Amazon is offering an incredible early Black Friday deal on anime, and a few anime-adjacent series, but we’re not here to judge. Amazon is offering a three-for-two anime sale, meaning if you buy two Blu-rays, you can get the third for free. There’s a huge selection available, including classics like Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, and My Hero Academia. There’s a few great contemporary anime as well, like Haikyu and Promare. There’s also a huge selection of Miyazaki movies like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.
We’ve got all the highlights of the sale listed below. Keep in mind that you’ll need to add three items to your cart, and then the lowest priced item should be changed to free. Happy hunting, fellow weebs. Don’t forget to check out all of the best Black Friday deals, too.
Streaming services rarely receive discounts–even during Black Friday. But one of the best streaming services around will be available for a fantastic price during Black Friday 2020. Hulu with ads will be slashed to just $2 per month for a whole year for new and select returning subscribers. That’s a phenomenal bargain for a service that is filled with great original shows and a huge catalog of popular network programs and movies.
The promotion goes live on Thanksgiving and runs through Monday, November 30. Hulu with ads is normally $6 per month ($72 per year), so you’re saving a whopping $48 across the entire year. Those who take advantage of this deal will be billed $2 each month for the first year. After the promotional membership ends, you’ll be charged the standard $6 per month going forward. This is the third time Hulu has offered this special Black Friday promotion.
Though the deal is only available to new and select returning subscribers–probably ones who haven’t subscribed in some time–it’s possible current subscribers could take advantage of this by signing up with a different email.
Rockstar is officially decoupling Red Dead Online from Red Dead Redemption 2. That means you’ll be able to buy the online multiplayer mode as a standalone product on both PC and consoles–it’s not going free-to-play.
This new standalone version of Red Dead Online launches on December 1 and will cost $20. However, for the first few months of availability–from launch until February 15, 2021–it will be 75% off, selling for just $5. As an online game, it requires a subscription to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold if you’re playing on PS4/PS5 or Xbox One/Series X|S, respectively.
Red Dead Online will be sold through the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Rockstar Games Launcher, Steam, and Epic Games Store. It includes the full RDO experience, with no differences from what you’d get by owning Red Dead Redemption 2, meaning there’s nothing new to buy here if you’re an existing player. This standalone version will offer an option to purchase what’s called Red Dead Redemption 2: Story Mode, which includes the single-player campaign, although a price was not shared.
RDO will require 123GB of free space to install. There’s no word on specific enhancements if you’re playing on PS5 or Xbox Series X|S, although those platforms do support the game through backwards compatibility.
This is a notable release for Rockstar, given that GTA Online–which continues to be a massive success for the company–has not been available separately from Grand Theft Auto V. There is a standalone version of GTA Online on the way in 2021, but Red Dead will be the first of Rockstar’s games to be separated in this fashion.
Black Friday 2020 is almost here, and there will be plenty of great gaming deals to take advantage of during the big shopping event. Although it’s still rare to see Nintendo-published games go on sale, a number of them will be discounted at various retailers this year as part of their Black Friday sales, including New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is another enhanced Wii U port. This one packages Wii U launch game New Super Mario Bros. U together with its more challenging DLC expansion, New Super Luigi U. The collection also features a few other new elements, including a new playable character in Toadette, who can pick up an exclusive new power-up called the Super Crown to transform into the beginner-friendly Peachette.
“Despite its aging formula, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is still a great entry in the series, with its typically tight platforming and both accessibility and depth to spare,” we wrote in our New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe review. “While it can feel a bit stale for those who have been round the Mushroom Kingdom one too many times before, Deluxe is well worth playing, especially if you didn’t get a chance to play NSMBU on Wii U.”
December is just around the corner, which means Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate members will soon be able to claim another batch of free games. Microsoft has now revealed December’s Games with Gold lineup, and it once again includes four titles spanning Xbox One and Xbox 360.
As usual, two games will be available right at the start of the month, on December 1: The Raven Remastered (Xbox One) and Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (Xbox 360). The former will be free to claim all month long, while the latter will be available until December 15.
Two more games will be up for grabs starting December 16: Bleed 2 (Xbox One) and Stacking (Xbox 360). Bleed 2 will remain free until midway through January 2021, but you’ll only have until December 31 to claim Stacking. You can see December’s full Games with Gold lineup below.
As always, both of December’s free Xbox 360 games are playable on Xbox One thanks to backwards compatibility. Xbox Series X or Series S owners will also be able to download and play all four titles on their new consoles. If you’re thinking about picking up Microsoft’s next-gen system, be sure to read our Xbox Series X review.
Xbox Games With Gold For December 2020
The Raven Remastered: Available December 1 to 31 (Xbox One)
Bleed 2: Available December 16 to January 15 (Xbox One)
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell: December 1 to 15 (Xbox 360)
Stacking: December 16 to 31 (Xbox 360)
In the meantime, you still have a few days to claim November’s free Games with Gold. Aragami: Shadow Edition and Lego Indiana Jones are both free to download for Gold members until November 30, while Swimsanity will be free until December 16.
