In our detailed review, Chris said that Dishonored 2 is all about experimentation. Is this guy doing it right?
Vin Diesel's wacky smithing action was shot by Troy Hicks and has been making the rounds this week on Imgur. Serves him right. If you're going to be accused of murder it's best to kill everyone to prove your innocence.
Serenity now!
The perennial classic Cave Story will be making its way to Switch with an exclusive feature; co-op multiplayer. Announced by Nicalis on Twitter, it looks like the added benefit to getting yet another version of the indie hit is having the chance to play through the whole thing with a friend on the go.
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is one of those games that I try to come back to each year, and I'm sure many of you hold it in similarly high regard. It's a modern-day classic! I'm also willing to bet there are leaderboard chasers among us who never even left it in the first place. Today's news is good news in either situation: the Xbox Live Arcade game is now backward compatible on Xbox One.
Alongside Geometry Wars 2, Microsoft is also now supporting the Xbox 360 version of Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved on the console. This is a rare case where a game is available on Xbox One outright and backward compatible for those who happen to own the last-generation port.
I'm gonna get so sidetracked by GW2 the next time I use my Xbox One. There's no way around it.
Major Nelson [Twitter]
One of the more out-there rumors leading up to the Nintendo Switch reveal event was a supposed Ubisoft-developed Mario and Rabbids crossover game. It was such an odd pairing, conceptually -- the sort of thing that probably could happen, but maybe shouldn't. I was willing to believe.
We've heard so little noise about the rumored project lately that I had forgotten it was ever brought up, but it's reportedly still coming. A source has provided Kotaku with art assets and details about the role-playing game, which is said to be targeting an August or September release for the Switch.
"Ubisoft is developing Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle on the publisher's proprietary Snowdrop engine, according to the assets we’ve seen," the outlet wrote earlier today. "The game's selling points appear to be a) turn-based combat, b) two-player local co-op, and c) a goofy sense of humor. (The art we've seen features Mario and crew wielding guns that shoot laser beams.)"
Are you willing to put up with the Rabbids to play a new Mario RPG? That's what I'm asking myself.
Source: The Rumored Mario x Rabbids RPG Is Real, Coming To Switch [Kotaku]
Last fall, Psyonix introduced the crate system to Rocket League, a microtransaction event where players can unlock cosmetic items of different rarities. Now, there's a natural extension of that coming in the form of a physical product.
Psyonix and Zag Toys just announced a partnership to bring Rocket League toys to market in early June. Each toy is a pullback racer version of one of the cars from the game and it comes packaged in a Rocket League ball. The available cars are the Octane, Dominus, Masamune, Hotshot, Grog, X-Devil, Merc, Backfire, and four limited variants; Psyonix hasn't explained what the variants are. Each one costs $6.
The hook lies within the manufacturer, though. Zag is known for its blind box products, meaning that you never know what you're going to get until you open it. Just like the crates. It's a risk for the consumer, but one that people seem willing to take; blind box toys have become immensely popular in recent years.
For Rocket League players, there's a bit of extra incentive to grab at least one of these. Every one comes with a DLC code for both an exclusive "Cold Fusion Rocket Boost" and "ZT-17 wheels." These in-game items aren't available anywhere else.
Psyonix provided us with some pack shots of the toys and screenshots of the DLC; all are included in the gallery below. These come to market in early June and are available at Target and GameStop. For anyone aiming for a specific car, here's to hoping your shot is on-target.
I really like the way that Devolver Digital has been promoting Strafe. The official website is stylized like something from the early internet and even all of the promotional videos are riddled with film grain and VHS artifacts. It emanates that late '90s vibe they keep pushing the game with. I'm not so certain that every concept in Strafe is from 1996, but it surely looks the part.
What definitely isn't from 1996 is a "digital" convention, which is what is next on the docket for promotional build-up to the May 9 release of the game. From May 4 to the 8th, you'll be able to visit Strafecon by going to strafecon.com. After getting your "digital" tickets, you'll be able to check out streamers playing the game and have a chance to win digital codes for Strafe or one of the numerous Collector's Editions by participating in the chat rooms.
