News:: Overwatch boosts experience for the first time this weekend

Overwatch has had an event or new content every month since its release, but for the first time this weekend, players can earn double experience just for playing as they would normally. The XP boost will be effective starting June 8 and will be available on PC, Xbox One and PS4.

Earn DOUBLE XP this weekend on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One!

The time to act begins June 8: https://t.co/rIHXwTcEmE http://pic.twitter.com/IVbpIK65so

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) June 7, 2017

Happily, this XP boost is occurring just before the current event ends on June 12, so Overwatch fans will have some extra chances to unbox Anniversary skins and dance emotes. You'll still be able to earn 20% bonus experience for playing with friends in addition to the slight modifier for competitive games. 

There was an additional small patch on PC today that will be rolled into a larger patch for the console versions. It fixes the bug where players will fall through moving platforms while using their dance emotes and cleans up a couple of exploits that allowed certain characters to reach places they shouldn't be able to.

PlayOverwatch [Twitter]

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News:: Steam's streamlined indie marketplace goes live June 13th

Steam Greenlight launched in 2012 with the dream that players would naturally vote for the games they most wanted. But that idealism fell to the reality of voter approval and it became far more of a popularity contest. In February, Steam finally announced the experiment would end and Greenlight be replaced by the new Direct release format, which lets developers post any game for sale that passes simple criteria. Originally planned for spring, the platform finally has a date for the official transition: June 13th.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: Steam

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News:: Lust for Darkness is Lovecraftian BDSM horror

One of the last ever games to make it onto Steam Greenlight (an alternative program is coming next week) is Lust for Darkness, a first-person psychological horror game with "with erotic and occult themes" set in "the Yelvertones' victorian mansion and a perverse land inspired with Lovecraft's works and paintings of Zdzisław Beksiński."

Protagonist Johnathan Moon heads to the mansion after receiving a letter from his wife who had disappeared a year prior, and he stumbles on some sort of Tom Cruise Eyes Wide Shut party with actual eldritch horror going on. The player will split time between the mansion and "an alien dimension...overgrown with alien vegetation and full of monstrosities squirming in a never ending ecstasy."

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News:: 'Overwatch' celebrates its anniversary with a double XP weekend

While you wait to hear about what's new in gaming, maybe you can kick back and relax with one of last year's highlights. As part of the anniversary celebration for Overwatch, Blizzard will kick off a double XP weekend that will run from Thursday night at 8PM ET 'til Tuesday morning 3AM ET -- if you need something to do until then, maybe set up two-factor authentication on your Battle.net account.

In between, nearly everything in the game will award double XP, no matter what platform you're playing on. That also coincides with your last chance to pick up Anniversary themed loot boxes and rewards, so play well, but remember we'll have plenty of E3 2017 news this weekend, including Microsoft's Xbox press conference Sunday afternoon at 5PM ET and Sony's event Monday night at 8PM ET.

Source: Overwatch Blog

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News:: Nintendo Switch Splatoon 2 Pro Controller coming to North America

That Splatoon 2-themed Pro Controller for Switch that's part of the European bundle will indeed come to North America in time for the launch of Splatoon 2 on Nintendo Switch. Nintendo of America announced on Twitter today the pink-and-green-handled controller will be out July 21 -- a perfect match for your equally hideous red and blue Joy-Con console.

Incidentally, speaking of matching, it remains to be seen if the Neon Green and Neon Pink Joy-Con set will be coming to North America, but it certainly should.

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News:: Trent Reznor blows dust off the 'Quake' score for vinyl reissue

Quake was a groundbreaking game in a number of ways, and that included its soundtrack -- id Software scored a coup when it got Nine Inch Nails (technically, Trent Reznor) to score the grim first-person shooter. Until now, though, listening to that soundtrack has usually meant digging up your circa-1996 game CD or (let's be honest) finding a YouTube rip. Thankfully, you'll soon have an alternative if you own a turntable. As part of a larger wave of back catalog releases, Reznor is making the Quake soundtrack available on vinyl -- you too can listen to that memorable theme in your living room.

Source: Nine Inch Nails

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News:: Mass Effect: Andromeda update gives Scott Ryder another romance option

With the latest patch for Mass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare is fleshing out the character creator (couldn't help myself) and opening up a path for Scott Ryder to romantically pursue the squadmate Jaal.

