Sunday, March 4, 2018

News:: 'StarCraft' 20th anniversary brings freebies and a short film

Blizzard is keeping up its habit of marking the anniversaries of major games. The original StarCraft is turning 20 on March 31st, and the studio is promising a slew of extras across its games to mark the occasion, including the classic real-time strategy title itself. You can log in to StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft II after March 6th to get commemorative interface skins, plus portraits and decals if you sign into SCII by April 6th. And if you're not particularly big on those titles, there are plenty of other ways to obtain perks -- you might even prefer them to the ones you get with StarCraft proper.

Via: Polygon

Source: StarCraft II, StarCraft (Twitter)



via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/03/04/starcraft-20th-anniversary-bonuses/

News:: Review: Part Time UFO

It’s easy to see mobile gaming as nothing more than a cash grab that preys on players' desire for success with as little effort as possible. That’s why there are massive ad campaigns for so many mobile games that don’t even require you to play them to win. Just push the auto-play button and you’re set and also please spend money on some loot boxes while you’re at it. It can be discouraging to those of us who buy games to actually play them.

What’s most disappointing about this is the mobile platform provides ample opportunities for experimentation. It’s not expensive to make a mobile game, and rather than try to rope players into a long, drawn-out campaign with little innovation or talent required, I’d like to see more inexpensive titles built around a single mechanic that lasts just long enough not to wear out its welcome. You know, games like Part Time UFO.

Review: Part Time UFO screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/review-part-time-ufo-492775.phtml

News:: Contest: Win a copy of Immortal Redneck!

[Two days left, friends! Get your entries in by Tuesday!]

I'm trapped in an otherworldly, eternal realm. In this realm, I am unable to think. Breathe. Eat. Sleep. There is only one thing here:

Giving away games to Dtoiders!

Today we've got fifteen copies of Immortal Redneck (five apiece for Xbox One, PS4 NA, and PS4 EU) to give out. Resident ReviewBot 8000 Chris Carter recently used his complex cognitive algorithms to judge the game as Great, monotonously and robotically quipping, "Immortal Redneck's loop is dead simple: play some, upgrade, play more, buy the item that lets you skip past the mid-boss, play some, upgrade, then confront the final boss. But you know what -- it's a blast, and I never really thought of any of the above as work."

I guess you could say it's Chris-tested, ReviewBot-approved!

Contest: Win a copy of Immortal Redneck! screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/contest-win-a-copy-of-immortal-redneck--492504.phtml

News:: PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List

[The Switch just turned one year old! While I don't own one yet, it seems to have been a damn fine year for Nintendo's new console, with a lot more to come - plus a lot of cardboard. Coincidentally, it also means I've been adding Switch codes to the List for a year! It seems like only yesterday I was badgering you all into relinquising your information into my care.

The List will continue being updated as long as there is a use and demand for it.  -Panda]

Good morning/afteroon/tomorrow, my Friends/Robots/Gardevoir/-Current Dtoid Meme Here-

It has been made aware to me that, just perhaps, you all enjoy video games. It might even be said that you... like to game with others? Now now, don't be that way, I don't mean to lump you into some sort of box. You're all just such lovely folks, it pains me to watch you, struggling in vain to connect with each other, striving to engage in...

PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/prepare-to-friendship-dtoid-s-master-gaming-contact-list-376128.phtml

News:: Review: Brass Tactics

I wouldn't expect for an RTS game to make its way into VR and work as well as it does in Brass Tactics. I also didn't expect the RTS genre to work so well with a controller, but then Tooth and Tail came in and blew me away. I guess the genre is more malleable than I originally gave it credit for. Though, I'd like to blame the time I spent with StarCraft 64 for making me so jaded on my opinions of modifying the control input for RTS games.

I can say with certainty that Brass Tactics is better than StarCraft 64.

