Author: Game Infliction

Daily Deals: Super Mario RPG, Apple Watch Series 9, Meta Quest 2

The weekend is finally here, and plenty of deals have arrived alongside it. From video games to new tech, there is no shortage of deals you don’t want to miss out on. The best deals for Saturday, February 3, include Super Mario RPG, Meta Quest 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, an LG 32″ gaming monitor, and more.

Super Mario RPG for $44.95

The recently released remake of Super Mario RPG is 25% off at Walmart right now, which is the lowest we’ve seen it so far. If you’ve yet to either play the original or check out the remake, this is the perfect time to do so. Composer Yoko Shimimura returned to compose the remake’s original soundtrack, and each boss and environment has been expertly recrafted for the Nintendo Switch. It’s the perfect Mario title to check out if you’ve already beaten Super Mario Bros. Wonder!

Save $100 Off Apple Watch Series 9

Best Buy currently has every Apple Watch Series 9 45mm model on sale for $329 right now. This is the latest Apple Watch, with new features like Double Tap. The 41mm models are also on sale, listed at $299. If you’ve yet to buy an Apple Watch or use an older generation model, this is a great deal to take advantage of and upgrade with.

Meta Quest 2 for $229

If you haven’t yet purchased a VR headset, this deal on the Quest 2 is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen for the headset. The Meta Quest 2 is an excellent VR headset that works great standalone or hooked up to a PC. You’ll be able to access your entire Steam library with Steam Link, either wired or wirelessly. The screen provides an 1832 x 1920 resolution per eye, with up to a 90Hz refresh rate.

Save $10 Off Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available on Amazon with a $10 discount! It’s rare to see the latest Nintendo Switch titles go on sale this early, especially big series like Mario. Wonder offers loads of exciting content you can play through, such as eight different worlds, three new powerups, and endless surprises with the Wonder Flower.

LG 32″ Ultra-Gear QHD 165Hz Gaming Monitor for $187

This LG Monitor has a steep discount you won’t want to miss out on. Originally priced at $349.99, you can pick this QHD 165Hz monitor up for just $187 from Walmart right now. At 32″, this is a big screen with all kinds of features to ensure you get the best playing experience possible. This monitor has SRGB 95% color gamut with HDR10 support, AMD FreeSync Premium, and a 1ms response time.

ROG Ally for $399.99

If you’ve been waiting to pick up a handheld PC, the ROG Ally is now available at Best Buy for just $399.99. Running Windows 11, the Ally is perfect to play your Steam games, play Xbox Game Pass, or even Android apps. With a 120Hz screen, each game you play will be presented with fluidity. You can even connect the ROG Ally to any TV with the included HDMI adapter and play your titles on the big screen when you’re not traveling or playing on the go.

Splatoon 3 for $41

One of the most popular multiplayer titles you can find on Switch, Splatoon 3 is packed with all sorts of exciting modes you can spend dozens of hours in. The title improves a vast amount of features from Splatoon 2, while also bringing in some fresh new ideas too. You can find new classes, new weapons, and new maps immediately when hopping in. With the Side Order expansion set to release next month, now is the perfect time to hop in and get familiar with the world of Splatoon.

HORI Split Pad Compact for $31.99

The HORI Split Pad Compact is one of the best ergonomic controllers you can buy for the Nintendo Switch. Attaching like standard Joy-Con, the Split Pad Compact slides onto each side of your Switch and immediately widens the console. This makes longer handheld play sessions much more comfortable and bearable over time, especially if you have larger hands. The Pac-Man model features all sorts of fun details to personalize your system.

Lowest Price Yet for Persona 5 Tactica

Amazon has Persona 5 Tactica listed for $29.99, which is an even better deal than Black Friday and the lowest we’ve seen the title yet. This action-packed adventure takes the Phantom Thieves into a new adventure with tactical combat. If you enjoyed Persona 5 Royal or Persona 5 Strikers, P5 Tactica should be a game on your radar. Erina, a character new to the series, is a great addition to an already amazing cast of characters.

