Chinese New Year?

In today's contest you can win classic beat 'em up 9 Monkeys of Shaolin for PS4 or Steam!

It's almost the New Year! In most of the world, anyway. I think Chinese New Year is still a few months away, so there goes my good segue for this one. Oh well, just pr?etend my ide?a was clever and timely.

We've got some copies of classic beat 'em up title 9 Monkeys of Shaolin to ??give aw??ay, just in time for the [not] Chinese New Year!

Read all about?? it while I put my dragon suit back in storage.

9 Monkeys of Shaolin marks a true rebirth of the iconic beat-em-up genre in the vein of old school arcade games. If you had fun playing beat-em-up videogames for hours as a kid, crushing foes left and right, then this new title from the creators of hardcore brawler REDEEMER is definitely for you.

Playing as the simple fisherman, Wei Cheng, you must a?venge the death of your frien??ds and family who were slaughtered during a pirate raid of your peaceful village. The game’s main villain is quite a tough nut to crack as he knows the basics of ancient martial arts only mastered by legendary Shaolin monks. Get your trusty battle staff ready for a challenging adventure in Medieval China and for merciless fights with hordes of various enemies.

Action-packed battles, user friendly controls and incredible atmosphere of great kung-fu movies of the 1970s – all this makes 9 Monkeys of Shaolin a perfe??ct choice for every ??true fan of hardcore brawlers.

• 3 unique fighting styles - Fight on earth, in the air, or use mysterious magic seals. Combine these elements to defeat every enemy in your way
• Captivating narrative - Discover the fascinating story of Wei Cheng and follow him as he rises from a simple fisherman to the master of Shaolin martial arts
• Stunning visual style - Unique combination of historical and mystical elements gives you an exciting experience from every scene appears on screen
• Co-op play - Invite your friend to help you fight through growing waves of enemies and complete the game together
• Extensive character development system - You learn multiple paths to victory as you discover various unlockable perks, items and fighting styles
• More than 25 different levels - Chinese villages, pirate ship, Buddhist monasteries, Japanese mansions, ancient ruins and many more

I wish I had a pirate ship.

To enter to win, use the widget ?below to leave your name and email address. You can enter daily. Click around for ways to earn bonus entries, and be sure to comment below telling us what you'd do with your own pirate ship!

We? have five copies each for PS4 (NA) and Steam to give away; winners will be?? drawn next year! Our copies are split between Dtoid and sister site PC Invasion. It'll be ok.

9 Monkeys of Shaolin is available now for PS4 and Steam.

Contest: Win 9 Monkeys of?? Shaolin for PS4 or Steam

The post Contest: Win 9 Monkeys of ??Shaolin for PS4 or Steam appeared first on Destructoid.

We're doing 500 winners per day!

[It??'s the final stretch! Enter now for a FREE GAME!]

In today's contest you can win one of Hypertrain Digital's games on Steam!

Hypertrain Digital has been cranking out games for five years now -- can you believe it? They're celebrating their huge milestone by running a sale for all of their games on Steam. But wh??at's better than a cheap game? A free?? one, of course!

For the next four days, we're giving away 500 copies of their games daily, including Breathedge, Stoneshard, Desolate, The Wild Eight, and Police Stories. I said, there are 500 winners per day! Make ??sure you tell your friends. If I had any, I sure would!

Check out a little from each game down below:

Stoneshard:

Stoneshard is a challenging turn-based RPG set in an open world. Experience the unforgiv??ing ?life of a medieval mercenary: travel across the war-torn kingdom, fulfill contracts, fight, mend your wounds and develop your character without any restrictions.

Breathedge:

Jump in a dark comedy space survival game, set in the near future of monopolized space exploration. Armed with an immortal chicken, you are a survivor of a sudden space liner crash. Explore the ??wreckage, buil??d stuff to survive, and let the chicken do the rest.

Desolate:

DESOLATE is a first person horror survival experience. Form a resea?rch team with up to 4 players and explore an open world filled with mysteries and unsolved questions, or do it all on your own.

The Wild Eight:

The Wild Eight is an intense survival action-adventure set in the frozen wilderness of Alaska. Team up with friends in online co-op or go solo, explore the mysterious land??, craft weapons and fight to live another day.

Police Stories:

A fresh take on top-down shooters with an emphasis on tactics that forces you to make split second decisions. Neutralize criminals, rescue civilians and defuse bombs in S??ingle Player mode or Co-op. And remember - shooting first is not an option!

To try to claim a key, use t?he widget below to enter the drawing. There are plenty of ways to enter, so click around!

Hypertrain Digital is pulling 500 winners per day, across the entire EG network. The keys will be randomly drawn, with each winner receiving a random game from the five mentioned above. We're posting a new Gleam widget every day, so check back and enter daily!

Check out everything Hypertrain is working on, as well as the sale on their titles, on their Steam developer page.

Hypetrain Anniversary Game Giveaway #4

The post Giveaway: Win Breathedge, Stoneshard, Desolate, Wild Eight, or Police Stories for Hypertrain’s Fifth Anniversary appeared first on Destructoid.

No need to hit level 100 to Prestige on this one

In today's contest you can win Black Desert Prestige Edition for PS4 of Xbox One!

So this Black Desert game has been floating around for a long time, now. It started out as a Korea-only MMORPG, but word got out a?nd now it's available here in the W?est! Or from wherever you're reading this. Whatever.

The game saw its official launch today, and you know how ?it goes -- we're not just giving ??away the base game, but also the Prestige Edition content! Check it all out below.

You probably know about this one alr?ead?y, but if not, here's some info!

Black Desert is an open world action MMORPG with cutting edge visuals and a skill-based combat system that redefines the genre. Black Desert has the most developed character cu?stomization system of any game that is currently on the market, allowing users to become their true selves with unique avata??rs. The MMO is known for its intuitive controls, beautifully designed world and extensive lore, and has successfully launched in over 150 countries and 12 languages and gained more than 30 million registered users during its lifetime.

Inviting players to join one of the most innovative MMOs in recent years, Black Desert Prestige Edition comes with tons of digital bonus content with a value of over $140. Both new and current players can? receive unique collectibles such as the exclusive Black Leopard pet.

As someone who lives in the desert, th??is definitely sounds way more pleasant than what I'm used to.

Black Desert Prestige Edition comes wit?h the base game and everything you see above, including:

• Exclusive Pet Black Leopard x1
• Limited Edition Glorious Shudad Premium Set x1
• Pearl Box (In-Game Currency) - 2000 x1
• Value Pack (30 Days) x1
• [Event] Enhancement Help Kit II x1
• Advice of Valks (+40) x1
• Blessed Message Scroll (100 min.) x15

To enter to win, use the widget below to leave?? your name and email ?address. You can enter daily. Click around for bonus entries, and be sure to comment below telling us your favorite MMORPG experience!

We have 10 keys eac??h for PS4 (NA) and Xbox One to give away; winners?? will be drawn next Thursday.

Black Desert is available now for PS4 and Xbox One.

Contest: Win Black Desert Prestige Edi??tion for PS4 or ??Xbox One

The post Contest: W?in Black D??esert Prestige Edition for PS4 or Xbox One appeared first on Destructoid.

This is a HUGE prize, y'all

In today's contest you can win a Cartel Tycoon ultimate prize pack, including a copy of the game, a Razer accessory bundle, and a chance to appear in the game!

Kiddos, we've got a doozy today! Publisher tinyBuild is gearing up for the release of their drug lord simulator Cartel Tycoon, and just dropped a surprise Uncut Earliest Access session on their site. Bold! And what good is a launch without givi??ng away some fre?e stuff on Destructoid?

Well, they really brought it with this one. tinyBuild and developer Moon Moose are offering up not only a copy of the game, but a super sweet Cartel Tycoon prize pack (complete with briefcase and goodies), a Razer accessory bundle (including a keyboard, mouse, and headset), AND a chance for you to appear in the game as an NPC! This is definitely one of the biggest prizes we've had here, so tie a rubber band around your arm and inject this?? contest into your bloodstream!

Cartel Tycoon puts players in the shoes of a fictional drug lord hellbent on taking over the drug trade in their country. Gr?ow your crops, distribute them, and manage the business side of things while also having to worry about rival gangs and barons trying to muscle in on your turf. Take over territories, bribe officials, recruit lieutenants, and run your empire to be the biggest in the world.

Insert a lazy Breaking Bad or Scarface reference here.

Alright, to the prizes! Five lucky runners-up ?will be given a copy of the game so they can live out their wildest, druggiest dreams. If you're our lucky grand prize winner, you'll receive:

• A copy of Cartel Tycoon
• A Cartel Tycoon Kingpin Starter Kit, featuring a briefcase full of goodies
• A Razer Ornata Chroma keyboard
• A Razer Naga Trinity mouse
• A Razer Kraken Ultimate headset
• A chance to work with the developers to be featured as an NPC in the game

I told you this prize was dope! (*du?cks incoming to?matoes*)

To enter to win, use the widget below to leave your name and email address. You can enter daily. Click around for ways to earn bonus entries, and be sure to com??ment below telling us how awesome this prize is.

We have one ultimate prize pack to give away; the winner must have a United States shipping address. We also have five runner-up keys for th??e game, available to anyone. Winners will be drawn Friday, November 6.

Cartel Tycoon is available now in Uncut Early Access at the game's official website.

