Give us pumpkin to talk about

We just hit October, and you guys know what that means: it's officiall??y spooky season! Break out your cozy jumpers, grab some candy corn, and take a big whiff of that pumpkin spice in the air, because it's the best time of the year. Of course, to adequately celebrate the holiday, I'm going to be watching some of my favorite Halloween movies (the Disney Channel ones go so hard), and easing my way into some scary games, which I haven't really been brave enough t??o try yet.

I'm kind of the biggest wimp in the world, so the selection of what I can handle is pretty small. I've heard Inside has the whole spooky-without-being-too-frightening thing going on, so maybe I'll give that one a shot. I think I'm gonna start with Until Dawn, though �if I have to be scared, at least I get to look at Rami Malek and Jordan Fisher, right?

So this time around, the prompt is pretty simple. We just wanna know what games you like to play for the Halloween season. Let us know your favorites, and feel free to share any spine-chilling stories from your own adventures. If it makes your hair stand up on end, we want to hear about it for October's Bloggers Wanted.

If you want your story featured, head on over to the community blogs, and feel free to headline your article however you see fit �we’ll find it. Submissions are closing at the end of the month (October 31), and we’ll be highlighting our favorites on the front page!

The post Bloggers Wanted: It’s spooky season appeared first on Destructoid.

After a while, things can start to get weird

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I have a hard time finding a game I really connect with, you know? Sure, I'll play my way through my backlog no problem, but I seem to forget each entry on the list almost immediately after I finish it. But every o?nce in a blue moon, I finally find a game that I just can't get enough of �I can stop thinking about it, reading about it, watching YouTube videos about it, and of course I can't stop playing it until I have at least a few hundred hours racked up.

A few months ago it was Hades for me �there was something about that game that broke my brain. It seemed like I wanted to spend every waking hour of my day playing that game, especially because it gave me something fun and mindless to do while I listen to podcasts. I think I ended up around 350 hours before deciding I needed to give some other games a chance. I know that's weak sauce compared to a lot of people out there, who have thousands upon thousands of hours in one game.

Of course, when you play one single game for that long, some unexpected things are bound to happen. Maybe it's a crazy glitch, or a whole new secret area of that giant open world map you had never managed to find before. Maybe you decided to try your hand at some mods to give an all-too-familiar game a whole new feel. Maybe you just got so bored you decided to roleplay the mundane life of a farmer in a fantasy RPG. The possibilities are endless, and we want to know what wild possibilities you've encountered dozens of hours into your favorite game for our September Bloggers Wanted.

If you want your story featured, head on over to the community blogs, and feel free to headline your post any way you see fit �we'll find it. Submissions are closing at the end of the month (September 30), and we'll be highlighting our favorites on the front page!

The post Bloggers Wanted: Down the Rabbit Hole appeared first on Destructoid.

Sometimes, a little kumbaya can do us some good

Look, it's no secret that everything is bad right now. It's pretty impossible to look around and not see something that sends me into a depressive spiral, whether it's in the gaming news or otherwise. But, as much as it can feel indulgent to do so, fixating on the negative isn't really productive, so instead w?e're shifting focus to our ??gaming stories that make us feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

The first thing that comes to mind for me was the group of guys I used to play Overwatch with w??hen I was in college. I was the youngest by far, so the guys took me on as their surrogate younger sister, and always looked out for me, in game and in my life when I needed advice. When one of them got married, we all decided to go, and I met the whole team in person for the first time. We had a blast, and although I haven't really seen them since, we still keep up and that's one of the fondest memories I have to come out of all my years of gaming. Here's our team Christmas photo we took in 2019:

So, that got me thinking, what othe?r stori??es do our community have to share? What moments have made your life better for having been a gamer?

Maybe your friends celebrated your birthday in Minecraft, when everyone else seemed to have forgotten. Maybe you bonded with a random group of people in Apex Legends, who brightened up your night in more ways than they could know. Maybe you and a family member bonded over some Stardew Valley couch co-op. Whatever it is that makes you smile when you think about it, we want to hear about it for August's Bloggers Wanted.

