New Games |
- Blind Mortal Kombat player demonstrates how important accessibility is
- Let's watch the 2016 IGF and GDC Awards right here, right now
- TrackMania Turbo is holding an open beta this weekend
- Here's Shigeru Miyamoto, doing Miyamoto things
- Gang Beasts on PS4 will have local and online play
- Dissidia Final Fantasy's Alexandria stage is beautiful
- Super Smash Bros. just got a new balance patch
- Platinum calls Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles leaks a pleasant surprise
- Space jam: Stellaris is out May 9
- PS VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive: A breakdown in cost, accessories, and specs
- Niero talks 10 years of Destructoid (Part 2)
- Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator is getting badass lobbies with fishing!
- We're in our pajamas talking GDC
- The Long Journey Home makes a good first impression
- Hyrule Warriors Legends is a grim warning against revised hardware
- Bloodborne as a card game, huh?
- Square Enix's 'I Am Setsuna' may come to Vita in the west if there's interest
- Dudes, I just got the weirdest damn gaming book of all time
- P.A.M.E.L.A. is another open-world survival game with zombies, only in the future
- Amazon's Japanese shipping initiative is pretty unreal
- Of course Battleborn has tons of Season Pass content
- Review: Shadow Complex Remastered
- Zerg terror Dehaka confirmed for Heroes of the Storm
- Hellblade now officially has a subtitle
- Here are all the games launching with the Oculus Rift this month
- Rock Band in VR is the best way to play alone
- PS VR is going to make a profit at launch for Sony
- Sony says it is open to 'any publishers or developers who are interested in cross platform play'
- Destructoid started on this day, 10 years ago
| Blind Mortal Kombat player demonstrates how important accessibility is Posted: 16 Mar 2016 02:15 PM PDT Ross Minor is blind, but that doesn't stop him from kicking ass in Mortal Kombat X as demonstrated. In the video above, Minor walks us through his thought process and how he manages to play without sight by utilizing sound effects. Impressive! He certainly can combo better than I can. Gaming accessibility is something most of us never have to think about, but developers are starting to take notice. Many games now launch with colorblind modes, subtitles, and font sizing options standard, but there is always room for improvement. Luckily there are also charities such as The AbleGamers that help spread awareness about making gaming more accessible while also working with players to get them custom controllers if needed. |
| Let's watch the 2016 IGF and GDC Awards right here, right now Posted: 16 Mar 2016 01:15 PM PDT The video game industry isn't done handing out awards for last year's titles. There are a pair of ceremonies happening tonight in San Francisco, one right after the other. First up, it's the Independent Games Festival Awards, hosted by Capybara's Nathan Vella and starting at 6:30pm Pacific, and then we'll roll right into the Game Developers Choice Awards with Funomena's Robin Hunicke. Those two links point to the nominee lists, but you can also find nice video summaries of the IGF and GDC Awards finalists here and here, respectively. It's nice to put faces to these titles. You can watch the festivities here. Let's get wild in the comments, 2015 Game Awards style. I had to go onto Twitch to pull this embed code, and the people in the chat room, pre-stream, were having some real strange conversations. Lots of hot takes on Undertale. |
| TrackMania Turbo is holding an open beta this weekend Posted: 16 Mar 2016 12:30 PM PDT Thinking of spending the weekend at Bernie's? Postpone those plans! There's some free TrackMania Turbo to be played. Nadeo is holding a last-minute open beta on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from Friday, March 18 at 6:00am Pacific until that same time on Monday, March 21. You won't have to do anything fancy to get in, either. Just hop on PlayStation Network or Xbox Live and download away. Considering the game is releasing next week on consoles and PC (March 22 in North America; March 24 in the UK), you can practically think of the beta as a demo. It's a stress test. And if you're new to TrackMania's crazy brand of racing, this one looks like a good in. I'll be cracking into the full version tonight and should have my review up on Monday. |
