News:: Dark Horse Comics is answering a call to ARMS on Free Comic Book Day

Since March, I've had a finite amount of time spent with the Nintendo Switch through a few friends who have picked the console up. With that and my visit to a preview event held before it released, I've had a chance to play quite a few Switch games. Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, Mario + Rabbids, and Disgaea 5 Complete are all titles I've had time with thanks to these friends.

I've enjoyed them all, but there is one game I'm still waiting to try out: ARMS. It'll be one of the first games I get when I buy my Switch next month and hopefully, one of the comics I am able to pick up on Free Comic Book Day.

Dark Horse Comics, which we previously learned is making a series of ARMS graphic novels, announced today it will be putting out a comic based on the game as part of its "Silver" offering for Free Comic Book Day. According to Dark Horse Comics, the story will feature a young fighter training to reach the top of the ARMS League Grand Prix. The comic will be written by Ian Flynn, who also wrote the Mega Man and Sonic The Hedgehog series for Archie Comics, and will be illustrated by Joe Ng of Street Fighter comics fame.

I've been to the last three Free Comic Book Days in hope of getting the Zelda and other video game comics, but have always come away empty handed. Hopefully, fourth time is the charm.

Amazing Stories for All Ages! [Dark Horse Comics]

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News:: Freedom Planet 2 is looking fantastic these days

Today's a good day to catch up with Freedom Planet 2. This trailer is bananas.

I actually had to pause the video after a couple of minutes to take a breather from the sensory overload. There's a lot going on, and much of it looks fantastic. I particularly like the idea of hitching a ride on a giant baseball (shown at 3:35 and again at 3:55 for a "Home Run" mini-game). Fun concept.

The free playable Sample Version of Freedom Planet 2 for Windows and Mac has been touched up, too. With the latest build, "Lilac has a new Blink Dash ability that allows her to teleport across short distances; She can use it after guarding to either counterattack her foes or flee to safety. Carol has also learned some new tricks in the form of long-range kicking attacks. Neera can lay down Spike Traps to catch enemies, block projectiles, and spring herself high into the air. There are also tons of bug fixes, graphical and performance improvements, and more!" You can find the full notes here.

As for a release date, GalaxyTrail has one in mind but isn't committing to it until it's more of a sure thing. Also, "No confirmation on consoles yet, but we're working on it!"

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News:: PUBG's first Xbox update vaguely focuses on performance fixes

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds could be considered a hit rather quickly after it launched on Xbox One last week. Within 48 hours, it had already sold more than a million copies. But its eventual popularity was never really a question. This was destined to do numbers.

A more contentious issue was how it performs on Xbox. There's widespread talk of low framerates, with Xbox One S being noticeably worse that Xbox One X. This breakdown from Digital Foundry does a fine job explaining the situation. (In my experience, it was perfectly playable on Xbox One X once your character actually gets on the ground; the plane stuff can be pretty rough.)

But, the Xbox version is still in early access. There's room for improvement, and improvement is necessary. Developer PUBG Corporation has taken the initial steps by releasing the first update for Xbox One. Nestled in the long list of changes is the vaguely-put "first pass visual and performance improvements."

It's impossible to qualify or quantify what that means. PUBG Corporation is never going to say something like "frame rate is now 4 percent more stable." The patch size is 4.7GB, which is substantial. But it's still a "first pass" which doesn't invite illusions that this is finalized. There's probably a long way to go, but this is a start. A literal start.

Here's the full list of patch notes:

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News:: South Park: The Fractured but Whole's first add-on packs a punch

In their first supplemental endeavor, the superheroes of South Park take on, well, everything they possibly can. This extra fighting is literally just for the sake of some extra fighting.

South Park: The Fractured but Whole's introductory add-on released today. Titled Danger Deck, this piece of DLC is nothing more than a series of combat situations against all types of enemies that are already in the game. Postured as a set of training sequences for the superhero kids, a previously-empty room in the Freedom Pals' base has been retrofitted with iPads to launch the various scenarios.

Experience like this doesn't come free, though. Ubisoft's selling Danger Deck for $7. It's also a part of the $30 season pass -- likely the primary reason why people will download this add-on. The actual story-heavy DLC kicks off next year when Cartman returns to Casa Bonita.

