Saturday, December 31, 2016

News:: Peter Glagowski's personal picks for Game of the Year 2016

2016 wasn’t the best year for gaming, at least in my opinion. We definitely saw some solid titles come out (along with the end of a decade-long wait for two games!), but a lot of the major releases this year were retreads of tired themes and genres that haven’t seen a mix-up since the last console generation. While I typically don’t play a lot of games released in a particular year until the following year, I can’t even make a top 10 list for 2016 as I just didn’t play enough quality titles.

Still, I want to honor the games that really did wow me with something, so I’ve opted for a top five games of 2016. To me, these represent some of the best games from this tumultuous year that I played, even if others are “objectively” better.

Honorable Mention – Super Rad Raygun

I don’t have much more to say about this title over what my review did, but I want to throw this into the list as it barely missed making the top five. The game is a love letter to the classic Game Boy along with containing a really well-thought-out plotline. The character of Rad is super adorable and his evolution into a wiser machine echoes a lot of what I’ve gone through in my own life.

There is also the fact that Capcom has failed to make a Mega Man game for six years now and Super Rad Raygun nearly fits the bill. It may not have the copy ability that Mega Man does, but the open-ended world map and basic gameplay design strongly mirror the seminal Capcom series. Super Rad Raygun is a must-play for old-school fans and a pretty solid title in its own right.

Peter Glagowski's personal picks for Game of the Year 2016 screenshot

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News:: Diablo turns 20

Diablo released on December 31, 1996, meaning that today is the 20th anniversary of the game that wore out a million left mouse buttons. There will be events commemorating the release in all of Blizzard's games, and the developer also released a video today where some of the folks who've worked on the franchise share their memories.

The developers discuss how Diablo came to be and reveal some interesting tidbits about its development. For example, Diablo was originally conceived as a turn-based RPG with claymation characters. There's also talk about some of the rumors that swirled around the game and its sequel, including the Chat Gem and the infamous Cow Level.

Diablo changed a lot of people's perceptions about what a computer game could be, and although the original doesn't hold up all that well anymore, it was easily one of the most iconic games of the late 90's. Happy birthday, Diablo. And Happy New Year.

Diablo 20th Anniversary Retrospective [YouTube]

Diablo turns 20 screenshot



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News:: Weekend deals: Metro Redux, Mordor GOTY in the $5 bargain bin

You've thought about participating in the PC games winter sales this year, but your wallet's still hurting from Christmas. Happily options are aplenty and the competition in these sales makes it all the better. At around the $5 - $10 mark there are some incredible deals to be had.

Everything Batman: Arkham Aslyum up to Batman: Arkham Origins is only $8.99 in Bundle Stars' Winter Sale. The collection is worth checking out considering it's $108 worth of games and DLC at list price. Beyond Batman, we've listed a dozen titles below that you should also check out. Some notables include Wolfenstein: The New Order for $5.35, ABZU for $5.05, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor GOTY for $4.49, and the Metro Redux bundle for $4.92 -- all hitting new lows.

On the console side, the aggressive Xbox One S sale price continues into the New Year with $230 Battlefield 1 bundle or $223 Minecraft bundle. Newegg is also clearing out its stock of Xbox One S wireless controllers for $40 a pop (only the white color option remains as of writing).

Top Weekend Deals

PC Games Under $10 Winter Sales

(For GMG deals, use code DEALZON15)

Console Picks

Recent Releases

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PC Game Deals

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Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

Weekend deals: Metro Redux, Mordor GOTY in the $5 bargain bin screenshot



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News:: Jed Whitaker's top lit and or turnt games of 2016 fam

How do you do fellow kids? I'm sure you are all on the edges of your seats in anticipation of the most objectively correct list of the best games of 2016. Welp, here it is. 

Lick my chest hair and call me daddychu.

Jed Whitaker's top lit and or turnt games of 2016 fam screenshot

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News:: Here are Destructoid's gaming resolutions for 2017

Here we are, on the verge of a new year (unless you live somewhere in the world where the calendar has already turned over, in which case Happy New Year!!!) As is the custom, the beginning of a new year beckons us to make resolutions so as to improve our lives in the coming 365 days. Last year my big resolution was to lose weight and get a new job and I technically did one of those, even if the job doesn't officially start until next year. More easily completed was my gaming resolution, which was to buy a Vita, which I did and I love.

