Author: Trafficblast

Celebrating 25 Years of PlayStation Games

On this week’s episode of IGN’s weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O’Brien to discuss our favorite games from each home console generation of PlayStation in honor of PlayStation’s 25th anniversary.

The group runs down their favorites from the PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4, including Bloodborne, Uncharted 2, God of War, Metal Gear Solid, SIlent Hill, and much more.

Have questions, comments, or Memory Card stories? Write in to [email protected]!

Download or listen to the show on these platforms:

The 5 Best Anime Series, as Voted by IGN Fans

We here at IGN recently posted our top 25 best anime of all time list, so, naturally, we wanted to know what you think are the best anime series of all time, and we’ve got those results for you in this week’s episode of Power Ranking.

Power Ranking, which breaks down fan-voted suggestions for top-ranked lists, like the cutest Star Wars characters, and compiles all that data together to determine what IGN fans across platforms think are the best every week. For this week’s episode, which you can watch above, we asked you what are the best anime of all time and then to vote on the top five most suggested series. Over 660,000 of you voted in the final poll across IGN.com, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter, and here are the results.

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It Looks Like Snoop Dogg Is Coming To NHL 20

It appears NHL 20 is adding its first celebrity commentator. The game’s Twitter account posted a silhouetted image of a person bearing the resemblance of Snoop Dogg. The caption says, “It’s about to go down, fo’ shizzle,” so this is all but certainly a reference to the rapper and actor.

When EA Sports announced NHL 20 in June, the company said it would be looking to introduce celebrity commentators over time, and it appears Snoop Dogg will be the first.

Snoop Dogg has experience in the broadcast booth, as he joined the commentary team for a Los Angeles Kings game earlier this year. You can check out the video below.

The NHL has also recruited Snoop Dogg to help explain the rules of hockey in a silly yet informative video posted in 2018.

Will Ferrell as his Anchorman character Ron Burgundy also did commentary for L.A. Kings games in the past, so it will be interesting to see if he comes to NHL 20 as well. The celebrity commentators helped bring more attention to the sport of hockey, and EA appears to be attempting to do something similar with NHL 20.

The developer isn’t confirming any celebrity guest appearances yet, but a slide shown to GameSpot earlier this year also included people like Drake and Wayne Gretzky.

EA has also attempted to broaden the appeal of NHL 20 by introducing NFL and NBA players to the game as playable characters.

Now Playing: NHL 20 Gameplay – Mascots Score Lots Of Goals

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Apple Reveals Its Game Of The Year For iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV

With December presenting the opportunity to reflect on the year’s releases, Apple’s hopping onto the trend by gathering its best of the best for 2019. The company has announced its best games and apps of 2019, with Journey developer thatgamecompany securing the iPhone Game of the Year award.

In a blog post, Apple announced that thatgamecompany’s Sky: Children of the Light was awarded the iPhone Game of the Year accolade. The adventure game about life’s various stages launched on July 18 for Android and iOS, garnering a positive reception for its themes of coping with change and forming connections. Apple also went through its various other platforms, handing out awards for iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and the recently-launched Apple Arcade subscription service.

The iPad Game of the Year went to 2016 indie smash-hit Hyper Light Drifter, which saw an iOS release on July 25. Indie adventure-platformer GRIS was given the Mac Game of the Year award, and throwback action-adventure game Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap received the Apple TV Game of the Year award. Finally, the pop album game Sayonara Wild Hearts closed the list out with the Apple Arcade Game of the Year award.

Check below for the full list of Apple’s Best Games and Apps of 2019.

Apple’s Best Games of 2019

  • iPhone Game of the Year – Sky: Children of Light
  • iPad Game of the Year – Hyper Light Drifter
  • Mac Game of the Year – Gris
  • Apple TV Game of the Year – Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
  • Gaming Trend of 2019 – Blockbusters Reimagined
  • Apple Arcade Game of the Year – Sayonara Wild Hearts

Apple’s Best Apps of 2019

  • iPhone App of the Year – Spectre Camera
  • iPad App of the Year – Flow by Moleskine
  • Mac App of the Year – Affinity Publisher
  • Apple TV App of the Year – The Explorers
  • App Trend of 2019 – Storytelling Simplified

Now Playing: Apple – Introducing Apple Arcade Trailer

New Pokemon Go Event Makes It Much Easier To Get Evolution Items

Pokemon Go‘s Friend Fest has come to an end, but a new event is set to begin very soon. Niantic has announced the game’s first evolution-themed event, which kicks off this week and makes it easier to find Pokemon that evolve in unique ways–as well as another new Shiny Pokemon.

The evolution event runs from December 5-12. During that time, Pokemon with unique evolution methods–such as Onix, Eevee, and Roselia–will appear more frequently in the wild, Raid Battles, and Field Research tasks. Lickitung, Scyther, Togetic, and Ralts will appear as Raid bosses as well, while Tyrogue, Feebas, Burmy, and Happiny will hatch from 2 km eggs. You’ll also have your first chance to catch a Shiny Burmy.

Those aren’t the only bonuses available during the event. Any Lure Modules you use during the event will last for one hour rather than 30 minutes, and you’ll receive twice as much XP for evolving Pokemon as normal. Additionally, you’ll receive evolution items like the King’s Rock and Sinnoh Stone from Raid Battles and special event Field Research tasks.

Finally, as part of the evolution event, Niantic is hosting a special Evolution Raid Day on Saturday, December 7. From 11 AM to 2 PM local time, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and their evolved forms will appear as Raid bosses, and you can receive up to five free Raid Passes from Photo Discs during the event. You can read more details on the official Pokemon Go website.

