News:: Capcom hopes to eventually sell 10 million copies of Resident Evil 7

Resident Evil 7 is a very good game, and it's one of 2017's most pleasant surprises so far. After so many years of not quite delivering what Resident Evil fans want, Capcom took things in a new direction and gave the series new life. Now, the publisher anticipates that will eventually translate to many many sales.

As part of its year-end fiscal duties, Capcom fielded questions from investors. One of them asked for insight as to how Resident Evil 7 has sold so far. Capcom called it a solid start at 3.5 million sales by the end of fiscal year 2016, but that it wants to achieve 10 million lifetime sales.

The reasoning for this ambitious goal is basically that the publisher was able to squeeze that many sales out of other Resident Evil titles, so why not this one too? Capcom states: "The lifecycle for games is growing longer, driven by ongoing digital sales; as a result, Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6 have each sold more than 7.5 to 10 million units cumulatively (including catalog and re-release sales). As such, we will work to achieve 10 million cumulative lifetime unit sales for Resident Evil 7 as well."

Knowing how Capcom operates, it'll probably get there. Get ready to see a lot of eventual re-releases of Resident Evil 7 in the coming years. Nothing's confirmed yet, but we all know it's going to happen over and over again.

Presentation Materials [Capcom]

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News:: Valve will be overhauling Steam Trading Cards to stop developers from gaming the system

Many people don't really care about Steam Trading Cards, but it has been a lucrative addition to Valve's digital distribution platform since its inception. The system, in its current incarnation, doles out digital cards to players while running supported games, adding them to your Steam inventory. You are then able to trade the cards directly with players or sell them. Each sale of a card not only gives you money (typically a few cents), but also gives the developers a small cut.

Some insidious developers figured out how to game the system. Instead of releasing a title that was actually worth a damn, they would take advantage of a system on Steam that basically acted as a way for people to quickly collect and swap cards. As Valve put it on their blog, "These fake developers take advantage of a feature we provide to all developers on Steam, which is the ability to generate Steam keys for their games. They generate many thousands of these keys and hand them out to bots running Steam accounts, which then idle away in their games to collect Trading Cards. Even if no real players ever see or buy one of these fake games, their developers make money by farming cards."

While this doesn't actually hurt anyone (even if it is a bit sketchy), Valve will soon be making changes to the trading card system. According to them, these "fake" games were messing up Steam's store algorithm, which is a core part of what makes Steam work the way it does. Since user data was being generated from these games, the store would then believe it was popular and try to promote it over legitimately made titles.

Now, Valve is going to be building a "confidence metric" into Steam that will keep games from dropping cards until it is determined whether the game, in question, is being purchased and played by actual people. As Valve puts it, "With this change, we hope to significantly reduce the economic incentive for the bad actors to release fake games on Steam."

As for my take on this whole change, I'm not really concerned. I wish Valve could stomp out people who charge 35 cents for cards from indie games, but I understand that a free market economy wouldn't allow for that. I've never farmed trading cards, so I don't have a horse in this race.

Changes to Trading Cards [Steam Community]

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News:: Seduce a North Korean officer in DPRK anime dating game

Why shoot up North Koreans in games like Homefront when you can make love instead? Drawing clear inspiration from Go! Go! Nippon! ~My First Trip to Japan~ including the name, Stay! Stay! Democratic People's Republic of Korea has you, a U.S. soldier, visit your two Korean pen-pals on vacation. The game released on May 12, 2017 via steam. Even Big Man Tyrone is excited.

Unrelated to Go! Go! Nippon developer Overdrive, American company DEVGRU-P is the company responsible for Panzermadels: Tank Dating Simulator. DEVGRU-P describes Stay! Stay! DPRK, "Try and navigate your way through one of the world’s most tightly controlled dictatorships, with two cute soldiers by your side. Avoid getting shot, executed, black-bagged, or tried for treason as you explore Pyongyang’s most famous tourist attractions."

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News:: Armed robber wearing Minecraft outfit still at large

Over the weekend a man wearing a Minecraft Creeper hoodie allegedly robbed a Turkey Hill convenience store in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, WCVB reports.

The Creeper pulled a gun and split with cash from the drawer and some cartons of cigarettes. He is guessed to be 5' 6". Anyone with information about the robbery or the suspect's identity should stay away, lest he get too close and explode.