If you want your story featured, head on over to the community blogs, and feel free to headline your article however you see fit �we'll find it. Submissions are closing at the end of the month (August 31), and we'll be highlighting our favorites on the front page!

The post Bloggers Wanted: Shar??e your most heartwarming gaming story appeared first on Destructoid.

Calling all bloggers!

_{[LaTerry calls upon Destructoid's community of bloggers to answer the call in this month's Band of Bloggers. Check out the details of July 2021's topic below - Moyse]}

In April of 2008, a game was released on the DS called The World Ends With You. It was critically praised upon release but didn't do insane numbers like other games released by the same company, Square Enix. Most important to this story, I bought it and adored it. I was obsessed with the game for a long time. I played through it a few times to try and see everything the game had to offer, and when I finally put it down I felt confident that Square would make another one. After all, it's Square, their f??ranchises always get multiple entries... right? Right!?

Four years? later, we did get something new... a mobile port. Hooray! Just what I wanted, a way to play the game, but worse in every way when compared to the DS original. This version of the game though had a new? character and hinted at more to come, and that was exciting. Were they setting up for a sequel? I wonder what it'll be like. Surely I won't have to wait that long!

Six years later, in 2018 we got The World Ends With You: Final Remix. Another port, this time for Switch. Also, a port that plays worse than the DS original, but at least it looks and sounds a lot better. Once again, the exc??iting thing here was that there was a new scenario that once again teased more to come. How exciting. The problem was that the Switch port, as previously mentioned, wasn't very good. Playing with a Joy-Con wasn't fun or accurate, and playing handheld was a bit tiring. The poor reception for the game probably didn't help it sell all that well.

To me, this was TWEWY's last chance, and Squeenix messed it up by making the game control so poorly. I thought that this game was the final nail in the coffin for any hope of a new game. TWEWY was dead.

So imagine my surprise when Squeenix announced the sequel, NEO: The World Ends With You, late last year. I couldn't believe it, a sequel that had been teased for almost a decade was actually happening. Somehow the? team behind the games had convinced upper management at Squeenix to allow them to make the sequel that had been festering for so long. The seri??es had been revived.

The theme for Band of Bloggers for the month of July this year is Revival.

There are so many game franchises out there that seem dead. F-Zero, Dead Space, Jak and Daxter, Legend of Dragoon, etc. Some of them might be dead because the developer we??nt bankrupt and had to shut down, others simply because the publisher isn't interested in releasing a new game. Some of them we just haven't seen or heard a word about those games in so long that there doesn't seem to be any hope of them ?ever coming back.

My example with The World Ends With You wasn't even that bad, as Squeenix brought the game up often with remakes and cameos, so you might even say that it wasn't re?ally dead. There are game series that have been waiting much longer for any kind of news, with almost no hope left.

There can always be hope though. Recently, a lot of series have seen a revival, to the delight and shock of many fans. Pokemon Snap finally got a sequel more than two decades later earlier this year. Half-Life: Alyx recently released for VR, a game no one was expecting. At E3, Nintendo brought back Advance Wars with Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp, something that no one saw coming.

What games are in need of a revival? Or, what games were successful revivals? Have you played any games that were a revival for a franchise? Well, hit up our Cblog Section, and share your thoughts on the subject with us. Make sure to put "Band of Bloggers" or "BoB" in the title of your blog so we can see it. We're lookin?g forward to seeing what reviva??ls you hold dear.

The post Band of Bloggers July 2021 Theme: Game Revivals appeared first on Destructoid.

We wanted bloggers and they delivered

If you were to ask me what's the one thing that's had the biggest impact on my life, I would say that horrible childhood disease that's still with me 35 years later. But if you were to ask me what's had the second biggest impact on my life, my answer would be The Legend of Zelda. I know it's a cliche for somebody who write?s for a video game website to say video games made an impression on their life, but as cliche as it may be, any other answer would be a lie.

I've been battling depr????ession for as long as I can remember. When I was at my lowest of lows, this series was there for me. It'd probably be a bit much to say it's saved my life, but I honestly don't know where I'd be without that little elf boy in the green tunic.

