News:: Sony takes us behind the scenes of the Shadow of the Colossus remake

The Shadow of the Colossus remake is nearly upon us, so Sony is amping up the hype train by taking us behind the scenes with Bluepoint Studios' work. While each video is short, you do get to understand how Bluepoint approached the project and what its decision was for tackling such a beloved game.

What is a real treat is the interview with composer Kow Otani. Shadow of the Colossus has one of the greatest soundtracks ever recorded, regardless of medium, so it is very intriguing to learn about why he chose specific instruments and what his score was trying to evoke. I really wish we could get a half hour video with just him, but I'll take what I can get.

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/sony-takes-us-behind-the-scenes-of-the-shadow-of-the-colossus-remake-484878.phtml

News:: Comments of the Week 34: I'd like to be on Comments of the Week!

Hello my little beetles, FakePlasticTree here! We are well into the new year already and I miss having a functioning PS3, and have yet to require a proper replacement. So, while I wait and look for a new one, I've been spending time playing more Yakuza Ishin. I really love it; it might be one of the best Yakuza titles, even beating most of the main ones. It's a really engaging game.

Any games you lot have set your sights on beating? Well, in any case, let's hear from the community with some Comments of the Week!

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/comments-of-the-week-34-i-d-like-to-be-on-comments-of-the-week--482712.phtml

News:: World Heroes 2 brings the pain on Nintendo Switch

I seem to be writing a heck of a lot of these ACA articles lately... Another Neo Geo fighter has arrived on the Nintendo Switch, as 1993's World Heroes 2 is available to download, courtesy of Hamster and the ACA Neo Geo Range.

World Heroes 2 is the goofy sequel to Street Fighter knock-off World Heroes (naturally). The game is remembered for its weird cast of characters, such as mad monk Rasputin and satanic football player Johnny Maximum, as well as its large, colourful sprites and "Death Match" mode, which fills the arena with hazards and traps.

I'm surprised that Hamster haven't released the slightly revamped World Heroes 2 Jet, which is already available on PS4 and Xbox One, instead choosing to launch the vanilla version of the title. I'm sure that Jet will also make an appearance down the line, and you might be better off holding out for that.

World Heroes 2 is available now on Nintendo Switch, with the usual $8 price tag.

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/world-heroes-2-brings-the-pain-on-nintendo-switch-484755.phtml

News:: HQ Trivia scraps $20 minimum requirement to withdraw prizes

Got a few bucks sitting in HQ Trivia limbo these past couple of months? You'll be happy to hear this, then: the app no longer requires a minimum balance for withdrawal. You can get your prize money no matter how small it is, so you don't have to endlessly try to win again and again just to be able to collect $20. HQ Trivia, which debuted to great success late last year, is a trivia app that takes on a gameshow format. Gameplay is live, and you can only play at specific times twice a day.

Source: HQ Trivia (Twitter)

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/01/27/hq-trivia-scraps-20-minimum-requirement-to-withdraw-prizes/

News:: Send help, I'm playing WoW again

I'm not entirely sure how these things happen, but every now and again I'll find myself looking for a more familiar game to pick up. Sometimes it's as simple as a few matches of Overwatch, other times a few rounds of Street Fighter, but on occasion I find myself sucked back into a time-consuming MMO rabbit hole.

It isn't always World of Warcraft. I've spent time playing other MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV, but WoW and I have the most history and when I need some familiarity back in my gaming I find it hard to resist the siren's song. 

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/send-help-i-m-playing-wow-again-484695.phtml

News:: A 'Westworld' mobile game is in the works

HBO's version of Westworld seems tailor-made for a video game: it's a fully-realized robot theme park with plenty of opportunities for disaster. And sure enough, you're about to get one. In the wake of a teaser on the website of the show's fictitious Delos Incorporated, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has confirmed to Engadget that a mobile game is in development. It's not saying much about the mechanics of the game itself, but it's working with Dead by Daylight developer Behavior Interactive and the TV series' Kilter Films. The title is "currently being tested in limited release," a spokesperson said.

Via: io9

Source: Delos Incorporated

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/01/27/westworld-mobile-game-in-development/

News:: Trails of Cold Steel II hits PC on Valentine's Day

You know you're in for a better year when you go through two Falcom-themed months. Zwei: The Arges Adventure came out on Wednesday, and XSEED's PC port of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is unleashing its glorious S-Craft on a special day. In other words, you'll get to spend Valentine's Day with your favorite female party member.

From the looks of it, the people who played the first Trails of Cold Steel on PC dealt with a similar waiting period to those who went through the original PS3 and Vita version. Now you'll all get to mess with the sequel's new special battles and the broken mechanic known as Overdrive. 

Just like its predecessor, there are more voiced lines and Turbo Mode is back. All in all, I'm happy that people will get to play a definitive version of one of my top games of 2016 soon. One of my favorite parts of the sequel was that you got to explore a good chunk of Eastern Erebonia since the school elements fade away. Combined with a few stuff that gave off a great Suikoden vibe, it was a big improvement over its predecessor. 

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/trails-of-cold-steel-ii-hits-pc-on-valentine-s-day-484729.phtml

News:: Review: The Maze Runner: The Death Cure

New year, new me, right? As such, it seemed prudent that one minor tweak to the old personality complex might allow for a more compassionate worldview towards movie sequels. You see, the old me, the less-better me, hated on sequels, usually because they were phoned in, or were chock-full of bad writing. "It's time to give sequels a chance!" I proclaimed to no one in particular, though a nearby squirrel did eyeball me an uncomfortably long time. In the process, I concluded, I'll become a better human being.

