All of them, actually

I will never say no to a rhythm game spinoff. I am, of course, a loud and unashamed fan of the genre. I'm always down for more rhythm games, but I'm especially fond of titles that recontextualize the music found in other games. I?? think nearly every video game would benefit from a supplemental mechanical examination of its soundtrack.

But obviously, some franchises are more suited to rhythm gaming than others. If I were to make a list of the greatest video game series soundtracks of all time, it would probably include Metroid and Halo, but those scores aren't exactly full of toe-tappers. So while I would play a rhythm game based on absolutely any soundtrack, I'd like to outline the franchises I think truly deserve the Theatrhythm treatment.

[em??bed]//www.youtube.com/w??atch?v=T0IxUMu036k[/embed]

10. Shovel Knight

Jake Kaufman is a very prolific and accomplished composer. The Shantae series could easily have made this list, but limiting myself to one Kaufman-heavy franchise, I have to give it to Shovel Knight. These games, from Shovel of Hope to Shovel Knight Dig, emulate the strict and structured chiptunes of the NES era but with more conte??mporary musical stylings. These are perfect rhythm game soundt??racks because they're stable and rhythmically readable, even to the layman.

Plus, Shovel of Hope has a couple of tracks by Manami Matsumae, and I felt really bad about leaving Mega Man off this list.

[embed]//www.youtube??.com/watch?v=UND5wgnIino[/embed]

9. Assassin's Creed

I don't play Assassin's Creed very often. It's just not my cup of tea. But I do listen to Assassin's Creed pretty regularly. A rotating cast of phenomenal composers has brought an awful lot of wonderful tracks to life. A lot of score pieces from the series' history are so driven and thumping that I can practically see the beatma??p in front of me.

I'm particularly fond of the Assassin's Creed Odyssey soundtrack, and I've found myself finger-drumming to the beat of "Legend of the Eagle Bearer" more than a few times. At the very least, we deserve a shanty-filled Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag rhythm spinoff.

[embed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH??-GAwLAO30[/embed]

8. Undertale

Across Undertale and the first two episodes of Deltarune, series creator/composer Toby Fox has established a coherent and delightful sound to accompany his series' world. Like Kaufman, ?Fox plays in the realm of chiptunes, and his are especially earworm-ish.

Some of Undertale's bullet hell moments already feel like a carefully orchestrated dance set to one of the game's wonderful battle themes. Concretizing that comparison with a full-throated Undertale rhythm game would be pretty great. As an aside, you can get a pretty Undertale-ish rhythm game experience out of 2021's Everhood.

[e?mbed]//w?ww.youtube.com/watch?v=DTLfV7Ru5VY[/embed]

7. Donkey Kong Country

We've gotten pretty close to a Donkey Kong Country rhythm game in the past - there were no fewer than three Donkey Konga games, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat almost counts - but there's never been a rhythm game solely focused on music from the actual DKC series.

Across the first three DKC games, David Wise, Eveline Fischer, and Robin Beanland redefined what Donkey Kong sounded like. Just about every track from the series is groovy and pleasant. To me, the beautiful soundtracks are the number one reason to return to Donkey Kong Country. A game dedi?cated to those ??soundtracks would be a dream.

[embed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v??=ikQHkhL8YMM[/embed]

6. Guilty Gear

The precise inputs fighting games demand make them feel like natural siblings to rhythm games, but Guilty Gear feels particularly suited to travel between genres. Music has always been central to the franchise—series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari has composed music for nearly every franchise entry, and as of Guilty Gear Strive, ??every character has an independent absolute banger for a theme.

Guilty Gear is indebted to music on nearly every level. Characters like Axl Low take blatant inspiration from real-life rockstars, and there are probably more fans of the Guilty Gear soun??dtrack than there are fans of the actual series. A rhythm-based spino??ff is an all-too-obvious pitch.

[??embed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v=??nO3Ap0xOcAE[/embed]

5. Chrono

The Chrono duology will get a bit of rhythm representation in the form of DLC for Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, but honestly, I'm not sure that that's enough. Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross co?llectively play host to some of the greatest JRPG music around. Yasunori Mitsuda is an incredible composer and his work alongside the legendary Nobuo Uematsu elevates the first gam?e to incredible heights (the second one is pretty wonderful, too).

The presence of these soundtracks in Theatrhythm proves that they translate into a gamified context, so I think it would be nice to see them in their own game entirely. If you'll permit me to dream for a moment, I'd love a rhythm game incorporating some of Chrono Trigger's classic dual and triple techs.

[embed]//www.youtube.c??om/watch?v=e9r5hx47kxM?[/embed]

4. Super Mario

I honestly can't believe this doesn't exist. If you ask a random person to hum a tune from a video game, good money says they'll go for the main theme from Super Mario Bros. There's no denying that the Super Mario series plays host to some truly iconic music.

After The Legend of Zelda got its own Crypt of the Necrodancer-themed rhythm spinoff, I figured Mario, king of the side-game, would follow close behind. But somehow, the series' soundtrack is still limited to cameo appearances in different rhythm games. I do want a Mario rhyt??hm game, but more than that, I'??m just shocked that there isn't one yet.

[embed]//www.you??tube.com/watch?v=N8OHSXvneOE[/embed]

3. Celeste

I dig the soundtrack from the original PICO-8 version of Celeste, but the series' sonic identity really came into view when composer Lena Raine joined the team for the 2018 remake. Raine's music makes Celeste feel like a sincere musical adventure, and that feeling is only enhanced by the game's "B-Sides"â€??”tougher takes on individual levels featuring brilliantly remixed takes on the original soundtrack.

Raine returned to score Celeste's DLC, Farewell, and she also wrote a couple of smaller tracks for the game's miniature PICO-8 sequel, Celeste 2: Lani's Trek. All of this music is phenomenal, and all of it would be as well-suited to a rhythm game as it is to a series of pre??cision platf?ormers.

[embed]//www.y?outube.com/watch?v=55uDJ39W4i0[/e??mbed]

2. Sonic the Hedgehog

I'm not ??even ?gonna write anything for this one. Just listen to it.

[embed]//www.youtube.c????om/watch?v=9XV7TeThdVA[/embed]

1. Nier

Like the Chrono games, the Nier series will be featured in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, but it deserves an awful lot more. Composer Keiichi Okabe's work is responsible for at least a solid 40% of my personal fondness for Nier, and I don't think it's a stretch to call it some of the best video game music ever. Okabe's work is often melancholy and complex, but it's also frequently catchy an?d light.

The music of Nier is truly brilliant. I'd love to see it paired with a set of mechanics specifically built aroun??d it. The only issue I can see with this plan is that I would probably never play anything else again.

The post 1?0 video game franchises that deserve rhythm games appeared first on Destructoid.

A quiet banger

Hi-Fi Rush has a lot going for it. The latest title from The Evil Within developer Tango Gameworks is an action-rhythm game that blends the two genres expertly. It was practically made in a lab for me, as someone who's very enthusiastic about both rhythm games and Tango Gameworks' transition into action game design. I love its plucky hero, Chai, and his companions (I have a special fondness for 808, the robot cat that turns into the flying ball thing from Mobile Suit Gundam). ??I'm a huge fan of the game's flashy comic book art and its early-00s soundtrack.

