As part of their year in review for 2017, Pornhub released the stats for interesting things like length of time per visit, most searched terms and stars, and even down to age group. But the relevant thing here is which consoles most people streamed from.
The majority of streams are on PlayStation 4 with 56%, followed by the Xbox One with 32%. Apparently "Nintendo’s portable 3DS had a large increase in market share but still only makes up 1% of game device traffic," according to their data. Also of note is that "Nintendo’s original Wii had a large decrease, while the updated WiiU now accounts for 5% of console visits."
Most interesting of all is that Pornhub mentions a rumored app for the Nintendo Switch later this year that they would be happy to work on:
Nintendo’s newest Switch doesn’t yet have a browser, although it’s rumored that one will be implemented sometime in 2018 — at which time you can be sure Pornhub’s development team will work to ensure full support.
The end of year data is pretty interesting overall, and you could give it a look at this obviously NSFW link.
As many are already aware, Monster Hunter: World will not be simultaneously launching on PC alongside the console ports. While we received that news last week, we didn't have a concrete reason for why. Speculation was that Capcom didn't want to screw up the game's potential in for the PC market and World's producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto, confirmed just that to GamesRader and PC Gamer.
"For the main Monster Hunter game, this is our first PC title," said Tsujimoto, "and it’s something we want to make sure we get right. So rather than have it taking up resources during the console development and not it not being able to have our full attention on it, we want to get console out the door and then we’re going to take some extra time and try and get the PC version as good as possible."
One of the biggest hang-ups seems to be with online matchmaking. Since PC doesn't really have a standardized network (unless locked to Steam), Capcom wants to ensure that players from anywhere can smoothly connect to each other. "On console you use first party matchmaking, you just kind of plug into it, whether it’s PSN or Xbox Live, but on PC we’re going to have to work more to get our own matchmaking working."
So while this outcome is still unfortunate, at least we can rest easy knowing that Capcom is trying its best to maximize the quality of the port. Hopefully World doesn't disappoint when it comes to PC later this year, though previous Capcom ports give me no reason to worry.
A quick trip to Asus' off-site location at CES 2018 revealed routers, gaming PCs, the NVIDIA Big Format Gaming Display and its new bezel-hiding kit. That last one helps gamers (or productivity hounds seeking an edge) to link monitors together, while also using optics to hide the seam where each bezel meets. There are no filters, software or effects at play here -- it's simply an optical device that refracts light around the monitors' plastic edges.
Hit is probably one of the more popular inclusions into the Dragon Ball series in Dragon Ball Super, and that's because of his cool design and counter heavy tactics. Arc System Works seems to have translated his moveset perfectly much like everyone else's.
With a frame perfect counter, his banking of time and using it to both deal damage and dodge blows, and this trailer's jazzy tune, Hit seems like a great character addition. Definitely more exciting because he's one of the *brand* new characters, and doubly so because he's going to be one of those characters that's very hard to learn but is fun once you figure him out.
He's not included in the upcoming beta, but everyone will get to throw down with Hit when Dragon Ball FighterZ releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC January 26.
Teen Titans GO! has pretty much taken over Cartoon Network the last few years as blocks of the show have steadily replaced new programs, and now it's getting ready to dominate movie theaters (probably).
There are fans who are mad to see GO's success because they still feel the sting of the original's cancellation, but Teen Titans GO! has gotten this amount of success from...somewhere? And now they're in a movie! It's not like they had to move forward with the original character designs or voice cast, so take victories where we can I suppose.
Regardless, watch out for an extended fart jokeTeen Titans GO! To The Movies when it hits theaters July 27.
Vortx is ridiculous. It's a cube that you place on your desk, next to your PC or laptop, and it blows hot or cold air in your face, depending on what's happening on-screen. The air responds dynamically to the action: If you're running through the fiery hellscape of Doom, the fan blows hot and fast, but if you're watching a YouTube video about climbing Mount Everest, it shoots out gusts of frigid air. So, yes, it's ridiculous -- but it's also really cool in action.
Thus closes another chapter of gaming, with one of the most exciting years of game releases yet. As we think back on the year, we are also remembering how, halfway through, we got Comments of the Week back as a regular feature. It's been a lot of fun doing this alongside a few like-minded individuals whom I've gotten to know a little better as I've worked with them.
