New Games |
- Bloggers Wanted: Initiation Station
- IMSCARED is on Steam, and you should play it now
- Four community maps just made Dying Light a litle bigger
- Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear is releasing March 31
- Hitman GO: Definitive Edition is a killer time
- Weekend Deals: The Division, Hitman, Battlefront, and even a 3DS deal too
- Destiny's next expansion needs more memorable moments
- Firewatch beats Far Cry Primal, Street Fighter V on PSN chart
- A Versus mode is coming to Killing Floor 2 where you can play as the Zeds
- Layoffs reported at Sega's mobile division
- Check your email: Bravely Second Best Buy Gamer's Club demo codes are going out
- Obscure Video Games: Hard Head 2
- PS2 classic Rise of the Kasai coming to PS4
- Here's how amiibo work in Pokken Tournament
- Obduction, the spiritual successor to Myst, is coming this June
- Bannerman is on Greenlight, and it looks great
- Street Fighter V rage-quitters lose League Points and rank
| Bloggers Wanted: Initiation Station Posted: 05 Mar 2016 12:00 PM PST Character creation is a feature that fascinates me a great deal. It's one of those things you can put nothing or everything into, and is something everyone approaches differently. While some players might stick with the default setting and just head straight into the action, I oftentimes find myself poking through the options for hours on end. I'll spend a great deal of time getting the eyes and nose just right, trying out different hairstyles and colors, and giving my avatar slight blemishes, like a scar or tattoo. I've been fixated on this sort of customization since I encountered Phantasy Star Online and Wrestlemania 2000. The fact that the team behind Wrestlemania 2000, WCW vs. NWO, and Def Jam Vendetta now develops Style Savvy games for Nintendo 3DS is both amusing and appropriate. The same creative hooks sink into me while playing Style Savvy Trendsetters, even though the creators traded the ring for a runway. And now I want a Style Savvy vs. WWE: Runway Rumble game. Somebody make that happen! |
| IMSCARED is on Steam, and you should play it now Posted: 05 Mar 2016 11:00 AM PST It's not that I don't want to write a shit-ton of fancy words about IMSCARED, one of my favorite horror games. It's just that the experience is worlds more impactful if you go into it blind. It does some... unsettling, unconventional things best discovered on one's own. All you need to know is it's a bizarre, pixelated nightmare that's going to toy with you. Don't be put off by the graphics, even if you're not into the jaggy aesthetic! You can nab the free version (the one I've played) here, but a lengthier version is available on Steam for $3.99. I'm going to dive into it now, and I'll put up a spoilery dissection sometime in the coming weeks. Now go get scared, or at the very least, mildly uncomfortable. |
| Four community maps just made Dying Light a litle bigger Posted: 05 Mar 2016 10:00 AM PST Dying Light: The Following - Enhanced Edition was a fantastic expansion. I'm already eager to jump back in and start grinding away at my Legendary levels so I can be the best zombie-dropkicker in Harran. Four new community maps have been officially added to the game, so now I have another excuse to boot the game up. Under the City is a "choice-based horror story," and Climb Down is an "arcade-style parkour experience" that looks like a combination of Metal Gear's VR missions and Mirror's Edge's time trials. The Hunter is a "survival quest in a horde-infested forest," and TeeVee is a "visual nightmare best experienced in the dark." I quite like the idea of tonally different maps jumping from genre to genre. These are all available in the most recent update, and also come with various bug fixes, stability improvements, and balance tweaks. |
| Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear is releasing March 31 Posted: 05 Mar 2016 09:00 AM PST I forgot this was happening! Beamdog (the dudes and dudettes behind the enhanced editions of both Baldur's Gate games and Icewind Dale) is making an expansion for the original Baldur's Gate that bridges the gap between it and its sequel, titled Siege of Dragonspear. While this was originally a small project, it's now going to last about 25 hours and include a new class, the "spirit-calling shaman." The original cast returns along with some new characters, such as a Flaming Fist archer, an alcholic skald,a goblin shaman, and a Gnome Cleric (Pike, is that you?). If you so choose, you can import your character and save data across all three games. Siege of Dragonspear will be coming to Windows, Mac and Linux on March 31, with Android and iOS to follow soon after. Cross-platform cooperative play is also a Thing that is Happening, so you can get five buddies and all adventure together. The standard edition of the game will cost $19.99, though there's also a Collector's Box for $129.99. Keep in mind that you will need Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition to be able to play this expansion. |
