Over the years, numerous Marvel Co??mics icons have made their way into the realm of gaming. Alongside such titans as Spider-Man and Iron Man is Wolverine, who has popped up in all kinds of widely-beloved titles.

The many mainline Marvel vs. Capcom games, the X-Men Legends duology, the Marvel Ultimate Alliance franchise, and more all feature Logan prominently, giving gamers the chance to hack and slash through enemies with his adamantium claws at their leisure. At the same time, there are some Wolverine-including titles that have fallen by the wayside as time has gone on, chief among them being X2: Wolverine's Revenge.

The Wolverine game that time forgot

Way back in the early 2000s, Marvel media was in a vastly different place. The Marvel Cinematic Universe had yet to launch, and comic book adaptations were far from "in." Director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man series and the X-Men franchise from 20th Century Fox c??arried the torch for superhero cinema in this period, so these characters were some of the few to get the video game treatment.

Though many recognize 2006's X-Men: The Official Game as the only X-Men movie tie-in game of this era, that's not technically true. Wolverine's Revenge was marketed as a tie-in to 2003's X2: X-Men United, complete with Hugh Jackman as the title character on the cover and Sir Patrick Stewart as t??he voice of Professor Charles Xavier. In practice, though, this is a comic book-based game that has no substantial connection to the movies.

Wolverine's Revenge follows a New X-Men-looking Wolverine (voiced by the iconic Mark Hamill) as he seeks a cure for a deadly illness called the Shiva Strain, which he was infected with during his time in the Weapon X program. With only two days to fin??d the cure before it kills him, he traverses frozen tundras and mercenary-filled bases. Along the way, you'll battle villains Magneto (Fred Tatasciore), Sabretooth (Tatasciore), and Lady Deathstrike (Gwendoline Yeo) and encounter fellow X-Men like Colossus (Ted Nordblu?m) and Rogue (Jennifer Hale).

In terms of gameplay, Wolverine's Revenge is interesting. Despite Wolverine??'s reputation for running around tearing his enemies to shreds, there's quite a heavy emphasis on stealth here. You find yourself using heightened senses to do everything from track and stealth kill enemies to spot hidden landmines.

If you do try to brute force? it from checkpoint to checkpoint, you'll quickly be on the hunt for health pickups or in use of Wolverine's he??aling factor.

Thankfully, enduring the tedious stealth and being mindful of your health does allow you to have some beat 'em up fun here and there. You can punch, kick, and claw your ??way through enemies, even throwing them around if you so choose. Wolverine also has a special Strike move capable of damaging one or more enemies with the push of a button.

As with all great games of the era, Wolverine does have a rage meter that fil?ls up ??by attacking enemies and taking damage. When it's full, Wolverine can temporarily enter Feral Rage mode. Movement speed and damage output will increase for the duration.

Why X2: Wolverine's Revenge became a forgotten Marvel video game

So, what went wrong that led to Wolverine's Revenge being in relative obscurity ??for over 20 years? For starters, the story isn't the most captivating, and the overall presentation isn't very enticing.

Much of the game is draped in a gray, black, and white color palette, so it's not much to look at. Worse yet, the stealth and combat mechanics are clunky, which one could forgive if it wasn't for the difficulty curve being so steep. Wolverine's Revenge lo?ves to throw enemies and harmful obstacles at you in spades, with health pickups and checkpoints frustratin?gly spaced out.

Simply put, there were better-looking and more enjoyable X-Men games out at the time of the game's release, making it hard to put in the work to enjoy it. As its contemporaries soared to new heights, Wolverine's Revenge ?became increasingly less impressive. Those who played it as kids way back when migh?t have a soft spot for it, but if they pick it up today, it likely won't take long for the nostalgia to wane.

Wolverine is an indisputable Marvel icon. After all, the opportunity for Jackman to go back on his Wolverine retirement for Deadpool & Wolverine likely wouldn't have arisen if there wasn't so muc?h love ?and passion out there for the character.

Sadly, Wolverine's Revenge didn't quite live up to the titular hero's legacy then, and it certainly doesn't all these years later. Sure, there's some fun?? to be had with it, but it's far from the definitive Wolverine gaming ex??perience. One can only hope that Insomniac's Wolverine doesn't follow a similar path to Wolverine's Revenge, lest it become just another so-so Marvel game lost to time.

The post Wolverine’s Revenge: The X-Men game that time–and gamers–forgot appeared first on Destructoid.

There's no question that Sephiroth is an icon, striking fear into players even remotely familiar with the villain. Just the opening notes of his theme song, One Winged Angel, are enough to get the heart racing. But Sephiroth didn't make a name for himself with Final Fantasy alone. A particular Disney and Square Enix collaboration, Kingdom Hearts, introduced the villain to a new era of fans, and his appearances in that series are just as menacing, if not more so, than his Final Fantasy 7 presence.

If players missed out on Sephiroth's 1997 Final Fantasy 7 debut, it might be hard to discern why fans go gaga over the character. Heralding a planet-ending event and haunting protagonist Cloud Strife throughout FF7, Sephiroth presented himself as a fearsome villain from the get-go. However, for some of us, Sephiroth's anxiety-inducing encounter in Kingdom Hearts is what truly cemented him as a terror.

In 2002, found myself on the other end of Sin Harvest, and it was in this Disney amalgamation that the One-Winged Angel left an impression that still lingers. See, I wasn’t really old enough to get on the FF7 wave when it was hot, and it wouldn’t be until years later that I experienced the title. So, for me, Kingdom Hearts was the game that introduced Sephiroth??. A??nd man, what an introduction that was.

Sora's Platinum match

As players near the end of Kingdom Hearts, they? can revisit the Olympus Collesuem to participate in new tournaments. One of these is the Platinum match, which sheds many of the boss fight conventions experienced up to that point. It pits Sora against Sephiroth in a ?fight most players will initially lose.

Until encountering the Platinum match, I barreled my way through enemies without much preparation. Sure, some grew a littl??e tedious, but after retreading a few zones to nab a few easy levels, I cleared obstacles in a flash, though nothing prepared me for a fight r?equiring speed and quick-thinking to match a demigod. 

After starting the Platinum match, Sephiroth teleports into the arena and wordlessly readies his weapon as his theme song builds. The powerful villain doesn't sprint or engage in a reckless assault. No. Much more hauntingly, Sephiroth slowly walks towards me as if to say, “Oh, are you here too?�as One Winged Angel blasts ov?er the arena. This unabashed display of badassery sets the tone.

Thanks to his massive sword, Sephiroth could reach me from nearly anywhere, and his impossibly fast sword swipes met me whenever I faltered. If I tried to c?lose the distance with a brute-force approach, he would completely ignite his surroundings in a fiery tempest. ?Alternatively, if I tried to play the backfield, Sephiroth could teleport and leap around the arena to line up an attack. There was no safe footing. 

By som??e miracle, I was able to push the One-winged Angel enough to start taking me seriously. Then the big attacks came out, summoned meteor showers or, even worse, that Sin Harvest move that takes Sora down to one HP and zero MP in the blink of an eye. It’s all I can muster to stay alive through the assault, meekly chipping at his health here and there. All the while, it doesn't even look like Sephiroth breaks a sweat.

Faster than I realize, it’s already over. Sephiroth catches me in the center of one of his fire attacks, and in my haste to heal, I stop right in front of his sword. The first time I lost?? the Platinum match, it felt unwinnable. But that’s precisely what drove me to throw myself at it again and again until I eventually scraped?? by.

Sephiroth's Dark Depths

While Kingdom Hearts might have led to me think I knew what to expect from Sephiroth, his second appearance continued to throw curveballs. The battle occurs in a rocky area with more room than the previous bout, but maneuverability worked against me. Throughout Kingdom Hearts 2, I unwisely neglected the painstakingly-slow-to-unlock movement and traversal abilities, and that made my Sephiroth rematch all the more imposing. The villain moves around a lot more in Kingdom Hearts 2, often teleporting behind or taking to ??the sky, and I had no means to defend against thes?e hit-and-run tactics.

In stark contrast to his previous appearance, Sephiroth charges as soon as the fight starts with an attack that’s only avoidable via an unexpected quick-time event. This wasn’t the only time he tried to catc?h me off guard with the deadly strike, it randomly happens throughout the fight. It’s something I had to always stay on the lookout for, as the blow has the potential to end the match instantly. Without giving me a chance to counterattack, Sephiroth moved back to familiar tactics, teleporting and leaping around, testing my defenses with his blade.

Difficulty felt exaggerated by the fact that nearly all of Sephiroth's attacks could bring me down to critical HP, and he'd unleash onslaughts back to back without care. This quickly backed me into a new game of attrition, with Sephiroth effortlessly whittling away my health while I scrambled to keep my head above water. ?We danced around that arena for what felt like hours, with Sephiroth laying out one spectacular display of strength after anothe??r and me panic healing and scratching slices off his health with quick combos.

When I finally bested Sephiroth again, a scene shows him literally brushing some dirt off his armor like he’s brushing off our?? maddening encounter. In the ultimate insult to injury, Sephiroth concludes that only Cloud can offer him a real challenge before sending me off to f??etch the ex-SOLDIER for him. Ouch man, that hurts.

Reintroducing Sephiroth

The Kingdom Hearts series offered Square Enix an opportunity to grow Sephiroth's fame and notability. The character was already a fearsome antagonist to those who first met him in FF7, but Kingdom Hearts would open the door for the One-winged Angel to transcend his own universe. It would have been easy ??to use Sephiroth for a throwaway cameo like Tidus or Selphie, but the more substantive approach paid off.

Before Kingdom Hearts, Sephiroth only existed to me as an enigmatic legend I heard about from friends�older siblings or on online forums. But once Kingdom Hearts presented the terrifying foe, his reputation suddenly made sense. Going through the toils of preparation and practice to beat Sephiroth in these Disney games is forever cemented in my memory. It forced me out of my comfort zone and got me thinking in a game that primarily encouraged button mashing. And no doubt, whether players like the character or not, Kingdom Hearts ensured Sephiroth lived up to his hype.

The post Sephiroth’s deadliest appearance wasn’t in a Final Fantasy game appeared first on Destructoid.

The power of music

Square Enix's premier RPG series is known for its grand story, epic battles, and outstanding graphics, but it is also known for its Final Fantasy battle themes. Across its 36-year span, the Final Fantasy series has enlisted many talented musici??ans, including Nobuo Uematsu, Yo??ko Shimomura, and Masashi Hamauzu.

From Final Fantasy XIII's "Blinded by Light" to the original battle theme from the first FF, here are the best Final Fantasy battle themes, ?ranked. Let? us know your favorites in the comments below.

10. Final Fantasy VI - "Decisive Battle"

//youtu.be/WmBPTpvYyIY

This upbeat Final Fantasy battle theme ups the stakes with its frenetic tune and intense drumline that keeps your heart racing. A great battle theme keeps you energized and "Decisive Ba??ttle" certainly does that. Something about the nostalgic 16-bit tone also ?adds so much that's lost within modern remakes of this track.

9. Final Fantasy XIV - "Torn from the Heavens"

//youtube.com/watch?v=lWtVj3OnC??Pc&si=EnS?IkaIECMiOmarE

Final Fantasy XIV is known for its epic themes whenever a big battle occurs, and "Torn from the Heavens" is certainly one of those. The callback to the main theme of the series alongside its gorgeous percussion and choir makes this an unforgettable track. The stakes are raised whenever "Torn from the Heavens" is played in this grand MMORPG.

8. Final Fantasy I - "Battle Theme"

//youtu.be/uddFta0D7FY

All great series have their beginnings, and Final Fantasy I made an impression from the very start. The melody is as intense as it can get on an 8-bit system, and the flow of the piece is sublime. You'll hear how great this composition is if you check out World of Final Fantasy's interpret??ation of the track. It truly gives the original? piece justice with a rocky interpretation and a lovely strings throughline.

7. Final Fantasy X - "Battle Theme"

//youtu.be/aZzQLHdMkQc

With a game that's as long as Final Fantasy X, you'll want to make sure the standard battle theme is a banger.?? Thankfully, it is. Tidus' journey is complemented by a track with a tasty bassline, an exciting clash of drums, and a riveting melody that will keep you focused on the fight. What also helps with a battle theme such as this is the unpredictable nature of the track. It keeps surprising us with alterations to the song, and for the first ten times of listening to it, you'll notice a new twist on the main melody.

6. Final Fantasy V - "Clash on the Big Bridge"

//youtu.be/1a8OirsKVbc

"Clash on the Big Bridge" used the SNES sound font to the absolute max. This battle theme has an impressive melody, a wonderful drumline, and will catch you off-guard with how fast it is. It's a blast to play on Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. The otherworldly playing of the intro?duction is also striking and catches your ??attention.

5. Final Fantasy XV - "Stand Your Ground"

//youtu.be/GqDeit4elR8

Yoko Shimomura is known for her work on the Kingdom Hearts and Street Fighter series but she brought her A-game to Final Fantasy XV.  The battle theme "Stand Your Ground" starts the track with an epic sweep of the strings section and doesn't let you go until the very end. It then gets followed by a glorious reference to the main Final Fantasy theme, just like "Torn from the Heave?ns." After that, the action gets elevated by a rambunctious array of the orchestra with the blissful woodwind matched with the thunderous percussion.

4. Final Fantasy VII - "J-E-N-O-V-A."

//youtu.be/G8eCJCcBelo

Whenever you hear that high-pitched synthesized intro from "J-E-N?-O-V-A," you know you're in for a good time. The melody is pleasing, the drum beat elevates the action, and the bassline is a grand accompaniment to the whole piece. It's a track that sounds mysterious as Cloud and his friends are unsure of what lies ahead of them. Music should help set the scene, and "J-E-N-O-V-A." does that perfectly.

