New Games |
- Live Show: Backlog be playing with its Pikminz
- Gamers 'Amazon bomb' Resi Mercs 3D user reviews
- I Am Alive rating reminds us that the game is coming
- World of Warcraft is now free until you hit level 20
- First footage of free-to-play Tribes: Ascend
- Live show: Mash Tactics plays Uncharted 3 Beta
- PAX Prime: Guests, exhibitors and keynotes announced
- See and then win this Earth Defense Force survival kit
- Mortal Kombat's Kenshi is almost ready for download
- Silent Hill: Revelation movie set stills are not scary
- Respectfully not buying Resident Evil: The Mercs 3D
- Bungie's Marathon coming to iPad for free
- GameStop's pre-order bonuses for No More Heroes: Paradise
- Review: Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
- Molyneux: Fable: The Journey demo was only 4 months old
- Claim your Journey beta code before it's too late!
- Review: Child of Eden
| Live Show: Backlog be playing with its Pikminz Posted: 28 Jun 2011 03:00 PM PDT [Backlog is the ongoing quest to rid Conrad Zimmerman's collection of unfinished games. As voted on by the Destructoid community, Conrad plays each game from start to finish live on Destructoid's Justin.tv channel every weeknight at 8pm Pacific] What a wonderful change of pace this has been. Last night on Backlog, I started playing Pikmin 2. And I've been smiling about it more or less since. Oh, there were mishaps. I nearly drowned the little buggers a couple of times through inattentiveness and lost about half to an over-sized grub, but who's counting? Tune in right now as I continue to do my best to keep my Pikmin alive. I wouldn't count on a whole lot of miracles. I'll also be hanging out with the goons in our live chat. It's all happening right now over on Destructoid's Justin.tv channel!
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| Gamers 'Amazon bomb' Resi Mercs 3D user reviews Posted: 28 Jun 2011 01:30 PM PDT "Amazon Bombing" has become a popular way for disgruntled consumers to make their complaints heard, and Capcom has become the latest to suffer the indignity. Infuriated by the publisher's mysterious decision to block users from deleting their save data in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, gamers have bombarded Amazon with negative reviews. "I have nothing more to add that this is crippleware whose sole purpose is to erode owner rights even further," wrote one reviewer. "I don't care how much fun this game is, or how good it looks, or how much it costs," said another. "There is one save slot. Save data is permanent and cannot be deleted. Capcom is attempting to set a new precedent in consumer manipulation and control with this product." As I said earlier, I'm choosing to respectfully reverse my decision to buy the game due to the potential implications of this move. While Capcom insists that this move isn't about used games, it's refused to clarify what it IS about. Gamers, it seems, have decided for them in lieu of an explanation. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D [Amazon via GoNintendo] |
| I Am Alive rating reminds us that the game is coming Posted: 28 Jun 2011 01:00 PM PDT Surely I'm not the only one who forgot I Am Alive was still in existence? We've heard nothing about it from Ubisoft in recent months, which wouldn't be such a big deal had E3 not just taken place. A listing on the Australian Classification Board's website indicates this isn't vaporware. The multiplatform rating notes "strong violence" with its MA 15+ classification. The game is about a post-earthquake Chicago, after all. We can't have mere children running around the city in those conditions. While the premise is still somewhat intriguing, I can't recall the last time a game was rarely shown throughout its development only to miraculously amaze us all in the end. I Am Alive Lives, Gets Rated By Australian Classification Board [PlayStationLifeStyle via Eurogamer] |
| World of Warcraft is now free until you hit level 20 Posted: 28 Jun 2011 12:00 PM PDT For active World of Warcraft players, the week's big news is all centered around patch 4.2, Rage of the Firelands. Namely, it's out! This is the page to see if you're wondering what's new. More interesting to me and the rest of us non-WoW players, however, is Blizzard's revamp of the way trials for the game are handled. Gone are the trials restricted by time; instead, anyone with a Battle.net account can now play up to level 20 with the newly branded World of Warcraft Starter Edition. What's more, the company has WoW and The Burning Crusade bundled together digitally for $19.99, and everyone who already owns the base game will get this first expansion at no additional cost. Between this and Team Fortress 2, productivity has to be going down the toilet lately. |