| Here's Shigeru Miyamoto, doing Miyamoto things Posted: 16 Mar 2016 12:00 PM PDT While we may not always enjoy Shigeru Miyamoto's design philosophies for every single game he produces, I think we can all agree that he's a fun loving, positive influence on the industry. Here, the master is recreating a mystery amiibo pose with a video that's up there with all of those "Who's that Pokemon!?" clips. It's literally just a 10 second video of Miyamoto doing a funny pose, and it's an official video on Nintendo's YouTube page. I love it. Nice Star Fox Zero shirt! |
| Gang Beasts on PS4 will have local and online play Posted: 16 Mar 2016 11:30 AM PDT Gang Beasts is a dang good time with friends, enemies, and families. It even made Nic's list of games that are perfect for holiday get-togethers. But I only have two controllers for my PlayStation 4 (we're not so different, Steven), and I'm unlikely to buy extras, not even for this physical comedy fighting game. No sweat. The upcoming console port of Gang Beasts will support local and online play, Boneloaf's James Brown confirmed today. Virtual reality too, which, sure, I'll try that probably. "We are also working on finishing the single and cooperative multiplayer game modes, the character customization system, and new content for the full game launch later this year -- with PlayStation VR support and story mode content coming as free updates after the initial release," he said. It's already on Steam Early Access, and has been for some time, but I'm right there with you if you'd prefer to hold off until it's finalized. That's a smart policy in general. The jelly people can wait. |
| Dissidia Final Fantasy's Alexandria stage is beautiful Posted: 16 Mar 2016 11:00 AM PDT Dissidia Final Fantasy arcade has all of its core characters revealed at this point (well, for now, as Square Enix is working on more eventually), but it's also going to pepper in more content over time. That includes the new Alexandria level from Final Fantasy IX, which is being added this month in Japan. It also looks like Alexander pops up every so often, transforming the level into a twilight battle. I hope we see a PS4 announcement at E3! |
| Super Smash Bros. just got a new balance patch Posted: 16 Mar 2016 10:30 AM PDT Super Smash Bros. may be done in terms of content, but it looks like the team is still going to push balance patches, at least in the near future. As of this week a new update has landed (1.1.5), which brings a few changes, mostly to newer characters. Bayonetta has only been slightly nerfed with increased endlag on two of her moves, but Cloud and Corrin have gotten some nerfs across the board. A few characters benefited from this patch (mostly Kirby, with all-around damage increases) too. You can view the full changelog here, compiled tirelessly by the community over at Smash Boards. 1.1.5 Patch Notes [Smash Boards] |
| Platinum calls Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles leaks a pleasant surprise Posted: 16 Mar 2016 10:00 AM PDT "It basically sucked," Activision producer Robert Conkey told me. "We don't know what happened." I had just finished playing a demo of Platinum's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan with Conkey and game designer Eiro Shirahama, and I couldn't help but ask how the game became the industry's worst-kept secret. It wasn't long before they relented, though. "The community reaction made it a lot easier to deal with," Conkey continued. He insinuated that seeing so many people get so excited at the idea of Platinum handling the TMNT license, well, it's pretty cool. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise. After spending 20 minutes with the game, I'd say there's justification in that excitement. The demo was something of a whirlwind, because Mutants in Manhattan kind of is a whirlwind. The combat (of which there is a lot) is a constant flurry of attacks, all of them leaving momentary streaks of color in the air. It's part melee fray and part fireworks. All four turtles packed into a small area is when the game is at its most hectic and gorgeous. Beautiful, sure -- but combat also has an appropriately punchy feel to it. The two-button system works great for executing light and heavy offense. It's standard stuff, but it's done well. However, where this game excels is in its special attacks. Each turtle has a wheel of unique skills, and they sometimes benefit the team as a whole. For instance, Leonardo can slow down the flow of combat. Or, Michelangelo will bust out some pom-poms to cheer on his squad, replenishing their special abilities. Maybe most impressive is that Mutants in Manhattan is very adept at making you feel good at the game -- even if you probably aren't. Still, each battle sequence comes with a grade at the end, lest you get think too highly of yourself. My S-ranks likely had less to do with my contribution, and more due to the fact that Shirahama was playing alongside