The Nintendo Switch Has Outsold The SNES

Nintendo can’t stop selling Switch consoles, and its latest financial earnings results are another strong sign of that. Nintendo has announced that the Nintendo Switch has now sold over 52 million units, taking it past the overall sales figures of the SNES.

The Nintendo Switch has now sold a total of 52.48 million units as of December 31, 2019, with the large majority of those being made up of the original Switch model. The original Switch (which includes the latest model with improved battery life) accounts for 47.3 million of overall sales, while the Switch Lite, which launched in September last year, has already reached 5.19 million units sold.

Nintendo noted that sales during its last financial quarter were particularly strong, with 10.8 million consoles sold in this period alone. This has led the company to increase its sales projections for the rest of its financial year, from 18 million to 19.5 million by the end of March.

The total confirms that the Switch has now surpassed lifetime sales of one of Nintendo’s most popular home consoles. The SNES, which originally launched in 1991, went on to sell 49.1 million units, and has now been surpassed just 34 months into the Switch’s lifecycle.

It’s not all hardware though. Switch software sales have been equally strong too, with Pokémon Sword and Shield already boasting over 15 million units sold just a month and a half after launch.

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Borderlands 3 Hotfix Patch Notes Details For January 30 Update

Borderlands 3 is getting a new hotfix with a load of changes and additions to the loot shooter. Gearbox says the hotfix will be live on PC, PS4, and Xbox One by 3 PM PT on January 30. It will activate a Rare Chest Riches event, give you a better shot at opening Legendary loot, and address some bugs, among other adjustments.

The hotfix patch notes list a few key areas. The biggest new addition with the 1/30 hotfix is the Rare Chest Riches event, which will run through February 13 at 8:59 AM PT. During that time period, rare chests will drop rare loot more often, increasing your chances of Legendary items. You’ll also get better odds to score better loot when watching a Twitch streamer if you’ve linked your account with the EchoCast Twitch Extension.

Other changes include an increased chance to receive legendary loot from red car trunk chests, and fixing an issue with the “One Man’s Treasure” mission in the recent Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot expansion. The studio also says it is permanently increasing the spawn rate for rare spawns, and buffing the drop rates and Anointed chance to be similar to bosses.

Finally, Gearbox announced that the scaled event that it began with Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite will be permanent. Another update to come in February will allow players to switch to “True Takedown” mode, which will be similar to the launch version of Takedown. It says that this change, along with the rare spawn rate change, is based on reviewing player data.

Borderlands 3 Hotfixes: January 30, 2020

  • Activate the Rare Chest Riches event, running until February 13
  • Increased the chance to receive Legendary loot from red car trunk chests
  • Addressed a reported issue that the player could sometimes rise into the sky with the cannon during the “One Man’s Treasure” mission in Moxxi’s Heist of The Handsome Jackpot

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Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Gets Sports Star-Packed Super Bowl Trailer

It might have had a delayed release and complete redesign of its main character, but the Sonic the Hedgehog movie finally arrives next month. A new trailer is set to screen during the Super Bowl this weekend, and it has now been released online.

The new Sonic trailer starts with a series of high-profile sports stars–footballers Michael Thomas and Christian McCaffrey, sprinter Allyson Felix, and stock car racer Kyle Bush–talking about the incredible athletic ability of the legendary hedgehog. The rest of the trailer delivers lots of funny and action-packed clips from the film–check it out below:

Sonic the Hedgehog is directed by Jeff Fowler and hits theaters on February 14, 2020. Sonic is voiced by Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), with Jim Carrey as the evil Dr. Robotnik. Westworld’s James Marsden will feature as a state trooper who catches onto Sonic’s super speed. Early box predictions suggest that the film will have a strong opening weekend at the box office.

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie has gone through a turbulent production, with a full character redesign being commissioned after the film’s disastrous first trailer. Thankfully, a team led by Sonic comic illustrator Tyson Hesse gave gaming’s premiere hedgehog a much more lovable look.

For more, check out GameSpot’s guide to all the Super Bowl commercials released so far. You can also read our list of the biggest upcoming movies of 2020.

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This Legend Of Zelda Manga Is Great, And The Box Set Is Steeply Discounted At Amazon

Adapted from the iconic Nintendo franchise, The Legend of Zelda manga series by Akira Himekawa debuted in 1998 in Japan, the same year Ocarina of Time released. Himekawa–a pen name for a pair of Japanese comic book authors–has since added more than a dozen books to the well-received series. The Legend of Zelda Box Set compiles the first 10 volumes and is currently on sale for a spectacular price at Amazon.

