The Punisher is easily one of the best shows Marvel and Netflix have produced together. It has thematic depth that rivals Luke Cage or Jessica Jones, using Frank Castle's unstoppable hunger for violence to examine PTSD and the plight of veterans in this country. In that light, there's only one thing The Punisher really botched: Lewis Wilson.
Lewis was a vet and an attendee of Curtis's PTSD support group. Like many returning soldiers, he found it difficult to reintegrate into civilian life. Forces pulled him in multiple directions--Curtis was a positive influence, his father just wanted his son back, and O'Connor, another support group member, sought to radicalize him as a right wing protester.
As a civilian, that seems to me like a pretty realistic portrayal of what it must be like for veterans these days. The US is divided across political lines, and vets often go without the support they need to lead normal lives again.
Lewis's story started out as a nuanced portrayal of this struggle. He could have been a great foil for Frank, who returns to violence again and again, even when he has other options. Instead, The Punisher turned Lewis into a caricature of a violent right wing extremist. In other words, they made him a villain--and then they dropped his thread entirely.
By the end, Lewis was murdering innocent people, attempting to assassinate a politician over gun rights, and condemning a journalist for the crime of disagreeing with him--a far leap from the sympathetic, struggling character he began as.
How he got from A to B isn't exactly clear. In conversations with Curtis, Lewis made it clear he didn't know what to do with himself without a war--an internal fight Frank himself knows well, as he described in The Punisher's final scene. But when did Lewis become obsessed with extreme conservative ideals? When did gun laws become his motivating factor, to the point that he bombed New York City and targeted a liberal politician?
Was it when O'Connor attempted to radicalize him? That doesn't exactly track, considering Lewis became so disillusioned with O'Connor that he wound up murdering him. Why would he keep chasing O'Connor's ideals after that? Even killing himself--sad as this is--would have been more realistic than what occurred.
What purpose did Lewis's tragic story arc even serve? The Punisher had enough villains, and Lewis's ultimate unimportance to the story is evident in the fact he was barely mentioned again after blowing himself up. In the aftermath, Lewis's subplot seems more like a ham-fisted condemnation of the extreme right wing ideals that became his sole focus--the same ones dividing us today in real life.
If so, it all just serves to divide us further. Maybe it simply feels too soon in the wake of events like the recent Texas shooting--by a former member of the Air Force--that left 26 people dead. But showing a military vet suffering from PTSD get so easily radicalized that he goes from support group member to domestic terrorist in a few episodes of otherwise great TV is neither realistic nor helpful in the grand scheme of things.
Lewis's real problem was PTSD--and a system that he felt left him behind. It's The Punisher's one major failing that the show couldn't follow that thread to the end.
While many Justice League reviews agree that Aquaman (Jason Momoa) was one of the bright spots of the superhero movie, there was something missing. There wasn't much insight into the character's background. While both The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) had scenes in the movie giving insight into their characters, Aquaman didn't get the same treatment.
Originally, though, he did. As Momoa previously told GameSpot, there is a cut sequence that follows Aquaman to Atlantis, where the character of Vulko (Willem Dafoe) was introduced. "Vulko's his connection to Atlantis," Momoa says. Instead, the character is nowhere to be seen in film and will instead make his first appearance in the Aquaman standalone film.
As for why the scene was cut, there's really only so much time to tell the story of the movie. With heavy reshoots, a director change, and a studio-mandated runtime of two hours, some scenes just didn't make it into the movie. As Momoa explains to Entertainment Weekly, though, it might have been for the best.
"The challenging part is [the Justice League story] is only about a weekend in Arthur Curry's life. [Fans] might be like, 'Why is he that grumpy? Why's he hiding up there?' We had it all planned out," he says. "A lot of things got cut. But it's not my movie. It's a huge movie introducing three new characters, and for myself and The Flash and Cyborg, there was a lot that was there we just couldn't get in. It could have been two movies."
In the end, the actor is right when he says, "It's not an Aquaman movie, it's a Justice League movie." However, it puts the timing of Justice League into question. With a villain to defeat, a character to resurrect, and three more to introduce, there was simply a lot of get through in this movie. It should come as no surprise that such major pieces would be left on the cutting room floor. Perhaps the superhero origin stories should have come first, given that Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg are characters that haven't made it to the big screen before.
Luckily, fans will only have to wait around a year before getting more of the character. The Aquaman standalone movie swims into theaters on December 21, 2018. At the very least, you won't have to wait that long to figure out whether Aquaman can talk to fish.
Black Friday 2017 is quickly approaching, but many retailers and digital stores are already offering Black Friday prices ahead of the big shopping day. That now goes the same for GOG, which kicked off its own sale today, November 21.
Hundreds of PC games are discounted for a limited time on the digital store, and there are some bonus items you can get for shopping during the Black Friday sale. Everyone who visits GOG within the first 48 hours of the sale can download the classic MDK for free; you can claim it here. You'll also get a free digital copy of StarCrawlers when you spend $15.
There are many other titles on sale as well; you can find the full list on GOG. You can find our complete coverage of other Black Friday 2017 deals through the links at the bottom of this roundup.
The Microsoft Store may not be the first retailer that comes to mind when thinking about Black Friday deals, but Microsoft's retail branch does frequently have some worthwhile offers. This year is no exception, as the store--like many others--has released its Black Friday ad in advance of the big shopping day. As you'd expect, you won't find any PS4 or Nintendo Switch discounts here, but those in the market for Xbox One or PC games or hardware have some options.
In terms of consoles, you have a variety of Xbox One choices, although you won't find any promotions tied to the newly released Xbox One X. But if you're interested in an Xbox One S, you can actually place an order prior to Black Friday; the Microsoft Store will roll out offers throughout next week. On Sunday, November 19, it will take $50 off the price of the special edition 1 TB Minecraft Xbox One S bundle (bringing it to $350) and throw in a pair of free games. One of these is from a limited selection of older titles (such as The Division and The Crew), but the other includes new releases like Star Wars Battlefront II, Call of Duty: WWII, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Forza Motorsport 7, and Assassin's Creed Origins.
A similar but cheaper option involves the 500 GB Xbox One S Starter bundle, the primary feature of which is three months of Xbox Game Pass. It will also be $50 off (bringing it to $229) starting on November 19 and gets you two free games, one from each of the aforementioned pools. Other Xbox One bundles will also be $50 off on November 19. The cheapest option arrives on November 23; for $189, you get a 500 GB Xbox One S and a free select game: your choice of Watch Dogs 2: Gold Edition, Steep, Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection, Just Dance 2018, or Hasbro Family Fun Pack.
In terms of games, quite a few will be on sale starting on November 23, but exact pricing remains unknown in most cases. Forza Motorsport 7 will be $40, Call of Duty: WWII will be $50, and a month of Game Pass will be $1. There will also be a variety of games "up to" 50% off, including Shadow of War, Assassin's Creed Origins, and Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition.
On November 23, Xbox One controllers will be up to $20, making the cheapest option $40. A number of laptops will be on sale, while the Lenovo Explorer mixed reality headset drops to $299 (from $399) on November 19.