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News:: Review: Bridge Constructor Portal

Bridge Constructor Portal is a mashup I didn't know I wanted. Whether it's a sign of more to come or merely an out-of-the-blue one-off, I'm surprised this game exists -- and also how much I like it.

It borrows the ingenious puzzle mechanics of Portal and Portal 2, repurposing them for a physics-centric building game about (not so safely) escorting vehicles from one point to another.

As long as the brave little stick figures complete their dangerous and often roundabout journeys, that's job well done. It's not like GLaDOS is going to judge you if they get a little banged up along the way.

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News:: The PSN holiday sale has new deals this week

Sony's five-week-long PlayStation Network holiday sale has entered its second week. Have mercy!

Some old deals are still active, so there are hundreds of titles to sift through across PS4, PS3, and PS Vita. Thankfully, though, redditor weebae has put together a list of the newly-discounted PS4 games.

For my small part, I'll call attention to Everybody's Golf ($19.99), which is a total steal, and Overcooked ($8.49), which you should definitely play with friends or family over the holidays. A few more: Killing Floor 2 ($19.99), Hellblade ($23.99), Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster ($14.99), and Inside ($9.99).

Holiday Sale Week 2 [PlayStation Store]

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News:: Sega's Fist of the North Star game continues to look bonkers

The Yakuza team is taking a crack at Fist of the North Star and I'm mentally preparing myself for the wild ride that awaits us in the hopefully not-too-distant future. It's bonkers in all the ways I'd hope.

Punches fly, bodies explode, and food is handed out lickety-split in this latest footage.

Those mini-games are gonna be the death of me as I foolishly strive for 100% completion.

Hokuto Ga Gotoku is currently only planned for release in Japan. It's now set for March 8, 2018.

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News:: Flixist has three copies of Terminator 2 4K UHD to give away

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is still one of the best movies ever made, and now that we have another new format of physical media to purchase all our movies on again you can rewatch it in HD so HD that Linda Hamilton's biceps will be even more defined. That's right, Terminator 2 is releasing on 4K UHD (with a Blu-ray and digital copy bundled in). The new release comes with a new documentary on the film, and a bunch of other special features you may or may not have seen before.

Want one? We've got three that we can put in the mail and send to you. I'm gong to keep things simple. Just hit us up with a comment below on what Arnold's greatest line in the history of his career is. We'll pick randomly for the submissions, and let the winners know tomorrow. 

Oh, and this one is open to US and Canada only. Sorry rest of the world.

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News:: Destructoid's award for Best Switch Game of 2017 goes to...

Packed as the nominees for the Switch were, as many had guessed, the real race was between two of Nintendo's major franchises. A new Zelda that changed the way open games are played, a new 3D Mario game with tons of gameplay tweaks and challenges? Both in the Switch's first year of release? Yeah, it's kind of nuts. 

But in the end, it could only go to Super Mario Odyssey. 

Whether or not this vote was boosted by how much newer Odyssey is to its competition, in the end Odyssey just had a wider reach. Breath of the Wild may have dominated conversation in quite a few circles for the better part of 2017, but Odyssey basically took over the world. With good reason, too.

New Super Mario games usually introduce one new key mechanic, but Odyssey changed how platformers are even made. Tough platform challenges could be skipped altogether with the right amount of skill, exploring even the smallest and most hidden corners had a rewarding feeling, and even when you feel like you've ended up where you're not supposed to be, there's a pile of coins to reward you for stumbling on the area.

Super Mario Odyssey makes it fun to experiment with your surroundings, and enhanced the Mario formula. Platforming challenges were more enticing to go on, because the punishment for them weren't as harsh. It was much easier to think to myself, "Just one more moon!" and even doubly more engrossing thanks to the Switch's go anywhere type of system. 

I jumped across the moon while waiting in the doctor's office, I drove a moped to escape from a raging tyrannosaurus in the middle of busy city (both in fiction and reality), and then when I decided to pick it up and play again, there were plenty of moons left to get, costumes to wear, and platforming challenges to overcome. 

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News:: GOG's giving away Oxenfree for, uhh, free right now

This time of the year is full of digital stocking stuffers, freebies here and there just because it's the season for giving. Right now, GOG is assuming the role of Santa Clause for the next few days.

