News:: PC deals: Save on Steep, Lara Croft GO, and other recent releases

PC gamers can save big on this week's new releases for some cheap, chill holiday gaming fun. Digital retailer Green Man Gaming is hosting the discounts as a part of its "VIP" sale. Simply login or create an account and get better-than-advertised prices.

Upcoming titles like the Warhammer 40,000 game Space Hulk: Deathwing have gone 32% off while today's Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun has dropped to $28.79 -- a nice 28% discount for one of the best-sellers on Steam right now. The turn-based squad strategy game released this morning at #7 and is now sitting pretty at the #2 top-seller list with favorable user reviews. If you enjoyed the Commando series from years past, this might be worth a look.

December Releases

• 12/09: Space Hulk: Deathwing (Steam) — $27.29  (list price $40)
• 12/06: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (Steam) — $28.79  (list price $40)
• 12/06: Arizona Sunshine (Steam) — $27.29  (list price $40)
• 12/04: Lara Croft GO (Steam) — $6.79  (list price $10)
• 12/02: Steep (Uplay) — $49.29  (list price $60)

November Releases

• 11/29: Rainbow Six Siege Complete Edition (Uplay) — $79.99  (list price $100)
• 11/29: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege: Year 2 Pass (Uplay) — $23.99  (list price $30)
• 11/29: Watch Dogs 2 (Uplay) — $47.99  (list price $60)
• 11/29: Watch Dogs 2 Deluxe Edition (Uplay) — $55.99  (list price $70)
• 11/29: Watch Dogs 2 Gold Edition (Uplay) — $79.99  (list price $100)

Keys are shipped via email instantly after purchase on all deals listed above. Last week's releases, like Watch Dogs 2, are not quite as cheap as this week's, but there's still a decent 20% off price break worth mentioning.

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News:: Here are Destructoid's favorite Alolan Pokemon

A new generation, a new entry in Pokémon. Whether you like the new Pokémon or have jumped off the ship clear into Digimon town, a new game means new choices for favorite 'Mon. And considering the incredible success of Sun and Moon and the positive press for the design of the Alola region, I'd say even the most jaded fan has a pick for favorite new Pokémon.

Read more...

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News:: The Ghost Recon Wildlands beta should be good for some silly fun

Ubisoft has opened signups for the Ghost Recon Wildlands closed beta, which is something I'd like to try out despite not really feeling the co-op squad shooter's super-serious tone or its disappointingly standard-feeling gunplay. The destructive open-world playground is the main point of interest here, and that might be enough of a pull. I'm also hopeful the game has come a ways since E3 2016.

If you're down for a pre-release test run, you can sign up for the beta (PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One) over on this site, though entry is not guaranteed. You'll receive an email if you make the cut.

I'm not seeing a start date, but Wildlands is only a few months away from its March 7 release.

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News:: Palutena teaches Smash how to Pole Dance

In an apparent sequel to the Bayonetta video we showed you a few months ago, YouTuber MasterofHyrule has put together a video showing each of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U's characters performing Palutena's pole dancing taunt. 

As in the previous video, the rest of the roster are able to perform the taunt because of a mod that allows for animation swaps. It's more convincing when the character performing the taunt has similar proportions to Palutena, but some of the shorter or taller characters have their skeletons squashed or extended to fit the other model.

Many of the characters who hold weapons incorporate them into the taunt, so if you've ever wanted to see Ike or Marth dancing seductively around their swords, this is your lucky day. King Dedede and Cloud also follow this rule, and this makes their dances particularly entertaining.

MasterofHyrule [YouTube]

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News:: Watch this guy building a game console into a cement Thwomp

I love watching stuff get made. Whether it's chocolate, chains, or sweet ninja swords, I always find it fascinating to see the step-by-step process that goes into making a finished product from a bunch of raw materials.

In this video, Wes Swain shows how he built an emulator with USB outputs into a concrete replica of a Thwomp from the Super Mario series. You may remember Wes as the cool dad who created a Mario Kart themed nursery last year. The video's a bit long but it shows all the mistakes he made, which is entertaining in its own way. 

