Top New Games Coming Soon To Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC — March 22-31, 2020
New Releases normally covers the biggest video games launching each week, but thanks to Persona 5 Royal, this episode is looking a little farther ahead. It’s an action-packed episode with the likes of Ninja Theory’s Bleeding Edge, the anime-styled One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, and the Nintendo Switch port of Saints Row 4: Re-Elected. And after more than a decade, Valve is finally returning to City 17 with Half-Life: Alyx.
Half-Life: Alyx — March 23
Available on: PC
Yes, we’re finally getting another Half-Life game, and as the name implies, you play as Alyx Vance, filling in the story between Half-Life 1 and 2. Alyx is a VR game, letting you physically reach out and manipulate objects, fire guns, and solve puzzles. The game is compatible with most PC VR headsets, and if you own a Valve Index, you’ll get a copy for free.
More Coverage:
Bleeding Edge — March 24
Available on: Xbox One, PC
Ninja Theory, the studio behind DMC: Devil May Cry, is turning its stylish action combat into 4v4 multiplayer battles. Bleeding Edge has 12 characters to choose from, each with their own attacks, abilities, and super moves. But you have to contend with more than just Tank, Damage, and Support heroes–the battlefield is loaded with booby traps like electrified fences and runaway trains too.
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One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 — March 24
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch
Yes, the “warriors” in the game name does refer to Dynasty Warriors. Pirate Warriors 4 is the latest in the One Piece musou series, letting you beat down all sorts of marines with 40 different characters from the Shonen Jump series. This game goes right up the current Wano Country arc, featuring a playable Big Mom and Kaido.
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Saints Row IV Re-Elected — March 24
Available on: Switch
Where shall I begin with this re-release? You’re the President of the United States, defending the world from an alien invasion using your range of superpowers. Re-Elected packages the base game with all previously released DLC, including the standalone Gat Outta Hell expansion.
More Coverage:
Persona 5 Royal — March 31
Available on: PS4
Saints Row isn’t the only big re-release coming soon. Persona 5 Royal beefs up the 2017 RPG with more story content and even full-on new party member, Kasumi. There’s also a third semester of school to play through, which brings school counselor Maruki into the fold as a new Confidant.
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This is the last episode of New Releases focusing on March, so next week we’ll take a look at what April brings to the gaming table. The new month is home to some highly anticipated remakes like Final Fantasy 7 and Resident Evil 3.
Movie Theatre Owner Chief Pleads For Government Bailout — “The Situation Is Dire”
One of the many industries hit hard by the new lockdown procedures in the United States is the film business. Specifically, movie theatres have been drastically impacted, as thousands of screens have closed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
John Fithian, the CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners in the US, has now spoken about the dire situation. He told Variety that the movie theatre business might collapse and go bankrupt if US Congress does not pass the trillion-dollar bailout bill that would provide relief to various industries, including theatres.
“The situation is that dire,” Fithian explained. “Overnight, we went from an industry that makes $15 billion a year–$11 billion in ticket sales and $4 billion in concessions–to one that is not going to make a penny for three or four months.”
The US movie theatre business is massive, employing some 150,000 movie theatre workers who have now been furloughed. Movie theatres must still pay rent and utilities during this crisis. Without any federal bailout, movie theatre chains could go bankrupt, Fithian said.
The executive added that he hopes the government rescue bail gets passed because banks won’t give credit lines to movie theatres because of the uncertainty surrounding when the crisis may end.
“Most of these theaters, not all of them, but most of them, will go bankrupt if this does not pass,” Fithian said. “If this goes through, it will provide a whole lot of help to industries that need it like restaurants and bars and bowling alleys and retailers.”
With movie theatres closed, some studios are electing to release their new movies on digital and streaming services day-and-date with their previously scheduled theatre dates. Other studios have brought forward the video-on-demand releases of films, as has been the case with Birds of Prey and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Game Workers Unite Calls for Greater Aid for Industry Workers Impacted by COVID-19
Game Workers Unite has released a statement calling for more support for workers in the video game industry that have been affected by COVID-19. The statement calls for “flexible working hours, universal health service for all, a fair sick pay, and rent freezes.”
