We've rounded up the best deals for Saturday, January 17, below. Don't miss your chance to save on these deals!
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for $64.99
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was only released in December, and today, you can save $5 off a physical copy of the Switch 2 Edition at Amazon. The latest adventure of Samus Aran takes place on the planet Viewros, and you're given new psychic abilities to utilize in navigating the secrets of the planet. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, "Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an excellent, if relatively uneven, revival that reaches heights worthy of the Metroid name in its best moments."
Pre-Order the LEGO Zelda Ocarina of Time - Final Battle Set
Launching March 1, you can secure this newly announced Ocarina of Time LEGO set today. This set depicts the ultimate final battle at the end of OoT, featuring Zelda, Link, Ganon, and the legendary Triforce. If you're a fan of The Legend of Zelda, this LEGO set is the perfect addition to any shelf, room, or collection.
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 for $58.99
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 released for Nintendo Switch last Fall, and today, you can score this double pack for $58.99 at Woot! These two adventures are some of Mario's greatest, making this a must-own game for any Switch owner. Plus, there's a free update for Nintendo Switch 2 that enables 4K support.
New Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 Up for Pre-Order
Last week, Nintendo revealed the first new set of Joy-Con 2, which feature purple and green colors. These are set to launch on February 12 alongside Mario Tennis Fever, so now's the time to secure a new pair if you're planning on heading to the courts together with friends next month.
Little Nightmares III for $29.83
Little Nightmares III is on sale today at Amazon for $29.83. If you've yet to pick up the latest entry on Nintendo Switch 2, this weekend is a great time to score this co-op adventure on sale.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $46.99
Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best games of the decade, maybe even ever. The expansive world and formula that Breath of the Wild introduced was perfected on, with Sky Islands and The Depths adding to an already gigantic world. Right now, you can take home a physical copy for $46.99, which is 33% off the usual price.
Digimon Story Time Stranger for $50.39
Digimon Story Time Stranger was the long-awaited next entry in the Digimon Story franchise, and it turned out to be a major hit. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, "Digimon Story: Time Stranger builds on its predecessors to deliver one of the best Digimon RPGs to date. It has a much more engaging story this time around thanks to its clever time travel setup and a charismatic and lively cast of Digimon characters."
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now in theaters and serves as the fourth film in the franchise that began back in 2003 with 28 Days Later. This story picks up after the events of last year's 28 Years Later, and we had the chance to speak to director Nia DaCosta and Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal actor Jack O'Connell about the evolution of the infected, the real danger behind the Jimmys, and much more.
IGN: Maybe we can start with Jimmy's backstory, which we sort of were filling in as an audience after the previous film, but how much did you guys dig in on the particulars of what happened to Jimmy since he was a child to now?
Jack O'Connell: It was a huge gray area, wasn't it? So, we have to assume that whatever they are, they're efficient because they've survived. I don't know if we went into too much detail about the in between of it, but I think it was important to see Jimmy and the Fingers. That is a wild statement if you've not watched the film.
Jimmy and his Fingers are very proficient at what they do. And that was important to me. So we do see them dispatch members of the infected with casual ease. And I think that gives you some sort of insight.
Nia DaCosta: And also just what their dynamic is. I think you have a very clear sort of inciting incident for his life, which is the first scene of Danny [Boyle]’s film. And then you can infer like, okay, from that he became this. And so the most important thing for us I think was like, what's the dynamic within the group? What's the power structure within the group? And so we talked about that.
IGN: Do you think he's a villain?
ND: Yes.
IGN: Obviously, when we meet him, yes. But I mean, he's not when he's a kid though, is he?
ND: Well, kids are innocent, but they can do villainous things. But no, he's just a little booboo running from his father, Satan.
JO: Throughout, even through The Bone Temple...
ND: Now we're getting emotional.
JO: And when you view him as that, he's a lot less threatening.
IGN: When you see Spike, who's sort of maybe a bit older than Jimmy was when things went down all those years ago, Spike's a good kid. We see him fighting against what Jimmy is now. But Spike, could he become that also?
ND: I don't know. Jimmy's dad is weird. When you meet him, he's like, "Here [the infected] are." And you're like, "Girl, that's not what's happening." And I think despite the flaws of Jamie, I think he's, as a father, instilled some better morals and ethics into Spike than the vicar has.
JO: Totally. I think with Spike, there is hope. With Jimmy, there's none.
IGN: Nia, can you talk about humanizing Samson? He's obviously so scary when we first get to know him, and then over the course of this film, he becomes a character, which is a new thing for the infected.
ND: I think that all started obviously in the script, but when Alex [Garland] created these different kinds of infected in the first film, there's the Slow-Lows and then there's the Alphas or the Berserkers, depending on what you call them, and then the ones that we're used to.
I think introducing this idea that they can develop differently also introduces an idea that they can have different paths and they can think differently. Being able to create a journey for that character alongside [Ralph Fiennes’ character] Kelson was really special because I think it really speaks to a theme of the film, which is like, can people change? Because a question of the film is like, is there hope? And people with hope tend to do better things than people without. Samson going on that journey kind of reveals that the film and the filmmakers believe that change is possible and hope is important.
IGN: Did you feel beholden to any stylistic aspects of the previous films?
ND: Not at all. When I came in, I said, "I don't want to do that. I don't want to try to imitate what Danny's doing." But if there's something that I'm like, "oh, that's interesting," sure I'll take it, and the thing that I took was the shutter angles.
IGN: Can you explain that?
ND: When Danny shoots the infected, he changes the shutter angle. So, that's why if you watch 28 Days Later again, whenever an infected attack happens, it's more stuttery and jarring. I just thought it was really effective and I really loved that in the original film. I also thought it was a nice way to kind of have an homage, but one that was really effective for what I was doing. And because that Jimmys are also in that space of the infected because of how much violence and horror they bring, we use that for them as well. My DP and I, Sean Bobbitt, who's amazing, we had three settings for the shutter angles, but we mostly used like 43.8 degrees or something, because you have to get really specific so that the lights aren't flickering.
IGN: That's awesome. Jack, what's Jimmy's grasp on reality? Because he thinks Ian might... he's a little unsure and is like, "is this guy [Kelson] actually Old Nick?"
