Month: November 2020

The upcoming horror movie and video-game adaptation reboot of Resident Evil films has reportedly just cast Donal Logue (Gotham, Vikings) in an undisclosed role. The news comes via Deadline, and his joining the film’s fold sees him rounding out a cast that also includes previously announced stars Kaya Scodelario (Skins) as Claire Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell (The X-Files) as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy) as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Leon S. Kennedy, and Neal McDonough (Justified) as William Birkin.

The movie, which is reportedly already in production, is directed by Johannes Roberts, who helmed the hit shark thriller 47 Meters Down and its sequel, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. In a previously released statement, Roberts spoke about what fans could expect from this upcoming Resident Evil film. “I really wanted to go back to the original first two games and re-create the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them whilst at the same time telling a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences,” he said.

There is a bit of a Resident Evil renaissance taking place when it comes to adaptations. There is an upcoming CG series coming in 2021, and also a live-action series that will be directed in part by Bronwen Hughes (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead). Both those shows are coming to Netflix.

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Fortnite is one of the thousands of existing games that will be playable on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S when those systems are released next week. Developer Epic Games has now shared some additional insight on its next-gen plans, and they are more extensive than some might have thought.

Starting off, Epic stressed that Fortnite’s PS5 and Xbox Series X editions are not “simply tweaked last-gen builds.” Instead, they are “new native ones to harness the power of the new consoles.”

Epic also confirmed that all progress made on PS4 or Xbox One will carry forward to the next-gen editions, because this progress is tied to your specific game account.

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Black Friday 2020 is heading our way faster than you might expect. While last year’s early deals began the weekend before the main event, this year you’ll find deals beginning even earlier. Best Buy has already run an early Black Friday sale, and Walmart has run-up Black Friday sales events happening every few days the whole month of November. If you’re looking for Black Friday deals on Nintendo Switch consoles, games, or accessories, you’ve come to the right place.

Once the deals go live, we’ll be tracking all the best Black Friday Switch deals below. And in the meantime, you can read on to find out what to expect in terms of Nintendo deals. If previous Black Fridays are any indication, there’s no better time to get a killer deal on a Nintendo Switch product than Black Friday. And if you’re interested in more than just Nintendo deals, check out our Black Friday Deals mega-post for all the best deals across all categories.

Nintendo Switch Black Friday Console Deals to Expect

For the past two years, Nintendo has offered a special Black Friday bundle that included a Nintendo Switch and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This year, Nintendo appears to be upping the ante. Based on an early product listing on Best Buy, it appears you’ll be able to get a Switch bundle that comes with the “V2” version of the console (which has better battery life than the launch model), plus Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, plus a three-month subscription to Nintendo Switch Online.

It’s also likely that other retailers will offer deals of their own. Last year, Walmart had a bundle that included a Switch, a 128GB memory card, and a third-party controller for $299. GameStop offered a Switch Lite and a $25 gift card for $199.

Nintendo Switch Black Friday Game Deals to Expect

First-party Switch games don’t go on sale all that often, and when they do it’s usually for $40 at the lowest. Deal hunting Nintendo fans are generally an unsatisfied bunch. That said, last year’s Black Friday saw retailers drop some of the biggest first-party Switch games to the previously unheard-of price of $30. We’re talking games like Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, and more.

It’s worth noting that those deals were live only on Black Friday itself. Earlier in the week and on the weekend after leading into Cyber Monday, most first-party Switch games were available for $39 instead. That seems to be the case this year as well, according to Best Buy’s Black Friday ad, which you can view here. It says games like Super Mario Maker 2, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Link’s Awakening will all be available for $39.99 each.

That said, it certainly wouldn’t be out of line to expect to see similar discounts during Black Friday 2020. And if you’re looking for deals on third-party games like Diablo III, Mortal Kombat 11, and Civilization VI, you’ll likely see some great deals in the $20 – $30 range.

Nintendo Switch Black Friday Accessory Deals to Expect

Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controllers are not cheap at MSRP. Joy-Cons typically sell for $79.99, while Pro Controllers go for $69. Lately we’ve finally seen some standard discounts on these items, dropping $10 off the pricing.

So what can we expect during Black Friday this year? It’s hard to say, because last year’s deals only dropped prices $10 as well. That gives us reason to believe we might see bigger discounts this year.

Last year we also saw some great discounts on microSD cards, which you can plug into your Switch to get more storage space for digital games and saves. With the pace at which memory prices have been falling, we’ll likely see even better microSD card discounts this year.

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and bonafide deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Pokemon Go is bringing another fan-favorite Legendary back for a limited time later this week. As part of the game’s Animation Week event, Lugia is returning to Raid Battles starting November 5. The Legendary Diving Pokemon has appeared a handful of times in Raids since it first debuted back in 2017, but it’s worth catching again even if you already have one, as this time it knows the powerful Flying move Aeroblast. If you need help capturing the Legendary, we’ve rounded up some tips to help you beat and catch Lugia below.

