Black Friday is a few weeks away, but you won’t need to wait to enjoy some fantastic deals on board games. Whether you want to buy something for your collection or friends, the?re are some great options to explore. All the games on the following list are not only excellent options in their own right, but you can save a decent amount of cash by purchasing them right now. 

Catan

• Players needed: 3-4
• Regular Price: $54.99
• Discounted Price: $43.97

Catan will always remain one of my favorite board games due to the fantastic blend of luck and strategy. While you’re relying heavily on your dice draw, you’ll also have to place carefully to ensure getting a steady stream of resources to r??each the victory condition. Again, the game emphasizes heavily what you want to do with your resources, and this is one title where hoarding is strictly discouraged.

Monopoly

• Players needed: 3-6
• Regular Price: $21.99
• Discounted Price: $14.97

Can there ever be a listicle about board games without Monopoly on it? Entertaining kids and adults alike since 1935, Monopoly is a fantastic way to spend some quality time with your friends and family. Like Catan, you depend on dice draws to decide your fate, but what you do with th?e outcome always relies on your decision-making. Buy properties, set up ho?tels, or go to jail - everything can happen during a round of Monopoly. 

Splendor

• Players needed: 3-4
• Regular Price: $39.99
• Discounted Price: $21.98

Surviving as a royal jeweler (not literally) isn’t an easy task, especially when you’ve become the very best. Essentially a pretty simple game, Splendor is about collecting gems and then using them to get the mines. There isn’t much control over the gems that you receive, but using them strategically? to secure the mines relies entirely on you. In fact, shor??t-sightedness can cost you heavily in this board game, which makes it an amazing strategy board game as well. 

Wingspan

• Players needed: 1-5
• Regular Price: $65
• Discounted Price: $52

Wingspan is a beautiful game for nature lovers, which can get deeply compelling and extremely strategic at the same time. The core objective is to build up your engine by collecting unique bird cards.  Then, you play them strategically, feed them with ??tokens, and help lay eggs. As you build up your aviary, you’ll need to make critical decisions at every stage. In fact, the hard part is picking between four different actions every turn. Wingspan can feel a bit complex for beginners, but you’ll get good at it in no time. Additionally, the game can be played solo as well.  

Ark Nova

• Players needed: 1-4
• Regular Price: $74.95
• Discounted Price: $51.07

Ark Nova is one of the newer additions to the board game segment, and it’s perfect for those who enjoy management games. Relying on the cards that are dealt to you, the objective is to build the ideal zoo for your animals. This means placing the right animals in their correct habitats. Unlike titles like Wingspan, Ark Nova does allow you to chain the cards in your hand when r??equired. There are five types of core actions, so you’ll once again have to pull out a sound balancing act. Like Wingspan, Ark Nova can be enjoyed alone or with your friends and family. 

Pandemic

• Players needed: 2-4
• Regular Price: $44.99
• Discounted Price: $35.99

While Pandemic requires you to at least have a partner to play with, it’s a co-op experience. In simpler words, you and your buddies will be using the cards to stop a global pandemic from happening. The objective is to win and win together instead of trying to outwit each other. Coordination might be key, but your chances of success will mainly depend on how w??ell you use the cards in your hand. If you enjoy Pandemic, there are pl?enty of themed versions available on the market as well.

Ticket to Ride

• Players needed: 2-5
• Regular Price: $54.99
• Discounted Price: $43.97

Ticket to Ride is one of those board games that look incredibly simple to play, and it is, but after a few turns, you then realize how complex it can get. Another board game that relies on cards, the core objective is to build the longest train possible. But you can’t place the bogies anywhere you want, and the color of your cards will drive it. You’ll also have to connect the location cards in your hands for bonus points and avoiding penalties. It’s not an easy job at all, as your opponent will be doing the same, and the chaos begins if both of you have t??o lay down tracks on the same path. 

Arkham Horror

• Players needed: 1-4
• Regular Price: $59.99
• Discounted Price: $47.96

Halloween might be over, but the season of spookiness is yet to go away, and what better board game to play during this time than Arkham Horror? Themed around the Cthulhu mythos, Arkham Horror requires you to don your investigative hat and figure out what’s going on in the mysterious town you find yourself in. To solve the mysteries in Arkham, you’ll have to rely on the instruc??tions on the cards. The core gameplay is divided across different campaigns, and you can pick up several expansions (which all fit with the core set). 

7 Wonders Duel

• Players needed: 2
• Regular Price: $34.99
• Discounted Price: $21.99

The original 7 Wonders requires you to build the finest empire possible across different ages. The Duel version has the same fundamental mechanics, but it’s tailor-made for two people. Winning in 7 Wonders Duel can be achieved in different ways - you can invade your opponent, research something marvelous, or build a city that takes you closer to the victory condition. The Duel vers?ion also results in quicker games, and you don’t have to set up a full board game night to get enough people to play in the first place. 

Everdell

• Players needed: 1-4
• Regular Price: $75
• Discounted Price: $59.98

Everdell is perhaps one of the most beautiful board games that I ever played. Unlike Catan or Monopoly, Everdell is about going on an adventure where you get to build up your own civilization. The playing board is absolutely gorgeous, but Everdell isn’t about visual gimmicks. Yo??u create your own civilization of critters and cute animals using different cards. You can play alone or with your friends in a competitive way. The Standard edition is currently available at a discount, and it’s an amazing deal. If you love Everdell, you could also pick up expansions in the future.

The post Best Board Game Deals before Black Friday 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

While the Halloween festivities are yet to begin, there are some amazing gaming deals you can enjoy. These deals are all available on Amazon, and you can avail them from the com?fort of your home. The deals also include some huge discounts on hardware, software, and g?aming accessories. Irrespective of whatever your needs are, it's likely that you'll find at least one of the following deals worth your time and money.

Samsung Odyssey G9 49" OLED Curve Monitor

Regular Price: 1599.99

Deal Price: $949.49

If you're the type of gamer who loves widescreen and doesn't care about a budget, the 49" giant, aka, Odyssey OLED G9 from Samsung is the perfect choice. You can save over 40% by availing yourself of the latest deal from Amazon, and in return, you will get one of the best widescreen monitors on the market. With 240 Hz refresh rate at 1440P, it's the very best Samsung has to offer. There's support for Freesync as well, so the monitor will perform even better if you have an AMD-based setup. Additionally, you can connect multiple input devices at the same time, if you, like me, gam??es on both PC and console.

Razer Basilisk V3

Regular Price: $69.99

Deal Price: $39.99

The Basilisk V3 has been one of my trusted aides when it comes to gaming and work. It'??s an extremely ergonomic mouse that's well-built for all kinds of palm sizes, and fits comfortably. The mouse is pretty lightweight, so your hands won't tire after intense FPS sessions. It also offers support up to 26K DPI, and 11 programmable buttons. If you're someone who loves lighting up the room with RGB, there's that as well. The Basilisk V3 is one of the best gaming mice you can get without breaking the bank.

College Football 25

Regular Price: $69.99

Deal Price: $42.99 (PS5)/$47.99 (Xbox Series X|S)

If you're a sports game lover, College Football 25 is probably the best 2024 release to try out. It's by far way better than Madden NFL 25 (even though Madden has the full NFL license). More importantly, it's the only authentic college sports simulator you can find on the market. Compared to titles like FC 25, the live service is lot less greedier and far more manageable. The St??andard Edition is enjoying decent discounts for both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S users (physical copies).

Street Fighter 6

Regular Price: $59.99

Deal Price: $34.99 (Xbox Series X|S)/$3988 (PS5)

If we are talking about traditional fighters, Street Fighter 6 remains one of the best titles in my book. Capcom's immense efforts at introducing new controls for beginners makes Street Fighter 6 one of the best games to try for newbies. However, it also offers some rigorous tests to the veterans, who can juke it out in ra??????????????????????????nked mode. If you've a current-gen c??onsole, you can get some big savings on a physical copy.

God of War Ragnarok

Regular Price: $69.99

Deal Price: $39.99/$34.99 (PS5/PS4)

God of War Ragnarok isn't only one of the best PlayStation exclusives in recent years, but Ragnarok is the continuation of the new saga. Unlike the first set of games, Kratos isn't all vengeful in the new saga, and he also has a son too look after. I loved the 2018 release, and Ragnarok is a worthy successo?r by every means. While there's no discount on the PC version as of writing, you can get a handy discount by picking up the physical edition on either the PS4 or the PS5.

Acer Nitro 27 inch Full HD 240 Hz Curved monitor

Regular Price: $249.99

Deal Price: $159.99

We began the list with a gaming laptop, and we end with one. Unlike the Samsung Odyssey, the Acer Nitro 27" Curved is a much more budget friendly option. But don't be fooled by the price, as this screen justifies its valuation in every pixel. While you will have to satisfy yourself with 1080P resolution, you get 240 Hz refresh rate. In my experience, a higher refresh rate is way more useful than a higher resolution. If you're?? someone who wants to get the competitive edge in shooters without breaking your bank, this is ?a very good monitor to pick.

The post Best Gaming Deals This Week appeared first on Destructoid.

Tablets are one of those "one-does-all" pieces of technology that The Jetsons writers dreamt of in the 1960s. These screened squares have been around since the 1980s, but they've so advanced far past their ancient prog??enitor that it's hard to tell they're part of the same technological evolutionary family.

These days, finding something a tablet can't do is a genuine challenge. Many people I know look at tablets and see more accessible versions of their smartphones; they use them to place calls, send emails, and play their favorite mobile games. Some of my closest friends prefer to?? use them as digital artists' easels, and I've seen proof of how well their favorite tool works for them at local art shows. Personally, though, I use my Kindle table??t to bring my ever-expanding personal library of books with me wherever I go.

The best Amazon Prime Day tablet deals

To help you make the best out of Amazon Prime Day, I've cobbled together a list of the best Amazon Prime tablet deals I could find. Each entry on this list gives you a sizable discount on one of the many tablets available on Amazon. I, of course, can't tell you which tablet is right for you since I don't even know what you want one for. However, whatever you pick, you're ge??tting a great deal on a product that will help you achieve whatever goal you're working towards.

iPad Mini (6th Gen)

• Price: $379.99 ($499.99)
• Storage: 64GB
• A simple, stress-free tablet

The Apple iPad Mini is a fantastic choice for people looking for a basic, function-focused tablet. Essentially, the Apple iPad Mini is the tablet equivalent of a dumb phone: an intentionally simplified device devoid of the distractions that come pre-build into so many modern smart devices. It has several useful apps, a 12MP UltraWide front camera, and an Apple Pen. There's no unnecessary clutter or unwanted distractions here, so you can take notes, edit photos, ?or send a message to your friend without worrying about getting blown off ??track by a flood of notifications.

Lenovo Tab P11

• Price: $129.00 ($199.00)
• Storage: 128GB
• A slender screened beauty

Budget is always a factor to consider when you shop for a new table. The Levono Tab P11 is a lot less expensive than most Android tablets, but that doesn't mean it's less functional. This tablet has an 11-inch display, four built-in stereo speakers, and two 1080p@30fp?s cameras. Combine this with full app support, and? you have a reliable and fun tablet you won't need to worry about replacing..

Amazon HD Fire 8 Kids

• Price: $74.99 ($149.99)
• Storage: 32GB
• A great tablet for kids

The Amazon HD Fire 8 Kids is a portable entertainment center for children and an excellent tool for parents in the digital age. The talent comes wit??h a free one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, a service with access to various child-oriented apps, including e-readers, gaming hubs, and streaming services. Its parental controls are simple to understand? and implement, and its thirteen-hour battery life means children will have plenty of time to play, learn, and share meaningful experiences with their parents.

OnePlus Pad 128 GB

• Price: $399.99 ($479.99)
• Storage: 128GB
• Android's magnum opus

If you're in the market for a solid Android tablet, you don't need to look further than the OnePlus Pad 128 GB. Android has always nailed the frame design of its smart devices, and the smooth and ultra-portable casing of the OnePlus Pad 128 GB is one of the best examples of that fact. This sleek design compliments the OnePlus Pad 128 GB's eleven-inch screen size and 144 Hz refresh rate, allowing you to experience high-quality video and audio in the?? office or on your couch at equal comfort levels. Best of all, the tablet comes with in-depth brightness customization options, so you don't need to worry about messing up your sleep schedule if you do a spot of late-night ebook reading.

Wacom Intuos Pro

• Price: $312.84 (379.95)
• A fantastic tablet for artists

The Wacom Intuos Pro is the go-to drawing tablet for most digital artists. I have a much more basic version of this tablet, and it's served me well for many years. The Wacom Intuos Pro has apps that let you draw images, edit photos, and apply some paint to both. The Pro Pen with the tablet is accessible and highly customizable, enabling you to adjust the sensitivity to your liking. You can also edit the tablet's button commands and create program shortcuts, allowing ??you to personalize your unique artistic process and increase your productivity.

Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle

• Price $299.97 ($439.97)
• The ultimate Kindle note-taker

Kindle Scribe's claim to fame is that it doubles as a digital note-taker. The Scribe comes with a fully editable digital notebook and an easy-to-use Apple Pen. If you're like me and love to keep a notebook open while you read, the Kindle Scribe is the perfect Kindle for you. With the Essentials bundle, you also get ?a leather folio sleeve, a magnetic attachment, and a power adaptor.

Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Collection

• Price: $134.97 ($204.97)
• A fantastic e-reader for

The Kindle Paperwhite is my favorite Kindle model, mainly because it strives to recreate the feeling of reading an actual, made-of-paper book. Its glare-free screen ensures a clean reading experience, and its adjustable warm-light settings mean I never have to worry about throwing my circadian rhythm out of whack if I read at night. The Essential Collection sweetens the deal by throwing in a complimentary fabric cover and adaptor, ensuring your Kindle won'?t suffer we?ar and tear if you take it on a trip.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+

• Price: $169.99 ($219.99)
• Storage: 64GB
• A splendid choice for non-Apple users

Samsung may be Amazon's biggest rival, but that doesn't mean they're petty enough to keep the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ from getting an outstanding Amazon Prime Day deal. With an 11-inch screen and a top-notch sound system, the Galaxy Tab A9+ is one of the best tablets for streaming. Movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and music will all look and sound fa?ntastic on this tablet. To sweeten the deal to cavity-inducing levels, the Galaxy Tab a9+ has access to far more Apps than most Apple-produced tablets, and its exceptional processing speed enables you to have multiple apps open simultaneously without running into slowdown or crashes.

