New Games

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• Cyborgs, ninjas dominate Jazware's new Mortal Kombat toys
• Monday Mind Teasers: Happy 4th of July!
• Cult PC game Neverhood being pitched as a mobile title
• Live Show: Giving Pikmin liberty or death on Backlog
• Portal 2 soundtrack volume 2 available now, you monster
• Codemasters working on a new racing IP
• Podtoid 157 records tomorrow YES PLEASE!
• 10 video games Captain America would play
• Live show: Mash Tactics plays Uncharted 3 Beta
• Noob Saibot, Smoke skins free with Mortal Kombat update
• Sony: Xperia Play not another N-gage (reality: yes it is)
• Need for Speed: The Run spokesmodel contest launched
• Review: Galaga Legions DX
• Bloggers Wanted: Freedom
• The Jimquisition: Nintendo of America
• Trademark troll Tim Langdell actually puts out a game
• New releases: Earth Defense Force and that's it

Cyborgs, ninjas dominate Jazware's new Mortal Kombat toys Posted: 04 Jul 2011 04:00 PM PDT Toymaker Jazwares has revealed its upcoming 4-inch and 6-inch Mortal Kombat figure line up, and it's a bunch of ninjas and cyborgs. The five new figures will be based on the classic looks of Ermac, Reptile, Scorpion, and the cyber-assassins Sektor and Cyrax. The figures will be super-poseable, it seems, with multiple points of articulation from their ball joint heads down to their ball joint feet. Based on this early look, I'm not impressed. The eyes on the ninja faces in particular just look off. Sektor and Cyrax fare a bit better, I'd say, probably because they're wearing helmets that cover their terrifying eyes. This "klassic" line is a follow-up to the new Mortal Kombat toy line Jazwares had previously released in which Johnny Cage has weird elf ears. Jazwares reveals five klassic kombatants which are just two kharacters re-kolored [Tomopop]

Monday Mind Teasers: Happy 4th of July! Posted: 04 Jul 2011 03:15 PM PDT Happy 4th of July! For those of you who didn't get a chance to enjoy any fireworks tonight, this Destructoid header image goes out to you! You know how it works by now. With the help of each other, try to figure out all of the disguised game covers in the image gallery below. By figuring out the secret theme you'll make it easier to solve the harder ones. Bonus: Here are more teasers on Flixist! They're DVD covers, but they share the same theme as these mind teasers! You know how it works! With the help of each other, try to figure out all of the disguised game covers. They all share a common theme that, once solved, can help you figure out the harder ones.

Cult PC game Neverhood being pitched as a mobile title Posted: 04 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT Do you remember the claymation adventure game Neverhood? Many of you won't, but I am willing to bet at least a few of you do. For those people, you'll be quite excited to learn that it may be coming to your mobile phone in the future.  Bazinga Studios is interested in porting the 1996 for the mobile market and is currently in negotiations. Though it won't say more than that, it seems pretty serious about the endeavor, so hopefully those who missed this cult game can get a second change.  Count me in! Neverhood may be headed to mobile platforms [Joystiq]

Live Show: Giving Pikmin liberty or death on Backlog Posted: 04 Jul 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] In American history, today marks the signing of our Declaration of Independence from Britain. But Pikmin 2 takes us back to a simpler time, before we decided that liberty was something for all people and not just the white ones who own land. Oh, those were the days, am I right? Come join me on Backlog for a celebration of oppression as I march swarm after swarm of Pikmin directly into the path of certain doom. I'll be playing live and hanging out with the goons in our live chat over on Destructoid's Justin.tv channel. We do hope you'll join us.    Watch live video from Destructoid on Justin.tv more videos like this more videos like this

Portal 2 soundtrack volume 2 available now, you monster Posted: 04 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT Heads up, music aficionados: the second volume of the Portal 2 soundtrack ("Music to Test To") is now available for download. Don't reach for your wallet… it's free! The 18-track volume features such hits as "Robot Ghost Story," "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day," and "I AM NOT A MORON." Ring tones have also been made available for all of the tracks, suitable for both Android devices and iPhones. (MIDI files for your old java-based flip phones are not available upon request.) The first volume, which contains 22 tracks, is still available for downloading. And there's a third volume on the way… because Portal 2 has a lot of damned music in it. Awesome music.

