New Games |
- Thief, Middle-earth, Dumbledore in TES Online & Jazzpunk
- Yep, that's HD: Resident Evil 4 PC comparison shots
- A few Mighty No. 9 alpha screenshots to pick apart
- Milkbag and NimbleBit team up for Disco Zoo
- Going through World War II with Hearts of Iron IV
- Namco Bandai is changing its name to Bandai Namco
- Casting magic spells in Magicka: Wizard War's new mode
- Hardline 007: The case of the missing Game Boy Micro
- Live show: Epigenesis with Dead Shark Triplepunch
- Rock n' roll horror fighter Chainsaw Incident announced
- Podtoid 280 records today, ask us questions!
- Thunder is the next free Killer Instinct character
- Review: Dead Rising 3: Operation Broken Eagle
- Friday Night Fights: Sick of being sick
- The Floor is Jelly looks like an utter delight
- This Yoshi's New Island trailer just makes me sad
- Sony hints at slim announcement for next week
- Chill paper-folding puzzle title KAMI is now on Steam
- Don't look up: New screenshots of The Forest
- Indie developer claims King cloned its game
- Review: Broken Age: Act 1
- Vita RPG Demon Gaze stares down an April 22 launch date
- Europe's court: Nintendo's anti-piracy tech is lawful
- D.I.C.E. Summit and awards to be streamed live on Twitch
- Preview: The first four hours of Thief
- Meet the cast of Bravely Default in new story trailer
- MAQL Europe reveals pre-order bonus for Senran Kagura
| Thief, Middle-earth, Dumbledore in TES Online & Jazzpunk Posted: 24 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST Here's Max to cap off the week of videogame news. He claims his laptop battery is almost out of juice but I think he just wanted to get the weekend started early. I'd have done the same thing. The new Thief and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, two games that have experienced their fair share of criticism from fans of those properties, got the preview treatment. We also saw trailers for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Elder Scrolls Online's packed voice cast, and Jazzpunk. That last one will rank among the year's best game trailers, mark my words. Whoa. More than anything, I'm pleased to hear that Max agrees with me about the stupidity of the name "The Golf Club." Take that, Steven! And bring your puns with you. |
| Yep, that's HD: Resident Evil 4 PC comparison shots Posted: 24 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST Despite loving the hell out of Resident Evil 4, I never did pick up Capcom's first attempt at a PC port of the 2005 game. By all accounts it was a mess, one that modders were able to salvage to some extent. The new PC version for Steam has high-definition textures and runs at 60 frames per second -- reason enough for me to pay the $19.99 asking price, I think. Capcom has put out a handful of screenshots intended for side-by-side comparisons of the standard- and high-definition textures, viewable below. It's about what you'd expect, really. Are you considering buying this port or do you own too many already to justify it? RE4 PC comparison screens, plus links to 60fps trailer [Capcom-Unity] |
| A few Mighty No. 9 alpha screenshots to pick apart Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST Comcept has shared a few alpha screenshots of Mighty No. 9 with backers and while I was initially hesitant to cover them given the obvious work-in-progress visuals (the one above is the most realized of the group), I'll take what I can get. It'll be interesting to look back on these as the game gets further along -- that's open development for you. As a reminder, Mighty No. 9 isn't releasing until next spring. Plenty of time to revisit that heads-up display, which looks like a placeholder taken straight out of the concept art. [Via NeoGAF] |
| Milkbag and NimbleBit team up for Disco Zoo Posted: 24 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST This is the first trailer for a new game from Milkbag Games, published by NimbleBit, Disco Zoo. TouchArcade reports that players will rescue animals, earn coins by putting them on exhibit and, "keep the party going for both visitors and animals with disco dancing," through some form of casual puzzle gameplay. Milkbag's other project, Snow Siege, has been put on hold while the team develops Disco Zoo, with designer Matt Rix noting on Twitter that they wanted to take a break and put out a smaller game because it was taking too long. It has my attention, and it's cool to see NimbleBit break into publishing after the success they've had with Tiny Tower and Pocket Planes. I'm also a sucker for simple animal sprites and, judging from the Vines Owen Goss has been teasing over the last few months, there will be plenty of those available. |
