A few weeks ago, I spoke about how BioShock Remastered was pretty crappy on PC. 2K had announced it was working on a patch, but never gave out a specific date. Thankfully, the wait for a playable release is now over.
Issued today, the new patches for BioShock and BioShock 2 Remastered feature a plethora of tweaks that should make the games playable, along with improving the general quality of life for each title. Along with FOV sliders and an option to disable mouse acceleration, users can now finally select the output of audio for the first game.
When Oculus first teased Rockband for virtual reality, it sounded like kind of a stupid idea. A guitar game? In 2016? In virtual reality? How passe. It was hard to imagine how the series' iconic stream of colored notes would translate to VR, and I immediately dismissed the idea. It turns out I was right -- Rockband's classic game mode didn't make a smooth transition to VR, so the team at Harmonix had to come up with something completely different -- and it's so much better than awkward rhythm game I was expecting.
Klei has found a new home for its demanding tactical espionage game Invisible, Inc. on iPad, and I hope that means it'll find a way into your home. Because the game is just excellent. You should play it!
Take it not only from me, but also from Steven, who poured dozens of hours into the PC version leading up to his review: "The turn-based stealth gameplay is empowering, but fraught and fleeting each time you dive deeper into one of the world's least architecturally sensible corporate buildings, rooms budding off rooms, some empty, some dangerous, all necessary. It's a fight to stay equally matched with your enemies and make it to the end. Things can and will go wrong. Sometimes life-saving maneuvering just delays an impending, inevitable loss as you bring the full weight of the guard down on your head. And it's almost always your own damn fault, which is why you'll try again."
All that for $4.99. Just don't forget to eat once you get sucked in.
Things from the Flood is the second book from Simon Stålenhag, following on from his first, Tales from the Loop. They’re collections of his beautiful artwork, which combines idyllic imagery from a Scandinavian childhood in the 80s and 90s with...aliens and mechs.
I got an unusual e-mail a few days ago. I'm not especially well versed in the subject matter, but I found it interesting, and hopefully you will too.
Some of you might remember Jayson Napolitano, who used to run the "Note Worthy" and "The Sound Card" articles on the main page. He's since moved on to running his own music label and PR company. His latest project sounded fascinating, so I wanted to take a look.
Tales of the Elements FC is a new game themed concept hip-hop album from artist Last BeNeVoLeNcE, and featuring popular Nerdcore artist Mega Ran. The unique hook, and what drew me to writing about this album wasn't the music, though I've enjoyed what I've heard of it.
Remember that sick Bullet Train demo? It looks like we're not getting it, or it's been infused into what ultimately became Robo Recall, a lighthearted VR shooter revealed today at Oculus Connect. The plot seems familiar: In the not-so-distant future where advanced Roombas go smear poop around the city, so you need to shoot them thangs. We wrote about that demo last year and it was pretty damn spiffy.
I know, I know. You're probably thinking: "Yet another VR game where your invisible limbs are shooting stuff and standing still." I feel your frustration, as I've sampled 80 similar tech demos.
Still, this is m-fckin' Epic Games, so expect a level of polish well above the stuff you've played before. Remember when they turned your wimpy normcore iPad into a serious gaming machine with Infinity Blade? Nobody saw that coming. Looks like they've been cooking this one for a while. I think they've sat back, taken notes, and are going to show us how VR shooters are really done.
I do like the ability to grab enemies and hurl them into the air (they have convenient handles!) for juggle combos. The game seems to reward tricky shots and physics-based continuous robot carnage, which I believe will be a VR first (or at least rare) as that's not a common mechanic we've seen in other virtual reality shooters. The high res art in the gallery below is certainly not too shabby. Clearly this is going to be their investor showboat for what Unreal Engine can do with VR.
If you can't wait and are picking up hardware this Q4, I strongly suggest looking into Raw Data, which IMHO is the only must-have VR shooter out now (with Space Pirate Trainer as a close second). I shouted like an idiot when I shot the legs off a droid and the torso jumped at my face. Naughty robots, they're my bag, baby! VentureBeat took it for a spin today, check out their preview.
Also, because it's almost the weekend, bonus video if you made it this far:
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert tour announced today that it'll be adding new songs and visuals to the show for North America. The tour is currently working its way through Europe, but will return to the United States starting in November. Several new shows were also added to the final leg of the tour, and you can check out the full concert schedule here.
The Legend of Zelda franchise is well known for its music, and the symphony series features a full 66-piece orchestra as well as a 24-person choir. Attendees can watch video footage of Zelda games on a giant screen as they listen to the songs. The symphony was featured on Stephen Colbert's Late Show a little less than a year ago.