JO: I think there is a vulnerability to him, which was a rare opportunity to show because, in other times, he is so obsessively in control. So I think to his mind, I mean, what is reality anyway in this world that we're in? Everything's been very completely skewed and sure, Jimmy Crystal is entirely corrupted. So what is that sense of reality? And I do think it's partly because of his insanity and that he does believe that he hears voices, which was my sort of ethos on him. Until he doesn't, until he starts using that as a guise and a tool to manipulate the people around him to his gain.
ND: But to your credit, you're very clear performance-wise when you are talking about really hearing voices and when you're full of shit, because one of my favorite performance moments for you is when you talk about how, your talking to Kelson and he's like, "Oh, you hear him in your head?" and you go, "The whole fucking time." And it's really sad.
JO: Yeah, like he's afflicted. I understood him as quite a sociopath. And then there's a moment in the film, in the scene with Dr. Kelson where, because Dr. Kelson is a doctor and he starts [treating] him, he sort of makes him feel something. And maybe that's the only time he feels a human emotion.
IGN: Yeah. Because also I think his gang, they live in fear of him basically, right? But then, here with the doctor, it's a different dynamic that Jimmy's probably not even used to experiencing. There's just someone approaching him just as a regular person who he wants to help.
ND: Also, who's kind of dad, you know?
IGN: Yeah.
If Alex Garland is around and listening to this, I think [Jimmy] could have died a whole lot more, because we see people really die in this film.
IGN: Is there a world where we see Jimmy again? Is Jimmy done or could he come back still?
JO: I think he could have died more. Where that's concerned. And if Alex Garland is around and listening to this, I think he could have died a whole lot more, because we see people really die in this film.
IGN: Thank you for making me not feel dumb, because that's my take on it. Ok. Cillian Murphy. What was it like getting to do this, as the fans have been waiting for this character for so long.
ND: It was so cool. I mean, 28 Days Later was the film that made me such a big fan of him. So, him coming back and me being the one to direct that scene, and getting to decide what that would feel like and look like was, I mean, it's utterly insane for me as the 12-year-old girl who's like, "I like films." It's really cool.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Flying in the face of the old adage that “wanting more” is how any worthwhile entertainer should “leave ‘em,” Hollywood has never been shy about churning out a sequel. And so, in the ever-present midst of Part 2s and 3s and shared universes and spin-offs, it’s time to look at the 10 best sequels of all time!
Sequels are a strange proposition; in a lot of ways, they’re the lowest hanging fruit there is. If a movie makes money? “Well, go make three or four more of ‘em,” they yell, clamoring in the streets. By that same token, however, they’re also some of the hardest movies to pull off, and from a certain point of view, they’re actually set up to fail. They naturally have big shoes to fill based on the simple fact that they only exist because the first installment was popular – so popular, in fact, that a building full of executives decided to sink a boatload of studio resources into making another one. As a result, a properly good sequel is actually a little difficult to come by.
“But there are a variety of ways to try,” he says, segueing into his first category...
10. A Straight Continuation of the Story
The first and most obvious style of sequel-ing is the continuation of a story; these are movies that pick up right where their predecessors left off. If audiences liked the characters from the first movie enough, it’s a fair bet they’ll want to see what happens to them next. These are sequels that, in theory, you could stitch together to make one big movie.
This is how The Raid 2 works, taking place the next day with Rama’s cheeks still bloody. It’s Quantum of Solace opening on a car chase with Mr. White still in the trunk from the end of Casino Royale, or The Incredibles 2 starting with the battle against The Underminer teased in the closing moments of the first film. Kill Bill: Volume 2 doesn't necessarily count here because it was originally supposed to just be one movie, as per The Whole Bloody Affair.
As for an early example of a “picking up where we left off” sequel, the 1935 follow-up to 1931's Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, opens in a delightfully meta way. Mary Shelley, her husband Percy, and the poet Lord Byron are enjoying a roaring fire on a stormy night, talking about what an impressive story Frankenstein is. It allows Byron to recap the events of the first film and Shelley to drop a 1930s version of “if you like that, wait’ll you get a load of this sequel!” One dolly out and cross-dissolve later, we’ve got one of the first blockbuster sequels, picking up from the smoldering ruins of the old mill and even backing up a few moments to show a little more of Henry Frankenstein’s recovery. It’s a fascinating window into how they thought about sequels in the '30s, a format that’s held up well over the years; in fact, my number 10 pick owes a fair bit of its structure to The Bride of Frankenstein. I’m talking about the overlapping scenes of Back to the Future Part II.
What’s great about Back to the Future Part II is that it didn’t just pick up where the first movie left off narratively, it also picked up where it left off thematically. If Back to the Future pulled on the thread of “What if your parents didn’t meet,” the next logical question to ask is: “What does the future hold for my kids?” It was a brazen question to ask at the end of the first film, very presumptuously setting up a sequel that wasn't even planned at the time, but then Part II opened with the exact same scene...with one twist.
Director Robert Zemeckis reshot the scene to handle the recasting of Jennifer (Elisabeth Shue replaced Claudia Wells in BTTF Part II and III). The edit and shot compositions line up almost impeccably, which should surprise no one given the technical hurdles cleared by the rest of this production (such as Thomas F. Wilson’s Biffs handing things to each other), but opening the sequel by repeating the last scene of the first movie to set up even more time travel shenanigans is thematically perfect as well.
Back to the Future Part II is famously convoluted, very intentionally pulling on the confusing threads that time travel presents. What happens to the future if you change the past, or the present for that matter? The opening scene isn’t the only bit of the first Back to the Future to be recreated, of course, but those scenes are from a different perspective. And even though the recasting wasn’t the filmmakers' choice – Claudia Wells turned down the sequels to care for her ailing mother – it’s a case of using the situation to your advantage. By recreating this opening scene shot for shot, it preps the audience to look for subtle changes in the rest of the film, getting jokes to land that much better and filmmaking wizardry to play that much more impressively.
9. A Second Story
The other side of the sequel coin from the continuation of a story is a second, entirely different story. This is a harder act to pull off; given the premise that sequels only exist to follow successful films, one wouldn’t want to venture too far away from what made the first film work. But what if an original was so good, the best idea is to go in a completely new direction lest you be compared unfavorably to the first?