This week we thought we would do something similar to our Halloween Special; I've gathered up all the members of our little family to share their favorite comments of the year, as well as some new ones. So once again, thank you guys for doing this thing with me and thanks a lot Destructoid Community for your immense contribution in making this thing happen. Couldn't have done it without you lot.
Coming at some point this year, Microsoft will be launching a "Career" system for gamer profiles that will follow you around through all of your activities on Xbox. This new effort is meant to reward people, such as esports players, who stick with a single game for longer periods of time with rewards for their Xbox Avatars (a system I'm sure most of you forgot about). You'll be able to obtain levels, prestige your rank, and even get loot crates with cosmetic items through various quests that will be available.
This new system also seems to take play time into account, so if you've logged 500 plus hours on Rocket League like a certain editor at Destructoid, you'll now be able to brag about it better on your profile. To be clear, this whole initiative won't replace achievements, but supplement them better for people who don't actively hunt gamerscore.
This reminds me a lot of what Valve did with Steam profiles. While achievements are just as convoluted to access on Steam as on Xbox One, there are other ways you can "level up" and unlock cosmetic things like profile backgrounds and badges. It makes for a cool little initiative to actually play games you've purchased instead of just shoving everything into an infinite backlog.
That being said, I wish I could figure out how to even find my avatar on Xbox One. I've only changed it on my PC or 360.
Welcome to the first installment of The 300, a weekly feature chronicling my attempt to watch 300 movies in theaters in 2018. Why am I doing this? Part of it is just to see if I can and to get away from my laptop. Another part of it is to really explore the world of film, from wide-release blockbusters to indies, foreign cinema, classics, and hidden gems. Maybe you'll read about something you can enjoy and then share with your friends.
Thanks to MoviePass, New York City's wide variety of theaters, constant repertory programming, and various film festivals, hitting the big 300 might not be as hard as it sounds. (Famous last words.)
There are a few rules for The 300 that I will adhere to throughout the year:
The movie must be at least 40 minutes long, meeting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' definition of a feature film.
I must watch the movie at a movie theater, screening room, or outdoor screening venue.
While I can watch movies I've seen before 2018, I cannot count repeated viewings of the same film in 2018 multiple times.
With that out of the way, here are the first films I've watched in theaters since January 1st.
I built my first ever gaming PC this past summer. Over the course of a week or two, it felt like a million boxes showed up at my house -- processor, RAM, video card, case, extra fans, etc. There's so much. And it was daunting as hell when I finally laid them all out and imagined how I was going to fit all of it together to make an actual machine.
Hardware manufacturer NZXT just revealed a product that would've greatly assuaged my fears. In its first foray into motherboards, NZXT has constructed the N7 Z370 -- a clean-looking board that shies away from the aesthetic most gaming mobos have embraced. Rather than sharp angles and prominent circuits, the N7 covers up all the inessentials in either matte black or white (pictures in the gallery below).
The result is a board that isn't nearly as intimidating for newcomers (although I have no idea if NZXT is using this as a selling point). There are 10 or so very distinct things a builder needs to interact with. It's a dumbing down in a way, sure, but a lot of people will gladly trade that for the peace of mind that they didn't severely botch something.
Equally important, though, is how this thing looks. In emphasizing a minimalist and modest style, NZXT has created a motherboard that's legitimately beautiful. It bucks the trend of enthusiast boards looking very futuristic. It's restrained and that's refreshing.
As for the technical side of the N7, it's a board that's made for the Z370 chipset meaning that it's compatible only with Intel's 8th generation processors. Aside from that, it seems to have fairly typical specs -- maximum of 64GB RAM, multiple GPU slots, etc. All of that stuff can be found on NZXT's product page.
The most obvious drawback, as PCWorld points out, is the price. The N7 retails for $300, which is approximately $50-100 more expensive than similar Z370 boards. Are people willing to pony up that much extra for a mobo based primarily on how good it looks? Honestly, maybe! I was willing to take part of my workday to write about a motherboard, which is something that has literally never happened before. The N7 starts shipping in late January, so we won't have to wait long to see if it's a hit.