When the concert begins the next leg of its U.S. tour, those shows will feature new music and visuals from Tri Force Heroes, a new intermezzo from Ocarina of Time's Temple of Time, and updated visuals from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess's HD remake.
I haven't been to this show, but it looks like a lot of fun. Speaking for myself, if you're looking to extend the tour, guys, we've got a brand new arena just sitting here.
Fenix Fatalist, by day a cosplayer herself, is also a cosplay photographer, and took (and edited) these shots of an incredible Destiny outfit by Colossus.
Amy Hennig, the director for the Uncharted series (among others), was recently interviewed by Idle Thumbs about her time working in triple-A game development. According to her, the process is becoming too big for its own good.
"The whole time I was at Naughty Dog -- ten-and-a-half years -- I probably, on average, I don't know if I ever worked less than 80 hours a week," she states. "I pretty much worked seven days a week, at least 12 hours a day." I can empathize with that, as I once had two jobs that ended up with me working the full week.
There are other tidbits about how the split of Naughty Dog into two teams created some hardships and how triple-A development is an "arms race that is unwinnable," but the most telling thing is how Hennig mentions she doesn't think making games was worth the lifestyle sacrifices she had to make. Those are pretty harsh words for the director behind one of Sony's biggest franchises.
While Hennig expressed that she isn't regretful over her decision to work on Uncharted, she does note that she has a clearer view of the issues that plague development. In my opinion, she should probably downgrade her position to a creative consultant or take on some smaller games. Hennig is currently working on a Star Wars title, so I'm not sure she is following her own advice.
If you want to give this interview a listen, Idle Thumbs has the podcast posted in twoparts. You can also read a partial transcript over on GamesIndustry.biz.
[There's been quite a bit of friction when it comes to fan games as of late. Where do Mugen games begin and Pokémon Uranium end? Maybe a bit of a discussion from GWJosh is in order? ~Strider]
The ability to mod or design a game however you want has been a popular option for the PC market for years now. Name a project with modding support, and chances are you can find some mod or homage to another game.
Some programmers take this a step further, with unlicensed games featuring popular characters to outright fan-made sequels. Just as how people are taking notice of Indies, companies are paying attention to their IP and give us another debate to talk about.
Headtracking, motion controls and visual fidelity usually dominate the conversation about what makes for an "immersive" virtual reality experience, but great sounding audio is every bit as important -- that's why the Oculus Rift ships with built-in headphones. The on-ear speakers are more than adequate for a good VR experience but at Oculus Connect 3, the company announced an alternative that might be just a little bit better: the Oculus Rift Earphones. I got my hands on a pair before leaving the developer conference, and I can say that Oculus confidence in the earbuds is justified: these things sound pretty great.
Ubisoft's melee action game For Honor has dropped split-screen support, something that was previously promised by the developer and referred to as "absolutely a key feature," Eurogamer reports.
"It's a feature that we liked and wished to deliver, but we found we can't do it without impacting the quality of other elements that are more crucial to the For Honor experience," the company said in a statement today. "For Honor fans looking to play with friends will still have the option to play online co-op in the campaign and in all multiplayer modes." Oh, we know the drill by now.
Although For Honor is a big old question mark for me, I can sympathize with anyone who was looking forward to the game specifically with split-screen support in mind. I'm regularly on the hunt for local multiplayer console games, so I know all too well how limited our options are.
What's the verdict so far on the 2017 title? After trying an early build, Nic praised its foundation, noting that "If the full release builds on what was in the alpha, it could be a real winner. The combat is strong enough to have legs, there just needs to be a bit more variety in game modes to keep things fresh. So long as Ubisoft doesn't sabotage it with too many microtransactions or an item system that provides an unfair advantage to long-term (or spendy) players, it should be a great way to lop off some heads."
I reviewed the original Endless Space back in 2012, and found it a pretty snappy little 4X game, albeit one with a distinct lack of personality. From what I’ve played so far of Endless Space 2, we won’t be suffering through that again.
Sonic is supposed to be fast. In fact, as an otherwise nebulous, frequently-rebooted character, that’s really all that can be said about... unless you grew up in Europe, where that was never the case to begin with.
The latest update to backers of the crowdfunded sequel to Psychonauts went live a little while ago, and Double Fine's president Tim Schafer sat down with project lead Zak McClendon to show off some of what their team has been working on.