This is Aliens famously switching gears from Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic monster movie to an all-out action flick starring space marines. It’s Batman Returns cycling out the entire supporting cast, adding a new love interest and doubling the villains, and The Road Warrior escalating the original Mad Max from a budget-friendly dystopia fully into the post-apocalypse. This is The Godfather Part II, because it has its sequel cake and eats its prequel too with flashbacks to a young Vito Corleone in the past while continuing Michael’s story in the present. Frankly, The Godfather Part II is the answer here; it’s an all-timer of a sequel, but just as frankly, if you need another massive film-nerd essay to tell you how great it is...c’mon, man. Instead, I’m going with a sequel that perfectly illustrates the power of telling a different story all together: George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.
Romero waited almost ten years to follow up Night of the Living Dead, a movie that developed an iconic status long after its sequel. While that film was a contained, mostly single-location indie phenomenon, its sequel landed a helicopter on top of a mall. Dawn of the Dead is truly an expansion at scale of Romero’s original ideas, and most importantly, doesn’t feature any of the main characters from his original film. Of course they were all dead – spoiler alert! – so that was a bit of a necessity.
But the bigger challenge for Romero, after effectively if not officially inventing the modern zombie subgenre of horror, was showing what else could be done with the shuffling flesh-eaters. As groundbreaking a film as Night of the Living Dead was, it was Dawn of the Dead that fully established zombie films don’t have to just be about the monsters; they can be about what the monsters say about us. They can evolve with the changing social landscape, from making statements on the civil rights movement of the late '60s (although Romero never claimed to have done that intentionally) to commenting on the rampant consumerism of the late '70s.
Dawn of the Dead looked at the absurdity of modern conveniences, traditional gender roles, and toxic masculinity among other things through a blue-faced undead lens; it also gave us rad visuals like a sports car driving through an empty mall. Dawn of the Dead proved a point about an entire subgenre of horror, and it's been thriving ever since.
8. A Middle Chapter
The middle part of the aforementioned coin between the two sides that we’ve already mentioned is just as important. A lot of Part 2s are only as good as the Part 3s that follow, and often some of the sheen of a good middle chapter can get lost if chapter three sucks. As good as Spider-Man 2 is, it loses some points for an unfortunate third outing from Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi; ditto for The Dark Knight, because The Dark Knight Rises didn't rise to near the heights of its predecessor.
But some trilogies are so solid throughout, their Part 2s look even better for reliably bridging an opening and closing chapter. Before Sunset, for example, is the meat in the sandwich of maybe the most surprising trilogy ever made. Pusher is a trilogy that’ll make your nose bleed with a middle chapter that made a star out of Mads Mikkelsen, while The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers redefined epic-scale action with the WETA-fueled battle of Helm’s Deep. In fact, Peter Jackson’s second helping of Tolkien might be the ultimate middle chapter if it weren’t for our number 8 pick, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
For there to even be a category for middle chapters in this movie list, the concept of trilogies has to exist. You can count The Golem films, even though two-thirds of the silent German Expressionist films have been lost to time, and of course Frankenstein technically became a trilogy (and then some), but The Empire Strikes Back ran with the idea of a continuing story like nothing before it.
As a sequel, it was a surprising departure from Star Wars, featuring very little that looked or felt like the four-quadrant popcorn thrills of George Lucas’ space opera. It dared to open with our heroes – Leia, Han, and Luke, along with the entire rebellion that, last we saw, struck a major blow by exploding that entire Death Star – on the back foot. In the space of an opening crawl, they’re suddenly outgunned, outmanned, and scampering from one hideout to the next.
But the way the film ended on a down beat is its true contribution to cinema. The rebels didn’t get a single win throughout the entire movie, and the credits start rolling like it’s no big deal! There’s zero intention on the part of The Empire Strikes Back to be the end of the story. It wasn’t shot back-to-back as a planned trilogy, however; Back to the Future would pull that trick later in the decade, and The Lord of the Rings wouldn’t bring it into blockbuster vogue for another 20 years. Even with the success of Star Wars, George Lucas had to fight to get The Empire Strikes Back made the way he wanted it, and there was no guarantee of a third installment. Still, he had the chutzpah to pull off that ending, a gutsy move that made Empire one of the best Part 2s of all time.
7. A Franchise Entry
When is a sequel not a sequel? When is a middle chapter not in the middle? Now we’re talking franchises, and what is a good franchise entry if it doesn’t do a little of everything we’ve already said we need from a good sequel?
There’s no small amount of “moving the ball forward” needed from a franchise entry, and Marvel was the standard bearer for a solid decade of world building. Captain America: The Winter Soldier narratively made waves throughout the rest of the films and TV series while doing it with heart, while Guardians of the Galaxy introduced a whole new team that fit right into the universe’s tone and moved the larger Thanos plot ahead. Logan wasn’t technically part of that world until much later, but it showed what you could do to an audience that had grown up with Wolverine and didn’t want to say goodbye.
DC didn’t have much luck worth mentioning with the Snyderverse, and interconnected world-building is a pretty rare thing on the big screen. Kong and Godzilla have versus’d and X’d into New Empires in recent years, but our number 7 pick goes to the longest-running franchise not about an atomic kaiju, the James Bond series – and in particular, 1964's Goldfinger.
Bond, James Bond has been going strong (a few pigeons double-taking aside) since the 1960s, and is one of the most bankable franchises of anything, cinematic or otherwise. It's here because right up until Daniel Craig’s entries, there just isn’t enough connective tissue between the films to qualify as sequels. Love interests are swapped out each time, the actor is recast every handful of films, and there’s practically no shared history between them outside of a reference or two to a dead wife.
It wasn’t until the third 007 film, Goldfinger, that the series' creators thoroughly hashed out the formula. Dr. No and From Russia with Love came first, but the Bond we know officially started with Auric Goldfinger and his plot to irradiate the gold in Fort Knox so that his supply would become the most valuable in the world. It was an outlandishly villainous plot, featuring lasers aimed at Sean Connery’s crotch, a tricked-out Aston Martin, a quirky henchman with a hyper-specific way to murder people, globetrotting to luxurious locales, and the iconic image of a woman suffocated by gold paint. Goldfinger molded the franchise into a reliable format that hasn’t changed much since; it’s been worth making fun of from French parodies to Mike Myers in dual leading roles and one of the most iconic episodes The Simpsons ever made, so it must have done something right.
6. A Spin-Off
Akin to the franchise entry, we’ve also got the spin-off, and there’s an important distinction to make here. If a film series has generated a few sequels along one storyline, the first time they venture off to focus on new characters, it’s not quite a franchise yet...but it is a spin-off.
