Contest: Win Cartel Tycoon, new to Steam Early Access
In today's contest you can win a Steam Early Access copy of Cartel Tycoon!
Management sims stress me out. My day job is essentially a management sim -- I sure as hell don't want to continue to manage things in my free time, as well! Drugs also stress me out, so this one is a hard sell for me.
But hey, we're all different people so Cartel Tycoon might be right up your alley! Win a copy and become the drug kingpin you've always dreamt of being.
Dota 2 community makes its own tutorial ahead of anime premiere
Netflix's Dota 2 anime debuts for the public later this week, and with it, there will probably be at least a few people jumping into the game for the first time. Learning Dota 2, as many will tell you, is pretty tough; so some modders and community members have banded together to create their own tutorial.
Under the custom game title "Dota Tutorial," you can simply install it through the Steam Workshop or in-game through the Custom games tab, and you're off to the races. The project was launched as an IndieGogo campaign and has made almost 300% of its targeted goal by the time of this writing, with still 11 days left in the campaign. It features voice acting, scripted tutorials, little minigames, and even links to resources for further learning.
And I have to say, as someone with currently way, way too many hours played in Dota 2, it's a really good starting point. Hosts SunsFan and SirActionSlacks walk you through everything from simple moving and attacking to last-hitting, stacking creep camps, and denying allied units. There are even a few pretty good jokes, and plenty of cameos from popular community members and esports casters.
By the end of it, they even touch on some deeper facets of the game, like hero attributes and positions on a team. Mostly, it's encouraging and well-paced. In lieu of any official tutorial from Valve, playing through this makes the learning a little more engaging, and will definitely save your Dota friends some breath in explaining all the spinning cogs happening in a single match. Dota 2 has a massive knowledge barrier for new players, and this tutorial certainly eases the curve.
It does have one major snag though: currently, Valve places a limit on accessing custom games until your account has played 30 games of Dota 2. While that makes sense to block off bot accounts, it's a little counterintuitive to play that many Dota 2 matches before getting into the basics of the game.
The mod makers are petitioning for an exception to the rule, and we've reached out to Valve for comment on the matter.
Right now, it's a little bit more of a quaint, fun romp for veterans who might not have played in a while. (It will certainly help if you're coming back after a year or more away and are confused by those weird outposts.) Hopefully it can get an exception though, as any onboarding will definitely help everyone across the board.
The Dota 2 anime, meanwhile, premieres on Netflix on March 25.
Fans are flocking to Bloodborne again for Return to Yharnam
Just in time for Bloodborne's anniversary, the community-run Return to Yharnam event is back this week to beckon fans who only need the lightest of nudges to warrant another playthrough. I'll be honest, it would be a lot more tempting with a PS5 performance patch – but I respect the tradition.
Return to Yharnam will begin on March 24th, Bloodborne's 6th Anniversary! from r/bloodborne
For those of you who have never knowingly participated in the annual fan event (or could perhaps use a little refresher), Return to Yharnam runs from March 24 to April 7 and there's an optional Discord.
While there are overall suggestions – like flipping your Network settings to "worldwide," PVPing in each zone before moving along, and leaving cheeky notes behind that say "You're in the know, right?" – you can of course play as you see fit. A PlayStation Plus membership is needed for multiplayer, though.
To get the most out of player-on-player antics, it is recommended that you create a new character.
The guiding principle behind Return to Yharnam is to "engage in as much co-op as possible," a sentiment I truly appreciate. When it comes down to it, this is a chance to experience Bloodborne again with a lively community. It could be your moment to go hard with a new-to-you weapon or build – or maybe you need a helping hand to survive the Old Hunters. The First Vicar still gives me nightmares.
Happy sixth birthday, Bloodborne. I got you a fistful of slugs.
It's weird to think how Monster Hunter low key became Capcom's top franchise in an instant.
While Street Fighter and Resident Evil still reign supreme overall, with multiple entries dotting the top 10 list, Monster Hunter is the absolute king with over 16 million units of Monster Hunter World sold.
Why would Capcom stop now?
Risk of Rain 2's Anniversary update is out March 25 with the Bandit
Risk of Rain 2 is a game that refuses to go on the back-burner. The next big content update – the last of its kind before Hopoo Games dives into paid expansions – is coming to PC first on March 25, 2021.
The Anniversary update deals with cut content, quality-of-life changes, a new boss, revisited old items, the finished lore-filled logbook, some character skill variants, a player-stats page, and the Bandit.
In a fun twist, the "scrapped" Bandit that modders have expanded upon will still be playable even after the official Bandit joins the game on March 25. "Working on the Bandit was both fun and rewarding for us, because it really highlighted how much better we've gotten at making content since the original scrapped inception of the Bandit in internal development," Hopoo Games wrote in a Steam post.
The updated Risk of Rain 2 roadmap as of March 2021.
Once this update is out and the dust has settled, the team will "shift towards working on the Expansion. "As we develop and shape it over time, we will let players know how it's going, and how big it will be."
As we've heard before, this will be a substantial paid add-on meant to "refresh the game for long-term fans." Hopoo is aiming for a multi-platform simultaneous launch with PlayEveryWare at the end of 2021, and to that end, they've got an internal team at Gearbox Software helping out "to bring all future content of Risk of Rain 2 to our console players with even closer parity to our PC version of the game."
Even if the dates slip here or there, it's nice to know that consoles – not just PC – are a priority.
With the way the post-launch support has been going, this shouldn't come as a surprise, but it's worth reiterating: Risk of Rain 2 has done really well for itself. It's at four million sales "on Steam alone."
I'm super curious to see what this crew works on next once everything is said and done.
"We have a lot of exciting things cooking – both for Risk of Rain fans and Hopoo Games fans in general – and we can't wait to share them with you – one day." Are fans reading into "cooking" too much?
Dev Thoughts #20 - 2 Years Later [Steam]
Review: Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town
Reviewing Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town has been an interesting couple of weeks, to say the least. When I first got my review code, I was told there would be a day-one patch that would aim to alleviate many of the issues that have plagued the title since its initial release in Japan. While those who buy it on day one will get all of the updates at once, I've been playing through it as it's been slowly fixed in a piecemeal fashion.
It's real shame the developers have had to spend the past month scrambling to fix the game because it's is supposed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series. And generally, when you're celebrating a milestone year, you don't want a public apology to be part of the festivities.
Hi Destructoid, it's nice to meet you! I'm Ashley, and I'll be helming a new column focusing on women and games here on the site.
I've been working as a full-time freelance writer for the past year, and before that, I was studying brains and language in college (I am a baby). In college, I was involved in my beloved student newspaper, the Campus Times, for all four years until I graduated. I did some cool things there, like make many dick jokes, and I founded a magazine offshoot called The Jenny, which was a culture magazine geared towards women on campus.
With the onset of the pandemic coinciding with my graduation, I reevaluated my trajectory in life a bit and decided to give up cognitive science in order to pursue a career in writing. Yes, you guessed it, my parents were thrilled! Just kidding!
