A match made in Hell

The DualSense is my favorite current-generation default controller. I am a huge fan of handheld gaming. By rights, Sony's just-announced Project Q, a handheld console that appea??r??s to have all the same features as the DualSense, should be right at the top of my hardware wishlist. And yet I feel no warmth towards that little machine at all.

[caption id="attachment_362124" align="alignnone" width="640"] Images via EA, Koei Tecmo, and Valve[/caption]

Th??at's because Project Q is not actually a handheld console. It's the latest and worst in a long line of "kinda handhelds," a trend that I feel pretty lukewarm towards that started with the Nintendo Switch. These are "handheld consoles" that primarily or exclusively exist to play home console games. They're neat. I love my Nintendo Switch. I'm sure I would love my Steam Deck if I owned one. But they don't fill the same space as real handhelds in my mind. And Project Q is the worst offender yet.

Portable, kinda

Project Q is a streaming-only handheld. Out of the box, it will use the PS5's remote play feature to stream games. In case you haven't caught on to the problem yet, it's this: the Project Q is being developed not as a console but as an accessory ??for the PS5. And it's not even an especially useful accessory.

Because PS5 remote play requires a constant internet connection, its away-from-home applications are pretty limited. Sure, you could bust it out at the coffee shop for some quick Returnal sessions, but if you're looking for something to leave in your bag and grab whenever you've got some downtime in your day, you're probably out of luck. You will also look like a massive dork using it anywhere outside of your own home because of its garish and gamerly DualSense handles (I like them, but they do not scream "things I want other people to see me using"). Beyond that, there's also the apparent 8-inch screen, which is a full inch larger than ??the Nintendo Switch OLED and Steam Deck. Those devices are both already stretching the definition of "portable" considerably, so Project Q may as well have left it behind entirely.

[caption id="attachment_382060" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Apple[/caption]

The largest elephant in the room here is that a PS5 remote play handheld already exists. A whole bunch of them exist, actually, and there's a non-zero ??chance that you're reading this on one of them right now. Yes, of course smartphones already have PS5?? remote play. And it's quite good! There are also already a ton of mobile-ready controllers - as a matter of fact, the DualSense is compatible with iOS and Android devices. It's hard to figure out who the target audience for Project Q actually is, even before considering the still-secret price point.

Why should I care?

To be clear, I'm not a Sony shareholder. The good folks at Sony can make whatever bad business decisions they want. But I am someone who desperately misses the halcyon days of portable handhelds. If Sony insists on dedicating tons of resources to products that general consumers aren't really clamoring for, then I'd really prefer if they made a new Vita.

[caption id="attachment_372560" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via That Retro Video Gamer's YouTube Channel ??an??d IGN[/caption]

Frankly, I just miss real handheld games. Consoles that actually fit in pockets and games that are designed to be played on the go. I know those games are still out there - in the time since I last wrote on the topic, I've come to appreciate that there really are quite a few 3DS-ish games on the Switch and Switch Lite, and that the App Store is not as much of a wasteland as I had assumed. But at this point, handhelds that exist to put home games in your "pocket" (or, more realistically, your purse or backpack) are so popular that even the worst version of that concept takes priority over a new dedicated handheld. It bum??s me out!

I don't really like the idea of Project Q. I don't see the point of it. But more than that, I don't like what it represents. Hardware companies have been hammering home the idea that the dedicated handheld is dead for more than half a decade, and it feels like Sony is finally putting the?? last nail in that coffin. In the place of the PSP or PS Vita, we now have a tablet for nobody designed to play the exact games you can already play at home, but worse. Instead of honing handheld design philosophy, it feels like the industry at large just wants to get rid of it.

I am into the PlayStat?ion earbuds though. ??I'll wear those.

The post Sony’s Project Q is the wrong handheld for the wrong time appeared first on Destructoid.

Portable power!

The most popular current-generation console is a handheld. Computer companies with limited experience in the console market are jumping in with handhelds of their own. There's no denying it: portable gaming is in the midst of a renaissance. But as com??????????????????????????panies continue to release handheld consoles, and as cons??umers continue to buy them, I'm struck by an interesting question: what was the last mainstream handheld game?

I'm not talking about a game that you can play on a handheld. At this point, you can play basically any game ever made on a handheld. I'm talking about a game built ??for handhelds, one that benefits from a smaller form factor, lower processing power, and increased portability.?? Handheld consoles are about as big as they've ever been... so where are all the handheld games?

Very important pockets

Think back with me on simpler times. Remember when companies like Nintendo and Sony would have two main consoles on the market at once? A chu??nky home device and its lean, mean, pocket-friendly little sister? And, crucially, remember when they had different libraries? There was a kind of separation of powers in those days, and it led to some really compelling design decisions.

[caption id="attachment_359259" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sony ??????????????????????????Interactive Enter??tainment[/caption]

The limited power of the handheld has also always been of some import. Patapon, Loco Roco, and Echoshift are all wildly beloved PSP and Vita franchises, and it's hard to imagine any of them connecting on the PS3. While home consoles were in the midst of a graphical arms race, pushing more and more cinematic stories, Sony was quietly publishing some deeply innovative and interesting titles on their dedicated handhelds. At home, you get Halo and The Last of Us. On the go, you g?et a rhythm tactics side-scroller.

Most of these games are designed based on a simple philosophy: a great handheld game is built on the idea that it will be played in your hand. It's a game in which nothing is lost on the small screen, and, indeed, one in which something is gained. Patapon plays great on my PlayStation 5, but its miniature heroes, are built for a smaller world. The characters bear simple designs that are readable on a smal?ler screen. They address the player directly, assuming a level of intimacy that the PSP facilitates nicely. Most importantly, the tight, brief levels are the kind of thing that belong in a back pocket, not on a TV stand.

A delicious bite

When I talk about games that are truly built for handheld play, it's hard to avoid Pokémon: I have long believed that the original Pokémon games would have faded into the realm of the cult classic on home consoles. These games are full of smart design calls that make them sing on the go. Of course, Pokémon has some pretty foundationally pocket-sized ideas. A game about going on an adventure and finding n?ew things outside was undoubtedly able to more fully resonate with young children who could?? actually take it with them on their own mini-journeys.

Portability in Pokémon is baked into its ethos, but it also plays a meaningful role in its design. Battles are tactical, but they're usually brief affairs. Every moment offers up the chance to see a cool new character, or to win a really tou??gh fight. Satisfaction and engagement awaits around every corner... which also means every play session, no matter how bite-sized, is satisfying and engaging.

[caption id="attachment_359268" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

"Brief but satisfying" is the aim in a good handheld game. That's also why a lot of homebound games earned a revival in the back seat of Mom's car. Series like Final Fantasy and Persona earned second lives through handheld ports - where sprawling RPGs with intense stories were once considered TV-oriented affairs, ports like Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions and Persona 4 Golden posited that a sixty hour game with three minute fights might actually be more digestible on the go. These games were already satisfying in bursts, so they made for a natural fit on the PSP and PS Vita. Likewise, Tetris' earliest releases were on Soviet h?ome computers, but its most iconic inca?rnation was on the original Game Boy. As it turns out, people like score-chasing dopamine hits in their pockets.

A necessary lifeline

Handheld design philosophy also left the door open to iterate on h??ome concepts. When home gaming systems entered the 3D era, a lot of franchises made the jump with them. Handheld consoles needed games, too, but sprawling adventures didn't always play as well on the go. That meant older design philosophy met with handheld design philosophy to keep certain corners of t??he gaming world alive.

I often think of Metroid Fusion. This was a 2D Metroid game released on the Game Boy Advance exactly one day before Metroid Prime, which would become the "main" Metroid series for the following twenty years. My personal opinions on Fusion aside, it is a great portable title. It's fairly linear by necessity, because it is designed to be played in shorter bursts by more casual players. More notably, though, it's an actual 2D Metroid game - I can't help but feel that if the GBA wasn't around, 2D Metroid might have disappeared entirely. As a matter of fact, when a new 2D Metroid game finally arrived on?? the Nintendo Switch in 2021??, it was a retooled version of a DS game.

[caption id="attachment_359263" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda followed similar traject?ories: as the home console games got more expansive, the portable games tightened the bolts on classic concepts, offering up some of the best games in their respective franchises.

What now?

In 2023, the distinction between "handheld" and "home console" is becoming increasingly muddy. The Nintendo Switch, of course, exists to destroy that distinction entirely, serving as both Nintendo's current generation handheld and its home console. Games made for the Switch need to be both home console titles and handheld titles (and the handheld bit usually cedes itself to the big-screen bit). The Steam Deck, similarly, is a handheld that plays PC games. At least for now, basically nothing is built for the Steam Deck. It also bears mentioning that, while they do fit in your hand, neither of these consoles are especially portable, so the "on-the-go" philosophy that defines games like Pokémon isn't something developers need to consider.

I think the impact of this has been almost instantaneously obvious. It seems unlikely that we'll ever get, say, a new 2D Zelda game on the Switch. When an old 2D Zelda game was brought over, it was prettied up and converted to 3D to make it look and feel less like a handheld game. Sony has seemingly given up on its ??handheld platforms entirely. The co?mpany offers PS4 and PS5 remote play on mobile devices, as well as a meager offering of remastered PSP titles for its home consoles, but looking at a list of Sony-published games from the last several years, it's apparent that the portable design philosophy has vanished.

[caption id="attachment_359260" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

There have been proper handheld games developed and released more recently - Panic's Playdate, for example, is a comically underpowered monochrome handheld with a dedicated and compelling library. It's become something of a safe haven for independent developers looking for a quirky platform where smaller games can flourish. Developers want to make new games like Patapon, and the Playdate offers them that space. While there are plenty of Playdate games that would be comfortable enough on home consoles, the most beloved titles on the platform tend to be games like Bennett Foddy's Zipper, a tactical RPG full of brief, satis?fying encounters.

In terms of mainstream consoles, though? We're pretty much out of luck. Every game made for Nintendo's flagship handheld must necessarily be mad??e for its flagship home system, and nobody else is even trying to offer a smaller counterpart to their massive offerings. There's a portable hole in the market, and I truly hope someone comes along to fill it.

The post Where have the handheld games gone? appeared first on Destructoid.

All Dogs Go To Dead Console Heaven

[embed]//www.youtube.com??/watch?v=YXKp??MhPXv-s[/embed]

The announcement of Valve's Steam Deck portable console has shaken the handheld market, inspiring strong levels of speculation and even stronger expectations. The news has many looking back to The PS Vita, the last handheld that tried to take Nintendo on in the portable space. It... didn't do great, but it's got a small, passionate following. They'll be pleased to hear that the system is getting one last gasp of life before it's put out to pasture. On July 20th, the last batch of new games will launch on the Vita's PSN store. The alpha among them is Russian Subway Dogs, a game based on the life of real stray??s living in the tunnels of the former Soviet Union's un??derground trolley system.

Russian Subway Dogs features "...stealing food, juggling vodka, cooking bears, and more while you attempt to keep yourself fed and aim for a high score." and "...both a lengthy campaign and pick-up-and-play arcade modes. Like Pokémon, it looks simple on the surface, but there are tons of variables underneath. Fire power-ups melt snow and cook food (including rival animals), ice freezes fish and transforms them into p??rojectiles, poison meat can travel through the food chain, and so on.

The game will also have some timed-exclusive content just for the Vita, likely in the form of new guest doggies. It's a bold move, especially for a scrappy underdog. Trying to survive on a largely abandoned console ain't easy, but my b??et is it's going to eat well in the end.

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To buy legacy games, you'll need to break out your old systems

Sony is about to make a frustrating change to the PlayStation Store that's going to hit desktop and mobile users the hardest. Soon, it will no longer be possible to buy PS3, PSP, or Vita games (or their DLC) from the PlayStation Store if you're browsing on a web browser or ??mobile device. That restricted access also goes for apps, themes, and avatars – and the wishlist feature is being "discontinued" too.

What's the deal? Sony is cleaning house for the fast-approaching PlayStatio?n 5??.

The company sent out an email to PlayStation users yesterday with d??etails about these (previously rumored) PlayStation Store changes and when they will take effect. On desktop, the switc?hover will happen sometime next week. On mobile devices, the removal is happening on October 28, 2020.

Under the new setup, if you want to buy a PlayStation 3, PSP, or PS Vita game, you'll need to do so on your original system using it?s less-than-ideal storefront. (One ??of the big reasons why this change is such an annoyance.) If you want to get PS4 apps, themes, or avatars, you'll need to use your PS4.

To be clear, your purchases aren't bei??ng revoked – "you will still be able to access all your previously purchased PS3, PSP, or PS Vita content as before," according to Sony. The issue is ease of access.