Below, we've laid out all of the deals we know about at this point. Due to the way Microsoft has explained some of these, we can't be sure about the exact pricing for many of the games, so we'll have to wait until the sales go into effect to know the specifics. You can see all the Microsoft Store deals here. For more, check out our roundups of Black Friday deals at other retailers:
Xbox One S 1 TB limited edition Minecraft system (with Creeper-themed controller)
Choice of free game (Star Wars Battlefront II, Call of Duty: WWII, Shadow of War, Forza 7, Assassin's Creed Origins, Destiny 2, FIFA 18, Madden 18, Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, and more options)
Choice of second free game (The Crew, Hasbro Family Fun Pack, Just Dance 2016, The Division, Watch Dogs)
$10 off extra Xbox controller
Save $50 on Xbox One Starter bundle (MSRP: $279)
Xbox One S 500 GB system
Xbox One controller
Xbox Game Pass three-month subscription
Xbox Live Gold three-month subscription
Choice of free game (Star Wars Battlefront II, Call of Duty: WWII, Shadow of War, Forza 7, Assassin's Creed Origins, Destiny 2, FIFA 18, Madden 18, Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, and more options)
Choice of second free game (The Crew, Hasbro Family Fun Pack, Just Dance 2016, The Division, Watch Dogs)
$10 off extra Xbox controller
Save $50 off select Xbox One S bundles (MSRP: $249 - $399)
Eligible bundles include 500 GB and 1 TB systems with a variety of bundled games
Choice of free game (Star Wars Battlefront II, Call of Duty: WWII, Shadow of War, Forza 7, Assassin's Creed Origins, Destiny 2, FIFA 18, Madden 18, Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, and more options)
Choice of second free game (The Crew, Hasbro Family Fun Pack, Just Dance 2016, The Division, Watch Dogs)
$10 off extra Xbox controller
Available November 23:
$189 Xbox One S bundle
Xbox One S 500 GB system
Choice of free game (Watch Dogs 2: Gold Edition, Steep, Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection, Just Dance 2018, or Hasbro Family Fun Pack)
$10 off extra Xbox controller
Accessories
Available November 23:
Xbox Game Pass one-month subscription -- $1
Xbox Live Gold three-month/six-month subscriptions -- $10 off
Select Microsoft accessories -- 25% off
Turtle Beach Elite 800x wireless headset -- $200
Xbox One Minecraft Creeper controller -- $55
Xbox One controllers -- up to $20 off (lowest MSRP: $60)
It took a bit longer than some other retailers, but Toys R Us has finally given us a look at its Black Friday 2017 deals. The retailer's ad has been released, and while its focus is on toys, as you'd expect, there are also quite a few deals to be had across PS4 and Xbox One, as well as some for Nintendo Switch and 3DS.
In terms of hardware, we're seeing similar offers to elsewhere. The Switch console itself is not listed, nor is Xbox One X or PS4 Pro. However, the older models of those two consoles are on sale. You can pick up a 1 TB PS4 for $200, or a 500 GB Xbox One S for $190. In both cases, you won't get any bundled games. The LucidSound LS20 wired headset, which works with both consoles, will be on sale for 50% off, dropping its price to $40. Select controllers for Microsoft and Sony boxes are $20 off, bringing the cheapest options to $40.
A number of games are on sale as well, although frustratingly, the ad only lists the amount you'll save--not the actual price. In our comprehensive list of deals below, we've calculated the sale price using the currently listed MSRP on the Toys R Us website. In some cases, this results in prices that are markedly higher than what the competition is offering, while other prices are roughly in line with what you'll find at places like Best Buy and Walmart. In other words, some of the actual prices may end up being lower than what we've listed, but you can at least get a sense of what the possible costs will be. None are likely to end up higher than what we've laid out.
You can find the full list of games, consoles, and accessories in Toys R Us's flyer below or on its website. The ad doesn't make it clear if it will have more games on sale than those included. Also of note is the special green Zelda 2DS, which is launching on Black Friday at select retailers, is not shown, so you may need to head elsewhere if you're interested. For a complete rundown on Black Friday deals, hit the links below to check out our other sale roundups.
As with the Xbox Store, Sony has kicked off an early sale on the PlayStation Store ahead of Black Friday 2017. For the time being, this is only available to PlayStation Plus members, but it will expand to include everyone tomorrow, November 21, at which point even more games will be added. If you're a PS4 owner, there are some notable deals here.
This PSN Black Friday Early Access sale focuses exclusively on a limited selection of games for PS4--this isn't nearly as extensive as the hundreds of games in the Xbox Store Black Friday sale. As with that one, many of these prices are not as cheap as what you'll find at physical retailers--you can find a full rundown on all the PS4 Black Friday game deals in our roundup. But if you prefer the convenience of digital, you will be able to save up to 40% off these games' usual prices.
Below, you'll find a full list of all the PlayStation Store deals that PS Plus members currently have access to, or you can see them on the PlayStation Store website. We'll update this story on November 21 once the full sale goes live; that will presumably feature a much more extensive array of titles, including those for PS3 and Vita. If you want to see everything on sale in terms of hardware, physical games, and accessories, check out our PS4 Black Friday 2017 deals roundup. All of our Black Friday coverage can also be seen through the links below.
It seems that Black Friday starts earlier and earlier each year and PC hardware vendor Micro Center is joining the festivities. While not every deal is worth jumping on, there are definitely some standout sales. Micro Center is also a brick-and-mortar store, but for your convenience, we're highlighting the deals that are available for shipping. This includes solid-state drives, hard drives, pre-built PCs, power supplies, monitors, and peripherals.
In terms of gaming mice, you can pick up the Logitech's Pro G for $50 or G502 Proteus Spectrum RGB mouse for $60. Logitech has wireless peripherals available for cheap, like the MK270 wireless keyboard and mouse combo for $20, the K400 wireless keyboard with a touchpad for $20, and the MK550 Wave wireless combo for $60. Micro Center does offer peripherals from Razer, but aren't part of Black Friday savings.
If you're looking for high capacity storage or faster drives, there are plenty of options. For SSDs, the 240GB Kingston A400 is currently $80 and the 240GB Inland Professional SSD is $70. Spacious SSDs like Crucial's MX300 1TB option is going for $280 and the Western Digital Blue 500GB can be snagged for $150. For pure storage space, Toshiba has you covered with its N300 hard drives with either 4TB ($130), 6TB ($200), or 8TB ($250), all of which are 7200 RPM. If you don't need that much space and don't mind slower speeds, Seagate's 3TB 5900 RPM IronWolf is on sale for $90 and the 2TB 5400RPM Barracuda for notebooks for $70.
A range of pre-built PCs are on sale, from the low-spec to the high-end. So if you're not building your own, you have options. The Acer Aspire with an Intel Core i5-7400, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive is going for $400, but you will have to get your own video card since this system runs on integrated graphics. Another cheap low-end system, CyberPower Gamer Ultra, is currently $500; it comes with an AMD FX-6300 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and an RX 550 video card. As for the high-end option that we can recommend, the PowerSpec G428 that's on sale fore $1700 comes everything you'd want in a gaming PC: an Intel Core i7-7700K CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 500GB SSD, 2TB hard drive, and the beefy GTX 1080 Ti video card.
When it comes to power supplies, EVGA's SuperNOVA 750-watt 80 Plus Gold PSU is going for $120 ($100 after an additional rebate), the Corsair's 80 Plus Bronze CX650M 650-watt PSU is $70 ($50 after a rebate) and CX750M 750-watt PSU is $82. The fully modular Corsair RMX750 80 Plus Gold PSU can be had for $121.