Along with that, Devolver has uploaded the official launch trailer for the game. It looks like Strafe is set to release for real this time. Hopefully the game doesn't lag out before then.
If you've enjoyed the recent Prey demo on consoles, then you're probably looking forward to Arkane's space-horror FPS title. While it isn't exactly System Shock 3, if you've enjoyed the series, this should be right up your alley. Deals are plentiful now that the game is about to be released on all platforms this Friday. We're spotting up to 25% off on Steam keys, and freebie SteelBook bonuses for console versions.
At GamesPlanet, PC gamers can pick up Steam copies for 25% off at about $45 after USD conversion. In fact, if you reside in Aussie land you should definitely pick up a copy at GamesPlanet versus Steam given the huge price discrepancy between the regional pricing Steam charges.
For console gamers, the game is essentially same price everywhere but if you pre-order at Best Buy, you'll get a nice bonus freebie of the SteelBook case for the PS4 and Xbox One copies of Prey.
Prey PC Deals
Prey Console Deals
Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.
It happens every year - scores of ailments go around plaguing humanity, draining bank accounts, and killing productivity. Be it the common cold, the flu, allergies, or something even more sinister (I’m looking at you, shingles), the first couple of months of the year seem rife with germs lurking around every corner to ruin your health. And when you do inevitably get sick, you’re left with two options: Brave the throes of sickness and carry on about your day feeling like gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe, or, if you can swing it, calling out of work, school, or life in general to recoup some of your losses and try to get back on the right track.
Harmonix never comes whack on an old-school track. This Thursday, Montell Jordan's '95 banger "This Is How We Do It" hits Rock Band 4 as DLC. Like all add-on tracks, it's priced at $2. It's something of an inverse of the first verse lyric; here you have to pay before you get your groove on. Then you're clear to reach for your 40 and turn it up.
This announcement serves as a good enough reason to pay tribute to "This Is How We Do It," a song that has aged remarkably well in its 22 years. It's unmistakably a party track, and an extremely feel-good one at that. But it's also a responsible track with Jordan rapping the likes of "designated driver take the keys to my truck." That's so good.
It's not super surprising to learn that Jordan became a pastor in 2010. Hip hop artist to ministry isn't exactly a natural transition, but Jordan maybe seemed like a more likely prospect to pull it off; his lyrics notably lacked the edge that defined a lot of mid-'90s rap. He was content to sing about good times and pursuits of love (and sex).
The culmination of all of this happened early, as "This Is How We Do It" was Jordan's debut single. A party anthem for the ages, its call and response choruses encouraging emphatic shouting of the song's title to punctuate every line. I don't care if you buy this in Rock Band. I just want you to play the video above, maybe sing along while thinking "Awww, hell yeah!" and have your day get just a little bit better.
New Songs Announced for Rock Band 4, Rock Band VR, and SingSpace [Harmonix]
Inti Creates may not be super well known, but their fantastic job with Mega Man 9 cemented my respect for them. They clearly understood what it meant to reboot a classic series and I had no doubt that Blaster Master Zero was going to be good. To my surprise, I found the game to be pretty damn easy. Maybe I'm just very accustomed to old-school design, but I only died a handful of times and generally thought the experience could use some difficulty tweaking. The bosses, in particular, were a joke.
For the 1.2 update, (available right now on Switch and May 4 for 3DS) Inti Creates has given us a "Destroyer Mode," which is basically "Hard" mode. While you'll need to first finish the main game, after doing so all enemies in side scrolling sections will be stronger than default and some will require specific weapons to be used on them. In the overhead segments, defeated enemies will explode on death and send shrapnel in multiple directions. That sounds great, since I basically stuck with Jason's ultimate beam and absolutely wrecked the overhead sections. As SOPHIA, using the heat seeking missiles was also a great way to avoid enemies, so requiring different weapons should prove fun.
