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The weekend is here, and there are loads of exciting deals you do not want to miss! This Saturday, new deals on some amazing video games, technology, and devices have appeared, and we've rounded up our picks. The best deals for Saturday, April 27, include Tekken 8, 2024 MacBook Air, One Piece Odyssey, Apple Watch Series 9, and more.
Tekken 8 for $49.99Tekken 8 is the latest major fighting game to be released for the current generation of consoles. Over 32 characters are already playable, far surpassing titles like Street Fighter 6 or Mortal Kombat 1. The online modes far surpass their predecessors, with good netcode and many different ways to play. In our 9/10 review, we stated Tekken 8 is " an amazing new entry in the long-running series."
Save 10% Off Apple 2024 MacBook AirAmazon currently has the 2024 MacBook Air on sale for $989. This device utilizes the M3 chip, which is extremely powerful and features a 50% higher memory bandwidth compared to the M1. If you've been contemplating purchasing a 2024 MacBook, this deal makes today a great time to do so.
One Piece Odyssey for $19.99This deal on One Piece Odyssey is fresh, being the lowest we've seen this RPG yet. Offering turn-based combat, One Piece Odyssey looks to create a fun experience with an original story featuring the beloved Straw Hat Pirates. If you've already played Pirate Warriors 4 and are itching for a return to the world of One Piece, now is the time to do so with Odyssey priced at just $19.99!
Save 25% Off Apple Watch Series 9Amazon currently has the Apple Watch Series 9 41mm model on sale for $299. Normally priced at $399, this is an excellent deal on the latest Apple Watch model. Series 9 includes new features such as gestures, a display as bright as 2000 nits, and on-device processing for Siri.
Assassin's Creed Mirage for $20Woot currently has Assassin's Creed Mirage available for only $19.99. Ubisoft looked to take the series back to its roots for this release with a classic setting and refreshed gameplay mechanics. You can expect an action title with plenty of stealth abilities to sneak around its map. If you're an Assassin's Creed fan who has felt burnt out with recent entries, Mirage is a refreshing change of pace. We gave the game an 8/10 in our review, stating the game is "a successful first step in returning to the stealthy style that launched this series."
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 for $30For just $30, you can own the first three Metal Gear Solid titles on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch. This package also includes Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Prior to the Master Collection, there was no method to play the Metal Gear Solid titles on most modern consoles, but you can now experience Hideo Kojima's series from the very beginning anywhere.
Apple HomePod (2nd Generation) for $249.99Best Buy currently has the Apple HomePod for $249.99. If you listen to music in your home using Apple Music, the HomePod is a great choice, as this is a device with high quality sound and audio tech. This is the lowest we've seen the 2nd Generation HomePod yet, so it might be worth your attention if you've been holding out on purchasing this device.
As great as it is to see the 3D Fallout games enjoying another moment in the sun following the popularity of Prime Video’s excellent TV adaptation, the games I most want to direct new fans toward are the classic original Fallout and Fallout 2. Aside from being where it all began, those are the stories that hold many of the answers people coming off of the show are looking for: the origins of Shady Sands, the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave, what happens when a vault’s water chip fails, and much more. Their stories, scenarios, and memorable moments have stuck with those of us who played them for decades, and bringing those same experiences to an entirely new audience that’s ravenous for Fallout content seems like a slam dunk.
However, in 2024 that recommendation comes with more caveats than it ought to: While both are readily available on Steam (and included in PC Game Pass) and run on modern PCs, when you fire it up you’re presented with an array of tiny buttons, no tutorial, and 2D sprite graphics designed for 800x600 CRT monitors that, despite being loaded with post-nuclear character, make you squint to see what’s going on. It’s enough of a barrier to re-entry to make even a (very) old fan like myself balk a bit at diving in for another playthrough – and a reminder that if there’s one series that has been criminally overlooked in the era of remasters, it’s old-school Fallout.
