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22 years ago (gosh!) saw the games press all abuzz about Game Arts’ JRPG Grandia, calling it Sega Saturn’s answer to Final Fantasy VII. Did it deliver? Its numerous fans sure thought so, and in 2000 IGN itself ranked Grandia’s later Sony PlayStation port as the 17th best PlayStation game of all time.
The hugely successful DC movie Joker maintained its hold on the US box office Top 10 this weekend. The film made a highly impressive $55 million on its second weekend to bring its domestic total to $192.7 million, giving it the largest ever October second weekend gross. Worldwide, Joker has made $543.9 million and already stands as the ninth biggest DC movie of all time.
Unsurprisingly, there was something of a gap between Joker and its nearest box office rival. The new animated movie of The Addams Family entered the chart at No. 2, with an estimated weekend gross of $30.2 million. However, as Box Office Mojo states, this was in line with estimates, and the movie could continue to do well with its target younger audience as we approach Halloween.
The same can’t be said for Gemini Man. The Will Smith-starring sci-fi action thriller could only make No. 3, with an estimated gross of $20.5 million. Internationally, Gemini Man made an additional $39 million, but given the reported production budget of the Ang Lee-directed movie was $138 million, this was a very disappointing result.
The animated movie Abominable fell to No.4 in its third week, while the TV spin-off Downton Abbey slipped to No.5. The latter in particular has been a big success–it has a production budget of just $20 million, but has made over $152 million worldwide so far. In the bottom half of the Top 10, Hustlers, Judy, and It: Chapter 2 dropped to No. 6, 7, and 8 respectively. The week’s third new entry, the comedy Jexi, made its debut at No. 9, with an estimated $3.1 million gross.
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Here’s some news to brighten up your Monday: Amazon is offering some killer discounts on a wide range of games for PS4 and Xbox One right now, as well as some Switch and PC deals. From new releases like Borderlands 3 and Control to games from earlier this year, like Resident Evil 2 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, there are a ton of great games available at some of the lowest prices we’ve seen.
With these deals, Amazon is likely price-matching Target, as the latter retailer is once again offering its 25% off with same-day pickup deal all week long. While you’ll need to drive to your local Target to take advantage of that offer, you can find most of the same deals at Amazon with free one- or two-day shipping included. Because it’s Amazon we’re talking about, there’s no telling how long these discounts will be available, so don’t wait too long if you see anything on your wishlist.
Some of the best deals include Remedy’s new mind-bending thriller, Control, which is down to $37.49, and Gearbox Software’s latest loot-shooter, Borderlands 3, which is already on sale for $45 (Xbox One only). If you’re interested in the Super Deluxe Edition of Borderlands 3, which includes the Season Pass, bonus content, and a steelbook case, it’s down to $75 from $100 on both PS4 and Xbox One. You’ll also find more of 2019’s biggest releases for cheap, including Days Gone for $30, Resident Evil 2 for $28.49, Devil May Cry 5 for $26.24, and Mortal Kombat 11 for $31.87.
Unfortunately, pickings are slim on the Switch side of things (the Target sale focuses on PS4 and Xbox One titles), but you can snag a few upcoming Switch games at a nice price, including Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for $41.88 (out tomorrow), the Resident Evil Triple Pack for $50 (out October 29), and Just Dance 2020 for $33.84 (out November 5). The nice thing about Amazon pre-orders is that if the price drops even lower between now and when the item ships, you’ll only be charged the cheapest price that’s appeared on Amazon.
There’s also an interesting deal available for PC gamers, particularly those interested in streaming. Amazon is offering a bundle with the Blue Condenser Microphone in Cool Grey and Assassin’s Creed Origins for $87.29, down from $140. The microphone normally costs around $130 on its own, so this is an excellent deal if you’re looking to get into Twitch streaming, podcasting, or anything else where you’ll need good audio.
There are countless deals available right now, but you can check out our picks for the best deals below. You can also check out all the deals available at Target and Amazon. Please note that many of the below prices will be displayed during checkout. When looking at a product listing, you’ll see a tiny message under the price reflecting the additional discount. Due to the ever-fluctuating nature of Amazon’s prices, the below discounts are subject to change without notice.
PS4:
Xbox One:
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Microsoft is introducing new text filtering options on Xbox One consoles, giving players more control over what kinds of messages they receive. The company says this is both to improve parental controls and reduce online harassment and bullying.
According to the announcement, you’ll be able to select a set of new automated text filters soon. Those will start with private messages, and then expand into other areas like profiles, Clubs, and your Activity Feed. The filters come in four settings–Friendly, Medium, Mature, and Unfiltered–but you’ll be able to set those content levels individually for different message types, like those from Friends versus message requests from Internet randos.
