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Microsoft Flight Simulator is an intricate game of authentic aviation, one that challenges would-be pilots to take control of a number of aircraft and safely fly across the globe.

It’s an impressive feat for anyone to achieve, but such a task is even more astounding when handled by the Twitch community. No stranger to playing games as a collective after conquering Pokemon and Dark Souls, Twitch took on Microsoft Flight Simulator thanks to the efforts of Rami Ismail, formerly of Vlambeer.

While Twitch Plays Microsoft Flight Simulator did run into some initial technical difficulties, such as a Twitch member constantly powering down the engines before take-off, the group still managed to successfully fly a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner for an hour.

The flight departed from the Kosice International Airport in Slovakia and landed back there safe and sound. At one point, a barrel roll over the ocean was even achieved. If you’re interested, you can watch the full flight on Twitch.

The latest game in the Flight Simulator series has done well since release, becoming the biggest launch in the 38-year history of the series and also the biggest launch in Xbox Game Pass for PC history.

In our Microsoft Flight Simulator review, it earned 9/10, with critic Edmond Tran saying that the game is a “spectacular technical achievement and a deeply inspiring experience filled with glorious possibilities.”

For all its troubles, GameStop remains one of the best places to find deals on video games… provided you don’t mind buying used or refurbished. That’s not to say GameStop deals on new video games and hardware don’t exist, but if you want to maximize your savings, your best bet is to go with something pre-owned. GameStop often amplifies its deals on used games and hardware, and offers even better savings through its PowerUp Rewards program.

GameStop physical locations are still a great place to score bargains in-person, although 2020 has done its absolute best to ensure person-to-person interaction is next to impossible. The majority of video game deals at GameStop are applicable both in-store and online, though, so you don’t necessarily need to venture out to save.

GameStop also offers free shipping on orders over $35, which puts it on-par with its competitors. You also have the option to have your items shipped to your house or you can pick them up in person at your nearest location.

Best GameStop PlayStation Deals

The PS4, in spite of it being almost at the end of its lifecycle, is still sold out almost everywhere you look. Both the Slim and PS4 Pro consoles are nowhere to be found, a combination of 2020 supply chain issues and the upcoming release of the PS5. But while you can’t get your hands on a new PS4 or PS4 Pro at most places, GameStop almost always has used or refurbished models for sale.

Checking GameStop’s website will let you know if your nearest location has any for sale, so you don’t need to take your chances. GameStop will almost certainly start offering PS5 at a reduced price once they begin to trickle back into its system, but don’t count on that for a while. Still, if you’re after PlayStation deals, and don’t mind a used or refurb model, GameStop is second to none.

The deals below are on new games and hardware, but you can easily find links to used consoles at the GameStop website.

If you’re looking for more chances to save on PlayStation, check out our guide to all the best PS4 deals.

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Best GameStop Nintendo Switch Deals

Nintendo Switch is, in case you didn’t notice, massively popular. Nintendo doesn’t have any (announced) plans to replace it with something like a 4K Switch for the time being, and why would they? The thing practically sells itself. As such, it’s extremely hard to find, but GameStop will often have used consoles available for purchase. But even used and refurb Nintendo Switch consoles are hard to come by.

With its enormous popularity, the Nintendo Switch deals are pretty light, but often times GameStop will run custom bundles or have a limited-edition Nintendo Switch specific to GameStop. Keep checking back for deals when (and if) they come online.

Nintendo game deals, on the other hand, have defied expectations and actually exist now. I know, it’s hard to believe, but first-party Nintendo games routinely go on sale for less than MSRP, sometimes significantly less. Nintendo games earned a reputation for having immutable prices over the decades, but this generation Nintendo has decided to throw us all a bone and actually, meaningfully discount its own games pretty regularly.

Check out our round up of all best Nintendo Switch deals to score the absolute best possible price on a Nintendo Switch and its games.

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Best GameStop Xbox Deals

Things are starting to look up for Microsoft with the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, but the Xbox One line of consoles never reached the heights of its previous generation. However, in spite of its also-ran status for this generation, the Xbox One is still a great console with a fantastic library of games. And in spite of it being the runner-up to Sony, Xbox One consoles are still extremely difficult to find right now.

In fact, Microsoft said it’s no longer making the Xbox One X, its 4K Xbox One model. Production will continue on the Xbox One S, but when the next-gen Xbox comes out, I don’t imagine that will last very long. Why buy an Xbox One S when you could get a more powerful console for the same price?

