Author: Trafficblast

Save on Nintendo Switch Storage and eShop Credit at Amazon

Nintendo Switch hardware is all but impossible to find in stock these days. But if you’re lucky enough have one already, you’d probably like to play some games. Amazon has two deals going right now that can save you a lot of money on digital downloads. The first deal brings several microSD cards down to their lowest prices ever on Amazon. The other saves you 15% off Nintendo eShop credit if you use an Amazon Visa or Amazon Store card. Here are the details.

MicroSD Card Deals

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If you download Switch games at all, additional storage is pretty much required. The Switch only comes with 32GB of onboard storage, and some of that is dedicated to the OS. That leaves you with a paltry few gigabytes to download games from the eShop. Some third-party Switch games take up more storage than comes on a Switch from the start. It’s kind of ridiculous.

Thankfully, adding storage is cheaper than ever. The prices of microSD cards has been on a downward trend since the Switch launched, and these three cards in particular are currently on sale for their lowest prices ever.

Nintendo eShop Credit: Get 15% Back (Amazon Card Required)

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Now that you have storage, you’ll probably want some games to fill it up with. If you have an Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card or an Amazon Prime Store Card, you’ll get 15% back if you buy Nintendo eShop credit between now and July 5.

If you don’t have one of those cards and you do a lot of shopping at Amazon, I’d highly recommend considering one. If you’re a Prime member, they both give you 5% cash back on all Amazon purchases, which can add up to big savings over time. The Visa also has decent cash back rates at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores (2%).

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This deal ends July 5, so if you have a card and use the eShop, stocking up on credit is a no-brainer. My favorite way to spend discounted eShop credit is to buy games when they go on sale. That gets you 15% off the already-discounted price, creating a double discount.

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

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Apex Legends to Soft Launch on Mobile in 2020

According to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, Apex Legends is scheduled to soft launch on mobile devices by the end of 2020.

As recorded by @ApexLatest on Twitter, Wilson was speaking about mobile business growth on an EA Fireside Chat on June 22, 2020, and said “we have PvZ3 in soft launch, we’ve talked about having Apex Legends in soft launch by the end of this year. You’ve heard me talk about 6 or 7 other games in various stages of incubation or production or in finaling phase. We feel very good about our mobile business.”

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If Apex Legends does indeed soft launch on mobile, which would most likely be a Beta of sorts, it will be the third storefront that Apex Legends arrives on in 2020 alongside Nintendo Switch and Steam.

Apex Legends will be released on Switch and Steam this Fall, and cross-play between those platforms and all other current versions of Apex Legends will also be enabled. There is no word if cross-play will be available in the mobile version of Apex Legends.

During EA Play Live, Apex Legends’ Lost Treasures limited time event was revealed and brings with it the return of the Armed and Dangerous mode and a new storyline involving Crypto. The Lost Treasures event began yesterday, June 23.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Pokemon Unite, a Co-op Strategy Game, Announced

Pokemon Unite, a “strategic team-based battle game” has been announced. It will come to Nintendo Switch and mobile devices (with cross-play), and will be released as a free-to-start game. No release date has been announced.

Announced in today’s Pokemon Presents broadcast, Pokemon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara announced the game, which closely resembles a MOBA, such as League of Legends or DOTA 2.

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The 5v5 strategy game is developed in partnership with Tencent’s TiMi Studios (Call of Duty: Mobile, Arena of Valor), and will see players battling to control areas of an RTS-like map, earning points and evolving their Pokemon mid-battle. Battling wild Pokemon will capture them, earning you points that you can then bank in scoring areas. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Battling will level up your Pokemon, letting you equip a number of new moves, which can be adapted for your playstyle. Levelling up enough will let your Pokemon evolve, and access Unite moves, which act like Ultimate abilities.

Confirmed playable Pokemon in the game will include Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Machop, Snorlax, Haunter, Talonflame, Clefairy, Riolu (as well as all of their evolutions).

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It’s been a big couple of weeks in the world of Pokemon – last week’s Pokemon Presents revealed New Pokemon Snap, the free to start Pokemon Cafe Mix, toothbrushing app Pokemon Smile, and mega evolutions in Pokemon Go.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

How Fandango’s App Is Trying To Help You Go Back To Movie Theaters Safely

Across the United States, movie theaters are slowly reopening, under strict guidelines. And now, Fandango has announced the launch of a new program to help movie fans head back to theaters with new safety and health precautions in place.

Both Fandango.com and its mobile apps will begin rolling out new functions like social distance seating maps, an overall guide to safety policies provided by more than 100 theater chains, and a search filter to find reopened theaters by location.

Fandango President Paul Yanover spoke about the new additions saying that Fandango’s mission has “always been super-serving fans with their entertainment needs, and we cannot wait to help fans get back to the big screen safely and at the right time.”

Yanover went on to say that while it’s a complicated rollout, with various states, cities, and counties opening their venues in different phases, he hopes Fandango will help movie goers transition back to the best of their ability. “We hope Fandango will serve as a helpful one-stop resource for fans to find all the information and services they need for a comfortable return to their local theaters.”