Codemasters working on a new racing IP Posted: 04 Jul 2011 01:00 PM PDT I'm more than happy to buy any racing game that Codemasters puts out. At this point I know it's going to be a good title that I'll get my money's worth from. If they do some NASCAR sh*t I'll kill them, though I'm fine with anything else.  Job ads on Codies' Facebook page point to a new racing IP. No, really. It says "New Racing IP." They're hiring a new principal level designer, principal programmer, a lead artist, a lead programmer, five senior programmers, and one more grunt programmer. Hell, you guys need a musician? I can do that for you!  The same page says that they're also making a F1 2011 game, and are hiring a few helpers for that as well. I'm sure we'll hear about this new racing IP soon.

Podtoid 157 records tomorrow YES PLEASE! Posted: 04 Jul 2011 12:00 PM PDT Podtoid 157 is going to record tomorrow and that's incredibly exciting for some people who will listen to it. I have no idea what we're going to talk about because news has been so dire lately, but I'm sure we'll drum up some nonsense.  Anyway, we'll need your questions, so feel free to send them in damn it.

10 video games Captain America would play Posted: 04 Jul 2011 11:30 AM PDT [manasteel88 wishes us a happy 4th of July with a look at the videogames Captain America might enjoy the most. Want to see your own writing on the front page? Write something awesome and put it in the C Blogs. -- Kauza] Captain America is one of our greatest heroes. He commands both gods and men in battles that protect America and its ideals. He is the representation of many of the best things our country has to offer. One might say that he is the embodiment of America's values. He also happens to be a normal man who lives an abnormal life. Even if his hectic lifestyle is restrictive to fully enjoying entertainment, he needs something with which to relax himself after a long mission. Yes, even super men need a break. These are the games I could see Steve Rogers sitting down with and enjoying in his high-tech S.H.I.E.L.D. funded rec room. Rygar Creator: Tecmo Ltd. Other Known Aliases: Argus no Senshi Why wouldn't you think I'd start this list with the most iconic shield throwing game of all time? Though, I don't think Cap would play this just because of the shield. Something tells me Hawkeye would be giving him a hard time about having his likeness stolen and curiosity would just get the better of him. I'm sure there is a lot that Captain America would criticize about a discus on a chain, but I'm sure the idea wasn't lost on him. It should make shield throwing a lot easier when you don't have to worry about if its coming back to you. The man had to have played with a Duncan Yo-Yo at some point in his younger years. Crystalis Creator: SNK Corp. Other Known Aliases: God Slayer I don't think anybody could imagine how hard it would be to wake up in a world that has drastically changed from what you remember. Everything you know and everything that you had learned would be a question. Nothing would seem right. When called upon you would have to fight to defend this world. Crystalis is the therapy Cap might need for some perspective on his life. Books helping people cope with time displacement issues aren't at the local Barnes and Noble. Video games can help him move forward in his life. It begins with a man waking from a frozen slumber and stumbling out in to the world. He buys a shield and goes out looking for answers. He then comes across some friends that help him on his quest to defeat evil. I'm certain the parallels in story could help him overcome some of the awkwardness to find that there is an understanding of what he went through. The Legend of Zelda Creator: Nintendo Co. Ltd. Other Known Aliases: Zelda II There isn't one man in all of gaming more equipped to handle a shield than Link. As often as a shield is used as a weapon, Captain America knows first and foremost that it is his only line of defense. A certain appreciation must be made for Link's legendary defense against the Deku Scrubs and the many nefarious assailants of Zelda II. One must also commend the accuracy of needing to time an attack so that it leaves little to no openings. Sure, you can throw a boomerang, but you can't protect yourself well while its thrown. A shield is about protecting you in the proper time and place. This doesn't even bring to point Link's accuracy and technique with the boomerang that would stand above anybodies true abilities. Well except for Cap's own. Bionic Commando Creator: Capcom Co., Ltd. Other Known Aliases: Top Secret, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Hitler no Fukatsu: Top Secret If Magneto calls in a threat, you go get the X-men. If Galactus is feeling peckish, you find the Fantastic Four. If Hitler is being resurrected, you tell Captain America to go punch him in the face. Bionic Commando is more Captain America than nearly any other game on the market. You have a guy dependent on a single piece of technology on his left arm defending him against hordes of enemies. A guy that doesn't just sneak in to a compound, he storms it like a one man militia. Somebody that chews up and spits out Nazis for breakfast. He's doing all this just to save a friend. That is Rad Spencer. Somebody Captain America can more than relate to. The Lost Vikings Creator: Blizzard Entertainment (formerly Silicon & Synapse) Other Known Aliases: The Lost Vikings II, Norse by Norsewest When you think of Captain America, you always think of his shield or the flag on his head. Him being the leader of the Avengers through nearly all iterations is usually farther down the list. This and his day to day work with Norse gods should make a game like The Lost Vikings right up his