biteho.com

As usual, Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019 brought on a whirlwind of deals this past weekend, with numerous appealing console bundles, accessory deals, game discounts, gaming membership markdowns, and much more. As usual, some of the most popular deals, like a PS4 Slim holiday bundle with console-exclusive games, quickly sold out, but fortunately for budget-savvy gamers who may have had other plans this weekend, there’s still a chance to cash in on some of Cyber Monday’s best gaming deals this week. Over time, the shopping bonanza has expanded, converting the week after Thanksgiving to Cyber Week.

Quite a few good console bundles are still available. Notably, a great Nintendo Switch bundle just went live at Walmart, featuring the newer model Switch with Mario Red Joy-Cons, $20 Eshop credit, and a carrying case for $299. You can also find a PS4 Pro with Marvel’s Spider-Man GOTY Edition for $300 and the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition for $149.

To help you snag some of the best Cyber Week deals and hopefully cross some more names off your holiday shopping list, we’ve rounded up all the best gaming deals at participating stores like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, GameStop, and more. Overall, the best Cyber Week deals we’ve seen are at Amazon, Walmart, and Ebay–the pickings are slim elsewhere.

Cyber Week gaming deals to grab now

Best Cyber Week game deals

Best Cyber Week console deals

Best Cyber Week accessory deals

Arcade machine deals

Super Mario Maker 2’s second post-launch update arrives this week, and it’s a big one. With the Ver 2.0 update, Nintendo is introducing a slew of new tools to the level creation game. On top of new enemies, the company is adding a handful of new course parts for you to tinker with, such as frozen coins that can be thawed out by fire and a dash pad–exclusive to the Super Mario 3D World game style–that propels Mario forward at great speeds.

The biggest addition to the game, however, is the ability to play as Link, the elfin hero from the Legend of Zelda series. Mario can transform into the Hylian adventurer after grabbing the Master Sword, a new power-up that can be used exclusively in the original Super Mario Bros. game style. Mario’s appearance isn’t all that changes when he picks up a Master Sword; he also gains access to Link’s repertoire of skills, such as the ability to Pegasus dash through enemies and deflect projectiles with his shield.

The most exciting aspect about the Master Sword power-up, however, is that it opens up a whole new range of gameplay possibilities. In the video above, we test out the new tools coming in Mario Maker 2’s Ver 2.0 update and share our thoughts on what they add to the game.Super Mario Maker 2 is available exclusively for Nintendo Switch. We gave the title an 8/10 in our Super Mario Maker 2 review and called it “a robust level creation tool and a fantastic open-ended platformer.” If you’re a novice course maker or need some inspiration, be sure to check out our tips on how to make a good level. You can also try your hand at some of the GameSpot staff’s best courses.

As 2019 comes to a close, GameSpot is looking back on the year that was. As usual, that includes coming up with a game of the year, but before that, we’re looking at what Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and the PC industry have done in 2019. First up is Microsoft.

In the video above, Jake Dekker, Peter Brown, and Jordan Ramée talk about Microsoft and the Xbox One family of consoles. The crux of the conversation focuses on Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s console and PC service that allows subscribers to download a library of titles for a fraction of their total retail price. Game Pass is the best feature the Xbox One has going for it in the ongoing console war–the PS4 and Switch have nothing like it–and, this year, the subscription service let you download several stellar titles the day they launched, such as Gears 5 and The Outer Worlds, and promoted smaller indie games like Outer Wilds and Afterparty.

The trio are also intrigued by what Microsoft did with Project xCloud in 2019 and excited to see that all those studio acquisitions in 2018 are leading to a wide variety of first-party titles for Xbox One in 2020. Microsoft’s continued support of accessibility in games is nice to see too, and Xbox One now has one of the nicest controllers out there with the Elite Series 2. Overall it was a good year for Microsoft–the best it’s had in a very long time–and it left the group feeling optimistic about what is planned for Xbox One and Project Scarlett in 2020.

For more of GameSpot’s end-of-the-year content, check out our report card for Sony / PlayStation 4. We have two more report cards scheduled too: PC and Nintendo / Switch.

Nihon Falcom’s JRPG The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 will release on the Nintendo Switch sometime in Spring 2020. As the third entry in the sub-series, this marks the first time fans will be able to bring the game on-the-go. Set sometime after Trails of Cold Steel 2, you’ll continue the story of Rean Schwarzer and his fellow cadets as they take on more dangerous enemies while forming bonds with new allies.

In this exclusive gameplay video showcasing an early look at the Switch release, we dive into one of the game’s dungeons, battling monsters and learning more about our fellow party members. Running at 720p–in both docked and undocked modes–and at 30 frames-per-second, the game keeps things mostly consistent with the original PS4 release. The Switch edition of the game will also feature all DLC items release packed in, so players will get the complete experience with this version of the game.

For more on Trails of Cold Steel 3, check out our write-up on the Switch edition of the game and our full interview with the president of Nihon Falcom regarding the challenging localization process.