New Games |
- Cellular puzzle game Splice now available on PSN
- Classic PC sim Theme Hospital free on Origin
- Go on, check your frames per second in Steam
- Give some robots a rhythm beatdown in Omega: the First Movement
- Dark Souls PC multiplayer no longer region locked
- Strafe's bleeding edge graphics and gameplay will literally blow your mind
- Team Fortress 2sdays: Between 2fort, now 80% chillier
- Mega Man composer working on a point-and-click space shooter
- Nippon Ichi's Operation Abyss crawls to Vita in April
- Infestation: Broforce + Alien = Aliens?
- State of Decay Xbox One remaster hits April 28, upgrade plan detailed
- Blackguards 2 is deep, unfriendly, and buggy
- Why does Japan get the best cat block puzzle games?
- Human Element put on hold as Robert Bowling's Robotoki closes
- Children of Morta Kickstarter launches today, looks phenomenal
- Call of Duty DLC ups the ante with zombie puppies
- Are you ready for some X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance?
- Ori and the Blind Forest jumps out of the woods and onto your screen on March 11
- Vampyr: A new RPG from the Remember Me devs
- What was your favorite Club Nintendo reward?
- Evolve director on DLC: 'I don't like people thinking we're doing underhanded, dirty shit'
- Amazon debuts Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Twitter battle promo
- Majora's Mask 3D and New 3DS XL playable at PAX South
- Mutant Football League failed its Kickstarter, but it's still in development
- Good lord, this $400 Borderlands edition has a Claptrap that's controlled with a mobile app
- Borderlands gets the bundled current-gen release we always knew it would
- Save 10 percent on PlayStation Network purchases this weekend
- Review: Citizens of Earth
- Club Nintendo is shutting down
| Cellular puzzle game Splice now available on PSN Posted: 20 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST Splice is a puzzle game from Cipher Prime Studios which has you rearranging cellular strands to make specific structures. It's been out on PC and mobile devices for a while now, but today it became available on PS3 and PS4, marking the studio's first self-published console title. The game is launching at $14.99, with a 20% discount for PS Plus members. The PlayStation edition supports cross-buy, the PS4 Light Bar, and Sixaxis, and also features new achievements and sexier graphics. If you enjoy puzzle games, definitely give this one a shot! Splice provides a challenge, and doubles as a great source of relaxation. It's a fun game to learn as you experiment with the different types of cells and how they interact with each other. And the soundtrack is just lovely, full of melodious piano arrangements that'll be stuck in your head long after you've been stuck on a tough puzzle. The Epilogue soundtrack is actually being offered for free on Bandcamp for the next week to celebrate the game's console release, so you can download the music here if you'd like to give it a listen! |
| Classic PC sim Theme Hospital free on Origin Posted: 20 Jan 2015 09:30 AM PST For years, my uncle left his his late-'90s laptop at my grandparents' house and whenever I'd come to visit, I'd flip through PC game instruction manuals and play stuff like Diablo, Warcraft, The 7th Guest, and 3-D Ultra Minigolf (the one with the volcano and alligator on the cover). He was also an avid Theme Hospital player but for whatever probably-crap reason, I never tried it back then. Don't make the same mistake as younger, dumber me: Theme Hospital is free to download and keep right now through Origin. Nab that while you can or continue ignoring the platform per usual. |
| Go on, check your frames per second in Steam Posted: 20 Jan 2015 09:00 AM PST While some of you might have experienced Steam's frames-per-second counter while it was in beta, the rest of us are only now taking a look at the nice little extra. To enable the feature, go to Steam > Settings > In-Game > In-Game FPS Counter. You can select which corner of your screen the counter will appear on, and if you aren't cool with the default white text, there's an eye-piercing high-contrast green option as well. Steam Broadcasting is live now, too. Head to Steam > Settings > Broadcasting to tinker with settings like video dimensions, maximum bitrate, and microphone recording or to disable it. |
| Give some robots a rhythm beatdown in Omega: the First Movement Posted: 20 Jan 2015 08:30 AM PST It has been a while since I have played a mobile game that I have really gotten into. Could Omega: the First Movement be the one to end my dry spell? Maybe! Its protagonist looks like a neon cyberpunk version of the kid from Limbo, and he uses a guitar/axe like Eddie from Brütal Legend. The gameplay looks a lot like Taiko Drum Master, and I'm pretty okay with that. Sadly, while it is available right now for iOS devices, I will have to wait until February for the Android version. Somebody in the comments with an iPhone: try it now and let me know if I should get it next month. |