EA has released the first details for the next-gen version of FIFA 21, coming to both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 4. Those who already own the current-gen version of FIFA 21 can upgrade to this new version for free by making use of EA’s Dual Entitlement.
EA promises a huge leap forward in visual quality for next-gen FIFA, with a new deferred lighting system called LiveLight Rendering allowing the developer to create ultra-realistic football environments. Aside from recreating the world’s biggest stadiums in more detail than ever before, LiveLight Rendering also combines with muscle flex and strand-based hair technology to bring the sport’s stars to life with the series’ most detailed player recreations yet.
The EA Sports GameCam, meanwhile, is a new gameplay camera inspired by the look and feel of TV broadcasts. This, combined with a series of new pre-match cinematics and Big Goal Moments designed to capture the pandemonium of game-winning goals, should add to the immersion and excitement of each match on next-gen FIFA 21.
Player movement has also been made more realistic with the inclusion of responsive Multi-Touch Animations. There are 700 new animation combinations that enhance the visual quality and responsiveness of linked animations, giving you more agility and control over the ball than in the past. Off-Ball Humanization adds another layer of detail as players display more human behaviour, such as wiping sweat from their face or regaining their breath after sprinting.
Players like Golden Boy winner Erling Braut Haaland are more detailed than ever.
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If you’re playing FIFA 21 on PS5, the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback will respond to what’s happening on the pitch. Powerful left-footed shots will coincide with vibrations on the left side of the controller, while crunching head-on tackles are met with intense feedback. The controller’s adaptive triggers also play a role, with trigger resistance increasing as your stamina drains so you can really feel the effect of a players’ tiredness as their fitness decreases.
Activity Cards are another PS5 exclusive, letting you jump to your favourite modes directly from the PlayStation home screen. EA also says it takes under two seconds to load a Kick-Off match on the next-gen console’s super-fast SSDs.
It’s worth noting that none of these features will be coming to the PC version of FIFA 21. In an interview with Eurogamer, executive producer Aaron McHardy explained the decision, saying that EA opted to keep the minimum specs down on PC in order to be more inclusive.
If you want to get the next-gen version of FIFA 21 for as little as $27, both the PS4 and Xbox One versions are on sale at GameStop this Black Friday. All you have to do is upgrade to the next-gen version for free when it launches on December 4.
Madden NFL 21 is also receiving a next-gen upgrade on the same date, and EA recently shared some details on what to expect when it launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
With Black Friday 2020 now in full swing, a lot of impressive deals on games have gone live, and a number of them are for PS4 games that have free PS5 upgrades. Brand-new games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs Legion see nice discounts at major retailers like GameStop and Best Buy during the Black Friday sale week, while a number of PlayStation exclusives and sports games also get some sweet deals.
All of the games listed below allow users to upgrade to the PS5 version for free. Some of these upgrades provide higher resolutions, more stable frame rates, or even special graphics features. Ghost of Tsushima and Days Gone got some impressive PS5-compatibility patches, which up both titles’ frame rates to run at a solid 60 FPS.
Watch Dogs: Legion allows you to play as nearly every character you meet in its open world. As you complete missions and do side activities, you’ll come across characters who need your help. Completing their specific mission gives you the option to recruit and play as them. It’s a unique feature that works well and makes for an engaging experience. Its Black Friday deal is available now, bringing its price down to $30 not even a month after it released.
Ghost of Tsushima tasks you with fighting against the invading Mongol army. Not only will you take up your katana and fight like a samurai, but you’ll also sneak around enemy bases and use techniques befitting of a ninja. Ghost of Tsushima also saw a PS5 update that improves its performance in High Resolution mode–it now runs at 60fps. Its Black Friday deal is live now at multiple retailers.
Mortal Kombat 11 caps off the modern trilogy’s story by bringing back many of the series’ most iconic characters. Time travel plays a big part, so you’ll see fun match-ups like Scorpion’s older and forgiving human form fighting against his hate-filled younger self. There’s also a wide range of online modes, including ranked matches and the Towers of Time. There are a lot of different MK11 editions available during Black Friday. Right now, you can snag Mortal Kombat’s standard edition for $13 or the Aftermath Kollection for $25. Aftermath includes a story expansion as well as the first eight DLC characters.
FIFA 21 continues the series’ trademark soccer gameplay while adding new modes to the street soccer experience, Volta Football; new features like Agile Dribbling; and Ultimate Team co-op. FIFA 21’s next-gen update comes out December 4, but you snag the soccer game for only $27 at GameStop right now. If that offer ends, Walmart will have it for $28 starting Wednesday evening.
Madden NFL 21 is more of the same when it comes to EA’s football series, but this year, it has a new mode called The Yard. The Yard offers shorter matches of backyard football that bring more variety than your typical Madden match. Like FIFA 21, the next-gen update comes out December 4, but you can save some money right now with GameStop’s $27 Black Friday deal. As with FIFA 21, Walmart will also have it for $28 starting Wednesday.
