Given what cross-promotion Square Enix has done to bring other games into Final Fantasy XV, it's no surprise that they're lending out some of its elements, too. The hero of last year's hit RPG, Prince Noctis, will be added to the roster of Tekken 7 sometime in Spring 2018, though it seems you'll need to buy the fighting game's Season Pass to unlock him.
Source: Bandai Namco (Twitter)
With all of the controversy surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II, you think the last think EA would want to do is open its mouth. Their response to one particular Reddit thread has become the most downvoted comment in the history of the website, so how can they put out the fire? Apparently by holding an AMA (Ask Me Anything) for all comers.
If you're keen to get your voice heard and want to ask EA what the decision making process for microtransactions was, then set your alarm clocks for tomorrow (November 15) at 12:30 pm EST/9:30 am PST. A few key members from EA and DICE will be taking to Reddit to potentially answer everything thrown at them, which I'm sure is going to be completely civilized.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has many options for looking cool, but most of them are less James Dean and more Marky Wahlberg's Shooter. The exception is getting on a motorcycle and looking extremely badass. Now there's reason to think water motorcycles are an upcoming feature.
A reddit user datamined the build of the game that's on the test server and found this jetski. Honestly, it's ugly as hell! It doesn't look so much like a Sea-Doo as it does an uncomfortable Dutch tradition.
But, PUBG is more function than flair, and this should do the trick nicely. Those bridges are death traps and whatever gets me underneath them quickest is a-okay with me. There's no official word as to when (or even if) jetskis are coming to PUBG, but if they are ever formally introduced, rest assured that your boys are going aquatic ASAP.
NEW Datamined Jetski [reddit]
Fans of Arc System Works' Persona 4 Arena now have a reason to ditch their Xbox 360's. The game is finally backward compatible on the Xbox One, along with a bunch of random games that have nothing to do with fighting. For some odd reason, this update does not include Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, but that can't be too far behind.
I best remember Stardew Valley as the game that consumed most of my free time in 2016, and it tried once more when it launched on Switch. We already knew a big update adding multiplayer was coming soon, but it looks like there will be a little bit more to it than that.
Stardew creator, Eric Barone announced on Twitter today that the multiplayer update would also include some new content that would affect single player.
I'm working on some new Stardew Valley content, to be released with the upcoming free multiplayer update. This will affect single-player, too! I'll share more when the release gets closer. Though I'll keep some things secret (more fun) http://pic.twitter.com/rgWCt8IIRi
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) November 14, 2017
As prevalent as digital games are, it has always felt odd that there isn't an efficient way to purchase them for another person. PC users have had this luxury for years now, but doing so on PlayStation, Nintendo, or Xbox has always required a third-party solution like buying a code off of Amazon.
Until today, that is. Xbox has rolled out game gifting for all of its users. When purchasing something from the Xbox Store, there's an obvious button that reads "Buy as gift." Clicking that will prompt you to type in the email address of the recipient. Presumably, they'll be emailed the game as a 25-character code.
There are two caveats to this system. The gifter and the giftee have to both be in the same region. That's probably to combat people taking advantage of regional differences in prices to get things as cheaply as possible. And, if a game is on sale, users can only buy two copies of it within a 14-day period.
It took longer than expected but one of the major consoles has finally caught up to PC with regard to giving games to other people. Go forth and be charitable. That's the only way you'll get your cheapskate friends to play with you.
@XboxQwik [Twitter]
It finally happened. Today's the day StarCraft II went full-on free-to-play.
Under this new structure, you'll have access to the indomitable sci-fi strategy title's original Wings of Liberty campaign, all the multiplayer units in Unranked and Custom games, and the co-op commanders Raynor, Kerrigan, and Artanis (whereas the other commanders are only "free up to level 5").
As for Ranked play, that will become accessible once you've earned 10 "First Wins of the Day" in either Unranked multiplayer or Versus AI matches. So, it'll take a little bit of up-front investment before you can get situated on StarCraft II's Ranked ladder. Here's a video overview of the free-to-play changes:
There's also something for folks who already had Wings of Liberty. If you bought the game before October 31, 2017, Blizzard will zerg rush you a digital copy of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. That offer is now available (check your email; I got my code last week) and will continue until December 8.
