technology brands sales were not included in the comparable store sale measure, but decreased 19.3% due to a decrease in store traffic.Some revenue streams did grow, however. Accessories grew 28.7% based on controller and headset sales, whereas collectibles increased 3.7%, and digital receipts (such as digital currency) increased 16.8%.Despite the mixed news, GameStop sales were up today, rising 1.01% to $15.93. At one point it even hit its highest figures since September. This all comes amid reports that GameStop could be up for sale itself, as two private equity companies seem interested in the purchase. That deal may reportedly be finalized by mid-February.Info from Gamespot.com

Epic Games has kicked off a new Fortnite world event that, along with changing the island where all the action takes places, introduces a new batch of challenges to complete. If you've been keeping a close eye on what's been happening in Fortnite you'll know that a mysterious orb appeared recently above Polar Peak. That orb has now opened, and from within it the Ice King has emerged.His arrival has also buffeted the island with an Ice Storm, which has frozen it over. An icy mist has reduced visibility and, wouldn't you know it, strange zombie-like creatures called Ice Fiends have appeared. This is the second event of this type, the previous being Fortnitemares. New changes and enemies to take on means there's ample opportunity to throw in some fresh challenges for players, and that's exactly what Epic has done.Over the next five days, new challenges will unlock in Fortnite, each one offering 500 experience points for completion. Once six Ice Storm challenges are completed, players will received a cool black and ice blue wrap. For those that manage to complete all 13 challenges, there's a Winter's Thorn Glider as a reward. Check out the challenges available on day one below.Fortnite Ice Storm ChallengesComplete Ice Storm Challenges (6) -- Wrap RewardDestroy Ice Fiends (250) -- 500 XPDeal damage with explosive weapons to the Ice Legion (5000) -- 500 XPThe mysterious orb that housed the Ice King appeared as part of Fortnite's 7.20 update, which also brought back glider redeploy as an item you can collect and use. Additionally, it dropped a new gun into the mix: the Scoped Revolver.The Ice Storm challenges should generally be fairly easy to complete, unlike their weekly counterparts, which take some legwork. We're now in Season 7, Week 7 of Fortnite, and one challenge for the week involves finding and visiting Expedition Outposts. We've put together a guide that will speed the whole process up, so you can see all the Expedition Outpost locations here. For the other difficult challenges from previous weeks, you can use our full Fortnite Season 7 challenge guide for help with those.Info from Gamespot.com

Diablo 3 has kicked off its latest season, allowing you to earn new cosmetic items for fulfilling special seasonal objectives. The theme for this round is "The Season of Grandeur," and it also includes some quality-of-life changes and a buff for seasonal players. The season is estimated to last through March 17.New cosmetic rewards include the Helm and Shoulder armor of the Conqueror Set. Players can also earn a new portrait frame and the Wings of Lempo, modeled after a monarch butterfly. Seasonal players will automatically get the Ring of Royal Grandeur buffs, which will make it easier to get set bonuses and to combine unique combinations.Seasonal players can also gain a new Stash tab by taking on this season's challenges, and a set of seasonal conquests rewards you with bonuses as well. All those are detailed at the official blog. You can find the class sets listed below.The blog also details some quality-of-life changes, such as removing Legendary potions from your inventory to free up some space. The biggest change comes to Primal Legendaries, which will shine specially beams and show a unique mini-map icon so players are sure to know when they drop. Their tooltip and border colors are also a bit brighter to make them stand out. Keep in mind you can't start collecting Primal Legendaries until you finish your first Greater Rift 70 or higher while playing Solo. A number of balance tweaks are also listed on the blog, and Blizzard calls this season a "numbers pass."Barbarian – Immortal King’s CallCrusader – Seeker of the LightDemon Hunter – Natalya’s VengeanceMonk – Uliana’s StratagemNecromancer – Trag’Oul’s AvatarWitch Doctor – Spirit of ArachyrWizard – Vyr’s Amazing ArcanaInfo from Gamespot.com

