Changing the world Block-by-Block

Here at Destructoid, we routinely host contests for variou??s gaming prizes. Things like free copies of upcoming games to plush penises from Devolver Digital: Dtoid has given back to the community in small ways over the years. Those giveaways have brought some of you closer to us, for which I will always be grateful, but I was completely?? blown away by the story of one of our contest winners.

In November of last year, Mark Barnes Jr. entered our contest for some Pokémon-themed gear. After b?ecoming the lucky winner, he got in touch with Wes about where to send the goodies and Wes noticed something quite peculiar. In the e-mail signature, Ma??rk's job description curiously read "Minecraft Consultant, UN-Habitat." What in the world was that about?

Wes got a quick explanation about ?the project and passed the info onto us. Here was a guy using video games in a way that was actively helping the world out. This was an incredible story that needed to be told to a larger audience. Finding Mark's tale fascinating, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to speak with him about the work he’s done with Mojang’s monster of a title.

First, some background. Mark Barnes Jr. was born in Tennessee in 1982. When he?? was two years old, his parents became Christian missionaries and moved his family to Papua New Guinea. His family was housed in a small compound smack in the middle of a mountain valley surrounded by rain forests. Along with Mark's family, around 400 others were stationed at the compound, a?ll filling in various roles for missionary work.

Mark's parents were teachers at the local school there, wh?ich Mark told me was a weird way to grow up. For him, the best aspect was having many friends from different backgrounds that all had the freedom to be outside and go where they want. Some of Mark's friends came from Australia, England, Ireland, India, South America, Belgium, and New Zealand. Due to the school being small, everyo?ne knew each other and was relatively close-knit.

Living at a missionary compound, Mark's childhood was rarely boring. At five years old, he got to watch a tribal battle commence across a ravine from the base. When the police had come to break up that fight and deployed tear gas, it actually blew into the compound and gassed the entire place. Mark recalls other bizarre things that happened to him, but states, "When I try to explain them to other people, they're utterly baffled." For him, it was? normal – that was all he had ever known.

Having lived at that compound until he graduated high school, Ma?rk was surrounded by people who wanted to help the outside world. This fueled his desire to find?? a career that would allow him to do the same. As he puts it, "I was brought up by people who took their toddler and baby to the other side of the globe to help people." His mother's parents did the exact same thing. To him, the only course of action was to enter a field that would let him give back to others.

To that end, Mark became a teacher. His Minecraft consulting days weren't something he originally envisioned happening. For the most part, he had entered teaching to let others excel in the world. "I feel really good," Mark states, "when I give people the tools they need to succeed at something. To me, that's always been more motivating than a financial reward." It was a chance opportunity that his friend introduced Mark to a role which would get him involved with Minecraft.

While studying for her master's degree in urban planning, Mark's friend brought his attention to a position at the United Nations related to her field. It was titled the Block-by-Block Program. This program involved a branch of the UN that focused on using models constructed in Minecraft to improve living conditions for people around the world. Their core focus was dealing with concerns around housing, access to drinking water, security, sanitation, and other problems plaguing impoverished countries. Since Mark had been a big fan of Minecraft since around 2008, his frien?d urged him to apply.

The Block-by-Block Program began in 2012 with the goal of integrating Minecraft into the public space to get community members more involved. With Minecraft's ease of use, members of communities that were often ignored would be able to have their voices heard with regards to public reformation. It was also a cost-effective way to visualize changes in a three-dimensional space and allowed for rapid sharing of ideas. It's far easier to build and destroy something in Minecraft than real life.

The initial job was situated in The Solomon Islands, which was a perfect fit for Mark. Since he had grown up not far from there, it was only natural that Mark would be inclined to put his name in. Despite not thinking he had a chance, Mark was accepted for the job and would soon begin his life of helping people through Minecraft.

Mark came into the program in 2014 as a consultant. For each job, his task would begin after a project was planned out and initiated. The UN-Habitat would send him and an urban planner to different communities and begin teaching the inhabitants how to play Minecraft. Mark would also give some feedback about the various models they were making while the workshop was underway?. After the workshops were finished, Mark would generate a final model of the town and? write out a report explaining the outcome so that architects and urban planners could draw out blueprints. From there, these blueprints were then used to construct actual buildings, a bit that blows Mark's mind.

