New Games |
- Scott Pilgrim DLC for online co-op out this week on PSN
- Jones on Fire ditches F2P model, releases on GogglePlay
- Monday Mind Teasers: Huebrix
- Get milky with OC ReMix's Kirby Super Star album
- Kojima suggests 'pilot episodes' for large next-gen games
- Castlevania and Zelda get Mega Ran's nerdcore treatment
- Some online features won't make it for the OUYA launch
- Spin the Bottle wants you to grab the rooster
- Jon Blow praises the power of the PlayStation 4
- Pandora's Tower climbs to Wii in North America this April
- Contest: Win Etrian Odyssey IV from Destructoid!
- Showdown! Proto Man makes his move in Mega Man #23
- DayZ devs show off server-side Zombies in this update
- Live show: RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
- Patch renames God of War's 'Bros Before Hos' trophy
- Halo 4's 'Castle Map Pack' is all about vehicular combat
- Pachter: Nintendo is bad and Iwata is a poor CEO
- Lara Croft is more than a survivor
- Nintendo is working on Pikmin animated shorts
- Here are the international launch times for StarCraft II
- Ubisoft is running a huge sale this week on PSN
- Jimquisition: SimShitty
- New releases: God of War: Ascension keeps the faith
- First Steam Box priced at $1,000
- Downloadable predecessor to Battlefront III in the works
- Dreamfall Chapters Kickstarter brings in $1.5M
- God of War: Bros Before Hos
- Is DRM a factor you consider when buying games?
- Avalanche: PS4 will 'out-power most PCs for years'
- Xbox Live F2P Happy Wars amasses two million users
- Review: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
- Steam releases a patch for Tomb Raider
- PlayStation 4 makes Suda 51 'horny'
- The controversial God of War 'Bros before Hos' trophy
- Get Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty for $17.99 on Newegg
- Maxis has 'no intention' of making SimCity offline
- Japanese indie shmup Cloudphobia now available on PC
- First look at Tales of Xillia gameplay in English
- The Weekend Hotness: King of the Road
| Scott Pilgrim DLC for online co-op out this week on PSN Posted: 11 Mar 2013 04:00 PM PDT It's been an interesting journey for the new downloadable content for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. After resurfacing only to be hit with a last-minute delay, the add-on -- which includes Wallace Wells as a playable character and oft-request online multiplayer -- is back. Hopefully for real this time. We'll know soon enough, as the DLC is scheduled to release tomorrow on PlayStation Network. The price is $4.99, and PlayStation Plus members are getting a discount of 20 percent off both this individual DLC pack and the Ultimate Edition of the game with all of the DLC to date. That offer is good for the next two weeks. While I haven't seen confirmation, presumably the Online Multiplayer + Wallace Pack will be out for Xbox Live Arcade on Wednesday. (Or at least soon.) The timing on this has been unfortunate, but oddly enough, playing the recently-released beat-'em-up Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds has put me in the mood for more Scott Pilgrim. If you've yet to try them out, know that both games are pretty solid. Just when I think I'm burned out on the genre, it pulls me back in time and time again. |
| Jones on Fire ditches F2P model, releases on GogglePlay Posted: 11 Mar 2013 03:30 PM PDT Developers have always had to make hard decisions concerning the future of their products and brands. Even after weeks of planning and researching business models, what may have worked for one brand my not work for yours. Such is the case with Glass Bottom Games and Jones on Fire, which has just released on GooglePlay at $1.99. Jones on Fire was released earlier this month on the App Store as a free-to-play runner game, in the same vein as Canabalt and Robot Unicorn Attack. Unfortunately, it seems as though Jones on Fire was unable to take off with its in-app purchase system, which pushed Glass Bottom Games CEO and designer Megan Fox to make the hard decision of dropping the free-to-play model altogether for a $1.99 price point with no in-app purchases. |
| Posted: 11 Mar 2013 03:00 PM PDT I love games that find complexity by exploring simplicity. This flash game does a great job of stripping down the fill-a-grid color maze genre, and it continually adds new path manipulation puzzle concepts along the way. I wish it would have provided more of a challenge over its 35 free logic levels, but if you want the hundreds of more difficult puzzles (or the ability to make your own levels) then you'll have to snag it for Android or iOS. Add in soothing music that's reminiscent of the "Love On A Real Train" song from Risky Business -- and fun contrasts of bold colors -- and it makes this game the evil twin of Paint By Numbers. You can play Huebrix here on Newgrounds. Last Week: Kingdom Rush! |