Director M. Night Shyamalan has a history of self-financing his movies, and that continued with his latest effort, Glass. According to Forbes, Shyamalan made Glass with $20 million of his own money. That money was a combination of the earnings from his two most recent movies, Split and The Visit, as well as collateral from his 125-acre estate in Pennsylvania.According to the report, Shyamalan took out a $5 million loan on his home years ago pay for The Visit. The movie was a huge success, going on to make $98 million worldwide. For Split, Shyamalan paid the $9 million production budget himself, and then reaped the benefits, as the movie earned a massive $278 million at the box office. The successes of The Visit and Split, as well as the aforementioned collateral, allowed Shyamalan to cover Glass' $20 million production budget.Glass is expected to make more than $40 million in the US and Canada alone this weekend, according to Entertainment Weekly, so it appears it'll be another profitable film for Shyamalan.As Forbes points out, it's not uncommon for up-and-coming directors to finance their films with their own money, but Shyamalan is an established director whose movies make a lot of money no matter what you say about their quality. One reason why Shyamalan opts to finance his movies out of his own pocket is because when big studio money gets involved, directors like Shyamalan generally have to give up some amount of creative control. Shyamalan financing movies himself theoretically gives him more freedom.Glass, which stars James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis, has received a mixed critical reaction. GameSpot's review said it was a disappointment in some ways, while other critics had problems with it, too. For more, check out GameSpot's Glass review roundup to see what other critics are saying.Info from Gamespot.com

The third of five planned Fantastic Beasts movies has hit a bit of a speedbump. Production on the film was expected to begin this July, but now cameras are set to start rolling in the Fall, according to a new report from Deadline. Why the production delay?According to the site, Warner Bros. simply wants more time in pre-production, which sounds like a good thing. The move is supposedly part of management's belief that giving the creative teams more time will lead to a better end result, and again, that sounds like a good thing.Previous Warner Bros. administrations had the tendency to rush event films to meet release dates, and in this case Fantastic Beasts 3 was rumored to be 2020. Warner Bros. executives now have a new approach of allowing big productions to brew as needed," Deadline said.According to the report, Fantastic Beasts actors are now being told about the production delay so they can adjust their own schedules accordingly.2016's Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them made $814 million worldwide, with 2018's sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald taking in $648.8 million globally. Together they have made around $1.4 billion. Both films were directed by David Yates, and he's expected to direct the third one as well. The series stars Eddie Redmayne as magizoologist Newt Scamander in a story written by J.K. Rowling and set before the events of the Harry Potter series. Info from Gamespot.com

One of the next big video game movies is Detective Pikachu, which comes out in May featuring the voice of Ryan Reynolds as the electric yellow creature.Now, a new TV spot for the film has arrived, providing another quick look at it--and now there's a fart joke. You can check out the new TV spot in the Instagram embed below. View this post on InstagramPartner up! #DetectivePikachu, hits theaters May 10.A post shared by POKÉMON Detective Pikachu (@detectivepikachumovie) on Jan 20, 2019 at 1:08pm PST Like the game it's based on, Detective Pikachu follows the story of Tim (Justice Smith), the son of a famous private detective whose father has gone missing. Tim can understand Pokemon, and he teams up with Pikachu to investigate his father's disappearance.It's directed by Rob Letterman, who has experience directing films that mix live-action and CG having directed the Jack Black movie Gulliver's Travels. It also stars Kathryn Newton (Blockers), Ken Watanabe (Godzilla, Inception), and Bill Nighy (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).Detective Pikachu hits theatres on May 10.Info from Gamespot.com

Streaming network Hulu's TV show The First, which starred Sean Penn as an astronaut trying to go to Mars, has been canceled after one season. Created by House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, The First marked Senn's first time as a regular on a TV show. The Hollywood Reporter was along the news sites to confirm the show's cancellation. It's just the latest cancellation from Hulu, as the network recently axed comedian Sarah Silverman's show, I Love You, America, also only after one season.Hulu, like Netflix, does not release viewership figures for its original content, so we don't know how well The First performed. What's clear, however, is that the ratings were not good enough to keep the show going for a second season.The First premiered on Hulu in September. It also stars Natascha McElhone (Californication), LisaGay Hamilton (True Crime), and Hannah Ware (Hitman: Agent 47).While The First may be canceled, Hulu still has a number of other high-profile original shows including The Handmaid's Tale, Future Man, and Veronica Mars. Info from Gamespot.com