Armed robber wore 'Minecraft' costume, police say [WCVB]

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News:: Accel World VS Sword Art Online hits this July with DLC included, for a time

Accel World VS Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight is on schedule for western release this summer on July 7, 2017. If purchased "within a few weeks of launch," customers will be granted the Ordinal Scales and SAO Origins Pack DLC, which together include several costumes and two playable characters: Yuna and Sachi.

This crossover action RPG is digital only for both PS4 and and PS Vita in America, but Europe is getting a physical release for the PS4 version. 

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News:: Bloggers Wanted: Playing Hooky

[Hey folks, we're halfway through the month and have already had some great entries - and even a Front Paged article! Keep sending us your stories about a time (or two [or three]) you told the world to suck an egg in order to do some good old-fashioned video gamin'. Who knows - maybe you can find your work featured by 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.

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News:: Devolver Digital is doing an E3 press conference

There are plenty of press conferences at E3 as it is, but if we've got to make room for another company, it might as well be Devolver Digital. Details are sparse, but it's happening. 2017 is the year.

Devolver Digital will have an E3 press conference this year. Please stay tuned for a time and date. http://pic.twitter.com/WoHiOaio4G

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) May 16, 2017

Devolver tends to bring cool, oftentimes out-there stuff to E3, so if there's enough of a lineup to warrant a full-on conference this year, consider me extra curious to see what's what.

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News:: Elite: Dangerous is coming to PS4 alongside a retail release in June

Following the PC and Xbox One versions of Elite: Dangerous, Frontier Developments is putting the final touches on the PlayStation 4 port of its space sim. It's now targeting a June 27, 2017 release.

As you were probably expecting, on PS4, the base game ($30) and the Horizons season pass ($30) will be separate purchases (unless you want to buy them bundled together, which will be an option).

On the same day, Frontier is also putting out a physical Elite Dangerous: Legendary Edition for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Considering that package contains the game, the pass, and 1,000 Frontier Points for cosmetics -- things like alternate paint jobs and bobbleheads -- that's probably the way to go.

Two final notes: content and saves can't be transferred across platforms, and if you're curious about potential PlayStation VR support, Frontier has said it's "definitely something we're looking into, but we have nothing to announce for launch." For any other lingering questions, there's an FAQ.

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News:: Let it Die passes three million downloads

Let it Die is continuing to hang in there, and even though I peaced out a while ago, it's pleasing to hear that it's resonating. As of May 15, 2017, the latest figure for the free-to-play hack-and-slash survival game is a cool three million downloads. That total goes for North America, Europe, and Asia.

In case you missed it, Grasshopper Manufacture is still moving ahead with content updates.

The latest word is that "players can expect more updates in June, like brand new areas in the tower, as well as new decals and equipment, such as the Thunder Rod weapon and Warrior armor."

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News:: Crytek's Hunt is apparently not dead

It has been a long time since we've heard anything about Crytek's Hunt (formerly Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age). The cooperative monster shooter was originally revealed in June 2014. It has been mostly radio silence since then, apart from news that development was moved from the Darksiders studio to Crytek's Frankfurt office.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Hunt had been silently canned. Amid all of Crytek's very public financial woes which include not paying employees and studio closures, it seemed reasonable to assume that a free-to-play shooter would end up a casualty. Not so, apparently.

This morning, Crytek released a teaser trailer for Hunt that's embedded above. Things appear to have been significantly reworked. The subtitle is now Showdown instead of Horrors of the Gilded Age. Also, we're told that it's now a first-person shooter, whereas it was originally set to be third-person.

There will be plenty to learn about Hunt in the months to come, especially considering its website is nothing more than the trailer. It'll be interesting to find out what this has turned into. But, something tells me it'll be more interesting to learn how this game stayed afloat despite all of Crytek's problems.

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News:: A Hat in Time is set for a fall 2017 release

Shame on me for hibernating on A Hat in Time these past few years, because it's looking fantastic -- not just as a 3D platformer inspired by the greats, but as one that seems to be doing its own thing.

Along with today's trailer, which shows a murder-mystery portion of the game -- "A Hat in Time isn't about jumping around in empty levels and tasking you with collecting 100 items of whatever," assert the developers -- there's also confirmation of a fall 2017 launch on Windows and Mac.

"Thank you very much for your time and patience," wrote Gears for Breakfast. "Next update will be in July, where we'll be sharing some positive all-new information regarding some goals we have achieved."