If you avoided StarCraft II this whole time because you aren't typically into real-time strategy, maybe give the campaign a shot, if nothing else. You might like it more than you'd think.
StarCraft II [Blizzard]
Razer's keyboards have been many things, but tough generally wasn't one of them -- knock your drink the wrong way and that elaborate input device was toast. That won't be as much of a problem in the future, as Razer has unveiled a new version of its signature BlackWidow Ultimate with IP54 water and dust resistance. While the rating doesn't mean you can dunk the keyboard in the pool (you'd want IP67 or better for that), it's good enough that your gaming session won't be ruined by a splash or two.
Source: Razer
Remember last month's used game promotion from GameStop? The popular sale is back with a vengeance and with plenty more qualifying games. Through most of November and early December, you can now pick up select four used games at GameStop and get them for only $10. At our current count, we're seeing over 3,400 titles that qualify for this sale - with everything from PS4 to PS1 games.
Interestingly enough, many of the top-selling used games include PlayStation 1 titles with classics such as Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo 2. A number of them are even older titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog for the Genesis (yep) and Mario Golf: Advance Tour for the Game Boy Advance.
The sale will run through December 3, meaning it'll be valid through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So if you've been waiting for a GameStop used game sale specifically for Black Friday2018 - this looks to be it. What will likely happen come Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend is that GameStop will expand the sale to include more titles at the $10 and $20 price point (vs. the current $5 used games).
GameStop Used Game Sale through Black Friday 2018
Add four games $4.99 and under to your cart and the discount will be reflected at checkout. The offer is valid from November 13, 2017 through December 3, 2017. Unsurprisingly, most titles are in the previous generation domain. In the PlayStation 4 camp, most of the games $4.99 and under are old EA/2K sports titles, while for the Xbox One we're seeing lots of Ubisoft titles (particularly backward compatible games).
If GameStop ends up including titles priced above $10 and $20 similar to their October promotion, we'll update the post accordingly above.
Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.
Anyone who missed out on the SNES Classic in September has a few opportunities to make good this week. Walmart is getting a big restock, and it's something of a drawn out event.
As Walmart notes on the top of its site, it's selling the SNES Classic edition in stores November 15-17. Thankfully, it's more organized than merely showing up and hoping to nab one. They'll be available at 2pm Eastern/11am Pacific at your local store. Presumably, employees will know what's going on (always a wildcard at Walmart though, honestly).
It's not a Black Friday deal, as it's selling for the regular $80 price tag. But, getting another chance at one of the year's hottest items feels like its own kind of deal. Looks like Nintendo wasn't kidding when it said this guy should be easier to get than the NES Classic.
Walmart [Walmart]
Well, I did it. I watched the whole thing.
A few weeks ago, I wrote (well, ranted) about my impressions of the first two episodes of Inhumans. I’m not, frankly, all that confident I have much to say about the thing as a whole that’s terribly different from what's in that piece, but let’s give it the old college try (at the worst, I’ll exercise my demons and you call can roast me about it in the comments).
And, man…this thing is just a mess. It’s not even an interesting mess or a mess with promise, it’s just a boring mess, and that’s probably the most damning thing I can think to say about it. Nothing here holds together, it barely makes sense even from moment to moment and the sense that this is a total failure of a project seems to permeate every level of the production.
The Game Awards, the industry's equivalent to the Oscars or Tony's, seeks to commemorate the year's best titles -- and boy, what a year 2017 has been. By our April roundup, we'd already seen many of the titles on this year's ballot. This year's awards show, the fourth annual, will be livestreamed on December 7th.
The second faction rally (and first for PC players) has come to a close in Destiny 2, and thankfully, it wasn't another Dead Orbit victory. If you pledged to New Monarchy, you'll be able to pick up a sword, Honor's Edge, for 1,000 glimmer. Otherwise it's going to cost 50,000 for the privilege.
