News:: Valve is trying to end account smurfing in 'Dota 2'

Valve is changing the way Dota 2 is played, at least on a meta level. Beginning May 4th, players will be required to register a unique phone number to their accounts in order to queue up for ranked matches. That's one account per phone number, ostensibly placing a hard limit on the number of ranked accounts that any one player can have.

Before you get any fresh ideas, Valve says online services that provide virtual phone numbers won't work in this new system. Nice try.

Source: Dota 2

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News:: Duolingo has a premium subscription, but lessons are still free

The idea that learning another language should be free is the core idea behind Duolingo. Over the past few years, the app has strived to make learning a new tongue convenient, portable and fun. Now the company's trying to turn its free language learning tools into a profitable business by introducing a premium service. Don't worry, though -- Duolingo Plus doesn't take away your free language course, it just gets rid of its ads.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Duolingo

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News:: Two Worlds II gets an extremely tardy add-on next month

One of the more surprising under-the-radar stories of last year was that developer Reality Pump was working on DLC for Two Worlds II. It wasn't so much a shock that a game was getting supplemental content -- that has become a near-staple of video game development. It was the timing of it all. Two Worlds II originally released in early 2011 and the add-on was announced five years later.

I suppose it's fitting then that the Two Worlds II add-on is arriving a year later than planned. Originally set for the second quarter of 2016, Call of the Tenebrae will finally launch on May 25, 2017. It's releasing as DLC to Two Worlds II owners for $10 and as a standalone product for $15. Call of the Tenebrae is said to "10+ hours long" and it's coming to PC, Mac, Linux, and SteamOS.

The Call of the Tenebrae site describes the add-on as such: "Two Worlds II: Call of the Tenebrae plunges the Hero into a decades-old mystery and a battle against a hideous, ancient evil known as The Tenebrae. The stakes have never been higher, but our hero won’t face this threat alone. Friends and foes both new and old await you, as you fight to discover the truth behind a powerful secret that will shake the Two Worlds universe to its core."

As unlikely as this release may seem, it only sets the stage for more Two Worlds. Reality Pump also states that another expansion, Shattered Embrace, is slated for holiday season of this year. And, that's all leading to Two Worlds III which is presumably still in production. All of this is better late than never, hopefully.

The RPG Phenomenon is back, with Two Worlds II: Call of the Tenebrae [Call of the Tenebrae]

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News:: Final Fantasy XV is getting a new patch with UI tweaks, better PS4 Pro performance

Square Enix has announced that a new patch will be hitting Final Fantasy XV next week for Japanese gamers (with a Western release TBA). On April 27, PS4 Pro players will be given the option to select a "Stable Mode" for play in addition to the "Full" and "Lite" modes currently on offer. Seeing as how the last patch totally screwed performance for Pro users, this is a welcome addition.

For those of us without the PS4 Pro, there will be UI tweaks and bonus stuff for the Regalia. Subtitles and some of the games menu text will be enlarged and you'll have access to new decals and songs. Timed Quests are also making a return and a ranking feature will be added to them. Not too substantial, but still nice.

This month’s Final Fantasy 15 patch gives you “stable mode” FPS option for PS4 Pro, timed quests, Regalia stickers and more [VG 24/7]

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News:: Friday the 13th starts the slashing in late May

Get to running, sexy promiscuous teens. Consider this fair warning, a chance for a head start. Jason's going on the prowl next month.

Developers Gun Media and Illfonic just took to Twitter to reveal that their highly-anticipated Friday the 13th game will release on May 26. The launch will be simultaneous on all platforms -- PC, PS4, and Xbox One. According to the description of the video that's embedded above, it'll be available digitally for $40.

Friday the 13th originally had its sights set on a Halloween-ish date in 2016, but that was pushed back in October of last year. The delay came with a silver lining, though; the developers announced a story campaign was being added to the game. Up until then, it was asymmetrical multiplayer only. It seems as if the plan is still for it to launch with just multiplayer, with the campaign being added in the months to come.

If Friday the 13th couldn't release near Halloween, early summer seems like a fine consolation choice. School's getting out, kids are free to run around doing whatever they please. This should make them think twice about enrolling at a summer camp.

