Nov 5, 2016 | Game ON news

Saturday, November 5, 2016

News:: Nintendo is reviving the NES' hint line for one weekend

When Nintendo releases the NES Classic Edition on November 11th, it won't limit the nostalgia to the hardware you take home. The company is marking the launch by resurrecting its classic Power Line for that weekend. Call 425-885-7529 between 9AM and 10PM Eastern each day (until the night of the 13th) and you can get both hints for "several" games as well as stories from people who manned the phones on the original line back in the 1980s. The tips are pre-recorded, alas, but this could easily rekindle memories of a pre-web era when your best bets at help usually involved calling the Power Line or asking a friend. Our main question: will the phone line stick to the same tips you got as a kid, or offer a few juicy secrets?

Via: Kotaku

Source: Nintendo

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News:: Google snaps up the creators of a game-focused Android emulator

You can already run Android apps on a Chromebook, but would you run games and other intensive mobile apps on it? Probably not. However, Google might be taking steps to make that practical. The creators of LeapDroid, an Android emulator that specializes in games, have revealed that they're joining Google just months after releasing it to the public. The team isn't discussing "specific plans," but they're halting both development and support for LeapDroid. You can continue running the latest version, but you won't get anything more than that.

Via: LeapDroid (Twitter)

Source: LeapDroid

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News:: Blizzard's Plan To Get Rid Of Gaps Between World Of Warcraft Expansions

After more than a decade of expansion cycles, Blizzard is changing their approach to World of Warcraft. Step one? Take players to a new planet.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2f5B1dQ

News:: Pavel “Pavel” Beltukov is the new Hearthstone’s new World Champion after defeating Artem “DrHippi” K

Pavel “Pavel” Beltukov is the new Hearthstone’s new World Champion after defeating Artem “DrHippi” Kravets in the series 4-2. He takes home $250,000 as a result of placing first in the tournament. Pavel is only 18 years old.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2fcxKXZ

News:: Day Of The Devs Festival Is Full Of Rad Indie Games

Hosted by Double Fine, Day of the Devs is like E3 but inverted. Instead of big press conferences blasting commercials and talking points at an audience composed of journalists and industry enthusiasts, the event is small and interactive; a place for people to gather and talk about their pet projects and creative passions.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2epMv7Z

News:: Overwatch's Play Of The Game Feature Is Gonna Get An Overhaul

Overwatch’s Play of the Game feature is iconic as it is infamous. On one hand, it gives big moments a few seconds of fame and encourages friends and foes alike to say, “OK yeah, that was pretty cool.” But it goes against the grain of Overwatch’s team focus, and it misfires. A lot.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2epKR6a

News:: Turtle Rock Studios releases the final, lost episode of Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead was an addicting experience upon its release in 2008. The game eschewed a standard single-player campaign for something that merged co-op and competitive play together with a unique AI system that would create disturbances based on the performance of your team. The ability to play as zombies (which were incredibly unique) was also a joy.

Fans were upset with the quick turn around Valve made with Left 4 Dead 2, but the company swore to support the original for as long as possible. A free DLC campaign (on PC) helped bridge the gap between the two games, but eventually the sequel overshadowed the former with the entirety of the first game being ported to L4D2.

Regardless of that, the developer behind the original game, Turtle Rock Studios, has released what it is dubbing the "lost episode" for the original Left 4 Dead. This episode, titled "Dam It," explains how the survivors got from "Dead Air" to "Blood Harvest," along with providing a few new maps for survival mode.

Turtle Rock Studios releases the final, lost episode of Left 4 Dead screenshot

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News:: Hand-painted Knights and Bikes will be published by Double Fine and hasa new trailer.

Hand-painted Knights and Bikes will be published by Double Fine and hasa new trailer. The game, originally Kickstarted earlier this year, tells the tale of two children exploring crazy shit on there bikes kind of like the Goonies. Its two creators previously worked on games like Tearaway, LittleBigPlanet, and Ratchet & Clank.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2eKocT6

News:: Blizzard admits mistakes were made with World of Warcraft's last expansion, but is looking ahead with Legion

For Blizzard, World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor was a learning experience.

Subscribers dropped off at a record pace, mostly because the team didn't support it nearly as much as past expansions, a mistake they're not keen to repeat for Legion. I sat down with Ian Hazzikostas, Legion's game director, and Patrick Magruder, lead software engineer, to find out exactly what went wrong, and how Legion is already circumventing a lot of Draenor's unfortunate missteps.