| Going through World War II with Hearts of Iron IV Posted: 24 Jan 2014 11:30 AM PST Following up on the continuing recent success of Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV, Paradox is revisiting another beloved grand strategy series, Hearts of Iron, with the recently announced Hearts of Iron IV. The Hearts of Iron series focuses on the World War II period of world history and has a much more concentrated focus on combat than other Paradox strategy games. If you were interested in Crusader Kings II or Europa, but felt overwhelmed or bored by some of the headier mechanics, this may be the grand strategy game for you. |
| Namco Bandai is changing its name to Bandai Namco Posted: 24 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST In Japan, Namco Bandai is referred to as Bandai Namco. I've long wondered if and when the company would decide to go for unified branding worldwide and it's finally happening this year. Announced at a board meeting yesterday, the name change will take place on April 1, 2014. 31 subsidiaries will swap those two words around so instead of "Namco Bandai Games America Inc.," for instance, get used to seeing "Bandai Namco Games America Inc." Much like the switch to a new year, I have a feeling I'm going to struggle with this for a while. Namco Bandai changing name to Bandai Namco [Gematsu] |
| Casting magic spells in Magicka: Wizard War's new mode Posted: 24 Jan 2014 10:30 AM PST Magicka: Wizard Wars has been available through Steam's Early Access program since October and it's been seeing updates at least once a week. Updates ranging from small bug fixes, to big new additions. A lot of these updates are thanks to the fan interaction, as Paradox works closely with their community to shape their game. With Wizard Wars in particular, the developers have received 20,000 messages so far with recommendations and suggestions. Granted, only about 40% of those messages were actually useful feedback, but it's not a bad percentage given the way Internet anonymity can be sometimes. Duel Mode, created to fill the need of a training mode, is one of the big additions coming to Wizard Wars. It serves as a way for players to go head-to-head with other players with nothing else to get in the way. |
| Hardline 007: The case of the missing Game Boy Micro Posted: 24 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST Max Scoville and Conrad Zimmerman appeared on this week's Hardline to share their thoughts about the controversy surrounding Microsoft's media buy in which Machinima partners were paid to make videos promoting the Xbox One without disclosing the partnership, and the trademarking of the word "Candy" by Candy Crush Saga maker King. Then there was the whole "Nintendo has to rethink its business structure" thing after the company substantially lowered its sales forecast for the Wii U this year. Not a very uplifting week in game news, all things considered. On a brighter note, there was a fair amount of chatter about Max hiding a Game Boy Micro in his body (use your imagination) and we came up with a borderline believable scenario explaining why he'd need to do that. For the audio-only episode, you can subscribe on iTunes and RSS, or download directly. (Also, episode 006 is now up on iTunes. Sorry for the lateness!) |
| Live show: Epigenesis with Dead Shark Triplepunch Posted: 24 Jan 2014 09:30 AM PST [Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday at 4p.m. Pacific on Dtoid.TV. Watch Rick 'King Foom' Olson 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.] The weekend is almost upon us, so you know what that means. Yup, that's right, it's time to get together with the Destructoid community once again, for another round of multiplayer madness that we like to call, Friday Night Fights. We have a bit of a special treat in store for you tonight on Mash Tactics, as we get together with the team behind the futuristic sports title, Epigenesis. What is that you ask? Well, the only way I can try to explain it is to say that the game is like a mix of Quake, and basketball, sort of. What I can tell you though is that the game is insanely fun with some good teammates. If you happen to like what you see during the broadcast, and want to join in on a couple games, we have you covered as we'll be handing out codes for the game as the night goes on. So stop on by, check out some matches, and kill off your week at Dtoid.TV! QotD: What games would you like to see played for Friday Night Fights? |