I said, "I'm sorry, parents!" and started writing for lots of different places, including the music magazine Pitchfork, the men's magazine Mel Magazine, and Bandcamp. I've written about all sorts of things and have been lucky enough to meet all kinds of people, but in general, I strive to foster critical conversations surrounding culture.
In my Destructoid column, I'm hoping to discuss and highlight some underserved members of the gaming community, as well as approach some difficult topics like violence and racism. But sometimes it will be fun, and I'll write about weird sex stuff. The magic of earth is there's an endless supply of weird sex stuff, and also many interesting birds.
Now, I bet you're thinking, "what does this indie Pitchfork-writing MF 22-year-old know about video games!?" And to that I say, shhh. Don't speak. Like every other bonafide, say it with me, "90's kid," I was born with a Nintendo DS and Pokémon Diamond cartridge in my grubby little hands, and am a known Cooking Mama enjoyer. In middle school, I obsessively, exclusively played Batman games for Xbox 360, but I luckily got over that and started getting interested in more horror, cinematic-type games as I got older. I am extremely into Dark Souls (all of them except II… it's boring!), Bloodborne, and Outlast, but I'd never shy away from a round of Mario Party.
My fatal flaw, though, is that all first-person shooters give me motion sickness. I'm also genuinely bad at playing most video games, but I still try very hard to not be. Some things I like outside of video games include: watching Titanic, reading conspiracy theories about Grimes and Elon Musk, writing conspiracy theories about One Direction, and eating things with salt on it. I'm excited to start writing for you all, and I'll see you soon.
Xbox Live is being officially rebranded Xbox Network
Microsoft has announced that it is officially rebranding its Xbox Live service "Xbox Network". The change is not expected to alter too much in the bigger picture, and has seemingly been made purely for aesthetic, descriptive, and marketing reasons.
"'Xbox network' refers to the underlying Xbox online service, which was updated in the Microsoft Services Agreement," said Microsoft in a statement to The Verge. "The update from 'Xbox Live' to 'Xbox network' is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships."
Microsoft has confirmed that the paid online service, Xbox Live Gold, will be retaining its long-time moniker. The rebranding is not expected to the subscription service or its usage in any way. Microsoft is probably keen to emphasize this following the debacle earlier this year, when a rise in charges for the Xbox Live Gold service drew ire from users and led to a very swift u-turn from the publisher.
It's been a fair few minutes since we last heard from fun adventure franchise A Hat in Time and its developer, Gears for Breakfast. But the studio has resurfaced to announced that it is finally bringing the 3D platformer's DLC expansions to PS4 and Xbox One, following on from its release on PC and Switch several years ago. Better late than never!
The first expansion, Seal the Deal, includes the new story chapter The Arctic Cruise, six new Time Rifts, a run of new customization items including dyes, flairs, and camera filters, and a new difficulty mode for the most hardened Hat in Time player: Death Wish. The second DLC, Nyakuza Metro, is more of a "goodie pack," featuring 10 new Time Pieces, a new "stickers" customization options, a new Baseball Bat weapon, new badges, and even more flairs, dyes, and camera filters.
In addition to the above expansions, local split-screen co-op multiplayer will be implemented to the title for free. What's more, A Hat in Time is being upgraded for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and will now run at an improved frame rate of 60FPS. Both the Seal the Deal and Nyakuza Metro expansions will launch on March 31, priced around $5 each.
Overcooked: All You Can Eat has a loyalty discount if own Overcooked 1 or 2
While we were originally led to believe there wouldn't be a loyalty discount for Overcooked: All You Can Eat, there is one after all – for a limited time, anyway. If you own Overcooked or Overcooked 2 on Steam, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch digitally, you can save 15 percent on the new game until April 11.
That discount knocks All You Can Eat's price from $39.99 down to $33.99. While the offer doesn't include physical copies of Overcooked 1 or 2 – and it only works if you're staying in the same platform (i.e., you can't get a discount if you jump from Switch to Xbox) – it's certainly better than nothing.
It's also worth stressing that cross-platform online multiplayer is now possible, and that includes the remastered Overcooked 1 levels, which I know people have been clamoring for since, well, forever.
What else is different? There are a handful of exclusive (tricky) new levels you can get through in one sitting, there's an assist mode to lower the pressure, and there are different achievements/trophies.
My favorite part of Overcooked: All You Can Eat was simply having both games and their many expansions all in one convenient, unified place with quick load times on PS5. Ghost Town Games says the Nintendo Switch version runs at 30 frames per second, but you can expect 60fps elsewhere.
Oh, and the Swedish Chef from The Muppets is a playable character. He's free until April 30.
Today's launch trailer for All You Can Eat also teased a free update "coming later this year." Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. (Just kidding, I'm eternally bound to Overcooked.)
Amazon Games establishes new Montreal studio, hires Rainbow Six Siege alumni
There one more gaming studio in Montreal this morning, as Amazon Games has announced the founding of Amazon Games Montreal, which will look to design and develop original AAA titles. The new studio joins Amazon's previously established developers in San Diego, Seattle, and Orange County.
The founding members of Amazon Games Montreal include head of production Luc Bouchard, head of product Alexandre Remy, creative director Xavier Marquis, and content director Romain Rimokh, all of whom were key members in the development of Ubisoft's hugely popular multiplayer shooter Rainbow Six Siege. While Amazon Games Montreal is currently hiring, the core team has already begun work on a brand new multiplayer IP.
"Building upon 8 years of experience with Siege, we are excited to start with a blank page and the creative freedom to create a completely unique experience in the multiplayer space," said Marquis in a press release. "From our first discussion, we felt a true connection with the people at Amazon Games, their approach to gaming and the sheer amount of knowledge, expertise and technology available there. It is quite humbling and we couldn't be more excited to start a studio with them."
Amazon Games also spoke of its excitement regarding the new studio. "Montreal's rich vein of creative talent will be a valuable asset as we continue building our development and publishing teams," said Amazon Games VP Christophe Hartmann. "The highly skilled and experienced team at our new Montreal studio shares our commitment to creating best-in-class online games, and brings with them a wealth of knowledge and passion for building deep, community-focused multiplayer experiences. I look forward to watching them invent on behalf of customers as they grow their team and develop their first project."
The Diablo-like Magic: Legends opens up its PC beta program today
Magic: The Gathering is continuing to expand outside of the realm of Arena, and is heading into the dungeon crawler genre with Magic: Legends later this year.
Slated for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, the Diablo-like game allows you to assume the role of a Planeswalker and loot stuff to your heart's content across five zones. To that end, you can try the game out today on PC, as Wizards of the Coast and Perfect World Entertainment are opening up the beta program.
You can opt to enjoy it on the proprietary Arc platform (which will earn you a cosmetic Bruiser Ogre Mortar skin, two drop boosts, and two mission boosts), or the Epic Games Store (which also grants players a Moorland Ranger, Werewolf Summon skin, and two drop boosts).
While the game actually looks pretty decent so far, the boost situation is a little worrying, given its free-to-play monetization scheme. Hopefully they won't go overboard. We'll be able to find out soon enough!