| Hitman GO: Definitive Edition is a killer time Posted: 05 Mar 2016 08:00 AM PST Hit Mango is a delightful game on mobile devices that involves punching juicy stone fruits of the genus Mangifera. But we're here to talk about Hitman GO, one of Agent 47's brief dalliances with mobile platforms. Similar to last year's excellent Lara Croft GO, Square Enix Montréal did its damnedest to reduce the homicidal series to its finer points, polishing it down to puzzle-based perfection, all while adding a sleek board game aesthetic to the mix. On February 23, Hitman GO: Definitive Edition came to PC, PlayStation 4, and Vita, and I've been testing out the PlayStation incarnations to see how well they translate to platforms other than phones and tablets. Since I had already played the original game on my mobile and knew it worked well with a touchscreen, I invested the majority of my time into the PS4 port. And, with one notable exception, it's a perfect fit for a controller. |
| Weekend Deals: The Division, Hitman, Battlefront, and even a 3DS deal too Posted: 05 Mar 2016 07:00 AM PST This weekend is bursting with tempting deals on big games that are nearing release. Tom Clancy's The Division goes live next Tuesday, while the new Hitman arrives on Friday. Earlier this week, EA announced details on the first season pass content for Star Wars Battlefront, the "Outer Rim" DLC. With the announcement, the base game is also dropping in price on PC, from $60 to $30 at Origin, which is an all-time low. The same discount is also available on the Xbox Store for Xbox Live Gold Members. Finally, the New Nintendo 3DS XL is on sale at GameStop for only $175 this week both online or in store. For an even lower price, you can pick up refurbished 3DS XL straight from Nintendo (with a one-year warranty) for $115. |
| Destiny's next expansion needs more memorable moments Posted: 05 Mar 2016 06:00 AM PST Let's get something straight. I didn't choose to play Destiny. It just showed up at my doorstep one day. One of my fellow editors here at Destructoid, the one and only Darren Nakamura, sent it to me out of the blue. Initially, I was inclined to throw the damned thing away and be done with it. Darren probably knew it was something I wouldn't enjoy. Nothing about it seemed remarkable. In my mind, it was -- at best -- a slick hybrid of a shooter and an MMO that had any rough edges polished to the point it no longer possessed a soul. But the numpty quelled my concerns and persuaded me into giving it a go. Over the course of many moons, Darren dragged me through the main story, and I went kicking and screaming. I complained about everything. I was probably insufferable. Thankfully, Darren is a mild mannered, polo shirt-loving badass. A lesser man might have taken umbrage with some ingrate recounting a litany of beefs with his most generous gift. But not my mate Darren. As we were finishing whatever the hell the story in Destiny is about, I received a disappointing reward from a character, the aptly named Stranger, who I had just met, knew next to nothing about, and would never see again. I also received another parcel from Darren. It happened to be a copy of The Taken King. Just when I thought I was out, he pulled me back in. With something he promised to be better, I relented and gave Destiny another chance. |
| Firewatch beats Far Cry Primal, Street Fighter V on PSN chart Posted: 05 Mar 2016 05:00 AM PST Last week, Firewatch studio Campo Santo revealed its first game had outsold the team's, "wildest expectations." It turns out Firewatch also outsold a couple of last month's most high-profile games -- Far Cry Primal and Street Fighter V -- at least on the PlayStation Store. According to Sony, the story-driven adventure game was the best-selling PlayStation 4 title on the market during the month of February. The company did not provide specific sales information, only that it outsold the competition, including Ubisoft and Capcom's hot new games. One could argue Firewatch had an advantage on those titles, being a cheaper digital exclusive that launched earlier in the month than both Far Cry and Street Fighter, but to do that at all, as an independent game with a fraction of the name recognition or marketing budget, is damn impressive. PlayStation Store: February's Top Downloads [PlayStation Blog] |
