News:: Dreamfall Chapters will be getting a 'Final Cut' update on PC for free

Dreamfall Chapters has had quite the troubled development cycle. While the Kickstarter for the project was very successful, delays upon delays led many to believe the game would never properly be finished. The console versions have fared even worse, being teased for years and even originally being a timed exclusive for PS4. Then last month, we were given a final launch date for PS4 and Xbox One (March 24, 2017) and some information regarding a new "Enhanced Edition."

As it turns out, this enhanced port is being dubbed the "Final Cut," and the PC version for it will be available on the same day as the console versions launch. Along with the long-requested German language pack, the final update will include updated animations, tweaks to some of the music, general graphical overhauls, and some enhancements to the gameplay. If you're worrying about any kind of price point on PC, then put your fears to rest; this update is free for all owners of the game.

The latest Kickstarter post for the game reads, "Things Take Time—almost four years now—but we haven't left Dreamfall Chapters behind. Far from it! We're still very much focused on completing the journey in a way we can all be proud of."

Dreamfall Chapters "Final Cut" update is coming in March [PC Gamer]

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News:: Just Cause 3 gets an unofficial multiplayer mod

Just Cause 3 may have been a bit of a disappoint on launch (and its DLC is pretty terrible), but the game has certainly come a long way on PC. In addition to being pretty dang playable now, there is also modding support. While we were initially given a glimmer of hope for some multiplayer action a la the Just Cause 2 MP mod, that project was cancelled when the lead developer was actually hired by Avalanche Studios to work on the game proper.

Not all hope was snuffed out, as some of the team members who were working on that MP mod, nanos Framework, decided to create their own take on multi-person mayhem. Enter Just Cause 3 Multiplayer, which is now officially available in beta for all players. With how much positive reception the mod for Just Cause 2 received, I wouldn't be surprised to see this officially added to Steam for distribution.

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News:: Watch NVIDIA's GeForce stream 'Mass Effect Andromeda' to Facebook

Game streaming is about to get a lot simpler for NVIDIA GeForce video card owners with the company's new integration with Facebook Live. We got a chance to see the feature in action at CES, and it works as advertised. NVIDIA reps were able to quickly shoot some footage from the much-anticipated Mass Effect Andromeda right to their Facebook timeline from their GeForce Experience app.

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News:: The Game Boy is back from the dead... kind of

Raise your hand if you owned a Game Boy, a Game Boy Color or a Game Boy Advance. Now keep it raised if you still own one in full working order, with rechargeable batteries that last 10 hours. If you don't still have your hand up, Retrobit's new game console might be of interest.

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News:: NVIDIA's GeForce Now let me play 'The Witcher 3' on a MacBook Air

Apple's MacBook Air is known for being sleek and portable -- but not so much for being a hardware powerhouse. Even the latest Airs still rely on weak integrated graphics, so they're not exactly the sort of machines that you'd expect to run a modern title like The Witcher 3. And yet, that's exactly what I managed to do with NVIDIA's GeForce Now, its game streaming service (recently expanded from the Shield devices) that lets you rent a virtual gaming PC in the cloud.

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News:: Bloggers wanted: New Year's evil

We in the Destructoid offices (which totally exist) mulled over a lot of New Year's resolutions these past few weeks. Finish our backlogs, catch up on what we missed, or even not get so invested in certain games. But for whatever reason, at some point someone thought, "Well, fuck this new year and fuck a New Year's resolution, I'm going to be bad this year."

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News:: LiquidSky streams your games to any device for free

LiquidSky has been quietly building up a base of players to test out its cloud gaming service, and now it's ready to roll out for real, with a few added surprises.

First, let's cover the basics: LiquidSky promises to let anyone play any PC game on Mac, Windows, Android or Linux devices via the magic of cloud streaming. It's a promise we've heard before from companies like OnLive, a service that racked up $40 million in debt by 2012 and finally folded in 2015. Cloud gaming services like PlayStation Now exist today, but they're still not exactly mainstream.