Shadow Man: Remastered returns from The Deadside next month
Developer Nightdive Studios has announced a release date for the PC edition of its incoming Shadow Man: Remastered. The dark comic-book adventure will launch on Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store April 15, to be followed on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch at a later date. A new trailer was unfortunately not released.
Originally released in 1999 on PC, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation, Shadow Man is a comic adaptation that follows the purgatory exploits of Michael LeRoi - the titular "Shadow Man" - who dutifully protects our world, "The Liveside," from a legion of evil creatures that exist in a dark parallel universe, "The Deadside" - unleashed by the death of Jack the Ripper. Players guide Michael in his efforts to track down and eliminate a rogues' gallery known as "The Five," whose actions threaten to bring about the apocalypse. Light stuff.
Shadow Man: Remastered revitalizes the original release with 4K resolution, improved lighting and shadow effects, and support for HDR and widescreen monitors. Additionally, the remaster will include content cut from the original release, offering the definitive edition of the cult action-adventure classic. With smart timing, publisher Valiant Entertainment will also be launching a reboot of the original Shadow Man comics the same month, with the first issue launching April 28.
A Zelda: Breath of the Wild fan expansion is coming called 'Second Wind'
Fans have always been augmenting Zelda: Breath of the Wild's expansive universe in creative ways, but recent efforts have been the culmination of years of tinkering and hard work.
One of the most prolific ventures that has come to light in recent months is "Second Wind," a fully-featured DLC that will add a ton of stuff to the game. According to the project creators, it'll contain "tons of new content including quests, weapons, NPCs, and enemies." It also allegedly "overhauls existing content," including shrines, and adds more crafting options on top of quality of life changes. 50 people were involved in bringing this to life.
One big revelation the team shared in terms of quality of life changes is a shop overhaul. You can sell food now, and more items will be available for sale. The project "requires the original game and DLC." You can find more info on the DLC's official site.
There's definitely a ton of untapped potential for Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and a few of Nintendo's top-selling Switch games, for that matter. While years of paid DLC isn't necessarily on everyone's wishlist, it would be great to get occasional free updates to keep things fresh, particularly for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Nintendo sold enough copies to justify a free track here and there!
Rumor: Microsoft in talks to purchase Discord for over $10 billion
According to an overnight report from business and finance outlet Bloomberg, Microsoft is currently in talks to potentially purchase Discord Inc. for a reported $10 billion USD.
After speaking with "people familiar with the matter," Bloomberg reports that Discord was currently shopping itself around to numerous potential buyers, with Microsoft a clear front-runner to pick up the gaming communication company, which would give Microsoft ownership of the popular chat app, currently serving around 100 million users taken from multiple walks of life and industries, not just the video gaming sphere.
"Microsoft possibly acquiring Discord makes a lot of sense as it continues to reshape its gaming business more toward software and services," said Bloomberg's Intelligence Analyst Matthew Kanterman. "There's a big opportunity to bundle Discord's premium offering, Nitro, into the Game Pass service to drive more subscriptions from the last reported 18 million."
At the time of writing, this remains merely speculation. In fact, one insider claims that Discord is more likely to go public on the stock market, rather than outright sell itself to an independent corporation or conglomerate. Still, given that Microsoft has certainly not been shy when it comes to opening its wallet in the past year, it wouldn't be an impossibility that one of the biggest companies on the planet would want to continue adding to its portfolio.
After all, what's another Ten Billion Dollars?
Part of the last Assassin's Creed Valhalla event was disabled due to a glitched patch rollout
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla has been a glitchy affair, to say the least.
While a lot of open world games are known for glitches, Odyssey, the recent darling, managed to be spared from public tomato throwing for the most part. Valhalla's fate hasn't been as kind. Ubisoft reached a whole new level of bugs with a recent patch rollout, which was actually de-rolled out, in parts, to prevent issues.
As noted on Twitter, a server-side hotfix was deployed to remove settlement decorations and festival quests: which were causing hard crashes. A "permanent fix" is coming at some point, but the hotfix was basically just removing the stuff they had already added in the big 1.2.0 update. That same update, mind, that unceremoniously added a transmogrification system, with provisos, into the mix.
Goodwill waxes and wanes in the gaming industry. With all of the boxes Ubisoft was checking with Odyssey, the problems with Valhalla showcase the weakness of the rapid-pace Assassin's Creed rollout model. Though it should be noted that Valhalla had a two-year wait period (just like Origins did when it launched), which is a little longer than the typical one-year turnover for the franchise.
In any case, it seems like they still need more time to smooth out these games before they actually go on sale.
Ubisoft [Twitter]
Whoa newly unearthed Chrono Trigger art? I'm into it
This past week or so, a bunch of Chrono Trigger fans were looking around the internet for Chrono Trigger content (as retro fans, myself included, do!), and found these "PSX [PlayStation] reference sheet" gems.
According to Chrono Compendium, one of the best sites out there for the game, these were shared on Twitter this month and were originally sourced from "The PlayStation" magazine in Japan, volume 170 (which was originally released in 1999). However, this was not widely shared on the internet back then, and is basically a new discovery, following a revelatory tweet.
According to the site, Tadayoshi Yamamuro (who worked on various Dragon Ball shows) was the chief illustrator for these designs. There's designs for Chrono, Marle, Lucca, Robo, Frog, Ayla, and Magus. So basically, the player party crew! You can find all of them here.
It really just goes to show you how much of a force this game was, that people are still excited to talk about it all these years later. I remember when I first popped it into my SNES from a rental place (which had an end game save file on it, classic!) and I was completely blown away.
I would never forget it, and still go back to it from time to time. It's that good!
29kyu [Twitter via Chrono Compendium]
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard still shipping one million copies a year
In 2017, Capcom redefined its flagship survival horror series with the launch of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Daubed in miserable sepia tones, sporting a new first-person viewpoint, and powered by a brand new engine, the southern gothic sequel helped reinvent the franchise - offering a fresh style from both a visual and gameplay standpoint, while retaining the tense atmosphere, hair-raising action, and intricate lore of entries' past.
And it appears that the grim and horrible experience of protagonist Ethan Winters is still fueling fans' nightmares to this day. In a new interview with Games Industry.biz, Capcom's European COO Stuart Turner revealed that the now almost four-year-old sequel still ships around one million copies on an annual basis, with an estimated 8.5 million copies in total sales. Turner notes this with a simple-but-effective marketing credo that "quality sells and keeps selling for many, many years."
Since the release of Resident Evil 7, Capcom has seen its fortunes turn around with a string of excellent releases. These include PlayStation remakes Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, kinetic sequel Devil May Cry V, and the company's best-selling release of all-time, Monster Hunter: World. Still, it seems that the exploits of The Baker Family continue to horrify new players each and every year - and with the title coming to the Stadia platform next month, their reign of terror remains far from over.
Square Enix cancels Final Fantasy XI mobile reboot for quality concerns
Final Fantasy XI was a powerhouse of an MMO.