Lastly, it's a good time to pick up a cheap monitor. The ASUS MG248QR 24-inch 1080p 144Hz monitor is one of the best deals available here at just $200. If you prefer more screen space over high-refresh rate, then the Acer K272HL 1080p 27-inch monitor for $120 should be on your radar. Say you want to go even cheaper, the AOC E2429SWHE 23.6-inch 1080p monitor is just $100 now.
Since there are brick-and-mortar locations and exclusive in-store deals, we wanted highlight these sales in case you live near a Micro Center. The high-end Intel Core i7-7700K CPU is at $260, while the Core i5-7600K is $180. For AMD, the Ryzen 5 1600 is going for $170, Ryzen 7 1700 is at $250, and the Ryzen 7 1800X is $330. The PowerSpec G314 pre-built PC sports an Intel Core i5-7600K, GTX 1070 video card, 16GB of RAM, and a 480GB SSD, all for $1000; you'd be hard-pressed to build a PC for cheaper with the same specs. An AMD Ryzen equivalent in the PowerSpec G700 has similar specs but is equipped with the Ryzen 7 1700 8-core CPU for $1080. There are plenty of gaming PCs and laptops with different specs that are priced accordingly, so be sure to check out the rest of the deals if you can make to a Micro Center location.
Below, we listed out the highlights from Micro Center's Black Friday deals, and you can check out everything they're offering on their website. We're covering plenty of other Black Friday sales, and below is a comprehensive list of everything we could roundup so far from other retailers:
Black Friday is coming up soon, and that means a ton of deals on everything you could want. As expected, retailers have released their deals ahead of the big day, like Best Buy. With the doors opening at 5 PM on Thanksgiving evening--in some states--the retailer is offering up some big deals for TVs, movies, and more.
As far as TVs go, Best Buy has a 50-inch Sharp LED 4K television with Roku for $179.99. Normally, the television costs $500 and is currently on sale for $400 on the retailer's website. In addition, you can get a 60-inch LED 4K TV from Sony for $600, which currently costs $1,000. There is also some pretty decent deals on 4K players, with the most notable being the LG 4K player for $100. It's worth noting that most of the TVs sold on Black Friday aren't of the highest quality, so it may not be the best choice for your 4K gaming. You can check out television reviews on our sister site CNET to see if these deals are right for you.
If you're looking to add to your movie collection, the retailer has a ton of movies on sale, many of which come with a digital copy as well. The most notable of the bunch is The Princess Bride on Blu-Ray for $2. In addition, you can get some of the latest home releases on 4K for $10-15. Best Buy also has movie collections listed, but the retailer does not have the Black Friday prices listed.
Those who are eager to start shopping can take advantage of an early, pre-Black Friday sale that is already underway. While the discounts are not as steep, in addition to the games that are on sale right now, there are sales on TVs, gaming PCs, streaming devices, home theater equipment, and a variety of movies and TV shows. That latter category includes a handful of 4K discs, including the Harry Potter Collection for $150, Westworld: The Complete First Season for $50, and Mad Max: High Octane Collection for $105. You can see the deals that are live here.
A wide variety of deals are actually live right now; if you're a My Best Buy Elite or Elite Plus member, you can purchase Best Buy's doorbusters deals online here. Games, TVs, movies, and more are available without having to actually wait for Black Friday.
Below, you'll find a list of Black Friday deals in TVs, movies, and tech that we think might be up your alley. You can check out the complete listing of deals on Best Buy's website. If you're looking for deals around video games and accessories, make sure to check out our comprehensive list of everything in gaming Best Buy has available for Black Friday, or every retailer through the links below:
Black Friday 2017 is nearly upon us, and that means plenty of game deals are on the horizon. While more limited than those available for PS4 or Xbox One, that includes offers for Nintendo Switch games, as well as an opportunity to pick up the hardware itself--albeit without any kind of discount. Some discounts are even live early, ahead of Black Friday.
Nintendo Switch itself appears in a variety of the Black Friday ads we've gotten a look at so far, but this is seemingly only intended to signal that it will be in stock. All of them--GameStop, Best Buy, and Target--list it for its usual $300 price (except for Walmart, which sells it for $299). Likewise, we've unfortunately seen no discounts on Joy-Cons or the Switch Pro Controller, although Walmart will have third-party wired controllers for $17. Other accessories on sale include a PowerA Joy-Con Charging Station for $20 at Best Buy, and Mario- and Zelda-themed controller chargers (for both Joy-Cons and Pro Controllers) for $25 each at GameStop.
Nintendo's first-party games are known for rarely going on sale, and this Black Friday demonstrates that. There's no sign of Super Mario Odyssey, while the lone deal we've seen on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild features its new Explorer's Edition dropping to $49 at Walmart. 1-2-Switch, Nintendo's minigame collection, was deemed overpriced at launch by many, but you'll be able to pick it up for $20 at Toys R Us. In terms of third-party titles, The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, Disgaea 5: Complete Edition, and Puyo Puyo Tetris will be $20 each at Best Buy. The store will also sell Super Bomberman R for $25. If you're a My Best Buy Elite or Elite Plus member, you can take advantage of some of this pricing early by heading to the company's website right now.
We've compiled all of the Nintendo Switch deals we've seen so far below. One thing to note is that some Toys R Us prices may end up being lower, as its ad only lists savings, not specific prices (leaving us to calculate costs based on MSRP). There are sure to be more deals still to come, with Amazon's Black Friday offering yet to be announced, among other retailers. We also don't know if Nintendo has any plans to provide discounts on the Eshop, but we'll update this story as more deals become available. For our full Black Friday coverage, hit the links below.
With Black Friday 2017 right around the corner, we've gotten a look at the deals many retailers will offer this year. That includes a wide variety for Sony's PlayStation 4--and virtually none for its older platforms, PS3 and Vita. We've rounded up all of the deals for those with a PS4 (or those looking to purchase one) below, and we'll continue to update this as Black Friday draws nearer and we learn about more.
On the console side, things are very simple (at least at this point). Rather than bundling the system with a variety of games, you'll be able to pick up the standard, 1 TB PS4 Slim for about $200 at a number of retailers. (Walmart will offer it for $199, just because it can.) The best option might be at Kohl's, which is giving away $15 Kohl's Cash with every $50 you spend. It will also be selling the PS4 for $200, letting you earn $60 in what are effectively limited-time gift cards; this Kohl's Cash has to be used between November 26 and December 6. GameStop will sell the system for $200 with a $50 gift card. A number of stores are selling it straight-up for $200 right now, including GameStop, Amazon, and Best Buy.
For those looking to pick up Sony's 4K-capable console, the PS4 Pro initially looked like it might have no deals. However, GameStop's leaked ad has revealed it will be on sale for $350. Barring any other as-of-yet unrevealed offers, your only other options would be at the system's regular $400 price (or $450 for the special-edition Destiny 2 and Star Wars Battlefront II models).
DualShock 4 controllers will see a pretty standard $20 price cut, dropping them down to $40 at many stores; that includes special colors which can only be had at Best Buy (Red Crystal) and Walmart (Blue Crystal).PlayStation VR will also be on sale--it will go as low as $200 at Target, but that only gets you the headset itself, and not the required camera (which you might already own). Elsewhere, you'll find the GT Sport PSVR bundle for $300 and the Skyrim PSVR bundle for $350. Various headsets will be discounted, too. In terms of deals you can pick up early, PS Plus is $40 at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop as of this writing.