3. Final Fantasy XIII - "Blinded by Light"

//youtu.be/WyTRg-DJ99M

Final Fantasy XIII is arguably the most controversial game in the series, but you can't deny how awesome the soundtrack is. "Blinded by Light" is one of the best Final Fantasy ??battle themes because it consistently engages the player with its striking melody and ability to let every instrument in the piece shine. The guitar in the background gives it a hard edge, and the heavy use of the emotive strings section mak?es this theme song epic, but beautiful at the same time.

2. Final Fantasy VII - "One-Winged Angel"

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNms5rOaGlk

When "One-Winged Angel" plays, fear strikes the heart of every Final Fantasy VII fan. The dread-filled drums, the terrifying cluster of brass, and bewildered strings section all set the scene for the evil Sephiroth. Then there's a badass guitar throughline and the deep choir that adds to the drama of the piece. Each fight with Sephiroth is meaningful, and "One-Winged Angel" makes it next level. While the Advent Children version isn't technically from a game, it is the best version; it's in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The PS1 and Remake editions of the track also deserve p?raise, however.

1. Final Fantasy VII Remake - "Let the Battles Begin!"

//youtu.be/zRHiTjce9s0

A great Final Fantasy battle theme is able to establish the danger present for your characters and motivate the player to carry on forward with the fight at hand. "Let the Battles Begin!" from Final Fantasy VII Remake successfully establishes that. The mixture of the powerful brass, thunderous drums, and emotive strings all make for a piece that truly stands out in the Final Fantasy series. Listen to it and you'll get hyped for anything: a run, pumping weights, or going to your dreaded dental appointment. "Let the Battles Begin" is a perfect battle theme, through and through, and Final Fantasy VII Remake just takes it one step further.

The post 10 best Final Fantasy battle themes, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

When I grow up, I want to be one of the harvesters of the sea

If golf is a great way to ruin a? walk, fishing must therefore be the best way to ruin a perfectly g?ood drowning. Traumatizing the most food-motivated creature on earth is a reasonably relaxing pastime, don’t get me wrong, but when I’d go out on the lake with my father, he’d always over-coach. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but that man found a way.

Cocoto Fishing Master found its way into my collection because my husband really loves the fish on the cover. “It’s just so happy!�he’d exclaim, using this playful but unspellable vowel pronunciation that we’ve developed over our years of being that really weird couple. So, while seeking my next kusoge to write about, I figured I could do worse tha?n ??a game that is only in my collection because of the cover art.

I was also hoping that Cocoto Fishing Master might secretly be good. There’s a lot of potential in fantasy fishing games that has only been tapped into by smaller titles. Sometimes you stick your hand into a hole and just hope ??it’s not full of spide?rs.

We’re going to need a bigger boat

You play as some sor?t of horrible, naked imp thing. I keep telling my unknowable pa?tron god that this is exactly why I don’t do more dark conjuring. There’s always the possibility of getting some buff, sexy demon, but chances are equally good that you’ll get some horrid little toddler. If I wanted something ugly and fleshy messing up my unholy altar, I’d just buy a hairless cat.

In any case, this disgusting imp is trying to revive some dead god using the forbidden art of fishing. There are five levels, and in each of them, your goal is to catch one of each type of fish there. You give it to a turtle who exchanges them for special bait. Then you duke it out with some big monster, and after you’ve gained th??eir mutu??al respect, they’ll give you a piece of a�thing.

Don’t break your line?? in a boss battle. That means you lose your special bait and have to catch one of every fish again. I can’t express in text how prodigious t?hat kind of frustration this is. It is a pain beyond the most intricate description the most prolific poets could conjure. So instead, I’m just screaming at my screen, hoping that it reaches the help I need.

It's okay to eat fish 'cause they don't have any feelings

Do you remember how amazing fishing was in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? It was transcendent.?? Not necessarily the most realistic depiction of the hobby, but it was so nuanced that it’s hard to believe it was just some side activity in one of the N64’s grandest adventures.

Cocoto Fishing Master was not only released on the PS2 �the version I’m playing on a PS3 �but also on WiiWare, which seems to have been its primary target. I say this because, as I’m playing the three mini-games that make up fish catching, I realize that this was no doubt created for waggle contr?ol. The actual reeling, for example, is clearly supposed to allow for more subtle movements, but they mapped it to the X button. This means your reel has two modes: stop and go. It’s so easy to break your line if your attention lapses for a momen?t, and even when you’re concentrating, it’s hard to manage tension.

I’m going to give it some credit and assume that this was made more for the pressure-sen??sitive buttons on the PS2 that everyone immediately forgot existed and aren’t there on the PS3, but that’s still stupid. The only time I ever realized those buttons were analog was when I couldn’t figure o??ut why my dude kept throwing weak punches and my car was going slower than everyone else’s. No one can remember that feature because we’ve all repressed the shared trauma.

The five levels that you fish through are all basically the same. They’ve got slight aesthetic differences, but you’re always in the middle of a lake. It’s always murky, so you can’t see far into the distance. A shoreline would have been nice, but considering what a prick it is whenever you want to cast near one of the shops, any additional obstacles would have just mad??e things intolerable.

Crimson Nether-child

That’s the short and long of it. No, wait, you can sell fish in one shop and buy bait in a shop that is in a different place for some unfathomable reason. Your boat? is so slow you’d swear you were sailing the seas of cheese. Also, the freakish little imp casts from the side of the boat, but in the direction the bow was pointing. What I mean is that when you decide you want to cast your line, the boat spontaneously pivots 90 degrees so the crimson nether-child can cast. I only bring this up because it threw me off for so long. I kept turning the boat, overthinking the direction he was going to cast, and it was really difficult to break this habit.

It’s also important to point out that while the repetitive and shallow content might be a little strange to see on a physical disc, Cocoto Fishing Master makes more sense on WiiWare. It was $7. I can point to better games that you can get for less than $7, but I also have to admit that it’s not an unreasonable amount to pay. The developer, Neko Entertainment, generally swam around in these family-friendly shovelware pools, and Cocoto was one that they kept fishing in from 2004 to ??2014.

Here’s what’s upsetting. Cocoto is the name of the horrible imp I’ve been complaining about this whole time, so his nauseating face has been pasted across numerous WiiWare icons. I have no data to support this, but I’m going to assume that WiiWare never really took off because people browsing the shop kept on seeing this crimson freak and were compelled to become violently ill. That’s what I’m saying: WiiWare sucked because of Cocoto Fishing Master.

But that fish? is just so h??appy! It’s worth it for the cover art!

For ?other retro titles yo??u may have missed, click right here!

The post Cocoto Fishing Master ?for PS2 has the happiest fish appeared first on Destructoid.

Put it back in the bargain bin

I only knew two things before purchasing 2007’s Heavenly Guardian on PS2. First, it was going to be a game in the Pocky & Rocky series, only maybe not really. It looked to be aiming more at Kiki Kaikai, which the Pocky & Rocky games are the sequels to, but I’m not going to get into the finer details of why they’re almost two separate series. The quick version is this: Kiki Kaikai is Taito; Pocky & Rocky is Natsume. Yes, this means that Pocky & Rocky with Becky is more a part of the Kiki Kaikai series.

Anyway, that’s boring. The second thing I knew about Heavenly Guardian g??oing into it is that it’s considered to be kusoge?.

Totally different

According to articles leading up to the release of Heavenly Guardian, the title was originally going to be Kiki Kaikai 2. However, Square Enix bought up Taito in the midst of development and decided they didn’t want a new Kiki Kaikai game. So, Starfish canceled it. Then they revealed Kiki Kai World, which you’ll notice is one “kai�away from copyright infringement. They insisted that wasn’t just the canceled Kiki Kaikai 2 renamed. That might be true since Heavenly Guardian does have a lot of identifiable differences from the early screenshots. However, palette swapping the heroine and dropping a “kai�doesn’t mean it’s not a little too close to an existing license. So, eventually, we wound up with Heavenly Guardian.

I raised the question of whether or not this was more of a Pocky & Rocky successor or a game closer to the Kiki Kaikai arc?ade game, and the answer is: no. It’s neither. It’s ??a mess.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a top-down run-and-gun like the other games in its would-be series. Its influence is clear. The power-up system is similar, and the enemies are taken from Japanese folklore. It’s just a matter of flow. It doesn’t match either series. It’s not as tanuki-balls out as Pocky & Rocky, nor does it have the stiff, quarter-munching mentality of Kiki Kaikai. No, it feels more like a homebrew fangame.

Ungodly

Actually, the first thing that struck me when I saw its 2D art style is those advertisement Flash games from the �0s. There’d be a carto?on, and to promote that cartoon and keep children looking at ads on their webpage, companies would commission little games to advertise them. It’s all smooth lines and computerized gradients. Lifeless, I’d call it, especially when paired with some pretty sparse animation.

Most egregiously, it has no real feeling of impact, so it’s not always obvious when you’re being hit or the enemy is. Pocky & Rocky had characters who threw scrolls and leaves, but it still made sure you knew when you did damage through ??this constant a-wok-a-wok-a-wok-a sound. There’s one boss, in particular, that has two types of attacks: one that does damage and another that reverses your controls but doesn’t hurt you. I had to keep looking at my life gauge because, in the moment, I had no idea to tell if something did damage or just reversed my controls.

It doesn’t help that the weapons feel like butt and not in a good way. You pick up gems to change your weapon, and if you pick up the same colored gem, you upgrade that weapon. This comes in the flavor of rapid, thr??ee-way, homing, and bomb. Rapid, I don’t even understand because you normally shoot rapidly. In?? fact, if you have a three-way, you can shoot faster the closer you get to your target. It’s the classic projectile sprite limitation. If you shorten the distance they travel, the next set can spawn quicker.

As for the upgrades, you have to squint to see the difference they make. I typically stuck to three-ways, since homing and bomb were disappointing and, again, I don’t see the point of rapid. I think upgrading any of the branches of firepower ??just makes them stronger, but I didn’t see any tangible evidence of that. Bosses display their health as a numeric value, and it seemed like no matter what projectile you hit them with, it ?always does 2 damage. So�I guess just upgrade your weapons to make the imperceptibly better. They’re definitely improved, you just won’t know how.

Boss-level mediocrity

The bosses of Heavenly Guardian ?deserve spe??cial mention for being unexciting and tedious. If I show you a screenshot of them, they probably look all right. Then you get into combat with them and realize it’s way too easy to either cancel their attacks or find that perfect spot to sit where most of their extremely predictable attacks just go right by you.

On the other hand, they have mountains of health. I noted above that every projectile seems to do a base 2 damage every time it makes contact. Well, bosses commonly have around 400 health. Now, you don’t necessarily have to hit them 200 times to win, as your t??hree-way can affect them three times and bomb seems to suck down a cluster of health. However, it still takes a ridiculously long time. They pull out additional attacks as their health gets lower, s?o try not to dislocate your interocular lenses when you roll your eyes after getting killed when they’re down to 50 health.

I suppose every game deserves to be available

There are a few times I’ve picked up a game I knew was poorly received and, after a few minutes of actually playing, thought, “oh no, what have I gotten myself into?�This was one of them, as even before finishing the first level, a nauseous feeling was bowling in my gut in protest to actually having to play any more Heavenly Guardian. At some po??int, I turned to my dog and promised that when I hit the continue screen again, I’d put the game down and walk away.

There was no such solace, as after continuing once on the first level, I never had to?? again. To hell with my mad gamer skills! I begrudgingly wound u??p seeing the ending a few hours later.

I can only imagine that losing the Kiki Kaikai license was such a blow that the lead designer locked themselves in the bathroom and refused to c??ome out. Like, they planned on putting effort into the game, lost the license, and were just, like, “Well, let’s throw the scraps together and push it out the door.�I feel like believing that there was once passion behind this project, but very little of it shows in the final product.

Although I played the PS2 version of the game, it came to my attention that you can get Heavenly Guardian on Steam and Switch under the name Snow Battle Princess Sayuki. I find this information distressing. You should probably get Pocky & Rocky Reshrined instead.

For previous Weekly Kusoge, check this link!

The post Heavenly Guardian is a positively hellish attempt to continue the Pocky & Rocky series appeared first on Destructoid.

I love my ax

I picked up Dog’s Life on recommendation from a friend. They told me, “This sounds like the sort of game you’d cover in your column.â€?I didn’t think much of it, then realized, “Wait, which column?â€?I have one that covers bad games, and one that covers obscure good games. I didn’t ask, be??cause I pr??efer pretending to be omnipotent.

But then, I’m picking the game up at the pawnshop and the clerk tells me, �i>Dog’s Life is way more fun than it has any right to be.�What does that mean? He didn’t say anything about Crush Hour, which I was picking up at the same time. That would have tipped me off that?? he was just lying to enable my purchase. So was this a buried gem or a buried squirrel carcass? It’s actually a bit of both.

Let me show you Dog’s Life’s papers, because, wow. It was created by Frontier Developments and directed and designed by David Braben. David Braben, the guy who co-created Elite. You have no idea how much time I poured into Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters as a teen. Not that the guy’s track r?ecord is squeaky clean, but you get a special kind of respect for inventing the first space trucking game.

Weirdly, Dog’s Life shares similar philosophies as Elite. Firstly, it obviously started with the question, “I wonder if we can make a game based around blank.�Second, it’s crammed full of interesting tech. Okay, maybe they didn’t create a finite but massive universe to cruise around in, but they did get the dog ?to move wit?hout stiff animations.

Can you guess what the story here is in Dog’s Life? Yeah, it’s about evil dog catchers abducting the main mutt, Jake’s, true love, Daisy. I’m trying to think of a dog story that doesn’t involve that. Here we go: Homeward Bound. The Fox and the Hound. I’m pretty sure The Shaggy Dog had dog catchers in it, but I really? wish ?my mind had let that stay buried. I'm very upset right now.

Jake has to follow the trail of these dog catchers in order to save his lost love. Only not really. With you in control of Jake, you mostly meander about, sniffing up stinks and collecting bones. Sometimes you get bones for collecting stinks, and that’s pretty cool. I bet my dog wishes I’d give him treats for sniffing the same?? spot for, like, an hour.

