News:: Team-based shooter Paladins opens its beta on consoles

If signing up for the Paladins closed beta on consoles was too much of an ask but you're still interested in Hi-Rez's free-to-play take on team-based shooters, today's the day. There's now an open beta running on PlayStation 4 (North America, Europe) and Xbox One (over here), no registration needed.

As an extra incentive, console and PC players alike can benefit from a Double Gold weekend. The event is happening now until Sunday, May 7, so there's not too much of a rush to take part.

Personally, there's only so much room in my life for this type of game, and I'm not tired of Overwatch yet. But if you are, or you're otherwise looking for a free alternative, Paladins certainly has its fans.

Paladins: Now Free on Xbox One, PS4 [Paladins]

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News:: Fan-favorite Korean horror game White Day: A Labyrinth Named School headed to PC and PS4

This is my first time hearing about White Day: A Labyrinth Named School, and going off this trailer and what Stephen tells me, I feel like I've missed out on something special. The 2001 Korean survival horror game is coming to North America and Europe with an enhanced version for PlayStation 4 and PC this August, so there's hope for me yet. Publisher PQube is even prepping a physical PS4 copy.

While the trailer is little more than a mood-setting tease of what's to come, the game's website is far more forthcoming with details (and there's no shortage of let's play videos for the remake's mobile version, which released last year). Trapped in a haunted high school overnight, you'll face murderous janitors and much worse as you try to find answers -- and a way out -- before it's too late.

I particularly like the sound of difficulty options that raise the "ghost and fright frequencies." If you've played the 2001 original, expect "major story upgrades and mechanical overhauls."

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News:: That time when 'next gen' truly meant something for me

[As I read through Rad Party God's delightful romp down memory lane, I couldn't help but find myself agreeing with everything he said about that magical sixth generation of consoles. What a wonderful time to be a gamer! Wanna see your work featured on the front page? All ya gotta do is write something! - Wes]

Greetings! Watching the latest DF Retro episode about Metal Gear Solid 2 REALLY tickled my nostalgia button, and brought me back to that time when a "next-gen" console was something truly special to me. Now, don't worry, this isn't one of those "old man yells at cloud" blogs like some people love to do every now and then (you know who you are), I only wanted to share my experiences with these sixth-gen consoles and probably put some context on why it was so exciting for me back then.

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News:: Review: De Blob (PC)

Man, the Wii had a ton of great games, didn't it?

For every piece of shovelware there was a hidden gem like Zack & Wiki or Wario Land Shake It that fell by the wayside in favor of some of the console's huge hits. But alas, some of them have had a new lease on life on other platforms, and De Blob is seeing its rebirth a little late in game.

Well maybe "little" is an understatement, as it's been nearly a decade.

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News:: Free PS Camera in new PlayStation VR bundles at GameStop

It looks like PlayStation VR is becoming more plentiful in stock because today GameStop launched three new PlayStation VR Bundles on its store catalog. The best deal boils down to a free PlayStation Camera with a purchase of a PSVR headset. Two of the three bundles are ready to ship today, while the third is waiting on the Aim Controller's official release date of May 16.

New PlayStation VR Headset Bundles

• PSVR Headset + PS Camera + Farpoint Aim Controller — $479.99  (list price $540)
• PSVR Headset + PS Camera + Resident Evil 7 — $459.99  (list price $520)
• PSVR Core Headset + PS Camera — $399.99  (list price $460)

These bundles are great for PlayStation 4 and Pro owners looking to buy a PlayStation VR headset who don't currently own a PlayStation Camera. While the PS Camera's list price is $59.99 at almost all retailers, typical discounts at $40 are common. That said, even if you do already own one, you could sell or trade the new PS Camera, making this an all around decent promotion from GameStop.

These bundles at GameStop are online-only offers, and the included PlayStation Camera models are the ones from September 2016, not the old models from 2013.

As mentioned, the most expensive Farpoint Aim Controller bundle is not available for immediate delivery and will release later this month on May 16. This coincides with the release of the PSVR game Farpoint. If you're planning to pick up a PSVR unit for the new sci-fi shooter, the bundle with the Aim Controller may make sense, though we doubt you'll encounter any supply issues come release date and this is simply just GameStop bundling in more stuff to sell.