| A Versus mode is coming to Killing Floor 2 where you can play as the Zeds Posted: 05 Mar 2016 04:30 AM PST During PC Gamer's Weekender event, Tripwire Interactive president John Gibson revealed some of the developer's upcoming plans for Killing Floor 2. The biggest addition is a humans versus Zeds PVP mode, where you can play as the various specimens and try to kill Horzine mercenaries. Each Zed has their own set of abilities: crawlers can leap around all willy-nilly, slashers can jump twenty feet in the air, Stalkers are invisible as long as they aren't sprinting, and Clots can rally fellow specimens to give them a temporary buff. Both Hans and the Patriarch will be playable as well. I was at Tripwire's studio a few weeks ago and had a chance to check out the mode, but can't talk about it just yet. Soon, though! Gibson also revealed the remaining Sharpshooter weapons that will arrive in the next big update. In addition to the lever action rifle and crossbow, those inclined to kill from a long range will have the M14EBR from the first game and a new Horzine Tech Railgun for their fourth tier weapon. We've still only seen the render of the lever action rifle, so I'm hoping to see what the other weapons look like in their finished state soon. Two of the winning maps from Tripwire's mapping contest (Hostile Grounds and Containment Station) will be officially added to the game soon. Hostile Grounds plays like a standard Killing Floor 2 map: players will fight waves of Zeds until the boss comes out. Containment Station is an objective map where you have to defend points and find hidden objectives. This will be the first map with objectives since the original Killing Floor, so it should shake things up nicely. There's no word on when the next update will be released. In addition to trying the Versus mode and Sharpshooter weapons while in the studio, Destructoid also captured a video interview with various members of Tripwire, so look forward to that soon. |
| Layoffs reported at Sega's mobile division Posted: 05 Mar 2016 04:00 AM PST Sega is laying off employees at its western mobile division Sega Networks and Three Rings Design, a development studio focused on developing online games. Speaking with VentureBeat, Sega asserted the "reduction in workforce" was a response to "challenging and hyper-competitive mobile market conditions." "As a result, we said goodbye to our talented friends and colleagues at Three Rings Design Inc. alongside a small number of team members on the publishing side of Sega's mobile division." Three Rings Design was founded in 2001 and is responsible for a variety of mobile and browser-based games, including Puzzle Pirates, Bang!Howdy, and Corpse Craft. The studio was acquired by Sega in 2011, when it released Spiral Knights. Its final project was a Doctor Who tie-in game. Sega reportedly will reinvest its resources into strong IP (like the Sonic franchise), localizing Japanese mobile games for western audiences, and "mass market view-per-play games" The company views those as brighter opportunities than continuing to make generic-sounding, low-budget original works in a highly-competitive mobile marketplace. No precise numbers were given regarding how many Sega employees lost their jobs. Sega confirms layoffs in Western mobile division to focus on its famous characters [VentureBeat] |
| Check your email: Bravely Second Best Buy Gamer's Club demo codes are going out Posted: 05 Mar 2016 03:30 AM PST Europe may have joined in on the Bravely Second demo fun for a while now (on top of the game itself, early!), but the US is up now. Just this morning I found a Best Buy Gamer's Club demo code in my inbox, so if you're a member, you may want to check the email associated with it. As an aside, I have not pre-ordered the game. Codes will go live on March 7, which is three days before the demo goes public. The scenario features an event that didn't take place in the game (much like the first), and you can transfer in bonuses to the final version. Bravely Second: End Layer will launch in North America on April 15, 2016. |
| Obscure Video Games: Hard Head 2 Posted: 05 Mar 2016 03:00 AM PST Hard Head 2 is janky as hell; but that's what makes it so fascinating. Released in arcades back in 1991, the game wants to be a Super Mario Bros. clone. Yet for some reason, the developers at SunA decided to throw out everything that made Mario control so well and instead amped up the weirdness. The story starts out with our protagonist dancing with his girlfriend. A giant cyclops then comes along and sucks the girl into his mouth and starts chewing on her. Your mission is track him down and get her out of there before he swallows. She might get a little mangled, but she'll be fine. Also, you're a baby. |
| PS2 classic Rise of the Kasai coming to PS4 Posted: 05 Mar 2016 02:00 AM PST Rise of the Kasai is coming to PlayStation 4 in North America next Tuesday. Originally released for PlayStation 2 in 2005, the Sony-published hack-and-slash game is the follow-up to The Mark of Kri (2002) and one of the only games from developer BottleRocket Entertainment. Following the release of a Xiaolin Showdown tie-in game in 2006, BottleRocket worked on Bandai Namco's Splatterhouse revival until it was removed from the project and went out of business. The Mark of Kri was re-released on PlayStation 4 in December 2015. PlayStation Blogcast 199: Praise the Sky [PlayStation Blog] |