In terms of games, there are a ton on sale, with specific pricing varying by retailer. Walmart frequently has the best prices, but that's not true in all cases, so you'll want to plan ahead if you're hoping to maximize your savings. These discounts include many recent releases: at their cheapest, you'll be able to get Call of Duty: WWII for $40 (Best Buy), Assassin's Creed Origins for $35 (Best Buy/Target), Destiny 2 for $27 (GameStop), NBA 2K18 for $29 (Walmart), Need for Speed Payback for $35 (Best Buy/Target), and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus for $25 (Best Buy). Some of the year's biggest PS4 exclusives also see discounts, such as Persona 5 for $29 (Walmart), Horizon: Zero Dawn for $19 (Walmart), and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy for $29 (Walmart). Some deals are going live early; for instance, if you're a My Best Buy Elite or Elite Plus member, you can take advantage of many of the store's sales prices ahead of Black Friday.
Sony has launched the PlayStation Store Black Friday sale early, but only PS Plus members have access for now. The sale will widen to all PSN members on November 21, at which point it will also expand to include more games. There's a limited selection for the time being, and the discounts aren't as steep as those on physical versions, but the sale includes big recent games like AC Origins ($42), FIFA 18 ($36), and South Park: The Fractured But Whole ($42). You can see all of the digital games on sale here.
Below, you'll find our comprehensive list of physical PS4 deals. As noted above, we'll update this as we get the word on more deals from retailers. We don't yet know what to expect from Amazon, for instance. There are sure to bring even more deals to come, while others may be unlisted for the time being, so check back with us in the lead up to Black Friday. For more, check out retailer-specific deals breakdowns through the links below.
Black Friday is almost here. It's so close. One of the games that will be discounted nicely this year is Middle-earth: Shadow of War, which was only just released a month ago. If you've been on the fence and waiting for a price drop, you won't be without options.
GameStop appears to have the best deal this year, offering the sequel on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for just $25. Right behind that is Walmart, which will have the game for $29, while Best Buy, Target, and Toys R Us are offering it for $30. Those looking for a digital copy can pick it up for $36 on the Xbox Store, but only if you are an Xbox Live Gold member.
Shadow of War, a sequel to 2014's Shadow of Mordor, was released at the end of October for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. GameSpot's Shadow of War review scored it a 7/10, with reviewer Justin Haywald writing that despite some issues, "It's a fun experience with brilliant moments that provide fascinating insight into some of the untold stories of Middle-earth." You can read our full review here.
Below you'll find the full list of all the Shadow of War deals we've found so far; we'll continue to update as more Black Friday savings and prices are revealed. You can find our complete coverage of other Black Friday 2017 deals through the links at the bottom of this post.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Black Friday 2017 Deals:
Although there were few deals on PlayStation Plus memberships included in the early Black Friday ads that were released, this has turned out to be a good week to subscribe or extend your membership. Those interested in a year of PS Plus can currently pick it up at a nice discount--and you don't even have to wait for Black Friday to actually begin.
A number of the Black Friday offers for PlayStation 4 games, consoles, and accessories have gone live early. In addition to being able to pick up a PS4 for $200 right now, you can purchase a 12-month PS Plus membership for $40 (or £37.50 in the UK). That's $20 less than the usual price, and as cheap as you can ever expect to see it go at most retailers. This price is available right now at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop. All three stores treat this as a "download," meaning you won't have to pick anything up or wait for a physical card to be mailed to you; a redemption code will simply be emailed to you.
That's good news, too, because being a PS Plus member right now gets you early access to a PSN Black Friday sale. This discounts a variety of recent, big-name games, including Assassin's Creed Origins ($42), Destiny 2 ($39), and WWE 2K18 ($36). The sale expands to non-Plus members on Tuesday, November 21, at which point the number of games included will also increase. We don't yet know what else will be on sale or if Plus members will receive steeper discounts, as is sometimes the case on the PlayStation Store.
For a full rundown on all the upcoming offers, check out our roundup of all the PS4 Black Friday 2017 deals. We also have extensive coverage of other platforms and retailers, all of which you can see through the links below.
We're days away from Black Friday 2017, and numerous stores have revealed the deals they'll have on offer this year. That includes Best Buy, which actually has an early, pre-Black Friday sale going on right now (more details below). But it's Thanksgiving evening and the day after where the full selection of deals will be available, and we've rounded up everything you can expect to see discounted across PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, and 3DS--and even a single, solitary deal for those looking for something new to play on Wii U and Wii.
In a trend we're seeing at a number of retailers, there isn't a wide array of hardware deals. Switch will be in stock but at its regular price of $300. Neither the PS4 Pro nor Xbox One X will be on sale, with the sale prices instead coming on the older hardware. A 1 TB PS4 can be had for $200, but that doesn't include any free games. On the Microsoft side, you can get the Madden 18 Xbox One S 500 GB bundle for $230, and as a bonus, you'll receive a free Xbox One controller. A free controller is also available with another bundle, which swaps in Forza Horizon 3 in place of Madden.
Controllers and accessories will also be discounted. The PlayStation VR Gran Turismo Sport bundle drops to $300. All PS4 DualShock 4 controllers will be $40, including the Red Crystal color version that is only available at Best Buy. Xbox One controllers will also be available for $40, although some will cost more--presumably the special edition colors and designs. Those looking for a headset will have several options, including the Turtle Beach XO Three wired headset (which works with Xbox One, PS4, and PC) and Turtle Beach Recon 150 (which also works with those devices) for $40 each. Astro headsets will be up to 25% off, while a handful of Switch accessories (including a Joy-Con charging station) will be $20 each.
Ahead of Black Friday, you can take advantage of many of these deals (and those on non-gaming items) early. If you're a My Best Buy Elite or Elite Plus member, you have access to Black Friday Doorbuster deals right now by going here. Below, you'll find a comprehensive list of everything we could find on sale at Best Buy this Black Friday. Some specific pricing was not shared and the exact time your local store opens will vary. You can check out the full details on Best Buy's website. For more, check out our roundup of the details at other retailers:
Black Friday is right around the corner, and like many other retailers, Target has released its ad well in advance to let people plan ahead. There are quite a few game deals to be had in its sales circular, although the heavy focus is on PS4 and Xbox One; there's nothing for PC gaming fans to take advantage of, and seemingly little for those on Nintendo platforms.
Nintendo Switch is only featured on the back page, where it's listed at its regular price of $300. There's no sign of PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, although the older iterations of those consoles will be on sale. You can pick up a 1 TB PS4 for $200, while a 500 GB Xbox One S drops to $190 with a bonus $25 Target gift card. Target's ad lists both of these console deals as doorbusters, a term it liberally uses throughout--it even applies to the special green Zelda 2DS. We've designated doorbuster deals as such in the lists below; it's unclear how limited stock will be, but some of these offers may run out shortly after Target stores open their doors.
On the accessory side, the most notable deal is PlayStation VR for $200. This is just the headset itself, meaning you would still need to purchase the PS4's camera in order to use it. Still, that's an attractive option for those uninterested in the camera and bundled game you can get on sale for $300 or $350 elsewhere. Additionally, all PS4 DualShock 4 controllers drop to $40, while a selection of Xbox One controllers will also be $40. The ad states that "all" Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus memberships will be $10 off, but only the $60, 12-month cards are pictured. It's unlikely you'll get $10 off the cheaper, short-term subscription cards.