Amazon Fire HD 10

• Price: $74.99 ($139.99)
• Storage: 32GB
• The newest Amazon tablet

If you want to splurge on a new Amazon tablet, you can't get much better than the Amazon Fire HD 10. The latest version of the Amazon Fire Tablet runs over twenty-five percent faster than the previous models, and its 1080p Full HD display screen brings out the color of any show you stream, book you read, or game you play. It even has some great parental control opti??ons, so you can loan it to younger family members without having to worry about them seeing some??thing they shouldn't

Amazon Fire HD 8

• Price: $54.99 (99.99)
• Storage: 64Gb
• The best Amazon Prime Day tablet deal

Many consider the Amazon Fire HD 8 one of the best versions of Amazon's Fire tablets, and it is currently available for over half off. The Fire?? HD 8 has everything you could want from a Fire tablet: a fantastic battery life, buttery-smooth streaming capabilities, and in-depth compatib??ility with Alexa, Kindle, and the Amazon App Store. Compact in design and robust in its customization options, the Fire HD 8 is the Fire tablet, and it's an investment you won't regret making.

The post Best Tablet Deals From Amazon’s October Prime Day (2024) appeared first on Destructoid.

The Amazon Prime Day deals are now live, and you can acquire so?me terrific bo??ard games at bargain prices ahead of the festive season.

Whether you wan?t to spend quality time with your loved ones or give them memorable gifts, board games are always a great choice. However, modern board games can be quite expensive, especially if you're looking for more recent releases. Thanks to the Amazon Prime Day deals, you can expand your collection or pick up some great potential gifts at low prices.

Disclaimer: This isn't a ranked list, ?so feel free to pick as per your budget and preferences.

Ticket to Ride

Regular Price: $54.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $29.99

An enjoyable board game that can get as strategic as you want, Ticket to Ride is a perfect game for a family evening. While best enjoyed in a group of four, Ticket to Ride can be quite competitive?? when played between a duo. Each ste??p requires you to decide between multiple actions, and to win you'll have to make the best decision possible.

Catan

Regular Price: $59.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $29.99

Settlers of Catan is a fun family game until someone rolls a seven on their dice. This is my favorite strategy game of all time, and there's no better feeling than watching your strategy come good (or perform miserably due to bad luck). Catan is also a relativel??y easy game for board game beginners, and there are numerous expansions to increase the scope for replayability.

Red Rising

Regular Price: $24.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $8.99

Based on the popular book series by Pierce Brown, Red Rising lets you play as one of the powerful houses and establish yourself as the top dog. The core gameplay revolves around playing your cards right and outsmarting your opponents. There are several references from the book series of the same name that help you relate to the original lore. Red Rising also has an automa system that lets you hav?e fun on your?? own.

Pandemic

Regular Price: $39.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $25.64

While most board games would pit you against one another, Pandemic is different. It's a co-op experience where you attempt to defeat the game itself by preventing another mass disease outbreak. The job is easier said than done, as not everything will be under your control. The aim is to carefully play your cards in coordination with your mate to stop a disease before it can grow into an ugly manifestation. Make sure to check out the different versions of Pandemic as well while the Amazon Prime Day sale is live.

7 Wonders

Regular Price: $59.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $37.99

You're one of the seven greatest cities in the world, but can you be the best? That's exactly what you'll have to do in order to win in 7 Wonders. The core strategy involves you having to manage your drafted cards carefully to build your military might through different ages. But you'll also have to keep track of how your opponents are doing to have increased chances of victory. While the base game requires at least three players, 7 Wonders also has a Duel version.

Splendor

Regular Price: $39.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $22.49

It's not an easy task being a jewel merchant in the Renaissance era, especially when you have to face competition from your buddies. Splendor requires you to own different mines, use them to own jewels, and have the highest prestige points. But owning every mine isn't possible, as you'll have to use the jewels that are dealt to you. Splendor offers unlimited hours of replayability since there's no one fixed way of winning a game. It's an?? amazing game in groups, or you can play with your partner (don't ge??t overly competitive).

Everdell Collector's Edition

Regular Price: $99.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $59.99

Everdell is one of the most beautiful board games I have ever played. Putting aside the strategic gameplay, the game board, cards, and the big tree make Everdell o?ne of the best gifting options. Thanks to the latest deal, you can get the Collector's Edition for the price of Standard. But you get the Legend expansion, Premium tokens, and more as part of your collection.

Dixit

Regular Price: $39.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $29.99

If you're looking to add a board game that hones your creativity, Dixit it is. Every turn, you and your mates will be dealt a set of cards with extremely imaginative graphic designs. While one person takes the role of the riddler, other players have to guess. While your objective as the riddler is to ensure that all players don't think the correct card, you'll only get points if at least one person picks the right card. Thanks to the open-ended nature of the cards, you'll have to dive deep into the depths of your imagination. You can also pick up a Disney version of Dixit at the same Price as the base edition.

Twilight Imperium

Regular Price: $164.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $119.99

One of the best sci-fi strategy games of all time, Twilight Imperium puts you in charge of different civilizations with the objective of reaching the top. Each civilization has certain unique powers and abilities, and you'll want to strategi??ze accordingly. Reaching to the top has no one set way - trade, form an alliance, or wage a war if you wish. The 4th edition has a great deal as part of Prime Day. Do note that Twilight Imperium takes many hours to finish a game, so you?? might have to play in multiple sessions.

Exploding Kittens

Regular Price: $20

October Amazon Prime Day price: $12.99

If you have a party coming up, you should add Exploding Kittens to your collection. A card-based game, Exploding Kittens has one sole objective - don't get blown up. To avoid being blown up, you'll have to play your cards carefully. Additionally, you'll also have to plan and try to get your friends blown up (no, not literally), for the last one standing is declared as a winner. Exploding Kittens is one of?? the best party games. It's fun, easy to learn, and extremely chaotic at every turn.

Mysterium

Regular Price: $54.99

October Amazon Prime Day price: $32.99

With the spooky season coming up soon, Mysterium should be high on your wishlist. Like Pandemic, Mysterium is a co-op title, forcing you to work with your friends to unravel the mystery. Expect plenty of spooks and creeps as you utilize the cryptic clues to crack open your investigation. Mysterium allows you to?? play at your desired difficulty and offers plenty of replayability with different story endings, sus?pects, and more.

The Witcher Old World Deluxe Edition

Regular Price: $190.95

October Amazon Prime Day price: $142.99

If you're a big Witcher fan like me (who owns the books and the games), maybe it's time for you to add the grand board game. Like Geralt in the stories and the games, you get to explore the vast land and create your adventures. You play with the help of your deck and the different cards, and it's all about balancing your actions. Sometimes, it might just be worth holding on to your cards to create a move with greater synergy, which will help you get more rewards. Even if you're just someone who loves RPGs and old-school grand strategy board games, The Witcher Old World is worth a place in your collection.

The post Ou?r?? 12 Favorite October Prime Day Board Game Deals (2024) appeared first on Destructoid.

Once again, another Amazon Prime Day has come around and there are a lot of good deals to be? had. Whether you need something fo?r around the house, or you want to get your hands on a gaming bargain, there’s something for everyone. 

The following deals ar??e only available this Amazon Prime Day, which is October 8-9, 2024. I’ve scoured the site f?or the best deals, and admittedly this is a very mixed bag, but here are the best deals I found. 

Amazon Echo Spot (2024)

If you’re looking for something that can act as not only your home assistant but your alarm clock too, then look no further. The Echo Spot does everything any other Echo do??es, including controlling your lighting, playing your music, and basically just making life easier all around. Plus, it’s nice to look at, as far as alarm clocks go, and is newly released for 2024. 

Amazon Fire 7 Inch Kids Tablet

While nobody is suggesting that you supplement parenting for time spent on a tablet, there's no denying that sometimes as parents we just need a little bit of peace and tablets are a great way to get it. This Amazon Fire Kids Tablet has a 7-inch screen, a reassuring amount of parental control, and thanks to the built-in case and stand, it’s incredibly difficult for even the most determined of children to wreck it. And even if they do, it comes with a two-year guarantee which means that if it does happen to break, you’ll get a free replacement.&n??bsp;

Fullstar Vegetable Chopper

Now I know that this is a bizarre choice, but hear me out. I’ve got one, and I use it every single day and I honestly don’t think I could go back to not having one. No more crying when cutting onions, perfectly diced vegetables every single time without fail, and cleaning it is an absolute breeze. Seriously, while I’ll openly admit that this is a very weird example for this list, the Fullstar Vegetable Chopper is a culinary game-changer. 

Corsair M65 Gaming Mouse

Admittedly just a smidge under the $50 budget that’s been set, you cannot go wrong with a Corsair mouse. The Corsair M65 is packed with high-tech features which will allow you to fine tune your mouse ??movement, and keep your gaming smooth. It has eight tunable buttons and a 26,000 DPI optical sensor, and you can even change the RGB lighting to suit your m??ood. I mean look at this thing, it’s beautiful!

PowerA Mario Wireless Switch Controller 

Although this might not seem like the biggest discount, and it’s definitely not the biggest discount on this list, the PowerA Mario Wireless Switch Controller is perfect for gaming fanatics, whether they're a seasoned veteran or just getting into gaming. If you have a Switch gamer in your life who is a fan of Mario â€?and let’s face it, they likely are â€?then this would ??make one hell of a Christmas gift.  And yes, it is officially licensed by Nintendo.

SanDisk 256GB microSDXC Card 

You cannot go wrong with more storage for the Nintendo Switch, and this Sandisk 256GB MicroSDXC Card is perfect, especially given the official Nintendo Switch branding, complete with ??Super Star motif. It’s also specifically designed and tested on Nintendo Switch, so you can play with the peace of mind that your save files and screenshots are truly protected. At half price, there’s no better time t??o get this in your basket. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Hardcover Box Set

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a collection of five boo?ks that sees Percy in cahoots with Greek Gods in the 21st century. This box set includes all five books, bound in hardcover with beautiful cover art and the spines come together to form waves. This set is perfect for any teenager wanting to get into the series, or anyone older who has fond memorie?s of the series from their younger years. 

The Lord of the Rings Hardcover Box Set

Whether you’ve read the books before, or simply seen the movie adaptations, this Lord of the Rings Box Set is an absolute must for any fan of the franchise. Including The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, this set allows you to really immerse yourself in the world of Tolkien, which is something that everyone should do at least once in their lives.&n?bsp;

HP DeskJet 2755e Wireless Color Printer

Everybody needs a good printer in their house, whether for printing for a fun hobby or for dealing with the taxing parts of life. This HP 2755e is compact, sleek, and comes with 3 months of ink included as part of the deal. You can print 7 black and whit??e pages a minute, or 5 pages if you want some color, and everything is controlled via the HP Smart app. 

Indiana Jones Ultra-HD 4K Collection

The Indiana Jones movies are absolute classics, and there’s no better way to enjoy them than in Ultra-HD 4K. This box set has a massive 68%? off this Prime Day, so there’s no better time to sit back, grab some popcorn, and binge-watch Indie’s adventures throug??h history. 

Catan

Catan is a board game that’s come up a few times here at Destructoid, and for good reason. For three to four players, Catan is a game of strategy, where you compete to expand your territories. Fall is the perfect time to shut the curtains and block out the world while losing yourself in a game of Catan. 

Pokémon Charizard Deluxe Collector’s Statue 

If you’ve got a Pokémon fan in your life, then now is the perfect time to get ahead on the Christmas gift purchasing. This Charizard Deluxe Collector’s Statue is absolutely beautiful, and anyone who has been a fan of Pokémon for a long time, as well as new fans, will appr??eciate having it on display somewhere in their house. 

Galaxy Projector

With the evenings getting darker and the nights getting longer, it can feel pretty gloomy inside the house. This Galaxy Projector not only lights up the room, but it adds some much-needed color into your space while things are grey outside, and also plays white noise to aid sleep. It comes with a remote control that means you? don’t even need to get up to change the lighting, making it perfect for cozy nights spent reading in bed, and isn’t that one of the joys of Fall?

The post 13 Best Prime Day Deals Under $50 (October 2024) appeared first on Destructoid.

Narrowing down a list o??f the 10 greatest strategy board games of all time is no easy task.

In my experience, almost every board game that I have played involves some kin?d of strategy as you devise a plan to win. That said, this list includes games where strategy is the core part of gameplay. While there might be slight reliance on luck, your strategy, and that of your opponents, will ultimately decide who are the winners. In this list, you'll find some evergreen classics, along with a few relatively new ones.

10. Carcassonne

The strategic part of Carcassonne boils down to how you're laying down the tiles. Sometimes, you would be forced to lay down the tile at only one possible spot. But more often than not, you'll have to figure out the most efficient spot for dropping down your?? tile. When it comes to drawing your tiles, it's entirely dependent on luck. But it's up to you when it comes to the placements. Similarly, you'll also need to place your Meeples strategically as they fetch you all your points.

9. Splendor

Splendor has strategic decision-making at every step as you choose how to spend your gems. Being a jewel maker is no easy feat at all. Picking the gems most efficiently is the hardest thing to balance, and it becomes harder if you and your opponent are going for any of the same colors. Also, you don't have any control over which card is going to pop up next. More often than not, you might end up spending your gems on a card, only for an even better one to come up from the deck. Despite some reliance on luck, Splendor, whether played in groups o?f 2 or more, relies heavily on strategic decisions.

8. Wingspan

The beauty of Wingspan lies in the fact that you can only make one of four available decisions at every turn. In simpler words, you're already giving up on three alternate decisions ev??ery turn. The goal is to choose what you think is going to be the most efficient decision during a turn. However, a game changes every moment, as you and your opponents take turns to pick up new cards. While you can decide how to play the cards, elements like card draws and food tokens aren't mostly in your control. Hence, you??'ll need to think deeply in order to succeed in this incredible nature-themed game.

