Sunday, July 9, 2017

News:: Jump up in the air with the Super Mario Odyssey theme's rock cover

We may have a good way to go before Super Mario Odyssey opens the doors to New Donk City, but that isn't stopping us from getting excited. As the weekend comes to an end, music arranger Tsuko G. uploaded a rock version of "Jump Up, Super Star!," the game's theme song. 

Just like the original tune, I love how this arrangement brought joy to my heart. In fact, both tracks convey Paulina's status as a great mayor since it's rare to see the head of a city hold a concert for their citizens. 

GoNintendoTweet [Twitter] 

Jump up in the air with the Super Mario Odyssey theme's rock cover screenshot

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News:: McDonald's Japan is getting a Pokémon McFlurry next week

With Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! hitting Japan on July 15, McDonald's is commemorating this event with a Pokémon McFlurry. Unfortunately, the dessert's flavor is a mystery.

Thankfully, the fast food chain is holding a retweet campaign where people can guess the flavor from a list of choices. In other words, we have an idea of what to expect. The options are Pikachu chocolate-covered banana, Bulbasaur broccoli, Charmander habanero, Squirtle ramune, Jigglypuff peach, and Gengar purple potato.

From the looks of it, I think this list implies that the original water-type turtle is the best starter creature. While I swore off McDonald's for good, this collaboration is making me want to break my oath. Part of it has to do with my interest in trying an ice cream treat with a strange flavor. Luckily, I'm immune to temptation since I won't be traveling to Japan during the Pokémon McFlurry's debut on July 14.

Pokémon McFlurry coming to McDonald's Japan for a limited time [SoraNews24]

McDonald's Japan is getting a Pokémon McFlurry next week screenshot

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News:: Weekend deals: 26% off Shadow of War, gaming desktop, and console sale

The trend in upcoming PC game deals of late is about 10% off. This is a regression from the 20% off we use to see in 2015 and 2016, but for about a week - GMG has brought back an 18% off code for select upcoming 2017 releases this weekend. Best of all, that coupon code stacks with available instant savings making total discounts up to 26% off on titles like Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, Agents of Mayhem, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, and upcoming Fall 2017 releases.

While the PlayStation Mid-Year or Xbox Live Ultimate Game Sale looks "just okay", a new Summer Sale has hit that really perked our deal noses. The GameStop Game Days Sale had dozens of titles at record lows like Mass Effect Andromeda for $19.99 and Injustice 2 for $39.99. You can see a full roundup here or our top picks below.

Since Friday, GameStop has added a number of new titles to the sale: they've brought back Overwatch Game of the Year Edition (Battle.net key) on the PC for only $40, while on the console side, they've added Bandai Namco titles such as Dark Souls III The Fire Fades Edition for $40 and Toukiden 2 for $30.

Thanks to cryptocurrency mining, this Summer GPU prices have been inflated 1.5x to 2x their value compared to just a month ago. If you wanted to build a simple gaming rig this season the prices don't make sense to buy separately and you're better off just buying a pre-built system which hasn't seen crazy inflation. We've rounded up some of the best gaming desktops near or under the $1,000 mark below.

Top Deals

Upcoming PC Titles Sale

Use Coupon: 2017E318OFF

GameStop Game Deals Sale

Gaming Desktops

Console Deals

 

Recent Releases

Upcoming Releases

Upcoming PC Titles Sale (con't)

Use Coupon: 2017E318OFF

PC Game Deals

Console Game Deals

PS4

Laptop Deals

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

Weekend deals: 26% off Shadow of War, gaming desktop, and console sale screenshot



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News:: Check out the Completed Games Challenge, brought to you by Turbokill!

The number-one issue plaguing Dtoiders nowadays is a backlog. Even without the sales from Steam, PS Plus, or Xbox Live Gold, 2017 has been a big year for great games that attracted people to buy them while they're hot, despite not having the free time to play them all the way through.

Check out the Completed Games Challenge, brought to you by Turbokill! screenshot

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News:: Review: Bulb Boy

I can't get into most adventure games. Hunting for objects and attempting to use them in puzzles is typically too tedious for me to enjoy, and drawn-out narratives between characters with little to no interaction have literally put me to sleep before. Off the top of my head, I can only think of one adventure title I've liked previously which was the arguably underappreciated Oxenfree.

Now I can officially say there are two adventure games I like.