| Get milky with OC ReMix's Kirby Super Star album Posted: 11 Mar 2013 02:30 PM PDT How can I help you, King DeDeDe? Game music arrangement repository OverClocked ReMix has released Milky Way Wishes: A Kirby Super Star Tribute, a project that has spent a dizzying eight years in production. I can only guess at what kinds of behind-the-scenes shenanigans caused such a massive delay, but love for the Super Nintendo classic carried the team through. Unlike the disgustingly monstrous multi-disc collections like Mega Man X: Maverick Rising or the recent Donkey Kong Country 3: Double the Trouble!, Milky Way Wishes is a respectable 23 tracks in length, spanning all manner of genres from chiptune to folk music. You can download it for free directly from the album's page, or you can mind OCR's precious bandwidth and torrent the pink puffball. The power is yours! Milky Way Wishes: A Kirby Super Star Tribute [OverClocked ReMix] |
| Kojima suggests 'pilot episodes' for large next-gen games Posted: 11 Mar 2013 02:00 PM PDT Talking to Edge, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima shared his thoughts on next-generation videogames potentially requiring substantial development teams, depending on the scope of the project. "It's possible to make many things more realistic, but that doesn't mean you should," he told the publication. "You have to prioritize, and that is what's going to separate the teams that succeed from the teams that don't. A very deep, 20-30 hour game might need a bigger team and take three or four years. "[But] I think there's a different way of tackling this problem: something similar to a TV series, where you can use pilot episodes to test the waters before you jump completely into the project ... It can be distributed via download channels, so the player can try it out before production continues. Something like that wouldn't take that long to create, maybe a year, and if it's successful, you can continue." While I'm instantly reminded of episodic gaming and that doesn't necessarily instill confidence, when I think about big-budget games that get stuck in long development cycles and somehow manage to release in less-than-ideal states, there's potential. Execution, particularly for some genres? That's another matter. But if it meant more new intellectual properties getting greenlit, I'd probably give "pilot" games as they're described here a shot. Kojima touts potential of ‘pilot episodes’ for next-gen game development [Edge] |
| Castlevania and Zelda get Mega Ran's nerdcore treatment Posted: 11 Mar 2013 01:30 PM PDT Mega Ran, everyone's favorite Philly rapper not named Will Smith, started a new project earlier this year called Time and Space. On the second Tuesday of each month, he will release a short EP of hip hop arrangements that sample music from games fans have specifically requested. Someone asks for Gitaroo Man? Gosh darnit, they're gonna get a Gitaroo Man song! Though the full albums complete with instrumental bonuses cost a few bucks, Ran has been gracious enough to provide Dtoid with site-exclusive versions for free. First there was January's release led by the Battletoads pause beat, then there was last month's set featuring the rarely covered Beyond Good & Evil. Now we bring you Time and Space: Mach's Principle, which spreads the Castlevania love and invites A Link to the Past to join in the festivities as well. As usual, you can download this album (along with many other Dtoid-exclusive releases) from our SoundCloud page. And if you want Ran to cover a game of your choosing, drop him a line at megaranfans@gmail.com or a modest donation on his FundRazr. |
| Some online features won't make it for the OUYA launch Posted: 11 Mar 2013 01:00 PM PDT [Update: Well, that was fast. It seems online multiplayer will be supported at launch, however, online chat, friends lists, and achievements won't make the cut. Those features are on for later this year, according to a company rep.] Speaking to The Verge at SXSW, OUYA founder Julie Uhrman says the upcoming Android-based console will not support online multiplayer games at launch. For Kickstarter backers, the systems will be shipped at the end of this month, while retail launch is set for June. The missing functionality, according to Uhrman, is coming "sometime this year." While I had kind of expected, by default, something like online multiplayer to be available for applicable games from the get go, I don't know that this is that big of a deal. Then again, I'll be waiting and seeing how the launch goes before even picking up a unit. Uhrman also explained how "At the end of the day, I'd like OUYA to be on every single television, every single tablet, from every single OEM you can think of. I would love for it to be built into a television." Ouya won't support online multiplayer at launch, wants to be built into your television [The Verge] |
