New Games

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• New Destructoid Episode: What the Fubar?!
• Live Show: Pikmin are doomed on Backlog
• Nintendo of America won't be publishing Xenoblade in US
• How to destroy New Detroit in EDF: Insect Armageddon
• NanaOn-Sha's Kinect horror Haunt rated in AU
• Expand Portal 2 on PC with free community maps
• Fieldrunners hits Android tomorrow, 99 cents for 24 hours
• Codemaster's Bodycount out August 30
• Catherine difficulty set to match post-patch JP version
• Live show: Mash Tactics troll Sega and Guardian Heroes
• Contest: Win Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon!
• Respawn Entertainment teases game with blurry image
• On XBLA today: Half-Minute Hero, Galaga Legions DX, more
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 screens are here to be looked at
• Storm takes a natural approach to downloadable puzzling
• Zelda: Skyward Sword is like a school drama
• Have you ever lied about loving (or hating) a videogame?

New Destructoid Episode: What the Fubar?! Posted: 29 Jun 2011 03:28 PM PDT more videos like this Good evening, Destructoiders, and welcome to another Wednesday edition of the Destructoid show! Today is a special episode for two reasons: one, Max is on a gay cruise, so special guest Jose "Fubar" Sanchez from G4's Electric Playground was nice enough to join us in the studio in his place. Secondly, we've got important Skyrim news, so this episode should bank 20k views at least. If not, I'm holding you all personally accountable. After Skyrim, Jose and I chat about the new Journey beta, Limbo coming to PS3, the new trailer for Tribes: Ascend, and of course, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. It's the pantytwister of the week, after all. Also, World of Warcraft is free now until level 20 and it's safe to say I've returned to the dark side. There's a 98% chance that the next time you see me I'll be emerging from a basement with a cringe-inducing odor and no recollection of the past three months. Another special thanks to Jose Sanchez for filling in for Max while he's on his annual fall foliage trip to Vermont. Be sure to tune in for Friday's episode - Anthony Carboni is hosting and I'm sure there will be no shortage of sass to go around.

Live Show: Pikmin are doomed on Backlog Posted: 29 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] Those poor, poor Pikmin. They have no idea what they're getting into with me at the helm. The yellow Pikmin foolishly joined my cause last night and I'm sure we'll have most of them drowned before too long.  It's time once more to to return to this mysterious planet's surface and recover more treasure. I do hope you'll join me as I play live and hang out with the goons in our live chat. It's all going on right now over on Destructoid's Justin.tv channel!   Watch live video from Destructoid on Justin.tv more videos like this more videos like this

Nintendo of America won't be publishing Xenoblade in US Posted: 29 Jun 2011 02:37 PM PDT Nintendo of America has answered the pleas of Wii fans around North America by informing them that it will not be fulfilling their requests. Xenoblade, despite being published in Europe, will not be sold in North America, at least for the foreseeable future. Same goes for The Last Story and Pandora's Tower. "Thank you for your enthusiasm," said the non-publisher. "We promised an update, so here it is. We never say 'never,' but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time. Thanks so much for your passion, and for being such great fans!" Nintendo could have come out of this looking like a champion, but I guess it doesn't need the PR. I mean, it can sell a 3DS with no games for almost two months, so having the Wii end its life with nothing but one Zelda game left to show for itself isn't a big deal. At least the company was straight and honest about its plans though ... after saying it would publish Xenoblade for the past few years. Oh, and if you're interested, Operation Rainfall is still fighting to get these games localized. I 100% personally support them.  [Thanks to all who sent this in!]

How to destroy New Detroit in EDF: Insect Armageddon Posted: 29 Jun 2011 01:30 PM PDT more videos like this D3 Publisher dropped off another video promoting Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon. This one puts our steely gaze on the destructible elements of the environment. Which looks like pretty much everything, as it should be. One of my favorite things to do in Earth Defense Force: 2017 is just obliterate the cities with a rocket launcher. I love how they all fall as if they were controlled demolitions after a rocket hits glass. Amazing. I'm pretty stoked for this to release next week.

