At long last, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie is in theaters. In his review of the film, GameSpot’s Phil Hornshaw wrote, “As video game adaptations go, Sonic the Hedgehog is among the stronger ones. It’s smart enough to stand on its own, making use of longstanding aspects of Sega’s supersonic mascot and his franchise, while making sure that what really shines through are its characters.” Now you can see for yourself whether the movie lives up to the game–and how many Easter eggs can be packed into a single film.
The live-action adaptation of the video game franchise sees the speedy little blue furball (Ben Schwartz) facing off against the nefarious Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) for the first time, in a very fast cross-country battle filled with drones, chili dogs, and lots of jokes.
As previously mentioned, the movie also happens to be stuffed full of Easter eggs and references to Sonic’s long video game history, which kicked off in 1991 with the first Sonic the Hedgehog video game on Sega Genesis. With almost 30 years of games, cartoons, comics, and more to pull from, the Sonic movie had no shortage of material to nod to and slings the references faster than Sonic’s spin dash.
Below, we’ve compiled 42 of the best Easter eggs for the movies. You gotta go fast to catch them all, so make sure to check them all out to see what you missed. While you’re at it, don’t miss our look at the weirdest characters from the long history of Sonic the Hedgehog.
The long weekend is nearly upon us, and with it comes a bunch of great deals on video game and tech hardware. Best Buy and Ebay have both revealed their slate of discounts, and now Google Shopping has joined the fray with some of the best deals we’ve seen so far. The Pokemon Sword / Shield edition of the Nintendo Switch Lite–featuring legendaries Zacian and Zamazenta–is on sale, as are a number of great laptops for gaming and more. And if you need a new pair of headphones, then Apple AirPods and a great pair of Bluetooth headphones are both discounted as well.
Many of the deals require the use of a code to get the full discount, but Google Shopping makes that easy. It displays the code right on the product’s page, and when you go to checkout, there’s an option to apply said codes–you don’t even need to copy and paste it. Be sure to do that before you place your order.
Google Shopping’s Presidents Day deals last until February 24 or while supplies last. Even if you don’t get the specific deals listed below, Google Shopping will compile the best prices from around the internet, so you won’t be completely out of luck. Of course, some items–like the Zacian and Zamazenta Switch Lite–are harder to find stock for.
Best video game console deals
Nintendo Switch Lite – Zacian & Zamazenta edition
$209.29 ($260)
The Switch Lite is Nintendo’s handheld-only version of the Switch. It features a proper D-pad, but it can’t be docked and played on a TV. You can still connect Switch-compatible controllers to it, but you will need to play on the Switch Lite’s screen. Launching in time for the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield, the Zacian and Zamazenta edition was the first special edition Switch Lite.
Xbox One S 1TB All-Digital Edition
$134.10 ($250)
The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition can do everything a regular Xbox One S can do, except play physical discs. If you’re okay locking yourself into a completely digital library, then the extra money you save with the All-Digital Edition is well worth it. This particular bundle comes with Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Forza Horizon 3.
Best gaming laptop deals
Alienware m15 15.6-inch gaming laptop
$1,196.10 ($1,500)
This particular Alienware m15 gaming laptop boasts a 15.6-inch display with a 1080p resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. It also comes with an i7-9750H processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and a GTX 1660 Ti 6GB graphics card.
Dell G7 17.3-inch gaming laptop
$1,000 ($1,400)
Dell’s G7 laptop comes equipped with a 17.3-inch screen that features a 1080p resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. That’s backed up by an i7-8750H processor, 16GB RAM, a 256GB SSD, a 1TB HDD, and an RTX 2060 graphics card.
Best laptop and tablet deals
Dell XPS-13 9380 13.3-inch laptop
$870.30 ($1,200)
GameSpot sister site CNET called the Dell XPS 13 one of the best laptops of 2020 for good reason. It’s ultraportable and comes with an i7-8565U, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It boasts excellent battery life and great performance in an incredibly small form factor.
MacBook Pro 16-inch 512GB SSD
$1980 ($2,399)
If you’re partial to the Apple ecosystem, then this MacBook Pro deal is worth looking at. For more than $400 off, you get a MacBook Pro that’s equipped with a 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, a 2.6Hz CPU, and a Radeon Pro 5300M graphics card.
iPad (7th-gen) 128GB Gold Wi-Fi
$320 ($429)
The latest generation of iPad is a good one, despite the relative similarity with the previous gen’s specs. This time around, it’s compatible with Apple Pencil, which means you can draw and write to your heart’s content.