Days Gone drops you in the middle of a zombie apocalypse set in the Pacific Northwest. You’ll fight both zombies and other survivors as you drive your motorbike around the map looking for resources and completing missions. Days Gone was also updated to run at 4K and 60fps on the PS5, making it the definitive way to play the game. You can buy Days Gone for only $20 right now.
After five years, Borderlands 3 marked the return of the looter-shooter franchise, adding even more guns and crazy powers to use on your enemies. Over the game’s first year, Borderlands 3 added DLC that introduced new worlds to explore, guns to shoot, and characters to meet. Its Black Friday deal is live now.
Valhalla is the latest game in the Assassin’s Creed series, and like previous entries, it puts players into a vast open world full of places to explore and baddies to kill. This time, you play as a Viking named Eivor as you lead your clan to England in search of a new home. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be $48 at GameStop when its sale starts at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET on Wednesday.
Microsoft has been setting its sights on expanding the definition of “Xbox” for some time, and its next step could make the platform widely available on any smart TV. Xbox head Phil Spencer said recently that Xbox will become a TV app sometime in the next 12 months.
Asked what’s stopping the company from putting Xbox on TVs, Spencer told The Verge, “I think you’re going to see that in the next 12 months. I don’t think anything is going to stop us from doing that.”
Spencer didn’t speak specifically about the functionality of an Xbox TV app, but the question was in the context of streaming games, which Microsoft has already started with its xCloud technology on mobile devices. The Xbox TV app would presumably use the same basic tech, scaled for use on TVs. Spencer went on to say the tech would have to work well if, for example, his kids wanted to play the same game on multiple TVs.
And while Spencer did acknowledge that this would lead to a big hardware change, he pushed back on the idea that streaming would herald the end of home consoles.
“I just push back a little bit on–this is not exactly what you said–that when streaming comes, all the consoles go away, or all my local devices that play video games go away,” Spencer said. “I’m not quite as sold on that. I think we just have to be nimble and watching what players want.”
Currently the streaming option is available as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which also offers a subscription of downloadable games on PC and Xbox consoles. Game streaming is only available on Android devices for the time being, but Microsoft is reportedly looking into a browser app solution to run it on iOS devices.
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As rumored, Fortnite developer Epic Games is introducing a new monthly subscription for the popular battle royale game. The subscription is called Fortnite Crew, and it will cost $12 USD a month and give players access to the game’s current Battle Pass, extra V-Bucks each month, and other perks.
Fortnite Crew launches alongside the start of Chapter 2, Season 5 on December 2, Epic announced on the PlayStation Blog. As the studio explains, the subscription gives players access to the game’s current Battle Pass, even if your subscription lapses before the season ends. Those who sign up for Fortnite Crew after they’ve already purchased a Battle Pass will have the 950 V-Bucks refunded to their account.
In addition to Battle Pass access, Fortnite Crew gives subscribers 1,000 V-Bucks each month, on top of any V-Bucks you can earn while leveling up that season’s Battle Pass. Additionally, Epic will gift subscribers an exclusive Fortnite Crew Pack each month, which will contain a new skin and “at least one” matching glider, pickaxe, or emote. You’ll keep these exclusive cosmetics even if you don’t re-up your subscription.
The first Fortnite Crew Pack will feature a skin for Galaxia, the “empress of the cosmos.” The outfit will come with one additional style, a Cosmic Llamacorn Pickaxe, and Fractured World Back Bling. Epic says players will be able to subscribe to Fortnite Crew directly from Fortnite’s in-game shop or the Battle Pass purchase screen after Chapter 2, Season 5 goes live.
In the meantime, Fortnite players have been busy trying to predict how Season 4 will end, and it appears the season will wrap up with an epic battle against Galactus. The supervillain will arrive in the game as part of a special season-ending event on December 1. The event begins at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET, but Epic recommends players log into the game about an hour before the scheduled start time; the playlist will appear about 30 minutes prior to the event.
Hitman 3 is shaping up to be a graphical showcase on PC, with ray tracing features set to arrive after the game launches next year. On next-gen consoles you can also expect a visual upgrade, as developer IO Interactive has confirmed that Hitman 3 will run in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second with HDR support included on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
The news was shared as part of the reveal of a new level, Chongqing, a Chinese transportation hub packed full of shops and food stands that are illuminated in the constant glow of neon lighting.
The Glacier engine powering Hitman 3 is now also capable of rendering up to 300 non-playable characters in a single location at once, and water effects such as rain drops hitting Agent 47 and making his clothes wet, will also be used to create a more subtle layer of immersion.
Other locations from the previous two Hitman games will also benefit from the rendering, animation, and AI technology, as IO Interactive said that all stages can be imported into Hitman 3 to complete the World of Assassination trilogy.
Hitman 3 launches on January 20, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia. Two other stages that you’ll be able to ply Agent 47’s deadly trade in are a Dubai skyscraper and Thornbridge Manor within England’s Dartmoor region, where players will have to work their way through a reverse murder mystery.