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

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News:: Horizon Zero Dawn is adding more photo mode and HUD options

Horizon Zero Dawn players have been working their magic with the game's photo mode, and even though the open-world robo-dino adventure is still on my to-play list, it's usually sitting at the top of my mind. I can't go far online without bumping into staggering scenes captured by talented fans.

Guerrilla Games is giving those folks more tools to play with in the latest Horizon update. As of next week, there will be three more filters, gridlines, a toggle to add "greetings from" to your image, selectable poses and facial expressions for Aloy, and an option to make her look into the camera.

And if photo mode just isn't your thing, you won't be left out.

"Version 1.20 will include a slider that will adjust the camera/aim sensitivity, supports a Map legend where you are able to filter on icons, more HUD customization options (hide enemy stats, quest markers and tutorial tips), the ability to hide head gear and more." Spanish-language support is also included with new subtitles for North American copies of Horizon, and new voice-overs with the download of a Spanish VO pack from PlayStation Network. Good on ya, Guerrilla.

Horizon Zero Dawn: New Patch & Photo Mode Features Next Week [PlayStation Blog]

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News:: Battleborn: a great game with a fatal flaw

One year ago today, Battleborn released to the world. And sure, we have fun with Randy Pitchford's ridiculous tweet about it, but the game holds a secret not many know: actually, it is very good.

It could have been popular. Heck, I think it should have been the game of the year. But it had one major thing holding it back. No, it wasn't that other game people (incorrectly) compare it to. Battleborn's fatal flaw is that while it was great, it took too long to let players know it.

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News:: Three Nintendo Switch Bundles available on eBay at uninflated prices

The going rate for a Nintendo Switch on eBay is about $390, and on Amazon, around $384. That's just for the standard $299 console, but you can now pick up a Switch in a bundle with a game, headset, or extra Joy-Con controller for near list price and avoid inflated marketplace prices.

Three new Nintendo Switch bundles showed up today on Antonline's eBay page. The Nintendo authorized distributor has bundles priced between $419.99 and $459.99. All of them have limited quantities available, but they also all beat paying scalper prices as well.

Nintendo Switch Bundles

• Nintendo Switch + Extra Nintendo Joy-Con-Gray + Mario Kart 8 — $459.99
• Nintendo Switch + Mario Kart 8 + Kingston HyperX Headset — $439.99
• Nintendo Switch + Extra Nintendo Joy-Con Gray — $419.99

For those expecting a deal, you'll soon realize there are no discounts available if you were to add up all the components of each bundle separately. You're basically paying the same price as each component of the bundle would cost separately at list price.

The trouble, of course, is that the Nintendo Switch still has plenty of supply issues and is frequently sold online at an inflated price. These days, they almost always go for an extra $80 to $90. Because of this, the Antonline bundles are actually reasonable offers.

As mentioned, Antonline is an authorized Nintendo distributor and the console will come with full warranty. Shipping is free and processing takes one business day. Better yet? Sales tax is limited to California and Georgia only, so you're looking at decent savings if you factor in sales tax for the Switch.

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid. If a Switch bundle above is expired, let us know in the comments and we'll strike it out.

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News:: Remedy's next title will be published by 505 Games

For the first time since the release of Max Payne 2, Remedy Entertainment doesn't have the safety net of a first-party publishing deal for its next major game. The Alan Wake and Quantum Break developer spent the majority of the past 15 years partnered with Microsoft for Xbox console exclusives. That trend has just been broken.

Remedy just announced that it has reached a publishing deal with 505 Games for its next project which is codenamed P7. In exchange for €7.75 million (approximately $8.46 million) to help with development costs, 505 will receive 45 percent royalties on net sales.

Apart from disclosing the financial arrangement, the press release serves to shed a bit of light on what P7 is going to be like. The developer describes its next game as such: "A cinematic third person action game set in a new Remedy-created universe. Featuring an intriguing story and a game structure offering a long-lasting experience, P7 contains the deepest game mechanics yet in a Remedy game." That sure sounds like it's right in the studio's wheelhouse.

This third-party deal is part of Remedy's efforts to reach a "wider range of platforms," as we've previously covered. It's also seemingly part of 505's efforts to make aggressive moves as a publisher, and this is one of the most notable names it has to date. It's a big day for both companies, really.