I found it really cool watching the creation process beginning with nothing but an image file and leading all the way to the finished product. The end result is the heaviest, most well-protected Raspberry Pi I've ever seen. Not sure why he didn't show it playing a Mario title at the end, though.

LET'S MAKE: Cement Thwomp Retro Game Console [YouTube]

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News:: 343 details the huge update Halo 5's getting in two days

It has been more than a year since Halo 5 launched, but developer 343 Industries continues to support it with new maps, helpful features, and quality of life improvements. Actually, one of the biggest updates is right around the corner, almost 14 months after release.

As 343 details on Halo Waypoint, Monitor's Bounty is scheduled for December 8, two days from now. Apart from new Warzone maps and in-game items, the add-on contributes two substantial features: A custom game browser and an observer mode.

The custom game browser adds the functionality to look for and join in-progress custom matches. Vincent Hui, Halo 5's UX design lead, comments "We've also updated the content browser so that if you find a map or mode that you like, you'll be able to browse for in-progress custom games from that file's options." He adds "This custom games browser is something the team has wanted to add for a long time for the community, but we needed the content browser and the search engine that powers it up and running first."

The other notable addition, Observer mode, has an eSports bent. Hui explains "For the 2016 Halo World Championship, we unveiled an in-game overlay known as the Observer HUD that showed the status and weapon details for all eight players in the match. It was a great tool for viewers and casters to see how many players were on respawn and who had Power Weapons and Power-Ups." This is available is custom game lobbies.

This is technically only half (or so) of what's in Monitor's Bounty. 343 plans to reveal the rest of it tomorrow, including what it calls "the biggest Forge update ever seen in a Halo game." For specifics on the added items and whatnot, head over to the post on Halo Waypoint. Until then, here's a sweet new assassination animation:

Read more...

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News:: Build your own home in the Homestead update for Elder Scrolls Online

Hearthfire may not have been the best DLC for Skyrim, but fans latched onto the base-building mechanics and loved their inclusion in Fallout 4. Many felt it was an integral part of the fun factor for the title, allowing you to stake a claim in the vast world Bethesda had created. The joy of buying furniture is soon coming to The Elder Scrolls Online with the "Homestead" update.

Slated for early 2017, Homestead will give players the chance to buy a home in ESO. Each house will be an instanced location, so there shouldn't be any fighting over plots of land. Players will have the ability to customize the house to their liking as well as invite their friends to tea.

There is going to be a wide range of items available for customization. Around 2,000 pieces of furniture will be include along with 40 different types of homes with styles ranging from elaborate manors to small cottages. Some of the home exteriors will be based on the different Elder Scrolls races.

Read more...

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News:: Battleborn's winter update addresses a lot of concerns, neglects one crucial issue

"Why did Battleborn fail?" is a question that gets asked every few days on its subreddit. "How do we bring new players in and retain them?" is probably the more constructive way to phrase it. Gearbox has been paying attention to the community chatter, and it has taken a lot of the ideas to heart. 2K recently announced Battleborn's "biggest update yet," coming soon.

In order to retain veterans and entice old players who have left back into it, the update promises an increased maximum rank to work toward, daily quests to reward consistent play, a draft mode to facilitate a truly competitive MOBA experience, and an updated user interface to more easily find the most important information.

That sounds pretty slick for the people who are already invested, but one of the biggest perceived roadblocks to Battleborn maintaining a healthy community is the experience for new players. The update also has ideas for them: now all 25 of the original heroes will be unlocked from the beginning so people don't feel stifled into a role they don't like, the story mode will have better guidance to keep players from getting too frustrated, and the competitive mode will get two new tutorial modes to ease newbies into a complex multiplayer game with often relentless foes.

