The November refresh for HBO Max is especially meaningful for fans of The Lord of the Rings and the wider Middle-earth universe.
The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies joined HBO Max’s streaming library at the start of November, and it adds to the previous two Hobbit movies, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The three Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies are already on the service, so the complete theatrical Middle-earth series is now available to stream.
Additionally, the 1977 Rankin/Bass animated version of The Hobbit is available on HBO Max. However, it doesn’t appear that the Ralph Bakshi version of The Lord of the Rings is on HBO Max.
Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films, celebrated the news with a tweet in which he said “Hurrah!” and then wondered which order to watch them in. His verdict? Start with The Hobbit, because that’s what J.R.R. Tolkien wrote first.
In addition to these Middle-earth movies, HBO Max added 13 Going On 30, The Dark Knight, and Free Willy this month, among many others. You can see the full list of new additions here.
PlayStation 5 releases in November, and with it, a host of accessories unique to the next-generation system. The DualSense controller is Sony’s first move away from the DualShock labeling, and includes new features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. One of the DualSense controller’s other qualities, however, is that it doesn’t work while hooked up to the PS4. Sony’s current-gen console registers the new controller, but you can’t use it to play any games.
It appears that the DualSense controller does work with the Nintendo Switch, however. Twitter user BrokenGamezHDR connected the DualSense controller to Nintendo’s hybrid console by using an adapter. Named the 8BitDo adapter, the third party software allows players to use their preferred handheld controller with the Nintendo Switch and not be limited to Switch’s Pro Controller.
In the video BrokenGamezHDR posted, he successfully uses the DualSense controller to navigate Switch’s menu and play a small portion of Mario Kart. So while players can’t use the DualSense controller with the PS4, they can certainly try mixing and matching with the Nintendo Switch system. How extra features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers would work in that scenario is still uncertain at this time.
The PS5 doesn’t release until November 12, but some DualSense controllers have been available early. Developers have also wasted no time in getting the new accessory work on other systems, like the PC. Shakedown Hawaii’s newest patch allows players to use DualSense controllers.
Other PS5 accessories–such as the Pulse 3D headset, media remote, and camera–will also be available soon. Check our PS5 preorder guide if you’re looking to find any of these before launch.
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Fortnite‘s Halloween-themed Fortnitemares challenges have ended a little earlier than originally planned. The official Fortnite Status Twitter account announced that the special Halloween challenges had to be pulled a day early “due to an issue.”
Developer Epic didn’t share any further details on what the issue in question is, but it did note that it plans to compensate players for ending the challenges early. “We apologize for the inconvenience and are working on a make good plan for affected players,” the studio said via Twitter.
Due to an issue, our Fortnitemares Challenges have ended a day early. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working on a make good plan for affected players. We will update everyone when we have more information.
Although the Fortnitemares challenges are now over, there’s still a lot happening in the battle royale game this week. Epic is introducing Ghost Rider to Fortnite this Wednesday, November 4, as part of its latest Marvel Knockout Super Series tournament. Players who place high enough during the competition will unlock the character skin for free, while everyone else will be able to purchase it in the game’s item shop for $20 USD some time after the tournament.
In the meantime, Epic recently rolled out a new set of Season 4 challenges to complete. Some of Week 10’s trickier challenges ask you to fish at Heart Lake and find chests in Upstate New York. There are also a variety of Marvel challenges to complete during the Marvel Knockout mode.
The upcoming horror movie and video-game adaptation reboot of Resident Evil films has reportedly just cast Donal Logue (Gotham, Vikings) in an undisclosed role. The news comes via Deadline, and his joining the film’s fold sees him rounding out a cast that also includes previously announced stars Kaya Scodelario (Skins) as Claire Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell (The X-Files) as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy) as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Leon S. Kennedy, and Neal McDonough (Justified) as William Birkin.
The movie, which is reportedly already in production, is directed by Johannes Roberts, who helmed the hit shark thriller 47 Meters Down and its sequel, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. In a previously released statement, Roberts spoke about what fans could expect from this upcoming Resident Evil film. “I really wanted to go back to the original first two games and re-create the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them whilst at the same time telling a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences,” he said.
There is a bit of a Resident Evil renaissance taking place when it comes to adaptations. There is an upcoming CG series coming in 2021, and also a live-action series that will be directed in part by Bronwen Hughes (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead). Both those shows are coming to Netflix.
Starting off, Epic stressed that Fortnite’s PS5 and Xbox Series X editions are not “simply tweaked last-gen builds.” Instead, they are “new native ones to harness the power of the new consoles.”
Epic also confirmed that all progress made on PS4 or Xbox One will carry forward to the next-gen editions, because this progress is tied to your specific game account.