Con??test: Win a Cartel Tycoon prize pack, Razer computer accessory bundle, and a chance to be an NPC in the game

The post Contest: Win a Carte?l Tycoon prize pack, Razer computer accessory bundle, and a chance to be an NPC in the game appeared first on Destructoid.

Light up your library

In today's contest you can win Torchlight III for Nintendo Switch!

If I c?ould stop giving away games, I would! Just kidding -- if I ran out of games from developers to give out, I'd probably just start giving stuff away f??rom my personal collection. I'm an addict!

Today's we've got some Switch copies of Torchlight III to hand out! You know what to do from here.

Everyone's favorite dungeon crawling action-RPG is back! Torchlight III gives players four new classes -- Dusk Mage, For?ged, Railmaster, and Sharpshooter -- to traipse around with completing quests, solving environmental puzzles, and of course, taking down waves of enemies. Loot, perks, and upgrades are all in tow covering three story acts across a multitude of diverse environments.

This? is really the kind of game you know you want when you see it. And if not, hey, at?? least you can win it for free!

To enter to win, use the widget below to leave your name and email address. You can enter daily. Click around in there for ways to earn bonus opportunities! We've also got some keys over at Nintendo Enthusiast, so head there to cheat the system.

We have two Switch NA keys to give away; our winners will be ?drawn Wednesday, Nov?ember 4.

Torchlight III is available now on the Switch eShop.

Dtoid Contest: Win Torchlight III for?? Nintendo Switch

The post Contest: Win Torchlight III for Nintendo Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Be the fingerer, not the fingeree

[Update: It's now sold ?out!? Ya gotta win it now, y'all!}

In today's contest you can win a Switch copy of Freedom Finger from Super Rare Games!

I fingered this game long ago in my now-dormant (but possibly ready to blow) weird games showcase, Getting Weird with Wes. And guess what, snitches?! It's back!

Super Rare Games did what no other company had the balls fingers to do and put Freedom Finger on a physical Switch cartridge. So we're giving it away, because ?no one fingers like Destructoid!

Freedom Finger is a unique shmup where you pilot a giant hand through space, capable of fisting, fingering, and flicking those enemies away! Give those enemies a good, tight clench and use them as shields, or utilize their weapons against their enemies. Show those jerks who's boss by jerkin' them around in this moderately inappropriate title featuring? the voice talents of Nolan North, John DiMaggio, Eric Bauza, and Sam Riegel.

And guess what else? Drab Majesty is on this soundtrack! I LOVE ?those guys, thanks to our very own Occams.

Super Rare Games' limited release of Freedom Finger comes with t?he usual SRG trappings, inc??luding:

• Fully assembled Nintendo Switch game with cartridge
• Interior art
• Full-colour manual
• Exclusive sticker
• 3 card trading card pack

Use the widget below to enter for your chance to wrap your phalanges around this super limited release. Finger that widget quickly though -- they're down to 10% stock at time of writing, s??o they're going fast!

We have one physical Switch copy of the game to give away; our winner will be drawn next Thursday. As this is shipping from SRG, anyone can win! No shipping restrictions exist on this one, so bring it on, Bulgaria. Be sure to hit up Nintendo Enthusiast to double your odds at winning.

Freedom Finger is available now from the master finger blasters at Super Rare Games.

Dtoid Contest: Win F?reedom Finger on? Switch from Super Rare Games

The post Contest: Win ?Freedom Finger on Switch from Super Rare Games appeared first on Destructoid.

I love free moon money

If you fancy yourself an expert Tetris 99 player, you mi??ght want to brush up on your skills. Nintendo has announced that a new "Maximus" tournament will be taking place this weekend with a prize of 999 Gold My Nintendo coins for 999 lucky winners. Running from March 8 at 5 am PST until March 10 at 11:59 pm PST, the contest tasks players with receiving as many wins as possible during the allotted time.

Those that win will see "Tetris Maximus" on the results screen, which indicates their win is being tallied up. Nintendo will announce the winn??ers on March 24, 2019, and they'll receive their moon money shortly after. 999 Gold Coins comes out to roughly $10 USD, so that could? be a free indie game or two if you catch a good sale.

The contest is limited to residents of the US, Mexico, and Canada (excluding Quebec). There is a ridiculously long rule and eligibility list over on Nintendo's official site, but I've basically given you all the information you'll need. I don't stand a chance in hell in this contest, so I won't even bo??ther giving it a?? shot. To everyone else, I wish you luck.

The post Nintendo has gold coins up for grabs in this weekend’s Tetris 99 Tournament appeared first on Destructoid.

Too tough for ya, huh?

I think I now know how Edward Nygma feels when he sets up an elaborate riddle to trap Batman, but Batman ignores the riddles and just socks him in the jaw. Unfortunately, this edition of the Great Retro Quiz had very low participation, and I'm not sure why. Was it the Twitter requirement, intended to keep people from just copy-pasting answers in the comments? Was it the long holiday weekend, and people just weren't online to play a silly quiz? Or were the questions too hard to figure out without Googling? (You can totally use Google to answer them.? I?? won't know the difference.)

Whatever the reason might be, we only had three participants for 2017's look back at the year in gaming. For those who'd still like to try their luck before reading the answers you can do so here,?? but it's too late to enter for a chance to win the Steam credit. For the results, read on below.

The Great Retro Quiz! Reboot .03

Category: The Games of 2017
Number of questions: 25
Difficulty: Apparently way-tough

1. It's easy to forget, but Resident Evil 7: Biohazard came out in January this year. What type of decoration will Ethan Winters probably try to avoid from now on?

Answer: C. A is a Sconce, B is wall decoration, and D is a storage shelf. Ethan fought a new type of bacteria-based enemy called the Molded in RE7, and C is a picture of Crown Molding. While Ethan has good reason never to want t?o see another videotape again, the shelf in D only contains DVDs.

2. Mass Effect: Andromeda introduced a couple of new species to the franchise, along with some returning favorites. Which team member didn't make the same journey as the others?

a.) Pelessaria B'Sayle
b.) Nakmor Drack
c.) Vetra Nyx
d.) Jaal Ama Darav

Answer: D. Jaal i??s an Angaran,?? a member of a species native to the Andromeda galaxy. The others all came to Andromeda from the Milky Way galaxy on enormous transport ships.

3. In Gravity Rush 2, what input do you use to cancel gravity?

a.) X button
b.) L1 Trigger
c.) Triangle button
d.) Touchpad

Answer: B.

4. Which faction does NOT appear in For Honor?

a.) Samurai
b.) Knights
c.) Spartans
d.) Vikings

Answer: C. There are no Spartans in For Honor. But we'll probably get some Spartan-on-Viking action when the new God of War game releases later this year!

5. The Switch launch game Snipperclips was developed under a different title. What was it called while it was still in development?

a.) FriendShapes
b.) BuzzCutters
c.) Chop Shop
d.) Scissor Me Timbers

Answer: A. B and C I made up, but D was inspired by something else.

6. True or False: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild actually sold more copies than there were Switches to play them on.

Answer: True. Even discounting the fact that the game released on two platforms, 200,000 more Switch copies of Breath of the Wild sold than Switch hardware from April to November.

7. Which of these games were included on the SNES Classic edition? 

Answer: B, D, and E. Secret of Mana was included on the miniature SNES, but A, the semi-sequel Secret of Evermore was not. Similarly, C is a screenshot from Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, which was the original arcade version. You never need to insert a coin on the SNES! The version of Street Fighter II included on the SNES Classic was Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting. Finally, Earthbound was included, but the screenshot shown in F is from Earthbound Zero, a fan translation of the original NES Mother. A previously unreleased version of this game was sold on the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2015 as Earthbound Beginnings.

8. Which Transformer would Aloy from Horizon: Zero Dawn be most likely to encounter?

a.) Grimlock
b.) Rodimus Prime
c.) Ironhide
d.) Hardhead

Answer: A. Aloy's world is infested w??ith robot dinosaurs, and Grimlock is a robotic Tyrannosaurus Rex, the leade??r of the Dinobots.

9. Which of these Overwatch characters was NOT introduced in 2017?

a.) Akande Ogundimu
b.) Olivia Colomar
c.) Moira O'Deorain
d.) Orisa Oladele

Answer: B. Akande Ogundimu is better known as Doomfist, Moira O'Deorain goes by her first name, and so does the robotic quadruped Orisa. Olivia Colomar was revealed to be the true identity of the hacker Sombra in a comic late last year. The other three were released in 2017, but Sombra made her debut at Blizzcon in November of 2016.

10. Each of these games was remastered and/or re-released in 2017. List these in order of their source material's U.S. release dates.

a.) Metroid: Samus Returns
b.) Full Throttle Remastered
c.) Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy
d.) Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
e.) StarCraft Remastered

Answer: D, A, B, C, E. Wonder Boy 3 released in 1989 for the Sega Master System. Metroid II: Return of Samus hit the Game Boy in 1991. Full Throttle was one of the first LucasArts games to feature speech, and it launched for PCs in 1995. The first Crash Bandicoot for PlayStation released one year later in 1996. And StarCraft first c?ame out in 1998, but was updated as recently as last year!

11. What do Yooka-Laylee, A Hat in Time, and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle all have in common (apart from cute, bouncy protagonists)?

