Month: November 2020

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Launching Nuketown ’84 Map Alongside Double XP Event

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War just launched, and it will soon be reintroducing the fan-favorite Black ops map Nuketown called Nuketown ’84. If that isn’t enough incentive to play a ton of Cold War this weekend, Activision is sweetening the pot by offering double XP as well.

Nuketown ’84 launches on November 24, and it will be free for all users. The Double XP event is already live ahead of the Nuketown ’84 launch, offering both 2XP and 2X Weapon XP. Double XP will last through November 30, so you have plenty of time to rack up experience while trying the new version of a classic.

You can also claim a Nuketown-themed weapons pack for free simply by logging in before December 3. That pack includes a “Last Stop” shotgun blueprint, weapon charms, an emblem, and a calling card.

“It’s reasonable to expect updates to Cold War at a steady clip. Weapons will be tweaked, issues will be patched, and gameplay will be balanced,” Kallie Plagge wrote in GameSpot’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War review. “Zombies has a strong foundation and may very well be improved further by potential updates, but the gap between multiplayer and the Warzone ecosystem is too wide to be bridged by small tweaks. Zombies is a good co-op time overall, but multiplayer falls flat, leaving the strong campaign to do most of the heavy lifting.”

Now Playing: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Nuketown ’84 Map Trailer

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Black Friday Nintendo Switch Sale Live Now On The eShop

Black Friday is almost here, but there are already plenty of deals to be had ahead of the big shopping event, including a bunch of discounts on Nintendo Switch games. Nintendo has now kicked off the Switch eShop’s annual Black Friday sale, and it features some nice discounts on a variety of first- and third-party titles for the system.

Some first-party games in particular have gotten a nice discount as part of the sale. A handful of Nintendo-published games are currently available for $40 ($20 off their usual price), including The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Daemon X Machina, and Super Mario Party. While some of these games have received even steeper discounts at other retailers, it’s rare to see their digital versions drop this low.

Those aren’t the only good first-party deals. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is available for $40 as well, and its standalone prequel expansion Torna: The Golden Country is $26.79 (down from $40). Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, an expanded port of the Wii U RPG that just released earlier this year, is also on sale for $40, while Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is down to $48.

Beyond that, a number of third-party games have gotten some nice discounts as part of the sale, including the critically acclaimed Hades ($20), Diablo III: Eternal Collection ($30), The Outer Worlds ($30), and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ($30). You can see some other noteworthy deals below; plus, check out our roundup of the best Black Friday eShop deals for our top recommendations. The eShop Black Friday Cyber sale will run through 11:59 PM PT on December 2, so you’ll have until then to take advantage of these discounts.

We’ll be rounding up more Black Friday 2020 news and deals through Thanksgiving weekend, so be sure to check back often for the latest and best Black Friday savings. We’ve also put together roundups of the best Black Friday 2020 gaming deals, including the best deals for Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, and Xbox One/Series X.

Doctor Who Holiday Special Will See The Return Of Everyone’s Favorite Captain

The COVID-19 pandemic might have delayed the next season of long-running sci-fi adventure Doctor Who, but it doesn’t mean fans will miss out on the show’s annual Holiday episode. This year’s seasonal special arrives next month, and it’s been confirmed that fan favorite character Captain Jack Harkness will appear in the episode.

The news comes via a first teaser for the episode, which is titled Revolution of the Daleks. The promo opens with the familiar sound of the TARDIS, before cutting to Harkness, played by John Barrowman, who states “I’ve missed that sound.” Check the teaser out below:

The Doctor is currently played by Jodie Whittaker, who took over from Peter Capaldi in 2017, and has so far starred in two seasons. After debuting in the main show, Barrowman played Harkness in the spin-off series Torchwood, which ran from 2006 to 2011 and returned to play the adventurer in the Doctor Who Season 12 episode “Fugitive of the Judoon,” which screened in January. The Holiday episode will air on BBC America, but doesn’t have a confirmed premiere date yet.

In a statement, Barrowman said, “Putting on Jack’s coat and setting foot back on the set of Doctor Who was just like going back home. It’s always thrilling to play Captain Jack. He’s a character very close to my heart who changed my life, and to know the fans love him as much as I do makes his return even sweeter. I hope everyone enjoys Jack’s heroic adventure with Thirteen.”

Production on Doctor Who Season 13 started earlier this month. However, due to the safety precautions in place, showrunner Chris Chibnall stated the next season will only have 8 episodes instead of the usual 11.

