News:: Bubsy was originally planned to be a Cheetos game

For all three of you excited about the upcoming Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back, Did You Know Gaming has uploaded a video that is all about Bubsy. One of the more interesting facts contained is that Bubsy was originally envisioned as a Chester Cheetah game for Cheetos, but Bubsy's creator (Michael Berlyn) didn't want to pay for the advertising rights. Bubsy was also influenced by the design of Sonic the Hedgehog, although I'm sure anyone could have guessed that.

Berlyn was known, at the time, for making text based adventure games and wanted to break away from being typecasted. He begged his producer to allow him to make a game in the vein of Sega's breakout hit. After being initially rejected, Berlyn's producer said he would consider the idea if Berlyn wrote a paper on why Sonic was a great game. This led to Berlyn playing Sonic for 10 hours a day in the name of research.

I guess he just really wanted to make Bubsy, eh?

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News:: What are the community's favorite horror settings?

It's been almost a whole year since I purchased Bloodborne, got slaughtered in Central Yharnam, and put the game down. But ever since October started, I managed to push through my previous failures and finally experience Yharnam in all its spooky glory. I now appreciate what Occams previously said when he stated his love of Bloodborne's Lovecraftian elements and horror ambiance.

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News:: Say goodbye to Miiverse with this massive collage

We are just 10 days away from the end of the Miiverse. At 10:00 pm PST on November 7, the service goes dark just a couple days short of its five year anniversary. Starting with the Wii U and spreading to the 3DS just over a year later, the Miiverse played a wonderful role in connecting gamers with one another through art, memes and funny messages. I treasured every time I would see some crazy message on a billboard in Splatoon or got a glimpse of some stranger's achievements through the use of stamps in Super Mario 3D World. It's a nice feature, but just like other nice features from Nintendo (Everybody Votes channel, Flipnote Studio 3D) its longevity just wasn't meant to be.

As a nice send off for the service, the Miiverse team has put together this massive collage of users saying "thank you."It's nice to see there is this much love for it from both its users and developers. Click the image below to see the full picture and all the little posts that make it up.

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News:: What constitutes a spoiler?

It’s easy to understand what qualifies as a “spoiler” with games in most cases, but recent releases like Breath of the Wild and  Super Mario Odyssey have started to raise some questions among the Destructoid community about what’s appropriate to discuss freely. With these two games, the story is something of a moot point. It’s all about the experience of discovering gameplay mechanics, characters, and settings first-hand. That personally-built narrative which players create while coming across things of their own volition is what makes these games so compelling.

Does a randomly-encountered NPC count as something too taboo to share? A newly discovered world/level? How about unlockable costumes and accessories? Where do we draw the line?

It varies from person to person, and that’s led to some interesting viewpoints on the matter. It’s easy to dismiss most of this as over-sensitive fanboy bitching, but that’s a rather lazy train of thought. As the definition of what a “video game” can be broadens with time, so do the elements that make the experience relevant in the first place. 

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News:: Visually striking mobile game FRAMED is heading to PC next year

One of the coolest games I saw at PAX 2015 was FRAMED, an indie mobile game based around shifting different comic book like panels to create a new narrative. It had something to do with a noir thriller and some murder mystery, but the whole concept was just amazing and something I really wanted to get my hands on.

While I never did get around to it (I've only recently acquired a tablet that can actually play anything), it looks like I won't need to bother with a mobile device. Developer Loveshack Entertainment (baby!) has announced that FRAMED and its sequel, FRAMED 2, will be heading to Steam next year in what they are calling the FRAMED Collection.

"Thanks to our previous success," the official Steam store page reads, "we are now able to bring the collected compilation of the classic panel-switching games, along with some new, unique features to Steam. The games have been completely overhauled and redesigned for Steam, and given that extra love and care needed that we know connoisseurs of great taste demand." These overhauls include full mouse and controller support, Steam achievements, trading cards and cloud saves.

There is no release date or price given, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this go for $15. Mobile games always cost a bit more on PC, but I'm willing to pay more to have unrestricted resolutions and far better controls. At least FRAMED can finally get the attention it deserves.