| Spin the Bottle wants you to grab the rooster Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:45 PM PDT Last November we saw a strange teaser for the upcoming Wii U game Spin the Bottle. The video above isn't quite as awkward as the first, but it still appears from the trailers that the game is about colorful, bouncing, anthropomorphic dildos playing suggestively named mini-games. Grab the rooster indeed. Spin the Bottle's website offers a bit more insight into the way it plays than the trailers do. Players spin the bottle on the Wii U GamePad to determine challenge partners rather than make out partners, but the site's description also adds the vaguely sexual note that the challenges "might involve tight coordination, daring trust, body contact or extreme flexibility." I'm curious what the Rocketman entails. |
| Jon Blow praises the power of the PlayStation 4 Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:30 PM PDT I think many eyebrows were raised when Braid developer Jonathan Blow came on stage at the Sony Press conference last month and announced his upcoming title, The Witness, would be a "timed exclusive" for the PlayStation 4. Speaking to Edge, Blow praised the PS4's hardware, especially compared to the PC. "Rendering stuff through Windows has an impact on performance," he said. "Since a console is just about games, that doesn't happen, and the equivalent game will run faster." Blow must be impressed with the specs if he's making The Witness an exclusive on the PS4 for a while, at least. He also seems fairly positive on the system's Share button functionality calling it "super-interesting" and commenting that YouTube and livecasting are things that developers are paying attention to. I just really want to get my hands on The Witness and unravel its mysteries, regardless of what platform it's on. Jonathan Blow on the power of the PS4 and how sharing will change the way we play [Edge] [Image] |
| Pandora's Tower climbs to Wii in North America this April Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:15 PM PDT Pandora's Tower is coming to North America this April, XSEED Games has announced. An action role-playing game developed by Ganbarion and Nintendo, the title's western release represents a complete victory for the Operation Rainfall fan campaign that sought to localize it along with fellow Wii RPGs The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles. Additionally, XSEED has unveiled a new trailer for the game. Detailing the game's premise, the video introduces players to Elena, a young singer that falls victim to a wretched curse. Tasked with saving the damsel in a race against time, a former soldier by the name of Aeron must slay a dozen powerful demons to before his beloved maiden transforms into a hideous beast. |
| Contest: Win Etrian Odyssey IV from Destructoid! Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:00 PM PDT Our friends at Atlus have given us 20 codes for Etrian Odyssey IV to hand out to the Destructoid community! Our own Dale North has fallen in love with this gorgeous 3DS dungeon crawler, and now you can too! To win a copy, you'll need to draw a picture, make a video, or record yourself singing a song showing your love for the Etrian series! Drop a link to your project in the comments below, and be sure to include the Destructoid logo somewhere in your creation so we know you were the one who made it! You have until this Sunday, March 17 at 11:59 PM Pacific to enter, and the contest is open to anyone with a North American 3DS (because region-locked). Good luck! |
| Showdown! Proto Man makes his move in Mega Man #23 Posted: 11 Mar 2013 11:30 AM PDT First things first, focus your peepers on the "Worlds Collide" counter in the top-left corner. It means that Archie's massive 12-issue Sonic / Mega Man crossover event finally kicks off next month! My anticipation is palpable! But before that happens, we have to get through March first. Thankfully, Mega Man #23 is done with silly side stories about automaton amore -- Proto Man is back! A year after his activation, Mega Man celebrates his "birthday" with a grand city-wide celebration. Proto has had enough of his younger brother's receiving all the love and attention that he so desperately craved and was denied, so he appears at the ceremony in full "Break Man" attire, ready to destroy everything Mega holds dear. Exciting stuff, which should hold readers over until the action truly heats up in April. For now, you can purchase MM #23 in stores this Wednesday, March 13. |