Answer: All three had music contributed by longtime Rare composer Grant Kirkhope. While I'd love to see A Hat in Time on Switch, it's current?ly only available on PC, PS4 and? Xbox One.

12. If Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross were searching for a Pokémon in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which would they most likely be looking for?

Answer: C. Donphan is an elephant P??okémon, and Nadine and Chloe are searching for the tusk of Ganesh, the Indian god with the head of an elephant. Kabutops is a fossil Pokémon, but Chloe is an archaeologist, not a paleontologist.

13. Which of these superheroes belongs to the Freedom Pals at the beginning of South Park: The Fractured But Whole?

a.) The Human Kite
b.) Toolshed
c.) Captain Diabetes
d.) Super Craig
e.) Fastpass

Answer: B. Stan's alter-ego Toolshed works with the Fre??edom Pals, but is willing to cross faction lines and ally with your character, The Amazing Butthole.

14. What does the "Y" in Agents of M. A. Y. H. E. M. stand for?

a.) Yesterday's
b.) Yearly
c.) Your
d.) None of the above

Answer: D. It actually stands for "AgencY." Saint's Row games are silly.

15. Which of these is a command Franklin can perform in Thimbleweed Park?

a.) Pick Up
b.) Pull
c.) Open
d.) Zap

Answer: D. Franklin is a ghost, so his commands are different from most of the other characters. He has to manipulate his envir?onment more subtl??y, but gains some power over water and electricity.

16. The boss of the Chemical Plant Zone in Sonic Mania is loosely based on what food item?

Answer: B. The surprise boss of this zone is a quick match of Puyo Puyo, better known to late-90's Genesis fans as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. Sonic's definitely into Chili Dogs and Rings, but Mus?hrooms a?re more of a Mario thing.

17.) Which of these subclasses was introduced for the Hunter in Destiny 2?

a.) Arcstrider
b.) Nightstalker
c.) Bladedancer
d.) Gunslinger

Answer: A. All three of the other Hunter archetypes were introduced in the original Destiny.

18.) Who do you work for in Splatoon 2's Salmon Run mode?

a.) Callie and Marie
b.) Pearl and Marina
c.) Mr. Grizz
d.) Judd

Answer: C. Mr. Grizz i??s a statue of a bear who p?ays handsomely for golden Salmonoid eggs. It's fun, just go with it.

19.) What RPG crossed over with The Simpsons in one of 2017's best memes?

a.) Persona 5
b.) Golf Story
c.) NieR: Automata
d.) DanganRonpa V3: Killing Harmony

Answer: A. Moe Szyslak's "Funk Dancing for Self Defense" course matches up nicely with Persona 5's unique user interface, as you can see here.

20-25. Super Mario Odyssey contained lots of clothing options that were callbacks to earlier Mario roles. Where did each of these costumes originate?

Answer: 20=C, 21=D, 22=A, 23=F. 24=E, 25=B. I wrote an entire article detailing the origins of Mario's costumes in Odyssey, and if you're interested you can read more here.

So how'd you do? Our winner this time was Andy with 23 correct answers. Not only did they earn a Gold Retroid badge, but they'll soon be contacted with their prize, a $20 Steam gift card! For all the legal stuff, you can read the rules underneath the original post. Andy, please let me know in the comments o??r via DM how you'd like me to contact you to receive your prize.

As I mentioned, we only had three entries, and I'm not sure why??. Let me know in the comments! I enjoy making these, but if people aren't going to participate there's not much point putting the time in. Congratulat??ions to Andy, until next time...

The post The Great Retro Quiz! Results of 2017 appeared first on Destructoid.

Win $20 worth of games!

Happy holidays, everyone! With the new year coming soon, it's time for a look back at the past 12 months in video games. And what a year it's been! Game of the year contenders released pretty much every month in 2017, and Nintendo's Switch might have had the best launch year I've ever seen. In short, it's been a great time to be a g??amer, and I hope everyone found a game or three to enjoy over the ??holidays.

Just like last year, we're going to take a look back at the most memorable games of 2017. It's been a while since we've done one of these, but I hope everyone remembers how to play. Our grand prize this time is $20 worth of Steam credit, and big thanks to Niero for providing it. This is a worldwide? contest, so everyone ??is eligible!

I'm going to switch up how you provide your answers this time, to make it a little less easy to look at another player's paper. Instead of posting your answers in the comments, please post your Twitter handle below and tweet your answers to @Retroidpodcast with the hashtag #GRQ. If I can't match up a Twitter answer with a comment below,?? th??at person will be disqualified and I'll move on to the person with the next most correct answers.

We'll run the contest until 11:59 PM Pacific time on January 3, so the winner should juuuust be able to take advantage of the winter sale. Results will be posted the day after the contest ends, but I'll try and get the code to the winner as soon as possible after I tabulate the results. In the event of a tie, the winner? will be the first tweet with the most correct answers. There may be some light spoilers for this year's games, so if you obsess about that sort of thing, maybe don't read the answers or comments below. Official rules for winning the Steam credit are below the quiz. With that out of the way, let's get started!

The Great Retro Quiz! Reboot .03

Category: The Games of 2017
Number of questions: 25
Difficulty: Medium-Tough

1. It's easy to forget, but Resident Evil 7: Biohazard came out in January this year. What type of decoration will Ethan Winters probably try to avoid from now on?

2. Mass Effect: Andromeda introduced a couple of new species to the franchise, along with some returning favorites. Which team member didn't make the same journey as the others?

a.) Pelessaria B'Sayle
b.) Nakmor Drack
c.) Vetra Nyx
d.) Jaal Ama Darav

3. In Gravity Rush 2, what input do you use to cancel gravity?

a.) X button
b.) L1 Trigger
c.) Triangle button
d.) Touchpad

4. Which faction does NOT appear in For Honor?

a.) Samurai
b.) Knights
c.) Spartans
d.) Vikings

5. The Switch launch game Snipperclips was developed under a different title. What was it called while it was still in development?

a.) FriendShapes
b.) BuzzCutters
c.) Chop Shop
d.) Scissor Me Timbers

6. True or False: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild actually sold more copies than there were Switches to play them on.

7. Which of these games were included on the SNES Classic edition? 

8. Which Transformer would Aloy from Horizon: Zero Dawn be most likely to encounter?

a.) Grimlock
b.) Rodimus Prime
c.) Ironhide
d.) Hardhead

9. Which of these Overwatch characters was NOT introduced in 2017?

a.) Akande Ogundimu
b.) Olivia Colomar
c.) Moira O'Deorain
d.) Orisa Oladele

10. Each of these games was remastered and/or re-released in 2017. List these in order of their source material's U.S. release dates.

a.) Metroid: Samus Returns
b.) Full Throttle Remastered
c.) Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy
d.) Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
e.) StarCraft Remastered

11. What do Yooka-Laylee, A Hat in Time, and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle all have in common (apart from cute, bouncy protagonists)?

12. If Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross were searching for a Pokémon in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which would they most likely be looking for?

13. Which of these superheroes belongs to the Freedom Pals at the beginning of South Park: The Fractured But Whole?

a.) The Human Kite
b.) Toolshed
c.) Captain Diabetes
d.) Super Craig
e.) Fastpass

14. What does the "Y" in Agents of M. A. Y. H. E. M. stand for?

a.) Yesterday's
b.) Yearly
c.) Your
d.) None of the above

15. Which of these is a command Franklin can perform in Thimbleweed Park?

a.) Pick Up
b.) Pull
c.) Open
d.) Zap

16. The boss of the Chemical Plant Zone in Sonic Mania is loosely based on what food item?

17.) Which of these subclasses was introduced for the Hunter in Destiny 2?

a.) Arcstrider
b.) Nightstalker
c.) Bladedancer
d.) Gunslinger

18.) Who do you work for in Splatoon 2's Salmon Run mode?

a.) Callie and Marie
b.) Pearl and Marina
c.) Mr. Grizz
d.) Judd

19.) What RPG crossed over with The Simpsons in one of 2017's best memes?

a.) Persona 5
b.) Golf Story
c.) NieR: Automata
d.) DanganRonpa V3: Killing Harmony

20-25. Super Mario Odyssey contained lots of clothing options that were callbacks to earlier Mario roles. Where did each of these costumes originate?

Phew, what a year! I didn't even have any room for questions about Friday the 13th, Wolfenstein, Cuphead, Shadow of War, Nidhogg 2, SteamWorld Dig 2, or ARMS, not to mention the tenth anniversary of franchises like Assassin's Creed and BioShock!

Don't forget to send your contest entries to @Retroidpodcast instead of posting t??????????????????????????hem in the comments, but be sure to let me know who you are! Remember, you have a few days to get your answers in, but the sooner you enter the better your chances. One entry per person, please. All t??he boring legal stuff is below.

The post The Great Retro Quiz Reboot: Games of 2017 appeared first on Destructoid.

How did you do?

Last weekend, in celebration of the newest Legend of Zelda game, I posted a quiz about the series' history, with questions spanning the entire 30 year history of the franchise. Today, the results. This q?uiz was intentionally more difficult than the last one I did, so let's see who got the best score. I'm sharpening up my red teacher's pen, and...

There's an awful lot of red ink getting all over everything. Probably shouldn't put pens in the pencil shar?pe??ner. Whoops. Oh well, let's get to it.