“Video games are and will be a crucial source of entertainment for millions of people right now,” reads the statement posted to Twitter. “And yet — there’s a huge disparity of job security between different roles, between different parts of the world.”
The statement continues with a call for companies to continue supporting developers and artists, but also “the people that are making the games’ production and release happen,” as well as “QA testers, event organizers, hard copy packing and retail staff, workers maintaining servers or shipping of games…cleaners, caterers, etc.”
For those not familiar, Game Workers Unite is an “international grassroots movement and organization dedicated to unionizing the game industry,” aiming to give a voice to developers, artists, designers, freelancers, and others involved in the industry.
With tons of studios being forced to shut their doors for the time being, there are some industry workers left without work, and more importantly without pay. It’s an issue the whole economic world is grappling with, as debate rages on over what sort of economic support workers should receive when the companies they work for close up shop during the COVID-19 shutdown. Game Workers Unite did not specify any particular company or companies as bad actors in their statement.
On one hand, some studios like EA and Rockstar have set up remote work solutions for its employees, allowing them to continue with business as usual.
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On the other hand, GameStop was forcing employees to keep doors open amid COVID-19 concerns earlier this week, telling employees and law enforcement it was an “essential” business. However, only a day later, the company elected to close all stores in California, followed by all stores nationwide.
Game Workers Unite is encouraging “everyone to use their voices to call out the companies and regions” that are not providing fair aid to its workers in an effort help industry “workers cope with the devastating effects of COVID-19.”
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Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.
Disney+ Lowering Streaming Bandwidth in Europe Due to COVID-19 Congestion
With both YouTube and Netflix agreeing to lower streaming quality to standard definition across Europe to help ease bandwidth strain amid concerns of surges in online traffic during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Disney has now agreed to do something similar with Disney+ when it launches there in a few days.
As THR reports, Disney’s chairman direct-to-consumer and international, Kevin Mayer, stated “In line with Disney’s longstanding commitment to act responsibly, we are responding to the request of European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, to work together to ensure the smooth functioning of the broadband infrastructure.”
“In anticipation of high consumer demand for Disney+,” he continued, “we are proactively instituting measures to lower our overall bandwidth utilization by at least 25 percent in all of the markets launching Disney+ on March 24th. In the coming days, we will be monitoring Internet congestion and working closely with internet service providers to further reduce bit rates as necessary to ensure they are not overwhelmed by consumer demand.”
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Disney+ is set to start on March 24 in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. France, having delayed the streaming service, will receive Disney+ on April 7.
For those currently social distancing or WFH, here are the best movie and TV soundtracks to listen to while working from home, the most awesome anime on Netflix right now, and a plea for you to watch, or rewatch, FX’s Justified (on Hulu).
Also, here are how a handful of celebrities are entertaining their fans from home.
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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC Will Feature Beerus, Super Saiyan God Form
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is getting its first major DLC, and it’ll focus on characters from the more contemporary Dragon Ball Super series.
In a new blog post, Bandai Namco announced the “A New Power Awakens” DLC, which will bring Dragon Ball Super characters like Beerus, the immortal god of destruction of Universe 6, where Dragon Ball is set. It’ll also add Whis, Beerus’ teacher and attendant.
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Players will be able to access Goku’s Super Saiyan God transformation level (the one with the reddish hue, not Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, obviously) by training against Whis and eventually facing off against Beerus in one of the game’s boss battle episodes.
Bandai says this new content will be accessible “anytime during the player’s game experience,” and Goku will be able to transform into his Super Saiyan God mode any time during the main storyline.
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The new DLC will be available through Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s season pass in Spring 2020, or you can buy it when the second DLC, appropriately titled “A New Power Awakens Part 2,” when that releases later this year.
If you bought the Ultimate Edition of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, you’ll also get a new music pack that includes a bunch of recognizable Dragon Ball series songs.
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Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot managed to top the video game sales charts during the relatively quiet month of January this year, bringing in the third-highest first month sales total for a DBZ game, after FighterZ and Budokai. If that isn’t interesting enough, here’s the absolute weirdest Dragon Ball games you’ve probably never played.
