Author: trafficblast

While Halo Infinite got delayed until next year, you can get a taste of the sci-fi shooter this week with a new Nerf replica of the MA40 used by Master Chief in the upcoming game. The blaster comes out Thursday, October 1, and you can preorder it from Amazon now. It even comes with a code that will unlock a “digital asset” in the game.

Preorder NERF Halo MA40

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The Nerf Halo MA40 comes with 10 darts and a removable clip big enough to hold all of them at once. Insert the loaded clip into the blaster, press the accelerator button to turn on the motor, and you’re ready to shoot. The blaster fires one dart each time you pull the trigger. The weapon also includes a rail riser you can attach to the tactical rail to add other Nerf accessories that are sold separately.

Also available for preorder is a Nerf Halo Mangler Dart Blaster for $19.99. It’s set to release on January 11, 2021.

Additionally, Hasbro has announced a Nerf Halo Bulldog SG, as well as two Halo-themed blasters from the Microshots line, the SPNKR and Needler. The latter two will cost $10 each. They’re not up for preorder yet, but we’ll update this article when they arrive.

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You can catch up on all of the biggest Halo Infinite news as you prepare for the launch of Xbox Series X.

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Chris Reed is IGN’s shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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After multiple reports pointing to October 13 as the start date for this year’s Amazon Prime Day event, the company has finally confirmed when we can expect Prime Day deals to start this year. Amazon Prime Day 2020 will begin at midnight PT on October 13 and will run a full 48 hours as it has in recent years. Prime Day is usually held in July but was delayed at least three times this year due to COVID-19, according to reports.

As usual, Prime Day will have thousands of deals available exclusively for Prime members across not only tech and gaming but also toys, furniture, fashion, housewares, and more. Of course, the elephant in the room is that Prime Day is now just over one month earlier than Black Friday, and it’s unclear how different Prime Day deals will be from those offered during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Naturally, Amazon is pushing people to get their holiday shopping done early during Prime Day, and with product shortages and longer shipping delays becoming commonplace this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, that’s probably the smart move. If you see a great deal during Prime Day, don’t assume you’ll see that same discount available during Black Friday.

Amazon Prime Day 2020 dates and times:

• Start time: Tuesday, October 13 at 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET
• End time: Wednesday, October 14 at 11:59 PM PT (2:59 AM ET on October 15)

Amazon hasn’t shared any specific gaming or tech deals yet, but we can expect steep discounts on games and accessories like controllers, headsets, keyboards, and more. Gaming memberships like PlayStation Plus and Game Pass Ultimate may see steep markdowns during Prime Day, so keep an eye out for those too. With next-gen consoles launching in November and the Switch still facing shortages, we don’t expect a ton of great console deals–though if you’re looking to buy a Switch, Nintendo will probably have some kind of bundle offer during Black Friday again this year.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Halo 3 recently celebrated its 13th anniversary (hey, that probably makes you feel old!), and to celebrate, Halo stewards 343 Industries have kicked off a celebration of sorts in Halo 5.

The game is currently running a featured playlist called Halo 3 Classic Throwback. This playlist features recreations of Halo 3 maps made inside Halo 5 using the Forge tools. Additionally, the gameplay settings have been tweaked to make it feel more like Halo 3. Most notably, there is no sprinting–just like it was in the original Halo 3 back in 2007.

Halo 3 was developed by Bungie, and it was one of the studio’s final Halo titles before moving on to the Destiny series.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The production of two sequels to 2009’s Avatar has turned into a far longer saga than originally anticipated, but some progress is now being made, according to James Cameron’s latest update. The director has said that live-action filming is now complete on Avatar 2, and about “95% complete on Avatar 3.”

The Oscar-winning filmmaker gave the update in a conversation with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the latter’s Austrian World Summit environmental conference, as picked up by CinemaBlend. James Cameron has directed Schwarzenegger three times before, in Terminator 1, 2, and True Lies.

“We’re down in New Zealand shooting,” Cameron told Arnie in his update on the films’ progress. “We’re shooting the remainder of the live action. We’ve got about 10% left to go–we’re 100% complete on Avatar 2 and we’re sort of 95% complete on Avatar 3.” He goes on to mention how lucky the Avatar team was that they had already chosen to shoot in New Zealand, one of the first countries in the world to mostly clear itself of COVID-19 cases.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Monster Hunter World expansion, Iceborne, has received several major free updates since its launch, and the next one will make some big additions. Update 5 is coming on October 1, and a new trailer has been released to show off the new monsters, outfits, and events it brings to the game.