| Rock n' roll horror fighter Chainsaw Incident announced Posted: 24 Jan 2014 09:00 AM PST I don't know about you, but when I think of a chainsaw incident, I think of Christian Bale dropping one down several flights and killing a woman in American Psycho. Or maybe that scene in Scarface. Chainsaws are pretty horrible, really. Which is why they're a great figurehead for a brand new, hand drawn, horror-themed 2D fighter. The Chainsaw Incident comes from Or1go and Crazy Piranha. Not much else to go on outside of this teaser trailer and mention of an impending Kickstarter campaign, but I love me some 2D animation, even if I am terrible at fighting games. 2D Horror Fighter 'The Chainsaw Incident' Announced [GameTrailers] |
| Podtoid 280 records today, ask us questions! Posted: 24 Jan 2014 08:45 AM PST Barring technical difficulties, your regular gang of manly misfits will be recording Podtoid in just mere minutes. Got any questions for Max, Conrad, Jonathan, or yours truly? ASK AWAY! |
| Thunder is the next free Killer Instinct character Posted: 24 Jan 2014 08:30 AM PST Thunder may have been stripped of his chiefdom in the new Killer Instinct, but he's the next free-to-play character in the Xbox One fighter. He replaces Sabrewulf, who replaced Jago earlier this month. Killer Instinct can be purchased outright (with different payment tiers ensuring future character additions), but you can also play it freely. Every once in a while, the free-to-play character is swapped out with another. It's an interesting set up. I wonder how many people have just been playing the free characters. Any of you, perhaps? Thunder is Now The Rotating Character in Killer Instinct! [Play XBLA] |
| Review: Dead Rising 3: Operation Broken Eagle Posted: 24 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST Dead Rising 3 was a very welcome surprise. It was not only my favorite launch game between the Xbox One and PS4, but it was a killer co-op experience, and had a lot more personality than I thought it would based on early trailers. Leave it to DLC to not only take out multiplayer, but jettison some of that personality as well. |
| Friday Night Fights: Sick of being sick Posted: 24 Jan 2014 07:30 AM PST Let me just apologize in advance for the short post today. I've been fighting a sever case of the flu this week and haven't had the opportunity to take any time off from work. Basically, my body is rejecting pretty much everything at this point because It's pissed that I haven't given it any time to rest. Some great games being played this week, go be sociable and stuff and have fun. Me? I'll be working until midnight, then after that I'm passing out and not waking up until Monday.
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| The Floor is Jelly looks like an utter delight Posted: 24 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST "What if everything you touched was made of jelly?" Ordinarily, I'd say much like a pool full of jello, that's an idea which sounds fun on paper but would in all likelihood be a nightmare to clean up. Practicality is such a buzzkill. But when that concept is the premise of a game, in this case The Floor is Jelly, I'm all for it. The moment when the house started wobbling every which way was the exact moment I became sold on designer Ian Snyder's world of jelly. Then he went and got Disasterpeace. The Floor is Jelly was a Student Showcase finalist at the Independent Games Festival back in 2012 but it's only now nearing release. It'll be out on Thursday, January 30 for PC and Mac via the Humble Store and the game's official site. |
| This Yoshi's New Island trailer just makes me sad Posted: 24 Jan 2014 06:30 AM PST
I had thought that, with time, I'd come to accept -- or at least not outright despise -- the art direction of Yoshi's New Island. That's looking like a lost cause. Granted, the game doesn't hit 3DS until March 14, and supposedly "different worlds feature a variety of art styles, including oil, watercolor and crayon." Regardless, it's not merely the art that's off here. The music in this trailer isn't doing much for me either and Yoshi's vehicular transformations look to be the opposite of fun. I'm hoping the gyro controls are optional but that functionality is touted as a feature on the game's website, so who knows. While it's my intention to avoid judging too harshly without hands-on time, that's proven impossible for me -- I adore Yoshi's Island too much. At least there's still Yoshi's Epic Yarn. |