| First footage of free-to-play Tribes: Ascend Posted: 28 Jun 2011 11:30 AM PDT Our first look at Tribes: Ascend in motion naturally includes plenty of soldiers zipping across large spaces, and many a firing laser rifle. What else did you expect from a Tribes game? This beta footage comes with the news that Ascend has now moved itself into free-to-play territory; I feel like I've written this story five times in the past week alone. The announcement makes sense given the title in question, and seems like something Hi-Rez Studios would do. Tribes: Ascend is currently on for a fall release. |
| Live show: Mash Tactics plays Uncharted 3 Beta Posted: 28 Jun 2011 11:00 AM PDT [Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday from 4-8pm Pacific. Join Jon Carnage and Pico Mause as they host a wacky and interactive show on Justin.Tv. Join us for your chance to win prizes, talk to industry guests, and experience jaw dropping stunts.] Today on Mash Tactics, we will be showing you live gameplay footage from the soon to be released title Uncharted 3 (Beta). Are you on the edge of whether or not to pick up this title? Stop by Justin.Tv at 4-8pm Pacific to see unbiased raw footage of new titles. Follow Mash Tactics on Facebook to vote for which games you would like to see. CLICK HERE for sexy time.
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| PAX Prime: Guests, exhibitors and keynotes announced Posted: 28 Jun 2011 10:40 AM PDT Yes! PAX! I love PAX because it's like a huge party for Destructoid and its community. The rest? I don't care about that as much. I like some of the concerts (No OneUps? Kiss my ass!), some of the keynotes, and playing new games. The rest of the time I'm hanging out with my Destructoid people, having a blast. I'm so excited already. If you want to....you know, actually go to the event, here's some details on what to expect on the floor, in the keynotes, and on the stage. God of War daddy David Jaffe is kicking off the keynotes. We also know to expect 2K Games, Activision, Bioware, Capcom, NCsoft and Microsoft, among others. Expect to see about one-hundred exhibitors on the floor! Speaking of Microsoft, they're taking the whole third floor of the Washington State Conference Center to create a massive Halo Fest experience. That will be crazy. After the jump you'll find the concert performers list. I'm not bitter. Really. There's some good dudes on there. I just would have picked some different bands to mix things up a bit. The Video Game Orchestra should be good. I hope you guys have your passes! See you on August 26th. Maybe we can piss off the Enforcer guys with another group photo again.
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| See and then win this Earth Defense Force survival kit Posted: 28 Jun 2011 10:20 AM PDT Look at this thing D3 Publisher sent me to promote the July 5 release of Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon. It's a survival kit with... edible bugs? Yeah, thanks, but no thanks! I want to give this thing away to one "lucky" reader. You'll get everything you see in the video, minus the insect repellant towelette that I used. Because I threw that in the trash, and I'm not picking it out. Also, everything you see in my living room that didn't come out of the kit. You don't get that, either. Here's how you win: simply tell me in the comments "I'm gonna kill some aliens on July 5 for when Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is released!" A few rules: only leave that comment once, or you're disqualified and mutant fire ants will (maybe) eat your face while you're sleeping. I will only send this to you if you are within the United States. Sorry readers in the rest of the world, but I'm paying for shipping out-of-pocket on this one. Good luck! Oh, and if you want to win the game, we're giving that away in another contest, too. |
| Mortal Kombat's Kenshi is almost ready for download Posted: 28 Jun 2011 09:40 AM PDT Following the add-on character Skarlet is none other than Kenshi, who will be available for download in Mortal Kombat soon enough. Xbox Live gets the blind fighter on Tuesday, July 5, followed by PlayStation Network a day later. In this video, we're given a quick runthrough of his moves. Sadly, the fatalities are cut a little short, but the fourth wall-breaking one is most excellent. Even though I have an uncanny love for Johnny Cage, I'll never miss the opportunity to see him take a solid beating. |