FRAMED Collection [Steam]

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News:: New trailer for Dragon's Crown Pro speaks of 4K resolution, cross-play features

Atlus have released a second trailer for the upcoming re-release of PS3 & PS Vita title Dragons' Crown for the PS4, currently scheduled to launch in Japan early next year.

The new extended trailer features footage of the revamped action-RPG title, which will have overhauled 4K visuals, a soundtrack re-recorded by a live orchestra, and cross-play with the last-gen editions of the game, as well as the ability to import your old save data.

While there is still no news of a Western release, it was also announced that the new version of the title will feature both Japanese and English language options.

Dragon's Crown Pro launches on PS4 in Japan on February 8. The first-run of the game will include a quirky digital version of an old-school game book.

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News:: Arcade shooter 'Nex Machina' gets a physical release November 10th

Resogun creator Housemarque has earned a reputation as a specialist in digital-only game releases (its last hard copy release was 2012's Angry Birds Trilogy), but it's about to buck that trend. The studio has announced that its well-received, Smash TV-style PS4 arcade shooter Nex Machina will be available in a disc-based version through Limited Run Games on November 10th. There's a $30 standard edition if you just want something tangible, but the centerpiece is a $65 Collector's Edition that includes the soundtrack on CD, a poster and four art prints in a special edition box. Arguably, that's the version to get -- if you want more than a download, you might as well get something truly memorable.

Source: Housemarque

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News:: Review in progress: Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Many years ago, as the struggles of college encased me in a constant state of anxiety, I would often daydream of leaving it all behind, throwing away my cell phone, and hitting the road in a VW bus. I found them parked along the streets of my college town, in all different colors, and each time I passed one while going for a walk it would lure me another inch towards that nomadic lifestyle, one free of all the worries and financial troubles of the modern day. I could feel the stress lifting off my shoulders every time I thought about it, but it was all just my imagination.

In reality, what I was doing was romanticizing poverty. The people who live out of their vans and venture across the country aren’t the soulful folk poets and sensitive writers I imagined them to be. As I read in Jessica Bruder’s Nomadland, many are struggling to get by, working odd jobs just to put food in their mouths and gas in their tank. Learning the realities of the nomad existence crushed my wayward dreams, but van life in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp has those idealized impressions creeping into my mind once more.

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News:: Recommended Reading: Is 'Stranger Things' really that popular?

In Netflix's Upside Down Reality, 'Stranger Things' Is a Hit Before It Even Premieres
Victor Luckerson,
The Ringer

The excitement around Stranger Things season 2 has been building for months. We've seen soundtracks, merchandise and all kinds of promo tie-ins with other companies along the way. As the show returns this week, the buzz is already so high that reviews probably won't even matter -- people will binge it anyway. It also helps that the first season was both really good and seemed to be really popular, despite the company not releasing any numbers. The Ringer takes a look at how Netflix creates the feeling of must-see TV even though we might not ever find out how popular its shows really are.

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News:: Eight horror games you must play before you die (of fright!)

[This is not a drill, people - you only have three and a half more days to play horror games. After Tuesday night, you have to put them all back on the shelf until next October. Nobody plays horror games November-September. It's illegal. Probably. Let Casus Gaming give you a horror game primer to help you squeeze in a few last titles before the season is up. Did he miss some? Discuss in the comments below, and sell potential players on what other horror games must be experienced before the sweet release of death takes us all! - Wes]

People celebrate Halloween in...different ways. Some people dress up as slutty potted plants and go to parties. Others get together and watch horror movies til their eyes bleed.

I play video games.

So with the spirit of Spooktobersween in the air, I wanted to share what I (and one other friend who brainstormed with me) consider to be eight of the essential must-play-before-you-die horror games.

There are a few rules for this list.

• First, only one game per series because otherwise this list would be dominated with Silent Hill and Resident Evil.
• Two, I tried to pick games that embody different styles of horror.
• Three, if there's an amazing horror game you think I missed, I probably didn't play it.
• Four, a game doesn't necessarily have to be scary to be horror. In fact action games can make for perfectly good horror games too, if done right.

