Month: February 2020

When it comes to colorful PS4 controllers, Berry Blue and Sunset Orange are two of the most eye-catching models Sony has released. Unfortunately, they sold out quickly and have only available at inflated rates from third-party sellers ever since. If you missed out the first time around, you’re in luck because Sony has brought them back. You can get these colorful DualShock 4s from Amazon or PlayStation Direct. Hurry, though, because they’re only available “while supplies last.”

Sunset Orange DualShock 4 PS4 Controller

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• Get it at Amazon – $64.06
• Get it at PS Direct – $64.99

Known colloquially around IGN as the “Goku” controller, this orange-and-blue beauty would look great on any PS4 owner’s coffee table.

Berry Blue DualShock 4 PS4 Controller

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• Get it at Amazon – $56.09
• Get it at PS Direct – $64.99

Not to be outdone, the Berry Blue DualShock 4 is also back in stock. It’s not as blisteringly bright as the Sunset Orange model, but it offers an understated elegance all its own. It’s also on sale at Amazon for $56.09.

How long will these controllers remain in stock? It’s anyone’s guess. But if the initial run is any indication, I’d suggest you grab them quickly. Anything that looks this good is likely to sell out fast.

A number of other PS4 controllers in various color combinations are also available at Amazon, Walmart, and PlayStation Direct.

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Chris Reed is IGN’s shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Back in November 2019, The Walking Dead left us hanging with Season 10’s eventful midseason finale, “The World Before,” which ended with some of our favorite characters trapped in a claustrophobic cave full of walkers; Michonne on a questionable mission with an even more questionable stranger, Virgil; and Negan seemingly in league with Alpha.

When Does The Walking Dead Return in 2020?

If you’ve been wondering when the Walking Dead will return in 2020, your patience will soon be rewarded – The Walking Dead will be back on Sunday, February 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC, and according to our exclusive sneak preview for the second half of Season 10, alliances will be tested, new survivors may be found, and the war between the Whisperers and the communities will intensify. Check out the video below:

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Which Side is Negan on?

One of the most pressing questions going into the back half of Season 10 is exactly whose side Negan is on – the former leader of the Saviors seems to have thrown in his lot with Alpha, but it’s anyone’s guess whether that alliance will last. “Negan is with them now, that could still go a lot of different ways,” teases executive producer Denise Huth.

“You just don’t know where he sits with anything,” Jeffrey Dean Morgan points out, before conceding that, “Negan and Alpha together are a formidable twosome.”

But one person definitely doesn’t buy what Negan is selling – Alpha’s second-in-command, Beta: “Beta doesn’t trust him at all; Beta has an innate sense of who he’s going to find allegiance with and who he’s not,” says Ryan Hurst. “At what point is it gonna be too much for Beta to keep following Alpha?”

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Carol vs. Alpha

Daryl and Carol had an overdue talk in the midseason finale, but it’s clear from the clips shown in the preview that the two are still on rocky ground, with Daryl telling his longtime ally, “it’s like I can’t even turn my back on you anymore.”

“Everything is just in question; borders have been crossed, the truce has never been truly a truce, and that’s all going to come to a head,” previews showrunner Angela Kang. “The first half of the season we really saw a Cold War approach, and in the second half, that really gets hot.”

“Huge things happen in this half-season right out of the gate,” executive producer (and CCO of the Walking Dead universe) Scott Gimple adds. “Things have been building towards this for a season and a half.”

What are you most looking forward to seeing when The Walking Dead returns on February 23? Share your predictions in the comments, and for more, check out this clue that Lauren Cohan’s Maggie could be returning sooner than you might think, and watch the teaser for the upcoming Walking Dead spinoff, World Beyond.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which just got a new trailer (see below), is set to release for Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020. This laid-back game takes place on a deserted island, where you’ll build and maintain a new home, collect resources, and craft all kinds of things to make it feel like your own.

If you’re ready to secure a copy for yourself, you can preorder Animal Crossing: New Horizons right now at select retailers. Here’s everything you need to know to secure a copy at launch.

Preorder Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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• See it at Walmart – $59.99
• See it at Amazon – $59.99
• See it at Best Buy – $59.99
• See it at GameStop – $59.99

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is up for preorder at all the usual retailers for a list price of $59.99.

No Special Editions

Like most Nintendo releases — but unlike many other big games — Animal Crossing: New Horizons will only be available in a standard edition. That means you won’t find any fancy collector’s editions or special editions. On the off chance that changes in the future, we’ll update here.

PowerA Animal Crossing: New Horizons Wireless Controller

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• See it at Amazon – $49.99

While Nintendo itself may not be offering much in the way of Animal Crossing extras, PowerA has this officially licensed controller.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Preorder Bonus

There are no universal preorder bonuses for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but Best Buy is offering a couple of exclusive extras. Preorder from the blue big-box store, and you’ll receive a free Tom Nook “Phone & Tech Badge.” My Best Buy members will also receive a free $10 reward certificate for preordering.

Other Preorder Guides

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons Preorder Guide
• Biomutant Preorder Guide
• Cyberpunk 2077 Preorder Guide
• Darksiders Genesis Preorder Guide
• Destroy All Humans Preorder Guide
• Doom Eternal Preorder Guide
• Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Preorder Guide
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Preorder Guide
• The Last of Us Part II Preorder Guide
• Marvel’s Avengers Preorder Guide
• Nioh 2 Preorder Guide
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps Preorder Guide
• Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Preorder Guide
• Resident Evil 3 Preorder Guide
• Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated Preorder Guide
• Watch Dogs: Legion Preorder Guide
• Yakuza Remastered Collection Preorder Guide

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Chris Reed is IGN’s shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Sony has submitted a patent for an AI that may be able to help players stuck in a game by pointing them towards items or weapons that may help them overcome their obstacle. This can either be an in-game item or if need be, an item available for purchase.