For the character editor, there will be two new head types (one male, one female), a complexion option, more skin tones, fully unlocked hairstyles, and good ol' baldness. Existing players won't miss out, either, as it'll be possible to alter Ryder's appearance right on the Tempest. You won't need to start fresh.

Also, "for fans of Alec Ryder's iconic [hah!] appearance, you can now choose to keep the default Alec, rather than having his appearance be based on your custom Ryder."

As for the new opportunity with Jaal, BioWare says "Scott Ryder did not have a same-sex squadmate available as a romance option, nor could the achievement for completing three romances be achieved with only male same-sex partners. And as the angara have expressed their fluidity in how they perceive gender, it seemed only natural that Scott could have a relationship with Jaal."

The developers also said that they "consulted with members of the LGBTQ community, both externally and within our own studios. After carefully considering all feedback, we decided this was an important change to make, and one that made sense for Jaal, Scott, and the angara."

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News:: Arizona Sunshine makes good use of the PlayStation VR Aim Controller

Having not yet gotten around to Farpoint, it's been a while since I've had a reason to fish out my tangled-up, crammed-in-a-drawer PlayStation VR. The impending port of Arizona Sunshine is next on my list, and that game -- a zombie shooter folks seemed to dig on Vive and Rift -- is now set for a June 27 launch. If you went all in with Farpoint and picked up the Aim Controller, this is worth a look.

Lame voice-over aside, I think this should be a lot of fun with the Aim Controller, although it's obviously not going to be as sharp-looking as the original PC version. I'm reserving some judgment until I'm actually playing the game in-person -- a rule that has served me pretty well with VR.

Some other good-to-know tidbits: Arizona Sunshine also supports Move controllers and the DualShock 4, with the ability to teleport around or use free movement if you're comfortable with that.

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News:: What's up with No Man's Sky and these mysterious packages?

Hello Games has been sending packages to the Reddit moderators for the No Man's Sky page. They include cassettes (like CDs, but even older!) numbered "x/16" and a bunch of No Man's Sky swag -- pins, socks, and a signed poster that reads "hope you like what's next" and "dreaming of far-flung worlds." 

The cassettes, some of which have been uploaded, contain spooky music and weird noises. Run through a spectrograph you get numbers that translate to words like "portal." 

Not all the tapes are in yet so there's some fun internet sleuthing to do yet, but it all seems like a fun way to unveil the latest big update for the game. No Man's Sky has changed quite a bit since people were mad about all the things wrong with it. Major updates in December and March have changed the game a lot, and something big coming in June lines up with Hello Games' 3-month update cycle. 

Cassettes Megathread [Reddit]

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News:: Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash's breast mousepad coming to Europe

Hey Europe, if your hand hurts after slamming it against hard objects out of frustration that Portugal won Eurovision with one of the most forgetful songs there, then you can rest it on Yumi's breast as you look up Moldova and Sweden's entries on YouTube. No, you don't have to import from Japan, because it's coming in Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash's Girls of Paradise Edition DX for £169.99 / €199.99.

The mouse-pad is 45 cm x 46.5 cm x 8 cm and weighs 2 kg. Also included is an original soundtrack CD, art book, "Blu-ray compilation of opening animations from previous Senran Kagura games," and the following in-game DLC:

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News:: Review: Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series: Under Pressure

When last we joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, Telltale had launched the first episode of its debut Marvel series. Titled Tangled Up in Blue, it seemed to capture the essence of the misfit superteam, but its narrative couldn't quite make the case for itself.

Now, in the warm afterglow of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 film, we receive the next episode of the season, Under Pressure. Will Telltale be able to ratchet up the tension a bit and convince players to stick around for more reason than mere attachment to the Guardians themselves?

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News:: E3 2017 badge art revealed, not Persona for first time in years

Sega retains its stranglehold on E3 badges, but not in the way that we're used to. The E3 2017 badge art has just been revealed, and Persona's three year reign has come to an end.

Instead, it's Yakuza 6 and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim that are featured on the badges that some 65,000 convention-goers will wear. Yakuza is obviously a huge property for Sega, and it was revealed at PlayStation Experience that Yakuza 6 will be coming to the west next year. The 13 Sentinels inclusion comes on the heels of this morning's news that the Atlus-published game will also be released in the west.

This is fine and all, but we really need a new Persona to be announced. I need my E3 badge art to revert to the comforting ways that I'm used to.