As Mark told me, "Because Minecraft is so easy to learn, even people who have never used a computer can complet??e a model in just a few days. It levels the playing field and allows everyone to have a part in the design process without being talked over or ignored." One of the biggest concerns for various reconstruction efforts is getting feedback from women and children at a public forum. Various communities discourage them from voicing their opinions, but Block-by-Block allows these people to be heard without g?etting ignored or talked over.

Over the course of the last four years, Mark has conducted workshops in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and the Solomon Islands. Mark recounted a particularly powerful moment that happened during his visit to Bangladesh. "I saw an older lady who had never used a computer in her life learn to play Minecraft.?? I hope I never forg??et the look on her face – joy, amazement, and pride all at once." As he said, that is an accurate description of how it made him feel.

Another story he shared with me from Bangladesh was about a group of individuals from the slums. These were people that had virtually nothing to call their own. One man even had a leg injury and needed a cane just to walk. Each individual showed up on time every day to collaborate at the workshop and improve their community?. "That's powerful,” Mark said, "and it's really inspiring to watch and help in whatever small way I can."

When traveling to other countries, Mark tries to learn basic phrases so he can communicate better. He typically starts with thank you in an effort to congratulate these people for making the effort. During his trip to Bangladesh, Mark's workshop partner explained that in Bangladeshi culture, it's not customary for people to express gratitud?e unless someone does something incredibly important to them. At the end of each ??workshop, the various participants would approach Mark to shake his hand and thank him. As Mark told me, "I was fighting back tears the whole time."

As well as being overwhelmed from how thankful these citizens were, Mark could be conjuring up his past experiences with video games. As any kid of the '90s will tell you, growing up playing video games usually resulted in someone shouting "They'll rot your brain," or, "You're wasting your time!" It's even hard not to think that with modern titles, some of which seem positioned to drain your wallet more than stimulate any part of your brain. "Growing up, I always felt this twinge of guilt over how much I loved video games," Mark t?old me.

When finishing off his English degree and starting work as a teacher, Mark began to see the power that this medium holds. "I started to realize that games had a lot of power for education and communication. Games are incredibly powerful tools, and I think that those of us who love games understand that on a fundamental level." Seeing Minecraft shape and improve communiti??es around the world hammered that notion home for Mark. Taking that 3D, abstract model and bringing it to life is something that, as Mark puts it, "?is indescribably cool."

While the Block-by-Block Program is unlikely to shift away from Minecraft and use other games, Mark has seen other instances where gaming has had an impact on real-world cities. "One guy I talked to works for a youth climate change activism group," Mark explains, "and they use SimCity to model local pollution and get kids to look for ways to solve pollutio??n problems. Gamers are creative people and I think that we're only scratching the surface of ways that games can be used to make a positive difference in the world."

That positive force doesn't seem to be running out of steam, either. Mark explained how the response to Block-by-Block has been fairly positive. Since the UN-Habitat doesn't come to other countries uninvited, comm??unities need to make a formal request to have consultants like Mark come and visit their area. Because of making that request, there typically is very little (if any) pushback from lo?cal governments. A change in regime or stuck-up leadership might occasionally cause some conflicts, but most of the citizens are overjoyed to have the chance at fixing their residence.

At present, Mark's contract with the UN has expired. This means that until he is needed by the UN-Habitat again, he is no longer involved with the Block-by-Block Program. He hasn't forgotten about his time there and even?? has a blog dedicated to chronicling his workshops in different countries. While there was an absenc?e of updates due to Mark pursuing a gradua??te degree, he is looking to leave his teaching job in the spring and resume updating the blog with stories left untold.

Mark might not have had an average upbringing, but his passion for helping o?thers has led to one of the most unbelievable stories involving gaming I've ever heard. He may never return to Block-by-Block, but the good he has done with it is likely to stay with him forever. To Mark and everyone at the UN-Habitat, I salute you for being such a force of goodwill in this world. Hopefully, your remarkable story will inspire others to stick with this hobby, since it does truly matter.

If you'd like to contribute a donation to the Block-by-Block Program or even donate your own time, you can head over to this page for more information on how to help.

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Hopefully it doesn't die twice

The past few years have seen some really great looking themed PS4 consoles. We had that awesome Yakuza 6 one, the stellar God of War console, the legendary "500 Million" edition Pro, and now a suitably dark Sekiro console. Exclusive to Dutch retailer Game Mania, fans will have a chance of winning this beast by pre-ordering Sekiro on PS4 from the chain's online store.