@Friday13thGame [Twitter]

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News:: Get mentally prepared for Outlast 2 with this launch trailer

Dang, Outlast 2 really snuck up on me. It's coming out on Tuesday!

Listening to the song in this launch trailer felt like spiders crawling down my back (maybe should I get that checked out), and the mere thought of running around a creepy farmyard unsettles me.

Corn stalks, man. I just can't!

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News:: Sony made a gigantic PS4 controller no one can use

Sony has eSports-tailored PlayStation 4 controllers, but aside from that, the gaming juggernaut hasn't made any major changes to the gamepad that shipped with the PS4. But as a Japanese promo for the recent Parappa the Rapper re-issue, the company made a gigantic version of its best controller in years. We're talking perfect-for-Wun-Weg-the-giant from Games of Thrones size.

Source: Gigazine (Japanese)

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News:: David OReilly's Everything rolls onto Steam

One month later, David OReilly's Everything -- a curious game "where everything you see is a thing you can be, from animals to planets to galaxies and beyond" -- is now also available for Windows and Mac.

Our own Josh Tolentino reviewed the PlayStation 4 version. He remarked that "Everything feels to me like a mellow, less aggressive take on Katamari Damacy or Noby Noby Boy, a curious, reflective novelty that, for players in the right kind of mindset, can spark something profound."

I've yet to play the final release version, but I did tinker with this grand toybox at a preview event once before -- enough to get a sense of the genuinely cool tech powering the game, and its silly-as-hell tumbling animals. I didn't know how it would fare with critics, but overall, things went well.

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News:: Games with Gold for May continues the trend of meh

We've had this odd trend where the recent free games on offer from both Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus have been going down in quality. Looking at just Microsoft's service, the last few months have been pretty spotty. May doesn't seem to buck that trend as there is only one good game per system.

For Xbox One users, you'll be able to get Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams from May 1 - 31 and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris from May 15 - June 15. I'd recommend you just forget Temple of Osiris exists as its a horrible follow up to the awesome Guardian of Light on PC, 360 and PS3. For 360 users (and available on backwards compatibility), you'll have Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II from May 1 - 15 and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga from May 16 - 31. Again, Force Unleashed II is better left forgotten.

As harsh as I'm being about this offering, I really don't expect Sony to provide anything better. Maybe I'd be more forgiving if the connection quality for online games was actually good on either system, but I find that paying for internet has done nothing to improve playability. Hopefully Nintendo doesn't fall into the same trap when it launches the Switch's paid service this fall.

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News:: Nintendo seemingly doesn't want N++ on the Switch

Nintendo has made a lot of strides in the indie scene with their "Nindies" initiative. While it may not be a gang busting business, having smaller games come to your platform can be a huge selling point for niche audiences who aren't swayed by big budget blockbusters. Somehow, though, Nintendo has ended up turning down a potential indie game from coming to the Switch.

In a random discussion thread posted on Reddit, fans were talking about ways to potentially get N++ on the Switch. As if being summoned from the heavens, Mare Sheppard of Metanet Software (the developer behind N++) randomly chimed in to let everyone know what had happened on that front. Porting your game to any system is apparently not as easy as calling up the platform holder and asking.

Sheppard let fans know that, "Nintendo has to give the go-ahead before we can get started developing or porting." That makes sense, but the continuation of that sentence is where the problem comes in. "Although we've been talking to them for a couple of months," Sheppard states, "they said they are focusing on games that will sell systems right now." Ouch.

Now, I can almost understand this from a cold business standpoint, but N++ is launching a new expansion in the coming months. That could easily get people interested in buying the game, especially since the original N remains a mid '00s nostalgic centerpiece. Putting all that aside, is Nintendo basically saying N++ won't sell consoles?

If you're going to go that route, why is something like 1-2-Switch allowed to exist on the system, then? No one was going to buy a Switch for that (or the game itself), regardless of it being made by Nintendo. This seems like an arbitrary reason to exclude a game, though Nintendo is prone to making peculiar business decisions.

Beyond all this, though, it seems that simply getting the game on the Switch isn't solely up to Nintendo. There are a lot more factors involved then just getting a blessing from the big N. Sheppard continues this explanation in her post on Reddit, so you can give it a read if you're inclined. The cliffnotes version is that it costs money and the code would have to be re-written since N++ uses an in-house engine.