Fortnite On Xbox Series X/S
Getting into the specifics, the Series X/S version of Fortnite will support 40/60FPS on Series X, along with a better-looking world thanks to the power of the machine.
“Experience a more dynamic and interactive world with grass and trees responding to explosions, enhanced fluid simulations for smoke and liquid (cooler-looking smoke and liquid effects), and all-new Storm and cloud effects,” Epic said.
The Series S edition of Fortnite, meanwhile, will support 1080p/60FPS, and it has “most” of the visual enhancements mentioned above. However, the developer did not say which ones will be missing.
On both next-gen Xbox consoles, players will get into matchers faster thanks to a “significantly upgraded” loading performance experience. Textures, too, will load faster in the game world.
There is also “enhanced” split-screen for Fortnite on Series X and S, so players can now enjoy split-screen at 60FPS.
Fortnite On PS5
For Sony’s next-gen console, Fortnite will support 4K/60FPS, along with the same “dynamic visuals and physics” mentioned above for Xbox Series X. The PS5 edition will make use of the new DualSense controller to make weapons feel more realistic.
“Haptic feedback makes it feel like you’re holding the Suppressed SMG or Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle. In addition to general vibration support, we’ve integrated haptic trigger feedback for ranged weapons on the new DualSense controller,” Epic said.
What’s more, the PS5 version of Fortnite will make use of the console’s new “Activities” hub. With this, players can choose a game mode in Fortnite–Solos, Duos, or Squads–and pin this to your PS5 home screen so you can jump directly into it.
The PS5 version of Fortnite also includes loading performance improvements just like on Xbox, so players can get into matches faster and see textures load quicker. The split-screen situation is the same to Xbox as well; it now supports 60FPS.
Progress Carries Forward And Crossplay
Some of Fortnite’s best features, cross-play with all platforms and progress that stays with you, remain intact for the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Fortnite. All progress and cosmetics move with you to the new consoles, should you decide to upgrade. All you need to do is download Fortnite on PS5 or Xbox Series X and log in with your details and all of your content and progress will be there.
A Freebie
Beginning November 4, Epic will give everyone Fortnite’s very first pickaxe in an effort to “remember the past while looking forward to the future.” The Throwback Axe Pickaxe, which was the default axe from Fortnite Chapter 1, will be available for all players until January 15, 2021.
More Updates In The Future
Epic closed its next-gen Fortnite news by stressing that the studio continues to investigate new ways to leverage the horsepower of the PS5 and Xbox Series X to make the most of them. Like other developers, Epic is only just getting started with the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and we might see exciting new innovations for the game down the road.
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Black Friday 2020 is heading our way faster than you might expect. While last year’s early deals began the weekend before the main event, this year you’ll find deals beginning even earlier. Best Buy has already run an early Black Friday sale, and Walmart has run-up Black Friday sales events happening every few days the whole month of November. If you’re looking for Black Friday deals on Nintendo Switch consoles, games, or accessories, you’ve come to the right place.
Once the deals go live, we’ll be tracking all the best Black Friday Switch deals below. And in the meantime, you can read on to find out what to expect in terms of Nintendo deals. If previous Black Fridays are any indication, there’s no better time to get a killer deal on a Nintendo Switch product than Black Friday. And if you’re interested in more than just Nintendo deals, check out our Black Friday Deals mega-post for all the best deals across all categories.
Nintendo Switch Black Friday Console Deals to Expect
For the past two years, Nintendo has offered a special Black Friday bundle that included a Nintendo Switch and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This year, Nintendo appears to be upping the ante. Based on an early product listing on Best Buy, it appears you’ll be able to get a Switch bundle that comes with the “V2” version of the console (which has better battery life than the launch model), plus Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, plus a three-month subscription to Nintendo Switch Online.
It’s also likely that other retailers will offer deals of their own. Last year, Walmart had a bundle that included a Switch, a 128GB memory card, and a third-party controller for $299. GameStop offered a Switch Lite and a $25 gift card for $199.
Nintendo Switch Black Friday Game Deals to Expect
First-party Switch games don’t go on sale all that often, and when they do it’s usually for $40 at the lowest. Deal hunting Nintendo fans are generally an unsatisfied bunch. That said, last year’s Black Friday saw retailers drop some of the biggest first-party Switch games to the previously unheard-of price of $30. We’re talking games like Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, and more.
It’s worth noting that those deals were live only on Black Friday itself. Earlier in the week and on the weekend after leading into Cyber Monday, most first-party Switch games were available for $39 instead. That seems to be the case this year as well, according to Best Buy’s Black Friday ad, which you can view here. It says games like Super Mario Maker 2, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Link’s Awakening will all be available for $39.99 each.