Forged in 2002, it lived on for ages, reminding people that World of Warcraft wasn't the only game in town, following the era of Ultima Online and Everquest. It also broke ground as a console-first MMO, and catapulted the Final Fantasy series into the multiplayer realm. It was a feat, and influenced a good deal of games beyond it, including Final Fantasy XIV.
But all good things must eventually end, and in 2016, Square Enix shut down the console editions of the game. Today, it announced that it will not be moving forward with the mobile "reboot;" remember that thing?
Evidently the decision was mutual, between Square Enix and Nexon (who were both working on the game in tandem). The reason for the cancellation is because it "didn't meet quality standards as expected by fans of the series." The companies have "relocated" staff to "other projects." It's dead, Jim.
As Gematsu points out, this project was first announced in early 2015, and was supposed to be out a while ago. Now we presumably know why it was in development hell for a long period of time.
Final Fantasy XI [Gamebiz.jp via Gematsu]
Polish prime minister Lidia Sobieska knuckles up in Tekken 7 today, and nothing's going to stop her
Matters are about to get a hell of a lot more political in Bandai Namco's Tekken 7 today, as brand new character Lidia Sobieska, who just so happens to be the Prime Minister of Poland, joins the 3D fighter's huge roster of stylish sluggers. Sobieska arrives as part of Tekken 7's fourth season of DLC, following on from ninja-lass Kunimitsu II.
Lidia Sobieska is the descendant of two powerful figureheads in Polish politics: her grandfather, who was the Prime Minister of the country before her, and her father, who himself was a high-ranking official. When Lidia was a child, a failed assassination attempt on her grandfather resulted in the loss of her own father's life, which instilled a deep desire for stoicism and justice within the young girl.
(Update) Another report alleges that a 4K bigger-screen Switch Pro is coming this year
[Update: Bloomberg is also reporting that a potential Switch Pro could be priced at $349.99-$399.99, according to an industry analyst, with an "upgraded Nvidia chip." It'll allegedly utilize DLSS on top of the already-rumored 7-inch OLED screen and 4K docked visuals.]
So, we meet again, Switch Pro rumors.
This time though, it's not just from a guy on Twitter saying it'll come out every month. This report is from Bloomberg tech, which claims that Samsung Display will begin production of new seven-inch panels for a larger Switch Pro screen in June.
The move, according to Bloomberg (and common sense), is aimed to pivot Nintendo into the current generation and take on the new consoles directly. These screens will be 720p OLED says the report, and will apparently be produced for assembly in July. Even with those tight deadlines in mind, Nintendo is allegedly aiming for a 2021 release date for the Pro, just in time for the holiday season.
It's a bold move, but more so than a lot of other reports, this one actually makes sense, timing-wise. Nintendo has had a year to plan given the events of 2020, and if this report rings true, there's a lot of reasons why we haven't seen stone cold evidence of a Switch Pro yet: because Nintendo hasn't actually manufactured it.
As long as all the ducks are in a row, I can see a summer announcement for the Pro, followed by the 2021 goal. This is fresh off of Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stating that there wouldn't be an imminent Pro announcement. But "soon" is relative, and this summer could account for a reasonable amount of time to have passed.
Nintendo Plans Switch Model With Bigger Samsung OLED Display [Bloomberg]
Out of nowhere, we're getting a mobile Pikmin game in 2021 to 'encourage walking'
Pikmin 4 is still nothing more than a distant dream, but Shigeru Miyamoto can't truly abandon his tiny alien plant children. The next game in the series after Pikmin 3 Deluxe is another offshoot: an as-yet-unnamed Pikmin mobile game that's being co-developed by Nintendo and Niantic Tokyo Studio.
Most people associate Niantic with the monstrous Pokémon Go, and that's not changing anytime soon – but Nintendo wants to branch out with more AR-fueled games for its "beloved characters."
This new Pikmin game is "the first in a series of apps that the two companies will develop together," according to a press release, and it's built to "encourage walking and make the activity more enjoyable."
The companies didn't release any screenshots yet, but there's a sign-up page with artwork. You know I had to pre-register as soon as I saw it. Pikmin is my jam, even in lean times. I'll take just about anything.
"Niantic's AR technology has made it possible for us to experience the world as if Pikmin are secretly living all around us," Shigeru Miyamoto said in a very on-brand press statement. "Based on the theme of making walking fun, our mission is to provide people a new experience that's different from traditional games. We hope that the Pikmin and this app will become a partner in your life."
The Pikmin app will release "globally later in 2021," though specific platforms weren't mentioned yet.
"As we continue to expand our games portfolio, it was a natural next step to team up with Nintendo," said Niantic CEO John Hanke. "We're looking forward to shaping the future of AR together, bringing Nintendo's beloved game characters to life for mobile game players around the world."
I'll go on hikes with Pikmin, let Pokémon lull me to sleep, and dream about treasure with Wario.
Contest: Win Taxi Chaos for Switch, PS4, or Xbox One
In today's contest you can win Taxi Chaos for Switch, PS4, or Xbox One!
Do you want a free game? The answer, of course, is, "Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!"
In today's joint we're giving away an...um...homage to the classic Sega cabbie game in Taxi Chaos! The world needs more sendups to abandoned series that publishers just can't seem to be bothered with.
Sony shutting down the PSP, Vita, and PS3 stores would be the end of an era
Long-term access to digital and even physical video games is one of those concerns that might not necessarily matter day-to-day for the average person, but without intervention – without ongoing preservation efforts – it's likely going to sneak up on a lot of people. What happens when a digital storefront gets taken down? In the case of PlayStation, we might find out sooner than expected.
According to a report from TheGamer, the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation 3 stores are going to shut down in 2021. In the aftermath of such a move, people would no longer be able to buy digital copies of PSP, Vita, and PS3 games and content – they'd be inaccessible to new players.
It's not official yet – TheGamer's source believes Sony will make an announcement by the end of this month – but the closure dates are expected to be July 2 (PSP and PS3) and August 27 (Vita).
That's so soon! To some extent, it's understandable for support to eventually fade away (or at least be diminished), but I don't feel like we're anywhere near ready for that day to come for these platforms.
The current web-based version of the PlayStation Store doesn't officially support the sale of PSP, Vita, or PS3 games, meaning if you want to buy legacy titles, you need to do so using your original systems. That said, there's still a workaround to access the "old" PlayStation Store in a browser right here.
On a related note, there's a well-researched Reddit post circulating again today that recaps a bunch of notable PlayStation 3 exclusives that would be harshly impacted by exactly this kind of store closure. Do you know how I'm always going on about Tokyo Jungle any chance I can get? It's on the list. Many fantastic digital-only PS3 games have been ported to PS4, but many more of them never were.
It's unclear if users would still be able to re-download digital PSP, Vita, and PS3 games they own once the stores are closed, but I'd sure hope so at the bare minimum. Either way, I can't see any long-term path forward that doesn't rely on hackers, tinkerers, and preservationists who care about this stuff. It's far more complicated than just retaining games, too – think about DLC, post-launch patches, and rights.
This is an uphill battle even with all hands on deck. We've got a lot of those looming, don't we?