But you know what I love more than Hi-Fi Rush's electrifying gameplay? Its humble release. Just hours after the game was announced, it quietly dropped on PC and Xbox consoles via Game Pass. I have long held that certain games would fare better with no hype cycle whatsoever, and Hi-Fi Rush has left me with an addendum to that belief: certain games would fare better with no hype cycle and with a Game Pass release.

[caption id="attachment_360001" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Well, duh

I know I'm not breaking any new ground by saying "it's good when games are on Game Pass." Obviously, it would be great if every game was released on Game Pass, so nobody would ever have to buy a video game again. But Hi-Fi Rush's surprise release is almost the ideal?? Game Pass situation.

Hi-Fi Rush would not be served by a traditional marketing campaign. Its action-rhythm gameplay doesn't translate very well into a video - just looking at the game makes it seem like a bubble gum take on Devil May Cry, and while that's not strictly incorrect, it's also a little misleading. The game leans much harder on its rhythm aspects than some would expect from a trailer. I suspect that a months-long marketing push would leave a lot of players anticipating a very different game, and, ultimately, the exciting launch that Hi-Fi Rush is currently experiencing would have looked much le??ss positive.

[caption id="attachment_360007" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Just give it a try

The nice thing about Game Pass is that there are no stakes. You can flip a game on, decide whether or not it's for you, and flip it off without losing anything but a few minutes (or hours, if you're feeling generous). As someone who adored Tango Gameworks' last game, Ghostwire: Tokyo, I always would have been willing to drop 30 bucks on Hi-Fi Rush. I want Tango Gameworks to take more genre swings, and I want them to keep getting wider. But not everybody wants that! Or, at least, not everybody thinks they want that. Ghostwire: Tokyo left a lot of people cold, and I ?think that's because the stakes were too high at launch.

[caption id="attachment_356095" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bethesda Softworks[/caption]

Ghostwire: Tokyo was hyped up as the triumphant return of the developers of The Evil Within. That is not what that game is. It's a first-person shooter with snazzy action and a spooky setting. It also launched at 60 dollars after an expensive marketing campaign, and if you bought the new Evil Within game only to find out that you actually bought the new Doctor Strange game, well, too bad.

Now, if you simply downloaded a random new Tango Gameworks game as a part of a paid subscription, then maybe you'd feel a little warmer towards the Doctor Strange game you accidentally got saddled with. Take advertising out of the equation, don't ask for a massive upfront chunk of change, and I suspect a lot more players would feel a greater fondness towards Ghostwire: Tokyo. More importantly, the people who didn'?t?? like it wouldn't feel slighted by its existence.

It's happened before

In fact, this exact situation happened with 2022's Scorn. That game looks a lot like a grimy action-horror title, but it's more of a slow, moody puzzle-fest. Scorn's developers warned people that it would be an atmospheric adventure game, but it didn't matter. The? game seems like one thing in a trailer, and another thing in your hands. The best w?ay to really understand a game like that is to play it.

[caption id="attachment_359998" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Kepler Interactive[/caption]

I know a lot of people who bought into the hype for the game ahead of launch and did not like it. Folks who paid full price got it the worst, but even if they played it on Game Pass, they wanted one thing and got another. On the other hand, the people I know who had never heard of Scorn but stumbled upon it on Game Pass walked away with much? more generous feeling?s. If you don't know what you're getting into, then it's a lot easier to be won over by whatever you get. Hype is fun, but if you buy into it too hard, you can easily end up with a sense of disappointment and a lighter wallet.

My Game Pass subscription is an on-and-off affair, but every time my sub is active, I ?end up stumbling across a wealth of games I might have otherwise missed out on. I don't like all of those games, but that's fine. The stakes are lowered to the ground, and if I'm not enjoying a game, I can simply turn it off.

[caption id="attachment_359999" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Xbox Game Studios[/caption]

I think there are a lot of high-profile games that would benefit from the "simply turn it off" mentality. Without the heightened expectations that come with months of PR buzz and a full price tag, it's easier to appreciate what a game has to offer, and not just what it has to promise. I wish that there were options like this available for a weird, ambitious, excellent game like Sunset Overdrive, which never found much of an audience at laun?ch. I don't think this kind of release is right for every game, but for certain ?titles, it could be an absolute boon.

I have no idea if this model is actually financially sustainable (I have my doubts about any subscription service after the demise of MoviePass), but it does seem like it provides players with a much healthier way to look at certain games. Also, by the way, you should totally play Hi-Fi Rush. It whips so hard.

The post Hi-Fi Rush represents Game Pass’ secret strength appeared first on Destructoid.

You may hate me, but it ain't no lie

My husband may have bought 2003’s American Idol on GBA (for some reason), but I was the one who conquered it in the course of one car trip. I'm not too fond of American Idol. I don’t really enjoy reality television in general, but I find American Idol depressing. It depicts a mindset where a career is not built through hard work, practic??e, and a drive to improve, but rather it’s something to be won in front of an audience. It views music as merely a product rather than art, regardless of your definition of art.

I don’t have to watch it, though. I only have to listen? to the music when I’m shopping. The only thing that is forcing me to play the game is morbid curiosity, of which I have an abundance?.

Have you ever wanted to be judged by your Game Boy Advance? Have I got the game for you! There was also a PS2 version, which is the same but different. How is it the same? You put your dignity on the line to try and win a record contract. How is it different? The PS2 version of American Idol has you play a rhy??????????????????????????thm game with the directional buttons, whereas the GBA gives you only the A and B buttons.

Also, the GBA version is uglier, but to the developer’s credit, they used 3D polygons for characters. That doesn’t earn it an award or anything, but it’s sometimes neat to see. The PS2 version also probably sounds better, considering it’s on a DVD and not a fun-sized Kit-Kat. I guess what I’m saying is that it’s kind of impressive fro?m a technical standpoint if we’re being charitable.

Here’s an admission: I like button-based rhythm games. It might be because it’s reassurance that the most basic gaming ability any of us have �the ability to press the right button at the right time �is still functioning optimally. The way that American Idol boils it down to just two buttons is something that you’d typically expect to see as a mini-game in a larger t?rial, but here is the whole c?oncept.

Before you get there, you create a character with your choice of horribly outdated clothing. Was this what we wore in the early aughts? Some of these look like they belong in the �0s. Weirdly, this is actually one of the criteria American Idol judges you on. It didn’t like my fancy cocktail dress, but when I went to the effort to put together the ugliest possible combination, it bumped my rating up. It’s not clear why you should care about what American Idol thinks of your outfit, but it rates you anyway to make you feel inad??equate.

Then get ready to press buttons to golden oldies by Brittany Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Or is it NSync? I really can’t tell the difference since I was listen?ing to We??ird Al at the turn of the millennium. In any case, the playlist will either be awful or nostalgic.

In each tier of the competition, you select what song your character sings from a list of two or three. This makes sure you suffer through a variety of renditio??ns and also means that if you play the game more tha?n twice, you suffer repeatedly.

The gameplay is as basic as it sounds. Your cursor goes around a circle and whenever it goes over an A or B, you press the corresponding button. Behind your rhythm circle, your pixellated origami avatar gyrates. I’m not going to suggest that the papercraft monstrosity moves in time to the music ??because, while I’m hardly a dancer, I’m fairly confident that it? doesn’t.

You’re then rated on how well you pushed buttons. Depictions of (hold on, I need to look this up) Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell then give you vague comments about your perfor?mance. These are pretty token sound samples, but I guess you ne??ed the judges in there somewhere.