Blizzard admits mistakes were made with World of Warcraft's last expansion, but is looking ahead with Legion screenshot

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News:: South Korea Walks All Over Russia In Overwatch World Cup Finals

So that was a bloodbath, to put it mildly. Kind of like an Overwatch tournament finals brought to you by Quentin Tarantino. Perhaps South Korea was favored going into this match-up, especially after their triumphant march up through the rest of the bracket. But no one expected Russia to lose so easily, much less roll over and die.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2fqMQKk

News:: Review: Exile's End

There was once a time when 2D games were the tentpole releases that companies pumped out to make the big bucks. Those days are long gone, but the sidescrollers live on and are a staple in today's landscape thanks to indie developers. The independent scene is ripe with new and exciting concepts and ideas, and one such title produced by those ideas is Exile's End.

Exile's End has an interesting background as the product of a collaboration between Tokyo-based indie developer Matt Fielding with Japanese veteran Keiji Yamagishi (the composer of Ninja Gaiden on NES and Tecmo Super Bowl) and other long-time creators such as those who worked on the art and graphics on titles like Sword of Mana and Guilty Gear. This title is also a remake of Fielding's previous game, Inescapable, with plenty of improvements and content added with some help from the Far East.

One may be curious as to how a game by a relative newcomer and Japanese industry veterans might turn out. It's a fascinating collaboration on paper indeed. Let's jump in, jump down, and backtrack a bit in this metroidvania-styled 2D adventure.

Review: Exile's End screenshot

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News:: Modern Warfare Remastered Sticks "Caution" Sign Over Old Glitch

Despite being the platonic ideal of a big budget, blockbuster video games, the Call of Duty series has had its fair share of glitches, and the first Modern Warfare was no exception. Many of them included ways to escape multiplayer maps entirely, falling out of the levels into strange and bizarre mirror universes bereft of textures and other people.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2fOSFDS

News:: Weekend Deals: 15% off Modern Warfare Remastered for Steam, BOGO sales at Target and Best Buy

PC gamers, treat yourself to some Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered nostalgia this weekend by picking up a copy at 15% off for $67.67. Oh least we forget, you'll also get a free copy of Infinite Warfare to play with too. Yay? While the digital copy "sold out" for a brief time on GMG, it has since been restocked and Steam keys are once again being delivered immediately after purchase. Note: Deluxe and Standard are at 20% off.

On the console side of deals, there are several online sales going on at various big box retailers. Target is running a "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" sale on basically on all video games including yesterday's Infinite Warfare. Note that Target's deal ends later tonight. At Toys 'R' Us, they are also running a "Buy 1, Get 1 40% off" sale which gives rare discounts on Nintendo 3DS titles. Also notable for paid Gamers Club Unlocked members, there is an exclusive sale at Best Buy granting discounts on 27 console games with offers such as $25 for The Witcher 3: GOTY and $16 for Telltale's Batman.

In Xbox One S news, the Microsoft Store is starting up its Xbox holiday bundle offers a bit earlier this year. Now when you buy a select Xbox One S Bundle through Microsoft, you get two bonus games free. The games are Ubisoft's The Crew and a free game of your choice from a list of 18 which includes the new Infinite Warfare, Gears of War 4, and Battlefield 1. Probably the best consoles to snag this offer on are the brand new 500GB "Storm Grey" Battlefield 1 Bundle and Gears of War 4 Bundle, both of which are recently released on November 1.

Weekend Top Deals

Use voucher code: COD6

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Digital Legacy (Steam) — $67.67 (list price $80)
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Digital Deluxe (Steam) — $79.89 (list price $100)
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Steam) — $47.93 (list price $60)
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PS4, Xbox One) — $49.99 (list price $60)

Sales event

Buy 2 Video Games Get 1 Free at Target <- expires today!
Buy 1 Get 1 40% Off Video Games at Toys 'R' Us
Exclusive Gamers Club Unlocked Member Sale at Best Buy

Xbone S

Xbox One S Battlefield 1 Storm Grey + 2 Games — $299
Xbox One S Gears 4 Storm Grey + 2 Games — $299
Xbox One S Battlefield 1 1TB Bundle + 2 Games — $349.99