M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie, Glass, opened this past weekend, and it's expected to win the weekend by a large margin and become one of the most successful releases ever over the Martin Luther King. Jr long weekend. According to Deadline, Glass is tracking to make $47 million over the Friday-Monday period in the United States and Canada.It's set to become the third biggest domestic release over the MLK long weekend, only behind Ride Along ($48.6 million) and American Sniper ($107.2 million). A finance source told Deadline that Glass' opening-weekend box office haul is "disappointing and profitable at the same time."As @GlassMovie opens around the world today, I feel so very lucky. Cinema has always been sacred to me. My religion in many ways. To be able to add my voice to the mix. I can not thank the fans enough for making this happen. Here we go!!! — M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) January 19, 2019Shyamalan paid the $20 million production budget for Glass out of his own pocket. The film made a further $48.5 million from international markets, which boosts its three-day global box office figure to $89.1 million as of Sunday and $95.5 million counting all four days.For comparison, Shyamalan's previous film, Split, made $40.6 million in the US and Canada over its first three days, according to Entertainment Weekly. Unbreakable, which is also connected to Split and Glass, made $30.3 million over its first three days back in 2000--and that works out to around $49.7 million today.It looks like Glass is yet another profitable film for Shyamalan, even if critics were not exactly over the moon for it. Info from Gamespot.com

It’s not every day a hero gets a chance to literally walk around in their mortal enemy’s shoes, which is what made Bowser’s Inside Story such a bizarre but wildly unique concept back in 2009. Even though not much has changed since its original DS release, it's still one of the stronger Mario RPGs, and its innovative gimmick remains exciting on 3DS. The setup here is that a mysterious affliction called the Blorps is spreading across the Mushroom Kingdom thanks to Fawful, an obnoxious trickster who's been handing out poisoned mushrooms. Naturally, Mario and Luigi are on the job, but after Bowser gets suckered into eating one of the mushrooms, he ends up with a surprising side effect: accidentally swallowing everything in his current field of vision, including the Mario Brothers. As Fawful makes a play to take over the kingdom, Bowser heads out to get some fiery payback with some unexpected help from the Mario Bros.That's where the inventive gimmick comes in. You switch back and forth between controlling Bowser on the top screen (punching enemies and obstacles and burning down trees) and controlling Mario and Luigi in 2D inside Bowser's body (running, jumping, hitting things with hammers, and sliding down what you can only pray are literal pipes). Specific puzzles on Bowser's side require some assistance on the inside from Mario and Luigi, like shocking his muscles to give him more power to push things, and some actions Bowser performs will affect Mario and Luigi--Bowser drinking water will flood the bottom screen. If Bowser uses the mushroom's power to swallow his foes, Mario and Luigi will be responsible for finishing the enemy off internally. There’s an abundance of cleverness in this story--inspired moments where you are, essentially, playing co-op with yourself, and it’s exciting to wonder how it will bend your brain next.The fundamentals of combat are building off the same-old turn-based Mario RPG mechanics, where attacks have a chance of doing extra damage and you have a chance to defend yourself using carefully timed button presses. There are very few surprises for anyone who played on DS, but a graphical overhaul on 3DS changes the cartoonish watercolors of the original game to something closer to 1996’s Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. It’s not as bright and immediately eye-catching, but there’s a gentle, storybookish beauty to it.As far as gameplay is concerned, the series always been delightfully accessible, and the only difference here is the minor learning curve of remembering which buttons control which characters (Bowser's actions use X; Mario and Luigi use A and B; specific to this port, Y controls both brothers at the same time). That said, the game does go a bit too easy on you most of the play time. The game never gets truly challenging until the latter third, and by then, if you're playing carefully, you've learned how to counter every enemy and racked up a massive collection of recovery items. As a result, fights quickly become an unwelcome hindrance on the way to more story after a while.Thankfully, the story and writing do drive you forward. There are body-based jokes at every opportunity, Bowser is humorously angry and obtuse, and the Globins--Bowser's melodramatic cellular structures--frequently try to steal the show with their laments. Even just the bizarre little moments of Mario and Luigi speaking to each other in pseudo-Italian are a joy. The entire concept of Fantastic Voyage-but-Nintendo is ripe with possibilities for outlandish twists and turns and distortions to characters we all know and love. Having that apply to someone other than the usual Mario Bros. crew is a special treat, especially for the more ambitious moments, like having to turn the 3DS on its side to play as a giant-sized Bowser. More than all this, though, it's a chance to get to know Mario's archnemesis in more detail.This is the rare opportunity that makes the game’s brand new side-story, Bowser Jr's Journey, worthwhile for many of the same reasons. It’s an odd little real-time strategy game that more resembles a wonky sumo match than, say, Starcraft. Bowser Jr. himself is the commander sending waves of baddies across the screen to butt heads with others, dealing damage based on a rock-paper-scissors system of weakness. Like the main game, there isn’t a terrible amount of difficulty in getting through each battle, and these fights are also a lot less interesting and dynamic. There’s a lot more waiting around for enough damage to happen, or for Jr. to accumulate enough points to activate special moves.There’s an abundance of cleverness in this story--inspired moments where you are, essentially, playing co-op with yourself, and it’s exciting to wonder how it will bend your brain next.If there’s a redeeming quality to Bowser Jr.’s tale, it’s that it gives us the first real look at familial relations within the Bowser clan in ages. Jr.'s tale takes place after his dad goes off to his sit-down with Princess Peach about Blorps. In Bowser's absence, Jr. takes it upon himself to make a move to take over the kingdom. Unfortunately, his bratty overzealousness ends up earning the ire of the other Koopalings as well as the three wacky underlings Fawful plants in Bowser's Kingdom. And yet, as the story goes along, there's a strangely heartfelt streak to the proceedings, of a kid who really just wants his dad's approval and figuring out that he has to earn it, not throw tantrums for it. Towards the end, you're almost rooting for the little guy, and it makes the interminable nature of the fights worthwhile.The extra mode certainly sweetens the pot for those who owned Bowser's Inside Story on DS, but fundamentally, it's the same game. If anything, the real drawback is the game coming off as an unnecessary surprise on the 3DS--which can already play the original game via backward compatibility. But the game itself remains one of Mario's RPG best, and it's a cheerful, inventive journey.Info from Gamespot.com

