New Pikmin 3 Deluxe Trailer Introduces Adorable Plant-like Pikmin

Nintendo has released another Pikmin 3 Deluxe trailer, and this time the alien helpers called Pikmin get a dedicated preview. Originally only available on the Wii U, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is a strategic adventure game coming to Nintendo Switch on October 30 for $60. The deluxe version will include new missions featuring Olimar and Louie, as well as all the original game’s DLC. New enhancements such as lock-on targeting, a hint system, and a two-player co-op mode for the entire game will also be included.

In Pikmin 3 Deluxe, players become adventurers on an unknown planet and enlist aliens called Pikmin to help them out with puzzle-solving and combat situations. The new trailer highlights these plant-like assistants and hints that each differently colored Pikmin has a different ability.

For GameSpot’s Pikmin 3 review, Tom Mc Shea rated it a 8/10 and commented, “Strategic combat and rewarding exploration make the adorable Pikmin 3 a satisfying adventure in planetary survival.”

Pikmin 3 joins the lineup of Wii U games Nintendo is porting to the Nintendo Switch. Other Wii U games now on the popular hybrid console include New Super Mario Bros. U, Mario Kart 8, and Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze. If you want to get a Switch copy of the game, you can check out our Pikmin 3 preorder guide.

As for the next installment in the Pikmin franchise, Pikmin 4 was announced in 2015 but has not been released yet. As far as we know, it’s not cancelled. Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed in 2016 that Pikmin 4 was still in development, but conceded that Nintendo found it hard to slot Pikmin 4 in its busy schedule. With Pikmin 3 getting a Nintendo Switch release, perhaps we could see more news about the long-promised fourth Pikmin installment in the near future.

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Best Amazon Prime Day PlayStation Deals: What to Expect for 2020

Amazon Prime Day 2020 begins next Tuesday, October 13, and runs for 48 hours. Some of the Amazon Prime Day deals are already live, actually, and you can save on Amazon’s own devices like Kindle, Echo and more.

While those deals are nice and all, you’re probably here for Amazon Prime Day video game deals, or more specifically, Amazon Prime Day PlayStation deals. Will we see any Prime Day savings on PS5 preorders? No. I mean, I don’t have any insider info, but I don’t think so at all. However, there will certainly be other chances to save big on PlayStation this Prime Day, even if it isn’t on the next-gen PS5.

For a full run down of what to expect for Amazon Prime Day video game deals, check out our full coverage in the lead-up.

Prime Day PS4/PS5 Console Deals

Yeah, like I said before, don’t expect to see any PS5 deals on Prime Day. Who knows, maybe Amazon is holding onto another round of preorders? But the outlook on that seems grim, too, given the fact no one seems to be restocking PS5 preorders. If you haven’t gotten one yet, don’t fret, Sony said there will be more PS5s available at launch than there were PS4s when it launched back in 2013.

As for PS4 and PS4 Pro Prime Day deals, those remain to be seen. The last two Black Fridays saw an incredible PS4/Spider-Man bundle for $199 and it sold out fast. This, in spite of the fact everyone knew PS4 was in its twilight. There’s a good chance we could see the return of a value-priced PS4 bundle, but it’s difficult to say for certain. PS4 just isn’t widely available for purchase. Whether that’s pandemic-related or an internal Sony decision, the PS4 is hard to come by.

The PS4 Pro could see a deal, bundled or not, over Prime Day, but once again, I’m nowhere near certain of it. After having disappeared from Amazon for most of the summer, the PS4 Pro returned triumphantly a few weeks back for its MSRP (which is no longer the case).

Prime Day PlayStation Game Deals

Now here’s where I think we’ll see some great chances to save, at least on current-gen games. The PS4 has been out for so long, and its library of games so vast and loaded with excellence, that it’s a safe bet we’ll see some great Prime Day chances to save.

I’d be surprised if there weren’t deals on the PlayStation Hits line. The games already have a $19.99 MSRP without being on sale, but they routinely see discounts for as much as 50% off. And since they’re Hits, they’re great. They wouldn’t call them “Hits” if they weren’t, right?

