Category: Video Games

Baldur’s Gate 3 director Swen Vincke has had some time to reflect on Larian Studios’ Google Stadia deal, and he thinks it was “really stupid.”

The studio’s founder opened up about the early days of Baldur’s Gate 3 during a Game Developers Conference (GDC) panel that IGN attended today. While explaining how Larian learned to adapt to issues on the fly, he spoke about how Stadia played a role in the Baldur’s Gate 3 reveal.

For those who may have forgotten, Vincke and his team revealed the latest Baldur’s Gate at a Google Stadia conference in June 2019. It was a bombshell announcement during an event for a product that would ultimately fail, but it also came with other potential benefits. Stadia originally promised enticing features for developers to take advantage of while also offering a path to boost word of mouth.

“You talk to these people who say ‘I didn’t think it was for me, it looks like maybe a little bit too much,’ ” Vincke said to us in 2020. “With something as easy as sending somebody a link and saying, ‘Hey, let’s try it out and you can jump into my game instantly without having to install anything,’ I think that has a very great conversion power.”

Fast forward to 2024, however, and Stadia is no more. Google officially shut down its game streaming service in early 2023, with Baldur’s Gate 3’s full PC launch not arriving until that following August. Vincke says hindsight is 20/20, calling out the challenges of releasing the Early Access build for an additional platform.

“It was a really stupid deal and I should never have done it, but it allowed me to pay for the CGI,” he said.

All of the details of the Stadia deal have not been made public, but unsurprisingly, Vincke isn’t happy with the way things turned out. Elsewhere in the GDC panel, Vincke talked about how the team’s ambitions grew throughout development.

One thing Larian wanted form the beginning was a lot of cinematics and a big narrative, for example. These plans absolutely came through, as Vincke also confirmed that Baldur’s Gate 3 contains triple the word count of The Lord of the Rings books and double the cutscene runtime as Game of Thrones. It’s clear the game has come a long way, as he also showed off an early version of Astaron that was a Tiefling instead of a High Elf.

While Baldur’s Gate 3 has turned out to be a massive success for Larian, the team won’t be revisiting the world with DLC or even a fourth game anytime soon. For more on the studio’s latest, be sure to check out our 10/10 review.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Amazon is offering the lowest price we’ve ever seen on the officially licensed WD Black C50 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox Series consoles. Right now it’s only $125.99, a 16% off price drop from its original $150 MSRP. It’s currently $25 cheaper than the Seagate 1TB Expansion Card. The C50 is one of the best SSDs for the Xbox, which isn’t surprising since your options are pretty limited.

WD Black C50 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox for $125.99

The WD Black C50 expansion card is essentially a 1TB NVME SSD encased in a specialized Xbox-compatible shell. Unlike the more complex PS5 SSD installation process, which involves opening up the PS5 to access the SSD slot, the Seagate expansion card simply plugs into its dedicated port on the back of the Xbox.

This expansion card offers the same speed as the internal SSD, ensuring that you won’t sacrifice performance or encounter extended load times as you might with a regular USB drive. With a 1TB expansion card, you can double the storage on your Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Carbon Black Edition console, and triple the storage on your OG (white) Xbox Series S console.

In contrast to the PS5, there are no alternative methods for adding high-speed storage to your Xbox console. Your options are limited to either the WD or Seagate expansion cards, underscoring the importance of seizing a good deal when one becomes available.

Looking for more Xbox accessories? Check out the best Xbox deals today.

If you uploaded a Super Mario Maker course with cheap hidden blocks, unfair enemy placement, or just overall haphazard design, I’m sorry to say that Nintendo might have judged you for it.

During Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder panel at GDC, legendary Nintendo developer Takashi Tezuka was discussing how Super Mario Maker gave players the ability to freely design courses under the same conditions as each other. But Tezuka admitted, “However, when we played the posted courses, and let’s keep this here, some of them were not very good.”

Aside from the added bonus of throwing shade at some Mario Maker designers out there, Tezuka’s wider point tied into how level design is the X factor that can make controls, sound, graphics, and enemies either fall flat or come alive. The Super Mario Bros. Wonder panel was home to some interesting insight about how Nintendo returned to Mario’s 2D roots to create something brand new.

Reimagining 2D Mario

Tezuka and Super Mario Bros. Wonder director Shiro Mouri kicked off the panel by discussing the long wait for a new 2D Mario game. 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. U was the last traditional sidescrolling Mario game until Wonder came along last year, and Tezuka simply said they’d just been busy making other types of sidescrolling games like Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Run: “Honestly, 11 years just went by”, he said.

But Tezuka insisted that 3D Mario games haven’t replaced 2D games, saying, “People may think that 3D Mario games have taken their place… I think everyone should enjoy them both. Do you think that’s too much to ask?” The pair discussed the difference between 2D and 3D Mario, with Mouri saying a merit of 2D games is that it’s easier to experience the game’s design as it was intended. They also added that in 2D Mario games, the developers spend as much time as possible adjusting courses until the very end of development, which is much easier to do than when developing a 3D game.

Mouri and Tezuka approached development of Super Mario Bros. Wonder with the mantra of “big changes”. As Mouri pointed out, elements of the original Super Mario Bros. like warp pipes, Super Mushrooms, and hitting blocks has become normal over time, so the team wanted to create a 2D Mario game full of new secrets and mysteries. Mouri thought, “If I’m going to change the environment anyway, I may as well go hard,” which led to the beginnings of Wonder Effects like wiggling warp pipes and singing Piranha Plants.

Nintendo developers have previously shared the collaborative nature of Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s development, and Mouri and Tezuka expanded on that during the GDC panel. “Nintendo believes everyone on the team is a game designer,” Tezuka said, explaining the brainstorming sessions to come up with different Wonder Effects. The idea for the Wonder Quiz effect came from a programmer in his first year at Nintendo, demonstrating that everyone’s ideas were on the table.