Recent Releases

11/03: Moto Racer 4 (Steam) — $23.99 (list price $30)
10/28: Emergency 2017 (Steam) — $30.79 (list price $40)
10/28: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (Steam) — $33.99 (list price $40)
10/28: Titanfall 2 (Origin) — $48.99 (list price $60)
10/21: Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (Steam) — $47.99 (list price $60)
10/20: Battlefield 1 Standard Edition (Origin) — $49.99 (list price $60)

Upcoming Releases

11/10: Tyranny Commander Edition (Steam) — $34.19 (list price $45)
11/11: Dishonored 2 (Steam) — $47.99 (list price $60)
11/18: Pokemon Sun (Nintendo 3DS) — $31.99 (list price $40)
11/18: Pokemon Moon (Nintendo 3DS) — $31.99 (list price $40)
01/24: Resident Evil 7 (Steam) — $49.29 (list price $60)

PC Game Deals

FIFA 17 (Origin) — $41.99 (list price $60)
God Eater 2 Rage Burst (Steam) — $34.99 (list price $50)
Night Dive Bundle (DRM-Free) — $31.98 (list price $102)
GOG RPG Bundle (DRM-Free) — $30.93 (list price $62)
Stranger of Sword City (Steam) — $29.99 (list price $40)
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend (Steam) — $23.99 (list price $60)
Phantom Brave PC: Digital Chroma Edition (Steam) — $21.23 (list price $25)
Disgaea PC: Digital Dood Edition (Steam) — $16.86 (list price $22)
Phantom Brave PC (Steam) — $15.99 (list price $20)
Disgaea PC (Steam) — $14.99 (list price $20)
Saints Row Ultimate Franchise Pack (Steam) — $12.49 (list price $50)
Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan (Steam) — $11.99 (list price $15)
htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary (Steam) — $9.89 (list price $15)
Spintires (Steam) — $7.49 (list price $30)
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Bundle (Steam) — $6.99 (list price $20)
Saints Row IV - Game of the Century Edition (Steam) — $4.99 (list price $20)
FTL: Faster Than Light (DRM-Free) — $2.49 (list price $10)
Torchlight (DRM-Free) — $2.29 (list price $15)
Little Big Adventure 2 (DRM-Free) — FREE (list price $6)

Console Game Deals

Xbox Live 12 Month Gold (Physical Card) — $39.99 (list price $60)
PlayStation 4 Camera (2016) — $39.99 (list price $60)
Street Fighter V Collector's Edition (PS4) — $38.97 (list price $80)
Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One) — $29.99 (list price $60)

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

Weekend Deals: 15% off Modern Warfare Remastered for Steam, BOGO sales at Target and Best Buy screenshot

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News:: Heroes of the Storm devs happy with Brawls so far, will 'keep making them indefinitely'

Heroes of the Storm is in a good spot, relatively speaking. It's probably the smallest Blizzard game, and came into the MOBA market pretty late after League of Legends already had a massive foothold, but it's doing well enough for the monolithic publisher to keep supporting its development and eSports efforts -- including its massive presence at BlizzCon 2016.

To get an idea of what's happening with the current state of the game, I got the chance to speak to lead live team developer Matthew Cooper about a few of Heroes' most recent developments, and what's planned for the future.

Heroes of the Storm devs happy with Brawls so far, will 'keep making them indefinitely' screenshot

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News:: Boss Reaper Plays Help Sweden Take Bronze At Overwatch World Cup

It looked like anyone’s game for much of the best-of-three series between Sweden and Finland in today’s opening contest for third place in the Overwatch World Cup. Tied at one game each, both teams went into the final round trading advantages back and forth until it looked like Finland was on the verge of clinching game three.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2fqu9pN

News:: Blizzard has faithfully recreated the Necromancer playstyle in Diablo III, but is it enough?

After years of clamoring, the Diablo III community is finally getting its wish -- the Necromancer class, one of the most popular classes in Diablo II, is making its way into the game. No, it's not a Diablo II remaster or a Diablo IV announcement (it's merely a paid hero class), but for many old school Necro players (such as myself), it'll do.

I managed to get in some playtime with the albeit limited skillset of the Necromancer in the current build, and although it's a tad more streamlined than I'd like (D3 in a nutshell), it's faithful -- a virtuous mission for returning players and newcomers alike.

