New Games

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• E3: Microsoft talks increased first-party Kinect support
• E3: Interview with Ulf Andersson, director of Payday
• E3: Hands-on with House of the Dead Overkill Extended Cut
• E3: Max and Tara pull a robbery in Payday: The Heist
• E3: About that dinosaur in Battlefield 3 ...
• Disaster: MotorStorm Apocalypse canceled in Japan forever
• E3: Max and Tara go batty over Gotham City Impostors
• E3: The Penguin appears last-minute in Arkham City demo
• E3: The show is over, but we're only getting started
• E3: PS Vita report: Little Deviants, Uncharted, and more
• E3: Ninja Gaiden 3 'looks like a game about ninjas'
• Being Mr. Destructoid
• E3: SEGA's Sonic Boom rapes E3 with pure insanity
• E3: Max and Conrad are so (Sesame) street
• E3: Chad tells Max about making love to the Wii U
• E3: Ubisoft and Gibson announce $200 Rocksmith bundle
• E3: Namco's Go Vacation looks oddly compelling

E3: Microsoft talks increased first-party Kinect support Posted: 09 Jun 2011 04:04 PM PDT Microsoft seemed intent on all things Kinect this week, much to many gamers' dismay. In an interview with GameSpot, Microsoft Game Studios boss Phil Spencer said what we all know to be true. "It's not a mandate that everything we do in first-party has to support Kinect right now," he begins. "But I will say, specifically with voice, that there are some things that just seem to make navigating and playing games so much easier, that I would guess the answer will be yes in the end, that you'll see all first-party games using some form of Kinect functionality." However, not every game needs to be drastically changed for the sake of it. "Whether it's voice in Forza or head-tracking in Forza, which you wouldn't say is somehow turning the Forza gameplay experience on it's head. Rather, it's just using the advantages of what Kinect brings to make the experience better. So I think there's some specific examples where Kinect makes everything better." If this initiative leads to worthwhile Kinect experiences, then so be it. Once Upon a Monster, Minecraft, and Child of Eden are all steps in the right direction. And, for the love of holy things everywhere, don't forget about using Kinect to augment a standard controller. That'd be appreciated. E3 2011: Microsoft incorporating Kinect into all first-party games [GameSpot]

E3: Interview with Ulf Andersson, director of Payday Posted: 09 Jun 2011 03:40 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here Max Scoville spoke with Ulf Andersson, director of the cooperative criminal game, Payday: The Heist. In this interview, Ulf tells us a little bit about the thrill of performing a well-executed heist and what's necessary to ensure it. I can't get over how well-crafted Payday is. The way that the police change up their strategies in reaction to your team's actions puts new challenges around every corner. It's the most challenging and fun cooperative experience I've had this year and I can't wait for the title to drop.

E3: Hands-on with House of the Dead Overkill Extended Cut Posted: 09 Jun 2011 03:00 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here Tara Long and I checked out the upcoming House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut, coming soon to PlayStation 3. Sporting a lovely visual upgrade with rather impressive use of 3D and the excellent accuracy of the PlayStation Move controller, it's taken a game that I already liked and turned into one I'm excited to play again. Check out the video for more of our impressions and stay tuned for more E3 coverage from Tara and I as the night progresses.

E3: Max and Tara pull a robbery in Payday: The Heist Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:40 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here Coming seemingly out of nowhere, Payday: The Heist features a dangerous group of four armed robbers who have stolen more than mere millions of dollars. They also made off with my heart.  One of our E3 Game of the Show nominees, check out Max and Tara's impressions of this stunning title for yourself. And stay tuned for a forthcoming interview with Overkill's Ulf Anderssen to go even deeper into the workings of what I hope will be a huge PSN-exclusive success.

E3: About that dinosaur in Battlefield 3 ... Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:30 PM PDT The Battlefield 3 presentation at EA's E3 2011 press conference kicked off with a soldier admiring his toy dinosaur keepsake. Most of you, myself included, probably didn't read much more into this moment than "Oh hey, look! A dinosaur!" There's more to it than that, though. A while back, a thread on 4chan was started by someone claiming to work for Activision. Their post asked for feedback on Modern Warfare, and the replies proceeded to talk all about the startling lack of dinosaurs in those games. Hey, it's true! I know what you're thinking, and nope, this isn't a coincidence. Check out this tweet by DICE gameplay designer Gustav Halling. Incredible. [Thanks for sending this in, Simon]