Best Nintendo Switch eShop Game Deals For Black Friday 2020

Mortal Kombat 11

Mortal Kombat 11

$15 (was $50)

Tons of new DLC has been released for Mortal Kombat 11, but the base game was already packed with things to do. $15 gets you that full experience, complete with its story mode, online multiplayer, Towers of Time (with an ever-rotating array of challenges), and customization systems. If you like what you see, the Aftermath expansion is discounted to $20 (from $40) and adds an additional story mode and new characters, including RoboCop.

New Video Shows First-Ever Footage of Cancelled SNES Green Lantern Game

There are many, many video games that were cancelled before they were finished, and some are better-known than others. Still, even now, there are never-released games emerging into the wild for the first time. A new video from gaming historian Liam Robertson represents the first public footage of an unreleased Green Lantern game from Ocean Software, which was supposed to come out for the Super Nintendo in 1994.

As the lengthy video states, this Green Lantern game went through quite a few changes during development due to both personnel turnover at Ocean and various happenings in the world of DC Comics. For example, Hal Jordan was originally the protagonist of the game, but Jordan became the villain Parallax in a comic book storyline, which forced the developers to change it unexpectedly.

Originally designed as a platformer with puzzle elements, the game’s troubled development resulted in gameplay that mixed various genres, including R-Type style horizontal shooting, and it was eventually shelved due to those issues. The project was later picked up as an after-hours endeavor by a lone programmer and transformed into a side-scrolling shoot ’em up similar to Contra or Gunstar Heroes, and that’s the version you see in the video. That version was abandoned due to the approaching release of the original PlayStation, which resulted in the advent of 3D games. We did eventually get a Green Lantern game in 2011, called Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters. The less said about it, the better.

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Demon’s Souls Remake Lore Explained

Demon’s Souls is full of deep lore and interesting stories: it’s the tale of a mighty kingdom brought to its knees. Only you, the Slayer of Demons, can save Boletaria from the many beasts that now roam the land. This latest episode of Lorescape goes into detail about the history of the kingdom and what led to this new demon-infested state.

If you’re unsure about diving in to the notoriously difficult game yourself, you can check out GameSpot’s full Demon’s Souls review. And if you need some help surviving, we have a list of handy beginner’s tips too.

Black Friday 2020: New Resident Evil 4K Movie Collection On Sale For $55

As Black Friday week kicks off in the US, it’s that time of year where you can save big on almost everything. The annual day-after-Thanksgiving tradition sees many major retailers drop their prices drastically on hot items in order to get your hard-earned money. And now, the recently released Resident Evil 4K Collection is available to own for under $60.

The six-movie collection features Resident Evil, RE: Apocalypse (theatrical version and an extended cut), RE: Extinction, RE: Afterlife, RE: Retribution, and RE: The Final Chapter. In addition to getting all of the films in Ultra High Definition, there are hours of special features, including some you’ll be able to watch for the very first time.

$55 (was $90)

In addition to 4K UHD and Blu-ray copies of the movies, the collection also has digital codes for all of the movies–all of which are in 4K. All of the films also have commentary, giving you more insight into the filmmaking process. And a few of the films have multiple commentary tracks–like the first Resident Evil movie, which has three separate commentaries.

As of this writing, Best Buy will be the best and cheapest way to get the collection for yourself. These recently slashed prices are cheaper than the preorder discounts Amazon was giving back in July, which was $72.

While the Resident Evil film franchise may have deviated from the video gaming series it’s based on quite a bit, the first movie has plenty of Easter eggs to the Capcom series to keep you invested. Even if you weren’t a fan of this franchise, the future is looking pretty bright for Resident Evil enthusiasts. There is a reboot Resident Evil movie in the works, an animated Netflix series, and a live-action Netflix series as well.

New Minecraft Dungeons DLC Releases Next Month

Minecraft Dungeons will get its upcoming Howling Peaks DLC next month, as detailed in a blog post. Alongside the release of Howling Peaks, Minecraft Dungeons is getting another season pass as well, which gets you access to the game’s next four DLC expansions at a discounted price.

As its name implies, the Howling Peaks DLC adds a brand-new mountain area for you to dungeon crawl to the top of. The area presents new enemies to fight, such as the Squall Golem and Mountaineer, as well as additional armor, weapons, and artifacts to discover. If you manage to reach the peak, there’s a new boss for you to defeat too: the Tempest Golem. The Howling Peaks will be available on December 9.