Prime Day PlayStation Controller, PSVR and Accessory Deals

Expect to see discounts on DualShock controllers. It’s almost a given at this point. The DualShocks seem to go on sale pretty regularly, with the exception being whichever color you really want at that particular time. It’s science.

As for PSVR, at this point, who knows? They released the Iron Man VR bundle just a few months back, but in this year where time is a meaningless measure, you might have already forgotten. I know I almost did. And PSVR is supposed to work with PS5, although we haven’t heard much about it since back in July. I love my PSVR, and recommend it to everyone, but for the same price as MSRP you can pick up an Oculus Quest 2. Hopefully we see some deals, but I’m not holding my breath.

Headsets will also likely see deals, and unlike PS4 controllers, the PS Gold and Platinum headsets will work with PS5. Keep an eye out for deals.

PS Plus Prime Day Deal

This one’s a lock. The PlayStation Plus service is almost always on sale, and no one ever pays full price for it anymore (unless you’re like me and you forgot to turn off auto-renew). Absolutely keep an eye out for PS Plus deals on Prime Day.

 

Game Of Thrones Showrunners Discuss Season 8’s Infamous Coffee Cup

Last year’s final season of Game of Thrones was one of the most discussed in the show’s history. From the death of the Night King to Daenerys’s chilling murder spree, there were many controversial events across its eight episodes. But one moment that the makers did not expect to make headlines was the now-legendary coffee cup.

In case you’ve forgotten, this happened in Episode 4, when a very 21st century-looking coffee cup briefly appeared on a table in front of Dany, as she sat watching people flocked around Jon Snow, singing his praises for his prowess in battle. Now showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have spoken about the moment they realised that the cup hadn’t been spotted during production or post-production.

Benioff and Weiss discuss the mistake in James Hibberd’s upcoming book Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, which goes behind the scenes of the whole show. “I couldn’t believe it,” Benioff said, via The Hollywood Reporter. “When we got the email about it the next day, I honestly thought someone was pranking us, because there had been things before where people were like, ‘Oh, look at that plane in the background!’ and somebody had Photoshopped it in. I thought, ‘There’s no way there’s a coffee cup in there.’ Then when I saw it on the TV I was like, ‘How did I not see that?'”

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Weiss goes on to explain how a mistake like this happened. “I’d seen that shot one thousand times and we’re always looking at their faces or how the shot sat with the shots on either side of it,” he said. “I felt like we were the participants in a psychology experiment, like where you don’t see the gorillas running around in the background because you’re counting the basketballs. Every production that’s ever existed had things like this. You can see a crew member in Braveheart; there’s an actor wearing a wristwatch in Spartacus. But now people can rewind things and everybody is talking to each other in real time. So one person saw the coffee cup, rewound it, and then everybody did.”

The cup only appeared once, on its initial broadcast on HBO. The next day it had been digitally removed for the episode’s release on streaming platforms HBO Go and HBO Now, and does not appear on HBO Max or the subsequent Blu-ray and digital releases. However, thanks to the internet, evidence of the cup will remain forever.

While Game of Thrones itself has finished, there is a spin-off prequel show on the way. House of the Dragon will be set 300 years before the events of the main show and will focus on the rise of House Targaryen. The series will consist of 10 episodes, and HBO programming chief Casey Bloys previously stated that he was hopeful we would see it in 2022. In addition, creator George RR Martin continues to work on the next book in the series, although we’ve learnt not to hold our breath for that.

Dune Has Been Delayed To 2021

Bad news, Dune fans. Our trip to Arrakis has been majorly postponed. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune has been pushed out of its December 18, 2020 spot for a new release date on October 1, 2021, Collider reports.

Yes, that means the movie has gone from being just a small handful of months away to a full year away.