NanaOn-Sha's Kinect horror Haunt rated in AU Posted: 29 Jun 2011 01:00 PM PDT NanaOn-Sha is one of my favorite studios. Ever. I even tried to enjoy Major Minor's Majestic March. Tried. UnJammer Lammy is one of my favorite games, so I'll always be loyal. I was quite excited to hear about their upcoming Kinect horror game at Tokyo Game Show last year, but we haven't heard much about the title since.  Now the Australian ratings board lists NanaOn-Sha title Haunt. It doesn't give much more information, but to me a rating means it's closer to coming out. The game has supernatural themes, but don't be expecting anything too scary as the title is rated PG. Siliconera says it's going to be an Xbox Live Arcade release. I bet we'll get a closer look or even a release date at Tokyo Game Show 2011.

Expand Portal 2 on PC with free community maps Posted: 29 Jun 2011 12:30 PM PDT Valve's Summer Mapping Initiative, an officially sanctioned outlet for the Portal 2 community's creativity, has come to a close. The winners -- Patent Pending (pictured above), Infinifling, and Edifice -- are available to download and play for free, in addition to a bunch of runners-up. While we're waiting for the Valve-made downloadable content that's due out later this summer, I suggest giving the full list a perusal. Those looking for more of a challenge from Portal 2, especially, will want to try some of these out. Valve picks new Portal 2 PC maps [Eurogamer] Instructions on how to play the maps, courtesy of the handsome and lovely people at Valve: 1) Download the map file from ThinkingWithPortals.com. 2) Open up the .ZIP file after it has downloaded. 3) Find the location of your Portal 2 installation on Steam. This is most typically found under: Windows PC users: C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\steamapps\common\portal 2\maps. Mac users: ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/Portal 2/portal2/maps Note that your installation location may vary, depending on your initial install directory. 4) Copy the .BSP file located in the downloaded file to the directory above. 5) Start Portal 2 6) In the game's main menu, select "Options->Keyboard and Mouse" 7) Set Allow Developer Console to Enabled 8) Press the tilde (~) key to access the console 9) Type map "mapname here" 10) Solve the puzzle!

Fieldrunners hits Android tomorrow, 99 cents for 24 hours Posted: 29 Jun 2011 12:00 PM PDT Good news: Subatomic Studios' popular mobile tower defense title Fieldrunners is coming to Android tomorrow! Better news: it's only 99 cents for the first 24 hours it's live on the Android Market. The version of the game will be called Fieldrunners HD, and will feature a visual upgrade over previous versions, but the same old tower defense goodness. If you miss out on the 24-hour 99 cent period, don't worry, you can still spend $2.99 on it. The developer originally wanted to release the game for free, but ran into a snag: the Android Market doesn't allow developers to release a free app and then start charging for it later. Oops. "We are still reaching out to alternative marketplaces that may allow us to launch for free, so all is not lost," they wrote on their blog. Still, 99 cents is a pretty good deal. Don't be so cheap -- Fieldrunners is pretty good!

Codemaster's Bodycount out August 30 Posted: 29 Jun 2011 11:30 AM PDT This past weekend, Jim Sterling told you Codemasters' Bodycount was coming out in August. Always vague, that Sterling. Here's a proper date, just revealed today, for those in North America: August 30. The first-person shooter nearly everyone forgot about is finally, for real, coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Even though it was announced what seems like ages ago, I've not played or seen much of the game myself. Samit did see it last year, and then Jim played it and called it an "endless parade of death." Sounds good to me. Seems like a missed opportunity, though, Codemasters not getting Ice-T's Body Count on board for this one. I suppose Epic Games had just a little bit more to offer.