That said, it certainly wouldn’t be out of line to expect to see similar discounts during Black Friday 2020. And if you’re looking for deals on third-party games like Diablo III, Mortal Kombat 11, and Civilization VI, you’ll likely see some great deals in the $20 – $30 range.
Nintendo Switch Black Friday Accessory Deals to Expect
Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controllers are not cheap at MSRP. Joy-Cons typically sell for $79.99, while Pro Controllers go for $69. Lately we’ve finally seen some standard discounts on these items, dropping $10 off the pricing.
So what can we expect during Black Friday this year? It’s hard to say, because last year’s deals only dropped prices $10 as well. That gives us reason to believe we might see bigger discounts this year.
Last year we also saw some great discounts on microSD cards, which you can plug into your Switch to get more storage space for digital games and saves. With the pace at which memory prices have been falling, we’ll likely see even better microSD card discounts this year.
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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and bonafide deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.
Pokemon Go is bringing another fan-favorite Legendary back for a limited time later this week. As part of the game’s Animation Week event, Lugia is returning to Raid Battles starting November 5. The Legendary Diving Pokemon has appeared a handful of times in Raids since it first debuted back in 2017, but it’s worth catching again even if you already have one, as this time it knows the powerful Flying move Aeroblast. If you need help capturing the Legendary, we’ve rounded up some tips to help you beat and catch Lugia below.
Lugia Raid Hours
Lugia
Lugia will return to five-star Raids starting 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on November 5, and it’ll remain in the game until the same time on Monday, November 16–giving you a little over a week to battle and catch it. Since Raid Battles don’t follow a set schedule, Lugia Raids will happen periodically during the Legendary’s stint as a Raid boss, but you’ll receive a notification within the game when one is about to begin at a nearby Gym.
As usual, your best chance to encounter Lugia will happen during Niantic’s weekly Raid Hour event, which occurs every Wednesday evening from 6-7 PM local time. There will only be one Lugia Raid Hour before the Legendary Pokemon leaves the game again; that takes place on Wednesday, November 11, so make sure you don’t miss that chance to get it.
Lugia Weaknesses And Counters
Although it lives at the bottom of the sea in Pokemon lore, Lugia is actually a Psychic- and Flying-type, which gives it a handful of weaknesses that you can exploit. Its Psychic typing means it’s susceptible to Dark and Ghost Pokemon, so some great monsters to use against it include Tyranitar, Weavile, Darkrai, Giratina, Chandelure, and Gengar. Keep in mind, however, that Gengar is also part-Poison, which means it’ll take super-effective damage in return if Lugia knows a Psychic attack.
Lugia’s Flying typing opens up a couple more weaknesses, namely to Electric, Ice, and Rock Pokemon. Electivire, Raikou, and Zapdos are some great Electric types; Mamoswine, Glaceon, and Articuno are good choices when it comes to Ice Pokemon; and Rhyperior, Terrakion, and Gigalith are some of the game’s strongest Rock Pokemon. Alolan Golem is a good choice to use as well since it’s both Rock and Electric.
Types To Avoid
Although Bug Pokemon normally have an advantage over Psychic-types, you’ll want to avoid using most of them against Lugia; not only will they take super-effective damage from Aeroblast, their Bug attacks will only deal neutral damage to Lugia thanks to its Flying typing. Fighting Pokemon are likewise weak to Flying-type moves, while Poison Pokemon will take super-effective damage from any Psychic attacks that Lugia has.
Time may seem out of whack this year, but believe it or not, we’re closing in on Black Friday. The year’s biggest sales event is particularly big this year at Walmart, because the mega-retailer is stretching it out through various sales nearly the entire month of November.
Below, you’ll find everything you need to know to maximize your Walmart Black Friday experience. And if you’re interested in the plans of other retailers, be sure to check out our mega Best Black Friday Deals article, where we’ll be tracking all the best deals from all participating retailers.
When Does Walmart’s Black Friday 2020 Sale Start?
In addition to a standard Black Friday sale the day after Thanksgiving, this year Walmart is running a promotion called Deals for Days that’s spread out across three events in November. Here’s the timeline for these events, according to Walmart:
Sale Event 1
November 4 at 7 p.m. ET – Deals begin on walmart.com
November 7 at 12 a.m. ET – More new deals will roll out online
November 7 at 5 a.m. local time – Deals begin in stores
Sale Event 2
November 11 at 7 p.m. ET – New deals begin online
November 14 at 12 a.m. ET – More new deals begin online
November 14 at 5 a.m. local time – New deals begin in stores
Sale Event 3 (actual Black Friday)
November 25 at 7 p.m. ET – New deals begin online
November 27 at 12 a.m. ET – New deals begin online
November 27 at 5 a.m. local time – New deals begin in stores
Walmart Deals for Days and Black Friday: Deals to Expect
You can check out the Black Friday deals Walmart has already announced right here. You’ll find discounts on popular items like 4K TVs, Apple AirPods, air fryers, and Instant Pots.