alley. The key to The Lost Vikings is strategy, something any leader should be proficient in. Placing troops in situations that maximizes their advantages and using it to move the rest forward is the name of the game. It's practically all he's been doing since he became Captain America. Those Vikings three also represent Cap's three strengths. He has Eric's speed in his charge, Baleog's precision in shot and Olaf's durability in how he uses his shield. Dark Sector Creator: D3 Publisher Inc., Digital Extremes Other Known Aliases: Dark Sector 2 (Unconfirmed) While there are many games with shield throwing mechanics, none of them has the feeling that Dark Sector has. None of them will give you a weapon that you can wield and assail your enemies with. You just won't find many with a weapon like the Glaive. It can shield its user when needed while being a highly efficient throwing weapon. Through skill, it can be thrown with deadly accuracy. It also does things a bit differently than Cap's weapon of choice. It can absorb and adapt to elements around it. At times it can even bring light to darkness. Stopping Soviet scum requires the best in a man's abilities. Something Dark Sector's Hayden Tenno knows very well. He had to become a one man war machine to stop this threat. He's been in a position that Captain America has been in many times. A place the Captain knows too well. Spy Party Creator: Chris Hecker Other Known Aliases: None Steve Rogers could never be a spy. As brilliant as the man is in battle, he sticks out like a sore thumb in covert affairs. Jessica Jones found his secret identity out during a simple stake out. The wars he has fought have had clear enemies. That doesn't mean he isn't curious about the spy game. The war he knows is gone. He is now surrounded by spies. Black Widow has been playing both sides of the field all her life. Nick Fury has been doing this since before James Bond was even an idea in Ian Flemming's notebook. A man surrounded by spies could only want to learn the mannerisms that define their intent. Spy Party would teach Captain America how to read Jessica Drew better. It would teach him how better to protect American lives. Spy Party is research for a man who is surrounded by liars. Discs of Tron Creator: Bally Midway Inc. Other Known Aliases: Disney's Tron Evolution, Tron 2.0, Tron: Deadly Discs, Disney's Tron Evolution: Battle Grids Oh, another shield throwing game you say? Well, yeah. The difference between all these games is that they all offer a completely different technique behind it. What Discs of Tron offers over any other game on this list is the reflexes that one would need to use in battle paired with the precision it takes to hit the opponent. Maneuvering between multiple platforms to throw a disc accurately towards an attacking opponent is complicated and takes some quick reflexes and coordination. Something that would be able to challenge the dexterity of America's champion in the later levels. I'm also pretty sure Tony would have a Tron cabinet back at Stark Tower. He just seems like a Tron guy. Metal Gear Solid Creator: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Other Known Aliases: Snake's Revenge, Metal Gear Acid Snake is a reminder of how dark Captain America could go in his dealings with power mongers and terrorists. Of how even a legend must keep his wits about him in chaotic events. A reminder of how he was betrayed by a man he would willingly take orders from and because of this, he must do the right thing even when he is replaced by another. Solid Snake reminds us to stay calm in overwhelming situations. That love can bloom on a battlefield. That you can find friendship in the unlikeliest places. Most importantly, he taught us that we only need to use the gun when it is most necessary. Lessons that Captain America knows too well. Wii Sports Creator: Nintendo Co. Ltd. Other Known Aliases: Wii Sports Resort Old people are drawn to Wii Sports. It has some magical hold over them that helps them overcome their age and enjoy things like they used to be able to. I'm sure they have this in the nursing homes of some friends from Cap's past. You couldn't tell me that the great Captain America would sit out a challenge from the video game tennis champ and octogenarian Ralph Baer. Though I'm sure he would destroy all the elderly competition in Frisbee golf. Now I know Captain America has more important things to do like making movies and saving the world. Sometimes it's good to know that the leader of the Avengers is allowed some time to himself. He deserves something better than the day in and day out life of a super hero. He deserves a sit down with a good game. Game on, dear Captain. Game on.

Live show: Mash Tactics plays Uncharted 3 Beta Posted: 04 Jul 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. Watch live video from Destructoid on Justin.tv more videos like this more videos like this

Noob Saibot, Smoke skins free with Mortal Kombat update Posted: 04 Jul 2011 10:00 AM PDT more videos like this The downloadable combatant Kenshi is hitting Mortal Kombat tomorrow, if you're willing to pony up the dough. But developer Netherrealm is also offering up two free "klassic costumes" with a required update. Alternate costumes for Noob Saibot and Smoke will be made available as part of the latest compatability pack. The costumes won't change how the fighters perform, but the fresh coat of "klassic" paint may make you want to give them a second look. The first compatibility pack was released alongside the paid downloadable content, Skarlet, and featured alternate skins for Cyrax and Sektor. With two more on the way (Rain and an unannounced fourth), you have to wonder what other free skins Netherrealm will include. Any requests?