The decision reportedly comes after Warner Bros. shuffled its upcoming release calendar to account for other delays, such as Wonder Woman 1984, which was bumped from its October 2 spot to Christmas Day. The change probably isn’t a major surprise to anyone who has been keeping tabs on blockbusters, as it seems to be yet another piece of a trend for studios entering the back-half of the year. MGM has also pushed the upcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die, from its November 12 spot to April 2, 2021, and Disney has moved Black Widow to May 7, 2021.

Interestingly, an October 1 release date puts Dune in direct competition with another delayed Warner Bros. movie, Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which was scheduled to occupy that space back in April. It remains unclear if they will both remain set on the same date or if we should anticipate a further delay for The Batman in the coming weeks.

Dune is an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel of the same name and features performances by Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.

The Walking Dead Season 10: Who Are Those Soldiers?

The Walking Dead returned for a single episode, which was originally supposed to be the series finale. For the most part, this new installment, titled “A Certain Doom,” was rather underwhelming. AMC’s decision to announce the show will be ending after next season made a lot of the episode’s stakes irrelevant. However, there is still one scene worth noting.

Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Season Season 10, Episode 16–“A Certain Doom.” If you’ve not watched this episode yet, stop reading now.

Toward the end of the episode, Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), Ezekiel (Khary Payton), and Princess (Paola Lazaro) encounter a group of heavily armored and armed soldiers that order them to drop their weapons. Given that this is the zombie apocalypse and nobody on their show has done their laundry in what seems like a decade the pristine, white armor of the soldiers stands out in a major way–and it should.

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These soldiers are actually pulled right from the comics and are likely setting the stage for the next major villain on the show, now that the Whisperers are dead and buried. This troop represents a group called the Commonwealth, which was first introduced in issue 175.

In the comics, the Commonwealth is a community of 50,000 survivors spread across different settlements–all under the leadership of Commonwealth governor Pamela Milton. It remains to be seen how closely the show will stick to the comic book version of the Commonwealth, but they are a formidable foe for the final season of The Walking Dead.

Notably, in the comics, it’s the introduction of the Commonwealth that ultimately leads to the death of Rick Grimes. Of course, with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) already off the show, some major changes are going to have to be made. With the end of The Walking Dead in sight, though, it’s appropriate that the last major comic book villain is making its way to the TV series.

The Walking Dead will return for six more Season 10 episodes sometime in early 2021.

Marvel’s Stormbreakers Spotlights ‘The Next Generation of Elite Artists’

Marvel Comics has announced a new initiative called Stormbreakers, which spotlights eight artists from around the world who will be at the forefront of the Marvel Universe over the next two years.

Named after Beta Ray Bill’s enchanted hammer, Stormbreakers is a new evolution of Marvel’s previous Young Guns program, which ran from 2004 to 2019 and celebrated a number of then up-and-coming artists like Steve McNiven, Russell Dauterman and Sara Pichelli.

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This year’s lineup includes:

  • Natacha Bustos (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur)
  • Juann Cabal (Guardians of the Galaxy)
  • Carmen Carnero (Captain Marvel)
  • Joshua Cassara (X-Force)
  • Iban Coello (Venom)
  • Patrick Gleason (The Amazing Spider-Man)
  • Peach Momoko (numerous Marvel covers)
  • R.B. Silva (Powers of X)

Clearly, all eight inductees are already very active at Marvel, and the publisher teases that they’ll only become more integral to the future of the Marvel U. over the next two years. That seems to be the key difference between the older Young Guns program and Stormbreakers – that Marvel has a specific road map in place for these eight artists over a long period of time.

“This year’s Stormbreakers embody pure talent and creativity that, time and time again, have shown us all there are no limits to what visual storytelling can do. We are continuously blown away by their innovative styles and by the power in how they capture the heart, humor, and humanity of our characters,” said Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski in a statement. “These eight artists have proven their unrivaled talent and passion for storytelling, and much like Beta Ray Bill, they are truly worthy of taking up the mantle as one of Marvel’s Stormbreakers, the next generation of elite artists. We can’t wait to show you all what’s next. And to all our Stormbreakers – take up your hammer!”