We also learned about another Wonder Effect that didn’t make the cut, where Mario would turn into a giant, 8-bit, blocky version of himself, trying to avoid getting eaten by Wonder’s new block-eating Gnawsher enemies. This was cut because it was impossible to strategically avoid enemies, resulting in an unfocused mad dash to the goal.

As for the future of 2D Mario, Tezuka said it all comes down to thinking about what will be the core of the game, and that he hopes the presentation got people interested in 2D game development.

A Kind World

The Nintendo developers also took some time to discuss Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s online multiplayer modes. Nintendo took an interesting approach to online play, where shadows of other players from around the world could help each other find secrets and reach the end of a level.

Mouri said he wanted to create online gameplay that “would make you want to say thank you” to a stranger, adding, “We help people around us when they are in trouble… When you have a team made up of people with that mindset, there’s a good chance something good will come out of it. This holds true in game development as well… For [Wonder], we wanted to create a kind world like that, where online play is where you act not for yourself, but for the people around you.”

This led to the development team settling on the theme of subtle connection, and Tezuka said this is just one solution to what online play looks like for a Mario game.

All of Nintendo’s experimentation with Wonder’s development paid off, as we called it “the true next step for 2D Mario platformers” in our review.

For more, check out the highlights from Nintendo’s Tears of the Kingdom GDC panel, where developers shared the struggles behind creating the complicated physics-based world of Hyrule.

Additional reporting by Rebekah Valentine.

Logan Plant is IGN’s Database Manager, Playlist Editor, occasional news writer, and frequent Super Ninfriendo on Nintendo Voice Chat. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Like many video games, ones from Nintendo don’t come cheap. This was especially true when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was revealed to be $69.99 on release, a whole $10 more expensive than other Switch titles. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t deals to be had for Nintendo fans. In fact, there are plenty of sales on games, Switch consoles, and various accessories that are worth checking out throughout the year, and we’ve made sure to gather the very best going on at the moment below.

TL;DR – Best Switch Deals

You can also follow @IGNDeals on Twitter or Threads for even more updates on the latest discounts, or check out all our handpicked Switch deals just below.

The Best Nintendo Switch Deals – Navigate to:

• Switch Video Game Deals
• Switch SD Card Deals
• Switch Power Bank Deals
• Nintendo Switch: Budget to Best
• Zelda Official Guides
• When Should You Buy a Nintendo Switch?

The Best Nintendo Switch Game Deals

At the moment, there are quite a few Switch games discounted that are worth picking up. Some of our favorite deals right now are on some of last year’s biggest hits, like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario RPG. Both of those are currently discounted at Walmart, as seen above, but The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is also discounted there (down to $48.99). You can check out that deal and more at the links below.

More Switch Video Game Deals

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $48.99 (Save $21)
• Super Mario Maker 2 for $44.99 (Save $15)
• Sonic Origins Plus for $24.96 (Save $15.03)
• Shin Megami Tensei V: Standard Edition for $25.99 (Save $34)
• Persona 5 Royal Standard Edition for $24.99 (Save $35)
• Super Mario Party for $44.99 (Save $15)
• Metroid Dread (Preowned) for $44.99 (Save $10)
• Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (Preowned) for $49.99 (Save $10)

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Perfect Switch SD Card for $30 (and More Deals)

The best Switch SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, as it’s quite likely we’ll be getting a Switch successor / the next Nintendo console within the next year or so (if rumors are to be believed). Therefore, you’re going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That’s a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we’ve left our top suggestions and deals just below for your convenience. To see even more SD card deals, make sure to check out our roundup of the best SD card deals.

More Switch Micro SD Card Deals

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Save on Power Banks for Your Nintendo Switch

Right now, you can save on a couple of power banks at Amazon that are perfect for using with your Nintendo Switch console. As part of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, you can save on two Baseus power banks by using the code “EP5DAV8M” at checkout.

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Nintendo Switch: Budget to Best

While an outstanding deal might not always be available at the time of searching, there are still some incredibly affordable Switch-related products out there if you look hard enough. You can see our favorite budget to best items here, including deals on the best Switch micro SD Card, power banks, and an affordable Switch Pro controller alternative.

More Switch Budget to Best Picks

• Official Switch OLED Carrying Case & Screen Protector for $19.99
• dbrand Switch OLED Tempered Glass Screen Protector for $19.95
• Anker 335 Power Bank for $39.99
• Switch Pro Controller for $69.99

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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Official Guide for $27 (Save $18)

With these, you’ll have a detailed overview of Hyrule, a helpful walkthrough to get you through the game, and much more. Not only that, but they have gorgeous covers as well, especially the Collector’s Edition. The Standard Edition has an MSRP of $29.99 but is on sale for $18.74, and the Collector’s Edition normally runs for $44.99, but you can get it for $26.85. Plus, if you want to complete the set, the Breath of the Wild guidebook is also down to $22.02 right now as well.

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When Should You Buy a Nintendo Switch?

The short answer is that you should buy a Nintendo Switch whenever there’s any kind of sale, regardless of the time of year. Amazon will likely offer the same console bundles on any other sale as it will on Black Friday, so there’s no real reason to wait if you’re in need of a Nintendo Switch.

That being said, there are sometimes some unique bundles and promotions during Black Friday that you won’t find any other time of the year. They usually includes additional games (like the infamous Mario Kart 8 bundle) or accessories for free, but quantities tend to be limited. As always, do your research into the seller before you make a purchase.

Where to Buy a Nintendo Switch in 2024

• Nintendo Switch Console for $299.00
• Nintendo Switch Lite Console for $199.00

With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as PlayStation and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand-new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.

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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.