The full video is well worth a watch, but if you want a quick recap, Toys for Bob reportedly had plans for a Switch version of Crash Team Rumble. It was supposedly in development but got cancelled by Activision due to the lukewarm reception of the game on other platforms.
Stranger Video is a website that wants access to your webcam. Grant it and it will show you a close-up of your own face, the background around you cropped out. Close your eyes to tell it you’re ready, and open them again when you hear a chime. It’ll now connect you to a stranger doing the same thing: first person to blink loses.
The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, August 24, below:
2021 9th Gen Apple iPad 10.2″ 64GB for $199
Amazon is offering the 9th gen (2021) Apple iPad 10.2″ Wi-Fi 64GB tablet for only $199. This is the best price we’ve ever seen for this particular model, and right now, it’s $100 cheaper than the newest 10th gen model. This is the most affordable iPad model you can get brand new with a warranty.
Monster Hunter Stories Collection for $39.99
The recently released Monster Hunter Stories Collection includes both Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. This marks the first time that players can experience the first game with the Japan-exclusive Title Updates, in addition to full voice acting. Jump into the world of Monster Hunter in a new light with this collection!
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P Gaming Headset for $109.99
Best Buy has heavily discounted the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 FaZe Clan Limited Edition wireless gaming headset for PlayStation 5 and PC. Right now you can grab it for only $109.99 after a hefty $80 instant discount. That’s 43% off and the best price we’ve seen for an Arctis Nova 7 series headset so far this year. We deemed the Arctis Nova 7P as the best wireless PS5 gaming headset of 2024. Do note that this headset is only compatible with Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. Xbox users will need to look elsewhere.
Arcade 1Up PAC-MAN Arcade Game Projector for $189.99
Right now, you can save 29% off this neat Arcade1Up PAC-MAN Arcade Projector. This device allows you to take the all-time classic arcade game with you anywhere you go! As long as you have a wall, you can play anywhere. The projector has a light capacity of 21,000 Lumens, and you can easily swap the control decks to play different games. In total, 12 games are included with this system.
iBUYPOWER PC (AMD Ryzen 7 7700, 32GB RAM, RTX 4060 Ti) for $979.99
Best Buy currently has this great iBUYPOWER PC bundle for $979.99. Included with this build is an AMD Ryzen 7 7700, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and an RTX 4060 Ti. You’ll have no problem running any of the latest games with excellent performance.
Save 48% Off the be quiet! Pure Base 500DX ATX Midi Tower PC case
If you’re in the market for a new PC case, this be quiet! Case might be perfect for you. be quiet! is best known for its high airflow but low noise designs. The front and top of the case feature a mesh design to allow for maximum airflow. Additionally, both the front and the inside of the case even feature ARGB LEDs.
Save 23% Off Lenovo Legion Go
Amazon currently has the Lenovo Legion Go for $542.03, which is 23% off the MSRP of $699.99. This device includes the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. If you’re on the lookout for a solid handheld gaming PC to play through your PC library, the Lenovo Legion Go can be a great choice.
Metroid Prime Trilogy, the Wii compilation of Retro Studios’ first-person take on the Metroid series, launched in North America on 24th August 2009, exactly 15 years ago.
In honour of that sparking release (well, a little less sparkling than the originals in some places due to a few missing effects), we’re taking the opportunity to recap Samus’ story so far in the Metroid Prime games while we wait for the fourth numbered entry…
Right, the weekend is here again, which means it’s time to see what we’re all going to be playing over the next couple of days. Before we do so, however, let’s recap some of this week’s more interesting goings on the in the world of Nintendo.
Aspyr – the developer behind re-releases on the Switch such as Star Wars: Bounty Hunter and the Tomb Raider trilogy remaster, is currently hosting a sale on the Switch eShop in the US. This sale ends on 27th August 2024 in the US, with some of these games also on sale in other locations, such as the UK.
“Race across the galaxy as Anakin Skywalker or follow Lara Croft as she unravels some of the world’s most dangerous myths! A variety of games (and savings) are available today in the Aspyr Publisher Sale! Whether you’re hunting bounties,ancient secrets, or deals, you’ll find all of that and more in the #nintendo publisher sale! Save up to 95% off today! Sale ends soon!”
Minecraft has played host to all sorts of collaborations and crossovers, and the latest one sees SpongeBob Squarepants, Patrick Star and the rest of the gang from Bikini Bottom return in new add-on.
It’s priced at 1510 Minecoins and is available now on the Minecraft Marketplace. Here’s a bit more about it, along with a look:
Valve is finally ready to take the wraps off Deadlock, its not-so-secret multiplayer game that thousands of people have been playing for weeks.