These bones allow you to strengthen your powers of pissing. Also, digging. The number of bones you have dictates how you compare to other dogs, and gaining more of them not only gives you an advantage in literal pissing matches but also allows you to proceed through the game’s areas. How many bones are in a human body? What? I’m not implying anything, but now that? you mention it, you’re almost always one murder away from completion. It’s just, you know, an observation.

You gain bones by completing various tasks in each environment. Typically, one bone is merely buried. One or two might just be lying around. But many of them require you to herd sheep or collect batt??eries. Others put you in competition with another dog, and defeating them allows you to control them through a power I didn’t know dogs have: possession. Often, there’s a goal that requires this other four-legged friend, but you can accomplish many of the stages�objectives if there’s a breed that catches your eye.

It’s really early-aughts in its design. It’s like a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game, but instead of doing some sick tricks to unleash chaos, you’re helping somebody find their ax by tracking their scent. Then they stan??d there, overjoyed that their ax has returned t??o them, repeating the same voice lines over and over. The most creative it gets is with its smell-o-vision, which puts you in the dog’s perspective and allows you visibly see color-coded scents on the ground. Amusingly, it desaturates the colors of the environment, as well, to sort of mimic a dog’s color-blindness.

The back of the box touts up to 40 hours of gameplay, which is hilarious to me. It reminds me of when Ogre Battle 64 put the estimate of 50 hours on the back of the box, but it took me around 90 to complete it. Dog’s Life is the other ?way around. It's much shorter than it brags about. I’m pretty sure I clocked in at eight hours, and I spent a lot of time gathering bones to upgrade my bone power. What ar??e the remaining 32 hours supposed to consist of, box? Are you hoping that I both really suck and am really patient? A poor assumption on both fronts.

What’s there is a pretty shallow and uninventive collect-a-thon. Over-boning and ea??sily dominating the other dogs is really not difficult. Some levels feel like they aren’t even trying, just leaving bones around for you to add to your collection. There’s this feeling like it needed a longer polishing phase to balance the game better.

Dog’s Life is a pretty long way from the worst kusoge I’ve expe??rienced. I’m going to disagree with pawnshop guy and say that it is exactly as fun as it deserves to be, and that’s about as much fun as you’d find in a clearance bin. You know, not entirely a waste of time, but maybe an unfulfilling use of a weekend. It also doesn’t feel like a soulless product, though perhaps one that was completed out of obligation rather than because the team was passionate about bri?nging it to the world.

I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention that Dog’s Life holds a record for most voice-overs recorded by one person. Apparen??tly, Kerry Shale put the words in the mouths of 32 characters. I mean, this results in a lot of them having goofy, cliched voices, but still, pretty impressive.

For previous Weekly Kusoge, check this link!

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We suck young blood

I probably would have been all over PlayStation 2's Mister Mosquito if I knew it existed in 2002. I always loved it when games centered around mundane concepts, such as Crazy Taxi or Animal Crossing. I’ve also long had a fascination with games where you’re a small character in a large environment, such as my unhealthy fascination with the Army Men series.

However, I was a Nintendo fangirl at the time. I don’t necessarily regret that. Simply having access to more consoles wouldn’t net me more games, and the GameCube gave me some of my favorite titles. On the other hand, I missed out on the weird experimentation that seemed to start on the Dreamcast before transitioning to the PS2. Games like Robot Alchemic Drive, Disaster Report, and, well, Crazy Taxi.

Instead, I plucked Mister Mosquito out of a bargain bin after I’d gotten out of my fangirl stage. Do you know that $5.00 sticker I put on some of my Kusoge articles? That’s actually affixed to the front of my copy of Mister Mosquito.

Mosquitos are awful creatures. Not only do they make an annoying sound, their bite makes you itchy and they’re a vector for disease. We could apparently eradicate them all with minimal issues for the ecosystem. Growing up in rural Ontari??o, they were just a reality in the summer. I hate them, but I’d be suspicious of anyone who actually enjoyed their company. I’d be looking for where they hid their proboscis.

Mister Mosquito casts you as one of these awful creatures, and while the intro moans about the preciousness of its life, the character is clearly a jerk. Your goal is to harass the Yamada family to the point of insanity. Your goal is to stock up on blood to survive the winter, but no, Mister Mosquito, you’re thinking of chipmunks. Female mosquitos go dorman??t in th??e winter if they live that long.

Whatever, though,?? a mosquito has to eat, and these walking blood sacks look tasty.

Each level places you in a room with a single person. Your goal is to suck a certain amount of blood from a changing variety of�suck points. Tasty spots? I can’t remember what Mister Mosquito calls them.

The tricky part is doing it without getting killed. If you suck on a suck point for too long, the meatbag will react and swat you. This is an instant kill, but you’re given a warning through a little heart-beat monitor that tells you how aware they are of your presence. If they see you when you aren’t dra?ining their life, a battle will ensue where you need to poke them in their pressure points to get them to relax. A neat facet of the battles is that intentionally triggering one and winning within a time limit nets you a new color palette for your mosquito.

For extra credit, you can fly around level?s and collect heart rings, extra blood tanks, and food. 50 heart rings raise your maximum he?alth. Finding and filling all the extra blood tanks unlocks a special, harder mode. As far as I can tell, the food items are just totally arbitrary collectible objects.

When the game starts out, the Yamada family is unaware of you. They?’re going about their lives, doing family stuff like stepping on each other’s feelings. As the game pr?ogresses, they start taking measures to keep you away from them, which is kind of where things start to break down a bit.

If you told me the premise of Mister Mosquito and asked me to guess how it was designed, I’d expect that you would need to change things in the environment to get the people to expose their suck spots. There’s an indication that this was the idea, and one level where you clearly have to do this, but usually, you’re just waitin??g for the mo?ment for a weak point to appear, and this can seem arbitrary.

For example, when the daughter of the family is in the bathtub, her suck spot is on her left tit. Give me a minute, I have to finish la?ughing at my own joke. Anyway, this exact spot never submerges in the tub, but it only appears when she’s in a very specific pose that is not significantly different than any of her other movements. In another stage, you need to traumatize the girl’s friend by biting her in multiple spots, but certain places, despite being always exposed, only appear at certain moments, and I honestly couldn’t tell you when those are.

You have to be prepared for some heavy jank in general when approaching Mister Mosquito. The hit detection, for example, is complete crap. This not only causes problems when flying around the environment but also when flying in for a snack. You attach to suck spots by launching yourself m??outh-first like a missile, but if a single hair gets in your way, you’ll just bounce off. It can be frustrating?, especially when you’re trying to stop a battle.

It’s also a ridiculously short game. It can be comfortably completed in three hours, thjough there is an unlockable second quest. The game also challenges you to best your times in each level. It’s not much, but Mister Mosquito would be really insubstantial without its bonuses.

Where it really wins is its personality. Mister Mosquito comes from a time before w?e knew that putting a grizzled dude with a gun on a game’s cover was the best way to sell copies. Any unique idea was fair play.

It’s also unapologetically Japanese at a time when most Japanese games most certainly apologized. If you don’t know anything about Japan’s bathing practices, the joke about the daughter having to bathe after her father would probably be lost on you. What is interesting to me is that the English dub voice actors are actually Japanese, complete with thick accents. Normally, a dub, even when taking place in Japan, woul??d be an English cast with a regional acc?ent. It’s strange to see this bit of authenticity.

Mister Mosquito is simply a product of a bygone era. Mechanically, it is hardly the tightest and most well-designed game, but you’ve never ??played anything like it. I’d love to see a moder?nized take on the formula. It could probably be done better and easier than it was in 2001.

Japan got a sequel to Mister Mosquito, but si?nce the first game didn’t do too well overseas, we never saw it localized. It’s definitely something I have on my to-do list.

For other retro titles you may have missed, click right?? here!

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I'm sick of messages from the f??ront. Don't we ever get a message from the side?

It probably looked like I was in the mood for shovelware the day I picked up 2002's Seek and Destroy for PlayStation 2. The cover is a bizarre composition. A tank bursts through the background, fi?ring a shot at some far-off and unseen target, all the while American flags wave. You wouldn’t guess that this abomination concealed a game about Japanese toys.

Seek and Destroy is actually a member of the Choro Q series of games. I spoke fondly of another game in the series, Road Trip, a few months ago. I have a soft spot for the games. I’ve never laid?? eyes on one of the actual toys, but the way they were translated into the medium of video games has been weird and fascinating. Talking vehicles and a focus on customization largely sum it up.

But while most games in the series focus on racing, Seek and Destroy is unique in its concept: warfare.

Road Trip was a pretty chill game about earning parts by questing and using them to win races, all in an effort to become president. Tanks aren’t typically chill, and Seek and Destroy has none. Chill, I mean. It has a staggering number of tan??ks to unlock, but it has the patience of a juvenile wolverine.

Known as Shin Combat Choro Q in Japan, the story involves the Empire of Q-Stein invading its neighboring countries. As a rookie member of the Proton ?Army and also the only competent person (tank?) on the continent, you’re drafted to fix absolutely everything.

Gameplay is largely tank-on-tank action, but with downtime in between levels. You go off to a mission anti some tanks, then you can do some shopping around town and take on the arena for some extra dosh. Said dosh then goes towards buying?? parts for your tank. You also unlock new tanks b??y completing missions and winning arena challenges. They’re historical tanks that are taken from various countries and time periods. You Panzers, Shermans, and T-34s are all here, often with different variations. There are supposedly over a hundred to unlock, which just seems crazy.

Speaking of crazy, Seek and Destroy is a pretty bizarre little game. Ignore the fact that the ch??aracters are all talking tanks �Okay, actually, let’s talk about that. All the characters are talking tanks. What happens when you switch out your tank model? Everyone still recognizes you as the same tank, so where does tank consciousness start? Where does the individual stop and the tank begin? Also, why can’t I have outrageous colors like some of the characters you talk to?

Despite having a bunch of historical tank models, that’s where its connection with reality ends. The equipment available for you to buy start?s off with basic shells and machine guns, but quickly this gives way to lasers and other exotic accouterments. Then you turn your tank into a boat and fight battleships. Then a plane is getting away, so ??your commander slaps some jets onto you and it’s off to the sky for a dogfight.

The unfortunate part of all this amazing over-the-toppery is that Seek and Destroy is both extremely easy and staggeringly short. To be fair, if you spend a lot of time buying up equipment a??nd collecting tanks, you can extend the gameplay, but if you just tackl??e the missions, it’s not going to last you.

Any challenge can be overcome by going back to the garage and changing out your equipment. It’s not that complicated about it either, you just need to know what you’re?? going up against. Even some basic heavy equipment will get you pretty far in most situations. It doesn’t help that most of the gameplay is just targeting the enemy and then driving circles around them. The AI isn’t terribly aggressive, so death comes slowly.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to play, but it’s a greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts kind of deal. There are good times? to be had decking out your tank, and the rewards come quickly, but when it’s actually time to play the game, there’s not much meat there. Some of the boss battles are pretty awesome, but there’s not much challenge to them, either. Also, the translation sucks out loud.

I think I love the idea of Seek and Destroy more than the actual game. If someone were to take all the concepts laid down here, polish them up, and modernize them, then I’d be all aboard. There's just something interesting about taking a dour genre like tank combat and slathering on a layer of whimsy. It’s? a fun addition to a genre that usually lacks it.

It’s not Battletanx, however. Whereas Battletanx was a game where a rock-solid concept was built upon, Seek and Destroy feels more like a lot of good ideas thrown into a bucket and churned around without much concern for balance. But does Battletanx let you str??ap rocket boosters to your tank? No. But it does have a weapon th??at is literally just a nuclear bomb.

What I’m saying is you should play both Seek and Destroy and Battletanx.

For ot??her retro titles you may have missed, clic?k right here!

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Woke up this morning, got yourself a PS2

Let’s revisit The Sopranos: Road to Respect, which came out last week 15 years ago, on November 7, 2006. Amid the Sopranos resurgence, it’s a happy anniversary to celebrate, but as anyone who has played this game in the last 15 years knows, it’s not very good. It doesn’t even look good.

Instead, all our characters, including Jam??es Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano, Michael Imperioli’s Christopher Moltisanti, and our protagonist Joey LaRocca (voiced by Christian Maelen), look like boiled ham hocks, all too circular or too pointy where they shouldn’t be.

The locations aren’t much better, mostly made up of pale blank walls and boring-til-bloody asphalt. Even our home base, the Bada Bing club, i?s d?evoid of any of the show location’s characteristic grime, instead populated by more smooth walls and floors and, yeah, some tables.

In the game, we are Joey, Sal “Big Pussy�Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore)’s b??rutish bastard child who never makes it to the TV series. Tony spots us carelessly stealing shit, smashing car windows, and tripping on our face like an embarrassment, outside of Satriale’s Pork Store and decides to bequeath us to Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico). Paulie makes us do things like slamming a guy’s head into a urinal until he seems dead and then disappearing his body into the Port of New York waters.

When we look in the mirror, we’re sometimes visited by the ghost of our dad, who disparages and encourages us on our way to joining la famiglia. Eventually, we do join, swearing our blood to the Sopranos, and along the way, we fall in love with Trishelle, who, admittedly, is?n’t in the game all that much, but I feel like we should spend some time on since this?? is a column about women in video games. She is, after all, a woman in a video game.

Like the majority of women characters in Road to Respect, Trishelle is a sex worker, blonde with an ho??urglass figure. Her voice actress, Monica Keena, lends her a soft New Jersey accent, familiar for Joey, who remembers her ?from childhood when they stumble into each other at a gym.

After that, Trishelle’s brief screen time consists of a rave gone wrong, getting bombed in her place of work (but the?n sharing a steamy kiss with Joey when he saves her), and being brutalized by the Sopranos�rival mob boss after Joey fucks up. So, generally a rough ride for Trishelle, who otherwise seems like a generous, forgiving girl-next-door.