Oh 2017. You’re the gift that kept on giving all damn year. From January to December, we spent past 365 days playing some of the greatest games ever created. Breath of the Wild, Persona 5, Cuphead, and, most significant of all, Troll and I, took the medium to new heights. The rest of the world may have been falling apart last year, but we could always use our favorite form of escapism to shut ourselves off from all that crap and wallow in the safe havens of imaginative digital landscapes.
At the beginning of last year, we asked our editors to name their most anticipated game of 2017. Now that it’s over, let’s look back and see just how well those games turned out.
Black Panther is supposedly Marvel's next risky film in the vein that Guardians of the Galaxy was risky. It's a smaller-known character taking the lead, the first black hero lead, an almost entirely black cast, a director on his first blockbuster (Creed was basically an indy), and a plot line that doesn't involve their heavy hitters in any meaningful way. These are all things that Hollywood and Marvel deem risky whether they truly are or not. But it looks like that "risk" is paying off as Fandango is reporting that the film, which is being dumped into the February doldrums to maybe give it an excuse if it flops, has sold more ticket pre-orders than any other Marvel film.
I can tell you personally I haven't been this hyped for a Marvel film in a while, and it's not just because Kendrick Lamar is curating the entire soundtrack. It's exactly the fact that it does seem different and risky for Marvel that I'm excited. Much like Guardians it looks like something new is going to come from this one, and I can't wait to see what it is. Whatever the outcome I can guarantee this: it will dominate any February box office opening that has ever come before.
After tackling Feudal Japan, Medieval Times, the Napoleonic Era and Ancient Rome, the Total War series is now looking to the East for its newest entry. Sega and Creative Assembly have announced that Total War: Three Kingdoms will be the latest installment in the series and all I can think about is controlling an army lead by Lu Bu.
Whether or not my Dynasty Warriors dreams come true in a tactical manner, this game will tackle the regime of Dong Zhuo and take place smack dab in the middle of the Han Dynasty. It sounds absolutely amazing to me, so I'm definitely eager to see more. There isn't a release date, just yet, but I'd expect the game to release sometime in the fall.
I was fortunate enough to catch the majority of Carcinogen's Resident Evil 7 run live, and while I don't keep up with the speedrunning scene as much as I used to, I'm calling it: this was one of the most gripping runs I've seen in a long time. It's certainly one I'll point to for anyone curious about AGDQ 2018.
If you watch one AGDQ run this week, make it Resident Evil 7 on Madhouse. https://t.co/VFymtRt7La
Carcinogen was charming and playful. His co-commentators provided well-timed insight and laughs. Resident Evil 7 is inherently fun to watch, doubly so in the hands of someone who knows its ins and outs. And even with all the preparation in the world, things can still go off the rails in the game's harshest difficulty, Madhouse. These factors led to a captivating, edge-of-your-seat experience.
He definitely earned some new fans last night.
After a brief breather from Resident Evil 7, AGDQ shifted over to Bawkbasoup and wusscake for a head-to-head Resident Evil 3: Nemesis race full of horrible, no-good RNG. What a riot.
Finally, the night (well, my night) capped off with an enlightening Silent Hill run from Punchy.
I was too amped up from these runs to sleep very well, but it was worth it.
Another cutesy retro title is making the leap to the Switch format, as 2016's Rabi Ribi is coming to Nintendo Switch. The announcement was made by Western publishers Winking Entertainment.
Rabi Ribi -- already out on PC, PS4 and PS Vita -- is a hybrid game that mixes a Metroidvania adventure with bullet-hell elements. It tells the fluffy tale of Erina, a common-or-garden rabbit, who is unwittingly transformed into a half-human. Along with her new fairy friend, Ribbon, Erina beings a journey to return to her ordinary form, clearly having decided that sitting in a field twitching your nose was a better lot than being able to walk, talk, and attack people with a huge mallet.
Players control Erina and Ribbon through a colourful, 16-bit styled world encountering many other anthro-characters and dodging screen-filling projectiles. The game features 60 upgrades and skills, over 40 boss fights, and takes a visual novel approach to its storytelling.
The Switch release of Rabi-Ribi is expected sometime in 2018. The game is available now on PS4, PC and PS Vita.
If you want to experience dread, misery, and eventual elation on your Nintendo Switch, Red Hook is setting Darkest Dungeon loose on the system next Thursday. The dungeon-crawling game will come in at $25, with the DLC The Crimson Court priced at $10 and The Shieldbreaker charging $4.