GOG is giving away Oxenfree for the next two days or so. No strings attached to this one apart from having a GOG account. Just sign in, click a button, and now you own Oxenfree. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. The promo runs until 6am Pacific on Thursday December 21.

For anyone looking to stuff their library outside of one freebie, well, GOG also offers that opportunity. The DRM-free retailer has its winter sale in full swing right now. There are more than 1,000 games discounted until December 26. You'll have to look for yourself to see if anything suits your fancy. Worth noting though: Anyone who buys anything during the sale gets Hard West and Master of Orion for free too.

The Winter Sale [GOG]

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News:: Review: Shantae: Half-Genie Hero - Friends to the End

It's no small secret that I'm in love with the Shantae series. I was immediately taken in by the magnetic characters, brilliant music and retro adventure action. The WayForward developed franchise marries the gameplay of classic platformers with contemporary sounds, gorgeous visuals and sharp wit.

We have already returned to Half-Genie Hero once this year, with add-on adventure Pirate Queen's Quest, starring notorious villain Risky Boots. In this new DLC, Friends to the End, we again return the Half-Genie Hero story arc, this time controlling the triple threat of Shantae's dear friends; caring bird-keeper Sky, goofy but well-meaning Rottytops, and hapless doofus, Bolo.

But is there still mileage left in the 2016 adventure? Are we still Dancing Through the Danger? or just retreading well-worn ground? Let's rub the lamp one last time and find out.

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News:: Taito and Degica are teasing a Space Invaders game for Steam

A no-frills teaser site has surfaced for a Space Invaders project launching in 2018. Whatever the mystery game is, it's headed to Steam. Taito and Degica Games also had this to say:

If you have ever played a video game (if you are reading this you almost certainly have) then you likely have Taito to thank. It has been 40 years since they released their monumentally influential arcade title, Space Invaders, an indisputable founding-father of modern gaming.

To celebrate this occasion, Taito and Degica are bringing the invasion to Steam in 2018. Stay tuned for more details at the beginning of the new year!

In recent years, we've gotten excellent new takes on the classic ranging from Space Invaders Extreme to Infinity Gene to Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders. I hope to see something along those same lines.

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News:: Destructoid's award for Best PS4 Game of 2017 goes to...

Yoko Taro did it.

While the PlayStation 4 had no shortage of remarkable games this year and trying to sort through them to crown a single standout title was conflicting to say the least, Yoko Taro, Platinum Games, and Square Enix were onto something special with NieR: Automata. It coalesced brilliantly. It just felt right.

Automata is bound to affect different people in different ways. Some will seek it out for that signature Platinum-developed action. Others will become engrossed with the story, putting in all the time and effort needed to uncover its deepest, darkest, most emotional layers across multiple playthroughs.

Then there's the folks who just plain like butts. Automata is fully here for them, too.

What a beautiful, tragic, unforgettable experience. I'll never look at a robot the same way again.

Read more...

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News:: Review: Eiyu*Senki - The World Conquest (PC)

When a Japanese adult game's naughty parts are cut from the console release, there are some instances where it retains its charm. This shows that the product can stand on its own two feet.

After I turned Zipang into the strongest nation in Eiyu*Senki - The World Conquest, the strategy game's amusing take on war and history proved to me that the removal of its sex scenes didn't ruin its quality. Since Steam's guidelines about nudity are different from Japan's CERO rating system, this resulted in JAST USA giving us an edited product that's more risqué than Fruitbat Factory's PS3 version.

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News:: Watch me play Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom badly

This weekend at Namco Bandai's "Level Up" event in Paris, I had the chance to sit down with RPG Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, sequel to Studio Ghibli's Wrath of the White Witch, released back in 2013.

I had previously tried Ni no Kuni II back at EGX, but with only a few minutes playtime allowed, bad sound, and sore knees, I wasn't really taken in by the anime adventure, despite its attractive visual style, instantly reminiscent of many cartoons of my youth. We didn't even realise they were from Japan. That's life without Google, kids.

But this weekend, equipped with headphones and a seat, I was able to let myself sink into the Revenant Kingdom experience a little more, coming away pleased with how the game is shaping up. I played three scenarios, all of which are featured below in glorious 30FPS (sorry).