The Legend of Zelda box set contains 10 manga based on the popular video game franchise
The Legend of Zelda box set contains 10 manga based on the popular video game franchise

The Legend of Zelda Box Set | $42 ($80)

Regularly $80, the box set is discounted to $42 right now (roughly $4 per book). Each book in the series is based on one of the video games and adds new details and context to the plots you might already know quite well. Here are the tales you’ll get to relive in the manga:

  • Ocarina of Time (two books)
  • Majora’s Mask
  • Four Swords (two books)
  • Oracle of Seasons
  • Oracle of Ages
  • The Minish Cap
  • A Link to the Past
  • Phantom Hourglass
Relive eight of the tales from the Zelda franchise
Relive eight of the tales from the Zelda franchise

At the time of publication in 2011, the box set included every book in the series. More Himekawa Zelda mangas have been released since, including a multi-volume adaptation of Twilight Princess. The seventh volume in the Twilight Princess arc releases August 11. Himekawa also contributed an exclusive comic to Hyrule Historia, the wonderful art book that chronicles the history and timeline of The Legend of Zelda franchise.

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Here Are Nintendo Switch’s Best-Selling Games Since Launch

Nintendo has released its latest financial statements for the quarter ending December 31, 2019, with continued booming success for its console-portable hybrid, the Nintendo Switch. Alongside the financial data is the company’s updated list of its best-selling first-party software, and two new additions–Pokemon Sword and Shield and Luigi’s Mansion 3–have each made big entrances that have pushed other, older games off the top ten.

The biggest new addition is Pokemon, which rocketed to the number five spot despite being on the market for just six weeks. That strong start of 16.06 million has already almost caught up with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which has been out since the Switch launch. It also rose above several games that have been out much longer, like Splatoon 2. The other new addition, Luigi’s Mansion 3, made a respectable debut in tenth place with 5.37 million since its Halloween launch.

Those two new additions displaced a few other games that had appeared in last quarter’s charts–namely, Super Mario Maker 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. As of September 30 they had sold 3.93 million and 3.13 million, respectively. They’ve certainly added to those totals since, but with something less than Luigi’s 5.37 million. Nintendo noted in its earnings statement that Mario Maker 2 has sold more than 5 million.

Strong sales for Pokemon aren’t surprising, though, as the long-running franchise often dominates Nintendo’s best-seller charts. The 3DS charts, for example, show Pokemon composing three of the top five all-time best-sellers. Notably, the top-selling 3DS Pokemon game is Pokemon X/Y with 16.44 million, which means Sword and Shield almost caught up with its lifetime sales after just six weeks on the market.

All of the 3DS Pokemon games are topped by Mario Kart 7, similar to how Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has remained steadily atop the Switch charts. But with such a strong debut, Sword and Shield may eventually topple it.

Best-Selling Switch Games (As of December 31)

  1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — 22.96 million
  2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — 17.68 million
  3. Super Mario Odyssey — 16.59 million
  4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — 16.34 million
  5. Pokemon Sword/Shield — 16.06 million
  6. Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee — 11.76 million
  7. Splatoon 2 — 9.81 million
  8. Super Mario Party — 9.12 million
  9. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe — 5.85 million
  10. Luigi’s Mansion 3 — 5.37 million

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The Outer Worlds On Switch Releases In March, Will Require A Download

Obsidian Entertainment’s stellar 2019 role-playing shooter, The Outer Worlds, will finally be launching on Nintendo Switch on March 6, publisher Private Division has confirmed.

The Outer Worlds will launch on the Nintendo EShop as well as retail for $60, although Private Division noted that the boxed copy of the game will not contain a game cart and instead only include a download code. To play The Outer Worlds on Switch you will need to download the full game, with Private Division not yet disclosing its install size.

The Outer Worlds launched last October on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, with GameSpot’s Edmond Tran awarding it a 9/10 and praising its excellent writing and captivating characters. ” I finished The Outer Worlds wanting more, eager to jump back into the world to see extra things,” he said. “It’s not a short game, but it’s one packed with such a steady stream of wonderful characters to meet, interesting places to explore, and meaningful, multi-layered quests to solve, that it didn’t feel like there was any room to get tired of it.”

A sprawling open-world game like The Outer Worlds seems well suited to a portable platform like the Nintendo Switch, which is in more hands than ever now. Earlier today Nintendo announced that it had shipped over 52 million Switch consoles, surpassing the overall sales figures of the SNES.

Now Playing: The Outer Worlds | Best Games Of 2019

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Spawn Reboot Movie Might Still Happen, Thanks To Joker

A reboot movie starring the demonic comic book anti-hero Spawn, directed by creator Todd McFarlane, has been in the works for many years now. Despite the announcement of high-profile producers Blumhouse Pictures and stars Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Renner, it doesn’t seem to be getting any closer to happening, but McFarlane himself has now provided an update on the project.

Speaking to Newsarama, McFarlane revealed that the success of Joker has started things moving on Spawn once more. “When I was at New York Comic Con, Joker came out and Hollywood has a penchant for looking at what works, then doing it 10 times over,” he said. “This movie opened up, then made a billion dollars which is still 33% bigger than any other R-rated movie in the history of cinema. So, Hollywood is on the go for R-rated comic book stuff, right? The phone has been ringing and I’ve got lots of people thinking about Spawn now. There’s a different momentum happening right now and in the next month, I should have another big announcement about the movie.”