Save $21 Off Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Arguably one of the best platformers available on Nintendo Switch, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a must play for the platform. Created by Retro Studios, there are six different worlds you can traverse through as you fight against Lord Fredrik and his army of Snowmads. You can play with a friend and choose between Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong, and even Funky Kong!

Save 52% Off the Razer Huntsman V2 Keyboard

The Razer Huntsman V2 keyboard is $130 off at Amazon for a limited time. This analog keyboard features analog optical switches with actuation at the speed of light, which you can adjust to fit your playstyle. Additionally, the keycaps are doubleshot PBT, making for a much more durable set of caps that won’t deteriorate over time. If you’re in the market for a new keyboard, this is a great option at a price we might not see again for a while.

Guide: Best Sonic Games Of All Time

Gotta score fast.

We’re republishing this list in honour of one of the best Sonic games of all time, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which celebrated its 30th birthday on 2nd February 2024.

It was back in 1991 that Sonic the Hedgehog — the blue dude with the most ‘tude — first burst forth onto the Mega Drive in Japan and Sega finally presented a credible challenger for the platforming crown Nintendo’s jumping plumber had been wearing since the mid-1980s. In the decades since, the blue blur has starred in a host of platform games: some 2D, others 3D, some fantastic, others not so much.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

News Tower lets you manage a newspaper in 1930s New York, and there’s a demo

If you pay attention to industry layoffs, you’ll know the news media – media in general, really – is in a bad spot right now. I can’t remember the last time it wasn’t in a bad spot. Perhaps in the 1930’s, which is the setting for News Tower, a newspaper management sim in which you attempt to construct your empire in New York from 1929 onwards.

Read more

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Ending Explained – How the Game Sets Up Future DLC

Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League!

After a long series of delays, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is out in the world. And DC fans all want to know — do you actually kill the Justice League? How does this bloody adventure end?

Now that the game is out of early access and available to all players, we’re here to break down the ending to the new Suicide Squad game, how it impacts the Arkham-verse, and how it sets up future DLC campaigns. Because if there’s one thing clear by the time the credits roll, it’s that Harley Quinn and the gang still have a lot of killing ahead of them.

Do You Actually Kill the Justice League?

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League does indeed live up to its name. The entire Justice League is dead by the end of the game, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern. Most of these iconic heroes are brainwashed by Brainiac to aid in his conquest of Earth, leaving Amanda Waller only too happy to recruit Task Force X to assassinate them.

How does such a motley crew of incarcerated supervillains (only one of whom even has superhuman powers) manage to annihilate the world’s greatest super-team? It may seem like a stretch, but the game works to justify that major power gap. The team is aided by a number of fellow villains throughout the game, including Toyman, Lex Luthor, Penguin, and Gizmo, all of whom provide useful gadgets or anti-metahuman weaponry. For example, the team is decked out in anti-Speed Force tech, allowing them to take down the Fastest Man Alive. Later, they use Gold Kryptonite-laced weapons to level the playing field with Superman.

The game also positions Batman as a vital resource against the Justice League. The Squad discovers a recording Batman left behind intended for his sidekicks, one designed to help them take on the Justice League should the team ever go rogue. Batman has compiled a series of “Babel” files, contingency plans for each member of the League. That’s a reference to the comic book storyline JLA: Tower of Babel, where Ra’s al Ghul steals Batman’s contingency plans and uses them to take down the team himself.

It should be pointed out that Wonder Woman is the one Justice League member who isn’t compromised by Brainiac in the game. She plays a supporting role in the story, occasionally popping up to battle her fallen comrades. Wonder Woman eventually takes on Superman and manages to stab him with a shard of Kryptonite, but the Man of Steel kills her in the process.

