New Games |
- Destructoid Discusses: Are amiibo worth it?
- Sup Holmes goes live with Souleye, the composer of VVVVVV
- Why 'make your own game' is a bad argument against criticism
- Whoa! Defect Donkey Kong amiibo looks strangely like my dog Hook
| Destructoid Discusses: Are amiibo worth it? Posted: 04 Jan 2015 08:00 AM PST According to at least one cursory analysis, Nintendo's amiibo figurines are a pretty big hit, going toe to toe with Disney and Activision's similar line of game-integrated figures. Pretty impressive, considering they barely do anything yet. The Link amiibo unlocks a new weapon in Hyrule Warriors, which undoubtedly helped it to sell well despite being relatively poorly sculpted. Some of the others unlock new outfits in Mario Kart 8, and all of the currently released amiibo can be used to help bring A.I. controlled opponents to life in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, but other than that they don't do anything. Yet, news on the latest discontinued or re-continued or re-discontinued amiibo is rarely out of reach. A lot of people reading and writing videogame blogs care about these things. Even dropping a comment that says "Ah, why are their so many posts about amiibo on Dtoid I don't caaaare!" is a way of showing you care. Amiibo have gotten under people's skin, for better or worse. We asked a few of Destructoid's staff members to talk about their amiibo experiences thus far. From diehard collectors to reluctant customers, amiibo has had a interesting effect on our staff. Poor Kyle. Out of everyone here, he sounds the most like a guy who was court ordered into rehab. |
| Sup Holmes goes live with Souleye, the composer of VVVVVV Posted: 04 Jan 2015 06:30 AM PST [Update: Show's over everybody! Thanks so much for watching, and to Magnus for hanging out with us. That new game he's planning sounds completely bonkers. If you missed the live recording, definitely watch the rerun. You wont be disappointed.] Despite being about five years old, VVVVVV still managed to snag some awards in 2014, including the "Best iPhone/IPad game of 2014" from Metacritic. Designed by Terry Cavanagh, VVVVVV is an unquestionably brilliant exploration/platformer, and has found success wherever it's landed, including PC, Mac, Ouya, 3DS and the previously mentioned smart device releases. It's hopefully still headed to the PS Vita too. Though the gameplay is genius, VVVVVV would be a lot harder to dig into for more than ten minutes at a time if it weren't for the music. Like Super Meat Boy, Mega Man and so many others games that like to kill you, the soundtrack continually inspires a feeling of curiosity and encouragement in the player, even after the 50th death in a row. We'll be talking to VVVVVV's composer, Magnus "Souleye" Pålsson about his latest soundtrack, his inspirations, advice for aspiring game composers, his amazing TTWaV theme song cover from a few years back, MMMMMM and a lot more. Join us here at 4pm EST for the live show, because why not? Even if you just tune in for two seconds, you might end up having the a great time. You really might. |
| Why 'make your own game' is a bad argument against criticism Posted: 04 Jan 2015 06:00 AM PST The year 2015 has begun. It is a time for new beginnings. New games are coming out. New experiences will be shared. And yet, the same old Internet arguments will take place. Let's put one to rest right now. There has been growing criticism in the past few years about certain aspects of the videogame industry. Maybe female characters are presented in ways that reinforce negative stereotypes. Maybe the representation of minority groups could be improved. Maybe there is room for videogames to have greater purpose than just fun. Whichever specific issue, the statement "I wish videogames were more _____" is often met with "If you want things to change, you should make your own game." On the surface, it seems like a reasonable point. "Be the change you wish to see in the world" is cute little buttoned up (mis)quote. With closer examination the argument has little value past being a clever-sounding misdirect. |
| Whoa! Defect Donkey Kong amiibo looks strangely like my dog Hook Posted: 04 Jan 2015 04:00 AM PST If there is anything odder than the amiibo scene -- constant confusion over discontinuation, rare toys disappearing off the shelves for good -- it's the underbelly defect market. $400 for a jawless Diddy Kong. $2,500 for a double arm cannon Samus. If my toy was broken my first thought would be whether or not to return it, not how many times more money folks would be down to give me for it. This latest amiibo defect (pictured above), posted to ImageShack by user CreedLover88 is a real weird one. Seem's that DK's entire face was mangled out of shape. That or an entirely different piece got smooshed between that red neck tie. Weird thing is, it looks a lot like my 11 year old German shepherd mix named Hook. I don't expect you's to be familiar, so I've attached some photos below so you can see for yourself. The likeness is uncaniney. I wish I went places that sell amiibo so I could scour the shelves and make my fortune on mistake toys like this one, but liquor stores and nail salons haven't caught up to the trend. That or Nintendo is missing a target demographic. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from destructoid To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