Schafer began the video by letting everyone know that FIG, the crowdfunding platform used for Psychonauts 2, has just been certified by the Securities and Exchange Commission. As such, those people who committed to invest in the game can now do so. While it's too late to back the project to get traditional crowdfunding rewards, it's possible to invest and be rewarded financially depending on how well it does when it's released. The big news is that this certification means non-accredited investors can now invest in FIG games going forward. Prior to the certification, investors in FIG games had to be accredited, meaning a lot more paperwork and hassle from banks before they'd be allowed to invest.
With the business out of the way, Schafer and McClendon sat down to demonstrate what they've been working on for Psychonauts 2. They said that the level they're showing off probably won't be in the finished product, and that they made it as a prototype, a way to get a feel for the Unreal 4 engine using a location they were already familiar with. While the art and level design looks great, both men agreed that Psychonauts 2 won't be returning to the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. "No one's ever going to see this except for right here," said McClendon. Schafer agreed: "We built it to burn it."
The video continues by demonstrating some of main character Raz's movements, from his walk and jump animations to more complicated movements involving tightropes and trapeze bars. They also showed off a new gliding animation Raz can utilize to slow his descent -- something I wish he'd had when I was guiding him through Psychonauts' infamous Meat Circus.
Once Raz's moves were established, they moved on to the combat, showing off Psychic abilities. These include old favorites like Psyblast and Telekinesis, but there were some new abilities on display as well. At one point he is seen juggling psychic blades that he can throw long-distance, and he'll also gain the ability to project copies of himself to confuse enemies or just even the odds against a group.
The video closes with some rudimentary combat, though McClendon cautions that this is still very early on. He explained that they have to solidify Raz's moveset before designing enemies that he'll have to use different abilities to overcome, which makes a lot of sense.
It seems like Psychonauts 2 is shaping up nicely, and the team still has plenty of time left before its scheduled release in fall of 2018.
Crunch, or the process of video game developers working very long hours for a very long time, is a big problem. I mean, look at your job: can you imagine working 80 hours a week, every week, for over ten years? Because that’s what former Uncharted writer and director Amy Hennig did.
Nailing a sweet pentakill in League of Legends is even better when you have an easy-to-share video of it for bragging rights. But what if you don't want to resort to third-party tools to watch or create a clip? Well, according to developer Riot Games, you shouldn't have to wait much longer. Ahead of next season, Riot announced it's adding the highly-requested feature to the game, and replays from the current patch can be watched directly from the LoL client itself.
Podtoid on a THURSDAY?! I know. We're the sort of wacky bunch that can pull it off. It won't be easy and it won't be enjoyable, but daggummit, we're gonna do it.
Not that we're the type to plan much (Steven has sired many children on accident), but we have a rough outline of what we'll talk about. Intro, make fun of Darren, maybe some Gears of War if we're feeling plucky, ???, SATPOTPAQ, Hot Dish.
Check out those question marks. That's where you come in. Ask us some good questions or share a good story. Emphasis on good. Don't bring your B game. We'll swat that shit away.
If you're incredibly shy or don't want to make a Disqus account, shoot us an email. Podtoid@destructoid.com. If you're incredibly anti-email, I don't know -- shout it real loud. Maybe we'll hear you.
Here are some feel-good memories of our youth courtesy of New York Comic-Con. There's a new Power Rangers game titled "Mega Battle." It's seemingly tied to -- or at least a capitalization upon -- the movie that's set to release early next year.
Published by Bandai Namco, Power Rangers: Mega Battle is coming to PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Details are scarce right now, as this off-screen video is how Namco chose to reveal the game:
Earlier this year Microsoft released the DX12-powered Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on PC, and it was a stuttering mess. Looks like Microsoft and developer The Coalition learned a lot from that debacle, because the Windows 10 version of Gears of War 4 runs like a proper PC release should.
Hey everyone, my name's Matt—I'll be your new deals store guy here at Destructoid. You love coming to Destructoid to get the latest in gaming news and reviews...and now, I’m here to bring some great deals to your attention.
The Dungeon Keeper franchise is pretty tarnished at this point, its name tied to a shameless mobile scam from a few years ago. But if you played the games from before EA bought Bullfrog Productions, you might remember a charming, funny take on base building and home defense where you played from the villain's point of view.
October's the time for demons and hellbeasts to party, so EA's making the original Dungeon Keeper free via its Origin "On the House" service. If you're not into dealing with the mobile app's misleading ads and gameplay that made even Molyneaux cringe, you can grab the first game in the series for the low price of YOUR SOUL. I mean, I assume that's a condition of the Origin agreement. This IS Electronic Arts we're talking about, after all.
If you play a lot of Overwatch, you’ve probably seen someone get POTG for Hulking out with their ult, stomping tons of enemies, and then getting smashed themselves. Dying twice in a single POTG, though? That’s an accomplishment!