Report: PS3, Vita, And PSP Stores To Be Permanently Closed In A Few Months [TheGamer]
Street Fighter V comic will get fans up to speed on Rival Schools' Akira
Among the final wave of DLC characters headed to Street Fighter V this year is guest star Akira Kazama, who is making the jump from Capcom's M.I.A. fighting series Rival Schools. For those of you who haven't encountered the ass-kicking biker gal, fear not, as Ms. Kazama will be making her presence felt in an official Street Fighter V comic this summer.
Capcom, in association with publisher Udon, will release a special issue of Street Fighter V for this year's annual Free Comic Book Day festivities, which will take place August 14. The "Back to School" special will head, literally, back to school, as Akira shows up to battle other teens such as Sakura, Karin, Makoto, Ibuki, and even Street Fighter III's Elena. It's like when you heard kids from the school across town were coming to the field for a massive scrap (that always ended up not actually happening).
Akira is the fourth of five characters headed to Street Fighter V in its twilight season. Dan Hibiki launched earlier this month, and will be followed by Street Fighter Alpha's Rose, Street Fighter III's Oro, Akira, and a mystery fifth character, still to be revealed. In other recent SFV news, Korean killer Juri Han recently got two new skins, the result of last year's community-led design contest. You can read more about Juri's hi-jinx right here.
There's only so much WCW: Backstage Assault the human body can withstand!
The Nintendo 64 and original PlayStation basically lived their lives during the "Attitude" or "Monday Night Wars" era of wrestling. If you're unfamiliar, it was this incredibly tacky time where cartoonish machismo was replaced with edginess and sexuality. I'm not much of a wrestling fan, but when I do watch oiled up muscle men hug each other in their underwear, I prefer the Golden Age of the '80s where superheroes won out against unambiguously evil athletes using the power of believing in themselves. And steroids.
I don't know. A lot of people really loved that era and think of it as a big part of their development, but I didn't get into pro wrestling until, well, a few years ago when I started collecting the games on N64. I'm definitely not the best person to talk about pro wrestling, but watch me try anyway.
More than a dozen pro wrestling titles hit the N64 library if you count Japanese-only releases like Virtual Pro Wrestling 64 and its follow-up. A few of them, especially the ones created by AKI Corporation, still hold up today. The PlayStation would see its own success in its latter days with WWF Smackdown! and its sequel. This is not one of those games.
It takes two to make a dream come true in Balan Wonderworld
This week sees the launch of Yuji Naka's strange and hyperkinetic new fever dream, Balan Wonderworld, which sees two young children whisked away to a bizarre land of adventure and merriment, daubed in Naka's classic colorful style and dripping with "Big Top" showmanship.
Publisher Square Enix has released a new trailer focusing on the title's co-op focus, as heroes Leo and Emma work together - aided by a huge wardrobe of skill-based costumes - to overcome Wonderworld's many obstacles and hazards. As the children explore the strange environment, comprised of memories and dreams from their real world, it will take some coordination and smart teamwork if the siblings are to find their way back home.
The next Resident Evil showcase will be in April
We got a few minor Resident Evil announcements this morning, including news about a Re:Verse open beta in early April and RE7 and Village coming to Stadia, but what about the big 25th anniversary blowout? Are fans going to materialize a Resident Evil "classic collection" through sheer willpower?
That remains to be seen, but we do have a glimmer of hope. Capcom announced the next Resident Evil Showcase for April and confirmed that today is "just the start of the [25th anniversary] celebration."
"We've got more surprises for Resident Evil Village in store that you won't want to miss at the Resident Evil Showcase, so keep an eye on our social channels and be ready to mark your calendar, set an alarm on your phone, and take the day off this April," Capcom wrote in a vague but well-meaning blog post.
Outside of the possibilities for the series at large, which I'll try not to get my hopes up thinking about, the April event should cover the new "all platforms" demo for Village. The latest word, courtesy of Famitsu, is that unlike Maiden, the second demo will have content taken directly from the full game. The other day, I saw Maiden sitting on the edge of my PS5 home screen – just about to be bumped out of the row – and I started visualizing how I'm gonna wreck my sleep schedule with Village in May.
Celebration-wise, I'm ready for anything and everything Capcom might toss our way. This is a huge milestone for the franchise, and while there are always going to be missteps, Resident Evil rules right now. After watching that ridiculous truck-crashing egg clip on Friday, I ended up nearly getting through the castle in Resident Evil 4 this weekend. Something tells me it won't be my only replay this year.
Realistic or not, what are you hoping to see in Resident Evil's 25th year?
Terraria finally available on Stadia as it celebrates 35 million total sales
After overcoming a little drama, developer Andrew Spinks and studio Re-Logic has finally released world-builder Terraria on the Stadia cloud gaming service. In addition, the developers announced that the title has now sold an amazing and almost unbelievable 35 million copies since its initial launch back in 2011.
The globally-popular crafting sim, perhaps described loosest and easiest as a 2D pixelated version of Minecraft, is now available on a huge array of platforms including desktop, console, and mobile. The Stadia port was almost cancelled following Spinks' frustrations with Google after the developer lost access to his Gmail and other accounts, but this was soon cleared up, and now Stadia players can dive into Terraria's hour-eating world.
"We remain hard at work on the litany of updates across the board as we press forward into 2021," noted Re-Logic in a forum update. "Things are really starting to come together, and we are beyond excited for what the rest of the year has in store. That said, we did our usual numbers updates to close out 2020 and we wanted to share that once again - thanks to your beyond-amazing support - Terraria has reached another units sold milestone! Terraria has officially exceeded 35 Million copies sold across all platforms!"
The breakdown of this huge number specifies 8.5 million copies sold on console, 9.3 million copies sold on mobile, and a staggering 17.2 million copies purchased on PC. Despite reaching this amazing number, and being almost a decade into its lifespan, it appears that Terraria's devs are not even close to calling it a day.
"The momentum for Terraria has never been stronger than it is right this moment," continues the update. "When you add that to what is still to come this year with Console Journey's End, Steam Workshop Support, getting to parity content for everyone... and then the possibility of crossplay down the line (we hope!), you could easily say that Journey's End may have arrived, but the journey for Terraria is far from over!"
Limited Run Games is selling the Sega Astro City Mini arcade cabinet on Friday
The cool and highly nostalgic Sega Astro City Mini is coming to North America, after all – but actually getting a hold of one might prove difficult. Only 3,500 units are being produced with English packaging.
The miniature arcade cabinet with 37 built-in games will be sold for $129.99 through Limited Run Games, and if you've been eying it for your collection, you'll want to set a reminder for Friday, March 26. Limited Run is opening pre-orders for the Astro City Mini at 10:00 a.m. Eastern with no purchase limit.
The mini machine has a 16:9 LCD screen, headphone jack, and HDMI-out. Here's a shot of the rear:
In terms of the game list, we've seen so many repetitious Sega collections over the years in various forms, but there are some less-common picks here.
- Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
- Alien Storm
- Alien Syndrome
- Altered Beast
- Arabian Fight
- Bonanza Bros.