As for the web-based wishlist feature going away, I don't get it. That's just irritating. If y??ou've got a bunch of potential games stockpiled for a rainy day, it's time to take notes and plan accordingly.

Discontinue?d PlayStation Apps, Features and Services [PlayStation Support]

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It was also on PC, 3DS, PS4, Vita and Xbox One

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is pretty good! So is the sequel. But as it turns out, Inti Creates say??s that the first game sold pretty well too.

Speaking to Nintendo Everything, Inti Creates has confirmed that the game has sold "over 600,000 copies." Studio CEO Takuya Aizu explains that the boost is "in par?t powered by the release of [the sequel]." Aizu also states that "more than half of those sales" are from the Switch edition. Quite the feat?? given that it was also released on every other major platform.

Note that Curse of the Moon came out in mid-2018, so it has some long legs if it's just now reaching that milesto??ne. While it was available on PC, 3DS, PS4, Vita and Xbox One in addition to the Switch, the sequel shored up some of those platforms, only appearing on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.

It makes perfe?ct sense that if there is more of a global saturation of Switch users in 2020, folks who picked up the second game on the platform would mosey on over to the o??riginal.

Bloodstained: Curse of the M?oon 1 has sold over 600,000?? copies, more than 50% on Switch [Nintendo Everything]

The post Inti Creates says that Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon sold 600,000 copies, with ‘more than 50%’ sold on Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Dan-gone-ronpa

[Update: As suspected, Spike Chunsoft has just announced that it will be self-publishing all Danganronpa titles go??ing forward. Further news i??s coming "once statements are finalized."]

Publisher NIS America has announced that several releases in its wild murder-mystery series Danganronpa are to be removed from the PlayStation Store in the coming months.

The first title to hit the chopping block will be Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, which will no longer be purchasable on PS Vita. This will be followed additional PS Vita titles Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair on September 4. Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony for will vanish on PS Vita and PS4 on September 25.

NIS America thanked fans for their purchases but has offered no explanation for the removal. It seems an odd time for the games to disappear, as 2020 has been Danganronpa's most prominent year for news and announcements in a decade. It is fully expected (though not confirmed) that Spike Chunsoft will soon republish the removed titles, hopefully at somewhat less startling prices. It should also be noted that, for now, Danganronpa 1-2 Reload for PS4 will remain pur?chasable on the PlayStation Store.

This weekend will see Spike Chunsoft release the latest episode of its behind-the-scenes show Dangan TV, so maybe we'l??l hear some more news regard??ing the cult series soon.

The post (Update) Select Danganronpa titles to be removed fro?m PlayStation Store appeared first on Destructoid.

Goodnight, sweet prince

[Update: It seems as if the rep that spoke to Comicbook.com was misinformed, or Sony had a change of heart. Mercenary servers are back online.]

As we continue our "farewell tour" for the PlayStation Vita, we can add another stop: Killzone: Mercenary's online play.

As confirmed by Comicbook.com through Sony support, the platform holder has shut down Killzone: Mercenary's online servers, seemingly for good, without a warning. For reference, Mercenary was one of the Vita's marquee ?(and frankly, upper echelon) first-party games from 2013 on, and people were still playing it. Giving a heads-up before shutting down services for big-name games like this is customary, but didn't happen here.

Destructoid has also confirmed the shutdown. Busting out our trusty (I won't joke that it's "dusty" as it has been next to my bed for the past eight years!) OG OLED Vita, we tried to boot up Mercenary's online component to no avail. You can find said confirm?ation below.

This is the second Vita related diss track in a week!

PlayStation Quietly Shuts Do??wn a Game's Servers With No Warning [Comicbook]

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Hotline Miami is a death sentence

Naughty Dog just finished up giving us an extended look at The Last of Us Part II, and there wasn't a major takeaway. Unlike the Ghost of Tsushima State of Play a few weeks ago, The Last of Us is a fairly known quantity. No one has been left wondering what to expect from ??this game.

However, in an eight-minute extended sequence, we got confirmation that the PlayStation Vita is still alive and well in The Last of Us' world -- even if the rest of civilization isn't. Ellie sneaks up on a woman who's playing her Vita and, after forcing some intel out of her, sticks a knife in her neck. The last game that woman ever played? Hotline Miami.

The extended gameplay part starts at 14:25 in the video above; the Vita makes its cameo around 15:54.

As for the rest of the video, well, it's brutal. Ellie lights a dog on fire and it makes the most tortured yelp. Then she smacks someone in the face with a spiked club. It goes on like that until Ellie finally finds who she's looking for. The Last of Us Part II is already ?a frontrunner for 2020's Feel-Bad Game of the Year.

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No cross-play, a trial is on the way

Catherine is?? getting a new lease on life following its 2011 (!) release on PS3 and Xbox 360 with multip?le editions these past few years.

After a long wait we got a PC version ?in 2019, followed by the "Full Body" remaste??r that hit PS4 and Vita in 2019. But Atlus isn't done resurrecting the classic relationship simulator and puzzler just yet, as the Switch edition is still slated for a July release.

That version will also be the Full Body package, which now has some Switch-specific details thanks to a new Atlus landing page. Most importantly, a demo is coming soon, so you'll be able to try before you buy. Also, a Switch Online membership is required to play o??nline (duh), there is no cross-play with PS4/Vita, it does work with a Switch Lite (just in case), the download size is roughly 11.4 GB, you can play two-player with two single Joy-Con inputs and local play is confirmed (with two Switch units and two copies).

If you haven't experienced Catherine yet, the Switch is a great place to start (provided that the port is up to snuff technically). The stage-by-stage puzzle nature is great for on the go play, as is the idea of l??inking up for multiplayer.

??"Catherine Full? Body for Nintendo Switch" Q & A [Atlus]

The post Atlus rolls out details for Catherine: Full Body’s Switch port appeared first on Destructoid.

I really hope PlayStation 5 steps up the legacy support

I love a good retro vide??o game sale. They're a chance to finally jump on older games and re-releases you've been mulling over without feeling guilt creep in? the moment you complete your purchase.

Over the next two weeks, Sony is running a Remasters & Retro sale on the PlayStation Store. It's an opportunity to save on PlayStation 2 games for PlayStation 4 (like Bully), compilations (like Contra and Castlevania), remasters (like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro), and Neo Geo hits (like Metal Slug).

Even better, PlayStation 3 owners aren't left out. The sale also has deals on a range of PSOne Classics for PS3 including the Tomb Raider, Dino Crisis, Mega Man, Mega Man Legends, and Resident Evil series.

I'm thinking $9.99 might be my kinda price for the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle. It's got Battle Circuit!

PS4 Deals

• .hack//G.U. Last Recode ($17.49)
• ACA Neo Geo Aero Fighters 2 ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Art of Fighting ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Fatal Fury 2 ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Ghost Pilots ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Metal Slug ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Power Spikes II ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Samurai Shodown ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Sengoku ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Super Sidekicks ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo The King of Fighters '94 ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Zed Blade ($3.99)
• ADK Tamashii (PS2) ($4.49)
• Anniversary Collection Arcade Classics ($9.99)
• Arcade Archives Armed F ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Crazy Climber ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Double Dragon ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Mat Mania Exciting Hour ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Moon Cresta ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Ninja-Kid II ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Nova2001 ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Renegade ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Terra Cresta ($3.99)
• Arcade Game Series 3-in-1 Pack ($3.99)
• Arcade Game Series: Dig Dug ($1.99)
• Arcade Game Series: Galaga ($1.99)
• Arcade Game Series: Ms. Pac-Man ($1.99)
• Arcade Game Series: Pac-Man ($1.99)
• Art of Fighting Anthology (PS2) ($4.49)
• Assassin's Creed III: Remastered ($19.99)
• Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered ($11.99)
• Assassin's Creed The Ezio Collection ($15.99)
• Baja ($8.99)
• Batman: Arkham Collection ($17.99)
• Batman: Return to Arkham ($4.99)
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night ($23.99)
• Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition ($14.99)
• Borderlands: The Handsome Collection ($19.79)
• Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition ($5.99)
• Bully ($8.99)
• Burnout Paradise Remastered ($7.99)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered ($15.99)
• Call of Duty: MWR Variety Map Pack ($5.99)
• Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle ($9.99)
• Castlestorm Definitive Edition ($2.99)
• Castlevania Anniversary Collection ($9.99)
• Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood ($9.99)
• Catherine: Full Body ($29.99)
• Catherine: Full Body Bonus Content Bundle ($14.99)
• Catherine: Full Body Digital Deluxe Edition ($39.99)
• Cel Damage HD ($2.99)
• Classics PS4 Bundle ($14.99)
• Contra Anniversary Collection ($9.99)
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy ($19.99)
• Dark Cloud (PS2) ($9.89)
• Dark Cloud 2 (PS2) ($9.89)
• Dark Souls: Remastered ($23.99)
• Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition ($7.49)
• Darksiders Warmastered Edition ($4.99)
• Dead Rising ($5.99)
• Dead Rising 2 ($5.99)
• Dead Rising 2 Off the Record ($5.99)
• Dead Rising Triple Pack ($14.87)
• Destroy All Humans! ($6.99)
• Destroy All Humans! 2 ($6.99)
• Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition ($7.49)
• Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition Demon Hunter Bundle ($8.99)
• Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King ($19.49)
• DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition ($9.99)
• Doom (1993) ($2.49)
• Doom 3 (2004) ($4.99)
• Doom II (1994) ($2.49)
• Dragon Sinker ($7.49)
• Dragon's Crown Pro ($13.99)
• Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen ($14.99)
• Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour ($2.99)
• Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2 (PS2) ($4.49)
• Flashback ($8.74)
• Fu'un Super Combo (PS2) ($4.49)
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves ($4.49)
• Gauntlet: Slayer Edition ($4.99)
• Grand Theft Auto III ($8.99)
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ($10.09)
• Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy ($17.49)
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ($8.99)
• Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition (PS2) ($6.79)
• Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland (PS2) ($6.79)
• Hitman HD Enhanced Collection ($23.99)
• Hyper Sentinel ($6.49)
• King's Quest: The Complete Collection ($5.99)
• Legend of Kay Anniversary ($5.99)
• Manhunt ($8.99)
• Mark of the Ninja: Remastered ($9.99)
• Max Payne ($8.99)
• Mega Man 30th Anniversary Bundle ($40.19)
• Mega Man Legacy Collection ($5.99)
• Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 and 2 Combo Pack ($14.99)
• Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 ($9.99)
• Mega Man X Legacy Collection ($9.99)
• Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 ($19.99)
• Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 ($9.99)
• Megaman 11 ($14.99)
• Metal Slug 3 ($4.49)
• Metal Slug Anthology (PS2) ($9.99)
• Metal Slug XX ($9.99)
• Metro 2033 Redux ($3.99)
• Metro Redux ($5.99)
• Metro: Last Light Redux ($3.99)
• Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch ($29.99)
• Odin Sphere Leifthrasir ($23.99)
• Okami HD ($9.99)
• Onimusha: Warlords ($11.99)
• Owlboy ($12.49)
• Pac-Man 256 ($1.99)
• Pac-Man Champion Edition 2 ($3.89)
• PaRappa the Rapper 2 (PS2) ($7.49)
• Patapon Remastered ($11.29)
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy ($19.79)
• Prototype ($7.49)
• Prototype 2 ($9.99)
• Prototype Biohazard Bundle ($12.49)
• Puyo Puyo Champions ($3.99)
• Red Dead Revolver ($8.99)
• Red Faction ($6.79)
• Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-Tered ($11.99)
• Red Faction II (PS2) ($6.79)
• Resident Evil ($7.99)
• Resident Evil 0 ($7.99)
• Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition ($23.09)
• Resident Evil 4 ($7.99)
• Resident Evil 5 ($7.99)
• Resident Evil 6 ($7.99)
• Resident Evil Code Veronica X (PS2) ($7.49)
• Resident Evil Revelations ($7.99)
• Resident Evil Triple Pack ($23.79)
• Resident Evil: Deluxe Origins Bundle ($15.99)
• Rogue Galaxy (PS2) ($9.89)
• Samurai Shodown V Special ($4.49)
• Samurai Shodown VI (PS2) ($3.79)
• Shadow of the Beast ($14.99)
• Shenmue I & II ($20.99)
• Shining Resonance Refrain ($11.99)
• Sniper Elite V2 Remastered ($19.29)
• Sonic Mania ($9.99)
• Spyro Reignited Trilogy ($19.99)
• Star Wars Bounty Hunter ($4.99)
• Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast ($7.99)
• Star Wars Jedi Starfighter ($4.99)
• Star Wars Racer Revenge ($4.99)
• Stranger Things 3: The Game ($4.99)
• Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection ($19.99)
• Strider ($2.99)
• Super Bomberman R ($14.79)
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD ($29.99)
• Super Star Wars ($3.99)
• Team Sonic Racing ($19.99)
• The Disney Afternoon Collection ($4.99)
• The King of Fighters '97 Global Match ($4.49)
• The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (PS2) ($4.49)
• The King of Fighters 2000 ($3.99)
• The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga (PS2) ($4.49)
• The Last Blade 2 ($4.49)
• The Raven Remastered ($11.99)
• The Warriors ($8.99)
• The Yakuza Origins Digital Bundle ($34.99)
• Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove ($8.99)
• Toki – Juju Densetsu ($6.99)
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition ($4.49)
• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 ($9.99)
• Ultra Street Fighter IV ($12.49)
• Valkyria Chronicles Remastered ($9.99)
• Vertical Drop Heroes HD ($3.99)
• Wild Arms 3 (PS2) ($11.29)
• Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars (VR) ($9.89)