| Silent Hill: Revelation movie set stills are not scary Posted: 28 Jun 2011 09:20 AM PDT Scary or not, I'm still looking forward to upcoming 3D film Silent Hill: Revelation. There's some new stills from the set making the rounds for us to look at. You're going to have mixed feelings, I bet. I may also have them somewhere deep down. But I'm a glass is half full guy, and I'm going to remain positive for this second Silent Hill movie. From these shots, taken by producer Dan Carmody, you can see that the nurses are back. Ugh. You'll also see Carrie Ann Moss dressed to play Claudia Wolf. She looks too happy in these shots! Get dark and scary, woman! The coolest of the shots shows Dan sitting in some sort of Valtiel-topped throne. What the hell is that chair and how can I get one for my home!? Also, who is this Heather Marks girl and what is she doing in my Silent Hill? At least the sets look good. |
| Respectfully not buying Resident Evil: The Mercs 3D Posted: 28 Jun 2011 09:00 AM PDT Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is out in stores today and I was quite looking forward to buying it. My 3DS is finally getting some attention after a post-launch release drought and I was hoping to keep up the momentum started by Ocarina of Time 3D with Capcom's debut offering. However, the news that it will contain persistent save data that cannot be reset has caused me to rethink my purchasing decision. After talking to gamers, GameStop, Capcom, and weighing my options, I have decided to keep my cash and wait for something else. I will respectfully abstain from purchasing The Mercenaries 3D. The driving factor of my decision is that I feel I would be supporting a cause I have staunchly opposed for many years -- the fight against used games. I support the secondhand game market because I believe it is ultimately beneficial to the games industry -- I think it helps poorer gamers afford brand new titles with trade-in credit, and I believe it generates greater exposure to an intellectual property, in that those who buy a game used are more likely to buy the sequel brand new if they enjoyed it. These are long-term benefits to the used games industry, but unfortunately, publishers only ever think of childish, short-term gratification. They want their cash now, and they feel entitled to that cash even after they made an initial sale. Features such as online passes -- that hold content to ransom unless users input a purchasable code -- inconvenience new and used consumers alike, and eventually devalue used games, which could have long-term ramifications on the market. As someone who cares about the future of this industry, as well as consumer rights, I cannot in good faith support any move that fights used games in a direct and potentially damaging way. Capcom has stated that the used market was not a factor. I can't say I am wholly inclined to believe it because ... what other factors could there be? I'd love for Capcom to set my mind at rest by explaining what DID factor into the decision, but the truth is -- it hasn't. I asked a very direct question while chatting with the publisher -- what influenced its decision to stop consumers erasing save data? My conversation with Capcom ended there. No answer was given. Regardless of Capcom's justifications, however, the fact is that The Mercenaries 3D does represent harm to the used game market. Reports of GameStop's refusal to accept trade-ins for the game are increasing, and store managers have personally told me that their computers outright block the game from being processed. In essence, this has quite smartly locked The Mercenaries out of the used game market, and could easily inspire other 3DS game publishers to pull the same stunt. It's not hard to imagine those publishers already fighting used games -- the likes of Electronic Arts and THQ -- are salivating at the prospect of games that are effectively immune to used sales. Some will argue that, due to the non-linear nature of the game, this won't effect anybody. However, a used consumer will potentially risk buying a game that has all content unlocked, and a range of user-inputted high scores rather than scores set by the game itself. Some of you might not like unlockables, but I know I'm not alone when I say that the appeal of a non-linear, arena-based game like this personally lies in the discovery of new skills and fresh stages, a gradual release of content that keeps me invested in playing, rather than a complete explosion of gameplay with total access from the outset. Some of you might be fine with having all the content and somebody else's high scores -- I am not.
