Author: Trafficblast

Game Release Dates In December 2018: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, And PC

December is officially here, which means 2018 is winding to a close. This year has seen some great games come out across PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch, but while most of the year’s biggest titles have already been released, there are still a handful of noteworthy games on the way this month to close out the year in appropriately grand fashion.

Headlining December’s releases are new installments in the Just Cause and Super Smash Bros. series, as well as a new pair of spin-offs of Atlus’s beloved Persona franchise. Those certainly aren’t the only notable releases, however. This month also sees some high-profile games arrive on new platforms, including PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which expanded to PS4 on December 7. An HD remaster of the PS2 classic Katamari Damacy also rolled onto PC and Nintendo Switch this month, while the Dark Souls-inspired Ashen hit Xbox One and PC.

That’s only a small glimpse at this month’s releases. You can see all of the biggest games on the way for each platform in December 2018 below. For a look back at all of the most notable releases from the past year, check out our complete list of game release dates in 2018, and be sure to follow our Best of 2018 hub for our picks on the year’s best games and other highlights.

Just Cause 4 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) — December 4

Kicking off the month is Just Cause 4, which launched on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on December 4. This installment in the over-the-top action series takes protagonist Rico Rodriguez to the lush South American country of Solis, where the intrepid hero must once again thwart the plans of the sinister militant group, The Black Hand. Developer Avalanche Studios has amplified the action even more for this entry, expanding Rico’s arsenal with new gadgets and an upgraded grappling hook. But the biggest addition to the game is the extreme weather system, which presents a whole new kind of challenge for Rico to overcome.

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Persona 3: Dancing In Moonlight & Persona 5: Dancing In Starlight (PS4, Vita) — December 4

The Persona series is certainly no stranger to spin-offs, and its latest pair of offshoots, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, arrived in the West on PS4 and Vita on December 4. In the vein of Person 4: Dancing All Night, each title is a rhythm game featuring characters and music taken from their respective numbered installments. Both games also feature a slew of costumes and accessories to unlock for the characters, as well as support for PlayStation VR.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch) — December 7

Nintendo’s long-running mascot fighting series makes its Switch debut with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Featuring the largest roster in the franchise to date, Ultimate brings back every character who has ever appeared in a Smash Bros. game and introduces a handful of unexpected newcomers, including Castlevania’s Simon and Richter Belmont and Animal Crossing’s Isabelle. The game also boasts more than 100 stages, 900 music tracks, and an extensive array of Spirits–new collectible video game characters that grant your fighters stat boosts and abilities when equipped.

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Full December Release Schedule

Game Platform Release Date

Just Cause 4

 PS4, Xbox One, PC December 4

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

 PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch December 4

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

 PS4, Xbox One, PC December 4

Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight

 PS4, PS Vita December 4

Persona 4: Dancing All Night

 PS4 December 4

Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight

 PS4, PS Vita December 4

Ashen

 Xbox One, PC December 7

Hello Neighbor: Hide & Seek

 PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch December 7

Katamari Damacy Reroll

 Switch, PC December 7

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

 PS4 December 7

Sega Genesis Classics

 Switch December 7

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

 Switch December 7

Dusk

 PC December 10

Guacamelee 2

 Switch December 10

Desert Child

 PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch December 11

Earth Defense Force 5

 PS4 December 11

Prey: Typhon Hunter

 PS4, Xbox One, PC December 11

Spyro + Crash Remastered Game Bundle

 PS4, Xbox One December 11

Dragon Marked for Death

 Switch December 13

Gris

 Switch, PC December 13

Firewatch

 Switch December 17

Star Wars: The Mandalorian TV Series Cast Confirmed

Lucasfilm has officially announced the cast for The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars TV series. Pedro Pascal, previously speculated to play the title role, has been confirmed to be the Mandalorian warrior the show is about, and he’s being joined by quite the talented cast.

Pascal is best known for portraying Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones, but he’s also starred in Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Netflix’s Narcos. In a blog post, StarWars.com confirmed he would be joined by Gina Carano (Deadpool), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Emily Swallow (Supernatural), Carl Weathers (Predator), Omid Abtahi (American Gods), Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man), and Nick Nolte (Affliction).

“We’re having a great time working with this incredibly talented group and excited for everyone to see what we’re up to,” said The Mandalorian writer and executive producer Jon Favreau. Individual directors–including Thor Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi, Jessica Jones’ Deborah Chow, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels’ Dave Filoni–have been signed on to head individual episodes in The Mandalorian. There are plans for The Mandalorian to be followed by another Star Wars series that will see the return of Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, the character he played in Rogue One.

The Mandalorian takes place prior to The Force Awakens, long after the legendary career of Boba Fett. The series follows Pascal’s character, a lone gunfighter on the run from the law of the New Republic. The Mandalorian launches on Disney+, the company’s upcoming subscription-based streaming service, next year. Another season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars–previously assumed to be cancelled forever–is also scheduled to come to the service.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is Returning to Supernatural

The moment fans have been dreaming of for more than a decade has finally arrived – Jeffrey Dean Morgan is officially returning to Supernatural for its milestone 300th episode, reprising his role as John Winchester – father of lead characters Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles).