However, the update notes do not mention any changes to matchmaking, which is where Battleborn suffers the most right now. The way it works now, it's common for extreme mismatches to occur, where one team easily stomps the other. It would be fine with the player count increased by a few orders of magnitude, or if it used an entirely different algorithm to create teams. At this point, it's not clear which of these would be easier to accomplish, but Gearbox and 2K might be hoping the update effects the former while they work on the latter.

More details for the update will be revealed this Thursday, December 8 on Gearbox's Twitch channel.

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News:: Comments of the Week 02

Welcome back to Comments of the Week for a special fully stocked December edition. We've got Final Fantasy XV comments! We've got comments about The Game Awards! We've even got piping hot 'n fresh PlayStation Experience comments! Come on in and browse this incredible selection curated by me, Fuzunga. All for the low, low price of absolutely free. It's a feast for your eyeballs!

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News:: Akuma's Street Fighter V debut will come with a topless cheat code

When December 20 rolls around, Season 2 will have officially begun for Street Fighter V.

It's a pivotal moment for Capcom given their relatively low sales for the game, and although they have claimed they will support it for several more years, I wonder if we're ever going to get an Xbox One edition down the line (I'd love to see the terms of that exclusivity deal). Either way, Akuma is someone fans have been wanting for a while now, but he'll come with a special little costume alteration, just like Urien.

Discovered at a pre-season event in the video below at PSX, pressing holding in a certain button combination (it's either LP+MP+HP+LK + the up direction or LP+MK+HK) while selecting Akuma will alter this outfit into a shirtless rendition.

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News:: Star Wars Battlefront's Rogue One VR Mission is short but sweet

The idea of a VR dogfighting game set in the Star Wars universe pretty much sells itself.

The new Rogue One VR Mission for PlayStation VR, playable as a free download within Star Wars Battlefront (you'll need to own a copy of the base game but not any of the expansions or season pass), isn't that, exactly. Rather, it's a 20-minute experience, a taste of what's hopefully yet to come with a bigger team and budget if there's any good left in this world. But man, what a proof-of-concept it is!

I had a smile on my face from the opening menu screen all the way to the post-mission jump home.

Read more...

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News:: Russian Parliament members claim FIFA 17 is gay propaganda

The Russian government has a problem with a lot of current technology: a YouTuber was imprisoned for playing Pokémon Go, Microsoft Outlook was banned from government computers for being an American boogeyman, and good luck accessing LinkedIn from St. Petersburg. This week, Electronic Arts became the country's latest target when a group of Russian members of Parliament asked the government's communications oversight agency to possibly block FIFA 17 after the popular soccer franchise promoted a tie-in with a UK-based LGBT rights group.

Via: The Guardian

Source: Izvestia

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News:: Nintendo is offering up to $20,000 bounty for hackers to find 3DS vulnerabilities

You'd be hard pressed to find a category of hardware (outside of the PC) that's hacked or homebrewed more than Nintendo portables. But after all these years, Nintendo is going to make a marked attempt to stop it.

Partnering up with HackerOne (a San Francisco based security firm), the publisher is now effectively offering up to a $20,000 bounty for "highly skilled researchers" to uncover vulnerabilities for the 3DS that could "jeopardize its environment." While a lot of folks are probably going to be up in arms about their attack on piracy, note that Nintendo also wants to stop cheating, and "dissemination of inappropriate content to children."

The bounty starts at $100 (US), and ranges all the way up to the aforementioned $20,000, so if you think you're qualified, it might pay to get involved. Unfortunately, since Nintendo "doesn't disclose how the reward is calculated," they can technically just judge every case arbitrarily. Well, at least they're trying rather than just prosecuting folks.

Nintendo launches vulnerability reward program for Nintendo 3DS [HackerOne]

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News:: Will Ferrell will bring eSports to the silver screen

According to Variety, Will Ferrell has reportedly signed on to star in an upcoming film about eSports. The as-of-yet untitled movie will feature Ferrell as a member of a pro gaming team with the twist being he's super old for an industry where most people retire in their mid-20s. The film will also include appearances by the Evil Geniuses and Fnatic, two actual professional teams.