- Columns
- Columns II
- Cotton
- Crack Down
- Cyber Police ESWAT
- Dark Edge
- Dottori Kun (Dot Race)
- Fantasy Zone
- Flicky
- Gain Ground
- Golden Axe
- Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder
- My Hero
- Puyo Puyo
- Puyo Puyo 2
- Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R
- Puzzle & Action: Tant-R
- Rad Mobile
- Quartet 2
- Scramble Spirits
- Sega Ninja
- Shadow Dancer
- Shinobi
- Sonic Boom
- Space Harrier
- Stack Columns
- Thunder Force AC
- Virtua Fighter
- Wonder Boy
- Wonder Boy in Monster Land
- Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
Aside from the main attraction, there are a few extras: the Astro City Mini USB-A gamepad ($27.99) and a decorative Astro City Mini Style Kit ($39.99) with an arcade cabinet base, stool, and top board.
Should you miss out during the pre-order phase, there's always importing. I've seen listings for $150 and up, so uh, cross those fingers. I think a few Destructoid readers have already tried the Astro City Mini, and from what I remember – for what this machine is – the impressions were pretty favorable.
Are we over the micro-console craze yet? Not before we get a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition.
Last month, Activision confirmed that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 was headed to new horizons. Specifically, the Switch and next-gen platforms, after launching on PC, PS4, and Xbox One several months ago.
But who is handling the Switch port? The same studio that brought the game into the world, it seems. Although they were mum when it was announced, sometime after launch, Activision confirmed to Polygon that Vicarious Visions is indeed handling the Switch port themselves.
Although a lot of the work was already done, this is a somewhat interesting arrangement, as Vicarious Visions was incorporated into Blizzard a while back. While the jury is out on whether or not the Switch port is up to snuff, at least we know that the original studio is the one handling it. And Vicarious Visions has worked with the Switch for so long, it's reasonable to put a good degree of faith in them to get it right.
Anything can happen though!
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch [Polygon]
Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals gets new Silent Hill content tomorrow
As Silent Hill fans solemnly await news of a brand new release in the survival horror series, Konami continues to sub-license the brand out to other franchises. The latest horror title to step into the fog in Glowstick Entertainment's Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals, which will be joined by some recognizable faces, (well, for those that have faces), tomorrow.
Among the Silent Hill stars joining in Dark Deception multiplayer party action are Silent Hill's Cybil Bennett, Silent Hill 3's Heather Mason, The Nurse, Pyramid Head, and even the survival horror franchise's comical mascot Robbie the Rabbit. Glowstick Entertainment has humbly spoken of its excitement to be involved with such a major gaming brand.
"It's highly unusual for a small indie team like Glowstick Entertainment to obtain an IP as big as Silent Hill," admitted the developer candidly. "We are extremely proud to have worked on it and we owe the opportunity to the success of Dark Deception and the passion of the Dark Deception community!"
So Assassin's Creed Odyssey was kind of a turning point for a lot of people.
A lot of folks agree: it was a step up in many ways from previous Assassin's Creed games, and the string of free updates that were added after the fact only elevated that notion. Completely free transmogrification (also known as transmog, where you can change your appearance without sacrificing loot stats) was the cherry on top. Naturally, Valhalla screwed it up.
Transmog was added to Valhalla last week, but as folks noticed, it comes with a price. Literally, a price of 50 Silver, the game's in-game currency that can be purchased with real money. But that low price isn't as much of a problem as the hassle of having to go back to the hub zone and speak to the Ravensthorpe blacksmith every time you want to change.
So there's currently a debate about whether or not the silver price was meant to feed into the microtransaction system, and it's a little up in the air. Ultimately, 50 Silver is a nominal fee. The main issue is that it's just plain annoying when you combine it with another location-based requirement.
Why have these at all? Was Valhalla in need of some economy-stressed gold sink like a live service game or MMO? I remember when Odyssey got transmog; it was a blessing! I was constantly changing how my character looked on the fly and thought "I can't wait for this exact system to hit every Assassin's Creed game."
Little did I know Valhalla would get an inferior take on it months after launch. Like several other things in the follow-up to Odyssey, it feels like a step back.
Title update [Reddit]
Yer boy Zagreus, and his collarbone, sees Hades finally arrive in the UK Charts
It's a good day to be a bad dude, as Zagreus, Theseus, Nyx, Dusa, and the rest of the Underworld's denizens have come strutting into the UK Chart scene. Last week saw Supergiant Games' Hades finally hit the Top 20 at number seven, thanks to the sexy-as-all-fuck roguelike getting a physical release on Nintendo Switch.
Hades joins a parade of Switch titles currently jamming up the Top 10. Both Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe retain their respective number two and number four positions from last week, while social sim Animal Crossing: New Horizons is once again back on top in the number one spot, no doubt brought about thanks to the title's anniversary celebrations and impending spring events. Super Mario 3D All-Stars is bringing up the rear at number nine.
Global phenomenon Minecraft is pulling double-duty this week, with its original world-building title at number eight and its subterranean spin-off, Minecraft Dungeons, sitting at number 10. PlayStation and Xbox platforms are represented by Sony's Spider-Man: Miles Morales at number three, Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto V at number five, and Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - still shifting copies and sitting comfortably at number six.
The Marvel's Avengers console upgrade just works on Xbox, but takes some finagling on PlayStation
So, I have both console versions of Marvel's Avengers for testing, and when the new upgrade was released, I decided to take them for a spin. I had completely different experiences.
Like most things dealing with the "Smart Delivery" system on Xbox, I had no issues moving from Xbox One to Xbox Series X. Barely an inconvenience. The game knew I was running it on Series X, swapped to that version, and my save was there.
But on PlayStation (my main platform because of the eventual promise of Spider-Man), like the Call of Duty upgrade, it was a pain. The main problem is save-migration. To do so, you need to launch the PS4 version first, update the game, then you can see the "save migration tab" in the PS4 version. Initiate that, then download the PS5 version (is Sony aware of how quickly space runs out on the PS5?), and transfer the save. Then delete the PS4 version.
It was the same deal with Spider-Man Remastered at launch; so this process doesn't seem to be a launch day mishap, nor is it going away anytime soon. Instead, Sony is putting the burden on publishers to troubleshoot the cumbersome process. This is going to get real old real fast.
Marvel's Avengers [Twitter]
Team 17's Ready or Not has familiar Rainbow Six Siege vibes
Team 17 has announced that it will be publishing new tactical shooter Ready or Not when it comes smashing onto Steam Early Access in the near future. Developed by Void Interactive, the team-based shooter will task players with breaching numerous deadly, high-volatile situations - sieges, if you will.
Players will take up the roles of highly skilled and heavily armed operators as they utilize stealth movement, top-tier technology, and devastating firepower to take out terrorists, rescue hostages, and round up the bad guys. Ready or Not will feature customized weapon loadouts, and will lean heavily on teamwork, communication, and efficient, clean action in order to save the day - and the world.
Surprisingly, the Fallout 76 roadmap for 2021 goes all the way through winter
It's that time again: when we learn a little more about what Fallout 76 has in store for us. This time, it's a roadmap edition!