As an extra bonus, "EX Character Mode" lets you play through the game as different characters. Only two have been confirmed so far, but it looks like they are going to be $1.99 a pop. Gunvolt from Azure Striker Gunvolt and Ekoro from Gal*Gun will join the game on May 4 and June 1, respectively. Each will be free for the first two weeks before going to the aforementioned price.
Towering enemies? Check. Moody atmosphere? Check. Slow, methodical combat? Check. Bandai Namco has released the first trailer for its upcoming action RPG Code Vein, and it wears its Dark Souls influence on its bloody sleeve.
Source: Bandai Namco
The latest Humble Bundle is made up of games that have already gone through the vetting process, that have already gotten a blanketed seal of approval. But, they're also games that have gone largely overlooked. Consider this a chance to pick up some underappreciated gems.
The theme for this newest Humble Bundle is "Very Positive," as in they're all sitting at a very positive rating on Steam. Right now, there are eight titles available for anyone who contributes $10 or more. Here's the rundown:
At the "pay whatever you want tier" (but a minimum of $1), you'll get Steam keys for Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings, The Deadly Tower of Monsters, and They Bleed Pixels. Anyone willing to chip in more than the average (which is $5.83 at time of writing) will add Hacknet, Crashlands, and UnderRail.
Finally, at the most expensive tier, a payment of $10 or more nets you Stephen's Sausage Roll and Curious Expedition. The former is especially worth considering because we gave it a perfect 10 and it was included in our Game of the Year discussion. But hey, if the sausage isn't to your tastes, there's plenty more on the menu.
Humble Very Positive Bundle [Humble Bundle]
The new NieR: Automata DLC looks good, but does it look $14 good? Something to mull over.
Aiding you in that decision is today's launch trailer for 3C3C1D119440927 (amazingly, that's the name of the DLC; bless you Yoko Taro). The video recaps the new costumes and coliseums, including a fourth-wall-breaking literal "boss" fight. I enjoy Automata's combat enough that something like this could be worth getting even at that price, but I really should wait until I'm further into the game.
Even if you're thinking of sitting this one out, stick around for the final few seconds of the trailer. I wouldn't want you to miss seeing Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda kick the shit out of 2B.
The Touhou Project series is officially out of control. It's hosted dungeon crawlers, fighting games, and a few other wacky genres at this point, and has far outgrown its shoot 'em up roots. Now it has a tower defense title under its belt in the form of Gensokyo Defenders, which is hitting PS4 in the near future. Evidently it also involves cards, as well as online co-op and full voicework.
As for me, I just want more localizations. It's easy enough to get the series legitimately overseas (I have most of the legacy games), but bringing over the best shooters Touhou has to offer will do wonders in terms of increasing its worldwide cachet. Instead, we're mainly getting localized spinoffs that are met with a mixed reception.
Gensokyo Defenders [Game City via Gematsu]
DayZ is a game that was first available to purchase in December 2013. It has found a committed community of players over that time, but DayZ has always been far from a finished product. Actually, it's technically still in alpha.
Now, some three-and-a-half years after that initial Early Access release, DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive is gearing up to move into beta. In its latest status report, Bohemia says that it has a small group working on the impending version .62 update and that most of the studio is focused on .63 which will be the beta update. I encourage anyone who's interested in the minutia of DayZ development to read the status report.
This advancement is notable not only because it has been 41 months since DayZ first entered the market, but because there have been many reports over the years of eventual beta and final releases. Things have obviously gone slower than predicted. A lot of that is probably due to the fact that Bohemia is in the position of creating a game while simultaneously supporting that game.
Even though the most recent status report heavily outlines the beta, there still doesn't seem to be a targeted time frame for the update. But, it's coming and it's basically next. Other plans like an eventual full release and console versions are still on-track. Just, you know, don't pin your hopes on them getting here anytime soon. DayZ's zombie outbreak is a slow-moving one.