| Sony hints at slim announcement for next week Posted: 24 Jan 2014 06:00 AM PST The thinner, lighter PlayStation Vita Slim may finally leave Japan if an invitation for a briefing happening Thursday morning is any indication. "Following the biggest launch in PlayStation history, join us for an introduction to the slimmest," reads an invite sent to IGN. Alternatively, this could be a tease for the coveted PS Vita TV, another product that hasn't yet arrived in North America or Europe. That thing is ridiculously compact. I'm mostly curious about the price point, if this is the Slim. The move away from the standard PS Vita's OLED screen has all but guaranteed I won't ever pick one of these models up. PS Vita Slim Set For Release in Europe and North America? [IGN] |
| Chill paper-folding puzzle title KAMI is now on Steam Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:30 AM PST Despite initial impressions, State of Play's recent iOS puzzle game KAMI is not about folding colorful pieces of paper into three-dimensional figures that resemble animals. Aesthetically, it does involve origami paper being folded, but mechanically, it has more in common with a rudimentary image editor's fill tool. With zoomed in "pixels," players in KAMI try to fill the screen with only one color in as few moves as possible. I'm not the only person who did that with MS Paint, right? After its well-received iOS launch late last year, the title is now on Steam and Android as well. At $3.99, the Steam version costs a bit more than the original, but it includes all of the currently available premium levels, which exist as in-app purchases for both the iOS and Android versions. I really dig the art style, despite its simplicity. More papercraft-based games, please! |
| Don't look up: New screenshots of The Forest Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST First off, if you've not seen this trailer for Endnight Games' open-world survival horror title The Forest, you're going to want to spend a minute and a half doing so. There are new screenshots, viewable below, which show a dead shark, a dead stewardess, and what's bound to be a dead you. As a stranded survivor of a plane crash, you'll need to scavenge and set up a defensive structure with traps to fend off against cannibalistic mutants who come out at night to do creepy things. I'm so ready to be creeped out. The studio is aiming to release an alpha build of The Forest on Steam in the coming months. I don't usually go for alphas but that rule may be undone by my desire to be genuinely frightened by games. And from everything I've seen here, that potential exists. |
| Indie developer claims King cloned its game Posted: 24 Jan 2014 04:00 AM PST Not that people who have been following the news about Candy Crush Saga maker King trademarking "Candy" and causing issues over The Banner Saga's use of the word "Saga" in its title need any more fuel for the fire, but here goes: developer Matthew Cox has accused the company of cloning a browser-based game he worked on called Scamperghost. His team was in talks with King to license this game but "before the deal was closed (and certainly before any contracts were signed) MaxGames.com made a better offer so we thanked King for considering our game and politely ended our negotiations." As a result, King sponsored "a similar game," in the words of their contact Lars Jörnow, titled Pac-Avoid (really). Allegedly, the team working on Pac-Avoid was told to "clone the game very quickly, and [King] even wanted to beat the release of the original game." This comes directly from an email correspondence with one of the developers contracted by the company, according to Cox. "Scamperghost isn't the most original game in the world," wrote Cox. "It's obviously inspired by Pac-Man but we at least took it in an original direction by making it a mouse avoider with no walls. King.com, however, showed no respect for other people's intellectual property when they made a direct, blatant clone of Scamperghost. Now they've trademarked "Candy" and are using their massive legal power against other small competing developers. A bit of a double-standard, eh?" King.com, makers of Candy Crush Saga...Trademark Trolls with a Double Standard?[Junkyard Sam -- Thanks, OpiumHerz] |
| Posted: 24 Jan 2014 03:00 AM PST
The game formerly known as "Double Fine Adventure" has finally made its debut -- or should I say, half-debut. Broken Age: Act 1 is the culmination of almost 100,000 backers, over 3.5 million dollars, and nearly two years of waiting. The project, once asking for a mere $400,000, broke Kickstarter history and subsequently forged high expectations for Tim Schafer and his team. Broken Age follows the lives of Shay and Vella, two young teenagers yearning to escape from their predestined paths. Although the description sounds coming-of-age generic, the stories and puzzles are anything but. Broken Age follows its point-and-click adventure predecessors while forging its own path -- and what a compelling path it is. |