As for video games, Black Friday is a terrific time to buy games. You can expect big discounts on plenty of popular titles, including even recent AAA releases.
It’s possible PS4 and Xbox One consoles will go on sale, though it’s not guaranteed. Demand will likely be higher on the companies’ next-gen consoles, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for finding any kind of discount on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S (or even finding them in stock, for that matter).
As for Nintendo, for the past two Black Fridays, it has offered a special Nintendo Switch bundle that included Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Let’s hope Nintendo offers a new bundle with a more recent game for 2020.
What About COVID Precautions?
In what Walmart says is an effort to spread out the foot traffic, all Walmart stores will open at 5 a.m. local time on the in-store Deals for Days dates listed above, as well as on Black Friday.
The number of customers allowed in the store at once will be limited during all of the Black Friday events throughout November. You can also order items online to be delivered to your home, or for curbside pickup.
Curbside Pickup Will Be Available at Most Stores
Walmart says you’ll be able to use curbside pickup at “the majority of Walmart stores.” After you purchase something online for curbside pickup, you’ll receive an email with directions for how to retrieve it from your local store.
Free Shipping at Walmart
Orders of $35 or more qualify for free two-day shipping. Alternately, you can sign up for Walmart+ to get free shipping on all orders.
What is Walmart+?
So glad you asked. Walmart+ is the company’s paid membership program for people who buy a lot of things from Walmart. The biggest feature is unlimited free delivery. This applies to all items you can buy at the store, including groceries. It also gives you a five cent discount on fuel at Walmart and Murphys gas stations. You can sign up for Walmart+ for $12.95 per month or $98 per year. You can read more about Walmart+ and sign up here.
Walmart’s Extended Holiday Return Policy
Since we’re in gift-buying season, Walmart has put its extended holiday return policy into effect. The return-by date for all items purchased between October 16 – December 25 has been extended to no earlier than January 8, 2021. You can find the return date for a specific item here.
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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and bonafide deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.
In the tribute, published by The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, Bay recalled a moment when he and Connery were filming a car chase. Connery hit the brakes and caused Bay to hit his head against a window. Connery asked if Bay was okay and Bay said he wasn’t, but only because “the Disney folks are here to kick my butt for being two days over schedule.” Connery then offered to help.
Later, during a break in filming, Bay is eating lunch in an elementary school classroom with Disney representatives when Bay announces that Connery is coming in.
“Sean comes in, sits down across from the open-mouthed executives,” Bay wrote. “In classic Sean Connery style, he belts out in his Scottish brogue: ‘This boy is doing a good job, and you’re living in your Disney F***ing Ivory Tower and we need more f***ing money!!’ Without missing a beat, they responded. ‘OK. How much?'”
Bay went on to further compliment Connery by saying Connery’s working style is incomparable to anybody else the blockbuster director has collaborated with.
“He did it because he loved movies,” Bay wrote. “He loved excellence and doing the best he could. His work ethic was bar none, the best I’ve ever experienced.”
The Rock was released in theaters in 1996 and it scored over $300 million at the box office to become the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year, according to The Numbers. Bay’s next two movies, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, were also both released by Disney.
The 2020 holiday season is fast approaching, and Nintendo is just as much an entertainment juggernaut as it’s ever been. The Nintendo Switch is selling like hotcakes (be honest, though, when was the last time you actually bought a hotcake?) and Nintendo awareness is experiencing a major resurgence.
This is partly thanks to dynamite Switch console sales, excellent Switch games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Pokemon games like Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, as well as Pokemon Sword and Shield.
It’s also been a great time for Nintendo fans outside of the console space, partly due to mobile games like Pokemon GO, and partly because of movies like Detective Pikachu. Regardless of the reason for loving Nintendo, we’ve assembled several lists of Nintendo goodies for you to choose from.
If you want to give the gift of Nintendo-themed innocent happiness to someone you love, or simply claim something cool for yourself, Nintendo fans will be certain to love these gifts.
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Best Nintendo Switch Gifts
Everything you need to start gaming on Nintendo Switch.
Brian Barnett writes wiki guides, deals posts, features, and much more for IGN. You can get your fix of Brian’s antics on Twitter and Instagram (@Ribnax).