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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/super saiyan freelancer super saiyan.
GameStop Closes Retail Storefronts And Moves To Digital Processing Of Orders
During the week of March 16, GameStop made the decision to keep retail stores open during the coronavirus outbreak, even in states that required all non-essential businesses to close their doors. Its internal memo to workers instructed managers to inform any questioning authorities that GameStop views itself as “essential retail.”
GameStop has decided to reverse that decision and announced that it will close its retail storefronts, go entirely digital on orders, and will offer curbside pick-up at stores and delivery options.
“We have been steadfast in our adherence to CDC-guided safety and local government orders for retailers in each of our communities. As millions of Americans look to GameStop to adjust to their new normal of increased time at home, for work, learning and play, we have implemented practices to help ensure the safety and health of our employees, customers and partners,” George Sherman, GameStop’s chief executive officer said in the press release.
“We believe it is prudent to institute further safety protocols while meeting this increased demand through curbside pick-up. As such, stores that remain in operation will provide only pick-up at the door or delivery to home activities to further protect our employees and customers.”
The company will also “pay employees whose hours have been eliminated for an additional 2 weeks, and will reimburse one full month of employee benefit contributions.” Additionally, the company has stated that any “U.S.GameStop employees have been ensured that they do not have to work if they are not comfortable and should stay home if they feel sick.”
GameStop’s decision to not close its doors came during a big week for video games: Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal were both released. GameStop cancelled its late night launches, including the ones for those games, and sold Doom Eternal a day in advance in order to separate the Animal Crossing crowd from the Doom Eternal one.
Demon Slayer PS4 Game Shown Off In New Teaser
On March 16, it was announced that Demon Slayer will be receiving a battle-royale mobile game and a PS4 action game. The PS4 game, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hinokami Keppuutan, will be developed by CyberConnect 2, the same studio that developed Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm.
A trailer teasing the graphics was revealed today, and it looks to be on par with the much-lauded visuals of the anime. No gameplay elements were really introduced, so it remains to be seen what exactly the action part entails.
The mobile battle royale game, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Keppuu Kengeki Royale, also received an early teaser. It’s a multiplayer game where individuals are separated into the Demon Slayer faction and the Demons. The goal is to fight and defeat the opposite team. The maps will take place in the Demon Slayer world, and from the trailer, it looks like most of the major demons in the first season of the Demon Slayer anime will be playable.
Aniplex will publish both games, and Ufotable and Shueisha will be producers on both games as well. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Keppuu Kengeki Royale and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hinokami Keppuutan are due to be released in Japan sometime in 2020 and sometime in 2021, respectively.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Turnip Guide
Daily Deals: Get Extended ComiXology and Kindle Subscriptions, Save on Gaming PCs and 4K UHD TVs
Another Sunday has rolled around, and this time we’re bringing you some great savings on 4K TVs, Gaming Computers, Online Subscription services and a whole slew of awesome Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One video games!
ComiXology Free Trial Extended to 60 Days
Normally 30 Days
The 60-day extension (normally $30) has never, ever happened before. ComiXology is Amazon’s digital comic platform and is the largest digital retailer of American comics. The site hosts 20,000 digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and more. Here’s your chance to access all of it, totally free, for 30 days. If you’re an avid comic reader, you might want to consider continuing on afterwards, since it’s only $5.99/month. You can even sign in with your Amazon account.
Get a Samsung 50″ 4K UHD TV for Under $300 at Walmart
If you’re going to be indoors, you might as well entertain yourself on the best possible screen you can. This giant 50″ 4K TV comes in just under $300, has Smart functionality and HDR, and is the ideal purchase to play all those games on. You know, that giant backlog that you were going to someday get to?
Grab this LG 55″ 4K UHD HDR TV for $326 at Walmart
If Samsung isn’t your jam, how about this great LG 55″ 4K TV. It has Smart functionality and HDR, comes with 3 HDMI inputs, and is exactly $1 cheaper than the Samsung equivalent!