PS3 Deals

• Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PSOne Classic) ($1.19)
• Breath of Fire IV (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Cel Damage HD ($2.99)
• Cyberbots Fullmetal Madness (PSOne Import) ($2.09)
• Darkstalkers (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Dino Crisis (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Dino Crisis 2 (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PSOne Classic) ($1.19)
• Mega Man 8 (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Mega Man Legends (PSOne Classic) ($1.99)
• Mega Man Legends 2 (PSOne Classic) ($1.99)
• Mega Man X4 (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Mega Man X5 (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Pocket Fighter (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Resident Evil 2 (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Resident Evil Director's Cut (PSOne Classic) ($1.99)
• Resident Evil Revelations 2 Deluxe Edition ($5.99)
• Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection ($5.39)
• Star Wars Bounty Hunter (PS2) ($4.99)
• Star Wars: Racer Revenge (PS2) ($4.99)
• Street Fighter Alpha (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Street Fighter Alpha 2 (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Strider 2 (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• The Misadventures of Tron Bonne (PSOne Classic) ($2.09)
• Tomb Raider (PSOne Classic) ($1.49)
• Tomb Raider 2 (PSOne Classic) ($0.89)
• Tomb Raider III ($0.89)
• Tomb Raider III (PSOne Classic) ($0.89)
• Tomb Raider: Anniversary ($1.94 ($12.99
• Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (PS3/PSP/PS Vita) ($0.89)
• Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (PSOne Classic) ($0.89)
• Ultimate Action Triple Pack ($8.99)

The Remasters?? & Retro deals are running until February 21, 2020, at 8:00 am Pacific.

The post PlayStation Store’s retro sale includes PS2 games on PS4 appeared first on Destructoid.

You'll never be this good

Spelunky is a supremely frustrating game. It's frustrating failing over and over again, slowly and meticulously mastering the systems to accomplish your goals. And, it's frustrating watching other people effortlessly run through Spelunky,? making the impossible-seemin??g look elementary -- especially when you understand how tough it all is.

This video falls into the latter category. Spelunky wizard Jamie White ha??s just completed what's being dubbed the most difficult run of the game ever. Here are the constraints: You can't pick up any items (including no additional health, bombs, or ropes). You have to take detours to the alternate stages which are the Haunted Castle, the Worm, and the Mothership. You have to go to Hell and defeat Yama. Oh yeah, and you can't pick up any gold.

In an interview with Polygon, White points to ?the lack of resources as the most challenging part of the run. Watching the whole video, you'll see there's not a single bomb or rope that can be wasted. For instance, White needs two ropes to reach the Mothership's entrance and two ropes to reach Yama's head. That's all four used up just for those two objectives. There's no room for comfort.

The most hectic moment comes in th??e Black Market when White steals the Ankh -- a necessary for reaching Hell, and he doesn't have any money to purchase it. This sends the shopkeepers in a shotgun-blasting frenzy as White calmly funnels them all down into a crevice to kill each other.

However, an underrated moment comes in the City of Gold, which is a city ?that's literally built out of the currency White can't collect. He needs to use a bomb here to reach the Necronomicon -- also needed to access Hell -- which causes the walls to crumble into gold nuggets. Up until that point, White avoids gold and jewels so coolly that it's easy to forget it's one of the constraints. It would've been simple for a piece of debris to hit him, causing some cash in his pocket and a failed run.

The closest call came in Hell when a slight miscalculation nearly ended the whole effort. It takes place at 20:15 when a Blue Devil breaks his stun and gets within a few frames of goring White. He says "Something very surprising in this run is on the second to last level in Hell, I t?ook a h??uge risk against a Blue Devil and almost lost the run."

But, this story doesn't end in heartbreak. White completed the run, cementing himself as one of the best Spelunky players ever. To the untrained eye, it didn't even look hard. Abs?olutely infuriating.

Spelunky player nail??s 'most di?fficult run ever' for the first time [Polygon]

The post Beho??ld, absolute dominance on the toughest Spelunk??y run ever appeared first on Destructoid.

Those teases weren't for show

Vblank Entertainment has a ?thing fo?r supporting dead systems.

The studio released Retro City Rampage for the Wii even though it wouldn't be profitable, and even more recently gave the Vita a death twitch with Shakedown Hawaii. It looks like the Wii U is the latest system to get that same kind of? love and care.

Despite the fact that only a few Wii U games are released a year on the eShop (mostly shovelware or PC/mobile ports), a new ESRB listing hints that Shakedown Hawaii could be coming to the system. This is backed up by a mysterious series of tweets from Vblank's Twitter account. All the while, the game is being upd?ated on other p??latforms. They have their work cut out for them!

But any Wii U love is good in my books, especially a good game like Shakedown. That system deserved better.

Shakedown Hawaii [ESRB]

The post Against all odds?, Shakedow?n Hawaii could be coming to Wii U appeared first on Destructoid.

STAND UP!

In a very surprising bit of news, a new update has seen a netcode overhaul applied to the most recent re-release of one of the greatest fighting games of all time: SNK's Garou: Mark of the Wolves.

The patch was developed by Code Mystics - who were responsible for the PS4 and PS Vita ports of DotEmu's original PC port - and is now live in all three editions of the awesome Fatal Fury title. The new rollback netcode allows players to fine-tune their latency threshold when playing online, prov??iding a more stable performance and reducing input delay.

While this new patch will improve online performance on PC (via Steam and GoG) PS4 and PS Vita, it will obviously not be applied to Hamster's Nintendo Switch release, which is more a straight arcade ROM dump and therefore does not support online multiplayer. Garou: Mark of the Wolves remains one of the finest fighters ever made, so any?? efforts to keep its faithful communit?y online and throwing fists should be celebrated.

Garou: Mark of the Wolves is available now on PS4, PS Vita and PC.

Thanks @SNKPofficial SNK for letting us bring #Garou: Mark of the Wolves into the Code Mystics rollback netcode family! :) PS4/Vita's patched & Steam/GOG versions are updated to our code too. (Fans of the Steam/GOG DotEmu version can still access it via beta code "dotemuversion") pic.twitter.com/zd45WzKtTM

— Code Mystics Inc. (@CodeMystics) January 23, 2020

The post Garou: Mark of the Wolves receives new rollback netcode on PS4, PS Vita, and P?C appeared first on Destructoid.

Dead category walking

Dearly beloved. We are gathered here to celebrate this thing called handheld gaming. Since they first popped up on the scene in the late 1970s, portable gaming devices have allowed millions of people to enjoy a little bit of ?fun no matter where they were, be it on the toilet at work, the toilet at church, or the toilet at the hospital right before your scheduled surgery to fix the reason you're going to the bathroom so much.

From its early origins as simple LCD devices, handheld gaming has always been about doing more with less; less power, less graphics, less buttons, less screen resolution, and less western AAA developers making games for it. But even with all those mountains standing in its way, portable gaming thrived. It thrived because of titles like Tetris, Pokémon, end of list. It thrived because portable gaming was the perfect gateway for young kids into the hobby and also a great way to distract the children so mommy could get some alone time w??ith a bottle of wine and a showerhead.

As the years went by, the power gap between handheld and home console narrowed. Today, thanks to the Switch and Stadia, there is no difference between a game you can play on the go and one you can only play at home (except that, lol, nobody plays Stadia). Now that Nintendo's hybrid device has committed regicide against the reigning king of handhelds, and Sony's PlayStation Vita finally died after bein??g shot in the back of the head by Andrew House in 2015, it's time we put this category to rest.

Here now are the f??inal nominees for Destructoid's ?Best Portable Game:

• Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn
• Yo-Kai Watch 3
• Etrian Odyssey Nexus
• Shakedown: Hawaii
• Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
• Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight
• Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Final Best Portable Game appeared first on Destructoid.

Also, some thoughts on Showdown

The time has finally come. It's been five and a half years since Shovel Knight was released (time doesn't just fly, it runs at light speed), and with the lofty King of Cards update, its quest is finished.

Let's...dig in.

_{[Check out our reviews for Shovel Knight, Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment.]}

Shovel Knight: King of Cards (3DS, PC [reviewed - rig], PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Switch, Wii U, Xbox One])
Developer: Yacht Club Games
Publisher: Yacht Club Games
Release Date: December 10, 2019
MSRP: $9.99 / $24.99 (with Treasure Trove) / Free (if you own the original)
Note: Showdown is not supported on the 3DS and Vita platforms

As another prequel of sorts for this 2D platforming series, this tale deals ??wi??th King Knight and a hip new card game called Joustus, which is fully playable in the expansion (wait, come back! It's optional!).

King Knight's gimmick is a super-charged dash, which triggers a quick upward pirouette leap after hitting an enemy, object, or wall. If you just jump on an enemy naturally, you'll take some damage: but queue up a spin and you'll drive into them like Shovel Knight's downward shovel thrust. To charge again, you have to touch something with a spin. It's not all that exciting at first, especially compared to the more out-there Plague or Specter mechanics. But once you really get used to the cade??nce of charge-hop-step-charge, it? becomes natural.

Once you start to pick up a few upgrades and get in the natural swing of things, you really get a sense for how Yacht Club has truly mastered the genre at this point.? Although speedrunning is a viable option due to the relatively fair level design and pitfall placement, it's a special feeling to stand in front of a potential platforming puzzle and take it all in; mathing out exactly how to approach each gap.

That's not the best part of King of Cards though: it's the expanded Super Mario 3-inspired maps and the integration of Joustus that completely differentiate it from past expansions. Oh, and King Knight's insane personality that causes him to think he's a king, while arguing with his mother than he's more than just a prince whilst accepting home-cooked health-boosting meals. I love that Yacht Club Games is comfortable with this sort of craziness. It's not?? something you see too often and they're magically able to tap into that nostalgia with?out becoming saccharine.

The end goal is to a??ctually become the master of the card game and/or the kingdom, but to accomplish the former achievement you'll acquire new decks through the traditional platforming story mode or by beating card game opponents. The joy of Joustus is that you don't need to know math or read a huge tutorial tome to understand it. Games are won by earning gems, which you get by "pushing" cards on top of them. Cards have arrows that "block" moves. At the end, you get to nick someone's card for keeps. That's it!

True?? to form King Knight can acquire "cheats" (temporary power-ups that grant bonuses) just in case you still don't pick up all the arrow-based nuances, adding even more accessibility to it all. I can see why it took Yacht Club Games this long to fine-tune it: it really is one of the easiest pick-up-and-play card games I've seen in my three-decade plus gaming career. The campaign falters a bit at times (especially due to the re-use of environments), but it quickly gets back on track with Joustus breaking it up. Or, when you defeat the first boss and realize that the initial kingdom is just one of several worlds/maps.

If you still hate card games for whatever reason: the minigame doesn't gate you from traversing each map as you can take alternate platforming routes. A satisfying series of epilogues t??ops it all off, on top of customary New Game+ and challeng?e mode options. It's packed. Even after my first run, I felt like I had only experienced half of the expansion.

Although this review primarily deals with King of Cards, I should probably mention Showdown: the new Smash Bros.-esque fighting game module that's been added alongside of it. Ever since Mega Man 7's secret fighting game I've longed for more 2D retro brawl-sessions, and the combo of a new card game and a fighter adds something special to Shovel Knight that it didn't have before.

Showdown is practically a whole new game. There's unlockables (costumes, stages, characters and other secrets) on top of light Smash-like story modes for each character, a full versus blowout for up to four players, a practice gametype and a "break the targets" mode. Characters have a movelist, you can go up against three other bots (all with different difficulty levels), you can set victory parameters (collect gems or stock/time). I can't even begin to describe how long I'll be enjoying the whole Treasure Trove enchilada for decades to come.

