News:: GTA modding tool quietly reappears after legal threats

The popular Grand Theft Auto V modding tool OpenIV now looks to be back in action, just weeks after its creators found themselves in a whole heap of legal trouble. Last month GTA publisher Take Two Interactive sent the creators of the modding software a cease and desist letter, claiming that the tool allowed users to bypass the game's security features and violated the publisher's rights. Unsurprisingly, this forced OpenIV to remove the mod's download link from its site on June 14th, resulting in a huge community backlash. Now, that link is back up and fans can once again download the modding tool directly from OpenIV's website.

Source: Kotaku

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News:: A day in the life of Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi

In the final episode of this season of toco toco, we're treated to a day with Rez, Lumines, and Space Chanel 5 creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi. This has become one of my favorite shows on YouTube.

The first half is Rez Infinite-centric, with another look at the vibrating full-body synesthesia suit ("I can definitely imagine this to be integrated to clothes in the future"), but later scenes at Mori Tower and a secret restaurant go beyond video games (though "everything is connected in a certain way").

"As technology is evolving, I believe that the realm that reaches out to the player's emotions is expanding too, which is why I want to keep creating games for the rest of my life," says Mizuguchi.

You keep making them, and we'll keep playing 'em.

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News:: Best 4th of July gaming desktop deals for 2017 starts at $480

With Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrency mining in vogue right now, prices of video cards have skyrocketed. It makes little sense this Summer to build a simple gaming rig with an in-demand GPU like the GTX 1070 or 1060 with prices at least $100 more than they use to go for (in some cases $300+ more than 'normal'). If you needed a new PC, however, there are some fairly good deals at Lenovo, HP, and GameStop this 4th of July. Similar to our laptop roundup earlier today, we've rounded up some of the noteworthy deals to check out - including a dirt cheap XPS 8910 with a Core i5 and a GeForce GT 730 for $480 (after using coupon XPS479 at checkout).

The cream of the deals we're seeing are on 2016 gaming PCs the manufacturers are trying to clear off their warehouse shelves, Namely, Lenovo is trying to rid themselves of the Intel 6th gen processor equipped Y710 Cube, while HP is trying to clear out their Omen 870 with the same processor lineup. These machines contain the coveted GTX 1060 at a price well under $1,000 and hundreds off their original list prices.

Despite the decent prices on the GTX 1060 desktops, our top pick out of the group of eight desktop deals below is the Legion Y710 Cube gaming desktop with the Radeon RX 480 for only $689. You'll essentially get a VR ready rig for under $700, and if electricity isn't an issue - you'll even be able to mine back some of your purchase cost. Conversely, you can always opt for the Dell XPS 8910 mentioned above for $480 which can actually play some light gaming at low settings with the GeForce GT 730.

Even GameStop is in on the action with the CyberPowerPC Game Master series desktops. Their pricey GTX 1070 equipped machine is $150 off and now priced at $1,350 - about the price you could build for in the current inflated GPU market. The GTX 1060 machine with Ryzen 5 has gone cheap as well with a drop to only $750 making it one of the cheapest 1060 pre-built desktops on the market.

Lenovo

• Lenovo "Legion" Y710 Cube Core i7-6700, GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, 1TB + 128GB SSD, 16GB, Killer WiFi — $899 (list price $1,350)
• Lenovo "Legion" Y710 Cube Core i5-6400, Radeon RX 480, 1TB, 8GB, Killer WiFi — $689 (list price $1,000)
• Lenovo IdeaCentre Y700 Core i5-6400, 8GB, 1TB, GTX 1050 Ti — $649 (list price $820)

Dell

• Dell XPS 8910 Core i5-6400, GeForce GT 730, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD — $479.99  (list price $800)
• Use coupon code: XPS479

HP

• HP Omen 870 Core i5-6400, GeForce GTX 1060, 8GB, 1TB — $799.99 (list price $900)
• HP Omen 870 Core i3-6100, Radeon RX 460, 8GB, 1TB — $629.99 (list price $700)

GameStop

• CyberPowerPC Ryzen 7 1700X, GeForce GTX 1070, 16GB, 120GB SSD + 1TB — $1,349.99 (list price $1,500)
• CyberPowerPC Ryzen 5 1400, GeForce GTX 1060, 8GB, 1TB — $749.99 (list price $750)

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News:: I'm Lyle McDouchebag and here's A Show on Destructoid that We Haven't Named Yet

You want more video on Destructoid? Here's a thing. We haven't even named it yet. I'm Lyle McDouchebag and I'll be in my trailer.