Alita: Battle Angel won't be in theaters until February 14. However, some cities are getting a taste of the upcoming manga adaptation early, thanks to a new interactive experience. Alita: Battle Angel - Passport to Iron City opens on January 23 in Los Angeles, with an installation in New York City following on January 25 and Austin on January 29.Interactive experiences tied to movies are nothing new, whether it's the opening of Neibolt haunted house to promote the horror movie It or the Ready Player One event that sent visitors into the OASIS. After having the opportunity to try out the LA experience ahead of its opening, though, I can say with confidence that Passport to Iron City is unlike just about anything else.The experience is a collaboration between iam8bit and TSG Entertainment, along with 20th Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment, that transports users from their world to Iron City, the cyberpunk city of the future in which the film is set. And right from the start, as writer and producer James Cameron explains, the entire 12,000 square foot space works hard to immerse you in the world of the film, starting with a stop at the Kansas Bar, which has been meticulously recreated to resemble the actual set used in production.The bar actually serves wine and beer--including city-specific brews that are exclusive to the experience--for a fee. While the drinks, which include non-alcoholic options, aren't free, they do help in setting the tone that Kansas is an in-world pub you're free to hang out in. Like Iron City itself, Kansas is filled with actors playing characters and hints in the decor that could be very useful upon setting foot in Iron City, the proverbial "game board" of the experience, which is filled with elaborate sets and characters that are fun to interact with and filled with useful clues if you get them talking.Once you're in Iron City, that's where the fun begins. Upon arrival, you're divided into teams that are competing to collect the most credits. The team that stands tall at the end--in the preview, it was my team--walks away with a special coin created for Passport to Iron City, which claims to be worth 1,000 credits.How do you win credits, though? Great question.The bulk of Passport to Iron City involves a series of team-based activities and scavenger hunts, each of which is worth a specified number of credits. They range from something as simple as piecing together a puzzle containing propaganda critical of the Factory--the in-world government--to digging through a tech scrapyard to find the highest-value items in an activity that includes some elements of an escape room.What makes Passport to Iron City work, in this regard, is the challenges are all different enough that they appeal to different strengths. While one of the activities is based on how good your sense of smell is, another finds you tracking criminals on the loose in Iron City with the Factory's surveillance equipment.Of course, you could just wander around the experience, admiring what's been built. Good luck with that, though, as Passport to Iron City has figured out how to turn the entire thing into a very competitive affair. Near the entrance of the experience is a scoreboard, which keeps real-time track of the credits earned by each team. I definitely didn't expect to find myself rushing around the play area trying to solve riddles and decipher words in other languages. After realizing that my team's score depended on it, though, it was hard not to get wrapped up in what was happening. Even as the experience came to a close with one final challenge involving all teams, everyone was shouting at and cheering on a game of motorball--Iron City's favorite pastime--as if we were watching a real sporting event unfold.That all said, even those with no knowledge of Alita: Battle Angel--the movie or the manga it's based on--aren't going to be left out of the action. I know practically nothing about the franchise, but managed to easily figure out enough to operate within the experience. Still, fans of Alita will be able to pick up on small details scattered throughout the experience and may even have a bit of a leg-up in some of the challenges.It's simply a fun and engaging experience set that draws you further into the world of the movie. I had very little interest in the film before visiting Passport to Iron City. Now I feel like I know the world a bit better and am curious to see how it unfolds on the big screen, even if I'm still unclear about how all of the cyborgs fit in.What's more, I want to see other films take this approach to promotions. Yes, trailers and TV spots are still a useful tactic for many films, but as major blockbusters dive deeper and deeper into their world-building, why not take the audience into that world and let them explore pieces of it on their own?Alita: Battle Angel - Passport to Iron City opens in Los Angeles on January 23, with New York and Austin locations following soon thereafter, with no announced end date. You can find out far more information and purchase tickets to the experience on the official website.Info from Gamespot.com