A Hat in Time announces Fall 2017 release date, new trailer: Murder on the Owl Express! [Kickstarter]

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News:: Latest Humble Indie Bundle packs in Owlboy, Kentucky Route Zero

It's hard to believe we're on the Humble Indie Bundle 18, but never mind that alarming realization about how quickly time moves -- there are good games to play at silly-good prices.

Pay $1 or more:

• Dungeon-crawling FPS Ziggurat
• Co-op high-seas sailing title Windward
• Turn-based tactics game SteamWorld Heist

Pay more than the average (which is $7.90, at the time of writing):

• Real Good episodic adventure Kentucky Route Zero (the full season)
• Spying-for-the-government landlord game Beholder
• Wonky physics sandbox Goat Simulator (with all DLC)
• More games to come

Pay $13 or more:

• Sublime-looking platformer adventure Owlboy

I've gotta buy this bundle. I love me some SteamWorld Dig, but I've yet to get around to Heist.

Humble Indie Bundle 18 [Humble Bundle]

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News:: Chinese internet giant Tencent is building an eSports park

Chinese internet conglomerate Tencent has made some big moves to boost its profile among online gamers, not the least of which involved purchasing SuperCell, maker of the hit mobile game "Clash of Clans", for a reported $10.2 billion. On Tuesday, Tencent announced that it will be going even further and will construct an "esports-themed industrial park" in the city of Wuhu.

Via: Technode, PCGamer

Source: Wuhu.gov

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News:: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is now a 2018 game

It's a shame to hear that Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown won't make it out at the end of this year as planned. I had been looking forward to it as one of the more promising PlayStation VR-supporting games on the horizon. Of course, more time means more polish. Can't be too bummed about that.

In a letter to fans, franchise director Kazutoki Kono said that pushing ahead with the 2017 release was going to "compromise" the team's goal for the game, hence their decision to shift to a 2018 launch. "We take our art very seriously and that means we have instead chosen to devote additional time and effort to perfect and optimize this newest chapter of the Ace Combat saga."

Bandai Namco also confirmed that Ace Combat 7's E3 presence next month will focus on "the non-VR missions that will make up most of the missions in the game."

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News:: Gundam Versus reveals 11 Mobile Suits, new online mode

It's been a busy week for Gundam Versus. After the debut of its first TV spot, this week's issue of Famitsu has revealed new information about the upcoming game.

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News:: Review: Seasons After Fall

Seasons After Fall is the epitome of "eye-catching." With an art style to die for, an enviable color palette, and a gentle musical score, Seasons does its best to draw you into its world. What it can't seem to do, however, is keep you there for long. 

Seasons After Fall totes the line between peaceful and being too chill to function. For under all of its lovely window dressing, lies an exasperating but lighthearted experience. 

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News:: Bandai Namco announces Evangelion VR experience

Hot off the heels of the Gundam VR experience, Bandai Namco has announced an Evangelion VR attraction, titled Evangelion VR: The Soul's Seat.

Debuting this summer at the VR Zone location in Tokyo, this looks to be a treat for Evangelion fans. In the experience, guests will take on the role of a temporary pilot chosen by NERV. They'll then have to work together in groups of three to stop the 10th Angel, Zeruel.

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News:: Resident Evil: Revelations looks smooth on PS4, but I don't think I need it again

After launching on the 3DS in 2012, Resident Evil: Revelations has found its home on PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360, and now -- PS4 and Xbox One. It'll drop sometime this fall on the latter two platforms, and you can get a good (smooth) look at it with these two videos, which showcase action and exploration elements respectively.

If it's all the same, unless I get a copy to check it out for you amazing folks, I'm good. I had enough of Revelations the first time around, and felt like the sequel vastly improved upon it, especially with its asynchronous co-op.

I've had enough Jackass and Grinder antics for one lifetime.

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News:: Ubisoft E3 press conference time revealed

Ubisoft is joining Sony and the PC Gaming Show on Monday, June 12 to showcase its upcoming titles and make us question our sanity. Ubisoft is sliding in just after the PC Gaming Show, beginning at 1:00pm PT / 4:00pm EST / 9:00pm GMT.

Just announced at the time of writing, The Crew 2 and Far Cry 5 are likely to be shown. Also just officially teased for the first time is Assassin's Creed game set in Egypt; chances of getting an official announcement and trailer are high. Hopefully there will be some sort of update on South Park: The Fractured But Whole, which is having a similar delay issue as the first game (hopefully that means it'll be just as good).

