Author: Game Infliction

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Preorders Are Now Discounted Today in the UK

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom can be preordered for just £42.95 at Amazon before its release on September 26. Here’s why this is a good deal. Switch games are typically £49.99-£69.99 (depending on the game), and are rarely on sale even after release. So, getting a discount before the game comes out is huge.

With Amazon’s preorder price guarantee, you can be sure you’re paying the best price at Amazon from now until release, no matter the price changes that may occur (i.e. the listing goes back up to £50). You also don’t have to pay a penny on your preorders until the game dispatches closers to release day.

A recent gameplay trailer showed off some returning mechanics from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom return in Echoes of Wisdom, including mixing ingredients to create smoothies with various effects, and different outfits providing bonuses for Zelda.

Nintendo also unveiled a significant enhancement of Zelda’s abilities in Echoes of Wisdom with the introduction of the new Bind power. This ability allows Zelda to attach herself to any object in the game world and control its movements in sync with her own. Here on IGN, we’ve recently gone over 10 notable new additions from the trailer, which you can also watch just below.

Echoes of Wisdom was unveiled on June 18, 2024, with a release date set for September 26 of the same year. The game introduces fresh gameplay mechanics utilizing Zelda’s abilities and promises significant variations between playthroughs.

Fans eagerly speculated about its place in the Zelda timeline, but theories intensified when the ESRB rating for Echoes of Wisdom confirmed that Link would be a playable character after all.

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

Black Ops 6 leak gives naughty players get access to the Max Payne-ish omnimovement system for the first time

I don’t play much Call Of Duty any more. My feelings about the series have settled back from self-righteous fury over its Pentagon-sponsored war-fellating to a quieter, regretful sense that there have maybe been enough Call Of Duty games now, and that it would be nice if we could fill that infamous late October/early November release slot with, I don’t know, games about witches instead, or maybe just turn it into a public holiday and spend the week lying on a mattress regarding the ceiling. Still: I’ve skinned and filleted enough COD in my time to know that Black Ops 6‘s new “omnimovement” system is going to ruffle as many feathers as it smooths. The short version is that it turns you into Max Payne.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Leaks Reveal Controversial Warzone Map

An Activision leak has seen the Warzone map presumably debuting alongside Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 revealed and it’s already proving controversial amongst fans.

As reported by Charlie Intel, footage showing a Warzone map called Avalon leaked as a result of Activision uploading a build of the game to the PlayStation Network database and therefore making it accessible to those on PlayStation 4.

Most of the clips have been removed from X/Twitter and replaced with a message which reads: “This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner.” The gameplay remains available and heavily discussed on a Reddit post from JenNettles, however, where many fans are expressing concern at its design.

The backlash comes because the map is largely made up of water, as a sliver of mainland quickly falls away to a series of small islands scattered throughout. “Nothing but open fields and water. No thanks,” said Electricengineer. “Caldera, but with water,” said SideOfFish. “Have they ever received positive feedback about the inclusion of water?” asked DefunctHunk. “Why are they insisting on shoving it in wherever possible?”

Avalon is not confirmed to be the next Warzone map, of course, but it’s unlikely Activision would have the entire thing built with no plans to use it. A handful of subsequent clips appeared online, showing the “human meat shield” feature, sideways diving and shooting, omni-movement, and more, though these clips again have largely been taken down.

Confirmation of more Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 information will arrive later in August 2024 when an early access period draws closer. This takes place on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC from August 30 to September 4, while an open beta takes place September 6 to September 9. The game launches proper on October 25, 2024.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Cinematic platformer Bionic Bay is incredibly impressive even beyond its 250,000 pixel trees

Cinematic platformer Bionic Bay opens on a scene of a very large egg doing very bad things – easily my third favourite genre of speculative fiction. You awake to a world of tree trunks that twist like viscera and corroded contraptions powered by luminous goop that’s stored in the balls, uh, big glass orbs. A beam of light soon fills your character with newfound vigour, which is a nice moment of triumph in what otherwise feels like a deeply oppressive rust pit, all unsteady platforms and jagged pipes.

It doesn’t take long before you start spotting examples of the reason Bionic Bay went viral earlier this week. Above your head hangs a painstakingly detailed mass of vents and cables, looming lifelike with dust and shadow and history. I stood and stared because I’d seen how the sausage was made, but I like to think I would have lingered longer than usual anyway. It really is just that impressive.

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UK Charts: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Races To Pole Position Once Again

There’s no stopping it.

The latest UK charts are in, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – originally released 2,659 days ago and currently sitting at over 62 million units sold – is back on top once again.