Lugia Raid Hours

Lugia will return to five-star Raids starting 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on November 5, and it’ll remain in the game until the same time on Monday, November 16–giving you a little over a week to battle and catch it. Since Raid Battles don’t follow a set schedule, Lugia Raids will happen periodically during the Legendary’s stint as a Raid boss, but you’ll receive a notification within the game when one is about to begin at a nearby Gym.

As usual, your best chance to encounter Lugia will happen during Niantic’s weekly Raid Hour event, which occurs every Wednesday evening from 6-7 PM local time. There will only be one Lugia Raid Hour before the Legendary Pokemon leaves the game again; that takes place on Wednesday, November 11, so make sure you don’t miss that chance to get it.

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Time may seem out of whack this year, but believe it or not, we’re closing in on Black Friday. The year’s biggest sales event is particularly big this year at Walmart, because the mega-retailer is stretching it out through various sales nearly the entire month of November.

Below, you’ll find everything you need to know to maximize your Walmart Black Friday experience. And if you’re interested in the plans of other retailers, be sure to check out our mega Best Black Friday Deals article, where we’ll be tracking all the best deals from all participating retailers.

When Does Walmart’s Black Friday 2020 Sale Start?

In addition to a standard Black Friday sale the day after Thanksgiving, this year Walmart is running a promotion called Deals for Days that’s spread out across three events in November. Here’s the timeline for these events, according to Walmart:

Sale Event 1

• November 4 at 7 p.m. ET – Deals begin on walmart.com
• November 7 at 12 a.m. ET – More new deals will roll out online
• November 7 at 5 a.m. local time – Deals begin in stores

Sale Event 2

• November 11 at 7 p.m. ET – New deals begin online
• November 14 at 12 a.m. ET – More new deals begin online
• November 14 at 5 a.m. local time – New deals begin in stores

Sale Event 3 (actual Black Friday)

• November 25 at 7 p.m. ET – New deals begin online
• November 27 at 12 a.m. ET – New deals begin online
• November 27 at 5 a.m. local time – New deals begin in stores

Walmart Deals for Days and Black Friday: Deals to Expect

You can check out the Black Friday deals Walmart has already announced right here. You’ll find discounts on popular items like 4K TVs, Apple AirPods, air fryers, and Instant Pots.

As for video games, Black Friday is a terrific time to buy games. You can expect big discounts on plenty of popular titles, including even recent AAA releases.

It’s possible PS4 and Xbox One consoles will go on sale, though it’s not guaranteed. Demand will likely be higher on the companies’ next-gen consoles, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for finding any kind of discount on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S (or even finding them in stock, for that matter).

As for Nintendo, for the past two Black Fridays, it has offered a special Nintendo Switch bundle that included Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Let’s hope Nintendo offers a new bundle with a more recent game for 2020.

What About COVID Precautions?

In what Walmart says is an effort to spread out the foot traffic, all Walmart stores will open at 5 a.m. local time on the in-store Deals for Days dates listed above, as well as on Black Friday.

The number of customers allowed in the store at once will be limited during all of the Black Friday events throughout November. You can also order items online to be delivered to your home, or for curbside pickup.

Curbside Pickup Will Be Available at Most Stores

Walmart says you’ll be able to use curbside pickup at “the majority of Walmart stores.” After you purchase something online for curbside pickup, you’ll receive an email with directions for how to retrieve it from your local store.

Free Shipping at Walmart

Orders of $35 or more qualify for free two-day shipping. Alternately, you can sign up for Walmart+ to get free shipping on all orders.

What is Walmart+?

So glad you asked. Walmart+ is the company’s paid membership program for people who buy a lot of things from Walmart. The biggest feature is unlimited free delivery. This applies to all items you can buy at the store, including groceries. It also gives you a five cent discount on fuel at Walmart and Murphys gas stations. You can sign up for Walmart+ for $12.95 per month or $98 per year. You can read more about Walmart+ and sign up here.

Walmart’s Extended Holiday Return Policy

Since we’re in gift-buying season, Walmart has put its extended holiday return policy into effect. The return-by date for all items purchased between October 16 – December 25 has been extended to no earlier than January 8, 2021. You can find the return date for a specific item here.

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and bonafide deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Michael Bay wrote a tribute to Sir Sean Connery shortly after the iconic actor’s passing and recounted a moment when Connery helped Bay get more money for their movie, The Rock.

