New Games |
- HAWP: The Bobby Kotick your man could smell like
- Firefly is putting out Stronghold and Crusader in HD
- Third Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn video picks up the pace
- Weekend PC download deals: Payday, Assassin's Creed, GOG
- The DTOID Show: Halo, Hitman, & THE MINIBOSSES!
- Indie game Impulse gets OST release via OC ReMix
- Starhawk developer Lightbox lays off 75% of its staff
- Play Halo 4 with the Destructoid community!
- Sleeping Dogs' next DLC is all about zombies, cat food
- ThinkGeek's pint-sized Portal gun won't break the bank
- Review: DOOM 3 BFG Edition
- MLG vs. Proleague playoffs begin tonight
- Stop the madness! An open letter to videogame publishers
- Friday Night Fights: The Extra Life charity event!
- Xbox Live migration open to anyone, will become automated
- The Minibosses will be on tonight's DTOID Show!
| HAWP: The Bobby Kotick your man could smell like Posted: 19 Oct 2012 04:00 PM PDT
What's in my hand? Back to you, you have it. It's a baby! Look again. The baby is now dynamite! Today's episode of Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'? gives you a glimpse into just another day at the Activision office. Bobby Kotick wants that sweet, sweet "shock and awe" and won't let anyone leave until Call of Duty: Black Ops II has it in spades. Anything is possible. I'm a professional games journalist. Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'? - Call of Duty: Black Ops II [GameTrailers] |
| Firefly is putting out Stronghold and Crusader in HD Posted: 19 Oct 2012 03:00 PM PDT Stronghold and its follow-up, Stronghold Crusader, are more than ten years old. Time for a high-def re-release? That's what developer Firefly Studios has in mind! Due out November 1, 2012 are remastered versions of these beloved PC strategy games. They will support more modern resolutions -- up to 2560x1600, specifically -- and a new "HD battlefield view" which allows players to see the entire map on a single screen. Crusader HD contains content found in the Stronghold Warchest and Stronghold Crusader Extreme, such as the 10,000-unit cap, more missions, and special Tactical Powers. It's been years and years since I've played any of this stuff, but I want to believe that it holds up fairly well. No price point or screenshots were given, but we do know these two titles will see a release on GOG.com, Amazon, GetGamers, and elsewhere. They can't possibly be worse than the current installments, at any rate. |
| Third Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn video picks up the pace Posted: 19 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT
Now we're getting somewhere. After the teaser included in the prior installment of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, I was eager to check out this week's video. While what appears to be the big moment hasn't fully arrived yet, it's almost here. Next week. Drat! Regardless, this was probably my favorite episode to date. Some of the references and nods to lore have gone totally over my head, so if you're in a similar position, know that the wait should be worth it. It's about to get real. |
| Weekend PC download deals: Payday, Assassin's Creed, GOG Posted: 19 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT After GOG.com showed off its crazy Interplay bundle, the announcement of the PC and Mac Classics promo went under the radar a bit. The likes of Sim City 2000, Theme Hospital, and Crusader: No Remorse are all available for between $2.99 and $4.99. Don't forget about the crazy Interplay bundle too. GamersGate is having a big Assassin's Creed promo this weekend, with up to 75% off the games in the franchise, plus you'll receive 30% of your pre-order back in GamersGate's Blue Chip loyalty points if you pre-order Assassin's Creed III this weekend. Elsewhere on the site, you can get Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for 50% off. Payday: The Heist is free to try out this weekend (again) on Steam with 75% off the price if co-op cops and robbers is your thing. Dale's already mentioned that Sleeping Dogs has been reduced in price, but it's also updated with some free goodies including Valve t-shirts for protagonist Wei Shen to wear along with some other free digital goodies. Amazon.com apparently ran out of codes for its Square deal from last week and instead are offering the a 25% discount on digital games (excluding some recent releases). Type in "SQRLUVOC" for your discount. As always, friends, post your deals in the comments below and enjoy your weekend. |
| The DTOID Show: Halo, Hitman, & THE MINIBOSSES! Posted: 19 Oct 2012 12:45 PM PDT As for boring old video game news, Master Chief has some mommy issues in the new Halo 4, Agent 47 does the funky chicken in Hitman Absolution, the Wii U has some issues with voice chat, and PlanetSide 2 has a release date! |