This is a historic moment for Shovel Knight: half a decade later, I can recommend picking up anything and everything Shovel Knight related, which is easy to do with the Treasure Trove compilation. Yacht Club Games has a lot? to be proud of and has accomplished a lot in their short run, and I c?an't wait to see what they come up with next.

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

The post Review: Shovel Knight: King of Cards appeared first on Destructoid.

Extremely Shatner voice: 'Proprietary memory caaaaaaards'

Just in case you haven't seen the billion 3DS, Wii U and Vita articles on the front page in the past year, I like to chronicle the death of gaming systems with excruciating detail. Every comment, postmortem factoid: you name it. Coincidentally all three? of thos??e systems are among my all-time favorites, but it looks like we're not going to get a PSP or Vita successor anytime soon.

Speaking to Game Informer, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Jim Ryan gave a pretty definitive answer to that open-ended question: "PlayStation Vita was brilliant in many ways, and the actual gaming experience was great, but clearly it’s a business that we’re no longer in now." Although Ryan is just ??stating what we already know, it's great to get updates every now and then.

So what's been happening with it recently? Well it got a 3.73 stability firmware update, random sales are still running for Vita classics and Vblank Entertainment is keeping the system on life support with Shakedown: Hawaii, one of the Vita's only new games in 2019, alongside of Limited Run Games.

Going backward: this comes after Sony officially declared it a legacy handheld back in March of this year, discontinuing the remaining hardware models. Just a month before it announced it was dropping PlayStation Plus support for Vita (and PS3). In September 2018 the death knell really began, as Sony declared ??there would be no successor, following the May 2018 declaration that physical carts were going to be extinct.

The First 25 Years [Game Informer]

The post After abandoning the Vita, Sony reminds us that they are out o??f the handheld busine??ss appeared first on Destructoid.

Until December 23, 2019 on the US PlayStation Store

If you're somehow hurting for new games to play, heads up: a whole bunch of PS4 titles are on sale right now at the PlayStation Store. On top of all the Black Friday deals, Sony's digital storefront has added even more discounts with an End of Year sale running until December 23, 2019 at 8:00am PT.

Before we dip into the full list of games, let me share my highlights. On PS4, I'd take ?a look at:

• Bloodstained ($25.99)
• Call of Cthulhu ($11.99)
• Dark Cloud 2 ($5.99)
• Dead Cells ($16.74)
• Diablo III: Eternal Collection ($19.79)
• Dishonored 2 ($9.99)
• Everybody's Golf ($9.99)
• Hohokum ($3.79)
• Indivisible ($27.99)
• Knack 2 ($4.99)
• LocoRoco Remastered ($5.24)
• Nex Machina ($4.99)
• PaRappa the Rapper Remastered ($4.49)
• PaRappa the Rapper 2 ($4.99)
• Patapon Remastered ($7.49)
• PixelJunk Monsters 2 ($4.49)
• Resogun ($3.74)
• Shadow of the Colossus ($9.99)
• Slime Rancher ($9.99)
• Soma ($5.99)
• SteamWorld Dig 2 ($7.99)
• Tacoma ($4.99)
• The Forest ($11.99)
• The Long Dark ($14.99)
• The Yakuza Origins Digital Bundle ($34.99)
• Until Dawn: Rush of Blood ($5.99)
• Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap ($7.99)
• WipEout Omega Collection ($6.99)

That's only a fraction of the sale, but I think it represents a good sample of new and old experiences. Also, as a side note, if you got the original non-Gold edition of Resident Evil 7 but never bought the DLC, I'd strongly encourage you to play Banned Footage Vol. 1 ($5.99) and Vol. 2 ($8.99). Do it for Unky Joe.

On PS3, you can pick up games like Metal Gear Rising Revengeance ($7.49), Persona 4 Arena ($8.99), Silent Hill ($2.99), and the Suikoden line (the first game is $2.99; II, III, and IV are $4.99 each).

And on Vita, you'll find Metal Gear Solid HD Collection ($7.49), Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight ($19.99), Persona 4: Dancing All Night ($12.49), Persona 4: Golden ($9.99), and Steins;Gate ($6.99).

I'?m trying to cut down on my vide??o game spending, Sony. Don't tempt me!

Close Out the Year with Big Savings at PS Store [PlayStation Blog]

The post PlayStation’s End of Year sale has lots of PS4, PS3, and Vita deals appeared first on Destructoid.

Nu Gundam isn't just for show!

It feels like SD Gundam G Generation Genesis is forgotten sometimes.

While it wasn’t the first of Namco’s licensed games to be translated in English for the Asia region – that honor goes to Gundam Breaker 3 and Super Robot Wars OG The Moon Dwellers – it was still one of the earliest ones. It played a major part in helping Namco realize how big the potential import market for Gundam games was in an era where all consoles were region-free and importing was easier than ever. Hell, it's arguably one of the games that started getting titles like Versus released internationally.

Looking back on it three years later, it’s easy to see how this game helped keep that momentum, and how the SD Gundam franchise as a whole ha??s managed to keep going for 20 years.

SD Gundam G Generation Genesis (PS4 [Reviewed], Vita)
Developer: Tom Create
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Released: November 22, 2016
MSRP: ~$50

The story of SD Gundam G Generation Genesis, which we’ll just call Genesis, is not an original one nor a singular plotline. Instead, it consists of 67 stages based on 17 different shows, movies, games, and more from the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam franchise. There is also a 68th one, with an original setting, acting as the final boss of the game. While the number of missions dedicated to each of the 17 entries varies, each one has at least two stages, and presents an abridged version of that storyline. Needless to say, if you don’t like an entry like Zeta or Unicorn, the game isn’t looking to present a version that w??ill change your mind.

This method of compressing the stories has its advantages and disadvantages. Many entries make the transition perfectly fine. For a few entries, this transition does not go so smoothly, for better or worse. For ZZ Gundam, this method cuts out much of its more lighthearted and goofier early half, such as the Moon Moon arc, bringing its overall tone to be more in line with its predecessor Zeta Gundam. For the original show, the death of Lalah Sun, which haunts Char and Amuro for the rest of their lives, is reduced to a cutscene that remo??ves much of its impact.

However, the entry that takes this change the hardest is 08th MS Team, which is a former shadow of itself. Having been reduced solely to two stages, it strips the show down to the bare bones in order to focus on the relationship between Shiro and Aina. Outside of the Gouf Custom fight, there are no other exceptions – every encounter is defined by Shiro and Aina. Terry, Karen, Eledore, and Michel lose all ??signs of character development, with Kiki and the guerrillas cut entirely from the game. It absolutely needed at least one more stage to avoid being too short for its own good.

As for the missions themselves, they are generally divided into two parts. One half has players commanding a squad comprised of units assigned by the story, while the other half has them leading a mix of story-units along with a custom squad that can be assembled between missions. Just like Super Robot Wars, battleships and VIP units will always need to be protected, in addition to other requirements – otherwise you're looking at a game over. It should?? also be mentioned the game has a permadeath mechanic, where if a unit from that custom squad is shot down, that machine will be lost permanently and another one will have to take its place going forward.

Continuing the Super Robot Wars comparison, the entire game is a grid-based strategy RPG. As one would also expect, the performance of a unit is dependent on the stats the mech and pilot each contribute. Missions also have side objectives, which are often truer to the source. For instance, the first mission of the or?iginal show gives players Amuro in the RX-78-2 and asks them to defeat Denim who is piloting the Zaku II. However, the optional version asks the player to deal the finishing blow with the beam saber weapon, as it happened in the source material. Doing these ??optional objectives gives the player extra funds but also the possibility of an extra enemy squad spawning, which can be captured for personal use if its leader is defeated.

At this point, Genesis sets itself apart with not just different takes on some of these mechanics, but also a large variety of its own unique systems – so many that I can’t fit them all into this review and will only be focusing on a few. While the presentation for the maps could use some work, the game often breaks the map apart into segments. Sometimes these parts are connected, such as one area acting as a city for the ground troops, with another acting as the sky above it. In other cases, they’re not connected and used for plot purposes, so events can play out as intended. For instance, the finale of War in the Pocket has the custom squad in space playing the role of the Federation fleet that must prevent nukes from destroying the colony. Meanwhile,?? inside that very colony, the game assigns the player Christina in the Alex with the goal of taking down Bernie in his Zaku. It’s hard to get across in writing how effective this simple mechanic can be at times for making battles feel larger in scope, and also instrumental for keeping the smaller set-pieces of the source materials intact.

Let’s move onto the ships, which, as mentioned, still hold their VIP status. Due to changes in how unit sizes are handled, ships now take up multiple tiles, and must be rotated in order to aim certain attacks and navigate tight spaces. The stats of a ship aren’t determined by just the captain, but also the six other characters that help crew the ship. In fact, there’s a whole separate set of stats on characters for whe??n they are part of a ship crew. These vessels are much more involved than before, and this is before getting into how they can launch group attacks on multiple enemy uni??ts along with being the main means of capturing surrendering units.

Plus, Genesis isn’t exactly generous with ammo for units. Every attack in the game uses energy and it’s the only ammunition type. When you start out, many units can only handle up to eight attacks before needing to refuel, and that’s with the weakest option. With fewer options to replenish energy, and skills that can potentially only be single-use, units will be making trips to the battleship frequently. This in turn encourages the player to be mindful of energy level and keep a rotation going during resupplies, in order to keep their ships safeguarded. Now this energy iss??ue can be potentially fixed via grinding, but it’s often a slow process.

In addition to the pilots, all the mechs and ships are also able to level up. Upon doing so, the machines get a static bonus to all stats, including energy, but also points for the player to use to manually increase stats of their choice. As a stat is increased, it will start requiring more points to be invested per stat increase. This is balanced out by higher levels granting more points to be used to enhance the stats. Now it should go without saying, but a stronger unit like the Sazabi will take more exp??erience than the Zaku II in ord?er to level up. These levels also serve a different purpose between battles, which we’ll get to momentarily.

Between missions, players will spend a lot of time assembling, growing, and training their custom team. While they’ll initially start with original characters and machines from the SD Gundam series, they’ll slowly grow a roster of dozens of iconic characters and over 400 machines and ships that can recruited and deployed in any manner. A large part of the roster is also from series that do not have story missions in the game, like Gundam Sentinel or the Psyco Gundam Mk-III from the Battle Assault series. There are no restrictions here, with even crazy what-ifs being possible like putting Al from War in the Pocket in the Alex, and players?? are encouraged to mix and match as they please.

This is also where the other benefit of mobile suits leveling up comes into play. Every mobile suit has a development plan where, once they reach specific levels, they can be changed into different machines. While this process resets them to level 1 and undoes the manual stat growth, it’s also the fastest and most efficient way for growing the roster and reaching endgame units such as the Unicorn Gundam trio, which includes the Phenex as depicted in the MSV design books. Once a unit is unlocked, it is added to the factory list, where it can be freely purchased from then on. There are other ways of unlocking units, including an exchange and fusion-esque systems, but there is o??ne that’s not particularly efficient.

The game has a mechanic called the Get Gauge, which appears only on story units. When a story unit defeats a foe, a part of the gauge is filled. Once it’s maxed out, the unit is added to the factory list, where it can be freely purchased if players have the funds. This is a good shortcut that cuts out the grinding for stronger units like the Zeta Gundam. However, if the meter isn’t filled by the e?nd of the mission, it resets. This can be frustrating as units only receive exp??erience from kills, and it denies the custom squad potentially dozens of kills in order to fill out this gauge. To accidentally end a mission early and see all of that time and effort can go to waste feels awful. While many machines can still be obtained without dealing with this mechanic, it’s a must for pilots.

The game has a quest system in place, with over 200 of them to complete. These little side tasks range from ‘obtain x unit’ to requiring players to complete stages while following a specific set of instructions. All of the non-SD Gundam characters, excluding Haro, are locked behind these quests. For many of the protagonists, they are locked behind quests that require the Get Gauge to be filled for a unit they pilot. This means for Char and Amuro in their Char's Counterattack incarnatio??ns, there is only one stage for each of them where this quest can be completed. Whether it’s because ?of the Get Gauge or quests with conflicting goals, some stages will need to be played at least twice to in order to complete this list.

Now, there are some other issues, but their impact will vary from person to person. Most of them don’t get in the way of the gameplay itself, but they are major enough to warrant mentioning. The most notable of these is the game's subtitles. While the menus, cutscene dialogue, and pilot cut-ins have a perfectly fine English translation, the battle animations do not have subtitles. This is a major blow to those animations. Without the dialogue, characters that do not partake in the included stories, like the Gundam Sentinel or SD Gundam ones, remain these undefined random characters th??at can’t show any ??sense of personality to players.

