News:: Resident Evil 7 has shipped 2.5 million copies

Resident Evil 7 is one of those games I hope does well enough commercially to encourage more of its kind. Like Zack, I'm pretty much head over heels here. Playing in VR, this has been one of my most memorable gaming experiences in quite some time (the Bakers are shockingly good!), and I'm planning at least a few more playthroughs while I anxiously wait for that DLC to start pouring in.

We don't have sales numbers for the game yet, but Capcom is reporting a few early figures. To date, it has shipped 2.5 million copies of Resident Evil 7. That's by no means record-setting, but it is a promising start to the company's goal of 4 million sales by March 31 (the end of its fiscal year). One record was broken for the series, however: demo downloads. The RE7 demo drew in 7.15 million downloads.

Capcom also updated its cumulative sales figure for the overall Resident Evil series. As of now, that number is reportedly a staggering 75 million sales. That's a lot of herbs!

I'll be extra curious to see how well RE7 sustains sales and stacks up to its action-heavy predecessors longer-term. I suspect it's only just getting started as word of mouth continues to grow.

RESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazard Ships Over 2.5 Million Worldwide! [Capcom]

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News:: Locomalito's next remaster is shoot-'em-up Super Hydorah

It's been a while since we've spoken about Locomalito, but some of you surely know the cherished freeware developer for its familiar but fresh-feeling games like Maldita Castilla (a veritable must-play for Ghosts 'n Goblins fans) and The Curse of Issyos (which is foolishly still on my backlog).

Following its remaster of Maldita Castilla as Cursed Castilla for PC and consoles last year, Locomalito and Abylight are now planning to give the branching-path shoot-'em-up Hydorah a similar treatment with Super Hydorah. It's another good'un! The developer calls the game a "true son" of the classics Gradius, R-Type, and Darius, and it would've been my next pick as a candidate for re-release.

Super Hydorah doesn't have its platforms or release date down yet, but it should at least hit PC.

Super Hydorah announced: save the universe in the most intense shoot'em up! [Abylight]

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News:: NVIDIA updates older Shield TVs for HDR streaming

Remember when we told you the old NVIDIA Shield TV would be getting the new units smarts via firmware update? It's rolling out now as part of an over-the-air patch, TechCrunch has noticed. That means 4K HDR streaming from Netflix and Amazon Prime, and GeForce Now game streaming. Of course, to take advantage of the latter, you'll need to pony up for a new game controller. But hey, $60 is a lot cheaper than $200 for the new streaming device itself. Or, maybe skip that altogether considering how much the service costs -- $25 for 10 hours of GTX 1080-class play.

Source: TechCrunch

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News:: QuakeCon 2017 is all set for August 24

QuakeCon will return from August 24 through August 27, 2017, ZeniMax has announced.

This year, the event is going to be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, TX, with the usual showcase of new games (remember Quake Champions?), competitive play, and a couple thousand seats reserved for bring-your-own-computer lan-party shenanigans.

The event is free for general admittance, and Bethesda is coyly promising that attendees will be among the "first to see sneak peeks of [its] upcoming titles and announcements." A proper Doom single-player expansion, please. I need it. You need it. The whole word needs it. Let's go already!

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News:: This is probably the first Nintendo Switch tattoo

It might be a tad preemptive considering the Nintendo Switch is still over a month out, but someone went and got a tattoo of the system's logo. Scwinsett shared his fresh ink over on reddit, noting, "Possibly a terrible decision, but hopefully the first in the world!" First we've seen, anyway!

This isn't just a one-off, either. "It's actually the first in a series of Nintendo logos I'm doing so it's more about Nintendo's history than it is about the Switch in particular," he explained. "Even if the switch is a total stupid piece of shit, I still love Nintendo, and it's still part of Nintendo's history. Also we intentionally only used red so that we could easily cover it up later with something else."

That reasoning checks out with me. More importantly, though, "The wife seems to like it."

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News:: Humble Bundle is offering John Wick: Chapter 2 tickets alongside Payday 2

I know Humble Bundle has offered things like books in the past, but I don't believe I've ever seen them pre-selling tickets to an upcoming film. There is a first time for everything, though. Humble, alongside Starbreeze Studios, is giving us the John Wick bundle that includes the first film alongside two tickets to the upcoming sequel.