It’s not all bad. While the song choices aren’t really my style and the backing music sounds like demo tracks on a cheap keyboard, the singer’s voice gets pitc?h-shifted when you screw up. Not realistically, either, where they might get too high or too low, but rather it starts warbling. It’s riotously funny every time it happens because the track will be going fine, then suddenly? your character’s face starts peeling to reveal the lizard living beneath. It nearly made me giggle every time it happened, causing me to lose focus and my singer’s voice to deteriorate further.

You unlock more crappy wardrobe items as you proceed through?? the game. On the previously mentioned car trip, I was able to unlock them all, so it hardly extended the playtime. How far do you expect it to go? I’ve seen more depth in a hacking mini-game.

I’ll admit that American Idol is not a terrible GBA game, but it’s mo?stly because it tries so little that it would be hard to screw up. It definitely l?acks the pomp of the show; there’s no crowd or much visual indication that you’re not just locked in a room with three judges.

Actually, now that I have run through the details, I realize that American Idol is a terrible game. I’m perfectly okay pressing buttons; it just loses some of its appe??al when it warbles Livin�La Vida Loca at me.

For previous Weekly Kusoge, check this link!

The post Ame??rican Idol on GBA condenses? talent down to two buttons appeared first on Destructoid.

No, this is not a joke

I couldn't believe it when I heard the news, but it's true: the beloved pink sphere of a video game character, Kirby, has been nominated for an award at the 64th annual Grammy Awards. Okay, so maybe it wasn't him specifically, but rather Charlie Rosen and Jake Silverman, members of a jazz orchestra known as The 8-Bit Big Band.

Rosen and Silverman's nomination is due to their work on arranging a big band-style update of the track "Meta Knight's Revenge," which was originally part of the 1996 SNES classic Kirby Super Star.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIP3HdFl-JM

The 8-Bit Big Band is based in New York City, and can have 30-65 members playing on any given track, depending on what it requires. The group released their first album, Press Start!, in 2018, which featured music from well-known franchises like Super Mario, Zelda, Ganbare Goemon, F-Zero, and Final Fantasy. They have since released two more albu?ms, with "M??eta Knight's Revenge" being featured on the third.

In a post to their official Twi??tter account yesterday, they thanked their fans for the support, because they "couldn't have done it with [them]."

//twitter.com/t?he8bitbigband/status/14632038?24945016837

Personally, I'm thrilled to see this nomination come to fruition. I love big band music, plus it's always great to see some smaller creators get some well-deserved recognition. On top of that, I think video game composers are some of the most talented artists working in the industry �they have to face the more traditional challenges that come along with composing, like crea?ting memorable themes and bolstering the story's specific atmosphere and t?one at any given time, as well as face the challenges specific to the medium, like writing music that can loop or fade off without a hitch.

Rosen and Silverman's arrangement is getting their felicitous praise, but I imagine it's also affirming for Kirby Super Star's composer Jun Ishikawa. I just think video g??ame music rocks, and it's cool to see it acknowledged on such a large scale.

The post Kirby is up for a Grammy Award appeared first on Destructoid.

BABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABY...

If there's one aspect of the Persona series that truly epitomizes the franchise's slick and stylish aesthetic, it's the smooooth sounds. Every Persona title has been blessed with ?a magnetic and electrifying score, usually consisting of pulse-pounding beats, smooth jazz tones, and completely and utterly baffling lyrics.

From today, Persona fans can soundtrack their own lives with the same tunes that scored the adventures of The Phantom Thieves, The Investigation Team, and the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. As noted by AniPlaylist, music streaming service ??Spotify h?as just added a slew of OSTs from the globally-popular RPG franchise.

Spotify now hosts a playlist of 14 Persona albums, compiling a whopping 746 tracks taken from 1999's Persona 2: Innocent Sin, right through to 2016's Persona 5. Also accounted for are fighting game Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Nintendo 3DS spin-offs Persona Q: Shadow of Labyrinth and Persona Q 2: New Cinema Labyrinth, as well as a live recording of the "??Night of the Phantom" concert – which took place at Japan's Budokan Hall back in 2015.

Currently, the OSTs for Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers have not been made available for purchase, and as such are not included here. Still, there's more than enough awesome mu?sic to keep you going as you steal hearts, battle demons, and solve murders in the real world. Just don't go diving into any TV sets.

The available soundtracks are as follows:

• Persona 2 Sound Collection Vol. 6

• Persona 3 FES Original Soundtrack

• Persona 3 Original Soundtrack

• Persona 4: Dancing All Night Original Soundtrack

• Persona 4: Dancing All Night Soundtrack Advanced CD

• Persona 4 Golden Original Soundtrack

• Persona 4 Original Soundtrack

• Never More - Reincarnation: Persona 4 -

• Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold Original Soundtrack

• Persona 5 Original Soundtrack

• Persona Music Fes 2013 ~in Nippon Budokan

• Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Original Soundtrack

• Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Original Soundtrack

• Persona Super Live 2015 in Nippon Budokan – Night of the Phantom -

The post A bevy of brilliant Persona soundtracks are now streaming on Spot??ify appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: New Year

-Shoggoth2588 reveals January's Band of Bloggers prompt which focuses on Memorable Party Members.

-Kerrik52 summarizes his experiences this?? year, both in real life, and his Traveler in Playtime reviews series (Which are consistently good and interesting).

-Lord Spencer reviews Dragon Valor as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.

-Taterchimp goes over all the games he played in 2020.

-BRAV0 F1VE discusse??s the best games they played in 2020 that were not released in that year. (YAY I CAN USE "THAT YEAR" WHEN MENTIONING 2020)

-TheLimoMaker reviews Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in dive through his backlog.

-Rabid Walrus thinks that Going Under might just be his favorite game of the year.

-Exber shares his list of Retro GOTY awards in 2020.

-Black Red Gaming shares his list of top 10 games in 2020.

-BRAV0 F1VE shares his list of top 10 games in 2020.

-Gaming Sheepy starts her 2020 gaming awards with the Razzies.

-My Enormous Hairy Downstairs Kitchen discusses the core mechanics of Survival-Horr??or ?in this blog.

-LaTerry responds to December's Band of Bloggers prompt by focusing on the difficulty of completing Crash 4.

-Nior responds to December's Band of Bloggers prompt by detailing his experiences in finishing Necrobarista.

-HoneyCrisp quickly scores all the games he played in 2020.

-Julc3 thinks that the Xb??ox Series S is the quiet underdog of the new generation.

-Avoclefo discusses ?the top 10 indie games he played in 2?020.

-Riley1sSpook studies Kuvira, who may be The Legend of Korra's best villain.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VI and classical music.

-Sapato64 hopes to start a "??Virtual Game Collection" program, so check it out if you are interested.

-BRAV0 F1VE details the 20 music tracks that defined game???s in 2020.

-ChronoLynxx is back with the new year's TGIF op?en comm?unity forum thread.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our community members for all of their Cblogs over the course of 2020. It makes us all very happy to know that you are all still choosing Destructoid with which to share your ?thoughts on all matters gaming with us. "e hope you will continue to do so in 2021. If you want to be included in next week's recap, then head over to our Community Blogs and share the good word!