In the tribute, published by The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, Bay recalled a moment when he and Connery were filming a car chase. Connery hit the brakes and caused Bay to hit his head against a window. Connery asked if Bay was okay and Bay said he wasn’t, but only because “the Disney folks are here to kick my butt for being two days over schedule.” Connery then offered to help.

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Later, during a break in filming, Bay is eating lunch in an elementary school classroom with Disney representatives when Bay announces that Connery is coming in.

“Sean comes in, sits down across from the open-mouthed executives,” Bay wrote. “In classic Sean Connery style, he belts out in his Scottish brogue: ‘This boy is doing a good job, and you’re living in your Disney F***ing Ivory Tower and we need more f***ing money!!’ Without missing a beat, they responded. ‘OK. How much?'”

Bay went on to further compliment Connery by saying Connery’s working style is incomparable to anybody else the blockbuster director has collaborated with.

“He did it because he loved movies,” Bay wrote. “He loved excellence and doing the best he could. His work ethic was bar none, the best I’ve ever experienced.”

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The Rock was released in theaters in 1996 and it scored over $300 million at the box office to become the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year, according to The Numbers. Bay’s next two movies, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, were also both released by Disney.

Bay is one of many celebrities that paid tribute to Connery after the actor passed away in his sleep on Saturday at the age of 90. James Bond actors Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan as well as Connery’s The Rock co-star Nicolas Cage were some of the actors and filmmakers who eulogized Connery.

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Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who thinks The Rock is a masterpiece.

The 2020 holiday season is fast approaching, and Nintendo is just as much an entertainment juggernaut as it’s ever been. The Nintendo Switch is selling like hotcakes (be honest, though, when was the last time you actually bought a hotcake?) and Nintendo awareness is experiencing a major resurgence.

This is partly thanks to dynamite Switch console sales, excellent Switch games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Pokemon games like Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, as well as Pokemon Sword and Shield.

It’s also been a great time for Nintendo fans outside of the console space, partly due to mobile games like Pokemon GO, and partly because of movies like Detective Pikachu. Regardless of the reason for loving Nintendo, we’ve assembled several lists of Nintendo goodies for you to choose from.

If you want to give the gift of Nintendo-themed innocent happiness to someone you love, or simply claim something cool for yourself, Nintendo fans will be certain to love these gifts.

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Best Nintendo Switch Gifts

Everything you need to start gaming on Nintendo Switch.

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Best Nintendo Game Gifts

Mario up with the best Nintendo game gifts for this holiday season.

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Best Nintendo Toy Gifts

Make your own fun with these awesome Nintendo toys, even when you can’t play your favorite games.

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Best Nintendo Merchandise Gifts

Celebrate your favorite games with books and clothes!

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Best Nintendo Stocking Stuffer Gifts

The best Nintendo gifts that are $25 or less, so you can treat yourself (or someone you love) without breaking the bank.

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Brian Barnett writes wiki guides, deals posts, features, and much more for IGN. You can get your fix of Brian’s antics on Twitter and Instagram (@Ribnax).

Apex Legends Season 7 is finally here, and it brings a lot of minor and major changes to the battlegrounds, including a new character, a new map, and a bevy of smaller shifts in the game’s meta.

First, there’s the crafty scientist Horizon, who uses gravity manipulation to outmaneuver and confuse her opponents. Her tactical ability reverses the flow of gravity in a certain area, boosting players outward when they leave its area of effect. Her ultimate creates a black hole that sucks in nearby Legends, which could potentially disrupt entire teams if used well. She also has a passive ability that gives her greater air control than other Legends due to her spacesuit.

The most obvious change in Season 7 is the addition of the new map, Olympus. An ostentatious city in the clouds ruined by an experiment gone wrong, this map offers much in the way of verticality, including quite a few bottomless pits that will no doubt end a promising game or two. The map introduces the Trident hover car, an exclusive vehicle that allows you to easily navigate the airborne city. Damage from enemy fire is dispersed among the players in the vehicle, however, so watch out.

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Dirt 5 will come out alongside Xbox Series X/S on November 10 and PS5 on November 12. For current-gen consoles and PC, Dirt 5 will arrive earlier on November 6.

To help you get a feel for Dirt 5’s critical consensus, we’ve collected reviews about the game below. Critics are divided over the racing sim’s appeal. Some felt that Dirt 5 was too tame and much of the same-old when it comes to racing games, others welcomed Dirt 5 as a refreshing return to a low-stakes arcade experience.

GameSpot’s Dirt 5 review is forthcoming, so stay tuned for that. In Xbox Series X’s Dirt 5 preview for GameSpot, Michael Higham stated, “Dirt 5 may also not be the most impressive thing to come out of the gate to flex next-gen console power, though I do think it’s a good example of how 120 FPS can improve the gaming experience (for the few who will take advantage of it), and that 4K 60 FPS is attainable.”

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