News:: The latest Super Sentai show starts off strong, but its setting might hold it back

When you have a title that revolves around space, you're likely in for a wonderful ride. Mario’s journey through the stars in the Super Mario Galaxy games was a blast, and Guardians of the Galaxy made us laugh with its main gang who were seen outcasts. One of the appeals of this setting is that we get to witness a creative take on the places that lie beyond our homeworld.

With the Power Rangers series' source material, Super Sentai, hitting us with a show themed around heroes who wield the power of the constellations, Uchu Sentai Kyuranger (Space Sentai Kyuranger) could grant us the wonderful feeling of exploring a vast universe, except with a team of colorful costumed heroes taking the lead.

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News:: The composer of Jet Set Radio has new music for Hover

Two years ago, the future-set parkour game Hover: Revolt of Gamers rolled onto Steam Early Access, and to this day, it's still a work-in-progress on the platform. One of the things that put the project on my radar back when it was seeking Kickstarter funding was its music -- namely, Jet Set Radio composer Hideki Naganuma's involvement. It made perfect sense that he'd want to contribute.

Flash forward to now, and Hover has incorporated Naganuma's upbeat music in a recent patch. If you own the game, you can hear his tunes at the Fusty Pub or Gamer's HQ. Otherwise, you're a click away:

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News:: Prey's Talos I space station brings to mind some very good games

The latest stop on Bethesda's Prey Marketing Tour covers a crucial aspect of any video game of this type: The setting. Prey takes place among the stars, up in a giant space station called Talos I (yes, everyone take note of the probable Elder Scrolls nod). It's the design of the space station that's notable.

Watching this trailer, Talos I has a decided BioShock retro-opulent aesthetic. As the developers explain, it's because no expense was spared building it in an effort to attract the best employees. So, valuable materials like gold and marble were shipped to space to create the most luxurious station imaginable. (And, for what it's worth, the old man portraits give me vibes of Portal 2.)

But it's the timing of it all that's maybe most interesting. This is a place where lots of people live and an alien outbreak just occurred. Many of them are still alive and the player encounters them starting the survival process. In a lot of ways, that's very Alien: Isolation.

Prey probably doesn't aim to stand on the shoulders of these giants, and nor should it. This certainly appears like it's shaping up to be its own thing. However, there are traces of the workings of other games and that's kind of exciting in its own right. Influence is a perfectly acceptable well to draw from as long as you end up with your own identity. It seems like Prey's on track to do that even if, funny enough, it's a game that uses mimicking as a core tenet.

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News:: The Destructoid Community's top 10 Wii U games

Last week, to close the book on the Nintendo Wii U, I brought you the top 10 games for the system as voted on by members of the Destructoid staff (which you can read here, here and here). Bayonetta 2 ranked as number one in a close vote, but as you relentlessly pointed out in the comments section, several great games were missing from our list. That’s what happens when you shrink down a library with as many quality titles as there are for the Wii U to just 10.

So after you saw our list, I opened the vote up to you and gave the Destructoid Community three and a half days to vote for their favorite Wii U games. Hundreds voted, and more than 100 titles were named of which only six or seven were joke entries. Now, the votes have been tallied and over the next 10 days, I will tell you which titles were selected you can see which games made the grade below.

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News:: Terraria now has 4K support on PC

Another Terraria update? It's as if someone dared the developers to execute the best post-release support in the industry, and now they just won't back down. Seriously though, good on 'em!

Today's PC update is less about content (though you can expect crystal furniture and developer armor sets) and more to do with features that'll keep Terraria looking good now and into the future.

Folks playing at higher resolutions should greatly benefit from the new "Zoom" and "UI Scale" sliders, and there's also support for more languages and bug fixes. Also, this nugget: "NPCs who are manually assigned to a room will attempt to return to it when they respawn after being slain."

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News:: Watching Double Fine make games is fascinating as ever

Double Fine is in the midst of Amnesia Fortnight 2017. If you're anything like me, these game jams are less about the end result -- four playable prototypes, some of which were ideas voted on and chosen by the public -- and more about the journey getting there. To that end, the first few episodes are up.