| Dark Souls PC multiplayer no longer region locked Posted: 20 Jan 2015 08:15 AM PST Region-free Dark Souls multiplayer, just the way we like it. From Software has issued an update on Steam that allows players to summon and invade one another regardless of where they live. While these cross-country connections aren't always ideal because of high pings, I'd rather have someone to share in the misery than no one at all. The update also fixes a potential crash when opening the Book of the Guilty, so sinners beware. And if you missed it, DSfix 2.4 released this week. Creator Durante believes this might be the final release for the popular Dark Souls mod, writing that, ideally, "when/if the game is updated in the future, DSfix, including the FPS unlocking, will still simply work." That'd be grand if true. Region Lock DIED!...In Dark Souls Prepare To die Edition [Steam] [Image source] |
| Strafe's bleeding edge graphics and gameplay will literally blow your mind Posted: 20 Jan 2015 07:45 AM PST Well, if you're going to cut a trailer for "the goriest shooter of 1996," this is how you do it. Enjoying the ironic aggressive marketing of the campaign, complete with stylized title (STRAFE®) popping up everywhere. |
| Team Fortress 2sdays: Between 2fort, now 80% chillier Posted: 20 Jan 2015 07:30 AM PST Happy Tuesday! Welcome to Team Fortress 2sdays. It looks like your old pal Chilly (that's me) is gonna be the next victim guest on the always popular Q&A show, Between 2Fort, hosted by the one and only Shadow. Now, I don't want to steal any of Shadow's thunder, so I'll let him give all the juicy details: |
| Mega Man composer working on a point-and-click space shooter Posted: 20 Jan 2015 07:15 AM PST Starr Mazer is a mix of point-and-click adventure game and side-scrolling space shooter, "featuring dynamic story module system for massive replayability, a deep voice-acted story, and beautiful pixel art." It took a few reads to understand this is a "deep, voice-acted story" and not a story voiced by Keith David. It looks pretty sweet, though I'm more into the point-and-click half. The PC/Mac/Linux game is going up on Kickstarter in a couple of days. Ahead of that, the team has announced that Mega Man and Mighty No. 9 composer Manami Matsumae would be joining the music team, which includes a number of guest artists, including Gunpoint's Ryan Ike. |
| Nippon Ichi's Operation Abyss crawls to Vita in April Posted: 20 Jan 2015 07:00 AM PST Dungeon crawler Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy is coming to PlayStation Vita in North America on April 14 and across Europe on April 17, NIS America announced today. It will be available via both physical and digital formats. The sci-fi role-playing game was developed by Experience Inc., the studio behind Demon Gaze, and released in Japan last summer with the help of 5pb. following a delay brought on by the demise of the its original publisher, CyberFront. Operation Abyss is set in the near future, where Tokyo is under threat by "Variants," genetically engineered monsters from another dimension. You play as a group of teenage (of course!) agents on a mission to investigate the phenomena and uncover the mystery behind the "Abyss." |
| Infestation: Broforce + Alien = Aliens? Posted: 20 Jan 2015 06:45 AM PST It's the perfect fit. Broforce is cheesy, over the top 80s action films distilled into a shooter, a sort of hyperactive Contra. Meanwhile, Aliens is a cheesy 80s action film far removed from Alien's brilliance. Keep carrying water for James Cameron. Can't wait for Avatars 2 through 4. Keep up with Broforce updates and development here, where there are more alieny gifs like the one below. |
| State of Decay Xbox One remaster hits April 28, upgrade plan detailed Posted: 20 Jan 2015 06:30 AM PST Oh, right, State of Decay is coming to Xbox One. Rough as it is in spots, the third-person zombie survival game is worth experiencing (though preferably during a Steam sale). Running around town with your crew, fortifying bases, and smashing undead heads in -- these are things I enjoy. State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition will be $29.99 / ₤19.99 / €29.99 when it releases for Xbox One on April 28, 2015 in North America and May 1, 2015 everywhere else. This remastered version has the Breakdown and Lifeline DLC included, 1080p visuals, better lighting, textures, and shadows, and "completely overhauled" animations and combat mechanics. Folks who own State of Decay on Xbox 360 are eligible for two bonuses: a 33 percent discount on Year-One Survival Edition (good until June 30, 2015) and an exclusive new character named Gurubani Kaur. Just be sure to use the same Xbox Live account when purchasing Year-One. |
| Blackguards 2 is deep, unfriendly, and buggy Posted: 20 Jan 2015 06:00 AM PST Last year Patrick reviewed PC strategy role-playing game Blackguards, and he loved it. Blackguards 2 is out on Steam today. I have put about a dozen hours into the sequel, but I am not even close to the point where I can comfortably review it. That said, I have played enough to get an impression for how it plays, and I have seen enough to say that players may want to be wary about making a purchase. |
| Why does Japan get the best cat block puzzle games? Posted: 20 Jan 2015 05:45 AM PST Nyandafuru Puzzle Nekoburo, an Arc System Works published puzzler, released in Japan last Christmas Eve and I would like to play it. It's also on the Hong Kong PlayStation Store as CatsBlock Vestival. My roommate recently had to import Puyo Puyo Tetris and the wait is literally killing me. My teeth are shaking loose and my skin is falling off. Just let me play the fun puzzle games, Japan. |