In Fandango’s new guide, moviegoers can expect to find more information that theaters have provided about maximum occupancy, social distance seating, mask policies, enhanced cleaning measures, and special concession services.

In addition to the new safety features, members of Fandango’s VIP+ loyalty program can extend expired rewards for an additional 60 days so that customers will have more time to use them. On top of that, they are offering refunds and exchanges up to the posted showtime.

Pokemon Unite Is A New MOBA-Style Game For Switch And Mobile

The Pokemon Presents livestream brought with a single announcement that was focused on for the full duration of the event. The Pokemon Company announced a brand-new game called Pokemon Unite. The team-based cooperative MOBA game is being developed in cooperation with Tencent and developer Timi Studios, which was responsible for Call of Duty Mobile. Unite will be free-to-play on Nintendo Switch and iOS/Android devices, and will support cross-platform play. No release date was given yet, but we did get a long look at gameplay–here’s what we know so far.

How Battles Work

The matches are 5v5 and take place on a MOBA-like map split into halves that represent your teams. Each side is littered with several control points that can be used to score goals. Battles will take place in real-time. As you progress through battles, your Pokemon will level up and learn new moves, and each Pokemon has a unique Unite move. But unlike standard Pokemon, there aren’t type advantages. The side that scores the most points by the end of the match wins.

The livestream showed off a debut match between two teams of five, complete with commentators. The action looked wild and speedy, with players competing over control points to score goals. Tall grass is used to block vision and create opportunities for ambushes, and when you defeat a wild pokemon you “catch” it. All goals scored in the final minute are worth double points.

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Variety of Pokemon Generations

A select screen showed several popular monsters represented, including Pikachu, Snorlax, Charizard, and Lucario. In the match, some began as unevolved versions like Squirtle, who then evolved into Wartortle, though the select screen only shows the final evolved form, Blastoise. Pikachu notably didn’t evolve into Raichu. Also, the evolutions don’t seem to include so-called “baby” Pokemon, like Pichu or Munchlax.

We also saw some Pokemon represented on the battlefield like Bewear and Toxicroak, but since those weren’t in the select screen they may have been AI-controlled monsters. Check below for a full list of all the Pokemon we spotted:

Player-controlled Pokemon:

  • Snorlax
  • Lucario
  • Charmander / Charmeleon / Charizard
  • Squirtle / Wartortle / Blastoise
  • Pikachu
  • Clefairy* / Clefable
  • Fletchling / Fletchinder / Talonflame
  • Bulbasaur* / Ivysaur* / Venusaur
  • Gastly* / Haunter* / Gengar
  • Machop / Machoke* / Machamp

* (Not seen but assumed based on character selection and evolution)

Possible Wild Pokemon:

  • Stufful / Bewear
  • Aipom
  • Joltik / Galvantula
  • Rotom
  • Altaria
  • Toxicroak

The news was shared in the June 24 Pokemon Presents livestream. This followed a similar event a week prior, which brought a variety of announcements, including those for New Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Cafe Mix, and new happenings in Pokemon Sword & Shield and Pokemon Go.

40th Anniversary Empire Strikes Back Black Series Figures Up for Preorder

All Star Wars fans agree, with zero need for debate, that The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars film of all time. So we can all be glad that latest batch of The Black Series Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary figures is up for preorder on Amazon. They’re set to release October 1 and cost $19.99 each.

If you want one (or all of them), you’ll want to order as soon as possible, because Boba Fett is already sold out. So it goes. Here’s what’s left.

Preorder Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary Figures

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The figures are about six inches tall. Each one is also highly posable, so you can make them look exactly how you want them on your shelf. All of the figures come in deliciously retro-style packaging that looks like it time-traveled directly from the 1980s. The packaging even has the original Kenner branding, just like the toys of yore.

Also coming later this year is the LEGO Star Wars Mandalorian Razor Crest ship set, due to release September 1.

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

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Xbox Exec Gives An Update On The July Xbox Series X Event

Microsoft’s next Xbox Series X event is poised to be the biggest and most exciting one yet. During the company’s July Xbox 20/20 event, Microsoft will showcase a series of first-party Xbox Series X games, including Halo Infinite. The company may also use the show to reveal the long-rumored all-digital next-generation Xbox. We don’t know what to expect for sure yet, but Microsoft has now provided a small update on how planning for the event is coming along.

Xbox marketing director Aaron Greenberg–who heads up planning for these events–said on Twitter that Microsoft conducted an internal review of the event just this week with Phil Spencer. The team at Microsoft is “working hard on it,” but Greenberg said the company isn’t ready just yet to announce more details, like a date or a rundown of what will be shown off during the program.

“Team working hard on it,” Greenberg said to a fan on Twitter who asked for an update. “Good content review today in fact with the big boss. We will share more details when all is locked. Kindly ask for patience in the meantime.”