Sony: Xperia Play not another N-gage (reality: yes it is) Posted: 04 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT Sony has declared that its new N-Gage, the Xperia Play, will not be a new N-Gage.  "As you can see from the design of [the Xperia Play], when you hold it in portrait it's a smartphone," said Sony-Ericsson's Dom Neil-Dwyer. "It's not a game device that you can make some phone calls on, it's a smartphone. When you've got the game keys hidden and you're just holding it like that, people wouldn't know what it is, but obviously when you pop it open it's a great gaming device.  "The people that are going to be buying this are looking for something new. There's just a sea of touchscreen devices out there and they're looking for something cool. So that's the type of consumer that we're looking for. I bumped into someone here at E3 that had one and they're exactly the type of person we're targeting, which is a very cool, young person that wants something different, right? And that's basically our target audience." According to Dwyer, the N-Gage failed because it "wasn't a smartphone" and that's why the Xperia Play is not going to be like it. In any case, we have a review of the N-Gage coming this week. Sorry, I meant to say Xperia.  Interview: Why Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play Is Not Another N-Gage [Gamasutra]

Need for Speed: The Run spokesmodel contest launched Posted: 04 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT more videos like this Are you a female into "hot cars, exotic travel and Need for Speed? Do you have "boundless energy"? Well, Electronic Arts wants you for to travel the globe pimping Need for Speed: The Run next year. The publisher is holding a contest in the United Kingdom to find two spokesmodels to attend events across Europe, smiling and waving while wearing tight, Need for Speed apparel. There's already a website set up where you can enter or browse just entries if you're into that kind of thing. Three are already viewable entries online: Kitty, Jess, and Stripey. One submitted a MySpace photo, another the picture they took for her office's ID card, and one who may have appeared in Vogue Italia. They all seem like very lovely ladies. Are you next? Right. Spokesmodels. The hunt is on. Need for Speed: The Run is out this fall.

Review: Galaga Legions DX Posted: 04 Jul 2011 07:00 AM PDT Space bees are the worst. They think they're so cool, but they're really not. Fortunately, games like Galaga exist to take them down a peg or two, and Galaga Legions DX exists to take them down in the coolest way possible.  Stupid space bees. Galaga Legions DX (PSN, XBLA [reviewed]) Developer: Namco Bandai Publisher: Namco Bandai Release date: June 29, 2011 Price: 800 Microsoft Points, $10 Namco Bandai does a pretty good job of updating its arcade classics, with Pac-Man: Championship Edition and Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX proving to be unbelievably excellent games. Very much like the last "DX" game, Galaga Legions DX is an updated follow-up to an older game, with 2008's Galaga Legions getting a fresh lick of paint and new features.  Galaga Legions takes only the most core feature of the classic Galaga -- top-down shooting -- and turns it into something magical. With free movement around the map, players must tackle wave after wave of space-faring invertebrates, firing a path through the peons to eliminate the boss creatures and set off a chain reaction that will eliminate a whole squad.  There's almost a puzzle element to the game, as the key to victory lies not so much in avoiding and returning fire, but making use of the space and switching between focused and directional firing patterns in order to destroy a squad in the most efficient way possible. Points are earned through the swift extermination of entire squads rather than attempting to shoot as many enemies as possible, and so your goal is to find the shortest way to access a squad leader and take it out.    more videos like this The squads move in set patterns, and players must tune their movements to match the enemy in order to make an effective strike. They must also make use of floating Galaga Bombs to rip large chunks out of the enemy. There's a unique and rather beautiful flow to Galaga Legions DX, one that can prove quite mesmerizing.  The game features a Championship mode and nine separate levels consisting of five enemy waves, as well as one tutorial level and a time attack mode. Each level can be cleared fairly quickly, and you'll be able to beat everything in an afternoon without any hassle. However, like most score-attack games, the replay value extends as far as you want it to, with plenty of room for players to practice and improve. Despite the replayablity, it would have been nice to have had an "Endless" mode included for those who just want to see how far they can get. Levels also feel a tad short, with gameplay only sustained for short bursts of time. Even Championship mode is over fairly quickly, and I'd have preferred a few lengthier excursions to eliminate the "stop/start/stop/start" feeling that can sometimes occur.  Galaga Legions DX isn't a "hard" game in the traditional sense -- most players can clear every level without dying much at all. However, getting the high scores and an acceptable ranking is a worthy challenge in and of itself. Honing one's skills, taking effective positions, and knowing when to switch between your alternative firing modes -- focused fire will attack singular enemies dead-on, while dual-fire will split your ship's satellites and allow you to tackle enemies approaching from multiple directions -- are all part of the learning curve, and it feels utterly rewarding when one nails the fundamentals and starts to wipe out huge squads within seconds. Some of the best moments, however, come when tactical play is thrown out of the window and maximum genocide is required. At fifth wave of each level, players get to win an army of Galaga soldiers over to their side and fire as one unified army. The game will then proceed to spawn squads that can take over almost the entire screen, and the effect is akin to watching a windshield wiper battling heavy rainfall. There's a gorgeous fluidity to the visuals, and the feeling off pushing back a legion of foes with your squad of defecting space bees is something special indeed.  There's a range of visual styles to choose, ranging from the ultra-modern to enhanced versions of classic arcade sprites. There's a decent little soundtrack too which, while not very memorable, keeps the action subtly pumping.  Galaga Legions DX is a terrific little game that even casual shooter fans ought to find rather addictive. The score-attack gameplay and the uniquely satisfying way in which enemies are swiftly dispatched combine to create a compelling experience that's hard to simply put down and walk away from. Although there's not a huge deal of content, the potential replayability ought to cover the ten dollar entry fee. I just wish levels could have been longer and a few more modes added. What's there is fantastic, but there was definitely room for a lot more and, as such, the title doesn't feel 100% complete.  All told, this is another win for Namco Bandai and its arcade remake initiative.

