Author: Trafficblast

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Since WWE made every PPV a dual-branded event this past year–including superstars from both Raw and Smackdown–it’s hard not to look at the match cards and compare which show was booked better. Every wrestling fan is doing it, so why not talk about it? With Summerslam fastly approaching, both Raw and Smackdown are attempting to steal the show, whether they admit it or not.

Coming to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday, August 19, Summerslam will be a stacked event, with 13 matches on the card. Both Raw and Smackdown have each booked six matches for the PPV–and one match from 205 Live–so it should be an evenly amazing card, right? Sadly, that’s not the case. Here’s what Raw and Smackdown have booked for Summerslam and our analysis of each card.

Raw Match Card:

• The B-Team vs. The Revival [KICKOFF MATCH] (For the Raw Tag Team Championship)
• Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins (For the Intercontinental Championship)
• Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
• Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
• Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey (For the Raw Women’s Championship)
• Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (For the Universal Championship)

Analysis: Looking at the card–as a whole–the match to keep your eye on is Ziggler vs. Rollins. They have been putting on stellar matches the past two months, and this could very well be the “match of the night” from both Raw and Smackdown‘s rosters.

That being said, the rest of the Raw match card feels lackluster. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. The Lesnar/Reigns storyline has been done to death in the realm of PPVs, and the outcome is always the same: Lesnar wins, the WWE Universe boos. While Rousey/Bliss will more than likely be a fun match, I’m just not too excited for it. That’s how I feel about most of the Raw roster matches for the PPV, “I’d watch it, but the build and matches just don’t feel right for Summerslam.” And half of these matches–Balor/Corbin, Strowman/Owens, and Rollins/Ziggler–all happened at last month’s PPV, Extreme Rules.

Smackdown Match Card:

• Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas & Zelina Vega [KICKOFF MATCH]
• Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy (For the United States Championship)
• Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch (For the Smackdown Women’s Championship)
• Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
• The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day (For the Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
• AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (For the WWE Championship)

Analysis: Picking the best on this card, prior to the match actually happening, is real tough. Both AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz are “match of the night” contenders. However, Bryan/Miz gets a slight advantage because of the buildup between these two characters. To the best of my memory, we haven’t seen a sanctioned match between the two since 2010, and this rivalry really kicked up during a Talking Smack episode in 2016–which Bryan discussed with GameSpot. It is one of the best rivalry builds in WWE’s history, and it’s all because of Bryan couldn’t wrestle and kept getting taunted by Miz. It’s a happy accident.

Out of all the Smackdown matches on this card, Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day is what I’m least excited for. But that’s not saying much as every Smackdown Summerslam match is one I’m dying to see, even the Kickoff Show match. Smackdown knows what it’s doing headed into Summerslam. Additionally, this card is fresh, with only Nakamura/Hardy being a repeat from Extreme Rules, and that was a four-second match, so it needs a rematch.

Final Thoughts

It’s clear that Smackdown has a far better card booked than Raw. The storylines leading up to its matches have been much more fun, and most importantly, Smackdown‘s card doesn’t feel like a rehashing of Extreme Rules from last month. That being said, Raw‘s Rollins/Ziggler has the potential to be the best match of the night, closely followed by Miz/Bryan and Styles/Joe. However, potential doesn’t mean diddly in the long run. It’s all up to how these superstars perform and present their matches in the ring.

Let us know what you’re looking forward to for Summerslam in the comments below and which show you think was booked better. Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, August 19 for live coverage of Summerslam, but in the meantime, check out our predictions for the event, the rumors, and our interview with Daniel Bryan about his rivalry with The Miz.

Each Wednesday, GameStop refreshes its list of deals and puts out a new weekly ad. This week’s ad is live, so we’re here to break down all the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch games, hardware, and accessories you can save money on between now and August 21.

Let’s start with hardware. Buy a new Xbox One, and you get an Xbox One game of your choice (up to $60) for free. And if you’re ready to upgrade to an Xbox One X, you can get some bonus cash by trading in another current-gen system. Between now and August 28, you’ll get $300 for trading in a PS4 Pro; $250 for PS4, Switch, or Xbox One S; and $200 for an original Xbox One.

You might think the 3DS hardware family is dead now that Nintendo has another handheld-capable device on the market. But with games like Etrian Odyssey Nexus and a Bowser’s Inside Story port announced for 2019, you’re not entirely correct. If you’re in the market for a New Nintendo 2DS XL, you can save $20 this week, bringing the price down to $130.

As for game discounts, there’s not much here you can’t find for similar prices elsewhere, but the deals are all right. Assassin’s Creed Origins, Fallout 4: GotY Edition, and Rainbow Six Siege: Advanced Edition are available for $30 each. The core game of Destiny 2 is down to $10, though considering the cost of the expansions, you’d probably be better off grabbing the Forsaken Legendary Collection, which launches September 4.

You’ll also get an extra $5 added to the trade value of any PS4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch game if you put it toward a pre-order. Wondering what to pre-order? Check out our list of the top pre-order guides.

You can find more game deals in the list below, or check out GameStop’s full ad.

There’s a new Humble Bundle up on the Humble Store, and this one focuses on trivia and party games. It’s the Jackbox Party Bundle, featuring three tiers of Steam PC games available for much cheaper than you could get them separately. So if you like games that test your knowledge and are good to bring out during a get-together, make sure to pick it up before it goes away on August 28.