Furthermore, the animations in Genesis are not consistent. Some of the attack animations are performed by 3D models, while others are by 2D sprites of the? models. The two feel dramatically different, especially when the attacks using 2D sprites aren’t necessarily as dynamic or have as many frames of animation as their 3D?? brethren. It’s especially jarring when an attack starts out as one before transitioning to the other. Trying to have the best of both styles doesn’t work; it should have been only one or the other.

Finally, the ability to see the range of attacks has a glaring omission. When players are in a mission, they are not only able to see the range of an attack in text, but also a visualization of its range. This is important because not all attacks have a range based on a diameter around the unit. Sometimes it can be a straight line from the unit, which is frequent for ships, or something ridiculous like a checkerboard pattern. Outside of stages, these options do not exist. In between battles, Genesis will only give its range, but not the sh?ape of that range, and it will give nothing for map attacks. It’s annoying to get new mobile suits and ships when it’s not possible to tell what they’re capable of without wasting time going into a map and figuring this out.

While SD Gundam G Generation Genesis has issues, it’s still a good game at its core. The mission formatting, multiple difficulties, side objectives, and mechanics will give all players, regardless of Gundam knowledge, a great time. Plus, the large roster containing hundreds of characters and machines will give Gundam fans plenty of fanservice to enjoy, and numerous custom squad possibilities to run in terms of stats for even non-Gundam fans. However, the abridged storytelling and tailoring to fans of the Universal Century timeline might limit how much enjoyment both parties can get out of Genesis.

_{[This review is based on a retail build o?f the game purchased by the reviewer.]}

The post Import Review: SD Gundam G Generation Genesis appeared first on Destructoid.

RIP Vita, you are buried next to 'Proprietary Memory Card'

I'm all out of beer. I've poured out my entire stash fo??r the Wii U and Vita for the past few years, and in 2019, I started to preemptively pour some out for the 3DS. I need to rent a keg!

Who am I kidding: I love thos?e three systems so much (three of my favorite handhelds, Wii U included, of all time) that I'll never stop pouring one out for them. Maybe one day I'll help contribute to a game preservation initiative and keep their memory going? A man can dream.

Anyway, the Vita just got a new firmware update this week: 3.73. It essentially does nothing except presumably thwart homebrewers, as the official firmware notes are: "This system software update improves system performance." But there??'s nothing really to improve, because Sony nixed the Vita several years ago by killing off first-party game pro??duction, then killed it for third parties by putting the kibosh on physical cart production.

While studios like Atlus were keeping the Vita (and its lovely OLED screen) alive, it really isn't viable anymore, and Shakedown: Hawaii is officially one of the last new Vita?? releases. We could talk all day about how Sony doomed the system from the start despite the great tech and droves of support from third parties, but let's just remember it together in peace, shall we?

I'll go first: Favorite Vita game? Mine is probably Gravity Rush. A system seller if I've ever seen one!

3.73 [PlayStation] Thanks Adam!

The post ??The Vita is shambling along with a new 3.73 firmware update: Can we just remember how great the Vita was together? appeared first on Destructoid.

1.070

Chasm came out in the middle of last year, and eventually walked into a room full of Metroidvanias, getting somewhat lost in the shuffle. For many years the genre has thrived, and developers have taken to frequent, huge update??????????????????????????s to keep things interesting and competitive.

In addition to a 35% off sale, Chasm now sports (thanks to its 1.070 update) arcade mode, daily challenges, more translations, unique/legendary items, a new chiptune soundtrack, "86+" new rooms, new background art, enhanced combat and AI, better controls, and other balance changes. Developer Bit Kid is praising arcade mode as the biggest deal of 1.070, which "generates a new layout of the world on the fly," to the point where if you ??leave a room and return, it'll be different. Th??e idea is that you need to get through each zone in eight minutes or less to avoid a game over.

Although I'm not sure it's enough to get me to do a full run all over again right now, it??'s great to se??e a studio support their game long term!

The post Metroidvania Chasm just got a massive update appeared first on Destructoid.

How low can you go?

I shouldn't need to talk you into picking up a game as perfect as Downwell when it?'s free. Heck, you should probably already own it somewhere -- PC, Switch, PS4, mobile -- because it's only $3. But, $3 is?? $3, and free is free.

For the next week, Devolver Digital is giving away Downwell for free on Android devices. Something was bugged with the original version, Devolver had to make a whole new app to fix it, and for all the hassle, Devolver's just making it free until September 27. Here's the Google Play page; it goes free today at 5pm Pacific. (Also, if you bought the original version on Android, read this page to figure out how to get a refund.)

We gave Downwell a 10 back in 2015 because it perfectly executes on its simple concept: A roguelike with second-to-sec??ond decision-making all while gravity pulls you down. It's one of those games that takes a while to get the hang of, but once it all clicks, you feel so fabulously competent during the long descent. If you're an Android user and you've never played, do yourself a favor and give it a download.

Downwell Accidentally Leaves, Th?en Returns to Google Play [Devolver]

The post Downwell is free on Android appeared first on Destructoid.

Judgment time

Coinciding with an already eventful Tokyo Game Show this week, the PlayStation Store is hosting a sale on – you guessed it! – games that hail from Japan (as well as others with much more tenuous connections). The Big in Japan sale runs until September 24 at 8:00am Pacific with deals on PS4, PS4, and Vita titles. Just this once, there's a not-insignificant number of PlayStation Vita games.

The PlayStation Blog has a full text list of the games on sale if, like me, you hate scrolling through the store interface and? avoid it whenever possible. Some PS4 recommendations, at least to get us started:

• Birthdays the Beginning ($19.99)
• Castlevania Anniversary Collection ($9.99) | Castlevania Requiem ($9.99)
• Contra Anniversary Collection ($9.99)
• Dark Souls Remastered ($19.99) | Dark Souls II: SotFS ($9.99) | Dark Souls III ($14.99)
• Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition ($7.49) | Devil May Cry 5 ($35.99)
• Dragon Quest Builders 2 ($47.99)
• Lots of Final Fantasy!
• Judgment ($38.99)
• Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 ($23.99) (Also available separately for $11.99)
• Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom ($20.39)
• PixelJunk Monsters 2 ($5.99)
• Lots of Resident Evil!
• Sekiro ($44.99)
• Shenmue I & II ($17.99)
• Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap ($9.99)
• Yakuza Kiwami ($9.99) | Yakuza Kiwami 2 ($24.99) | Yakuza 6 ($19.99)

Not all of the prices are competitive, but I like these games enough to mention the?m.

Related: After catching the insane(ly good) story trailer for Yakuza: Like a Dragon this morning, I feel re-energized. I need to wrap up Kiwami 2, something I've been putting off for way too lo??ng.

Big in Japan [PlayStation Store US]

The post The PlayStation Store has a bunch of Japanese games?? on sale appeared first on Destructoid.

No physical version planned

After teasing us with a "coming soon" at E3, Square Enix has announced that both Romancing SaGa 3 and SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions will be heading West later this year. The former will release on November 11, 2019, while the latter lands on December 3, 2019. For some odd reason, Scarlet Grace Ambitions will not be releasing on Xbox One, but 3 is.

A new trailer gives us a glimpse of what SaGa 3 is all about. Being released in ??the West for the first since the original's 1995 launch, the plot deals with the rise of something called the "Morastrum" that threatens the very existence of the world. It's sort of typical JRPG stuff, but a plot that should make for some comfortable gaming for series fans.

Square Enix [Twitter]

The post Romancing SaGa 3 and SaGa Sca?rlet Grace Ambitions to ??hit digital shops this fall appeared first on Destructoid.

A nice port (get it?)

Atlus is one hell of a company. Following up on its success with the Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, and Etrian Odyssey series, the publisher decided to release a little old game abou??t climbing blocks in a nightmarish hellscape ??and navigating (sometimes hellish) relationships.

Catherine is just as good now as it was in 2011. The ques??tion is whether or not the new "Full Body" additions are worth double-dipping for??.

Catherine: Full Body (PS4 [reviewed], Vita (Japan only)
Developer: Atlus (Studio Zero)
Publisher: Atlus
Released: February 14, 2019 (Japan), September 3, 2019 (WW)
MSRP: $59.99

Catherine: Full Body is basically a beefed-up, touched-up version of the original. Before I begin it's important to note that this release is $60, and the PS3 version can be purchased for around $15 new, even less used. Catherine Classic is on Steam for $20. Now I know a lot of you don't own a PS3 or game on PC, but I thought I'd point that out: you can decide? if it's worth the difference by the time t?his review is over.

More cutscenes, more characters, more music, more levels, more multiplayer pretty much describes Full Body to a tee. There's more concessions for a lowered bar of entry with accessibility options, which don't shame the player and still offer up the chance to fully experience the story (with in-game toggles if you just need help on a more difficult part). Wait,?????????????????????????? puzzles? Yeah, this relationship simulator has puzzles: lots of them!

You step into the shoes of Vincent: a 32-something man in a relationship who wakes up in bed with another woman near the beginning of the narrative. Vincent's efficacy as a character and as a metaphor for commitment have been debated over the course of the last seven years; but I think the Catherine team is capable of striking real, poigna??????????????????????????nt, and relatable chords throughout the s??????????????????????????tory.

That's partly because there isn't any real meat on Catherine's bones. Most of the narrative parts take place in a divey bar, complete with a dedicated drink button, the ability to chat with patrons and friends, and answer text messages from your potential relationships (the count is upped from two to three in Full Body with Rin). Occasionally you'll get the chance to make major choices that impact ??the story and converge into one of the (now) 13 endings. It's a unique-as-hell game, dotted with subtle and obvious ??symbolism for responsibility and adherence to the past.

To help facilitate the new?? story, more anime cutscenes have been added, and the touched-up visual style looks somewhere around the neighborhood of a remaster. It's not like cutting-edge graphics really serve to enhance a game like this that's mostly spent in menus or staring at dialogue boxes, but some of the game's more sanctified puzzle arena backgrounds do look markedly improved.

As was always the case, the narrative can be hit or miss. Rin is an interesting character at first, but some of the choices for her story end up not really following through. With that said, she doesn't feel tacked-on at all: like she always meant to be there, and even influences gameplay slightly with her piano-playing skills. Honestly, I'm in it more for the puzzle aspect, and this timeless formula still delivers??.

Ah, so on those elusive puzzle bits! Imagine Q*bert on crack and you'll have the basic gist down. Each evening Vincent is thrust into a "Nightmare," a series of vertical labyrinths stacked on high with cubes. With a simple control scheme in hand (movement, one button to pull/push blocks, and a sparing power-up press) you'l??l need to grab blocks and climb your way to the top to avoid falling to your doom or getting eaten by a monstrosity (which serve as the level series bookend boss fights). When you hit the top Vincent will wake up, have another living nightmare of a day, then go back at it until he discovers why this is happening.

Given the unique rule sets of the block physics and the sheer number of different types strewn about the game, there are frequently multiple ways to solve each tower. The action is also well-paced, as there is a sense of urgency to it all, but in a contained way that doesn't turn Catherine into a button-masher. It's incredible how well this idea holds up eight years later, and how much it forces you to think out of the box: some of the later puzzles are more delightfully devilish than Seymour Skinner. The same goes for the bite-sized in-universe arcade game Super Rapunzel, which apes the main cube concept.

Perhaps the most long-lasting Full Body feature is multiplayer. In case you haven't noticed, Catherine is basically played as a fighting game at many FGC events. Multiplayer is online-enabled and immedia??tely available (without having to finish the campaign once), with new stages to boot. Local play is also in with the chance to play co-op or versus, the former of which informs the overarching universe of the game with more lore bits. It's the kind of old-school flair you'd expect from Atlus, and with more levels, it's just as resplendent as it was in the orig??inal version.

Catherine: Fully Body contains many of the blemishes from the original but doubles down on the amount of puzzles, which is a net gain. If you already had your fill though, you may as well catch up on some of the new endings and call it a day??.

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

The post Review: Catherine: Full Body appeared first on Destructoid.

'Oh, yeah, I remember that game...'

Sony's Totally Digital sale has returned to the PlayStation Store with deals on PS4, PS3, and Vita games running a whole two weeks. There's far too much filler for me to want to list everything, but I've assembled a batch of games that stood out to me – some for their quality more ??than their discount.