505 Games signs worldwide publishing deal with Remedy Entertainment [Remedy]

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News:: The plot of the Rampage movie sounds a lot more serious than it should

It kind of sucks we're still waiting on a great videogame adaptation, and by the sounds of the upcoming Rampage film, we're going to wait a lot longer. Directed by Brad Peyton (San Andreas), and starring Dwayne Johnson and Malin Ackerman, you'd think giant monsters cheesily wrecking the joint would be a fun time but that's not the impression the film's plot synopsis gives:

Primatologist Davis Okoye (Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry transforms this gentle ape into a raging monster. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered alpha predators. As these newly created monsters tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.

Peyton previously claimed the upcoming film would be more emotional, scarier and "real," but I'm secretly hoping this is some sort of long con. I mean, Johnson and Ackerman can play both ends of the emotional spectrum but they're also comedic geniuses. It'd be such a waste to take all of these potentially goofy elements, not let loose with them, and directly compete with Legendary's upcoming Monsterverse. 

And check this release date. This has to be a joke-in-progress, no? Rampage hits theaters April 20th, 2018. 

[via Collider]

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News:: Review: Guardians of the Galaxy 2

When the first Guardians of the Galaxy hit, I'm not sure any of us we're really prepared for it being as fantastic as it was. We weren't prepared for a team of mostly unknown superheroes being turned into one of Marvel's most popular franchises. We weren't prepared for it inspiring an entire Telltale game. We definitely weren't prepared for one of the greatest soundtracks ever made. The point being: there weren't really any expectations resting on the first film.

That's changed a whole lot. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has a ton to live up to not only because the first one did so well, but because it has to expand on its characters and introduce a broader story line for the confirmed third film. That's a tall task, and one of the reasons sequels so often fail. Is Vol. 2 an epic mix tape or that cassette you pulled out of an old box that made you realize you had terrible taste in music when you were 12?

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News:: Podtoid? Hell yeah, so ask us questions!

We screwed up. We were meant to start recording Podtoid 30 minutes ago but we're running late and then we realized that we never even put a dang questions post up. Me and Steven have like 6,000 posts between us, yet we're still incredibly bad at this job.

So, ask us questions. In the comments. Down below. Under the annoying auto-playing Disqus ads. It's not our fault. It's not our fault.

Also, it's Ray's birthday so be sure to take him down a peg or two.

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News:: PAX Unplugged registration opens today

The PAX empire is growing. The sixth show in the PAX canon, PAX Unplugged is debuting this year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Unplugged is all about board, card, and other tabletop games. Sure, the original gangster PAX shows have always had areas set out for tabletop stuff, but this one will be all cardboard all the time. Get your video games out of here. (I will still be carrying my 3DS around.)

Registration opens today at noon Pacific, or a half hour from when this post goes live. Or consult time.gov if you need to convert. Or don't! Look, if you're reading this, it's probably open. You can go to the PAX Unplugged site to check and grab badges. Single-day passes are $25, and the full three-day pass is $60. Sunday badges for kids 12 and under are only $10.

Given how late in the year this is, there isn't anything I'm especially pumped about seeing just yet. Charterstone and Pandemic Legacy Season 2 will already be out by then. But as it gets closer to the date we'll have a better idea of what's on display.

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News:: With two more exclusive amiibo up for pre-order, we just need Amazon to get with the program

You might want to consult the great amiibo chart, as things are getting confusing.

As we head into June, a boat load of amiibo are coming. So far we have three new Link variants, three Splatoon variants, a new Pikmin 5-man figure, and six amiibo to close out the Smash line -- two variants of Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta.

Twilight Princess Link and Cloud Player 2 are exclusive to GameStop, which are accounted for. Today, Majora's Mask Link and Bayonetta Player 2 are up for pre-order from Best Buy. So what does that leave? Amazon of course! They've yet to put up US pre-orders for Skyward Sword Link and Corrin Player 2, their confirmed exclusives.

Amazon is notoriously bad at stocking and selling Nintendo products, so it begs the question why they still get exclusive amiibo deals. Again, everything else is up for pre-order, and exclusives were available for several days -- I hope Amazon isn't pulling another"hey it's live for five minutes in five minutes, go!"