After your pre-order, you'll be given a box containing chopsticks. If the chopsticks are golden, you'll be the?? lucky owner of the bamboo themed device. The game's title is engraved in a maple wood effect on the top of the console while the controller displays it in English on ??the touchpad. It probably expels demons, as well. I don't know, I just want it.

As mentioned above, this will be exclusive to the Netherlands and Belgium. I don't think Activision or Sony will be producing multiple units, so ?this will likely go down as one of the rarest PS4's around. I envy the peopl?e that get one.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Limited Edition PS4 Pro Console Looks Amazing [DualShockers]

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REJOICE!

The time has finally come. After allowing Fortnite to have crossplay on PS4 with every platform last year, Sony has rolled out the ability to let Rocket League join in on the cross-play initiative. While still technically in beta, the move allows users on PC, Xb??ox One and Switch to?? knock some balls around with their PS4 brethren.

To enable the feature, you'll need to head into the Options menu of Rocket League and ma?ke sure the "Cross-Platform Play" box is checked under the Gameplay tab. On??ce done, matchmaking will put you into lobbies with people from each platform instead of simply PC or PS4.

In a post over on the  PlayStation Blog, Psyonix also reassures fans that cross-platform parties are still coming to Rocket League. In the meantime, you can still create private matches and invite friends from any ??system.

Full Cross-Platform Play Now Live in Rocket League [PlayStation Blog]

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SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

I was too busy playing the incredible DUSK and Smash Bros. Ultimate this weekend to notice the news, but Atari and Nightdive Studios will be bringing a remastered version of '90s classic Blood to digital storefronts. Not much is known about the project, but Atar??i has promised it will talk more "in the coming weeks."

If you're wondering about the extent of the remaster, Nightdive has stated it is aiming for "a better user experience for contemporary audiences." That likely means this will be along the lines of Turok instead of a full-on remake like System Shock is getting. Nightdive will be including Vulkan and DirectX support along with?? modern netcode and Steamworks integration for mods. The game will be available on GOG and Steam in the "One Whole Unit" package that contains the game and its expansions.

For those unfamiliar, Blood is one of the few games built on the "Build Engine" in the '90s. This is the same tech that powered Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior but was actually developed by Monolith. Monolith would later go on to create the brilliant No One Lives Forever and F.E.A.R., but started more with a humble take on Doom. I say humble, but Blood is probably the craziest of the Build Engine trifecta of th?e '90s.

??Seeing as how I'm always down for some classic FPS action, sign me up. I'm happy to see that Nightdive is still doing the Lord's work after all this time.

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Blackout who?

With how popular "battle royale" has become, it was only a matter of time that some modders would create a version of the game mode for id Software's legendary Doom. Thanks to Retrodex Gaming, we now can experience what an old-school take on this burgeoning sub-genre would feel like. Dubbed Doom Royale (With Cheese), the mod's goal is to eventually allow 64-players to square off with that legendary double barrel shotgun to see who is the best Doom player of all.

Doom Royale features all the same gameplay tweaks as titles like PUBG and Fornite: a shrinking playfield, ammo, and weapon scavenging and a last-man-standing win scenario. Unlike other titles, once players are eliminated, they will respawn as classic Doom enemies to continue to participate in the fight (which sounds an awful lot like Resident Evil: Outbreak). That last bit is an effort t?o combat campers, which are rampant in most battle royale titles.

Currently, the mod is in testing on the team's own servers. You can download the files over at ModDB and jump on if you'd like to try it. The plan is to eventually give the mod a full release and then add additional levels based on popular Doom locations.

Old-school Doom does battle royale with a new mod [Polygon]

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KILL THE HERETIC!

The completely awesome AMID EVIL, a retro-inspired FPS with a gun that shoots planets at enemies, is now on sale for 13% off on Steam. This sale is due to the surprise launch of the game's fifth episode, which is also tubular. How many '90s slang words for cool am I going to use? Maybe a few more bodacious ones. They were all pretty gnarly. REAGANOMICS!