Status Report - 02 May 2017 [DayZ]
Video games are a unique, nascent art form and it makes sense to preserve them. While efforts by the Internet Archive have been underway for a while, it hasn't been a priority for the gaming industry to archive their own products. Most archival projects happen thanks to the unpaid efforts of super fans bent on saving their beloved gaming experiences. Today, though, The Strong Museum, also known as the National Museum of Play, announced that Scott Adams, the developer behind 1978's text adventure game Adventureland, has donated a ton of materials from his long career in the industry.
Another familiar face is out at Valve. Following the departures of fellow writers Marc Laidlaw and Erik Wolpaw, now Chet Faliszek -- who contributed to both of the Half-Life 2 episodes, as well as the Portal and Left 4 Dead series -- has decided to leave the company.
I was with Valve for 12+ years, but a fan for even longer. Can't wait to play what is coming next. http://pic.twitter.com/FumRoP0VTS
— Chet Faliszek (@chetfaliszek) May 2, 2017
In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz, Faliszek said that the exit wasn't "exciting" or "drama filled," adding that he "worked there 12 years, shipped a bunch of great games and some amazing hardware and wanted to change things up." As for what's next, "there's no news."
With Valve's new-game output the way it is, it's not at all surprising to see this group of writers move on. In recent years, we've seen Faliszek take on a more VR-centric role -- he's generally who comes to mind when I think of virtual reality at Valve -- and while he has done great work in that capacity, it sure would be nice to see him back writing video games again as his primary focus.
Chet Faliszek leaves Valve [GamesIndustry.biz]
Nioh was a sleeper hit in my household. A lot of folks saw it coming and never lost faith in Team Ninja, but after Ninja Gaiden 3 I was ready for anything.
Against my odds they delivered and my faith has been restored, but Nioh's legacy isn't finished just yet as there's still three DLC packs to assess.
Despite hitting the market before the Oculus Rift with motion control, room-scale virtual reality support and more connectivity options, the HTC Vive has always trailed behind Facebook's VR headset in one incredibly important regard: comfort. The Vive's basic headstrap works fine, but compared to the more robust mounts on the Rift and PlayStation VR headsets, it's objectively inferior. It's a good thing, then, that the company's new Deluxe Audio Strap is almost ready for consumers -- HTC says Vive owners will be able to nab the more ergonomic head-mount accessory on June 6th.
Source: Vive
There's a clear desire for more turn-based tactics games, and when game designer Julian Gollop sets out to "create an entirely new game whose essence lies in the XCOM genre," good things happen. The X-COM creator's new project, Phoenix Point, has passed its $500,000 funding goal on Fig.
You know what that means: stretch goals. The next funding milestone is $650,000, at which point Phoenix Point will see drivable vehicles added to its production schedule. They can transport your troops in, provide heavy weapons support, and help with material gathering and civilian evacuation.
At the next goal, $850,000, there will be "a floating fortress which can travel by sea and conduct air operations inland from coastal areas," which, yes. Heck yes. That'd be grand.
If this is your first time hearing about the game and you need context for the setting, in which most human life has been killed off by a nasty virus that's also able to mutate survivors, here it is:
"You play as part of the Phoenix Project, a worldwide organization set in place before the Pandoravirus, and designed to activate in times of world peril. You and your team must find out what has happened to the other Phoenix Project sleeper cells as you race to bring humanity back from the brink of extinction. Along the way, you will encounter constant threats from an ever-increasing variety of alien mutants (procedural generation system) armed with varying tactical abilities and intense boss battles with massive monsters and alien land walkers. Aliens are not your only concern as you will come face to face with unpredictable interactions with human factions with their ideologies and rife with internal conflicts including kidnappings, assassinations, sabotage, military coups, and base defense missions."
Like Steven, I'm also repulsed by and in love with this game's horrible mutated monster people.
Phoenix Point [Fig]
It's Golden Week (an economic holiday) over in Japan, and seeing as it's a Japanese company, Sony typically partakes in the festivities. This year isn't any different as it's holding a Golden Week sale.