Even outside of that, I know of gamers who like resetting their data. Ars Technica's Ben Kuchera stated today that he regularly starts all types of handheld games again from scratch. "I wasn't sent a review copy, was going to go out and buy it, but MAN that's just a direct attack on your customers. I can't support it," he Tweeted. "I really like wiping my save game files on portable games to start from scratch. Do it all the time. That makes this a shit deal for me." I'm not a big data-eraser myself, but I understand why some like to do it, and I totally agree that Ben has a right to be perturbed by this. It's yet another instance of control being taken away from gamers -- a worrying theme of this generation. Not to mention, Capcom's decision will inevitably lead to an increase in hacking. When you tell gamers they cannot do something, a certain subset of them will invariably take that as a challenge. Every time a company claims that its hardware is impossible to hack, the hackers rise to the challenge and prove them wrong. Capcom blocking the erasure of saved data is akin to painting a great big bullseye on every copy in stores. People will find the exploits that allow them to wipe data, and that could easily open the doors to other types of exploits that publishers won't like. Ultimately, I'm not outraged by any of this, but after rationally examining the situation, I feel that I would be undermining my own principals if I gave monetary support to a game that directly conflicts with something I unequivocally, proudly believe in -- the importance and value of the secondhand game market. Whether Capcom truly did this to fight used games isn't the issue. The fact is that Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D does have an impact on the ongoing conflict, and as such, I abstain. I've got too much respect for this industry and its consumers to support something that represents a direct assault on used games. |
| Bungie's Marathon coming to iPad for free Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:40 AM PDT If you were one of those guys that tried to make your Mac sound like it was worth a damn for gaming back in the day, you probably know of Marathon. It was one of the few games you could brag about. The old first-person shooter comes full circle in a way. Now it's coming to the iPad...for free! Daniel Blezek created a fan port of the title for iPad and Bungie loved it. We've learned that the iPad edition will be released for free, with Bungie's blessing. According to GameSetWatch, the game has already been submitted to Apple and will likely appear on the App Store within the week. |
| GameStop's pre-order bonuses for No More Heroes: Paradise Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:20 AM PDT Are you getting No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise from GameStop? If you pre-ordered it you're also getting a Beam Katana and a motorcycle. No, not a real Beam Katana, though your PlayStation Move controller will make it feel like one. No, these are downloadable bonus items that you'll get with your pre-order. GameStop says that you'll get an "exclusive badass motorcycle," and not just a regular one. Neato. You'll get it and the katana via an email if you buy online, or via a code printed on your receipt if you buy the game in-store. NMH: Heroes' Paradise comes out on August 16th, so you still have some time to get that order in. |
| Review: Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT First introduced as an unlockable in Resident Evil 4, the action-based "The Mercenaries" mode set a new standard for what players could expect from hidden extras. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (Nintendo 3DS) The Mercenaries 3DS plays it safe, carrying over the core mechanics and goals from "The Mercenaries" mini-games you're already familiar with. There's no real campaign or story here to be told -- instead, the game is broken up into "missions," the goal of most of them to kill as many enemies as possible within a set time limit. While this does get changed up a bit as your progress -- there will be a timed boss battle or a wave-based mission, for instance -- that's the meat and potatoes, and you shouldn't expect much more.
The Mercenaries 3D contains five missions with a varying number of sub-missions, for a total of 20 stages. Remove the first set of missions which act as straightforward tutorials, and you're looking at fewer than 20 missions, the entirety of which can be unlocked in a few hours. The game does feature eight playable characters, each of which has his or her own set of weapons and scoreboard. While I suppose you could count each mission as a fresh experience when played with a different character, that seems to be a far stretch -- the core content never changes.