It’s difficult to really compare Road to Respect to the TV series, mostly because Sopranos screenwriter David Chase has said, ahem, “I think [they are] two separate experiences. Playing a game and watching a drama are two completely different things,�but it is worth considering the way Sopranos interacts with women and marginalized characters in any of its mediums. To put it succinctly, that way can be categorized as “poorly,�but it’s hard to expect more from murderers in 2006 whose day-to-day consists of shoving? other guys�heads in urinals. For the Sopranos, women are tools, things you keep around because other people do. They help you out from time to time.

It’s unpleasant to witness here, in its clunky game glory, in the all white, naked women rolling their bodies for glitchy drunks in Bada Bing, but it feels like reality. Like I said, these are bad men. Unfortunately, in this bad game, skinny plot keeps us from trying to understand why they’re so bad to?? the people around them or how they feel about it.

When Trishelle alludes to being sexually assaulted, we immediately jump to Joey getting revenge, pressing X to mash bones in the ground instead of spending any time on what just happened. Does Joey want revenge because he cares for Trishelle, or does he feel personally disrespected? Why is his instinct violence over ?consolation? Whereas the show might have spent some time considering motivation, the game tears past it.

It’s fun to remember, 15 years later, but, for women and for everyone, Road to Respect is more novelty than empathy.

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Getting in touch with my country roots

Everyo??ne has their favorite game from growing?? up. For some, it was Super Mario Sunshine, or Ocarina of Time, or maybe GoldenEye. What was my favorite game growing ??up, you ask? Well, Barbie Horse Adventures: Wild Horse Rescue, of course.

It was only a matter of time before I outed myself as a reformed horse girl on the internet. I started horseback riding as an extracurricular when I was in third grade and continued through the end of middle school. I always forget it was such a big part of my life. I think because I repressed all th?e embarrassing stuff, like pretending to be a horse on the playground. At least if I have to admit to this, it's under the pretext of having a sweet job where I get to write about video games.

Anyway, it was only natural that that love of horses c??rossed over into my gaming. My siblings and I had a few different consoles growing up, from a Gameboy Advance to a Wii to an Xbox 360. Of all of the various consoles we had, though, I'd say the PS2 was the most formative for me. This is in part because I spent the most time playing on that console, shoring up my allegiance to the PlayStation brand.

While my brother and our neighbor friends were playing Fallout, Halo, and Star Wars Battlefront, I would of??ten sit and watch. I can't quite remember why I never played for myself, but I think it was a combination of unfamiliarity with dual-stick controls and the underlying belief that those games weren't for girls.

I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family in the heart of the South, and although I don't recall anyone explicitly telling me I couldn't play those games, I never really did. I certainly felt drawn to things that were "made for boys," but there was also an intense pressure to present as femininely as possible. I found a sort of workaround, though, because I would watch Power Rangers and say my brother "made me" or watch him play Bioshock under the guise ??of spending quality t??ime with him.

Naturally, the games I played all fell into one of two categories: being under the umbrella of traditionally "girly" intellectual properties like High School Musical, Hannah Montana, or of course Barbie, or being about a traditionally feminine occupation or role, like Cooking Mama or Disney's Princess Magical Dress Up.

[caption id="attachment_269518" align="alignnone" width="759"] [Image Source: Old Games Download][/caption]Of course, there isn't anything inherently wrong with the content of these? games?, but it did put me in a box, so to speak. Everything from the look to the sound effects to the gameplay design of these types of games is eerily similar, with all of the pink and the cheery feminine voices and sparkly sound effects (if you know, you know). Although I did play quite a lot of games when I was younger, I missed out on a ton of different genres or properties I really would have liked if someone had encouraged me to try them.

Now that I'm an adu??lt with my own a?dult life, I thought it would be really fun to go back and play my old favorite game, Barbie Horse Adventures: Wild Horse Rescue. I wanted to analyze it with?? fresh eyes and see how the gameplay held up. Plus, this game was just a big part of my childhood, and I thought it would be interesting to revisit it? for the sake of nostalgia.

Wild Horse Rescue was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and the or??iginal Xbox, and was the third game in the Barbie Horse Adventures series. "Ah, these games much have a rich history," I can hear you telling yourself. Nope, not even clo??se. In what I think is a truly hilarious series of events, the first three games in this series were released within less than a month of each other, on September 17, September 23, and November?? 4 of 2003, respectively.

It makes a bit more sense when you consider that they were all released on different platforms, but it still cracks me?? up that when Barbie decided to venture into the equestrian-themed video game market, she decided to corner it basically ov??????????????????????????ernight. Iconic.

The first step in my new playthrough was ordering a copy online, so naturally, eBay was the way to go. ??I found cheap copies right away, so that wasn't an issue. Next, I had to figure out how I was going to play it because I don't have a PlayStation 2. Thankfully, my friend Dan collects all kinds of old consoles and games, and he was kind enough to lend me his PS2. A short drive to K-town and I was set.

Next, I had to set it up and get it working, which proved to be a bit more difficult th??an I had anticipated. For one thing, I forgot composite cables were a thing, but luckily my TV still had the plugs for it so I dodged a bullet there. The next problem I encountered was that the power cable fo??r the PS2 was on the fritz, and it would only stay powered on if I held it a certain way. Of course, that wasn't going to fly if I needed to keep my mitts on the controller, so I had to find a hands-free solution. 

After some pitiful trial and error with various kinds of tape, I ended up propping t?he console up on the game box, which kept me going on my whole playthrough. Sometimes the most effective solutions are the simplest ones.

Finally, it was time to load up the game, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had flashes of memories of it in my mind, but I hadn't looked at any footage of the game in preparation for this -- I wanted to go in?? completely blind.

[caption id="attachment_269529" align="alignnone" width="640"] [Image Source: The Video Game Museum][/caption]

As soon as the title screen appeared and the music washed over me, suddenly I was nine ?years old again, back in the unfinished basement of my family home in North Carolina. I remember exactly what that old ratty couch looked like, the heavy, damp air that required us to use a dehumidifier, and how I woul??d sprint up the stairs when it got too dark down there.

Having that all wash o??ver me, while I was sitting in the living room of my own adult apartment, was a bit overwhelming. I had to sit there in silence, taking it all in for a few seconds. For me, this wasn't just one of those games that I remembered, but one t??hat really took me back, you know?

I've been through a lot recently, and taking a few moments to go back to my headspace from when I was a kid was powerful and comforting in a way. I wasn't just remembering the game itself, but what life us??ed to be like when I played it, and just how simple everything used to be. I'm still a youngin' at 24, so this was one of the first times I understood just how strong the drug of nostalgia can be.

So during this playthrough, I tho??ught it was hilarious that the game gave me zero story or cutscenes or anything -- it just got straight to the action. I thought maybe this was a deliberate design choice to get kids with short attention spans straight to the game, but apparently, there's a whole opening cutscene that establishes the context and story that I never saw once, either in my dozens of playthroughs as a kid, or this time around, either. I genuinely have no idea how this could have happened, but I certainly learned something new today.

Instead, I was immediately thrown into the dressing room to pick out an outfit for Barbie. I'm still a huge fan of dress-up games, so I was pumped for this one, but the developers made a major error -- none of the clothes match each other. I seriously don't understan??d how this oversight could have slipped through the cracks. The most egregious part of it all is that none of the leather hats match the boots. Isn't that, like, kind of the whole point? Hug?e issue considering how important this kind of thing is to the core demographic of these games, but I digress.

Next, t?he game takes you into the stables to pick out your horse, of which you only have one at the start. This is all fine and good when you consider the whole game is about rescuing more horses, sure. The part about it that confused me, though, is that you can change pretty much everything about the horse's appearance, from the color of their coat to their markings to the length of their mane. 

The horses' appearances are the only thing ??that distinguishes them from each other as far as I can tell because there aren't any stats or any discernib?le personalities for any of them. So at this point, I have to beg the question…What's the point? Why do I even bother getting more horses if they're all the same? Honestly, just throwing some fluff stats at me would have been enough. I guess this unfounded rage is the downside of playing children's games as an adult. Let's move on.

This whole time Barbi?e has been looping through, like, the same two voice lines about whatever task I'm doing at the moment, which is a bit annoying. This will continue through the ?rest of my playthrough, and as far as gripes go, it could be worse than Barbie repeatedly telling me how to change the horse's saddle, right?

Next, we move to the open hub world in the stables, where you return after every level. There's a smaller courtyard area where I started with the dressing room, stab??les, and a mini-game to clean off your horse. I didn't remember this mini-game being so satisfying, but I'll leave that to my obsession with watching power washing videos on Reddit. It even gave me a percentage of how clean my h??orse was at the end, which was a nice touch.

[caption id="attachment_269531" align="alignnone" width="640"] [Image Source: The Video Game Museum][/caption]In the larger courtyard area, there are paths to the nine main levels in the game: three in the forest, three in the snowy mountains, and t??hree on the coast, and one bonus trail once you've gotten through all those. The trails only unlock sequentially, so you have to complete them in order. Simple enough.

I was shocked at how well I remembered the first few levels of this game. They were ingrained in my subconscious, just waiting to be awakened like some sort of ancient prophecy. When I was playing later in the afternoon, and it started getting darker out, I almost forgot where I was for a second. It was all enough to make me feel like I was back in that dark, unfinished basement, which was such a bizarre but also really cool experi??ence.

The main gameplay loop has you ride through these different trails, obviously, and there are different obstacles to avoid, items to collect, t??he kind of stuff you would expect. At the end of each level, there's, I guess, what other games would call a final boss. But this is a Barbie game, so it's all a bit friendlier than that.

Basically, you have to either chase down a wild horse and lasso it, something that used to take me forever when I was a kid. When I approached this section of the level this time through, I was super nervous, mostly because I knew the contr??ols were janky as hell. To my surprise, I got it in about fifteen seconds. Huh, I guess my gaming skills have improved somewhat.

The most? hilarious part of the main gameplay loop to me is these foals (that's a baby horse) that you have to rescue on the trails. At first, they're just as simple as walking up to one and walking?? it back to the "safe point," but it only escalates from there. You'll see foals in mazes, on top of buildings, out on an island in the middle of a body of water, and it's like how in the hell did you even do that in the first place?

 What w??as this storm, a hurricane that launched these foals at 200 miles per hour? Look, I know it's just a cute excuse to let me rescue little horses on the trails, but I seriously can't get past how ridiculous it is. It made me laugh every time, and it was the best.

[caption id="attachment_269525" align="alignnone" width="1280"] [Image Source: Tsm Channel][/caption]There are also some mini-?games on the trails, like a timed race where you have to hit a bunch of checkpoints to win a prize. Spoiler alert, the prize is a ribbon, and it's completely worthless. Unless you really like the pride in a job well done, it's seriously not worth it because the game controls like a new?born deer on ice skates, so trying to do anything with precision is nearly impossible. Trust me, save yourself the frustration and just get on with it.

This is also more of a detail from my friend Dan's PS2 controll??er than the game, but the one he gave me is actually a little bit broken. Any time I jumped over anything in the game or ran into an enemy, the mechanism that was supposed to create a vibration inside the controller just kind of clunked around. Ironically, this kind of added to my nostalgia, because our c??ontroller was broken like that too, after my dad football spiked it into the ground out of frustration during an unforgiving level of Jak & Daxter.

Like I said, the first few levels in the forest area were super familiar to me. One of the levels has a race against Barbie's friend Teresa at the end instead of a horse ??lassoing ordeal, another moment I remembered well and was anticipating throughout this playthrough.

I was all hyped up, ready to go, and even said a few words of smack talk to Teresa (in real life, although I wish that was an in-game feature). Then I beat it first try with minimal effort. I really thought this gam??e would be as hard as I remembered, at least because of the controls being wonky, but I guess playing a game made for children as an adult is usually going to be easier than you think.

[caption id="attachment_269526" align="alignnone" width="1280"] [Image Source: YouTube User Gar][/caption]The first few levels were actually a lot of fun for me just for the sake of taking? a trip down memory lane, but after that, it started to feel a bit monotonous. Don't get me wrong, anyone under the age of, like, twelve who loves horses will be en??amored by this game, but now I see it as a perfectly functional game that's just�not for me anymore.

All of that to say, once I got ??past the point that I remembered, I was really struggling. There are a few additions to make the game more challenging, like different puzzles, mazes, and set pieces, but after the gimmick wore off it just made it more time-consuming for me, not more fun. I have to give it to the game designers, though -- when I was playing, I never felt like they phoned ??it in. I get the sense that they were really trying to make something that kids would enjoy, and they passed that test with flying colors.

I even tried to reach out to the director of this game, Phil Drinkwater, just to get a sense of how he feels about it after all of these years. He didn't respond, but you know what, I'm glad he didn't. I hope he's out there living his best life because it's what he deserves after gracing us with this masterpiece. Even though he doesn't work in games anymore, I hope he's proud knowing that there are people who r??eally love the work he made back in the day, enough that they'll replay it over a decade later just for fun.

[caption id="attachment_269532" align="alignnone" width="1200"] [Image Source: YouTube User Gar][/caption]So I finally got to the special bonus trial, which I never got as a kid because I couldn't make it past the fourth or fifth level. This was the part I was most excited about because I used to always ride past ?that gate and wonder what beautiful secrets lay beyond it.

Well, I hate to have to tell you this, but it was ki?nd of a disappointment. It was just a linear trail with a few open sections, the main appeal being all of the loot you get to pick up along the way. I've never b??een much of a loot person when I play games, so that was a bust. There was also a pretty extensive hedge maze in there, but we already know how I feel about those.

Replaying this g?ame was certainly a trip, but more than anything, it got me thinking about my own identity as a "gamer" and how I interact with that label. I know it's all a bit of a meme at this point, but I've honestly always had some imposter syndrome when it comes to all the games I missed out on.

Insecurity aside, I think this is really important for me to talk about. It's no secret that the games industry can be really gatekeep-y, and although it's thankfully gotten better over the past few years, it's somethin??g people still have to deal with, especially people of margina??lized communities.