As you’d expect, not all DC fans are thrilled with how the League is taken down in the game. Batman’s death in particular is a source of major contention, considering that this is the same version of the Dark Knight from Rocksteady’s Arkham games. These deaths also raise the question of how the world can move forward with a Justice League to protect it. Who fills that power vacuum? We don’t know if this is something that might be explored in future story content. Perhaps a team like the Justice Society will step in, or perhaps the League will be rebuilt with a more eclectic roster of heroes. Did someone say Justice League Detroit?

The Final Battle With Brainiac

As befits a game where the villains are forced to become the saviors of the world, Lex Luthor is one of your chief allies in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Two of them, in fact. Luthor is actually killed by the brainwashed Flash, but it’s later revealed that he was collaborating with his counterpart from Earth-2. Earth-2 Luthor crosses over to Earth-1 and becomes the Squad’s most valuable asset in the ramp-up to battling Brainiac. This multiverse will form the backbone of the future of the game going forward.

It’s this Luthor who discovers the dark truth behind Brainiac’s conquest. Brainiac has been colluding with 12 of his alternate selves from different universes. Their ultimate goal isn’t just to conquer Earths, but the entire multiverse. Luthor builds a device to extract information from Brainiac’s mind, hoping to uncover a way to stop this

As you’d expect, the game does culminate in a final boss battle with Brainiac. Harley and the team are decked out in tech that protects them from Brainiac’s mind-control powers, and they come bringing the finest anti-metahuman weaponry they’ve been able to scavenge in Metropolis. Brainiac modifies his own body for this final battle, allowing him to tap into the Speed Force like Flash and move across the battlefield at lightning speed.

After a long, frantic battle, the Suicide Squad finally prevails over Brainiac. He’s taken out — but not killed — and imprisoned inside a miniature storage device. Though the Squad very nearly succeeds in suffocating him in the process. Ultimately, Waller and Luthor are able to harvest the information they need from Brainiac’s mind, after which the villain does die and his body dematerializes. It’s at this point the team learns just how much work they have left ahead of them.

The Brainiac of the Elseworlds

As mentioned, Earth-2 Luthor discovers that Brainiac has been colluding with 12 of his alternate selves from other universes. The information harvested from Brainiac’s mind gives them a starting point, but only by hunting down and killing the remaining Brainiacs can the Suicide Squad truly end the threat to their world and the multiverse at large.

That’s effectively where the game ends. It’s a much more open-ended conclusion than we saw in the various Arkham games and that’s by design. Whereas Arkham Asylum and its sequels told finite stories with definitive endings, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is setting up future playable content with its ending.

The ending is basically a foundation for Rocksteady’s DLC road map, which will consist of at least four seasons of new content. Each season will add a playable character to the roster (the first being the Joker) and multiple versions of Brainiac to battle. The first season will be released in March 2024, with the rest to follow over the course of a year.

It’s unclear just how much new story content will be included in each season. However, we do know the DLC deals directly with the concept of Elseworlds, another name for the DC multiverse. That’s how Joker is being added to the cast despite the Clown Prince of Crime having died at the end of 2011’s Arkham City. The new levels will likely be set in other Earths in the multiverse, and may even feature alternate versions of the Justice Leaguers killed in the main story mode.

The real question is whether this is all building to a true ending for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. What happens when the 13th and final Brainiac is killed? Is there a special ending rewarding players for sticking with the game for a full year? We may have to wait a while yet before learning how this game truly ends.

What do you think of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s ending? Will you be playing all the DLC in the hope of unlocking the true ending to the game? Let us know in the comments. And be sure to check out IGN’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League review.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Talking Point: As A Nintendo Fan, Do You Really Need To Play The Virtual Boy?

Oh boy.

It’s Christmas morning, and amidst the thick haze of food already cooking for lunch and the soothing laughter of our children enjoying their new toys, my wife approaches me with a small, square package. I hadn’t seen this under the tree. “That’s your last one,” she says. I instinctively go to shake it – she knows me well enough to catch my wrist. “Don’t do that!” she interjects. Clearly this is an item of some delicacy.