But then, this week, the third installment of The Maze Runner series dropped, and all my high and mighty morals and notions went out the window. Damn you, The Maze Runner: The Death Cure. It's not possible to not hate on this sequel.

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/review-the-maze-runner-the-death-cure-484757.phtml

News:: Recommended Reading: The making of Elton John's VR retirement party

How Elton John's
VR retirement
announcement hit
your headset
Emma Grey Ellis,
Wired

If you haven't heard, music legend Sir Elton John announced his retirement and final tour this week in the most 2018 way possible: VR. Wired goes behind the scenes to get the details on how that montage was made before it beamed out to your headset.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/01/27/recommended-reading-elton-johns-vr-retirement-party/

News:: You've got a week to score some Valentine's chocolate from your Fate/Grand Order girls

It's not even February yet, but as a game with a story about securing humanity's future through time travel, Fate/Grand Order isn't about to let a little thing like time stand in the way of celebrating some hot and heavy romance. Indeed, the game has kicked off its Valentine's event two weeks early, letting players still sleeping off New Year's fatten up on some chocolate.

In keeping with Japan's peculiar interpretation of the Feast of Saint Valentine, Valentine's Day is typically treated as a day when women gift the objects of their affection (or just their friends) some chocolate, ideally hand-made. Men get their own version of the practice in "White Day" set a month later. 

Three weeks early (and already 2 days in from its January 25th start), FGO's take on Valentine's Day is titled "Chocolate Lady's Commotion", and features story missions alongside The Bard himself, William Shakespeare. The event's various battles against rogue chocolate enemies allows players to gather up chocolate coins to trade for special Craft Essences from any of the female Servants they've summoned. The craft essences are awarded via special Valentine's day cutscenes showing the servant saying something cute and presenting their gift. More practically useful items such as leveling fodder and ascension materials are also available for trade. For the well-heeled, the premium summoning has added the limited 5-Star Saber servant Bride Nero. She's basically an upgrade, wedding-themed version of the 4-Star Saber Nero Claudius, and appears as she did in Fate/Extra CCC, a sequel to Fate/Extra that was never released in English.

While this is an event more or less like any other in your average mobile gacha game, I find it somewhat amusing that the grind is actually harder for this event if you've been lucky (or rich) enough to roll all the game's best girls. Players with fewer servants have far less grinding to do if they want to get everything in the time allotted.

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/you-ve-got-a-week-to-score-some-valentine-s-chocolate-from-your-fate-grand-order-girls-484747.phtml

News:: The Morning After: Weekend Edition

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome to the weekend! Google and Apple have new hardware to sell -- if you're willing to wait for it -- and we might have our first look at the Galaxy S9.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/01/27/the-morning-after-weekend-edition/

News:: New release deals: Monster Hunter: World, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and more

January has been ripe with new games and this weekend is no exception, with two large releases looming from both Bandai Namco and Capcom in the form of Dragon Ball FighterZ and Monster Hunter: World, respectively. Both games were released earlier today and have been met with positive receptions (you can read the review of Monster Hunter: World here).

If you're looking to pick up some latest titles, we've rounded up some of the more recent releases for January, starting from earlier this week's batch of new titles, cumulating to this weekend's biggies. You'll find everything from a quick and easy 10% off discount on PS4 digital copy of Monster Hunter: World for the PSN, or PC early access titles that finally have fully launched such as Subnautica.

January New Video Game Release Deals

Friday, January 26 releases

• Monster Hunter: World - Digital Deluxe Edition (PS4/PSN) — $62.99  (list price $70)
• Monster Hunter: World (PS4/PSN) — $53.99  (list price $60) <- review here
• Dragon Ball FighterZ - Ultimate Edition (Steam) — $96.77  (list price $110)
• Dragon Ball FighterZ - FighterZ Edition (Steam) — $83.58  (list price $95)
• Dragon Ball FighterZ (Steam) — $49.27  (list price $60) <- use code BALLZ
• Dragon Ball FighterZ + Future Trunks Figure (PS4, Xbox One) — $59.99  (list price $60)
• Railway Empire (Steam) — $39.99  (list price $50) <- use code PAYDAY

Tuesday, January 23 releases

• Lost Sphear (PS4/PSN) — $44.99  (list price $50) <- review here
• Lost Sphear (Steam) — $37.49 (list price $50) <- get discount here (login required)
• My Time At Portia (Steam) — $15.99  (list price $20) <- use code PAYDAY
• Subnautica (Steam) — $22.49  (list price $25) <- review here
• Iconoclasts (Steam) — $15.99  (list price $20) <- use code PAYDAY - review here
• Total War Warhammer II Rise of the Tomb Kings (Steam) — $15.76  (list price $19)

GMG's 10% discount on Monster Hunter: World appears to be running through next week. Their "PAYDAY" 20% off code expires February 2nd next month, while GamesPlanet's "BALLZ" code on FighterZ has an unknown expiration date.

Note that My Time At Portia, a title similar in spirit to Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley is still in early access phase, so while user reviews are positive that's something to consider before you take the plunge.

Deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/new-release-deals-monster-hunter-world-dragon-ball-fighterz-and-more-484544.phtml