me. When not fighting, the turtles are exploring. It seems as if each area or level will have an open-world feel to it, which allows the team to search for currency and side events. In our demo, we saw Manhattan proper as we scaled buildings and jumped between them. Rogue foot soldiers were an invitation to attack from above and quickly dispose of them, if for no other reason than simply because we could. The exploration phases seem like they serve as a spacer of sorts. Splinter will shout the next objective after enough time passes, but not before you get a quick breather. It's an opportune time to find a sewer (these act as shops) and buy a few upgrades. Pizza seemed like a good choice because pizza is always a good choice. Before long, the sensei rat told us that Bebop was robbing a bank. Bebop, who was equipped with a giant chainsaw, proved to be a significant challenge. We each failed several times while whittling down the pig's seven health bars. Failure isn't necessarily bad, though; it drops the turtle into a sewer in front of a pile of pizza. You try to revive yourself by eating enough pizza very quickly. But, not too quickly! That will burn the roof of your mouth, causing a slight delay. If all four turtles are in the pizza room at the same time, the run is wiped, necessitating a do-over. Eventually, we bested Bebop (again, all credit goes to Shirahama, probably), even getting through his aggressive state when he was near death. Presumably, we would've then been off to another location -- maybe the sewers or another part of the city or Dimension X. Instead, our appointment ended. Unfortunate really, because I would've gladly played that game much longer, and I don't leave a whole lot of demos with that feeling. It's worth noting one possible source of frustration: Mutants in Manhattan won't have any options for local cooperative play. Online is the sole direction that Platinum is going with multiplayer. Conkey emphasized that the studio didn't want to compromise a constant 60 frames per second. Rendering that up to four times on the same screen won't allow the developers to hit that target. That aside, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan made a fantastic first impression. It has that trademark Platinum feel about it, all while smartly handling a beloved franchise. Turtle power, indeed. |
| Space jam: Stellaris is out May 9 Posted: 16 Mar 2016 09:30 AM PDT Paradox's space-is-the-place grand strategy game Stellaris has a firm release date, announced last night during the company's live-streamed event. It's beating Hearts of Iron IV out the gate by about a month, which apparently is not as big of a cannibalization risk as I, a not-businessman (I'm a business, man), would imagine. Though a lot of Paradox fans dig all the titles, I get going wider, World War II and space exploration have distinct enough appeal. To reiterate, Stellaris is out May 9 and looks like it could be a good intro-to-"map-games" with its less historical bent and focus on accessibility. Maybe it will "Make space great again" as the Trump-inspired red caps the company gave out last night profess. |
| PS VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive: A breakdown in cost, accessories, and specs Posted: 16 Mar 2016 09:00 AM PDT With the announcement of the price and release date of Sony's PlayStation VR headset yesterday, I noticed many people don't really understand the difference between it and other upcoming VR devices like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. So your old pal Dr. Dinosexual is here to clue you in on the differences of each device, along with included accessories, games, and overall cost. |
| Niero talks 10 years of Destructoid (Part 2) Posted: 16 Mar 2016 08:30 AM PDT Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with Yanier "Niero" Gonzalez as we look back at 10 years of Destructoid. In Part 1, Niero and I discussed the early years of the website, its struggles, and its successes. For Part 2, I asked Niero about the future of this website, games journalism as it stands today, and the best game he's played since starting all of this. |
| Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator is getting badass lobbies with fishing! Posted: 16 Mar 2016 08:00 AM PDT More info is coming out for the console edition of Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator, and I love it. Naturally, since it's not in arcades it'll have lobbies, and said lobbies are going to be glorious. Famitsu is reporting that lobbies are now fully realized in 3D, where players can move around, talk to others, gawk at the (non-playable, it seems, as they're for "training" purposes) arcade cabinets, and...fish! Yep, there's a fishing minigame you can play, where you can obtain avatar parts, emotions, and character colors. I wish more games were this wacky. Guilty Gear Xrd [Famitsu via Gematsu] |