| Here's how amiibo work in Pokken Tournament Posted: 05 Mar 2016 01:00 AM PST After the nebulous official description for amiibo functionality in Pokkén Tournament recently, I just had to try it out for myself having recently acquired a copy. In short, it's very similar to Hyrule Warriors, in that you can tap a figure to the GamePad base every day and get some sort of reward. If you try to re-tap a figure, you get an error message noting that you have to wait another day (see the gallery below). I went ahead and tested it with five different figures to get a feel for it (that's the max per day), and the rewards are pretty harmless. They range from gold currency to buy cosmetic items with, to said cosmetic items (including ones for your avatar/trainer), to titles to use online. You can tap the figures right at the start without even entering the initial training session, unprompted from the main menu without hassle. Of course, the Shadow Mewtwo amiibo card that's bundled in at launch will unlock that particular fighter for use in the game. The rest seems menial as you can unlock it all through normal play. Stay tuned for our full review in the coming weeks. |
| Obduction, the spiritual successor to Myst, is coming this June Posted: 05 Mar 2016 12:00 AM PST After a successful Kickstarter a few years back, Cyan is finally ready to release Obduction, a spiritual successor to the influential adventure game, Myst. In Obduction, you find yourself abducted by a strange organic object that has fallen from the sky. It whisks you away across the universe to an alien planet. Curiously, this faraway place is also home to some unexpected Earth-like structures. Where have you been taken to? Gameplay-wise, Cyan says players can “choose to have full gamer control, or simplify and explore with a simple click of the mouse.” This sounds like it will offer the option between classic Myst controls of clicking on still screens to move around, or the free-roam controls added in realMyst which allow for full movement around the island. It's been over a decade since the release of the last new game in the Myst series, and over 20 years since the original graced our computers. It was one of the most memorable games from my childhood, but it's still hard to believe it's been around for so long. It will be nice to take another step inside the wonderful worlds that Cyan creates. Obduction is set for a June 2016 release on PC and Mac. |
| Bannerman is on Greenlight, and it looks great Posted: 04 Mar 2016 07:00 PM PST I’ve never looked at a trailer that was almost entirely footage of a dude walking slowly across the screen and thought “Wow, that looks rad!” before, but hey, there’s a first time for everything. Meet Bannerman, a side-scrolling hack-and-slash by one-man developer Armitage Games. The game focuses on “brutal… skill-based melee combat” in a medieval world, which is another way of saying ‘Souls-ish’. It’s difficult to judge whether the combat will be good from a few brief scenes in a trailer, so instead, just enjoy how bloody good it all looks! The pixel art medieval landscapes are gorgeous, the rotoscoped animation reminds me of Prince of Persia and Another World, and the music brings the whole thing together perfectly. I’m a sucker for interesting animation styles, so I’m hoping Bannerman does well in its Greenlight campaign. I’m really looking forward to checking this one out! |
| Street Fighter V rage-quitters lose League Points and rank Posted: 04 Mar 2016 04:00 PM PST Capcom hasn't formalized a long term, permanent plan for dealing with Street Fighter V players who disconnect to avoid a loss in online play, but it did start dishing out interim punishments, according to an update. "Starting last week, we penalized roughly 30 players in our system by docking their League Points. Players who log into their account and see that their LP and Rank has dropped significantly can consider this a warning. We will be continuing to monitor these accounts in the coming weeks and will take further action if needed. .... [W]e will be making a sweep each week based on accounts in our system that have abnormally high disconnect rates (particularly at the end of the match) and will reset their League Points" Interestingly, under the current system, rage-quitters are defined as those with an "80-90% disconnect rate," which to me seems high as hell. I don't think anyone accidentally disconnects from 70% of their games. Capcom is being careful here, of course, to avoid, "dishing out any punishments without clear proof." The next Capcom blog update will detail Alex, bug fixes, and new modes coming in the March update. SFV Post Launch Status Update Vol. 6 [Capcom] |
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