| Human Element put on hold as Robert Bowling's Robotoki closes Posted: 20 Jan 2015 05:30 AM PST It was less than two months ago when Robotoki's Human Element was showcased with a premier spot during The Game Awards 2014. Today, the studio closes its doors and puts the game on indefinite hold. According to a report from Joystiq, studio founder Robert Bowling confirmed the news. Bowling said "This week we have ceased operations at Robotoki, and the development of Human Element is on hiatus. We were actively negotiating a new publishing deal for the premium version of Human Element, but unfortunately, I was unable to continue to self-fund development until a deal was finalized." Bowling, a former high-profile employee of Infinity Ward working on Call of Duty titles, opened the studio in 2012. Human Element was originally designated to be a free-to-play zombie survival game, but that design was scrapped in November 2014 in favor of the "premium version" that Bowling referenced in his statement. Robotoki closes shop, Human Element on 'hiatus' [Joystiq] |
| Children of Morta Kickstarter launches today, looks phenomenal Posted: 20 Jan 2015 05:15 AM PST Story-driven hack 'n' slash Children of Morta's Kickstarter campaign went live today and it looks absolutely stunning. I cover a lot of retro-inspired pixel-art titles in my work here at Destructoid, but what the studio has revealed today stands alongside some of the best that I have seen. Children of Morta hopes to secure $65,000 in funding during the course of the Kickstarter campaign, and according to the title's crowdfunding page, the pre-production phase is already complete. With prototyping and design validation out of the way, the team is already hard at work on the core game, focusing on "expanding [the] game's story, mechanics, systems" as well as adding new enemies and environments. As previously revealed, the heroes of Children of Morta are all members of a family of guardians, the Bergsons. For generations the family has passed down the tradition of guardianship over the mountain when one day a tragic event corrupts the Roots of Life deep within Mount Morta, causing once-peaceful creatures to transform into "furious, mindless monsters." The Bergsons are the land's only hope. It is now up them to seek out the "Seeds of Life and use them to cleanse the corruption." |
| Call of Duty DLC ups the ante with zombie puppies Posted: 20 Jan 2015 05:00 AM PST When Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's Havoc add-on releases next week, players will get waves of zombies they don't want to deal with. I'm not referencing the hordes of jetpacking undead, or even the ones that seemingly have no problem trucking right along while high voltage floods through their corpse. I'm talking about zombie puppies. What? You didn't think only humanity would be affected by this nuclear bomb gone wrong, did you? And, don't even try removing agency and placing the blame on Bill Paxton, John Malkovich, Rose McGowan, or Jon Bernthal. This puppy blood's on your hands, pal. |
| Are you ready for some X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance? Posted: 20 Jan 2015 04:30 AM PST The re-releases of X-Wing and TIE Fighter were lovely, but they were only the start of GOG.com's plans for Star Wars. Today, the DRM-free game distributor added six new titles:
Those first three are available digitally for the first time, and GOG.com is promising more digital-distribution debuts in 2015. The next batch of Star Wars games drop on Thursday. |
| Ori and the Blind Forest jumps out of the woods and onto your screen on March 11 Posted: 20 Jan 2015 04:00 AM PST At gamescom this year, I found out that Ori and the Blind Forest isn't just a drop-dead gorgeous game; it's also quite the challenging, tight-controlling platformer. In less than two months, everyone can stop taking my word for it, and form their own first-hand impressions. Moon Studios revealed this morning that Ori and the Blind Forest is set for an Xbox One and Steam release on March 11. In the U.S., both versions will run $19.99. An Xbox 360 release is supposedly still in the works, but nothing was mentioned about it. The news came accompanied by a gameplay video of a previously unshown part of the game which features Ori's gravity-warping mechanics. Better pray that there's a nice, cushy block to break your horizontal fall instead of some uninviting spikes. January 20th 2015 [Ori and the Blind Forest] |
| Vampyr: A new RPG from the Remember Me devs Posted: 20 Jan 2015 03:30 AM PST Dontnod Entertainment has yet to release its upcoming project Life is Strange, but it already has another game in the works. And, this one looks to be in a totally different vein (that pun will definitely make sense in a few seconds). At a London-based reveal event, publisher Focus Entertainment revealed Dontnod's next game, Vampyr, an action role-playing game. According to TheSixthAxis, who attended the event, Vampyr follows a doctor who, shortly after World War I, is bitten by a patient that has the Spanish Flu. That bite turns the M.D. into a supernatural blood-sucking villain. There will be a choice system in the game that juxtaposes the doctor's desire to heal and help against the vampire's tendency kill and quench his thirst for blood. Those are all the details that have trickled out thus far. Vampyr's said to be early on in development. However, that doesn't mean we won't learn more about it in the near future, which is hopefully the case. @FocusHome [Twitter, TheSixthAxis] |
