News:: Gaming is healing

_{[When the world gets you down, Dere is just thankful that some things remain constant in his life. ~Strider]}

Let me just start off by saying I've been blessed with an awesome life. I have awesome parents (those of you here may know how high I hold my father), awesome friends, and an amazing wife that somehow puts up with me. Dere. She puts up with Dere! As blessed as I've been though, I've had my share of downs, and through those downs, there's always been something to help me climb out and that is gaming.

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News:: The new Bulletstorm trailer is incredibly not-Bulletstorm

Bulletstorm is a game that's drenched in ridiculousness. Its inane over-the-top combo-centric action is complemented by its equally juvenile dialogue. Here's a sampling of some choice quotes: "I will kill your dicks!"; "You still reek of sunbaked asshole!"; "Take a lick on the salted taint of doom, you brain-dead biker whores!"; "Trudging through that radioactive goo mutated our good general into a giant pussy."

That is the kind of not-self-serious game Bulletstorm is. You wouldn't know it by watching this trailer for the remaster, though. Rather than leaning into everything that defines Bulletstorm, Gearbox and People Can Fly pulled back and cut a trailer that makes it seem like nothing more than another snappy, setpiece-obsessed shooter. The choice of music is especially dissonant. 

Bulletstorm oozes machismo in an effective parody of the space marine Gears of War-like tropes that rose to prominence during the last console generation. It was underappreciated and this remaster is a second chance to revel in everything that made Bulletstorm dumb but unique. You just wouldn't know it by watching this trailer.

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News:: Dark Souls III's PS4 Pro patch definitely improves the game

That Dark Souls III patch we reported on a few days ago has been put through the ringer by Digital Foundry and the results aren't too surprising. The support for PS4 Pro has given the game better performance, even if it still isn't perfect. Now you won't be hovering around 30 FPS, but will have frame rates above that at all times. This, in turn, makes the game feel smoother and should clear up most of the rather ugly frame pacing issues present in the original code.

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News:: Salt and Sanctuary rolls to PlayStation Vita next week

And there it is: Salt and Sanctuary is definitely, for sure releasing on PlayStation Vita. Soon, too! The Souls-inspired side-scrolling action title will be out on March 28, with Cross-Buy support in tow.

"We had a small hand in the PS Vita version: nudging some HUD elements here, tightening up the camera there, tweaking an effect or two when we needed to, but our contribution on the project was pretty minimal," says creator Ska Studios. "The fantastic, talented folks at Sickhead Games were the ones behind all of the low-level, nightmare-inducing logic that will make games like Salt and Sanctuary on PS Vita even possible."

I only dipped my toes in the PS4 version and need to get back in there some day/year/decade.

Brutal Action RPG Salt and Sanctuary Hits PS Vita on March 28 [PlayStation Blog]

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News:: The Witcher's creator says he was stupid for selling the game rights for a lump sum

Many people don't know this, but The Witcher wasn't a video game first. It was a series of short stories and novels, and it was (and still is) the stuff of legend in Poland. The author is Andrzej Sapkowski and his contribution to the fantasy genre is something of a national treasure to the Polish people.

While The Witcher is Sapkowski's baby, it's developer CD Projekt Red that's responsible for the series having the widespread notoriety that it does. The video games have sold extremely well and they have made a mint. Sapkowski has seen very little of that money.

In an interview with Eurogamer (I encourage you to read the whole piece; it's very good), Sapkowski explains a poor financial decision based mostly in a lack of faith of the entire medium of video games. "I was stupid enough to sell them rights to the whole bunch. They offered me a percentage of their profits. I said, 'No, there will be no profit at all -- give me all my money right now! The whole amount.' It was stupid. I was stupid enough to leave everything in their hands because I didn't believe in their success. But who could foresee their success? I couldn't," Sapkowski laments.

Sapkowski got his pay day in the form of a lump sum. (He declined to mention how much it was.) Now he's stuck watching his franchise rocket in popularity while he receives no additional royalties from it. He may get some residual sales from the games piquing people's interest so they check out the books, but that's surely a mere fraction of what he could be getting.