As we depart our pre-Trump era and enter the post-Obama world, I thought it would be fun for the writers here at Destructoid to share their gaming resolutions for 2017. See what we'll be playing next year, and tell us what you're going to do in the comments below.

Here are Destructoid's gaming resolutions for 2017 screenshot

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News:: PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List

[Are you on The List? All the cool kids are. 242 of them, over the past five months. It's not too late to make Friendship your New Year's resolution! Touch butts with all these fabulous people. -Panda]

Good New Years, my friends/robots/Gardevoir

It has been made aware to me that, just perhaps, you all enjoy video games. It might even be said that you... like to game with others? Now now, don't be that way, I don't mean to lump you into some sort of box. You're all just such lovely folks, it pains me to watch you, struggling in vain to connect with each other, striving to engage in...

PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List screenshot

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News:: 2016 recap: The ten most popular posts on Destructoid this year

I've spent four years writing for Destructoid, so you'd think I'd have figured this shit out by now. I haven't. It's in our best interest for every article to do a lot of traffic, but I rarely know when that's going to happen. It's a lot of throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks.

That's why I look forward to this particular post every year. It's a final tally of what stuck. Sure, we know what performed well throughout the year, but this is when we put it in a list, compare raw numbers, and say "Oh yeah, people really like Pokemon."

(I also look forward to this post because it's the only time I make good on my resolution to use more Mean Girls headers.)

So take a gander at what, statistically-speaking, the most people already took ganders at this year. Click on some links if you want. Read that shit. The rich get richer.

Because it seems prudent, we've separated the reviews into a category they can call their own. It's probably for the best. A lot of our reviews do a whole lot of traffic and co-mingling them with everything else would just muck up the joint. And, as a bonus, there's some other stuff we liked (but not all the stuff we liked).

Without further ado, I present to you The Teenage Guide to Popularity:

2016 recap: The ten most popular posts on Destructoid this year screenshot

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News:: Nick Valdez's personal picks for Game of the Year 2016

I took so many Ls in 2016, folks. I lost a couple of jobs, I moved back in with my parents after living on my own (across the country) for two years, we lost so many icons, and there's a good chance I'll be half of Master Blaster when the world goes to hell. But I also had victories! I got a couple of jobs (including this one!), I made a bunch of friends, and I accomplished something I've wanted to since I was a kid. 

There were lots of good video games released in 2016, but I really only played two of them. I'm still having fun with 2015's releases like Smash Bros., Broforce, and Mortal Kombat X. And at the of the day, I'm not sure any of them will have the same effect on me Pokémon Go did. Sure the game has its problems, and it's a "game" in the loosest sense, but I've basically become a Pokémon Master and my fourth-grade self would be so proud.

Nick Valdez's personal picks for Game of the Year 2016 screenshot

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News:: Xbox One S controller clearance sale at $39.99

Need an extra Xbox One S wireless controller or two to go with your shiny new Xmas present? You're in luck! Newegg is clearing out white/black new controllers for 33% off at $40 each.

These are the new controllers that have been updated for the Xbox One S. Initially the offer was for both black and white models but the black color option is now sold out as of writing.

Shipping is free and sales tax is limited to only these four states: CA, IN, NJ, TN. Interestingly, Newegg is also offloading some Xbox One S bundles, with the Battlefield 1 and Minecraft 500GB models both at $229.99 a piece. The deal is actually running for over two weeks, though we suspect it'll run out of stock at this price point well before the expiration date.

Xbox One S Clearance Sale

Note: While we can link to the $229 Minecraft bundle from Newegg, Antonline has a better deal at $222.99. Given it's $7 cheaper for the same exact bundle, we'll point y'all to the cheaper deal.

Xbox One S controller clearance sale at $39.99 screenshot



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News:: The Morning After: Weekend Edition

Letter from the Editor

Fry (Futurama)

Happy New Year, everybody! Good riddance to 2016.

And it was a particularly painful year for the likes of Samsung. It wasn't all bad, of course, but Chris Velazco explains that when your biggest headlines of 2016 are about flaming phones, you can't wait to flip the calendar to 2017.