For the cheapest tier, you'll receive Payday 2 and some small DLC, including a John Wick-inspired gun pack (because nothing screams John Wick like bank heists...). For $6 you'll get the "Game of the Year" edition of Payday 2 and some mask DLC (plus the previous tier). $14 sees them throwing in Dead By Daylight, $25 gets you a pre-order for the John Wick Chronicles VR game, and $45 nets you the first film and the tickets for the new one (it should be noted that tickets are limited to the first 5,000 purchases and are for AMC or Regal theaters only).

Now, I'm not going to totally crap on John Wick as it was a decent film. The action was shot pretty well and I really liked how regular action movie tropes were thrown out the window. Sadly, the main villain then succumbs to stupid syndrome and begins complaining about how no one can kill John, despite having the guy knocked out right in front of him. I suppose there just has to be a totally contrived and thrown-together finale in every film.

Still, $45 seems a bit insane for three games (one of which isn't even out yet) and a movie. I mean, you can get the 4K Blu-ray of the first film for $15 on Amazon and Dead By Daylight routinely goes on sale for cheap. I've heard Payday 2 isn't worth a damn anymore, but with Starbreeze handling the game, maybe everything has changed. Still, I know I've seen the "Game of the Year" version for $5 during a Steam sale.

Supporting charity is always a nice thing, so maybe I'm just being too frugal about this. Well, if you feel like biting the bullet, you only have a few more days to get a shot at this deal. If you don't feel like going through Humble Bundle, pre-ordering the John Wick Chronicles game on Steam will net you Payday 2 and the John Wick DLC for a short time.

Humble Starbreeze Studios Bundle Presents John Wick [Humble Bundle]

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News:: Hideo Kojima reflects on time with Konami, promises unique experiences for the future

It is well known that the mastermind behind the Metal Gear franchise had originally wanted to make movies. Instead, Hideo Kojima got caught up in the new form of media we have come to know as video games, bringing his love of film with him. Free of Konami's reigns, he wants to not only blend the different media further, but continue to create brand new experiences.

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News:: 'Overwatch' boasts over 25 million players

Last we'd heard, online shooter Overwatch had 15 million players. A little over three months later, and that number's gone up by quite a bit. Developer Blizzard has just announced that the current count has crossed 25 million across PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It's pretty impressive and given all the moves Blizzard has made (announcing an eSports incubator, frequent seasonal events and doling out additional characters for free) perhaps it isn't surprising that the number of players is growing. Now, if some of them would actually help move the payload we'd really be in business.

Source: Play Overwatch (Twitter)

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News:: Comments of the Week 06: Down But Not Out

See, what did I tell you? The week started off with the cancellation of Scalebound and ended with Switch pre-order madness. 2017 has officially begun!

Also, my old MacBook decided to stop charging in the middle of the week which means I have to work from this Chromebook now. Needless to say, this recap is going to be a little bit... different because of it. More quickposts, less threaded conversations, and one weird header. Let's do this!

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News:: Nintendo: Play Switch while you poop

Now that's just silly. But yes, it's real. Nintendo's latest German trailer for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe shows off various locations you can take your Switch to play on the go. Take it to class and hope you don't get caught (hey at least there's no more chance of awkwardly StreetPassing your teacher now!), or make use of its port-ability in a porta potty.

I can't read German but I'm sure there must be a disclaimer saying you can't sue Nintendo for losing feeling in your rump for sitting there too long. I recommend leaving the Joy-Con attached to the console, lest they go "Splatoon" and send you on your very own odyssey.

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News:: Review: The Descendant

_{[Disclosure: I went to university with The Descendant's lead writer, Giles Armstrong - same film course, same graduating year - though I haven't spoken to him in over a decade. He did not request me to review this game (it was the Swedish developer, Gaming Corps) nor have I reached out to him in any way.]}

Sometimes, there are games that just slip under our radar at Destructoid. We get so many requests, through so many channels, that we end up with a virtual slush pile. There have been many times when I have to spring clean and find something that should've caught my eye the first time around.

The Descendant looked to be one of those lost games. What with the final episode getting a release quite recently, I thought it best to play catch up and give the whole season a fair shake, spurred on by my left-field plight and a surprise name not heard in years. But was it really worth dragging out of the slush pile, or better to be left buried instead?