The first video sees usurped catboy prince Evan Pettiwhisker and his compadre Roland -- ROLAND -- attempt to rescue a young girl from a Wyvern's lair. The second features the game's strategic warfare, which has you adjusting tactics to efficiently manage troop-based battles. Finally Evan, Roland and the (now-rescued) Tani face a "Trial of Courage" or, in reality, a massive clusterfuck of a scrap.

Read more...

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News:: Blizzard talks stealth design in MOBAs and the recent big Heroes of the Storm changes

Stealth is minefield in any competitive game. If they aren't stealth "enough" people who play that character will gravitate elsewhere, essentially rendering that roster slot underplayed and a waste of development time, and if they're "too stealthy," the rest of the userbase will get frustrated.

Many developers, Riot Games and Valve included, have experimented with stealth to varying degrees of success. Blizzard originally had a hard stance on it in Heroes of the Storm, but rolled out some drastic changes for that tough-to-spot formula. I sat down with Matthew Cooper, senior game designer for Blizzard Entertainment, to see how the new system was going.

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News:: Review: Okami HD

Hideki Kamiya is a strange and interesting man. When he's not busy being the vice president of Platinum Games or randomly blocking people on Twitter, he's at the helm of some of the best action-adventure games in the industry. Prior to his time at Platinum, he worked at Capcom on the Resident Evil games, before being made director of a planned spin-off series now known as Devil May Cry.

This is important, because in 2004 when Clover Studio was founded and the staff started on Viewtiful Joe 2, they also began work on Okami -- with Kamiya directing it. Originally, Okami was conceived as a simple minute-long tech demo of a wolf running while leaving a trail of flowers behind it. Capcom showed interest in making this a full-fledged game, with the premise built around “depicting nature.”

Once development began though, the premise of simply "depicting nature" was too boring for Kamiya and they instead focused on making Okami an action-adventure game in the same vein as Zelda. The actual task however of replicating the Zelda formula is a huge endeavor in and of itself. But, not only did Kamiya and Clover Studio completely nail that formula, in my opinion, they created a game that rivals -- if not exceeds -- any Zelda game prior to it and one that would forever cement Kamiya's status in the industry like no other before it.

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News:: Twitch launches a live-streaming reality show

The reality TV genre has pretty much got all bases covered -- there's even a TV show featuring people... watching TV -- but now live-gaming is making its way into the fold with Stream On, by Twitch Studios. The brand's first-ever game show features creators who have made it as far as Twitch's Partnership program but still need a boost to make streaming a full-time career. The show pits them against one another Hunger Games-style in a series of challenges, for the grand prize of $5,000 a month for a year.

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News:: Take a wild guess who's getting more Street Fighter V costumes

In what must surely be a running joke in the Capcom offices, it has been announced that Chun-Li is getting two more costumes in their flagship fighter, Street Fighter V.

Chun-Li, who now has more outfits than I've had online wins, will receive the two new looks courtesy of noted designer/artist AKIMAN. The first seems to be an evening dress ensemble, but I'm informed is a "Covert Operations" number. The second outfit is a wedding dress. Because.

Both outfits go on sale December 19 and brings the wardrobe of The Strongest Woman in the World to a grand total of sixteen different outfits. For comparison, I have two, and one of them is my pyjamas.

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition launches on PS4 and PC January 16.

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News:: Review: L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files

I've made my love for L.A. Noire very clear. Sure it's flawed, and presents itself as an open world game when it's really not, but the character interactions and camp really make it.

Team Bondi (and its cast) put in so much effort into every single performance, from the animations down to the delivery of the lines. It's even more noticeable in VR, even if it's presented in a truncated format.

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News:: Fire Pro Wrestling World leaves Steam Early Access

It's a glorious day to be a wrasslin' fan, as Spike Chunsoft's ultimate wrestling sandbox Fire Pro Wrestling World has moved out of its Early Access status on Steam.

Fire Pro World, the latest in a line of wrestling titles dating back to the 1980's, requires a little practice and patience, in order to get to grips with its precise grappling and striking system, but those who persevere will be rewarded with a fantastic wrestling sim, capable of hosting incredibly dramatic, adrenaline-pumping matches that flow naturally and feel incredibly satisfying.