Bethesda is ready to unveil grander, more long-term plans for Fallout 76, and they confirm that the game will be updated at least throughout the end of the year. That's kind of big news on its own, as Bethesda hasn't given up on this game after nearly three years. In November, when the winter "Tales from the Stars" update hits, it'll have been the game's third anniversary.
Speaking of, stuff is on the way. In the spring we're getting "Locked and Loaded," an update that adds CAMP and SPECIAL slots, as well as a few new mechanics. This is the highly touted upcoming addition that Bethesda has been hyping up these past few months. Then in the summer, Steel Reign Part 2 is coming, with legendary crafting and legendary power armor; on top of unlimited seasonal ranks. It's a system several season passes have been toying with for years now to keep people playing and ranking up.
In the fall private worlds will be implemented into the game, as well as a daily ops (dailies) expansion (the second in total). But the winter is when the big guns hit, as the graphic hints of alien involvement, "new legends," four-star legendaries, a seasonal event, and the "invaders from beyond" public challenge and daily ops "surprises."
Bethesda is being very mum on private worlds, no doubt because they want to get the messaging right in this extremely badly-rolled-out games as a service campaign. To that end, we might get a few vague answers as early as tomorrow, as the team is holding an AMA on Reddit at 11:30AM ET on the Fallout 76 subreddit.
Inside the Vault [Bethesda.net]
Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard coming to Stadia
Capcom has announced that it will release Resident Evil 7: Biohazard on Stadia April 1. This will then be followed by the upcoming Resident Evil Village on May 7, bringing the two terrifying first-person horror adventures to Google's cloud gaming service.
The Stadia version of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be the "gold edition," containing the original 2017 release along with its two Banned Footage DLC expansions and the End of Zoe epilogue episode. What's more, Stadia Pro subscribers will be able to claim the title for free as part of their subscription. Players will be able to retread the terrifying footsteps of protagonist Ethan Winters and his encounters with The Baker Family while searching for his missing wife, Mia.
Resident Evil Village - a direct sequel to the above title - will once again see darkness and misery plague the Winters' lives, forcing Ethan to venture into a mysterious European town in search of answers. Players who pre-order Resident Evil Village on Stadia before May 21 will receive an exclusive Stadia Premiere Edition, which includes a copy of the game, a Stadia controller, and a Chromecast Ultra (while stocks last).
Resident Evil Village will launch on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Stadia May 7.
Resident Evil Re:Verse gets an open beta in early April
With all of the excitement of Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil Village, it's quite easy to forget that there's another Resident Evil title launching in the near future. Resident Evil Re:Verse, the "packed-in" multiplayer shooter announced during January's Resident Evil showcase stream.
For those who prefer gung-ho Resi action, as exemplified in titles such as Resident Evil 6, and Umbrella Corps., or the series reoccurring "Mercenaries" mode, Re:Verse hopes to offer similar non-stop action, as up to six players compete in a frenzied, time-based deathmatch packed with incendiary weapons and explosive chaos. Classic Resident Evil characters will be on hand, including Leon Kennedy, Ada Wong, Claire Redfield, and Jack Baker. While this mode isn't really to my personal tastes, stick Excelle Gionne in there and I'm sold.
If you want to check out Re:Verse's multiplayer action, then you're in luck, as Capcom has announced that it will be holding an open beta - no doubt to test server stability - at the start of next month. All you need do is link a Capcom ID linked to your PS4, PC, or Xbox, and you'll be able to download the client to the aforementioned platforms and jump in on the action. The beta will run between April 7-8, and then later that week between April 10-11. Just remember to bring a weapon that's really powerful, especially against living things.
(Update) Shin Megami Tensei III HD (and Dante) will debut on May 25
[Update: The Nintendo listing is live, and it confirms that on Switch, the HD re-release is 8.5 GB
You can find the PlayStation listing here.]
Atlus is finally ready to tell us when Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD is coming. Ready? It's May!
Today, Atlus has confirmed to Destructoid that the Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster will arrive on May 25 on PC (Steam), PS4, and Switch. Pre-orders start today, and there's a really weird promotion happening in regards to the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game.
In short, picking up this version will not only net you the "bonus content" (which includes Dante from the Devil May Cry series via the Maniax Pack), and four days of early access to the game. Yep, you can play on May 21 instead.
Atlus reminds us that the game features remastered 3D models and backgrounds, as well as a suspend save mechanic, "additional difficulty settings," English and Japanese voiced audio options, and an "alternative branch featuring Raidou Kuzunoha." Yep, that cool-looking Raidou of Devil Summoner fame.
For clarity, you can find the full rundown of the Digital Deluxe Edition below, with exact DLC verbiage so you know what you're getting. The standard edition is $49.99, and the Digital Deluxe Edition is $69.99.
I'm gonna take so many photos in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Adventure fans looking forward to expansive next-gen release Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will want to peruse this new video from Square Enix - an extended edition of the debut trailer showcased during February's State of Play live stream.
Featured alongside the exciting footage of returning superhero Yuffie Kisaragi is a closer focus on the two spec modes that will be available to FFVII Intergrade players. "Graphics Mode" will place the emphasis firmly on the flash, prioritizing 4K visuals to keep Midgar and its occupants looking their very best, while "Performance Mode" will keep the framerate running at a steady 60 FPS. I personally am finding this whole "dual mode" meta in next-gen gaming a bit of a disappointment. But, for now, it is what it is.
Tekken 7's Polish prime minister, Lidia Sobieska, kicks ass in her new trailer
Bandai Namco has released the debut gameplay trailer for Lidia Sobieska, the mysterious Polish prime minister getting set to take down the Mishima Zaibatsu in Tekken 7. This all-new DLC fighter will be available to purchase on March 23, the latest addition to Season 4 of the 3D fighter.
The new video gives us our first look at the stylish martial artist and top-tier politician, who has joined the Iron Fist Tournament with an eye to ruining the Heihachi empire and removing its presence from her beloved homeland. As you can see from her hard-hitting trailer, Miss Sobieska is as domineering in the ring as she is in politics, with the world karate champion wrecking on Dragonov, Brian Fury, and Hworang before taking the fight to Heihachi Mishima himself.
Lidia Sobieska will come packaged with a brand new fighting locale: the sunny and inviting "Island Paradise" stage. Don't spend too long admiring the view, because Lidia is here fighting for her people - putting down the pen and the red tape, and putting up her fists instead. The premier has the chair, and she might just wrap it 'round your dang skull.
Gaming in the '80s had shockingly few leading ladies
"Critical" Kate Wileart, last seen on Destructoid with a tribute to both comics legend Jack Kirby and Nintendo's Kirby, is back with a much larger scale project. This time she's celebrating National Woman's Month with a YouTube series called Video Dames of the '80s. Her plan is to catalog every named, playable woman character in games throughout the decade. After that, she may continue on to the '90s and beyond, creating a veritable virtual all-inclusive encyclopedia of women of the medium.