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News:: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown slated for PC, PS4, and Xbox One

There was talk of Ace Combat 7 potentially making an appearance on Xbox One, but it gets even better! This year's title, now subtitled "Skies Unknown," has been confirmed for both Xbox One and PC in addition to the previously announced PlayStation 4 version with PlayStation VR compatibility.

If you're invested in the series' ongoing story or are otherwise just curious about the game's plot after this dialogue-heavy trailer, it's worth pointing out that Sunao Katabuchi (of Kiki's Delivery Service fame) is back as lead writer on Ace Combat 7 following his involvement with Ace Combat 4 and 5.

I'm down to fly some badass warplanes in virtual reality, so this checks off that box and then some.

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News:: Enter the Gungeon's 'Supply Drop Update' is live on PC, PS4 version coming soon

Enter the Gungeon developer Dodge Roll Games has unleashed a wealth of new content into the game today. The 'Supply Drop Update' adds over 200 unique rooms, new enemies, guns, and bosses, to a game that's already jam-packed with content. Oh, and if an infusion of new stuff isn't enough to get you excited to shoot bullets at bullets all over again, the Supply Drop Update is available for free – free is always good.

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News:: Obsidian's making Pillars of Eternity II, again turning to crowdfunding

Pillars of Eternity is one of the best video game crowdfunding success stories there is. It raised nearly $4 million during its Kickstarter campaign, and then developer Obsidian took that money and made a quality product. Pillars of Eternity was well-received and eventually nominated on many end-of-year awards lists.

That was all so nice that they're doing it twice. Today, Obsidian announced Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. The sequel resumes the story of The Watcher of Caed Nua. The god Eothas, who was thought to be dead, breaks free from his burial place and almost kills The Watcher. Deadfire's plot deals with this conflict as The Watcher travels across the titular land of Deadfire. Obsidian also says that choices in the first Pillars of Eternity affect going-ons in the sequel.

This CRPG isn't definitely happening, though. Obsidian's again going the route of crowdfunding, this time through Fig. Pillars of Eternity II needs to raise $1.1 million by February 24; the campaign was around $400,000 at time of writing. Judging by the different rewards tiers, it seems as if Obsidian's aiming for a release in the first quarter of 2018.

The first Pillars was complex, and the sequel will be too. The development team describes all the minutia on the game's Fig page. Check that out if you're interested in the finer details of Deadfire. There's another epic role-playing game coming from Obsidian, as long as people pony up another $700,000 or so.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire [Fig]

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News:: PlayStation is still getting away with 'minimum funding' charges

When game consoles stumbled into the modern era, their digital content stores were a mess. Nintendo's Wii locked its customers to an annoying point system. The Xbox 360 obfuscated the value of Microsoft Points by using an odd 0.8 conversion rate. Sony's PlayStation Store listed its items in real, local currency, but still forced users to load up digital wallets with a minimum amount before purchasing anything on the marketplace. Over the years, Nintendo and Microsoft fixed their digital currency problems -- aping Sony's up-front pricing and even improving upon it by allowing users to buy content without requiring them to add funds to a wallet system. Sony, on the other hand, hasn't changed. If you don't promise to spend at least $5 on the PlayStation store, you're not allowed to buy anything at all.

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News:: The new Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer has a Krogan, and that's enough

The new cinematic trailer for Mass Effect: Andromeda puts protagonist Ryder in a precarious position. He's an explorer, a man with few resources relative to the army that the antagonist has. It's not really any different than Commander Shepard's situation in the original trilogy, but it's also not an enviable one.

Ryder doesn't need an army, though. Because he has a Krogan.

Krogan kicking ass aside, this trailer is something of a greatest hits of the companions of other Mass Effect games. There's a Turian (Vetra), an Asari (Peebee), a Salarian -- all races that will be back for Andromeda, likely in companion roles. There's also a glimpse at a possible romancing of Cora, a human woman companion.

These tag-alongs better be damn good at what they do because Ryder looks like his back is against the wall. That Krogan can't neutralize a galactic threat all by his lonesome.