I've worked as a games writer for over three years, and I've even worked at a AAA studio -- that'?s about as qualified as it gets, but someho??w I still found myself questioning if I was a real gamer. What does that mean, exactly, when I drill down into how I qualify who makes that cut? I don't play League of Legends? Breath of the Wild was my first Zelda game? I didn't get serio?usly into games until I was in college? Okay?, so what if all of those are true? Those goalposts move based on who you're talking to, anyway.

The more I got into the industry, the more I realized that the people wh?o try to make you feel about not playing every game on the planet are few and far between, and overall the community is r?eally welcoming. So why did I feel so insecure about it, regardless of all that?

I really think it's because all those games that I played when I was younger, all the horse games or dress-up games or pop star games or whatever, were considered less "substantial" than mainstream games, or in other words, more male-oriented games. It makes no sense when I think about it now because I realize that the whole purpose of playing games is to have fun, and as long as I was doing that, I was playing games "the right way,?" but I still can't shake the i?nsecurity of my early days in the industry.

I still catch myself thinking, "oh, I'll be a serious gamer once I play this," or "when I beat it on this difficulty," and it's, like, really, who cares? The ga??ming police aren't peering over my shoulder,?? making sure I only play serious games before I can get inducted into the club.

The problem, for me, comes back to this idea of group identity and wanting so badly to fit in. In games, I've found tons of other people who are creative and like to think crit??ically about art in ways that I've always valued, and I guess I just wanted to be considered a part of it because I want to feel worthy of being around those people.

It's ironic that in the "nerd" sphere, one?? of the spaces in adult life where peo??ple are allowed to really, unabashedly love things, we try to put ourselves or others into little boxes like that.

Basically, if you want to be a gamer, do it, the rules are all made up and the points don't matter. Just play what you want how you want -- it really is that simple. If you don't want to be a gamer, good for you, that's probably?? best in the long run. 

So the question is, would I do this all again? Look, I had fun, but probably not. The nostalg??ia thing was quite a trip, but overall this isn't the most fun game to play as an adult. I mean, not when Hades is like, right there. Apparently, this game has ended up on a lot of "worst games of all time" lists over the years, and I mean, c'mon, it's n?ot a masterpiece, but it at least made scores of horse-loving children happy for a few hours.

Either way, it's always fun to look back at the media that shaped us in??to who we are today, and while my early game library may have been lacking,? Wild Horse Rescue really laid the foundation for a lifetime of loving games.? Thanks, Phil Drinkwater, ??wherever you are.

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Microsoft does what Sony doesn't

In case you haven't heard, people have been stretching the "developer mode" of the Xbox Series X/S to its limit. And it's only been a few weeks.

Amazingly, intrepid and plucky users have managed to get tons of old games running on the systems, most notably PS2 games. The below clip from the Modern Vintage Gamer (using the S, which is capable of the same things as the X) shows off the power of its emulation capabilities just fine, using the "dev mode?" option in the new Xbox consoles: a 2016 Xbox One feature. The new horizon of PS2 games is due to developments within RetroArch, which just recently added PS2 support and is still in active development.

Modern Vintage Gamer assesses that the level of emulation offered in the Series S, for the $299.99 base price, is "unrivaled." Given that you don't really ne??ed all of that SSD space for emulation, nor would you need to build a PC capable of running these games; I'd agree. Just know that, like Modern Vintage Gamer suggests, this isn't a "set it and forget it" process. You do need to do a bit of diligence (and legally, own the games) to get this up and running.

This whole process is in its infancy, and proponents suggest that nearly anything is possible with Series X/S emulation. The only limitations right now are a 2GB ROM size maximum, which could change down the line. As a proponent of (legal) game preservation, it's a big step forward to keeping the classics alive ??without digging out old hardware that's prone to malfunctioning mishaps.

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It's up there with the Dreamcast

As some of you may know, I've stuck by the PS2 through thick and thin. When I first started my Destructoid profile over a decade ago I noted that the PS2 is probably my favorite console, right alongside of the Dreamcast. When I asked our readers what they thought in 2019, the PS2 won our poll by a landslide.

10 years later and I don't thin?k I've changed my mind. The PS2 officially turns 20 this week in North America: let's remember it together.

Having lived through every console launch since the mid-80s, I've seen some stuff. Have you ever Googled the launch lineup of a random system for fun? The ?PS2 has one of the wildest selections in history.

Alongside a few of the most notorious launch games of all time (Orphen: Scion of Sorcery), the PS2 hosted cult classics like Summoner, as well as gems such as FromSoftware's Eternal Ring: a follow-up to their successful King's Field series, ages before they were known for the Souls franchise.

It had something for everyone. Dug fighters? Tekken Tag Tournament kept me entertained for years. Shooters? I can't tell you how many hours I sunk into Unreal Tournament bot matches on Facing Worlds. Beat em ups? Oh hey, Dynasty Warriors 2, which kickstarted the Musou empire (remember, the original Dynasty Warriors was a fighting game!) was a lau??nch title.

Strategy fan? Kessen had you covered. Oh and there's FantaVision to scratch that puzzle itch. Okay, you get the picture. Then there's multiple racers, a boxing game, more shooters, and several sports titles, including the high-profile SSX if you weren't keen on E??A's offerings. I don't know if a launch lineup will ever be th?at exciting again.

Just one year into the PS2's lifecycle, it started to rack up the hits. Metal Gear Solid 2 came out a mere year into this thing hitting retail, and in a shocking twist of fate, Konami released the game a few weeks early in the US over Japan. Speaking of twists, MGS2 managed to somehow keep that Raiden bomb under wraps and blew everyo?ne's minds. It was one of the last times I ever re??call being truly surprised by a game.

It was at this point that studios could quite literally have it all. They were churning out surefire hit after hit for the PS2, while also taking risks. God of War started on the PS2 in 2005 and GTA III brought Grand Theft Auto to heights Rockstar only ever dreamed of with it?s prior iterations.

Conversely, Capcom completely repurposed a Resident Evil game and created the Devil May Cry franchise on PS2, which survives to this day. With the wind of the system's strong sales guiding them, developers brought back obscure franchises like Rygar on the PS2 and those adaptations were good.

Weird projects like Mister Mosquito echoed the bold strangeness of the PS1 era's Devil Dice and Jumping Flash. Rhythm titles continued to see success with classics like Frequency and Amplitude. It was a field day for just about everyon??e in th?e industry.

The PlayStation 2 era, officially, lasted around 12 years — even if the last few were just sports ports.

While most developers were done with the system around 2007 in favor of creating projects for the shiny new PS3, Sony's new system had a semi-rocky start. The PS2 refused to stop asserting its dominance, going on to sell through roughly 155 million units: nearly double the PS3's eventual 87.4 million lifetime sales. As a result, studios kept porting games to PS2 nearly until the launch of the PS4.

Although God of War 2 could be considered the "last major exclusive" for the PS2, its legacy would continue on. People still talk about it, it's still ho??oked up in many homes; some countries even favor the PS2 over any other console in 2020.

Its i??nfluence has been u??ndeniable for over 20 years: happy birthday.

The post The PS2 is 20 years old this week and by God? it migh??t be the best system ever appeared first on Destructoid.

Legacy support is lacking outside of PS4 games

[Update: Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan has confirmed that PS5 won't natively suppo?rt PS3, PS2, or PS1 games through backward compatibility.? We'll see about digital re-releases, though.]

Don't pack up your original PlayStation 3 just yet if you're invested in PS3 games or backward compatibility with PS1 and PS2. If anything, superglue that sucker in place – it's not going anywhere.

While Sony hasn't divulged the full details on how extensive backward compatibility will be on PlayStation 5, reading the room, it's looking like support for the "overwhelming majority" of PS4 games is our best bet on the new console and everything else – PS1, PS2, and PS3 – is wishful thinking.

While this isn't the be-all and end-all on the subject (and it sure would be nice to have clarity from Sony), according to a Ubisoft support page, backward compatibility "will be available for supported P?layS?tation 4 titles, but will not be possible for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, or PlayStation games."

[Update: After widespread circulation?, Ubisoft removed that sentence from the support page.]

The meaning behind that wording could be interpreted in a few different ways, so for comparison's sake, it's worth looking at the equivalent support page for Xbox Series X. As Ubisoft puts it, backward compatibility "will be ava?ilable for supported Xbox ??One, Xbox 360, and Xbox titles" on Xbox Series X.

It's a stark contrast. I get that BC support isn't a priority for Sony and many players, but for those of us who do care about it – enough to dig ?up a Ubisoft support page for details – it's such a big deal.

Mentally, I'm at the point where I just hope all of my PS4 games w??ork on PS5. The bar is that low.

Transitioning PlayStation 4 titles to next-gen versi??ons [Ubisoft via @Nibellion]

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'It was never in development'

Killer7 should probably be on more platforms at this point. Okay, it definitely should.

After living comfortable on just the GameCube and PS2 for over a decade, Grasshopper Manufacture/Engine Software and NIS America got together to make Killer7 happen on PC: which is one of the most acces??sible p??latforms you can dream of.

But their work isn't over, as they need to add a few?? more modern ports into that mix. Based on a recent LinkedIn listing that dream was on its way to becoming a reality, but now that hope seems to be dead according to a new statement from port studio Engine Software.

Speaking to Nintendo Life, the Switch port was "never in development" accordi?ng to Engine Software rep Ruud van de Moosdijk. They state that "the decision was made not to work on a Switch version," and that the LinkedIn listing "should have been changed," and was created erroneously.

Engine Software says that the Switch port "has not come up in conversation" actually, as Suda51 is ??"quite b?usy at the moment." The studio says to "never say never," but given that it took 13 years to get a lone PC port, it might be a while before we see more Grasshopper games on more platforms.

?Turns Out Engine Software Isn't Bringing Killer7?? To The Nintendo Switch [Nintendo Life]

The post Killer7 is not coming to Switch, acc?ording to the studio that ported the PC version appeared first on Destructoid.

Baroque as Hell

Japanese developer Sting has revealed plans to release classic first-person adventure Baroque on the Nintendo Switch later this year. As announced on the company's Twitter, Baroque: Original Version will be a port of the 1998 Sega Saturn release, rather th??an its 2008 remake.

As a quick refresher, Baroque is a strange, post-apocalyptic fantasy adventure that follows a nameless and mute protagonist as they pick their way through the gothic "Neuro Tower," purifying the Meta-Beings within on a quest for personal redemption. Blending cataclysmic end-of-days storytelling with first-person?? exploration and combat, Ba?roque is hardly the slickest or most upbeat of video games, but definitely one of the weirdest.

Baroque would be remade for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii in 2008, completely transformed into a more typical third-person anime RPG. Despite this fresh look and playstyle, Baroque was received poorly by critics, and ????has fallen into relative obscurity since. More information regarding Sting's new Switch port is expected soon.

Baroque: Original Version is currently in development for Nintendo Switch.

Baroque: Original Version coming to? Swit??ch in 2020 in Japan [Gematsu]

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Happy 18th Birthday, FFXI!

Today, May 16, marks 18 years since Final Fantasy XI released in Japan for the PlayStation 2. Despite the closure of its PS2 and Xbox 360 servers back in 2016, its developers still nourish a healthy PC community with consistent updates and events, outlasting so many other MMORPG games that came and waned from relevance. Even after all this time, being exposed to more modern iterations of the genre with technological and design advancements, I’ve been unable to shake FFXI from my mind for, well, about 18 years now.

Something about FFXI stuck with me, glued into my brain with a strong nostalgia for when MMORPGs prioritized players over loot—but those times haven’t been lost. You can still experience FFXI for yourself right now, and it’??s showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, its world of Vana’diel is getting more populated in 2020.

To celebrate, I got ahold of Director Yoji Fujito and Producer Akihiko Matsui to ask them some questions about FFXI's currently thriving landscape, how th?ey've managed to maintain it after all these years, and what they've got planned f??or the future.

I was about 14 years old when I first played FFXI. I remember convincing my mom to use her debit card for this “online game” -- a foreign idea back then! Those were different times, but with a whole new generation of potential Vana’diel residents up and coming, are you planning any efforts to bring in new people? How do you balance that with keeping your current player base happy?

Yoji Fujito: I hope it's safe to assume you are asking about our initiati?ves for new player acquisition.

FFXI runs on a fairly old system, and because that s?ystem itself makes up the core of the game, we are unable to make significant changes to it. This means we need something else to keep new players engaged so t?hey continue to play.

One of these is the "deeds of heroism" rewards that you can earn th??rough the monthly Records of Eminence. Some of the rewards you can obtain include materials needed to catch up to players ahead of you, or tokens you can exchange for gear.

Currently, we have very few guides within the game, and we are considering what systems we can put in place in order to help counteract this current shortcoming. This will need to be useful for returning players as well, and we’d? lo??ve to get the opinions of our most experienced adventurers, if possible.

Additionally, for our exp?erienced adventurers, we plan to provide new gameplay content and a version update that focuses on updating existing gear.

L??astly, when it comes to balancing all this with keeping current player?s happy, we have always put the active players at the center of our focus. If we did not have these players, we wouldn’t be able to sustain our activities within Vana'diel!

Akihiko Matsui: As FFXI has been in operation for such a long time, we feel we must avoid anything that would break the existing community. We do tend to put active players first, but our general direction when welcoming new players to join us is to look to people who enjoy video games or fans of Final Fantasy and encourage them to try it out.

We would especially emphasize the massive amount of content available, and one of the best stories of the Final Fantasy franchise. Another selling point is that, while this is an MMORPG, you can also play solo at your own ??pace.

How do you maintain player retention and interest in progression without the use of loot boxes and other modern reward systems?

YF: People tend to get the wrong impression,?? but I believe that fundamentally there are no games that solely survive on simply having players purchase loot boxes. In any game, developers would still try to get the player to complete objectives in game using the item(s) obtained through the loot boxes.

In FFXI, we simply provide what people would expect from a loot box in the form of ??gameplay content and adventure. And at the same time, we continue to expand the areas in which players can try out or utilize what they obtain.