GameStop reported its sales results for the 2018 holiday season, which showed the company suffering decreases to many of its top revenue generators. Hardware, software, and pre-owned sales all decreased in the 2018 season, whereas accessories and digital currency grew.The total global sales for holiday 2018 were $2.63 billion, which was a 5% decrease compared to the 2017 holiday period. But that compares the nine weeks ending January 5, 2019 to the nine weeks ending December 30, 2017, which the store notes isn't a comparable sales period. By shifting the sales periods to end on January 5 and January 6, respectively, total store sales increased 1.5%. That includes a 3.6% increase in the US that helped offset a 3.1% decrease internationally.The company also broke down several types of revenue for comparison. New hardware sales were down 6.1%, due to the Xbox One X launch in 2017. It says this was partially offset by the growth in Nintendo Switch sales. New software decreased 8.3%, due mostly to Black Ops 4 launching outside of the holiday window in October 2018, versus Call of Duty WW2 in November 2017. Its pre-owned sales declined 16.4%. Technology brands sales were not included in the comparable store sale measure, but decreased 19.3% due to a decrease in store traffic.Some revenue streams did grow, however. Accessories grew 28.7% based on controller and headset sales, whereas collectibles increased 3.7%, and digital receipts (such as digital currency) increased 16.8%.Despite the mixed news, GameStop sales were up today, rising 1.01% to $15.93. At one point it even hit its highest figures since September. This all comes amid reports that GameStop could be up for sale itself, as two private equity companies seem interested in the purchase. That deal may reportedly be finalized by mid-February.Info from Gamespot.com

Niantic is kicking off a new type of event in Pokemon Go this weekend. On Saturday, January 19, the studio is holding the game's first-ever Limited Research event, which will feature special Field Research tasks--and an opportunity to catch a new Shiny Pokemon--for a limited time.Much like Pokemon Go's monthly Community Days, the Limited Research event will only run for three hours. During that window of time, you'll be able to receive special Limited Research tasks when you spin the Photo Disc at a PokeStop. These tasks can be completed at any time after you've obtained them, but they'll only be distributed during the event hours, and you'll only get one from each PokeStop you visit.Every Limited Research task will culminate in an encounter with Feebas, the first form of the majestic Water Pokemon Milotic. Additionally, Niantic says you'll have a chance of coming across a Shiny Feebas, making this the first time this particular Shiny will be available in the game. You can find the event hours for each region below.On top of the Limited Research event, Niantic is holding a big Hoenn celebration in Pokemon Go right now. Until January 29, Gen 3 Pokemon will appear much more frequently in the wild. Moreover, you'll have a chance of catching Shiny variants of Zigzagoon and Taillow, while any Shroomish you evolve into Breloom will learn the move Grass Knot.The Gen 3 Legendaries Groudon and Kyogre have also returned as part of the Hoenn celebration, giving you another chance to add them to your collection. There are new Field Research tasks revolving around Gen 3 Pokemon as well, and new avatar items based on Team Aqua and Team Magma--the villainous teams from Ruby and Sapphire--are available in the game's Style Shop.Pokemon Go Limited Research Event ScheduleThe Americas and Greenland11 AM - 2 PM PT2 PM - 5 PM ETEurope, Middle East, and Africa10 AM - 1 PM UTCAsia-Pacific12 PM - 3 PM JST (January 20)Info from Gamespot.com