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Marvel also revealed that all 36 previous Young Guns nominees will become honorary members of the Stormbreakers program.

We expect to learn more about Marvel’s plans these eight Stormbreakers and the general future of the Marvel U. at NYCC this weekend.

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In other recent comics news, check out IGN’s exclusive first look at Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory, learn how the fallout of Joker War will reshape the Batman franchise and educate yourself on John Cena’s The Suicide Squad character Peacemaker.

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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta Preloading Starts Tuesday

With Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War‘s open beta starting on October 8 for those who preordered on PlayStation 4, the official Call of Duty Twitter account has confirmed that beta preloading starts Tuesday, October 6.

An official time for when preloading will be available was not disclosed. It’s also unclear if preloading the beta is an option for everyone or only those who preordered on PlayStation 4. In either case, the first beta period runs from October 8-9 for PlayStation 4 preorders. Then, from October 10-12, Black Ops Cold War’s beta opens for all PlayStation 4 users. From October 15-16, PC and Xbox One users who preordered Black Ops Cold War and all PS4 players will gain access to the beta. Meanwhile, the beta will open to everyone on all platforms starting on October 17. October 19 concludes the game’s beta.

Publisher Activision has also shared a trailer for the beta, detailing what will be available when it goes live on October 8. This includes traditional game modes like Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed, as well as the new 6v6 objective game type VIP Escort. Check out the trailer below.

One of the perks for preordering Black Ops Cold War on PlayStation 4 is two days of early access to the game’s open beta. In addition to early beta access, players also receive Operator Frank Woods, an assault rifle weapon blueprint, and the Confrontation Weapons Pack. Check out our Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War preorder guide to learn more about what comes with the various available editions.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launches on November 13 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/Series X. The game will support cross-progression and cross-play between all platforms. It will also feature shared content with Call of Duty: Warzone.

Now Playing: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Zombies First Look

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Call Of Duty: Warzone Player Takes One Shot, Gets Four Kills

A Call of Duty: Warzone player hit the luckiest shot of their life recently. Redditor MegasHvalur was able to take out an entire enemy squad with one shot from their sniper rifle.

“I was playing with the boys and we were totally shocked when we all died to some “unknown” explosion. After couple minutes we realized it was the munition box I threw on the ground [and you] shot,” said Redditor AtriGoXD, who was one of the players on the unlucky end of the snipe. “I even clipped with Nvidia shadow play to see what was going on. Not going to lie, I think you got kinda lucky man xD.”

AtriGoXD added that one of their teammates reported MegasHvalur for cheating out of frustration. The shot was one in a million as you can’t see anything through the sniper scope in the video due to foliage and tree cover. It seems that MegasHvalur shot a munition box, an item that helps players restock ammo but explodes if shot, through all the leaves. It’s another Hollywood action movie moment in Verdansk.

If you’ve been on the unlucky end of a snipe like this, maybe it’s time you tried one of Warzone’s other modes. A new limited-time game mode called Recon: Armored Royale Mode came to the battle royale recently. It gives every squad a heavily armored truck, complete with a mounted turret and built-in buy station, that they can use to respawn. Check out our breakdown on how the truck-based mode works.

The Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta starts later this week on PS4, but other platforms will get in on the action soon after. Check out our guide on how to jump in.

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The Best Marvel Gifts For 2020

2020 has been a weird year in general, but it will wind up as the first year without a Marvel theatrical release in over a decade. In fact, for the past several years, we’ve been accustomed to multiple new Marvel movies releasing throughout the year. But there’s a lot to look forward to in 2021, with Black Widow, the next Spider-Man movie, The Eternals, and multiple Disney+ shows slated to release in the new year. If someone on your shopping list is hyped about the future of Marvel, there are tons of great Marvel-themed products that would make great gifts this holiday season.

From video games and Blu-ray box sets to Lego kits and Nerf blasters, we’ve rounded up a variety of wonderful Marvel gifts. We’ll be sure to add more cool Marvel gift ideas to this list over the next few weeks as holiday shopping season kicks into overdrive.

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