While last time I sided with Dead Orbit because I found them too goofy to turn down, I actually switched to New Monarchy, luckily enough. Sometimes you just have to go where the shaders are, y'know?
In other Destiny 2 news, Bungie is prepping a live stream to cover the game's first DLC, Curse of Osiris. That'll go down tomorrow, November 15 at 11:00am Pacific on the studio's Twitch channel. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready for new content. I've gone from hopping on a few times a week for milestones to now just fitting in a couple hours of Crucible or Trials each week, if that.
Curse of Osiris is set for a December 5 release. Make sure to bring your Vex-killing gun.
Back in October, Microsoft began allowing digital gift-giving for games on the Xbox One. Users could log into the Xbox Store and select an Xbox One game to send digitally as a gift. The catch was that the feature was limited to Xbox Insiders. But now, just in time for the holidays, any Xbox user can send a digital game as a gift.
Via: Gamasutra
Twitch is making good on promises to help streamers turn pro. It just switched on an Achievements system that shows your progress toward Affiliate or Partner status. If you need to stream more often or grow your average viewer count, you'll know just by looking at your account dashboard -- you'll see progress bars for every milestone. You've typically had to guess at your performance before, which has led to more than a few people applying before they're truly ready.
Source: Twitch (Medium)
Sega and Creative Assembly have unveiled the first game in the Total War Sagas series, a spin-off brand from the popular Total War epic strategy titles.
Total War Sagas: Thrones of Britannia will see players engage in feudal combat in Britain circa 878AD. Among the ten playable factions fighting for dominance will be Gaelic warriors, Nordic vikings and the Anglo-Saxons, all thirsty to put an axe in their fellow mans fo'head.
The Sagas brand is being reserved for games that contain more than enough content to justify being standalone releases, but won't quite span fulltime eras or feature the depth of Total War's mainline titles, such as Rome or Atilla, instead choosing to focus on "distinct moments".
Thrones of Britannia is currently only scheduled for PC release. The first game in this interesting looking spin-off series is yet to be priced, or receive a release date other than "2018", so it looks like strategy fans have plenty of time to get that battle-axe sharpened.
Thrones of Britannia coming in 2018 [Official Blog]
Humble Bundle has assembled another one of those big, all-for-charity bundles much like the Freedom Bundle earlier this year. This time, it's the Humble Care Package Bundle, a collection of 27 games being sold for $30 in support of charities like Direct Relief, American Red Cross, and Save the Children.
As tends to be the case with bundles like this, if you aren't already loaded up with most of these games -- notably Starbound, Stardew, Darkest Dungeon, and Duck Game -- that's a heckuva good deal.
Humble Care Package Bundle [Humble Bundle]
Nintendo's plans to return to movies appear to include its most beloved franchise. Wall Street Journal sources understand that Nintendo is close to a deal for an animated Super Mario Bros. movie from Illumination Entertainment, the Universal-backed studio behind the Despicable Me series. While the exact terms aren't clear, the pact would theoretically allow multiple movies. Nintendo has also been bending over backwards to maintain creative involvement, and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is expected to be a producer.
Via: Kotaku
Source: Wall Street Journal
Say what you will about how lame video game awards shows can be, Geoff Keighley is definitely dedicated to making his event the best it can possibly be. Shedding the shackles of Spike TV has allowed him to produce a much better show in recent years. This is also reflected in the nominees for games, which is less focused on big budget titles and more on actual crowd pleasers. "Game of the Year 2017" is no different, though some people are a bit riled up about one nominee.
Keighley took to Twitter to list off what games will be vying for the ultimate prize this year and the list is: Legend of the Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5 and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. That last one has Twitter up in a fit since it is still in Early-Access.
The two Kane & Lynch games were, on paper, exciting propects. The first, Dead Men, was intended to be a pulse-pounding, squad-based heist thriller, similar to films such as Heat, but was a fumbling, awkward game. The 2010 sequel, Dog Days, had some great trailers, and chose a very unique "handheld" visual style, but was ultimately just a repetitive and shallow shooter experience.