The sale will be running until October 1 and it brings the game down to $17.40. That is a steal for a game that will eventually contain seven complete episodes for you to trek through. AMID EVIL also evokes the classic id Software published Heretic in all the be?st ways, so it is a real trip for old-school FPS fans. Highly recommend!

AMID EVIL [Twitter]

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There's some good in this world, afterall

Chris Taylor is a fan of Smash Bros. just like the rest of us. He loves Nintendo's eclectic fighter and has been hotly anticipating the release of Smash Ultimate. Sadly, Chris might not actually make it to the release. Chris, a three-time cancer survivor, was recently diagnosed with a terminal case of cancer. Seeing all the hype that fans were building for games like Smash Ultimate and Devil May Cry 5, he began to worry that he actually wouldn't get to see the next ??release of one of his favorite franchises.

After word spread on Reddit from a couple of Chris's Tweets, Nintendo took notice and granted Chris his dying wish. This morning, the company arrived at Chris's house with the E3 demo for Smash Ultimate and allowed him to experience the game himself.

This is actually pretty similar to a story last year where a Zelda fan was given the chance to play Breath of the Wild before passing. Times like these remind me the power that video games hold and how communities can be a positive force in this stage of hu??????????????????????????man history.

Chris Taylor [Twitter]

Nintendo fulfills wish of terminal cancer patient to play Smash Bros. Ultimate [Nintendo Everything]

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Extra large pixels

Not a day goes by where I don't sit in awe of the work Night Dive Studios does. The talented wizards over there have brought back some of the biggest classics to modern platforms and updated them to run on a wide range of hardware. In basically every case, there isn't a reason to even return to the original versions as Night Dive's work has supplanted them. I guess if there was any complaint one could have with System Shock: Enhanced Edition, it was that the original artwork wasn't updated to support resolution??s beyond 1080p...but hold on! No?w it can!

In a surprise update, users of Ultra HD displays can now experience SHODAN's inception in native resolution. Being called the "Source Port Update," this new version of System Shock has come about thanks to the original source code being released earlier this yea??r. With that, Night Dive was able to rebuild the game and add ev??en more features to an already featured packed release.

In addition to proper 4K support, users will be able to tweak the camera's field of view, get better mouse control support, have access to more keyboard bindings and even install custom mods without hassle. Yes, modding support is now an official feature of System Shock: Enhanced Edition and it will make running fan campaigns all the ea??sier. What a time to be alive where a 24-year-old game is getting updates.

The update is available for free to everyone that owns the re-release on Stea??m or GOG. I'm excited to see the higher resolution assets, which are taken from the Mac port of the game. Then again, I don't need a reason to jump back into this excellent game.

"The Source Port Update" is available now! [Steam Community]

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Pool can still go to hell

Yesterday, Sega announced that Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 would be heading to the PS4 in Japan. Now, we have a better idea of what the game will look like running on Sony's latest console. While it is a little disappointing at none of the assets are being changed out, just watching Kiryu smack punks in the face takes me back to the first time I stepped into his shoes. Yakuza 3 is an amaz??ing game and you guys should definitely play it.

Nothing is being added or changed with this release, though US gamers will probably be scratching their heads at the hostess stuff. That content got cut from the US version of Yakuza 3, so I'm hopeful that it will remain intact should these remasters come West. I know Scott Strichart, localization producer for Yakuza over at Atlus, told me he'd love to get a chance to restore the cut features with ?a touched up localization.

Whether or not it does come West, watching this game run at 60 FPS is incredible. I'm almost tempted to import it just to play this gem again. The game will be landing in Japan on August 9, 2018, for 3,990 ¥ (roughly $37).

PS4専用ソフト『龍が如く３』プロモーション映像 [YouTube]

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There is a God after all

For awhile, it seemed Capcom and Nintendo had a good thing going with Monster Hunter. Fans in the West were getting the updated "Ultimate" copies of games on 3DS and Capcom even brought over the pseudo-greatest hits game Generations to Western 3DS systems. Then came the Japanese announcement of XX (basically Generations 2) and nothing about the West. After that, a Switch port was announced, but still no word of a Western release.

I guess following in the massive success of Monster Hunter World, Capcom has now announced that Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate will be coming to the West on August 29. If you've been a 3DS loyalist, you'll be happy to know that your save data from Generations can actually be ported to Generations Ultimate to continue your journey.

