Category: Games

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Nintendo Switch Sold Incredibly Well In The US Through October

The Nintendo Switch is showing no signs of slowing down. In October 2020–the month before the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 dropped–the Switch sold a staggering 735,926 systems in the US, Businesswire reports. This figure is split between the hybrid model Nintendo Switch and the portable-only Switch Lite.

This represents a 136% growth on October 2019 sales, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons moving Switch units throughout 2020. Worldwide sales figures of the system, as of September 30, hit 68.3 million units. This new number takes the system’s known total to over 69 million.

The Switch has now been the top-selling system in the US for 23 months in a row.

The previous all-time best October sales for a console were for another Nintendo system. In October 2008, in its second year, the Wii sold 807,000 units in the US. That year saw the release of Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii Fit, and Animal Crossing: City Folk.

Nintendo’s next official worldwide total likely won’t be revealed until 2021, covering sales from October-December. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S have just launched, but due to stock shortages, the Switch is still likely to be the holiday season’s top-selling console.

The next major Switch exclusive is November 18’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

Now Playing: Nintendo Switch Holiday Gift Guide 2020

Destiny 2’s Trials Of Osiris Won’t Return Until November 27

The Beyond Light expansion is now live for Destiny 2, bringing a bunch of changes to the game, including the removal of some old content. As is usually the case with Destiny expansions, it has also brought a few unforeseen problems. One of those issues affects the Trials of Osiris, Destiny 2’s toughest multiplayer competition, and it’ll be a while before it’s fixed.

Bungie announced on Twitter that Trials will be out of the game for a few weeks. The multiplayer event, in which teams of three Guardians try to win seven competitive matches in a row without losing one, usually runs during the weekend. The first Trials of the new Destiny season would have started on November 13 and run until the weekly reset on November 17. But Bungie says Trials won’t kick off this season until November 27.

It’s not clear what the problem with Trials is, but there have been a few problems and bugs cropping up since the release of Beyond Light on November 10. Some players immediately found they could farm a particular Lost Sector in the EDZ region to sprint through the leveling grind, which Bungie fixed. And two weapons, Rose and Witherhoard, had to be disabled because of problems with them. Rose is a hand cannon whose firing speed was supposed to be adjusted down along with a bunch of similar guns, but somehow was missed, while the area-of-effect grenades of Witherhoard were killing players in the multiplayer Crucible, even when they weren’t standing in the grenade radius. We’re not sure when those weapons will be fixed or re-enabled in the game.

In its This Week at Bungie blog post, the developer also outlined a few other known issues, like season passes that weren’t activating properly after being purchased. It issued some guidelines on how to fix those issues so players can get into the game.

While Trials won’t be around for a bit, there’s still more to look forward to in Beyond Light after the first few days. The events of the Season of the Hunt start rolling into the game with the weekly reset on Tuesday, November 17, while the expansion’s new raid, Deep Stone Crypt, goes online on November 21.

Now Playing: Destiny 2: Beyond Light – Official Launch Trailer

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Spider-Man: Miles Morales Has A Lovely Reversible Cover

The PlayStation 5 comes in two flavors, including a cheaper digital-only version that does not allow you to play discs. Now, one PS5 launch game has reminded us of one of the major advantages of physical releases–beautiful reversible covers. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales has some different images inside the case, and it looks great reversed.

GameSpot’s Evan Langer has picked up a physical copy of the game, and shared some images of what the cover looks like reversed. There are two pictures inside the cover–one of Miles pulling his mask down over his face, and one of Miles, mask off, looking serious. This is from the PlayStation 5 version, but it’s likely that the PS4 version features this art too.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales reversible cover
Spider-Man: Miles Morales reversible cover

The game launched alongside the PS5 on November 12 as a cross-gen title. The sequel to Marvel’s Spider-Man earned a 7/10 in GameSpot’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales review.

The other side of the cover.
The other side of the cover.

Earlier this year, Final Fantasy VII Remake pleased fans with its own reversible cover, with the logo over a plain black background. That was pretty elegant, but this one is nicer.

The PS5 is available now in many regions. Its launch titles include Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Demon’s Souls.

Now Playing: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Video Review

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Half-Life: Alyx Now Has Audio Commentary From The Devs

Half-Life: Alyx has received a major update, adding audio commentary from the game’s development team. The VR game, which released in March this year, is now full of anecdotes and information about its own development process.