Review: Brass Tactics screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/review-brass-tactics-492549.phtml

News:: Last chance for PC deals on Final Fantasy XV and Square Enix sale titles

PC gamers looking to bulk up their Square Enix library should act fast this weekend as a number of Square Enix related sales are coming to an end. For newer and upcoming Square Enix titles, they are on sale at GMG during the "March Madness" promotion. You'll find next Tuesday's release of Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition for 21% off (includes early purchase Half-Life costume bonus), and the excellent Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age. Also available is the mixed bag Secret of Mana 3D remake and the meh port Chrono Trigger. We don't really suggest picking up either title at the current sale price - but they're listed below for the sake of completeness.

At Steam Store, they are running a giant catalog-wide publisher sale where everything Square Enix is on sale for up to 80% off. You can scan through the list here but we've also made your life easier by listing the noteworthy titles that are hitting historic low prices. This includes 50% off NieR: Automata and lowest ever priced Deux Es: Mankind Divided. Tucked deeper into the sale are also a bunch of $0.97 titles - all of which are at the lowest we've ever seen. We've rounded up some of the more noteworthy ones below.

As FFXV is releasing soon on Tuesday, the 21% off discount may end soon. Square Enix's publisher sale at Steam Store will end Monday morning at 10 AM Pacific.

New Square Enix Titles

Historic Low Price Titles

$0.97 Titles

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

Last chance for PC deals on Final Fantasy XV and Square Enix sale titles screenshot



via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/last-chance-for-pc-deals-on-final-fantasy-xv-and-square-enix-sale-titles-492755.phtml

News:: Team Flowers blossom in muddled Splatfest results

The results are out on Splatoon 2's latest free-for-all. Players across Japan battled it out yesterday over deep topic Hana yori Dango, or Flowers vs Dumplings, or Blossom vs Donuts, or Beauty vs Desire. Whichever way you wanna look at it, we have some pretty interesting results.

Pearl's Team Flowers took the ultimate 2-1 victory, have barely captured both Team and Solo play. The vote however, leaned heavily toward Marina's Team Dumplings, so the latter choice was pretty damn popular, and had the trophy snatched from their sugar-stained hands.

Of course, who knows how people were voting? Were people looking at it philosophically, comparing the natural beauty of the world to the base desire of gluttony? Were they just voting for the character they like best? or were they straight-up selecting which of the two items they'd rather eat? The latter question would drive Homer Simpson insane.

However you slice it, the numbers do not lie. Chalk up another victory for the Queen of the World.

Team Flowers blossom in muddled Splatfest results screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/team-flowers-blossom-in-muddled-splatfest-results-492722.phtml

News:: Giant Ubisoft PC sale brings over 100 games on sale from catalog

If you're a Ubisoft fan (it's not an oxymoron, we promise), you're in for a treat this weekend. if you game on the PC. Digital retailer Green Man Gaming is running a giant "March Madness Sale" and leading the promotion are titles from Ubisoft's catalog. 102 of their titles, to be exact.

We're spotting great prices from Assassin's Creed series, including new titles such as Assassin's Creed: Origins. You'll also find typical Tom Clancy's title such as Rainbow Six Siege - which is now in its 3rd year and has the same 30% off discount found elsewhere. Good prices include Ghost Recon: Wildlands Deluxe and Gold (now at a reasonable price point). Further down the list you'll see Far Cry, For Honor, South Park, and Watch Dogs titles. Many of these titles are at or near historic low prices for the digital copies and are significantly cheaper than what we spotted during Winter Sale.

Dig deep down the list below and you'll see a category of "Other Games" (namely we were too lazy to organize it further), and in it, you'll find hidden gems such as Beyond Good & Evil along with Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. Both are excellent titles to pick up and at around $3 they really couldn't be a bad purchase.

No expiration exist as far as we know, but we suspect this sale will end early next week. If you want to check out the full price history breakdown in GMG's sale, click here. For those still wondering, yes, all the game keys are Uplay keys.