| Indie game Impulse gets OST release via OC ReMix Posted: 19 Oct 2012 12:30 PM PDT Earlier this year, indie developer Deck16 released a very simple yet challenging physics-based PC game called Impulse. Combining the neon explosion of Geometry Wars, the careful precision of Lunar Lander, and the diabolical death traps of N, Impulse tasks you to complete levels under variable conditions. In one stage, you are at the whim of gravity; in another, your fuel supply is limited; and in yet another, missiles home in on your location. All in all, a decent weekend time-waster -- download it for free from Deck16's website. Know what else is decent? The kickin' electronica soundtrack, which consists of tunes contributed by several different musicians. One of the artists, Meteo Xavier, compiled his contributions into an album published through OverClocked ReMix. The free release has a spacey mid-90s sound, and its lead track has the best title in the history of forever: "President Obama Is a Juggalo." You can cop the album from either OCR or Bandcamp. If you want to hear more Impulse music, check out the separate release from the game's other major song contributor, Michael Chadwick. Album: Impulse Original Soundtrack (12 Followers/Meteo Xavier) [OverClocked ReMix]
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| Starhawk developer Lightbox lays off 75% of its staff Posted: 19 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT "And yeah, its time for another drink..." Dylan Jobe, president of Lightbox Interactive, posted on Twitter, Tuesday. Sony made a gamble when it invested in Lightbox Interactive to make a competitive multiplayer shooter called Starhawk. After mixed reviews and less than stellar sales, it's fair to say that Sony nor Lightbox struck it big with this PS3 title. Now, layoffs are striking the Austin, Texas developer: 24 of its 32 person staff are no longer with the company. In response, the developer is switching gears to mobile game development. Lightbox will not be making future updates to Starhawk, though Jobe hints that he may personally invest to get the current work uploaded. "The reason for the layoffs is a strategic shift in our product development as we move forward with a very focused and self-funded team to bring our next game to iOS devices," Dylan Jobe told Gamasutra. Jobe has had a strong presence on Twitter, promoting Starhawk and interacting with its community. However, he's gone quiet the last couple of days. "Right now, I'm focusing on making sure the team members I'm laying-off are as prepared as possible to find good jobs," Jobe told Giant Bomb. "There will be a time for PR on our iOS game--but now is not that time.” [Gamastura via ScrewAttack, Giant Bomb] |
| Play Halo 4 with the Destructoid community! Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:30 AM PDT Wanna play Halo 4? Of course you do! Wanna play Halo 4 with a bunch of awesome Dtoid staffers? Double of course you do! Well, on Friday, November 9, you'll have your chance! Destructoid is hosting yet another Xbox LIVE Community Playdate, and this time we'll be rocking the brand new game from 343 Industries! Join myself, Director of Communications Hamza Aziz, Mash Tactics host King Foom, and Contributing Editors Chris Carter and Abel Girmay as we live-broadcast for three hours on Dtoid.TV and shoot each other full of pink needles! But that's not all! We're looking for three of the best Dtoid community members to join our team! Think you've got what it takes to battle with the big boys? Drop a comment below describing your most epic Halo moment; the three best comments by this Sunday at 11:59 PM will win a spot on the team! Your Gamertags will also be listed alongside ours on the Xbox 360 dashboard and on Xbox.com. It's pretty awesome! |
| Sleeping Dogs' next DLC is all about zombies, cat food Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT
Sleeping Dogs next downloadable content is called Nightmare in North Point and it's bringing on zombies! Well, not in the traditional zombie sense. The DLC sees Big Scar Wu rising from hell to exact revenge against the Sun On Yee. Poor Scar was stabbed 42 times before getting stuffed into a grinder at the Smiley Cat cat food plant. Yup, he was turned into cat food. What a way to go. Scar is back, now going by the name of Smiley Cat, and has brought up an army of Jiang Shi to get his revenge. Wei Shen will have to take on Smiley, and he'll be learning new skills based on Chinese magic to help him fight the undead monsters. Nightmare in North Point will be out on October 31 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Steam. |
| ThinkGeek's pint-sized Portal gun won't break the bank Posted: 19 Oct 2012 10:30 AM PDT With Halloween fast approaching, ThinkGeek's new Miniature Replica Portal Gun ($59.99) is going to be hard to resist. It's got appropriately colored LEDs, a working trigger, and movable claws. Parents, think about how much candy your children can get for you while repping Portal 2; just send them to bed before they eat it all. At 12" long and approximately 5" tall, this gun is also the kind of collectible you could reasonably keep on your desk when you aren't chasing around cats or otherwise making a fool out of yourself. Seems like a fun purchase if you haven't already overdone it with Portal merch.