| We're in our pajamas talking GDC Posted: 16 Mar 2016 07:45 AM PDT If you're reading this in a timely manner it is Wednesday now. This video is from Monday night (or, technically, 2AM Tuesday morning). It's about our (me, Brett, Zack) first day at GDC. We were so, so tired. We still are. I am, right now. This tiredness, this incredible busyness is why you're reading a post for our video that went up Monday night on Wednesday afternoon. And I'm not here to woe is me covering the Game Developers Conference and seeing pals even though it is tough. I drank my bottle of Pedialyte like a shitting infant this morning and I feel nearly alive after our 10 year anniversary party last night (it was packed!) |
| The Long Journey Home makes a good first impression Posted: 16 Mar 2016 07:30 AM PDT Now this is intriguing. Daedalic Entertainment West is trying its hand at space adventuring with The Long Journey Home, an upcoming game inspired by Starflight and Star Control II that has players fighting the odds to get back to Earth after a botched jump sends them deep into space. This trailer centers on the action side -- gravitational slingshotting, hovering on planets in search of resources and artifacts, fleeing from a foreign ship -- but there's also a conversational element as well. You'll lead a crew and can work with or against different alien races, depending on how diplomatic you're feeling. The galaxy is procedurally generated, though to what extent, I'm not sure. My hope is that the designers don't lean too hard into the roguelike aspects, but otherwise, this sounds promising. The Long Journey Home is coming to Windows, Mac, Linux, and "consoles" this fall. |
| Hyrule Warriors Legends is a grim warning against revised hardware Posted: 16 Mar 2016 07:00 AM PDT When Microsoft first announced that it was considering modular revisions for Xbox One hardware, I was actually somewhat on board with the idea. If done right, games would all run acceptably on the base hardware, with improvements on revised hardware and a second-hand market influx making entry level hardware affordable to a larger audience. It could completely shake up the way we look at console life cycles. Then, Hyrule Warriors Legends on the 3DS had to come along and remind me that, in practice, hardware revisions are likely to end up screwing over consumers. |
| Bloodborne as a card game, huh? Posted: 16 Mar 2016 06:30 AM PDT My first reaction to hearing that a popular video game is being adapted into a board game is usually skepticism, but in this case, I'm more curious than anything else. Designer Eric Lang (Blood Rage) took to Twitter this week to announce his next project: Bloodborne as a licensed card game. He describes it as "risk management with a bit of groupthink, inventory management/upgrades, and tactical play in an intense 30-minute card game." It's specifically based on the Chalice Dungeon aspect of Bloodborne, "where players compete to kill monsters and take their blood." But, Lang adds, "don't die!" This is a much better extension of From Software's properties than a mobile spin-off. [Thanks, Extatix] |
| Square Enix's 'I Am Setsuna' may come to Vita in the west if there's interest Posted: 16 Mar 2016 06:00 AM PDT Yesterday, Square Enix revealed that I am Setsuna (previously known as Ikenie to Yuki no Setsuna) was coming west, on PC and PS4 -- but not on Vita, like Japan. USGamer caught up with the project's director Atsushi Hashimoto at GDC, and asked if we'd possibly see a Vita version of the game. Basically, the answer was "if there's demand." I know the director was kind of (rightfully) put on the spot here, but I wish more developers were just honest about it. You don't need to throw the Vita under the bus and say Sony ruined everything with its poor marketing strategy, greed, and proprietary memory cards -- just say the install base for the Vita in the west is low, and we likely wouldn't recoup our costs, so we're going for PC instead. Wishful thinking? I Am Setsuna Director: "We'd Consider the Vita Version for the U.S." [US Gamer] |