Animation worlds expand rapidly, giving us the Minions from the mainline Despicable Me sequels...which I mention first because I have children, and Minions are rarely far from my mind. Puss in Boots added to the Shrekverse in wildly unconnected ways, with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish being a legitimately gorgeous-to-look-at film, while The Lego Batman Movie showed us more of the heart that the two main Lego movies surprised us all with.
Horror franchises are particularly good here as well, with any number of Conjuring spin-offs following the exploits of demons and Annabelles and Nuns on spooky side quests. Action franchises have turned in some good entries too, with Laika’s Travis Knight bringing his stop-motion expertise to Transformers and Bumblebee, while Hobbs & Shaw spun away to be fast and furious all by themselves. And although Prey was a fantastic Predator film nobody saw coming, for our number 6 pick, I’m going with another Dan Trachtenberg film that took us by surprise: 10 Cloverfield Lane.
10 Cloverfield Lane is kind of the ultimate spin-off – the beginning of a would-be anthology series that sputtered out pretty hard its next time out. But the film also began its life as something else entirely, a spec script with a different title and a different ending. Seeing that the story shared DNA with the city-stomping kaiju found footage gem that came before it – a film also shrouded in a fair bit of mystery before its release – inspired the decision to make it a Cloverfield entry of sorts.
That real-world context aside, 10 Cloverfield Lane is also a perfect spin-off because it pulls on the same threads as the original, but from a wildly different perspective. Instead of seeing the devastation wrought by the invading kaiju first-hand, we’re left to stew in the paranoia of whether or not it’s actually happening. Dan Trachtenberg traps us in a basement and uses an expert fluency in the language of thriller cinema to set up obstacles, shift the focus of the danger, and finally reveal the truth, all in a modestly budgeted movie contained to a single location. There are no cities destroyed or chaotic camcorder footage of the Statue of Liberty’s head, but the small-scale havoc in a doomsday bunker is no less impactful.
5. A Changing of the Guard
There is a different flavor of spin-off that features a subtle enough hallmark to deserve its own category; this is the changing of the guard. This is not, mind you, simply recasting a new actor in the lead role of a film series or rebooting the thing all together; rather, this is when a torch is well and truly passed to a different character.
Having said that, I will naturally give Batman Forever a shout-out here as the exception to the rule, as the new Bruce Wayne AND new director AND expansion of the Bat-family counts for something. Ghostbusters: Afterlife had the right idea to change the entire setting of its long-range sequel in addition to its protagonists, leaving New York City for the plains of rural Oklahoma. The new set of Dwayne Johnson-led Jumanji films did the same, as did Ballerina in the John Wickverse. Wes Craven’s meta-as-hell New Nightmare tried a much more unorthodox passing of the torch from fiction to “non-fiction,” and for the most part, it worked out to be a lot of weird fun, if for no other reason than it was clearly laying some groundwork for Scream. But nobody quite so effectively handed the baton from one generation to the next like Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan did with Creed.
Creed would inspire two of its own sequels, neither of which were bad by any measure, but Coogler and Jordan’s first round following the illegitimate son of an all-time great who died in the ring reconnecting his father's former rival-turned-friend – whew! – would have been a great movie on its own. It’s a study of legacy and inheritance, and how to incorporate the shadow you live under into your own story. Creed was clearly made with a genuine love for the original series and an understanding of not only what made them great, but also how to bring a fresh perspective to the series. Plus, it’s got some incredible fight choreography to boot.
But it’s not a stand-alone movie; it’s a sequel to six movies in which Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky fought well past his sell-by date. Stallone’s Oscar-nominated run as the aging boxer transitioning into a mentor makes the movie literally about one generation letting go of the past and embracing what the new generation can offer, which is a meta narrative we can get behind. It's not quite the New Nightmare brand of meta, mind you, but still a good dose of context with which to enjoy the movie that much more.
It also features one of the most incredibly timed blasts of nostalgic music in film history. The Bill Conti horns from Rocky’s original soundtrack coming out of absolutely nowhere become Adonis’ theme as he stands up for his final round. It’s a single moment in the entire film’s runtime that cements Creed’s legacy as the best changing of the guard sequel in quite some time.
4. A Long-Range Sequel
Similar to the guard-changing sequel, these are reboot-quels...or legacy-quels...ugh, there are two cutesy names for the same thing. While they’re neighbors to the point of sharing a wall in a duplex, the long-range sequel doesn’t endeavor to generate a new series. It’s not telling a different story or following a side quest like a spin-off; instead, it picks up the same narrative from years ago. While this seems like a newer phenomenon given the nostalgia fervor of the last several years, it’s important to recognize that there are older examples. Scorsese’s sequel to The Hustler, The Color of Money, finds an aging Fast Eddie taking a young Tom Cruise-looking billiards talent under his wing, and even Ingmar Bergman revisited his epic chamber piece, Scenes from a Marriage, with Saraband thirty years later.
Mad Max: Fury Road counts here instead of as a changing-of-the-guard sequel because Tom Hardy was technically playing Max. But Top Gun: Maverick, T2 Trainspotting, and 2018’s Halloween from David Gordon Green all did the legacy thing well. And even though Keanu Reeves has helped bring back both Bill and Ted and the Matrix after lengthy layoffs, the king of the long-range sequel seems to be Harrison Ford, from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, to two very unnecessary Indiana Jones sequels, to our number 4 pick: Blade Runner 2049.
In 1982, Blade Runner changed the way science fiction looked for an entire generation, and as the first big-screen adaptation of a Philip K. Dick work, it raised ideas that writers are continuing to grapple with today. It also really didn’t need a sequel; in fact, a sequel really shouldn’t make sense. The film was very much not a commercial success, but the decades-long debate as to whether Deckard was a replicant or not added to the film’s mystique, as did the many iterations of the film that have been released since its original theatrical run.
What makes Blade Runner 2049 brilliant is that it continues its predecessor's ambiguity; it both answers and doesn’t answer some of the original's biggest questions. No matter how you come down on the Deckard replicant question, you’re able to watch 2049 and continue believing whatever you like. Director Denis Villeneuve seemed to be under no obligation to clarify anything about the original or fill in the nitpicky gaps that so many legacy-quels get fixated on. Ryan Gosling’s K is not the new standard bearer for the franchise, nor is he even the Luke-Skywalker-style chosen one on whom the plot hinges; he’s a cog in a bigger story – one that’s not his, which allows Blade Runner 2049 to explore the questions of humanity that the first Blade Runner raised so ambiguously and intriguingly a generation before.