The Capcom blog has a bunch of information about the new monsters included from XX, but this won't be news to fans that have been following the Japanese release. What will be interesting is if people who imported XX will be able to use their save data. Regardless of that, her??e is a trailer to get you HYPED!

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate coming to Nintendo Switch on August 28th [Capcom Unity]

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Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru

Every time I see Hokuto ga Gotoku, I get more excited and hope Sega tells us that a localization is coming. I love Yakuza and seeing the team work on something new gets me really excited. Anyway, with the game co??ming out in mere weeks in Japan, Sega is ge??tting people ready to jump into Kenshiro's boots with some new gameplay 101 trailers.

These videos cover "Beginner," "Intermediate," and "Advanced" techniques. My favorite bit has to be grabbing the death quotes from fallen enemies and beating your foes with them. Th??is is looking absurd in all the right ways and I love it. Kenshiro can also unleash the power of the Hokuto Shinken after filling a seven star meter (referencing his seven scars).

『北斗が如く』の遊び方が分かる動く取扱説明書 バトル初級編 [YouTube]

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KIRYU IS GOD!

The more I see of Hokuto ga Gotoku, Sega's upcoming Fist of the North Star game helmed by Ryu ga Gotoku studio, the more I want it. This latest trailer (taken from a livestream) better shows off how the combat flows and even gives us a small glimpse of the Kiryu Kazuma add-on DLC that will be included with the game's premium edition in Japan. If you need any further proof that Kiryu is a bad ?ass, this footage should settle things.

What surprises me the most is that this engine looks like it is based on Yakuza 0 instead of 6 or Kiwami 2. While that is probably a good sign for die hard series fans who aren't too keen on the newest installments, it does seem weird to create a whole new engine and then throw it out. Whatever the case, this game looks out?standing and I'm still hoping we get confirmation of a Western release soon.

Hokuto ga Gotoku wasteland? exploration and Kazuma?? Kiryu appearance change gameplay [Gematsu]

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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 onlin??e 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 ent?er for a chan?ce 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, an?d C is a picture of Crown Molding. While Ethan has good reason never to want to 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 is 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 transp??ort 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 with robot dinosaurs, and Grimlock is a robotic Tyrannos?aurus Rex, the leader 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 came 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 currently o?nly availa??ble 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 Pokémon, 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 pale?ontologist.

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 Freedom 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. Frankl??in is a ghost, so his commands are different from most of the other characters. He has to manipulate his environment more subtly, 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 Mu?shrooms are more of a Mario t??hing.

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 is a statue of a bear who pays ha???ndsomely 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 comment?s or via DM how you'd like me to contact you to receive your pr??ize.

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. Congratulations 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 gamer, 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 worldwi??de 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, that person will be disqualified and I'll mov??e 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 contes?t 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 them in the comments, but be sure to let me know who you are! R?emember, 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 the boring legal stuff is below.

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

D20!

Developer Beamdog has made a reputation for itself by resurrecting classic BioWare RPG's. We've already seen modern, updated versions of both Baldur's Gate games, Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale, but the next on the docket will be a remastered release of Neverwinter Nights.

Some of the updates included in this enhanced edition will be 4K resolution, scalable UI, brand new shaders and lighting and even support for mods and save games from the original release of Neverwinter Nights. You'll be able to nab the game for $19.99 whenever it launches; pre-orders from the official site will grant yo??u access to an early build of?? the game so that you can prepare any mods or saves for the final version.

Back in high school, I would play Neverwinter Nights with one of my friend's almost every night for a good while. We never did get around to finishing the campaign, but I do credit him with introducing me to a wider range of games than I was typically familiar with. As such, I still have a fondness for Neverwinter, even if most people considered it a letdown. So, yeah, I'm? definitely super excited for thi?s.

Beamdog Announces Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition For PC [Game Informer]

The post Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition is comi??ng soon appeared first on Destructoid.

YATTA!

Sega has made a lot of strides with porting over Japanese made games to PC. Just this year we've seen ports of Bayonetta and Vanquish, so? it looks like the sky is the limit when it comes to series. In an interview with PC Gamer, John Clark (Sega's senior VP of commercial publishing) said, "If I asked you to write me a list of ten games you want Sega to bring out on PC, it probably isn't any different from the list [we have]."