However, at the beginning of 2017, the world -- and its technology -- might finally be ready for cloud gaming. More than 1 million people signed up to participate in the LiquidSky beta and the service is more open than its predecessors', allowing players to run absolutely any PC game, including League of Legends, Overwatch and every title on Steam, Battle.net, Origin or any other provider.

As LiquidSky goes live for the public, it's adding a feature that aims to make cloud streaming as popular as mobile gaming: free-to-play.

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News:: able to think's Amazing Gamer Exercise Regimen

[Not all gamers are svelte, muscular love machines like able to think. Luckily, he's here to offer some gaming-based advice on how to get buff and tough in the new year. Want to see your work on the front page? Get your backside into gear and write something, and you, too, could see your work featured by Destructoid! - Wes]

It's the new year and that means it's time to reinvent yourself and become a better person. One way people do this is by saying they'll get in shape. The problem is, exercise sucks. Exercise is the devil and I, along with most everyone else, hate it. Some people say they love it, but those people are freaks and probably witches that we need to burn at the stake defiantly.

Unfortunately for me and for every other normal person, exercise is kinda important. We organic meatbags need to keep moving or else we'll become water-filled blobs. Who can stand listening to all that sloshing? Not me. That's why I've come up with able to think's Amazing Gamer Exercise Regimen™, in which I take elements from games and turn them into exercises you can do to keep from becoming an amorphous blob of pointless biomass.

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News:: Injustice 2 is out on May 16, 2017

Last year was a great year for video games. This year, at least based on how the stacked-as-hell first several months have shaped up so far, seems likely to follow suit. NetherRealm fans can add another title to their list as Injustice 2 has settled into a May 16, 2017 release on PS4 and Xbox One.

The news arrived in a straightforward tweet from Ed Boon, because really, that's all we needed.

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News:: Introducing the Best of CES 2017 finalists!

Most of our editors eschewed the typical New Year's Eve celebrations and arrived in Las Vegas on New Year's Day. One of us even arrived on December 31st and spent the last few hours of 2016 in bed. All of that just to give our all to the annual tradition that is CES. We spent the past few days walking the show floor, attending evening events and covering press conferences just to bring you the very best from CES 2017. And now, we're ready to bring to you the finalists for our annual Best of CES awards.

Below you'll find our selections for all 15 categories, which range from best accessibility tech to the best wearable we've seen at the show. We'll announce our category winners tomorrow, which is also when we'll reveal our Best of the Best award recipient, the most coveted prize of them all. That special award is selected from our pool of category winners.

If you want your voice heard too -- no worries! There's an additional category for People's Choice, where you can vote for your favorite entry in our compilation of finalists. Just head on over to our poll right here to vote and the one with the most votes will win our special People's Choice award. All award winners will be announced at a special ceremony tomorrow at our CES stage, so be sure to come back right here on Engadget around 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon to watch it all unfold.

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News:: How the hell did Rocket League end up as PlayStation's most downloaded game of 2016?

A lot of big games released in 2016, but it's an indie gem from 2015 that wound up as the most downloaded game on PlayStation 4 last year. Incredibly, Rocket League takes home that honor.

The PlayStation Blog released a list of the most downloaded games across all its platforms in 2016. Heavy hitters are toward the top, such as The Division (#5), Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (#4), and Minecraft (#3). But, it's Rocket League that outshone all of those money-printing juggernauts.

What's particularly interesting about this is that 2016 wasn't the year that Rocket League was free to PlayStation Plus subscribers. This would be easy to rationalize if that were the case. But that happened in 2015 when the game debuted.

Instead, Rocket League has two things working in its favor. First, it had all of 2016 to rack up downloads, an advantage that not every other title on the list had. Second, it's really goddamn good. It's easy to recommend to friends, and it gets its hooks in you once you start to understand the intricacies of its systems.