7. Pandemic

Pandemic is very different from other strategy board games on this list. For starters, you play with other people, and not against them. Pandemic is also one of the best co-op board games you can add to your collection. The common goal is to work with your buddies to solve a disease and prevent it from spreading. But you don't get a magic wand; instead, you'll need to work with the cards dealt to you. How you play out the cards from your hand, along with your buddies, will ensure if you manage to halt the next COVID-19 or not. Pandemic is also available ??in different themes and timelines, offering great many choices to players.

6. Twilight Imperium

Twilight Imperium is almost three decades old, and it's one of the best strategy board games of all time. Over the years, Fantasy Flight Games have made some changes with every new edition, and the latest one (fourth edition) perhaps has the most strategic decision-making at every step. Players choose from different factions, with the ultimate goal of rebuilding it. Every turn, you'll have to choose between one of the many available actions, which again depends on the cards you draw. You can't control every piece of the outcome in Twilight Imperium, but relying on sound decision-making will make your lif??e easier.

5. Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride can be one of the most elaborate strategy board games you can come across. On a map, you and your opponent(s) are building the longest railroad possible while connecting cities. Each turn, you can only take one of three possible actions. There's a lot of emphasis on the risk-rewards approach. Having more destination tickets will allow you to score? more, but only if you can connect the route. You can stack as many train cards as you want, but you'll have to keep pace with your opponents while laying down the routes. While the overall theme is simple, Ticket to Ride can have an extremely strategic approach at times.

4. Scythe

Scythe is arguably the best board game that I have played but don't own in my collection. Its theme can delight fans of strategic and general board games equally. There are five factions, and you have to vie for dominance in the closed city known as 'The Factory.' Each turn, you can make multiple decisions, but there's always an opportunity cost. Scythe has very?? little reliance on luck in the form of Encounter Cards. Other than that, every outcome will be based on your decision/actions. Additionally, every faction grows differently, adding to?? the overall complex nature of the game.

3. Ark Nova

Ark Nova is undoubtedly one of the new entrants to the world of strategy board games, and it inherits core parts from other hits of the genre. Like Ticket to Ride and Wingspan, your chances of winning depend on action cards. But the role of the cards is a lot less reliant on luck and more on your ability t??o understand what to do with them. The main goal is to improve the appeal of your park and collect conservation points. But your opponents will try to do the same, and the primary strategy is about how you play out the cards.

2. Brass: Birmingham

Brass: Birmingham sits on top of the list for strategy board games on BGG. While the game, published in 2018, doesn't attempt to do something radically new, it implements all key aspects required for a successful strategy title. The main objective is to build, develop, and establish a thriving network of industries, which takes place across two eras. In Brass: Birmingham, you have a total set of six different options, but you can only make two decisions every turn. I am a massive fan of the theme of this particular board game as we?ll, which helps it rank slightly higher than other names on this list.

1. Catan

Catan is a great family game until someone rolls a seven on the dice. Catan is undoubtedly one of the older titles on this list of great strategy board games. There are multiple expansions that help to expand the base experience. At its core, Catan relies more on strategy than luck. You have to be very careful about placing your first settlements. From there on, every step involves strategy. Whether you're trading resources or expanding your settlements, there's always an opportunity cost. A good roll of dice will benefit you immensely, but you??r chances of winning depend mostly on your decision-making abilities.

The post 10 Greatest Strategy Board Games Of All Time appeared first on Destructoid.

Summer's finally winding down, and most of us are about to have much less time to read. Luckily, bibliophiles still hav?e time to pick up and read through all the outs??tanding novels, anthologies, and collections that landed on bookstore shelves this season.

More than a few cozy, thrilling, and thought-provoking books have come out recently, and most of them are well worth the ?price tagged onto them. So before Autumn truly settles in, here are the ten best books of September 2024.

10. Cryptomania: Hype, Hope, and the Fall of FTX's Billion-Dollar Fintech Empire - Andrew R. Chow

If Andrew R. Chow's Cryptomania ca??n't convince you that cryptocurrency was one of the worst things ever created by human hands, I'm not sure anything will. Even if you're o?ne of the many who've already recognized and reconciled with this truth, I'd still recommend picking this up if you're in the mood for a delightful shot of schadenfreude.

Following the meteoric rise and biblical fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, one of crypto's most prominent pioneers, Cryptomania is a captivating exploration of its controversial ?subject. Thorough in its research and wry in its prose, this tell-all nonfiction inquisition leaves no??thing unsaid about the financial fad that tried (and spectacularly failed) to change the world.

9. Hera - Jennifer Saint

From The Penelopiad to Lore Olympus, role-bending retellings of Greek mythology’s greatest sagas and tragedies have become a stable of the contemporary fiction scene. Jennifer Saint’s fledgling portfolio consists only of subversive reimagining of classic Greek heroines, and her latest book, Hera, shif??ts focus to ??one of Greece’s most iconic and controversial goddesses.

Told from the titular character’s perspective, Hera kicks off in the immediate aftermath of the gods�apocalyptic war with the Titans. Forced into a less-than-storybook marriage with the power-hungry Zeus, Hera resolves to use the power her new role gives her to subvert her husband’s rule. Packed with acts of divine wrath and Game of Thrones-style power plays, Hera is an empowering epic?? guaranteed to appeal to Greek mythology fans.

8. There Are Rivers in the Sky - Elif Shafak

Writers have been playing with time and space for centuries. While sci-fi authors analyze our relationship with these omnipresent forces by unraveling and reshaping them, contemporary fiction writers like Elif Shafak dial the scale back a few notches and explore the subtle ways they influence our lives. There Are Rivers in the Sky does this by telling?? the tales of four people with one thing in common: the?y live along a river.

Told over millennia, There Are Rivers in the Sky ?follows a quartet of characters from radically different time periods and backgrounds whose lives revolve around the River Tigris. Woven together by Shafak’s poetic prose, this? tale of four souls celebrates the incalculable ways water ties our history and lives together.

7. Hum - Helen Phillips

Many dystopian novels revolve around the chaos sown by unmoored artificial intelligence. Helen Phillips�Hum isn’t as unapologetically bleak as I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream or as grandiose as 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it’s still a?? terrifying and unflinching tale about technology’s ability to transform society and our personal lives for better and worse.

After losing h??er job to one of the artificially intelligent robots, or “Hums,�that inhabit her climate-change-wracked city, May Webb agrees to become the test subjec??t for a radical experiment. Now invisible to the surveillance systems that watch over her world, May moves her family to the Botanical Garden, one of the few green spaces left. However, when a deadly threat targets her children, fate forces May to ally with a mysterious Hum with even more enigmatic motives.

6. The Seventh Veil of?? Salome - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Hollywood is a fantastic setting for any story, but the City of Angels lends itself particularly well to suspense. Silvia Moreno Garcia’s The Seventh Veil of Salome spins a saga of intrigue, romanc?e, and betrayal that will put a live wire in thriller fans�spines.

Set in the 1950s, The Seventh Veil of Salome follows Vera Larios, a ??beautiful receptionist from Mexico City who miraculously lands the starring role in a sword-and-sandals epic recounting the biblical tale of Salome. Unfortunately, Vera’s sudden success puts her in the crosshairs of Nancy Hartley, a bitter ensemble player who makes it her mission to steal Vera’s role, fame, and newly kindled relationship with a das?hing cameraman.

5. Group Living and Other Recipes - Lola Milholland

The word “home�often channels images of a close-knit (or dysfunctional) blood family living behind the same walls. But what if the place you called home was open to anyone and everyone? Lola Milholland lived in a home like this, and hers is the story behind Group Living and Other Recipes.

One part cookbook, one part memoir, Group Living and Other Recipes sheds light on the under-explored world of communal living. Through her recollections of the many colorful characters who lived in her childhood home (and ??the many incredible r??ecipes those eccentric travelers taught her), Milholland opens your mind to a new, surreal, and delicious way of living.

4. This Is Why We Lied - Karen Slaughter

The intrigue at the heart of any good whodunit story lives and dies off the strength of its prime suspects. Murder on the Orient Express and Knives Out prove this. This Is Why We Lied by Karen Slaughter honors this tradition, bringing together a colorful cast of potential murderers under one roof ??and leaving it to the reader to deduce which did the deed.

Eager to escape their stressful careers for one weekend, GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton spirit themselves away to McAlpine Lodge, a scenic tourist trap in the heart of the mountains. Unfortunately, their dream vacation turns into a nightmare after someone murders the lodge's owner, and they quickl??y realize that no one on the summit is being honest about where they were th?e night he died.

3. By Any Other Name - Jodi Picoult

The great William Shakespeare once said "all the world’s a stage," and that we all have a part to play in the grand performance we call life. The truth beneath those words lays itself bare on every page of Jodi Picoult’s By Any Other Name, a rousing story about the risks two women born centuries away from each other take to ensure?? the world hears their voices.

Melina Green, a struggling playwright, has just finished her latest script, inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor, Emilia Bassano. Emilia, a talented writer smothered by the restrictions Elizabethan society forced upon women, conspires with a then-little-known actor named William Shakespeare to bring one of her plays onto the stage. As charming as it is insightful, By Any Other Name is a clever spin on the “Shakespeare d?idnâ€?™t write his own playsâ€?story that’ll leave you in the mood to stand up and applaud.

2. The Pairing - Casey McQuiston

Summer is a time to relax and put your worries away, if only for a while. Cozy books are a fantastic way to spend a lazy summer day, and few things are more comfortable than a playful rom-com. Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing is yet another top-shelf romantic outing from one of the best conte?mporary romance wr??iters out there.

Theo and Kit were inseparable during their younger days, childhood friends who transitioned into star-crossed lovers. But time pulled them apart, and both have barely thought about each other in the decades they’ve been apart. That is until they run into each other by chan?ce after spontaneously and simultaneously deciding to embark on a food-and-wine tour passing through most of Europe’s most famous cities. Forced to spend a weekend together in some of the most romantic locales in the world, Theo and Kit's long-dormant relationship begins to spark back to life.

1. A Sorceress Comes to All - T. Kingfisher

The Brothers Grimm's fairy tales are some of the darkest stories you’ll ever read. From old witches being baked alive inside of ovens to wicked step-sisters getting their eyes plucked out by birds, these “children's stories�give horror movies a run for their money. T. Kingfisher’s A Sorceress Comes to All retells one of Grimm’s lesser-known and uniquely terrifying fairy tales, “The Goose Girl.�/p>

Cordelia lives alone with her mother, a wicked sorceress who keeps her daughter under heel with a healthy mix of emotional abuse and paralyzing magic. When her mother concocts a scheme to murder the kindly brother-sister duo that took them?? in off the streets, Cordelias’s forced to make an impossible choice: stand with the woman who raised her or risk it all to save the only people who have ever treated her like family.

The post 10 New Books To Read September 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

If youâ€?™re a fan of a good whodunnit, there’s no shortage of fantastic options for you to choose from??. 

I’ve read my fair share of mysteries over the years, and I’ve always been impressed by how ?versatile the genre can be. Sure, someone always dies, and someone always investigates, but mystery novels can transport you to alternat??e timelines, take you into the minds of frightening killers, and keep you up for hours with intensely compelling plots.

In no particular or?der, here are the ??best murder mysteries that you should consider adding to your reading list. 

Murder on the Orient Express

When it comes to mystery novels, Agatha Christie is the undisputed champion. It’d be perfectly fair to put any of her novels on this list (I’ve got a personal soft spot for Death in the Clouds), but there’s really no better starting place than Murder on the Orient Express. The novel is a great introduction to Christie’s famous character detective Her?cules Poirot, and it’s got an ingenious mystery plot. There’s a reason this one has been adapted into film multiple times. 

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Here’s another novel that, for very good reasons, has gotten multiple film adaptations. Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo kicks off a spectacular mystery series, introducing characters like investigative reporter Mikael Blo?mkvist and the reclusive Lisbeth Salander. The two make unlikely allies as they investigate a cold case, and the book really digs into the procedural aspect of cracking an unsolved murder. It can be a bit slow at? times, but the characters and plotting are absolutely excellent. 

A Study in Scarlet

Arthur Conan Doyle walked so Agatha Christie could run. Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson are the most recognizable detectives in the world today, but their story began with the 1887 novel A Study in Scarlet. The book sees the pair solving two revenge-fueled murders, and along the way, it establishes just how brilliant and unorthodox Holmes�methods are. A Study in Scarlet helped establish the murder mystery formula and reading it now, it’s easy to see why Doyle’s approach has been? imitated for over a hundred years. 

The Girl on the Train

The best murder mysteries don’t just keep you guessing throughout the plot but also get you engaged in the personal stakes of all the characters involved. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is a particularly personal story, and from th??e earliest pages, it’s impossible not to feel for the book’s main character, Rachel Watson. The story starts as an examination of Rachel’s alcoholism and obsession with her ex-husband, Tom, but slowly, she starts uncovering lost memories and stumbles into a dark secret. 

Sharp Objects

You probably know Gillian Flynn from her novel Gone Girl, which was adapted into a film by director David Fincher, but Flynn’s debut novel Sharp Objects is an equally well-thought-out murder mystery. The novel tells the story of journalist Camille Preaker returning to her hometown, Wind Gap, Minnesota, to report on a series of young girls who’ve been kidna??pped and murdered. Being back home brings up some traumatic childhood experiences, and as Camille tries to deal with her past, she discovers that she has a personal connection to the grisly crimes playing out in the town. 

Magic for Liars

Murder mysteries tend to be wrapped up in gritty realism, but this novel by Sarah Gailey imagines what a murder investigation looks like at a school for young magic users. Magic for Liars is set at the Osthorne Academy for Young Mages, and when a faculty member gets killed, the school tasks a non-magical private investigator named Ivy Gamble to solve the bizarre case. Ivy dives into the mystery while navigating her ?strained relationship with her sister Tabitha, who teaches at the Academy. 