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Friday, December 30, 2016

News:: Luca Blight's Random Awards of 2016

[Luca Blight's game awards for 2016 are just like the ones you might see on TV - except his program is actually funny, and it doesn't feature a cringe-inducing Ubisoft presentation. For that alone it's worth a read! Do you agree with Luca? Disagree? Write your own blog and you could see it featured on Destructoid's main page! - Wes]

IT'S YOUR BOY GUZMA...or Luca Blight if you wish. Anyways these awards are highlighting some weird or unusual aspects of the gaming world that you most likely won't see in any games awards ceremony. (Note: I haven't played every game this year but that won't stop me. In some regards also it's a tad spoiler-y.) Without further ado let's begin.

Luca Blight's Random Awards of 2016 screenshot

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News:: What were the hidden gems of 2016?

There's no shortage of discussion this week, civil or otherwise, about which games were the much-needed highlights of 2016. You've likely seen our staff-wide Game of the Year by now and a handful of other platform-specific picks. As we move into the new year, we've also begun posting our individual best-of lists that offer more of an opportunity to shine a light on cherished works like Kentucky Route Zero Act IV, VA-11 HALL-A, and even Keijo!!!!!!!! of all things (bless you, Josh).

But what about the lesser-known treasures? What about the games that slipped through the cracks?

With a holiday weekend looming, it's a particularly slow news day in a particularly slow news month. A whole lot of good games are available at good prices thanks to year-end sales. And, personally speaking, I truly need a new late-night distraction to keep me safe from Stardew Valley's clutches.

So, let's chat for a bit. What are some games that more people really should have paid attention to this year? I don't have all the answers here, but I'm willing to bet we have a lot of 'em, collectively.

What were the hidden gems of 2016? screenshot

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News:: So, what are the main takeaways from the legal battle between Australia and Valve?

Two years ago, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched a legal challenge against Valve over its treatment of Australian users of its Steam service. The rationale was that due to the company’s explicit policy of refusing to give refunds to buyers of goods that may be defective, Valve was in violation of Australia’s consumer laws.

Back in March, the Australian Federal Court agreed with the ACCC. Valve had explicitly breached the country’s laws. Then, just before Christmas, a final ruling was handed down. The Seattle-based business must pay the Commonwealth of Australia a sum of $3 million AUD (or approximately $2.2 million USD). Not only is this figure significantly higher than Valve's proposed fine of $250,000 AUD, but the online retailer will also have to inform Australian Steam users of their consumer rights and guarantees.

So, what, exactly, does this mean for Australian consumers, or potentially even buyers of digital games as a whole? What are the ramifications of this legal battle, and what sort of a precedent has been established?

Before I dive into this article, I will admit that -- as the only Australian contributor on a website that primarily targets a U.S. audience -- the idea of providing a more detailed write-up of a legal battle that’s centred on the laws of this nation may come across as a little unorthodox. While this type of content might not seem to be in the interests of much of Destructoid’s readership -- as it’s not about a subject that’s as close to some as some may like -- I believe there are intriguing potential ramifications from this court case. It can also serve as a decent stepping stone to a much broader discussion about consumer affairs and the digital distribution of video games.

So, what are the main takeaways from the legal battle between Australia and Valve? screenshot

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News:: Ray Porreca's personal picks for game of the year 2016

2016 was a wild year. Humanity got a raw deal over the last twelve months. Cool people died. Actual idiots got elected into office. Cigarette prices went up. I still can’t buy beer at a gas station in Pennsylvania. 

Basically, the world went tits up.

But through it all, 2016 still had its fair share of small victories, especially when it came to some seriously good games. Now that we're finally putting 2016 to bed, I figured it was high time to take a look back at my favorite games all year.

Ray Porreca's personal picks for game of the year 2016 screenshot

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News:: Josh Tolentino's personal picks for Game of the Year 2016

It's been a pretty grim year for many people, but all things considered, it's been great if all you care about is games and anime! Thank goodness, then, that we're on a website primarily concerned with those things, which means I don't have to think about any headlines beyond a bunch of silly titles for the random awards I give out to my picks of the year.

As ever, if you're into anime and want more than my paltry list, visit us at Japanator, where we dig deep into the seasons to remember, re-watch, and then tally up our favorite bits of Japanese media from the year.