Review: Bulb Boy screenshot

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News:: Electronic Super Joy 2 turns to Patreon for funding

I've spoken with enough indie developers to know that one successful game doesn't guarantee future success. People like Team Meat members Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, as well as everyone's favorite bigot, Markus "Notch" Persson, are the exception rather than the rule. You can have one game that is popular, has sold well and is even recognized as "great," but then it falls off the face of the Earth and you become irrelevant.

This has happened to Michael Todd, the creator of Electronic Super Joy. While I loved the game and its got plenty of fans on Steam, that success hasn't provided an endless supply of income. So, while it may be surprising to many, Todd has taken to Patreon to seek funding for the sequel to his hit game.

Electronic Super Joy 2 turns to Patreon for funding screenshot

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News:: What does the community think of ARMS?

To me, ARMS looks like a game born out of the philosophy that gave birth to the breakout hit that was Splatoon. It is a game with a sharp visual design that doesn't skimp on color. It's also a game with a simple conceit that has a hidden pool of skill, rich with mechanics and strategy. Also just like Splatoon, it seems relatively bare for content but promises a steady stream of free DLC to keep refreshing the game.

What does the community think of ARMS? screenshot

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News:: Dataminer uncovers hidden items and clothing options in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

Getting sick of those same old clothing options in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds? Well, it's very possible that more options, including suits of armor, are on the way. 

DevinWatson posted over on PUBG's Reddit showing off some of these unreleased items, 54 in total.

Dataminer uncovers hidden items and clothing options in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds screenshot

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News:: Who is in your Miitopia squad?

After sitting on my 3DS for the past few days, I finally got around to starting up the Miitopia demo. It's a bit of a beefy demo, allowing me to traverse what I assume is much of the first land of the game, powering up my squad to level 6 while forming the early foundations of friendship between my crew.

If you haven't downloaded it yet or just haven't heard what it's all about, Miitopia is an RPG featuring Mii avatars. The world is populated with random Miis while important characters can be filled with the faces you choose. You can also leave some of them up to chance, which is how I ended up with Mei from Overwatch playing what I can only assume is a pivotal role in the story.

Who is in your Miitopia squad? screenshot

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News:: Daniel Craig reportedly agrees to play Bond again

After Spectre came out Daniel Craig was not too kind to the chances of him ever playing Bond again. The role is an incredible amount of pressure and the shooting is often stressful so he had some choice words about returning. However, that stance softened a bit a few months later and sine then we've all been debating whether he'd return or not. It appears that producer Barbara Broccoli has convinced him to do so. 

Take this with a grain of salt since it isn't official confirmation, and then a few more grains because it's from The Mirror, but the report is that he was somehow convinced to return. If I had to wager money on how he was convinced I'm betting it was with a lot of money, and then some more money on top of it. Of course nothing is signed yet, but an insider says it's a total lock.

He evidently won't be the only one returning if Broccoli has her way. The Bond producer wants Adele back to sing the title song. This makes a ton of sense considering the hit that "Skyfall" was and the total pile of crap they got out of Sam Smith. It's not unprecedented for a singer to record multiple Bond songs as Shirley Basey recorded three, but doing two so close together hasn't been done before. I loved "Skyfall" so I'm all for her coming back. 

As for Craig's return? Hell and yes. The guy has been knocking out of the park even in his bad outings so another turn isn't a bad thing at all. At 48 he still looks in the age range for the role, and considering the shape he's in I don't think we're going to get any awkwardly old Roger Moore feelings. Plus, the end of Spectre kind of necessitated his return to the character. Now that this is confirmed I'm really hoping for a sort of On Her Majesty's Secret Service remake in terms of a key death that will finish off Craig's Bond's development into the true James Bond he's been heading towards since the franchise rebooted with him.

Daniel Craig WILL stay on as James Bond and Adele is tipped to sing theme again [The Mirror]

Daniel Craig reportedly agrees to play Bond again screenshot



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News:: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze holds gaming's greatest water level

Over this past Fourth of July extended weekend, I spent much of my time chilling out in the hotel pool while on vacation with my family. It was nice to just sit back and let the water envelope my body, to get some exercise swimming from end to end, and to dive down to the bottom, seeing how low I can go before freaking out and surfacing, gasping for air like the pansy I am. Oh yes, I love the water. Water levels in games? Not so much. Sure, The Legendary Starfy proved an entire game built around water levels could be a blast, but for the most part, water levels slow the action to a crawl, taking away precise controls in favor of a more floaty challenge. Some, however, float high above the rest.