3. A Spiritual Sequel
We’re down to our final three categories, so it’s time to stray a little further afield into what is traditionally my favorite part of movie listing. Let’s get a little weird and transcend the narrative to arrive in the astral plane of the spiritual sequel. These are the movies when a filmmaker revisits an idea or a theme rather than stories or characters; they're often recognizable in a director's style more than the substance on screen, which makes them extra fun to spot.
This is Richard Linklater’s easy hangout on the baseball diamond, Everybody Wants Some!!, as the successor to the landmark high school slice-of-life, Dazed and Confused. It’s Robert Rodriguez' Desperado following up El Mariachi. You can also make an argument for nearly all of Hayao Miyazaki’s work but I’ve always felt like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke have always shared more DNA than the rest. Ridley Scott’s The Duellists and The Last Duel share a bit more than just that one word in their titles, and they make for interesting partners. Carlito’s Way is Brian De Palma maturely looking back at Scarface’s greedy, never-gonna-die energy from ten years earlier. But where crime epics are concerned – and spiritual sequels, for that matter – nobody’s done it quite so well as Martin Scorsese in Casino.
Whether you believe it or not, and if you absolutely have to take a hard stance on this kind of thing, Casino might actually be better than Goodfellas; at minimum, the way it will always be the latter’s little brother is the real crime. Casino digs into a criminal enterprise across decades, consuming shady characters of all sorts in its vortex of glamour, greed, and violence. The film has endured its share of unfavorable comparisons to Goodfellas when it was first released and in the years since...but Marty is just so goddamn good at this.
With the glittering lights of the mob-run Las Vegas strip, Scorsese painted his organized crime canvas with a whole new setting, and from a different perspective as well. Where Goodfellas followed a man in love with the life afforded by the mob, Casino was about a man obsessed with order and control. While Casino largely follows the rise-and-fall structure of most of the best crime movies, Robert De Niro's Sam "Ace" Rothstein can’t control the downfall of the wise guys' racket in Vegas. But still, under the brutality of the life they’ve all agreed to, there's a sort of nostalgia – even an admiration – for the way things worked under the mob. They had a good thing going, and the story of how even they couldn’t make it last is a fascinating portrait that deserves to sit alongside Goodfellas. One doesn’t need to be better than the other; we’re lucky to have both.
2. A Thematic Trilogy
Now that we’ve properly slipped the surly bonds of sequel gravity, let’s tack on a whole other movie. You know what? Let’s tack on two whole other movies! When a spiritual sequel just isn’t enough, and an idea is so worth exploring, a filmmaker might revisit the same idea three times in a thematic trilogy.
Some are quite obvious: Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colours trilogy, for example, digs into the metaphors behind the colors of the French flag. There’s the curious, sensory extravaganza of the Qatsi trilogy tied together as a study of man’s obsession and ambition, and there’s Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy connected by genre parody and throwaway references to ice cream.
While Roy Andersson’s Living Trilogy took 15 years to complete, as did Wong Kar-Wai’s Love trilogy, there are thematic trilogies that arrive in quick bursts of creativity, like Ingmar Bergman’s Silence of God films, Michelangelo Antonioni’s Alienation trilogy in the early '60s, and Yasujiro Ozu’s Noriko Trilogy in the late '40s and early '50s. That all nine of those films riffed on the theme of traditions chafing against the mid-century's oncoming modern lifestyle honestly makes them all related, at least in my brain. But for my number 2 pick, it's hard to beat Park Chan-wook and the Vengeance Trilogy.
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance comprise three chapters of warped revenge tales. The three films are consistently difficult, offering no real catharsis for their revenge-minded characters. It’s a challenging collection of tortuous psychological thrillers, each executed with a unique noir-ish style and a funny little spoonful of sugar that helps the bleak, violent medicine in the rest of the movies go down. Each of the three movies presents a different story with the same results, focusing on an obsessed protagonist violently seeking revenge that it’s hard to argue they don’t deserve. The result is a sense of relatability to the characters, and the realization that terrible things can happen to anybody, and that anybody is also capable of terrible things in their search for retribution.
With his Vengeance Trilogy, Park Chan-wook presents a twisted perspective that doesn’t leave many on screen untarnished. Buoyed by the cult-classic masterpiece status of its middle installment, Oldboy, it’s a trilogy that’s as consistent in style, tone, and narrative as any start-to-finish three-part story could hope to be, making it one of the best thematic trilogies cinema has ever seen.
1. Better Than the Original
What is a sequel’s purpose if not to expand upon the original? Well, how about “be better than the original?” What parent doesn’t want to see their children do greater things? These are a rarer breed of sequel to be sure, but for our last spot, we have to honor those sequels that saw what their predecessors did and thought, “nah, I can beat that!”
The Bride of Frankenstein, as we mentioned above, is better and more lasting in a lot of ways, as many of the tropes we associate with Frankenstein actually come from Bride as opposed to the first film. I’ll also go to bat for Paddington 2 as one of this century's greatest movies, period, until I draw my last breath; writer/director Paul King doubled down on everything that made the first movie charming as hell in exactly all the right ways. Ditto for Hot Shots! Part Deux...but I won’t explain myself on that one.
To be honest, most of our other picks in this list, it could be argued, also surpassed their predecessors and would be quite at home in this category as well, but I’ve saved the best for number 1 with Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Terminator 2 is a sequel that’s better than the original on every level. James Cameron wrangled a convoluted time travel plot into something manageable, efficient, and with an outsized heart. If 1984’s The Terminator was a simple sci-fi thriller machine, T2 adds nuances of fate and destiny, as well as the terrible burden of knowing how things are going to turn out. Arnold’s T-800 learning to be more human along the way is a fantastic lesson for sequel-ers everywhere, who too often fall more in love with crafting mind-blowing narrative mythologies than they do creating involving characters on screen.
James Cameron’s technical innovations took leaps and bounds as well. Inventing new ways to feature realistic computer graphics in the early days of the CGI revolution, the film also boasts practical effects that would surprise you for a film with a reputation for being so computer FX-heavy. It's the blend of the two where Cameron’s brilliance lies, and still does all the way through to the motion-capture tech on Avatar.