| DayZ devs show off server-side Zombies in this update Posted: 11 Mar 2013 11:00 AM PDT Dean "Rocket" Hall and the rest of the folks at Bohemia Interactive have been pretty busy working on the standalone version of DayZ and this new developer video helps shed some light on what they have been polishing. Improvements to player health, inventory, and zombie pathfinding have been made, as well as implementing zombie spwaning from the server-side. A full breakdown of the features discussed in the video can be found on the developer's blog. It has been said before but, it is still really impressive to see a mod take off with such force on the power of its community. It is also good to see that other developers who are trying to hop on the zombie-survivalist bandwagon, looking to just make a quick buck, get knocked down quickly due to their own greed blinding them to their larger issues. The DayZ standalone should be releasing sometime this April 2013, pending any sort of global infectious catastrophe. |
| Live show: RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Posted: 11 Mar 2013 10:45 AM PDT [Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday at 4p.m. Pacific on Dtoid.TV. Watch King Foom play a variety of games, each day with its own theme. With a heavy focus on community and viewer interaction, you can be as much a part of the show as anything else.] Now, let me start by saying, despite a horrendous launch, I still really enjoyed what I got to play of SimCity, and am looking forward to digging into the game eventually. However, in the week that has past, that same horrendous launch has left me wanting to play something similar, and has driven me back into another's arms. Those arms belonging to one of my favorite simulation games of all time, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Be sure to check out tonight's episode of Mash Tactics, as I build some insane roller coasters that launch into the air, overprice all of the food, take away all of the toilets, and make kids puke. We'll also be checking out the games expansion packs, which add water park and zoo elements into the mix, as well as add more opportunity for creative shenaniganry. I swear SimCity, I'll call you soon, I just need some time to work things out. QotD: Are you, or were you, ever a fan of amusement park thrill rides? |
| Patch renames God of War's 'Bros Before Hos' trophy Posted: 11 Mar 2013 10:30 AM PDT The "Bros Before Hos" trophy rewarded to players in God of War: Ascension has caused some upset among critics. Players, however, should not have the same issue, according to developer Sony Santa Monica, who told Joystiq that a patch will rename the trophy to "Bros Before Foes," in time for the game's commercial release tomorrow. "The text was offensive to some members of our community and impacted their enjoyment of the game," Sony Santa Monica told Joystiq. "We are endlessly committed to ensuring that our community can fully enjoy the experiences the team has created. As such, we've addressed the feedback and amended the Trophy in question." While this hardly excuses the initial decision of including the controversial trophy, it is a step in the right direction and should prevent unwanted, heated discussion among God of War fans. I can understand why Adam Sessler and other reviewers were bothered by its inclusion. I am happy that it won't sour my experience, because it simply won't be a part of it. Controversial God of War: Ascension trophy altered in upcoming patch [Joystiq] |
| Halo 4's 'Castle Map Pack' is all about vehicular combat Posted: 11 Mar 2013 10:00 AM PDT The next set of maps for Halo 4 is less than a month away. The Castle Map Pack will be dropping on April 8, which should be plenty of time to continue playing the recent Majestic Map Pack. This third add-on emphasizes vehicle-based combat and adds a new six-on-six playlist to War Games. For 800 Microsoft Points (unless you paid for the Map Pass), Castle's three maps are Daybreak, Outcast, and Perdition, shown above with a trailer and also in the gallery below. People seem to be divided on what they want out of Halo 4 multiplayer -- where do you stand? |