The Legend of Zelda is the reason I still game, and it will likely be the only franchise I care about when I'm pushing 80. That's why I wanted to host a Zelda Week on Destructoid, to really show my appreciation for everything this franchise has done. All week, you've hopefully been reading what the Destructoid staff has had to say about the series, but right now, I want to highlight the wonderful blogs published this month to mark 35 years of The Legend of Zelda. I put out a Bloggers Wanted call at the beginning of February and the commun?ity did not disappoint.

• Robotayon kicked things?? off this month with a touching look back at how video g?ames can bring people together. It's a beautiful and heartfelt read, and I implore everybody reading this right now to click the link.
• beatlemaniaxx details why it's okay for Link ?to n??ot be a talker. I'm with them on this one. I like my Link like I like my child in a movie theater: completely silent.
• Eggs&BrewsterJr recounts their long and storied history with the Zelda franchise, from Link's Awakening to Skyward Sword. I hope that someday in the next few years, they finally get to play Breath of the Wild and its upcoming sequel.
• Exber gets poetic on us with memorable Zelda quotes. I assure you, unlike the guy in Zelda II, this blog is not an error.
• HoneyCrisp recalls their first encounter with The Legend of Zelda on the GameCube. Gotta love those collector's editions.
• Sam van der Meer takes time to shout out the memorable NPCs from the Zelda franchise. Though I will say Sam, that snot boy grosses me out!
• welshmetalhippy didn't enjoy their time with Wind Waker, but I'm not going to hold that against them. It's clear from their blog they have a deep love of most of the rest of the franchise.
• A perfect companion piece to Sam's post, Eggrollbuddy (great name) recounts some of the best moments in Zelda history. The flute boy's transition in A Link to the Past is burned into my brain.
• Planet P1ss 69 reminds us all that Zelda's pretty wei??rd, and that's part of what ma??kes it so great. Also, who doesn't love the music in Zora's Domain?
• A late addition, Gamingnerd gives a quick rundown of the Zelda franchise over the years and why it's just as important as Super Mario.

And finally, while it was written before the Bloggers Wanted post went live, I won't pass up a ??chance to highlight portable outings for the series:

• GoofierBrute looks back at the beautiful and brief The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. It's an absolutely lovely game if you have access to it and a great candidate for a remake with that Link's Awakening Switch art direction.

The post The jbsgame.community looks back at 35 years of The Legend ??o??f Zelda appeared first on Destructoid.

The pen is mightier than the Master Sword

This is going to be the least surprising statement I've ever made on Destructoid, but I'm a huge fan of The Legend of Zelda. I have been ever since I was single digits, and over my few years here, I've written about my love and admiration for a few games in the series. I always remember where I was when I first beat Gannon -- which is how his name was spelled back on the NES -- sitting on my parents' bed playing on their tiny 13" ?bedroom television because that?'s the only place in the house they'd allow the console to be hooked up.

I have such great memories of nearly all the mainline games, and this month, they're all going to come creeping back into my mind as The Legend of Zelda celebrates its 35th anniversary on February 21. It's one of several games that will celebrate a milestone anniversary this year, and while I'm sure there are other franchises our community would love to g?ush about in 2021, for February, I want to see what our community has to say about Zelda.

That's what I'm looking for in my very first Bloggers Wanted post. I want to hear your thoughts, your memories, your stories about everything Zelda. Maybe there is a certain game in the series you love more than all the rest. Perhaps, your fondest memories lie with a spin-off or offshoot of the main, and I use this term loosely, "timeline." Or you could want t??o share with the world that you think Link is better in fighting games tha??n any of the titles he's best known for.

Head on over to the community blogs and get to writing! Use the topic name "Zelda 35: [Your title here]" and be ??sure to add "Bloggers Wanted" to the tags at the bottom! (Turns out that's not a feature anymore, so please just use the topic name in the title). Try to get yours in by February 19.

The post Bloggers Wanted: Zelda turns 35 appeared first on Destructoid.