In regards to Yakuza, Clark started, "It's on that list. Of course something we're talking about it… that would just be incredible to bring that to the PC audience." As for Persona? "Of course, of course...We don't feel ?that anything is off the table in terms of these conversations."

So will we see these games by the end of the year? Only time will tell, but its looking more likely that Sega's niche titles will be arriving to PC at some point. If Bandai Namco can make a success out of Dark Souls on PC??, then I'm sure any off-kilter game?? has a fighting chance.

Yakuza and Persona are 'on that list' of gam?es Sega wants? to bring to PC [PC Gamer]

The post Sega seems up for Yakuza and Persona on PC 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 histo??ry of the franchise. Today, the results. This quiz 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 sharpener. 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" resembles cough 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 a??t an angle the player couldn't see. Later games removed the cross, replacing it with other symbols like the Triforce.

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 tha??n 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 th??at featured several famous Nintendo characters playing instruments, and Link appears in the lower right playing a flute. However, the title screen above is specifical??ly 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 ser??ies and resembles the spinning 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 alm?ost identical to Rupees. They're 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 knocked down by Soda Popinski, he unleashes the same mocking laughter as Ganon 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 hearts instead o?f three

Answer: B. All of the other features could be unlocked?? by entering passcodes between 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 bo?th very good though, well worth downloading through the eShop if you have 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 withou??t 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 sword 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-n??ote 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 Water. 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 potions 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 bee??n enjoying how I can 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 quiz only covered the original game. This one will take a look at the entire 30 year hi??story 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 could start t?he game with four he??arts 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 qui?zzes that more closely follow 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, let'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.

COUNT ME THE F#*@ IN!!!

The fanboy in me is going crazy over this, so let me take a few deep breaths.....Nintendo is partnering up with Scrap to hold an event called "Defenders of the Triforce." This event involves taking The Legend of Zelda and creating an escape room based around it. For the uninitiated among us (myself included), an escape room is a real-life version of a video game dun?geon where participants? are tasked with escaping a locked room in a set time limit.

For this Zelda themed event, you and five other people will be locked in a room based off of The Legend of Zelda. You'll be given items from the series and puzzles based around set-pieces from the games. I'm almost certain there will ??be no hookshot involved, for obvious reasons.

Date are not available for every city, just yet, but a few cities have pre-registration open. Ticket prices are going for $36 until December 31, where they will then go up to $46. That really isn't bad for an hour-and-a-half event that will put you inside of a Zelda game.

This event will be taking place in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Houston, Chicago, and New York.? While that is a pretty small number, I'm almost certain that popularity will see a "Secon?d Quest" version much like what happened with the Symphony of the Gods concert tour.

Since my favorite aspect of the Zelda series has always been the dungeons, I about lost my shit when I heard this. To have the chance to literally be inside of a dungeon with classic Zelda items is too much. I think I might die and I'd be completely happy with my life up to this ?point.

If you'd like more information about the event, head on over to the official website. It doesn't de?tail much, but it definitely brings the hype??.

Nintendo of America [Twitter]

The post Nintendo is partnering with Scrap to make a Ze??lda escap??e room appeared first on Destructoid.

Win one of 15 passes!

So there is this little thing called PAX Australia taking place in Melbourne on Nov. 4 - 6, 2016. Now there also was this awesome cat who worked here named Kyle. Add these two things together and what do you get? I don't know, I suck at math. BUT MOTHER FREAKIN' KYLE IS HOOKING UP 15 PASSES FOR PAX AUSTRALIA BABY! All hail the Kyle (seriously miss your posts man). Now unless you plan on being in Australia/NZ during this time, it goes without saying that this one is for those down under. Do not bother entering and possibly wasting a slot, unless you are there already (or will be there). 

Speaking of entering, how do you do so? Simply post a pic of the weirdest Australian creature you can think of (see that rooting, jelly-like frog monster above), and tell us some fun facts about it (that's a purple burrowing frog, and it's from India. Didn't want to snag a possible entry from y'all). Contest ends 10/9/16 @ 11:59 ACST. Good luck and don't forget to pack your budgie smugglers!

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The post Giveaway – PAX Australia 2016 passes! appeared first on Destructoid.

AMAZING

The world's greatest living artist has revealed himself. His name is Shawn Bowers and he is creating the most important artwork of a generation by drawing the classic Pokemon you know and love, but if they were also???? Garfields.