When commentary is turned on, tracks will appear throughout the game as headphone nodes, which you can pick up and “wear” by putting them on your head. The update is free for all owners of the game.

There are three hours of commentary in total, and in the trailer below you can hear some snippets. According to the update notes, this commentary was delayed when COVID-19 made recording it all in-studio impossible. “Like much of the world, we are all working from home, which means that rather than using our comfortable high-quality recording studio at the office, we have been recording our commentary voice overs in closets and blanket forts around greater Seattle,” it says.

The commentary seems to cover many different aspects, including how the liquid physics were put together and other technical aspects, narrative choices, playtesting feedback, which sections were particularly challenging to make, and more. There are also some visual overlays toggled by these commentaries to better explain some of the topics covered.

The update also adds new localizations for numerous languages: Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish.

In GameSpot’s Half-Life: Alyx review, the game scored a 9/10. “Not only has Half-Life: Alyx made good on its shift to VR, it has elevated many of the aspects we’ve come to love about Half-Life games,” wrote reviewer Michael Higham. “It may not be as bombastic as previous games, but the intimacy of VR brings you closer to a world you might have thought you knew over the past 22 years.”

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Every New Upcoming DC Show We Know About So Far

For all the ups-and-downs of DC on the big screen, the studio has a long and successful track record on TV. From the classic Batman and Wonder Woman shows in the ’60 and ’70s to Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Smallville in the ’90s and ’00s, the company’s legendary superheroes have found a natural home on the small screen. And that’s not to mention its animated output; many fans consider the ’90s show Batman: The Animated Series one of the best-ever screen versions of the Dark Knight.

In 2012, a new series focused on the Green Arrow–simply titled Arrow–premiered on The CW. The success of this show helped inspire an entire connected universe, as it was joined by The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman. The so-called Arrow-verse even featured annual comic book-style “crossover events” where the characters teamed up. Then, the launch of DC Universe in 2018 saw the premiere of DC shows aimed at an older audience, such as Titans, Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, and the animated Harley Quinn.

However, a lot has changed on the TV landscape in the last couple of years. With rivals Marvel on the verge of launching a series of shows connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+, the focus of DC has shifted to parent company Warner’s streaming platform HBO Max. Several new DC shows were announced in advance of the service’s launch in May, and there have been others reported since then, including spin-offs of big upcoming DC movies.

Not every new DC series is being made for HBO Max of course–the Arrow-verse is still going strong, and animated shows made for younger viewers are more likely to end up on Cartoon Network. But there’s no denying HBO Max is the focus. The service needs big shows to grow its subscriber base, and the iconic heroes of the DC universe are perfect for this. So here’s every new upcoming DC show we know about so far–most of these don’t have premiere dates yet, and many are still in development, but it is nevertheless an exciting time to be a DC fan. And once you’ve read this, check out our guide to all the DC movies on the way over the next few years.

Disney Boss ‘Disapointed’ In California’s ‘Arbitrary’ Theme Park Re-Opening Standards

Disney, like so many of us, is having a rough year. The company makes a huge part of its yearly income from theme parks, and the COVID-19 pandemic means that some of those parks have are closed. The California state government has been especially strict about re-opening, and the studio has consistently blamed the state as responsible for its continued park closure. Disney CEO Bob Chapek called the state’s re-opening restrictions “arbitrary” and accused the state of destroying local small businesses after nearly eight months of closure.

“We are extremely disappointed that the state of California continues to keep Disneyland closed,” Chapek said during an investor call during a Q4 earnings call. “Despite our proven track record, our health and safety protocols are all science based and have the support of labor unions representing 99% of our hourly cast members. Frankly, as we and other civic leaders have stated before, we believe state leadership should look objectively at what we’ve achieved successfully at our parks around the world, all based on science as opposed to setting an arbitrary standard precluding our cast members from getting back to work while decimating small businesses in the local community.”

Disney parks have re-opened elsewhere, including Florida, China, and Japan, while its park in France remains closed. In a normal year, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure draw around 18.7 million visitors to the park and, consequently, businesses in the city of Anaheim. The park had added the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge expansion to the park just last May, too, which likely only increased that number.

The studio and park proprietor laid off 28,000 employees last month, blaming California’s restrictions in part for the decision, earning the ire of Senator Elizabeth Warren in the process. Interestingly, the company isn’t blaming COVID for its streaming-focused re-org.