For the developers working on these projects, the rapid-fire pace needed to meet Amnesia Fortnight's tight two-week deadline has got to be stressful as hell, but for those of us watching from the safe comfort of our homes, seeing the raw creative process like this is entertaining and insightful.

While the public voting phase of the jam is over and done with, it's not too late to chip in for the Humble Bundle to get this year's winning prototypes (Darwin's Dinner, The Gods Must Be Hungry, Kiln, and I Have No Idea What I'm Doing) as well as assorted games from prior Fortnight events.

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News:: Assassin's Creed players are gathering to resuscitate the long-dead multiplayer

One of the oft-overlooked aspects of the Assassin's Creed series is the competitive multiplayer. Brotherhood was the first installment to introduce it, and it was really great. Tricking other players and blending into the environment worked wonderfully well, and it was a welcomed reprieve from all the other games that just asked you to shoot everybody.

But, Ubisoft ran it into the ground. Multiplayer was a success in Brotherhood, so it was added to Revelations. And Assassin's Creed III. And Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. The novelty had worn off and the player base moved on. With everyone gone and Ubisoft taking the franchise in a different direction, Assassin's Creed multiplayer was, for all intents and purposes, dead.

A loyal fanbase is making an organized effort to resuscitate it, though -- at least for just one weekend. On Saturday April 22, a bunch of them are getting together for another hurrah. All day, they're playing Black Flag on all platforms (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One). They're just looking to recapture a multiplayer experience that they can't get anymore. The servers are a barren wasteland and they hope to be a temporary oasis, enough people gathering to get a few matches going.

It's the first attempt at an Assassin's Creed community playdate but it might not be the last. The announcement post on reddit seems optimistic that this could become a semi-regular thing if it goes well. That's putting the cart before the horse, though. For now, they'll be happy as long as they have some other people to virtually shank with their hidden blades.

Announcement: Assassin's Creed Community Playdate. Assassin's Creed IV Multiplayer Revival! [reddit]

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News:: Throw more money at your favorite Twitch streams

If you're eager to regularly support a partnered Twitch streamer beyond the usual $5 per month subscription, you don't have many options. You can send them some bits, of course, but you're otherwise left contributing to a Patreon campaign or some other outside fund. However, you'll soon have a way to show an extra level of kindness. Twitch is launching an opt-in subscriptions beta that adds $10 and $25 monthly options. Naturally, it's not just the stream host that benefits -- you'll get some perks as well.

Source: Twitch (Medium)

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News:: Code Vein photos surface, has a rad gothic anime style

Scans posted online from Famitsu magazine reveal the first images of Code Vein, Bandai Namco's newly announced action role-playing game that features vampires. Although the teaser trailer was beautiful in its own right, Code Vein will be a 3D game with Gothic decor and anime-style characters.

With a Dark Souls-teasing tagline, "Prepare to Dine," from the team behind the God Eater series, the art direction certainly looks like a clash of those two series. There is no confirmation on platforms, but we expect that to be announced in its official debut tomorrow, April 20.

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News:: Episode four of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier lands Tuesday

Telltale is picking up the pace for the next episode of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier.

Episode four, Thicker Than Water, will be out on Tuesday, April 25. That's a much more manageable wait, I'd say, considering the last installment only just released on March 28. Progress!

If this art is too much of a tease for you, the studio will have a full trailer tomorrow.

Telltale Games [Twitter]

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News:: Capcom's collection of Disney NES games does retro gaming right

Recapturing the feeling of playing video games of bygone eras is no easy task. Sure, a simple emulator can technically drag ancient software to modern television screens, but anyone who grew up playing 8-bit games can tell you the experience isn't always the same. Pixel perfect presentations can sometimes lack the nostalgic charm of the distorted, fuzzy tube TVs old games were originally designed for. That's one of the things that makes Capcom's Disney Afternoon Collection so special. It doesn't just collect Ducktales, Rescue Rangers and other iconic NES Disney games in convenient one package -- it wraps them in the style, context and visual limitations of the 1990s.