In a patent filing for something called the “In-Game Resource Surfacing Platform,” Sony describes a scenario in which a player is stuck in a video game that they may need help to overcome. “Many video-games have hundred of thousands of individual items for users to earn, find, or purchase and use within the video game,” it says in the patent description.

The AI tool that Sony is hoping to patent would help search and identify “in-game resources that assist a player based on contextual data and data from a community of similar players.”

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Sony lays out three variations of this tool. One is where the AI identifies the “current state” the player is in while in a game and cross-references it with other players who’ve successfully moved past that point. “[T]he method provides an operation for selecting a resource that is usable by the player to complete the objective based on the one or more resources utilized by respective other players during said successful attempt of completing the objective[.]”

Meaning the AI will find out how other players completed the obstacle and point the stuck players towards that solution. The AI tool may also point players towards an item in a store, in-game or online, that can help complete the objective or even advance the game to a point past the obstacle (a skip, maybe?).

The use of AI during a game session is not new. Ubisoft has rolled out an AI service called Sam which can track progression in games, or check in-game stats. Google Stadia has also promised a feature in the future where players may be able to directly interact with Google Assistant for in-game help.

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Sony’s patent seems at first more localized towards getting players past a certain obstacle, either through in-game or purchasable methods. But there’s a chance the service could expand to provide deeper help. Though there’s always the IGN Wiki guides if you need a leg-up on how to get past certain game obstacles.

The patent was filed last year and published recently. There’s been no public announcement of a new AI tool for Sony games, so this may be a next-gen feature for the PlayStation 5.

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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

The most recent update to Star Wars Battlefront 2 added the pair of BB droids, the lovable BB-8 and his evil First Order doppelganger BB-9E. But no droid rolls off the assembly line bug-free, so DICE has announced plans for an upcoming patch that will make some adjustments to the droids among other fixes and balance changes.

The patch notes mention fixes for the BB units having the wrong voiceover lines, and for Grevious’ Claw Rush move sometimes draining opponent stamina. The MC85 Star Cruiser and Resurgent-Class Star Destroyer are both getting improvements to collision detection, visual effects, and lighting.

Some balance changes are coming as well. Those include Battle Point gain reduced by 50% for the Ovissian Gunner, Caphex Spy, Sith Trooper, and First Order Jet Trooper, aligning them with other Reinforcement units. The big bad Darth Vader himself is getting a big bad nerf as well, with damage reduction going from 75% down to 20%.

The update is set to go live on Wednesday, February 12 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. You can check the times and full patch notes below.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 February 12 Patch Times

• PC: 4 AM ET / 1 AM PT
• PS4: 5 AM ET / 2 AM PT
• Xbox One: 6 AM ET / 3 AM PT

Star Wars Battlefront 2 February 12 Patch Notes

• Fixed an issue where the boarding cinematic would be visible when completing the final objective on any of the Capital Ships on Jakku.
• Fixed an issue that would allow the First Order Jet Trooper to dash more than 2 times.
• Fixed an issue where spamming both the main fire and secondary fire keys for BB-8 would drain the stamina quickly, without dealing the appropriate amount of damage
• Fixed an issue where BB-8’s Spinner Star Card would grant 20 seconds of cooldown reduction, instead of 10, on Epic rarity.
• Fixed an issue where there would be no audio playing when inspecting the BB-8 and BB-9E Voice Lines in the Front End menu.
• Fixed an issue where BB-8 and BB-9E would eventually play the wrong VO lines when they were disrupted.
• Various collision, VFX and lighting improvements on the MC85 Star Cruiser and Resurgent-class Star Destroyer.
• Lowered the heat cost for the spool-up functionality on the Heavy Trooper’s Sentry abilities.
• Fixed an issue where General Grievous’ Claw Rush could completely drain the stamina of an opponent.
• Reduced the gain in Battle Points by 50% for the Ovissian Gunner, Caphex Spy, Sith Trooper and First Order Jet Trooper, to be consistent with the other Reinforcements.
• Made improvements to resolve issues with hit registration, despite dodging Lightsaber and melee attacks
• Fixed an issue that would block the VO from the emotes of the Republic Officer on Kamino or Geonosis.
• Fixed a localization issue with the message “First Order Jet Trooper Available” being too long for the kill screen in Japanese.
• Made improvements to resolve visual issues with textures popping-in, when transporting to the capital ships on Jakku, Takodana and Ajan Kloss.
• Lowered the damage reduction on Darth Vader while using Choke from 75% to 20%.
• Updated the mode description for Ewok Hunt.

Respawn Entertainment is feeling the love this Valentine’s, as the studio recently announced that its Duos mode will return to Apex Legends in a limited-time event, Valentine’s Day Rendezvous. This is the first time that Duos has been in Apex Legends since November 2019.

Rendezvous also includes a badge, an XP boost for playing with a buddy, and two new gun charms. Last year’s Valentine’s day items, the Through the Heart Longbow skin and Love of the Game Pathfinder banner, are also available once more at a discount. This event comes in the wake of Apex’s Season 4, which introduced a new Legend, Revenant, a cyber-ninja with talents that improve the survivability of both you and your allies.

Apex’s Season 4 also introduces a whole new Battle Pass and a new weapon, a bolt-action sniper rifle dubbed Sentinel. Respawn has also radically overhauled the popular World’s Edge map with a giant drill that split the terrain in twain. There are also some more granular changes in the patch notes, such as the addition of specialized sniper ammo for the game’s long-range rifles, like the Longbow and Charge Rifle.