Source: Variety

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News:: Get into the holiday spirit with Hitman's Christmas mission

I was trying to come up with a catchy Christmas pun to headline the article, then I realized that would be super cliche. So, forget about that nonsense and let's jump straight into the news. Hitman is going to be receiving a free holiday themed mission soon. Dubbed "Holiday Hoarders," the mission takes place on the Paris level with a plethora of holiday decorations.

Two thieves break into the fashion show and are looking to steal all of the presents scattered around the venue. 47 is tasked with stopping them by lethal force (can't I just gift wrap them?). If you discover the presents before the thieves, you can open them to get cool gear (and become a thief?) to destroy them with.

This new mission will be launching next week on December 13. While the mission is free, IO Interactive is using this as a way to raise awareness for the World Cancer Research Fund. IO is asking fans to donate whatever they can to support the cause. I'm not sure how being a professional assassin ties in with cancer, but any money spent towards saving lives is a good use of cash.

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News:: VR treadmill creator cancels pre-orders outside the US

Virtuix's Omni treadmill is very alluring to virtual reality fans who want freedom to walkwithout the fear of tripping over cables or running into walls. However, it's also massive and complex... and that's forcing the company to scale back its ambitions. Virtuix is telling its Kickstarter backers that it's cancelling all Omni pre-orders outside of the US, as the logistics of shipping the treadmill are just too much. It's not just the 175-pound, 48- by 43-inch shipping package that's the problem -- it's honoring regulations and maintaining enough replacement parts to handle a global audience. The initial plans to ship worldwide were "naive and unfeasable," the startup writes.

Via: Road To VR

Source: Kickstarter (backers only)

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News:: Here's a look at ReCore's missing fifth bot, which is coming early next year

ReCore launched with a giant mystery. Despite the fact that there were only four bots in the game, there were five spots reserved. There was a huge swath of land in the northwest part of The Cradle that was inaccessible. Some enemies dropped crafting components that were completely useless. 

We reached out to Microsoft about the possibility of the final bot being cut from the game. We were told "The Tank is not currently available in the game. But please stay tuned for news." Since then, ReCore's social media team has turned this canned phrase into an initiative, often telling fans to "#StayTuned." There's an unsettling tone-deafness about it all, like developer Armature doesn't realize the content seems ripped out of the full game and that it's kind of insulting to ask people to eagerly await it.

However, those who have #StayedTuned won't have to #StayTuned a whole lot longer. Over the weekend, Armature shared a trailer that details the tank frame. He's a happy-go-lucky little guy, with a smiley face plastered to his default head. He's also functional, able to boost over gaps and glide over quicksand.

Savvy players haven't needed the tank to see ReCore's inaccessible area because some smart platforming makes it possible to bypass the quicksand. We detailed that technique back in October. It's a way to visit a dungeon that's not even supposed to be in the game yet, and it's sort of haunting in its emptiness.

For those who don't want to game the system, Armature says that the tank will be available early next year. There's no mention of whether it'll be a free update or a paid add-on. Fans are predictably hoping for free, and it's hard to blame them for it. The way the tank has been presented thus far, it feels like they already paid for it when they bought the full game.

T8nk Trailer [ReCore]

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News:: This is why 'Destiny' studio Bungie stopped making 'Halo' games

Destiny is a self-contained example of 21st-century video games: It's online, ever-changing and beautifully built by a team of practiced veterans. Destiny represents the evolution of Bungie, the studio that created Halo, and it also encapsulates the shifting nature of video games as a whole. Modern AAA experiences take advantage of online functionality more than ever before, but this connected gaming ecosystem is still new for the industry as a whole. Destiny helped normalize the idea in 2014, when players weren't yet convinced they wanted an MMO-like experience on a living room console.

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News:: Review: Let it Die

Ever since it dropped, I've been poring over every little detail of Let it Die. It's a strange beast, with tutorial messages at every turn for the first few hours, many of them facilitating back into the microtransaction scheme.