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| Posted: 19 Oct 2012 10:00 AM PDT Mention DOOM 3 to most fans, and the common (disparaging) response will be, "Monster Closets." Earning criticism for its jump scares, lack of charisma, and stylistic departure from previous DOOM titles, DOOM 3 has not aged well in the eyes of most fans. This particular fan, however, disagrees with consensus. DOOM 3 holds up as a solid and atmospheric horror shooter, and the new BFG Edition works, not only as a celebration of a game that gets an unfair reputation, but as a worthy collection of the game's three main entries, sporting as it does DOOM and DOOM II. Monster Closets be damned!
DOOM 3 BFG Edition (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed], PC) I'm somewhat surprised Bethesda and id Software chose to market this release as DOOM 3, since the inclusion of the original two titles makes it far more akin to a full-on DOOM collection and, in my opinion, would have made it a lot more marketable. Nevertheless, this compilation of titles and additional content works most adequately in celebrating three classic shooters ... provided you're not a PC gamer, that is. The star of the show is, by virtue of name, DOOM 3. You've got at least ten hours of gameplay from the solo campaign, alongside a fully functioning online multiplayer mode, and while it's clear that the game has aged considerably since 2004, I still find it not only gratifying in its combat, but still highly effective as a scary horror game. Say what you will about "cheap" jump scares, but DOOM 3 had it mastered, and it can still make a player jump when it wants to.
The fact that monsters can spawn anywhere, even several rooms behind the player so their advance can't be detected, fosters a sense of paranoia that many modern horror games have failed to replicate, at least in the premium retail space. DOOM 3's aggressive, resilient bestiary of demons and zombies still makes for an impressive and intimidating array of opposition, while the dark industrial levels are oppressive and increasingly macabre. All that said, the game's campaign keeps up such a relentless onslaught of monsters that it does get mentally exhausting before the adventure has concluded. The game plays but one note, and while it plays it very well, it's an experience that only grows more draining as time goes by. Lacking the environmental variety and general oddity of the original DOOM titles, id's third crack of the whip constantly risks boring the player, a risk made all the more real at the end of a generation propelled by the idea of player choice, dizzying setpieces, and dynamic combat.
I still have a ton of respect for DOOM 3 regardless, a game that showcased how horror can still work in a combat-heavy game, and maintains a sense of satisfyingly simple action in a world of cover systems and regenerating health. The A.I. isn't very good anymore and the enemies don't react to your gunfire much, but at its core, DOOM 3 still provides a rock solid dose of old-fashioned first-person shooting. The controls have been "optimized" for consoles, giving newer players a familiar button layout that mostly works fine, save for the fact that sprinting is done by pressing and holding the left stick, rather than just clicking it on and off, which always feels pointless and harder to maintain while moving around corners. This release also sees the game embrace the PC version's "Duct Tape" mod as standard. Rather than have players scroll through and use the flashlight in place of a firearm, the torch is now activated alongside the equipped weapon with a simple press. Some will welcome this convenient change, others will see it as an elimination of an effective horror tool, as DOOM 3 originally had players trade off offensive ability for visibility. Personally, I'm none too bothered by it. It does indeed remove an element of tension, but the game is still plenty tense already. The graphics have been given an HD overhaul, and despite character models and animations that appear simplistic by today's standards, the overall remaster job is pretty damn good. Being a bit of a visual darling in its time, DOOM 3 doesn't look ugly in 2012 by any stretch of the imagination. It also has a 3D option for those owning the required televisions. Not the biggest selling point, especially with the fad having died down considerably, but it's there if you need it.