That would be quite a challenge, but of course, it would also be a heck of a fun job if the money was right. Kate's just getting started though, so time will tell if continuing the series with thousands of future entries will end up being a prudent professional undertaking. For now, her focus is just on the '80s, and a scant list of 84 woman characters who were both named and playable in games throughout that decade. Considering there were 8000+ games released in that time frame, that's an embarrassingly small number.
The first full episode of the series is tentatively scheduled to release around Easter, an appropriately rabbit-themed holiday. Though Kate hasn't announced which character she'll be profiling, my guess is it will be Billie Sue, the lead of Wabbit, which may have been the first home console game to ever feature a woman lead. Incidentally, I've offered up a $1000 reward related to a certain search surrounding the character. Another prudent professional undertaking? Probably not, but it would certainly be one for the books.
Konami Wai Wai World brings some of the best Konami characters together into one game
If you're familiar with my Famicom Friday articles, you'll know I've already bemoaned the lost soul of Konami, and I don't plan to stop sulking anytime soon. What you might not know are the depths of my despair. They weren't just great for Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid, they were once a company that constantly pushed the limits of technology and design, and they did it playfully without carrying the whiff of corporate oversight.
I wasn't there, obviously, but if I was to make presumptions of the corporation's Famicom years, I would envision a friendly company full of camaraderie and passionate people based on their output. There was a level of cohesion I can only imagine coming from a group who supported each other and their projects. Maybe I'm being a little idealistic, but Konami's Famicom catalogue is my comfort zone. It's a warm and safe place to explore, full of wonders and oddities, and this game may be one of the most interesting. To look at, if nothing else.
My forbidden love of Chulip and the weirdness of mundanity
I'm going to be honest with you, the advice I usually give people who are looking to give Chulip a try is to make sure you have something nearby to read. Chulip is an unfriendly game, and among its unfriendly features is a nasty little habit of wasting your time. Trains, for example, are used to carry you to all the different locations, but they run on a strict schedule. Miss the last train and, well, that's what the reading material is for.
While I know I'm not exactly selling the game here, I'm sincere when I say I wouldn't change a thing. On the surface, Chulip tantalizes with its weirdness. A game about kissing more or less sums it up. But beneath its unique and charming concept is a title that pulls no punches when it comes to addressing the crushing reality of everyday mundanity.
Review: A-Train: All Aboard! Tourism
One of these days I'm going to go to Japan. It's been a lifelong dream of mine, and there is so much I want to see over there, from Mt. Fiji to Chuka-Soba Tomita to the torii gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. I'm also going to want to ride its public transportation system because after living in the Bay Area for a few years and dealing with Bay Area Rapid Transit, it'd be nice to see what a competent transit system looks like.
If A-Train: All Aboard! Tourism is any indication, Japan really has its shit together when getting people around on rail.
Review: Kaze and the Wild Masks
While most rabbits prefer the simple life — hanging around in fields, lolloping in runs and hutches, playing basketball with Bill Murray — such mediocre pastimes do not trouble the head of tomb waidin' wabbit, Kaze. Kaze chases excitement and adventure, burrowing her way into hazardous worlds and uncovering the treasures that lie within...
...This time however, our headstrong hero might have bitten off more carrot than she can chew.
As a result of Kaze's unquenchable curiosity, a curse long-forgotten has fallen on her world, draining it of its peaceful atmosphere and idyllic nature. What's more, this plague has severely affected the crops of her people, turning all of the land's fruit 'n' veg into strange, rabid monsters. The worst fate was reserved for Kaze's dear friend Hogo, whose spirit has been drained and imprisoned within a mystical artifact, leaving him a literal wisp of his former self.
With seemingly nobody on hand, and with her entire world and community at stake, it is up to Kaze to set things right. It will take all of her skill, dexterity, and courage if she is to battle the killer crops, restore her land, defeat this dark evil, and, most importantly, rescue Hogo. Kaze might have spent her whole life wisely eating her greens, but now her greens are coming to eat her...
This might come as a shock to you: I'm not a fan of the Crash Bandicoot series. I know this doesn't make sense, as I'm British, and we in Blighty love the mad marsupial as much as we love pie-and-mash and rewarding corruption... To be fair - I'm not a fan of Britain either. My general mood toward Crash is rooted in my dislike of "into-the-screen" platform games. There's a special place in the underworld reserved for the people who decided platform games needed to make the transition from the tried-and-tested horizontal layout.
I personally find it bizarre that a genre entirely based around perfectly gauging distance would choose to have its camera perspective changed in such an unholy fashion. And while the 3D Mario titles get away with it - thanks to their softer gameplay pace and large open areas - Crash Bandicoot seemed to want to capture the same frenzied speed and funneled action of a Sonic the Hedgehog, but with all-new depth perception issues, adding elements of frustration and false difficulty to the proceedings.
Still, as technology progresses and visual clarity improves, this has become somewhat less of a problem in modern 3D platformers. It has taken many years, but developer Toys for Bob has turned me around with its excellent Crash Bandicoot 4, which has won me over with its spirited world, infectious personality, creative level design, and fun, wholesome aesthetic.
I've finally found a Crash Bandicoot platform game that I enjoy playing. It's about time.
I'm the world's foremost expert on the Army Men series of games, and while I can see you raising a skeptical eyebrow, I have to ask: do you really want to challenge that claim? The series is something of a guilty pleasure of mine. A majority of it is mediocre, some of it is decent, but a lot of it is bad. The experience is a lot like dumpster diving; every once in a while, you might find a discarded treasure, but you're mostly just going to wind up with tetanus and a foul smell.
It's an interesting part of gaming history because a massive deluge of the titles hit between 1998 and 2002 before it coughed out the disturbingly depressing eulogy that is Army Men: Sarge's War shortly after 3DO went bankrupt. The rights were bought up by Global Star Software, a subsidiary of 2K. They tried rebooting the series twice before just giving up and leaving it to be forgotten.
Army Men: Major Malfunction is the first such effort. Developed by Team 17, it at least has some pedigree, but sometimes pedigree comes with severe medical complications and genetic mutations.
What games have given you a satisfying 'rush' upon completion?
Cblogs of 3/13 to 3/19/2021
-Exber writes about the psychological milestone of actually beating a game.
-Lord Spencer reviews Saiyuki: Journey West as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.
-Damien Quicksilver thinks that Amazon Luna is the irrefutable future of ALL gaming.
-Humantofu looks back at Techland's Dead Island games.
-Gamingnerd writes about the history and prevalence of Gacha games.
-Gamingnerd shares tips on hardware modifications to make legacy systems work better today.
-Black Red Gaming shares his thoughts on Sir Brante's Life, According to Myself and Others.
-Toborprime primes his game, Savage: The Shard of Gosen, with a new update.
-Manasteel88 updates us on their lives and apologizes to Kadokawa Games for an earlier angrier blog.
-ABowlOfCereal designs a moveset for Smash Master Core as a fighter in Super Smash Bros.
-Julc3 looks back at their experience with Dtoid that they had all these years.
-ChronoLynxx opens this week's TGIF open community thread.