| Vita RPG Demon Gaze stares down an April 22 launch date Posted: 24 Jan 2014 02:00 AM PST We knew that a localization was in the works, but now we have solid dates. NIS America has announced that Vita dungeon crawler RPG Demon Gaze will be released on April 22 in North America and April 25 in Europe, with both digital and retail versions available. This game follows Oz, a guy that takes up artifact hunting as he can't quite recall his past. His newfound Demon Gazer abilities help him explore dungeons and hunt down the details of his past. In the batch of new screenshots you'll see the 3D dungeons and the anime artwork of Demon Gaze. More Vita RPGs? Yes, please. |
| Europe's court: Nintendo's anti-piracy tech is lawful Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:00 AM PST The highest court in the EU, The Court of Justice of the European Union, says that Nintendo's anti-piracy product security is lawful. The decision was handed down today for the current running PC Box case in Milan. While the case has yet to be resolved, Nintendo are happy with the court's call. What this all boils down to is that that Nintendo has a case here, and this will eventually help them get the word out that modding tech like PC Box's product go against copyright laws. This morning's release says that Nintendo will continue to move forward with the case. They say they are confident that the Milan Tribunal will determine that the sale of devices like PC box is unlawful. For those that missed the news of the case, PC Box makes mod chips and game copiers that let users play unauthorized games on Nintendo systems by breaking encrypted unlock information. |
| D.I.C.E. Summit and awards to be streamed live on Twitch Posted: 24 Jan 2014 12:00 AM PST The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Annual D.I.C.E. Summit and Awards are usually a pretty closed off event. For the longest time it has been an invite-only event for the game development community, with the guest list being a perfect who's who of gaming. Very few press members allowed in. But, with the help of Twitch, the whole thing will be broadcasted, awards show and all, starting February 4. Every summit session will be streamed live starting at 9:45 a.m. on Feb. 4, running through the last session on Thursday night. The awards show will be streamed live on Thursday at 7:40 p.m., where you'll see top game makers receive their props. This year, Felicia Day and Freddie Wong team up as co-hosts for the 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. That's great news. I loved watching Jay Mohr embarrass the hell out of the industry's top talent last year, but this year's hosts are a bit more relevant. You can watch the D.I.C.E. Summit and Awards here on Twitch.tv. Look for me during the summit stream. I always sit in the front row, dead center, like a dork. |
| Preview: The first four hours of Thief Posted: 24 Jan 2014 12:00 AM PST Back in October, I got the chance to sit down to chat with members of Eidos Montreal after a lengthy session with the new entry in the Thief series. Since the reveal in 2009, the game has gone through many different iterations and changes. From an obnoxiously named THI4F and a proposed and tested third-person action game; this new take on the series has been through the ringer. As such, fans have been skeptical of whether a new entry can work. |
| Meet the cast of Bravely Default in new story trailer Posted: 23 Jan 2014 10:00 PM PST With just a fortnight remaining until Bravely Default hits North American shores, the long wait for the highly anticipated role-playing game is nearing its end. As the final hours tick away, why not spend a moment familiarizing yourself with the title's plotline and central characters? A new story trailer for the looming Nintendo 3DS game will help you do just that. It introduces prospective players to a handful of young heroes endeavoring to restore balance to a world descending into darkness. The journey begins on February 7. Just a little bit longer, my friends. |
| MAQL Europe reveals pre-order bonus for Senran Kagura Posted: 23 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST Senran Kagura Burst is making its way to European shores next month -- with a real life box and actual cartridge and everything! It's also getting a fancy pre-order bonus, according to publisher MAQL Europe. A 3D lenticular poster featuring the girls of Hanzo Academy awaits those who reserve a copy of the side-scrolling beat-'em-up at GAME in the United Kingdom and at other participating retailers on the continent. |
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