Anyway, here's what videogames did this week.

 

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News:: Dissidia is getting more Final Fantasy IV love soon

Final Fantasy IV has been my favorite of the series for a long while.

It has issues, as they all do, but I adore the blue aesthetic, the cast, and most importantly, the locales. It's just a beautiful game even on the SNES, and areas like the Crystal Palace and the final Lunar Subterrane dungeon are proof of that -- the former is even so beloved that it was recreated in Final Fantasy XIV.

The latter is getting another lease on life too, as it's going to be an arena soon in the arcade edition of Dissidia. It'll drop on July 12 as one of many character/level updates, and there's still a lot more to come in arcades. How much will be included in the base package of NT on the PS4 is still undecided.

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News:: China represents 25% of the world's game market

My sources tell me that there are a lot of people in China. At least three, and no less than two. So it isn't surprising to hear that China is continuing to extend it's lead as the biggest game market in the world, forecast to grow to a $29 billion industry in 2017.

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News:: Night Trap 25th Anniversary edition gets twitch-inducing new mode

I know a lot about Night Trap, more than I really should. Closer to the launch of the upcoming 25th Anniversary Edition, I'll tell you all about it. In the meantime a new trailer hit for the controversial FMV game's re-release, showcasing an additional new mode.

'Survivor' which has nothing to do with the '70s prog-rock band of the same name, sees the Martin household overrun with Augers (the game's vampiric beasts) which must be captured as quickly as possible, their numbers endlessly increasing until the player can take no more of that guitar-riff. 

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News:: Valve is taking control of the competitive ‘Dota 2’ scene

Next month, Valve will host The International 7 at Seattle's KeyArena. The annual Dota 2 tournament is all but set to break the record for prize pools in eSports for the fourth year running, with over $20 million in the kitty to date. But GabeN & Co is already looking past the headline championships to the next competitive season. While Dota 2 tournaments happen all the time, there are only three "official" Valve events: two "Majors" and The International. Next season, though, the house that Steam built will embrace the wider competitive community in a big way, sponsoring third-party tournaments and creating a new ranking system that will define how 2018's International plays out.

Source: Valve (Dota 2 blog)

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News:: Looks like the Crash N. Sane Trilogy really is harder

Over the weekend, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy launched to wild success and some odd comparisons to FromSoftware's masterpiece. While most everyone is pleased with the remaster, some people have been claiming that Crash is super difficult. I mean, it wasn't an easy game back in the day, but I guess it has somehow become harder after 21 years.

Apparently, that claim isn't a load of nonsense. According to a Reddit user TastyCarcass, who took a much closer look at the jumping physics, developer Vicarious Visions seems to have altered the collision box on Crash. Instead of utilizing a flat shaped hit box, like in the original games, they went with a pill shape that results in Crash sliding off ledges if he barely touches them.

On the one hand, this means you can slide off of platforms and jump in mid-air. On the other hand, it means you're less likely to make pixel perfect jumps or you'll fall to your doom if you're landing precisely on the edge of something. That is a bummer.

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News:: Five video game characters that bleed red, white, and blue

Every year on this day, the most American of days, I get to thinking about video game characters that are pure, perfect, hot-blooded Americans. The kind of stone cold action heroes whose hobbies include firing guns in the air while chugging back an ice cold Coors Light. 

The 4th of July is a time to stand up and loudly, obnoxiously declare "I AM AN AMERICAN!" It's also a time to discuss which hulking video game men with big guns make us feel the most American. So for your enjoyment on this beautiful Fourth, I've come to tell you all about five video game heroes who bleed red, white, and blue, and make all of us look like unpatriotic piles of trash. 