And in no particular order, here's the top eight horror games you must play before you die!

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News:: Cheapest Assassin's Creed Origins on PC is $48 after a few clicks

Released on Friday, Assassin's Creed Origins is winning mostly favorable reviews from outlets and users alike. (Read the review here).  User reviews on Steam Store are pegged at "mostly positive" with 76% of reviews being positive. Scanning the reviews, negative user reviews are fairly being centered on performance issue and showcase clearly that the game is a console port. Having said that, if you're an Assassin's Creed fan on the PC, and you also enjoy ancient Egyptian history - this appears to be a title worth checking out.

The good news is that digital retailers are still offering a discount to incentivize early purchase during release week (because there's a high likelihood that Origins will be 33% or more in a month or two). If you want to play this week vs. late-November, PC gamers can pick up discounts up to 19% off by following a few steps.

Assassin's Creed Origin PC Deals 

• Assassin's Creed: Origins (Uplay) — $48.44  (list price $60)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins Deluxe Edition (Uplay) — $56.59  (list price $70)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins Gold Edition (Uplay) — $80.74  (list price $100)
• Generate extra 5% off code here (login required)

Clicking through above, you'll see standard discounts for 15% off. But if you log-in or create an account and head to GMG's VIP Page, you'll be able to generate a unique 5% off coupon code that will work for Assassin's Creed Origins. (The code will also work on recent titles such as South Park: The Fractured But Whole and Wolfenstein II: A New Colossus).

Add the generated code to your cart during checkout and you'll see $11.55 taken off the Standard Edition, $13.40 taken off for the Deluxe Edition, and finally, $19.25 taken off for the Gold Edition.

You may also notice that there's a clock running down on the extra 5% off coupon for Assassin's Creed Origins. This deal is valid until October 30 next week through 11:00pm Pacific Time.

We're fairly certain there will be another promotion on the game when the clock strikes zero, but the discount may be a different amount or variation. Either way, 19% off isn't too shabby of a deal from an authorized Ubisoft distributor.

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

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News:: You can help the community Streamtoid channel raise money for Extra-Life!

Surely you've heard of Extra-Life? The annual event that brings gamers together to raise money for sick kids in their local Children's Miracle Network Hospital? Well this year not only has Destructoid organized a team to help raise money, but we're bringing back the community twitch channel to do it, Streamtoid!

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News:: Adorability factor of NieR: Automata 2B plush may destroy us all

After the release of NieR: Automata in March this year, a superstar burst forth into gaming's mainstream: NieR's demure but destructive heroine, 2B. Well, now you can have your very own straight-faced robot gal, who can keep you company if you have zero friends, like me.

This ridiculously cute plush toy of the ass-kicking android will be launched in Japan in January 2018. She stands a little over 5 inches tall and is ready to keep your life free of killer robots. Fine details include the lace design of her dress and even the mole below her lip.

If you wish for a 2B plush for your very own, she is available for pre-order from the Square Enix store, priced around $22, or from Amazon Japan for ¥2592.

NieR: Automata is available now on PS4 and PC.

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News:: Kinect: Seven years of strange experiments

Kinect is dead. The writing has been on the wall for years, at least since Microsoft de-bundled the motion-tracking system from the Xbox One in 2014, knocking $100 off the price tag and making the system more competitive with the PlayStation 4.

The Kinect debuted in 2010 with the Xbox 360, and it had a good run, overall: Microsoft sold roughly 35 million devices in total. However, across its iterations and upgrades, the Kinect never quite found its market -- the one application that would turn the hardware into an essential piece of home technology. It wasn't a conversational, connected, voice-activated system like Google Home or Amazon Alexa, and game developers lost interest in the device as virtual and mixed reality rose to the fore. The Kinect was a product out of time.

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News:: The Morning After: Weekend Edition

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome to the weekend. We'll recap this week's news highlights, like Amazon's latest service: a security camera and smart lock combo that will let its delivery people inside your house.

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