As with all Humble Bundles, you have three tiered buying options, with better games being added as you pay more. The first tier only costs $1, and it gets you four games. Pay more than the average amount, and you’ll get an additional four games in tier two. If you pay $12 or more, you’ll get an additional two games, for a total of 10.

Tier one contains Quiplash, Fibbage XL, You Don’t Know Jack Vol. 1 XL, and You Don’t Know Jack Vol. 2. The first two are standalone breakout games from the Jackbox Party Packs (about which more below). The YDKJ games are classic trivia titles from the mid-1990s. You can get all four of these games for just $1.

Pay more than the average amount ($10 at the time of this writing), and you’ll get four additional games: The Jackbox Party Pack 1 and 2, plus You Don’t Know Jack Vol. 3 and 4. The Jackbox Party Packs are quirky party games designed for multiple people to play using their phones as input devices. This tier’s YDKJ games are still from the ’90s, but Vol. 4 turns the trivia series into a party game.

The final tier, available for $12, adds The Jackbox Party Pack 3 and Drawful 2 to the stack. These are both party games meant to get a roomful of people laughing and having a good time together.

Taken together, this is a particularly fantastic deal. If you were to buy just the three Jackbox Party Pack games separately on Steam right now, they would cost $25 apiece. Getting all of them, plus the additional trivia games, for $12 is a steal.

Pay $1

• Quiplash
• Fibbage XL
• You Don’t Know Jack Vol. 1 XL
• You Don’t Know Jack Vol. 2

Pay More Than Average

• The Jackbox Party Pack 1
• The Jackbox Party Pack 2
• You Don’t Know Jack Vol. 3
• You Don’t Know Jack Vol. 4: The Ride

Pay $12

• The Jackbox Party Pack 3
• Drawful 2

Amazon is running some fantastic video game deals. Better yet, many of the discounts are on Nintendo Switch games that don’t go on sale very often, so if you have a Switch it’s definitely worth looking at these deals to see if you want to add any of the games to your collection. But seeing as Amazon doesn’t have regular weekly sales, it’s anyone’s guess how long the discounts will last.

Let’s start with the heavy-hitters. Anyone who hasn’t picked up Super Mario Odyssey or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can do so now for $45 each. As you probably know, those are must-own games for anyone with a Switch, and now they’re 25% off. Nintendo games are famous for staying full price long after release, so this is a great time to get them.

Normally $40, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is on sale for $35. It may be another Wii U re-release on Switch, but that doesn’t lessen this puzzle game’s charm and low-key brilliance. You play as the titular character (who can’t even jump) as you try to unlock the secrets of increasingly complicated levels. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Tennis Aces are also $45 each. Hack-and-slash fans can pick up Fire Emblem Warriors for just $36.

In non-Switch news, the PS4 exclusive God of War is also down to $45. It’s one of the best games of the year, and now’s a good time to play it before the avalanche of fall PS4 games begins. You can also grab the recent action-RPG Vampyr for $40.

There’s not much in the way of Xbox One games on sale on Amazon, but you can check out the big weekly sale on the Microsoft Store.

Anyone who hasn’t picked up Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege yet will have a chance to give the online shooter a try for free this weekend. Between August 16-20, anyone with an Xbox One, PS4, or PC can play the full game for free, including all maps, modes, and Operators.

PC players can grab the free version from their Uplay PC Launcher. PS4 owners can also get the trial version from Rainbow Six Siege product page on the PlayStation Store; a PS Plus membership is required to play. Those with an Xbox One can get it from the game’s page on the Xbox Store. And for the first time, Xbox One owners don’t need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to participate–the free Silver level will suffice. Note that you’ll still need Gold to play if you end up buying it.

PS4 and PC players can pre-load the game starting August 14, but Xbox One owners will have to wait until August 16 to load it onto their systems.

If you decide to buy the game, you can pick it up at a discounted rate on the various digital stores for a limited time. Any progress you make during the free weekend will carry over into the full game. Here’s the date range for the sale.

• PC (Uplay) — August 16-27
• PC (Steam) — August 16-20
• Xbox One — August 16-27
• PS4 — August 14-25

This is all going on to celebrate the upcoming Year 3, Season 3’s Operation Grim Sky, which will be revealed during Six Major Paris August 17-19. The event will be streamed live via Twitch. You can find more information about the free Rainbow Six Siege weekend here.

Listen up, Xbox One owners: right now Target is running a great deal on Xbox Game Pass. You can get a code for a six-month Xbox Game Pass subscription for just $30. That’s half off the usual price–and the usual price is already a good deal. Click here to get the deal.

Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s subscription service that gives Xbox One owners access to over 100 games for Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. But unlike Sony’s similar PlayStation Now service, Xbox Game Pass lets you download the games to your hard drive, meaning you don’t need a lightning-fast internet connection to play.

The games available right now include titles like Doom, Fallout 4, Rocket League, and The Division. Many Xbox One exclusives are also available, like Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, Gears of War 4, and Halo 5: Guardians. Games published by Microsoft Studios are available in the service right from launch, so you’ll be able to play games like Forza Horizon 4 and Crackdown 3 on day one without shelling out $60 for them.

Like Netflix, the games available for Xbox Game Pass members can come and go, with certain titles popping up for a few months and then leaving the service. Xbox Game Pass members also get exclusive discounts. If you want to own a game that’s currently available in the service, you can buy it for up to 20% off. You also get up to 10% off expansions, add-ons, and consumables.

You can find out more about Xbox Game pass here. If it sounds good, pick up a code from Target and give it a try.