In addition to the main campaign and the rather simplistic multiplayer options, the Resurrection of Evil expansion has been included, as well as an all-new series of chapters, The Lost Mission. This latter addition places players into the boots of a marine whose team was cut down during the original campaign. In essence, it's just more of the same, as you run around, shoot demons, and collect PDAs to open doors. It doesn't really add anything new to the game, but it does amount to several more hours of content for those who really can't get enough of the Hell-soaked madness. When one grows tired of DOOM 3's chicanery, both DOOM and DOOM II are included for your amusement. Still instantly replayable classics, these two seminal FPS adventures are still a bunch of fun to play, and their inclusion makes the BFG Edition package that much more attractive. One thing I lament is the inability to get the games running fullscreen on a TV monitor, and I really don't appreciate having no way of quitting out to get back to the main BFG menu without having to restart the disc. These quibbles aside, it's great to play two shooters that remain some of the best examples of pure FPS gameplay and cut pretty damn close to perfection in terms of accomplishing a very clear goal. Speaking of accomplishments, both these games have their own separate set of Trophies/Achievements, rather than having to share from a common pool as is usually the case with HD collections. It's worth noting that these games are, essentially, the Xbox Live Arcade versions, even sharing the same save data if you have any. This means multiplayer is included, but it also means that if you install the BFG disc data, the games won't work off the disc. It's a weird situation, but Bethesda has said installing the disc doesn't do anything anyway, so don't bother.
All this said, there's no escaping the fact that you can already get DOOM 3, in HD, on your PC, along with all sorts of relevant and useful mods. Same can be said for the other games included. The only thing you'd risk missing is Lost Mission, which really isn't significant enough to miss on any appreciable level. If you're a PC gamer, getting the BFG Edition really isn't worth your time and money. However, the game is undoubtedly geared toward console users. Those looking to play this on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 will certainly get a ton of content for their money, and a trio of games that, despite their age and the scorn at least one of them receives, still amount to hours of simple entertainment. Whether you have the energy to experience all of that entertainment depends entirely on your tolerance for non-stop, mostly immutable FPS action, but nevertheless, this is worth nabbing for any DOOM fan currently not rocking a gaming rig. |
| MLG vs. Proleague playoffs begin tonight Posted: 19 Oct 2012 09:30 AM PDT For the past month, StarCraft II players have been competing in the MvP, or MLG versus Proleague, a coordinated effort between MLG, KeSPA, and the IEG. Today marks the first day of playoffs, where the top 16 players will vie for a spot in the finals that are taking place on October 29th. Tonight features match-ups between Naniwa vs. Thorzain and Alive vs. Oz. Streaming begins at 7:00pm Eastern and will be cast by Axslav and Axeltoss. The standings and schedule are available online, and if you're late to join the action, you can snag a viewing pass right here for $10. Now, if I may, GO HUK!