That Rocket League is still excelling is hardly a surprise. However, it is a bit jarring to see it edging out the other names here, especially more than a year after its initially-free release. I guess that's a testament to how excellent Rocket League really is.

PlayStation Store's Top Downloaded Games of 2016 [PlayStation Blog]

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News:: Dang, XCOM 2 is only $12 in this Humble Monthly deal

Yesterday's news of the Long War 2 mod reminded me that I failed to snag XCOM 2 at launch and, dumber yet, while it was discounted in recent end-of-year sales. But actually, that indecisiveness has paid off -- the alien-blastin', bad-luck-cursing strategy title is available for only $12 on PC.

The deal comes from Humble Monthly, a subscription service that gives you immediate access to one known game -- in this case, XCOM 2 -- and six as-yet-unknown titles on February 3, 2017. Even if you literally only want XCOM 2 and don't care about whatever else will be in the bundle, this is a price worth considering (just don't forget to cancel your sub as needed before the next monthly bundle hits).

For reference, the last Humble Monthly lineup had Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide, Project Cars, Mother Russia Bleeds, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Neon Chrome, Jotun, HoPiKo, and Kimmy. These things vary, of course, but they can work out very favorably based on your library.

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News:: More games on Steam doesn't mean more money for Valve

Steam saw an unprecedented influx of new games in 2016. Of all the titles added to the distribution service since its 2003 launch, 38 percent of them were added last year. Many of those games are very bad, sure, but there's no questioning that Steam's catalog is growing at an eye-popping rate.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean more cash for Steam owner Valve. According to a new report from Steam Spy, revenue generated from paid games was $3.5 billion in 2016. It was the exact same in 2015. This report does not take into account DLC sales or earnings from free-to-play games.

Steam Spy offers some reasons as to why revenue remained flat. A contributing factor was likely that 2016 didn't have any huge PC titles in the way that 2015 had The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, and Grand Theft Auto V. Also, two of the biggest games of last year, Overwatch and Battlefield 1, weren't available on Steam but rather on competitors' platforms.

Despite all that, there were still clear winners in 2016. Civilization VI brought in nearly $79 million from 1.5 million activations. Grand Theft Auto V, a game that released on PC in 2015, was still the second highest earner with over $73.6 million.Counter-Strike: Global Offensive landed at number three on that list at $67.2 million due to being bought 6.7 million times.

It has been this way for a while, but 2016 feels like it opened the floodgates for anything and everything to release on Steam. We'll probably see a record number again in 2017 -- at least in total games added, not in percentage. If that happens, know that Valve's profits aren't necessarily increasing alongside it. Quantity doesn't automatically correlate to revenue.

Steam Sales in 2016 [Steam Spy]

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News:: Daybreak delists Landmark, servers closing in February

After Daybreak finally ceased development on the MMORPG EverQuest Next last year, it seemed inevitable that Landmark, which was thought of as a precursor, would be the next to go. The online sandbox title had longer legs than expected, but it is indeed coming to a close soon.

As of yesterday, Landmark is no longer available for purchase. The cost of all Daybreak Cash items has been slashed to 1 DBC, and the servers are scheduled to close on February 21, 2017 at 4:00pm Pacific.

Preemptively answering questions about archiving the game for posterity, the studio has said that it "will retain all of the code and data from Landmark. Daybreak Game Company will not license or authorize the operation of a Landmark emulator or a fan-operated Landmark server."

So, this is it. It's often fascinating to see how players choose to spend their final days as a world-ending deadline looms, and while I didn't play Landmark, I hope fans capture that sendoff next month.

Important News About Landmark [Landmark]

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News:: When did team Ghost become such dicks?