Only at Best Buy [Best Buy]

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News:: The next 'Horizon Zero Dawn' patch ups Aloy's selfie game

Horizon Zero Dawn is already a fantastic game, but that doesn't mean it can't get any better. Next week, Horizon patch 1.20 will go live and bring a raft of changes to the game, with a focus on improving photo mode and squashing bugs (in the code, that is). Sony and developer Guerrilla Games laid out the fixes on the European PlayStation Forum.

Source: PlayStation Forum, PlayStation Blog

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News:: Shovel Knight cheats add in Mega Man X style wall jump

Shovel Knight is one of those games that you can keep going back to because there's always something hidden under its surface. It has that old school vibe for sure, a deliberate design decision from the folks over at Yacht Club Games. That's especially evident based on their love for cheat codes, which are now supported even in individual expansions for Shovel Knight.

The developer has revealed that Specter of Torment has a secret wall jump feature, complete with a blue or red skin tint. This is a clear homage to Mega Man X, or more specifically the Mega Man Xtreme subseries, with the blue and red skins mirroring X and Zero.

For all their wonkiness and translation issues (kekeke) I loved playing through the pair of Xtreme games, even if they paled in comparison to the X series proper. Then again, most platformers still do!

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News:: Review: Statik

"It's a lot easier than it looks."

That's what I had to keep reminding myself whenever I'd get stuck in Statik, an absorbing new PlayStation VR game in which you wake up handcuffed to various puzzle boxes that appear far more intricate and intimidating than they actually are. It's all about having the right mindset. One step -- hell, one button press -- at a time: that's the key to moving forward and getting out of here.

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News:: I'm stoked to play the entire Crash Trilogy again, here's some more footage

The Crash Bandicoot triple remake N. Sane Trilogy looks better each time we see it, especially when you consider the aged source material. Now we have a better look at the level "Sewer or Later" from Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back -- a classic tunnel affair that helps highlight Crash's unique ability to swap platforming styles on a dime.

It's crazy how much I remember this particular stage, even though I haven't played Crash 2 in years. Given that each game is around five hours long if you're not going for a 100% completion rate, I'm hoping that I can recall enough across the entire trilogy to keep up that pace when I return.

I also hope this pans out so we can get another Crash Team Racing -- I'd love to see some competition with Mario Kart and a kart racer that actually has a story mode again.

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News:: Dissidia Final Fantasy Arcade is getting yet another character, maybe it's Noctis?

Square Enix and Dissidia Final Fantasy arcade came out in 2015, and Square Enix and Team Ninja have been updating it ever since at a very respectable pace.  In all that time we've gotten a surge of characters, levels, and there's still no PS4 confirmation.

Coming off the heels of The Emperor and Sephiroth, a new fighter is going to be revealed on May 9 at 20:00 Japan time. I've been hoping it's been Noctis for a while now, as the team said they were interested in adding him if the community took to it.

Well, they did. It sold and did well critically, so he probably earned his spot. That, and six months from that confirmation shortly after its release is a reasonable amount of time to create a character, Even if it's not they've been doing a great job sprinkling representations from all walks of Final Fantasy -- even Ramza made it in!

Dissidia Final Fantasy [Twitter]

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News:: You can try out the Division for free this weekend

If you're truly bored this weekend and need something to pass the time, why not give The Division a shot? Ubisoft has announced that their Destiny-like MMO game will be going free on all platforms from May 4 to the 7th.  There will be no restrictions on content, so you're able to go solo or team up with friends and power through the campaign.

If you do happen to enjoy what you're playing, then the game will be discounted by an undisclosed amount for the weekend. As for when the event starts, Ubisoft has provided a nice graphic that conveniently leaves out the UK. Awesome job, guys. UK gamers will be able to partake from 7 am UTC on the 4th until 5 pm UTC on the 7th. The other times are below.

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News:: Valve: Steam gets 75,000 complaints a day, so be patient

Steam, sure, everyone loves Steam, but there's something about Valve's overall lack of transparency that just rankles. Independent developers have called the platform a "big black box," and users often talk about the service's glacially slow customer service. Which is why Valve has issued something of a mea culpa, promising to do better at dealing with issues in the future and opening up about the task it faces.