Bringing a game like Fallout up to date in a way that would please both diehard fans and newcomers would certainly take years of work, and I don’t mean to suggest it would be easy by any stretch of the imagination. The original is just 562MB installed off of Steam; Fallout 2 is just 2MB larger. (I remember having to keep the disc in the drive to play because my brother’s PC only had a 1GB hard drive in 1998.) You can technically crank the resolution up to full 4K, but who’re we kidding? Character sprites are just 60 pixels tall, so you’re getting a bare minimum of detail – packed with retro-futuristic flavor as it may be – any way you slice it. The grainy cinematics are barely better, and only the most important conversations are voice acted. Also, there’s no controller support, so there are legions of modern-day Fallout fans who play on consoles who have no access to these fantastic games at all.
There are legions of modern-day Fallout fans who have no access to these fantastic games at all.A full remaster wouldn’t even be as simple as porting over models and textures from Fallout 4, since any art director worth their salt will tell you things need to be designed differently when they’re intended to be viewed from an isometric perspective. (It’d be interesting to see those old games brought in line with the art style of Bethesda’s Fallout games, though personally I’d love an update that honors the more cartoonishly broad-shouldered, bulkily armored character design.) Beyond graphics, there are a number of features that would be expected in a modern game, such as character customization beyond picking between dark-haired white male and dark-haired white female for your Vault Dweller, that would need to be added. The UI could certainly use some updating as well, and the first Fallout is from a time when in-game tutorials weren’t a thing, so popping up with some instructions on how to use its systems would be a positive step. I’m sure some people would love an option to prevent companions from being permanently killed when a stray SMG burst shreds them into a fine mist, but for me that’s part of the charm.
I’m sure a modern remaster would have to do away with a few things that haven’t aged super well – I would not expect the Childkiller trait to carry over, for instance. Back when Fallout 3 was announced I asked Todd Howard how that game would handle kids; visibly wincing, he replied that you can’t do child murder at that level of fidelity. Much as I enjoyed how the original gave you such broad freedom that you could make a decision – or mistake – so monstrous the entire wasteland would hate you forever, I’m inclined to agree.
The popularity of Baldur’s Gate 3 makes me confident modern gamers wouldn’t have a problem with Fallout’s combat.That said, the underlying gameplay holds up very well, and the popularity of Baldur’s Gate 3 and XCOM-style turn-based tactical games makes me confident that modern gamers wouldn’t have a problem getting the hang of how Fallout’s combat works – it’s far, far less complex than managing a wizard’s spells. Sure, you have to go into your inventory to load a pistol with your choice of ammo types and open a menu to target an enemy’s groin, for instance, and if your luck stat is low you’ll be prone to weapon misfires and hitting the wrong target. But it’s plenty rewarding even so, and there’s no shame in save scumming (quicksave/quickload would be another great addition).
So there’s a long to-do list, but it can be done. We’ve seen proof with 2021’s Diablo 2: Resurrected, where Vicarious Visions (now known as Blizzard Albany and, coincidentally, under the same corporate ownership as Bethesda) painstakingly remastered a beloved game from 2000 with vastly improved 3D graphics and a handful of important quality of life enhancements. In theory, Fallout could get the same treatment: According to Tim Cain, producer on the original Fallout, the original source code still exists for both games and should be in the possession of Bethesda, so they could be updated rather than remade.
It’s going to be a long, long time before Bethesda revisits the post-apocalypse.And they really should be, because the reality is that it’s going to be a long, long time before Bethesda’s already announced development schedule allows it to revisit the post-apocalypse for another full-scale RPG. Heck, even in the best-case scenario where another Xbox studio like Obsidian or InExile were to kick off a new Fallout tomorrow while Bethesda goes back to Tamriel for The Elder Scrolls VI, we’d still be very, very lucky to see it before the 30th anniversary of the original Fallout, which came out in 1997. To put that in perspective: there will likely be a longer gap between 2018’s Fallout 76 and a hypothetical Fallout 5 than there was between Fallout 2 (1998) and Fallout 3 (2008) – a 10-year stretch during which the series was largely considered dead. Remastering the originals would fill that gap nicely in as little as a couple of years, if Diablo 2 Resurrected’s three-year development is any indication, and give Fallout fans a Stimpack injection of the good stuff to tide us over.