As always Persona 4 Golden is dirt cheap ($9 with PS+), so if you have a Vita and somehow don't have it already, go get it. There's also some other major deals in terms of newer releases like Final Fantasy XV ($36 with Plus), and NieR: Automata ($42 with Plus).
It's times like these that I wish most of the PS3 library (or titles that were restricted to the PS3 like PSOne Classics) worked on PS4. When Microsoft holds a big sale I can usually go hog wild knowing that almost everything will work on the Xbox One -- so when Suikoden II is $3 this week and it only works on PS3 and Vita, it bums me out.
Golden Week [PSN]
Star Wars fan? Enjoy a good DRM-free title? Nostalgic for the LucasArts of the past? We've got just what you need. From Knights of the Old Republic to Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, many popular Star Wars titles are on sale this week at GOG, all at 77% off.
Of the 21 titles on tap, 13 of them are all at a historically low price point - which is pretty rare given these are $5 and under titles. Our personal pick besides the two titles listed above also includes Battlefront II, Rogue Squadron 3D, and X-Wing Alliance (just because the story was a fun one).
GOG Star Wars Sale:
The GOG Star Wars sale runs until next week Friday, May 12, so you have plenty time to mull some titles over.
Yooka-Laylee is finally out, and if you read my review you'd probably be able to pick out a few of my annoyances.
Playtonic is taking some of that criticism to heart, as they have a series of updates planned based on player feedback so far. One such issue is the camera, which they're working on now, but in the immediate future it looks like we're getting speedrunning options. According to the developers that includes "the optional ability to skip dialogue faster, bypass cutscenes or reduce those pesky gibberish voices." Even though I still adored it, I sincerely hope that Playtonic is able to adequately polish up the game and rectify their mistakes in a sequel.
In non updated related news, they also shared a rendition of the Tribalstack Tropics theme (World 1) from the Leeds International Festival orchestra, which I highly recommend you watch below! It's a perfect reason why I want to see more of this world.
First Game Update Details [Kickstarter]
If you own a Switch and took a test drive on the eShop, odds are you've seen the Neo Geo ports on there. Despite Nintendo's insistence to some developers that they're not accepting ports -- these games, among others, seem to be an exception.
It seems to be working out for port studio Hamster Corporation too, as they've just announced that they've sold 200,000 copies in total from their entire line on Switch (you can check out the full list here).
Note that it's across all regions and all 14 games, but it's still impressive nonetheless for decades old ports on a brand new system. I think just about everyone picked up one of the Metal Slug games.
Hamster Corporation [Twitter]
"FUCK!"
That's the word I say right before I nearly throw my Switch across the room after dying what seems like the millionth time in TumbleSeed.
"I hate this fucking game," I think at the time, but I don't really. I actually like it a lot, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to 100% it, but damn it if I haven't been trying my hardest.
Facebook has rolled out plenty of games on its Messenger platform over the years, but it's ready to deploy even more. Today, the company has announced that it's expanding the reach of Instant Games to even more users around the world. Additionally, the company is now ready to launch the richer gameplay features it first announced at F8 a couple of weeks ago. Think: turn-based games, leaderboards and tournaments. Depending on the title, you could even see the occasional "game bot" pop up to either cheer you on or notify you of additional options.
I felt pretty good about owning every amiibo ever made in a glass case that a family member gifted me, but this "interactive shelf" from BerryAaku is on another level.
After spending "a little over a year" on the project, they were able to craft a bookshelf that accepts amiibo figures at the top -- rotating them and announcing their name, followed by a tune from the appropriate series. Ryu, Sonic, Rosalina, and Toon Link were shown, and the shelf itself has some really cool lighting effects.
If you're curious, here's how it was made. In addition to a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, mild electrical know-how is essential. If you decide to make one good luck! Otherwise you can just enjoy it vicariously in the video below.
amiibo Interactive Shelf [Reddit]