The irony of it all? Sapkowski earned his fame by advocating for something no one believed in. Fantasy was far from highly regarded. "Back then, in Poland, fantasy was considered something for stupid children who couldn't even masturbate properly," he says. Sapkowski helped dispel that notion. Then, it was his preconceived bias against video games that prevented him from profiting off of his work as much as he should have. Life can be cruel.

Meeting Andrzej Sapkowski, the writer who created The Witcher [Eurogamer]

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News:: Dark Souls III's The Ringed City looks like one hell of a sendoff

From Software is wrapping up Dark Souls III on March 28 with The Ringed City, the game's second and final expansion. Now that I've seen this launch trailer, that timing tidbit is far less likely to slip my mind Tuesday evening when I settle down to play games. It'll be a late night with Souls, that's for sure.

Part of me wants to avoid referencing anything too specific in the video -- it shows bosses, enemies, and locales -- but I feel like I just have to bring up the two-handed shield with which you can charge forward. I'm already imagining the dumb fun that'll enable in player-versus-player shenanigans.

After spending countless hours with this game, it's going to feel so weird to retire it to my shelf.

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News:: PlayStation Network is having an 'everything goes!' flash sale

The PlayStation Network is having one of its patented flash sales. Everything must go!

Why, you can save 70% on...Battleborne Digital Deluxe ($22.49) or, uh, 81% off The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy's Grand Adventure ($9.49). Handball 17 (PS4) for only 15 bucks? Man, the "sort by price" option is not selling this.

Okay, okay. Persona 4 Golden for $9 on Vita is a steal. Same with Catherine (PS3) at $5. The Evil Within is only $6, that's pretty good! And Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (PS4) for $9. Lot of good games for under $10 here, folks. Deadly Premonition is only $4 if you're in a Twin Peaks mood. For the big spenders out there, our own CJ Andriessen seemed very excited for Vita RPG Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls at $12.

Whatever you're picking up, note the sale ends March 27 at 8AM PT.

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News:: Latest Nioh update lets you pause the game

Just when I think I'm out, they pull me right back in.

While the big "Wait, really?" part of this week's Nioh update is undoubtedly the newfound ability to pause the game when you aren't in multiplayer and summoning a co-op visitor, that's far from all.

Team Ninja has also added challenging side missions scattered across the map, fresh Titles to earn (which involve not getting hit and meeting time requirements in the new missions), and more Smithing Texts for crafting. There's also a long list of nitty-gritty "adjustments and improvements."

You spoil us!

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News:: The Battle.net launcher has become 'the Blizzard app'

The Battle.net URL will live on in our browsers, but the app itself has undergone a name change. Now, when accessing your desktop Blizzard games, you'll go through the "Blizzard" launcher.

The company updated the application this week with "a small makeover to make you feel more at home in the Blizzard universe," according to the patch notes.

Previously, Blizzard had this to say about the then-upcoming plan to move away from Battle.net branding: "When we created Battle.net, the idea of including a tailored online-gaming service together with your game was more of a novel concept, so we put a lot of focus on explaining what the service was and how it worked, including giving it a distinct name. Over time, though, we've seen that there's been occasional confusion and inefficiencies related to having two separate identities under which everything falls -- Blizzard and Battle.net."

So while we knew this was coming, it still feels odd and will take some getting used to. It's sentimental!

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News:: Nintendo not trending towards microtransactions despite poor Super Mario Run sales

Despite being downloaded 78 million times as of two months ago, Super Mario Run "did not meet our expectations," in terms of actual money made, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima told Nikkei.

It's worth noting that an estimated four million people did buy the $10 game, or 5% of everyone who downloaded it, but Nintendo had expected twice that amount. And while it's not expected to suddenly double it sales this long after release, it's also worth noting that those are only figures from the Apple Store; Super Mario Run just released on Android yesterday.