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News:: Relic releases a dev diary for Dawn of War III ahead of its open beta

I get the feeling that Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III is going to be divisive to the fan base. A lot of people seem to be complaining about a supposed "dumbing down" of mechanics or how there isn't anything new on offer. I don't necessarily agree, but I also wasn't too impressed with the closed beta I played.

If you're still interested, despite the negative fan feedback, Relic has released a developer diary behind the multiplayer design. I don't know how many people will be willing to tolerate a 40 minute video of a match, but it does explain the choices made behind new aspects in Dawn of War III. If nothing else, you will get an unadulterated look at the game.

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News:: How are you liking Persona 5 so far?

It seems like people are really digging Persona 5, or at least people not named Brett Makedonski. At least, that's what I gather from listening to this latest episode of Podtoid. Steven and Ray are into it. Whatever floats their boats, I guess.

Otherwise, the gang talked about The Sexy Brutale, analingus, the Wii U's legacy, and camping trips. The episode is rounded out with another point-scoring SATPOTPAQ. That's two in a row!

Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or download it here.

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News:: At least other companies are keen on celebrating Metroid's legacy

Poor Samus.

Nintendo is keen on forgetting her anniversary nearly every year since Other M was released, while they shower Link with encores for concerts, collector's editions, and other celebrations on a nigh monthly basis. Well at least Figma is still pumping out some pretty rad toys, and this upcoming Metroid Prime 3: Corruption model is set for October.

It's par for the course for Figma in terms of price (roughly $65), and will be "limited in availability" with a May 13 pre-order cutoff date. I don't have that many Metroid doodads to my name as Nintendo doesn't really make that much, but I think I'm good with the Samus Figma I already have.

Play Asia [Metroid]

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News:: NieR: Automata surpasses 300,000 sales in Japan

Drakengard and even the original Nier were such niche it's still a little surprising to see how successful NieR: Automata has become. Even Persona was a humble spin-off series that is now a global blockbuster. The stigma against Japanese games has seemingly vanished.

There were no major releases this week, so top dogs Monster Hunter XX and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WIld stayed on top. On the hardware end, the Nintendo Switch just keeps roaring, with another 45k . The only other console to see an increase in sales from the previous week is the Xbox One, who soared from 132 to 142 this past week. Keep at it!

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News:: Twitch can finally sort top-ranked 'League of Legends' streamers

In terms of sheer minutes watched, League of Legends has been the most popular game on Twitch ever since the livestreaming platform launched in 2011. In fact, there are so many channels for the game, Twitch had to build out a special interface just so users could navigate them all. As of today, users jumping into the League of Legends directory will see a new set of discovery tools allowing them to filter and sort those channels by rank or champion.

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News:: Fast RMX update adds new mode, better friend support

Fast RMX was already packed with a bunch of tracks and things to do, especially for a $20 game, but developer Shin'en Media has been hard at work adding to that list.

As promised update 1.2 is now live on Switch, which provides a time attack gametype as well as a better friend connection system. Now instead of haphazardly trying to play with folks you can directly connect with up to eight people and roll as a group.

If you own a Switch and have slept on this game, don't. Unless you abhor racing games. In that case, I'm not your Dad, it's totally cool if you skip it.

FAST RMX update out now (version 1.2) [Nintendo Everything]

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News:: Cities: Skylines - Mass Transit gives us sweet zeppelin action on May 18th

I have been playing city-management sims throughout my life, and despite that fact, nothing I have created in them can be considered either efficient or beautiful. I shamelessly blame my inability to do so on growing up in a region that couldn't plan its way out of an empty room. Whatever the cause, my cities are an endless sprawl of gridlocked roads and badly shoehorned rail lines.

Thankfully, the next expansion for Cities: Skylines focuses on, you guessed it, mass transit in all of its forms, determined to save me from myself, or, more likely, bury me alive in a mountain of transit options, never to be seen or heard from again.

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News:: Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment dated on Wii U and 3DS

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment is a fantastic expansion, and previous owners of the base game are getting it for free. The only problem is that given the (likely lucrative) timed exclusive deal with Nintendo, developer Yacht Club Games is providing a staggered rollout across multiple platforms for the update.