Due to limited supply, Xbox console deals are not easy to come by, but again, GameStop has deals on used hardware. The real savings on Xbox comes by way of games and subscriptions. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, even when it’s not on sale, is far and away the best value in gaming. It offers access to over 100 games and Xbox Live Gold membership all for one price.

For the lowest Xbox prices, check out our guide to all the best Xbox deals.

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PS5 and Xbox Series X Preorders at GameStop

If you’re wondering: yes, GameStop will have the new consoles available for preorder. We know Xbox Series X preorders will be available beginning September 22, although we don’t know what time yet. The Xbox Series X will be $499 and the Xbox Series S will be $299. Both Xbox consoles release on November 10, 2020.

We don’t have price or know when PS5 preorders go live, but that info will be known soon… hopefully. In any case, both PS5 versions will be available to preorder from GameStop

Is GameStop PowerUp Rewards Worth It?

Yeah, actually. While GameStop offers free shipping on orders over $35, signing up for a PowerUp Rewards Pro account starts at $14.99 and gets you quite a few cost-saving benefits. Pro members get a $5 monthly reward certificate, as well as a $5 welcome just for signing up. You also get an extra 10% credit when you trade in games and hardware, as well as “Pro-only offers” to savings and events. If you’re the type of person who trades your games back in when you’re done with them, this is a great way to maximize your savings.

Pro members also get double the points earned as non-Pro members. As someone who shopped GameStop frequently (until my local store closed, RIP), those points came in handy and accumulated quickly. I used them to add even bigger discounts, renew my subscription to PowerUp Pro, and even got a sweet hat, back when they offered sweet hats.

Halo 3: ODST is finally arriving on PC on September 22 as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Both the campaign and Firefight–the wave-based survival mode–are heading to PC for the very first time following a recent beta period.

The Halo 3 spin-off is the penultimate game coming to The Master Chief Collection on PC, with Halo 4 wrapping up the compilation at some point in the future. ODST’s campaign has been available on Xbox One since 2015, but Firefight is only scheduled to arrive on the platform this year. Developer 343 has yet to announce a release date but it might only be a matter of time now that it’s pencilled in for a PC release.

Update: Microsoft just announced the next wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass on console, Android, and PC, including ODST. The game’s description says, “Firefight is joining The Master Chief Collection on console and PC for the first time, with online matchmaking, dedicated servers, and new custom game modes.” This would imply that Firefight is also coming to Xbox One on September 22, but it’s not an explicit confirmation.

ODST originally launched back in 2009 for the Xbox 360. Critic Tom McShea awarded it a score of 9/10 in GameSpot’s Halo 3: ODST review, saying, “The delicate construction of the story adds a new wrinkle to the typical Halo plot, and the action-packed campaign levels are full of intense battles and surprising encounters. Firefight mode is a standout addition, crafting highly addictive cooperative battles for players to experience.”

The latest game in the series, Halo Infinite, was due out this year before it was delayed until 2021. This means that the Xbox Series X and Series S will launch on November 10 without a first-party exclusive.

The Nintendo Switch was once again the best-selling system in August 2020, and it also set the record for the Highest August dollar sales for a hardware platform in US history, surpassing the August 2008 dollar sales of the Nintendo Wii.

As revealed by The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella, the Switch also more than doubled its unit sales total from August 2019.

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As for games, Madden NFL 2021 was the best-selling title of August 2020, achieving a “double-digit percentage dollar sales growth compared to the release month of Madden NFL 20.” It debuted at the 6th best-selling game of 2020, and this marks the 21st consecutive year a Madden NFL franchise game has been the best-selling title in its release month.

UFC 4 claimed the second spot, setting a new franchise record, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare took third place. Final Fantasy VII Remake returned to the top 20 best-selling list at #19 after finishing #41 in July 2020, following a discount in the month of August.

In addition to the Switch selling incredibly well, Nintendo games accounted for 10 of the top 20 games this month. The full list of August 2020’s top 20 best-selling games is as follows;

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August 2020’s Best-Selling Games

1. Madden NFL 21
2. UFC 4
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
4. Ghost of Tsushima
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
6. Ring Fit Adventure
7. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
9. Paper Mario: The Origami King
10. Mortal Kombat 11
11. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
12. The Last of Us Part 2
13. Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition
14. PGA Tour 2K21
15. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
16. Super Mario Party
17. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
18. Super Mario Odyssey
19. Final Fantasy VII Remake
20. Luigi’s Mansion 3

Consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories was $3.3 billion, a 37% increase when compared to August 2019.

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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.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is releasing on December 8 for current and next-gen systems, and it’ll feature a new Adventure Mode. The first game’s single-player mode was wonderful, and it looks like the sequel will add a few new features.