As for games, there are quite a few on sale. However, it's unclear if certain deals apply to all platforms--for instance, Just Dance 2018 is $30 on Switch, which may or may not also be true of Xbox One and PS4 versions. The ad also states there will be more games available at the various price tiers, so at this point we don't know everything that's discounted.
Below, you'll find the comprehensive list of everything we know will be on sale on Black Friday at Target. Store time openings vary by state, so check with your local store to be sure. (The retailer has also announced that, for Cyber Monday, it will offer a 15% sitewide discount online, letting you potentially drop the price of even something like the Xbox One X or PS4 Pro.) You can also check out our in-depth lists of other retailers' Black Friday deals through these links:
With Black Friday around the corner, Walmart has also released its full flyer for the big shopping day. There are a ton of game deals to take advantage of, particularly for those with a PS4 or Xbox One, with these offers becoming available on Thanksgiving evening (November 23) or Black Friday itself, depending on when your state allows stores to begin opening. Nintendo Switch and 3DS offers are also available, although PC gaming fans unfortunately won't find anything. Some of these deals are live now; more details on that below.
In terms of hardware, the offers are similar to what we've seen elsewhere. Switch is in stock, but at a regular price ($299), while there's no sign of Xbox One X or PS4 Pro. However, you can pick up a 1 TB PS4 for $199, or a 500 GB Xbox One S for $189. Neither of these systems comes with any bundled games, although Walmart will also take $50 off "any" Xbox One S, so you'll be able to pick from other bundles that have what you want. Walmart will also be among the retailers to offer the special green Zelda: Ocarina of Time 2DS bundle.
In terms of accessories, DualShock 4 PS4 controllers drop to $39 each, including the Walmart-exclusive Crystal Blue color. Xbox One controllers are also available for $39, including some special edition versions. Third-party, wired Switch controllers will be available for $17, while the Gran Turismo Sport PSVR bundle will be $299. You can also get a wired PS4 or Xbox One headset, the Turtle Beach Recon 50P, for $25.
Walmart has launched some of its offers early as part of a pre-Black Friday sale. You can see all of those here; they include the $199 PS4 and $39 DualShock 4 controllers, among a variety of TVs and other items. You'll find a complete rundown of everything that will be on sale for Black Friday--or as much as we can glean from the flyer--below. You can check out the full flyer, and find out when your local store is opening, on Walmart's website. For more, check out our roundup of deals at other retailers:
Black Friday 2017 is approaching, and while much of the attention paid to Nintendo involves the Switch, 3DS continues to truck along. Its most significant game releases of the fall, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, recently launched, and although neither of those will be on sale (at least that we know of), there will still be a number of deals for both prospective and existing 3DS owners.
On the hardware side, things are fairly limited. GameStop will sell the basic Nintendo 3DS for $100 and the New Nintendo 3DS XL (which features slightly more powerful hardware that can play certain games the non-New 3DS systems cannot) for $140. Other than that, there's very little in the way of actual deals that we know of at this point. However, the recently announced limited-edition green Zelda 2DS bundle launches on Black Friday at several retailers. This comes with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D pre-loaded on the system for $80. Among the stores whose ads reveal they'll have the system are GameStop, Target, and Walmart.
Below, we've compiled all of the 3DS deals we've come across so far. There are likely still more to come; Amazon has pre-Black Friday deals going on now, but its actual day-of deals have not yet been revealed. Nintendo's potential plans for an Eshop sale also remain to be seen. We'll continue to update this story as more deals are announced. You can check out all of our Black Friday coverage through the links below.
The Xbox Store Black Friday sale opens up to everyone today, but those aren't the only discounts you can find this week. On top of the Black Friday sale, the latest weekly Deals with Gold are also now available for Xbox One and Xbox 360.
As usual, most of the game discounts available this week are for Microsoft's newer console, with many of them exclusive to Xbox Live Gold members. The standard edition of Middle-earth: Shadow of War is available for $36/£33, while the game's Silver and Gold editions are on sale in the US for $48 and $70, respectively. Also on sale is NetherRealm's superhero fighting game Injustice 2; the base game costs $20/£22, while the Deluxe and Ultimate editions each run for $35/£35 and $45/£45.
Black Friday 2017 is almost upon us, and it's time to start planning your shopping. Many retailers have released their ads well in advance of the big shopping day, giving us an early look at the deals we'll soon be able to take advantage of. Xbox One has no shortage of deals, both on hardware and games. Below, we've rounded up a comprehensive list of all the deals announced so far. We'll continue to update this post as Black Friday gets closer and we hear about more sales; meanwhile, some deals are already live.
Whereas things are fairly simple for those in the market for a cheap PS4, you'll have many more options to consider when purchasing an Xbox One. At the cheap end, you'll be able to pick up a basic Xbox One S 500 GB with no bundled games for about $190 at a number of retailers, ranging from Walmart to Toys R Us. However, there are some key differences--a Target doorbuster deal will throw in a $25 gift card for $190, while buying one at Kohl's will get you $45 in Kohl's Cash. Alternatively, there are a wide variety of bundles with different games and freebies, as laid out below. What you won't find are deals on Xbox One X. A used Xbox 360 will be free with a mail-in rebate at GameStop, however.
If you're looking for controllers, again, many retailers will offer a standard discount of $20, bringing the cheapest options to $40. Different Xbox Live Gold subscriptions will be discounted, with perhaps the best option being a three-month membership for $10 at Best Buy. Microsoft has discounted both a month of Xbox Live Gold and a one-month membership to its Xbox Game Pass service to $1, but only for new subscribers. Additionally, a variety of headsets will be discounted.
Meanwhile, the Xbox Store Black Friday sale has just begun for Xbox Live Gold members; everyone else will get access to it on November 21. It includes hundreds of games, bundles, and DLC packs at nice prices (if, generally speaking, not as cheap as their physical counterparts). There are far too many to list below, but you can see them all here. Both Xbox One and Xbox 360 games are included, including a number of backwards compatible titles on the latter.
You can check out our comprehensive list of physical Xbox One deals below. As noted above, this is an evolving list--we'll update it as we find out about more deals. Amazon has not revealed its offerings yet In the meantime, check our what we know about below, or see what's available on other platforms and at specific retailers through these links:
It's almost Black Friday. The annual shopping bonanza is coming up this Friday, November 25, and there are going to be quite a lot of video game deals to be had. One game marked down nicely is Ubisoft's newly released Assassin's Creed Origins on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
The ambitious, open-world game set in Ancient Egypt launched on October 27 behind a mostly positive critical reception. Best Buy and Target will have the title for only $35 on Black Friday, while Toys R Us will offer the game for $40. Meanwhile, GameStop will offer a discount on the game + Season Pass, cutting it down to $70. The Ubisoft Store's Black Friday PC game sale is now underway, dropping the computer version to $40.
While you have to wait until Black Friday for those deals, the Xbox and PlayStation Stores are selling Origins right now for only $42. If you're OK without a disc and want to play right now, that's a nice option to have.
GameSpot's Assassin's Creed: Origins review scored the game a 7/10. Reviewer Alessandro Fillari said the game reaches new heights in its Egypt setting, but unfortunately, the game "routinely runs into issues that bog down the overall experience." You can read our full review here.
A new Origins update released last week squashed some bugs and made other tweaks to the experience; here are the patch notes. You can check out a complete list of Assassin's Creed: Origins deals for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One below. We'll continue to update this as more Black Friday ads are revealed. You can also check out all of our other Black Friday coverage through the links at the bottom of this post.
