Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise, and arriving just in time for Pokemon Day on February 27 is a $100 replica of the franchise’s iconic Poke Ball.
The collectible from The Wand Company features a detailed metal shell and a high-gloss paint job, as well as interactive features such as a glowing button and animated, multicolor case illumination that lights up when the proximity sensors detect your presence.
You can even click the button on the replica to create your own Pokémon-catching sequence; two clicks change the light color from white to red and then green to indicate a successful capture. Each Poke Ball will be individually numbered and can be mounted on a stainless steel display ring.
Do NOT throw this at your cat.
Gallery
Despite looking like a hefty device to trap pokemon with, the Poke Ball weighs less than a pound. The Wand Company does recommend avoiding the urge to throw it at animals or people, as doing so could damage the collector’s display piece and “injure” someone.
This is just the first of many Poke Ball replicas that The Wand Company plans to produce, with Great Balls, Ultra Balls, and Premier Balls also scheduled for release in 2021. If you’re keen to get your hands on your very own Poke Ball, preorders begin today.
Doom Eternal is finally launching for Nintendo Switch on December 8, after originally launching on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Google Stadia earlier this year.
Confirming earlier rumors too, Doom Eternal will not be launching with a physical edition as previously planned, with retailers now only supplying customers with an eShop download code. According to Bethesda, the game will require just over 18GB of space on the Nintendo Switch.
Doom Eternal launches with the original single-player campaign and Battlemode multiplayer on Nintendo’s console, but the first part of its Ancient Gods story DLC will only be coming sometime in 2021. Bethesda says it will communicate a firm date when it has one.
If you’ve ordered Doom Eternal through a retailer, Bethesda says you will have until December 23 to redeem your game code to be eligible for any preorder bonuses originally tied to some physical versions of the game. This includes the in-game items included with the Rip and Tear bundle as well as a copy of Doom 64. If you purchase Eternal directly from the eShop before the same date, these extras will be automatically redeemed.
Doom Eternal maintained the high bar of excellent first-person action established with the 2016 reboot but faltered a bit by overstuffing the story with confusing and uninteresting lore. In GameSpot’s Doom Eternal review, critic Phil Hornshaw wrote, “Its combat is just as quick and chaotic, but requires you to constantly analyze everything that’s happening in order to come out victorious. Once you get the hang of the rhythm of Doom Eternal, it’ll make you feel like a demon-slaying savant.”
While much of the discussion of the latest season of The Mandalorian has centered on the live-action debut of animated Star Wars characters or Baby Yoda’s food, there has also been focus on Jeans Guy. This is the name that fans have given to a casually dressed crew member who was spotted briefly in the background of last week’s episode. Sadly, this mistake has now been edited from the episode.
Jeans Guy–whose real identity is unknown–could originally be seen in Episode 4 of The Mandalorian Season 2, standing partially obscured while Mando, Cara, and Greef blast their way through the Imperial base on Nevarro. However, viewers have now spotted that he’s been digitally removed from the episode on Disney+. Jeans Guy will now sadly only live on in our memories (plus thousands of screenshots on the internet):
While Jeans Guy is no longer part of Star Wars canon, he has inevitably inspired a variety of memes and jokes online, including a fake action figure and a T-shirt.
Prior to this gaffe, the biggest recent TV mistake was the notorious coffee cup that appeared on a table in the final season of Game of Thrones. Last month, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss spoke about the moment they realised that the cup hadn’t been spotted during production or post-production. As with The Mandalorian’s rogue crew member, the cup was digitally removed by HBO for subsequent digital and home entertainment versions of the episode.
Super Nintendo World will open in Japan on February 4, and reporters given access to the theme park have shared some first impressions about the sights, sounds, and rides. One of the main attractions is a Mario Kart ride, which will use AR to keep you feeling like you’re racing while remaining on the tracks.
Bloomberg reporter Kurumi Mori shared her impressions on Twitter. The Mario Kart ride, called Koopa’s Challenge, is located inside Bowser’s Castle. The castle itself is decked out with royal decor, including a giant statue of Bowser himself, and Mario Kart trophies. Karts have four seats, each with their own steering wheel and AR helmet.
With the AR tech, you can collect items and throw shells at other karts. The ride includes two sets of tracks side-by-side, so you should be able to race another kart. You’ll start in Bowser’s castle and then go through a lava section, underwater, a haunted area, and finally, Rainbow Road.
It’s official! The very first #SuperNintendoWorld is set to open on Feb. 4th in Osaka, Japan! I got a first-hand look and can confirm the Mario Kart ride uses AR headsets but is ON RAILS. So no falling off Rainbow Road 🌈 😆 Full thread below👇 pic.twitter.com/IIz3uuIQF7
To deal with COVID, Universal says the headsets will be sanitized. Mori noted that the castle itself seems pretty compact, which may present a challenge for crowd management.