1.) The original Legend of Zelda had some design elements that didn't exactly match up with Nintendo's code of conduct in 1988. Which of these was against their code at the time?

a.) Link sets other characters on fire using the candle and magic rod
b.) Christian iconography on Link's shield promotes one religion over others
c.) The fairies in the fountains are actually naked (though the sprites are too small to tell)
d.) "Magic Potion" r??esembles co?ugh syrup and could be seen as encouraging drug use

Answer: B. Nintendo's code of conduct forbade "symbols that are related to any type of racial, religious, nationalistic, or ethnic group, such as crosses, pentagrams, God, Gods (Roman mythological gods are acceptable), Satan, hell, Buddha." This policy didn't go into effect until 1988, which is why the original Link sprite and official artwork showed him with a cross on his shield. This remained in Zelda II, but the shield was held at an angle the player couldn't ?see. Later games removed the cross, replacing it with other symbols like the Trifo??rce.

2.) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was famously delayed for what reason?

a.) "dockworker's strike"
b.) "cartridge drought"
c.) "chip shortage"
d.) "Yamauchi Flu"

Answer: C. The infamous "chip shortage" was something we heard about on playgrounds and in Nintendo Power, and was the semi-official reason it was hard to find a copy of Zelda II after its release.

3.) The Legend of Zelda was a hugely influential game, and homages began showing up not long after its release. Which of these had a reference to Zelda?

Answer: D. Final Fantasy contained a tombstone in Elfheim that the player could walk up to and read, and in the Japanese version the grave marker reads "Here lies Link." The U.S. NES version was localized to read "Here lies Erdrick," the hero of legend in the first Dragon Quest game. Later remakes of Final Fantasy have changed the name on the tombstone in the English localization,?? and it's more common to see the name written as Link than Erdrick now.

For those who think the answer should be A, it's true that the Nintendo version of Tetris did ??have a celebration screen that featured several famous Nintendo characters playing instruments, and L?ink appears in the lower right playing a flute. However, the title screen above is specifically for the Tengen version of Tetris, which didn't have this feature.

4.) Speaking of references in other games, several items from The Legend of Zelda have made their way into Super Smash Brothers. Which of these has NOT made an appearance in Smash?

a.) Fire rod
b.) Bunny hood
c.) Deku Nut
d.) Fairy bottle

Answer: A. The Bunny hood debuted in Melee, and it doubles the movement speed of whoever picks it up. The Deku Nut first showed up in Brawl, and it briefly stuns anyone you throw it at. The Fairy Bottle made its first appearance in Smash Brothers for Wii U and 3DS, and will heal 100% damage, provided the player who picks it up is already badly hurt. It sort of gives you an extra life, so it's a good analogue for how the fairies work in Legend of Zelda games. There is a Fire Bar item that you swing as a melee weapon, but it comes from the Mario series and resembles the spin?ning traps found in castle levels.

5.) The Zelda series is one of Nintendo's most prolific. Not counting re-releases, how many games set in The Legend of Zelda's universe have been released in the United States by Nintendo or their partners?

a.) 19
b.) 20
c.) 21
d.) 23

Answer: D. I know some people are going to get mad about this one, so let's break it down. There have been 16 first party Nintendo-produced Legend of Zelda games, and if you really want a list of each I'll write them out in the comments. The question also asked about Nintendo's partners, however. Capcom helped create three Zelda games on Nintendo's portable hardware, both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, and later The Minish Cap. That brings us to 19. It's a dark chapter in Nintendo history, but they did allow Philips to create three games based on The Legend of Zelda for the doomed CD-i system. That brings us to 22. More recently, Koei Tecmo borrowed Zelda's trappings for the musou title Hyrule Warriors, and that brings us to 23.

Keep in mind the question specifically avoided remakes and re-releases, so the 3DS versions of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Hyrule Warriors don't count as separate entries, and neither do the Wii U releases of Twilight Princess or Wind Waker HD.

6.) List these games by how many heart containers are available, from least to most.

a.) The Legend of Zelda
b.) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
c.) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
d.) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Answer: C, B, A, D. Depending on your point of view, you could say that Zelda II doesn't have ANY heart containers since Link's life is represented by a red health bar. Even if you count the bars as hearts though, Link can still only have a maximum of 8. Next least is Link's Awakening with 14, then The Legend of Zelda with 16, and finally A Link to the Past with 20.

7-12.) Ocarina of Time's success meant that most games that followed contained a playable musical instrument of some sort. Put these in order of when they first appeared in a Zelda title.

a.) Drums
b.) Pan Pipes
c.) Harp
d.) Flute
e.) Ocarina

Answers: D, E, A, C, B, free point (I am Error). I messed up the numbering, so everyone gets number 12 as a free point. The Flute (or warp whistle) appeared in the very first Zelda game in 1987. The Ocarina didn't show up until Ocarina of Time in 1998. The Drums were the instrument Link played as the Goron champion in 2000's Majora's Mask. The Harp allowed Link to travel between time periods in 2001's Oracle of Ages, and the Pan Pipes had to be blown into on the DS for 2009's Spirit Tracks.

13.) Although Rupees are usually the currency in a Zelda game, sometimes Link collects something else instead. Which of these titles didn't have a single Rupee in it?

a.) The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
b.) The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
c.) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
d.) B and C

Answer: B. Instead of Rupees, the four Links compete to collect "Force Gems" which are functionally almost identical to Rupees. They'r??e triangular in shape and the Links power up when they ?collect enough, but the color scheme and values are the same as Rupees.

14.) If you fail in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, you'll see a silhouette of Ganon and hear his evil laughter. In which other NES game might you have heard this same sound effect?

a.) River City Ransom
b.) The Tower of Druaga
c.) Kirby's Adventure
d.) Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!

Answer: D. If you're knoc??ked down by Soda Popinski, he unleashes the same mocking laughter as G?anon resurrected. Maybe that's why he's so tough to fight past. Head games.

15.) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons could be linked together to unlock some additional content. Which of these was NOT available in a linked game?

a.) Special rings could be passed between the games and equipped
b.) A third quest opened up called "The Mystical Seed of Courage"
c.) A secret boss fight could be accessed after beating both games normally
d.) You could start the game with four heart??s instead of three

Answer: B. All of the other features could be unlocked by entering passcodes betwe??????????????????????????en the two games, but "The Mystical Seed of Courage" was a planned third title for the Game Boy Color that never saw release. Originally, three games were supposed to represent the three triforces of Wisdom, Power, and Courage, but for budget and logistics reasons, the planned trilogy had to be reduced to a duology. They're both very good though, well worth downloading through the eShop if you h?ave a 3DS.

16.) True or False: The original Legend of Zelda is so open-ended that you can beat the game without ever picking up a sword.

Answer: False. While you can make it all the way to Ganon without a sword if you're very skilled (or have a Game Genie) there's no way to defeat him and beat the game. Since you must hit him with a s?word to set Ganon up for the silver arrow that will finish him, you can't win without one.

17.) The original Legend of Zelda came with a map of the overworld packed into the box, but some of it wasn't filled in. How many screens were missing on that map?

a.) 15
b.) 20
c.) 25
d.) 30

Answer: D. You can count `em below if you like. (Map scan courtesy of Skociomatic.)

18.) How many notes play when you meet a Korok in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?

a.) 5
b.) 6
c.) 7
d.) 8

Answer: C. One of the first stories I wrote on Destructoid was about the leaf-masked Koroks, and I've been enjoying collecting the little dudes like Pokémon in Breath of the Wild. Each time I do, I hear the seven-note jingle that lets me ??know I solved the puzzle.

19.) Which of these towns from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is NOT the name of one of the Sages from Ocarina of Time?

a.) Mido Town
b.) Rauru Town
c.) Nabooru Town
d.) Ruto Town

Answer: A. Rauru is the Sage of Light, Nabooru the Sage of Spirit, and Ruto the Sage of Wate??r. Mido makes an appearance as Link's rival in the Kokiri village, but Saria is the one who awakens as the Sage of Forest.

20-23.) Zelda games often have a special bonus if you buy the first edition. Match these bonuses to the title they came with.

Answers: 20 C, 21 D, 22 B, 23 A.

24.) Which of these items can be purchased in A Link to the Past?

a.) Hookshot
b.) Mushroom
c.) Green Potion
d.) Raft

Answer: C. You can't buy ??any of the others, but potio??ns can be purchased once you give the mushroom to the witch.

25.) Vaati replaced Ganon as the main villain of the Four Swords games. With what element is Vaati associated?

a.) Earth
b.) Wind
c.) Fire
d.) Water

Answer: B. While Chist had my favorite comment, the missing element isn't heart, and fortunately Vaati isn't like Don Cheadle's Captain Planet.

So how'd you do? No perfect scores this time, but Iam16bit came closest with 23! Congratulations to our winner, who gets a Gold Retroid badge and a copy of Drive! Drive! Drive! for the PS4. They've been contacted via direct message. To everyone else, thanks for playing and better luck next time. If you need all the legal mumbo-jumbo, you can read that on the original quiz page.

The post The Great Retro Quiz! Zelda Results appeared first on Destructoid.

Thirty years of trivia

Merry Switchmas! Like many of you, I've spent the last couple of days exploring the various nooks and crannies of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I've really been enjoying how I c??an take the game ??with me into any room in the house, but then again, I was one of those weirdos who would play the Wii U in bed from time to time.