T2 should also, quite frankly, have been the end of Terminator as a franchise. Judgment Day wrapped things up so perfectly that it has to be at least part of the reason nobody’s been able to give a damn about the movies that have followed, making it not only better than the first, but impossible to top and maybe the greatest sequel of all time.
Ronin warriors, cursed spirits, and a powerful elf are what you can expect this winter anime season. There's a new season full of anime to check out this Winter like the return of the Ronin Warriors (Samurai Troopers), the dramatic Oshi no Ko, and the highly anticipated sophomore season of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. Across Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, Hulu, and Netflix, as well as others, there are a lot of places to enjoy anime at the moment.
Check out some anticipated series in the video above or the slideshow gallery below, followed by the full list of new Winter season 2026 anime and where to watch them in the U.S. and their respective streaming platforms. Anime listed are available now unless otherwise stated.
Hell's Paradise Season 2 (Crunchyroll)
The long-awaited second season of Hell’s Paradise is finally here. For those not familiar, the series follows Gabimaru, a prisoner sentenced to death who takes on an impossible task in order to be pardoned. That task is to travel in search of the Elixir of Life to a so-called “paradise”, where dangerous and mysterious entities reside. Studio MAPPA, famously known for Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, is at the helm yet again for animation this season. With Gabimaru and his fellow survivors inching closer to their goal, we look forward to more of the gruesome twists and turns this series has produced alongside the further fleshing out of the mysterious character introduced last season. Hell’s Paradise Season 2 is available now on Crunchyroll.
Sentenced to Be a Hero (Crunchyroll)
A new series making the anime discussion rounds this early in the year is Sentenced to Be a Hero. The series follows Xylo, a skilled fighter who is sentenced to be an artificial hero fighting demons for eternity due to some shady circumstances. Studio KAI, known for working on Uma Musume: Pretty Derby and Fuuto PI, is heading animation production on the series. The hour-long premiere lays down a very good first impression for shonen fans with its epic action sequences and our protagonist’s mysterious past. It’ll be a rollercoaster of a ride to watch this fallen hero navigate his past and newfound abilities as the season progresses. Sentenced to Be a Hero is available now on Crunchyroll.
Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers (Crunchyroll)
After 35-plus years since the original anime run, we actually have the return of Samurai Troopers, or Ronin Warriors for those in the States. Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers literally follows the OG series 35 years after the defeat of the great evil demon. Sunrise, the studio that also worked on the original series alongside some OVAs, returns for the sequel. It’s interesting seeing how the Samurai Troopers have changed into military poster boys during the long-lasting peace since the initial story. Now that a demon incursion threatens the world again, we expect the new generation to shake things up with a modern take. Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers is available now on Crunchyroll.
Journal With Witch (Crunchyroll)
Looking for a break from all the big shonen titles this winter season? Journal With Witch may be a good fit for you. The drama series follows a family duo, Asa, who lost both of her parents in a tragic accident, and Makio, the aunt that takes her in. Studio Shuka, known for Natsume's Book of Friends and the later seasons of Durarara!!, will helm animation production for this series. Grief is always a difficult subject to do well for any series, but the relationship between the introverted Makio and despondent Asa is an intriguing combination that has us hooked in the early episodes. We look forward to seeing Makio grow out of her shell to support her niece as she navigates her feelings through journaling. Journal With Witch is available now on Crunchyroll.
Oshi no Ko Season 3 (Crunchyroll, HIDIVE)
Speaking of drama, the popular Oshi no Ko is back this year with Season 3! Last time we saw the reincarnated siblings, Aqua has come to terms with his investigation while Ruby’s fire for revenge becomes lit. Studio Doga Kobo is back again, so we expect more of the same amazing visuals and tension-building sequences fans have enjoyed thus far. If you’re looking to get into a series with suspense and mystery this winter, now’s the time to catch up with Season 3 kicking off. Oshi no Ko Season 3 is available now on Crunchyroll and HIDIVE.
Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 (Crunchyroll, Hulu, Disney+)
Fire Force fans didn’t have to wait too long for the finale, with Season 3 Part 2 dropping this winter. Last we left Shinra and the gang, there were some betrayals, unlikely matchups, and a time jump. David Production, known for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Cells at Work!!, is leading animation again, so we look forward to seeing some flashy and explosive action visuals to cap off the beginning of the end for this popular shoenen series. Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 is available now on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Disney+.
Beastars Final Season Part 2 (Netflix)
Speaking of finales, Beastars is finally coming to an end this winter season with its Final Season Part 2. Last we saw the plucky anthropomorphic wolf Legoshi, he was left in a dire situation at the hands of a crime boss. Studio Orange returns to wrap up the anticipated finale with their expertise in 3D animation. It’s been about six years since Legoshi, Haru, and the gang were introduced to audiences worldwide under Netflix's foray into streaming new anime. It’ll be interesting to see how the anime sends off these complex characters in this unique take on a coming-of-age story. Beastars Final Season Part 2 will premiere in March on Netflix.
Trigun Stargaze (Crunchyroll)
One more Orange joint dropping this season is Trigun Stargaze. The follow-up season of this retelling of the original Trigun has been a wild adventure thus far with some pivotal moments in flashy 3D animated sequences. With how big the last season finished, it’ll be interesting to see how Orange steps it up this time around for Vash and friends. Fans of the original series may appreciate the familiar teasers we’re getting so far, but now’s also a good time for new fans to jump in with this modern take. Trigun Stargaze is available now on Crunchyroll.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 (Crunchyroll)
It feels like forever since the award-winning Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End first graced us with its memorable characters and beautiful animation, but Season 2 is finally here this winter. After many sidequests and chance encounters, Frieren and company continue on their journey to the north in hopes of speaking with her old companion, Himmel, at the land where souls rest. Studio Madhouse returns to helm animation production, so we expect even more of the heart-warming and action-packed moments that fans grew to enjoy. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 is available now on Crunchyroll.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 (Crunchyroll)
And finally, another highly anticipated series returns: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3! Fans got an early look of the first two episodes of the season from the movie event late last year, but now the time is here to see battle-torn Yuji and his unlikely group of allies in the Culling Game, with yet another string of crazy, action-packed mayhem continuing from last season. MAPPA, of course, returns to lead animation production, so look forward to some top-tier animated action scenes that every shonen fan can appreciate. How much worse can it get for our little ragtag group? You can find out right now with Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 available on Crunchyroll.