Dan Stapleton is IGN's Director of Reviews and one of our many old-school Fallout fans. Follow him on Bluesky.
Amazon is offering an excellent deal on this Arzopa 15" 1080p USB Type-C portable monitor. It's normally $129.99, but Amazon Prime members can get it right now for $60.79 shipped after a 20% off clippable coupon. 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.
Note: You will need to be logged into your Amazon Prime account to see these prices.
Arzopa S1 15" 1080p USB-C Portable Monitor for $60.79Amazon Prime member exclusive
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 1920x1080 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.
Upgrade to the Arzopa Z1FC 16" 144Hz Monitor for $99.99Amazon Prime member exclusive
The higher end Arzopa Z1FC is also on sale at Amazon. A clippable coupon drops it down to $99.99. The Z1FC's upgrades include a larger display (16.1" vs 15.6"), a higher refresh rate (144Hz vs 60Hz), and a 100% sRGB color gamut. The larger display and better color reproduction makes it a nice upgrade for Switch and Steam Deck gamers, however because the Z1 uses a bit more power than the S1, you'll need to keep the Z1 plugged into a wall charger since neither gaming system can power the monitor by itself. This monitor is a perfect complement for PC and laptop gamers who will be able to take advantage of the 144Hz refresh rate. I have this monitor and can confirm that the image quality is great. It's also extremely thin and lightweight, with a nice solid metal chassis.
An Excellent Portable Monitor for Your Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck Gaming ConsoleThis 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?
Best Nintendo Switch deals of 2024Best Steam Deck deals of 2024
Amazon is offering the Jackery Explorer 100 31,000mAh Power Bank for $99.99 after you clip the $30 off coupon on the product page. This is the largest capacity power bank we've seen that's TSA carry-on eligible. It also uses superior LiFePO4 battery cells, can charge up to 3 devices simultaneously, and boasts up to 100W charging output via USB Type-C.
Jackery Explorer 100 31,000mAh Power Bank for $99.99At first glance the Jackery Explorer 100 looks like one of those large power stations you might use as a backup battery for your home. But actually, this thing is pretty small, small enough to fit on the palm of your hand. It measures only 5"x3.4"x3.4" and weighs about 2 pounds. This is a 99Whr power bank, which means it just barely squeezes its way under TSA's sub-100Whr requirement. With a 31,000mAh total capacity, this is definitely the largest TSA carry-on eligible power bank we've posted on IGN.
Unlike most smaller power banks which use lithium-ion cells, the Jackery Explorer 100 uses LiFePO4 cells. They're usually more expensive and also a bit heavier, but in exchange you get inherently safer battery chemistry and a much longer lifespan, both in terms of number of cycles and calendar aging.
The Jackery Explorer 100 has three outputs: two USB Type-C with PPS and Power Delivery up to 100W total, and a USB Type-A with 28W of charging for a total of 128W. The Steam Deck supports up to 45W max charging, the ASUS ROG Ally up to 65W, and the Nintendo Switch up to 18W. That means ou can charge a Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, or Nintendo Switch at its maximum charging speed. In fact, you could almost charge all three at their maximum charging rate simultaneously.
Jackery is a well known brand that's based out of Fremont, California. They're very reliable and are often a great alternative to the juggernaut Chinese companies like Ecoflow and Bluetti. This power bank is UL 94V-0 certified and includes a 2 year warranty.
For more options, check out our favorite power banks for 2024.
25 years ago, Nintendo changed forever when Mario and Pikachu beat the snot out of each other for the first time. And it wasn’t some imaginative playground game or notebook scribbles, it was a real, official, Nintendo-sanctioned clobbering! Today marks the 25th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. hitting North America on Nintendo 64, launching the franchise that would eventually culminate in the best-selling fighting game of all time. So on Smash’s birthday, let’s celebrate gaming’s biggest crossover, and speculate about where the franchise could possibly go next after the literally “ultimate” last entry.