“For example, we recognize that while some adults use profanity without any ill intent while gaming, parents with small children likely won’t find this same experience acceptable,” the announcement states. “Similarly, there are differences between the everyday speech you’d use with your friends and harmful insults that could negatively impact anyone. With this in mind, we’ve ensured our safety settings are configurable along a spectrum from most filtered to least filtered so you can choose what is best for you.”
When a message hits the filter, you’ll see a message warning that potentially offensive content was sent, and you can click on the placeholder to change the settings. Adult accounts will be able to see the content that has been filtered out. Child accounts will be set to the highest filtering level by default, but parents can change it as needed.
The text filters are going to Xbox Insiders now, and will begin populating among the larger community later this month. Once the feature is live for you, you can find it under Settings > General > Online safety & family > Message safety.
When Disney announced its ambitious plans for a new Star Wars-themed expansion at its Disneyland and Disney World theme parks, it wasn’t necessarily the rides or the merchandise that got fans excited (although, sure, who doesn’t want to pilot the Millennium Falcon or build a lightsaber?) it was the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a galaxy far, far away. (And Disney World’s upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel promises to take that concept to a whole new level.)
So, you’ve got the perfect PC gaming setup with a huge monitor, tunable gaming mouse, RGB gaming keyboard, and of course a gaming PC with more cores than an apple farm. As you sit at your throne, you look to your side and your mouse is sitting on top of an old magazine. Don’t…don’t be that person. The best mouse pads for gaming are a huge step up from whatever substitute you’re using right now. While it’s probably one of the least expensive components in your gaming setup, it’s worth investing in a quality mouse pad. Your aim will improve, and so will your K/D ratio.
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Regigigas is finally making its debut in Pokemon Go next month, but before it arrives in EX Raids, you’ll have another chance to catch the other three Legendary titans. Regirock, Regice, and Registeel are returning to standard Raids for a limited time beginning November 1, and this time around, you’ll also have a chance of encountering their Shiny forms.
The three Legendary Pokemon will appear in five-star Raids until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on November 4, giving you only a couple of days to capture them. The three titans are known for their high defense stats, so to help you take them on, Pokemon that are effective against the Legendaries will appear more frequently in the game.
In particular, Geodude, Magnemite, Swinub, Aron, and Spheal will spawn more frequently in the wild. Meanwhile, Aerodactyl, Shuckle, Sneasel, Skarmory, Snorunt, and Beldum will be more likely to hatch from eggs, and incubators will be twice as effective as normal during that three-day span, allowing you to hatch eggs more quickly. You can read more about the titans’ return on the Pokemon Go website.
As previously mentioned, the Legendary Regigigas will appear for the first time in EX Raids later in the month, but if you don’t want to wait until then, you’ll have the option to encounter it early by purchasing an event ticket. This will give you access to a Special Research story event called “A Colossal Discovery.” The event takes place on November 2 from 11 AM to 7 PM local time and culminates in an encounter with Regigigas.
Unlike other in-game items in Pokemon Go, however, the event ticket cannot be purchased with Poke Coins–you’ll need to shell out $8 USD if you’re thinking of picking one up. This is the first time Pokemon Go has locked events behind a paywall; previous Special Research questlines were available for free to all players. If you don’t choose to get a ticket, you can still encounter Regigigas in EX Raids later in November, but you’ll need to receive an invitation to participate in those battles.
In the meantime, Pokemon Go’s Halloween 2019 event kicks off this Thursday, October 17. For a limited time, you’ll be able to encounter costume-wearing starter Pokemon in Raids, while a Pikachu wearing a Mimikyu costume can be found in the wild. The Legendary Dark-type Darkrai will also make its first appearance in Raid Battles as part of the event.
We may have seen the last of Ben Affleck’s big screen Batman, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be seeing plenty of the Dark Knight in the years to come. Not only are we getting a proper origin story for the Clown Prince of Crime in the upcoming Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, but Batman himself is being rebooted once more as well with Robert Pattinson playing the Caped Crusader this time around. And now we know X-Men: First Class’ Zoe Kravitz has been cast as Selina Kyle.
Back in August, it was reported that Halo Infinite creative director Tim Longo left 343 Industries as part of a leadership shuffle. Over the weekend, Halo Infinite executive producer and lead campaign producer Mary Olson also left 343, inciting concern over the status of Microsoft’s next Halo game.
Now, an employee at 343 Industries has clarified what Olson’s departure actually means for the Halo Infinite project.
Over the weekend, various online posts began appearing on Reddit and Resetera reporting that Olson left 343. Given the fact that 343 announced Olson would take over the Halo Infinite Campaign team as lead producer, many wondered whether 343 was undergoing a leadership crisis. Following the speculation, Halo community manager John Junyszek decided to clarify Olson’s departure.