The post Cblogs of 12/26 to 1/2/2021: Nec?robarista, Dragon Valor, and reader Top 10s appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 52

-Lord Spencer writes a report on the top 80-71 games in Retro Sanctuary's Top 100 PS1 games as part of ??his PS1 REVI??EWS blogging series.

-Spinnerweb remembers the forgotten GameCube game, P.N. 03.

-Gamingnerd writes about the history of selectin?g difficulty in games.

-Siddartha85 discusses some major video game ?media moments in 2020.

-Amburger reviews Dragon Quest XI S on the Nintendo Switch.

-Black Red Gaming reviews Super Mario 64 as part of Mario's All-Star package.

-Shoggoth2588 responds to this month's Band of Bloggers prompt regarding finishing games by focusing on his completion of Persona 4 Golden.

-Exber discusses his top nine video games of the decade.

-Lord Spencer reviews Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare as part of his PS1 REVIEWS series.

-Virtua Kazuma discusses the top 10 difficult moves to pull off in the Virtua Fighter series.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the opera music in Final Fantasy VI and other opera music.

-Spinnerweb thinks it is about t??ime we start romanticiz??ing the 2000s and goes down memory lane to do just that.

-Siddartha85 disc??usses some major music-related media moments in 2020.

-Beatlemaniaxx reflects on his addiction to collectibles during his time with Assassin's Creed II.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the music of Super Mario Bros. and several jazz tunes.

-Siddartha85 discusses s??ome major fantasy book series media moments.

-ChronoLynxx is back for another TGIF open community discussion foru?m.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer ??for the Cblog Recap and to our community members for their thoughts and feelings on a variety of topics this festive season. If you want to see your own thoughts included in next week's recap, head over to our Community Blogs and spill tho??se words!

The post Cblogs of 12/19 to 12/25/2020:?? Alon?e in the Dark, Virtua Fighter, and difficulty choices appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 51

-Lord Spencer wonders where The Hell is Breath of Fire? in this series retrospective for a very good RPG franchi??se that has been mis?sing for years.

-Gamingnerd shares their thoughts regarding this year's The Game Awards show.

-Humantofu revisits Crytek's early current-gen releases.

-TheCooperators looks at the new Worms Rumble.

-Yuknuts reasonably thinks that CDPR should try and follow the No Man's Sky model of recovering from nightmare launches.

-MajinRotty unveils Gamespot's newest AI review system tha?t is guaranteed to always agree with y??ou.

-Chimpomagee responds to this month's Band of Bloggers prompt by taking down The Last of Us Part II a peg from being gaming's "Schindler's List".

-Shoggoth2588 concludes his decade in review blogging series by highlighting his top game??s of the decade.

-CoruptAI125 reviews Gears 5: Hivebusters.

-Virtua Kazuma shares the history of making the Virtua Fighter Takeover.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Final Fantasy IX and Celtic music.

-Osc updates us on the progress of his ho??bbyist game in the months of October and November.

-Whispering Willow is "The Gamers" and here is a di?rect plea to CDPR?? to fix its shit.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Yoshi's Island and pop music.

-Queen of Philosophy is back with? another TGIF open community thread for you to enjoy.

-Gamingnerd wonders what "Game??rs" represent f?or large corporations and is sad about it.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our commun??ity members for their thoughts and feelings on a variety of topics. If you want to see your own opinions included in next week's recap, head over to our Community Blogs and get chattin'

The post Cblogs of 12/12 to 12/18/2020: Cyberpunk 2077, Breath of Fire, and The Game A?wards appeared first on Destructoid.

Zen gaming with Baiyon

It delights me to see Q-Games add more entries to the PixelJunk series, especially a sequel to Eden.

It's arguably not the best of the bunch, but Eden – a minimalistic platformer about catching plumes of pollen to reinvigorate garden landscapes – has long been a favori??te of mine. It's a hypnotic experience.

Whether you missed PixelJunk Eden on PS3 and Steam or you simply miss it, period, this is such a great way to close o??ut the chaotic year. Turn on your Switch, pump up the volume, and melt into your chair.

PixelJunk Eden 2 (Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Q-Games
Publisher: Q-Games
Released: December 10, 2020
MSRP: $14.99

PixelJunk Eden 2 is a simple but effective game, one I see myself coming back to again and again. Play??ing alone or with a local co-op partner, you'll hop and swing around abstract levels infused with the audio-visual essence of Baiyon. The techno music and visualizer-like backgrounds put a spell on me.

While some of the finer details are different for the sequel, in general, this is largely the same soothing experience as the original game. In each garden ?level – all of which have their own aesthetic and song – your goal is to collide with floating Pollen Prowlers to pop them open, catch the sinking remnants to grow nearby seeds, and use towering plants as platf??orms to ultimately reach a Spectra collectible.

Missile-firing and gravity-shifting foes appear in some situations, but largely speaking, PixelJunk Eden 2 doesn't push back all that much. You don't "die." There is a time limit in the main story mode (which you'll refill by flinging yours??elf into physical checkpoints), but it's rarely an issue if you aren't going for 100% seed completion, and there's a timer-less mode that's intended ??for more meticulous play.

I primarily played Eden 2 in co-op, and I think that's the way to go if you can manage it (although playing solo does have its meditative merits). With two players, you'll collect pollen quicker, and it's a little easier to pull off risky maneuvers and leaps of faith. If someone falls too far off-scre??en, they'll reset at the other player's safe location. If both playe??rs plummet, there's just a short respawn to sit through.

PixelJunk Eden 2 feels subtlety snappier, faster, and more alive than Eden 1, but t?he sequel's biggest change is the way? levels are doled out and how the Grimp protagonists vary from one to the next.

Each Gr?imp comes with its o??wn set of levels and its own particular gameplay-affecting ability or trait, which you can further alter with one-time-use Spice items. The basic flow goes a little something like this: hop into a garden, explore to find the far-off Spectra, and rinse and repeat until you've cleared them all. Some Grimps come with a couple of levels, while others have a set of several to complete.

A??side from grabbing pollen to grow plants and reach new hei?ghts, you'll also want to collect crystals to unlock Spices. They're just temporary optional items (you can bring up to three of them into an individual level attempt), but they're useful. They have benefits like extending the length or duration of your swing-inducing silk string, diminishing the effects of gravity, or adding more time on the clock. My go-to Spices helped me find the Spectra more easily and expanded my pollen-collecting range.

When you finish a set of levels, you'll get?? another Grimp to play as but not necessarily a "brand new" area – just a different batch of levels. (There are 10 total gardens.) As such, you can expect to see a lot of repeating stages, albeit with several alternate Spectra locations to mix things up a bit. I wasn't thrilled with this format – it started to feel repetitive toward the end – but it mostly works.

There are 20-plus characters to unlock in the main mode, and they all have a gameplay-modifying twist (some good, some decidedly less good) to help them stand out. One of the Grimps has unlimited jumps, but makes it so Pollen Prowl?ers are less plentiful. Another Grimp is heavy enough to "bend tall plants by swinging or landing." One of my favorites can only equip one Spice perk but won't "consume" the item.

This isn't a short game, and for some – particularly players who try to power through it in the span of a few evenings – it might outstay its welcome, but I didn't quite reach that point. Part of that is on the Switch itself (handheld play is perfect for Eden 2), part o??f that is on the relaxing gameplay style, and part of that is on Baiyon's talent as a game director, composer, and visual a??rtist. He's a triple threat.