Nintendo isn't ready to abandon Super Mario Run's old school price structure in favor of microtransaction-laden design, however. When asked about the success of Fire Emblem Heroes, a Nintendo spokesperson told Nikkei, "Heroes is an outlier. We honestly prefer the Super Mario Run model."

Nintendo chases more than profit with 'Super Mario Run' [Nikkei]

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News:: We're playing Splatoon 2's Global Testfire and you should too

You won't be able to buy the follow up to Nintendo's hit Wii U competitive shooter until Summer, but if you have a Switch you play the game today. Over the course of the next three days, Nintendo will hosting the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire -- an online multiplayer demo that teases gamers with the sequel's levels, weapons and whimsical style in six, one hour chunks. The first two are today at 12pm PT (3pm ET) and 8PM PT (11PM ET).

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News:: Just in case you thought Monster Hunter takes itself too seriously, Sailor Moon DLC arrives today

To celebrate the launch of Monster Hunter XX, an enhanced version of the 3DS' Generations that just hit Japan last week, Capcom is putting out a Sailor Moon collaboration. Starting today by way of DLC you can morph your Palicos into Luna, and wield the "Cutie Moon Rod" weapon. Monster Hunter XX is set to get more free updates than the original, including Okami, Strider, Phoenix Wright, and Breath of the Wild tie-ins.

Since this post is already '90s enough, our own Jonathan Holmes wanted me to quote the Barenaked Ladies because they're "so hot right now." Here's the most poignant verse I could find:

“I could make a mint. Fill my pockets with more than lint. I’ll give you a hint, it involves the internet” (this is real).

Monster Hunter [Capcom]

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News:: Review: Kona

A lot has changed since I first previewed Kona. Back then, it was called Kona: Day One, much of the play area was cordoned off, and the survival elements just hung there in the background. But even so, it had something special already in place. All it needed was some much-needed care.

Now out of Early Access and spreading out onto consoles, Kona is the realised game I hoped it would be. So strap into your red Chevy truck, find your biggest fur coat, put on your best grizzled P.I. face, and figure out a mystery colder than ice.

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News:: Logitech's CEO says you can innovate and be humble

Logitech is a rare technology company. It's been around for 35 years, all the while finding different ways to thrive as an independent accessory maker. But despite being a well-known brand, it's never been considered "hip" like Apple or Beats. Instead of betting big on showy new products, Logitech has always focused on finding successful niches where it can build a small, but loyal following. And according to the company's CEO, Bracken Darrell, he wouldn't have it any other way. At SXSW last week, I sat down with Darrell to chat about the road ahead for Logitech.

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News:: It's Mega time? New Mega Man cartoon trailer fails to impress

Some of my peers think it's weird, but I still watch cartoons. No, not just anime, but stuff on Cartoon Network and the like (Samurai Jack's return has been pretty good so far). So I have no problem catching this new Mega Man cartoon due out this year in theory, even if it's aimed at kids in an attempt to reintroduce the character to a new generation. But so far we haven't really seen anything that makes it stand out from the competition, or even the Ruby Spears cartoon (which was at least hammy) -- that includes a new video promo you can watch below.

Like I said I'm going to give it a shot, I just don't have high hopes (I gave Iron Fist a chance too, and it ended up getting worse over time and cementing itself as one of the worst shows of the year by the time the curtain closed). You can also take in a brief comparison of the new CG animation (on the right) with the old leak (on the left) below.

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News:: Suddenly those Darksiders remasters are pointless on Xbox One

This isn't the first time that a series with a remastered version has been added to the backward compatible list on Xbox One.  Starting from today, you can play Darksiders and Darksiders II on your Xbox One without having to double dip on the games. I'm not sure what the business decision was behind this, but I'm all for not rebuying stuff simply to revisit them.

Along with those titles comes Assassin's Creed: Revelations. While doing research for this post, I wasn't even sure if the Assassin's Creed series had even been added to the backward compatibility service. Turns out that you can play 1, 2 and Rogue on Xbox One. If they add Brotherhood to the service, that will mark another remastered collection you won't have to buy.