| Dudes, I just got the weirdest damn gaming book of all time Posted: 16 Mar 2016 05:30 AM PDT Yesterday I opened a package and found a book staring back at me called "The Unofficial Holy Bible For Minecrafters: New Testament." Naturally, my first reaction was "oh it's a tome of sorts for tips in the game, makes sense." But I was dead wrong. Having just sipped my morning iced tea (unsweetened, I'm not an animal), I came across the actual subject matter -- it's literally a holy bible. I don't know how I got it, and I think I'm going to keep it that way. I'm not making this shit up, check the gallery below to see what I mean. The book, which I have dubbed "Life of MineJesus" literally tells the tale of the New Testament in the form of a machinima-like way, complete with dialogue and captions. There's also one on the Old Testament if you want to be extra holy. This thing is 300 pages. Someone made this. It's two finger points away from Buddy Christ. |
| P.A.M.E.L.A. is another open-world survival game with zombies, only in the future Posted: 16 Mar 2016 05:00 AM PDT I first wrote about P.A.M.E.L.A. when it was a Steam Greenlight hopeful and was pretty bummed to find out it was going to have survival elements. At the time, it was not clear just how deep those survival elements would run, but this new trailer and its description illuminate some things. |
| Amazon's Japanese shipping initiative is pretty unreal Posted: 16 Mar 2016 04:30 AM PDT So uh, Amazon just opened the floodgates for shipping Japanese items (read: games and consoles) internationally, and it's had a pretty significant impact on me already. While I've always dabbled in importing the niche game here and there, I usually only relegate the practice to a few times per year, as things start to add up. But the ease of use with this new system is pretty dangerous! Take my first order, for example. Since it likely will never come out in the west, I went ahead and imported the 3DS edition of Theatrhythm Dragon Quest (note that the 3DS is region locked, so you'll need a Japanese system too). I placed my order on March 13, and got it yesterday by way of DHL. I paid 976 yen (roughly $8.50), with a $7 shipping cost, which ended up being two day shipping. Most of the people I've interviewed throughout the week have had the exact same experience. |
| Of course Battleborn has tons of Season Pass content Posted: 16 Mar 2016 04:15 AM PDT If you put money on it, you probably didn't make much as the odds were in your favor. 2K Games has announced a Season Pass for Battleborn, because of course it has. Thankfully it's $19.99 (and not $50, like WB and a few others are charging these days), and comes with what seems to be throwaway content. Delivered by way of five packs ($4.99 piecemeal), they'll come with one new story operation each, as well as new skins and taunts. Gearbox touts that said operations can be played "solo or by way of co-op." You can also pick up the deluxe edition with the pass for $74.99. Beyond that, five heroes will be added to the game for free. It's not the greediest Season Pass in the world, but as always, you'll probably want to wait and see what each pack actually entails before you buy it. The Vision for Battleborn Post-Launch Content [Battleborn] |
| Review: Shadow Complex Remastered Posted: 16 Mar 2016 04:00 AM PDT Fans of Shadow Complex have desperately wanted a follow-up for years. I know, because I was (and still am!) among them. The 2009 side-scrolling adventure was a genuine hit on Xbox 360, deservedly so, and ended up becoming one of the defining digital-only games of the last console generation. Xbox Live Arcade seems like a distant memory, but I adored the stuff that came out of that scene at the time. Instead of continuing down the metroidvania path with a sequel, Chair Entertainment went in a different direction: mobile gaming. The studio found such great success on iOS with Infinity Blade that it kept making more of them. And now it's off building an espionage game with J.J. Abrams. It's fitting that Shadow Complex should return not with a fresh installment, but with a remaster for modern platforms. A sign of the times. Chair's touched-up port first came to PC late last year directly through Epic Games, and it's coming soon to PlayStation 4, Steam, and Xbox One. While this version doesn't add much aside from light graphical enhancements, that's mostly fine. |
| Zerg terror Dehaka confirmed for Heroes of the Storm Posted: 16 Mar 2016 03:45 AM PDT Blizzard spilled the beans today -- Dehaka is coming to Heroes of the Storm as a Warrior that cannot mount, but can burrow into any bush or vent on the map with a 40 second cooldown. Whoa! He'll be the game's 50th character, and new screenshots and talent pictures are out in all their glory below (as well as his full moveset) so you can speculate away. No date was given, but sometime in the next few weeks is typically the plan. |