I spent close to a dozen hours with the main progression path in PixelJunk Eden 2, and I've hardly dug into the unlimited-time "choose your garden and Grimp" free-play mode. Whenever I feel the gotta-catch-'em-all collectathon itch, I'll b??e sure to head there first since that mode has i??ts own achievements. You can't tell me the total number of seeds in each level and not expect me to hunt them down.

PixelJunk Eden 2 is one of 2020's few pleasant surprises, and I'm so tha??nkful it exists.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: PixelJunk Eden 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 50

-Lord Spencer reviews Breath of Fire IV as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.

-Kerrik 52 reviews Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal as part of his Traveller? in Playt??ime blogging series.

-Gamingnerd discusses icy mechanics in video games.

-Black Red Gaming reviews El Hijo - A Wild West Tale on the PC.

-Rabid Walrus writes a guide to wor?king around the Joy-Con drift on the Nintendo Swi?tch.

-Manasteel88 who wants to make a visual novel, wr?ites this blog about? what inspiration can be got from some other famous VNs.

-Virtua Kazuma writes about the connection between the Yakuza and Virtua Fighter franchises.

-Nior in another blog exploring the gaming culture in Brazil, talks about how Outlive was more than just a StarCraft clone.

-NinjaSpeed looks at next year's major v?ideo game anniv??ersaries.

-Black Red Gaming is done with The Game Awards, not because of its choice of winners, but ??because of its a?ttitude towards advertisments and marketing.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VIII and Jazz music.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Yoshi's Island and Country music.

-The Queen of Philosophy opens this week's TGIF open community forum.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to ??our community members for their thoughts and feelings on a variety of?? topics. If you want to see your own opinions included in next week's recap, head over to our Community Blogs and get chattin'

The post Cblogs of 12/5 to 12/11/2020: Breath of Fire IV, Ratchet & Clank, and The Game Awards appeared first on Destructoid.

One Last Surprise

Geoff Keighley, producer and host of The Game Awards 2020 continues to reveal names for the online event's star-studded roster. Having already revealed the socially-distanced attendance of faces such as Tom Holland, Gal Gadot, Brie Larson, Josef Fares, Keanu Reeves, Pearl Jam, and even film director Christopher Nolan, Keighley has also announced that the pre-show will also feature the musical talents of Persona 5 vocalist Lyn.

Lyn Inaizumi (known by her stage name of simply "Lyn") is no stranger to the Persona faithful, having heard the Japanese jazz singer perform vocals for the Persona 5, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, and Persona 5 Strikers soundtracks. No details have been released regarding her TGA 2020 set, but I wouldn't be surprised if we hear Persona 5 Strikers' theme song "You Are Stronger", given that Atlus recently confirmed the release date for the musou-like spin-off.

While the ongoing COVID-19 p??andemic will render this year's TGA a more low-key affair than usual, kudos to Keighley for promoting such a star-studded lineup of talent from across the spectrum of media. The "A-lister" vibe is no doubt helping to give the awards ceremony an Oscars-style buzz throughout the wider media industry.

The Game Awards 2020 pre-show?? will air tomorrow, December 10, at 15:30 PT / 18:30 ET / 00:30 BS?T and will be followed by the main show at the top of the hour.

#TheGameAwards is heading to Tokyo on Thursday for a special world premiere PERSONA musical performance featuring @Lyn_Inaizumi during the pre-show!

Don't miss it at //t.co/JhGKOCSGza at 6:30 pm ET / 3:30 pm PT. pic.twitter.com/hCN3QKepY2

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 8, 2020

The post Pers?ona 5 vocalist Lyn Inaizumi?? to perform at The Game Awards pre-show appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 49

-LaTerry reveals December's Band of Bloggers prompt, which focuses on games you have Unfinished Business with.

-Nior mourns th??e end of Flash Player by focusing on some ??of the best games designed with that limited program.

-JagGentlemann analyzes the history of ??the Musou games through its spin-offs.

-Kerrik52 reviews Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters as part of his Traveler in Playtime review blogs.

-Black Red Gaming reviews Chronos: Before the Ashes on PCs.

-Riley1sSpook thinks?? the ?publisher ignore function in Steam is a joke.

-Chimpomagee wonders about how video games can convey the past in the language of its o??wn medium.

-OmegaNate shares his thoughts on SkyRoad, a 1993 platform runner that eventually became f?reeware and is an interesting piece of history.

-Humantofu revisits Far Cry 2, which is actually a popular bloggin?g topic here.

-Black Red Gaming sha??res a list of his most anticipated games to be released in December 2020.

-Shoggoth2588 shares his gaming journal of November 2020.

-CorruptAI125 reviews Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

-Virtua Kazama sheds a light on Virtua Fighter x eSports.

-Gamingnerd? shares their thoughts regard?ing the Idle/Clicker genre.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VI and mostly early 20th-century pop music.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Yoshi's Island and country music.

-Smesty shares his thoughts about how the ??end of the world as we know it rekindled their love for video games.

-Queen of Philosophy opens last week's TGIF community thread.

-RiffRaff shares their Top 5 music albums of 2020.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our community members for their thoughts and feelings on a variety of topics. If you want to see your own opinions included in next week's recap, he??ad over to our Community Blogs and get chattin'

The post Cblogs of 11/28 to 12/4/2020: Kingdom ?Hearts, Virtua Fighter, an?d waving goodbye to Flash appeared first on Destructoid.

Available digitally, on vinyl, and streaming for free

Supergiant Games revisited 10 of its songs from Hades, Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre for a special 10th anniversary orchestral album recorded at Abbey Road? Studios with a guiding hand from Aus??tin Wintory.

In a behi??nd-the-scenes video, Wintory said the collaboration with Supergiant was "such a privilege."

"These songs are like opera. The?y'?re so dramatic, and tell such incredible stories. I love that. They don't just lay down a bunch of random words, but they actually really tell you something meaningful."

You can buy a digital copy of The Songs of Supergiant Games: 10th Anniversary Orchestral Collection directly from the studio for $10, and there are pre-orders for $35 and $50 vinyl sets shipping in Q1 2021 if that's more your style. Graciously, the entire album was also officially upload??ed to YouTube.

Here's the track list and timestamps:

• We All Become (00:00)
• Never to Return (03:54)
• In Circles (07:41)
• Lament of Orpheus (11:07)
• The Spine (14:56)
• Vagrant Song (18:28)
• She Shines (21:55)
• In the Flame (26:30)
• Paper Boats (29:46)
• Remember the Bastion (34:04)

"The orchestral arrangements themselves sort of revealed stuff to me about some of the drama of those pieces, which is heightened by those arrangements," said long-time Supergiant Games co??mposer and audio director Darren Korb. "When I recorded these tunes originally, I recorded them in my closet or a little tiny vocal booth at our office in San Francisco, and it is pretty nuts that now we are recording? them again in Abbey Road Studio Two where the Beatles did their thing."

It's been a tremendous year for Supergiant, and this ?is a great way to end it.

The post Supergiant recorded a 10th anniversary orchestral album that takes us?? all the way back to Bastion appeared first on Destructoid.

Where words fail, music speaks

Last week, indie outfit Rayark announced that its ethereal rhythm-action remake Deemo Reborn would be coming to mobile platforms on December 17. Well, it seems that Nintendo Switch fans will also have the chance to get in on the melodious mystery, as a S?witch has just been confirmed for the same date.