A major change is happening at Pixar. Lee Unkrich, the longtime creative team member that directed films like Coco and Toy Story 2, has announced his departure from the animation studio. The news was shared in a simple tweet, reading, "After twenty-five incredible years, I've decided to leave Pixar. The time has come for new adventures."While he doesn't specify what those adventures are, it seems his plan is not to jump to another studio. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Unkrich explained, "I'm not leaving to make films at another studio; instead, I look forward to spending much-needed time with my family and pursuing interests that have long been back-burnered."After twenty-five incredible years, I’ve decided to leave Pixar. The time has come for new adventures. pic.twitter.com/0KZyHXhs8L — Lee Unkrich (@leeunkrich) January 18, 2019He leaves the company with no further projects in the pipeline, though he is one of those responsible for the story of the upcoming Toy Story 4. His departure comes at an interesting time for Pixar, shortly after the news that former boss John Lasseter--who was ousted from the company in 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct--was named head of Skydance Animation.Unkrich started at Pixar in 1994 as the company was working on the original Toy Story, a movie in which he served as editor. From there he was involved in a number of titles for the company, including co-directing Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo. His most recent film for the studio, Coco, won Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 2018 Academy Awards.Where Unkrich goes from here may be a mystery, but those at Disney and Pixar aren't holding back their well-wishes for the animator. "Lee arrived at Pixar as we were crafting Toy Story, and he's had a profound effect on all Pixar films since. He literally taught us rookie filmmakers about staging, composition, and cutting," Pixar's chief creative officer Pete Docter told THR. Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn added, "Lee has left an indelible mark on the world of film, and we are so grateful for the passion and talent he has brought to each movie he has worked on. He'll always be part of the Disney-Pixar family, and we will miss him."Info from Gamespot.com

Shortly after the release of Fortnite's 7.20 update earlier this week, players noticed that a mysterious icy sphere had appeared in the game above Polar Peak, leading to speculation that it would somehow tie into the impending Season 8. As it would turn out, the sphere actually housed the Ice King, who has now emerged and blanketed the entire island with an ice storm, kicking off a new event.During an in-game sequence that unfolded on Saturday, the mysterious sphere burst open, revealing the Ice King, who conjured up a blizzard that rolled over the island. Along with the storm arrived Ice Fiends, zombie-like monsters reminiscent of those that appeared during the Fortnitemares event back in October. You can watch a replay of the entire event below.Full HD video of the Event. #Fortnite #FortniteNews pic.twitter.com/0Db7tAwErr — UltimateFortniteNews (@LeaksUltimate) January 19, 2019The Ice Storm event also brings a new set of challenges to complete. Over the course of the next several days, Epic will be rolling out new objectives. Clearing each will reward you with XP, and finishing six will unlock a black and ice blue wrap. Players who manage to finish all 13 of the Ice Storm challenges will also get a special reward: the Winter's Thorn Glider.We'll be rounding up the full list of Ice Storm challenges as they're unveiled, so be sure to check back throughout the event. If you need help completing some of Fortnite's other challenges, we also have tips on those in our full Fortnite Season 7 challenge guide.While the mystery of the ice sphere has seemingly been solved, a few other unusual objects were recently spotted in the game. The iceberg that was once near Happy Hamlet has been destroyed, revealing a mysterious bunker underneath. Players have also discovered strange, giant eggs within prison cells beneath Polar Peak's castle. What these signify is anyone's guess, but we likely won't have to wait too long to find out.Info from Gamespot.com