Playoff Schedule – Broadcast on www.majorleaguegaming.com Friday, October 19, 7pm ET - Round 1 - Europe & Korea/Taiwan |
| Stop the madness! An open letter to videogame publishers Posted: 19 Oct 2012 09:00 AM PDT [Brett Makedonski is a freelance writer based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, whose regular work can be found on 360Sync. Seeing how he's the conversational type, feel free to talk to him about videogames and sports on Twitter at @Donski3.] Dear Videogame Publishers: Tough times are upon us. We're at a crossroads of sorts. Decisions will need to be made, and regrettably, they probably won’t always be the correct ones. Make no mistake, I'm not using "us" as a pronoun intended to be inclusive of you -- just the opposite, actually. "Us" refers to the consumers, the fans that are put in financial straits, and the time constraints during the concurrently anticipated and dreaded "holiday season" every single year. Before we move too far along, let’s establish that everyone understands that the fourth quarter of the year is the best time to release (most) AAA video games. No one disputes that. During this time frame, the general public is in the mood to spend money, and salespeople are more than happy to usher unsure relatives toward the nearest familiar IP. It just makes sense for most of the biggest names in videogames to release at that time, but that doesn’t mean every game benefits from coming out during this three month stretch. The real shame of the annually hectic release schedule isn't even that the AAA titles come in such rapid succession that 95% of players can't possibly get to every one that they want. No, these games will most likely get put on the back burner until early in the new year, when the player has the time and funds to properly tend to them. The travesty here is that there are fantastic mid-tier titles that will never get the attention they deserve, specifically because of the competition surrounding them. I’ve been playing a lot of Rayman Origins lately. Honestly, it's probably my favorite platformer ever. I could go on for hours about its tight controls, intuitive actions, and phenomenal soundtrack. It was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, sitting in the high 80s on Metacritic (including a 9.0 from Destructoid). There's a solid chance that many gamers could have found it to be one of their most enjoyable console experiences last year. If it weren't for a recent glowing recommendation from a friend and an outstanding Best Buy sale, Rayman Origins probably would have passed me by completely. It appears that I'm not alone. Despite the aforesaid critical response, its first month sales were extremely disappointing -- probably because it released within days of Skyrim and Modern Warfare 3. And by "probably," I mean "definitely." If we backtrack a year, we can find another prime (yet slightly different) example. Whereas Rayman Origins was a new installment in an established franchise by mega-publisher Ubisoft, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was an ambitious new IP that gave us memorably endearing characters and drowned the screen in technicolor. Again, critics lavished praise upon the game, and again, the public simply did not buy it. Both of these titles were relegated to the bargain bin unduly quickly. In case you haven't identified it yet, this is a problem. It's a problem that some of the finest creations in this interactive medium are being passed over without second thought simply because of the month that they're released in. It's a problem that would behoove you to fix, as I believe that increased sales are most likely in your best interest. It's a problem that we, the consumers, want to see rectified so that it's plausible to enjoy as many of these experiences as are feasibly possible. To their credit, some publishers seem to be working their way out of this pattern or never really fell into it in the first place. For instance, Rockstar Games has almost made a tradition out of late spring releases, while Sony has put out each of the God of War console titles in March. To be fair, Rockstar and Sony would probably do quite well regardless of when they chose to release these games. However, it’s almost like they said. "Why risk it? Why take a chance of getting lost amongst the flurry of holiday titles?" It's not necessarily a bold strategy, but it's one that has yet to not pay off for these publishers. Instead of steadfastly sticking to the traditional model, why not venture out and release some of these games during the summer? I know that you all have a squadron of business analysts and statisticians devoted to attempting to discern the most profitable date to release each title, but truth be told, we'll still spend money in quarter three. Look no further than the annual Steam Sale, a summer offering that captures the attention of the entire industry. There's a reason that Microsoft saves its most lucrative digital downloads for a five-week event during the same time. The bottom line is that if you put out a quality product, we'll buy your games, even if it isn't the optimal time of the year. However, when you intertwine these with the most highly anticipated games, it becomes unpractical and unrealistic for the vast majority to be able to play them all. There's not enough time in our schedules or enough money in our wallets. When this conflict arises, well, you should already know which games are going to get the green light and which are going to get left behind. I'd like to point out that another benefit of earlier release dates for these mid-tier titles is that they would be able to take full advantage of being prominently displayed on Black Friday sales -- you know, by far the single most profitable day for American businesses. The only things your target audience loves more than videogames are videogames at a discount. I'm fully aware that I'm not the first, nor will I be the last, person to weigh in on this issue. In fact, your fans complain about it all the time. All I can do is hope that my words strike a particular chord with someone who has power over these sorts of matters. If nothing else, you owe it to your developers who painstakingly craft these gems that you're sending to die amidst the holiday madness. You owe it to the players that yearn for these celebrated experiences. And, assuming that you all operate as any successful business does, you owe it to yourself to capitalize on the sales potential of these games and to get them into the hands of as many people as possible. |