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News:: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy dattebasas the Americas August 25

If you've missed out on any of CyberConnect2's Naruto fighters last gen, then now's the perfect time to jump on them. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy may be a hell of a name to swallow, but it's also offering a hell of a lot. The collection offers all four mainline Ultimate Ninja Storm titles -- Ultimate Ninja Storm, Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst, and Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Road to Boruto -- with all DLC, remastered visuals for the older titles, and twelve minutes of anime. 

If you just wanted the first three games, Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy will be available digitally. But I'll probably go for the one with the art book and the anime. Though I have no idea what a "Boruto" is. 

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy will be out on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One August 25. It'll run you $79.99 USD. 

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News:: You're lost without this Rock Band 4 DLC

With how popular Ghost became to the Metal scene in such a short span, its hard to imagine they weren't already featured in Rock Band 4. I mean, we've got heavier acts like Opeth and Nevermore, but not Ghost? That blasphemy is about to be rectified this Thursday with the release of Ghost's classic "Cirice" into the game.

Along with that comes Disturbed's "Down with the Sickness" to the Rock Band 4 store. That song was featured in Rock Band 2, but this is mostly for people who didn't pay to transfer the songs into the latest entry (which you can no longer do, by the way). While that song is a hit in its own right, it has nothing on Ghost.

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News:: Four patriotic movies to watch on the Fourth of July

The most patriotic of our major American holidays is upon us and for many that means barbeques, a day off from work, and fireworks. But me? Barbeques aren't the same for me since I don't eat meat, I work today because freedom ain't free, and my city shoots off fireworks every time a dog takes a crap on the side of the road so fireworks are nothing special to me anymore.

What I like to do to celebrate my freedom is to kick back in my recliner, pop open a few Budweiser destroying craft brewed sour ales, and watch some of my favorite patriotic movies. So in order to aid your patriotism today, here is the Flixist approved top four patriotic movies of all time to watch on the Quatro de Julio.

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News:: Shovel Knight and Shantae set to strike in Blaster Master Zero

When Inti Creates announced that the leads from Azure Striker Gunvolt and Gal Gun would make their way into Blaster Master Zero, fans were excited, but not all together shocked. Both characters were Inti Creates originals, so we can presume they were able to include them in their latest game for no great cost.

Seeing Shovel Knight and Shantae announced for inclusion in the game feels a lot more surprising, though when you dig a little bit, it makes just as much sense. Yacht Club Games published the physical release of Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, and even helped make the game compatible with the Shovel Knight amiibo, allowing you to unlock a hard as heck bonus boss battle against the dandy digging dynamo. On the other hand, Inti Creates worked on the two most recent Shantae games, so while they don't own the character, they are no strangers to partnering with her creators.

The Shantae DLC set for release on July 6, with Shovel Knight DLC coming about a month later on August 3. Both will be free for two weeks after their respective launches, costing $1.99 a piece after that. I hope this isn't the end of the Blaster Master Zero character DLC. Miriam from Bloodstained and Beck from Mighty Number 9 Mighty Gunvolt Burst are likely contenders for the next round, though personally, I'd love to see Trace from Axiom Verge make the cut as well. 

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News:: Echo Arena strikes the perfect balance between competition and humping

Echo Arena had a free weekend for Oculus Rift owners recently, and I was eager to jump in and see what it was all about. They made a point to mention how big this was going to be at this year's E3, even going so far as to promote an eSport tournament for it in the future. 

I can't so much comment on whether or not this will thrive as a spectator sport, but holy crap did I enjoy playing it myself.

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News:: Darkest Dungeon's Crimson Court gets update, PSN release date

As I said in my review last week, Darkest Dungeon's pitiless expansion The Crimson Court is delightfully cruel. But, as with any experience designed to ride the razor edge between pleasure and pain, there are a few rough edges that stand out. Thankfully, Red Hook is breaking out the sandpaper and smoothing them down in the game's latest developer update. 