Here's what I came up with:

• 11-11 Memories Retold ($7.49)
• A Hat in Time ($14.99)
• Abzu ($7.99)
• Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle ($11.99)
• Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer ($7.49)
• Don't Starve Mega Pack ($13.49)
• Furi ($9.99)
• Guacamelee 2 ($6.79)
• Mark of the Ninja: Remastered ($11.99)
• Severed ($3.74)
• Superhot VR ($17.49)
• ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove ($13.99)
• Trials Rising ($12.49)
• Tumblestone ($4.99)
• Wandersong ($11.99)

The sale spans 400+ games, so this is only a fraction of the list, but it should give you an idea of what to expect. These aren't flash-sale-caliber deals, and man??y titles are "maybe one day" backlog fodder.

If you're on the f?ence about anything, you have until Septemb?er 17 at 8:00am Pacific.

Totally Digital sale [PlayStation Store]

The post Sony is running a Totally Digital sale on PS4,? PS3, and Vita games appeared first on Destructoid.

Catch up on big games in this four-week sale

We've reached a point where there's always a PS4 sale of some sort running on the PlayStation Store. Right now, it's the Summer Sale – a four-week promo with deals mostly on PS4 games as well as a han?dful of PS3 and Vita titles. If you have a wishlist, give it a pee??k. This might be the time to bite!

As someone who routinely covers these sales, a lot of the same names tend to pop up. Folks, rest assured, Grand Theft Auto V is covered. (It's down to $14.99 again.) The Summer Sale isn't short on AAA games, if that's what you're in the mood for this month. There's Red Dead Redemption 2 ($38.99), The Division 2 ($38.99), Devil May Cry 5 ($39.59), Resident Evil 2 ($35.99), The Witcher 3: Complete Edition ($14.99), Assassin's Creed Odyssey ($23.99), and Ghost Recon Wildlands ($14.99), among many others.

But there are some newer faces. Outward, an open-world RPG, has my curiosity now that it's $25.99. I'm also pleased to see Subnautica ($19.79) and Tetris Effect ($24.79) – two games I can't recommend enough. A bunch of great PlayStation VR titles, like Rez Infinite ($14.99), are featured too.

For all of you fighting game fiends out there, you can find Tekken 7 ($14.99), Soulcalibur VI ($20.39), and Dragon Ball FighterZ ($14.99). Speaking of the latter, the FighterZ Pass is marked down to $17.49.

Also, Ys VIII is half price – $29.99. I feel l?ike that game could use more love??.

There are over 400 games and add-ons, all told. The Summer Sale runs until August ?20 at 8:00am Pacific. That said, not every deal will stick around for the duration. Make sure to check the individual listings for each game you??'re interested in to see when their price will revert. Look for blue text.

Summer Sale: Four Weeks of Deals at PS Store [PlayStation Blog]

The full list of PS4 deals in the PlayStation Store Summer Sale 2019

• A Hat in Time ($14.99)
• A Way Out ($17.99)
• Absolver ($11.99)
• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown ($35.99)
• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition ($59.49)
• Aerea ($3.99)
• Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders ($5.99)
• Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs ($8.99)
• Apex – Founders Pack Bundle ($20.09)
• Ark: Scorched Earth ($6.99)
• Ark: Survival Evolved ($17.49)
• Armello ($7.99)
• Armello – Deluxe Bundle ($17.99)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey ($23.99)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Deluxe Edition ($31.99)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Gold Edition ($39.99)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Season Pass ($23.99)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Ultimate Edition ($47.99)
• Atelier Arland Series Deluxe Pack ($67.49)
• Atv Drift & Tricks Definitive Edition (VR) ($4.99)
• Battlefield 1 & Titanfall 2 Ultimate Bundle ($8.99)
• Battlefield 1 Premium Pass ($11.99)
• Battlefield 1 Revolution ($9.99)
• Battlefield 4 ($4.99)
• Battlefield 4 Premium ($9.99)
• Battlefield 4 Premium Edition ($9.99)
• Battlefield Hardline Deluxe Edition ($6.24)
• Battlefield Hardline Premium ($9.99)
• Battlefield Hardline Standard Edition ($4.99)
• Battlefield Hardline Ultimate Edition ($9.99)
• Battlefield V ($23.99)
• Battlefield World War Bundle ($39.99)
• Beyond: Two Souls ($10.49)
• Blazblue: Central Fiction ($23.99)
• Blood & Truth ($31.99)
• Bloodborne ($14.99)
• Bloodborne Complete Edition Bundle ($24.49)
• Borderlands 2 VR ($24.99)
• Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition ($17.99)
• Borderlands: the Handsome Collection ($14.99)
• Bound ($9.99)
• Bridge Constructor Portal ($7.49)
• Burnout Paradise Remastered ($4.99)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Deluxe ($49.99)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Deluxe ($29.99)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Deluxe ($17.99)
• Call of Duty: WWII – Digital Deluxe ($54.99)
• Call of Duty: WWII – Gold Edition ($29.99)
• Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle ($13.99)
• Carnival Games ($15.99)
• Carnival Games VR ($4.99)
• Chimparty ($9.99)
• Citizens of Space ($11.24)
• Conan Exiles ($24.99)
• Conan Exiles – Complete Edition ($52.49)
• Conan Exiles – Deluxe Edition ($37.49)
• Conan Exiles – Year 1 DLC Bundle ($20.99)
• Conan Exiles – Year 2 Season Pass ($20.99)
• Creed: Rise to Glory (VR) ($17.99)
• Danganronpa 1/2 Reload ($19.99)
• Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls ($14.99)
• Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony ($29.99)
• Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ($9.99)
• Dark Souls III ($14.99)
• Dark Souls III – Deluxe Edition ($21.24)
• Dark Souls III – Season Pass ($12.49)
• Dark Souls Remastered ($23.99)
• Darkest Dungeon ($9.99)
• Darkest Dungeon: Crimson Edition ($11.99)
• Darksiders III ($35.99)
• Darksiders III Blades & Whips Edition ($59.99)
• Darksiders III Deluxe Edition ($47.99)
• Darkwood – Special Edition ($12.59)
• Dead Cells ($17.49)
• Dead Cells + Rise of the Giant Avatar ($17.49)
• Dead or Alive 6 ($47.99)
• Dead or Alive 6 Digital Deluxe Edition ($63.99)
• Death Mark ($24.99)
• Devil May Cry 5 ($39.59)
• Devil May Cry 5 Deluxe Edition ($46.19)
• Disgaea 1 Complete ($29.99)
• Disgaea 5 Complete Bundle ($19.99)
• Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance ($11.99)
• Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance Season Pass ($7.99)
• Divinity Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition ($35.99)
• Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition ($9.99)
• Dollhouse ($27.99)
• Dragon Age: Inquisition – Game of the Year Edition ($11.99)
• Dragon Ball FighterZ ($14.99)
• Dragon Ball FighterZ – FighterZ Edition ($37.99)
• Dragon Ball FighterZ – FighterZ Pass ($17.49)
• Dragon Ball FighterZ – Ultimate Edition ($43.99)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 ($14.99)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse Super Bundle ($21.24)
• Driveclub ($14.99)
• Driveclub – Bikes Standalone ($11.99)
• Driveclub VR ($7.49)
• Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition ($14.99)
• Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires ($29.99)
• Dynasty Warriors 9 ($41.99)
• Dynasty Warriors 9 Digital DX Edition ($59.49)
• Dynasty Warriors 9: Season Pass ($17.49)
• Dynasty Warriors 9: Season Pass 2 ($35.99)
• Dynasty Warriors 9: Season Pass 3 ($35.99)
• EA Sports 19 Bundle ($29.99)
• EA Sports NHL 19 ($9.59)
• EA Sports UFC 3 Deluxe Edition ($17.99)
• EA Sports UFC 3 Standard Edition ($11.99)
• Enter the Gungeon ($7.49)
• Eve: Valkyrie (VR) ($14.99)
• Fade to Silence ($37.49)
• Farming Simulator 19 ($34.99)
• Farming Simulator 19 – Premium Edition ($60.29)
• Farming Simulator 19 – Season Pass ($34.99)
• Farpoint ($9.99)
• Fe ($4.99)
• FIFA 19 ($14.99)
• FIFA 19 – NHL 19 Bundle ($23.99)
• FIFA 19 Champions Edition ($19.99)
• FIFA 19 Ultimate Edition ($24.99)
• FIFA the Journey Bundle ($27.99)
• Fishing Sim World: Lago Del Mundo ($8.02)
• Fishing Sim World: Lake Dylan ($7.03)
• Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour ($15.99)
• Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour + Quad Lake Pass ($32.24)
• Fishing Sim World: Quad Lake Pass ($22.19)
• Frantics ($7.99)
• Generation Zero ($27.99)
• God Eater 2: Rage Burst ($14.99)
• God Eater 3 ($35.99)
• Grand Theft Auto Online Megalodon Shark Cash Card ($84.99)
• Grand Theft Auto V ($14.99)
• Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition ($14.99)
• Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition & Great White Shark Card ($28.79)
• Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition & Megalodon Shark Card ($57.59)
• Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition & Whale Shark Card ($37.19)
• Grand Theft Auto: Starter Pack and Megalodon Shark Card Bundle ($85.04)
• Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 ($15.99)
• Gun Club VR ($14.99)
• Gundam Versus ($14.99)
• Here They Lie ($6.99)
• Hidden Agenda ($4.99)
• Hitman 2 – Gold Edition ($39.99)
• Hitman 2 – Standard Edition ($23.99)
• Human Fall Flat ($6.74
• Infamous Second Son ($14.99)
• Infamous: First Light ($7.49)
• Infinite Minigolf (VR) ($5.99)
• Injustice 2: Legendary Edition ($29.99)
• Jump Force ($29.99)
• Jump Force – Deluxe Edition ($53.99)
• Jump Force – Ultimate Edition ($59.99)
• Just Cause 3 ($5.99)
• Just Cause 3 – XXL Edition ($7.49)
• Just Cause 4 – Digital Deluxe Bundle ($23.09)
• Just Cause 4 – Expansion Pass ($20.09)
• Just Cause 4 – Gold Edition Bundle ($29.69)
• Just Cause 4 – Standard Edition ($19.79)
• Just Dance 2019 ($19.99)
• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (VR) ($8.99)
• Killing Floor 2 ($9.89
• Killing Floor: Incursion (VR) ($9.99)
• Killzone: Shadow Fall ($14.99)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance ($20.09)
• Knowledge is Power ($4.99)
• Knowledge is Power: Decades ($9.99)
• Kona ($5.99)
• Kona VR Add-on ($2.39)
• Kona VR Bundle ($7.99)
• Lapis X Labyrinth ($20.99)
• LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham ($9.99)
• LEGO Harry Potter Collection ($9.99)
• LEGO Jurassic World ($9.99)
• LEGO Marvel Avengers ($9.99)
• LEGO Marvel Avengers Deluxe Edition ($14.99)
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes ($9.99)
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 ($9.99)
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Deluxe Edition ($17.49)
• LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame ($24.99)
• LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($9.99)
• LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Deluxe Edition ($14.99)
• LEGO The Incredibles ($29.99)
• Life is Strange 2 – Episode 1 ($3.99)
• Life is Strange 2 Complete Season ($29.99)
• Life is Strange Episode 2 ($0.99)
• Life is Strange Episode 3 ($0.99)
• Life is Strange Episode 4 ($0.99)
• Life is Strange Episode 5 ($0.99)
• Life is Strange: Before the Storm Complete Season ($5.09)
• Life is Strange: Before the Storm Deluxe Edition ($7.49)
• Little Dragons Café ($23.99)
• LittleBigPlanet 3 ($14.99)
• Lords of the Fallen ($3.99)
• Lords of the Fallen Complete Edition ($5.99)
• Lumines Remastered ($8.99)
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite – Deluxe Edition ($29.99)
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite – Standard Edition ($19.99)
• Mass Effect: Andromeda – Deluxe Recruit Edition ($9.99)
• Mass Effect: Andromeda – Standard Recruit Edition ($7.49)
• Mega Man Legacy Collection ($7.49)
• Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 & 2 Combo Pack ($17.99)
• Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 ($11.99)
• Mega Man X Legacy Collection ($13.99)
• Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2 ($27.99)
• Megaman 11 ($23.09)
• Metro 2033 Redux ($4.99)
• Metro Exodus ($35.99)
• Metro Exodus Gold Edition ($50.99)
• Metro Redux ($7.49)
• Metro: Last Light Redux ($4.99)
• Middle of Earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition ($29.99)
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Game of the Year Edition ($9.99)
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War ($24.99)
• Mirror’s Edge Catalyst ($5.99)
• Monster Hunter: World ($24.99)
• Moonlighter ($9.99)
• Mortal Kombat 11 ($44.99)
• Mortal Kombat 11 Premium Edition ($84.99)
• Moss (VR) ($20.99)
• Moss + Soundtrack ($24.49)
• Mount & Blade: Warband ($4.99)
• Mudrunner – American Wilds Edition ($13.59)
• Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 ($9.99)
• Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst ($9.99)
• Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 ($29.99)
• Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 – Deluxe Edition ($39.99)
• Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy ($34.99)
• Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy ($19.99)
• Naruto Shippuden: Uns4 Road to Boruto ($24.99)
• Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker ($14.99)
• Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker Deluxe Edition ($22.49)
• Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm ($9.99)
• NBA 2K19 ($25.79)
• NBA 2K19 + NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 Bundle ($34.39)
• NBA 2K19 15000 VC Pack ($3.99)
• NBA 2K19 20th Anniversary Edition Bundle ($42.99)
• NBA 2K19 35000 VC Pack ($7.49)
• NBA 2K19 5000 VC Pack ($1.69
• NBA Live 19: The One Edition ($14.99)
• Need for Speed Payback ($9.99)
• Need for Speed Payback – Deluxe Edition ($14.99)
• Need for Speed Ultimate Bundle ($29.99)
• Nelke & The Legendary Alchemists ($47.99)
• NHL 19 Legends Post ($11.19)
• NHL 19 Ultimate Edition ($12.79)
• Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom ($20.39)
• Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom – Deluxe Edition ($27.19)
• Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom – Season Pass ($9.99)
• NieR: Automata Game of the Year Yorha Edition ($26.79)
• One Piece Burning Blood ($14.99)
• One Piece Burning Blood – Gold Edition ($21.12
• One Piece World Seeker ($35.99)
• One Piece World Seeker – Deluxe Edition ($62.99)
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 ($14.99)
• Outlast 2 ($7.49)
• Outlast Trinity ($11.79)
• Outlast: Bundle of Terror ($7.24)
• Outward ($25.99)
• Override: Mech City Brawl ($8.99)
• Override: Mech City Brawl – Season Pass ($4.49)
• Override: Mech City Brawl – Super Charged Mega Edition ($11.99)
• Paladins Champions Pack ($14.99)
• Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul (VR) ($14.99)
• Peggle 2 ($5.99)
• Peggle 2 Magical Masters Edition ($2.99)
• Persona 5 ($13.99)
• Persona 5: Ultimate Edition ($50.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Williams Pinball: Volume 3 ($4.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Williams Pinball: Volume 4 ($5.99)
• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2: Deluxe Edition ($1.24)
• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2: Standard Edition ($0.99)
• PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds ($14.99)
• PlayStation VR Worlds ($4.49)
• Prison Boss VR ($9.99)
• Quantic Dream Collection ($11.99)
• Ratchet & Clank ($14.99)
• Raw Data VR ($15.99)
• Real Farm ($7.99)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 ($38.99)
• Red Dead Redemption 2: Special Edition ($47.99)
• Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition ($54.99)
• Resident Evil ($7.99)
• Resident Evil 0 ($7.99)
• Resident Evil 2 ($35.99)
• Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition ($41.99)
• Resident Evil 4 ($7.99)
• Resident Evil 7 Biohazard ($16.99)
• Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Gold Edition ($29.99)
• Resident Evil Code: Veronica X (Ps2) ($7.49)
• Resident Evil Triple Pack ($23.79)
• Resident Evil: Deluxe Origins Bundle ($19.99)
• Rez Infinite (VR) ($14.99)
• Rigs Mechanized Combat League ($6.99)
• Road Redemption ($13.99)
• Saints Row IV Re-elected ($4.99)
• Saints Row Re-Elected & Gat Out of Hell ($7.49)
• Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell ($3.74)
• Salt and Sanctuary ($8.99)
• School Girl/Zombie Hunter ($11.99)
• Seven: Enhanced Edition ($25.99)
• Shadow of the Colossus ($12.99)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider ($19.79)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Croft Edition ($29.69
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Deluxe Edition ($23.09)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Season Pass ($14.99)
• Smite Ultimate God Pack ($14.99)
• Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Season Pass Edition ($11.99)
• SNK 40th Anniversary Collection ($27.99)
• Sonic Forces Digital Standard Edition ($9.99)
• SoulCalibur VI ($20.39)
• SoulCalibur VI Deluxe Edition ($35.99)
• Space Hulk Tactics ($9.99)
• Star Wars Battlefront II ($7.49)
• Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition ($4.99)
• Star Wars Battlefront: Hoth Bundle ($8.99)
• Statik (VR) ($5.99)
• Steel Rats ($9.99)
• Steel Rats Deluxe Edition ($11.99)
• Subnautica ($19.79)
• Super Mega Baseball 2 ($14.99)
• Super Street: The Game ($19.99)
• Superhot ($12.49)
• Superhot Mind is Software Bundle ($23.99)
• Superhot VR ($17.49)
• Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment ($7.99)
• Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet ($11.99)
• Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet – Complete Edition ($27.99)
• Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization ($14.99)
• Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition ($21.24)
• Sword Art Online: Lost Song ($14.99)
• Tacoma ($5.99)
• Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition ($24.99)
• Team Sonic Racing ($29.99)
• Tekken 7 ($14.99)
• Tekken 7 – Rematch Edition ($31.99)
• Tekken 7 – Ultimate Edition ($39.99)
• Tetris Effect ($24.79)
• That’s You! ($3.99)
• The BioWare Bundle ($17.99)
• The Caligula Effect: Overdose ($34.99)
• The Disney Afternoon Collection ($6.99)
• The Exorcist: Legion VR ($3.49)
• The Exorcist: Legion VR – Complete Series ($14.99)
• The Golf Club 2 ($8.99)
• The Grand Tour Game ($11.24)
• The Hunter Call of the Wild ($20.09)
• The Inpatient ($9.99)
• The Jackbox Party Pack 5 ($17.99)
• The King of Fighters XIV Special Anniversary Edition ($23.99)
• The Last Guardian ($11.99)
• The Last of Us Remastered ($14.99)
• The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince ($13.99)
• The Long Dark ($14.99)
• The Princess Guide ($23.99)
• The Seven Deadly Sins ($14.99)
• The Sims 4 ($13.99)
• The Sims 4 Bundle – Get to Work, Dine Out, Cool Kitchen Stuff ($24.99)
• The Sims 4 Bundle City Living ($24.99)
• The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs ($19.99)
• The Sims 4 City Living ($19.99)
• The Sims 4 Deluxe Party Edition ($17.49)
• The Sims 4 Dine Out ($9.99)
• The Sims 4 Get to Work ($19.99)
• The Sims 4 Parenthood ($9.99)
• The Sims 4 Vampires ($9.99)
• The Tom Clancy’s Franchise Bundle ($39.99)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ($11.99)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine ($7.99)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition ($14.99)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Expansion Pass ($9.99)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone ($3.99)
• Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales ($14.99)
• Thumper (VR) ($7.99)
• Time Machine VR ($10.49)
• Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition 1 ($7.49)
• Tokyo Xanadu Ex+ ($17.99)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Season Pass ($15.99)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Standard Edition ($14.99)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Ultimate Edition ($35.99)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Year 2 Gold Edition ($23.99)
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition ($11.99)
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Gold Edition ($34.99)
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Ultimate Edition ($54.99)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division ($9.99)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 ($38.99)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Gold Edition ($59.99)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Ultimate Edition ($71.99)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division Double Shot ($49.99)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division Gold Edition ($17.99)
• Train Sim World ($20.09)
• Train Sim World Digital Deluxe ($25.19)
• Train Sim World: BR Class 33 ($14.39)
• Train Sim World: DB BR 155 ($15.79)
• Train Sim World: Ruhr-Sieg Nord ($14.99)
• Train Sim World: West Somerset Railway ($12.49)
• Trials Rising ($12.49)
• Trials Rising Gold Edition ($19.99)
• Tumble VR ($3.99)
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End ($14.99)
• Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection ($14.99)
• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy ($14.99)
• Under Night in-birth Exe:Late[st] ($19.99)
• Unravel Two ($9.99)
• Unravel Yarny Bundle ($11.99)
• Until Dawn ($14.99)
• Until Dawn: Rush of Blood ($7.49)
• Watch Dogs 2 ($14.99)
• Watch Dogs 2 – Deluxe Edition ($17.49)
• Watch Dogs 2 – Gold Edition ($24.99)
• Watch Dogs 2 – Season Pass ($15.99)
• We Happy Few ($29.99)
• Wizard of Legend ($9.59)
• World War Z: The Game ($25.19)
• WWE 2K19 ($14.99)
• WWE 2K19 Digital Deluxe Edition ($22.49)
• Ys VIII – Lacrimosa of Dana – ($29.99)