Here's the thing: I love Garfield as much as Garfield loves lasagna and hates Mondays combined. As a kid I read Garfield all the time. They started collecting the strips in these weird, rectangular books, and I started buying those. I had milk crates full. I kept them in fucking milk crates. I couldn't afford shelves because I needed more Garfields.

The other thing is that Garfield is bad, a craven money-making scheme that turned into a billion dollar a year industry and ballooned creator Jim Davis' personal net worth to $2.2 billion fucking dollars. But in liking Garfield when I didn't know any better, I have extra appreciation for the delicacies of the Post Garfield world, like the existential Garfield Minus Garfield. 

Or this, the most important photograph ever taken of Garfield-creator Jim Davis.

Here are some more of Bowers' masterpieces.

I love every single one of these drawings more than my own children. Please look at them all, for at least 15 minutes each, either on Instagram or Tumblr.

The post WHAT IF POKEMON WERE ALSO GARFIELDS??? appeared first on Destructoid.

But the kid is not my son!

Haruka has had her hands full in the years between Yakuza 5 and 6. According to a leak from Famitsu, it looks like Yakuza 6 will see Kiryu looking after Haruka's son. Before you ask, he is not the father...or maybe that is just what?? they want us to believe!

My friend is constantly stuck on the idea that Haruka is actually in love with Kiryu, so I just know he's going to yell, "I TOLD YOU SO!" I suppose age is just a number, but I've never gotten a romantic vibe from her actions. Kiryu is like a father figure and she is the daughter of t??he only woman he ever loved.

I'm honestly shocked I was able to write that on a gaming news site. Man, the stories sure are insane in Yakuza. Everyone do yourself a favor and buy one of the games. Yakuza 5 is a great place to start.

Famitsu exposes Yakuza 6 scand??al - You won't believe what Haruka has been up to! [NeoGAF]

The post Kiryu is the best dad in Yakuza 6 appeared first on Destructoid.

Adds full-fledged multiplayer and more

Please enjoy what a video game trailer can be. Remember when David Lynch directed PS2 commercials? Either just show a shit ton of gameplay, or make something cool enough to stand on its own, I say. It doesn't have to be obtuse, either. Remember that Persona 5 trailer?

Anyways, this is all to say that Jazzpunk: Director's Cut is coming to PlayStation 4 on September 20 and that you should probably buy it, because it's excellent. I first played the "first-person joke box" over three years ago, had a lovely chat with one of its developers about Pale Flower and Japanese noir, and loved every second of Airplane!-style surreal deadpan.

As the other half of Necrophone Games, Jess Brouse, explains on the PlayStation Blog:

"Suffice to say, our Jokes-Per-Minute meter is at an all time high! Some of the new content was resurrected from our? faithful cutting-room floor, while others tidbits were decompressed fresh, straight out of our Brain.zip files! In either case, by distilling reams of precious User Data we’ve been able to strategically shoe-horn in the smattering of new content we’d always dreamed of– but didn’t know was scientifically plausible!"

The Quake-inspired arena deathmatch with a marital twist -- you shoot champagne co??rks and Gatling wedding cake -- is even a full, four-player competitive mode. "It includes a generous helping of unlockable characters from the single player campaign," Brouse writes, "along with a variety of Honey Moon Destinations (ie: Deathmatch Maps)."

On September 20, Jazzpunk: Director's Cut will serve as a great depository for your $15.

The post Criminally slept-on Jazzpunk is coming to PS4 as a Director’s Cut appeared first on Destructoid.

Some straight gameplay out of gamescom

The last Dishonored 2 trailer out of QuakeCon was Corvo-heavy, which is fine, if you're into that sort of thing. That's fine, no judgment. Some of my best friends are Corvo. But this gamescom trailer shifts the focus back to the other protagonist, Empress Emily K?aldwin, whom I am jazzed to play as.

I've kind of been sleeping on Dishonored 2, which is steadily approaching its November 11 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) release. I'm strangely anti-hype about it, despite the feeling that it'll probably be one of my favorite games of 2016, given what we've seen an?d how I loved the first. I guess I'm content to twiddle my thumbs until, one day soon, it'll be out and ready for me to enjoy.

The post Dishonored 2 still looks amazing as hell appeared first on Destructoid.