There are two new monsters being introduced for this update–Fatalis, a traditional dragon-type creatutre, and the icy “arch-tempered” Velkhana. You’ll be able to unlock new armor sets from both–two from Fatalis, and one from Velkhana.

Another addition includes the Universal Studios Japan collaborative quest, which is available around the world. It’s an interesting one, as most of the game’s collaborations have been with other game franchises–but in a year where theme parks have been much harder to visit than usual, it makes a certain sense.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

In the main event at WWE Clash of Champions, cousins Jey Uso and Roman Reigns have a moment similar to one in Martin Scorsese’s Casino–where Tommy begs for his brother’s life when the two are being beaten to death with baseball bats. At the end of the PPV match, Reigns is administering a beating that, if it were to happen in real life, would qualify as attempted murder. And finally, Jey’s brother Jimmy limps out from the locker room to throw in the towel and save his brother from permanent damage. Jimmy cradles Jey’s limp body, guarding his brother as he yells at Roman.

“We’re family!” Jimmy yells, his voice cracking with emotion. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re the Chief. You’re the Tribal Chief. Just leave him alone!”

It was a heart-wrenching moment, primarily because the story of the Usos and Roman Reigns is really the story of the Samoan Anoa’i family, which has played a dominant part in WWE’s storylines for four decades. It began with family patriarchs Afa and Sika, who joined the WWE in 1979 as the Wild Samoans. And it’s continued through four generations of WWE Superstars, including Yokozuna, The Rock, Umaga, The Headshrinkers (Rikishi/Fatu and Samu), and Rosey. Everything involving this family is loaded with that added context–a reputation for toughness, determination, and familial solidarity.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Koei Tecmo has announced that Atelier Ryza 2 will come to next-gen.

During Koei Tecmo’s Tokyo Game Show 2020 livestream, it was revealed that Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy – the latest entry in the company’s long-running JRPG series – will get a PS5 version. Players who own the PS4 version can get a free PS5 upgrade.

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The differences of the PS5 version have yet to be revealed, but a better frame rate and improved visuals as well as shorter loading times should be likely.

During the same livestream, a story trailer that features familiar characters, such as traveling alchemist Empel, as well as a new character called Patricia was revealed. Fans also got to look at some actual gameplay, and new mechanics such as riding animals and rope-action inside the adventure-themed relics were especially well received.

Atelier Ryza 2 will release on the PS5 on December 3, which is the same date as the previously announced PS4 version.

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Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter!

Update 9/28: Amazon has officially announced October 13-14 as the Prime Date 2020 dates

We didn’t get Amazon Prime Day 2020 during its usual time slot in July, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Amazon has announced October 13-14 as the official Prime Day dates. Historically, Prime Day is Amazon’s biggest sale day of the year outside of Black Friday. Despite the delay, we fully expect there to be best-of-2020 deals that are worth waiting for. If you want to be prepared for the thousands of deals that will go live on that one day, then read through this article and make sure you have all bases covered.

Note that other merchants, including Best Buy, Walmart, and Dell, will probably be hosting their own sales to compete with Amazon Prime Day.

How Can You Prepare for Amazon Prime Day 2020?

Bookmark This Page

When Prime Day goes live, this page will redirect to IGN’s Amazon Prime Day mega-article with every (good) deal we find. Bookmark it now and check back when the time comes.

Bookmark Amazon’s Official Prime Day 2020 Page

There are already a few deals up, and this will be the hub for all of Amazon’s Prime Day deals. This will also be the best page to look for the latest Lightning Deals.

Sign Up for an Amazon Prime Membership

And don’t forget to stay logged in!

Amazon Prime members get the best deals on Prime Day. If you’re a seasoned Amazon shopper, then I would recommend signing up for the 1 year membership since that offers the best long-term value. The $119/yr fee is well worth the many perks of Amazon Prime. If you don’t normally shop at Amazon and Prime Day is an exception, there are cheaper ways to get a Prime membership.

• If you’ve never signed up for Amazon Prime, you’re eligible for a free 30-day trial membership
• If you’ve already used up a trial, Amazon offers 1 month of Prime for only $12.99
• If you’re a student and you’ve never signed up, you’re eligible for a free 6-month trial
• If you’re a student and previously signed up, you can still get 50% off 1 year of Prime

Sign Up for a Free Amazon Prime Rewards Card

Amazon Prime Membership Required

This is definitely one of my personal favorite cards. The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card gives you 5% cashback on all Amazon purchases and has no annual fee. If you’re a regular Amazon shopper, that perk alone should be reason enough for you to sign up for this card. You’ll also get 2% cashback at restaurants, drug stores, and gas stations and 1% back everywhere else.