| Hellblade now officially has a subtitle Posted: 16 Mar 2016 03:30 AM PDT Hellblade is still coming along for a planned 2016 release on PC and PS4, and Ninja Theory has reached a new milestone -- a subtitle! The game is now called Hellblade: Sensua's Sacrifice, because as we all know, adding more words to a title makes it better. I'm still intrigued with the psychological aspect of the game, but I don't have a lot of faith in terms of Ninja Theory's ability to make an above-average action title. We'll see what it has planned, as it hasn't had a major release since DmC in 2013. Hellblade [Hellblade] |
| Here are all the games launching with the Oculus Rift this month Posted: 16 Mar 2016 03:00 AM PDT Later this month on March 28 the Oculus Rift will launch, and consumer VR fever will officially begin -- no more press hype or nebulous "development kit" impressions. It would probably be a safe bet to just wait (it is early hardware after all), but a lot of you are going in, or are on the fence, so we'll have hands-on impressions with the Rift and the games around launch. For now, you can take a look at this launch reel to see what's coming to the Rift platform in the near future. It's a hefty amount of games, and certainly bigger than most console launches to date, so that's reassuring! |
| Rock Band in VR is the best way to play alone Posted: 16 Mar 2016 02:00 AM PDT Faux-rocking in the living room has been a wildly popular pastime over the years, as Harmonix married the rhythm and party genres with Rock Band. So many people have fond memories of the franchise partly because they enjoy playing musician, but also partly because they enjoy the company they're in. We're social creatures, that's to be expected. So, it's no surprise that Rock Band as a solo venture is an entirely different experience. It's either for the highly competitive who are chasing gold stars and full combos, or for those who are strongly enticed by connecting with the music. The social component is obviously gone, and that's a deal-breaker for some. However, Rock Band VR might help mitigate that. After playing it at a GDC Oculus event, I think it might be the best way to play Rock Band alone. Or, it's at least the most innovative. |
| PS VR is going to make a profit at launch for Sony Posted: 16 Mar 2016 01:30 AM PDT Back in November, Sony Worldwide President Shujei Yoshida told the world he was "not looking to make a profit" on PlayStation VR units sold at launch. Many took this to mean the hardware would sell at a loss, in order to recoup costs in software sales. According to Sony Developer Relations Executive Adam Boyes at last night's PS VR price reveal event, when PS VR launches in October 2016 it will in fact sell for a profit. |
| Sony says it is open to 'any publishers or developers who are interested in cross platform play' Posted: 16 Mar 2016 01:00 AM PDT This week, Microsoft dropped the bomb that they would be open to cross-platform play with "other consoles" in addition to the PC platform beyond Windows 10. It was a breakthrough for the publisher, who had previously been stubborn in the past about expanding beyond the Xbox and PC limitations. Naturally, the ball is now in their competitor's court to accept this proposal, and move towards a possible future where PlayStation and Xbox fans can play on the same servers. Can you imagine, say, a Destiny, with millions of users on the same platform? It would give console games the same long legs as many PC titles, which are still being played over a decade later. Speaking to GameSpot, Sony noted, "PlayStation has been supporting cross-platform play between PC on several software titles starting with Final Fantasy 11 on PS2 and PC back in 2002. We would be happy to have the conversation with any publishers or developers who are interested in cross platform play." So...Microsoft? Because it does sound like they're still going to just continue on with "several titles" on PC, like they always have. If there's enough pressure put on them though I'm sure they'll specifically talk about the possibility of working with Microsoft. We'll see though, as they haven't made much headway this generation in terms of policies (no backward compatibility, and so on) after they were successful out of the gate. Sony Responds to Microsoft’s Invite to Connect Xbox One and PS4 Networks [GameSpot] |
| Destructoid started on this day, 10 years ago Posted: 16 Mar 2016 12:30 AM PDT On March 16, 2006, Destructoid was born. Our founder and overlord Niero has been running it ever since, and the rest is history. We'll be taking a closer look at Destructoid's legacy this week (including this multi-part interview with Niero), but for now, let's reflect on how badass of a month March 2006 was. |
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