Developers Io Interactive, speaking in an interview with gameindusty.biz, primarily about Hitman, also revealed that in their recent divorce from publishers Square Enix, they actually lost the rights to the unlikable psychopaths (That's Kane & Lynch, by the way, not Square Enix). This leaves the nefarious duo floundering with a company that likely has zero interest in risking a third title, a reboot, or any other projects starring gaming's least-favourite scumbags.
This news will likely be met with deserved apathy from many, as the brand has become notorious in gaming's zeitgeist. The frustration here is that Kane & Lynch wasn't a guaranteed failure. Both titles had some initiative and intriguing elements, for example, Dog Days' great "Undercover Cop" multiplayer mode. The characters themselves, though thoroughly despicable, were somewhat interesting in their self-destructive, train-wreck shenanigans.
In today's gaming world, many titles don't get one chance, let alone two, yet Kane and Lynch blew them both. For me, it'll always be a brand that, in the right hands, could genuinely have been a well-made, gritty, morally-questionable and inventive co-op series. Only time will tell if anyone else is brave enough -- or foolhardy enough -- to ever bring the duo out of solitary confinement.
IO Interactive interview [gameindustry.biz]
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment, the studio behind Despicable Me and, sigh, the Minions, are nearing a deal for a feature-length Super Mario Bros. animated film.
The studios have reportedly been in talks for over a year (which would coincide with the announcement of Nintendo's upcoming big additions to Universal Studios, if proved to be true), and Shigeru Miyamoto would serve as a producer on the film. Although WSJ doesn't specify what the film would be about, the current in-talks deal is only for one film. Though there is potential for Universal and Illumination Entertainment to turn this into a multi-film franchise.
There may be no hard confirmation of this deal, but Nintendo has been reportedly interested in licensing their characters to other mediums (remember Mario's cameo in Pixels?). I'm not sure if an animated film could visually do more than say, Super Mario Odyssey's brief cutscenes, but I'd be interested in anyone attempting to make a 80 minute or so story out of it.
Mario Bros. Set to Jump to Big Screen in Movie Deal with Universal’s Illumination [Wall Street Journal]
Speaking on their blog, indie studio Team Cherry have reluctantly announced that the Switch port for critically-acclaimed platform adventure, Hollow Knight, will not meet its intended 2017 release date.
Being honest, the studio simply stated that it is taking longer than expected for them to translate the coding and optimise the title for release on the Nintendo console, but that they are working hard on the title and are pleased with how the release is shaping up so far.
Team Cherry also made mention of the fact that any tweaks and optimisations made for the port will be retroactively added to the Metroidvania's PC release, which launched to high praise in February of this year. The studio adds that once the Switch port is complete, they hope to work on bringing the gloomy-cute adventure to other consoles.
Hollow Knight is available now on PC.
Hollow Knight Switch port delayed [Official Blog]
I've seen some weird custom creations when it comes to rhythm games, but this one really made me smile. Found on expnand banana's YouTube, this custom song for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock deals with the classic skit featuring superintendent Chalmers and principal Skinner from The Simpsons.
Yes, the "song" is the skit -- which features bits and pieces of actual music (and a theme song!) alongside of dialogue. It's oddly mesmerizing, a lot like the northern lights.
Mmmmm steamed hams!
I still remember when we first got Happy Meals in McDonalds here in Britain. I'm pretty sure that the first ever toy was a tub of Play-Do. This was back when, as a child, you thought visiting McDonalds was like going to the heavens for lunch with the angels.
Regardless, the Happy Meal has continued to provide so-so meals with fun junk for decades now. A new campaign, seemingly leaked by an employee, shows that a range of Pokemon figurines will be included as forthcoming gifts alongside your ration of a soggy burger, fries and drink,
Sixteen different toys are expected to be included in the campaign, which runs from January 3 until February 6 in UK and ROI branches of the clown's restaurant. Each toy will come with an official trading card and the roster will feature "the most popular Pokemon generations."