Nintendo and Universal are also planning to open similar attractions in Singapore, Orlando, and Hollywood Universal Parks. Each will have its own unique rides, but details haven’t been shared on them and construction hasn’t yet begun at most locations.
In addition, Nintendo released plenty of images from inside the Mario Kart ride and one from the Mushroom Kingdom, which feels like you stepped right into the game.
Gallery
In a press release, Mario Kart’s sr. director of innovation and global executive producer Thomas Geraghty said, “At the heart of the castle lies the world’s first ever Mario Kart theme park ride based on the Mario Kart series of games, which have sold over 150 Million units. Universal Creative has partnered with Nintendo to bring a real-life racing adventure to Universal Studios Japan with Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge! Guests will put on their headset which takes them through the Mario Kart universe to experience never-ending excitement and thrills.”
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
With the Unreconciled Stars event finished and Tartaglia’s event banner drawing to a close, Genshin Impact is about to drop the remainder of the new content that was patched in with Update 1.1–including a new quest and two new characters. Zhongli, a five-star character who players will know as a big part of the game’s major storyline in Chapter 1, will now get his own featured event banner called “Gentry of Hermitage”.
The new banner features Zhongli as its main 5-star character, meaning players will have an increased chance to add him to their rosters. Unlucky players will have to make at least 180 wishes before they’re guaranteed to pull Zhongli, however. Like other 5-star banners, players could spend hundreds of dollars trying to obtain the character through Genshin Impact’s gacha system.
The banner also adds 4-star Pyro character Xinyan, a Liyue rock star who wields a claymore. As well as the new characters, players will also have an increased chance to pull Razor and Chongyun.
The new update will also add Zhongli’s story quest, the Historia Antiqua chapter. The quest will be unlockable with a story key for players over AR 40 who have completed the Chapter 1: Act 3 main questline. The new banner event will also add a new daily login event for added rewards, as well as character trial challenges for each of the featured characters.
Zhongli has been a highly anticipated addition to the character roster, as the game’s first 5-star Geo user, and the second polearm-wielding character to be added after Xiangling. His attacks include a unique “petrification” ability that freezes enemies in stone, making them vulnerable to additional damage.
The new event wish will begin on December 1 and run until December 22, the day before Genshin Impact’s Update 1.2 is set to add additional content and the mountainous Dragonspine area.
The new reunion was announced by Goonies director Richard Donner, and will include cast members Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, Martha Plimpton, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Jonathan Ke Quan, and Joe Pantoliano. Taking place this Saturday, December 5 at 8 PM ET, the cast will be taking part in a live script reading on the charity stream.
“The same spirit of bravery, sacrifice, and camaraderie that the Goonies showed in our movie is what families all over the world are experiencing as we all face this pandemic,” Donner said in a statement promoting the stream, as reported by THR.
Keep an eye on No Kid Hungry‘s social channels for more details on how to watch the reunion. While the event will be streamed for free, No Kid Hungry has set a donation goal of $100,000 on its fundraising page for the event.
In October, Nintendo released a special Fortnite-themed Nintendo Switch called the Fortnite Wildcat Bundle, but US fans could only import it from Europe. As a Cyber Monday surprise, Nintendo has brought the cool Fortnite console stateside. It’s available to purchase at select retailers for $299–right now, we’re seeing the Fortnite Switch bundle in stock at Walmart and GameStop. This seems to be a limited-time restock, as Nintendo’s website says “available while supplies last,” and like other Switch bundles, we expect it’ll sell out fairly fast. If you have a Fortnite fan on your holiday shopping list who wants a Nintendo Switch, this might very well be the perfect gift.
Similar to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons special-edition Switch console, the Fortnite model has a design that stands out. The bundle comes with a unique Joy-Con color scheme as well as imagery from the game on both the back of the console and the dock.
In addition to the sweet design, the bundle also comes with Fortnite goodies. You’ll get three outfits and a trio of Back Blings as well as 2,000 V-Bucks to spend in the in-game store. Fortnite is also pre-installed on the console, though it’s free-to-play anyway.
For many vendors, Cyber Monday actually starts on Sunday. Many of the deals you’ll find on Cyber Monday are the same deals you saw on Black Friday. That’s not a bad thing; the best Black Friday deals went out of stock quickly on Black Friday, and you might get a second chance to score on those deals on Cyber Monday. In addition to the returning deals, though, there are several deals that were not available at all on Black Friday. Typically these deals are reserved for online shoppers only and they are often even better than the prices you saw on Black Friday. We’ll keep this page updated with all the latest Cyber Monday content today and tomorrow.