That’s not all. You also get a $50 Amazon Credit when you sign up. On Amazon Prime Day, Amazon card members will get exclusive discounts of up to 15% off several categories. In the past that’s included cameras, home theater electronics, home decor, video games, and more.

Paying With Your Debit Card? You Can Still Get Cashback!

Amazon Prime Membership Required

For those of you who prefer making purchases with a debit card instead of a credit card, you’re still in luck. Simply reload your Amazon balance with a debit card and get 2% cashback. All you’re doing is transferring funds from one account (your debit card) to another (your Amazon account) and Amazon is essentially rewarding you for it.

Get Free Credits for Choosing Standard (Non-Expedited) Shipping

One of the biggest perks for Amazon Prime members is the free expedited shipping. But do you need expedited shipping for every purchase? If you choose free standard shipping instead. Amazon will give you $1-$5 worth of Amazon credits good for digital goods (like games and software), Prime Pantry, music, Kindle digital books, and more. One of the great perks about this deal is that your digital credit stacks up; order enough items and you could potentially get games for free.

Amazon Alexa Device Owners Are Eligible for Exclusive Prime Day Deals

If you own an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, Fire TV, or Fire Tablet device, ask your device “Alexa, what are your deals“, and Alexa will spit out unique deals that can’t be found anywhere else. Amazon has confirmed that there will be quite a few Alexa-exclusive deals on Prime Day.

What Kind of Deals Will We Expect

On previous Prime Days, Amazon touted “hundreds of thousands of deals” and that has more or less been true. Although Amazon has been more tight lipped this year around, we expect a similar Prime Day scenario. These deals encompass pretty much every category that Amazon offers. The vast majority of these deals are from more obscure marketplace vendors, but there are still thousands of deals on name brand items sold and shipped from Amazon. These usually include PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo gaming consoles, gaming laptops and PCs, Apple iPads and MacBooks, 4K TVs, Amazon Echo and Kindle devices, Roomba vacuum cleaners, Instant Pot pressure cookers and more. Deals are divided into two types: “Prime Day Deals” that last the entire day and “Lightning Deals” that only last a few hours (or a few minutes if the item is super popular).

Here are some of the best deals  we saw last year:

• Buy $25 in Amazon Gift Cards, Get $5 Amazon Credit
• Nintendo Switch + $35 eShop Credit
• PS4 Slim 1TB with Spider-Man and Horizon Zero Dawn
• PS4 Pro 1TB with God of War and Days Gone
• Apple AirPods 2 Wireless Earphones Wireless Charging Case

• 49″ Sony BRAVIA XBR49X800E 4K Smart HDTV
• Bose QuietComfort 25 Noise Cancelling Headphones
• Latest Model Apple iPad Pro 11″ WiFi 512GB Tablet
• One Year of PS Plus Membership

• Amazon Echo Dot
• Amazon Fire TV Stick with $45 SlingTV Credit for $14.99
• Amazon Fire TV 4K with $45 SlingTV Credit for $24.99

• 43″ Toshiba 43LF621U19 4K Smart HDTV
• Instant Pot DUO 60 6 Qt 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
• Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones
• 23andMe DNA Health + Ancestry Test Kit
• iRobot Roomba 891 WiFi Robot Vacuum

• SteelSeries Arctis 7 Lag-Free 7.1ch Wireless Gaming Headset
• Super Mario Party for Switch
• WD Elements 10TB USB 3.0 External Desktop Hard Drive
• SanDisk Ultra 400GB Micro SDXC Card
• Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet with 32GB

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.

Fortnite developer Epic Games is continuing to expand with the acquisition of SuperAwesome, a company that creates tools for developers to “to create safer digital experiences for younger audiences.”

While Epic has acquired other game studios in the past, such as Rocket League developer Psyonix, it has also looked towards companies that make tools for developers, such as the facial animation tech of Cubic Motion.

“SuperAwesome’s Kids Web Services platform is a parental consent management toolkit that makes it easier for developers to build great experiences for users of all ages,” Epic’s press release explains. The company also runs a tool called AwesomeAds, allowing devs to “offer kid-safe monetization inside their products.”

Continue Reading at GameSpot