Assassin's Creed

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell

Far Cry

For Honor

Watch Dogs

South Park

Steep, Trackmania, and Trials

Prince of Persia

Anno

Might and Magic

Brothers in Arms

Rayman

Other Ubisoft Titles

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

Giant Ubisoft PC sale brings over 100 games on sale from catalog screenshot



via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/giant-ubisoft-pc-sale-brings-over-100-games-on-sale-from-catalog-492752.phtml

News:: Let's talk about games that redeemed their franchise

Until I started writing this week’s Destructoid Discusses piece, I didn’t realize just how many Rayman games there were. Seriously, look at this Wikipedia page. It’s not nearly as bad as Mario, but hell, Ubisoft sure threw Rayman into everything it could. Of course not all those games made it over to the States so I, like most people, probably most associated the character with his original trio of platformers. Rayman, The Great Escape, Hoodlum Havok; all exquisite titles and still pretty damn fun to play.

Then came the Rabbids.

I’ll admit, I was excited for Rayman’s Raving Rabbids when it was the original concept: a free-roaming action game where Rayman battled the invading horde of Rabbids. Seriously, this looks amazing. But that’s not the Rabbids game we got. What we were given was a title similar to many others that plagued the Wii throughout its existence: a mini-game collection. Rayman Raving Rabbids was followed by Raving Rabbids 2, another mini-game collection. And then another mini-game collection. And then Rabbids Go Home, which is actually very fun. And then two more mini-game collections. I don’t even think Rayman had anything to do with the series at that point, like how Spyro became less of a factor in the Skylanders series as the franchise evolved.

But then came November 15, 2011. Having long grown tired of the Rabbids and their antics, I was right ready to get back to the Rayman series I loved. So on that day I headed out to my local Target and put down my hard-earned cash… to buy Fossil Fighters: Champions. I picked up Rayman Origins a week later.

Like a hammer to the head, Origins is a blunt reminder of just how good Rayman and 2D platformers can be. Coming off the disappointing and feature-deficient port of Rayman 2 to the 3DS, it was a welcomed reminder that Ubisoft still cared about this character. Origins and its follow-up Legends, simultaneously a better and worse game, are still the best examples of the power of the UbiArt Framework engine and, if you ask me, superior to New Super Mario Bros Wii.  and U as four-player platformers.

Rayman Origins saved Rayman and I would love to see it ported to the PS4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch because I’d happily pay $20 for another trip through the entire Desert of Dijiridoos.

Let's talk about games that redeemed their franchise screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/let-s-talk-about-games-that-redeemed-their-franchise-491956.phtml

News:: What Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number taught me about death

[I hold both Hotline Miami games in high regards as they are prime examples of doing a lot with so little in terms of gameplay. The games make you take an introspective look at yourself and question whether or not you may be a bad person because you enjoy a game that is about nothing but killing, all while only having five base enemy types. As stated in the comments below I've been trying to collect my thoughts on the series for a feature like this but with one fell swoop, Christopher Harper has said nearly everything I was trying to say while also relating their own personal experiences with the series and how it helped them grow. It's long and personal but one of the best community blogs I've ever seen on the site. Also, Happy Belated Birthday! -Anthony]

Spoiler warning: This article discusses events taking place in both Hotline Miami titles, but especially the ending of 2. While many consider gameplay to be the primary hook for these titles, I highly recommend playing them as blind as possible for an ideal experience.

Note: If you are already intimately familiar with Hotline Miami 2 and would like to skip some pretext, start at "The End".

What Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number taught me about death screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/what-hotline-miami-2-wrong-number-taught-me-about-death-491450.phtml

News:: Here are some of the most memorable adverts for games

We've all seen the Angry Video Game Nerd episode where he compares the SNES with the Sega Genesis and mocks the "blast processing" thrust of the Genesis' marketing campaign. It seems silly now to think that slapping a vague buzzword on technical specs could push people to buy the console, but hey, enough of us played Streets of Rage and Sonic 3 that it must have worked.

Flashy adverts have been a mainstay of the video game industry for a couple of decades, now. Some of them bore into our brains because they are fun, or exciting, or perhaps even make the soft-hearted among us cry. Sniff. So what are some adverts, i.e. TV ads or YouTube trailers, that I dug up during my research? Ones that I remember from back in the day, perhaps, and that struck a chord with me? Get your box of Kleenex at the ready while I show you my faves.

Here are some of the most memorable adverts for games screenshot

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via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/here-are-some-of-the-most-memorable-adverts-for-games-492719.phtml