| Pachter: Nintendo is bad and Iwata is a poor CEO Posted: 11 Mar 2013 09:30 AM PDT Industry analyst Michael "Rainbow Pecs" Pachter is laying siege to Castle Nintendo once again, with one of his harshest appraisals of the company yet. Rather than beat around the bush, the silver-tongued stallion has directly said Nintendo's a bad company, and poured scorn on CEO Satoru Iwata. "I think Nintendo is no longer able to compete the way they did in the past and sell their consoles at a big profit," he declared on his show Pach Attack. "I think that the Wii, when it first launched they were probably making about $100 of profit per unit. I think the DS when it first launched was probably generating about $50 of profit per unit. The 3DS I think is barely making a profit. The Wii U I think is barely making a profit -- I'm talking 5 or 10 bucks per unit." Pachter doesn't lay any of the blame at Nintendo of America or its president, Reggie Fils-Aime. He argued NoA simply plays the cards it was dealt, and implied the Wii U was a bum hand -- a hand directly attributable to Iwata. |
| Lara Croft is more than a survivor Posted: 11 Mar 2013 09:00 AM PDT For the past 48 hours, I have been completely enthralled in the world of Tomb Raider. Explosions, gun-fights, stealthy takedowns, weapon upgrading, and shooting defenseless bunnies has characterized my adventure, one that has been a complete roller coaster ride from beginning to end. With cut scenes as dramatic as any action movie, epic battles against religious crazies, and sprawling environments ripe for exploring, I could barely tear myself away from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix's masterpiece. |
| Nintendo is working on Pikmin animated shorts Posted: 11 Mar 2013 08:30 AM PDT In an effort to "give more life to the Pikmin characters," Nintendo has plans for original animated shorts that are being created alongside an external animation studio and overseen by designer Shigeru Miyamoto, reports Polygon. The videos will be out before Pikmin 3 arrives this year and are going to be watchable on ... 3DS. "We really just want to take advantage of the Pikmin characters," said Miyamoto. "We have started selling Shaun the Sheep videos, so we're continuing to look at ways to expand the eShop offerings. Nintendo 3DS is great for viewing 3D video content so we wanted to look at ways to expand that offering." He explained that if these videos are "popular," Nintendo "could consider selling them." It strikes me as a odd that these would be put out on the 3DS considering the new game is a Wii U release, but then again, that does sound like something Nintendo would do. If it helps raise awareness for the series -- the 3DS does have the larger audience -- that's terrific. I think we'd be more than happy to watch these on YouTube minus the 3D support, however. Nintendo tests the waters for new cartoon series based on Pikmin [Polygon] |
| Here are the international launch times for StarCraft II Posted: 11 Mar 2013 08:00 AM PDT Blizzard is ready to launch the newest addition to the StarCraft II family, Heart of the Swarm, and of course millions of people will be itching to get on at the earliest possible moment. Look no further than Blizzard's official launch times, which let you know exactly when you can start playing Heart of the Swarm. A lot of you will probably be getting down at 3:01 AM tomorrow Eastern, 12:01 AM Pacific but the rest of the world will probably want some sort of idea of when to boot up! Heart of the Swarm Live Server times [Battle.net] |
| Ubisoft is running a huge sale this week on PSN Posted: 11 Mar 2013 07:45 AM PDT The folks over at the PlayStation Blog have alerted us to a week-long Ubisoft sale that's worth glancing over if you have got a spare moment and want to save on PlayStation Network titles for PS3, PSP, Vita, or all three platforms. Starting tomorrow, more than 35 titles will be between 30 and 50 percent off, depending on your status as a PS Plus member or lack thereof. The full list is viewable below, but here are some games worth owning: Rayman Origins PS3 ($13.99 / $9.79 with Plus), Shoot Many Robots ($6.99 / $4.89 with Plus), Outland ($6.99 / $4.89 with Plus), and Lumines Electronic Symphony ($18.89 / $13.22 with Plus). |
| Posted: 11 Mar 2013 07:30 AM PDT DRM is back again, and it's here to stay! Games are a service, so we're told, but who do they really serve? SimCity's failure to launch thanks to ludicrous DRM restrictions has been the hot topic of the week, and naturally there's a Jimquisition afoot to skewer Electronic Arts right in its Electronic Nads. Time to put a bit of stick about, wouldn't you say? |
| New releases: God of War: Ascension keeps the faith Posted: 11 Mar 2013 07:15 AM PDT Another Monday rolls up, acting like it's the boss of the week, so that can only mean one thing: a week of new releases. I'll be saving my cash this week, not really seeing anything to interest me, but I may grab God of War: Ascension somewhere down the line, if I ever pick up the third one. It is meant to be rather nifty. As well as Kratos's return, there's a bunch of other stuff dropping over the next seven days. The second Starcraft II instalment, Heart of the Swarm, launches; brightly colored demonic scrapping returns in Darkstalkers: Resurrection; Dead Space 3 gets some super-early DLC; and another one of those shooting people from very far away games show up. Anything tickling your fancy this week? |