It beats the likes of EA Sports FC 24, Hogwarts Legacy, and Minecraft, with Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD retaining 5th position for a second week running. In fact, other than Grand Theft Auto V and WWE 2K24, every game in the top 10 can be found on the Nintendo Switch.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Best Video Game Deals Today (August 2024)

Buying new video games, hardware, and accessories for your preferred console doesn’t need to make a massive dent in your wallet. Deals happen all the time for items like these, so you can save money while investing in your favorite hobby. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on the 3 month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, which is discounted at Woot to $33.49, but there are plenty more to check out. Whether you play on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC, you’ll find the very best deals listed below. And if you’ve taken advantage of lots of these deals, see our roundup of game storage ideas.

Best Xbox Game Pass Deals

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has an incredible deal right now at Woot, providing another opportunity for users to stack their membership at a discounted rate. You can get three months of the service for just $36.49, which is already a great deal, but you can get an addition $3 knocked off that price by using the code ‘VIDEOGAMES’ at checkout!

Considering the new price of Game Pass Ultimate is $19.99/month, you’re saving $26.48 with this 3-month deal. This is the best way to avoid the upcoming Xbox Game Pass price hike in September. By stacking these codes you can set yourself up for success to play all of their upcoming releases at a lower price.

Score a Nintendo Switch Lite with Animal Crossing for $159

Walmart still has this excellent deal available, which is worth taking advantage of if you’ve been hoping to get your hands on a Switch console. Right now, you can grab a Nintendo Switch Lite (Timmy & Tommy’s Aloha Edition) bundle with Animal Crossing for 20% off, marking it down to $159.

Best Physical Game Deals

Summer sale events may be winding down, but there are still some great game deals to check out. At the moment, some of our favorite discounts are on Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth for PS5 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder for Switch, but there’s plenty more where those came from. There are also several SEGA games discounted at Best Buy right now for all platforms.

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Best PC Game Deals

There are plenty of excellent deals for PC players to enjoy right now, from newer releases like Dragon’s Dogma 2 to God of War Ragnarok preorders for PC. More importantly, you can also score an excellent deal at Fanatical right now on Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. There’s no better time to journey to the Realm of Shadow. You can check out even more of our favorite PC game deals below.

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Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 4090 Gaming PC for $3099.99

Do you prefer to play on a dedicated tower? Navigating the options online can be quite the ordeal. Desk space, portability, and price point are often factors in the decision. However, there are some great PC deals that pop up every now and again that are worth jumping on. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on this Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 4090 gaming PC for $3099.99. To see even more PC deals, check out our roundup of the best gaming PC deals.

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Perfect PS5 2TB SSD for $116 at Amazon

SSD prices have been rising in 2024, making now the perfect time to buy with significant discounts available. This is one of the best deals on a 2TB SSD at the moment: Amazon is offering the TEAMGROUP MP44Q 2TB SSD for just $115.99. It, unfortunately, does not have a heatsink so you’ll have to invest in one, but you can easily do that here for under $10. It also offers transfer speeds of up to 7,400MB/s read and 6,500MB/s write.

Our Favorite Micro SD Cards for Switch and Steam Deck Are On Sale

The best Switch or Steam Deck SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, as it was recently revealed a Switch successor will be announced within the fiscal year. 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.

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Our Favorite Power Bank for Steam Deck is Discounted Right Now

Some excellent power banks are discounted at the moment that are perfectly portable and packing plenty of power to keep you going. In particular, the fantastic Anker 737 Power Bank is down to $103.99, after clipping the $6 coupon. This is a great discount on a reliable power bank that likely won’t last long, so grab it at this price while you can!

Select Xbox Controllers Down to $44

There are quite a few discounts on Xbox controllers right now at Amazon. While not as low as they were during the two-day Prime Day sale event, they’re still worth picking up at these prices. The Robot White, Shock Blue, Velocity Green, and Carbon Black controllers have dropped down to $44, but you can see even more controller deals below.

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

Random: Sakurai Shows Off His LEGO NES

He got it for his birthday.

When he’s not making games or recording videos about game design, Masahiro Sakurai likes to entertain himself in all sorts of ways.

In his latest post on social media, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director has revealed a LEGO set he received for his 54th birthday earlier this week (via a rough translation). It’s not just any old Lego set, either – it’s the NES! In a follow up post, he chose to highlight the secret underground level hidden inside this build.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Switch Online’s Missions & Rewards Adds Donkey Kong Country Icons

Play the SNES classic to unlock them.

Nintendo has announced another batch of Switch Online icons you can only unlock by playing its digital retro library.