As a quick refresher, Deemo Reborn is a re-imagined edition of the 2013 PS Vita and mobile title Deemo. It tells a serene tale of a young girl who is thrust into a sublime-but-haunting universe, and must find her way back to her own reality, guided by the soft lilt of piano music and the strange sprite, Deemo. Players guide th??e protagonist through the environment, solving riddles and puzzles while masteri??ng a score of over 60 classical tunes.

Deemo Reborn launches December 17 on Nintendo Switch, alongside iOS and And?roid platforms. It is available right now on PS4 and PC.

The post Deemo Rebor??n will also arrive on Nintendo Switch December 17 appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 48

-Kerrik52 writes about w?hen he first learned to like M-rated games.

-Julc3 thinks that the pr??oliferation of scalpers means that Sony and Microsoft failed to kick-off the new generation.

-Shoggoth2588 responds to this month's Band of Bloggers prompt regarding emergent gameplay with a focus on Dark Souls II.

-TheLimoMaker reviews Prey (2017) through a dive into his Backlog.

-Snukastyle looks back at the history of the Final Fantasy series.

-Nior continues his Legacy of Kain retrospective with this blog on Soul Reaver 2.

-Rabid Walrus writes about how the job system in Final Fantasy taught him about finding a job in real life.

-EnigmaticRanger discusses how frustration can be us?ed as a successful game mechanic.

-Black Red Gaming continues ranking the games in the Yakuza series with Yakuza 3.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Final Fantasy 7 and some old-time pop.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Super Mario and marching music.

-ChronoLynxx opens yet another TGIF open community forum.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our community members for their thoughts and feelings on a variety of topics. If you want to see your own opinions? included in next week's recap, head over to our Community Blogs and get c??hattin'

The post Cblogs o??f 11/21?? to 11/27/2020: Soul Reaver, Yakuza, and M-Rated games appeared first on Destructoid.

Mobile Maidens

Sega has announced that its new Sakura Wars mobile title, Sakura Kakumei: Hanasaku Otome-tachi, (or Sakura Revolution) will arrive in Japan on iOS and Android platforms Decem??ber 15.

Developed by Delightworks, Sakura Revolution is a scaled-down take on Sega's cult Sakura Wars series, as young women of various artistic endeavors take to their "Spiricle Dress" battle armor to fight off invading inter-dimensional monsters and demons. Sakura Revolution will feature touc??h-screen turn-based battles, intense boss fights and - as a free-to-play title - will no doubt come laden with microtransactions.

You can check out the latest gameplay footage in the new trailer below. Sakura Revolution is yet to receive official word of a western localization, but given Sega's desire to expand the franchise's fanbase on the internat?ional stage??, it is not out of the question.

The post Sakura Revolution launches in Japan December 15 appeared first on Destructoid.

'Never left without saying goodbye...'

Developer Rayark has announced that its ethereal fantasy remake Deemo Reborn will launch o??n mobile platforms in just under a month from now. The mysterious rhythm-action adventure will arrive on iOS and Android platforms on December 17.

Originally released on PlayStation 4 in November 2019, before being ported to PC back in September of this year, Deemo Reborn is the story of a young girl thrust into a haunting, yet somewhat tranquil fantasy world. Accompanied by the titular sprite "Deemo," our hero must pick her wa??y through the strange universe, utilizing the power of piano music to guide her onward and?, hopefully, back into her own world.

Deemo Reborn for mobile will feature the same puzzle-solving, rhythm-action? adventure of its PS4 and PC brethren, and will feature 60 tunes to mas?ter as the player explores an ever-expanding kingdom. And if you fancy checking out this cult classic, it won't even break the bank, retailing for just a few scant dollars. Play on.

The post Musical remake Deemo Reborn launches on mobil?e December 17 appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 47

-Julc3 shares his first impr?essions of the PlayStation 5.

-Gamingnerd focuses on a number of forgotten PS3 exclusives.

-Black Red Gaming sees similarities between Trackmania and the sport of Rock Climbing.

-Humantofu looks at the post-Activision Destiny 2 DLC Expansions.

-Shoggoth2588 is in the runoff ??stage in his Decade in Review blogging series.

-Gamingnerd thinks you should wa?it on buying a next-generation console for now.

-Reiley1sCool writes about the dilemma of ethic??al consumption and buying games you like.

-Black Red Gaming does a number of mini?-reviews of some indie games.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between several David Wise Rare soundtracks and mostly synth-po?p music.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of the Illusion of Gaia and mostly synth-pop music.

-ChronoLynxx opens last week's TGIF open-f?orum blog for commu??nity discussions.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our community members for their thoughts and feelings on a va???riety of topics. If you want to see your own opinions included in next week's recap, head over to our Community Blogs and get chattin'

The post Cblogs of 11/14 to 11/29??/2020: Destiny 2, Illusion of Gaia, and holding off on next-gen appeared first on Destructoid.

Ngl, I'm just covering these for the songs and wackiness

Sega has released another new trailer showing off the mech-riding gals preparing to kick names and take ass in upcoming mobile title Sakura Kakumei: Hanasaku Otome-tachi - or Sakura Revolution.

This typically off-the-wall preview shines stage lights on the squad members that make up Sakura Revolution's Flower Divisions - talented artists, warriors, and scientists who like to take time out from their muses to battle inter-dimensional ??d??emons. A common lifestyle that we can all relate to.

With the help from the trailer's teeny-tiny English translations, the eight women of the Flower Division are identified as (in order of appearance)? Moemi Washu, Sudachi Sana, Benishi Hijikata, Riho Oigawa, Uchika Tateyama, Tatsuji Takasaki, Mutsuha Mogami, and finally Mana Jujimachi. We also get a glimpse at each of the ladies' strange "Spiricle Dress" mech armor. I think my favorite is the piano-powered Tatsuji Takasaki. What say you?

Most importantly, the new video finally gives fans their first look at Sakura Revolution's gameplay in action. While I have previously suggested that it would liberally borrow Fire Emblem Heroes' concepts, in actuality Sakura Revolution appears to be more grandiose from a visual standpoint, with custom teams of characters engaging in turn-based battles with monstrous adve?rsaries.

Sakura Revolution will launch in Japan on iOS and Android platforms in late 2020. Sega is yet to announce a western localization, though one would not be out of the question, given the publisher's current desire to grow the Sakura Wars brand globally.

Oh, and also...

The post Sakura Revolution introduces the Flower Division’s femmes appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 46

-Ctg867 looks back at the games ?th??at defined the 8th generation of consoles for him.

-Kerrik52 reviews Resistance: Fall of Man as?? part of his Traveller in Playtime ?reviews series.

-Exber shares his list of Top Ten Wii games.

-Council of the Lost discusses the latest updates of Genshin Impact.

-Darrenhupke discusses the launch love for the PlayStation 5.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Donkey Kong Country and '80s synth music.

-Riley1sSpook defends the cause of Amon in The Legend of Korra cartoon show.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between some Bubble Bobble tunes and early 20th-century pop music.

-TheBlondeBass reflects on the blog projects he? completed this year.

-ChronoLynxx is back with another TG?IF open forum for open community dis??cussion.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer ?for the Cblog Recap and to our community members for their ?thoughts and feelings on a variety of topics. If you want to see your own opinions included in next week's recap, head over to our Community Blogs and spill your brains.