'HK Project' looks dope

I stumbled on "HK Project" today, though the development blog has seen intermittent (or intermittens?? or interkittent) updates since October. And the "cat adventure video game, d??eveloped by Koola & Viv" sounds right up my alley (cat).

You guys have seen my cat, right?

I think Morimoto is turning five in May. I don't know, it's been a while. Yes, he is named for the Iron? Chef.

Anyways look at this shit.

It's like Gravity Rush minus Kat, or Garfield Minus Garfield. Uh, wait.

But seriously, this is some new phone backgroun??d shit?:

The more recent updates are a bit more "how the sausage is made" as the duo works on cat animations against abstract geometry?. Not as sexy, but important for delivering on that sexy promise, yadig?

"I have spent a lot of time to have correct collision for the ca?t. Seeing that the character controller in unreal 4 is mainly for biped, there was a lot to do to? have the cat collided with the world without his head passes through walls or to have it walking on small surfaces without falling (it maybe seems easy but for me it was a real headache)."

The post Oh hell yeah? I want to play a beautiful game starring ?a cat appeared first on Destructoid.

Get it?

You know how people make up dumb holidays all the time, and some of? them stick? Like you're out at work and someone says "hey why aren't you wearing black, it's talk like a pirate day?" (that actually happened to me once). Yeah, that kind of dumb.

Well, Nintendo is?? celebrating Mario Day on March 10. G??et it? MAR10 day?

Usually I'd refrain from posting something this silly but I couldn't resist, as Destructoid alum Chad Concelmo, who appears in the video,?? is just so amazing.

The post Nintendo celebrates Mario Day today, March 10 appeared first on Destructoid.

'Once upon a space time'

God, that headline is such a gimme it's disgusting. This is like when Steph Curry gets a pass behind the three point line so unexpectedly wide open he hesitates, dribbles a couple times??, and nails it. On pace for 400 ya'll. 

And like Steph Curry, "top-down medieval space adventure" Fabular speaks for itself. It also sounds a bit like "Flubber" if you slur enough. Just scrolling through the game's website and enjoying all the art and GIFs is a treat. What is that, a god damn Dune frog king? I'm talking Jodorowsky's Dune. That frog is the realest. That frog justifies the existence of video games. God damn I love g??ood art in its own style.

If you've played yourself and are not poring over the good website, note that Fabular features "physics-based melee and ranged tactical combat wi??th RPG and Roguelike elements, infused with a futuristic medieval theme." And then kiss the frog king ring.

The post Fabular looks fabulous appeared first on Destructoid.

Think you can win with your eyes closed?

Terry Garrett has been playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time since 2011, and five year?s later (with long breaks in between) he has finally managed to finish the game. Oh yeah, did I mention he's blind?

Garrett has adapted his own method of playing video games through sound recognitio??n and lots of trial and error.?? He uses a two-speaker setup which helps him identify the locations of enemies and other things just by listening closely.

In the past he's played other games like Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus with exceptional skill. But of course, a huge 3D world like Ocarina of Time was going to be a massive undertaking.

In the video below, you can watch the final moments as he descends Ganon's Castle while it crumbles around him, closely following the sounds of Zelda's footsteps (and shrill screams), and as he slices and dices Ganon for the victory! More of the playthrough can be found over on his YouTube channel.

Garrett thanked his fans for all their help and support and “all those who have stuck with [him] through this series even ?after it seemed like [h?e] was giving up.” I wonder what he'll play next?

Blind gamer completes The L??egend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time [Eurogamer]

The post Watch this blind g??amer beat The?? Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time appeared first on Destructoid.

MERCILESS pug speed dating sim returns

I covered and played the heck out of the MERCILESS pug speed dating sim Hot Date when it was released this summer, but maybe you didn't. So already we're doing good: reminding you of a cool game you could be playing right now!

But wait, there's more.

Hot Date just got a mobile launch on the iTunes App Store. Maybe you hate downloading and playing cool games on your personal computer (PC) but love downloading and playing games on your mobile cellphone. Maybe it's an easy opportunity to show off a cool game to the same kind of folks who lose hours to Neko Atsume on their cellies but don't play games otherwise.

Maybe you just have?? nothing to do toni??ght. I don't know, I don't know your life.

The post No Friday plans? How about a Hot ??Date (with a dog) appeared first on Destructoid.