The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep is a classic hard-boiled detective novel by Raymond Chandler, and over 80 years after its first publication, the book still stands out because of its great characters a??nd unequaled atmosphere. Philip Marlowe is ??a private detective who gets asked to investigate a blackmail case, but before long, the blackmail escalates to murder. Marlowe finds himself in a tangled web of mysteries, and the complex plot is entirely satisfying, even though it doesn’t answer every last question it raises. 

The Lovely Bones

Written by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones changes up the typical murder mystery plot by telling the story from the victim’s point of view. Susie Salmon is just 14 years old when she’s brutally murdered by her next-door neighbor, George Harvey. Instead of passing on, Susie's spirit remains on Earth to witness her family and friends become devastated by her loss, but she also sees them become deeply invested in solving her murder. Their investigation doesn’t work out as they hope, but by subverting the tropes of the genre, The Lovely Bones carves out a unique place for itself. 

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union 

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon is a spectacularly imaginative alternate-history novel and one of my personal favorite books. The novel is set in a fictionalized version of Sitka, Alaska, where Jewish refugees from World War II established ??a? sprawling city. Meyer Landsman is a detective working on a strange murder case that takes him down a rabbit hole, which eventually unearths a global political conspiracy. Chabon is a master of genre fiction, and all his skills are on display in this one. 

Along Came a Spider

I’ve got to be honest here: I’m not really a James Patterson fan. That said, Along Came a Spider has inspired a whole series of films and more than two dozen sequels, so clearly, I’m in the minority here. This book is utterly over the top but also bril?liantly plotted. Detective Alex Cross is stuck between two seemingly unrelated cases �a grisly family murder and the kidnapping of two children �but he has no idea just how deep the mysteries go. 

The post 10 Greatest Murder Mystery Books Ever appeared first on Destructoid.

Narrowing a list of the greatest board games for teens is no easy job, as there are just so many offeri?ngs.

T??he age group of 13-19 is a popular target for many brands, and the choi??ces have never been more than in 2024. From pure classics to new inventions, the market has plenty of offerings for teens today to spend some quality time with their friends and family.

10. Battleship

Battleship might be the simplest entry on this list, but they will always have a memorable place in my heart. The simple gameplay is very easy to learn, but every round has a moment of surprise. Moreover, all variants of Battleship are easy to carry, making the board game perfect for family tours and long journeys. However, its limitation of playability in terms of the number o?f players puts it at the bottom spot.

9. Catan

The hex-based gameplay of Catan will never go out of fashion, and it's as good a pick for family nights as it is for a group of teenagers. Over the last three decades, Catan has managed to provide endless hours of fun to those who love to build their settlements. Unlike typical war board games, the mantra is to barter and trade with your fel??low mates. The idea is to expand your settlement t?o become the first to reach 10 victory points in order to secure the win.

8. Scrabble

I feel that half my vocabulary has developed from the Scrabble nights I spent with my brother. A game specifically built for two, Scrabble tests your ability to formulate words from a handful of randomly assigned letters. While the main emphasis is on creating words, not all letters provide you with equal points. Scrabble is the perfect way to spend some quality time with a game that's fun and educational? at the same time, and you can pick from one of the many special editions available on the market.

7. Everdell

The reason for Everdell's spot at 7th is its slightly niche nature as a civilization builder. However, I have always had fond memories of the genre (be it digital or not), and Everdell is an excellent addition to your collection. The main objective is to build the best possible city between two winters, but the job isn't as easy. Every turn, you can place a worker to advanc?e your city or play a card that reveals a unique strategy in your favor (or hinders the ??opposition).

6. Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is such a fun game that you often forget how strategic the core gameplay could become. Creating the longest continuous rail route isn't easy when there are so many different possible ways to make that happen. But again, it's a work of balance - do you claim more routes by drawing cards, or do you try to get more Destination Tickets? Ticket to Ride is available in different editions if you're looking to m??odify your gam??eplay experience.

5. Clue

Known as Cluedo outside North America, Clue is an ageless classic to test your powers of deduction. The game revolves around three types?? of cards - character, weapon, and location. The top card of each kind is placed in a confidential file. What follows is a sequence of guesswork as you and your friends try to figure out the contents of the confidential file. The aim is to uncover your opponents' hands to get a peek at the confidential items and then ma??ke the correct accusation to match the victory condition.

4. Wingspan

When Wingspan came out, I was well past my teenage years, and yet, there's a fantastic charm to this title. For starters, this is the perfect choice for those who love nature, and birds in particular. The key is to attract different birds to your habitats, which results in points (the person with the most points after 4 rounds wins). To grow your habitat, you'll need to use the food tokens to draw the birds and lay the eggs with miniature tokens. Since its release in 2019, Wingspan has received several expansions as well.

3. Codenames

At its core, Codenames is one of the simplest board games for teenagers to learn. You form a team, and one person has to act out a word card for a correct guess. This is easier said than done, as your teammate can only speak one word (with certain restrictions). Guess correctly, and your team is one step closer to a victory. Guess wrong, and you might end up putting the opposi??tion in a stronger position.

2. Flamecraft

Out of all entries on this list, Flamecraft is the best fit for teenagers - it's a bit complex for children, and there are better alternatives for adults. Flamecraft takes a cuter approach to the whole arc of fantasy, and the core gameplay is straightforward to learn. As Flamekeepers, you get to visit different shops, and the aim is to attract more dragons to the establishments by building up a reputation. Flamecraft is also an excellent way to get into placement games, and you can upgrade to more recent titles like Dune: Imperium if you want to explore more.

1. Monopoly

The board game of Monopoly might be older than me, but it's hard to dethrone the king of party games. Monopoly is not just fun to play with friends, but it taught me so many financial concepts (like how you gradually upgrade your properties and why it's ultimately beneficial even if you incur a cost upfront). Over the years, Monopoly has received numerous special editions, sets with special rules, and more. Personally, I think the classic ver?sion still holds an evergreen place in my hea??rt as the best-ever board game of my teenage years.

The post 10 Greatest Board Games For Teens (Ranked) appeared first on Destructoid.

If you ha?ve ever searched the Internet for recommendations about detective books, your chances of coming across Agatha Christie's works are pretty high.

????????????????????????????Over her lifetime, Christie wrote 66 novels and 14 short story collections. While the latter has some great works available in different compilations, the novels helped the author become a household name worldwide. Her evergreen works are based on the exploits of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

While all her works are well-celebrated worldwide, let's take a look at her top 10 works o??f all time.

A.B.C Murders

A.B.C. Murders is one of the best novels featurin??g Hercule Poirot. The main plot revolves around a series of murders. While the killings appear to be random, there's a pattern—all the victims had alliterative names. While the plot is enjo??yable, the unique blend of first—and third-person storytelling always drew my attention.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, with a name like that, doesn't make any attempt to hide the plot from readers. What begins as a tragic suicide soon turns into a game of blackmail and murder. Every murder mystery has a plot ??twist, but very few works of literature match this masterpiece. While you might try to guess who the murderer might be, the ending will leave you astonished, to say the least. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd has also been adapted to a serialized version under the title "Who Killed Ackroyd."

Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express is one of Agatha Christie's most decorate??d works and takes Poirot on a wild ride across Europe. What begins as a luxurious train ride starting at Istanbul comes to a halt due to snowfall. A murder is discovered on the train amidst all the chaos, but there are no apparent suspects. The murder is even more interesting as the victim, Samuel Ratchett, had feared for his own life and tried to hire Poirot for protection. While the Belgian does refuse at first, Ratchett's murder forces the Belgian detective to use his grey cells to figure out the truth.

And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None has always felt very different from other works of Agatha Christie. First, there are a lot more murders, and they appear to happen in bizarre fashions. The plot is set on an island where Mr and Mrs Owen invite eight people. Howev??er, the hosts are nowhere to be found, and soon, one murder starts happening after the next. While you might find the murders disturbing at first, the end l?eaves you wondering whether all the actions of the killer were justified or not.

Death on the Nile

Like Murder on the Orient Express, Death of the Nile is very well-celebrated, with a movie adaptation released in 2022. As good as the Gal Gadot-starring movie, reading the book is much more intense. As the young couple of Linnet and Simon, about to get married, starts a cruise on the Nile, they're confronted by Jacqueline, who has a bad history with both. As the cruise begins, Linnet narrowly escapes death from a boulder before the killer eventually gets to her. What starts as a happy and pictur??esque ride on the river Nile soon turns out to be a race between the killer and Poirot. Like most works of Agatha Christie, the ending will leave you thinking, "Oh, I didn't see that coming."

Appointment with Death

Appointment with Death introduces you to a strange character like Mrs. ?Boynton, whose death actually feels satisfying to some extent. In fact, Poirot even overhears Raymond telling his sister about how their stepmother needs to be killed. While Mrs Boynton's death might not affect you much, it encourages Poirot to solve the case in 24 hours even though it's not clear whether there's a murder.

Crooked House

Crooked House is one of Christie's lesser-known works since it does not feature Poirot or Marple. The central plot might appear simple, but there are many twists and turns to expect as a reader. I also like the narrative style of Charles, who is tasked with di??scovering more about Aristide Leonides' murder. The suspect appears to b??e someone inside the family, but the obvious candidate might not be the killer.

The Body in the Library

The Body in the Library is arguably my favorite Marple story, which revolves around the murders of two teenage girls. It all begins when the body of the first victim is discovered by a maid at Gossington Hall. As Miss Marple starts investigating the first case, reports o?f another missing girl come up, who turns out to be the second victim. What unravels from there ??on showcases the depths some might go to fulfill their wishes.

A Murder is Announced

Usually, murders are noticed after they happen, but in this case, the killing ??is announced in a local newspaper before it happens. Despite all the preparations made by Miss Blacklock, a murder does happen at Little Paddoc??ks, just like it was announced in the newspaper. As Miss Marple starts her investigation, it appears Miss Blacklock could have been the killer. What soon begins as a case of mysterious murder turns out to be a game of stolen identities and absolute chaos.

Five Little Pigs

There aren't many works of Agatha Christie where a dead case is reinvestigated. In Five Little Pigs, Hercule Poirot takes up an old case involving Carla Lemarchant, whose? mother had been sentenced to prison for killing her husband, Amyas. Poirot soon discovers that there were five other people present at the Crales on the day of the murder. Five Little Pigs is a testament that the most obvious truth might not be accurate. Despite Caroline's confessions, it soon turns out that the killer was someone else.

The post 10 Best Agatha Christie books of all time appeared first on Destructoid.

War Board Games are one o??f my favorite ways to spend time with friends and loved ones. While They can be slightly complex, their reliance on tactics, backed by the central theme, offers massive scope for imagination.

The choices in 2024 are plenty, ranging from ageless classics to modern creations. While some of them have you role-play as a simple faction, others put you in c?harge of expanding entire kingdoms. In this list, I have focused mostly on the newer games available in the market while shedding some light on the evergreen classics.

10. Battleship

What can be a better way to start this list than this evergreen classic? While Battleship doesn't have armies and gran??d strategy, the game is incredibly fun and requires just two people. The aim is simple - you and your opponent are in a race to take d?own the different boats on each side. To do so, you have to guess where your opponent has placed their boat correctly. The one who makes all the correct guesses first wins the match. It's quick and easy to learn, and the smaller board offers plenty of portability.

9. Risk

The grandfather of War Board Games, Risk has aged well and inspired plenty of modern creations in this genre. The classic puts you in charge of your army, and the goal is to capture the whole world. However, your attempts to seize different lands depend on the outcome of your rolled dice. Risk is available in various editi?ons, so you can choose the one to your liking. Irrespective of your choice, the core gameplay is the same.

8. Sniper Elite: The Board Game

Sniper Elite: The Board Game is certainly one of the better adaptations of a video game onto the tabletop. If you've played any of the different Sniper Elite titles, you'll be no stranger to the importance of ?stealth. In the board game, the emphasis remains the same as you aim to outwit your opponents (a maximum of three players can play it). Use different loadouts and inventory cards and ??combine them to reach your target. But be aware that your rivals will also have certain tricks up their sleeves to defeat your purpose.

7. Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition

While Mage Knight can be an extremely complex game to learn, its reliance on grand strategy is second to none. First, it's one of those unique War Board Games that can be enjoyed solo. The idea is to capture cities of the realm, and you can do the same with your friends in co-op (or go directly against each other). Once you learn the basics, the emphasis on strategy will win you over. Additionally, Mage Knight be?longs to the genre of magic and fantasy, going on a different path from most War Board Games.

6. War of the Ring

This one is for all loves of Tolkien's writings, and the game has two parts - the clash of Middle-earth and the resistance of the free people to the threat of Sauron. The event cards shape how your campaign develops and whether your grand quest will be a success or failure. Players, playing as the good and evil, take turns to outclass each other. While there are more War of the Ring adapta?tions, this one offers the classic Tolkien experience found in the books and?? movies.

5. Conflict of Heroes: Awakening The Bear

The beauty of Conflict of Heroes lies in its simplicity, and it's certainly one of the more accessible War Board Games to get into. Action points dictate the core gameplay, and you have to decide about arranging your front and rear defense properly. As the game goes on, it gets more complex with new units entering the war. Conflict of Heroes ??is an excellent depiction of World War 2 and a perfect choice f??or those who love games based on history.

4. A Game of Thrones: The Board Game

From World War 2, we switch to the fantasy world of Game of Thrones. If you have read the books and watched the series, you already know what to expect. Humorously enough, no player has all the resources to trigger the victory condition. This is why cooperation is key until you have what it takes to bac?kstab your rivals and win the?? game. While the gameplay has ample twists and turns, the central theme is a bonus for those who love George R.R. Martin's fantasy world.

3. Dune

Dune: Imperium might be the newer game, but the original pays homage to the classic War Board Games. You play as o??ne of the several factions from the world of Dune. Every faction has unique advantages that the players can exploit. The narrative campaign evolves just like it happens in the books, and the game is best enjoyed between 4-6 players. Do note that a complete campaign can be between 2-3 hours, but you can play with your friends in multiple sessions.

2. Undaunted

Undaunted moves away from the more orthodox War Board Games, as your strategies a??re decided on decks. Your deck represents the battlefield -? use officers to add units, and then use the units to complete objectives. Of course, every war has its casualties, and the same happens in Undaunted. As good a deck as you might have, something might always happen to weaken the cards in your hands. Undaunted is available in three different editions, with Stalingrad being the latest one.