Josh Tolentino's personal picks for Game of the Year 2016 screenshot

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News:: The Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert album goodies look rad

If you spring for the limited edition version of the upcoming Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert album, you'll get a few extras for your trouble -- an extra DVD of the live event, a set of badges, and a special stand.

Either way, the standard and limited sets will feature the typical Link and Zelda themes, as well as peppered bits of Wind Waker, Ocarina, Link Between Worlds, Skyward Sword, and Twilight Princess, with an encore of the Breath of the Wild theme.

It's currently on sale now for a February 15, 2017 release date, priced at 4,826 yen (approximately $40 US). I'm really tempted to pick it up, as Zelda is one of my favorite overall series when it comes to musical scores.

Zelda [Amazon via Nintendo Everything]

The Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert album goodies look rad screenshot

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News:: When were you first introduced to Gravity Rush?

I had a thought this morning while I was enjoying the Gravity Rush 2 demo and watching the anime series over again -- how many people actually played the [amazing] first iteration?

I mean, it had the horrible fate of being released on the Vita at launch in 2012, a system that scared away droves of potential fans due to the hubris of Sony's decision of adding expensive, proprietary memory cards, and taking a gamble on 3G gaming. If it just had the option to pop in a cheap SD card like the 3DS, it might still be relevant today.

So for many, their first introduction to Gravity Rush was on the much more successful PS4, when it dropped on the PSN in 2015 (2016 in the west). I'm really glad that Sony decided to give this series a second lease on life, not only with that aforementioned console port, but with a full-on sequel as well, which arrives in less than a month!

If you haven't played the original yet, do it! It's a wonderful light-hearted romp that's sort of a new take on the superhero shtick, with one of Sony's most likable leads to date.

When were you first introduced to Gravity Rush? screenshot

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News:: Get a look at the supposed Trauma Team live action pilot

Trauma Center, a series that has been on hiatus since 2010, almost had a live action pilot, The program was produced as a companion to the Trauma Team game for both Wii and Wii U (RIP), but wasn't picked up for a full series order.

This YouTube leak is supposedly an early cut with placeholders for some audio cues, and it lines up with a 2010 Hollywood Reporter story about the series -- which lends credence to the fact that this isn't just a recent fan production.

The pilot as you can probably guess isn't very good, but it really hits that boiler-plate procedural medical vibe of "every member of the team is unique/has an attitude!" So who knows? Maybe it would have been a hit with the older demographic that owned Wii Fit.

Get a look at the supposed Trauma Team live action pilot screenshot

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News:: Nintendo fan game community rises up, encourages sharing and updating following Pokemon Prism cancellation

When Nintendo sent word over to the creator of Pokemon Prism that he was to cease his efforts on his fan project immediately, that directive technically only applied to him. Although he can't share, facilitate, update, or even talk about Prism anymore, the community has taken to reddit, provided a walkthrough, and shared a pastebin of their intentions, which include widely sharing the game and working on updates themselves to fix some major bugs.

That's because Prism is very much unfinished, and with the creator unable to provide bug fixes, it's up to the community. The situation is so dire that even the videos for the ROM hack have been taken down, but that hasn't stopped anyone from acting thus far. Again, given that this was a ROM hack getting strong-armed, it's not really a typical situation -- usually Nintendo sends cease and desist orders to full-on fan games.

Nintendo fan game community rises up, encourages sharing and updating following Pokemon Prism cancellation screenshot



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News:: See how Dragon Quest XI is progressing with these quick clips

Over in Japan, NHK General had a Dragon Quest 30th anniversary special filled with your typical reverent type stuff, but it also provided a brief look at Dragon Quest XI: In Search of Departed Time. In it, we got a few more details like equipment management, the camping mechanic, dragon riding, and some clips of the battle mechanic.

We'll see a lot more this year as it's due in 2017 on both the PS4 and 3DS -- and a Switch port is currently being worked on, but not fully confirmed/announced (Square Enix has been wishy washy with it, stating that it exists, but not listing it on their official documents for it, much like the console version of Diablo III many years back).

As for me, I'd love to see Dragon Quest X make it here first. It would be a shame for a core DQ entry to not be widely available.