Executive producer Andrew Dabb said, “We’re incredibly excited to have Jeffrey back for this milestone episode, and think fans will love what we have planned for his character… and a few other surprise guest stars.”

Morgan has long expressed his interest in returning to Supernatural as Papa Winchester – one of his earliest breakout TV roles in 2005, alongside a recurring stint on Grey’s Anatomy – but scheduling has always seemed to prevent a reprise. Morgan has kept himself busy with small-screen roles in Starz’s Magic City, CBS’s Extant and The Good Wife, and most recently AMC’s The Walking Dead, where he’s played bat-wielding villain Negan for the past three seasons, along with movie roles in genre fare like Watchmen, The Losers, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Rampage.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Your Piranha Plant DLC Code May Already Be in Your Inbox

For those who have purchased Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch, you may want to check your email as your DLC code for Piranha Plant may be there waiting.

Owners of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and those who purchase a copy by January 31, 2019, will be rewarded with an unexpected brand-new fighter, Piranha Plant, in February of next year.

However, you will need to redeem a code that Nintendo will send to the email linked to your Nintendo Account to receive the new character. The problem? The email’s subject line doesn’t indicate a code is inside and simply says “Thanks for your purchase of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game.”

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Christmas Is Soon: Don’t Miss Out on a Great Switch Deal

If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, the biggest gift-giving day of the entire year is less than two weeks away. That means if you’ve been putting off shopping, you’re running out of time. Fast. Not to try to make you panic or anything, but I wouldn’t put it off much longer.

One of the hottest gifts this holiday season is the Nintendo Switch. That’s probably no surprise. Beloved television personality Ellen DeGeneres put the Nintendo Switch on her list of “15 must-haves” for the holidays, and she is an influencer. Her words rattle the retail world to its very core.

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Star Wars: The Mandalorian Cast Officially Confirmed

Lucasfilm has officially announced the cast of the live-action Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian.

Pedro Pascal, who was previously confirmed to be the lead in the series, will be in the role of the Mandalorian gunfighter. Joining him will be Gina Carano from Deadpool, Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad, Emily Swallow from Supernatural, Carl Weathers from Predator, Omid Abtahi from American Gods, Werner Herzog from Grizzly Man, and Nick Nolte from Affliction, who was previously announced.

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Joel McHale Cast as Golden Age Starman in DC Universe’s Stargirl TV Series

Joel McHale, known for his work on Community, The Soup, The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale and more, has been cast in the upcoming Stargirl TV series as Starman.

Reported by Variety, McHale will be playing Sylvester Pemberton in a reoccurring role that is described as a “Golden Age Starman.” Pemberton’s role in the comics is actually that of The Star-Spangled Kid, whose suit a young Courtney Whitmore finds in her stepfather’s belongings and subsequently becomes Stargirl. Her stepfather, Pat Dugan, was once The Star-Spangled Kid’s sidekick, S.T.R.I.P.E., who is initially disliked by Courtney. In the show, Stargirl “inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past.”

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The Best Apple Deals of 2018: Lowest Prices on iPad, Watch, iTunes Gift Card, and Macbook

Welcome to IGN’s Daily Deals, your source for the best deals on the stuff you actually want to buy. If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

Apple products are generally very price drop resistant throughout most of the year, but that changes during the holiday season. Right now, you could get 25% off the latest generation iPad,  For 2018, you can get 25% off an Apple iPad, 20% off a brand new Apple iPad Pro, an extra 20% off the already discounted Apple Watch Series 3, 15% off iTunes gift cards, and more.

ddappleitunesgc$100 Apple iTunes Gift Card for $85

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How the Arrowverse Elseworlds Crossover Sets Up a Batwoman Spinoff Series

This year’s Arrowverse crossover, “Elseworlds,” wasn’t just a precursor to next year’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” (although that’s definitely a big deal) – it also finally introduced Batwoman and Gotham into the CW’s superhero universe.

And that probably won’t be the last we’ll see of Ruby Rose’s Batwoman, since The CW is currently developing a potential spinoff series for the Dark Knight’s cousin that’s under consideration for next season.

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Mary Poppins Returns Review

When a movie is practically perfect in every way, the prospect of any sequel — let alone one produced more than 50 years after the original — seems like a recipe for disaster. Luckily, with a dash of mischief, a dollop of whimsy, and, yes, a hearty spoonful of sugar, Mary Poppins Returns manages to feel less like a cynical cash-grab and more like a visit from an old friend — even if the reality of her reappearance doesn’t quite live up to your fuzzy memories of the good ol’ days.

Set 25 years after the events of Mary Poppins, the sequel finds the titular nanny (who has effortlessly transformed into Emily Blunt) dropping back in on the Banks children when they’re all grown up. Feisty Jane (Emily Mortimer) is following in her activist mother’s footsteps as a labor organizer with no time for romance, and nebbish Michael (Ben Whishaw) is reeling from the death of his wife, simultaneously trying to take care of their three children, Annabel (Pixie Davies), John (Nathanael Saleh), and Georgie (Joel Dawson), while struggling to solve a stressful financial situation.

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