Why Pixar’s Soul Will Be Free For Disney+ Subscribers, Unlike Mulan

Because movie theaters have been closed in 2020, movie studios have had to pivot, either pushing back movie theater releases or going VOD. The latest film to pivot in this way is Pixar’s Soul, which will arrive on Disney+ on December 25. Disney’s Mulan also released on the streaming service, but at a premium price. So why is Soul going a different route?

During the Q4 earnings investor call Disney CEO Bob Chapek discussed why this decision was made. “From a studio content standpoint, we were very pleased with the results of Mulan as a Premier Access title, and as you remember, that was our very first foray into strategy like Premier Access,” Chapek explained. “Unfortunately, that title met with some controversy, both in the US and internationally shortly after we released it.

“But we saw enough very positive results before that controversy started to know that we’ve got something here in terms of the Premier Access strategy,” Chapek continued, and he said he’ll explain a bit more about that strategy in December. “In terms of Soul, we also realized that part of the lifeblood Disney+ is providing great content to the base level subscribers that are in there. So the idea is that we thought it was a really nice gesture to our subscribers to take Soul during the holiday period and provide that as part of the service.”

So while there is a bigger strategic plan behind what will and will not be on Premier Access in the future, Disney is essentially giving Disney+ subscribers a Christmas present on December 25. While the company is having an issue with its parks staying closed, at least loyal subscribers and fans are getting a little something extra next month.

Best Black Friday 2020 Xbox Game Pass Deals

Black Friday is always the best time of year for finding gaming deals–if you’re looking to save some money before the holidays, it’s a cornucopia of discounts you don’t want to miss out on. If you own an Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One, one of last year’s best Black Friday deals is returning. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will see huge discounts during Black Friday at several different retailers, bringing three-month memberships down from $45 to the low $20 range. The service gets users access to the entire Xbox Game Pass library across console and PC in addition to EA Access, Xbox Live Gold, and more.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the best purchase you can make if you’re an Xbox gamer, thanks to the large number of games you have access to every month. It’s especially great for those with the new Xbox Series X or S consoles, as there are a lot of next-gen games included. If you’re a new subscriber, you’ll want to snag your first month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $1 first, then stack on extra months with the discounted memberships during Black Friday.

If you’re looking for more great Xbox deals, check out Black Friday’s best Xbox Series X and Xbox One game deals. You can expect some incredible discounts on brand-new games, including Watch Dogs: Legion and Gears Tactics for half-off. And if you’re still looking to buy the Xbox Series X and S, we’re tracking availability. The next-gen consoles will be restocked at some retailers during Black Friday.

$20 (was $45)

GameStop has the best deal for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate this year, offering the service for only $20. However, this deal is only available on Black Friday, November 27, so you’ll want to mark your calendar and act fast once the deal goes live.

$23 (was $45)

Best Buy’s Game Pass deal runs from November 22 to November 29, and it’s only a few dollars more than the deal from GameStop–though if you buy multiple three-month memberships, it does add up.

Johnny Gargano Loves Wheels And Disneyland, Gangrel’s AEW Debut, And More | Wrestle Buddies Episode 28

This week on Wrestle Buddies, GameSpot’s professional wrestling podcast, Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring are celebrating the glorious TV return of our favorite vampire warrior professional wrestler and talking with the first-ever two-time NXT North American Champion about all kinds of topics.

First up, Gangrel appeared at AEW Full Gear as part of the Elite Deletion match. It should come as no surprise that his surprise cameo is Chris and Mat’s favorite thing to happen in all of pro wrestling this week. In a super-sized edition of Gangrel Watch, we break down his return to TV, try to convince both AEW and WWE to sign him to a full-time contract, and talk about what did and did not work in the Elite Deletion match.

Next, two-time NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano joins the show to talk about winning the title a second time and NXT’s growth as a brand. We also dig into Gargano’s reported love of all kinds of wheels, and debate whether Disneyland or Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is the better theme park. Please note: This episode was recorded prior to Gargano’s championship loss on NXT’s weekly show.

All that, plus we answer your questions. New episodes of Wrestle Buddies are released every Thursday on the podcast platform or app of your choice, including Spotify, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts. You can also keep up to date with the podcast by following it on Twitter.