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News:: Xbox One launch title 'Ryse' is free to play next month

April is fast approaching, which means another handful of games will be free to play on Xbox One through the Games with Gold program. During the course of next month, four titles -- two for Xbox One and two for Xbox 360 -- will be free to download. The most notable of the group, Ryse: Son of Rome, will be available for players to download during the entire month of April. If you'll recall, Ryse was an Xbox One launch title back in 2013.

Source: Major Nelson, Xbox Wire

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News:: Brett chose to save Space Hitler

Brett had the choice to save Space Hitler or to liberate sci-fi Auschwitz. He went with the former. In his defense, he only had a few seconds to make the decision, so you can understand why it might have been tough.

That's one of the topics that came up regarding Mass Effect: Andromeda in this episode of Podtoid. We also talked a bit about how effing great The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the new mode in Rocket League are.

Otherwise, it was the usual romp through topics ranging from corn dogs to scorpions, with a ton of listener questions, SATPOTPAQ, and a Zelda-themed Hot Dish. I told you it'd be back soon! I'm not a bad liar person like that Brett guy, who is a proponent of galactic genocide.

Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or download it here.

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News:: Gunman Clive creator's next possible game looks great

With the rise of digital distribution, so too have single developer studios risen to the occasion.

One such example is Bertil Hörberg, creator of the Mega Man-like Gunman Clive series that last showed up in 2015. He's been working on projects since then, but we haven't really seen anything in action until now. Up on his YouTube channel is some footage of an unnamed game, which looks a lot like Devil May Cry, giant sword and all, with that beautiful Clive art style and a killer framerate.

As he espouses on Twitter it may never happen as it's such a massive undertaking for one person, but you never know.

Bertil Horberg [Twitter]

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News:: Review: Has-Been Heroes

Roguelikes are supposed to be addicting pick-up-and-play experiences that have players doing 'just one more run' before realizing they've been playing for hours on end. After over 10 hours, I can't bare to play anymore.

Every time I'm about to start a new run in Has-Been Heroes, I feel how I imagine a dog must feel when it knows it is about to go to the vet because 'Momma got the carrier out.' That is to say filled with anxiety and dread at what I was about to experience.

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News:: Uncharted animator explains wacky Mass Effect: Andromeda facial expressions

Although everyone has enjoyed dunking on the incredibly odd (and sometimes unsettling) Mass Effect: Andromeda animations, at least one developer has chosen to give his opinion on why they ended up the way they did, sans shade. That individual is none other than Jonathan Cooper, a former BioWare animator that worked on the first two Mass Effect games, and is currently at Naughty Dog.

Cooper posits that since it's an RPG, comparisons to tight scripted action games like Uncharted are unfair (which is absolutely true, though I don't know who would compare them in the first place). Breaking it down further he explains in laymen's terms how the game's animations "may not even be touched by hand," stating that an algorithm is responsible for some of the goofs. An algorithm, Cooper intimates, is lower in quality with Andromeda, as it more often than not displays the "my face is tired" animation that only focuses on lip syncing -- he also explains that using facial mocap, like Horizon Zero Dawn, helps.

Jokes aside, the entire thread is fascinating. Cooper manages to reasonably explain the recent question of "why it looks worse than the original trilogy" with poise and experience. What we don't know is how BioWare dropped the ball so hard in this particular area, and why EA didn't allow them more time to clean it up.

Jonathan Cooper [Twitter]

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News:: A good old fashioned Nintendo Switch accessory review roundup/slobberknocker

[Update: More accessory reviews have been added.]

Now that the shiny new Nintendo Switch is out, it's time to put a bunch of accessories to the test.

If you're curious how some third-party (sanctioned or non-sanctioned) peripherals measure up, check out the list below, which will be updated as my gear comes in.

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News:: The Morning After: Friday, March 24th 2017

Hey, good morning! It's Friday!

We made it. This Friday, hackers are threatening Apple, read about experiences of online dating when as a woman in her 40s, the good and the bad in Mass Effect: Andromeda. Oh and how to dress like an adult -- with some liberating online help.

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