Anyway, the whole world is diving into a Zelda title right now, which makes this the perfect time to put up a retro quiz about the series! Now, Chad did cover The Legend of Zelda in a retro quiz back in 2007, but his q??uiz only covered the original game. This one will take a look at the entir??e 30 year history of the franchise.

What would a quiz be without prizes? I have some options for our eventual winner this time. Whoever gets the most questions correct will get a code for their choice of the following: Drive!Drive!Drive! (PS4), Nights of Azure (Steam) or Altelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book (Steam). You can leave your answers in the comments below,?? and we'll leave it open until 12:01 AM Pacific time on March 12. If there's a tie, whoever gets their answers posted first will be the winner. When you're writing your?? answers in the comments, be sure to mention which prize you'd like. Official rules follow the end of the quiz. Let's get started!

The Great Retro Quiz! Reboot .02

Category: The Legend of Zelda Series
Number of questions: 25
Difficulty: Tough

1.) The original Legend of Zelda had some design elements that didn't exactly match up with Nintendo's code of conduct in 1988. Which of these was against their code at the time?

a.) Link sets other characters on fire using the candle and magic rod
b.) Christian iconography on Link's shield promotes one religion over others
c.) The fairies in the fountains are actually naked (though the sprites are too small to tell)
d.) "Magic Potion" resembles?? cough syrup and could be seen as encouraging drug use

2.) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was famously delayed for what reason?

a.) "dockworker's strike"
b.) "cartridge drought"
c.) "chip shortage"
d.) "Yamauchi Flu"

3.) The Legend of Zelda was a hugely influential game, and homages began showing up not long after its release. Which of these had a reference to Zelda?

4.) Speaking of references in other games, several items from The Legend of Zelda have made their way into Super Smash Brothers. Which of these has NOT made an appearance in Smash?

a.) Fire rod
b.) Bunny hood
c.) Deku Nut
d.) Fairy bottle

5.) The Zelda series is one of Nintendo's most prolific. Not counting re-releases, how many games set in The Legend of Zelda's universe have been released in the United States by Nintendo or their partners?

a.) 19
b.) 20
c.) 21
d.) 23

6.) List these games by how many heart containers are available, from least to most.

a.) The Legend of Zelda
b.) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
c.) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
d.) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

7-12.) Ocarina of Time's success meant that most games that followed contained a playable musical instrument of some sort. Put these in order of when they first appeared in a Zelda title.

a.) Drums
b.) Pan Pipes
c.) Harp
d.) Flute
e.) Ocarina

13.) Although Rupees are usually the currency in a Zelda game, sometimes Link collects something else instead. Which of these titles didn't have a single Rupee in it?

a.) The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
b.) The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
c.) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
d.) B and C

14.) If you fail in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, you'll see a silhouette of Ganon and hear his evil laughter. In which other NES game might you have heard this same sound effect?

a.) River City Ransom
b.) The Tower of Druaga
c.) Kirby's Adventure
d.) Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!

15.) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons could be linked together to unlock some additional content. Which of these was NOT available in a linked game?

a.) Special rings could be passed between the games and equipped
b.) A third quest opened up called "The Mystical Seed of Courage"
c.) A secret boss fight could be accessed after beating both games normally
d.) You c??ould start the game with four hearts instead of three

16.) True or False: The original Legend of Zelda is so open-ended that you can beat the game without ever picking up a sword.

17.) The original Legend of Zelda came with a map of the overworld packed into the box, but some of it wasn't filled in. How many screens were missing on that map?

a.) 15
b.) 20
c.) 25
d.) 30

18.) How many notes play when you meet a Korok in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?

a.) 5
b.) 6
c.) 7
d.) 8

19.) Which of these towns from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is NOT the name of one of the Sages from Ocarina of Time?

a.) Mido Town
b.) Rauru Town
c.) Nabooru Town
d.) Ruto Town

20-23.) Zelda games often have a special bonus if you buy the first edition. Match these bonuses to the title they came with.

24.) Which of these items can be purchased in A Link to the Past?

a.) Hookshot
b.) Mushroom
c.) Green Potion
d.) Raft

25.) Vaati replaced Ganon as the main villain of the Four Swords games. With what element is Vaati associated?

a.) Earth
b.) Wind
c.) Fire
d.) Water

The post The Great Retro Quiz Reboot: The Legend of Zelda appeared first on Destructoid.

Chad Concelmo approved!

I hope everyone had a great holiday, whatever you choose to celebrate. Myself, I was drifting in and out of a food coma all day yesterday, though I did manage to complete a jigsaw puzzle with my in-laws. 

Some of you long-time Destructoid readers might remember a feature Chad Concelmo used to put together from time to time called "The Great Retro Quiz!" These articles usually revolved around a specific retro franchise, but occasionally Chad would mix things up and take a look at a topic or theme the quiz around a holiday. I talked to Chad on Twitter and got his blessing to revive the Great Retro Quiz!

This particular quiz will be a little less retro than the name would suggest. Instead, we'll be using the quiz to take a look back at the most memorable games of 2016. If this proves popular, I may do more quizzes that more closely fo??llow the format Chad set up, focusing on a specific game series rather than a year.

Although it was a pretty crappy year in many other respects, it's hard to deny 2016 was a great year for games. Each question will relate to a game that came out sometime this year in the U.S. You can leave your answers in the comments any time between now and 11:59 PM Pacific time on December 29. There's a copy of Stardew Valley on PS4 up for grabs if you're the winner, so check my community blog for the results this Friday. There may be some light spoilers for the games, so if you care about that sort of thing, maybe don't read the answers or comments below. Official rules for winning Stardew Valley are below the quiz. In the event of a tie, the winner will be the first post with the most correct answers. With that out of the way, le??t's get started!

The Great Retro Quiz! Reboot .01

Category: The games of 2016
Number of questions: 25
Difficulty: Medium

1. What item in Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam is used to power up Paper Mario?
a. Fold Hammer
b. Shred Star
c. Mega Coin
d. Copy Block

2. The 2016 version of DOOM had plenty of callbacks to the original. In the 1993 game, which of these codes made you invincible?
a. IDDQD
b. IDKFA
c. IDSPISPOPD
d. IDCLEV

3. In Titanfall 2, which two Pokémon would be most helpful to get an enemy pilot off of your Titan?

4. Mighty No. 9 starred Beck. If Beck were Mega Man, who would be Roll?
a. Beat
b. Call
c. Odelay
d. Ray

5. What relationship do Lillie and Gladion have in Pokémon Sun & Moon?

6. Which of these classic Nintendo franchises did NOT celebrate the 30th anniversary of its release in Japan this year? 
a. Kid Icarus
b. Metroid
c. Super Mario Bros.
d. The Legend of Zelda

7. No Man's Sky developer Hello Games was previously best known for a different series. Which of these retro titles is most like that other franchise?

8. Dishonored 2 had a lot of Hollywood actors providing voices. Which of these two characters' voices had worked together previously in a popular Netflix show?
a. Meagan Foster and Luca Abele
b. Anton Sokolov and Corvo Attano
c. Emily Kaldwin and Mortimer Ramsey
d. Paolo and Kirin Jindosh

9. Corrin, the hero of Fire Emblem: Fates, has technically appeared in five games so far. List them.

10-19. Match the Overwatch hero to their home stage:
 

20. The Last Guardian and Final Fantasy XV finally came out this year after lengthy development cycles. Which game took LONGER from its announcement to its final release date?
a. The Last Guardian
b. Final Fantasy XV

21. Watch Dogs 2 has a mission that contains several references to which classic '80s movie?
a. Flight of the Navigator
b. Space Camp
c. Short Circuit
d. Batteries Not Included

22. Which toys-to-life game let you re-enact this scene from The Simpsons?

a. Disney Infinity
b. Lego Dimensions
c. Skylanders Imaginators
d. Amiibo Tap

23. Several video games got movies this year. Put these in order from SHORTEST to LONGEST amount of time between the release of their first game and movie.
a. Ratchet and Clank
b. Warcraft 
c. Assassin's Creed
d. Angry Birds

24. Uncharted 4 showed that Nathan Drake isn't that great at playing Crash Bandicoot. If Elena had a PS2 instead of a PS1, which of these games would Drake have probably been playing instead?
a. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
b. Ruff Trigger: The Vanocore Conspiracy
c. Ratchet and Clank
d. Spyro the Dragon

25. Gears of War 4 introduces some new protagonists to the series. Which is which?

1. JD
2. Kait
3. Del 

The post The Great Retro Quiz! Reboot: The games of 2016 appeared first on Destructoid.

Best of 2012

And now, the last of our editorial picks for the best games of 2012, we bring you the winner of the best strategy game. While settling on which games we would select as our nominees for the category was not at all easy, picking a winner certainly seemed to be, as the strategy category was far and away the most decisive selection wh??en the votes were tallied.

As a reminder, here are our nominees for best strategy game of 2012:

• Crusader Kings II
• FTL: Faster than Light
• Tropico 4: Modern Times
• Wargame: European Escalation
• XCOM Enemy Unknown

XCOM Enemy Unknown 

Bringing a classic franchise back from the dead can be a terrifying prospect from all angles, whether you're a fan, a designer or a publisher. Developers who attempt this feat of engineering have to strike a balance between satisfying the demands of a pre-existing audience while modernizing elements so that they can compete in the modern age and publishers have to be willing to take a risk on putting games long-forgotten back in the public eye. In this, the 2012 revival of XCOM is nothing short of a triumph. 

