Sunday, March 26, 2017

News:: 'NBA Jam' creator talks about Midway's little-known history

If you hung around arcades in the 1990s, you were likely extremely familiar with Midway sports games like NBA Jam and NFL Blitz. Apparently, though, even these classics have a few secrets left. Former Midway design lead Mark Turmell has participated in a Reddit AMA where he revealed a handful of surprises about Midway games. For instance, he confirmed that pre-release versions of NBA Jam did have Michael Jordan -- the developers had to yank him out just weeks before launch due to his Nike deal. In fact, there were custom editions given to Jordan, Ken Griffey and Gary Payton that put each of them in the game.

Source: Reddit



via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2nV8Bbm

News:: Endless Space 2 now has multiplayer and the Riftborn faction

Amplitude's Endless Space 2 is dutifully trudging through its Early Access period and the game's third major update is bringing a new faction and (finally!) multiplayer.

Said new faction is the Riftborn, an extradimensional being that lived in a pristine, geometrical plane untainted by strife. It was brought to the Endless universe when a rift tore open their (its?) dimension. The Riftborn uses time dilation spheres on entire galaxies to slow, speed up, or even stop their production, which sounds over-powered but I look forward to giving it a whirl.

Multiplayer is also here, so up to eight players can now rule or destroy galaxies together, which I've found can lead to the ends of friendships rather quickly. New galaxy shapes, galaxy events (such as nebulae and solar winds), and AI improvements should also make games a little smoother.

The impressive battle system will also see some upgrades in the form of a tactical view that looks similar to football plays. Thankfully, the tech tree (rehauled with the last update) has seen some re-designs on the military side of things, which Amplitude thinks will lead to a better progression. When I last tried playing, I reached a point where the tech tree blocked me from progressing with the main story, so I'm hoping that's also been ironed out.

When I first played Endless Space 2 at that preview event last year, I hadn't played a 4X game before and I didn't know what the dang heck I was doing. I'm pretty sure the other journalists better-versed in the genre were laughing behind me. Well, eff those guys, because now I live and breathe the Endless series. Legend is crazy good, Dungeon of the Endless sucked up a lot of my February, and Endless Space 2 is increasingly great with each update. When it finally leaves Early Access, I'm pretty sure you'll all never see me again.

Endless Space 2 now has multiplayer and the Riftborn faction screenshot

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2o72HBe

News:: Snake Man is obviously the greatest Mega Man Robot Master

There are many people who say that Mega Man 2 is the greatest game in the Mega Man franchise. Those people are what I like to refer to as “wrong.” Mega Man 2, while an outstanding piece twitchy platforming fun that corrected many of the unfriendlier aspects of the original game, doesn’t hold a candle to the blessing that is Mega Man 3.

Released in North America in 1990 (and only hitting the EU in 1992 thanks to Nintendo picking up publishing duties), Mega Man 3 was the first game to include the slide feature, introduced us all to Proto Man, and saw the creation of robot’s best friend in the indispensable Rush. It was also the first game with US box art that didn’t depict Mega Man as a guy with a gun. Those four reasons alone are enough to put it at the top of the Mega Man Mega Mountain, but the reason I easily consider it the best the series has ever seen is because of Snake Man, the greatest Robot Master Capcom has ever created.

Snake Man’s origins are quite boring. He was created by Dr. Light to survey topography of uninhabited planets and investigate narrow passages. That’s a goddamn snoozer right there. But even with such a lackluster profession, he has such a badass design. The first Robot Master to be based off an animal and Capcom went straight to the coolest looking creature on the planet. With his long, snake headpiece and giant white shoulder pass, he exemplified what was considered radical, tubular and gnarly in the late 80s, early 90s. But unlike the big-ass shoulder pads regularly worn by Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia, his never went out of style. I’m glad this Robot Master turned evil because something that chill shouldn’t be relegated to sampling the land like a balding 50-year-old with a geology degree from some state school.

Not only is he great, but his level is outstanding. Coated in several shades of green, it features dozens of snakeheads, large and small, that try to kill you as you make your way along an intertwining pathway of snake bodies before heading to the sky to dodge missiles disguised as clouds. If you manage to get through it and beat him, Mega Man gains the Search Snake power-up, allowing him to unleash an army of snakes to take down any robots unlucky enough to stand against him. If the Nazis had him on their side, Indiana Jones would have been fucked. 

So yeah, Snake Man is absolutely #1, and there ain’t no one who can tell me otherwise.

Snake Man is obviously the greatest Mega Man Robot Master screenshot

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2okqU6l

News:: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is jumping to the 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS has seen its fair share of remakes over from Atlus. It's released updated versions of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, Devil Survivor, Devil Survivor 2, and the first two Etrian Odyssey games. Soon, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey will join those games on the 3DS.