After events for Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and even the original Donkey Kong game, it’s now moved on to Rare’s 1994 SNES hit Donkey Kong Country. Switch Online members will be required to boot up this game on Switch via the SNES app.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

J.B. Smoove Is Making and Potentially Starring in a High on Life Animated Comedy – Report

An animated series based on Squanch Games’ High on Life is reportedly in the works with Curb Your Enthusiasm’s J.B. Smoove attached as a producer.

These first details on the video-game-to-show adaptation come from Deadline, which says that Smoove will produce the project via his Alternate Side Productions banner. He starred as Gus in Squanch’s first-person shooter upon its release in 2022, and although the site says there is a “good chance” he’ll play a part in the series, he’s not officially joined the cast yet.

In addition to live-action roles in movies like Date Night and Spider-Man: Far From Home, Smoove has provided his voice talents in projects like Max’s Harley Quinn, Teen Titans Go!, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012).

Smoove shared a statement about how High on Life will shoot its shot in animation:

“When Squanch Games originally reached out to JB Smoove (I like to talk about myself in the third person) about voicing a character in their incredible video game High on Life, my first question was what does my character look like? They told me that I would be a fish that shoots…which makes perfect sense to me! As a Vegan I feel a fish should have the right to defend itself! I mean right?! And now that I’m partnered with Squanch Games and Striker Entertainment to bring the hilarious High on Life to series it feels like it was inevitable!”

“High on Life is wild, weird, and wonderful, and the series is going to be that and more!

Smoove continued: “They invited me to join them in the gaming universe and now I’m helping them move into the TV world! It’s a case of a game recognizing game! High on Life is wild, weird, and wonderful, and the series is going to be that and more! Get ready to laugh your way through space with some unforgettable characters like myself! We are locked and loaded and ready to go!”

Alternate Side is handling the executive producer role along with Striker Entertainment’s Russell Binder and Mandy Bardisbanian. Squanch is also involved in the animated show’s development, with the original game’s narrative director, Alec Robbins, attached as well.

High on Life released for PC and Xbox in late 2022 and arrived on PlayStation consoles July 2023. Story DLC content, titled High on Knife, then followed in October. The animated show has no release date and has not officially confirmed who will join its cast. The game, however, is known for its list of talent, which includes notable appearances from stars like Tim Robinson, Michael Cusack, Mike Stoklasa, Zach Hadel, Tom Kenny, Nolan North, and more.

High On Life began as a video game two years ago, and in our 8/10 review, we explained why we loved the “laugh-out-loud funny” story it had to tell. Though its journey into animation will mark a major change from its humble start in games, it’s not quite the first time the series has explored other mediums. Robbins helped bring the franchise to comics, too, and you can learn more about its off-shoot stories here.

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.

Save Over 50% Off This 15″ USB Portable Monitor (Works with Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck)

Amazon is offering an excellent deal on this Arzopa 15″ 1080p USB Type-C portable monitor. It’s normally $129.99, but right now you can get it for only $59.98 shipped. That’s the best price we’ve ever seen for this particular model, and the lowest price compared to other legit 15″ USB Type-C monitors on Amazon. This is a great portable display for your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld.

Arzopa S1 15″ 1080p USB-C Portable Monitor for $59.98

This 15″ 1080p monitor works as a secondary display for your laptop, tablet, phone, gaming console, or pretty much any device that has either a USB or HDMI output. If your device has a USB Type-C output with Power Delivery, than you may only need a single USB Type-C cable (included) for both power and data. If your USB Type-C output doesn’t support Power Delivery, then a USB Type-A to Type-C cable is also included for additional power. If your don’t have a USB Type-C port at all, an HDMI cable is included, however you will need to supply your own USB wall charger to provide power to the display.

The monitor is designed to be portable. It weighs only 1.3 pounds and measures 0.3″ thin. It sports a sturdy metal frame and even includes a smart cover that doubles as a stand. The 15″ display boasts a 1920×1080 resolution with 60Hz refresh rate, an IPS panel that offers respectable viewing angles and color gamut, and an anti-glare matte surface. It even has built in speakers.

Because this monitor can connect via USB or HDMI, it supports a lot more devices than your typical monitor. You won’t need to install any app or drivers, either. It’s definitely worth the price if you want an inexpensive second screen to boost your productivity without weighing you down.

An Excellent Portable Monitor for Your Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck Gaming Console

This monitor works quite well with both the Steam Deck or Switch consoles. I’d recommend using the wall charger to power the monitor, otherwise you’ll be draining the gaming system pretty quickly (you can use the one provided with your Steam Deck or Switch console). The 1080p and 60Hz specs on the monitor is more than good enough, since neither the Switch nor the Steam Deck supports refresh rates higher than 60Hz. If you’re looking for other USB monitor options, check out our picks for the best portable monitors of 2024.

Looking for more deals of Switch and Steam Deck accessories?