| First Steam Box priced at $1,000 Posted: 11 Mar 2013 07:00 AM PDT The first living-room PC supported by Valve, the Piston by Xi3, has officially begun taking pre-orders. Judging by its price tag, decked-out Steam Boxes won't be cheap. The Piston will cost $1,000 at its base rate. It includes a 3.2 GHz quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid state drive. Anyone looking to upgrade to a 512GB hard drive can expect to spend an additional $750. Xi3 is offering a $100 discount on the Piston for anyone that pre-orders by March 17. The company aims to ship in time for the 2013 Holiday season. Representatives at CES in January were hesitant to call the Piston a Steam Box. Let's call a spade a spade, okay? It's a living room PC that was backed by Valve that runs Steam -- it's a Steam Box. |
| Downloadable predecessor to Battlefront III in the works Posted: 11 Mar 2013 06:45 AM PDT Kotaku has a bunch of juicy details on the previously leaked title, Star Wars: First Assault. According to the outlet's source, if Star Wars First Assault is released and if it sells well, then Star Wars: Battlefront III could be next. After Disney purchased LucasFilm, the future for both First Assault and Star Wars 1313 became unclear. The developers are apparently still actively working on the game, not knowing if it will ever be released. What an absolutely terrible position to be in. The game is supposed to lead up to Battlefront III, but according to Kotaku, this new Battlefront III "would use nothing from the Battlefront III that has already been in production at studios like Free Radical and Slant Six." First Assault also has no Jedi or vehicles, which explains its lack of the word "Battlefront" anywhere in the title. Though these screenshots look painfully generic, I'm still hopeful that one day, Star Wars: Battlefront III will become a reality, and it will live up to the quality the prior games have established. Leaked Star Wars Game Is ‘Predecessor’ To Battlefront III, Source Says [Kotaku] |
| Dreamfall Chapters Kickstarter brings in $1.5M Posted: 11 Mar 2013 06:30 AM PDT Red Thread Games must have had a great weekend. The developer's Kickstarter for adventure game Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey came to a close with $1,538,425 in funding. While not every stretch goal was reached, fans of the series were clearly eager for more. The extra money will go toward: Mac and Linux versions of Dreamfall Chapters; an in-game library with books and lore; more locations, characters, and stories; the House of All Worlds; an interactive graphic novel recapping the story so far; German and French language support with added dialogue; and the director's cut with a commentary track (love those!). Ports to iOS and Android as well as the content expansion known as "The Longest Journey Home" weren't funded, but Red Thread previously wrote that the latter is "a story we all want to tell, and we won't let it die." The team says it'll "still look into ways of making [it] a reality...some day." |
| Posted: 11 Mar 2013 06:00 AM PDT In what may be considered a storm in a teacup, not quite gaining the same traction as other controversies, God of War: Ascension has caused a bit of a stir with a "misogynistic" Trophy, an award you get as part of the main campaign. The basic story is that Kratos, ever a beacon of sensitivity and consideration, beats the everloving crap out of a woman (a beatdown suffering from no shortage of upskirt camera angles) before impaling her on a spike. In fairness, the woman is evil, laughs off most of the violence, and appears unharmed afterward, but the real issue is the fact that, after the battle and a brief exchange with a male ally, players get a Trophy called "Bros Before Hos." The whole scenario was enough to disgust reviewer Adam Sessler, who called it a "gut-punch of misogyny" and confessed it colored the entire experience for him. Naturally, others have heard the clarion call to defend the game from any accusation of potential sexism, and there's been quite a scuffle over the whole thing. So what's the deal? Is it sexist? Is it a problem? In some ways yes, and in other ways, no. One thing I think it really does is expose a major issue with the way games are presented these days, and how developers should be careful in absolutely every element of a production. |