E3 2017: Sega and Atlus Reveal Yakuza 6, 13 Sentinels Badge Art [IGN]

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News:: Steam Greenlight has closed and its replacement launches next week

Today marks the end of Steam Greenlight, Valve's system with which Steam users have been able to vote on upcoming games they'd like to see release on the platform since 2012. Valve is no longer taking new game and software submissions through Greenlight (or accepting votes), and on June 13, Steam Direct, the new pay-$100-per-title self-publishing model, will launch as a replacement.

Valve has another lengthy blog post dealing with specifics, particularly as they relate to developers affected by the shift from Greenlight to Direct. In short, it's going to review the 3,400+ pending submissions "over the next week" and plans to "Greenlight as many of the remaining games as we have confidence in." Titles that miss the mark will need to go through Direct from June 13 and on.

The company also brought user-engagement stats. "Now, five years since Greenlight started, we've seen over 90 Million votes cast on submissions in Greenlight. Nearly 10 Million players have participated in voting in Steam Greenlight, but over 63 million gamers have played a game that came to Steam via Greenlight. These players have logged a combined 3.5 billion hours of game time in Greenlight titles. Some of those titles, like The Forest, 7 Days to Die, and Stardew Valley, are in the list of top 100 selling games ever released on Steam."

"With these kinds of successes, the thousands of niche titles, and everything in between, we realized that a direct and predictable submission process will best serve the diverse interests of players moving forward," said Valve. To that end, the Direct publishing model is meant to flow like this: "A new developer will simply need to fill out some digital paperwork, including entering bank and tax information and going through a quick identity verification process. After completing the paperwork, the developer will be asked to pay a $100 recoupable fee for each game they wish to release on Steam. This fee is returned in the payment period after the game has sold $1,000."

There are caveats (all-new devs have a 30-day waiting period after payment for Valve to "review" their background; games need a coming-soon listing "a couple weeks prior to release"), but that's the gist. While it's tough to say how these changes will play out for users and developers long-term, I'm hopeful Direct is a step in the right direction and Valve is quick to adapt in places where it's falling short.

Closing Greenlight Today, Steam Direct Launches June 13 [Steam]

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News:: Xbox isn't bringing its virtual reality plans to E3

Whatever Microsoft has up its sleeve for E3, it allegedly won't include a virtual reality headset. Despite being the logical time to launch this sort of initiative, it seems as if Xbox's take on VR will be pushed into 2018 or beyond.

According to a report from Polygon, VR just simply isn't what Xbox is focused on right now. Microsoft technical fellow Alex Kipman said "Our primary focus is making our mixed reality experiences a success on Windows 10 PCs. We believe that right now a Windows PC is the best platform for mixed reality as its open ecosystem and enormous installed base offer the best opportunity for developers, and Windows offers the most choices for consumers."

It seems that a major reason for this is because Microsoft doesn't want to release a VR headset for consoles that isn't wireless. Kipman commented "Given the efforts we have underway on Windows for mixed reality, and our belief that console VR should be wireless, right now we are focused on developing mixed reality experiences for the PC, not on the console."

In the relative long-term, that means we likely won't see Xbox VR until at least 2018, if not later. At a minimum, that's probably a full two years after the technology launched on PC. But, more notable, that's more than a year after PlayStation VR released.

In the short-term, where does that leave Scorpio in 2017? By all accounts, it looks as if Microsoft's E3 press conference will be heavily centered around the new souped-up Xbox. The Scorpio is said to be the "most powerful console ever" in that it should be able to deliver native 4K resolution, and higher and more stable frame rates.

That's certainly a selling point, but it feels as if VR was the other major add. Now that's postponed and Microsoft will ask consumers to buy a machine this holiday with promises that it can do VR stuff sometime in the future. That will certainly diminish its immediate appeal for some people.

This is mostly conjecture for now, albeit conjecture that's rooted in logic. Microsoft has a lot to clear up about the Scorpio. We'll have a much better idea of Xbox's direction after this Sunday's press conference.

Don't expect Xbox VR to be at E3 this year, or in stores this holiday [Polygon]

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News:: GOG's throwing a huge summer sale on PC games, and we've got some recommendations

We have a semi-passive role when it comes to most video games sales. A company like Sony or Microsoft will discount a bunch of things and the extent of our involvement is letting you, our dear audience, know that some games are cheap. With GOG's Summer Sale, we're more directly involved.

We've teamed up with GOG to curate an editors' choice list of a few dozen of our favorite discounted titles. Go ahead and check it out here. There's some good stuff in there. The robot wouldn't steer you wrong.