Black Friday 2017 is almost here. Lots and lots of games are on sale this year, including new releases. Ubisoft's South Park: The Fractured But Whole is among them, with a handful of big retailers offering the game's PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions on the cheap.
It looks like Walmart has the best deal this year, offering the game for only $29 on Black Friday. Target has it for $30, while Best Buy will sell the turn-based game for $35 and Toys R Us and GameStop for $40. The Ubisoft Store's Black Friday sale is now underway and drops the PC version to $40. Given that the game only just came out in October, those are some pretty sweet deals.
Like its predecessor, The Stick of Truth, Fractured but Whole puts players in the role of the New Kid, who moves into South Park and joins a superhero team with Cartman and other South Park mainstays. GameSpot's Fractured But Whole review scored the game an 8/10. Reviewer Miguel Concepcion said, "It's an accomplishment that this game will wholly entertain devoted fans while delivering a heap of jokes that won't fly over the heads of casual viewers."
You can check out a complete list of South Park: The Fractured But Whole deals for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One below. We'll continue to update this as more Black Friday ads are revealed. You can also check out all of our other Black Friday coverage through the links at the bottom of this post.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole Black Friday Deals
Not content to just let retailers provide discounts on its own products, Ubisoft has launched its own Black Friday sale ahead of the big shopping day. In addition to dropping the price of many of the publisher's newest PC games, you'll also find deals on its older games and a variety of merchandise themed around those games, ranging from South Park figurines to Assassin's Creed clothing.
As for merchandise, you can pick up a South Park: Fractured But Whole figurine of Mysterion for $40 (down from $50) or a Coon tricycle for $60 (from $80). A Wildlands backpack can be had for $30 (from $60), Rainbow Six Siege figurines are $15 each (from $20), and an Assassin's Creed canvas backpack is $48 (from $60).
These prices are available from now until November 26; you can see everything on sale here. At least in the case of the games, you may want to do some comparison shopping--there haven't been a ton of deals on PC games announced so far, although GOG and the Humble Store have both launched their respective Black Friday sales. Steam is expected to do the same on November 22. You can check out all of our Black Friday coverage through the links below.
Capcom has unveiled another batch of DLC costumes for Street Fighter V. A set of Christmas-themed outfits will be added to the game next week, just in time for the holiday season, and they'll be accompanied by a set of retro costumes that same day.
A total of 10 DLC costumes will be released next week, four of which are holiday-themed outfits for Kolin, Alex, Cammy, and Menat. Alex's new outfit has him don a Santa hat and coat, while both Cammy and Menat's costumes feature cat ears. You can check them out in the gallery below.
Alongside the holiday costumes, Capcom is also releasing a set nostalgia costumes for Karin, Birdie, Balrog, and Chun-Li. Karin sports the outfit she wore in Street Fighter Alpha 3; Balrog dons the attire he wore as a boss in Street Fighter II; and Birdie and Chun-Li's new outfits are inspired by the ones each character wore in Street Fighter Alpha. Chun-Li also gets an additional pair of combat costumes. You can see all of them below.
All 10 of the new DLC costumes will be available on PS4 and PC via Steam on November 29. You can purchase each of the outfits individually for $4.
Today, Bungie is set to host the second of three livestreams dedicated to Destiny 2's upcoming Curse of Osiris DLC expansion pack. Whereas the first focused on the new location, story, and characters, this second stream will deal with new activities that you'll be able to take part in on Mercury. The stream is scheduled to take place at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET / 7 PM GMT (6 AM AET on Wednesday, November 22), and you can watch it through the stream below.
As with the first one, we don't know many specifics about what will be shown. Bungie says it'll offer a look at activities on Mercury, including those in the Infinite Forest, which is a key area we got a look at during the initial reveal and the first livestream. The key tease involves the reveal of a new Public Event, which is the "biggest [Bungie has] ever delivered in Destiny." While we'd assume it involves the Vex, given that they are central to Curse of Osiris's story, we do know that the Cabal are also present on Mercury. We'll report back with all the details once they're announced.
Assuming this follows the schedule from last week, you can expect today's stream to last about an hour. The first one showed off the revamped Lighthouse and other areas on Mercury, new gear for each class, the return of the Heroic Strikes playlist, and a post-campaign system through which you can acquire new weapons. Most notably, though, we learned about Raid Lairs, which are smaller but completely redesigned versions of the Leviathan Raid, complete with new encounters and a different final boss.
The final Curse of Osiris stream is scheduled for November 29 and will further showcase the expansion's new gear. It then launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC a week later, on December 5. It will be sold on its own and as part of the $35 Expansion Pass. Its release will coincide with that of an update adding PS4 Pro and Xbox One X enhancements to Destiny 2.
As always, Black Friday is shaping up to have a ton of deals--many of them worthwhile. Whether you're shopping for games, consoles, TVs, movies, or any number of other things, there's a lot to keep track of. Different retailers have their own sets of deals starting at different times and with varying bonuses--you have to do a lot of homework to keep things straight.
We've been keeping track of Black Friday deals in the lead up to the big day, breaking things down into retailer- and platform-specific stories. Below, you'll find a complete roundup of all of our big Black Friday coverage and some highlights from each. You can check out the individual posts for comprehensive lists of everything that will be on sale for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, 3DS, and PC. There's even a Wii U deal or two to be had.
More deals continue to be announced in the lead up to Black Friday, and some have already gone live. For instance, you can already pick up a $200 PS4 or a year of PS Plus for $40, $10 4K movies like Wonder Woman, and $39 PS4 or Xbox One controllers. Humble Bundle's fall sale has also begun, and we're expecting the Steam Black Friday sale to begin on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Xbox Live and PSN sales are ongoing, the latter of which will soon expand to include more games.
We'll continue to update these stories with the latest and best deals as we get more details. Expect plenty more, with Steam, GOG, Amazon, and other sales still likely to come as get closer to the big shopping day. Cyber Monday will follow soon after and should bring even more sale prices for whatever you might be looking to buy.
Black Friday 2017 Platform-Specific Deals
PS4
Sony's current-gen console will have a ton of deals this year--and a number of them are already live. You can already get a PS4 for $200, which is $100 off its usual price, but you'll want to wait for Black Friday if you're seeking the best possible deal, as you'll be able to get some bonuses for that same price. PS4 Pro drops to $350, DualShock 4 controllers are $40, and PSVR drops to as little as $200 (or $300 if you're interested in a bundle with a new game and the required camera). Some of the year's biggest games are also on sale, including Call of Duty: WWII for $40, Assassin's Creed Origins for $35, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy for $20. And if you're in need of PS Plus, you can get it for cheap right now.
As with Sony's console, there is a wide variety of deals on Xbox One and its games and accessories. The cheapest options bring the console down to $190 with some added bonuses, depending on where you pick it up. Higher prices also introduce more bundles and free games, but (at least as of this writing) you won't find the new Xbox One X on sale. Xbox One controllers drop to $40 at their cheapest, while new subscribers can pick up a month of Xbox Live Gold and/or Xbox Game Pass for just $1. In terms of games, Forza Motorsport 7 drops to $29, Gears of War 4 can be had for $15, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will be $25.