The post PlayStation Store’s lengthy PS4 Summer Sale has begun appeared first on Destructoid.

I wouldn't mind playing the trilogy again

This week's PlayStation Store flash sale is a bit of a hodgepodge, but with a few standout PS4 deals including the Batman: Arkham Collection ($23.99) and A Plague Tale: Innocence ($34.99), I felt ever so slightly compelled enough to share it. There are even assorted PS3 and Vita titles on sale, ?too.

The trilogy collection includes Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight, along with "all post-launch content." Given that it usually goes for a full $60 on the PlayStation Store, I'm tempted to bite. It's been years since I've touched Arkham Knight, much less its predecessors. I'm ?overdue for a visit.

It's also worth giving a shout-out to A Plague Tale: Innocence, a stealth-centric narrative game I haven't gotten around to yet but hope to play before the year's end. After reading Moyse's review, I think I'm rea??dy to?? find my way through the rat hordes. He dubbed it "one of 2019's very best adventures."

Other than those two recommendations, the sale has a lot of seemingly random stuff, from the Hotline Miami games to Geometry Wars 3 to a bunch of Dead by Daylight and Pinball FX3 DLC. Take a look!

PS4

• 8-Bit Invaders ($5.99)
• A Plague Tale: Innocence ($34.99)
• Agents of Mayhem ($4.99)
• Agents of Mayhem: Total Mayhem Bundle ($7.49)
• Batman: Arkham Collection ($23.99)
• Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition ($15.99)
• Bleed ($3.24)
• Bleed Special Edition Bundle ($7.62)
• Bleed 2 ($3.74)
• Bleed 2 Special Edition Bundle ($6.99)
• Broforce ($3.74)
• Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers ($7.99)
• Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ ($24.99)
• Crossing Souls ($6.74)
• Darkwood ($10.49)
• DayD: Through Time ($6.99)
• Dead by Daylight ($14.99)
• Dead by Daylight: The Saw Chapter ($3.99)
• Dead by Daylight: A Nightmare on Elm Street Chapter ($3.99)
• Dead by Daylight: Ash vs Evil Dead ($2.49)
• Dead by Daylight: Leatherface ($2.49)
• Dead by Daylight: The Halloween Chapter ($3.99)
• Dead Island Definitive Collection ($7.49)
• Dead Island Definitive Edition ($4.99)
• Dead Island Retro Revenge ($1.24)
• Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition ($4.99)
• Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer ($7.49)
• Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved ($4.94)
• Golem Gates Digerati ($17.49)
• Homefront: The Revolution ($4.99)
• Homefront: The Revolution 'Freedom Fighter' Bundle ($9.99)
• Homefront: The Revolution Expansion Pass ($3.74)
• Hotline Miami ($2.49)
• Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ($3.74)
• Hotline Miami Collection ($4.99)
• Legend of Kay Anniversary ($11.99)
• Lost Artifacts: Soulstone ($6.99)
• Mother Russia Bleeds ($3.74)
• Ninjin: Clash of Carrots ($2.99)
• Omega Strike ($2.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Balls of Glory Pinball ($4.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Marvel Pinball Originals ($2.49)
• Pinball FX3 – Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles ($4.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Marvel Pinball: Cinematic Pack ($4.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Marvel Pinball: Heavy Hitters ($4.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Marvel Pinball: Marvel Legends Pack ($4.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue ($4.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Marvel's Women of Power ($3.49)
• Pinball FX3 – Williams Pinball: Volume 1 ($4.99)
• Pinball FX3 – Williams Pinball: Volume 2 ($4.99)
• Royal Roads ($6.99)
• Ruiner ($7.99)
• Shadow Warrior ($7.49)
• Shadow Warrior 2 ($9.99)
• Shadow Warrior Collection ($14.99)
• Shift Quantum ($5.99)
• Shift Quantum – Cyber-Noire Edition ($8.09)
• Snooker Nation Championship ($4.94)
• Super Blood Hockey ($10.49)
• The Savior's Gang ($3.49)
• Titan Souls ($3.74)
• Verlet Swing ($10.49)
• Zanki Zero: Last Beginning ($29.99)

PS3

• Battle Princess of Arcadias ($7.99)
• Clan of Champions ($0.39)
• DC Universe: Power Bundle ($17.49)
• DC Universe: Ultimate Edition ($44.99)
• Dead Island – Franchise Pack ($7.49)
• Dead Island Game of the Year ($4.99)
• Dead Island Riptide ($3.74)
• Dead Island Riptide – Complete Edition ($4.99)
• GrimGrimoire ($4.99)
• Hotline Miami ($2.49)
• Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ($3.74)
• Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 ($4.99)
• Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory ($4.99)
• Legasista ($4.99)
• Mugen Souls ($4.99)
• Mugen Souls Z ($4.99)
• Natural Doctrine ($5.99)
• The Awakened Fate Ultimatum ($7.99)
• The Guided Fate Paradox ($7.49)
• The Witch and the Hundred Knights ($7.99)

PS Vita

• A Rose in the Twilight ($3.99)
• Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku ($7.99)
• Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ ($19.99)
• Criminal Girls: Invite Only ($7.99)
• Criminal Girls 2: Party Favors ($7.99)
• Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ($9.99)
• Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair ($9.99)
• Demon Gaze ($9.99)
• Hotline Miami ($2.49)
• Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ($3.74)
• htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary ($3.99)
• Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection ($4.99)
• Natural Doctrine ($5.99)
• Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy ($9.99)
• Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy ($9.99)
• Stranger of Sword City ($9.99)
• Titan Souls ($3.74)
• Tokyo Tattoo Girls ($5.99)
• Touhou Double Focus ($2.99)
• Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle ($9.99)
• Yomawari: Midnight Shadows ($9.99)
• Yomawari: Night Alone ($7.99)

The PlayStation Store flash sale runs until Monday, July 22 at 8:00am Pacific.