Throughout August, Deadlock has slowly been gaining attention and player population via a system of invites, with existing playtesters able to invite their friends. As a result, it quietly amassed thousands of players, reaching over 18,000 concurrent players mid-August and climbing to a peak of over 44,000 players earlier this week.
However, despite the game being generally available to anyone who knew anyone else playing it, a splash screen at the start of the game asked players to “not share anything about the game with anyone.” Many players, naturally, ignored the relatively gentle and not-legally-binding warning, resulting in a number of videos popping up on YouTube showcasing gameplay and at least one media write-up in The Verge.
As a result, we’ve known for weeks now that Deadlock is a 6v6 third-person hero shooter with a bit of a MOBA twist, in that iot takes place across four lanes with aggressively respawning waves of troopers. It’s still in “early development,” Valve warns, “with lots of temporary art and experimental gameplay.” However, Valve has now officially lifted its request not to share information about the game and revealed its official store page.
Deadlock is still invite-only for now, but with it out in the open at last, it seems likely we’ll start seeing Valve actively discussing what Deadlock is, alongside critics and content creators, as well as a potential surge in new players. Maybe one of them will be able to explain what’s going on with the goofy dragon-person in a newsboy cap we keep seeing everywhere.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Hey everyone! We’re excited to share with you all that Concord* is live and available now worldwide on PS5 and PC. So, grab your crew and queue up to take down your rivals, earn cosmetics, and explore the Concord Galaxy. To celebrate this moment, we’re thrilled to debut our brand-new launch gameplay trailer.
Your adventure begins
Launch is just the first step, and now that Concord is live, your adventure is just beginning! During our first week and every week after, we’ll be premiering our weekly cinematic vignettes in-game. These brief cinematics expand upon the characters and the universe of Concord. We can’t wait for you to learn more about the Crew of the North Star, their journey, and of course their tidy ship in the coming weeks.
As you start your adventure in Concord, you’ll be able to begin expanding your character roster with the first unlockable Variant for Teo—a former elite soldier turned Freegunner on the Northstar crew. Like all Variants in Concord, this unlockable Variant of Teo will grant you a new cosmetic Outfit for Teo and a unique Combat Trait that modifies his skills and abilities—in this case, giving you extra grenades to deploy in combat. You can use them to clear out areas on the map for your team, or to just make fights a little chaotic. You can expect us to introduce a new Variant every week for you to earn and add to your collection.
Evolving the experience
Continuing to grow and evolve Concord with our community as we release regular and Seasonal content updates is such an important part of this journey. We poured through all your comments after our beta last month, including your questions about solo modes, leaver penalties, join-in-progress, and more—and we’re excited to share that many of your frequently requested features are available for launch.
With the release of the game today, you’ll be able to learn about some of our Freegunners and game mechanics in-game with a solo Training Mode, as well as special Time Trials. We also heard your suggestions during the beta about having a way to test out Freegunners, their weapons, and their abilities before heading into a match, so based on your feedback, we’re launching with a brand-new Practice Range feature based on your feedback. The team has also made several changes to make Crew Bonuses more apparent during character selection and in Crew Builder based on your feedback.
The lore of the broader Concord Galaxy, the Freegunners, and what awaits you in the Wilds will also expand with the debut of the Galactic Guide—an interactive map that will unlock new lore entries as you play and progress in the game. We can’t wait for you to learn more about the universe, worlds, and characters of Concord.
Ensuring teams are complete is crucial in a multiplayer experience. Following the beta, we’re thrilled to say that backfilling, join-in-progress, and leaver penalties are live in Concord with this week’s launch and will help incentivize players to start—and stay in—complete teams. This is just the start of our updates and refinement of the social experience, and we can’t wait to share more with you in the coming weeks and months.
Thank you
Before we head out into the Concord Galaxy with you, we wanted to thank all of you who have been part of the journey to this point, from Concord’s announcement and the jiggle burger teaser to beta and now launch. From the beginning, our dream was to get this game in all your hands and provide you and your friends with the same fun memories we’ve gotten from multiplayer games for years, so we can’t wait to see your clips, streams, and laughs today and beyond.
This is just the beginning, and our team can’t wait to deliver you more updates and content in future seasons. Thank you again from everyone at Firewalk!
To stay up to date with all things Concord, follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok. If you’re looking for a crew to squad up with, be sure to also join the community in the Official Concord Discord.
*Account for PlayStation Network and internet connection required. Paid for PlayStation Plus membership (sold separately) required on PS5.