Let's support N++ to get out on the Switch [Reddit]

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News:: Nintendo re-confirms original Splatoon amiibo will work in Splatoon 2

It was confirmed during the Splatoon 2 heavy Nintendo Direct event, but the development team took to Twitter to remind everyone that yes, original Splatoon amiibo will work with the sequel. Expanding a bit on that previously revealed info however is a close look at what some of the amiibo will unlock (school, ninja, and robot outfits were teased), and the note that old toys will provide "special gear," as opposed to challenges.

Although there could be more info yet until its July 21 release (E3 will no doubt have at least one presentation dedicated to it), it seems as if Nintendo has backed away from locking big patches of content like extra modes behind the figures. Now we're basically just moving into cosmetic territory.

Although the Splatoon amiibo have never been rare, that's probably good news for most of you out there that hate the little things on principle.

Splatoon [Twitter via Nintendo Life]

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News:: Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition is out now on consoles

I was expecting a "complete" re-release for Dark Souls III at retail, but not so soon. Bandai Namco has compiled the core game and its two expansions -- the frigid and somewhat underwhelming Ashes of Ariandel, and the brutal, much more fitting sendoff The Ringed City -- into one package.

This new retail release, Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition, is out today on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, priced at $50. Considering the season pass alone would be $25, that's not bad at all.

I don't think there's any topping Bloodborne, but DSIII is a clear runner-up for me.

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News:: The rumors are true: 'Call of Duty' is going back to World War II

The next Call of Duty returns to the series' roots with a storyline set in World War II. Sledgehammer Games is working on the new title, dubbed Call of Duty: WWII, and the studio is expected to drop details in a livestream on Wednesday, April 26th at 1PM ET.

Source: Call of Duty: WWII

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News:: Call of Duty: WWII is your next COD, reveal coming next week

After much speculation and many leaks, Activision has spilled the beans -- the next Call of Duty, developed by Sledgehammer, is titled Call of Duty: WWII, and will naturally deal with World War 2 yet again.

For years fans have been knocking on the series, saying that the far-future element has creeped into the formula so badly that it's warped the franchise beyond reproach. As someone who doesn't necessarily agree with that sentiment but does still consider World at War to be the best entry, I'm happy with the pivot.

We'll know more next week on April 26 at 10AM PT, during the official reveal. I'm fully expecting PS4, PC, and Xbox One as the platforms, with the former still providing exclusive or timed exclusive content. Activision has doubled down on their Sony partnership in the past year, as the platform holder heavily sponsored their recent world championship eSports tournament.

Call of Duty [Twitter]

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News:: Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed team doesn't want to cut corners, despite its release on mobile

Last year, Koei Tecmo joined with Nexon Korea and XPEC Entertainment to create "Project: Dynasty Warriors," a mobile release of the celebrated franchise. Well it's finally here, as earlier this month the trio launched Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed, for both Android and iOS (for once, you don't have to choose a side). I had a chance to speak to some of the heads of each various studio to get a little insight into the production, and so far, so good.

Akihiro Suzuki, executive producer at Koei Tecmo, still wants to retain the same feel of the series regardless of the screen real estate on offer, stating, "Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed succeeded in recreating the world of Dynasty Warriors including its characters as well as the exhilarating battles of “one versus many.” These are the cornerstones of this particular series and have been widely acclaimed by our fans. At the same time, the game was fine-tuned to the smartphone interface so that the action aspect of the game is more accessible, making it very friendly to newcomers."

Strangely, Unleashed might be more filled out than some recent Musou games, as the team is aiming to constantly add more cast members until they reach the absolute limit. Yongseok Seo at Nexon explains when quizzed about any compromises, "In fact, we are not going to make any cuts for Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed! While the game launched with 48 characters, we will keep updating the roster so that in the end everyone gets to play their favorite officer from the full set of 81 iconic characters. Which officers will be released first was a decision based on the story concept. Players get to play the Shu storyline first, so every officer you encounter during the early Shu chapters had to be prepared for release."

You may as well give it a shot for yourself and see how long you can last without paying anything. Unleashed's IAP ranges from currency to items to level-up packs, so there's plenty of ways for Nexon to monetize their audience -- I just hope they don't go overboard in the late game and scare people away. I'd love to see the Dynasty Warriors series live on as long as possible.