The Color of Madness will arrive at a later date, and the Switch version does support touch controls.
The studio (semi) jokingly suggests that everyone should "read up on your Switch warranty in preparation for your struggle to survive." It's funny because it's true.
Gaming peripheral maker Razer announced three new speakers for gaming PCs at CES today. Just like other Razer gaming devices, the Nommo speakers are equipped with the company's fancy lighting system, Chroma, to let you visually customize your gaming space with light.
[This piece was originally published in 2015. In light of recent rumors about the next Nintendo Direct and an ensuing eyebrow-raising tweet from Nintendo of America today, it just felt right to revive it. -Jordan]
Chibi-Robo is a refugee from GameCube country, born from the co-mingling DNA of the industry's most well-known publisher and one of its least mainstream-friendly developers, he was ready to die from the moment he hit the ground, aiming to please at every turn. It’s actually a gosh darn miracle that he’s still here. After a commercially tepid GameCube outing, a Walmart-exclusive handheld follow-up, a Japan-only return to housecleaning, and a largely ignored AR photography title on the 3DS, it’s seemed that every Chibi-Robo release has been poised to be his last.
Now Chibi is back for what may be his final grasp at success. This time he’s in a 2D action platformer, a historically popular genre on Nintendo consoles, with a pack-in amiibo to boot. If he doesn’t make it this time, he likely never will.
A small but dedicated fanbase who covet strange, silly, and sincere video games are currently on the edges of their seats, preparing to either cheer for Chibi-Robo's long-awaited triumph, or mourn his final passing. Maybe he'll live, maybe he'll die, but no one will be able to say he didn't try.
Koei Tecmo, speaking with Japanese mag Famitsu, have released a bevy of new details regarding the upcoming Attack on Titan 2, which lands on multiple formats this Spring.
Characters Keith Shadis, Cpt. Kitz Weilman, CiC Darius Zackly, and Cdr. Dot Pixis will be joining the anime sequel as playable characters, with the quartet bringing age and experience to the fight. The game will also feature 4v4 online multiplayer, in the form of team battles which will take place in the game's "Annihilation" mode.
Attack on Titan 2's Story campaign will also feature an interesting co-op experience. From the scant details available, it appears players can tackle missions together, but also work separately, gathering resources to build gear that is then earned by all members of the party. Sort of a collaborative effort as a group, in order to help all players progress as individuals.
Attack on Titan 2 launches in Japan on PS4, PS Vita, PC and Nintendo Switch on March 15. It will launch in North America and Europe on March 20, along with an Xbox One release.
Today is a pretty monumental day for eSports, as Blizzard's Overwatch League kicks off at 4PM PST. There will be three matchups tonight in all, following at 6PM PST and 8PM PST -- you can catch these broadcasts in English by way of the main stream from the Blizzard Arena in LA, or by way of Chinese, French, or Korean broadcasts.
The first matchup is San Francisco Shock vs. Los Angeles Valiant. Of note, the former team hosts iddqd, who is known for a mean McCree, and the latter has numlocked, famous for playing tank heroes with a history in other competitive games like League and Team Fortress 2. Both teams are technically representing America, but are comprised of players from the US, Canada, France, the UK, Sweden, Mexico, Spain, and Korea.
A lot hinges on the Overwatch League's success, and their ability to keep viewers outside of the initial kickoff blast.
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine had my full attention with its hat-wearing skeleton protagonist who wanders through "a century of American history" telling stories on the road. Hell of a premise.
Today, though, I'm even more into the game. The voice cast is out (see the full list here) and the musician Sting is on board as The Wolf. He calls Where the Water Tastes Like Wine "a unique storytelling experience" and says he's "happy to be a part of this visionary collaboration."
Unexpected, to say the least, but delightful. The game is coming to PC in "early 2018."
It's the end of an era, as fighting game website Shoryuken.com, more commonly known as "SRK", are to close their forums at the end of the month. This brings to an end years of intense, informative, comedic and controversial fighting game chatter.
The SRK forums have been a great go-to resource for fighting titles, new and old. I even remember reading up move lists for games as obscure as Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire. Whether a beginner or a veteran to any given title, the SRK forums were a place to share matchup info, frame data, combos and setups, as well as discuss a particular franchise's future, share videos and discuss tournament results.