It's definitely a Grasshopper game, but a lack of polish and a fair, but cumbersome free-to-play crutch both hinder my excitement.

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News:: Get a look at the perhaps too humanoid Empoleon in Pokken Tournament

When I first showed my friend Mega Man 3 many years back, he couldn't stop laughing at how much Snake Man looked like "a guy in a snake suit." And that's kind of how I feel about this highly emotive character model for Empoleon in Pokken Tournament, as he basically just looks like a dude with Dragon Ball powers who wandered into a Pokemon pit fighting organization.

Int his bit of footage Bandai Namco shows off the water and steel master, who was only just recently announced for the arcade edition of the game. Boo, no Wii U DLC! Boo!

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News:: Warhammer 40K squad shooter Space Hulk: Deathwing is 32% off

Warhammer 40,000 junkies looking for some first-person shooter action are in luck this week. Space Hulk: Deathwing is out on Friday for PC with a pre-order discount of $33.99 on Steam. Of course third-party retailer Green Man Gmaing is itching to get your business with a price break chopping the game further down to $27.29.

A 32% discount before the game releases is about as good as you can except to find on a game hitting the top 10 sellers list on Steam. 

• Space Hulk: Deathwing (Steam) — $27.29  (list price $40)
• Must login to see discount

In order to see the full discount on Space Hulk: Deathwing, you'll need to login or create a new account at GMG. After that point the price break takes full effect and you'll see the discount from $39.99 to $27.29.

We expect the deal to last through the entire week and expire after release, most likely dropping from the current 32% off to 18%~20% off.

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News:: 'Pokémon Go' may get 100 new Pokémon this week

Pokémon Go is about to get bigger, according to a handful of Starbucks employee guides that found their way online early this week. The images have not been verified by Niantic, the Pokémon Company or Starbucks, but Reddit sleuths claim that verified Starbucks employees have vouched for their veracity.

"The world of Pokémon Go is about to expand with new Pokémon and a new Starbucks beverage!" the "Barista need-to-know" guide says. The flyers indicate that Pokémon Go's second generation will kick off on Thursday, December 8th.

Via: Eurogamer

Source: /r/TheSilphRoad

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News:: Soulcalibur's 20th anniversary video gives glimmer of hope for 6th title

Has it been 20 years? The original Soul Edge released in Japanese arcades back in 1995, making this the 21st anniversary. It came to PlayStation in Japan in 1996, which is probably where they are counting from, but not until the following year in America and Europe. If we adjust our glasses and get anal about it, the first Soulcalibur game (apparently not supposed to be spaced which is the weirdest thing) didn't release until 1999. That would make 2016 the 17th anniversary. 

In any case, Bandai Namco released a video celebrating the history of the series by showing clips from all its games, including the black sheep Lost Swords. Somethings are better left forgotten. What I won't forget however is that it's been a while since we've had a proper entry.  I've played all the games except the third one, and while some people give Soulcalibur 4 and 5 harsh words, I loved them. SCV definitely felt unfinished and didn't include my dear Talim, but it has the best character creation system outside of Korean MMOs. I wasted so many hours making crazy characters and fighting with them online versus everyone else's humorous concoctions.

All us Soulcalibur fans (you know, people with good taste in fighting games) have been waiting a while and recently there was news about a new Soulcalibur thing. "What could it be? 6? Could Christmas have come early?" we hopefully speculated.  No, of course it was a pachislot machine. That's how you please your fans, right? I guess Konami did it so much Bandai Namco wanted to join in on the fun.

While this video and new website dedicated to the series don't announce anything, it creates hope with its closing message of "The Legend Will Never Die." When they finish up Tekken 7 I think it's Soulcalibur's turn. But I swear, if they announce another pachinko or pachislot machine, I will walk down to Bandai Namco HQ and slap someone. I live right outside Tokyo, you hear me? You'll need a Bandai-d when I'm done with you, you Namcompoops. 