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News:: Bojack and Goku Black Rose coming to Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 April 25th

When I started playing Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 last October, I had no idea I'd still be playing six months later. It's not the greatest game, but it's got the kind of content that's pretty great to mash through for a short bursts at a time. It's been especially great given the amount of support it seems to be getting lately too. 

The third DLC batch, DB Super Pack 3, will be available April 25th and features Dragon Ball Super characters Zamasu, Goku Black Rosé (*ruff*) and Bojack from Bojack Unbound. Along with the characters are new skills, new quests, and new costumes. 

I've promised myself to only watch Super's English dub (which seems to be just wrapping the Battle of Z arc), but seeing Goku doing bad guy stuff might be what it takes to put me onto the rest of the series' run. 

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News:: Twitch opens the door for more streamers to make money

You don't need to be a member of Twitch's exclusive group of Partnered streamers to start making money broadcasting on the service anymore. "Twitch will invite creators to join the program who fit the criteria, based on time spent streaming, viewership and followers," the company said in a statement. That starts with opening its "Cheering with Bits" functionality up to more people.

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News:: Want to play ranked in DOTA 2? You'll need to give Valve your phone number

In an effort to combat smurfing (more on that in a sec), Valve has implemented a new feature for DOTA 2 -- if you want to play ranked mode (the be all end all for pros and upcoming pros), you'll need to give them your phone number to authenticate your account. This change will take place on May 4, so get yourself situated.

For years games that are highly predicated on ranked tiers have been trying to figure out ways to combat the act, which very simply involves creating a brand new account in the effort to play outside of the matchmaking rules impose on your original account. In other words, pro players can smurf, then join a "newbie" queue and stomp people of lower skill level. It's not just for pros either, as some players who contend they're stuck in "ELO hell," (read: low ranks where they feel they don't belong, playing with others who are below their skill level) often smurf so they can attempt to place in a higher rank.

As someone who has known many smurfers in their time (the practice never really interested me, as I typically place high enough in ranked), I'm torn on the issue. On one hand, it really sucks to be a new player in a lower league, trying to make your way up, only to find that you're actually battling a smurfed Grandmaster top 1% player on the other side -- it deters the hell out of you from climbing the ladder. On the other, people who do smurf contend that they can play the game any way they want, and they should be able to make a new account as it doesn't break any major rules (and they frequently spend money on burner accounts to progress quicker).

Ultimately it's up to the content provider to decide how they want to enforce their TOS. For some games like Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard has a lax view of the practice and doesn't really enforce any sanctions. League of Legends has sort of a middle of the road view on it, and now, DOTA 2 is directly fighting it. 

It isn't going to step folks from getting a burner phone for $5 (or creating a Google Voice/VOIP number) and smurfing, but it's a marked attempt to try. Like most Valve ultimatums, it'll probably end up failing and they'll retract it in time.

Matchmaking Update [DOTA]

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News:: Merch booths are coming to a video game near you

Take a look through Etsy or the countless daily T-shirt sites and nerd-focused stores online and you'll find a common theme: merchandise featuring characters and other bits from your favorite video games. Soon, you won't have to go outside the title you're playing to grab a piece of tie-in swag, however. That's because online shopping company Shopify has designed a developer tool that hooks into games made with the incredibly popular Unity toolset, and sets up a virtual shop in-game where you can buy branded t-shirts and other tchotchkes. What's more, unlike the aforementioned storefronts, it'll be officially licensed merch.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: Shopify

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News:: Simon Belmont, Vic Viper, and Pyramid Head coming to Super Bomberman R

Super Bomberman R may have not have set the world on fire on release, but Konami is trying their best to keep it from being a full-on bomb. With a free DLC update fixing many of its issues, and with good early sales numbers, Konami could really pull off something interesting here if Konami doesn't Konami itself. 

But I digress. Reminding you of games long gone, Simon Belmont from Castlevania, Vic Viper from Gradius (my favorite), and Pyramid Head from Silent Hill will be joining Super Bomberman R's bomb squad. Although there are no further pricing or release date details as of this writing, this could rule. 

It's too much to ask for these add-ons to be free also, but hopefully it's not too costly given the entry price was a little higher than I preferred. 

