Month: November 2020

Super Mario Bros. 3 is widely regarded as one of the best platformers of all time, and at least one game collector believes it’s worth more than any other game in history. Heritage Auctions has announced that a sealed, boxed copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES has been sold at auction for $156,000–making it the most expensive single video game purchase ever made.

The previous record was set in July by another Mario game–the original Super Mario Bros. A sealed copy of that game sold for $114,000, but this is a rarer, more special copy. As Heritage Auctions points out, this is a very rare copy where the word “Bros.” is formatted to the left on the box, overlapping with Mario’s glove.

This means that this copy is from the very first production run of Super Mario Bros. 3, making it exceptionally rare. The bidding opened at $62,500, and ended up more than doubling that figure. While bidders are anonymous, it’s noted that 20 people were involved in bidding for the game.

This copy of the game had a Wata 9.2 A+ grade–which means that it’s a pristine copy. The auction, held on November 20, was the first ever video game auction to rack up sales totaling over $1 million, Heritage Auction has reported. It also broke the record for the most expensive Pokemon game, with a pristine copy of Pokemon Red for the Game Boy selling for $84,000.

If you want to play Super Mario Bros. 3 yourself, it’s available through the Nintendo Switch Online service’s NES catalog, which costs $20 a year.

Walmart is always one of the biggest players in the world of Black Friday sales. This year promises to be no exception. But things look a little different in 2020. Walmart’s Black Friday sale isn’t just a single event, or even a single week’s event, as it has been in previous years. Instead, for Black Friday 2020, the mega-retailer is casting a wider net and offering discounts nearly the entire month of November. Then, once actual Black Friday arrives, we’ll get the biggest discounts of all.

Below, you’ll find everything you need to know to get the most out of your Walmart Black Friday experience. And if you haven’t yet, you can also check out the full Walmart Black Friday ad to see if anything strikes your fancy. Walmart is far from the only retailer celebrating Black Friday, so if you’re interested in other retailers’ plans, 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.

Walmart Early Black Friday Deals (LIVE NOW)

The first wave of Walmart early Black Friday deals is live now. Here’s what’s on sale:

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Walmart’s Black Friday 2020 Sale Schedule

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

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 nothing has been announced yet. Demand is sky-high for the companies’ next-gen consoles, so don’t expect to find any discounts on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S (if you can even find them in stock, that is).

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.

Walmart’s COVID Precautions

In what Walmart is calling an effort to spread out the Black Friday 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 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.

How to Get 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 geared toward frequent Walmart shoppers. The headline feature of Walmart+ is unlimited free delivery. This applies to all items you can buy at the store, including groceries, which comes in particularly handy during a pandemic. It also gives you a $0.05 discount on fuel at Walmart and Murphys gas stations. You can sign up for Walmart+ for $12.95 per month or $98 per year. Read more about the program and sign up here.

Walmart’s Extended Holiday Return Policy

Lots of items people are buying now are intended as holiday gifts. To accommodate people getting duplicate (or unwanted) presents, Walmart has put an 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 specific item categories here.

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and bonafide deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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It seems a next-gen upgrade of Naughty Dog’s PlayStation 4 exclusive, the critically acclaimed The Last of Us Part II, may be in the works if a recent retail store listing is to be believed.

Over at Best Buy, a listing for the PlayStation 4 title says “includes next-gen upgrade” above the box art. Perusing the listing for keywords like “next gen” and “PlayStation 5” pulls no findings, so it’s unclear if this is an error or a legitimate confirmation of some sort. Naughty Dog has not announced whether a PS5 version of The Last of Us Part II will be available.

In the meantime, The Last of Us Part II is playable on PlayStation 5 via backwards compatibility. According to VG247, the post-apocalyptic action-adventure game makes use of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, as well as the usual slate of next-gen enhancements. This includes faster load times, smoother frame rates, and crisper visuals.

In other The Last of Us Part II news, developer Naughty Dog is still working on the multiplayer experience. Instead of being baked into the game like Factions was for The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog has expanded the scope of multiplayer and made it a standalone game mode.

The Last of Us Part II leads The Game Awards list with 10 nominations, with Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tsushima and Supergiant Games’ Hades following close behind. The game is also currently on sale for $30 at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy for Black Friday.