Promoted from our Community Blogs

_{[There are a lot of amazing blogs that have been promoted to the front page of Destructoid over the years, and some of them absolutely deserve another look. We're going to be occasionally boosting some of the classics, in case you missed them the first time around, starting with this masterpiece from Vadicta. - Kevin]}

_{[Original (12/05/2017): This month’s Bloggers Wanted prompt is all about fan fiction. Whether you want to write your own or drool over your favorite creations from others, it’s all fair game. Almost a year ago, Vadicta took a harmless mobile game about playing cards with your grandpa and turned it into a terrifying story about abusing the elderly. It stuck with me, and I love it dearly. There’s clearly something wrong with this guy, but we can’t stop putting his work on the Front Page. His depravity is so dense it’s endearing. – Kevin]}

After more than a dozen hours with Cribbage With Grandpas, I’m certain of one thing: I have no idea how Cribbage works. I won maybe two games and both were by sheer luck. Cribbage is the kind of game someone desperate to come up with his own card game would create. It’s over??-complicated. There are pegs in a board, for some reason, to show score. All of the rules seem totally arbitrary, and I only know what scores based off rote memorization.??

I don’t know how to make sure I have a nice crib that MTV would want to visit. What is a Nib? What is a Nob? Why do we do a run of cards before scoring? What reason is there for thirty-one to end one row in a run? Why do we even create cribs? Why are we playing this card game when we could be playing any other card game ever? I feel entirely inept at all times and like I’m onl?y going through the paces in order to experience the most important part of the game.

Time with grandpas.

So, if Cribbage With Grandpas were just Cribbage, I would’ve vomited on myself and immediately uninstalled it. But this game has an extra layer, a theme running through which completely repaints the experience of being a person playing a shitty card game. In this game, you play against grandpas. Your grandpas. And you know that they’re your grandpas, because you create them. Through a surprisingly robust platform, you create grandpas like Miis, giving them eyes, noses, ears, races, clothing, and accessories. You even choose the place they prefer to meet up in order to force you to suffer through Cribbage. And a step b??eyond that, you even get to choose their personalities.

That’s right. Through a diverse range of options, you decide three traits you want your grandpa to have. Is he a sneaky grandpa? Sad? A sore loser? Happy? Thoughtful? Academic? Laid back? You eve?n choose how talkative this person is. And through doing all this, you can’t help but attach a life to this grandpa that truly makes him your o?wn.

But how many grandpas does one person usually have? Two? Three, if there’s some kind of divorce. Four at max, surely. So, then what happens when you fill your cell phone with grandpas, and you find that you have five? Surely, these can’t all be your own biological or by-marriage grandpas. They run the gamut of races and facial features, temperaments and attitudes. They can’t all be cut from the same cloth. At this moment, when you’ve already become invested in these grandpas that you’ve created, chosen, that you know inside and out and have taken for your own, this is when Cribbage With Grandpas takes its most sinister turn.

These men are not your grandpas.

One thing I sorely miss from older video games is a complete lack of story. Only the setting, style, and themes allow you to piece together who you are and what you’re doing. You have to figure out while you play, as you spend time with the game, how all the pieces fit, building your own narrative for the world in which you inhabit. This doesn’t take hours of cut scenes that force you to sit through a story you might not care for. No, you’re in the game immediately, and the story is what you can cobble together from the context clues the game gives you. It’s immediate and satisfying, and Cribbage With Grandpas lends itself perfectly to this. So, let’s find out who you are. What sort of person has Cribbage With Grandpas made you?

Upon bootup, the game drops you in what sounds like a crowded café. You can hear constant chatter, the clink of dinnerware. All that sits in front of you is your phone. A black square, nothing special. Tap the square, and the phone lifts to?? the grandpa screen. You have all five of your created grandpas here. That’s all the phone has room for. Clearly not one with much memory. In this modern world, it would be hard to believe that whatever hipster would hang out in this popular café wouldn’t be able to afford a decent smartphone. What we have here is a?? 20 dollar burner phone from Walmart, filled with grandpas. Something to be disposed of.

Since you only have a phone built to call grandpas, and since Cribbage is a bastard game designed by Satan to be unwinnable, you must only be playing it to placate these old men. To what end? Cash. Each of these games take long enough that you’d imagine a tenth of a grandpa’s remaining life would be wasted at the cards, and as long as you can keep them happy enough to believe that you?? are in fact their grandson and to get your name scratched on that will, you’re in the clear.