Via: Neogaf

Source: Steam, Steam Stats

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News:: NBA Playgrounds is out soon, takes up more space than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch

I completely forgot about NBA Playgrounds, which is hitting the Switch soon in an attempt to recapture NBA Jam's basketball arcade success (there was one of those too semi-recently!). Billed as a 2v2 joint it supports up to four players, will run you $19.99, and is out May 9. Oh, and the file size has been revealed -- 7.4GB. It'll also hit the PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms if you're interested.

Hilariously, and I don't know if there's going to be a fully featured story mode, Allen Iverson is confirmed as the "master of the playground." Maybe in order to face him you need to forgo practice mode.

NBA Playgrounds [Nintendo]

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News:: The next 'Dots' game is completely different, except for the dots

Dots, the studio behind a beautifully-designed series of mobile games (including Two Dots and last year's Dots & Co), just announced its next game: Wilds. As the title suggests, this game will be a departure from what the studio has produced thus far -- it's the first game that doesn't have the word "dots" in its title. And the announcement game via an odd, enigmatic video that shows a lone figure in the middle of a dark forest, dancing amidst trees and glowing orbs. Those orbs surely resemble the dots that you must connect in the studio's other puzzle games, but there's no other hint as to what players can expect when Wilds arrives.

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News:: My Nintendo gets some Street Fighter themed rewards

My Nintendo is floundering, and the Big N doesn't seem interested enough in the service to alter it significantly. They had a chance to change things with the Switch but that hasn't happened yet (Switch rewards are still "coming soon"), and nothing short of a massive overhaul announced at E3 will really help matters. There's flashes of brilliance there (free Mario Kart 8 Wii U DLC for gold coins, Flipnote, Twilight Picross), but it's been stagnant for at least a year.

Nonetheless, I'm sure some of you out there still use it, so here are some updated discounts for this month that you can peruse below. They're all Street Fighter themed, including an Alpha 2 discount for Wii U/3DS (worth it), a Super Street Fighter IV 3D discount (not worth it), and a New Challengers 40% off ticket, which isn't necessarily recommended with the Switch update around the corner.

While I used to log into Club Nintendo and rack up my points, I haven't been doing it religiously for weeks. There's just nothing left to get! Plus, the Switch physical edition gold coin rewards are far too low.

Reward Categories [My Nintendo]

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News:: Fire Emblem Echoes is getting a $45 season pass in addition to the amiibo dungeons

Before Fire Emblem Echoes arrives in the west (it came out in Japan a few weeks ago), Nintendo wants you to know that it's getting a season pass.

It's $45 (!), and will contain "22 pieces of content" across five DLC packs throughout the year. These include new characters, maps, dungeons, challenges, classes, and even a prologue that doubles as an extra story mission. You can check out the full details below.

If you haven't been keeping track, this season pass is for a remake of the second Fire Emblem game, and is on top of the two previously confirmed amiibo figures that also unlock exclusive content. While I'm sure the core game will be worth the price of entry on its own based on how packed every Fire Emblem is at launch, this DLC strategy is bonkers.

To see Nintendo go from no DLC while everyone else was doing it to putting out add-ons that cost more than the base game is wild. For reference, Fire Emblem Fates had 17 DLC maps that could be purchased across two passes for $26.

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News:: The Morning After: Wednesday, May 3rd 2017

Microsoft has announced a new laptop, in addition new lighter OS aimed at education (and Chrome OS), all in the middle of the week. YouTube also got a makeover, and we take a look at the most notable VR submissions at this year's Tribeca festival.

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News:: Review: World to the West

Nintendo has been pretty consistent in making Zelda games every few years. While it normally swap between the 2D and 3D style for each game, you only need to wait about two or three years before getting your hands on another Hylian adventure. During those periods without new Zelda games, you’d think other developers would be trying their hand at the formula.

While there are certainly more indie Zelda-like games now than any other period, you’d be hard pressed to name more than a dozen or so. Enter Rain Games’ World to the West, a title set in the same universe as its previous game Teslagrad that replicates the Zelda formula. To claim that Nintendo’s classic series didn’t inform the design of this game would be a flat-out lie, but that doesn’t mean this game is held back by its inspiration.

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