While "April" was pegged recently, now we know for sure that it's coming to Wii U and 3DS on April 21 and 25 respectively. Don't sleep on this one! Download it, and save it for a rainy afternoon -- it's arguably the best campaign yet.

Yacht Club Games [Twitter]

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News:: Castlevania-inspired roguelike Dead Cells hits Steam soon

Before long, Dead Cells will be doing its hybridized roguelike/metroidvania thing on Steam Early Access, and as much as that's the type of "die, die, die again" gameplay concept I'd rather wait on than attempt to play in an unfinished state, I'm all about the Castlevania-style whip. That thing rules.

Motion Twin describes this as a "RogueVania" game which, according to the developer, means: "The threat of permadeath, balanced with a generous system of progression, the exhilaration of discovering new hidden areas, alternate paths to progress through the castle, and a pinch of procedural generation to keep you on your toes." I don't know about all that, but I at least like what I'm seeing here.

Dead Cells is apparently quite difficult, but that's the sort of thing that can be further refined on Steam Early Access. If this trailer has your attention, keep the newfound May 10, 2017 release date in mind.

Dead Cells [Steam]

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News:: Here's our first big look at the new Micro Machines

Size is relative. That's the concept at the core of the magic of Micro Machines. Try to stick with me: Cars are usually big, but this time they're very small and that's fun. It sounds condescending but it's honestly not meant to be. There's sincere and buoyant entertainment to be had navigating a tiny vehicle around household objects.

This trailer gives us our first glimpse at what Micro Machines will look like in 2017. When Micro Machines World Series was announced in January, it was revealed with a video that was mostly live action. Now that we've actually seen the game, it seems developer Codemasters found a nice aesthetic balance, one that's whimsical enough but still lends itself to emphasizing all the action on the screen.

Although the trailer is titled "Battle Mode Mahyem," it's tough to glean how anything apart from traditional races will work. A press release sheds a bit of light on this by stating that Battle Mode is up to 12 players, that there are 15 arenas, and implies that there are 3 gameplay types (Capture the Flag, Territory, and 6-on-6 Deathmatch).

While this the first time we've seen Micro Machines World Series, the looks will probably be rapid-fire from now on. It releases just more than two months from now on June 23. This one's comin' in hot, racing toward the finish line.

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News:: Nintendo's next hit console could be the SNES Mini

Nintendo's decision to retire the NES Classic left many fans disgruntled. The system, a reimagined version of the iconic 80s console, was a hit last Christmas -- for those that could buy one, that is. Stock problems meant it was notoriously difficult to acquire, and rather than solve these supply issues, Nintendo decided to kill the product completely. While frustrating, there could be a silver lining: Eurogamer reports that a 'SNES Mini' is in the works. Citing anonymous sources, it says the new hardware is scheduled to drop this holiday season, and that development is already underway.

Source: Eurogamer

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News:: Rumor: The SNES Mini is on the way, hopefully they make more than 10

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News:: The Morning After: Wednesday, April 19th 2017

Hey, good morning!

This morning, we put Samsung's Galaxy S8 through its paces, finally seeing why Facebook bought VR company Oculus, and started replaying a 20-year-old game. (Because it's free.) Welcome to the Morning After.

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News:: Review: Logitech G413 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

I am the keyboard man. I am become keyboards. Whether it's been me reviewing Logitech's more wallet-friendly Prodigy line, its more luxurious G610 Orion (probably my favorite offering from them thus far), or Razer's BlackWidow Chroma V2, my organs have become actuated switches and tactile keycaps. SO OF COURSE I jumped at the chance to look at Logitech's next 'board.

This one is a minimalist, affordable take on mechanical keyboards and I'm impressed by both the look and feel of it.

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News:: Logitech's sub-$100 deck tempts new mechanical keyboard fans

Mechanical keyboard aficionados may extol the virtues of their chosen device like speed and feel but often downplay how much that luxury will cost you. Many good mechanical keyboards run between $150 and $200, with gaming-centric models jacking up the price thanks to features like RGB lighting and programmable keys. Logitech's new G413 hopes to indoctrinate the less hardcore by eschewing most of the bells and whistles, delivering a quality gaming deck that will cost you only $90.

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