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News:: Someone rescued an NES rotting in a barn for 20 years

For 20 years, a Nintendo Entertainment System was rotting in a barn in Kentucky. This is the story of how one man saved it.

Okay it's not that dramatic, but you get the picture. Anyone who is remotely interested in fixer upper videos should catch this clip from Luke Morse, who repairs the "extensive damage" and manages to salvage the console. It's crazy to see how well off that copy of Mario was though (it'll outlive the cockroaches).

Again, retro products that are no longer in production are important relics of our past. Even with things like emulation keeping the dream alive, having the original source code of a project or the original hardware are game-changers for preservation efforts.

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News:: This browser game simulates workplace tedium and soul-crushing, endless memos

Over here in the United States, most of us have off from work on Independence Day. It's a National Holiday, after all, where people gather to grill meat, drink beer, and remember Bill Pullman's iconic speech about kicking alien ass. It's a lazy, relaxing day; a few hours where most people can escape the doldrums of a working life.

It's ironic then that I spent a notable percentage of my morning playing Pippin Barr's It Is As If You Were Doing Work. The browser-based game is a low-fi send up to the often soul-crushing nature of inter-office memos and the tedious nature of endless typing.

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News:: How 'League of Legends' can shape the future of eSports

League of Legends is a driving force of the eSports industry. With more than 100 million players around the world and tournaments that regularly sell out stadiums including the Staples Center and Madison Square Garden, League represents the epitome of mainstream professional gaming. League sets the eSports standard.

That's one reason it was such a big deal when Riot Games announced massive changes coming to the North American League of Legends Championship Series, which decides the team competing in the World Championship every year. The new rules are designed to give North American players and franchises more security, more money, and more input in league decisions. After about a month to absorb the new regulations, we spoke with leaders and coaches of three major League of Legends teams -- Immortals, Team Dignitas and Team Liquid -- about what this means for the future of professional play.

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News:: The success of Crash 'could lead to other things,' says Activision

The just-released Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is doing remarkably well for itself. The PlayStation 4 remaster is reviewing well and selling even better. So, where does that leave Activision? More remasters in a similar vein, or an all-new extension to the Crash series? Decisions, decisions.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg said the company is "experimenting" with the N. Sane Trilogy. "We know there's a vocal fanbase that wanted that to come back. But you never know if that is emblematic of a larger audience or just this niche, nostalgia-based community. So far, we are seeing some real passion for it, so that could lead to other things."

"Of course, we are always trying to find the next big thing," he added. "But our first priority is to make sure we are servicing the communities that we are already lucky enough to have."

I'd love to see Crash Team Racing return, but more generally speaking, Spyro. It's gotta happen.

"Gamers are part of our creative process" - Activision's Eric Hirshberg [GamesIndustry.biz]

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News:: Masterminds, start your engines: Evil Genius 2 confirmed for PC

Aspiring villains the world over have reason to celebrate. After 12 long years of languishing, Sniper Elite developer Rebellion has announced the active development of Evil Genius 2. The word came at the tail-end of a "State of Rebellion" interview put out today, in which CEO Jason Kingsley confirms the title is in active development, with real-live humans at work.

"We’d like to make this super-duper clear – this isn’t a remaster. Evil Genius 2 will be a fully-fledged sequel and it won’t be free-to-play," a press release we now know exists reads. The latter is a big deal, after a couple of ill-received attempts at such models in the past. Talk was made of crowdfunding a sequel back in 2013, but was dropped to focus on other IP's.

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News:: Stukov isn't on my list of wanted characters, but his outing in Heroes of the Storm is interesting

I was pretty heavily into StarCraft in...what...middle school (man), but the universe, not so much -- well, at least as much as other Blizzard games.

There's something about it that didn't really capture me until the final expansion for Starcraft II, but I still followed along all that time so I wasn't completely lost when new faces started interacting with old ones. As a result of that cursory interest, when Stukov's name popped up as a potential character for Heroes of the Storm, I kind of shrugged.

