News:: Review: Nioh: Bloodshed's End

It's the end of the road for Nioh. Sure, the live team might come out with a new difficulty in a few months, or minor balance tweaks might come, but for now, Koei Tecmo seems to be done with major content updates.

It had a really good run, especially for an action game -- a genre mostly left untouched after any given launch. It's had a good mix of free updates and paid DLC, culminating in a near year-long run with a "Complete Edition" in a few months.

The last add-on, Bloodshed's End, is a pretty good cap on everything.

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2xKDnZ2

News:: Pinball FX3 now available for download, alongside Universal Classics pack

Zen Studios have proudly announced that their excellent original pinball simulation, Pinball FX, has received its third major engine iteration, and is now available for download.

Pinball FX3 brings improved texture resolution, dynamic lighting and higher quality shadows to the game's previous engine. New modes have been added, including improved multiplayer options, a challenge mode, and all-new online tournaments. Almost all of your previously purchased tables will carry over, save for a few that cannot, due to licensing issues. Click here for a full compatibility list.

Alongside Pinball FX3's debut, comes the Universal Classics Pinball pack, which features original tables based on Steven Spielberg's Jaws, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, and Back to the Future.

Pinball FX3 is available for free download now on PS4, Xbox One and PC. It comes with the Sorcerer's Lair table, with a whole range of individual tables and packs priced from $3-$8 each.

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2hx0jow

News:: Oddworld: Soulstorm has a feel-bad intro all right

Oddworld fan or not, it's wonderful to see Oddworld Inhabitants continue to live in that universe all these years later and, following Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty, flesh it out even further.

The next game in the pipeline is Oddworld: Soulstorm, a remake of Abe's Exoddus with "a deeper, darker, and more sinister story we never got to tell," as creator Lorne Lanning puts it. The visuals will be modernized, and there are said to be new areas and mechanics not found in the original title.

Our latest showing for Soulstorm is actually its title sequence. And what a title sequence it is!

The song choice has proven divisive, but for my part, I think it's effective. The whole scene is disconcerting and having music that doesn't quite seem appropriate only adds to that feeling.

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2wWBCnh

News:: Dissidia Final Fantasy Arcade to reveal yet another character in early October

Square Enix teased a heap of villains for Dissidia Final Fantasy Arcade in a shadowy image recently, and we've yet to see that tease follow through. Our next reveal will be on October 3 at 20:00 JST, which you can watch at the link below, and will likely be either Golbez, Ultimecia, or Cloud of Darkness.

Oh, and in case you care about Theatrhyhtm still (I do!) despite the fact that it's basically dead in the west, the stream will also double as an All-Star Carnival arcade celebration. This one will feature Nobuo Uematsu and the game's director.

Did anyone get a chance to play the Dissidia beta? I really dug it, and got a distinct PS2-era battle royale vibe from the craziness of 3v3 teams going at it.

Square Enix [YouTube via Gematsu]

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2fz31t5

News:: Review: Star Fox 2

The legend of Star Fox 2 has been a popular Nintendo campfire story for over two decades. Set to be released two years after the original Star Fox, it was subsequently canned right before launch, and all of its development resources were moved to the Nintendo 64.

But it never truly died. I still remember playing a ROM of the alpha edition that a friend had picked up, and the trials and tribulations of its development cycle were basically an open book. It seemed like a taste was all we would get until Nintendo announced a limited release on new hardware -- a highly unconventional move that drew the ire of fans after the system sold out online in an instant.

Yes, Star Fox 2 is exclusive to the SNES Classic, and it's worth giving a shot.

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2fQDOr1

News:: Review: Nintendo Super NES Classic Edition

The SNES Mini was inevitable. After the NES model rocked the world, and subsequently sold out everywhere, Nintendo would be stupid to not follow it up. Rumors flowed from retail spaces like GameStop that a follow-up was coming, and lo and behold, it came.

Nintendo didn't need to change much for the generational leap, but it did, slowly but surely tweaking the "Mini" firmware in little ways that overshadow its younger brother.

I just hope they make more than 10 this time.

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2xwrhD0

News:: Futuristic racing game 'Lightfield' lands on PS4 and Xbox One

If you have a hankering for a different kind of racing game, Lightfield might pique your curiosity. You maneuver around by clinging to objects in a stylized, futuristic environment, with light trails streaming behind you. At any given moment, you can leap off the surface, parkour-style to find the fastest possible line to victory. Visually, it sort of looks like Tron meets Miami Vice, with pastel blue, pink and green colors trailing behind ships.

Via: PlayStation EU (YouTube)

Source: Lost in the Garden

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2xx4wyK

News:: SNES Classic Edition review: Worth it for the games alone

The success of last year's NES Classic Edition clearly took Nintendo by surprise. The company was completely incapable of meeting demand, leaving many people unable to buy what became the must-have gift of the holiday season. Now Nintendo has given its SNES the Classic Edition treatment and promises it's going to build way more than it did last year.