$120 Off a CyberPowerPC w/ Ryzen 7 3700x, 16GB RAM, Radeon RX 5700 XT, 2TB HDD + 240GB SSD at Best Buy
If you’re going to be stuck indoors, you might as well be gaming on great PC! This CyberPowerPC is the perfect entry point for someone wanting all the bells and whistles of PC gaming, without having to spend top dollar. With a powerful Ryzen CPU, a solid Radeon 5700XT GPU and over 2TB of storage, you’ll have ample room for your games and tons of power to play them.
Get an iBuyPower Gaming Desktop w/ Intel 9700F CPU, 16GB RAM, RTX 2070 Super, 1TB HDD + 480GB SSD for $1,299 at Best Buy
Did you see what we said above, about the CyberPowerPC? Well the same is true here! This iBuyPower trades in a bit of HDD storage for extra GPU horsepower. If that’s the sort of thing you want, then definitely give this computer a look, as the rest of it’s specs are just as impressive as the other PC we have listed.
Get 2 Months of Kindle Unlimited for Free
Make your life stuck at home (and for many of you, with kids) a lot easier. Kindle Unlimited is a great way to keep yourself at home and still get access to a virtual library of over 1 million Kindle eBooks and over 20,000 digital comics This deal is typically for new subscribers only, but there have been reports that it has worked for people who have previously subscribed for Kindle Unlimited but are not current members. Check out this very awesome Harry Potter “Kindle in Motion” book with animated art, free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Get an Apple MacBook Air 13.3″ For $799 + 4 Months of Apple Music
The MacBook Air is one of the nicest and most portable laptops that money can buy. Even in such a thin form factor, it still packs a punch and is the perfect daily driver for anyone looking to knock out some emails, browse the web and watch Netflix. Grab it from Best Buy today and you even get 4 months of Apple Music for free, assuming this is your first time subscribing to their service.
Sega Genesis Mini for $39.99
Best Buy is offering the Sega Genesis Mini at 65% off. This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen and absolutely crushes the price we saw on Black Friday. The Sega Genesis Mini is the best retro console out there, even better than the SNES Classic. It’s build quality and user experience is spot on, and it comes pre-loaded with a very impressive 40+ game library that includes Sonic The Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Castlevania, and more.
Preorder the Star Wars Baby Yoda Animatronic Edition at Amazon or Walmart
This toy launched yesterday and has been insanely popular. It’s already sold out at many places including Amazon. This cute mascot from The Mandalorian features over 25 sound and motion combinations, including happy and excited, giggles and babbles, tired and sleeping, and Force effects sounds. Motorized movement includes a head that moves up and down, ears that move back and forth, eyes that open and close, and more.
SecretLabs Gaming Chairs Labor Day Sale: Extra $25 Off + Free Shipping
Use code “25STAYHOME20”
SecretLabs is considered one of the top tier brands of gaming chairs and the TITAN is one of their most popular models. This chair features their PRIME 2.0 PU leather with SecretLabs’ custom cold-cure foam fill, adjustable lumbar support, full-length backrest recline, multi-tilt adjustability, full metal 4D armrests, and included memory foam headrest pillow. All of this is backed by a 5-year warranty. With the Labor Day Sale going on you’ll get free shipping.
- Use code “25STAYHOME20” to get the SecretLabs TITAN for $374.99 Shipped
Now Available: SpeedTest VPN for Mobile
This sponsored deal is brought to you by Ookla
The SpeedTest app, which lets you test your internet speed at any time on any device, now offers VPN as well. If you already have the SpeedTest app installed, there’s no need to download another app. No matter what mobile connection you’re connected to, the SpeedTest VPN will anonymize you. It’s also available for both iOS and Android. The first 2GB of data protection is free, but you can pay just $4.99/month to have unlimited data protection.
Planet Earth II/Blue Planet II in 4K for $19.99
This is the lowest price ever by $10. If you own a 4K TV, you owe it to youself to get this fantastic ultra high-definition depiction of life on Earth. The footage for these two films are direct 4K transfers and the camera techniques employed are downright incredible. If anything, these are some of the best reference footage you can get to wow your friends.