Disaster: MotorStorm Apocalypse canceled in Japan forever Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:17 PM PDT In a turn of events that feels rather sad, Sony Japan has officially cancelled a Japanese release of the PS3 racing game Motorstorm: Apocalypse, which had earlier been placed on indefinite suspension. Sony gave no specific reason as to the cause of the cancellation, but the motivations are fairly obvious. After all, the game features players racing through a city as it is being actively destroyed by a devastating earthquake and tsunami. Plus, Motorstorm Apocalypse was mere days from release at the time of March 11's great Tohoku earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. This decision most certainly smacks of over-sensitivity, similar to the over-sensitivity that axed the development of Irem's Disaster Report 4. Personally I'd think Americans should be more sensitive about Motorstorm's destructive aesthetic than Japanese. The city being destroyed bears an uncanny, almost disturbing resemblance to San Francisco. Driving under a collapsing Coit Tower or over falling ruins of the Golden Gate bridge, or past a doomed building that's obviously the Transamerica pyramid (even though they're never named as such in-game) might feel a bit off for some over-sensitive San Franciscans. Unless, of course, Americans hate San Francisco now, in which case they might be happy. That said, I can hardly blame Sony for making the call. People can get offended over the most trivial things, and playing it safe in this case was a fairly harmless option. Besides, Japanese players slavering for the ability to rock San Francisco to its foundations (and below) can always import the game, seeing as the PS3 is region-free. Motorstorm 3 cancelled in Japan [andriasang via Japanator]

E3: Max and Tara go batty over Gotham City Impostors Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:00 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here Max Scoville and Tara Long had a chance to check out Gotham City Impostors, the more lighthearted of the Batman titles coming this year. They're here to give you the skinny on the new downloadable multiplayer action.  Over the top combat and absurd weapons abound in this comical take on a war waged between wannabes in the streets of Gotham. Check out the video to hear our dynamic duo's impressions.

E3: The Penguin appears last-minute in Arkham City demo Posted: 09 Jun 2011 01:58 PM PDT Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham City is shaping up nicely. The behind-closed-doors E3 demo starts out showing Batman flying around the city before switching to a sexy Catwoman sequence, which Nick will give you full details about soon. But as the final day of E3 wound down, Warner Bros. felt like giving the final viewers something extra. Footage of Oswald Cobblepot, The Penguin, was shown for the first time today. Batman walks into a large room containing hordes of locked-up criminals. One stumbles towards him; weak, desperate to escape, he hopes Batman will save him. Suddenly, a gunshot rings out, and the man falls to the ground. The Penguin is revealed on a balcony above, his umbrella-gun in hand, pointed at the dead criminal. He is flanked by beefy henchmen. A short back-and-forth ensues between Batman and Cobblepot, talking about how weak the man below was and how the Penguin only accepts the strongest into his gang. He's got an excellent (and cliched) way to find out who's worthy: have them try to kill Batman. All the criminals are released, prompting a giant melee with lots of opportunities for double takedowns. Bigger brawls are a new focus in Arkham City, since only the end of Arkham Asylum had some large-scale fights. Naturally, Batman takes them all down, prompting the Penguin to leave while noting that Batman wasn't supposed to do that. The Penguin looked great, a disgusting middle ground between classy mob socialite and Danny DeVito Batman Returns craziness, with a big cracked monocle. I can't wait to see more of his involvement in the game, or whether he'll do something with the other villains. Here's hoping all the villains are done this well. Batman: Arkham City is due out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on October 18, 2011.

E3: The show is over, but we're only getting started Posted: 09 Jun 2011 01:29 PM PDT Wow, this has been an insane week. We want to thank you, faithful readers, for commenting, tweeting, giving us feedback, and on the whole, putting up with our nonsense. It's been our pleasure getting genuinely happy about videogames during E3 2011. The show is (officially) over, with the Entertainment Software Association declaring that some 46,800 people attended. It's always a blast, especially when we get new hardware announcements, more follow-ups to beloved franchises, and the occasional refreshing new IP. We've already done hundreds of posts, but there's even more where that came from, remarkably. In particular, you can expect further hands-on impressions and video coverage from the on-site team over the next couple of days. Better start recovering now. The ESA says E3 2012 will take place from June 5 - 7. Tell us, what was your favorite E3 moment?