A person more eloquent than me could argue Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the greatest platformer ever made. A person more stupid than me should be able to convince you it’s the greatest Donkey Kong game ever made. Retro Studios’ imaginative sequel to the game that revived the franchise is one of the standout titles on the Wii U, managing to 1-up its predecessor in nearly every way. From graphics to gameplay to music, Tropical Freeze excels. In respect to gameplay, the return of water levels, missing from DKC Returns, was a welcomed reintroduction for the series. Donkey Kong Country games have always been home to memorable water levels, and Irate Eight from Tropical Freeze just happens to be the best one ever made.

Amiss Abyss may be the more visually arresting level, but the challenge, urgency, and creativity of Irate Eight make it so much more dynamic. Featuring a cover of DKC2’s Lockjaw’s Saga, Irate Eight is a race for survival against the nefarious Squiddicus, returning from Donkey Kong Country Returns. There, it was the main obstacle in Stormy Shore. Here, it is one of many dangers you have to avoid, along with sinking spikes, mines, Mama Saws, Finleys, and Pufftups. The race to escape Squiddicus unwinds over three parts: the initial chase, dodging its tentacles as you swim towards safety and one final chase where it literally brings down the stage to stop you. Just thinking about it right now makes me want to stop writing this and go play that level again.

Irate Eight is a goddamn fantastic level and anybody who tries to argue it isn’t the absolute best water stage is nothing but a barnacle.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze holds gaming's greatest water level screenshot

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News:: Pit People has some exceptional multiplayer and a talking cupcake

I’ve been a big fan of The Behemoth ever since I first played Castle Crashers. I was familiar with their Newgrounds content, but never really took the plunge until the genre defining beat-'em-up landed on Xbox Live Arcade in 2008. It was almost revelatory in how good that game was, along with having a plain colorful and hilarious art style. I immediately became a fan and eagerly waited for their next release.

BattleBlock Theater took quite awhile to hit the 360, but I eventually ended up grabbing it and loving that game, as well. The Behemoth has such wild creativity and reckless disregard for established conventions that it seems like everything they craft is gold. Pit People looked to be more of the same, at least from an aesthetic standpoint.

When I gave the game a shot at RTX this weekend (somehow missing it at PAX this past March), I can’t say I walked away from the single-player porting all too excited. The multiplayer, though, is a totally different beast and definitely has the hallmarks of another instant classic.

Pit People has some exceptional multiplayer and a talking cupcake screenshot

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News:: Fable Fortune's early access pushed to July 25

Fable Fortune, the collectible card game set in the Fable universe was expected to drop into early access this Tuesday, July 11, on PC and Xbox One. Well, Fable fans will have to wait just a bit longer as that date has been pushed to July 25.

Luke Borrett, the producer at Mediatonic, the studio co-developing the title, announced on the Fable Fortune blog that the delay is due to an administration error.

 

Fable Fortune's early access pushed to July 25 screenshot

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News:: Summer Games Done Quick hits a personal best raising $1.7m for charity

A week of incredible speed-running came to an end today as the curtain fell on charity-drive Summer Games Done Quick, with a final total raised of $1,760 415 on stream closure.

The figure beat last year's total of $1,294,139 and was raised by donators the world over, from as small as a one dollar to as large as tens of thousands. The event itself was a cavalcade of excitement, fun and community spirit, as gamers converged upon Minneapolis to play a host of titles, old and new.

Summer Games Done Quick hits a personal best raising $1.7m for charity screenshot

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News:: Retroid records tonight, and we're talking retro horror games

Retroid is recording its fifth episode tonight, and we'll be talking about retro horror games. I'm not very familiar with the topic myself, but I'm bringing in three experts, so we're switching the cast up quite a bit this week. I'll be joined by Aaron Yost (Mxy), Conor Elsea (Jon Bloodspray), and Joanna Mueller (Mom/Zodiac Eclipse). 

We'll be talking about stuff like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, but also older games like Alone in the Dark, Splatterhouse and the NES versions of Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Jaws. If you have questions for us, you can write them below or send them in to @RetroidPodcast on Twitter.

Retroid records tonight, and we're talking retro horror games screenshot



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