1. Root

A war is uncertain, and so is Root. A normal round of this game can ??sometimes feel so chaotic that you'll have to invest all your gray cells to complete the objectives. Like Dune, there are different factions, and the four choices couldn't have been more unique. All four factions have various ways of completing the objectives, which adds to the replayability. What might seem like a cute board game can quickly feel brutal. Rounds in Root are also quicker compared to some of the other entries on this list.

The post Top 10 Best War Board Games Of All Time appeared first on Destructoid.

Last month, Amazon revealed plans for a live-action Like a Dragon: Yakuza series ??on Prime Video. It's set to stream across six episodes starting on October 24, and we officiall?y have our first look thanks to a new teaser trailer.

In addition to showing off some footage, the latest update on the series reveals the casting for Kiryu's sworn brother, Akira Nishikiyama. Kento Kaku—who previously played Shinji Sakamoto in the live-action Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku and Haru in House of Ninjas—has been cast in the role. 

The trailer is just over a minute long, and most of it is spent lingering on yakuza body art, but there are some promising shots. Th??e blink-and-you'll-miss-it glimpse of Kamurocho gate looks particularly spot-on, at least from what we can see.

As previously reported, Masaharu Take directs the live-action take on Like a Dragon. The series will be streamed worldwide and split into two parts. The first three episodes launch on October 24, and the second three will follow a week later on November 1. Amazon will offer dubbed/subbed options in 30 langua??ges, so a lot of folks out there are going to get to enjoy Kiryu's dramatic journey.

The story of the Like a Dragon show spans two time periods, set in 1995 and 2005. It follows the life of original series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, from his childhood friends to the repercussions of the decisions he makes as a member of the criminal underworld. Ryoma Takeuchi (Shinnosuke Tomari in Kamen Rider Drive) is?? in the lead as Kiryu. ?If they can at least squeeze in a few minigames in the process, we'll have a hit on our hands.  

The post Amazon’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza live-action series reveals first trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

I remember when Amazon was nothing more than an online book retailer. I’m one of those fossils who loves to carve out time to visit my local bookstores, but I’d be lying if I didn't admit tha?t many of the books perched on my bookshelf didn't come from Amazon.

E-reader devices like Amazon’s own Kindle have made reading more accessible than ever before in our increasingly mobile world. Still, I’ll always prefer the experience of cracking open a physical copy of one of my favorite books over reading it off the screen of my Kindle, even if I always end up falling back on good old Ken whenever I go on vacation. Fortunately for old-schoolers like me, Amazon regularly offers top-notch deals on actual books, and the pickings are always be?tter than ever on Prime Day.

The Best Amazon Prime Day book deals

Below is a list of all the best Amazon Prime Day book deals I could find. Each is a sizable mark-down from the book’s usual price, and some cover multi-book series. I don't know what genre of books you're into, but many on the list are popular choices that people have probably recommended to you before. If you’ve been putting off reading that one book that?? all of your friends have been begging you to check out, now might be the perfect time to pick it up.

10. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

• Price: $102.97 (-54%)
• The perfect trip down memory lane

Calvin and Hobbes is a comic that reminds us we're all just kids who have gotten older. The imaginative, insightful adventures of a young boy and his stuffed tiger have much to say about childhood innocence and the pieces of ourselves we do and don't leave behind when we grow up. This boxed set collects every Calvin and Hobbes strip Bill Watterson ever wrote and drew in?to three hard-cover, fully colored hardcovers tucked into a stu?rdy case.

9. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set

• Price: $16.34 (-55%)
• The ideal way to read Tolkien's epic saga

Tolkien’s genre-defining Middle-Earth saga may seem difficult to get into, but this boxed set is the perfect way to introduce it to those who haven’t read it. This boxed set includes The Hobbit and all three chapters of the Lord of the Rings saga, tucked in ?a charmingly detailed slipcase that will look great in any Tolkien-themed collection.

8. The Thrawn Trilogy Boxed Set

• $20.66 (-51%)
• The best introduction to Star Wars: Legends

Amid a lack of new films in the '90s, The Thrawn trilogy finally - literally - put more Star Wars on the page. It kick-started the franchise's original Expanded Universe, introducing iconic characters like the titular Grand Admiral and Mara Jade, Luke Skywalker’s red-haired bride-to-be. For years, it was almost impossible for younger Star Wars fans to get their hands on these books. Fortunately, Timothy Zahn's seminal three-part saga got an epic boxed set re-release as part of “The Essential Legends Collection�initiative, complete with new cover art and a sleek ??slipcase.

7. Bridgerton Boxed Set

• Price: $33.67 (-56%)
• Embrace this aristocratic romance in style

Netflix’s Bridgerton series has kept calm an??d taken the world by storm over the last few years, giving the book series that inspired it a second chance at mainstream popularity. This four-book boxed set is an exc?ellent gift for that special someone you’ve been binging the TV show with, one that could give the two of you a reason to re-watch the show while you wait for the next season to drop.

6. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and th?e Horse by Charlie Mackesy

• Price: $7.56 (-67%)
• A gateway to a good cry

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse is the literary embodiment of a phrase I don’t think people hear e?nough these days: “Hey, it’s okay.�This charming tale of a lost boy’s journey to find a new home is an emotional odyssey that will remind eve??n the most cynical readers that it’s okay to lower your guard, let the people you love in, and show yourself a little mercy. I’ve seen a copy of this book in my therapist’s office, and I think it deserves a place in everyone’s home.

5. The Southern Book Club's Gui??de to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

• Price: 8.75 (-48%)
• A southern gothic thriller with a subversive edge

The Southern Book Club'?s Guide to Slaying Vampires puts a new spin on vampires and Southern literature. When Patricia Cambel invites the devilis??hly handsome James Harris into her book club, she discovers that he and the city of Charleston aren’t as attractive as she first believed. It’s one part traditional vampire story, one part uncompromising critique of the inequalities rooted in the Deep South’s culture, and it’s as nail-biting as it is cozy.

4. Babel by R.F. Kuang

• Price: $14.94 (-25%)
• A mystery that will make you question everything you read

Babel may not have won a Hugo Award, but it’s still a top-tier fantasy novel. Set in the late 1800s, it follows Robin Swift, a Chinese immigrant and Oxford student who works in the university’s magic-translating “Babel�institute. As his studies progress, however, he slowly realizes his and his fellow students' role in perpetuating the British Empire’s rule and begins plotting a revolution. A passionate exploration of academia's role in maintaining and tearing down the status quo, Babel will make you ask all the right questions.

3. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

• Price: $11.23 (-61%)
• A hilarious chemical reaction

Lessons in Chemistry is a delightful tragicomedy cocktail that made me wish I’d paid more attention in chemistry class. After being unjustly fired from her position in a chemistry lab, Elizabeth ?Zott becomes the hostess of a popular cooking show, using her newfound fame to educate and empower disadvantaged women nationwide. Funny, heartwarming, and full of exciting chemistry facts, this is the perfect weekend read.

2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

• Price: $13.48 (-25%)
• A beautiful map to a life well-lived

The Midnight Library made me think about my life choices in the best possible way. Nora Seed’s journey through a library that catalogs all the ways her life could’ve been different is a powerful meditation on choice and consequence that made me appreciate things I didn’t before I started reading. As creative as it is profound, The Midnight Library is a must for any science fantasy fan.

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Gabrielle Zevin

Everyone’s talking about A Court of Thorns and Roses, and now that I’ve finally read it, I’m happy to join the crowd. We fol??low Feyre, a young huntress who incurs a powerful Fae's wrath. Sentenced to spend the rest of her life in the magical realm of Prythian for her crime, Feyre becomes entangled in a web of secrets, danger, and romance tha??t hooked me within the first few pages. The hype behind this one is real, and any fantasy fan owes it to themselves to read the first installment of what is rapidly becoming a very popular fantasy series.

The post Best Prime Day Book Deals (2024) appeared first on Destructoid.

If you w??ant to spend some quality time with your loved one, there are plenty of diffe?rent options, and picking the best ones can be tricky.

While there are plenty of board games for couples available on the market in 2024, not all of them are suitable. Many board games, while playable between two individuals, are best enjoyed with more. Others might be either too simple or too complex for you and your partner. In this list, I have included ten different board games for couples, which will suit all kinds of moods. Wh??ether you're feeling romantic or not, the next ten options are sure to cover the requirements.

Best Board Games For Couples (Quick List)

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Chess, Checkers, and Tic-Tac-Toe

Right off the top, this is something simple that offers plenty of hours of entertainment. Chess, Checkers, and Tic-Tac-Toe offer three classics packaged into one unit, saving money and ??space. I have had one such unit at my home for a really long time. The compact package also makes it ideal to play with your partner when you're traveling. The availability of three games also ensures that the two of you won't get bored playing the same thing time and again.

Lacuna

Lacuna is an incredibly cute and romantic game that's perfect for a date nig??ht without being overtly romantic. The idea is to collect flowers of different colors from a pond (don't worry, it's not a literal water body). The board represents a pond where the flowers are spread. You and your partner then take turns placing pawns between the flowers.

But there's a twist - there are way more flowers than pawns. When you place the pawns and collect the uncontested flowers, phase two begins. The player collects the flowers closest to one's pawn. Don't worry if you're confused abou??t who's closer to a flower - there's a ruler included. Ultimately, the person with the most flowers of four different colors ??wins.

Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Arkham Horror: The Card Game is my go-to choice for Halloween night, purely due to ??its theme. While you and your partner work as investigators to unravel the mysteries, each scenario requires connecting the dots to proce??ed. As the two of you travel (again, not literally) to different locations, you encounter the dangers surrounding the places. Do note that this game requires a lot of concentration, and completing a campaign can take a while.

Scrabble

I may be biased, but Scrabble is one of the first board games I ever played with my partner, and it's a really fun activity where you learn something almost every round. The goal of Scrabble is simple - try to make words with the available letters and score as many points as possible. The board is key, as not all letters and words fetch the same points. Do keep a dictionary with you in case the two of you get stuck. Scrabble is a perfect board game for couples who don't mind having a nerdy date evenin?g.

Carcassonne

One of the easiest board games to learn, Carcassonne provides wholesome goodness with its game??play. The idea is to use the given titles to create a map and generate your own land. But the tiles are limited, so make sure to add life to your map to score points. Once the tiles run out, the player with the most points wins.

Dorfromantik: The Board Game

Based on the video game of the same name, the board game is a good piece of co-op fun for couples. It's similar to Carcassonne in some ways, as you create your utopia with hex-shaped titles. A big difference is the campaign mode, w?hich has some reveals unlocked gradually by completing tasks. Unlocking each reveal helps you and your partner score more points. This is a perfect board game for couples who want to play together, rather than against each other.

Fog of Love

A list of board games for couples requires something romantic, and Fog of Love is a perfect fit. The two of you get to play the story of a couple and tinker with it in every way possible. Brew different traits and destinies to live out the scenarios that decide what happens next. This game doesn't necessarily have a loser, as you and your loved one discover the nuances of life by living in the shoes of two fictional characters. While it's a really wholesome game, completing Fog of Love can be a bit lengthy.

Splendor: Duel

This modified version of the classic Splendor is a perfect way to spend time with your better half. The core gameplay remains the same, as you have to create beautiful jewelry for your clients. In Splendor: Duel, the raw gems are available on the board, and you have to pick them based on certain rules. There are three victory conditions, and your strategies are based on certain special effects. In many ways, the Duel version is not only bett??er, b??ut the matches are also quicker.

Sea Salt & Paper

Another great game for date night, Sea Salt & Paper is a great game for couples to play in 2024. The idea is to build different sets of cards to score more points. The cards are picked randomly from the deck or from the discard pile (you can see what card you're picking). You can also irritate your loved one by stealing a card from them or picking an extra one for yourself, albeit with some trade-offs. The fast-paced nature of Sea Salt & Paper makes it perfect for ??quick sessions, and the origami-based artwork is a big hit ?in my book.

Codenames Duet

Codenames is one of my favorite board games of all time, so when a Duet version was launched, I picked it up instantly. As the Duet version is played between two pe??ople, the emphasis is more on coo?peration rather than competition. The core gameplay is the same, but you and your partner will take turns to provide the clues. This version is a lot quicker, and you need to find fifteen clues before the time runs out.

The post 10 Best Board Games For Couples In 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

Ki??ndles are fantastic e-readers that allow you to achieve several goals within the same small piece of technology. I started using an ancient one many years ago and still love it, but they've come a long way since the first one was released in 2007.

With a Kindle, any Kindle, you can have hundreds, maybe even thousands of books in a single sleek device. It means you no longer need to cart kilograms of books with you on holiday or have that 1,000-page novel taking up space in your bag during your commute. They're also pretty eco-friendly, considering how long they can last you. Finally, but most importantly in my book, a Kindle is a gre?at way to read a ?book with the right lighting so it doesn't mess up your sleeping pattern. But they're not exactly cheap, which is why it pays to get them when they're on sale, as they are every Amazon Prime Day.

The best Amazon Prime Day Kindle deals

Below, I've listed the best Amazon Prime Day Kindle deals I could find. Each one has a decent discount on one of Amazon's massive range? of Kindles. I can't tell you which one is right for you, but I will tell you that even if you purchase a classic Kindle with a glare-free scree?n, you'll be making an investment that'll last you decades because you really don't need to upgrade these devices once you've found one you love to hold and read on.

Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet

• Price: $49.99 ($99.99)
• Storage: 32GB
• Perfect for kids

Amazon Fire Tablets are perfect for kids because they're e-readers as well as entertainment centers. You can switch between education apps, ebooks, and watching Tractor Ted on Amazon Prime all on the same device. If you want to restrict the use of the tablet to just reading ebooks, you can do so with parental controls. Even if ?not, this is a brilliant first tabl??et for kids who are just starting to get to grips with them in school before they enter the world of larger and more advanced computers.