That isn’t the only event happening this month. December’s Community Day weekend is set for December 14-15. During that two-day period, all featured Pokemon from previous Community Days will be available again in the wild and Raids, and there will be various bonuses to take advantage of. The Legendary Pokemon Terrakion is also still available in five-star Raids until December 17.

Now Playing: “Pet”, Marry, Kill: Pokemon Edition – PAX AUS 2019

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PS5 Preorder Notification Pages Are Starting to Go Live

We’re still nearly a year away from the release of PlayStation 5, but retailers are getting eager to lock in your PS5 purchase. To that end, Best Buy (in the US) and Game (in the UK) have put up email sign-up pages so you can be notified when PS5 preorders officially go live — whenever that may be.

Don’t be surprised if you see more of these pages appear at retailer websites in the coming months, either. A lot of money changes hands when a new console comes out, and all PS5 retailers will want you to buy from them.

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Metal Gear Movie Director Compares Black Widow Trailer to MGS3

Jordan Vogt-Roberts, director of the upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie, took to Twitter on Tuesday to draw some pretty compelling visual connections between Marvel’s Black Widow movie and Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

 Vogt-Roberts began with possibly the most obvious parallel, Black Widow’s white jumpsuit we see in the first trailer for the movie.

“Honest question,” Vogt-Roberts writes. “I’m firm believer of parallel thinking, but…Is there any BLACK WIDOW pre the release of METAL GEAR SOLID 3 in 2004 that establishes this white suit? It sure reminds me of a certain patriot who saved the world.”

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The Division 2 Adding Santa Hats, Snowball-Shooting Gun, And Permadeath Mode

The Division 2 is getting a big new update that, among other things, gives the post-apocalyptic shooter a wintry makeover, complete with Santa hats and a weapon that shoots snowballs.

Title update 6.1 launches on December 10 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and the winter-themed event is called Situation: Snowball. As part of the update, a number of the game’s enemies are now wearing red Santa hats, and taking them down will reward you with a special weapon that shoots snowballs. You can see the hat and the snowball gun in the image below.

The Division 2's wintry update is almost hereThe Division 2’s wintry update is almost here

Ubisoft is also releasing new winter-themed apparel through the “Silent Night Cache.” This includes 35 items of clothing to collect over time. Players who log in between December 10 and January 7 will receive one key, while those who own the Year One pass will get a further three keys to help with their progress toward unlocking all the new items.

In the spirit of the holidays, Ubisoft has also introduced a new gifting option for apparel. The Silent Night and other caches can be purchased with the real-money in-game currency and then sent to friends through the game. Additionally, everyone who logs in to The Division 2 during the Situation: Snowball event will get their own red Santa hat to wear.

The Division 2’s 6.1 update also introduces a new Hardcore Mode, which makes death permanent in the campaign. Ubisoft recommended that players work together in co-op for their best chance to survive. The Hardcore Mode is described as a “beta,” so aspects of it could change in the future.

Now Playing: Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Video Review

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JJ Abrams Discusses Putting Carrie Fisher In Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker

In just a few weeks, it’s the end of the Skywalker Saga when Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker comes to theaters. And while we sadly lost Carrie Fisher–who plays Leia Organa–in 2018, she will still be included in the final movie of this trilogy.

During a Star Wars press conference on December 4, director JJ Abrams discussed the decision to put Fisher into the movie and utilizing unused footage from Episode VII. “Like everyone here, who knew her, loved Carrie,” explained Abrams. “I knew her for a long time, not very well, but I knew her for a while, before The Force Awakens. Obviously, as we discussed, the idea of continuing this story without Leia wasn’t a possibility, and there was no way we were going to do a digital Leia. There was no way we were going to recast her. But we couldn’t do it without her and when we went back to look at the scenes that we hadn’t used in Force Awakens, and what we realized is we have an opportunity. And we can use that footage, use the lines she was saying, use the lighting…In any event, we had an opportunity to use the footage to create scenes that Leia would be in.'”

The post-production team had been editing the movie for a year, including the footage from Force Awakens. “She’s been very much alive, with us, in every scene, and if we had Carrie around, [would] we’d done things different here and there? Of course we would have,” continued Abrams. “But we had an opportunity to have Carrie in the movie. And working with all the actors, including Billie Lourd, her daughter, who’s in scenes with her, we were able to–I think–do something Carrie herself would be happy with. She’s great in the movie, of course. It’s emotional and moving to think of her and how sad we all are that she’s not sitting here with us today.”

In addition to the upcoming release of Episode IX, Disney+ is doing a new Star Wars-themed game show, which sounds quite a bit like Legends of the Hidden Temple in the Star Wars universe. However, when it comes to Star Wars and Disney+, most people are talking about Baby Yoda, who recently got some new merchandise that doesn’t look like bootlegs. Sadly, you won’t be able to get it until May of next year, so it won’t be the perfect Christmas gift for the Padawan in your life.

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker comes to theaters on December 20.

Nintendo Sold Over 800K Switches Over Thanksgiving Week in the U.S.

With the holiday season just getting underway, Nintendo Switch sales are already taking off, with over 800,000 Switches sold in the U.S. over the Thanksgiving holiday. Undoubtedly due to Black Friday and Cyber Monday Nintendo deals, total Switch sales in the Americas have now reached 17.5 million.

Thanksgiving week marks the best week of sales ever for the Nintendo Switch in the U.S. The increase in sales was likely due, in part, to the recent release of the Switch Lite, which is smaller than the original Switch and cannot be docked.

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