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=black-friday-mega-amazon-combined”] Go back to the top
Best Buy Cyber Monday Deals
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=black-friday-mega-best-buy-combined”] Go back to the top
Walmart Cyber Monday Deals
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=black-friday-mega-walmart-combined”] Go back to the top
Dell Cyber Monday Deals
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=dell-cyber-monday-xps-laptop-deals”]
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=dell-laptop-deals-main”]
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=dell-cyber-monday-xps-desktop-deals”]
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=dell-pc-deals-main”] Go back to the top
Cyber Monday Video Games Deals
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=black-friday-mega-games-combined”] Go back to the top
Cyber Monday Gaming Monitor Deals
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=black-friday-gaming-monitor-deals”]
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=cyber-monday-samsung-monitor-deals”] Go back to the top
Cyber Monday Deals on MacBook and Mac Mini w Apple M1 Chip
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=black-friday-apple-macbook-2020-deals”]
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=black-friday-apple-mac-mini-2020-deals”] Go back to the top
Cyber Monday TV Deals
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=black-friday-amazon-tv-deals”]
[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=black-friday-best-buy-tv-deals”] Go back to the top
Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.
The Croods: A New Age opened at the US box office over the Thanksgiving weekend, and it was–by the standards of 2020 movie releases–a solid success. The film pulled in $14.2 million across the 5-day frame beginning Wednesday, Deadline reports, with $9.7 million of that figure happening across the three-day weekend. The film was shown on 2211 screens, according to Box Office Mojo.
That’s the second-best figure posted by a movie since the pandemic closed cinemas back in March, after Tenet’s opening. However, while Tenet’s opening was reported as a $20.2 million figure, this included sales of preview screenings in the week leading up to this weekend, and Warner Bros. has been opaque in their reporting of Tenet’s daily figures. It’s possible that The Croods: A New Age actually had a bigger opening weekend.
The film also opened to $19.2 million in China, making for an international total around $35 million. Under regular circumstances, these numbers would be seen as terrible; by 2020 standards, with cinemas closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re pretty good. The film is expected to receive a digital release before the end of 2020, too.
The Croods: A New Age is the only film in the US to cross $1 million this weekend. Freaky finished in #2 with $770k, and the numbers go down from there. The Croods: A New Age was the only new wide release for the weekend.
Some of 2020’s biggest films are coming right to streaming over Christmas. Wonder Woman 1984 will debut on HBO Max alongside a cinema release, while Disney Pixar’s Soul will go right to Disney+.
Chris Columbus, the director of the first two Harry Potter films, has recalled some of the stress he felt during the production of the first film in particular.
Speaking to Collider, Columbus said he felt “the pressure of the world” when filming the first movie, The Sorcerer’s Stone/The Philosopher’s Stone. “I knew if I screwed this one up it’s all over,” he said. “You can’t screw up this book. So I had to go to the set every day with sort of tunnel vision in terms of not thinking about the outside world, and that was a lot easier 19 years ago before the internet blew up.”
Overall, Columbus said he was “fraught with anxiety” when making the first Harry Potter movie. For the first two weeks of shooting, Columbus said he feared for his job.
“The first two weeks I thought I was gonna get fired every day,” he said. “Everything looked good, I just thought if I do one thing wrong, if I f**k up, I’m fired. And that was intense. I didn’t let any of that show on the set, there was no frustration; I’m not a screamer, I get along with everybody and I want everybody to feel like they’re part of the family, so I just had to hide that side of my emotions.”
Columbus’ worries were unfounded, as The Sorcerer’s Stone tested very well in its initial screenings, and then it would go on to be a big hit at the box office in 2001. The success of the first movie helped Columbus to feel more confident on the sequel, The Chamber of Secrets, which he also directed.
“It was like night and day, because then I could really let loose a little bit and bring a little bit more of my particular style to the movie,” he said.
After directing the first two Harry Potter movies, Columbus stepped away, with Alfonso Cuaron coming in to direct The Prisoner of Azkaban. David Yates and Mike Newell directed the other films.
The mainline Harry Potter film series ended in 2011 with The Deathly Hallows – Part II. A spinoff film franchise, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, premiered in 2016 and was followed up by a sequel in 2018. A third movie is planned for 2022, and it just recently underwent a big change with Mads Mikkelsen stepping in to replace Johnny Depp in a key role.
Outside of film, Warner Bros. is creating a new open-world video game called Hogwarts Legacy for release in 2021 on PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as last-gen consoles and PC.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
