Pokémon’s 25th anniversary is in full swing and The Pokémon Company has celebrations galore, whether they be Katy Perry musical tributes or New Pokémon Snap. One of those ideas is partnering with McDonald’s to release Pokémon card packs for Happy Meals in what's actually a pretty cool promotion. It might be even better for kids, though, if adult collectors and scalpers weren't trying to hoard them all. 

So each “toy” comes in a cute Pikachu-themed Happy Meal box, contains a "surprise gift" (like some neat stickers), and a fancy sealed envelope containing four random cards. There are 25 different cards but each has a shiny variant, bringing the total set to 50 cards. The cards are based on the series’ starter Pokémon and feature the following: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Mudkip, Torchic, Treecko, Chimchar, Piplup, Turtwig, Oshawott, Snivy, Tepig, Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie, Litten, Popplio, Rowlet, Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble.

That all sounds great, but the problem for kids that might want these is that adult collectors, influencers, and, of course, scalpers are causing a frenzy by purchasing the packs in bulk to get the rarest cards. While some just want them as collectibles, others are buying them to flip on eBay and other auction sites for absurd prices. For example, I’ve seen eBay listings for the shiny Pikachu card on sale for between $75 and $200 and different bundle packs with multiple shiny cards go well over $100. That means some McDonald’s are selling out of the cards, leaving the average young Pokémon fan out in the cold. 

As Kotaku points out, the reason this is happening is because McDonald’s doesn’t have a unified rule for how to get a Happy Meal toy. Some locations require buying the meal but others will sell the toys separately. While some have limited stock on the toys, other restaurants have allowed customers to purchase dozens of card packs. For those forced to buy the meal, this has resulted in a lot of food being wasted in some cases, though some YouTubers have donated their unwanted meals to people in need. Regardless, I'm curious if McDonald's will address this in any way. They get the money regardless so unless The Pokémon Company expresses concern, any sort or regulation would be an act of goodwill more than anything. 

If you’re a Pokémon fan just looking to bolster your card collection, may the odds be ever in your favor. You’re free to do with your money as you wish, but maybe at least try to be a little considerate of the younger fanbase this promotion is actually aimed at. 

League Play launched this week for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alongside the recently released Firebase Z map for Zombie lovers; both are being addressed in the latest update alongside a few other key gameplay tweaks. 

With the launch of League Play, the team at Treyarch is listening closely to feedback to make this launch more enjoyable for all. Because of that, the below fixes have been made in addition to a few more added restrictions: 

Create-a-Class

• Players logging into League Play for the first time should now see preset CDL classes instead of empty custom classes in Create-a-Class.
• Players should now be able to save their custom classes properly in League Play.

Restrictions Added

• Attachments
  • Suppressors (All)
  • Task Force Barrel
  • Spetsnaz RPK Barrel
  • CMV MIL-Spec Barrel
  • Tiger Team Barrel
  • Mounted Flashlight
  • Target Designator
  • Tiger Team Spotlight
• Scorestreaks
  • Armor
  • War Machine
• Field Upgrades
  • Jammer
• Lethals
  • Molotov
• Perks
  • Gung-Ho

UI

• Updated the percentages listed on the Skill Divisions Overview screen.
• Addressed a dismissible UI error that could appear when exiting a League Play match in the After Action Report.

The Firebase Z addition to Zombies is also getting a few adjustments with the primary goal of stability in mind. A few bugs fixes here and there to make it more enjoyable are joined by two new changes for those that love to hunt for every camo option available. The first change targets the Special enemy class, allowing those takedowns to count towards the Elite eliminations weapon camo challenge. The second revolves around Orda eliminations, now counting for three Elite eliminations for that particular challenge.  

Below are the additional alterations made to Zombies in Black Ops Cold War: 

Stability

• Fixed crashes related to Essence Traps, Main Quest, and Tombstone Soda.

Challenges

• The particular enemy class now counts toward the Elite eliminations weapon camo challenge.
• Orda eliminations now count for 3 Elite eliminations toward weapon camo challenges.

Gameplay

• Closed an exploit where a player could teleport out of the Village using Aether Shroud Tier III.
• Addressed a rare issue where an Orda Assault Round could end prematurely.

Perks

• Tombstone Soda
  • Addressed an issue where the player's resources would not update upon collecting their stash.
  • Addressed an issue where the player could not pick up items after dying in shadow form under certain circumstances.
  • Addressed an issue where the player could die and not reach their body while fast-traveling in shadow form.

Wonder Weapon

• Addressed an issue with the RAI K-84 where offset visual effects could be seen after using the teleporter.

Intel

• Addressed an issue where the Dark Aether Artifact Intel was not being awarded properly during the Main Quest.

The latest Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War update is live for all players starting today. Sound off in the comment section below your thoughts on the latest patch and what you'd like to see the dev team tackle next! 

[Source: Treyarch]

Are you ready for BlizzCon? Due to Covid-19, many events of the last year and this year have shifted to the digital arena, and Blizzard's annual event falls into that space. This year, the event is known as BlizzConline. You'll be able to watch the entire event digitally on February 19-20. With the event kicking off soon, the schedule has been posted on the official website, which you can check out here.  

With many BlizzCon schedules, it can be hard to tell where the big reveals will be situated. With this year's event being completely digital, there are no mysterious blocks of time that might be hiding some big announcements. With the last BlizzCon playing host to a number of huge titles such as Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 both in playable forms, players are definitely looking for updates on the big games, whether it's release dates, gameplay updates, or any other details at all. Recently, it was revealed that Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV are both not expected to land this year. Of note, a big developer roundtable is on the slate for Diablo IV, along with a smattering of "What's Next" offerings from every major IP. And yes, I'm actually looking forward to Diablo Immortal.

Alongside the new, next, and upcoming features there are a variety of competitive events that should be fascinating viewing as well. There's a Hearthstone: Battlegrounds Exhibition that I'm definitely going to be tuning in for, as it's one of my favorite modes (it's actually just a completely different game) in Hearthstone. Everything is divided by channel and stage, so you can target the titles that you're most interested in after the opening ceremony.

Often, the biggest reveals are located in the opening ceremony, so if you don't plan on dialing down into your favorite games, that's the chunk of the show you definitely don't want to miss. While the other parts of the show are mainly for superfans looking for the exacting details, the opening ceremony is where we'll hear the biggest announcements.

What are you looking forward to seeing from BlizzCon? Are you going to be tuning in? Let us know in the comments below!