I'm interested in seeing which characters will be a part of the campaign, maybe some from our great weekend article, but there's only so much fast food a man can eat so, ironically, I'm hoping few of my favourites make the cut.
UK McDonalds rumoured Pokemon campaign [Nintendo Life]
Back in October, GameStop announced that it would debut a used game rental service called PowerPass. Interested gamers could pay $60 for six months to have one title out at a time. At the end of those six months, subscribers would be able to choose a title to keep. But now, according to Kotaku, it looks like GameStop is suspending the program indefinitely.
Source: Kotaku
In my review in progress of Need for Speed Payback I said: “I wouldn't dare attempt drinking and driving in the real world for obvious reasons. But, in the seemingly lawless land of Need for Speed Payback, I think it's the only way to play and enjoy this game.” Now, after beating the game and with over 30 hours invested into it, I've come to the conclusion that maybe you're just better off simply drinking, instead of playing this game altogether.
The concept and goal for Need for Payback Payback sounds simple enough on paper: Create an open-world arcade racing game with a heavy emphasis on action-packed set pieces, taking cues and inspiration from the Fast & Furious films -- specifically the ones with a certain "electrifying" individual. However, due to a mixed bag of awful business decisions, an uninteresting story with some of the worst dialogue I've heard in recent memory, thrown in with a dull open world, we now have a new low point for this 23 year old franchise.
Bandai Namco have released the next lightning-fast character trailer for their upcoming anime title Dragon Ball FighterZ, developed by genre stalwarts Arc System Works.
The character under the fleeting spotlight is Dragon Ball femme-fatale Android 18, who brings her smug face and spurred-heels to the arena. This fast and agile fighter is also conveniently accompanied by her twin brother Android 17 who, as we can see from this footage, is certainly not shy about helping out sis mid-combo.
Although these trailers leave a lot to be desired, they're doing a pretty good job, as they're keeping my personal hype levels up. I haven't played DBFZ in about a month, and it feels like a year.
Not much longer to wait, as Dragon Ball FighterZ launches January 26, 2018 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
It’s a thought we’ve all had at least once in our lives. When the lights go out, our bedrooms transform from the sanctuary of play and imagination into a frightening, pitch-black void where anything and everything is coming to get you. We think there are monsters under the bed, in the closet, in the shadows… anywhere we can’t see with our own two eyes becomes a potential portal for some creature to come into our world and drag us back into theirs. That’s why mom or dad does a monster check before flicking off the lights. That’s why we have little nightlights, to provide us with a weird little sense of security from the dangers that only exist in our imagination. Monsters hiding in the shadows is a classic concept of childhood and has inspired stories older siblings use to torment their brothers and sisters, and one fantastic Pixar film.
It’s also the inspiration for Sleep Tight, the new twin-stick shooter coming in 2018 to the Nintendo Switch and Steam. It’s being developed by We Are Fuzzy, a new development team made up of video game, television and movie veterans. Their resumes are damn impressive, working on such games as Far Cry, League of Legends, and Rainbow 6, as well as the HBO series Westworld and the hit Disney films Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia. Oh, and also The Walking Dead. And Iron Man. And Iron Fist, but don’t hold that against them.
An impressive CV for sure, for everyone on this small team, but it doesn’t mean squat if they ain’t making a fun game. From what I have experienced of Sleep Tight, it has the chance to be something special. I had a chance to get a hands-on with the title last month in San Francisco. We Are Fuzzy co-founders Maxx Burman and Banks Boutté — yes his real first name is Banks — joined me for the session along with Chris Gouche, the wildcard. As they walked me through the game, I could see all those little, shared childhood memories present it the game.
“Everything we put in this is about hitting that nostalgia bone for everyone,” Burman told me. “That’s been a cool thing regardless of people’s age. We’ve put enough things in there that are so common for people our age that I’ve had 40-year-old women look at this game and go ‘Oh my God I did that when I was a kid.’”