At the financial conference call today, Ubisoft stated it will "deliver some great games for the Switch," which includes "one new game not announced." Maybe we'll finally see something of the fabled Rabbids and Mario crossover role-playing game. Personally I'd like to see a new Prince of Persia.

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News:: The Switch is getting another party game in Use Your Words

Party game Use Your Words arrived recently on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U, but now you can add "Switch" to the equation as per a new trailer. No timeline was given, but it's a refreshing change of pace to see anything arrive on Nintendo platforms after seeing so many omissions in recent years.

Although I liked it a little more than Jed, it doesn't go far enough with its premise. Emulating the party atmosphere of the Jackbox series (with phone controllers and all) the few minigames on offer are fun at first, but that's just it -- there aren't that many of them and they overstay their welcome fast.

Since Jackbox Party Pack 3 is on the Switch already I'd highly recommend getting that and saturating it before picking this up. Use Your Words is cheaper, but barely amounts to one of the several games in any given Party Pack.

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News:: Ubisoft announces Far Cry 5 and The Crew 2

It looks like today is poised to be a day with short announcements of games and nothing else. Right after Natsume came out with barely any information on the new Harvest Moon, Ubisoft has taken to their forums to present logos for Far Cry 5 and The Crew 2.

That is really all we have to go on. The Far Cry forum is titled, "Are you ready" (without a question mark, so its more a statement) and The Crew 2 states, "The best is yet to come!" (at least that is more helpful). Obviously Ubisoft will be showing these off at E3, but if you really didn't expect a sequel from two of their more successful franchises, then I guess this will be huge news for you.

Far Cry 5 [Ubisoft Forums]

The Crew 2 [Ubisoft Forums]

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News:: Stop what you're doing and pre-order this Futaba Sakura figure

Persona 5 fans, the promised time has come: Phat Company's Futaba Sakura figure is up for pre-order! Hopefully you won't have to become some kind of phantom thief to obtain one.

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News:: Nintendo is holding an Arms centered Direct tomorrow

With E3 fast approaching and everyone drooling over new games, you'd think Nintendo would wait until next month to showcase anything about Arms. Nintendo being Nintendo, they decided against the obvious. Tomorrow at 6:00 pm EST/3:00 pm PST, the company is holding a Nintendo Direct focused Arms.

Along with all the Arms info will come a brand new trailer for Splatoon 2 (hopefully showing off more of that glorious Squid Sister squabble). What this means for their E3 direct, I'm not sure, but I do love these Direct showcases. Maybe we'll get more of that crazy announcer.

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News:: ‘Sonic Forces’ will bring your fanfiction characters to life

Until now, Sonic Forces has looked like Sonic Generations 2 in all but name. With trailers showing off levels that switch between classic side scrolling and the 3D perspective of Sonic's more modern adventures, you can forgive gamers for thinking they've played this all before. Today, however, Sega has revealed a third type of gameplay for Sonic Forces -- levels where you control your very own customizable hero.

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News:: Sonic Forces will have customizable playable characters

Sonic Forces will feature a lot of the familiar faces you'd expect (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, etc.) but it'll also include a newcomer of sorts, a variable among a bunch of traditional constants. For the first time in Sonic history, Sega's giving players the freedom to create customizable playable characters.

As shown in the reveal trailer that's embedded above, these new hero characters can be customized from head to toe. Upper headgear, middle headgear, lower headgear, gloves, footwear, body, bodysuit, and skin color are the categories that we're shown in the video. Although the details can be tweaked, the characters have to be one of seven pre-chosen animals. They are (with their special abilities):

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News:: Should you get Disgaea 5 Complete on Switch? Take this quiz and find out

Disgaea 5 Complete is a Switch port of the original PS4 game, with all of its relatively pricey DLC included. This the first Disgaea game to hit a Nintendo console since Disgaea DS in 2008, giving Nintendo loyalists plenty of reason to be hungry for the unique blend of sacrilegious storytelling ant turn-based action that the series is known for. Being the home to Fire Emblem, arguably the most popular Strategy JRPG series in the world right now, also helps to make Nintendo consoles particularly fertile ground for something like Disgaea. That's probably why game has already topped 110,000 pre-orders.

There are no Switch-exclusive features to add to the discussion, but the port is clean and glitch free, so if you're thinking about getting Disgaea 5 Complete when it's released on May 23rd, start with our original review of the game to learn more. If you're still not sure what to do after that, we've provided a handy quiz below that should help you to decide, but make sure to have calculator of pencil and paper handy.

Numbers ahoy!

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