Bloggers Wanted: Freedom Posted: 04 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT [When we're looking for blogs on a specific topic, we'll put out a Bloggers Wanted call. Check out the blog prompt, write your own response in the Community Blogs and tag it with the "Bloggers Wanted Essay Response" tag, and you may see your blog promoted to the front page.] Bloggers Wanted is back, and we're trying yet another experiment: shorter weekly blog prompts. Think Monthly Musings, except Monday Musings instead. In honor of the 4th of July, your topic for this week is freedom. Open world games, non-linear stories, the ability to design your characters from scratch -- write about anything you wish as long as it relates to this week's theme. Well-written and insightful blogs have a chance of being promoted to the front page. If you want to participate, just write a C Blog, title it "Freedom: [Your Blog's Title]", and select the Bloggers Wanted Essay Response tag. Throughout the week, keep an eye on the blogs and get some discussions going with your fellow Dtoiders.

The Jimquisition: Nintendo of America Posted: 04 Jul 2011 05:30 AM PDT The Escapist : Jimquisition : Nintendo of America more videos like this Impotent nerd rage from random people on the Internet always gets things done, so I guarantee that my latest Jimquisition will single-handedly convince Nintendo of America to release Xenoblade, The Last Story and Pandora's Tower in North America.  Meanwhile, you could always add your name to the Operation Rainfall movement and see if that does anything.

Trademark troll Tim Langdell actually puts out a game Posted: 04 Jul 2011 05:00 AM PDT Notorious patent troll Tim Langdell has actually released a game for the first time in ages. His company, Edge Games, has spent the last few years aggressively attempting to sue any other game-related company that uses the word "Edge" and has gained little more than humiliation and hatred in the process.  The game is an iOS title called EDGEBobby2, which pegs itself as the sequel to 1984 8-bit computer game Bobby Bearing. There are plans to bring this sequel to the "highly popular game" to PC and Mac.  The game's strange title may be part of yet another attempt by Langdell to claim dominance over the "Edge" name, and could be related to a legal tussle from last year in which Langdell sought to remove the game Edge from iTunes, or otherwise have it subtitled "An Homage To Bobby Bearing."  I wouldn't be surprised if this game was some attempt to combat Mobigame's iOS title on a new level. It's more believable an idea than Edge Games actually wanting to make games like a normal developer. Tim Langdell returns to edgy game development with EDGEBobby2 for iOS [Pocket Gamer]

New releases: Earth Defense Force and that's it Posted: 04 Jul 2011 04:00 AM PDT more videos like this Happy Fourth of July, Dtoiders! For this week of celebrating our nation, we get ... one new game! Luckily it's Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There's also Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition for the PC, but is there really anyone out there that's into the fighting genre on PCs?

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