At the start of this Ghost Recon Wildlands trailer, I was a bit confused by what I was seeing. I thought this was some type of extravagant CGI, but it looked a bit stiff. Then it dawned on me that this was live action and I became even more confused. Since when did the actors for a minute-long promo reel become so lifeless? Also, why is team Ghost screwing around with a cat instead of eliminating their targets?

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News:: Sony at CES 2017: Everything you need to know

Sony's big CES booth is built around one product in particular: its first 4K OLED TV. Beautiful, bright (and highly anticipated), the television's slender OLED panel also doubles as a speaker, with some subwoofer support from behind. Unfortunately, that's about it, as far as the booth is concerned, anyway. Sony boss Kaz Hirai used his keynote earlier this week to recap all the products the company unveiled over the past year. Which would have been fine at CES 2016, just not this week.

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News:: ShadeOfLight's personal picks for GOTY 2016

I am a gamer with a particular set of tastes, and by now I'd wager that most of you know what those tastes are. I can almost predict what my games of the year will before the new year has even started (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be my GOTY 2017, calling it now).

But this year, an oddity snuck onto my list of familiar faces, a beautiful swan among the ducklings. One of these things is not like the others; one of these things just doesn't belong here. Can you tell by the time I finish this song?

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News:: Conan O'Brien's 'Clueless Gamer' skit gets a full TV show

Conan O'Brien's Clueless Gamer segment, where the talk show host struggles through (and pokes fun at) the latest video games, has become increasingly popular -- so much so that some studios pay for their games blasted in these skits (yep, they're advertisements). And TBS is keen to capitalize on that success. Hollywood Reporter understands that the network is developing a stand-alone Clueless Gamer TV series that will go into production in February. Most of the details have yet to be hashed out, but Conan would only executive produce the show, not host it.

Via: Glixel

Source: Hollywood Reporter

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News:: I hope Capcom's new London Resident Evil publicity stunt goes better than the last one

Many years ago to promote Resident Evil 5, Capcom scattered "body parts" across London. Now, if you can't already see the issues here given that millions of folks don't know what Resident Evil even is, evidently Capcom had to issue a statement noting that many of the fake appendages were stolen. The kicker? They had been filled with chicken livers for "effect" and were dangerous to consume.

Now they're smartly going with a closed, controlled space, with "Resident Evil 7: The Experience," an event that will be held from January 20-23 in London. It's billed as a "45-minute immersive experience," which takes place in London's East End, and will see people playing the role of journalist interns investigating the disappearance of crew members. Puzzles, clues, and "interruptions" will happen along the way. It's also free, which is pretty rad, though it'll be a first come first serve type of thing.

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News:: Conan O'Brien's Clueless Gamer is getting its own dedicated show

I've been following Conan O'Brien's Clueless Gamer sketch since 2012, and it's brought me more than enough laughs to justify its existence. Conan's entire shtick/character is basically that he doesn't know anything about games and practically hates them, something he's carried through on with gusto for going on five years now. And apparently it's so popular that it's getting its own show, beyond the confines of his talk program.

According to the president of TBS, "video game companies are sending [them] their new product...because it's been such a huge success." Reilly also shuts down the rumor that Conan's core show is moving to a once a week format, noting that this is "more activity for him...not less."

I hope that "activity" involves more trips to the Taco Bell headquarters.

Conan O'Brien to Remain Nightly, for Now, TBS Boss Kevin Reilly Says [Hollywood Reporter]

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News:: Review: HoPiKo

Have you ever wondered why a lot of modern platforming games have nothing to do with platform jumping? While I appreciate the amount of diversity that exists within the genre, why are most of the obstacles usually enemies instead of the levels themselves? HoPiKo answers this by stripping you of movement and locking your actions to simply jumping.

It also packs an energetic soundtrack and lightning-fast gameplay. Not every aspect of the game is perfect, but the pacing and charming graphics definitely leave a lasting impression.