AM: I am very familiar with the power of the loot box (in Japan, we call it "gacha"), in terms of being able to monetize instantaneously. That being said, the biggest selling point of FFXI is the gameplay experience, so I feel that a model in which we're having players skip that gameplay experience to get a reward for a fee doesn't seem right, especially from a long-term operations perspective. I think one of the reasons why we’ve been able to continue operating FFXI until now was because we didn't entice people to spend excessively in-game. 

FFXI’s slower game speed sticks out in today’s fast-paced world. What are some advantages of working with a slower-paced battle system?

YF: As an MMORPG, FFXI is a game where you will be playing with a number of other players fighting strategic bat?tles, and it was designed around the premise ?that text-based chat was a must to be successful. This applies even to instances in battle where players may want to communicate via text to some extent.

More recently there has been an increase in the number of solo players who utilize the Trust system, as well as more experienced players in general, ??and so there are cases where the group simply understands their role and can play without having to type much. I think that's what is causing more players to feel that the battle speed feels a bit slow. In addition, many modern titles assume the availability of voice chat, so I believe that difference in environment plays a big part as well.

AM: It is true that MMO or other online games that came after FFXI have a much faster tempo when it comes to battle. Outside of battle, we? can also see a difference in pace at which the player character advances in level, or how much time is spent in a single area—they all seem t??o progress more quickly as a whole.

On top of that, the monetization model of the game influences the design as well. The Final Fantasy series adopted the Active Time Battle system from early on, and while it might seem a bit busier than a typical tu?rn-based RPG, I believe many long-time fans find enjoyment in strategizing which commands to choose depending on their situation. In addition,? because of the Support Job system, there are many types of magic and commands you can utilize, which is very characteristic of this game.

I feel that in a world of modern games with fast-paced gameplay and progression, FFXI stands out as an alternative even more.

Nearly every Final Fantasy pre-PS3 has been remade in some form. Whether it’s a complete overhaul like Final Fantasy VII Remake or adding cutscenes to Final Fantasy Tactics, there’s been a consistent tending to the series with more modern versions releasing over time. Is there a desire to remaster the game moving forward, or is FFXI Mobile intended to play that part—assuming it’s still in development?

YF: FFXI was the first mainline Final Fantasy title that was an online game. New installments for FFXI came in the form of expansion packs—similar to a standalone title—which created an expanding and extremely vast world and story when compared to other Final Fantasy games. If you consider the volume of content within FFXI, you can imagine how much would go into a remake and the r?isks?? involved.

There is also the question of whether a modernized FFXI stil?l be? in the form of an MMORPG. I'm sure many players would say no.

This is just my personal opinion, but I'm sure if people got their hands on an offline version of FFXI, players would feel that something is off with the game. This is because about 80% of FFXI is comprised of player interaction.

Regardless of whether we do make a remake or?? n?ot, I feel like this would be the reaction.

AM: I think what makes FFXI different from the other mainline Final Fantasy games is the ??fact that it's ??an MMORPG. I don’t think a simple remake would be possible.

However, I do think it would be cool if we can create a new story that stems from the FFXI lore, with a new game system on a new platform.

 As FFXI turns eighteen this year and we move even further away from a pre-WoW style of MMORPG gameplay, what are you doing moving forward in order to maintain FFXI’s identity within the series and genre? Are there certain pillars of design you’ve strictly adhered to throughout the years?

YF: While this may be a quite different way of thinking for a game design perspective, the fundamental concept behind FFXI has c??onsistently been about taking th??e time to win.

This relates to how players plan their actions in-game, and I don't think we'll ever change this. Instead, we have made changes that would accommodate for the out-of-game lifestyles of our players as best we can. (I think the best example here would be the impl??ementation of the Trust system.)

We will be continuing ??to uphold this directive moving forward.

AM: If the only MMORPG being developed and run by Square Enix was FFXI, then we may have been able to attempt a major system overhaul to ma?tch modern trends. A battle system that places heavy emphasis on experiential?? aspects surely had its pros, but we can't deny the fact that it was only made possible due to tradeoffs made within the game.

I believe that there is no need to shove too many different gameplay experiences into a single game. With that in mind, because FFXIV is still in operation, FFXI can be an MMORPG that allows for the players to enjoy the slower-paced battle that is very much like the traditional turn-based RPG on consoles. 

MMOs, by nature, are fueled by time investment. With FFXI’s 18th anniversary, that is a lot of time committed to the Vana'diel by those who still inhabit it. Outside of daily activities and quests, is there any content planned that could expand the Vana’diel experience through world-building and story instead of repeatable objectives? How do you reward those who have stuck around for so long in a meaningful way?

YF: It deeply pains us to be unable to bring new adventures in the form of a full expansion pack.?? While it may not be as epic, we do plan to provide a new content arc in some way, shape, or form. I am also discussi??ng with the person in charge of in-game jobs to be able to respond to our team’s desire to reach an even higher level when it comes to jobs.

AM: It would've been amazing to have the opportunity to create an expansion pack. However, we are doing what we can at this time in continuing regular content updates. We plan to add more story elements, too. 

When it comes to supporting the game up to at least its 20th anniversary in 2022, how do you continue developing engaging content with older dev kits that have been pushed to the limit for years already? Do you think the technical limitations of the current engine is holding FFXI back from your ideal vision of it?

YF: In the players' eyes, it might appear as if our only obstacles lie in not being able to update our rendering engine and development kits. However, we must not forget that FFXI is but one game which lives within the larger PlayOnline system. PlayOnline extends its roots to the overall service structu??res, including the subscription/payment system as well. We would appreciate everyone’s understanding that trying to overhaul something like this inv??olves taking great risks and requires a considerable amount of resources.

Despite these limitations, we are capable of creating and providing more content in the futur??e, and we still have ??plans to do so. We had promised more reforged Empyrean Armor, which will be coming soon. We still have lots of things we can do, so please look forward to them.

AM: We had to structure a means to “bit pack” content transmitted over the network in order to reduce the overall amount of data being transmitted. That meant w?e had to limit the cap on whatever in-game element we were looking at, which proved to be an obstacle that caused us to struggle with expanding the game. Elements such as player level affected way too many other things, and so that's why we weren't able to raise the cap.

I don’t believe those restrictions were necessarily bad. Although this may not be directly related to MMORPGs, around the time FFXI launched, the overall size of game media became much larger, and human resources became the most ??difficult element to handle in game development. (Until then, memory or CPU processing power was most important.)

That being said, we don't have an unlimited amount of mem??ory, and so I don't doubt that the limitations on physical media did contribute majorly to the production of the game, in terms of not putting in unnecessary huma?n resources.

Are there any plans or intentions to integrate access to both FFXI and FFXIV into one subscription?

AM: The system that processes subscriptions for FFXIV is separate from FFXI’s, and it would be difficult to accommodate for something like that immediately. We did share with the FFXIV team the interest that there seems to be from FFXI players to have this type of dual subscription, though??.

Have you noticed an increase in concurrent players since the world’s general isolation in 2020?

YF: Yes, we are seeing an increase in ??the number of players across all Worlds (s??ervers).

Many of us are forced to limit how often we go outside or might even need to self-quarantine, so I'm sure means of entertainment for almost everyone has been limited. If people are choosing FFXI even amidst these circumstances, it makes me happy to think we?? are helping with the situation in ?some way.

With the temporary closing of phone and chat support, canceling of the Fan Gathering and PAX East, how has COVID-19 affected FFXI’s content development?

YF: Our patch update for May was directl?y impacted by COVID-19—for ??that update, we had to limit the content to only the most critical and important content.

Currently, it’s looking like we might have an idea on the length of the current work-from-home situation in the near future, so we will continue to provide future version updates while adjusting our schedule as necessary to work within these parameters.

Is there any timeline that we can expect to hear more about FFXI’s fate moving forward, or should fans not get their hopes up for any big announcements in the near future?

AM: We've been preparing for opportunities to announce upcoming milestones for FFXI as well as some of the new initiatives we are planning for, leading up to the 20th anniversary. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 situation, many of them are now postponed. We are currently regrouping to figure out how we'll go about making our announcement, so please be on the lookout for any updates from us in the near future.

The post Q&A with Final Fantasy XI Director Yoji Fujito and Producer Akihiko Matsui appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 436

We are just about to get into one of the busiest parts of the year for gaming with titles like Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons releasing this month to much anticipation. Not long after both those games hit, fans will finally get their hands on Final Fantasy VII Remake. But is the game aimed at long-time fans or those who'll be experiencing the world for the?? very firs??t time?

That's one of the topics on this PlayStation-centric episode of Podtoid. On the show, CJ, Dan, Charlotte, Occams, and Chris talk Final Fantasy, The Last of Us, toilet paper rushes, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, and the ??PlayStation 2. All that, plu?s one shitty fire, on Podtoid Episode 436.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Will newcomers find more joy than? long-time fans in the Final Fantasy VII Remake? appeared first on Destructoid.

I really hope PlayStation 5 steps up the legacy support

I love a good retro video game sale. They're a chance to finally jump on older games and re-releases you've been mulling over without feeling g??uilt 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.

PS2 hands down

After reporting that the PS4 had beaten the ?Wii and the original Pla?yStation and became the second-best selling home console of all-time ?(behind the PS2), I had no idea that such an interesting conversation would break out among the community.

Folks started not only sharing what their favorite era of PlayStation history has been, but their favorite consoles in general. It got me thinking: we need to settle this once and for all, just like we settled that Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas was the clear-cut best modern Fallout game.

I honestly think it's anyone's game. Although I wouldn't put money on the PS3 (I was there for the launch of every system, the PS3 was rough early yet as studios? tried to conform to its rigid architecture), I was surprised at how many fans that big block of a system had in the aforementioned comments section. For me, the answer took me around five seconds: the PS2.

GTA III, Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Solid 2/3, Final Fantasy X, Okami, God of War 1/2, Devil May Cry 1-3 (the whole trilogy!), Bully, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus (!), Katamari Damacy. I could go on and on, so I will: Persona 3/4 (both!), the continuation of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, Viewtiful Joe, God Hand, Kingdom Hearts, Splinter Cell. It's just too much! Most of these series are still around today or are still bei??ng ported in remaster/remake form.

The PS2's insanely packed library came before a time of extreme shovelware, and like the Dreamcast, it's easy to just look at the m??aster list and pick out a mountain of classics. For that reason alone the PS2 may never be dethroned, both in terms of sales and quality.

The post What is your favorite era of PlayStation? appeared first on Destructoid.

Groundbreaking title to make a return?

One of the most genre-defining video games of all time, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto III, has been mysteriously re-rated by the Australian Classification board, leading to speculation o?f a re-release in the near future.

Released in 2001 on PS2, Grand Theft Auto III re-invented not only the GTA series, but essentially built a template which has been a staple of hundreds of quest-filled open-world adventures and sandbox games since. With its "Do what you want" gameplay, mix of on-foot shooting and vehicular mayhem, and cool integration of radio, GTA III is a genuine innovator, even if its elements have been much improved in the f??ollowing 8 years.

The new rating sees Grand Theft Auto III classed as "R 18+" by the land down under (a country that initially banned the game on its original release). But as to the specific implications of this rating?? - whether a remaster, a Switch port, or merely finally giving the devil its due from its original banned status - we'll just have to wait and see for now.

The post Grand Theft Au??to III gets re-rated by Australian Classificatio??n Board appeared first on Destructoid.

Time to count the Counts

Unless it was made by just one person, it's a bad idea to give all the credit for a game's success or failure to a single individual. Koji Igarashi has produced many of the best games in the Castlevania series, but he's far from the only reason that era of 'vanias is so beloved. That said, with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, he's proven that even without Konami's backing, and the entirety of his?? old production team behind him, he can still head up a great game. 

Personally, I love all of Iga's games in one way or another. Under his watch, a certain knowing absurdity has its way of leaking through the layers of gothic fantasy and heavy-metal horror caked on the public face of the franchise. That, along with his tendency to stuff a game with more unessential-but-eye-opening weapons and power-ups than many games see in a decade, are his two s?ignature moves. With that in mind, let's do a mini-autopsy on the Igavanias we have so far and see which ones are the best. 

_{[Note: We didn't include the two Chronicles remake collections and Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth on this list as they are based on earlier games in the series it didn't feel fair to compare them to wholly original Iga titles.]}

11. Castlevania: Judgement

This Wii arena fighter has more in common than the recently released Kill la Kill brawler than it does Symphony of the Night and other 'vanias that Iga is better known for. With motion controls and bold but alienating new character designs by Death Note's Takeshi Obata, in many ways, the feels like a Castlevania in name only. Still, its the IP's biggest crossover to date, and each character plays remarkably close to their original incarnations (Dracula teleports around and throws fireballs, Shanoa uses tat??too magic to kill), so it's not all bad. 

10. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

In many ways, Harmony of Despair feels like an apology for Judgement. It's also a crossover, except?? this time it's a 2D, co-op, exploration platformer. It's a great idea, but in the end, it's so afraid to do anything new that it ends up being nearly as disappointing as the game it's apologizing for. Since you're shown the map of every stage before you start in, true exploration is cut to a minimum. The fact tha?t nearly all the characters and graphics are recycled also hampers the sense of discovery and surprise that makes top-ranked Igavanias so compelling. 

9. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

The first Igavania to go 3D has a good heart, but the body is suffering from rigor mortis. It tells the story of Leon Belmont, the first in the clan to battle Dracula, all the way back in 1094. While a huge step up from the painful pair of Castlevania games on the N64, it still pales in comparison to Iga's 2D titles. It's almost like they worked so hard to make a 3D game that felt like a real Castlevania title that they forgot to do anything truly interesting with it, other than the allow you to unlock a playable pumpkin child. 

8. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

It's funny (in a dad-joke sort of way) that Lament of Innocence rhymes with Harmony of Dissonance, as both games suffer from a lot of the same problems. This was Iga's first Castlevania game on the GBA, and after the success of Circle of the Moon, it felt like went a little too hard into reestablishing the basics instead of giving us something we hadn't seen before. Starring Juste Belmont, one of the least notable members of the family, the game lacks the much of the beautiful character ??animation seen in Iga's other 2D titles, while still presenting a serviceable adventure. It also ends on a high note with a battle against a flying skull with a giant eyeball and heart attached to it. You can even fight it as the original 8-bit Simon Belmont, complete with limp, who's an unlockable character in Boss Rush mode. 

7. Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

The second Igavania to go 3D is a more confident game than its predecessor. Building off the relative success of Lament of Innocence, Iga did more to make this one align with his unique vision for the series, introducing new protagonist Hector and a detailed new "devil forgery" mechanic that allows you to raise six different types of demonic familiars. With its large interconnected map, simplified battle system, greater variety of weapons and power-ups, and cameos from Castlevania III's Trevor Belmont, this is as close as Iga ever got to producing a? 3D game that plays to his strengths as a designer. Still, there's no question his work is better in 2D, where it's easier to control the spacing of enemy encounters, tighten the pace of discovery, and keep the world feeling cohesive. Let's hope Konami brings Iga back to work on a sequel, preferably with Trevor's lightsaber whip in tow.  

6. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

This one feels like a jack of all trades and a master of none. The second Castlevania title for the DS, it's saddled with some unwieldy touch screen stuff, but nearly not as much as its precursor (which we'll get to next). Like Castlevania III, it allows you to change between two playable characters (the whip-wielding Jonathan and the magic-using Charlotte), but not in ways that feel particularly necessary. The two of them together basically do the job of one Alucard, though deciding when to tag one out for the other, or when to combine their powers together, does make for some interesting moments. Like Harmony of Dissonance, this one feels little more by-t??he-numbers than Iga's very best games, but the art and design craftsmanship here is nothing to sneeze at.

5. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

I originally had this game much higher on the list, as I had just finished it was really impressed with how well it all came together. Then I went back and played through my favorite parts of all the other Igavanias, and I saw that for all its new-car smell, Bloodstained doesn't quite have what it takes to make it to the top four. The game's high points are fantastic. When it comes to displaying Iga's unique sense of humor, moments like battling a giant demon housecat, an enthusiastic lead guitarist, a buff Shovel Knight, a dead Belmont, and a giant puppy head are all gold-star performers. The late-game bosses?? and weapons are also up there among Iga's best. The rest of the game, however, is just good-to-great, which doesn't quite cut the mustard when you're up against some of the best games in the genre.

4. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

It took a lot of hand-wringing to decide if this one should go before or after Bloodstained, as it has a lot going against it. The touch-screen controlled magic spells are a pain in the neck, the anime-style portrait art is a huge downgrade from most of Iga's output, and the game's story and setting don't go too far beyond what we saw in Aria of Sorrow on the GBA. Still, seeing Soma Cruz absorb souls and struggle against the urge to become Dracula, now with DS-powered art and music, is too much fun to rank any lower. I don't know what I love more, the bonus mode that allows you to play as Alucard, Julius Belmont, and Yoko Belnades in yet another callback to Castlevania III, or the collecti?ble soul that's basically a vacuum cleaner made out of a skeleton.

3. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

A controversial entry to be sure, but I absolutely adore Order of Ecclesia. It combines my favorite aspects of the earlier Castlevanias and the Iga-produced titles that followed them in a way that brings out the best of both worlds. In retrospect, it is also like a superior prequel to Bloodstained in more ways than one, with a female protagonist who can absorb enemy abilities into her tattoos, and a story that offers up a less-than-glowing review of organized religion. Also, like Bloodstained, Iga got weird with this one, featuring monsters like the Invisible Man, a Leatherface look-a-like, and a giant screaming crab who you crush with an elevator. Unlike Bloodstained, it's all packaged with impeccable polish, featuring some of the biggest and best-lookin??g weap??ons and boss battles in the series. 

2. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

This is the ultimate portable Castlevania, made with the knowledge that it couldn't rely on technical power to impress, so it had to go all out in every other way. The original story of Soma Cruz, a teen from 2035 who may be the reincarnation of Dracula, Aria is so packed with inspiration that you'll forget almost instantly that it lacks the horsepower of its siblings. There are so many opportunities to grind for cool weapon drops and souls – and so much feeling crunched into each enemy encounter, each note on the soundtrack, and each area of the map – that it's become the only game in the series that I kept playing l?ong after I'd seen and collected everything; replaying it from the start multiple times over the years just to relive it. 

1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

So if Aria is the game that's most fun to play, shouldn't it be the top game on this list? On any other list, the answer would be yes, but this is a list of Igavanias, and when it comes to what Iga does best, there is no topping Symphony of the Night. This was the first game in the series that Iga produced, and each and every game in the series that followed borrowed from in one way or another. Sometimes actual graphics are re?cycled, sometimes? it's gameplay concepts or characters. Either way, its influence is still felt to this day, in and out of the series.

More important to this list, it's also Castlevania at its most unhinged. In most 2D exploration platformers, you might eventually unlock an item that lets you fly. In Symphony of the Night, you unlock the ability to turn into a bat and fly, then later, the ability to turn into intangible mist and fly, and then even later, the power to turn into an intangible mist that poisons enemies while allowing you to be completely invincible. In any other game, this might be overkill, but to Symphony of the Night, it's just one thread in a tapestry of excess that no one, not even Iga himself, has been able to top. The gigantic bestiary of wonderfully rendered, memorable monsters, the huge selection of weapons, secrets, and exploits, the fantastic score, the entirely?? ridiculous character-power scaling, the additional playable characters of Maria and Richter; the list of things that takes it over?? the top is as long as your arm.

Symphony of the Night is too massive, too overflowing with creativity, charm, and content to deny. Even if it didn'??t deserve the throne, it would no doubt take it by force, first by turning into a giant horse-man and electrocuting all comers, then beheading any survivors with a giant flying sword, then choking-out stragglers with a sentient blotch of poison ??fog. 

The post The Igavanias, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

*Ba-ding*

First 4 Figures has released video and images of the next statue in its growing Sonic the Hedgehog range. This nicely-dynamic diorama features the blue blur getting a lift into Sonic 3's Angel Island Zone, c?our?tesy of his dopey pal Tails.

Standing 20 inches high and 17 inches wide, this colourful creation would brighten up the shelves of any die-hard Sonic fan. The ??statue is available in three distinct formats: The Standard Edition features a scorched base design, with our heroes grinning like dang fools. The Tropical Edition features a similar setup, but with jungle-based surroundings. This edition is serious business, as Sonic & Tails have got their frown on. Finally, the Exclusive Edition features the standard design, but now lit with an LED glow.

Now for the damage. Both the Standard and Tropical editions of the statue are available to pre-order now for $499 USD each, while a combo pack - including t??he Exclusive and Tropical editions - will set you back a whopping $925. Don't forget to factor in any potential shipping/customs charges, as this is a pretty hefty piece.

If you want to order one of these delightful statues, then pre-orders officially open today over at the official First 4 Figures website. Pre-orders will be open un??til August 16, with the statues expected to ship in the third quarter of 2020.

Sonic and Tails resin statue pre-order [First 4 Figures]

The post You’ll need all your gold rings for this dynamic Sonic & Tails statue appeared first on Destructoid.

Hopefully it releases in the next decade

In a recent interview with fansite GT Planet at the Nurburgring World Tour event, Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi teased what the future of the racing series may hold. Speaking with regards to the follow-up for Gran Turismo Sport, Yamauchi stated, "Obviously we're working on the next Gran Turismo already, and the world of sport we've achieved through GT Sport is something I've always imagined to be the future of Gran Turismo. We were able to establish that now."

Yamauchi then explains that while he typically doesn't return to older titles, his recent tours in promotion of the series has been met with fans approaching him and showing love for Gran Turismo 2 and 3, specifically. Seeing that outpouring of support has spurred Yamauchi to revisit those titles, to which he said, "it's surprising ?how much I've forgotten!"

Developer Polyphony Digital's push to redefine the future with each entry has potentially distracted them from what made past entries so good. "Having done all these World Tours, it gave me the opportunity to feel the history of Gran Turismo," Yamauchi said. "It gives me pointers and hints of the things we should make sure that we do in the future of the series. I think the next title that we're going to create will be a combination of the past, present, and future – a complete form of Gran Turismo."

That's all I could really ask for, too. I understand that Polyphony Digital tried something different with Sport, but its laser focus on online competition created a package that felt threadbare at release. Even with constant content updates, the game still didn't improve much a year after release. Maybe? a single-player campaign isn't the most important thing around, but the lack of vehicles and weather effects created? a static game that felt stuck between two different eras of racers. The lack of reason to interact with that content was the real stinger, though.

As for what platform the inevitable follow-up will land on, Yamauchi couldn't say. F?or ??him, VR seems to be what he is most interested in. "The first thing that’s going to be affected by more power is VR," believes Yamauchi. "I don't think that there's anything else that requires that much processing power. I really like VR; I'm one to believe in the possibilities of it, and it's very suited for a driving game." He explains that VR is something that will continue to get better as GPU power increases, which is what excites him.

So while we're clearly a ways off from Gran Turismo 7, at least we know Polyphony Digital is taking the time to evaluate what made the series so special in the first place. I can only hope they get there because there is no reason why Forza should be running unopposed on the console racing?? front.

Next Gran Turismo Will be a 'Combin??ation of Past, Present, and Fu?ture' [GT Planet]

The post Gran Turismo creator teases next entry will be a ‘combination of past, present, and future’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Reproduction cart playable on original hardware

I'm constantly impressed with the titles Limited Run Games gets its hands on. Earlier this month, the cult classic Psychonauts was announced to be getting a physical package from the company, and now Star Wars is next. The PS2 cult classic Bounty Hunter is the more?? modern game, but Limited Run is going above and beyond with the other two offerings.

Star Wars on the NES and Game Boy will be available and not just as a digital code for modern platforms. Fully operational reproduction carts of the two are up for grabs with some special edition packaging that makes them look like classic Star Wars figu??rines. That's a lot of dedication to recreating an old era and they look absolutely breathtaking. Sadly, pre-orders are currently sold out, though Limited Run should be offering?? up a second batch.

A "classic" and "premium" edition will be available for every title with the more expensive option coming in special packaging. The NES and Game Boy games will run you $39.99 for the regular and $84.99 for the premium. They are limited to 3,000 units and 2,000 units, respectively. Bounty Hunter, on the other hand, will run you $29.99 for the standard and $84.99 for the limited. It will be limited to 7,500 and 3,000? units, respectively.

If you just want every single version of these games (including both the limited and standard packages), you can get an all-in-one bundle for $364.99. I'm not quite sure why you'd want two versions of each game, but I suppose there is some collectible value to be had. That steelbook for Bounty Hunter is pretty nice looking, so maybe it is worth double d??ipping on.

Limited Run Games [Twitter]

The post Limited Run Games’ Star Wars titles include Bounty Hunter and the NES/Game Boy original appeared first on Destructoid.

That deserves a merit badge

Limited Run Games has announced that it will be producing a physical copy of acclaimed action-platformer Psychonauts for PS4. Coming in both standard and limited edition variants, this will? be the first chance anyone ?has to own a physical edition of the cult hit for a modern platform. Pre-orders will be opening this Friday, June 7, at 10 am EDT for both versions, though the limited will also have a second window at 6 pm EDT.

If you're curious what comes in the fancier version, it will be housed in a Psychonauts themed door box with a steelbook case, reversible 18" x 24" poster, and a soundtrack CD. That will set you back $69.99, which is a pretty reasonable price. There is no mention of what the standard version is going for, though I'd imagine it'd be $20 or $30 (the digital version is $9.99 on the PlayStation Store).

Limited Run Games [Twitter]

The post Physi??cal copies for Psychonauts on PS4 are coming thanks to Limited Run Game??s appeared first on Destructoid.

And why have I been asking this question for over 15 years?

15 years ago today, Square Enix released Final Fantasy XI for the PlayStation 2 in North America. It was quite the unorthodox release for its time. In order to play FFXI on the PS2 (before the PS2 servers shut down), you had to connect a network adapter (sold separately) and? an external hard drive to the console’s expansion bay.

Just take a look:

FFXI as a game already resisted the notion of on-boarding players, and combined with the confusing PlayOnline set-up and individual file downloads (that it still uses), the PS2 release posed yet another admittedly surmountable task before being able to play. Once you managed to hook up your PS2 to the internet, install the hard drive, download years worth of files at dial-up speed, create your account, buy your character slot, and then create your character, you were finally ready to go. While this version wasn’t my first foray into Vana’diel, it was my first attempt to come back to it. I didn’t know it at the time, but FFXI’s release for the PS2 became the beginning of a pattern that, to thi??s day, I have been unable to escape.

I cannot stop thinking about this game.

“It all began with a stone, or so the legend says. In ages past, a sentient jewel, enormous and beautiful, banished the darkness. Its m??any-colored light filled the world with life, and brought forth mighty gods. Bathed in that light, the world entered an age of bliss...until, after a time, the gods fell into slumber. That world was called ‘Vana'diel’.”

What a setting. This was the FFXI’s entrance, introducing a completely new world to as wide a??n audience as possible. Sentient stones, sleeping gods, banishing darkness—I'm there. Immediately after that, barring? a musical mood change and a brief shot of Aldo and Emeline, you hear:

“In the 863rd year of the Cry??stal era…??.”

Right after such a romantically biblical recitation of Vana'diel’s origin story, FFXI’s introduction goes hard into its history. Dates, names of cities — some mention of a Shadow Lord and hordes of Beastmen — evidence of life in a virtual world. Just from that one line, you realize whatever this is that’s about to happen, it’s but glimpse into the land’s history. I’ve come to view the game itself in a similar light. Any approach of mine to playing FFXI is preceded by my own history with it, not unlike the ?intro cinematic laying out Vana'diel&r??squo;s past.