It still blows my mind that Nintendo approved a game where its most recognizable, family-friendly faces get punched by other company icons, especially considering that Smash 64’s prototype was called Dragon King: The Fighting Game, featuring no Nintendo characters at all. But when series creator Masahiro Sakurai thought the game would be more successful with Nintendo characters, the company surprisingly agreed. The uber-protective Nintendo has a cute explanation for how its all-stars can fight, as Smash 64’s opening cutscene shows plush toys of Mario, DK, and Samus coming to life in a child’s playroom. Super Smash Bros. Melee replaced the plush toys with trophies, which eventually led to Smash for Wii U and 3DS’ amiibo, which led to hundreds of dollars leaving my bank account. But however Nintendo needs to justify it, it’s just awesome the idea got the green light.
I anxiously awaited a green light of my own to get my start with Smash Bros. One of my earliest vivid memories comes from when I was five years old, sitting in a Target parking lot with my mom and sister. I had my heart set on getting Super Smash Bros. Melee for GameCube, but there was a catch: Melee was rated T for Teen, and my kindergarten-age self was a long way away from my teenage years. My mom called my dad to see if he thought it was okay for me to play a T-rated game, and he luckily approved. So thanks, Mom and Dad, because that decision introduced me to one of my favorite series, one that I’m still in love with over 20 years later.
Looking back now, Smash 64’s humble roster of 12 fighters seems miniscule in comparison to modern entries, but as a kid I still remember how incredible it was to play a game with Pikachu, Mario, and Link all in the same place. It felt impossible, and with each new entry, Sakurai and Co. continued to make miracles happen. Melee expanded the lineup significantly, over doubling the number of characters and adding princesses like Peach and Zelda and villains like Bowser and Ganondorf. There were also some great off-the-wall choices in Melee, like Mr. Game & Watch, the Ice Climbers, and a couple of mysterious sword fighters from an unknown Japan-exclusive series called Fire Emblem.
As much as I dislike the floaty physics of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I still really appreciate the Wii entry for all the big swings it took. From its wildly ambitious Subspace Emissary story mode, to its attempt to introduce online play to the franchise, to crazy third-party inclusions like Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog, Brawl followed in Melee’s footsteps establishing that each new Smash entry was going to be bigger and more bombastic than the last. Smash Bros. never rests on its laurels, and it has deservedly become an event whenever a new Smash Bros. hype cycle kicks off.
Thanks to the rise of the Nintendo Direct and social media, the leadup to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS is remembered for extremely hype reveal trailers. Nintendo ramped up the third-party additions with classic gaming icons like Mega Man, Ryu, and Pac-Man, along with the truly unfathomable introduction of Final Fantasy VII’s Cloud Strife. I distinctly remember conversations along the lines of “Where does Smash go from here” starting after Smash 4’s DLC run came to an end, as the roster seemed too big to replicate in a future entry. But of course, we all now know that wasn’t the case.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of Nintendo’s crowning achievements. Not only did Ultimate bring every character from franchise history back, but it continued the trend of absolutely wild third-party crossovers. Steve, Banjo & Kazooie, and Sora feel like nothing more than pie-in-the-sky chat forum dreams, but Sakurai and his team at Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco made them all happen. So now, on Smash’s 25th anniversary, I’m asking the same question we all asked before the Smash team set the bar even higher with Ultimate: What happens next?
Will Sakurai Be Involved?Every Smash Bros. is Masahiro Sakurai’s last Smash Bros… until the next one. That’s been the pattern for nearly the entire franchise at this point, as it always seems like Sakurai is on his way out the door until Nintendo reels him back in for one more go. But this time, it really seems like it’s worth questioning if Sakurai will continue to lead Smash in the future. And yes, there is a future for Smash. “Ultimate” may be the title of the last entry, but there’s no way Nintendo is going to leave one of its mega franchises on the table with 20 million-plus sales potential. Personally, I don’t think Sakurai is going to be able to help himself the next time Nintendo gives him a call. Last year, the creator said he can’t imagine the series continuing without him.
"The question now is what happens next time?” Sakurai said in a video on his YouTube channel. “I mean whatever comes after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. One option would be to separate the series from its original creator, but for now, at least, I can't imagine a Smash Bros. title without me. You might think that's a natural stance for someone in my role, but I say so speaking objectively.”