See how Dragon Quest XI is progressing with these quick clips screenshot

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News:: The Morning After: Friday, December 30 2016

2016 is almost over, but sliding in just under the wire is a wild new delivery idea from Amazon. There's also donut-shaped Mars shelters, and our take on Apple's 2016: it's not a positive one.



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Thursday, December 29, 2016

News:: For $2,000, this half-scale Ludens statue could be yours!

For the person who has everything, there's this: a nearly 63-inch-tall, half-scale statue of Kojima Productions' Ludens mascot. Sideshow Collectibles has opened pre-orders for the luxury item ahead of an estimated Q1 2018 ship date, and at $2,000 a pop, understandably, only 150 are being produced.

For $2,000, this half-scale Ludens statue could be yours! screenshot

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News:: Earth Defense Force on mobile has me tapping out

There's a slight burn right now in my flexor pollicis longus. This muscle is unique to humans. It's the one that controls our opposable thumbs, and for the last five days, I've been giving it a workout with Tap Wars: Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair. Please do not confuse this with Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair that was released late last year for the PlayStation 4. That game is good. Tap Wars is fucking awful.

Tap Wars EDF is another free-to-play game in the somehow still popular clicker genre. After five seconds with it, I realized this is just a reskin of the equally awful Tap My Katamari that crapped itself onto the App store earlier this year. That game also tested the strength of my flexor pollicis longus but it also tested my patience. Don't trust my opinion? Just read what those in our community thought of it. It's an abomination of a game, and even with its b-movie aesthetic charm, Tap Wars EDF is just as abysmal.

Earth Defense Force on mobile has me tapping out screenshot

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News:: Violence for all: 'Postal' goes open source

Behind the ongoing public debate on violent video games, a few key titles always stand out -- but before the public was freaking out about Grand Theft Auto, it was reeling in shock from Postal. This ridiculous satirical smorgasbord of violence earned the accolade of "digital poison" from Senator Joe Lieberman at launch, but still gathered a cult following. Earlier this year, the game saw a high definition remaster -- but the original game isn't dead yet. Developer Running With Scissors just announced that its making the 1997 original open source -- publishing the code on Bitbucket under the GPL2 license.

Source: BitBucket, Running With Scissors



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News:: It's not too late to nab the Mythical Pokemon Arceus

Arceus is one of those Pokémon I'd rather not think too hard about, if I'm being frank.

Not because of its design, or its abilities, or whatever other criteria we might use to judge these creatures against each other. Nah. It's the lore! The uncomfortable idea that a child went out and captured a creator deity and is now more than likely holding it hostage in some random PC.

Per the ever-helpful if occasionally browser-melting Bulbapedia:

"Arceus is thought to have created the Sinnoh region and possibly the entire Pokémon world, the lake guardians: Uxie, Azelf, Mesprit, and the creation trio: Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Because of this, Arceus is thought to be one of the most long-lived of all Pokémon species. It has the power to recreate the creation trio as well, presumably to guard the dimensions when a Trainer has caught one of them. According to the anime, its power can also bring back things that it once destroyed, make certain things vanish into thin air, or to halt time."

Heavy stuff. That said, I can sympathize with the continued desire to max out your Pokédex, gods be damned. If you fell behind on Game Freak's distribution events this year, consider this your second chance to nab Arceus in Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire. To claim The Original One, head to the Mystery Gift option in-game and enter the following code for your Arceus gift:

  • "ARCEUS20" (North America)
  • "ARCEUS2016" (Europe)

This specific event ends on Saturday, December 31. And then we drink.

Serebii.net [Twitter]

It's not too late to nab the Mythical Pokemon Arceus screenshot



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News:: Special little places: Ever changing ever the same

[Here is the story as old as time, of swords and souls, eternally retold. Also, it's about couches. There's only a few days left in the month, no, the year, for our bloggers wanted prompt, special little places! ~ Strider]

I’ve been gaming for most of my life, and I’ve gotten to play on a good variety of systems whether new or old. I recall playing every Donkey Kong Country game on a crappy old TV that had the correct input, playing Crash Bandicoot on a PS1 and continuing on from there via a PS2 and GameCube that my siblings and I played with.

Special little places: Ever changing ever the same screenshot

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