The Howling Peaks is the first of four DLCs included in Minecraft Dungeons’ second season pass. Like Howling Peaks, each of Minecraft Dungeons’ upcoming DLC expansions will add new levels, items, puzzles, and story. Like the two DLCs included in the first season pass, you’ll be able to purchase each of these next four DLCs individually if you prefer, but again, the season pass nets you all four at a cheaper price.

Regardless of whether you buy into these upcoming expansions, Minecraft Dungeons players have more content to look forward to. Free content will continue to trickle into the game alongside the paid DLC, such as six free enchantments that will be added alongside the Howling Peaks.

In GameSpot’s Minecraft Dungeons review, Steve Watts wrote, “Minecraft Dungeons is missing conspicuous parts of what gave the namesake its identity–most noticeably, breaking through walls to explore underground caverns and using the found materials to craft. But because it’s such a successful departure from its predecessor, Dungeons shows how flexible the franchise has become. Rather than shift our expectations of what games can be, it’s banking on its own popularity to introduce younger players to a classic genre and serves as a short-but-sweet treat for looter vets. It scratches the dungeon-crawler itch with a sense of goofy charm and expands what Minecraft can be.”

Now Playing: Minecraft Dungeons Video Review

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Rainbow Six Siege Charity Bundle Announced, Benefits AbleGamers

Ubisoft has announced that The AbleGamers Charity is the first non-profit organization to kick off Rainbow Six Siege‘s Sixth Guardian Program. The studio said more in-game bundles supporting different non-profits will be available in the future.

The bundle includes a uniform, weapon skin, charm, and headgear emblazoned with the orange, white, and grey AbleGamers branding. It’ll be available in the in-game store at the start of Year 5 Season 4 and 100% of the proceeds, with a minimum of $6 per bundle sold, go directly to the charity.

Gallery

AbleGamers’ director of peer support Steve Spohn said the charity is “thrilled to have the ranks of the Rainbow Six community” supporting its cause.

“AbleGamers is honored to partner with Ubisoft to support players with disabilities with this amazing Sixth Guardian bundle,” Spohn said in a press release. “With more than 46 million players with disabilities in America alone and even more worldwide, we couldn’t be more thrilled to have the ranks of the Rainbow Six community joining our quest to combat social isolation and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities by providing the equipment and knowledge they need to play in the virtual worlds we love so much.”

Karen Lee, the game’s lead community developer, echoed Spohn’s statement, saying the team wanted to “mobilize the Rainbow Six Siege community around important issues.”

“Our players are so passionate, and we wanted to give them an easy, effective way to support incredible organizations, like AbleGamers,” Lee said.

The AbleGamers Charity is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving accessibility in the video game industry. It advocates for more intuitive in-game customization settings, better controller manufacturing for the disabled, and more resources for activism and awareness. The charity, in collaboration with Evil Controllers, was behind the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

In other Rainbow Six news, Operation Neon Dawn (Y5S4) is now live on the PC Test Servers. It introduced a brand-new operator, the Defender Aruni and her Surya Laser Gate. The Defender Tachanka has also been reworked and comes equipped with a new arsenal of weapons.

Now Playing: Rainbow Six: Siege Review (2020)

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The World Ends With You Anime Gets Action-Packed First Trailer

The critically acclaimed SquareEnix The World Ends With You video games series is getting an anime movie produced by Square Enix, DOMERICA, and Shin-Ei Animation, that’s set to release in April of 2021. Fan favorites Neku, Shiki, Beat, Rhyme, and Joshua are all featured in the new trailer, so check it out below.

Those that are uninitiated with the story, The World Ends With You takes place in a fictional version of the famous Shibuya shopping district in Tokyo. While everyday life goes on in the Realground–the RG–the chosen dead are brought to an alternate plane of existence called the Underground—the UG–which is also the venue for the Reapers’ Game.

The main story follows Neku over the course of the three weeks that he plays the Game, paired with partners Shiki, Joshua, and Beat for each week, respectively. As he develops friendships with his partners, he starts to understand the rules of the Game.

The trailer shows Neku teaming with each of his partners and the mystery behind his own death. In addition to the anime in April, a sequel called NEO: The World Ends with You has been announced for release on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch for mid-2021.