At the time I’m writing this, I’ve put about seven hours into World of Warcraft: The War Within – basically every moment between when it unlocked and when I could no longer keep my eyes open. And that’s very early to say anything definitive. But… I have a very good feeling about this one, you guys. From the story, to the environments, to the new features, this is World of Warcraft firing on all cylinders. I’m not utterly blown away or anything that hyperbolic, but compared to the last three expansions’ launches, the warm glow of new adventure is hitting different this time.
I’ve been taking my sweet time – relatively speaking – so while some bedlamites had already hit 80 inside of a couple hours, I logged off for the night at level 73. That pace allowed me to collect three of my new Hero Talents for my Marksmanship Hunter, and I chose to go with the night elf-themed Sentinel over the tortured soul, Sylvanas-inspired Dark Ranger. I’m not super thrilled with these talents yet; we’ll see how it feels at 80, but I’m not getting the sense of a significant change in my power or my playstyle with each level like I’d hoped.
I do like that The War Within doesn’t add a bunch of new buttons to my hotbar, though. Part of why I picked Sentinel over Dark Ranger is that the latter makes you incorporate a new attack into your rotation, and I like that I have the option not to have to worry about that.
Setting the Stage
If you missed the big announcement last BlizzCon, The War Within is intended as the first part of a trilogy of expansions that aim to tell a larger, complete story. This is something WoW has never done before, and I’m pretty excited about it. Without spoiling too much, the first hour of the story definitely feels like we’re going full speed ahead into something sweeping and epic. Some major sacred cows in the lore are actually on the chopping block (not literally – Baine is fine, don’t worry). And Xal’atath is a compelling new nemesis – not just because she’s a hot goth mommy.
I mean, it’s partly that. But it’s not just that.
I’ve only seen the first of The War Within’s zones, the verdant and picturesque Isle of Dorn, which exists on the surface just above where the other 80 percent takes place. It feels very familiar to a long-time WoW player in a lot of the same ways the Dragon Isles did, and basically all of the best features from Dragonflight are back. You get Dynamic Flying (what used to be called Dragonriding) almost immediately, which I’m still conflicted about just because I think exploring new zones for the first time on the ground gives you more of a sense of place and grandeur. But I’m not conflicted at all about the return of thrilling aerial race courses and the expanded profession system.
The Isle of Dorn has some of my favorite music since Wrath of the Lich King.
Dornogal, the capital of the Earthen who protect Azeroth’s depths, is one of the coolest hub cities we’ve ever gotten thanks to its majestic Titan architecture and an interesting political storyline to unravel. It’s also quite a bit more organized and easier to navigate than the sometimes disorienting vertical layout of Valdrakken.
And the music! I can easily say the Isle of Dorn has some of my favorite music in WoW since, dang, Wrath of the Lich King maybe? Since Blizzard’s composers always kill it with their orchestral excellence, it’s really something when they release this many tracks that stand out even by their high standards.
The Long Road Ahead
Just like Dragonflight, the smaller zone quests are often memorable and touching. I think the one everybody’s going to be talking about this time involves one of the semi-immortal Earthen realizing that his mind is starting to deteriorate, and asking you to help him set his affairs in order as he plans to end his own life in the traditional fashion of his people. I never get tired of being reminded that, for all the world-shaking, high-fantasy shenanigans driving World of Warcraft at the plot level, these kinds of heartfelt and relatable tales are what actually make it special.
I’m also quite optimistic about Delves, the new solo content that’s meant to be something of an alternative to raids and Mythic+ in the endgame, for people like me who don’t like to interact with randos and don’t have any friends left who still play this game from the group I started out with in 2004. They feature the same kinds of silly and ridiculous temporary power-ups I adored from Torghast, including one that gives you a double jump and another that greatly increases your damage as long as you never fall below half health. If Torghast has only one fan, it is me. If Torghast has no fans, then I am gone from this Earth. So it’s great to see some of the things that worked about it coming back.
One delve I played has what are effectively the jump mushrooms from Sonic the Hedgehog, allowing you to explore vertically in a new way, and another features wall-mounted ledges you can zip up to with a grappling hook. The only thing hurting my excitement about these is that they seem really, really short so far – less than 15 minutes in some cases. Part of it is that I haven’t unlocked the higher difficulties yet, so I can basically Arcane Shot-spam my way through the entire thing without looking at my health bar. And I’ve only seen the first three. But I was hoping for something closer to the length of a five-person dungeon experience.
There’s way, way more of The War Within I haven’t seen at this point than what I have, but I’m thoroughly enjoying myself so far, and that’s just about the highest praise one can give an expansion at launch. Check back next week for the first big update on my progress, and for a final verdict some time after Season 1 and the first raid unlock on September 10.