You’re the con man, the villain. Who would’ve guessed? But just keep your wits about you, keep up the charade, and these grandpas will be none the wiser. All of them are fine, anyhow, offering help to understanding this nightmare game that defies logic while talking about how happy they are to see you and cracking strange rhyming jokes t?hat go along with every point value that they score. Except, some don’t rhyme quite so well. Thanks for trying, g??ramps.

And one in particular comes off a?? little odd and prophet?ic.

Fate? What’s that supposed to mean? And why? the pause before saying it? All the dialogue feels a bit unnatural and stiff and dreamlike. Are these old men saying what they’re saying, or is there a deeper meaning to all of this?

And what’s up with Evil H??arold? Those hollow eyes, that sunken scowl of an expression. And he has the most violent outbursts of any of the grandpas. Worst of all, he seems to know something about you.

You return to your burner phone one afternoon at the café to find that Jerry’s gone missing. Where is he? You’re not sure, but a cold feeling creeps up your stomach, this sensation that you already know his fate. That somehow you caused it. Like you just deleted him. But what’s this? Entering a game with Evil Harold brings you to Jerry’s snowy retreat. In those cold eyes, you see that he knows. You’ve been seeing other grandpas. You’ve been playing Cribbage with them. But Evil Harold, he’s the only one you should play with. He’s your real gr?andpa, and there can only be one.

You play out the game with Evil Harold. He seems different, now. A little sadder. Less of a sore loser. A strange personality shift. That makes you even more nervous, uneasy. Evil Harold wins. He always wins. He’s the best at Cribbage. Afte?r all, only the devil can?? truly win this game.

Jerry disappeared without a trace. You can’t prove his death, so the insurance company surely won’t pay out. But you have schedules to keep, appointments with your other grandpas around town. How about Estil? No wait. He’s gone, now. Your guts twist tight as you call Evil Harold. And of course he tells you to come over. You’re at Estil’s place. And Evil Harold, he’s wearing Estil’s o?range suspenders. And once again, his personality has taken a wild swing, though his cold, dea?d eyes remain the same.

This game is full of?? tension as you worry that this game may be your last. The rules fall apart in your head. You can’t remember what adds to fifteen or how much a pair of Queens or a run of three counts for. You throw random cards into each crib, unable to focus. Evil Harold trounces you, but only calmly asks if you want to play again. When you decline, he seems upset. You get out. You escape one more time.

Then, you’re in the café, but it’s cold now. So cold. Snow everywhere. Your food half-eaten, coffee stale. There’s no? sound of voices around you. You’re alone. Was anyone ever there to begin with? Does this wo??rld contain anyone other than you and the goddamned grandpas?

Your phone lights up pink with a??n exclamation point. ?A warning. A cry for help. Even the phone knows your fate. You open up to see that even Merms has fallen.

And of course Evil Harold in his pl??ace, wearing his hat and glasses, holding the same empty stare and pained expression. His personality has shifted once more. You could just about shit yourself. But you don’t. You hold those bowels tight as you play out the game, losing again, and rush away.

You don’t go back for a little. You stay away from its curse. The police can’t find these grandpas. They wonder if these old men have even existe??d. It’s like they’ve been erased. Stricken right off the face of the earth.

You return to the phone, and, of course, only Evil Harold remai?ns.

When you go to face him this time, doom hanging heavy through your innards, you find yourself in a room you don’t recognize. Evil Harold is cloaked in all black, skin as red as the devil. You see him in his true form. Satan himself. You will now face your wicked ways for conning old men, for ma??nipulating them using a card game you don’t even understand.

And so, if you want to escape this grandpa Cribbage hell, you need to win. You need to win this one time against the best of the best. Against the devil. You quickly lose any chance of a lead, and the game only drags on from there, agonizing as you see your fate spelled on the board. How could you ever expect to win? This game, ?senseless as the tragedy that befalls all of us, was formed in hellfire by cloven hooves on a board of brimstone. The path of your pegs was set before you even sat down. So, you play your final hand. The devil wins.