According to Gematsu, Shin Megami Tensei: Deep Strange Journey will launch in Japan this fall with new illustrations, full voice overs and a new character named Alex. Strange Journey originally launch for the DS in 2009 and apparently we really liked it here at Destructoid.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is jumping to the 3DS screenshot

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2npLXGO

News:: What did you think of the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire?

Much like how Nintendo held a limited demo for the first Splatoon on Wii U, this past weekend saw the same thing happen for the upcoming sequel, Splatoon 2. The "Global Testfire" had two maps on offer in a single game mode and was meant to stress test the online service for the game's eventual launch in the summer. While I can't make any verdicts for how the final product will be, I can definitely say that I'm not so sure Nintendo should have gone with the "2" moniker.

I played roughly two hours of the demo and, while I enjoyed myself, I was a tiny bit disappointed. I expected something a little grander from a sequel to one of the more creative shooters on the market. Nintendo did a lot to shake up tired conventions and put more of an emphasis on fun instead of kill streaks and glory hogging with the original Splatoon. While that still remains with 2, I'm not so sure that I would want to drop $60 on a sequel that doesn't change much.

The new weapon available in the demo, the Dualies, is fun, but nothing beats the Splat Roller for me. That thing is a beast and can easily conquer a match when paired with good team mates. Some changes to the HUD definitely improve the experience, though, as you can now see when your team is behind or which player is using which weapon without glancing at a separate screen. I'm not so sure I like the change done to the map (it doesn't feature touch screen support when used in portable mode), but that is more down to me having prior experience with a different option.

I suppose Nintendo thought it wise to not tinker too much with the formula as the Wii U wasn't exactly the best selling piece of tech around. Splatoon sold nearly five million copies, but that doesn't equate to a massive number of people having actually played the title. Maybe the decision to slightly improve aspects was more to not scare away people who haven't tried the original? Then again, I feel like dubbing this Splatoon Reinked or something similar would have been better.

I know remasters are a sour subject for a lot of people, but most games on Wii U never really had a chance at success. Nintendo initially tried hard to push its unique vision of dual screen gaming, but that didn't resonate with most people. There are a bunch of gems that will go untouched simply because they are Wii U exclusives. It is obviously too early to tell if that 2 denotation will hurt this game, but I feel Nintendo might be limiting its reach by calling this a sequel.

Then again, I am making this judgement based off of a simple demo with a limited map and gun selection. There is still a campaign mode in the full title along with other multiplayer options. The campaign in the first Splatoon was very reminiscent of Super Mario Galaxy and was damn good fun. I'm sure the wizards at Nintendo have cooked up something grand for this game.

So, that is my reaction to the demo. How about you guys? Did you have fun with it? Did you completely miss the time slots for play? Do you not have a Switch and hate Nintendo for its manufactured scarcity? Let us know in the comments!

What did you think of the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire? screenshot



via destructoid http://ift.tt/2nXiK7P

News:: 'StarCraft: Remastered' upgrades a real-time strategy classic

Blizzard is legendary for keeping old games alive, but it's going the extra mile this time around. The studio has unveiled StarCraft: Remastered, an overhaul that drags the 1998 real-time strategy game (including the Brood War expansion) into the modern era. It's getting the obligatory fresh coat of paint, including higher-resolution graphics (with support for 4K resolution), improved audio and support for Blizzard's current game launcher and multiplayer network. However, the team is also using this as an excuse to 'fix' the game by adding content and features you take for granted. There will be reasons to play even if you've played the classic title to death.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Blizzard



via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2nUgWMp

News:: PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List

[Quickposts talking about Splatoon 2 (Why is not called Splat2n?) have me jealous of Switch owners. However, those of you that do have a Switch and aren't petty like me, add your codes here! The List will be updated into perpetuity -Panda]

Good morning/afteroon/tomorrow, my friends/robots/Gardevoir

It has been made aware to me that, just perhaps, you all enjoy video games. It might even be said that you... like to game with others? Now now, don't be that way, I don't mean to lump you into some sort of box. You're all just such lovely folks, it pains me to watch you, struggling in vain to connect with each other, striving to engage in...

PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List screenshot

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2aPBefM

News:: The original StarCraft is getting remastered

StarCraft. It's one of the most popular and most played games ever. It's a national sport in South Korea. And this summer, it's getting a 4K remaster. Late Saturday night, Blizzard revealed StarCraft: Remastered with complete Battle.net support and new dialog and audio while retaining the classic gameplay.

The original StarCraft is getting remastered screenshot

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2oiDraz