E3: PS Vita report: Little Deviants, Uncharted, and more Posted: 09 Jun 2011 01:05 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here Destructoid Show co-host Tara Long was able to get her grubby little paws on Sony's new handheld, the PlayStation Vita (that's VEE-tuh, folks), and she's here to tell you about the games she tried out. LittleBigPlanet is cute; Little Deviants makes great use of the front touchscreen and rear touch panel; Sound Shapes is a music-based platformer that also has a level creator; and Uncharted: Golden Abyss lets you draw out paths on the touchscreen for Nathan Drake to climb along. Tara sounds pretty impressed; I was an NGP naysayer, but I might be coming around.

E3: Ninja Gaiden 3 'looks like a game about ninjas' Posted: 09 Jun 2011 12:30 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here Ninja Gaiden 3, in Destructoid Show co-host Max Scoville's expert opinion, "looks like a game about ninjas." In one of his first hands-on reports from the E3 show floor, Max gives us the details of his play session, including a stealth section and other sections where he was mostly cutting dudes up. Our Editor-in-Chief, Nick Chester, hasn't been so hot on the game, but it seems like Max had a pretty good time. We'll soon have impressions from Jim Sterling, but for now, you can read about how the game is about violence and not gore. Ninja Gaiden 3 will be out for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in early 2012.

Being Mr. Destructoid Posted: 09 Jun 2011 12:25 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here At E3, one lucky fan was able to don the amazing Mr. Destructoid helmet. That lucky person was then able to hang out with me. I then used this magical moment as an excuse to go shoot videos of hot E3 girls. Typical Venom.

E3: SEGA's Sonic Boom rapes E3 with pure insanity Posted: 09 Jun 2011 12:23 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here Please forgive the quality of this video. No camera created by mortal men can handle the miracle that was SEGA's 20th anniversary party,  Highlights include the lead singer of Crush 40 trying to get people to sing along, Sonic: The Musical, a gorgeously awkward costume contest, and me getting revenge on SEGA's trolling by counter-trolling their Twitter screen. VICTORY IS MINE! This was the greatest night E3 has ever had.

E3: Max and Conrad are so (Sesame) street Posted: 09 Jun 2011 12:15 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here The gigantic Max Scoville and I make complete asses of ourselves in this look at Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster. You know what? I don't care. This game is fun, so much that I'm willing to end my more than a decade long vendetta against Elmo for stealing Grover's thunder, all but eliminating his role in the show. Poor bastard had to go back to waiting tables. But it's okay. I promise I'll stop sending you those bags of stuffing and severed doll heads. You're off the hook, you little red bastard.

E3: Chad tells Max about making love to the Wii U Posted: 09 Jun 2011 12:05 PM PDT Can't see the video? Click here Our own Chad Concelmo got some hands-on time with Nintendo's new console, the Wii U, at E3. He can barely contain his excitement about it, so Destructoid Show co-host Max Scoville stands there and lets the Wii U love flow, for the most part. It's pretty much impossible to watch this video and not smile, so check it out if you need a quick pick-me-up... and even if you don't!

E3: Ubisoft and Gibson announce $200 Rocksmith bundle Posted: 09 Jun 2011 11:40 AM PDT Today would have been the 96th birthday of Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar. Google is celebrating the occasion with one of its best "Google Doodles" ever, an interactive electric guitar playable in the G Major scale, while Ubisoft and Gibson have announced a partnership to bundle an Epiphone Les Paul Junior guitar with the videogame publisher's guitar teaching software, Rocksmith. The bundle, which will retail for $199.99, includes the game, the guitar, and a special 1/4"-to-USB cable that was developed specifically for Rocksmith. The cable allows you to plug any electric guitar into the game -- it translates a guitar's analog signal into a digital one that the software can read. For people who already have their own guitar, Ubisoft will also sell a game/cable bundle for $79.99. Rocksmith is due out this fall for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. See its official website for more information.

E3: Namco's Go Vacation looks oddly compelling Posted: 09 Jun 2011 11:32 AM PDT Can't see the video? Click here Adam excitedly sent this into our tips line, and I figured he was just being silly. Especially after watching the trailer above, which starts off admittedly rough. But in a Shyamalan twist, things go from Wii Sports Resort-clone to "You can scuba dive! And surf! And do tons of other weird activities. Why do I want this?!" What makes Go Vacation interesting is the open-world nature, which you rarely see attached to what is essentially a collection of mini-games. After some quick Google detective work, I can confirm that it's coming to North America this fall. Funny enough, the box art looks like every other off-brand Wii game that so often gets randomly purchased as a gift. Maybe Billy's grandparents will unwittingly surprise him with what could be a decent title, for once.

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