This barely scratches the surface, though. The GOG Summer Sale has more than 1,500 games that are discounted to some extent, some of them as far as 90 percent. We've helped with our personal recommendations, but you'll have to dig deep into the bargain bin if you want to see everything that's offered.

There's good reason to do so, thanks to one extra perk that GOG has added. Your first purchase during the Summer Sale will come with a free copy of Rebel Galaxy. Nic reviewed that early last year and gave it a perfectly fine score of 6.5. Having that tossed in for free isn't a bad deal at all.

For those who are overwhelmed by this, don't feel bad. 1,500 games is a lot of games! But that's why we've chimed in to give you a good jumping off point. For those who are determined to look through everything, you've got some time to do so. GOG's Summer Sale runs until the morning of June 20.

Destructoid Picks [GOG]

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News:: Wear Destructoid shirts without pants at a science museum

Somebody just asked us if we had Destructoid shirts. Why yes, we do!

There's hoodies and some other nonsense on sale at Ye Olde Destructoid Shoppe. 100% of profits go towards the artists and overpriced airline beer, as we all get ready to fly to Los Angeles next week for the E3 Expo.  Your patronage is appreciated, thanks in advance! The shop is managed by Spreadshirt, we apologize in advance if shipping is wiggity whack (it's unfortunately beyond out control).

Have a cool idea for a Destructoid shirt?  Just design it and throw it on Spreadshirt and we'll help you promote it.  Make some money on us, why the hell not? We're not corporate and dickless. Enjoy life, chew foil with your family. 

Grab em here, thanks for shopping!

 

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News:: Blue Reflection is coming west to PS4 and PC

Gust is officially bringing it's new RPG Blue Reflection to America and Europe this September on PlayStation 4 (including physical release) and Windows PC via Steam. While the game released on PS Vita in Japan, western Vita owners who somehow lack both a PS4 and gaming PC are out of luck. America is first on September 26, while Europe gets it three days later on September 29.

Pre-ordering in either region will net you the Swimsuit and Rorona costume DLC along with a FreeSpace! theme for the in-game social networking app and a PS4 theme if you so happen to choose that platform. These bonuses are only offered by Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games and GameStop in America. For Europe, Centresoft, the PS Store, and Steam are option. Surely pre-ordering digitally through either PS Store or Steam in America will also earn you the bonuses, but it's not confirmed.

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News:: Ubisoft's Metroidvania game Outland is free on Steam for the next two days

A lot of people missed out on Outland back in 2011. Ubisoft didn't do a lot to promote the title and its release at the beginning of the Spring basically condemned it to die an unnoticed death. To add more insult to injury, it took a few years to make its way to PC, so even the wider audience that Steam reaches didn't have the opportunity to try it out close to release.

Well, if you've been on the fence all these years or are just craving a new action platformer, you're in for a treat. For the next 48 hours on Steam, you can grab Outland free of charge. I don't believe it utilizes Uplay, so you won't have to worry about extra software.

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News:: Battleborn gets a pseudo free-to-play option

It seems that all failing games eventually go the free-to-play route. Sadly, for as good as Battleborn may have actually been, it was a pretty big misstep for Gearbox Software. No matter what Randy Pitchford may have said (including talking about Battleborn themed porn), the game never took with the public, so this new "trial" only makes sense.

Launched today for PC and Xbox One (coming June 13 for PS4), the free download grants access to all available modes and maps of Battleborn, but limits you to a rotating cast of six characters. This is similar to how Heroes of the Storm or League of Legends works, just that those games didn't originally launch as a $60 game with a season pass.

You can unlock the rest of the cast by earning currency or purchasing "Platinum" currency with real money. If you owned the game before this shift, you'll be given "founder" status and a ton of extra nonsense.

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News:: What are the biggest questions you want to see answered at E3?

With E3 right around the corner (shoot, I should do laundry), we're almost at the passing of the torch of video game seasons. The pre-E3 speculation/rumors/predictions season is about to give way to finding out what's going to actually happen. I kind of like the former more, to be honest.

So, before we find out, what are the burning questions on your mind? Wanna know what each of the Big Three have to do in order to have a successful E3? Wondering which major franchise is most likely to make a surprise comeback?