| What was your favorite Club Nintendo reward? Posted: 20 Jan 2015 03:00 AM PST After six long years, the Club Nintendo program is ending. It's not all bad news though -- Nintendo is starting up a new program this year, and it has the potential to be better. Also, more rewards are being added in February so you can spend up those coins. While the program has had its ups and downs, for the most part, I really enjoyed it in its current incarnation. As a general rule it blew anything the PSN and Xbox Live had out of the water, especially when you coupled it with the Wii U Deluxe promotion. There was just no competition with those two in play. Soon, we will have neither. Before we gear up for the new hotness though, what was your favorite Club Nintendo reward? Personally, I have to go with the 2010 Elite Status reward, the Super Mario Characters Figurine. As you can see in the header above it goes great with my Mario collection, and I'll always cherish it. Runners up include the Gold Nunchuk and the 3DS XL charging cradle variants, just because of how much use I've gotten out of them. But what about you? |
| Evolve director on DLC: 'I don't like people thinking we're doing underhanded, dirty shit' Posted: 20 Jan 2015 02:00 AM PST Evolve was peddling pre-order bonuses before its publisher had even shown off what the game looked like. A year later, we have a better idea what type of experience Evolve will offer when it releases next month. However, concerns regarding its business strategy linger. Months ago, Turtle Rock Studios co-founder Chris Ashton made headlines when discussing the developer's plans for DLC. He stated the game was built "from the ground up" for add-on content, something he claimed Evolve would support "more so than any game ever before." I broached the snafu with creative director Phil Robb during a studio visit late last year, a conversation that once again seems relevant in light of recent announcements surrounding the game's mystifying DLC plan and the negative reaction it has elicited from fans. |
| Amazon debuts Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Twitter battle promo Posted: 20 Jan 2015 01:00 AM PST Square Enix has joined forces with...Amazon...for a special promotion involving Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. Basically you go online daily to this site, and "battle" enemies in a group effort type deal to earn prizes. The rewards range from physical goodies if you're lucky, to guaranteed digital drops if enough people play. All you need to do is go to the site, log into Twitter, and accept the app. To "attack," you need to post a tweet. Twitter Battle [Amazon] |
| Majora's Mask 3D and New 3DS XL playable at PAX South Posted: 20 Jan 2015 12:30 AM PST The New Nintendo 3DS XL is the current hot commodity for Nintendo fans, with special edition units selling out. For those who are not so keen on ordering one before playing, an opportunity to get some hands-on time is coming in just a few days. Nintendo will be giving the US debut for the handheld at PAX South this weekend. Accompanying the new hardware are upcoming 3DS titles The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Also, for those who are months behind the curve, it will be possible to pay money to go to an event full of unreleased titles just to play Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, which released last October. This is a thing that people will do. |
| Mutant Football League failed its Kickstarter, but it's still in development Posted: 20 Jan 2015 12:00 AM PST Mutant Football League didn't do so well with its $750,000 Kickstarter goal, only meeting $141,821 in total. But that wasn't the end for the project, as the developers noted that it will see the light of day. That was in 2013. Now, Digital Dreams says that it's on track for the end of 2015. You can get a look at the "pre-alpha" footage in the updated video above, including a killer quote from our own Jordan "Huge Sports Fan" Devore. Digital Dreams [YouTube via Sega Nerds] |
| Good lord, this $400 Borderlands edition has a Claptrap that's controlled with a mobile app Posted: 19 Jan 2015 11:01 PM PST Most high-end special editions of games come with the same sort of tchotchkes -- maybe a figurine, an art book -- that sort of stuff. 2K is raising the bar when it comes to limited editions, both in terms of content and price. Alongside the announcement of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection was the reveal of the Claptrap-in-a-Box Edition which is about as literally named as it could be. That's because the highlight of the package is an actual robotic Claptrap model. Controlled by an iOS and/or Android app named "ClaptrApp," the little robot roams around on his one wheel spouting off different catchphrases. 2K put out a video (above) of him in action at the publisher's offices. There's even a camera in his eye that streams to your mobile device so that you can control him when he's out of sight. Of course, something this nifty isn't going to come without a hefty price tag. This edition runs $399. Apart from the robot, it also comes with the game (obviously), 12 lithographs, and a steel case. Interested parties will want to act sooner rather than later, as Claptrap-in-a-Box is limited to only 5,000 copies worldwide. |