I only ever got halfway to level cap as a Tarutaru White Mage (Caelum on Bismarck server); still, the world of Vana'diel completely enveloped me. Everything from its menu-based UI to the party-based leveling methods could be a nightmare for newcomers, but the lack of in-game guidance ushered in a community driven by looking after one another. Something as simple as casting Cure on a stranger in FFXI could very well eliminate loads of downtime, given that health and mana don’t regenerate on their own. You have to kneel down, immobilized, and rest until it replenishes (incrementally). FFXI taught you the hell of its world on its face— experience loss on death, downtime when waiting for a group—whatever it was, you knew tha??t everyone else you saw was going through it, too.

This made? those above your level so much more awe-inspiring. They were role models, often strolling up to a group of lower level enemies crowding around a zone’s entrance, eliminating them and clearing the way for lower levels to proceed to the next zone. Shouts for anyone able to cast Revive on a downed ally were typically met with a kind response, even if someone was unable to do it. Other players, not NPCs, became the heroes.

Before social media, FFXI let you build your own ??world of relationships within Vana'diel. It let you and your friends tell a story within a grander world. It still does. The story you tell is all up to you and the people you meet along the way.

One of my first experiences with this game was watching a friend running away from an orc in La Theine Plateau, just outside of the San d’Oria’s starting area. My friend was low on health, and getting outpaced by the enemy’s ludicrous attack range. They eventually ran into a fellow Elvaan by the name Tyr, who was strong and kind enough to intervene, saving his life. This simple interaction paved the way for the rest of my experience with FFXI’s community.

Proper equipment was necessary for many fights and good loot was certainly sought after, but in FFXI you typically got those higher numbers by working together with people while replacing your gear. Skill chains, extra damage and effects triggered when certain wea??pon skills are timed appropr??iately with others, lead to a path of efficient farming through experience chains, especially when the party is well constructed and working together in concert. FFXI’s slow-paced combat allowed players to fill the space with strategy, promoting problem-solving over rotation memorization. T??hieves can use Trick Attack to deal some heavy damage (while conning the enemy into thinking someone else did it) but they have to be positioned behind som??eone else to do it.

Vana'diel is a world full of stories from two different creators: developer and player. Where players would fall short in coming together to form a community of their own, the developers saw to engage adventurers in a rich, epic Final Fantasy narrative that promoted player-to-player interaction. It’s only because of what FFXI was as a game that facilitated such a strong community from the onset—so strong that it’s sti?ll going, 17 years later, even with its subscription fee.

I checked into a server last year during a free-play period, but I ended up checking out before the sub started. The game itself has developed its own history from its many expansions and that makes it feel less archaic while expanding upon its story. After so many attempts to relive the past, I’ve come to realize the player stories I long to experience again are gone from the game’s current iteration. But, for the brief time I was smacking rabbits with a staff in Ronfaure, someone still came ru?nning by, stopped, cast Cure on me mid-fight, waved, then kept run??ning.

That FFXI community is still there. It may be sparse but, after all these years, the community core remains intact. The game itself is just different these days. Returning to Vana'diel, once again, may end up being a failed endeavor, but this time I won’t go back digging for emotional relics of the past. Instead, I’ll be looking forward to what, and who, I’ve yet to encounter in this chapter of FFXI's history.

The post Why do I still want to play Final Fantasy XI? appeared first on Destructoid.

People are lovin' them vidya game films

Square Enix has announced the release of an upcoming 3D CG animated movie based on their legendary RPG franchise, Dragon Quest. The film, titled Dragon Quest: Your Story will hit theatres in Japan this August.

Not a lot of details were forthcoming about the movie's plot, but it appears to be based on the 1992 SNES release Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. This entry (later remade for PS2 and Nintendo DS) follows its hero across the span of thirty years of his life, starting with him adventuring alongside his father, th??rough to the search for his long-l??ost mother and his eventual marriage and fatherhood years, still fraught with monsters and peril.

Of course, there's no saying that Your Story will follow this plot to letter, but it will be interesting to see how this decades-old adventure is adapted for the big screen. There is currently no?? word on a western release, though we can probably expect fan translations, at the very least?.

Dragon Quest: Your Story releases in Japan on August 2.

Dragon Quest CGI movie coming to Japan this Summer [Gematsu / Ryokutya 2089]

The post Dragon Que??st CG animated movie coming to Ja?pan this Summer appeared first on Destructoid.

Light Vs Dark...or Anime Vs Disney

Kingdom Hearts III is almost here and I don't know if I can breathe! W??hile I'm not exactly a die-hard fan of the series, I got into the original two in my youth and have been eagerly awaitin?g the third entry for almost half of my life. That's quite a long time to be anticipating a sequel, but the wait is nearly done.

To help tide myself over until III is in my hands, I dragged Dan along to reminisce about our memories of the series. Going back to 2002 and when the world?? thought this was an elaborate joke to how absolutely convoluted and drawn out the series is now, we hit all th?e bases on today's Impulse. You could say it's a perfect mirror of the "complex" narrative that Square Enix has created.

If video isn't your jam, then why not listen to us over on SoundCloud? You can play it in the background while you check out Chris Carter's review-in-progress of the game. So fa??r, it seems like Sora, Donald and Goofy's (possibly) final outing has turned out pretty well! What a relief!

The post We reminisce about Kingdom Hearts on today’s Impulse appeared first on Destructoid.

Now you are The Main Event!

Over the last decade, gaming auteur Suda51 has become a force to be reckoned with. His games have subverted standard video game tropes and provided some of the zaniest and most esoteric experiences around. Pick any random title ?from his catal??og and you'll be playing a game that is distinctly Suda51.

While his career in the video game industry is much longer than that, his first big international release was the cult classic Killer7. Initially planned as one of the "Capcom Five" for the GameCube, the game saw a release on Sony's PS2 alongside Nintendo's ill-fated lunchbox and was met with some very mixed reception. People either loved it or hated it, with no rea?l in between.

Having never played the title before, I was intrigued at the chance to see where Suda51 finally made his crossover from developing strictly Japanese games. While my opinion is a?? bit mixed, I can defi?nitely say that this feels like something that only Suda51 could create.

Killer 7 (Gamecube, PS2, PC [Reviewed])
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture Inc.
Publisher: Capcom (GameCube, PS2), NIS America (PC)
Release Date: July 7, 2005 (GameCube, PS2), November 15, 2018 (PC)
MSRP: $19.99 (PC)

Trying to sum up the plot of Killer7 is a tall order. There are so many twists, turns an?d fake-outs going ??on that providing a brief outline could come off as misleading. That being said, the first few missions give the impression you're going on a quest to save Japan from some political turmoil. The game takes place in an alternate history timeline where world peace has been declared among every nation, though a rogue group within Japan is making things difficult for the United Nations.

Enter the titular "Killer7," a ragtag group of assassins who are the only force that can stop the invading "Heaven's Smiles." As I said, a general summary would do a disservice to how subversive this game's plot actually is, but just know that you won't be stepping into a generic tale. As is the case with every Suda51 game that came after, something deeper lurks within Killer7 and discovering its secrets is going ?to take some serious dedication.

As far as the audio/visual presentation is concerned, I don't think Killer7 has aged a day. It may appear a bit simplistic, but everything? is highly stylized and looks absolutely stunning at higher resolutions. I've heard some bad things about the original PS2 port, but this new PC one is leaps and bounds beyond what the GameCube was capable of. Maybe some people won't prefer to have the cutscenes zoomed in, but a welcome 4:3 aspect ratio option will give you the original presentation as it was meant to be played.

Even without that option, Killer7 looks great. The design of its aesthetic was ahead of t??he curve back in 2005 and you could be forgiven for assuming this was a brand new title from Suda51. The remaster is actually surprisingly minimal, too, since it doesn't seem to have changed any of the assets. This is an ultra-bloody cartoon with Suda's signature neon-pastel color palette and no realistic HD textures in sight.

There are some issues I have with the PC port (like button prompts showing controller commands when using a keyboard), but the low cost and incredible performance make up for most of the drawbacks. Maybe it isn't as easy as popping in the GameCube disc and just playing, but Killer7 on PC is e??asily the definitive version of this weird cult cla??ssic.

I also need to give kudos to the voice acting, which is excellent. This is another strong suit of Suda's games, but this wasn't really an expected thing in 2005. If you compare Killer7 to other Japanese games from the era like Resident Evil 4, Dynasty Warriors 5, or Ninja Gaiden Black, the acting is just top notch. It sounds like the kind of proper dub that games are only just now receiving, with a lot of skilled performances coming from the likes of Steve Blum, Jennifer Hale, Tara Strong, and Cam Clarke. I suppose that pedigree should speak for itself, but each actor turns in a commendable performance that sucks you into the obtuse plot that Killer7 has.

I wish I could keep up that praise for the gameplay, but this is the area I feel Killer7 misses the mark. To its credit, the game is still highly unique and I can't claim I've played anything remotely similar in the 13 years since its release. Suda51 would turn his efforts into more conventional gameplay archetypes after Killer7, ??so what you get here is something w??ildly off the wall and almost indescribable.

Killer7 combines first-person gunplay with third-person on-rails exploration. Your character is restricted to moving forward by holding the A button and can be turned around with the B button to backtrack. You'll automatically turn in a lot of areas, but others will give you a choice of which direction you can proceed. From there, you'll then be tasked with figuring out the environmental puzzles to make p??rogress to the next section, which may require some backtracking or item hunting to achieve.

Ene??mies will be dotted along these paths that will require you to stop, scan, aim and shoot to defeat. Since the camera angles are fixed, enemies make a distinct noise when they are in your vicinity to clue you into their presence. Sometimes they'll be mere feet away, other times they can be across a huge arena and slowly running up to you. The variety of enemies is what drags this down since, despite their changing visual designs, they're almost all defeated by targeting a weak point.

To do battle with these enemies, you'll have a selection of seven characters at your disposal. Each character provides a distinct play experience, with different weapons and special abilities that will all ?get utilized at some point during the adventure. Main man Garcian Smith, for instance, will never deal with boss battles but can revive your fallen allies i??f you happen to perish during a level. The most distinctive, KAEDE Smith, comes equipped with a scoped pistol and even cuts herself and bleeds everywhere to reveal hidden passageways in the environment.

There is a light experience system you'll have to upgrade your characters, but there doesn't seem to be any real ben?efit to powering up your team. Since basically every enemy is defeated with a single shot to their weak spot, you just ?need to steady your aim a bit and pay more attention to your surroundings to do well. It also doesn't matter too much as shooting makes up about 30% of the overall experience.

Boss fights do cap off each level and they are all different, but the basic layout set forth in the first level of Killer7 is how the entire game plays out. You go around searching for a specific item (typically "Soul Shells"), use one or two character specific powers, get introduced to a new enemy type and then battle the end boss. Rinse and repe??at for about 10 hours.

I was certainly gripped from the outset, but after around three missions, I kind of had my fill. The story is intriguing and the visual style has adapted well to modern displays, but Killer7 isn't the most compelling title from a gameplay perspective. It seems Suda51 had one distinct style he w?anted to shoot for and everyth??ing else didn't matter.

The backdrops for each level change and you slowly learn more about the Killer7 team, but the general gameplay is just the same thing. Varied boss battles don't change up what is essentially an ultra-linear key hunt game. I don't even have a problem with linear games, but when the challenge is virtually non-existent, your paths are limited to walking forwards and backward and the only real roadblock to making progress is waiting for charact?ers to stop talking, the game begins to bog down before the halfway point.

I could have finished it a lot quicker, but I got so bored at one point that I took a few days off to refresh myself. I wasn't even sure if I really did want to reach ?the conclusion, though I am happy I did. There is one mission later on that is truly special from its presentation and it feels like an almost completely different game.

Even with the surprise of that level, the finale is drawn out a bit and the twist may feel like it comes out of left field for some. As with any Suda game, Killer7 requires some homework in the form of digging around FAQs and plot analyses to make heads or tails of its narrative. You'll have to draw your own conclusions from the information given, though some of that information seems deliberately vague to throw you for? a loop.

It definitely is different, though I'm not sure I would call that a positive thing. At the very least, even if I didn't find the game particularly fun, it is still well worth experiencing once just to see where Suda got his signature style from. Killer7 also doesn't have any ??kind of bugs or glitches and feels incredibly pol??ished. This is a game made from a specific vision that doesn't kowtow to industry checklists. It really does feel like a relic from a different universe.

Even if I find myself in the middle with Killer7, I'd still recommend everyone give this a go. It may not be a game you need to finish, necessarily, but it's utterly unique and needs to be seen first hand. I don't think Suda hit his stride until his next title (No More Heroes), but you can see the seeds of greatness were planted with Killer7.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the g??ame provided by th??e publisher.]}

The post Review: Killer7 appeared first on Destructoid.

You can even play offline (with occasional check-ins)

And just like that, Sony's PS2, PS3, and PS4 game streaming service for PlayStation 4 is worth another look. A bunch of games featured in PlayStation Now will be made ??downloadable, meaning you no longer have to stream them and put up with any potential issues or concerns that technology might bring.

As Sony rolls out the feature this week, PlayStation Now subscribers will be able to download "almost all PS4 games in the service" as well as the "PS Now lineup of classic PS2 games rema??stered for PS4." With the $100-per-year membership, you'll be able to play these titles locally and offline.

"Downloaded PS Now games will support all user-purchased DLCs, microtransactions, and add-ons, as well as PS4 Pro enhancements for subscribers using a PS4 Pro system," said Sony. "And remembe??r, you do not need a PlayStation Plus membership for online multiplayer on PS Now – ?which stays the same for both streaming and downloaded games."

There are a few extra notes to mention. You'll have to check in by connecting to the internet "every few days" for verification purposes, which is to be expected. Also, if you've already started a game via streaming and you'd like to pick it back up after downloading it, the process is a bit convoluted.

With tough competition from Xbox Game Pass, this feature was long overdue.

PlayStation Now Adds Downloading of?? PS4, PS2 Games [PlayStation Blog]

The post It’s possible to download ‘most’ PS4 and PS2 games in PlayStation Now appeared first on Destructoid.