Amazon Kindle

• Price: $99.99 ($119.99)
• Storage: 16GB
• Classic version of the Kindle

The standard Amazon Kindle is all you need to store thousands of books in one place. I have a much more basic version than this??, but it's fabulous. This version has a backlight so you can read at all hours of the day, and you can access the Kindle Store directly from the device, meaning you can pick up new books and download them in seconds. The battery life on this device will go for 6 weeks, depending on how much you use it, so you can probably take it on a trip without ever needing to recharge.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

• Price: $144.50 ($169.99)
• Storage: 16GB
• A Kindle that reads like real paper

The main appeal of a Kindle Paperwhite is that it's ?designed to look like real paper. Reading a book on one of these is like reading a real book, with an adjustable warm light that's built to help ma??intain your natural circadian rhythm and not bombard you with blue light at night. Which can keep you up longer.

It's got a glare-free screen and a battery that'll last you for 10 weeks if you play your cards right. It's much better for reading during the day, so if you're hiking or camping and getting a break here and there, you can work through an ??entire book while still getting enough sleep at night and not feeling as though your eyes are being burned.

You can get a premium cover and adaptor with the essentials kit, whic??h is also on sale for Prime Day. I can't recommend a cover enough because your Kindle will almost definitely get scratched if you don't have one. Having a charger that stands out doesn't hurt either because they're small and easy to lose if yo??u can't spot them in the bottom of your bag.

Amazon Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle

• Price:$289.97 ($469.97), $314.97 ($489.97), $324.00 ($519.97)
• Storage: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
• A Kindle you can take notes on

The Kindle Scribe is a completely different beast from your normal e-readers. While you can download and read books on it, the device is also useful for note-taking, sketching, and even marking up documents on the go. If you're on?ly using it as an e-reader, you'll get months of charge out o?f the battery, but this can be a fantastic tool to help anyone study, draw, or work.

This essentials kit includes the premium pen for the best notes and sketch quality, a leather folio cover that feels incredibly high-quality, and a magnetic attachment for the charging cab??le to ensure you don't ??accidentally leave the device unplugged.

I could really have done with one of these in school because the ability to swap between quickly drawi??ng and getting back to reading would have helped me keep documents clean while having somewhere to doodle?? distractedly.

Books

• Various deals and savings

There's no point in having an e-reader without books, and Amazon has loads of them on sale. There are hundre??ds of deals for you to take advantage of, but books are such a personal thing that it's hard to poin??t you to which ones you should take advantage of. My advice is to head to Amazon and scroll through the deals to see what stands out to you because you already know what you like and see if something surprises you from the list.

SAIJI Tablet Kindle Stand Pillow

• Price: $45.04 ($59.99)
• Compatible with many e-readers

While having a flexible tablet stand like the gooseneck one below is great, there are many more relaxing tablet stands out there. That's where the SAIJI Tablet Kindle Stand Pillow comes in because it's built for nothing less tha??n extreme comfort.

This accessory for your Kindle looks mad. But once you've set up your book and sit back with your legs up, you'll realize why you neede?d it. Anyone who just wants a cozy pillow to cuddle while reading o??r something soft to hold nearby will also find it enhances their reading because you just don't need to faff so much when you're holding onto a pillow when you read.

Remote Control Page Turner for Kindle

• Price: $19.99 ($69.99)
• Compatible with many e-readers

This simple page-turning device is?? wireless, allowing you to sit back with your book on your Kindle and click away when you get to the end of the page. Even if your Kindle is only on your knees, it's always a bit of a pain to move your cozy blanket just to turn the page, so this means you can stay nice a?nd snug for hours.

FlyCoco Gooseneck Tablet Stand Holder

• Price: $15.99 ($26.99)
• Compatible with many e-readers

Holding a Kindle or any e-reader and reading isn't exactly difficult, but we've all read a book in bed for so long that our hands have gone fizzy, and we've dropped the book so our faces are inside the pages. A tablet stand holder takes away the pain and humiliation of being hit by a book by your fa??iling fingers and gives you the option to move it around to a much more comfortable position.

For me, reading in one position gets super uncomfortable quite quickly because I've got a bad back. Moving around and having my book to the side, above me, or in front of me so I can fall asleep with my mouth open really helps. A goose?neck tablet stand holder is best becau?se it can work around the awkward angles of your house, unlike straight-necked holders. 

The post Best Amazon Prime Day Kindle deals (2024) appeared first on Destructoid.

Board games are brilliant. They make for the perfect night in with friends, family, or just that one really special person in your life. Wit?h a board game, you're free to have a conversation and play a game without anyone in the room?? being glued to a screen, and really feel like you're getting to know one another.

However, board games can also be an expensive hobby. Many aren't cheap, and going out to a board game café isn't really an option when you're at home, bored, and want something to do that isn't turning on a console or movie. That's why it pays to grab them while they're cheap, and one of the best times is right be??fore Amazon Prime Day. These early discounts can save you a bundle of cash, money you'll need for what you've been holding out for in that sale.

Best board games on sale before Amazon Prime Day

Below, I've listed the best board games that I've found on sale before Amazon Prime Day. These are games that I thin?k are brilliant beca??use they involve every player and allow time for free-flowing chatter between rounds. Of course, there are also just a few classics everyone needs in here too.

Bananagrams

• Price: $13.99 ($17.02)
• Players: 1-8

Bananagrams is a simple yet thoroughly enjoyable game similar to Scrabble. Each player has a set of tiles and must make as many words as possible before the others do. It's frantic, quite stressful, but also incredibly enjoyable because it pushes you to really think ?a?bout the words you can make. As you can see in the image above, you can place tiles everywhere to make words word, ending up with a patchwork of letters by the end of the game.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Yawning Portal Game

• Price: $23.90 ($55.99)
• Players: 1-4

Dungeons & Dragons: The Yawning Portal Game is a different sort of way to play D&D. You don't need to craft a character, have a stash of D20s, or understand how every spell in the game works. This board game is all about being a server in a classic D&D inn, where you'll all compete to be the best at serving the 68 unique characters, earning the most points for your work. This game is great for D&D fans and newcom??ers alike, even those who have never heard of the TTRPG can enjoy with.

Clue

• Price: $17.12 ($21.99)
• Players: 2-6

Clue is a mystery board game that never ends. It takes the iconic setting of so many mystery novels, a group of strangers brought together for one night only for someone to be murdered, and asks players to solve it. Every character has something to hide, and players need to work together to uncover secrets and motivations for the murder. But one player will be trying to get away with it the entire time. It's a great game for friends who want to try out something new and think they have the acting skills to fool one another?. Clear your evening, though, because it can go on for a while.

Scrabble

• Price: $17.49 ($21.99)
• Players: 2-4

Don't skip Scrabble. It's an essential board game for everyone. Each player is given a set of tiles with letters on them, and you've got to work out the longest or highest-scoring w??ords you can based on where you can place them on the board. You've got to use letters other players have placed to snake ?them out of the best scores and emerge victorious because of your understanding of the English language.

With that said, this g?ame is meant to be fun, too. I'm only okay at it, and I always lose to my mother-in-law, who plays several times a week. It's the go-to game for my wife and me, because we both love how creative you need to be with letters and words, and it just gets you talking. There'??s lots of time to think, eat, drink, and relax together. If you're after a good board game for date night, it's this one.

Arkham Horror: The Card Game

• Price: $47.96 ($59.95)
• Players: 1-4

In Arkham Horror: The Card Game, players pick an investigator deck and set out to the town of Arkham, Massachusetts, where a dark presence is infecting the town and causing all sorts of trouble. It's a cooperative game with scenarios for you to work through, making for lengthy game sin which you'll uncover secrets and must solve mysteries on the fly. This is a?? brain-teasing game that requires a lot of thought and attention from each player, so not one you can play casually while chatting.

Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle

• Price: $34.96 ($49.90)
• Players: 2-4

Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle is a cooperative deck-building game in which up to four players must build up their defenses as one of the major characters from the Harry Potter franchise. The key is working together here, so as you gain influence, you get more spells, can heal, and fight back against the dark forces that are ??once again rising in an attempt to overthrow the balance of power in the wizarding world. There's a decent mix of roleplaying elements with deck-building here, making it perfect for bridging the gap between fans of the books and fans who just love board games.

Trivial Pursuit

• Price: $38.00 ($44.99)
• Players: 2-6

Trivial Pursuit is a game that requires the full attention of every?? player. Everyone has a counter and must mak??e their way around the board, gathering wedges by completing tasks in each category. These range from answering questions to performing tasks, and there's always at least one every player is terrible at.

This game is for group parties who wan??t to have fun but also play something that'll keep them on their toes. It's not a game that you can ignore for minutes at a time, but you can also pause here and there to chat before diving into another round. The rounds go quite quickly if every player is quite sharp, and the best games I've played have always been the competitive ones.

Carcassonne

• Price: $33.59 ($41.99)
• Players: 2-5

Carcassonne is a board game that should really be part of everyone's collection, beca?use it's the perfect introductory game for those who haven't ventured into board games just yet. In it, players build a map using tiles until they've crafted a unique landscape, from which one of them emerges ??as the winner. Over time, you've got to fill the landscape with knights, monks, and all sorts of other bits and pieces of medieval life until it feels like a thriving, living world you've built with your friends.

Ticket to Ride

• Price: $43.97 ($54.99)
• Players: 2-5

Ticket to Ride is a fast-paced board game in which you've got to build your railw?ay lines linking iconic Ameri?can cities before everyone else. You've got to plan routes perfectly and claim them to ensure you're the winner because a simple card could be your downfall if you don't pay attention. It's easy to learn and lasts up to an hour for each round, so a relatively quick board game you could squeeze two rounds into an evening.

Fallout The Board Game

• Price: $65.98 ($69.99)
• Players: 1-4

Fallout The Board Game brings the beloved franchise to life in an entirely new light.? Each scenario put players at the edge of unknown territory and sees them work through stories based on tales from the games. You'll be battling massive mutated enemies, uncovering unpleasant trut??hs, and leveling up your character while using V.A.T.S. to land precise hits and make the most of your perks.

Everything has been translated here, right up to the faction system tha can completely transform a game if you're not careful. This board game is probably best for fans of Fallout, but I think anyone could enjoy it as long as th??ey understand the rules and embrace the wasteland.

Chess, Checkers, and Tic-Tac-Toe

• Price: $14.99 ($19.99)
• Players: 2

Chess, Checkers, and Tic-Tac-Toe are all fantastic little board games that most people know how to play. The beauty of this edition is that it includes three games in a single box, meaning you don't need th??ree boxes to fill up your board game? drawer or space on a shelf. I regularly play these with my children and in-laws, and they're just brilliant to have ready to go at a moment's notice when friends pop over, and you want to do something a little different to keep the evening moving.

Exploding Kittens

• Price: $17.07 ($20.00)
• Players: 2-5

Exploding Kittens is a pulse-pounding card ??game that takes about 15 minutes per round, but it feels so much faster than that. This game sees you dodging exploding kittens with various other types of cat that can pass it on, reflect it??, or do something absolutely crazy to help you survive the ensuing blast. I love the inventiveness of each card and how they can just take you by surprise, and have you giggling away while trying to play your turn.

Cascadia

• Price: $31.99 ($39.99)
• Players: 1-4

Cascadia is a simple and relaxing board game in which each player ta?kes a turn to pick a token and link up their ecosystem. It's designed for everyone to have a good time in ??up to 45 minutes together while looking at how ecosystems naturally expand as it's reflected in each turn. Think of this one as more of a game you can play while having deep conversations that you can come back to between breaks in the natural flow.

Monopoly

• Price: $19.99 ($21.99)
• Players: 2-6

Monopoly needs no introduction. This is a game about buying up properties as you move around the board, building houses and hotels on them and ruining every other player with the extortionate rents you can charge. My family was always terrible at playing this game because my parents couldn't go easy on each other, but that ruthlessness has seen me become the best player among my friends. Monopoly is one of those easy games that everyone knows how to play, so it pays to hav?e it ready to go as an activity for a rainy day or night.

7 Wonders

• Price: $50.98 ($59.99)
• Players: 3-7

7 Wonders is a game that feels a lot like the Civilization series. Each player is the leader of one of the worl??d's seven greatest nations. Over the course of the game, everyone will acquire c??ards that'll help them reach their long-term goals and win the game, but they've got to keep an eye on each other.

This is as much a game about building your own civilization up as it is about tearing other ones down. If you love a game with a broad scope and like to kick off your own political dramas, look no further. If you really want to spice things up, then you can pick up the Leaders expansion to add even more names into the mix while working to become the world's greatest civil?ization.

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

• Price: $31.89 ($39.99)
• Players: 4-12

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong sees players work together to find ?a killer, but the killer is among them. Everyone is an investigator, but the killer must deceive and manipulate the rest of the players to get away with murder. It's a tense game that can lead to some arguments, but the way it pushes everyone to suspect each other whilst also being forced to trust to a certain degree is brilliant.

Catan

• Price: $43.97 ($59.99)
• Players: 3-4

Catan, also known as Settlers of Catan, is a phenomenal board game, but you need a few hours to get through each game. Players start with two settlements and a handful of resources, and must gain more resources through dice rolls and de??als with others so they can build roads, cities, and conquer the map. with e??very player competing to win, there are so many layers to the conversations you have and the deals you can make. I've swapped side on an alliance more than once to prevent someone winning.

The base game is fantastic, but you can also get the expansion on sale before Amazon Prime Day. The Seafarers expansion brings new elements to the core game that allow you to branch out and explore the waters surrounding the land. Cities and Knights adds war-like mechanics to the game. Finally, Explorers and Pirates adds even more seafaring elements to the game, and with all of them togeth??er, you can get lost for an entire day playing.

Pandemic

• Price: $30.04 ($39.99)
• Players: 2-4

In Pandemic, players must work together to stop a pandemic by making use of each of their character's skills and crush outbreaks and epidemics as they occur. Four diseases threaten the world, and i??t's down to every player to help prevent them from ending the world. This game is a fabulous change of pace from those that pit you against one another, and we all need a game that has you working with other people rather than against them ??now and then.