As a newer platform, Nintendo Switch doesn't enjoy quite as many deals as Microsoft or Sony's systems. The system itself will be in stock at many stores, based on its appearance in their flyers, but at a regular price. You will, however, find some accessories on sale, such as a $20 Joy-Con charging station. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's new Explorer's Edition drops to $49, while 1-2-Switch can be had for as little as $20. A variety of other worthwhile games, including The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, Puyo Puyo Tetris, and Disgaea 5: Complete Edition will all be $20 each.
Nintendo's older platform doesn't get as much attention as it used to, thanks to Switch's dual console/handheld nature, but those in the market for one (or just looking to pick up some games) will still have some options this Black Friday. Nintendo will introduce a special new green Zelda 2DS system for Black Friday that comes with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for $80. Pokemon Sun and Moon will be available for $29 each, while Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will go for $20.
Best Buy will have some of the best deals on games this Black Friday--but keep in mind that the 20% discount granted with Gamers Club Unlocked will not stack with Black Friday deals. That said, you can get an Xbox One S with Madden 18 and a free second controller for $230, or an exclusive Red Crystal DualShock 4 PS4 controller for $40. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be $20, while Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and The Evil Within 2 will each be $25. Additionally, Best Buy will have the best deal we've seen on Call of Duty: WWII, with a doorbuster deal dropping it to $40.
GameStop is often somewhat conservative with its deals, but it has some of this year's best Black Friday offers. It's throwing in a $50 gift card with the $200 PS4, and it's the only retailer we've seen (so far) to discount the PS4 Pro (bringing it to $350). It's also got some great prices on games, like Destiny 2 for $27 with a free Cayde-6 figure and Middle-earth: Shadow of War for $25. Additionally, it'll sell the Steam Link for a mere $5 and the GameStop-exclusive red Xbox One controller for $55.
Target has one of the best Xbox One S deals, throwing in a $25 gift card on top of the $190 price. Various Switch games are on sale, along with Resident Evil 7, Final Fantasy XV, For Honor, and Skyrim: Special Edition for $15 each. One of the bigger discounts on Call of Duty: WWII, dropping it to $45, can also be found at Target.
Xbox One and PS4 controllers will drop to $40 at Toys R Us on Black Friday, while Call of Duty: WWII will be $45. Destiny 2, NBA 2K18, and WWE 2K18 all drop to $35, and Persona 5 will be $30. The store will also be among those offering $190 Xbox One systems and $200 PS4s.
Walmart in many cases beats other retailers' prices, even if only by $1, which is still something. It's taking $50 off all Xbox One S bundles, so you'll be able to pick out just the one you want. Xbox One and PS4 controllers will be $39 each, including the Walmart-exclusive Crystal Blue DualShock 4. Walmart is also the only retailer we've seen with a deal on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, dropping its new Explorer's Edition to $49.
The Microsoft Store will have a variety of things on sale for Xbox One and PC fans, though in terms of specific games, we won't know exact pricing until Black Friday begins. However, there are a ton of different Xbox One bundles that are worth considering if you're in the market for the system. Many of these come with multiple free games of your choosing--and in many cases, those include new releases like Star Wars Battlefront II and Call of Duty: WWII.
The first portion of the PlayStation Store's Black Friday sale has been fairly limited--it only included a select number of PS4 games, and it's only open to PlayStation Plus members. Non-PS Plus members will gain access on November 21, when the sale will expand to include many more games.
Similar to the PlayStation Store sale, only Xbox Live Gold members have access to the Xbox Live sale until November 21. However, all of its deals are already live, and it includes a huge number of games across both Xbox One and Xbox 360 (including many backwards compatible titles).
Those in the market for PC hardware have a variety of options at Micro Center, which has already taken its deals live. That includes both accessories (the G502 Proteus Spectrum RGB mouse is $60, while the MK270 wireless keyboard and mouse combo are $20) and components. RAM and storage--both of the SSD and HDD variety--are discounted, as are pre-built computers for those who don't want to deal with any of the fuss.
Kohl's may not be a store you think of when it comes to games or game hardware, but it may be your best option for certain things this Black Friday. That includes purchasing a PS4, as the $200 system comes with $60 in Kohl's Cash (which is basically a limited-time gift card). You can get $45 in Kohl's cash with a $190 Xbox One S, and PS4 and Xbox One controllers will drop to $40.
Costco has some premium bundles that me up your alley if you're interested in what's included. A $220 Xbox One S bundle comes with an extra controller and three months of Xbox Game Pass, while a $290 PS4 includes Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: WWII. Keep in mind that you'll need to be a member to take advantage.
Prior to Black Friday, the Humble Store has launched its big fall sale, which essentially functions as an extended Black Friday promotion. To start out, you can get Brutal Legend for free until November 22. If you're interested in something specific, there's a good chance it's on sale, with more than 1,000 PC games discounted. LA Noire: Complete Edition is $18, Project Coaster is $20, Resident Evil 7 is $30, and Hotline Miami is $2.50, among many other deals.
While we don't know what to expect from Amazon on Black Friday itself, the website's pre-Black Friday deals are already available. In the UK, that includes a £200 Xbox One S bundle with games like Shadow of War or Star Wars Battlefront II. The store is also among those to offer the UK's PS4 Pro deal.
As is to be expected from a store brazen enough to name itself Game, the UK retailer will have games on sale this Black Friday. Many of its offers are on pre-owned items, like a 500 GB PS4 for £150 and a 500 GB Xbox One for £130. In terms of new games, you'll find Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition for £25 and Divinity: Original Sin for £10.
Black Friday 2017 Retailer-Specific Tech / Movie / TV Show Deals
Best Buy
Best Buy has a lot of TVs on sale, though as always, you'll want to do some research before jumping on any deals (there's a lot to consider, especially if you'll use it for gaming). Numerous movies will be discounted as well, including 4K Blu-rays of Wonder Woman, Fate of the Furious, and John Wick for $10 each.
Like Best Buy, Target has a number of TVs on sale, although many of these skew toward being lower-priced models, if that's what you're looking for. A number of Amazon devices, including the new Echo Show, are on sale, and you'll be able to find cheap Blu-rays--including Kong: Skull Island, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man Homecoming, and Logan for $10 each.
Walmart, too, has a variety of sub-$1000 TVs on sale, as well as Google Chromecast for $20 and the Netgear Nighthawk router for $89. A variety of Blu-rays can be had for $10, including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Baby Driver, and Logan. $6 Blu-ray options include the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Deadpool, and John Wick.
Black Friday 2017 is still a few days away, but Microsoft has kicked off the Xbox Store's big annual sale. There is a huge number of games discounted as part of it, and following an Xbox Live Gold-only period, everyone now has access to the sale. Provided you're interested in digital games, you'll probably be able to find something you're interested in. [Update: The Xbox Store's Black Friday sale is now open to everyone, and are joined by some additional offers through the usual Deals With Gold. Those include a notable omission from the games below--Middle-earth: Shadow of War is $36, but only for Xbox Live Gold members.]
As you'd expect, the bulk of the offers are available on Xbox One, where you'll find hundreds of games discounted. There's also a ton of DLC on sale, but for our comprehensive list, we've focused on games, special editions, bundles, and season passes, rather than individual DLC packs. In many cases, these prices aren't the best ones available this Black Friday; physical copies are often cheaper, as you can see in our roundup of all the Xbox One Black Friday 2017 game deals. But if you're looking for the convenience of digital games, the premium may be worth it.