| Friday Night Fights: The Extra Life charity event! Posted: 19 Oct 2012 08:30 AM PDT Destructoid is hosting a 48-hour Extra Life charity event this weekend on our Dtoid.TV and Streamtoid channels! Please join King Foom, Spencer Hayes, and the rest of our badass webcasters as they interview celebrities and play games to raise money for sick kids... and give out some awesome prizes in the process! Anthony Burch, Gary Whitta, Uber Entertainment... there will be a TON of awesome people stopping by throughout the weekend. We hope to see you there! New to FNF? Read this! Each week, a bunch of us Dtoiders get together to play videogames online! It's a 100% community-run event, so feel free to join in or even host something yourself! The planning for FNF starts in the forums, where community members sign up to host matches and post their pertinent details (game, time, Gamertag, etc.). Then, every Friday, reminder posts go up in the community blogs thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers, and I recap it all here on the front page to give it a bit more exposure. To join in, simply send a friend request to the match host! If you'd rather host something yourself, sound off in the comments section below! Still confused? Check out our FNF FAQ! Big thanks to Dtoider ChillyBilly for all these awesome headers! Tonight's Games: As mentioned above, Foom is hosting our annual 48-hour Extra Life marathon this weekend! Starting at 10 AM Pacific today and lasting until well into Monday morning, join Foom and the rest of our Dtoid.TV and Streamtoid crews as they game to raise money for sick kids! Tonight's Games:
Check out the 360 FNF blog for more info! Tonight's Games:
Check out the PS3 FNF blog for more info! Tonight's Games:
Check out the 3DS FNF blog for more info! Tonight's Games:
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| Xbox Live migration open to anyone, will become automated Posted: 19 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT Last week, Microsoft pleased me by finally announcing that Xbox Live users would be able to migrate their account territories (meaning I could, at last, change my European location to a North American one). However, the manual process, not to mention talk of restrictions, were not so pleasant. One concern brought up were reports from Xbox customer support that you could only migrate your account if you had moved AFTER Microsoft's decision, meaning folk like me who moved country years ago would be stuck. However, I got a response from a Microsoft spokesperson saying otherwise. It's open to anybody. What's more, the service is aiming to be streamlined and automated in future, and Microsoft is advising anybody who needs immediate access to their Xbox Live account to wait until the process can be performed more quickly. "At Microsoft, we understand our customers move from one country to another and we continue to evaluate region migration solutions to help Xbox LIVE members access content from their current country location," said Microsoft. "We have been piloting an account migration process, but it can take several weeks and some content is confined by location due to licensing restrictions and cannot be transferred. We strongly encourage members who do not have an immediate need for account migration to hold tight while we continue to work on an automated tool, or create a new account in the new country location. Due to a technical limitation, child accounts can’t be migrated as part of the pilot region migration process. "Anybody can apply for account migration, but we're working to automate this function. This is a pilot program that takes time to process each account." Microsoft added that, contrary to previous statements, you actually can still use your Xbox Live account during the migration process. However, it's still advising consumers to wait for the automated tool to arrive, or wait until the manual migration is over before use -- presumably just to be safe that nothing will be lost or otherwise ruined. There you have it. You can still apply to get your account updated if you moved before this year, and the means to do so are set to improve. Baby steps, and very late in the game, but it's far better than it was! |
| The Minibosses will be on tonight's DTOID Show! Posted: 19 Oct 2012 07:30 AM PDT Hey, kids! In lieu of a live Destructoid Show today, Max and I have even more awesome in store for you. As part of their six-day Bay Area tour, popular video game cover band The Minibosses will be stopping by the Revision3 studio today to perform a couple songs, including the classic "Castlevania" off their album Brass. We couldn't be more excited to host them, so when our episode goes up, please shower them with views and nice comments! Also, be sure to tune into our 24-hour ExtraLife charity gaming marathon happening at 8AM this Saturday over on twitch.tv/rev3games. Because video games + beer + couches = helping sick children. MATH! |
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