Crash Bandicoot has come a long way since his days shouting at Nintendo. In recent years, he’s seen something of a resurgence, resulting in a remastered trilogy, an upcoming mobile game, and the first sequel in years, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, which just released in October. If you want to catch up with his latest adventure, you’ll soon be able to grab it for 50% off at Walmart.

The Black Friday Crash Bandicoot deals are available for both Xbox One and PS4. You can play these on your new PS5 with a disc drive or Xbox Series X if you’ve already adopted the new generation. Crash 4 hasn’t gotten a next-gen upgrade, but it should still benefit from some performance boost.

The game received an 8/10 in GameSpot’s Crash Bandicoot 4 review. “Even more so than playing the N.Sane Trilogy, which literally remade the original Crash games from my youth, playing Crash 4 felt like getting back in touch with the series,” critic Mike Epstein wrote. “It’s an injection of new ideas into now-classic gameplay that surprises and delights, even as it feels like a homecoming. Truly, games like this are why we come running back to long-dormant franchises with open arms.”

We’ll be covering Black Friday 2020 news and deals from now through Cyber Monday, so stay tuned. Check out our roundup of the best Black Friday gaming deals available this year, including the best deals for Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, and Xbox One/Series X.

Though other retailers might have bigger brand recognition, Newegg is still one of the best places to get a good deal on gaming PCs, laptops, PC components, and much more. Newegg’s Black Friday sale has officially kicked off, so let your hardware-loving self run wild.

Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about the best Newegg Black Friday deals. Newegg definitely specializes more in PC gaming needs and accessories, but there’s a few deals on more console-friendly gaming and TVs. If you don’t see anything that strikes your fancy, make sure to check out our giant best Black Friday deals.

Keep in mind, you have until 11:59 P.M. on November 27 to snag any of these deals.

Best Black Friday Newegg 4K TV Deals

Modern gaming lives or dies based on how pretty something looks, so start off the new year on the right foot with a new 4K TV that lets you see every glorious pixel.

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Best Black Friday Newegg Gaming PC Deals

If you’re looking for a more powerful gaming experience than whatever the PS5 or Xbox Series X can give you, look no further. Newegg’s focus on PC gaming means they’re serious about the pre-built gaming PCs they offer, with a variety of options for different kinds of budgets. Take a look below.

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Best Black Friday Newegg Gaming Laptop Deals

Sometimes you just need to game on the go, or don’t want to deal with an obelisk sitting in your office. Gaming laptops are a solid alternative that don’t have to sacrifice much horsepower, so you can game as you please. Newegg has just as many deals on gaming laptops as they do anything else, so check out our list below.

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Best Black Friday Newegg PC Component Deals

If you’re looking to build your own gaming PC, or just need to replace an aging CPU, Newegg has plenty of deals on some impressive hardware. GPUs, CPUs, and motherboards to keep it all running smoothly are available, so check out the list below for the best deals. You can also check out our guide on how to build a gaming PC.

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Best Black Friday Newegg Monitor Deals

Of course, PC gaming is useless without a dope monitor to gawk at all them 8K graphics and 120 frames per second. Curved monitors are all the rage these days, but you can still get a standard monitor for cheap. Check out the deals below.

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Best Black Friday Newegg Gaming Mice Deals

Any PC gamer knows the value of a precise mouse, especially when you’re taking shots at enemies in PUBG or Fortnite. Newegg has sales on a few solid gaming mice that’ll up your game.

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Best Black Friday Newegg Keyboard Deals

You hear that? That’s the sound of a million new PC gamers hammering their mechanical keyboards, WASDing like pros. You too can be this cool, but you don’t have to shell out hundreds of dollars. Take a look below at the best Black Friday deals on keyboards that Newegg is offering.

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Best Black Friday Newegg Gaming Headset Deals

Audio is one of the most underrated aspects of gaming, with games increasingly relying on 3D audio and bombastic orchestras. Leave your tinny speakers behind and swap on some headphones.

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Best Black Friday Newegg Gaming Chair and Desk Deals

Trust me, you don’t want a knotted back by the time you go pro in Fortnite. A comfortable chair and a sturdy desk are key to keeping your reaction times and eyeballs feeling as sharp as possible.