The post Cblogs of 11/7 to 11/13/2020: Bubble Bobble, PS5 love, and the?? 8th generation appeared first on Destructoid.

Introducing the Imperial Combat Revue B.L.A.C.K.

Sega has released a new trailer for Sakura Ka?kumei: Hanasaku Otome-tachi (or Sakura Revolution) a mobile spin-off from the tactical anime franchise, Sakura Wars.

Previously known as Project B.L.A.C.K., Sakura Revolution will once again see a team of performing artists take to powerful mech armor in order to fend off inter-dimensional demons hell-bent on ruining their opening night. The new video spotlights the eight members of Sakura Revolution's heroes: The Imperial Combat Revue B.L.A.C.K.

Taking the stage for this series entry are the previously revealed Prana Tosei, Meisa Akashi, and Kurumi Saimei. They will be joined by starlets Kurea Sekisho, Meju Kazayuki, Tenka Keburai, Miyabi Hanami, and lead gal Shino Sakura. In a novel twist on the Sakura Wars concept, each character's "Spiricle" mech unit will take the form of super-powered body armor, capable of taking down any nightmare being in brutal melee combat. You can ??check out the team below.

Despite releasing both an anime prologue and a fist-pumping music video, we are still yet to see Sakura Revolution in action. But based on previously revealed details, it is suggested that the game will feature simple controls and an? emphasis on planning and positioning. To my mind, this very much sounds like a Fire Emblem Heroes affair. But we'll have to wait and see.

Sakura Kakumei: Hanasaku Otome-tachi will in Japan in late 2020 on iOS and Android devices. No western localizati?on has been confirmed as of yet.

Sakura Kakumei: Hanasaku Otome-tachi trailer [Gematsu]

The post Meet the demon-stomping ladies of Sakura Revoluti?on appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 45

-Shoggoth2588 introduces November's Band of Bloggers is all about Emergent Gameplay Challenges.

-Shoggoth2588 responds to October's Band of Bloggers prompt about Darkness with a blog about the dark tone of Max Payne.

-Black Red Gaming shares his list of ??most anticipated games in N?ovember.

-LaTerry responds to October's Band of Bloggers prompt about Darkness with a blog about the multi-player horror game Phasmophobia.

-Kerrik52 reviews Uncharted: Drake's Fortune as part?? of his Traveler in Playtime reviews blogs.

-Queen of Philosophy reviews th?e outgoing generation of video games, which had some great games and some not so great games as well.

-GamingDadDiary thinks that Watch Dogs: Legion may be a bit too much at these times.

-Dinoracha reviews The Flower Collection detective mystery games.

-Black Red Gaming goes back to explore the controversial game, Hatred, and see the impact one mod can make.

-Eggrollbuddy shares his thoughts regarding the magica moments of Final Fantasy IX.

-NinjaSpeed thinks a Sega All-Stars dancing game would be great.

-TheBlondeBass shares the results of the latest Destructoid Draws community contest, check it out.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Donkey Kong Country soundtrack and Jazz music.

-Somniferous thin??k that mods of social ch??annels can be ridiculous sometimes.

-Infosearcher debates whether Sonic or The Flash would win in a? race.

-PhilsPindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Gradius 3 and some '50s pop music.

-Yue Chan wrote a short stor?y and you can read a?nd comment here.

-Taterchimp a??nnounces a number o?f Dtoid community streams for Extra Life.

-Rico the Penguin shares wi?th us an idea of his blogging plans for the future.

-ChronoLynxx opens another TGIF open forum?? for comm?unity discussion.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our awesome ? community members for their thoughts and feelings on a variety of cool topics! If you want to see your own opinions included in next week's recap, head over to our Community Blogs and scratch that typing itch.

The post C?blogs of 10/31 to 11/6/2020: Uncharted, Final Fantas??y IX, and DK Beats appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 44

-Dinoracha shares his "negative" thoughts on Paradise Killer.

-Kerrik52 reviews Amnesia: The Dark Descent as part of?? his Traveler in Playtime blogging series.

-Humantofu wonders where? the Epic Games Store will go from now.

-Christopher Harper shares some tips on playing DOOM Eternal.

-TheBlondeBass continues his discussion on heartfelt games with this blog covering Undertale.

-JohnnyVector is looking for the most obscure Sonic the Hedgehog games.

-Lord Spencer reviews Breath of Fire III as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between David Wise's Wizards & Warriors soundtracks and other music.

-Dango is thinking of self-publishing a novel soon, and he will be looking for community's support and fee??dback.

-Osc ??continues?? reporting on the progress of his hobbyist gaming development project.

-Agent9 continues his near-daily journal of this month.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the Landstalker soundtrack and some Blues music.

-Taterchimp is thinking about doing a fundraising playthrough of Final Fantasy VII, so give him a shoutout if you are interested.

-ChronoLynxx opens up yet another weekly TGIF forum for open community discussion????????????????????????????.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cb?log Recap and to our awesome community members for their thoughts and feelings on a variety of cool topics! If you want to see your own opinions included in next week's recap, head  ove?r to our Community Blogs and scratch that typing itch.

The post Cb??logs of 10/24 to 10?/30/2020: Paradise Killer, Landstalker, and Epic Games Store appeared first on Destructoid.

The visuals weren't the only thing overhauled for the PS5 remake, and that means trade-offs for purists

In a behind-the-scenes feature for Demon's Souls, Sony shared a glimpse of the work that has gone into the remake's sound??track. If you didn't know – and to be honest, it hadn't fully sunk in for me until just now – the PS5 game is brandishing a "reimagined" score ?with an orchestra, choir, and pipe organ.

Orchestrator Jim Fowler said that Bloodborne informed the "scale of the so?und and the combination of choir and orchestra, although it is important to say this score?? has its own identity and its own sound."

Like seemingly everything to do with the Demon's Souls remake, some people are going to be ecstatic about these changes, some are going to prefer the way things were for one reason or another, and many players won't be bothered by or even? really consider the PS3/PS5 side-by-side comparisons.

Arranger Bill Hemstapat said it's "pretty scary" knowing there are fans who "didn't know this music was being reworked," but he believes the "soul of the music ??that's in the original game is still there."

Sony also released a preview of the "Flamelurker" track (I can't wait for this horrible fiend to mess me up) and announced that the Demon's Souls soundtrack will? have vinyl pre-orders in "early December."

A digital soundtrack release will be available much sooner: November 26??.

The Soun??ds of Boletaria: Grunts, Screams, and Wai??ls [PlayStation Blog]

The post The reimagined Demon’s Souls soundtrack has ‘its own identity’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Grunty Returns and Mad Monster Mansion

Grant Kirkhope is a legend. We know this. Having worked in the industry for nearly three decades, Kirkhope is responsible for scoring or performing a few of your childhood classics, including Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark. Now, the master is ba??ck to revisit the former with a few spooky?? remixes.

"Just in time for Halloween," Kirkhope has tweeted out a link to his "Grunty Returns" remix, a take on ??the track from the original game. He also reminded us?? that he has a similarly themed Mad Monster Mansion remix available, dubbed "Mad Monster Mansion Rides Again." These aren't just one-offs though. Kirkhope notes that there is "more to come."

Exactly when will that happen? Well that's the bad news: it's all pretty vague right now in terms of a timeline. The good news is that they have confirmed on Twitter that they are "going to release a remix album of music from [Banjo Kazooie]," they?? just aren't sure if they??'ll "get to it all."