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News:: Engadget's annual CES dance break is a 'Frozen' duet

Sometimes, the madness of CES builds to a fever pitch and only one thing can save Engadget editors from a complete mental breakdown: Just Dance 2017. Specifically, dancing a duet to the most popular song from Frozen, "Let it Go." This year's Video Game Challenge kicked off with a bang, featuring Engadget Senior Editor Mat Smith as host, and Senior Editor Andrew Tarantola and Senior Reporter Jessica Conditt (that's me!) as the performers. Note that none of those titles include the word "dancer" -- and don't judge. We could all use a little fun in our lives every now and then, and doubly so at CES.

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News:: Sega's European branch has registered domains relating to Shenmue remasters

You know, the Shenmue franchise is one that I’ve wanted to get into for years. For years, I’ve heard good or interesting things about Shenmue and its sequel. Unfortunately, because I don’t have -- and have never owned -- an original Xbox or Dreamcast, I’ve never had the opportunity to really sink my teeth into the franchise.

Back in 2015, when Sony and Ys Net announced that a third instalment in the franchise will finally be produced, I was left wondering about whether there will be any effort made in bringing the original Shenmue games to modern consoles to allow for people in a similar situation as myself to acquaint themselves with the cult classic series.

After all, Shenmue II is a little over 15 years old at this point.  It would simply be unfeasible for the developers and publishers of Shenmue III to expect that everyone purchasing the latest instalment in the series has access to consoles that could easily be considered antiquated just so they can familiarise themselves with the world, story and characters of the first two games. Hell, it’s also possible that some people intending to pick up Shenmue III when it (hopefully) launches in December were simply glints in the milkman’s eye when the first two games were new.

Well, it looks like Sega may be bringing the first two instalments in the Shenmue franchise to modern gaming platforms. As spotted by TSSZ News, the European branch of Sega has registered the domain names ‘ShenmueHD.com’ and ‘ShenmueRemastered.com.’

Weirdly enough, Sega has also registered the domain 'ShemnueGame.com.' Yes, with the obvious typo. The corrected version of this URL simply redirects to the Kickstarter page for Shenmue III. Technically, you can visit these URLs right now, although they're completely blank as of the time of writing.

While no official announcement has been made, it would be unsurprising if Sega does confirm the availability of Shenmue remasters for modern platforms sometime in the near future. After all, back in May last year, the company did mention that it’s very much considering bringing these games to current-gen systems.

I'm just hoping that this winds up amounting to something. Despite the numerous criticisms that this generation of console gaming has received over the overabundance of ports and HD remasters of older titles, they do at least allow for many people to discover games that they might have missed out on in a way that's playable on the machines that they already own.

Of course, this is provided that the ports aren't terrible.

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News:: How caught up are you on the Yakuza series, and are you ready for Yakuza 0?

You know how those "prequels released years after the original" arcs go. If you've been following along since the start you're bound to pick up on little nuances that newcomers won't, but it is the start of the story after all, so you can begin anew without feeling left out knowing that some sort of explaination will be present.

That's the deal with Yakuza 0, a prequel that takes place 17 years before the original game. Kazuma Kiryu, the hero of the series, is a younger runt, and hasn't been to prison yet. But just like the Star Wars prequels (and Rogue One for that matter) the creators have to spice things up and "super" it a bit -- and this time, they're going with giving Kiryu and his partner Majima access to multiple fighting styles, along with all of the wackiness that a Yakuza game typically entails.

But since this is a partly niche series with a spotty localization record, I want to know what your experiences are with it. I've played every entry outside of the spinoffs, and most regrettably due to its lack of a western release, I missed out on Ishin (the one that takes place in the 19th century).

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News:: Awesome Games Done Quick's charity video game marathon starts Sunday

Looking for a fun, exciting and altruistic way to kick off the new year? Try watching people beat a ton of classic video games at record speed for charity. Awesome Games Done Quick 2017 kick off on January 8th -- a week long speedrunning marathon that raises funds for charities like Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Source: Games Done Quick

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