The reason for the closure unfortunately seems to be a decrease in usage. A statement from SRK founder and EVO organiser, Tom Cannon, acknowledges that the FGC is now inundated with outlets for information, such as YouTube, Twitch and Reddit, which is slowly making niche forums, so important in the '90s and early '00s, almost obsolete.
The SRK forums will remain open until the end of the month, to allow for any archiving of years and years of fighting game knowledge. The closure is not expected to affect SRK's continued operation as a news site. There are talks in SRK's comments of a subreddit potentially being set up as replacement, so here's hoping that the forum's community is able to get back to its feet for another round.
SRK forums to close at the end of January [Shoryuken.com]
When Dissidia Final Fantasy NT launches later this month in the west, it'll have 27 characters included at launch. This is a gradual upgrade from the arcade version that arrived in 2017 with 14 fighters, and eventually, Square Enix has said that they want to approach 50, as well as include everyone who was previously in a Dissidia game to date.
We're one step closer to understanding who some of those eventual DLC characters will be by way of a pre-launch stream, where some hints were dropped as to their identities (as a recap, characters will be roughly $7 each converted from the confirmed price of 800 yen, with a roughly $35 season pass that includes six initial fighters).
As for the first six, two are women, four are men. Both women are from the "newer half of Final Fantasy games," and one of them is a previous Dissidia character. As for the men, three will be from the newer half of the franchise, and one from the older series.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT will launch tomorrow in Japan and on January 30 worldwide.
When I was in high school, my workout regime involved marching band, Denise Austin VHS tapes and copious rounds of Dance Dance Revolution. Not only did I play DDR in bowling alleys and arcades whenever I had the chance, but I had a metal dance pad at home (PlayStation 2 with a converter to make it run on my Xbox 360). Late last year, a decade after graduating high school, I bought a plastic dance pad and busted out my PS3 just to play DDR again, with the idea of incorporating it into my workout routine.
All that said, I'm no stranger to the idea of video games as exercise. Neither is Black Box VR.
For the first time in history, witness an iconic battle between two major YouTube groups in @Hidden_Block VS @NormalBoots! The ENTIRE rosters of Hidden Block and Normal Boots will face off in deadly head to head competition at EGLX in Toronto, the largest consumer expo event in the city. Destructoid will also be there because they're our parent company and stuff, so if you can't make it to Toronto we'll post all the footage here.
Really obnoxious multiplayer battles with trash-talking? Check. Video game-themed Family Feud panel? Check. The Price is Right? Probably not, but who knows. Insanity and hilarity are on their way to the freezing North. Come party with these fantastic folks:
- ProJared
- The Completionist
- Peanut Butter Gamer
- Jesse Cox
- Did You Know Gaming
- Continue?
- Satch Bag's Goods
- Jimmy Whetzel
- Balrog The Master
- Caddicarus
- YungTown
- Space Hamster
And there's more talent to be announced! We're just getting started, so follow us on Twitter as more bombs dropping. Also, on Saturday March 10th we're partying with DJ Grimecraft and six more surprise guests at the official Destructoid party, we hope to see you there!
Cyberpunk 2077 was teased by CD Projekt Red with a short CGI trailer five years ago to the day. Since then, well, it's been pretty quiet on the Cyberpunk news front.
CD Projekt Red made it clear that while they had plans to work on Cyberpunk 2077 in the future, their main focus was going to be finishing off the Witcher 3 DLC packs before even starting work on the new project.
From January 30, Call of Duty: WWII fans will be able to dig into the title's first batch of additional content, with the release of The Resistance DLC. This pack features three new multiplayer maps, a new mission for the game's great War Mode, and the next chapter of the Zombies saga: The Darkest Shore.
Activision have released a grisly new trailer for the undead adventure, which sees our team of ragtag heroes, including Doctor Who, Elektra and Marsellus Wallace (not literally), converge on a mysterious island. Here, they will uncover more secrets about the zombie apocalypse and sinister Nazi scientist Dr. Straub, played by Udo Kier of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame.
The Darkest Shore, along with the rest of The Resistance DLC pack, airdrops onto PS4 January 30, as part of Sony's timed-exclusivity deal. The content will follow on PC and Xbox One at a later date.