Enemy Unkown is a game which successfully blends top-level resource management and global defense with smaller, skirmish-level battles and a progression system that encourages players to connect with the members of their squad, value them, and keenly feel their loss. Its challenges require careful planning, quick thinking and and just enough luck to k??eep things interesting without undermining the experience.

Additionally, Fi??raxis should be praised for the user interface developed for the console version, which may?? very well be the best the genre has ever played with a controller. For once, home console players have a tactical game that feels good in the hands, and that alone is something worth exultation.

The post The winner of Destructoid’s best strategy game of 2012 appeared first on Destructoid.

Best of 2012

Are you ready for some action? Some excitement? All day long, we're dropping our picks for the best games of the year and we move now to the best action/adventure title. Of all the categories we voted for in 2012, this one actually brought us some o?f the most difficulty in declaring a winner. The votes are in, and it's mighty close.

As a reminder, here are our nominees for best action/adventure of 2012:

• Dishonored
• Hotline Miami
• Max Payne 3
• Sleeping Dogs
• Tokyo Jungle

And the winner is...

Sleeping Dogs 

In the end, Sleeping Dogs walks away with our best action/adventure game. With an open-world design offering a multitude of activities, exciting chase sequences and a b?rutal combat system that provides ample opportunity to take advantage of environmental elements, there is no denying that this is a fully-featured package.

Staggeringly beautiful (partic??ularly on PC), players are made to feel as though they have been transported into a world where street fights and criminal enterprise are around every corner. Hong Kong is alive, bustling with activity, and as much a character as Wei Shen himself. You will utterly lose yourself in i??ts bustling crowds and energizing atmosphere.

A game which almost never saw the light of day, Sleeping Dogs emerges as a front runner in the very best games of the year. Kudos to Square Enix for having? the foresight to pick the project up when it was floundering. If they hadn't, we would never have had the opportunity to enjo??y such a stellar title. That would have been a true crime indeed.

The post The winner of Dtoid’s best action/adventure game of 2012 appeared first on Destructoid.

Best of 2012

Another hour, another award announcement! It's time now to reveal the best console exclusive of the year and it's certainly an interesting category for us. While big-budg?et home console games generally get the most attention, it seems that most of our nominations wound up going to smaller titles which brought innovative designs and fresh ideas to the landscape.

As a reminder, here are our nominees for best console exclusive of 2012:

• FEZ
• Halo 4
• Journey
• Spelunky
• Tokyo Jungle

And the winner is...

Spelunky

Proof once again that great things can come in tiny packages, Spelunky is nothing short of amazin??????????????????????????g. Instantly accessible to anyone who has played a platform game before, its simple and precise controls c?ombined with colorful, cartoon characters disguises its unforgiving and often cruel depths. A Rogue-like in sheep's clothing, the game's dynamic stage design ensures that no two rounds will ever play out the same way (though they'll still probably end in death) and the number of secrets, hidden areas and special events add a tremendous amount of replay value.

While deeply satisfying to conquer, failure brings with it a certain amount of enjoyment as the sheer range of ways in which a player can inadvertently cause their own death can continue to surprise even after dozens of hours. Meanwhile, the short lengt?h of time required to complete a round encourages bouts of "one more game" fever rathe?r than creating an urge to rage quit.

Even Spelunky's multiplayer modes put their own brilliant twists to the formula. Local cooperative play requires constant and effective communication as the addition of more explorers often brings with it more risks. The competitive battle mode is more fun than it has any right to be, resembling an unholy spawn of Mario Bros. and Bomberman&?nbsp;that results in friends screaming at each other across the room in r?iotous glee.

Spelunky will beat you, stab you, crush you and det?onate you and, still, you will return for more. O?nce you have been gripped by its deadly allure, there's nowhere to go but down.

The post The winner of Dtoid’s best console exclusive of 2012 appeared first on Destructoid.

Because it was easy to miss them during the show

Did you find there to be a noticeable lack of "A" in the broadcast of the 2012 Spike VGAs tonight? By my count, we had somewhere in the neighborhood of half a dozen actual awards given out during the two-hour presentation. A few games won in multiple categories and they saved time by sneaking a few other awards i?n with the one acceptance speech, while a couple more were announced during the event's red carpet pre-show.

Meanwhile, the rest of the show didn't even bother with the pretense of being anything more than a massive marketing effort, with the scads of new trailers and so forth. J??ust kind of sad, really, but at least I'm?? not ashamed of my hobby after this year's show. That's progress.

We do have a list of all the winners to share with you, so at least you can see the full rundown in one easy place, maybe catch the? ones you didn't hear during the show.

• Game of the Year: The Walking Dead
• Studio of the Year: Telltale Games
• Best Xbox 360 Game: Halo 4
• Best PS3 Game: Journey
• Best Wii/Wii U Game: New Super Mario Bros. U
• Best PC Game: XCOM: Enemy Unknown
• Best Shooter: Borderlands 2
• Best Action/Adventure: Dishonored
• Best RPG: Mass Effect 3
• Best Multiplayer: Borderlands 2
• Best Individual Sports Game: SSX
• Best Team Sports Game: NBA 2k13
• Best Driving Game: Need for Speed Most Wanted
• Best Song in a Game: "Cities" by Beck, from Sound Shapes
• Best Original Score: Journey
• Best Graphics: Halo 4
• Best Independent Game: Journey
• Best Fighting Game: Persona 4 Arena
• Best Handheld/Mobile Game: Sound Shapes
• Best Performance by a Human Male: Dameon Clarke in Borderlands 2 as "Handsome Jack"
• Best Performance by a Human Female: Melissa Hutchison in The Walking Dead as"Clementine"
• Best Adapted Game: The Walking Dead
• Best DLC: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Dawnguard
• Best Downloadable Game: The Walking Dead
• Best Social Game: You Don't Know Jack
• Game of the Decade: Half-Life 2
• Character of the Year: Claptrap from Borderlands 2
• Most Anticipated Game: Grand Theft Auto 5

Spike VGA 2012 Winners [Spike.com]

The post Here are all the Spike VGA winners appeared first on Destructoid.

Google has been ramping ups its gaming presence steadily this year, with plans to make Chrome a viable gaming destination. Those efforts got a significant shot in the arm last night with the reveal of Bastion, formerl??y an XBLA/PC title, now playable in Google's browser. 

The game's prologue can be installed and played for free, while it'll cost $14.99 to unlock the entire RPG experience. Note that gamepad support isn't incl??uded, otherwise it? runs just like the original version did. 

It's funny. When I reviewed Bastion I said that it felt more like a browser-base??d RPG rather than a full-fledged experience. A few people got really upset with me for saying that. Well ... enjoy your browser-based RPG, folks.

The post Bastion now available in Google Chrome appeared first on Destructoid.

After incurring Internet rage and a class action suit, Electronic Arts has finally given up and made good on its broken promise to give Battlefield 3 PS3 owners a free digital copy of Battlefield 1943. Every now and then, angry ga??mers can h??old a publisher to account!

EA has set up this website which contains information on how to obtain a 19?43 voucher. The vouchers will appear on November 26 in Europe, December 10 in North America and December 17 in Japan. 

1943 was originally promised for PS3 users at E3, but when Battlefield 3 released, it was nowhere to be?? found. EA quietly confirmed there was no free game on Twitter, angering fans and people who don't like being lied to. ??Eventually, a lawsuit was thrown EA's way. Sad it had to come down to legal threats in order to make the company fulfill a promise, but it worked. 

Now ??if only we could get EA to stop being such a penis about everything else. 

Battlefield 1943 Voucher Redemption [EA]

The post EA surren?de??rs, gives Battlefield 3 PS3 users their 1943 appeared first on Destructoid.

We teamed up with Nyko to get one lucky person two passes to E3 and a ton of N??yko products! Here are the prizes for ?those of you that missed it the first time around: 

• Wii: Wand+, Charge Station (Black), Wireless Nunchuck, Wireless Sensor Bar, Perfect Shot
  
• PS3: Charge Base 2, Raven, Charge Station for Move, Skill Shot, Intercooler Slim
• 360: Intercooler STS, Charge Base S, Power Kit 360, Power Pak Black 
• 3DS: Charge Base (includes the Power Pak+ replacement battery and charging dock)

Two runner-ups will win also get one Nyko product of their choice for any system (based on availabil??ity).

All you needed to do to? enter was submit photo or video of yours??elf, pet, friend, mom -- whatever living thing you want -- with a Nyko and Destructoid product or logo.

We got some great entries and have selected selected Ashley Chin as the grand prize winner of the E3 tickets and Nyko prize bundle. She wrote out Destructoid and Nyko using over 2,600 plastic forks! The process took a few days and she even created a Tumblr showing off the entire process.

The two runner-ups are Fuzunga for his Portal 2 inspired tune and LBCM for his morn??ing wake up call video. Thanks to everyone that entered and thanks again to Nyko for all the prizes. You can see all the entries everyone su??bmitted below.

Fuzunga:

LBCM:

fallenbane:

worldagainstjoe:

SpinNaker:

LeaveMeAlone9375:

Kenny Redublo:

The post The winners of the E3 passes and Nyko gear! appeared first on Destructoid.