The trailer below features an introduction by Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, and shows what’s changed. Characters from the first game (such as Ringo and Tee) are back, but the structure of the game has changed a bit. There’s a world map to move around through now, complete with optional levels to complete. It’s a better way to visualize your progress than what the first game had.

A new “Skill Battles” form of play has been added, too. You can choose your play style in these fights (between Tetris and Puyo Puyo) and level up your characters. You can change difficulty levels and see how you stack up, too. There’s a separate Skill Battle mode outside of Adventure Mode, too, so you can carry your skills over.

Item Cards can be earned throughout Puyo Puyo Tetris 2’s Adventure Mode, which will give you special abilities in Skill Battles. You’ll be able to unlock characters, levels, and backgrounds through these battles, too, through credits that can be spent at the in-game shop.

So far, no drastically different modes have been revealed for Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, so fundamentally, it looks a lot like the first game–but there could be more reveals ahead of the game’s release.

The first Puyo Puyo Tetris earned an 8/10 in GameSpot’s review.

Although Halo Infinite has been delayed to 2021, it appears a number of the tie-in merchandise items for the game will be released as scheduled. Microsoft recently announced new Halo Funko Pops, while the company also partnered with Monster Energy for a new campaign. The next merchandising opportunity for Halo Infinite is a new collaboration with the apparel company Hex for branded backpacks and more.

Described as “premium bags,” these new backpacks and duffels were designed in partnership with developer 343 Industries as part of the marketing campaign for Halo Infinite. The Hex Halo collection includes four items in total, including a Spartan backpack ($100 USD), a Spartan Tech backpack ($200 USD), an ONI sling ($80 USD), and a UNSC duffel ($150 USD). They are all available to pre-order now, and shipping is free for orders of $75 USD or more, so all of these items qualify. International shipping is also available.

The Spartan backpack has multiple compartments and can hold a laptop up to 15″. The bag is inspired by Master Chief, and as such, it sports an olive-green color and Chief’s Spartan-117 ID number. The Tech backpack is a super-sized version of the backpack, with more space for storing equipment like gaming gear. As you can see in the image above, this bag has enough space to hold a standard-size Xbox (probably not the much-bigger Xbox Series X, though), along with headphones and two controllers.

The ONI sling, meanwhile, features a military-style molle clip system so you can strap gear onto it. There is also a padded main compartment with a movable divider, while the front has a zipper pocket. The ONI bag also sports the badge and logo for the Official of Naval Intelligence (ONI).

Finally, the UNSC duffel is just that–a duffel bag with numerous accessory pockets and magnetic handles. It is water-resistant and it has a shoulder strap as well. It’s a fitting grey color with the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) logo on it. You can see the full descriptions for each of the Hex items below, and they are all available for pre-order now.

Hex Halo Collection:

The Spartan Backpack is a sleek sturdy daypack equipped with an organizer, grab handle, hidden zipper pockets, and EVA foam shoulder straps with airmesh for breathability. There is also a front accessory pocket, and a padded laptop compartment for laptops up to 15”. This limited edition bag is inspired by the legendary super-soldier, the Master Chief, and carries his Spartan-117 ID number, signature olive-drab color story and badging package.

The Spartan Tech Backpack is the ultimate bag for the serious gamer, photographer, streamer, etc.). This bag features EVA foam padded laptop storage (up to 15”), a luggage handle pass-through, deluxe organizer, passport pocket, and grab handle. Inside there is a full setup of custom configurable EVA foam dividers so you can set up your bag to accommodate your specific gear requirements. There is also a lay-flat water bottle pocket as well as an innovative combo pockets that holds both a phone and a passport. This bag is inspired by the legendary super-soldier, the Master Chief, and carries his Spartan-117 ID number, signature drab-green color story and badging package.

The ONI Sling is a versatile, limited edition bag. It features a molle clip system for clipping gear onto the front of the bag. It also features a generous padded main compartment with adjustable padded divider to hold anything from game controllers to cameras. There is also a front zipper pocket for your phone, and accessory pockets on both sides of the bag. The strap corners feature secret velcro stash pockets as added attention to detail. Custom Halo hardware and a padded shoulder pad round out the feature set. The Sling’s badging and color story identify it with Halo’s ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).

The UNSC Duffel features a roomy main compartment, EVA foam padded laptop pocket, various accessory pockets, a luggage handle pass-through, and hidden magnetic handles. The grey color story and custom badging identify it as Halo UNSC (United Nations Space Command) property