Modder ‘DimoSerb’ has released a cool new pack that adds 80 real cars to Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced Edition. This pack has 80 real cars that served as prototypes for the GTA5 cars. So now, you can drive the real cars and not their clones. Do note that these cars do not support LSC … Continue reading This mod adds 80 real cars to Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced→
The Knives Out, Glass Onion, and Wake Up Dead Man creator replied to IGN’s social media post of the story on X with a simple, but to-the-point message: “lol zero spooked, sorry”.
In a Deadline interview with the departing Lucasfilm head, Kennedy suggested that Johnson decided not to continue with early plans for him to make his own Star Wars trilogy, following the intense online backlash to The Last Jedi.
"Once he made the Netflix deal and went off to start doing the Knives Out films, that has occupied a huge amount of his time," Kennedy remarked regarding why Johnson didn’t continue with the Star Wars projects. "And then I do believe he got spooked by the online negativity," she continued. "I think Rian made one of the best Star Wars movies. He's a brilliant filmmaker and he got spooked. This is the rough part. When people come into this space, I have every filmmaker and actors say to me, 'What's going to happen?' They’re a little scared."
"Having grown up a Star Wars fan, I know that thing where something challenges it, and I know the recoil against that”, Johnson told Polygon. I know how there can be infighting in the world of Star Wars. But I also know that the worst sin is to handle it with kid gloves."
As for what we’ll actually see next from a galaxy far, far away, 2026 will see The Mandalorian and Grogu, a spinoff movie from the hit Disney+ TV series. Then in 20217, the standalone Ryan Gosling-starring Star Wars: Starfighter.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
The best Alienware high-end gaming monitor is down to the lowest price in months. It does require a bit of legwork to get the extra discount, but everyone should be eligible. Dell recently dropped the price of the 32" Alienware AW3225QF 4K QD OLED gaming monitor from $1,200 down to $899.99. But today there's a way to get it for even less, $809.99 to be exact. The AW3225QF is a rare gaming monitor that combines a native 4K resolution and 240Hz refresh rate with a gorgeous OLED panel. If you're looking for the best 4K gaming monitor, this should definitely be on your short list.
32" Alienware AW3225QF 4K OLED Monitor
Follow these instructions for the extra 10% ($80) off:
You'll need to create an account if you haven't already (don't worry, it's free)
Once you've logged in, click on "My Account" under your account name on the top right
Click on "Dell Rewards" in the far left panel
Copy the 10% off Alienware Monitors coupon code
Add the monitor to cart and apply the coupon code
Price will end up being $809.99 (plus taxes) with free shipping
The Alienware AW3225QF is one of few Dell monitors that combines a 4K resolution with an OLED panel. This monitor incorporates Samsung's QD OLED technology; QD OLED panels are brighter than traditional OLED panels while maintaining near infinite response time, contrast ratio, and black levels that OLEDs are generally known for. The Alienware AW3225QF is HDR True Black 400 certified with up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness. It also boasts a factory calibrated 99.3% DCI-P3 color range, 1700R curve, 240Hz refresh rate, and G-Sync certification.
Connectivity-wise, the AW3225QF has two HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eARC) and one DisplayPort 1.4 port, all of which are capable of 4K at up to 240Hz. There are also a couple of USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports for attaching peripherals and a single USB Type-C port for charging. Dell backs this monitor up with a three-year warranty that includes burn-in protection.
Something to keep in mind is that 4K monitors require a pretty powerful GPU. 4K resolution has 2.25 times more pixels than QHD; if you want to play games in 4K, especially at frame rates of up to 240fps, you'll want a gaming PC equipped with an GeForce RTX 5070 at the minimum. If your PC is equipped with an even more powerful card like the RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, or RX 9070 XT, then this monitor would be the perfect complement.
Check out the best Alienware deals if you're looking for a good gaming PC deal to complement your purchase.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Fallout Season 2 ratings are down compared to the explosive debut of Season 1 – but there’s a good reason for that.
Information about how Bethesda and Amazon’s adaptation is faring during its second season comes from recently released Nielsen streaming stats (via The Hollywood Reporter). The numbers show Fallout drawing 794 million minutes watched between the week of December 15 – 21, 2025, with its premiere episode, The Innovator, arriving December 16. For comparison, Fallout Season 1 premiered to 2.9 billion minutes watched when it made its way to Prime Video in April 2024.
It’s the kind of downward trend that many may assume has Amazon shaking in its boots, but it’s far from the full picture. There’s one major point to consider: all eight episodes of Season 1 premiered on the same day, while Season 2 published just one episode at release. In other words, Prime Video subscribers had a lot of new content to sink their teeth into in 2024, so 794 million minutes watched for just one new episode to account for isn’t so bad.
In fact, Nielsen reports Fallout Season 2 Episode 1 accounted for 54% of the show’s watch time during the week of December 15 (Season 1 episodes accounted for the rest), so it’s easy to imagine that number getting an additional boost if more new episodes had dropped that same day. Even considering the weekly release strategy, Fallout still managed to be the only Prime Video show to land in Nielsen’s Top 10 Overall streaming ratings for minutes watched between December 15 – 21, coming in at number seven. That puts it well below Stranger Things at the number one spot with 2.38 billion minutes watched, but above Grey’s Anatomy, which is placed at 10 with 642 million minutes watched.
Stats for Fallout Season 2 Episodes 2 through 5 have yet to be published, with the show still very much in the middle of rolling out new episodes in its post-apocalyptic follow-up story every Wednesday. Episode 5, The Wrangler, premiered January 14, with three more set to follow January 21, January 28, and February 4.
It’s easy to look at the Fallout Season 2 ratings and assume the worst, but for now, it doesn’t look like the video game show is going anywhere. For more, you can check out IGN’s reviews for Episodes 2, 3, 4, and 5. You can also read about Prime Video’s recently announced Fallout Shelter reality competition series.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
Amazon is offering a great deal on a compact air purifier that would be great for your workstation or gaming desk area. Right now, Amazon Prime members can get a Tailulu H13 True HEPA Air Purifier for just $49.99 with free delivery after a 45% off instant discount. This is a general purpose purifier that will clear out even the tiniest of particles in a small room. However, it can serve yet another very practical purpose for PC gamers: It minimizes the dust going into your gaming PC and reduces the frequency that you need to clean it out.