As you may have seen, here at Destructoid we've launched a streamlined way to challenge other players online to friendly wagered competitions of various Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games, as well as Starcraft II. By challenging your friends to competitive games such as Marvel vs Capcom 3 or Fight Night Round 4, you can wager points to the winner of head to head or tournament style competitions. You will then be able to trade these points in?? for prizes as they become avai?lable!

Simply by logging in and completing a match, Destructoid readers were entered to win this Razer Onza Tournament Edition Controller for the Xbox 360, a $50 value.  The winner of this ??contest is Football_Religion! We will be sending you an email?? soon asking for your shipping information. Congrats!

As time goes ??on we will support more games and also give away more prizes, so if you don't have any of the games just yet, don't fret! In fact, a little birdie told me there will be another contest sometime this weekend. I've learned to trust little birdies.

What sort of contests would you like to see on fight.jbsgame.com? Also, what games would you like to see coming to our syst?em? L??et us know in the comments!

New to Fight? Read our getting started guide

The post Razer Fight Pad contest winner announced! appeared first on Destructoid.

Time to announce the winners of our Hector: Badge of Carnage caption contest. We gave an image, you gave us c?aptions and we're giving ten of you the first episode of this raucous adventure game for the effort. Up above, you'll see my personal fav??orite of the winning entries, submitted by OMGmyFACE. Below, our other nine winning captions.

Xenodyne:

power-glove:

Paroxysm:

louiedog:

JohnnyHustler:

Hayate8:

Falleen:

Dowscar:

daedhead8:

Winners will be re??ceiving a code and download instructions in their Destructoid inbox shortly, so keep an eye out for that. Thanks to everyone who submitted!

The post Hector: Badge of Carnage caption contest winners! appeared first on Destructoid.

Ladies and gentelmen as the Royal wedding is upon us here in the glorious Unt??ied Kingdom we decided this was the perfect time to further celebrate our Britishness by bringing you episode 9 of BritToid: Destructoids British gaming focused podcast.

We start with games of the week where Germany has another delightful indie rant while Seto tells us he can't play half-life because it makes him vomit. Chris browns penis makes another 'appearance' and Seto explains why he bought a 3DS and A DSi XL despite having a DSlite and Jim isn't the only Dynasty Warriors fan on staff. 

The news this episode looks at the console launches and how GAME staff were being told to purchase brand new consoles to sell them as second-hand and how Apple own our souls. GAME also decide ??;to launch a gaming expo? this year -- not to everyones excitement and we give a salute and farewell to the now deceased gaming website UK Resistance who brought us the Blue Skies in Gaming campaign. 

BritToid is available on iTunes and via direct download. You can also follow us on twitter! 

The post BritToid Ep 9: Keep calm and have UK resistance appeared first on Destructoid.

[Update] Congratulations to Joshua Hudson and Luigi Takes Over. They are each getting a pair of Distant Worlds tickets for? the Atlanta show on May 6.

For everyone else, t??he Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is offering up a nice deal to all of you Dtoiders! Instead of purchasing the ticket through Ticketmaster, just get in contact with the Group Sales department instead where you'll be given a 10% discount on the ticket price. You'd be saving up to $31.75 by doing it this way!

Contact the sales group at this address or call them at 404.733.4848.

Distant Worlds is the amazing concert series that performs composer Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy legendary songs live. The next stop in the worldwide tour is coming to Atlanta where Distant Worlds will be performing at the Symphony Hall Atlanta on May 6 and May 7.

We have two pairs of tickets to give out to the May 6 show right up near the front! To enter, just tell us why you want to go and what Final Fantasy song you'd love to hear the most. Contest is open to anyone, but please don't en??ter unless you know you can make it to the Atlanta show!

We'll be picking the two best comments to give the tickets to and you have until April 25 to enter. Don't worry if you don't win! We'll have something special for you on Monday for those of you who st??ill want to go.

The post Win tickets to D??istant Worlds in Atlanta! (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

Remember Terry Garrett, the blind gamer who can blaze through Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus via sound cues alone? Now he's back to make Bit.Trip Runner his bitch!

Watch above as Terry races through the first few levels of the PC version with the monitor off simply because he can. Afterward, hit the jump to catch a second video in which he details his method of play, this time with the monitor on for our lowly benefit.

There's not much to add about this guy that we haven't already said before. He's BEAST, 'nuff said.

[Thanks for the tip, Kaggen!]

The post Blind Abe’s Exoddus player rocks Bit.Trip Runner as well appeared first on Destructoid.

We asked you to tell us why you wanted to attend the upcoming N??ew York show of Distant Worlds: music of Final Fantasy for a couple of sets of free tickets. The April 1st and 2nd shows, set to take place at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, are going to be fantastic. They will be performed by the Distant Worlds Philharmonic and Chorus, and conducted by Arnie Roth. Nobuo Uematsu will even be in attendance! 

Many of you r??esponded, but we can only give two sets of tickets away. If it were up to me, I'd give all that asked a ticket -- this show is too great to miss. 

spartan480 and Nessie, you've both won! Our staff read all the comments and we collectively picked the ones that ??moved us most. Congrats! I wish I could come see the show with you. We'll be in contact soon.

Thanks to all that entered.

The post Winners of Distant Worlds NY tickets announced! appeared first on Destructoid.

PAX East 2011 3-day passes have long sold out, but the awesome folks at Ska Studios had five to give out to some lucky Dtoid readers. All you had to do to enter was tell Ska Studios how you would thank the te??am for the p??asses.

We've looked at all of the entries and the lucky five winners are: dormedas, ChiefLethal, mratomix, pokota and Sarah King! Congrats, all! Check your e-mail you have on file with Destructoid to see how to grab your passes. M?any thanks again to Ska Studios for setting this all up. You winners better come through on your promises!

dormedas:

To Ska Studios: 

I would not only personally thank, and bow to them for allowing me to attend my first convention, but also wear a top hat, m?onocle, and suit during the convention and utilize my most suave voice to ensorcell nearby PAX goers to look at Ska Studios' booth. I would be willing to do this all three ?days during PAX East. Help me become the gentleman I wish I were. (All clothes are provided by myself) 

Thank you, Ska Studios, for ?this op??portunity. 

- Dormedas

ChiefLethal:

I would create an 18 x 24 inch oil painting based on characters from the?ir game/s, framed, and covered with a sheet of silk. The painting would be unveiled/presented to the developers on behalf of those in support of indy d??evelopers everywhere (i'll work that into a short speech, somehow).

mratomix:

I'd be more than down to get b??orderline alcohol poisoning with any of these people. Then dress up as The Dishwasher and carry around a cardboard katana throughout pax and lounge very erotically around all of the booths and ask people if they've seen that punk ass, motherfucking cyborg so I can slap that bitch silly.  

I would then hug everyone of them and try not to throw up the aforementioned imbibed subs??tances and tell them that, simply, they had made me a very happy krogan for three days. I may or ma??y not be intoxicated writing this right now:)

pokota:

I would craft a Hamza voodoo doll and present it to the Ska Studios staff. That way, if they ever got a bad review from Destructoid, they can work their frustration out in a manner that is only damaging to Hamza himself. Also, I understand that yo??u cannot be prosecuted for the effects of a curse.  

All I need is some of Hamza's hair and/or nail clippings, and I'm good to go.? &n?bsp;

While we're at it, I'd like some of J??im Sterling's hair and/or nail clippings. That, however, is a personal matter.

Sarah King:

The Character: Sarah King. Young nerdling, and generally enthusiastic.
The accomplice: Jamie Bal. Young ??nerdling and gener??ally a Bad Planner.

The Set up: A while ago, My friend Jamie told me about this Convention right in town, PAX East. Cool beans. Especially since she explains that her friends (already signed up) will be taking a friend with her. And this man sounds like my soul mate. Doesn't matter whether this goes anywhere or not, we just HAVE to meet. Unfortunately Lady Jamie, the ??bad of planning, forgot to say that passes sell out??.

The Proposition: If you give me a pass for PAX East, I will bring a dozen roses to?? this event. I shall arrange to meet this man in front of the SKA studios booth. I shall get down on one knee then, present him the roses, and proclaim how he is my soul mate and how we should definitely chill together. I shall do this in a top hat. As Jamie and her friend Hannah throw sparkles and glitter around we shall have a moment.... and I will give all the credit to SKA studios. Proclaiming after that everyone should come over and praise the mighty SKA studios.

Second Proposition: But what about Jamie? You see, she needs to be there in order to set up this meeting, or else things get awkward. Tentacle Awkward. N00b tube Awkward. If you give HER a pass, she will be able to see HER band soulmate, JOCO. Along with assisting me in completing my vast plan of sparkles and glory, she wi?ll take a moment and provide some soundtrack for the event. JOCO songs of course. Also she shall make all the SKA studios booth people crowns. Mighty paper emperor crowns. Each one themed after a JOCO song.

Please help two lowely nerds mee??t their own and onlyies.

Update:: Oh hey! See?? my post from earlier? Yeah, turns out that Jamie was able to do some INSANE planning, and scored a three day pass for herself! 8D Meaning I don't need to win one for her too, just nee??d one now to make this epic plan work! (Jamie is still willing to participate in the sparkle throwing and crown making though)

-Sarah and Jamie

The post These are the Ska Studios PAX East winners appeared first on Destructoid.

