Month: November 2020

It’s GameStops turn to get the spotlight, and they’re shining this Black Friday thanks to their crazy Pre-Owned deals. The first is on games, where you can buy four games prices $14.99 or less for only $30 total. That’s only $7.50 per game, and considering almost all Xbox One and PS4 games fall in the sale bracket, it’s tough to beat. The next deal is on controllers, and is much simpler. Pre-Owned Xbox One and PS4 controllers are $30. That’s a steal, specially for PC gamers who might want a new controller for their gaming machine.

GameStop Pre-Owned Black Friday Deals

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After nearly 20 years, illusionist and magician Uri Geller has given Nintendo permission to once again use Kadabra on Pokemon cards.

Geller, who is perhaps most well-known for his ability to bend spoons with his mind, sued Nintendo in 2000 and asked that Kadabra no longer be allowed to be put on Pokemon cards due to the similarity of Kadabra’s spoon and Japanese name to himself.

In Japan, Kadabra is written in certain variations that include Yungerer and Yungeller, which are both similar sounding to Geller.

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Now, almost 20 years after Kadabra’s last appearance on a Pokemon card in 2003, he has changed his mind.

“I am truly sorry for what I did 20 years ago,” Geller wrote on Twitter. “Kids and grownups I am releasing the ban. It’s now all up to #Nintendo to bring my #kadabra #pokemon card back. It will probably be one of the rarest cards now! Much energy and love to all!”

Speaking to TheGamer, Geller expanded on his decision, saying that “due to the tremendous volume of emails I am still getting begging me to allow Nintendo to bring back Kadabra/Yungeller, I sent […] a letter to the chairman of Nintendo giving them permission to relaunch the Uri Geller Kadabra/Yungeller worldwide.”

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Geller also said that his letter was received by “two Nintendo representatives,” so now it appears to be in Nintendo’s hands to bring back Kadabra to the Pokemon Trading Card Game.

Considering Kadabra evolves from Abra and to Alakazam, working around the lack of this Pokemon was tricky. In the past, The Pokemon Trading Card Game has given Abra the ability to skip Kadabra and evolve right into Alakazam and has offered a premium Alakazam card that needs no prior evolutions.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Over the past few days, rumors have circulated around the gaming industry that Marvel’s Avengers sold well below Square Enix’s expectations, which led to a disappointing financial quarter for the publisher. Now, an official transcript of a Square Enix investor briefing confirms that the game underperformed, which resulted in the publisher’s HD Games division posting an overall loss.

“The HD Games sub-segment posted an operating loss as initial sales of Marvel’s Avengers were lower than we had expected and unable to completely offset the amortization of the game’s development costs,” a portion of the briefing reads. “In the second half of the fiscal year, we hope to make up for slow initial sales by offering ample additional content to grow our sales.”

In a Q&A, one investor estimated the operating loss of the HD Games division in Q2 of this year as around 7 billion yen, which is roughly $67 million. The company attributed the game’s slow sales in part to marketing delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked about the volatility of the HD Games division, Square Enix replied that it considers the totality of its Digital Entertainment segment rather than the HD Games division in isolation by using stable income from MMOs and mobile games to offset potential losses of big-budget games like Avengers.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Black Friday deals keep rolling in as the weekend progresses, and the latest deal available at Amazon should be of interest to those browsing the Black Friday Nintendo eShop or Xbox Live sales. Though those sales are offering steep discounts on some great digital games, you can save even more money if you take advantage of a Black Friday deal on gift cards. Right now, Nintendo eShop gift cards and Xbox gift cards are available for 10% off at Amazon. (For those who prefer to shop at Best Buy, the deal is available there as well.) Combine that with a Black Friday game deal, and you’re looking at some very nice savings. Your wallet will thank you.

While 10% off doesn’t sound like very much, the savings definitely add up, especially if you mostly buy games digitally. The gift cards are available at multiple values, so you can select the right amount for you. The deal means you can essentially get $99 of eShop store credit for $89 or $50 of Xbox credit for $45. These are digital codes, so you’ll be able to redeem them right away.

The Nintendo eShop vouchers can’t be used to buy a Nintendo Switch, but you can use it to pick up some of the recent releases for the hybrid console. That includes Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Pikmin 3 Deluxe Edition, or just a handful of indie hits like Hades and Paradise Killer. Combined with Nintendo’s own eShop Black Friday sale, you can pick up some great deals. Not all denominations are on sale, so you should make sure you’re getting the discount before checking out.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Microsoft Flight Simulator will get VR support on December 22, 2020, and a substantial UK World Update will be ready on January 26, 2021.

Revealed during an official Microsoft Flight Simulator developer Q&A on Twitch, VR will be added in the free Sim Update 2 for all the big VR headsets, including those from Oculus and Valve. Furthermore, the VR experience will include both the gameplay and menus, offering a smooth and immersive experience throughout.

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World Update 3, on the other hand, will create a more accurate rendition of the UK using new data and aerial images for England, Scotland, and Wales. There will also be 50-60 new points of interest, including new landmarks and procedural buildings, and improvements to certain existing airports like Land’s End, Liverpool EGGP and Manchester Baron. There will be new challenges and a new flight as well.

Improvements to the Northern Ireland region is part of Asobo’s plan, but it may not be ready for World Update 3.

The UK World Update follows similar ones for Japan and the U.S., and will further improve the already impressive map of the world that players can fly around. Additionally, Asobo said it will be returning to the U.S. in future world updates, and will improve Hawaii, Alaska, and others.

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In our Microsoft Flight Simulator review, in which we gave it a 10/10, we said that it “is legitimately incredible. It’s difficult to fully describe how amazing it feels to jump into a plane and have the freedom to fly to and from literally any place in the entire world. The base game’s 20 included aircraft feel like more than enough for even hardcore aviation enthusiasts, and the ability to adjust the assists to tailor the experience to whatever skill level you desire makes it suitable for anyone looking to fly the friendly skies from the comfort of their home.”

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.