But after actually playing him, I'm a little more stoked.

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News:: Take cover, Doomfist is coming to Overwatch

In recent months Overwatch players have spoken in hushed tones about the identity of Doomfist, believed to be the next character joining the popular arena-shooter's roster. Anyone who has seen the carnage in the airport of the Numbani map can attest to the destruction he will bring to game.

Blizzard have released a new statement, worded as always in the form of a fictional news bulletin, casting some light on the mysterious newcomer. Revealing his true identity as Akande Ogundimu, the statement explains how Doomfist was broken out of custody by the nefarious Talon organisation, who are associated with assassins Reaper and Widowmaker, among other reprobates.

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News:: 5 Star Wars games that would be better with an American Bald Eagle

I don’t like to say this in public or on the internet or in the privacy of my own home because it’s not cool to be patriotic these days, but I fucking love this country. There, I said it. Don’t @ me. I love everything about it. I love the freedom. I love fireworks. I love barbecuing. I love the flag. I love John Phillip Souza. I love basebaZZZzzzzzz…. Oh God, sorry I fell asleep writing the word "baseball" because it’s such a fucking boring sport.

I also love Star Wars. Fuck yeah, Star Wars. I’ve always said if you’re going to live in this universe you better speak Galactic Basic Standard or get the fuck out. I love Luke. I love Han. I especially love Leia. It’s such a fucking awesome series and the games it spawned have been epic. They’re all good, yessiree not a bad one in the bunch.

Unfortunately, my love of this great country of ours and my love of Star Wars has never really mixed because Star Wars takes place in a galaxy far, far away. Like, further than Cleveland is from my house I bet. And that sucks for Obi-Wan and Vader and Darth Maul and, my favorite, Jar-Jar Binks because they’ve never experienced the greatness of America. Star Wars is practically perfect as it is, but you know what would make it even better: the American Bald Eagle.

So, on this holiest of days, May the 4th of July Be With You, I want to tell you what five Star Wars video games would be as awesome as truck nutz if they just added a frickin bald eagle. Woooo!

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News:: Splatoon 2 is somehow only 3.1GB on Switch, still less than NBA Playgrounds

As you may have heard, the developers for NBA Playgrounds are having a hell of a time pushing an update to the Switch edition of the game. The reason cited is space issues and patch limitations from Nintendo, but this sort of leaves out the fact that the game is 7.4GB. Yes, an arcade basketball game that has technical issues is roughly seven and a half gigs. It still blows my mind. Allegedly, that delayed patch will reduce the file size of the game.

Meanwhile, Nintendo, the platform holders, have their optimization down as expected. Splatoon 2 was just listed on the European eShop, and clocks in at 3.1GB -- you won't need to clear out lots of space! Before you actually download it though another and presumably final Splatoon 2 Direct is coming. At this point I having played it at various preview events and seen plenty of videos, I'm hyped out -- I just want to get my hand son it.

Splatoon 2 [Reddit]

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News:: Old Hearthstone expansions are returning to the store

With the departure of cards from Hearthstone's standard gameplay modes, those cards have also been removed from the store. This made it tough for new players wanting to play old Adventures, or simply collect Wild cards. For quite awhile now, anyone looking to play old Adventures like Black Rock Mountain has been out of luck.

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News:: When tech nostalgia goes too far

Nintendo had a bonafide smash on its hands with the NES Classic. And it looks like the SNES mini console will fly off of store shelves just as quickly. But it's not the only company looking to cash in on your nostalgia. Nowadays, there are reboots of TV shows like Twin Peaks and MST3K. Oh, and how about Netflix's Stranger Things, a series that's basically a love letter to the 80s? These are all examples of nostalgia products done right. But not everything we've seen in recent years has been as great as you would have hoped. Because, seriously, do you really want one of the Furbys pictured above watching you sleep? And who would be caught dead toting around a Tamagotchi in 2017?

You know what, maybe that is you, and who are we to judge? But if you ask us, these 10 things probably took our retro obsession a little too far.

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