| Is DRM a factor you consider when buying games? Posted: 11 Mar 2013 05:30 AM PDT [Every Monday, Destructoid will pose topical a question to the community. Answer it if you want!] It's hard to argue that anyone likes the idea of Digital Rights Management systems (apart from some publishers, maybe) and the gaming community has been getting up in arms over the various implementations for what seems like forever. But when it comes time to buy a game, does the presence of DRM have an impact on whether or not you choose to buy it? |
| Avalanche: PS4 will 'out-power most PCs for years' Posted: 11 Mar 2013 05:00 AM PDT Avalanche Studios chief technical officer Linus Blomberg is one of the many developers getting horned up over the PlayStation 4, and believes Sony's system couldn't come at a better time. With gaming PCs outclassing current gen consoles, Blomberg's excited for a machine that'll prove superior to most computers. "The consoles desperately need a boost since having been overtaken in terms of performance by PCs several years ago, and also losing market share to mobile platforms," he told GamingBolt. "I’m glad Sony decided to go with 8GB RAM because it means that the PS4 will out-power most PCs for years to come." Of course, it's worth mentioning the CTO wisely said "most" PCs. There are some machines out there already that'll happily give the PS4 a run for its money, but most users ain't gonna get their hands on them for a few years anyway. Still, Blomberg's interested in more than simple power. "The PS4 will not only be a very powerful gaming machine from a hardware perspective, but it will also be a social tool and integrated marketplace more akin to the successful mobile devices," he explained. "It’s the best of all worlds in a way; great performance for demanding high-end gaming, good social ecosystem and connectivity, and integrated business marketplace." |
| Xbox Live F2P Happy Wars amasses two million users Posted: 11 Mar 2013 04:30 AM PDT Developer Toylogic has just revealed that Happy Wars, the first microtransaction based Xbox Live Arcade game, has reached the two million player mark. To celebrate, more content updates have been added. Although it may not seem like two million users for a free game isn't that big of a deal, those are still two million potential customers. Even if everyone only bought a starter pack, most free-to-play games would still be a profitable endeavor. This particular game clearly benefits from the unique position of being the only free-to-play game on the 360. Hopefully we'll see more games follow suit on the 720 and the PS4, as options are always a great thing. |
| Review: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate Posted: 11 Mar 2013 04:00 AM PDT Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was an attempt to reboot the Castlevania franchise, which even an ardent fan such as myself would admit had been growing long in the tooth. In the care of Spanish studio MercurySteam, Lords of Shadow adopted the combo-based combat and environment traversal of modern action-adventures. Some liked the new direction, others were resistant, but both parties agreed that it certainly didn't feel like any Castlevania before. When Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate was revealed to be a side-scrolling platformer for the 3DS, people assumed it was an attempt at reaching out to lapsed fans. If done properly, a marriage of the new Western style with the nonlinear "Metroidvania" gameplay could demonstrate that MercurySteam understands what made the series so popular to begin with. It does not. |
| Steam releases a patch for Tomb Raider Posted: 11 Mar 2013 03:30 AM PDT If you've been playing Tomb Raider on PC, you might want to restart Steam so that you can apply the latest patch. Mostly, it's just Nvidia graphical fixes, but there is one other addition that patches up a game breaking progression glitch. I just beat Tomb Raider over the weekend and found myself absolutely loving it. It feels like a natural progression of the series, and even if it feels a bit too Uncharted at points and maybe not as open as I had wanted it to be, it's still extremely fun. Here's hoping that Tomb Raider 2 has a mansion mode! I can't wait to lock the butler in the freezer..in HD. |
| PlayStation 4 makes Suda 51 'horny' Posted: 11 Mar 2013 03:00 AM PDT Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Suda 51 is apparently more than a little excited for the PS4. In fact, the eccentric game designer claims to be horny for Sony's upcoming console. Let's hope it's not because he's had some thoughts about the "Share" button. ... Who am I kidding? We all had those thoughts. "As has been announced, Grasshopper Manufacture will make games for PS4, as will GungHo Online Entertainment and Acquire," wrote Suda in his Famitsu column. "I can't go into detail at this stage, but for sure the new challenge is exciting. "During PlayStation Meeting 2013, Sony showed such a strong vision. Now we have to decide how to find our own victories within that and present games that express the Grasshopper world. And that makes me horny." |