I unwrap it carefully, and as I slip the box free of its decorative coat, I am filled with both giddy elation and a crushing sense of shame: Shame at the sheer averageness of the gifts I have offered her this year compared to the magnificence I hold in my hands; elated, because said magnificence is a boxed, Japanese copy of Mario’s Tennis for the Virtual Boy with manual inside. It’s a Christmas miracle. Eat your heart out, Dickens.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Aspyr On Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Physical Release: “We Have Not Made Any Announcements”

Despite supposed listings online.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is out in just a few weeks and one thing many fans want to know is if there will be a physical version of this retro collection. While there have supposedly been some listings online, officially speaking there’s been no announcement.

During an interview with Nintendo Everything recently, Aspyr’s director of product Chris Bashaar mentioned how there’s been no official announcement. In other words, it’s not an outright “no”, so maybe there’s still hope. Here’s the full exchange:

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Random: Ash Ketchum’s OG Voice Actor Reflects On “Devastating” Moment She Was Fired

“You, as an actor, are so disposable”.

Before the appointment of Sarah Natochenny as the voice of Ash Ketchum, the original voice actor of the Pokémon character was actually Veronica Taylor. Now that Ash’s arc has come to an end in the anime series, Taylor has reflected on her own time when she was essentially “fired” from the role.

As a result the abrupt recast in 2006, she still struggles and isn’t even sure she’s properly said goodbye to Ash just yet. Here’s what she had to say during a chat with Kotaku:

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

7 Games to Play If You Love Pokemon

Monster capture games have certainly captured the attention of players for generations, with Pokemon being the most prominent and beloved series within the genre. Due to its popularity, it isn’t any surprise that games of a similar vein have popped up to occupy the same space. But that doesn’t mean all of these games are the same, despite sharing a similar foundation, or even considering several games that predate this wildly popular series. Either way, there’s a wide world of monster capture games for all you Pokemon fans out there.

Below are a list of games that reside within the vast monster capture genre, or dabble in the mechanic in some meaningful way.

Cassette Beasts

While it was a very busy year for major game releases, under-the-radar Cassette Beasts was one of the best games to release in 2023. A stylish blend of 2D and 3D art, Cassette Beasts is visually similar to some of the best Pokemon games in the series, but with some light traversal elements and large focus on the monster capture and fusion mechanics of the game.

Like most games that take heavy inspiration from Pokemon, Cassette Beasts stars a self-insert player character as they make their way through the island of New Wirral while they look for a way to return home. However, the game is a little more complex in the way that you interact with various major characters, as you can increase your affinity with them and even undertake their quests. What Cassette Beasts offers is a blend of Pokemon-esque monster capture mechanics, a character driven story, and a unique fusion mechanic that keeps them on their toes. Overall, it’s an inspired and fresh take on the genre, and one you should check out.

Monster Sanctuary

Monster Sanctuary is a mix of the monster capture genre and your par for the course Metroidvania. Players catch monsters to engage in 3-vs-3 battles as well as to open up exploration in gorgeous 2D pixel environments.

The game extends beyond the use of monster types as just a means to get an advantage on opponents, as attack types are just as important. But what really kept me glued to Monster Sanctuary was its traversal mechanics and really nailing those 2D platforming elements. Going back and uncovering new shortcuts and secrets made the game utterly addicting to me in addition to how battles were structured. This is a game I highly recommend for those who like monster capture games, 2D platformers, or both.

Digimon World: Next Order

The Digimon series is effectively the progenitor of the monster capture genre, even predating Pokemon — it just never rose to the same kind of success internationally. Digimon World: Next Order takes all of the fun from the first Digimon World game on the PlayStation (bar the scuffed localization) and makes it more approachable. The Digimon World series have functioned as more or less “open world” exploration games where players can raise a Digimon from birth to its eventual death, with how they’ve treated them playing into their evolutions, as they experience unique stories set within the Digimon universe.