Catherine difficulty set to match post-patch JP version Posted: 29 Jun 2011 11:22 AM PDT Are you worried that upcoming Atlus game Catherine is going to be hard? It is. Sorry 'bout that. But I can tell you that it's not going to be ball-bustingly hard like the original Japanese release was. Atlus confirms that the North American version of Catherine will have the difficulty of the post-patch Japanese version. That means that you'll get Very Easy mode and all, baked in from the beginning.  But it actually goes beyond that a bit. Atlus says that a few extra steps were taken that couldn't be introduced with a patch. Certain very specific breaking points that Japanese gamers complained about received slight tweaks, says Atlus' PR man Aram Jabbari. But don't worry about a dumbed down version.  "I can assure you that Catherine remains a very difficult game in North America," said Jabbari in a presentation today. "Not dumbed down -- absolutely not."  Great. But I think I'm ready now. Bring it on.

Live show: Mash Tactics troll Sega and Guardian Heroes Posted: 29 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 trolling Sega and mystery guests as they show off their new games, Guardian Heroes and Sega Rally Online Arcade. Stop by Justin.tv at 4-8pm Pacific to see raw footage of new titles before they're released, and also follow Mash Tactics on Facebook to vote for which games you would like to see played in future shows. CLICK HERE for sexy time. Watch live video from Destructoid on Justin.tv more videos like this more videos like this

Contest: Win Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon! Posted: 29 Jun 2011 10:45 AM PDT The bugs are taking over the planet in Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon and it's up to you and your team to stop the invasion. We have five copies of the game to give out before the July 5 release date for either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. To enter, we want you to take the images in the gallery below and create your own bug invasion with a photo editing program. Take a picture of the Earth, other videogame worlds -- anything is good so long as you use at least one picture from the gallery below. Feel free to include real bugs in your creation too! The best submission will get a copy of Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon AND a copy of the ultra rare retail version of Earth Defense Force 2017. Four runner-ups will each get a copy of EDF: Insect Armageddon. You have until June 30 at 11:59PM CDT to enter and contest is open to US residents only. Good luck!

Respawn Entertainment teases game with blurry image Posted: 29 Jun 2011 10:40 AM PDT Born out of the great Activision/Infinity Ward fallout of 2010, the recently formed Respawn Entertainment is reportedly working on a sci-fi shooter. Does this look like a sci-fi shooter to you? I know, I know -- it's blurry, and there's nothing I can do about that right now. I see what appears to be some mountains and what I'd swear is a Diplodocus. Yes, I'm talking about the dinosaur, people. A sci-fi game featuring dinosaurs? Tell me what the retailer-exclusive pre-order items are right now so I can put down my cash immediately. But really, I've got no idea what's going on here, and I think that was the point -- to get us talking. So here we are, talking. The image comes from the "Games" section of Respawn's website, which officially launched today.

On XBLA today: Half-Minute Hero, Galaga Legions DX, more Posted: 29 Jun 2011 10:20 AM PDT In a rather odd move, Xbox Live Arcade has been updated with four new releases this week. I guess they're clearing out the queue in preparation for the Summer of Arcade later this month? Sure, let's go with that. Half-Minute Hero Super Mega Neo Climax (800 MS Points) Galaga Legions DX (800 MS Points) Lucha Fury (800 MS Points) Backbreaker: Vengeance (1200 MS Points) The original PSP installment of Half-Minute Hero made the device worth owning for me. Throwing it up on a console with tweaks and an (optional) new art style for $10? Smart. I've also heard promising words about Backbreaker: Vengeance -- from Chad, no less. Weird week we've got here.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 screens are here to be looked at Posted: 29 Jun 2011 10:00 AM PDT Square Enix has sent over some new screens for Final Fantasy XIII-2, which is the sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, which is a Final Fantasy game, which is on a system designed for playing videogames. Also, Square Enix developed it.  You can see the pictures with your eyes and then tell us what you thought of the pictures by writing word using a keyboard on the Internet.  Videogames.