| The controversial God of War 'Bros before Hos' trophy Posted: 11 Mar 2013 02:30 AM PDT Warning -- do not watch the above video without subjecting yourself to minor spoilers for God of War: Ascension. As you may have heard, Adam Sessler recently played through God of War: Ascension, and was disgusted by a particular trophy, titled "Bros before Hos." Around 6:50 into his review, Sessler describes the experience as "one of the most violent things I've ever seen in a video game," a scene where Kratos stomps a female enemy creature's face in and earns a trophy. He calls the event and trophy description a "gut-punch of misogyny," that sours the entire experience for him. I can see the issue here right off the bat, but that's not the entire story. As you can see in the above video, not only does that character not die as a result of this confrontation, but the trophy's accomplishment might actually be based around another character that hands you an item, who stands up to that female creature. Since Sony usually hands out trophies after major confrontations, there's no telling whether or not the trophy is specifically awarded for beating up the female character, or simply because of your male comrade's decision to defy her. In any case, do you feel like Sony Santa Monica overstepped their boundaries, and should rename the trophy? |
| Get Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty for $17.99 on Newegg Posted: 11 Mar 2013 02:00 AM PDT Was Blizzard's recent sale not enough? Well, now Newegg has joined the fun, as they've started offering Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty for $17.99. All you have to do is go to the product page and enter the following code: STW311. Pretty soon, you'll be able to buy the new kinda sorta expansion Heart of the Swarm to augment your shiny new copy of Wings of Liberty. Starcraft II [Gamer Deals] |
| Maxis has 'no intention' of making SimCity offline Posted: 11 Mar 2013 01:00 AM PDT While SimCity's DRM-in-sheep's-clothing continues to cause playabilty issues, EA Maxis has declared its intent to keep the game tied to a server. The company will do "everything it can" to make your game playable, but that doesn't include the one thing that'd guarantee it. "We have no intention of offlining SimCity any time soon," said EA Maxis' Lucy Bradshaw on Twitter. "but we'll look into that as part of our earning back your trust efforts." Last night, Bradshaw released an update claiming the problems with SimCity were "Almost behind us." Game crashes have apparently been reduced by 92% and 8 million gameplay hours have been logged by users. |
| Japanese indie shmup Cloudphobia now available on PC Posted: 10 Mar 2013 11:00 PM PDT The team at Rockin' Android have returned with yet another indie offering from across the Pacific. Cloudphobia is shoot-'em-up wherein players must pilot a mech in a race against time. A robotic army has a powerful super weapon and it's up to you to destroy it before the powerful beam annihilates us all. Developed by doujinsoft developer Marsbound, the title was first released back in 2008 before making its way to Comiket the following year. Cloudphobia has been improved since then and is currently making its western debut as a part of Indie Royale bundle. A demo for the shooter is available here and players interested in supporting it should head definitely over to Steam Greenlight and help the game get some exposure. |
| First look at Tales of Xillia gameplay in English Posted: 10 Mar 2013 06:00 PM PDT Voice acting always seems like a contentious issue with Japanese role-playing games. Delivery is frequently stiff or obnoxious, oftentimes taking away from the experience rather than adding to it. From the sound of it though, Tales of Xillia's English dub is coming along rather nicely. The characters seem very natural, if a little enthusiastic. And apart from the exuberant amount of grunting during battle, the voicework sounds very promising. Still, I'm sure more than a few folks out there will hate it out of principle. |
| The Weekend Hotness: King of the Road Posted: 10 Mar 2013 04:59 PM PDT Can you think of a better way to start off your week than to listen to a couple of Scottish twins sing some country music? Neither can I. This weekend on Destructoid we had a lot of awesome original features covering opinions from our lovely staff about ad-blocking, classic video games, not being a dick in online games, as well as all kinds of other awesome stuff. Destructoid Originals: Community: Reiews: |
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