[Update: A winner has been chosen! Congratul?ations to Michael Hayes, as chosen by Sean and Wicked Smart Kids! You can see his winning response below. Michael, we'll be contacting you with information on how to pick up/receive your passes, so please check your Destructoid private messages!]

What do you want to be when you grow up? Sean Baptiste made a list -- comedian, rapper, spy -- and he's trying it out for the world to see in a documentary series When I Grow Up. The first?? episode will premiere at a PAX East panel?? on March 13 at 12:00 PM.

Not going? Need passes? Sean Baptiste and production company Wicked Smart Kids wants to help out by offer??ing up a three-day pass to a lucky Destructoid reader. To win, simply use the comments section of this story to tell us what you want to be (or wanted to be) when you grow up. Be as creative or honest as you want; have fun or reveal your secret dream job.

Sean and Wicked Smart Kids will choose their favorite response from the bunch, and on Monday, March 7, we will reveal the winner. Reminder: this is one set of three-day pas??ses only; you'll have to find your own way to Boston, home of PAX East, to pick up your passes.

To get things started and to have a little fun, we have an ?exclusive video of Sean putting his tounge firmly in his cheek and trying to be a videogame reviewer. Enjoy!

Michael's winning entry: 

I always wanted to be a video game designer. At first, I thought I wanted to be a video game programmer, but back in the?? 80's those were one and t??he same. I've been working my butt off to make games today, but it's getting more and more difficult. I managed to make it into Digipen, the new video game college, but my parents wanted me to go to their alma mater, and wouldn't pay for 'video game school'. So I wen the safe route, and I've been regretting it ever since. I'll probably spend the next ten years reversing that blunder. I have to work full time to support myself and do video games at night. Getting a free pass to pax would be invaluable to me, I'd be able to network and promote my indie games to the people who would care the most: gamers!

The post Contest: Win a three-day pass to PAX East! ??(Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

The week Killzone 3 was released Destructoid launched an amazing contest where we were giving away 10 Helghast Editions! Only about 450 of these special sets were made ???and includes:

• Killzone 3
• Cloaking Helghast Marksman action figure by DC Unlimited
• 100-page art book
• Soundtrack
• PS3 theme
• Retro Map Pack
• Making of Killzone 3 video

The special editions are valued at $129.99 each and all you had to do to enter was give Jim Sterling a new helmet. The ten winners of the Killzone 3 Limited Edition sets are: dyeknom, Junior Rodriguez, lung, mcfearsome, Michael Salamone, Projectlight, remyc, Saint Noir and vp1940!

Congrats??, all! View their winning entries below along with all the other awesome folks that entered. Winners:? Check your e-mail that you have on file with Destructoid and reply ASAP!

dyeknom:

Junior Rodriguez:

lung:

mcfearsome:

Michael Salamone:

Projectlight:

remyc:

Saint Noir:

vp1940:

weshzu:

The post These are your Killzone 3 contest winners! appeared first on Destructoid.

The people behind Twonky gave Destructoid $1,700 in prizes to give out to the jbsgame.community! Twonky is a super easy to use Android app which allows you ?to beam any media such as pictures, videos, music and more from your phone to any web-connected device in your network such as TVs, laptops and more!

The Destructoid staff voted on the all the entries and we narrowed it down to one lucky winner! Congratulations to Capm Trevo for his submission above! He wins the ultimate?? prize pack that includes an Xbox 360, Sonos S5 Black, Dell Studio 15" Lap??top, lifetime license to Twonky, Linksys Wireless Router, Linksys Wireless-N gaming adapter and a full set of cables!

Congratulations also go to runner-ups AlanWake and Famousafterdeath. There were no runner-up prizes originally, but both of their sub??missions were so good that we're going to be sending them Mr. Destructoid bobbleheads at the very least!

P.S. Killzone 3 contests winners will be announced by Saturday afternoon!

Second place: Alan Wake

I don't have much time left. It's a matter of hours before dusk and the last sun ray fades away, and with it my last and only hope. I feel somebody's presence around me, analyzing every single move I make. I feel him breathing upon me, maybe it's the wind. I can't tell what's real anymore.If this is a dream I'm trapped in it. I have lost count of the nights that have elapsed since I have been here in Bright Falls. It's as if time had stopped, stranded in this town in which there's no sign of life, and furthermore in which survivi??ng each day becomes my unique goal.

Darkness will soon arrive. I m?ust return. I can't stay in these streets a minute longer. My efforts to find a survivor have been fruitless. Perhaps nobody remains here, it must be too late. Even so, I'm still here from dusk to dawn day after day trying to make my plight be heard. I've tried everything, smoke signals, flares; every wall in this town is written with my plights. Nothing has worked to establish communication with the outside world.

It's time to go back. I pass in front of a window of an electronics shop. Much to my surprise I see a television set on; there may be someone inside. The shop would remain close tight like a fortress, chains and wooden boards block its entrance. Attempting to get in would be suicidal, time is running out. The only thing left for me to do is to leave some proof of my presence. Hopefully?, whoever is inside would receive such signal and would try to find me within the hours of light of the next day.

I don't know how the following idea crossed my mind: the best way to go about it was to leave a recorded message on the television set. Fortunately enough, somebody had le??ft it plugged in to a digital media receiver. Perhaps this came about recalling those afternoons that Alice and I spent at home, lying on the sitting room couch after a long day's work at the office. She would show me the pictures she had taken during the day with her cellular "to rouse me up" she said "to write a new novel".

I could have never imagined that I would find my cell phone useful until then. Since this whole nightmare started I hadn't been able to get even the slightes?t signal t??o allow me to ask for help.

My name is Alan Wake. If someone sees this message: I'm stranded in this town hiding inside the harbor's lighth??ouse. Please, I need to get out of here.

I recorded the message with?? my cell phone and left it playing it over and over again so ??that somebody could see it.

I headed myself to the lighthouse, couldn't waste any more time. Night was very near. I ran along the coastal road to the shore??, holding the flashlight in one hand, towards my destination. Suddenly I see something shining in the di?stance, something lying on the road. Once I got close I could make out a newspaper page that had probably been coated with fluorescent paint.

The person who had left such a page on that p??lace wanted it to be found.? Nevertheless nothing had been written on it. That particular page had an ad about a contest with some sections highlighted. It was as if he or she had been trying to cipher a message.

I quickly grasped the page and went on. Couldn't stand still any longer.?? I thought I had better try to solve this mystery once inside my shelter. A few yards awa??y I found a written message on a sign with the same type of paint I had seen before.

He must win it. Only he can put an end to this.

Who wrote the message? Who does he refer to? I wondered. I just knew I had to find that person. If what had been written there was correct, he would know how to? end this nightmare.

Little time remained to get to t?he lighthouse. I could make it out from ??afar.

Still feeling that presence. I noticed somebody was following me. Maybe it was a product of my imagination since I was being overcome by t??iredness for days. I found another message on a rock th??is time and next to it another page from a newspaper.

He has to finish this. Make him win.

The page also belonged to the Bright ?Falls newspaper and on it there was an interview to a young boy.

Were they trying to tell me that this boy should win the contest m??entioned on the previous page because that was the only way to put an end to this darkness?

A few minutes later I managed to get to the lighthouse, the only secure place since it stayed lit all night. Even though I couldn't find an explanation as to why I had to do it I followed the clues I had seen, I tried to get into the web page of the contest to sign up a?nd post my entry. Innumerable attempts were made from my part to get enough coverage to send an SOS to the emergency services on the internet. Almost like a miracle I finally managed to access Destructoid and left this statement. Even with the lowest signal I could access the website, thanks to its mobile version named “Dtoid M?obile: Toilet Edition”.

I need your help.? The only way for this nightmare to end is to award Marcelo Laborda the winner of this contest.

I'm writing these wor?ds as my last hope. Luckily, someon??e will read this and help me get out of here.

Third place: famousafterdeath

The post Here’s who won the $1,700 Twonky tech giveaway! appeared first on Destructoid.

Holy crap, it took a while for this contest to get a winner, right? Apologies for the delay, but we were waiting for some commentary from Square Enix, who wanted to provide personal insight on the winning entries. The comments come courtesy of Lord of Arcana producer, Takamasa Shiba, who was quite im?pressed with you?r work!

The winners??, personally selected by Shi??ba, are as follows:

• Grand Prize: VonBouncinSkull
• First Runner-up: Thaticanyaks
• Second Runner-up: famousafterdeath

Winners, please use Destructoid's private messaging system and give me your address?? so Square Enix can send the prizes along. Also, check out Shiba's commentary below!

Grand Prize Winner:

VonBouncinSkull -- (Skeleton)

This piece le?ft an impression on me because the design seemed to fit the game perfectly.

If you were to ask a Japanese audience ??to design a demonic image, I don’t think you’d get som?ething quite like this. I selected this piece because it feels like a design generated from a contest held overseas.

First Runner-up

Thaticanyaks -- (Eyeball)

At first glance, my initial reaction to this piece was, 'how would I attack this monster?'  It reminds me of Pollux, a monster that appears in Lord of Arcana with octopus tentacle??s.  More mysteries slowly unfold the more you look a??t this design and again I wonder, how would I attack him?

Second Runner-up

famousafterdeath – (Colorful art piece)

This piece evokes a unique modern, pop art tone, which i?s unusual for the f?antasy genre. I chose this piece because it invokes such imagination.

The post Lord of Arcana contest results! appeared first on Destructoid.