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News:: Accel World VS Sword Art Online heading west this summer

Both of Reki Kawahara's two hit light novels turned into multimedia franchises, and now they will combine to form a crossover role-playing game, Accel World VS Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight. Thought perhaps to be a Japan-only title, this Bandai Namco-developed RPG will come west in the summer of 2017 for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. Both versions will be digital only in America, while the PS4 version will be available both physically and digitally in Europe (Vita is digital only). 

Kawahara again lends his hand to write the story of the merging of Accel World's "Brain Burst" and Sword Art Online's "ALfheim Online." You will be able to choose three party members from a selection of over 30 characters from both franchises, all of which are able to make use of their respective games' abilities including the "fairy flight mechanic" and "Acceleration."

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News:: You can now get a real Big Boner on Xbox One

Shadows of the Damned is a pretty overlooked game from last generation. It may not be Suda51's best title, but it has a really great story, solid gunplay, and some awesome visuals. It also provided us with an excellent soundtrack by Silent Hill series mainstay Akira Yamaoka (who has been working with Suda since No More Heroes 2). If you somehow missed out on playing this hidden gem, you don't need to worry about finding an old Xbox 360 anymore.

Shadows of the Damned joins the backward compatibility family today alongside Rocket Knight, the XBLA reboot of the classic Konami series. Earlier this week, Alice: Madness Returns was also added to the service, making for a hell of a lot of backward compatible titles this month. At the rate Microsoft is going, we may be able to get the majority of the 360 library on Xbox One by the end of this year.

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News:: The Great Ace Attorney 2 gets a ton of new screenshots, makes me want it even more

New The Great Ace Attorney 2 details have been released along with a boatload of new photos, though the gameplay appears to remain largely unchanged from its predecessor. Joint Reasoning with Sherlock Holmes and Jury Battle return alongside core Ace Attorney gameplay involving the collection of evidence and testimony at crime scenes followed by in-court cross-examination and argument.

Regarding the story, a woman named Susato Mikotoba is seen mourning at a hilltop grave. Meanwhile Naruhodo (Japanese protagonist name, also used for Phoenix Wright) gets a letter and goes to investigate a courtroom trope hidden case.

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News:: Pokemon Company caught almost 6,000 'Sun' and 'Moon' cheaters

Cheating in online games is awful because it creates an uneven playing field against those who do play by the rules and those who do not. The Pokemon Company (TPC) noticed some irregularities in Pokemon Sun and Moon online matches and has laid the law down for 5,954 folks using modified save files, according to a translated post from the Company.

Via: Polygon

Source: The Pokemon Company (Japanese)

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News:: Gallery: Good times at Gacucon's on-land expo

The first-ever GaCuCon Gaming Cruise land expo went down last night and it was legit, comfortable, and indie-tastic. We were treated to play new games in progress, like a shmup where an old man takes vengeance on birds for shitting on his car by firing at them from his helicopter. That's so Raven, Miami. 

The gaming cruise pre-party was an intimate get-together nestled into two large private rooms adjacent to the Dave and Buster's billiard hall and game center. The vibe was decidedly adult, and wristbands provided access to the cocktail bar. They also fed us a generous buffet, which I've never seen at a gaming con. Players were also given a gold coin each time they completed a demo station, and each coin was redeemable for raffle tickets at the end of the night. One guy even won a complete Oculus Rift kit with the Touch controllers and a copy of the upcoming title The SoulKeeper VR. Not bad. Andru Fratarcangeli, the show's organizer, proudly announced plans for 2018 as the evening wrapped. 

Indies aside, I found Microsoft, Alienware, and Origin PC showcasing their hardware running golden co-op favorites. Having the event at D&B was smart, as wait lines were mitigated by the sprawling arcade next door. It's hard to say which side of the room had more oddities. I encountered a giant Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots (be still my tin foil heart) and a bastardized copy of Flappy Bird. I was worried that the arcade would be a huge distraction from the event, and that wasn't the case at all. It simply provided the right vibe. 

I'm pumped for the rest of this event, as GaCuCon is a weird bird. It's gotta be crazy stressful to take on a venture like this on a first year. We're all the way on the Southeastern flaccid penis of America, and if you're not already here it's an intimidating proposition. Nobody's ever done a gaming cruise on this scale (that I'm aware of) and people generally suck at imagining things, so in the coming days I hope to photograph and catalog what a gaming cruise is actually like. Until then, I'm loving 80 degree weather searing ivory vampire forehead.