| Borderlands gets the bundled current-gen release we always knew it would Posted: 19 Jan 2015 11:00 PM PST Rumors have circulated for months that Gearbox Software's Borderlands would be the recipient of some sort of upgraded port to current consoles. In fact, speculation was so strong that it was more a matter of what titles would be bundled together, as opposed to wondering if the collection existed at all. 2K Games broke the shroud of mystery today by revealing Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. The package, which is a play on main antagonist Handsome Jack's name, bundles Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel along with all downloadable content ever released for both games. The Handsome Collection will be available on PS4 and Xbox One on March 24 in North America and March 27 in other regions, and it'll retail for $59.99. Maybe the best news to come out of this announcement is that those that have played one or both titles before don't have to worry about losing their established characters. The Handsome Collection will feature a cross-save system meaning that characters and Badass Rank can be carried over from previous-gen consoles. It's important to note that this only works within the same console family (i.e. Xbox 360 to Xbox One). This bundle will also support four-player local co-op in the event that you want to have a meeting of Vault Hunters all on one screen. It may not be the first foray onto new consoles that Borderlands fans necessarily wanted, but it's definitely the one that was expected. The Handsome Collection is yet another clear indicator of the franchise's importance to 2K. But, we'll have to wait a bit longer to hear of the next original installment on Pandora. |
| Save 10 percent on PlayStation Network purchases this weekend Posted: 19 Jan 2015 08:00 PM PST This weekend on PlayStation Network, you'll be able to save 10 percent on store content including games, DLC, pre-orders, movies, and TV shows with a one-time-use promo code. The discount can be applied to "eligible items in a total cart purchase," according to Sony, so load it up! Subscriptions for PlayStation Plus, Music Unlimited, and PlayStation Now are excluded, as are video rentals. Be on the lookout for the code on the storefront or Twitter -- it'll be active from 9:00am Pacific on Friday, January 23 until 9:00am Pacific on Monday, January 26. Maybe get Tokyo Jungle and make a troop of baby Pomeranians or dinosaurs (really!). Another good option is God Hand, if you want to please Steven. Suikoden II if you're a Kyle man. Whatever you're thinking of buying, know that you'll have to redeem your promo code at checkout and complete the transaction before 9:00am on January 26 for it to work. Choose wisely. PSN Members Get One-Time 10% PS Store Discount This Weekend [PlayStation Blog] |
| Posted: 19 Jan 2015 07:00 PM PST The Fifth Element came on TV the other day, and it really got me thinking about mise-en-scène versus characterization. It’s one of my absolute favorite movies, and is an exemplar of sci-fi in cinema without being too derivative of other works. The grittiness of futuristic New York, the contrast between earthtones and bright colors in the costume and set design, and the excellent choreography of the action scenes come together to make a great movie. What’s a movie though without characters that entertain, blossom with personality, and can be empathized with? Would The Fifth Element be as entertaining without the bluster of Bruce Willis, the innocent sexuality of Milla Jovovich, or the ridiculous Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod? Can well-crafted artwork, concept, and background come together to make a good production regardless of the characters within it? Those are the questions that Citizens of Earth brought to mind. |
| Club Nintendo is shutting down Posted: 19 Jan 2015 06:56 PM PST [Update: Nintendo has provided an FAQ on the closure. Information will not be transferred to the new program. Your new elite status gift will be available between April 1 and April 30, 2015.] After more than six years, Club Nintendo is shutting down. Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing, states, “We thank all Club Nintendo members for their dedication to Nintendo games and their ongoing love for our systems and characters, We want to make this time of transition as easy as possible for our loyal Club Nintendo members, so we are going to add dozens of new rewards and downloadable games to help members clear out their Coin balances.” Nintendo will add more physical rewards in February, and Flipnote Studio 3D will be free for all at that time until June 30. You will not be able to create a new account after March 31. At some point this year a new loyalty program will be announced. This is a huge shame. We've all complained about some of the bad rewards and availability of some items, but I've personally been a member since the start, and have earned some really cool gear over the years. I hope the new program is announced soon. |
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