We're recording our pre-E3 episode of Podtoid today and your inquiries are going to get us through the show. They have to because there sure as hell isn't any other interesting video game stuff happening. Leave us your questions and hypotheticals and ramblings in the comments. We'll do our best to answer them while feigning expertise and insider knowledge. But really, we're all just spitballin' here.

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News:: Review: Steel Division: Normandy 44

Given my career as a history teacher, you can bet your bippy I didn't "accidentally" post this on June 6.

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News:: 'Battleborn' is free, but you'll need money to make the most of it

We all had high hopes when Battleborn was shown off at E3 in 2015. The first game from the studio that brought us Borderlands mixed MOBA and FPS genres to create something that looked even more dynamic and fun than previous arena-based shooters like Team Fortress 2. Unfortunately, Blizzard's Overwatch eclipsed 2K's friendly shooter and left Battleborn far behind. Last year, the publisher offered a price cut and a new hero in hopes of attracting new players and encouraging game owners to return to the action. Today, in what might seem like a last stand for the arcade shooter, Battleborn is available as a free trial for new players on PS4, Xbox One and PC via Steam.

Source: 2K

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News:: Images of Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan crop up

Contruction is already underway over at Universal Studios Japan for the new Nintendo World section of the park, and some photos of the lot have popped up around the internet. Thus far it appears to be Mario focused, which may be for the best. As much as we'd all love to see Nintendo's own separate theme park covering all of its IPs, having a single theme is perhaps best for limited space.

I may be cynical at times but I'm a sucker for theme parks, especially Universal Studios. While I haven't quite made it to Disneyland or Sea in Tokyo, I've been to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka three times already. The charm is reliving great movies and feeling a part of those worlds if even only for a few minutes after hours of waiting. Best of all is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, for it's more than just a ride: they recreated an imitation Hogsmeade full of authentic-looking stores and goods (like butter beer).

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News:: People are still lining up for the Switch in Japan

Nintendo is attempting to meet demand with the Switch, and folks all over the world are feeling the impact of the shortages. That includes Nintendo's own home base of Japan.

According to multiple reports, people over in Japan are still lining up near daily to get their hands on the console. In some cases there's hundreds of people lining up, only for them to find out there there's only roughly 40 units in total at a particular store.

Nintendo was really smart to go with the portable angle here, as mobile gaming has been on the meteoric rise in Japan for the past five years or so. You don't see these kinds of lines over there for the Xbox!

26になったてくしーさん [Twitter via NeoGAF]

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News:: DiRT 4 gets giant release week deals up to 33% off

Don't have Amazon Prime or Best Buy GCU? No worries, because you can currently pick up the freshly released DiRT 4 at a large discount. Not just a little discount, but a surprisingly large 33% price cut for PS4 and Xbox One copies at Amazon on the North American console release day.

PC gamers aren't completely left in the dark, with discounts up to 23% off - though note that PC is facing a release date of June 9 instead of June 6 (which unsurprisingly confused a lot of people).

Reviews look to be positive, so a poor reception doesn't seem to be the reason for the big cut. For now, we're filing this away as an aggressive Amazon price robot - which means the deal can expire at any given time.

DiRT 4 Deals

• DiRT 4 (Steam) — $46.79 at GMG  (list price $60)
• DiRT 4 - Day One Edition (Xbox One) — $43.48 at Amazon  (list price $60)
• DiRT 4 - Day One Edition (PS4) — $40.31 at Amazon  (list price $60)

Given the delayed release date for PC is later this Friday, the Steam key above will still include the pre-order bonus offer of the Hyundai R5 rally car, team booster pack, and the founder icon.

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News:: HP’s VR backpack PC doubles as a desktop

Last year, HP revealed its solution to the trail of cables that plagues every Vive experience -- a VR powered-PC in a backpack. Aiming to make virtual reality a more immersive and portable experience, the latest in the company's Omen gaming range promised to transform users into a cable-free, VR-ready turtle. Now, a year later, HP has redesigned the Omen in an attempt to make it more versatile.

Via: The Verge

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News:: Review in Progress: Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku!

It’s been discussed at length that the continued survival of the PlayStation Vita is not to be attributed to the console’s manufacturer but to the niche third-party developers and indies that keep its small but active base engaged with a surprisingly steady stream of new games. It’s great little system for fans of Japanese games like myself and last year it kept bringing us hit after hit after hit.

One company that refuses to let it die is Nippon Ichi Software. The developer and its publisher, NIS America, are bringing over eight games to the system this year. Hopefully, the other seven are a bit more captivating than Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku!

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