Best headphone deals
Apple AirPods 2
Apple’s true wireless AirPods are an expensive pair of earbuds, so any discount is appreciated. Google Shopping has both the wired and wireless charging case versions on sale.
Sony WH-1000XM3 Bluetooth headphones
$221.93 ($350)
There’s a reason Sony has been a mainstay in the audio space for decades. The company makes great products, and their WH-1000XM3 Bluetooth headphones are exemplary of that. However, they’re also quite expensive, so this deal is especially appealing. The WH-1000XM3 Bluetooth headphones can last for up to 30 hours on a single charge, and they feature a microphone in case you need to answer a quick call or talk to your phone’s virtual assistant.
Matt has seen the film about the quick, blue hedgehog and lets us know what he thinks of it. Cardy has been lost in Dreams but has kindly woken up to tells us all about it. Alex has been playing a game that hits just a tad too close to home. There’s also a smattering of discussion about Rainbow Six Siege and whether Anthem has a chance of replicating its successful turnaround.
There’s also a nail-biter of a quiz that goes down to the wire.
Remember, if you want to get in touch with the podcast, please do: [email protected]
“Obviously at the moment we’re focused on PS4 and I would actually hope that it extends the life of the PS4 to be honest with you, then maybe when other companies start making games for it, the community will carry on making games for it, but if it’s as successful as we hope it is then it’s an obvious progression,” he said about bringing Dreams to PS5.
VGC suggested that the backwards compatibility of the PS5 should make the PS4 version of Dreams automatically playable on Sony’s next-gen console. “Well yeah, so I mean it works by default then, doesn’t it, that’s the thing,” Healey said. “I mean, we want to support it going forward, so we want to be there for the full story really.”
Healey added that as he considers Dreams a platform itself, “ideally in the future we’ll migrate to whatever is relevant.” But don’t hold out for a PC version just yet, as while Healey said “that would be cool,” he added “that’s not something that’s happening right now.”
That’s not to say a PC version of Dreams would never happen. “I think a lot of that depends on where the games industry goes in general, I suppose,” Healey remarked. It’s also worth noting that there are rumours that Sony has recently changed tack when it comes to publishing its exclusives on other platforms, with a PC version of Horizon Zero Dawn apparently on the way.
Dreams allows you to tap into your imagination and create music, cooked breakfast art, and even whole games using its tools. But it also comes with a proper story mode that’s worth playing through too.
It’s actually out today on PlayStation 4. We have it a 9 in our Dreams review, saying that it’s “a highly ambitious concept, and one that has been magically brought to life.”
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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
The 50-second clip, titled ‘From Russia with Love,’ opens in the sprawling frozen fields of what appears to be a Russian facility, as a group of people perform manual labour on a snow-covered railway track. The camera focuses on one specific individual who is quickly identified to be a shaven-headed Jim Hopper, played by David Harbour.
“We’re excited to officially confirm that production on Stranger Things 4 is now underway — and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper!” the Duffer Brothers said in a statement. “Although it’s not all good news for our ‘American’; he is imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, where he will face dangers both human… and other.
“Meanwhile, back in the states, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long-buried, something that connects everything. Season 4 is shaping up to be the biggest and most frightening season yet, and we cannot wait for everyone to see more. In the meantime — pray for the American.”
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition on Nintendo Switch will have a completely new and exclusive co-op mode.
Capcom has spent the past few weeks announcing the three new features it’s added to the Switch version of Devil May Cry 3. Now the third one has been revealed and it’s local co-op for the game’s Bloody Palace mode.
The co-op will work with Joy-Cons as well as the Switch Pro Controller, and any combo of them both. You’ll have to beat the intro mission before being able to start a co-op session of Bloody Palace. One player is Dante while the other is Vergil, and you’ll have separate save files for each, and can also have different controller setups for each character.
Bloody Palace is survival mode in which you have just one life as you try to climb up 9999 floors of a demon-filled tower. When you beat a floor, you get the choice of three portals to go through, letting up ascend one floor, 10 floors, or 100 floors.
The other two exclusive features that the Switch version of Devil May Cry 3 has are on-the-fly combat style switching, and on-the-fly weapon switching. In the original game, you had to switch weapons before starting a mission, or could do it mid-mission at a Divinity Statue. In the Switch version, you can switch styles and weapons wherever you want, and whenever you want.
Devil May Cry 3 comes to Nintendo Switch on February 20, 2020. Our Devil May Cry 3 review of the original 2005 game gave it a 9.6, so you know, it’s certainly worth checking out if you haven’t played it before.
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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was the best-selling game in the U.S. for the month of January, according to NPD.