Having grown up with the SNES (OK, we had a Sega Genesis and my best friend had SNES), it's easy to assume that everyone knows what it is and why people are so excited that it's back. After dominating the 8-bit era with the NES, Nintendo came late to the party with its sequel. The SNES launched in '90 in Japan, '91 in the US and '92 in the UK. The Genesis had a two-year head start in almost every country, but Nintendo's second-generation home console was worth the wait.

The SNES arrived with Super Mario World and F-Zero, among other titles. The former is regarded as one of the greatest games of all time while the latter had faux-3D graphics with fluidity and speed unseen on a console before. For the next five years or so, some special games graced the system: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart, Metroid, Final Fantasy III, Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, Star Fox. I could go on, but essentially, short of Sonic and a few other Sega exclusives, Nintendo destroyed the competition in terms of quality, with dozens of games that have stood the test of time.

That puts the SNES Classic in different territory than its predecessor, which, nostalgia aside, featured many games that, for obvious reasons, aren't up to modern standards. While I utterly adore Metroid, trying to introduce someone to the original today is tough. But nearly all the games Nintendo has included in its latest console are as enjoyable today as they were when they were first released.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2fygstc

News:: Blizzard is fixing 'Overwatch' bug that bans innocent players

If you find yourself slapped with a season ban on Overwatch even though you did nothing wrong, don't worry -- it's a bug and Blizzard is on it. A rare Overwatch bug has affected around 200 accounts, eating up the skill ratings they earned and banning them from Competitive Play for the entire season despite having no history of leaving matches early or being kicked due to inactivity. According to a post on Reddit, the bug could be triggered by someone leaving right as a competitive match is loading. The screen gets stuck on the "waiting for players" state and any attempt to load a match after that fails.

Source: Blizzard

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2fzj4ai

News:: RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is sliding onto Steam

While I'm over here waiting for my dear beloved Zoo Tycoon to find its way to Steam, here's an interesting one: RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic, a remaster of the first two games, is coming to the platform tomorrow. It was previously available as a rather good mobile title on iOS and Android.

With Classic, you're getting 95 park scenarios, the Wacky Worlds and Time Twister expansions, tools to create your own scenarios and rides, and the ability to import/export parks, scenarios, and rides.

Of course, RollerCoaster Tycoon: Deluxe and its sequel are still on Steam, and the open-source project OpenRCT2 is also doing its thing. They aren't going anywhere. But, now you've got another option.

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic [Steam]

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2k1K2Zx

News:: Shadow of War's controversial charity DLC is now free

It was reported last month that Middle Earth: Shadow of War DLC, created to honour a recently-passed developer, would be available for purchase, with the money going to the deceased's family. Things turned sleazy when it was revealed that this was apparently only applicable within certain U.S territories, with the global saless going straight in the pocket of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

However, a new update on Monolith's official site now confirms that the "Forthog the Orc Slayer" DLC is now a free download for all players. Warner Bros. will instead make a donation directly to the family of Michael Forgey, in lieu of the money that would have been raised through sales of the controversial DLC.

"We now recognize that tying our donation to sales of the DLC was not the best way to achieve our goal of offering financial support to the family and creating a lasting memorial to Michael Forgey," says the Monolith update. "We sincerely apologize to the fans and to the Forgey family for the confusion we created."

The update also states that ALL profits from the DLC, worldwide, would have gone to Forgey's family under the original plan. This is an odd statement to make, considering the small print in the original trailer straight-up implied the opposite of this. The trailer has since been updated, as seen below.

Anyone who has purchased the DLC is entitled to a refund, and further donations can be made direct to the Forgeys here.

Forthog Orc Slayer DLC update [Monolith Studios]

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2xLczYr

News:: The Morning After: Wednesday, September 27th 2017

Hey, good morning!

Welcome to the day of the hump. Amazon is gearing up for a big reveal by, well, removing content from devices and teasing the return of Apple TV sales to its retail site.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2xK81Se

News:: Atlus tried to take down a PS3 emulator advertising 'Persona 5'

Atlus has been infamously protective of Persona 5 even before it came out, and it looks like that hasn't changed a bit. The game developer has submitted a DMCA takedown notice against the creators of the PS3 emulator RPCS3 and their Patreon crowdfunding page. Emulators typically fall within the legal gray area of copyright law -- they don't infringe on anybody's intellectual property, but they can run illegal ROMs that do. However, as Kotaku noted, RPCS3's Patreon included updates about how far they are on getting Persona 5 to run on the emulator.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Atlus

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2fypuq8

News:: Need for Speed Payback has the series' biggest open world yet

The last time I touched on Need for Speed Payback, I said I wasn't sure what to make of the game. It hasn't left a strong impression -- for better or worse. And while we do have more to go on with this overview trailer highlighting the setting, Fortune Valley, my sentiment hasn't really budged.

This may be "the biggest open world Need for Speed has ever seen," but there's no shortage of great open-world racers these days and I feel like Payback is going to lose out and get lost in the shuffle.