There are three expansions for the base game that enhance the gameplay, but it's the alternate editions you might want to nab while they're on sale. Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu is similar in style but sees you trying to close four gates rather than stop four diseases. Pandemic: Rising Tide has players battling against the sea itself in the Dutch Water Crisis. Each one is different mechanically and keeps things interesting with loads of ??new?? flavor.

Mansions of Madness

• Price: $87.99 ($109.99)
• Players: 1-5

In Mansions of Madness, players take on the role of investigators exploring eerie locales in a mysterious region where some sort of horror is haunting the locals. There are four campaigns to work through, each of whic??h uses an app to help move things along and aid in the sleuthing players must employ if they want to conquer the entities at the ??heart of this game. This is another cooperative board game, but one that's great for a group who are really into game when they start to play them because it requires a lot of attention.

The Beyond the Threshold expansion adds two new investigators into the mix for the base board game, and The Streets of Arkham expansion adds a further four investigators and two new scenarios to dig into. I'd recommend conquering the base game first because these expansions, especially The Streets of Arkham, get into?? this universe's lore quite heavily and require that background knowledge from the base game.

Star Wars Legion

• Price: $95.99 ($119.99)
• Players: 2

Star Wars Legion is a miniatures game designed to allow two players to battle it out in any Star Wars skirmish they can imagine. The miniatures are unpainted, so you can have a go at finishing them yourself, and the rules are fairly simple compared to other miniature games like Warhammer 40K. The only downside is that it's limited to two players, so you'll need t??o have multiple rounds in a day or organize a few sessions with different people over time to make the most of it.

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Microsoft really is running out of reasons for people to buy one of its Xbox consoles. While it still has some platform exclusives to call its own, like the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day, you'll soon be able to access the entire Xbox Game Pass library without the actual console by using an Amazon?? F?ire TV Stick.

Announced today in an Xbox Wire post, Microsoft doesn't provide an exact date for when it'll happen, but the Xbox app will soon become compatible with select Fire TV devices. Using a Fire TV Stick 4K or a Fire TV Stick 4K Max (which cost $49.99 and $59.99 respectively), you can then play Xbox titles via cloud gaming. The only other thing you need is a Bluetooth wireless controller, and it doesn't even? need to be an Xbox one. You could play with a PS5 controller if that's all you have.

Assuming you have a Fire TV already, this is altogether more affordable than buying an Xbox console. Even if we use the cheaper Xbox Series S, which is $299.99, for our comparison, the console plus a year's Game Pass Ul?timate subscription, which is $16.99 a month, comes to nearly $504. The year's subscription plus the $49.99 Five TV Stick 4K is just ??under $254, making it cheaper than the console on its own.

The one caveat is that since you'd be playing games via the cloud, your experience is reliant on your internet connection. If it's not particularly stable or drops for whatever reason, there's no offline option you can fall back on. Plus, like I said, you need to have the right TV for it, which could set you back an additional $240 according to Amazon's website. Even so, for those already with a compatible TV and Fire TV Stick, this sounds like a very enticin?g offer considering how many games are available on Game Pass.

Microsoft has always expressed a desire to make its games more widely available. It's why it's grown willing to put its own IPs, like Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush, on rival platforms, especially when the PS5 and Switch are outselling the Xbox. There are even rumors of Halo, one of Microsoft's premiere franchises, coming to PlayStation, but nothing official has been said on the matter. Microsoft has also indicated it's not completely giving up on hardware, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer himself appearing to tease the existence of an Xbox handheld.

This move has most likely been influenced by Microsoft's efforts to get more people subscribed to Game Pass. I??t's clearly reached as many people as it can through the Xbox console, and growing subscription numbers is a priority for the company.

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Ghouls are some of the most iconic characters in all of Fallout â€?which mak??es it a little troubl??e that we don’t know much about them. 

Ghouls have been around since the very first game, and other wastelanders have pretty much always treated them as second-class citizens. Because of that ghouls tend to form their own settlements, like Necropolis in the original Fallout and the Underworld in Fallout 3. Though some ghouls decide to go it alone, in general, they tend to look out for each other because, as the Fallout show reveals, the?y’re going to be around for a long, long time. 

How do ghouls live so long in Fallout?

Something about becoming a ghoul stops your aging process entirely and essentially lets you live forever. In the games, ghouls can pretty easily live for centur??ies without any problems. Some ghouls lose their minds and become feral. They get violent and will eat anyone who comes near them, but at least i??n the games, it isn’t clear why some ghouls turn feral and others are just fine. 

The Fallout show introduced some changes to the lore surrounding ghouls. In the show, it seems like every ghoul is on the path to becoming the equivalent of a post-nuclear zombie. To survive, ghouls need to track down and take a mysterious serum that seemingly holds their mind together. We don’t know much more about that serum, and we also aren’t sure if the Fallout show is going to change how ghouls be??come ghouls in the first place. For now, we have to rely on what the games have to say. 

What makes someone become a ghoul in Fallout? 

The Fallout lore becomes a little vague around the process known as “ghoulification.â€?We know that exposure to extreme radiation has a chance to transform someone into a ghoul, and that’s about it. At lower doses, the transformation will leave them looking burned and scarred, as the Ghoul does in the Fallout show. At higher doses, a person’s skin??? will tear and rot, like Roger’s in episode 3, and they might even turn feral instantly. 

Radiation is always involved, but not all ghouls are people who’ve been exposed to radioactive fallout. The Fallout 3 DLC Point Lookout introduced Desmond Lockheart, a man who exposed himself to radiation before the Great War in order to preemptively become a ghoul and survive the bombs. In Fallout 4 we meet Eddie Winter, who did the same thing, as well as John Hancock, who took a radioactive medication in the post-war days to transform himself into a gho??ul for reasons that are entirely his own.

Though they won’t die of natural causes, ghouls can be pretty easily killed â€?in the games at least. Some ghouls can regenerate health when they’re exposed to radiation, but none of them exhibit the superhuman healing powers that Squire Thaddeus has after his apparent transformation. The Fallout series is clearly getting set up for a deeper exploration of how ghoulification works, and it seems like the show is going to take things in? a new direction from what we’ve seen before. 

Fallout ghoul serum explained

The Fallout show introduces two different kinds of ghoul serums that are changing the lore in big ways. The first serum is something that we see the Ghoul taking to keep himself from turning feral. The show doesn’t tell us how or why the serum works, but it seems like most ghouls in t??he wasteland are aware that finding it and taking it can help them retain their sanity. 

We also see a mysterious serum created by the snake oil salesmen toward the end of the season. We meet the salesmen a couple of times, and he always seems like a scam artist. Then he gives Squire Thaddeus his mystery serum, and Thaddeus suddenly regrows a lost foot. Later Thaddeus heals from another grievous injury and gets told that he's turning into a ghoul. Before we see that transformation actually take place, the season wraps up. Hopefully Fallout season 2 will fully explain what’s going on with each ghoul serum and where ??they come f?rom in the first place. 

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Tim Cain, the project lead on the original Fallout, just dropped his review of Amazon’s new show, but you don't ?need to watch all of it.

In his review, Cain emphasized how the show nails the feeling of the Fallout universe. He said that the show managed to get everything from the visu?al aesthetics to the dialogue and storyline to fit right into a universe that’s often hard to c??apture because it's so different from other versions of post-apocalyptic worlds. 

"For people who don't want rambling, you can just stop, leave. 'Tim s??aid he liked the show.' There you go," said Cain.

As a creator and a fan, Cain said that he was thrilled by the amount of Fallout lore that gets packed into every episode of the series. “What I especially love about it,â€?Cain said, “is that there’s no exposition.â€?The show just drops viewers into the heart of the Fallout universe, which Cain admits might be a little off-putting for ??viewers who’ve never picked up any of the games. 

Cain also addressed his feelings on some of the biggest lore changes that the show introduced to the Fallout canon. When it comes to the big reveal that Vault-Tec planned to drop the first nukes, Cain said that he believes the company never got the chance. He thinks that the moment the bombs fell actually caught Vault-Tec off guard, and as proof he points to? the fact that Barbara’s daughter is with Cooper at a birthday party when everything goes down, rather than safely tucked away in a vault. 

When it comes to the heated debate that fans have been having about the show’s relationship to the lore of Fallout: New Vegas, Cain said that he’s really not concerned about it. “Let me just remind you that lore drift is inevitable in big IPs,�he said, after spit-balling a number of different ways that the show could explain what happened to Shady Sands and where that event falls on the overarching Fallout timeline. Echoing a sentiment from a video he released two days after the show premiered, Cain asked fans to engage with the series?? in a fun and friendly way, rather than making personal attacks against the people who may or may not have made adjustments to the timeline.

Overall, Cain seemed joyous that the world he helped create nearly 30 years ago is continuing to thrive and bring he new fans. He said he was hoping for a season two, so he’s probably thrilled that Amazon has just confirmed it. 

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A small detail in the Fallout show has some fans worried that the events of Fallout: New Vegas just got kicked out of the franchise’s timeline. 

Note: Discussing this will entail some necessary spoilers of both the Fallout show and the game New Vegas, so be aware that spoilers follow from here on out.

While the Fallout TV show has only been out for less than a week, one particular detail has already lit up some discussion, centered around the timeline of events in Fallout's version of America and their relation to the Obsidian-developed RPG Fallout: New Vegas.

The detail in question is a blackboard in a Vault 4 classroom that’s meant to be teaching some of the wasteland’s history. Many of Vault 4’s residents are refugees from Shady Sands, the former capital of the New California Republic that Hank MacLean nuked sometime before the events of the show, which takes place in 2296. The blackboard lists an event l??abeled as “The Fall of Shady Sandsâ€?as occurring in 2277, and it shows an arrow indicating the capital was nuked sometime after that point. 

The reason this is a problem for some fans is that New Vegas takes place in 2281, and none of the NCR citizens in that game mention anything called the "fall of Shady Sands." The worry is that the show is establishing a new timeline where the NCR collapsed before the events of New Vegas ever happened, but when you look at the larger picture, that doesn’t seem to be w??hat’s actually happening here. 

Mojave, mo�problems

There are a few reasons to think that New Vegas’s place in the canon is safe. For one thing, Bethesda’s design director Emil Pagliarulo has explicitly said the game’s story ??is still canon. 

When it comes to that “fall of Shady Sandsâ€?label on the blackboard, there’s no reason to think the fall was a singular event. “Fallâ€?here seems to be a label that the residents of Vault 4 are applying retroactively to mark when the NCR started losing power. That actually lines up with the lore of New Vegas, where we learn that the NCR ?has stretched itself too thin and is struggling to maintain control over all of its territory. 

There’s also a detail in the show?? that seems to imply the NCR had already abandoned Shady Sands by the time the nuke fell. A sign in the town refers to it being the “first capital�of the NCR, which means something must have driven the NCR to re??locate, and that probably has a lot to do with why we don't see much of them in the first season.

We know that, even though Shady Sands was destroyed sometimes after 2277, plenty of people still live in the area, because those are who Moldaver is trying to give electricity to with cold fusion. We also see proof in the show that the NCR had a heavy presence in New Vegas, just like it did in the game. ?The finale's credit sequence shows us an NCR vertibird in the streets of the city -- maybe that's where it set up its new capital.

There’s still plenty we don’t know about the state of the NCR or other notable locations like the Boneyard, the Hub, and of course New Vegas itself. Assuming the show gets a second season, I’m excited to see what direction it takes. Drastically diminishing the power of the NCR is a big lore change, but to be fair, the writing was ??on the wall for the faction by the time they pushed into the Mojave. 

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Vault-Tec has always been a quiet villain in the Fallout universe, but the Fallout show really dri??ves home how evil the company is. 

Vault-Tec not only orchestrated the Great War that ended the world but also created the vaults as a means of trapping people inside generations-long experiments. The show calls out some of the worst vaults from the Fallout lore, and i?t shows us the strange relationship the people of the wasteland have with the vaults??. Even though Vault-Tec created its main product for nefarious purposes, some people really have found lasting peace inside the vaults. 

Spoilers for the Fallout TV show follow.

Vault 33

Lucy’s father Hank is the overseer of Vault 33, which is located near Los Angeles. The people of Vault 33 actually have a lot in common with those of Vault 76 in Fallout 76, they’ve just been living their lives u??nderground ??for much longer. Life in 33 is all about preparing for Reclamation Day, when everyone will be able to go above ground and begin rebuilding America. 

What really sets Vault 33 apart is that it’s connected to two other Vaults, 32 and 31. E?very three years, the Vault populations reconnect and trade members in a marriage ceremony that’s meant to prevent inbreeding. Vault-Tec really thought things through, but even though life in 33 is peaceful and safe, it’s part of a d??arker story. 

Vault 32

The people in Vau?lt 32 presumably lived similar lives to everyone in 33. They farmed, maintained the Vault, and learned new skills to get ready for Reclamation Day. Somewhere along the line, the people in Vault 32 figured out what Vault 31 was using them for, and they rebelled against the experiment. That clearly didn’t work out because by the time we see the inside of the vault, everyone in it is already dead. 

Vault 31

Vault 31 is where Hank’s from, but it’s actually just a secret cryo-storage facility for Vault-Tec executives. For over 200 years, Vault-Tec’s top brass have been thawing themselves out one-at-a-time and ruling over Vaults 32 and 33, which are basically just breeding pools for the Vault-Tec execs. We know that, before the war, Vault-Tec planned for its leaders to outlive all of the?ir c?ompetition, but the finer details of that plan are still something of a mystery. 

Vault 4

The experiment in Vault 4 involved scientists using genetic modifications to transform the human body â€?though it looks like they only made it as far as adding ears and noses to places they shouldn’t be and creating a man with one eye. Compared to the other vaults, Vault 4 had way more contact with the outside world. It was so well? acquaint??ed with the wasteland that it took in refugees from Shady Sands when they needed a new home. By the time the show begins, the people of Shady Sands and the residents of Vault 4 have formed one community that provides some peace to everyone, educates children, and offers medical assistance to wasteland wanderers. 

Vault-Tec easter eggs

We don’t see any other vaults in the show, but the season finale revea?ls that Vault-Tec sold vaults to other powerful companies that wanted to run their own experiments. A representative from Big MT suggests a vault that’s purposefully overcrowded to force residents to compete for survival. REPCONN wants to have a vault governed by a robot. West-Tek has plans for a vault that works to create “a super mutant soldier.â€?We also hear about a vault with psychedelic drugs in the air and another designed to run tests on children. 