Blizzard has faithfully recreated the Necromancer playstyle in Diablo III, but is it enough? screenshot

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News:: Blizzard Wants To Know If Google's DeepMind AI Can Conquer StarCraft II

Although competitive StarCraft is in decline, Blizzard is still trying to breathe some new life into its decades old RTS series. During the company’s keynote presentation yesterday at BlizzCon 2016, Blizzard’s president, Michael Morhaime announced, announced new co-op missions and a new co-op commander would be added to the game on November 22. More unexpectedly, he also said that the company would be partnering with Google’s DeepMind project to make StarCraft II a new frontier of competitive gaming AI research.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2f4PUxd

News:: Heroes of the Storm's Varian feels underwhelming, but that's the point

When Varian Wrynn, former King of Stormwind hits the Heroes of the Storm battlefield, he'll bring a whole new concept into the game -- the multi-class character.

Varian is a tank at heart, built with the principles of a World of Warcraft Warrior in mind, but he can also be altered into an assassin role. And this isn't nominal either, as he'll count for both Warrior and Assassin quests.

He might not be nearly as fun to play as Ragnaros, but he'll fulfill a niche, and the game desperately needs more Warriors as it is.

Heroes of the Storm's Varian feels underwhelming, but that's the point screenshot

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News:: Overwatch trailer asks 'who is Sombra'

After months of speculation, leaks, and a disappointing ARG, Overwatch's Sombra was finally revealed to the world yesterday. While Chris went over how she plays, we're still not sure who she is or where she came from... and apparently, that's exactly how she wants it.

The trailer never gives away Sombra's true name, but shows how she began her career by making use of social hacking, selling police information to Los Muertos before going after larger targets. Eventually, she came up against a corporate entity with better security than she could handle, so she decided to give herself an upgrade.

The final scene in the trailer shows Sombra piecing together the connections that tie various corporations and entities together in the world of Overwatch, including Volskaya Industries, Lumérico, Talon, and the Shimada family. There are several humans and omnics shown that don't fit in with the established lore, so this image will probably become very familiar to people looking to learn more about upcoming characters. Talon is shown with a link to the Doomfist gauntlet, calling back to the trailer that introduced us all to Overwatch in the first place.

After peppering Chris with questions about how Sombra plays, I'm eager to try her out for myself. Fortunately, we won't have too long to wait, as Blizzard has said she'll be playable on the PC's Public Test Realm within the next week.

Overwatch trailer asks 'who is Sombra' screenshot

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News:: Blaster Master Zero will release on the Nintendo 3DS eshop in Spring 2017 according to an announceme

Blaster Master Zero will release on the Nintendo 3DS eshop in Spring 2017 according to an announcement by Inti Creates. The company acquired the license to the original game from Sunsoft and has been working on remastering and expanding it, adding new levels, enemies, etc.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2eoYra0

News:: The Weekend In Esports: BlizzCon 2016 And Smash Bros. Galore

BlizzCon 2016 is in full swing. So in addition to things like new Overwatch characters and the announcement of the Overwatch League, there’s also a ton of actual tournaments going on for each of Blizzard’s major competitive games. Details on when and where to catch all of the action are below.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2f4w7xx

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

_{After a short break, The List is back to satisfy all of your filthy list-related desires, and should continue to do so in perpetuity.}

_{[It is my pride and joy that people make friends for life on this site, easily the best thing I have accomplished in my ten years here! I hear it time and time again, and it never gets old. Thanks for making the Dtoid Community so special -Niero]}

Good morning/afternoon/evening my friends/robots/Gardevoir

It has recently 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:: Deals blog: HOCO makes better Lightning headphones than Apple

Whether or not you think it was a dick move for Apple to ditch the traditional headphone jack you’ve been using literally your entire life on every listening device you’ve ever owned, this isn’t the time for a walk down memory lane. It is the time to pick up the superior HOCO L1 Lightning Cable Headphones at a steal, though—the Destructoid Store’s got ‘em for $21.99.

Deals blog: HOCO makes better Lightning headphones than Apple screenshot

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News:: This Week In The Business: "Less Poking, More Stroking"

QUOTE | “My motto is less poking, more stroking.” - Funomena CEO Robin Hunicke addressing the problem of the “power grip” configuration in VR controllers like Vive and how there needs to be a more relaxed, finesse or “precision grip.”

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2fpJbwl

News:: Nintendo's New JRPG Miitopia Looks Nuts In A Good Way

Earlier this week, Nintendo’s new Mii-based role-playing game Miitopia was revealed. Today, we got a better look at what to expect. It looks wild and like a lot of fun.

via Kotaku http://ift.tt/2ez41du