The game's infamously detailed Create-A-Wrestler mode works in alignment with Steam Workshop, with literally thousands upon thousands of wrestlers, video game characters, celebrities, anime heroes and many more already available for your piledrivin' needs right now.

The full release of FPW brings with it new patch notes, including bug fixes, new Create-A-Wrestler components and some all-new moves with which to "lay the smack down" -- as that one guy used to say. Development continues on the PS4 version of the title, with Spike stating that they are moving forward at "full speed" on the port.

As I said in my Early Access review last Summer, Fire Pro World seems impenetrable at first, with its very quirky look and the mechanics coming off as somewhat daunting. But it doesn't take long to get a grip on things, and you'll be head-dropping fools and completely wrecking your knees in no time.

Fire Pro-Wrestling World is available now on Steam, currently at a special price of around $14

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News:: Review: Xenon Valkryie+

As a child of the '80s and '90s, the retro revival of 8- and 16-bit games has been a blessing for me. I love the look, the style, and the mechanics of these titles and absolutely gobble them up when I can. In fact, I've consumed so many of these throwback games I've become a glutton, and with free time no longer in ample supply for me, I have to really pick and choose which of these classic-inspired experiences I can make time for.

Xenon Valkyrie+ is one that barely makes the cut thanks to its excellent transition to the Vita.

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News:: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV, the last in the series, gets a countdown site

Nihon Falcom is a fantastic studio with a lengthy history, but the time has come to end the Trails of Cold Steel series.

Wildly popular among JRPG fans the series started off in 2013, before hosting two sequels and an upcoming fourth iteration -- which Falcom has stated will be the last. If you're awaiting more info on that one a countdown timer is now live, which will end on December 20 at 15:00 JST. For now, we know that it'll be a PS4 game to be released in the third quarter of 2018.

For reference, Cold Steel III still isn't out in the US (and hasn't even been confirmed for a localization yet), and just recently arrived in Japan this past September.

Sen 4 [Nihon Falcom]

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News:: Samsung's mega-wide gaming monitor is first to be HDR certified

Last week VESA (finally) launched an HDR standard for computer displays to tell consumers whether a pricey monitor will show games and movies the way the creators intended. Samsung has announced that it's 49-inch QLED super ultra-wide monitor, the CHG90, is the first to receive the DisplayHDR 600 certification. That means it delivers enough brightness (600 cd/m2 peak and 350 cd/m2 average), contrast (3,000:1) and color accuracy (10-bits) to deliver on the HDR promise.

Via: Tom's Hardware

Source: Samsung

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News:: 'Dragon Quest Builders' arrives on Switch in February

Square Enix's Minecraft­-style construction game Dragon Quest Builders is coming to Nintendo Switch on February 9 next year. The game -- which was released last year on PS4, PS3 and Vita -- sees players gather materials, reconstruct towns and fight monsters through a sprawling RPG. It's all very Minecraft-esque, but offers a more structured gameplay with a proper storyline -- in this instance, restoring the world of Alefgard.

Source: Nintendo

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News:: Sex 'n' sheep reunite as Catherine: Full Body is coming to PS4 and Vita

Atlus have announced that Studio Zero, led by Persona 5 producer Katsura Hashino, are at work on Catherine: Full Body, for the PS4 and PS Vita.

The game is a remake of the bizarre and unendingly creepy puzzle/RPG, that launched on PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2011. It tells the story of a young man, Vincent Brooks, who is caught in a literal nightmare when torn between his long-time girlfriend Katherine, and a mysterious femme-fatale -- also named Catherine -- who plagues his days and nights.

Vincent's world is probably gonna get a whole lot worse, as Full Body will include the existence of a third Catherine, just to complicate matters further.

Atlus will hold a live stream on December 22 on the Nico Nico channel, where more information, along with a new trailer, will be revealed. The sensibly-titled "From a Traditional RPG to Full Body!? Studio Zero Broadcast 2017.” is expected to start at 19:30 JST.

Here are some breaking details, courtesy of Famitsu, Gematsu and that hive of info, Ryokutya2089:

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