Those experiments sound an awful lot like Vault 27, Vault 51, Vault 87, Vault 106, and Vault 75, some of which we’ve actually gotten to visit in the games. The horror of the faults has a??lways been a key part of the series, and the show calls out some of the worst vaults there ever were. 

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Last week saw the exciting new trailer for the upcoming Fallout show. While the adaptation is going to be telling its own story, you may be wondering whether it might touch on Fallout 5's poss?ible narrative, eve?n accidentally. However, Todd Howard has made sure that hasn't happened.

In a recent interview with Den of Geek (as spotted by VGC), the show's executive producer Jonathan Nolan clarified whether the TV series is, to some extent, Fallout 5. Nolan says a conversation between him and Todd discussed the idea of the show being a part of the overall Fallout universe, rather than being a retelling of one of the game's storie??s.

Todd Howard then said he made sure the showrunners didn't do certain things. He said he told the crew, "don't do this, because we're going to do that in Fallout 5." There's even a joke about how the adaptation is almost like Fallout 6. But the consensus is that the show is its own story and doesn't tread on any??thing that's come before or after it in terms of?? arc.

Speaking of Fallout 5...

When Bethesda confirmed the next Fallout game was currently being worked on, I think it's safe to assume people thought it was too early to make such an announcement. Starfield was still very much in development at the time, and we still have absolutely no idea what's going on with The Elder Scrolls 6 since that 2018 E3 tease.

In short: don't expect Todd to start giving away too much about F5 or TES6 anytime soon. I think he's still coasting on the (ahem) success of Starfield, but hopefully, the studio is making some headway on the new projects??.

In the meantime, Fallout will be airing on Apr?il 11 via Amazon Prime Video.

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For some reason, the Fallout Teaser Trailer that dropped a few months ago just didn't really resonate with me. The strong points of the IP, its post-apocalyptic world and intriguing "wild west" style narrative were missing from the mainly b-roll teaser. However, Amazon just released a new over 3-minute long trailer for the show and it looks a lot more like the Fallout I know.

Everything that felt missing from the teaser is actually front and center in this new trailer. We start with a look at life inside the vault, which looks half comfy and half dystopia. You know, your typical Fallout vault. We also get a look at some of the characters. First is Ella Purnell who plays Jean, a vault dweller who leaves the safety of the vault for the first time. In the trailer, her character appears cautiously optimistic about life on the surface, which is more or less how I felt leaving the vault for the first time in Fallout 3, though it didn't last long.

Then there's Walton Goggins who plays the Ghoul. The trailer actually starts by showing him before the nuclear war, as a vault salesman which fits. Then as a Ghoul, he appears to? be the sarca?stic carefree selfish character we'd expect from a Ghoul.

We also get a look at plenty of subtle yet "Fallout-esque" features throughout. Like a medical robot assuring Jean, "I'm simply going to harvest your organs!" Yep, it's Fallout.

Of course, I'll save my full judgment for when the series actually drops. But I can say I'm more optimistic that this will be a genuine Fallout story rather than the IP serving only as a name to the story like the recent Halo series.

All episodes of Fallout will become available for streaming on April 11, which is right around the c?orner!

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If you're a streamer on T??witch and you're somehow managing to make money off it, it seems there's a bit of good news on the horizon. Well, provided you're based in the UK, Canada, Australia, or Turkey. However, if you're a subscriber to streamers, this may sting a little.

In a recent blog post on Twitch, the Amazon-owned platform is going to up subscription costs for the above countries. Beginning March 28, T??ier 1 subs will now be increased, except in Turkey, which will see all three tier prices rise. By quite a significant amount, I should add.

Twitch held a stream recently in the hope of clarifying some of the details. C??MO Mike Minton says broadcasters with subscribers will still get the same revenue share. However, this also means the company will financially benefit as well.

Possibly more price increases coming?

As it stands, this is just an initial wave that Minton says will hopefully reward those who use the site for streaming purposes. This is especially important ??for anyone who makes a living doing so. ?Obviously, this could have a knock-on effect for the subscribers themselves, who, going forward, will have to pay out a bit more if they want to support their favorite channels.

As for whether this will roll out to the US and other countries, it's hard to say at?? this point. It sounds like Twitch is implementing it in the UK, Canada, Australia, and Turkey first on a sort of trial basis. If it works out to be beneficial, then we could see it come to other nations.

It's also important to note those day??s, as Twitch says, "you’ll keep earning the same amount per Prime sub as you do today until June 3rd w??hen [Twitch will] switch to the published, per country payout rates." It's definitely worth reading through everything and watching the posted video if you feel these developments will affect you.

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Last year, we reported that Twitch was introducing a new Partner Plus Program, which brought with it changes to how s?treamers are paid. While it was met with some praise, it was also criticized for certain threshold requirements. As a result, the company has implemented a few changes.

In a recent blog, Twitch announced its updated payouts for Partner Plus. For starters, it's ??now allowing Affiliated rather than just Partners to be included in the program. The changes also lower the threshold from 350 to 300, which me?ans more streamers can qualify.

When the scheme began last October, it adjusted the 50/50 split to a 70/30 one, giving streamers more income. Now, with a lower threshold of 100 Plus Point (presumably this is in relation to how many subscribers channels have), a new Level 1 entry point will give content creators a 60/40 split, while Level 2 retains the 70?/30 split.

Twitch has received "clear feedback"

Additionally, when the Partner Plus Program (which is dropping the "Partn??er" from the name) was first introduced, it put a cap on how much streamers? could earn. In a nutshell, anyone whose revenue was $100k or more would go back down to the 50/50 split. This idea has now been scrapped.

The program was met with some backlash fr??om the community, many of whom were concerned that the 350 subscriber threshold was unobtainable for many channels. Add onto that the income cap, and it was not Twitch's finest hour.

However, judging by r??esponses to its ?Twitter thread on the news, it seems many are much happier with these new changes that will be coming into effect this May.

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After a nasty 2023 for games industry labor, 2024 is off to a similar start. We already saw significant layoffs at Twitch last year, and now th??ere's even more grim news ahead, as the Amazon-owned platform is letting 35% of its staff? go.

A recent report from Bloomberg says Twitch is due to lose around 500 of its workforce. This news was originally sourced f??rom people who are "familiar with the plans."

Since this report, the company has issued a statement about the layoffs. A recent blog post acknowledge??s the "difficult decision" Twitch had to make, in which there will be a reduction in the ??"size of our workforce." It also confirms the number of job losses will be 500.

Adding to this, CEO Dan Clancy says there will be a livestream going ahead on Thursday, January 11 at 1 pm PT for those who have questions. There's also a section that addresses those who feel the decision will affect their role. Those who are not affected will still be sent an ?email from Clancy.

When will it end?

This also comes just shortly after Uni??ty announced it was laying off 25% of its staff, which?? accounts for around 1,800 jobs. Indeed, this latest developer from Twitch could set another precedent �carrying on from 2023 �in terms ??of job uncertainty in the video game and adjacent industries.

We already experienced a ton of job losses last year, with thousands of employees being let go from otherwise lucrative development houses and publishers. Worse still, entire studios �such as TimeSplitters outlet Free Radical Design �had their doors closed for good.

We're only into the second week of the new year, and things are not looking good for those employed in video games. This is all in spite of the fact that the industry at large saw rising profits in 2023, according to data from Statista.

Hope?fully, there'll be something on the horizon quickly for the hundreds at Twitch that are a??ffected by the decision.

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Despite being one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world, Twitch has more than its share of problems. Recently, the company announced 180 employees were being laid off, and now it's having to cease opera?tions in Korea.

In a recent blog post, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy has said the service will shut down business in Korea, effective Februa??ry 27, 2024. The statement goes on to say that it was a "difficult decision" but the "the cost?? to operate" Twitch in the country is "prohibitively expensive."

Clancy? explains that the company had spent time trying to reduce the cost of running in Korea, saying that the team "experimented with a peer-to-peer model for source quality." All efforts appear to be in vain, though, with the platform saying it's been "operating at a loss."

What happens to Korean streamers?

Obviously, this means that anyone in Korea who uses Twitch to broadcast won't be able to come the end of February. In the blog post, Clancy says streamers who "devoted significant time and effort into building their communiti?es" ??will be helped.

The company will "work to help Twitch streamers in Korea move their communities to alternative livestreaming services." Sa??dly, those who are perhaps not on Twitch's radar will unlike??ly be given a hand.

Last month, it was also announced that Twitch was being dropped from the Nintendo Switch, owing to numerous and recurring issues with the ap?p. The Amazon-owned service will no doubt continue to dominate the streaming market, but these avenues bein??g closed off will no doubt be harmful for business.

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Amazon Prime has officially released its teaser trailer for the upcoming Fallout series, giving fans their first look at the latest venture into the post-apoca????lypse.

The trailer comes just days after the first look at the series via a Vanity Fair exclusive.

The first Fallout teaser trailer is a quick slice of life of the upcoming video game adaptation. Numerous Fallout mainstays are present, such as Vertib??irds, Brotherhood of Steel Paladins, an uncannily charismatic ghoul, and a host of Vault Dwellers who seem to be going through a really ??rough patch.

There are also plenty of monsters abound in? the trailer, including a pretty nasty-lo?oking Yao Guai. In true Fallout tradition, the whole thing is set to a moody 1960s soundtrack. For the trailer, it's Nat King Cole's "I Don't Want To See Tomorrow."

Prime Video's Fallout series is coming in 2024

Developed for Amazon Prime Video by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, Fallout is based on the storied video game series known for its tongue-in-cheek humor and dark storytelling. The Fallout series is a vivid take on a potential post-apocalyptic America populated by militaristic factions, irradiate??d monsters, and the iconic Vault Dwellers -- individuals raised in fallout shelters who are either the most capable or most cluele?ss people in the room.

The first Fallout, released in 1997, was a groundbreaking RPG experience where players were a Vault Dweller seeking a water chip to save the inhabitants of Vault 13. Today, the series is perhaps best known for its FPS/RPG hybrid games, starting with 2008's Fallout 3.

The latest game in the series, Fallout 76, is an attempt at an MMO that has been met with divisive reviews and staunch criticism but is somehow still going strong today.

First announced in 2020, Fallout stars Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, and Kyle MacLachlan. The series is scheduled to be released exclusively on?? Prime Video on April 12, 2024.

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We've known that Amazon's Fallout TV series has been in the works since July 2020. Today, we get our first good look at the s?eries' live-action world thanks to a brand new batch of images.

Vanity Fair released the first set of promotional images from the upcoming video game adaptation. In addition to that, the outlet also had a chance to pick the brains of Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the power couple who are showrunners of the Fallout TV series, just as they were on HBO's Westworld.

In the? new images, we get to see quite a bit of the Amazon Prime Video series' vibe. There are images of one of the series leads, Lucy (Ella Purnell), both inside and outside her home of Vault 33. We get several looks at The Brotherhood of Steel and their iconic Power Armor Suits. As well as a couple of looks at Walter Goggins'?? Ghoul character, who looks fiendishly fantastic.

The Vault, uniforms, Power Armor Suits, and of course the post-apocalyptic world, a?ll look incredibly accurate to the video game series from Bethesda Softworks and Interplay. And from what Nolan and Joy have conveyed, the story will be faithful to the game franchise too.

Prior to today, the only glimpse of the world we've had was a tease from Amazon back in October 2022. Now, we have a bit more to go on. Like the game series, the TV world takes on the aesthetic look of 1940s or 1950s American culture. But, similar to the game series, the show begins with a nuclear war that devastates Earth in 2077. Following the nuclear event, the story jumps a whopping 219 years where ?the core of the Amazon series is set.

The Fallout TV show is schedule??d to begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Apr??il 2024. Variety's piece is the beginning of what's likely to be a few months of publicity as we near the show's launch. With in??itial images shared, hopefully a trailer is likely to follow sometime soon.

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?Amazon is reportedly laying off 180 workers from its games division?.

Sources told Aftermath that the company is eliminating the Amazon-backed Twitch channel Crown C??hannel. The Game Growth team, whose purpose revolved around Prime Gaming, is also getting the axe.

Amazon itself confirmed these sources. It also sent a copy of an internal email to Aftermath from Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann stating, "We’ve listened to our customers and we know delivering free games every month is what they want most, so we are refining our Prime benefit to increase our focus there. With these changes in our business approach come changes to our resourcing, ?resulting in the elimination of just over 180 roles."

This news comes not long after Amazon reportedly hit Twitch with another round of layoffs. While the previous round's pu??rpose was to rely on outsourcing, Hartmann's email points to this one being about shifting focus, citing Amazon Prime's free game offers in particular.

Hartmann wrote in his email, "I know this is difficult news and the impact will be felt widely. It never feels good to say goodbye to colleagues. This isn’t a decision the leadership team came to quickly; it was the result of extensive considerations and road mapping for our future. We are proud of the work the teams have been doing, pushing into new areas with weekly content on Crown Channel, and finding more ways to help publishers reach new audiences with Game Growth. But after further evaluation of our businesses, it became clear that we need to focus our resources and efforts to deliver great games to players now and in the future.�/p>

Layoffs galore

These layoffs are just the latest in a slew of job cuts within the video game industry. Various studios like Digital Extremes and Ubisoft already slashed jobs, with Unity potentially joining soon.

In total, this is the third cut into Amazon's gaming division this year. Alongside currently laying off Crown Channel and the Game Growth team, there is the aforementioned previous round in October. Then back in March, Gamesindustry.biz reported tha?t 9,000 Amazon employees were laid?? off, with 400 from Twitch.

Despite these massive cuts, Twitch is still rolling out new features such as Stories, which emulates features like Instagram's Reels. Other parts of Amazon's gaming division like New World also appear unaffected by these layoffs.

Still, this current string of layoffs ??is incredibly worrying, as it shows how fragile job security is in the industry. Hopefully, all affected will find new employment somewhere where their position doesn't feel precarious.

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