Kakarot brought in the third-highest first month sales total for a Dragon Ball video game, coming in behind 2018’s Dragon Ball FighterZ and 2002’s Dragon Ball Z: Budokai.
Grand Theft Auto V notably returned to the top five for the first time since August. As noted by NPD, it remains the best-selling video game of all time in the U.S.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the best-selling game of 2019, finished second in January’s U.S. sales totals, dropping slightly from its spot atop the list in December.
For the fifteenth consecutive month, Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console. As of December 31, 2019, Nintendo has sold over 52 million Switch units.
According to Harrison Ford himself, Indiana Jones 5 is set to start shooting in “about two months,” which would see Ford back on set as Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones Jr. around April 2020.
Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning, Ford was asked by correspondent Lee Cowan what the challenges are when returning to roles such as Han Solo and Indiana Jones after such a long period of time.
“Trying not to look silly… you know… hang around in tight pants and high boots,” Ford joked. “I’ll give you a more appropriate answer, considering I’m going to start doing Indiana Jones in about two months.”
Assuming all goes according to plan, Ford will return as Indiana Jones this April for the first time since 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Square Enix has released the opening cinematic of Final Fantasy VII Remake way ahead of its April 10 release date.
The five-minute movie blends some very familiar elements with plenty of brand new ones. It opens with a highly detailed look at the eclectic city of Midgar, taking the viewer on a journey through the bustling streets that are filled with construction workers and kids speeding around on bicycles.
The establishing shots are supported by newly orchestrated, breath-taking music, which swells to a peak as Aerith gazes up towards the starlit night sky. The camera pans out to reveal more breathtaking views of the vibrant metropolis before Cloud Strife makes his highly-anticipated entrance atop a high-speed train.
The Final Fantasy VII Remake will invite players to jump into a hybrid battle system that merges real-time action with strategic, command-based combat, as they enter a world where the Shinra Electric Power Company – a shadowy corporation – controls the planet’s very life force.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a remake of the very first Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games (and the demo has been out for a while now) but of course there’s more to it than what we’ve seen so far. Though we didn’t get to check out the just-announced Mega Evolutions in action, we did go hands-on with a different story dungeon and some new features not shown in the demo or available in the originals.
Watch the video above for short break downs and gameplay clips of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX’s Rescue Team Camp system, new Rare Qualities, the Pokemon recruiting mechanic, a short boss battle, and more—some of which is completely new to the remake.
Rescue Team Camps
The path to the left of your home base in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (as seen in the video above) leads to the Rescue Team Camps! You can purchase these camps from Wigglytuff, and each camp can be inhabited by certain species of Pokemon. You won’t be able to permanently recruit Pokemon unless you have the Camp where they’d reside, and there’s a limited number of Pokemon you can “store” this way. The higher your Rescue Team rank, the higher this limit.
Rare Qualities
The Rescue Team Camps menu is also where you can manage your Pokemon and feed them Gummis to raise stats or unlock a Rare Quality. Rare Qualities are new to Rescue Team DX and grant Pokemon abilities that affect the entire team – like Brawl, which increases your team’s damage with more enemies in the room.
Preparing for a Dungeon
The ability to manage your team, items, and money from the dungeon departure screen appears to be a new feature of the remake, and a handy one at that. You always want to make sure to store money and items you don’t need, or else risk losing them if you suffer a full party wipe inside the dungeon.
Recruiting Pokemon
Sometimes, there will be fainted Pokemon in a dungeon. Find it and give it an apple – there’s a chance it will want to tag along. Rarely, a Pokemon you defeat in a dungeon will ask to join you too. Once you leave the dungeon, you can let these Pokemon join your Rescue Team as long as you have the right camp.
You’ll get a notice if you don’t have a camp a Pokemon can reside in. In which case, you can use a Wigglytuff Orb to summon Wigglytuff and purchase the camp you need to recruit said Pokemon, another new feature!
Unlike the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, you can have up to eight Pokemon with you at a dungeon at a time, increasing the number from a sad four before, so recruiting Pokemon in Rescue Team DX will be much more efficient. Speaking of efficiency, the new Auto Mode substantially increases the pace you can explore a dungeon, but automatically switches off when an enemy is encountered, so it doesn’t do everything for you.
Watch the video at the top of this page for the boss fight and an extra minute of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX gameplay within the Sinister Woods. Otherwise, that’s about all the new stuff we saw so far. For more on Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, check out the first 15 minutes of it in the video above.
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Casey DeFreitas is an Editor at IGN who loves monster hunting, slaying, and catching. Catch her on Twitter @ShinyCaseyD.