We know what the map looks like now, though, if you're curious about such things.

Payback is still on for a November 10 release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2hwzyAu

News:: Super Mario Odyssey runs at 900p when docked, 720p for portable

With Super Mario Odyssey about a month away, it's time to have a talk about the technical side of things. Digital Foundry did just that at a recent preview event by breaking down how the game performs in its various states of play.

Though the 10-minute video meticulously details all the different tech stuffs, the big takeaway is that Super Mario Odyssey runs at 900p (1600x900) when it's docked, and at 720p (1280x720) when it's in portable mode. As Digital Foundry points out, Nintendo seems to target native 720p for Switch games and then it works up from there.

Maybe more important than the resolution is that Odyssey reportedly maintains 60 frames per second across most gameplay scenarios -- both when docked and in portable mode. Early missions with tutorial prompts cause minor drops but Digital Foundry mentions that it's tough to notice. There's also a photo mode that's locked to 30fps, seemingly so it can better render objects in the distance.

There are a few other predictable enhancements when the Switch is docked. There's less aliasing, better shadows -- those sorts of things. But the big takeaway is that Super Mario Odyssey's performance seems to deliver no matter how it's played.

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2wVoxL3

News:: Look at this dumb Xbox Watch Microsoft was tooling around with

Microsoft was reportedly working on a touch screen watch back around the same time Apple was, though only one would go on to con people out of hundreds-to-thousands of dollars for a useless piece of tech that made you look like the world's freshest herb. 

According to SuomiMobiili, these photos are of Microsoft's prototype, which is branded with the Xbox logo and could've interfaced with the Xbox One. Remember when Microsoft's whole deal was "second screen experiences" with its Surface line? It also could've connected to Xbox Fitness, which came out in late 2013 (the same year the watch was rumored to be in development) and shut down three years later, given the supposed heart-rate monitor on the back of the 1.5-inch display. But for whatever reason, the company decided it just wasn't time to release a watch.

Julkaisematon tuote Microsoftin hautausmaalta – tältä olisi näyttänyt ”Xbox Watch” [SuomiMobiili]

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2hwTuzq

News:: Schooled: Why video game's greatest thief is the world's greatest teacher

[Whomever started the whole trend of 'making learning fun' did the world a huge favor - just like Michael Giff has done in writing about everyone's favorite scarlet-clad rogue, Carmen Sandiego. If you make it through this whole blog without getting the legendary theme song from the TV show stuck in your head, you're not human. Join Michael in getting your work promoted to the Front Page by participating in our Bloggers Wanted prompt! There's nothing we love more than getting your work in front of the world, so get to work, gumshoes! - Wes]

How do you inspire kids to learn? Sadly, it seems the consensus would be to stick a kid in a seat for a 90-minute lecture, force said kid to read an additional 60 minutes of material in their free time, and finally complete a 30-minute questionnaire for homework. The poor child will have to do this four to five more times depending on how many classes they're taking. Also, he or she better pray that they excel at this form of learning because they will have to devote twelve years of their life to this monotony. Heaven help you if you fail because the standard solution for under-achievers is to hire a tutor, who will just force you to go through this exact routine over again but longer. Talk about torture! Is there no other way? Thankfully a couple of programmers asked this same question during the early 1980s, and proceeded to combine the latest in graphical user interfaces and a trusty almanac to create not only video games greatest thief, but quite possibly the world's greatest teacher.

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2k3TDPJ

News:: Atlus issues DMCA takedown notice to emulation developer behind Persona 5 on PC

Earlier today Atlus issued a DMCA takedown notice for the emulation development group Nekotekina and their Patreon page for RPCS3, a popular PS3 emulator being used to play Persona 5.

The group in question was responsible for the PC emulation of Persona 5. While Atlus hardly needed to justify defending their own intellectual properties, the company put up a blog post explaining why they felt taking action was necessary.

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2wjtqhJ

News:: Waluigi mod makes Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild worth revisiting

While everyone I know is embroiled in an unfinished, Link-laden The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild run, all the True Gamers that have already finished BotW finally have a reason to return: you can play as Waluigi.

Unless you're playing on Switch. Hefty and DonkXProXAli's GameBanana mod is only possible with the Wii U (or Wii U emulated) version of the game. And while we're getting the bad news out of the way, it's worth noting that Waluigi's beautiful voice has not replaced Link's effete grunts. Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2yq2AFe

News:: Review: Lightfield

Racing games are a hard genre to innovate. While a developer could add interesting ideas, they still have to layer them on top of an already cemented foundation. Races have to work a certain way, laps have to be counted, and there has to be a beginning and end. 

Lightfield does its best to shake up this foundation and promises a game where there are multiple paths to winning each race. It's full of bouncy techno fun, but unfortunately succumbs to the restrictions placed on every racer. 

Read more...

via destructoid http://ift.tt/2xyV8Iu