Microsoft’s first Xbox 20/20 show in May focused on third-party games, like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The show failed to live up to the hype, and Greenberg acknowledged that Microsoft set the wrong expectations for the event. Fans will be understandably looking for a stronger event in July, and with Halo Infinite leading the way, it seems like Microsoft is poised to deliver the goods.

Halo Infinite is the first mainline entry in the series since 2015’s Xbox One game Halo 5: Guardians. Microsoft created an entirely new engine, the Slipspace Engine, for Halo Infinite, and the company is promising to deliver an exciting new experience with the game.

Microsoft now operates 15 game studios, and all of them are working on titles for Xbox Series X. In addition to Halo Infinite from 343 Industries, we know Ninja Theory is making Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 for Xbox Series X using Unreal Engine 5, while Sea of Thieves developer Rare is making a new game called Everwild. Additionally, Microsoft’s new studio The Initiative has teased a new project coming from the writer of Red Dead Redemption. Some of the rumored games for Xbox Series X include Fable 4 and a new Forza title.

We’ll report back with more details on the Xbox 20/20 event for July when they’re announced.

Now Playing: Microsoft’s Secret Weapon For Next-Gen Is Xbox Game Pass

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Pokemon Sword & Shield Players Have Beaten Enough Max Raids To Unlock A Shiny Legendary For Everyone

Pokemon Sword & Shield introduced a new Max Raid event within the recently released Isle of Armor DLC, and it came with a potential reward for all players. It was announced that if one million players beat the Zeraora Max Raid, every player would be able to claim a free shiny Zeraora through Pokemon Home.

As it turns out, players were able to achieve this goal very fast. The Pokemon Japan Twitter account has announced that players have not only hit that number, but eclipsed it–the Max Raid has seen 1,435,283 victories. This counts each individual player within a team that has successfully completed it.

Because of this, every player who transfers a Pokemon between Pokemon Home and Sword/Shield between June 18 and July 7 will be able to earn a shiny Zeraora in the mobile version of Home, regardless of whether you’ve completed this Raid, or even own the DLC.

You’ll only have a week to do so, though. This limited edition Pokemon will be available from June 30 until July 7, so make sure to add it to your calendar.

The shiny version of Zeraora will be white instead of yellow. Outside of this event, it will likely be very difficult to get.

If you’re playing Isle of Armor, here’s how to find every Diglett. Another Pokemon presentation is happening soon, at 6 AM PT on June 24. You can watch it on GameSpot.

Now Playing: Pokemon Isle Of Armor DLC First Impressions And Favorite PS5 Reveals – GS After Dark #46

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The Sixth Sense Director M. Night Shyalaman’s New Movie Gets Release Date And New Actors

Director M. Night Shyamalan’s new movie now has a release date and a bigger cast. Distributor Universal has announced that The Sixth Sense’s director’s new movie–which hasn’t been announced yet–will premiere in theatres on July 23, 2021.

The movie remains untitled and there is no word yet on the story beyond the fact that Shyamalan is writing it. What we do know, however, is that Shyamalan will fund the movie himself as he has since The Visit. Universal is distributing it.

Variety reports that Ken Leung, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Abbey Lee have joined the cast for Shyamalan’s new movie. They join the previously announced cast that includes Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff, and Vicky Krieps.

The site reported that there is no firm start-date for filming yet, but it’s understood that it’ll get started later this year if things go to plan.

Reports have suggested that Shyamalan’s new movie is called Labor of Love, but nothing has been confirmed. He most recently served as a producer and episode direct on Apple TV’s Servant.

Shyamalan’s latest movie was 2019’s Glass, which rounded out the Unbreakable trilogy that began in 2000. His best-known movie is The Sixth Sense, which earned multiple Oscar nominations; some of his other directing credits have included Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water, and After Earth.

Shyamalan also wrote the the kids movie Stuart Little.

Now Playing: Best Shows And Movies To Stream For June 2020 – Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, Shudder

Ambient Pixel Shooter Radio The Universe Looks Stunning In Debut Trailer

Radio the Universe has debuted a first trailer ahead of its intended Winter 2020 release, and it looks fantastic. The trailer shows off the game’s style, rendered in the Pixel 2.0 engine, as well as the action-packed shooter gameplay we can expect later this year.

According to the game’s Steam page, it will offer a “slow-paced challenge” and the ability to adopt either a simple of complex playstyle. It will also feature ambient and musical soundtrack compositions, and a minimalist artstyle.

The game will mix exploration and combat, as seen in the video below.

So far the game has only been confirmed for a PC release. You can sign up for further updates on the developer’s website.

It’s also worth reading the description on YouTube of the video above. “This trailer was shown at E3 which I attended in 2020,” it reads. “The building where the expo took place was so beautiful. It had no electricity.” E3 2020, of course, never happened.

The game has been in development since at least 2012, when the developer posted a “boring FPS test” to YouTube, tracking the game’s framerate when the action gets busy.

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