While The Mercenaries is all about action and shooting, Revelations will take a more traditional path and will merge action with exploration and puzzle solving. The trial only focuses on moving through a small area, and then encountering and shooting three of the same monster before it fades to black and your experience is over. This is particularly disappointing because Revelations is one of my most anticipated games of 2012, and I've seen what's in store -- it's a lot more than repeatedly shooting monsters with a pistol. |
| Molyneux: Fable: The Journey demo was only 4 months old Posted: 28 Jun 2011 07:40 AM PDT The E3 demo for Fable: The Journey didn't look all that compelling, but it's okay -- Peter Molyneux admits it! The snake oil salesman of gaming has said that the demonstration was flawed, but it was only four months old. He PROMISES it will look better soon! "This project really only started ... Well in earnest it started about seven months ago and we started coding about four months ago," he said. "There's huge faults with this demo. The quality isn't quite there, and we haven't had enough time to fulfil all our ambitions. But come Gamescom, our ambition is to give you something to play with because, rough though it is at the moment, it already feels pretty cool." Well there you go! The Journey is going to be amazing ... until Molyneux needs to make Fable 4 look good, then The Journey will be a broken disappointment. Playable Fable: The Journey Gamescom builds to fix "huge faults" with E3 demo [OXM] |
| Claim your Journey beta code before it's too late! Posted: 28 Jun 2011 07:30 AM PDT [Update: It's over! All codes have been given out!] Journey is the next exclusive PlayStation 3 title from the talented folks over at thatgamecompany. With Journey, they're trying something different with the online component as there is no way to chat, no matchmaking and you won't even see PSN IDs. You are limited in the way you can communicate with other players you come across in your adventure and it's totally up to you if you even want to work with others. It's an odd concept, but it's one you yourself can check out by grabbing a beta code right here (North America only). This beta is extremely limited and the only other way you can get in is through the PlayStation Blog and PlayStation Plus subscribers who were one of the earliest adopters of thatgamecompany's first game, Flower. The beta runs through July 12 giving you plenty of time to experience the game that easily blew my mind when I played it. If you're able to get in to the beta, we'd love to hear your thoughts about it over to our Community Blogs. Write something up and maybe we'll even promote your blog to the front page! |
| Posted: 28 Jun 2011 07:00 AM PDT Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Rez is a cult classic, but was never a hit with a mass audience or at retail. That a follow-up was even greenlit by publisher Ubisoft, nearly ten years after the release of the original, is something of a mystery. Well, fans wanted it, and now they have it with Child of Eden. A sequel to Rez in everything but name, Child of Eden is a short-but-sweet journey through five awe-inspiring worlds, and one of the best Kinect-enabled experiences to date. Child of Eden (Xbox 360) If there was ever a game that didn't really need a story, it's Child of Eden, but Q Entertainment has managed to include one nonetheless. You're tasked with purifying various Archives of corrupt information that threaten to destroy Project Lumi, which is being designed to create an archive of human memories. Fans of Q Entertainment's previous work and the music of the Mizuguchi-produced Genki Rockets will recognize the female face (and voice) of Lumi as Nami Miyahara. Cleansing the archives and saving Lumi (the "princess" in Child of Eden's "castle," so to speak) directly leads players into the events of Rez, which takes place inside that the Project Lumi artificial intelligence. So that's happening, right?
Completing Child of Eden's five archives isn't a particularly difficult task, but doing it well can be both tricky and wholly satisfying. The skill is in locking on to eight targets and then releasing your blasts on the beat, which is easier in theory than in practice. Doing so in rapid succession holds your combo, helping you rack up higher scores based on your performance. Sure, it's possible to simply blast your way through each of the game's stages, but the beat-based gameplay hook requires some finesse for high scores, and can be extremely satisfying. If the core point-and-shoot on-rails gameplay gets stale on its own, there's no way of knowing for certain. The game's audio and visuals are in many ways directly tied to your actions, with hi hats, crashes, and crescendos you'll trigger based on your performance. And while the trance-like, electronic pop sounds of Genki Rockets may not be up everyone's alley taken alone, it's difficult not to appreciate the ways in which the music is impeccably woven into the experience.
I'm completely accustomed to pointing and shooting with a controller in my hand, be it a dual analog controller or a pointer like the Wii Remote, a mouse, or PlayStation Move. But Child of Eden's Kinect controls are the first time I completely understood how a controller-less gaming could break down the wall between the game and the player. I wasn't simply manipulating things on the screen with sticks and a pad, like a god pulling the strings on a marionette -- I was part of the experience, completely and fully. If that sounds like some kind of intangible hippie, spiritual mumbo jumbo to you, I won't argue. But it's utterly undeniable once you've experienced it for yourself. While I liked ditching the controller for a more direct experience with the game, I ran into some frustrations when the Kinect sensor picked up on me "pushing forward" and would accidentally trigger my attack, breaking a combo. Ultimately, I played through the Archives a number of times using both control schemes, though; it was almost like playing a completely different game in many ways. |
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