[via Famitsu]

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News:: With the Ultimate Edition update, N++ now has 4,340 levels

Lots of people seem to have slept on N++, but that hasn't deterred Metanet Software.

The studio is further bolstering its already content-packed platformer with a new Ultimate Edition, out now on Steam and coming to PlayStation 4 in the near future. First, yes, it's a free upgrade.

Among other things, N++ Ultimate Edition brings more levels (we're somehow in the several thousands now), more headbands for your ninja, 60 new color schemes, and secrets to uncover.

Seeing "Hardcore mode" and "N++" in the same sentence makes me want to run and hide under the covers, but maybe curiosity will get the better of me and I'll check that out. I still feel like the game has a long road ahead to reach everyone who would dig it, but updates like this are appreciated.

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News:: Super Bombeman R runs so much better now

As much as Super Bomberman R missed the mark in some basic, fundamental ways, the developers have stuck with it, and I have to commend their post-launch support. The latest update is a big one, offering a much-smoother frame rate (if it isn't hitting 60 frames per second now, you could've fooled me), tighter controls, difficulty adjustments, and several new maps. And yeah, it's free.

The patch notes, in full:

• Four new VS stages have been added to the shop (White Cross, Lagoon, Max Speed, Power Zone). [See the gallery below]
• Two new series of accessories have been added to the shop (Crowns, Bombs).
• The frame rate of the entire game has been improved. We also made slight adjustments and improved the controls as well.
• Less lags are likelier to happen when every participant in the Online Battle have good network connection. (If you want to find opponents with good connection, set Other > Basic Settings > Network Settings to the very left.)
• Made it possible to press L/R to change the inclination of he map in the Story Mode. Other > Basing Settings will also allow you to fix the camera position as well.
• You can now choose the strength of the COM on the Multiplayer Battle Mode.
• The strength of the Five Dastardly Bombers on the Story Mode have been adjusted.
• The difficulties of Beginner and Normal have been reduced, making it easier to beat them.
• Adjusted the heights and slopes on some maps to improve the visibility.
• If you continue a certain number of times in the Story Mode, you will be able to continue without paying anymore gems.
• Changed the BP (Battle Point) increase/decrease rate for the League Battle.
• Fixed other various small bugs.

Some of these now-fixed issues were actually keeping me from coming back to Super Bomberman R, so this is serious progress. I'm still of the mind that it's overpriced for what it is (a good but not great Bomberman game), though maybe I'll change my tune with more updates like this one.

Ver. 1.3 Update Notice [Konami]

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News:: Review: Little Nightmares

It's been while since a game has ensnared me like this. Where lesser games struggle for my attention as I routinely check the clock and put on podcasts, Little Nightmares hypnotized me with ever-present suspense.

Your main goal in this puzzle platformer, originally called Hunger, is to evade grotesque creatures and escape the eerie labyrinth you woke up in called The Maw. To do so you'll need to master the environments and avoid making sound. Featuring no dialogue, the events that unfold are left up to the player's interpretation in postmodernist fashion.

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News:: The Morning After: Friday, April 21st 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome to Friday, friends. A few changes are afoot at Engadget, Elon Musk has plans for brain-machine interfaces in a few years, and HTC made a phone that is rumored to be squeezable. Meanwhile, a high-end, WiFi-connected juicer with mountains of funding is also feeling the squeeze.

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News:: Contest - Win a Nintendo Switch

True story - 11 years ago, I wanted to promote Destructoid at E3 but I couldn't afford a booth. Destructoid booth dreams shattered, I printed out a bunch of flyers to hand out at random in the convention center hallway to get people to check out my blog. I bought the best video card I could afford, a GeForce 7. To get people's attention about my flyers, I made a robot helmet. I also pissed off a lot of people at a press conference by accident, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Yolo Diem. 

That said, we're celebrating 11 years of Destructoid and it's big giveaway time! This month you can win a Nintendo Switch system - color of your choice. Your odds of winning are visible this time: your number of entries out of the total entries submitted below.

How to win: Tell a friend about the site with a verified social media profile using Gleam (terms and conditions) and you're in. Gleam will then draw a winner at random, and I'll announce the winner after E3. Good luck!

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