Tailulu H13 True HEPA Air Purifier for $49.99
Amazon Prime member exclusive
The Tailulu air purifier measures 8"x8"x16". Although it's officially rated for 1,680 square feet of space, that is extremely generous. Just going by other similarly sized purifiers of the same design, in reality it is better for a small room (like a bedroom, office, or gaming den), or for best results, situated right next to where you occupy the most, like your desk or bed. As long as you're not getting this purifier for a huge space, you shouldn't be disappointed.
The purifier employs a common cylindrical design where the three-stage filtration system wraps around the enclosure for full 360-degree coverage and a squirrel cage fan exhausts clean air out the top. The main filter is H13 HEPA rated, meaning that it is nearly 100% effective at capturing particles as small as 0.3 microns. There's also a washable prefilter (essentially a mesh screen) that captures larger particles and a carbon filter for odor removal.
If you've owned a purifier before, you're probably aware that the real cost of a purifier lies in the cost of filter replacements. 2-pack of filters currently costs $32 (for Prime members). Tailulu suggests replacing the filters every 3-6 months. 3 months is way too conversative, especially if you're placing this in a room that isn't very dirty. If we use 6 months as our guideline, then one pack will last you one year, which equates to about $2.67 per month.
An air purifier near your desk can keep your gaming PC cleaner as well
A proper gaming PC has plenty of airflow, and that air is inevitably going to bring in a lot of dust. The most common way of dealing with this is to install air filters in front of the intake fans. I personally do not like using filters. They reduce the amount of airflow going in and that progressively worsens as the filters get clogged. Proper maintenance eliminates that issue, but let's be honest: Most gamers don't clean out their case often enough.
I've personally done away with fan filters entirely. Instead, I stick my bedroom air purifier right next to my gaming PC so that the purifier's exhaust flows right into the intake vents on my PC. Despite having no filters, I blow out my case only once a year and even then it's really just a fine layer of dust that has accumulated. Of course, the additional side benefit (and the main benefit for most people) is that it also filters the air I'm breathing in.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
We are knee deep in winter and those of you who have to deal with the occasional (or frequent) power outages should consider having a power station on hand to keep your mobile electronics for emergencies. If you're of the same mind and are thinking of checking Amazon out for the best deal, then be aware that you can get considerably better pricing an identical brand and model elsewhere.
Right now, AliExpress is offering the Ecoflow River 3 230Wh LiFePO4 power station for just $129.74 after you apply $15 off code "USWS15". Compare that to $190 on Amazon currently. It's sold through Ecoflow's official Aliexpress storefront and it ships from a local US warehouse so your order delivers quickly and you don't need to worry about additional tariff fees.
Ecoflow River 3 Power Station for $129.74
The Ecoflow River 3 is a truly portable power station that weighs in at under 8 pounds and is 30% more compact than its River 2 precedessor. The AliExpress model has a slightly lower 230Wh capacity compared to the 245Wh on Amazon. Other than that, the two are identical; it has two 300W (600W surge) AC outlets, one 100W USB Type-C port, and two 18W USB Type-A ports. The River 3 can be recharged using traditional AC from 0% to 100% in only one hour.
The River 3 uses LiFePO4 cells, which are safer and retain their charge longer than other lithium battery types. The 230Whr battery is meant for lower powered electronics like your PC or laptop, phone, tablet, or just about anything else that doesn't use too much electricity (ideally under 200W). Power hungry electronics and appliances won't last long.
Although the River 3 is typically used as a mobile backup power solution when you have no available grid power, it can also work as an always-on passthrough AC power strip. It has an EPS function that will automatically swap to battery power when there is a power outage. The shutoff delay is less than 10ms, which is fast enough for even sensitive electronics like PCs to remain powered on during the switchover.
More Powerful Alternative: Ecoflow River 2 Max Power Station
If you want a portable backup with a higher capacity, check out the Ecoflow River 2 Max, which is currently on sale for $234.52 after you apply code: "USWS30". The River 2 Max boasts a much higher 499Wh capacity with four AC outlets capable of 500W (1,000W surge) apiece. Like the River 3, this model also uses safe and more efficient LiFePO4 batteries. It weighs in at 13.5 pounds, so it's still easy to move from place to place, and comes with a 5 year warranty.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
It's smart to have a light source on hand for emergencies, especially since everyday carry flashlights can be had for a throwaway price. The Sofirn brand is extremely popular amongst the enthusiast flashlight community for the amount the light they throw out at a bargain price. Sofirn's official store on AliExpress routinely sells these flashlights at up to 50% less than on Amazon. They ship free from a local US warehouse, which means no hidden tariffs or obnoxious shipping times.
Sofirn Q8 Plus 16,000-Lumen LED Flashlight for $51.17
Arguably the better deal of the two flashlights here is the Sofirn Q8 Plus. It's currently $51.17 after $7 off coupon code "7USAFF". This exact flashlight sells for $120 on Amazon.
The Q8 Plus is a beefly flashlight, measuring a modest 5.2 inches long but weighing in at just over one pound. This is an incredibly bright light with a maximum 16,000 lumen output and a throw distance of 554 meters (over 1/3 of a mile) thanks to six Cree XHP50B LEDs each with its own reflector. The light can be adjusted down to extend battery life. The hefty body acts as a heatsink that keeps the LEDs from thermally throttling, although the flashlight can get quite warm during extended usage under maximum power. Power is supplied by three 21700 batteries (which are included) that can also be charged over USB-C.
I purchased this flashlight for about the same price at AliExpress last year. It arrived quickly and was packaged in a retail box. The flashlight was in new condition and all the accessories were included.
Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen LED Flashlight for $31.26
The powerful yet compact Sofirn SP36 Pro 8,000-Lumen Rechargeable LED Flashlight has also dropped in price to $31.26 after you apply $4 off coupon code "4USAFF". This exact flashlight sells for $70 on Amazon.
The Sofirn SP36 Pro is a compact EDC style flashlight, measuring just 5" in length and weighing about 10 ounces without the battery. It features a rugged aluminum shell and has an IPX8 rating, which means it can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep. The flashlight comes with three 18650 Li-on batteries that can be recharged with a USB Type-C cable.
The light array is comprised of four Luminus SST-40 LEDs each with is own individual reflector. They combine for a maximum output of 8,000 lumens and a beam distance of up to 450 meters, which means that this little flashlight can illuminate an entire football field. The intensity is adjustable so you can conserve battery life.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
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