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Best Black Friday Newegg Video Game Deals

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Best Black Friday Newegg PC Accessory Deals

Don’t get left behind without the essentials, like power strips or thumping speakers for your new gaming PC.

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FIFA 21 is adding a number of celebrities and professional athletes who don’t play soccer/football to the game as playable characters, including singer Dua Lipa and superstar NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

They will join NBA stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, along with Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton as new playable characters for FIFA 21’s Volta mode. Retired soccer superstar Zinedine Zidane is also coming to the game.

Dua Lipa said in a statement, “My little brother’s a huge FIFA fan so to be featured as a playable character on top of that is crazy and I hope he puts me on his Volta team!”

She added, “It’s particularly cool the game includes a female music artist avatar for the first time and I can’t wait for the women to show the men what we’ve got!”

Embiid said with confidence, “I’m the best football player and fan in the NBA, so to be able to say that I’m actually in FIFA just proves that.”

As for Hamilton, he said he enjoys playing FIFA to unwind, and he’s stoked to be included in FIFA 21 as a playable character. “To be a part of this year’s game alongside some of the other names from different sports is amazing,” he said.

These new celebrity characters are coming to FIFA 21 in December, coinciding with the game’s release on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

FIFA 21 is the latest in EA’s long-running soccer (or “football”) franchise, and you can take to the pitch at more than half-off this year thanks to Black Friday 2020. This year’s edition includes a reworked collision system, more intelligent AI players, and the return of the street soccer Volta mode.

The Black Friday FIFA 21 deals are available for both Xbox One and PS4. The PS5 with a disc drive and Xbox Series X can play the discs as well, and free next-gen upgrades will be available starting on December 4.

“This is a substantial package that’s propped up by exciting gameplay that puts the onus squarely on attacking football,” Richard Wakeling wrote in GameSpot’s FIFA 21 review. “There are moments of frustration on defense when the balance doesn’t feel quite right, but then you’ll go down the other end and score a Puskás Award contender that makes you forget why you were mad in the first place.”

We’ll be covering Black Friday 2020 news and deals from now through Thanksgiving weekend, so stick around. Be sure to give a look to our roundup of the best Black Friday gaming deals available this year, including the best deals for Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, and Xbox One/Series X.

A new update is out now for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and while it doesn’t contain any weapon buffs or nerfs, the patch makes a few changes related to spawning, perks, and the Zombies mode.

For multiplayer, spawns have been adjusted for the Hardpoint mode to reduce the amount of time it takes to reach the Hardpoints. Additionally, the spawns on Crossroads Strike and Armada Strike have been adjusted for better performance.

The new Black Ops Cold War update also fixes an issue that could stop the Flak Jacket perk from being useful against explosive damage in Hardcore modes.

Moving to Zombies, the new update fixes an issue with field upgrades, while it makes some changes to the zombies themselves. In one case, a rare issue was causing a zombie to become permanently invincible, but that is now fixed. Finally, the Zombies mode has received some tweaks to make the experience more stable.

You can see the full patch notes below, as posted by Treyarch on their website. This newest update arrives less than a day before the fan-favorite Nuketown map comes to Black Ops Cold War through a new version called Nuketown ’84. The map arrives at 10 AM PT on November 24, but you can start enjoying double XP right now.

Black Ops Cold War November 23 Patch Notes

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Spawns

• Adjusted Hardpoint spawn logic to reduce average travel time to active Hardpoints.
• Adjusted enemy weighting for spawns in Crossroads Strike and Armada Strike.

Fireteam: Dirty Bomb

• Addressed a UI error that could sometimes occur when loading into a match of Fireteam: Dirty Bomb on Ruka.

Perks

• Addressed an issue that would prevent Flak Jacket from properly protecting the player from explosive damage in Hardcore modes.

ZOMBIES

Field Upgrades

• Addressed an issue where the player could earn Field Upgrade charge while their Ring of Fire was currently activated.

Enemies

• Addressed an issue that sometimes caused zombies to use their ranged attack unexpectedly.
• Addressed a rare issue that could rarely cause the Megaton to be permanently invincible after splitting.

Stability

• Added various stability fixes.