Sakurai added that there’s no one right now who he can see taking the reins and leading the next Smash game, and that he’d like to continue working with Nintendo in the future. I wouldn’t be surprised if that phone call has already happened, as Sakurai announced he is ending his short-lived YouTube career later this year, and he squashed rumors of retirement by saying he’s still focused on making games.
Since Sakurai feels there is currently no one prepared to take over the series, I think he will come back for one more entry where he shifts into more of a producer role, so he can take the time to train his replacement during development of the next game. It would be a similar situation to what we’ve seen happen with Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, where longtime directors like Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma slowly transitioned into producer roles. That way, when Sakurai is ready to step away from Smash, he can rest easier knowing his series is in good hands.
Can ‘Everyone Is Here’ Happen Again?Even Sakurai himself doesn’t think something the size of Ultimate can happen again.
"As for what comes next for the Smash Bros. series, even I'm not sure," Sakurai said. "I feel we truly succeeded in making people happy with this game, but now that Smash Bros. has grown to be monstrous in size, I'd say it's difficult to imagine an increase of this magnitude happening again.
"Every time, we managed to make a game that I had previously thought impossible, so I can't say for certain there won't be another, but I do think it would be difficult to push it any further than we have."
Bringing everyone back for another entry would be even tougher than it was for Ultimate. Besides the sheer number of characters to work on and balance during development, Nintendo would have to get every third-party partner — we’re talking Capcom, Sega, Konami, Square Enix, Microsoft, and even Disney — to sign off on their characters making another Smash appearance. While I don’t doubt that Sakurai and his team could pull it off again, I’m not convinced that’s the route they’d go with a brand-new Smash game.
The one route where I could see “Everyone Is Here” happening again is through a Deluxe port of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Maybe Nintendo would port a game as massive as Smash Ultimate to its next home console, and Sakurai’s team at Bandai Namco could reconvene to make some DLC additions to the roster. It would be a significantly smaller lift for the developers, and Sakurai could take the opportunity to train a new director under much less demanding circumstances than an entirely new Smash Bros. game.
The other route I could see Smash going is to a full reboot of the series. Movesets for Ultimate’s DLC characters were absolutely bonkers, from Hero’s spell menu, to Joker’s Persona, to Terry and Kazuya’s powered-up states, and it started to make characters who have been around since the early days of the series feel simple by comparison. Characters like Mario, Fox, Link, and Samus have barely changed since Smash 64, and it might be time to go back to the drawing board and revamp the movesets for some of Nintendo’s most classic characters. Overhauled movesets for iconic fighters in exchange for a much smaller roster seems like a fair tradeoff to me, and Nintendo would surely grow the roster over time through DLC.
Either way, Nintendo is facing a big challenge for the next Smash Bros. game. This series has always outdone itself, but Ultimate is a very tough game to try and outdo. But if there’s one team I trust to figure out how to make the next entry special, it’s Sakurai and Nintendo, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for this series that always manages to be such a special event.
What do you want to see from the next Smash Bros. game? Let us know in the comments.
Logan Plant is IGN's Database Manager, Playlist Editor, and frequent Super Ninfriendo on Nintendo Voice Chat. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
Primary Portal Games
World of Warcraft
Sturmgrenadier is more organised, more active, and more structured than most guilds you would come across in WoW. We believe this gives us a distinct advantage in being the best guild we can be for our members, because everyone knows where they stand, and are treated equally. Players with negative attitudes will not be tolerated. That means that there is no epeen measuring, no belittling of other players, and no trolling.
EVE
EVE Online is Sturmgrenadier’s longest-played game, with over 16 years of continuous influence throughout New Eden. Traditional hallmarks of our gaming syndicate; organization and leadership, have propelled our in-game history to include participation in many of the defining moments of EvE gameplay.
New World
New World is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing video game by Amazon Game Studios set to release in May 2020. Set in the mid-1600s, players colonize a fictional land modeled after British America in the Atlantic Ocean. Players scavenge resources, craft items, and fight other players.
Coming Soon!
Game is in early Alpha/Beta.
Join us and get involved early!
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