Xbox One X (Factory Refurbished) for $229.99
This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for an Xbox One X gaming console from a reputable vendor. Note that this is a Microsoft refurbished item, which means that it still comes with a 90-day warranty. Microsoft refurbished items generally look brand new and come in its original packaging. Since you’re getting it from Walmart (and not a marketplace vendor), it’s easy enough to return to your local store if you have any problems with the unit.
- Get it at Walmart for $229.99
- Get it with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Headset, and 2nd Controller for $299
- Get it with NBA 2K20, Headset, and 2nd Controller for $299
Out 4/10: Preorder Final Fantasy VII Remake for PS4, Get $10 in Best Buy Credit
Our preview is up, but I’d suggest you give the demo a whirl and make your own opinion first. After all, it’s free. The game is out in just over a month and Best Buy is the only place you can preorder it with cash back. You’ll need a MyBestBuy membership, which is free to sign up.
- Preorder it at Best Buy for $59.99
- Preorder the Deluxe Edition for $79.99
- Preorder the Premium Deluxe Edition for $99.99
Out 3/31: Preorder Persona 5 Royal Steelbook Launch Edition for PS4, Get $10 Best Buy Gift Card
If you thought Persona 5 couldn’t get any better, guess again. One of the best (if not the best) RPGs to grace the PlayStation 4 console is receiving the royal treatment in 2020. Persona 5: Royal Edition introduces a new character, the ability of customize your Thieves’ Den, and new story lines with new cutscenes and new endings. The Steelbook Launch edition throws in a snazzy metal case at no additional cost.
Nintendo Switch Video Game Deals:
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons + $10 Best Buy Credit for $59.99
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for $19.99 at Gamestop
- Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition for $39.99 at Gamestop
- God Eater 3 for $29.99 at Gamestop
- Just Dance 2020 for $20 at Best Buy
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020 for $40 at Best Buy
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle for $20 at Best Buy
- Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden for $9.99 at Gamestop
- Octopath Traveler for $29.99 at Nintendo eShop
- Our World is Ended for $19.99 at Gamestop
- Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales for $19.99 at Nintendo eShop
PS4 Video Game Deals:
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for $13.79 at PlayStation Store
- Bloodborne for $15 at Best Buy
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for $19.99 at Gamestop
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for $38.99 at PlayStation Store
- Control for $29.99 at Gamestop
- Days Gone for $20 at Walmart
- Death Stranding for $30 at Walmart
- Final Fantasy VII Remake Demo for Free at PlayStation Store
- God of War for $15 at Best Buy
- Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition for $15 at Best Buy
- Just Cause 4 for $20 at Best Buy
- Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package for $29.99 at PlayStation Store
- Last of Us Remastered for $15 at Best Buy
- Nier Automata: GOTY Yorha Edition for $19.99 at PlayStation Store
- Shadow of the Colossus for Free for PS Plus Members
- Slay the Spire for $7.99 at Gamestop
- Spider-Man Game of the Year for $20 at Best Buy
- Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order for $40 at Best Buy
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 for $4.99 at Best Buy
- Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition for $14.99 at PlayStation Store
Xbox One Video Game Deals:
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for $14.99 at Best Buy
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for $14.99 at Gamestop
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for $38.99 at Microsoft
- Need for Speed Payback for $4.99 at Microsoft
- Just Cause 4 for $20 at Best Buy
- Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration for $4.49 at Microsoft
- Slay the Spire for $7.99 at Gamestop
- Sonic Mania for $9.99 at Microsoft
- Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order for $40 at Best Buy
- The Outer Worlds for $29.99 with Xbox Live Gold
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 for $4.99 at Best Buy
PC Video Game Deals:
- Up to 80% Off Ubisoft Spring Sale
- New Free PC Games with Twitch Prime Membership
- Resident Evil 3 for $43.79 at Green Man Gaming
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for $38.99 at Green Man Gaming
- Witcher 3: Game of the Year Edition for $14.99 at Humble
- Nier: Automata Game of the Yorha Edition for $19.99 at Humble
- Offworld Trading Company for Free at Epic Games Store
- GoNNER for Free at Epic Games Store
- Celeste for $6.79 at Steam