Below, you'll find our comprehensive list of all the Xbox One games, bundles, and season passes on sale. We've also included a limited selection of Xbox 360 games that support backwards compatibility on Xbox One. The full list is available on the Xbox website. For deals on hardware and accessories, as well as physical games, check out our full Xbox One Black Friday 2017 deals roundup. You can also see all of our Black Friday coverage through the links below.
Resident Evil Revelations and Resident Evil Revelations 2 are coming to Nintendo Switch on November 28, but it's only now we're learning the games will not be appearing on store shelves in Europe. Instead, the region will only receive the titles via the Eshop, with their physical versions remaining exclusive to North America.
Publisher Capcom indicated to GameSpot that releasing a boxed version of the games in Europe would not be viable. "Capcom has to take various factors into account when deciding what format to deliver our titles to our fans," reads a statement from the publisher. "These can include but are not limited to overall production costs, manufacturing times, distribution, and first party regulations. In the case of Resident Evil Revelations, we've found that unfortunately it's not viable for Capcom Europe to create a physical version of the title on Nintendo Switch for our territories, however we will be making this available as a digital release."
Even in North America, the games' boxed edition isn't quite complete. The cartridge contains Resident Evil Revelations, but you'll have to download Revelations 2 separately. That physical release costs $40 in the US. In the UK, you can grab the double pack from the Eshop for £40 or each game for £20 individually.
Resident Evil: Revelations originally debuted on 3DS back in 2012 and was subsequently ported to PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC the following year, before coming to PS4 and Xbox One earlier in 2017. The game stars popular Resident Evil protagonists Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, who are trapped aboard a derelict cruise ship infested with the zombie-like Ooze monsters. Its sequel was released as an episodic title for last gen, current gen, PS Vita, and PC in 2015 and takes place between the events of Resident Evil 5 and 6.
In other Resident Evil news, Capcom recently announced a definitive Gold Edition of the series' latest installment, Resident Evil 7. That package releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on December 12 and includes the base game along with its three DLC expansions: Banned Footage Vol. 1, Banned Footage Vol. 2, and the new End of Zoe. That day also marks the release of the delayed Not a Hero DLC, a free chapter that pits Chris Redfield against the "horrors that lurk underneath the Baker's mansion."
Whether successful or not, Rime is almost entirely focused on evoking emotional reactions. It's a shame, then, that when playing its Nintendo Switch port, I could only think about cold, hard numbers like frame rate and resolution.
As with the PS4 and Xbox One versions, the Nintendo Switch edition of Rime suffers from frame rate issues. It's much worse than those platforms, however. In some of its more open areas, Rime slows down dramatically, dragging you out of the ostensibly affecting story it's trying to tell and into the realm of that most exciting and touching subject: mathematics.
The problem is (mostly) lessened when you're indoors, but here frame dips are still common--and in any case, saying it's fine when you're inside is little consolation when Rime's main attractions lie outside the front door and in its colorful landscapes. Developer Tequila Works and publisher Grey Box have addressed some of the port's early criticism by saying, "Rime runs at 30 FPS in 720p throughout most of the game while docked. This is a considerable improvement from where the game was at earlier this year when we announced the first delay."
They continued: "With Rime being very open in many locations, it's incredibly difficult to get these level segments small enough to not cause a hiccup in performance. We were faced with the choice of adding loading screens throughout the stages, rebuilding the game completely to be more closed in (undermining the product vision in the process), or living with these small hiccups to preserve what the game was intended to be. We chose the latter."
Undocking the Switch can help smoothen out the frame rate a little, but playing Rime while on the go isn't ideal either: this drops the resolution down to levels of blur only seen when I try and use my iPhone after eating a pizza. The decrease in fidelity makes it hard to see what you're doing or where you're going, and distracts from the story Rime attempts to tell.
"When looking at the handheld mode, we had to make a choice between lowering the resolution, removing/replacing major parts of the level geometry, or having a bigger hit in performance," Grey Box and Tequila Works said of the game in undocked mode. "We decided to go for the former, because it allows us to maintain the integrity of the gameplay experience."
Of course, Rime's allure mostly lies in its aesthetic rather than in raw graphical power, and much of that natural beauty has survived the porting process. However, some textures appear rougher than on PS4 and Xbox One, and our nameless protagonist has grown a jagged edge or two.
Rime's comparisons to Zelda may have helped its public perception before and even after its PS4 / Xbox One release. But with this Switch port now complete and available worldwide this week, any such comparisons are no longer favorable for Rime. In a time and on a console where the big and beautiful Breath of the Wild exists and looks as good as it does, Rime's shortcomings are exposed more than ever.
Nintendo's latest mobile game, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, is available now worldwide on both iOS and Android. That's a day ahead of its intended release date, November 22.
Be warned: although the game is live on the App Store and Google Play, some players are reporting its servers as being unstable right now, with with occasional connection errors. (Pocket Camp requires an internet connection to work.) Things seem to have improved in the past few hours, however.
The game's design, sound, and overall gameplay will be familiar to anyone's who's played the full-fledged entires in the series, and there'll be an assortment of returning activities and mechanics. In addition to customizing your character and your living area (in this case, an RV camper), you'll also lay out furniture and themed items across the game's campground setting. There'll be a real-time day/night cycle, and you'll have the ability to visit shops run by the regular game cast to purchase new clothing and furniture to customize your personal space. And it wouldn't be an Animal Crossing game without the ability to go into deep debt. Instead of Tom Nook, however, Pocket Camp has OK Motors, where you can purchase major upgrades that expand your RV's interior and allow you to trick out your in-game camper.
Pocket Camp is free on iOS and Android, though it does contain microtransactions; you can spend real money to purchase "Leaf Tickets" to speed up your progress. These can also be acquired through gameplay.
Pocket Camp was initially due out sooner, but Nintendo delayed it to make room for Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Run. Now it's out however, Pocket Camp will receive regular content updates, including "seasonal events" along with furniture and outfit items that you can get for a limited time.
Pokemon Go's latest event, titled the Global Catch Challenge, is now live worldwide. It tasks players with catching huge numbers of Pokemon to earn rewards for everyone. The top level prize will see Farfetch'd being made available to catch around the world after previously being exclusive to Japan. Japanese players, meanwhile, will receive the previously Australia-exclusive Kangaskhan.
Those rewards will unlock at Gold level--after 3 billion Pokemon are caught around the world. Bronze level (500 million monsters caught) has already been reached, unlocking double XP and 6-hour lures. If you want to join and help the community get to 3 billion catches, you'd better be swift: the event ends on Sunday, November 26.
Black Friday 2017 is still a few days away, but you can already grab some retailers' early cheap deals. If you're in the US, check out all the PS4 Black Friday deals or a bunch of Xbox One Black Friday deals; otherwise, scroll down to see Amazon's early Black Friday UK deals--including games and console bundles for PS4 and Xbox One.
Amazon is also offering the new PS4 Pro deal--which bundles a 1 TB PS4 Pro with Call of Duty: WWII and FIFA 18 for £300--as well as the current PlayStation Plus offer. That bags you 12 months of PS Plus for £37.50.
When it comes to games, Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition is £25 on PS4 and Xbox One, while Destiny 2 is down to £29 on both platforms. The only other standalone game currently on offer is PS4's Yakuza Kiwami, which is down to £21.50.
Some of Amazon's deals are exclusive to Prime members, while others are only good for a few hours. The company is adding more deals multiple times per day; check out the sale page here or keep an eye on GameSpot, where we'll keep you informed of any great deals.
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