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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