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News:: Overwatch's holiday event begins next Tuesday

I'm not even actively playing Overwatch right now on account of the wallet-punching last several weeks this has been for big game releases, but I'm still feeling antsy for Blizzard's holiday event. Some details and clues seeped out after a round of data mining, and now, we wait -- until December 13, that is.

The company shared a little "RSVP" video teaser over Twitter announcing the date:

You're invited! http://pic.twitter.com/MQZPZOW4Y1

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) December 6, 2016

Unlike the Halloween event, which awarded me plenty of sprays but none of the seasonal character skins, and left me cursing my lack of savings, I'll be coming into this one loaded up with currency.

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News:: All the changes coming to MechWarrior Online

While the biggest announcement of Mech_Con by far was the existence of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, a new single-player story-driven game and the first “proper” sequel to the series in 15 years, it wasn't the only one. Big things are on the way for MechWarrior Online, the free-to-play multiplayer title. I spoke with Piranha Games president Russ Bullock about some of the changes MWO has experienced in the last year and what players can expect moving forward.

"MechWarrior fans are so varied in what's important to them it can sometimes be surprising," Russ said when speaking about the biggest developments in MWO over the past year and what fans responded to the most. MWO made its way to the Steam platform just on the tail end of 2015, and since then has seen the implementation of Faction Play Phase 3 (the persistent player driven meta-war), a new customization system including custom decals for players to personalize their mechs, and a slew of new and revamped maps. "For me though, it was about getting the tournament going. It was the first official Piranha cash prize tournament, and that was a huge undertaking... probably the biggest thing for us." 

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News:: New details surface about Wind Waker 2's cancellation

While it may not be common knowledge, The Wind Waker was supposed to get a more traditional sequel.

Sure, Phantom Hourglass takes place directly after the events of the game, but Nintendo was going to cast Toon Link in another adventure for consoles had fan reception been warmer. Twilight Princess happened, instead, because North American fans weren't pleased with the more cartoony style the series had taken.

I bet most people are blaming themselves for that, but it turns out that the US' penchant for realism isn't the only reason we never saw Toon Link return to the Gamecube. According to an interview contained in the upcoming "Zelda: Art & Artifacts" book, artist Satoru Takizawa says that, "Wind Waker 2 would have taken place in a more land-based setting, rather than on the sea, so that we could have Link gallop across the land on a horse, but Link's proportions in Wind Waker weren’t very well suited for riding on horseback."

Now I'm sad that we never got a Toon Epona. Strange how she has become so iconic within the franchise, but she only appears in four games (unless you count that horse in the Oracle titles). Then again, most people don't realize that there are 17 games in the series, the majority of which are 2D.

Either way, the "Zelda: Art & Artifacts" book releases on February 21, 2017. I'm sure the rest of this interview is chock full of great information about Wind Waker 2 and some other cancelled Zelda projects. Maybe we'll even see some concept art of Toon Link on Toon Epona.

Nintendo on why Wind Waker 2 became Zelda: Twilight Princess [Nintendo Everything]

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News:: Twitch brings video calls to its game communication app

Twitch wants to move beyond live streaming to cover your game communications, and to that end it bought Curse back in August. Just what is it doing with its newly acquired app, though? Well, now we know: Curse is rolling out desktop support for both video calls and screen sharing on top of its existing voice and social features. You and four other people can now see each other while you play, and share what's on your display if you want to brag about a victory or show vital info to your teammates.

Source: Curse

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News:: Review: Tyranny

I really can't get enough of RPGs in the vein of Baldur's Gate or Planescape: Torment. Those type of games, which I guess we call "cRPG" now, helped shape what I enjoy in the gaming medium. I enjoyed Path of Exile, though it didn't quite grab me like I had hoped, and earlier this year had a good time with -- and it still feels weird saying this -- a Baldur's Gate expansion.

So here we are with Tyranny, another game from Obsidian that I had no idea was even happening until shortly before it came out! While I don't think any recent entries into the genre have truly captured the magic of the forefathers, I'm still very much enjoying the cRPG renaissance. 

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