However, McFarlane also stated that unless the film can start production in 2020, he is likely to walk away entirely. “Hopefully we can start production this year, because if we don’t, I probably won’t make it,” he stated. “The window is open right now and if I can’t pull it off this year, it’s only going to get harder, right? I’m confident enough that it’s going to work, but give me a month, and I’ll get back to you.”

This isn’t the first time that McFarlane has spoken about abandoning the Spawn movie. In May last year, he revealed that script agreement between the film’s financiers was proving to be an issue, and that he’d rather quit than “change it too much.”

In 2017 it was reported that the film would be produced by horror specialists Blumhouse, and that the budget would only be around $10 million, in order for McFarlane to make the dark film he wants. Foxx was announced in the lead role in May 2018, while Jeremy Renner joined as Detective “Twitch” Williams in July. It’s unknown if Blumhouse or the two stars are still attached to the movie.

The Spawn comic book was first published in 1992 and was massively popular, with the first issue selling 1.7 million copies. However, the 1997 film adaptation received a negative critical reception and underperformed commercially.

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Might & Magic Takes A Huge Risk With Chess Royale

The Might & Magic franchise is back–but perhaps not in the way you’d expect. Ubisoft’s newest entry into the high fantasy series is a free-to-play auto-battler called Might & Magic: Chess Royale where you compete in one-on-one matches against 99 others until one person wins.

In a new video feature, Jess McDonell talks about why she’s happy to see the Might & Magic series continue, but cautious as to whether the auto-battler genre is the right path forward.

Chess Royale is in an early access state right now on PC, iOS, and Android, and it currently feels shallow and lacking for a variety of reasons that Jess explores in the video.

That being said, Jess also talks about how Chess Royale has some redeeming qualities, and with the barrier to entry at $0.00, you might want to at least have a look.

Check out the full video above, and be sure to let us know if the draw of red dragons and harpies is enough for you to want to try this one out, if you’ve tried out the auto battler genre, or if you’re still holding out hope that it isn’t the end of the line for the Might & Magic franchise’s mainline entries.

Star Trek: Picard Episode 2 – 14 Star Trek Easter Eggs And References

5. Irumodic Syndrome

5. Irumodic Syndrome

Back in the series finale for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Picard experienced a version of his own future, in which he’d retired to his family vineyard on Earth in a similar turn of events to what’s at the start of Star Trek: Picard. In that timeline, Picard suffers from Irumodic Syndrome, a neurological disorder marked by the breakdown of his synaptic pathways. It essentially causes him to hallucinate and lose the ability to distinguish reality from fantasy, before eventually killing him. During the finale, Dr. Crusher notes that Picard has an abnormality in the structure of his parietal lobe that could eventually cause neurological disorders later in life.

While the future we see in the finale, “All Good Things,” didn’t come to pass, it seems the possibility for Picard suffering from a neurological disorder has. Though we don’t know the details, his meeting with Dr. Benayoun confirms the worst. Something is wrong with Picard’s parietal lobe, and it sounds like he has an unpleasant end waiting for him as the disease progresses.

Lethal Weapon 5 Could Happen With Original Cast And Director

Lethal Weapon is one of the most popular action franchises of the ’80s and ’90s, with the last movie, Lethal Weapon 4, released in 1998. In more recent years, the series has been rebooted for TV, but it now seems that the original movie’s stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover might return for a fifth movie.

Lethal Weapon producer Dan Lin spoke about the potential Lethal Weapon 5 during a Hollywood Reporter roundtable event. He revealed that not only were Gibson and Glover on board to reprise their roles as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh, but original director Richard Donner was in talks too. “We’re trying to make the last Lethal Weapon movie,” he said, via The Playlist. “And Dick Donner’s coming back. The original cast is coming back. And it’s just amazing. The story itself is very personal to him. Mel and Danny are ready to go, so it’s about the script.”

News of a potential Lethal Weapon 5 was first reported in 2017. Back then, Deadline stated that Gibson, Glover, and Donner were all interested in a new film, with Lethal Weapon 4 writer Channing Gibson (no relation to Mel) set to write the screenplay. It’s unknown whether the “personal” story that Lin mentioned is the script written by Gibson.

The original Lethal Weapon was released in 1987. It was the first screenwriting credit for Iron Man 3 and The Predator director Shane Black, and was a huge hit, influencing many buddy cop movies over the next decade. The sequels followed in 1989, 1992, and 1998.

As for the TV show, that was cancelled in May last year after three seasons. The show was hit by controversy when star Clayne Crawford was fired following allegations of abusive on-set behavior. He was replaced by Seann Wiliam Scott for the third season, but after co-star Damon Wayans left the series too, the whole thing was axed.