Although we don't exactly have a new Banjo game on the horizon (that we know of), the character did get plenty of attention when he was added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2019. There's hope! Either way, plenty of folks?? like Kirkhope will keep this classic alive.

Grant Kirkhope [Twitter]

The post Banjo Kazooie composer plans on releasing a ‘full remix album,’ but you can listen to a few songs now appeared first on Destructoid.

Supergroup returns with new EP 'All Out'

League of Legends' diva-riffic pop group has returned. K/DA - consisting of Ahri, Evelynn, Akali, and Kai'Sa - have releas??ed another hyperactive... erm.. "banger" titled "MORE," which is surely set to take the Young Person's Hit Parade by storm.

Following on from 2018's "Pop/Stars" and this year's "The Baddest," "MORE" sees K/DA ??collaborate for the first time with one of their own rivals - the colorful Seraphine - whose mastery of audio attacks makes her a good fit for K/DA??'s bass-heavy beats and heavenly harmonies. But enough of my yakking, you can check out the gorgeous new video for "MORE" below.

Back in the grayness of the real world, K/DA are actually formed of a band of int??ernational singing sensations including Americans Madison Beer (Evelyn) and Jaira Burns (Kai'Sa), as well as Soyeon (Akali) and Miyeon (Ahri), w?ho are members of popular Korean girl group (G)I-dle.

"MORE" will appear on an upcoming K/DA EP titled All Out, which will feature the new single alongside ??bonus tracks "The? Baddest," "I'll Show You," "Villains," and "Drum go Dum"...

...DRUM GO DUM.

The All Out EP will be available to purchase from Nove??mber 6.

The post K/DA, League of Legends’ virtual pop group, returns with stunning new music video ‘MORE’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 43

-Kerrik52 reviews MediEvil: Resurrection as part of his Traveler in Playtime review blogs.

-Somniferous thinks that the next gen games an?d Google? Stadia are made for each other.

-Black Red Gaming shares his thoughts on the rogue-like game, Before Liftoff: Roboquest.

-NarcosGalactico reviews Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

-Sam van der Meer remembers a wonderful strategy guide to Shadow of the Colossus.

-BRAVO F1VE reviews Hades which he thinks makes repetition fun.

-Humantofu looks back at Far Cry.

-Virtua Kazama i?s excited about the ?upcoming Sonic Hacking Contest.

-Black Red Gaming continues his ranking of the Metal Gear games with this blog about Metal Gear Solid.

-Exber has been ??a member of Dtoid for six months now and he is sharing his thoughts on the experience so far.

-Agent9 continues his??? daily journals in October for another week.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Wizards & Warriors 2 and Ska Punk music.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Resident Evil and 70s Disco/J-Pop music.

-ChronoLynxx open?s yet another TGIF thre?ad for the community to chat in.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our awesome comm??unity members for their thoughts and feelings on a variety of c??ool topics! If you want to see your own opinions included in next week's recap, head over to our Community Blogs and scratch that typing itch.

The post Cblogs of 10/17 ?to 10/23/2020: Hades, Stadia, and Disco Resident Evil appeared first on Destructoid.

The Sound of Silence

Twitch has implemented a mass purge of videos and clips from the VOD sections of its huge user base. Thousands of clips were removed from Twitch users' archives in a mass crackdown of the use? of copyrighted material on the live-streaming website. Twitch has forgone its usual routine of requesting users take down the videos themselves, and is not offering those affected the opportunity to a??ppeal.

In an email to many of its partners, obtained by esports writer Rod Breslau, Twitch stated that "We recognize that by deleting this content, we are not giving you the option to file a counter-notification or seek a retraction from the rights holder. In consideration of this, we have processed these notifications and are issuing you a one-time warning to give you th??e chance to learn about copyright law and the tools available to manage the content on your channel."

Twitch also requested that all of its users go through their archives and voluntarily remove all videos that feature co??pyrighted video, music, or other media. The purge is believed to be a Hail Mary play instigated by the streaming site after it had received "thousands" of individual complaints and DMCA notices from music labels and other copyright holders, leading to an unmanageable backlog of videos requiring investigation.

Twit??ch purges videos after "thousands" of requests from music labels [GamesIndustry.biz]

The post Twitch deletes ‘thousands’ of videos in mass DMCA crackdown by copyright holders appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 42

-Jonathan Holmes returns with Talking to Women about Video Games.

-Kerrik52 reviews Siren: Blood Curse on th??e PS3 as part of his Traveler in Playtime revie??ws series.

-Lord Spencer reviews Front Mission on the DS as part of his D??S REVIEWS blogging series.

-Exber reviews God Hand as part of his Retro Reviews blogging series.

-Joel Peterson writes about his reluctant transition to the digital video g?ame age.

-Sapato64 discusses how not to get bored and stay i??nvested while playing MMOs.

-Shoggoth2588 continues his review of the last decade with this b?log focusing on 2019.

-Black Red Gaming reviews Mafia: Definitive Edition on the PC.

-Dinoracha reviews La Mulana on the PC.

-Xeo shares his impressions from the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta.

-Agent9 continues with his daily journal for this month.

-TheBlondeBass writes some short narrative prose under the guise of an Owlboy review.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack Wizards & Warriors X and the music of Kansas.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Animaniacs and several other pieces of music.

-ChronoLynxx is back with another TGIF open forum blog.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our wonderful community members for some great reading! If you want to see your own thoughts included in next week'?s recap, then head over to our Community Blogs and spill your words.

The post Cblogs of 10/10 to 10/16/2020: Mafia, Front Mission, and Jonathan Holmes’ podcast returns appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs Recap: Week 41

-Council of the Lost shares some funny thoughts about the marriage system in Skyrim.

-Kerrik52 reviews Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly as part of his T?raveller in Playtime reviews blog??s.

-Lord Spencer reviews Star Ocean: The Second Story as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.

-Ctg867 shares his thoughts on the merits of Microsoft's game pass, including Mini Golf with friends.

-BRAV0 F1VE reviewes Crusader Kings III.

-MajinRotty thinks Genshin Impact is a fun ga?me but on?e that could herald some troubling trends.

-Black Red Gaming shares his thoughts regarding Mafia II's open world.

-Christopher Harper discusses the concept of accessiblity in videogames with a special reference to DMC5.

-Nior is back with part two of his retrospective on the Soul Reaver franchise.

-Agent9 continues sharing his daily journal with ?us in seven blogs this week.

-Skeleratis shares a PSA about the dangers of moving consoles with game?? ??discs still inside of them.

-Osc details his latest progress in his?? hobbyist game dev??elopment and progress.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of the Simpsons Virtual Bart and the music of Mr. Softee.

-PhildPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Super Mario Bros. 3 and the music of Nat 'King' Cole.

-TonicBH retruns to the jbsgame.community after long tim?e with a person??al update, go and say hi.

-ChronoLynxx opens up yet another TGIF open forum for t??he community.

Thanks as always to Lord Spencer for the Cblog Recap and to our wonderful communi?ty members for some great reading! If you want to see your own thoughts included in next week's recap, then head over to our Community Blogs and spill your word?s.

The post Cblogs of 10/3 to 10/9/2020: Genshin?? Impact, Fatal Frame, an??d disc dangers appeared first on Destructoid.