Storm takes a natural approach to downloadable puzzling Posted: 29 Jun 2011 09:40 AM PDT more videos like this This first trailer for indie game Storm shows off the Spring season, in what looks to be a very calming puzzle game. Using three main elements -- rain, wind, and lightning -- and four 'secondary' elements, you have to guide up a seed to its destination in order to let it instantly grow into a tree. It looks really good already, although I'd like to see more to be convinced that it won't have the same type of puzzle gameplay over and over again throughout the game's 49 levels. There are three more trailers to be released, each centered around one of the other seasons, so let's give it the benefit of the doubt for now -- if only because it doesn't involve manic shooting or jumping for a change. Storm is set to bring you some inner peace with a "Summer 2011" release for PC, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network at the cost of $10/800 MS Points.

Zelda: Skyward Sword is like a school drama Posted: 29 Jun 2011 09:20 AM PDT Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma has revealed some plot details for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, indicating that the game has something of a school drama feel to it. Link and Zelda start this game not as an adventurer and princess, but classmates in a boarding school. "This game’s plot is something like a school drama, you could say," he revealed. "The flying sequence at the E3 demo is Link competing against his classmates. One of them looks kind of a like a bad guy, as you saw, and he shows up in other ways in the game too, since he has a major thing for Zelda." "Like with Majora, there are a lot of game events involving the townspeople that get intertwined with the main story. Link, Zelda and their other friends all go to the same boarding school, and you’ve got teachers and a principal as well. It’s a bit of a different setting from previous Zeldas." You know what? I actually like this idea. It's pretty different, and if they have a whole school and town to explore, a'la Rockstar's Bully, I think that could be rather fun. Okay, it's got a bit of a Harry Potter vibe, but I can swallow that. I'm imagining Ganondorf as an evil school football coach, and it's brilliant. Eiji Aonuma Wraps Up Zelda: Skyward Sword's E3 Showing [1UP]

Have you ever lied about loving (or hating) a videogame? Posted: 29 Jun 2011 09:00 AM PDT I was at a party. People were having a great time. Suddenly, I found myself standing around a group of brand new people I had never met before. I don’t know how I got there, but it must have had something to do with the blind, focused march I did towards the table full of Porto’s potato balls. Trying to be a good party-goer, I introduced myself and talked about what I did. "Destructoid? That sounds cool!" some of them replied. "I like playing videogames! I love the Wii! Have you ever played Carnival Games? That game is really fun." At this point, the rest of the group chimed in about how much they also love the Wii and some of the games they have played. Wii Play. Karaoke Revolution. That One With the Skiing. (I still don’t know what game this guy was talking about.) The group turned to me and asked the inevitable question I was naively hoping would never come: "Do you like these games, Chad?" I panicked. I didn’t want to be that guy. That guy who says “No, I don’t like those games very much. I like Final Fantasy VI. Or Super Metroid. Or Shadow of the Colossus! Ah, Shadow of the Colossus is so amazing! You play this mysterious character with a horse and you pretty much fight nothing but bosses the entire game. You know? Bosses! Like, the big enemies at the end of levels. No? Okay, well, there are these huge bosses. And they are so innocent and beautiful, but you have to slaughter them. AH! The game is like a piece of art! Ya’ know?!” I so didn’t want to be that guy. So I nodded my head as I ate another potato ball. “I love Carnival Games!” ... I don’t like Carnival Games. Does this make me a bad person? It was a strange situation and I didn’t feel like disagreeing with a group of perfectly nice people. Nice people who have every right to enjoy Carnival Games. But at the same time, an opportunity opened up for me to talk in detail about videogames -- the things I love more than words! Why didn’t I? Would I have been snobby to chime in with my real favorite games? So, the question goes out to you. Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever lied about loving (or hating) a videogame? If so, what was the situation? It’s time for confession.

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