The post PlayStation Store flash sal?e underway with Batman: Arkham Collection appeared first on Destructoid.

This game is low key one of the best of 2019 so far

Shakedown: Hawaii is doi??ng a lot of things, as an indie, that big gam?es aren't.

First off it got a Vita release this year as a new game in 2019, which pretty mu??ch everyone has abandoned beyond Limited Run Games (which mostly hosts ports),? which is fairly big. It's also hosting free DLC in the form of updates, the first of which was the "Mogul Update." This week we're getting "Full Tank," which should be fairly obvious in terms of its focus.

Bueller? Bueller? Yes, this update is tank-centric, allowing you to command "more vehicles," which includes the aforementioned killing machine. Other enhancements include a zoomed-out camera option, off-island traveling via the airport, vehicle purchasing, th?e ability to transfer money between playable characters, and the chance to play the game console in your house.

Shakedown: Hawaii is currently available for PC (Epic Store, with Steam coming later), Switch, and PS4/Vita (cross-buy). If you're holding out for the 3DS edition, developer Vblank has an update: "The Nintendo 3DS version is on t??he way and has been submitted to Nintendo. It shouldn't b?e long now! Stay tuned!"

The post Shakedown: Hawaii’s second major free update is live, and it has tanks appeared first on Destructoid.

The Vita will never die!

Publisher SODESCO has announced that it will be producing a physical edition of Teslagrad for both the Switch and PlayStation Vita??. You read that last part right: the Vita will be getting another boxed game in 2019! The world isn't ending?, I promise.

Releasing on September 27, 2019, the physical edition will be a limited print run that comes with exclusive artwork. A special edition version of the game will also be available for mega fans from Limited Run Games. In addition to the game on your platform of choice, the "Value Pack" will come with a gorgeous tin case for you to house your game in. You'll also find a physical art book filled with concept art, a pin of the game's main character, a keychain of the Teslagrad symbol, and an instruction card with pointers on how to ?play the game.

No price has been announced, but the digital version g??oes for $14.99 on every platform. I can't imagine the standard edition going for much more than that.

The post SODESCO to release physical version ?of Teslagrad on Switch and Vita appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm mostly just posting this for Castlevania, tbh

Sony is a running a retro-themed PlayStation Network sale with deals on PS?4, PS3, and Vita games, and while some of th??e participants stretch that definition, I've spotted a few things for my backlog hit list.

This is a good opportunity to pick up either Castlevania Anniversary Collection ($13.99) or Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood ($11.99) if you're currently experiencing the post-Bloodstained blues. Or maybe you're in more of a Neo ??Geo mood? Moyse would b??e proud!

Along with the usual PS1 and PS2 classics that regularly pop up in these sales, there are newer titles like WipEout Omega Collection ($7.99), Yakuza Kiwami ($9.99), and Batman: Return to Arkham ($7.99).

Oh, and friends don't let friends skip Ape Escape 2 ($4.99). I'm keeping the revival dream alive against all odds. The world could use another one of those games any day now. Let's hold off on Knack 3, please.

PS4

• 2064: Read Only Memories ($4.99)
• 99Vidas ($2.49)
• ACA Neo Geo Aero Fighters 2 ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Art of Fighting ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Burning Fight ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Fatal Fury 2 ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Ghost Pilots ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Metal Slug ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Samurai Shodown ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Super Sidekicks ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo The King of Fighters '94 ($3.99)
• ACA Neo Geo Zed Blade ($3.99)
• ADK Damashii ($3.74)
• Anniversary Collection Arcade Classics ($13.99)
• Ape Escape 2 ($4.99)
• Arcade Archives Crazy Climber ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Moon Cresta ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Ninja-Kid ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Nova2001 ($3.99)
• Arcade Archives Terra Cresta ($3.99)
• Art of Fighting Anthology ($3.74)
• Axiom Verge ($9.99)
• Batman: Return to Arkham ($7.99)
• BioShock: The Collection ($14.99)
• Bully ($8.99)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered ($15.99)
• Call of Duty: MWR Variety Map Pack ($7.49)
• Castlevania Anniversary Collection ($13.99)
• Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood ($11.99)
• Cel Damage HD ($2.49)
• Classics PS4 Bundle ($9.99)
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy ($19.99)
• Dark Cloud ($7.49)
• Dark Cloud 2 ($7.49)
• Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition ($5.99)
• Darksiders Warmastered Edition ($3.99)
• Dark Souls: Remastered ($23.99)
• Day of the Tentacle Remastered ($3.74)
• Destroy All Humans ($3.99)
• Destroy All Humans 2 ($3.99)
• Devil May Cry HD Collection ($14.99)
• Devil May Cry HD Collection & 4SE Bundle ($11.24)
• Die for Valhalla ($5.99)
• Die for Valhalla - Special Edition ($7.49)
• DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition ($17.99)
• Double Switch - 25th Anniversary Edition ($7.49)
• Dragon's Crown Pro ($14.99)
• Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen ($20.99)
• FantaVision ($2.49)
• Fez ($3.24)
• Full Throttle Remastered ($3.74)
• Grand Theft Auto III ($8.99)
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ($10.04)
• Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy ($17.49)
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ($8.99)
• Gravity Rush Remastered ($8.99)
• Grim Fandango Remastered ($3.74)
• Gryphon Knight Epic ($3.39)
• Hitman HD Enhanced Collection ($23.99)
• Hot Shots Tennis ($4.99)
• Hyper Sentinel ($2.59)
• Ikaruga ($4.99)
• Indigo Prophecy ($7.49)
• Jak 3 ($5.99)
• Jak and Daxter Bundle ($15.99)
• Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy ($5.99)
• Jak II ($5.99)
• Jak X: Combat Racing ($5.99)
• Journey ($7.49)
• Journey Collector's Edition ($12.49)
• King's Quest: The Complete Edition ($7.49)
• LocoRoco 2 Remastered ($5.99)
• LocoRoco Remastered ($5.99)
• Manhunt ($8.99)
• Mark of the Ninja: Remastered ($9.99)
• Max Payne ($8.99)
• Mega Man 30th Anniversary Bundle ($46.19)
• Mercenary Kings: Reloaded Edition ($4.99)
• Metal Slug 3 ($5.24)
• Metal Slug XX ($6.99)
• Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty ($9.99)
• Odin Sphere Leifthrasir ($29.99)
• Okage: Shadow King ($2.49)
• Okami HD ($15.99)
• Onimusha: Warlords ($13.99)
• Owlboy ($14.99)
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy ($23.99)
• Prototype ($8.99)
• Prototype 2 ($11.99)
• Prototype Biohazard Bundle ($14.99)
• Psychonauts ($2.49)
• Puyo Puyo Champions ($4.99)
• Red Dead Revolver ($8.99)
• Red Faction ($2.99)
• Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered ($14.99)
• Red Faction II ($2.99)
• Resonance of Fate 4K/HD Edition ($24.49)
• Retro City Rampage DX ($4.99)
• Rise of the Kasai ($3.74)
• Rogue Galaxy ($7.49)
• Samurai Shodown VI ($2.99)
• Samurai Shodown V Special ($5.99)
• Shadow of the Colossus ($12.99)
• Shenmue I & II ($17.99)
• Shining Resonance Refrain ($29.99)
• Skullgirls 2nd Encore ($9.99)
• Sonic Mania ($14.99)
• Spyro + Crash Remastered Game Bundle ($41.24)
• Spyro Reignited Trilogy ($25.99)
• Stardew Valley ($11.99)
• Super Bomberman R ($19.99)
• Tearaway Unfolded ($9.99)
• The Bard's Tale: Remastered and Resnarkled ($2.99)
• The King of Fighters '97 Global Match ($4.49)
• The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga ($3.74)
• The Last Blade 2 ($4.49)
• The Mark of Kri ($7.49)
• The Warriors ($8.99)
• Thimbleweed Park ($7.99)
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition ($5.99)
• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 ($12.49)
• Wild Arms 3 ($7.49)
• WipEout Omega Collection ($7.99)
• Yakuza Kiwami ($9.99)
• Yakuza Kiwami 2 ($24.99)
• Zeus Quest Remastered ($2.69)
• Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner - Mars ($14.99)

PS3

• Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain ($1.19)
• Breath of Fire IV ($3.59)
• Capcom Fighting Evolution ($3.99)
• Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 ($3.99)
• Cel Damage HD ($2.49)
• Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness ($3.59)
• Darkstalkers 3 ($3.59)
• Darkstalkers ($3.59)
• Dino Crisis 2 ($3.59)
• Dino Crisis ($3.59)
• Fez ($3.24)
• God Hand ($3.99)
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver ($1.19)
• Maximo: Ghosts to Glory ($3.99)
• Mega Man 8 ($3.59)
• Mega Man Legends 2 ($3.99)
• Mega Man Legends ($3.99)
• Metal Slug 3 ($5.24)
• Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty ($9.99)
• Pocket Fighter ($3.59)
• Resident Evil 2 ($3.59)
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis ($3.59)
• Resident Evil Director's Cut ($3.99)
• Retro City Rampage DX ($4.99)
• Street Fighter Alpha 2 ($3.59)
• Street Fighter Alpha 3 ($5.99)
• Street Fighter Alpha ($3.59)
• Strider 2 ($3.59)
• Syberia Collection ($11.99)
• The Misadventures of Tron Bonne ($3.59)
• Tomb Raider: Underworld ($1.49)

PS Vita

• 2064: Read Only Memories ($4.99)
• Axiom Verge ($9.99)
• Breath of Fire IV ($3.59)
• Cel Damage HD ($2.49)
• Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness ($3.59)
• Darkstalkers 3 ($3.59)
• Darkstalkers ($3.59)
• Day of the Tentacle Remastered ($3.74)
• Dino Crisis 2 ($3.59)
• Dino Crisis ($3.59)
• Fez ($3.24)
• Full Throttle Remastered ($3.74)
• Grim Fandango Remastered ($3.74)
• Mega Man 8 ($3.59)
• Mega Man Legends 2 ($3.99)
• Mega Man Legends ($3.99)
• Metal Slug 3 ($5.24)
• Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty ($9.99)
• Resident Evil 2 ($3.59)
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis ($3.59)
• Resident Evil Director's Cut ($3.99)
• Retro City Rampage DX ($4.99)
• Skullgirls 2nd Encore ($9.99)
• Street Fighter Alpha 2 ($3.59)
• Street Fighter Alpha 3 ($5.99)
• Street Fighter alpha ($3.59)
• Strider 2 ($3.59)
• The Last Blade 2 ($4.49)
• The Misadventures of Tron Bonne ($3.59)

You've got until Tuesday, July 23 at 8:00am Pacifi?c to bag these deals.

The post PlayStation Network’s retro sale isn’t short on gems appeared first on Destructoid.