The cruise portion of the expo kicks off later today at 4pm from the Port of Miami aboard the Carnival Sensation. How do you even pack for this? I hastily threw a handful of ill-fitting shorts and USB cables into a duffel bag and am hoping for the best. In the next couple of days I'll be taking a closer look at the games and bringing you detailed video previews, but for the time being I leave you with a big fat photo gallery. Good times! 

_{[Disclosure: GaCuCon provided travel and board for my interpretive dances and pool yoga instruction.]}

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News:: Kingdom Hearts 2.8 patch nerfs its difficulty

Looks like no game is safe from early patches and updates nowadays, not even the long-standing Kingdom Hearts series which is typically known for its polish. The 1.02 patch that launched in Japan today made adjustments to camera speed, shortcut button response, and the magic command display. Gameplay aspects such as reflect and cartwheel response times, Barrier Cracker cancellation time, and MP consumption were also "adjusted." 

Square has seemingly avoided phrasing these changes as "improvements," but it obviously wouldn't update the software to make it worse intentionally (it's not Mozilla nor Windows). In any case, these changes come at the cost of making the game easier on higher difficulties.

On Proud Mode, you'll receive less damage than before the update, and Critical Mode has been updated to increase the amount of damage you inflict on enemies. "Enemy AI and parameters" have also been adjusted but aren't specifically detailed. 

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News:: Star Trek Online opens its 7th year and 12th season with aliens and UFOs

It's hard to believe that it's been seven years since I started playing Star Trek Online, but there's no denying it today, as developer Cryptic Studios rolls out its latest seasonal content update, "Season 12: Reckoning". As per tradition, the anniversary celebration will have a passel of rewards available for participating players, including a new, top-tier playable starship, one inspired by classic UFO sightings (read: It's a big triangle). 

The update also includes a new story mission featuring for the first time the Tzenkethi, an alien that, while mentioned in Trek canon as an alien race the Federation once warred with, has never been visualized. Cryptic designed the Tzenkethi based on descriptions by Deep Space Nine writer Robert Wolfe. The results look a bit like reptilian, four-armed versions of Halo's Hunters. Further, the mission will include a role for Star Trek alumnus Tony Todd, who played Worf's brother Kurn.

With each event, of course, comes new opportunities to sell players stuff, and a new, original series-themed loot box. One of the highlights of the offering is a never-produced refitted version of Enterprise's NX-01 starship. The refit was originally intended for a debut at the end of the show's fourth season (Enterprise only lasted three), and would've added a secondary hull below the saucer, bringing it more in line with classic Star Trek design philosophy.

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News:: Review in Progress: Disgaea 2 (PC)

Here we are, about a year after the launch of Disgaea 5, and I’m reviewing the second game in the series. What a world! Now that the series is gracing the PC platform, I finally have the chance to play it. As a huge Final Fantasy Tactics and Shining Force fan, I’ve always had a strong interest in the series but haven’t actually picked it up until the PC debut.

God damn, these games are out of control!

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News:: 6,000 more idiots banned from Pokemon Sun and Moon

Pirates obviously haven't learned their lesson yet.

After a crackdown of people playing online prior to release, The Pokémon Company has smoothed up that ole banhammer and is now putting to use again. 5,944 players have reportedly been barred from using Game Sync, Rating Battles, Battle Competitions, and Global Missions. If you try to access any of these and get the error code 090-0212, you'd been hammered.

Not that I would advocate piracy, but if you're going to do it don't be silly and play online. That's like stealing a car and doing donuts in the dealership's parking lot.

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News:: Nintendo Download: Pokemon Bank for Sun and Moon

Nintendo is getting creative with its Nintendo Download announcements, filling out entries with events and apps. One such event is the "Choose your Legends" promotion, which lets fans vote on who they want to appear in the upcoming Fire Emblem Heroes mobile game. Another addition is the Pokemon Bank update, which can now interact with Sun and Moon.

On the Wii U we have mostly Virtual Console stuff, including Flying Warriors, Kung-Fu Heroes, and Little Ninja Brothers. For 3DS, you can choose between Candy, Please! and Word Search 10K. The former is from the developer of the Quiet, Please! trilogy, which was actually a fun little set of adventure games.

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