These games have generally always been more story focused than Pokemon games as players befriend Digimon to fill out their cities and discover what plagues the digital world. Players can still train their Digimon and unlock unique Digivolutions but in a more story-focused experience. That said, you can still grind out and train your Digimon to your heart’s content, but Digimon World: Next Order definitely has one of the meatier stories of the games on this list thanks to its focus on its narrative and the wealth of various Digivolutions players can discover.

Monster Rancher

An oldie but a goodie, Monster Rancher is one of several monster capture games that was released in the 1990’s alongside the Pokemon series. Like other monster capture games, players will raise monsters and train them through a series of mini-games to compete in tournaments that will allow them to raise their ranks.

However, you aren’t really capturing monsters in Monster Rancher, as you more or less generate them through various methods depending on which versions of the game you were playing. Koei Tecmo re-released Monster Rancher 1 & 2 for the Nintendo Switch, making these games available to an entirely new audience. Unfortunately, these versions have done away with what made the monster capture mechanic so unique, and that was swapping out CDs on your Sony PlayStation to generate a random monster. What makes Monster Rancher so fun though is that there’s a big emphasis on bonding and training your monster outside of battling them in the arena. Monster Rancher is a great game for those looking to build up their monsters and really test their mettle in 1-vs-1 combat.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince

You may be wondering why a Dragon Quest game has any business being on this list. Well, the Dragon Quest Monsters sub-series, first introduced in 1998 to capitalize on the Pokemania, are all about capturing monsters to use in turn-based combat against your foes. Sound familiar? The Dark Prince is the latest entry in the series, and despite launching with some major technical issues that have since been patched on certain platforms, it carries this tradition onwards. However, capturing monsters is a little more intensive than in Pokemon and success rates are decided by some variables that players can turn in their favor, which makes it a little more in-depth than Pokemon games. Nevertheless this game will definitely satiate any cravings you may have for capturing some monsters. Fans of Dragon Quest and monster capture games, or even fans of both, will enjoy this entry in the series.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

Ever wanted to raise monsters instead of hunting them in Monster Hunter? Monster Hunter Stories provides that exact experience. Instead of slaying monsters for valuable parts, players instead collect monsters by obtaining their eggs — which sounds bad in practice. But the narrative always makes it clear that these games are more or less about the conservation of monsters and cultural practices, so it sort of rubs off whatever reservations players might have.

You assume the role of a budding monster trainer who has been paired with one of the series most iconic monsters, a Rathalos. Things begin to go awry as monsters begin to rampage through areas surrounding your village. Combat is relegated to strategic turn-based battles that take into account the types of monsters you decide to make part of your team. You can also use your monsters as means to traverse various landscapes, similar to what modern Pokemon games have implemented. Monster Hunters Stories 2: Wings of Ruin provides a decently balanced experience in terms of narrative and gameplay, and will occupy a decent amount of time if you decide to collect all of the monsters in the game.

Palworld

While Palworld’s similarities to Pokemon begin and end with its colorful monster design, a monster capturing mechanic does exist within the game that more or less mirrors what you get in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. In Palworld you can capture and use Pals in interesting ways, either to help them automize construction, provide resources for your base, and even for traversal. You can do that in most Pokemon games, with it far more tangible in Scarlet and Violet as you use Koraidon or Miraidon to scale mountains, glide, and more. That is effectively where the similarities end, since Palworld is more or less about obtaining resources to build up your base like most survival games are.

While there are still a plethora of other monster capture games that exist, as the genre has expanded greatly since the release and subsequent popularity of Pokemon in the 1990’s, the ones included in this list build upon those foundations in some truly unique ways. Whether it be an engrossing story, a more fleshed out battle system, or even how you obtain monsters, these games are more than worth checking out.

Kazuma Hashimoto is a freelance writer for IGN.