And this is when your phone goes dead.

Damn, what a ride. What a world. Who would’ve guessed that a card game with grandpas would be wrought from such a devilish narrative. Sometimes games are so ??much deepe??r than you ever give them credit for, and it’s the ones that hide it most that prove to be the cleverest of all.

I decided to explain my journey to the developers of Cribbage With Grandpas. I wanted them to kn??ow that I found the meaning of their game, that I had discovered what they had so craftily hidden. I asked them for more illumination on the subject. What inspired this darksome tale? Was this the way it was meant to be played? Could there be any other outcome?

And they’ve responded to me. Th??eir email is below:

We at Less Than Three Interactive apologize sincerely for the unintended consequences of this rogue grandpa. I can assure you that Harold does not represent us or our brand, and we’re doing everything we can to protect our users from demonic forces. In the meantime, we recommend placing your phone within a simple circle of protection when not in use and sprinkling sea salt around it twice daily for added cleansing.

Seriously though, wow. We loved your email so much, thank you for writing it.

Side note, I volunteered with a seniors organization as a “friendly visitor” (basically I hung out with a grandpa for a day a week for a fe??w months) to research dialogue for this project and his name was Harold. I’m glad he made it into the game after all haha :D

Some classy people work there with great spirits and even greater senses of hum?or, which emblemizes how this sort of imaginative expanding of a game’s universe can be an experience that entertains anyone.

Cribbage With Grandpas is an amazing game. Not because Cribbage is fun. It’s not, and anyone who says otherwise is a grandpa trying to lure you to hell. What makes this game a blast is the addition of adding quirky make-your-own grandpas to the game that instantly brings depth and texture to the experience and allows players to build their own people, their own personalities, and their own stories from the game. This is something that I would spend hours doing while playing the arcade modes of low-budget fighting games during the PS One and PS2 eras, building my own rivalries and stories of how my character survived losing matches and worked his or her way up for revenge. These little stories, built from the art, the tone, and the context clues of the games, could turn even the most lackluster button-mashers into sweeping epics that multi-million-dollar budgeted BioWare games could never dream of reaching. I found such immense satisfaction that a silly little game like Cribbage With Grandpas ??;could bring me that same experience all these years later.

I’m ??sure I’m not alone in finding joy through bringing games?? to life in this manner, so, please, feel free to share your experiences in the comments or in your own blogs, if you so choose. I would be thrilled to hear about them.

_{Cribbage With Grandpas is available for iOS and Android for $2.99.}

The post Inside the Lynchian reality ?of Cribbage With Grandpas appeared first on Destructoid.

There will be blood

This edition of Bloggers Wanted is going to be focused on video game “families.” We’re st?eamrolling ever-closer to Thanksgiving and then onto the hell month that is December, cul?minating in yet another reason (aka Christmas) to spend time with your awesome/demon spawn relatives.

Much like the waking world, video games tend to force a group of people onto you who you’re going to be spending a whole lot of time with, whether you like it or not. There’s no choice involved. By some dice roll, or divine intervention, these are ??the people who will largely come to define how you experience life ?and the world around you.

With virtual stories, we’re often thrust into the company of people we might not want to even share an elevator with give?n a choice. Whether through Stockholm Syndrome or revealing themselves to be genuinely compelling companions, it’s easy to get attached to these folks.

Maybe it’s destiny or maybe your path has been prewritten to include some annoying kid/mascot companion who thinks they’re coming across as endearing, bu??t actually, you fantasize all the time about the day when they’re finally no longer a part of your world. The day they finally just shut the fuck up for good.

_{[Looking at you, Karol...]}

Maybe it’s someone, or even a group of characters, who you ended up really caring about, despite initially se?eming incr?edibly lame. Maybe it’s an unassuming main character who eventually shows himself to be more likable than you initially thought.

Yes, for this prompt, I want you to spill the deets on your favorite, or even just particularly memorable, video game “families.” We’re taking some liberties with the term “family,” but I’m specifically referring to the peopl??e where you have no choice whether they’re in your life or not.

You can celebrate them, lament them, or even just describe them. Maybe you have a story about your real-life family, relating to video games, that you want to sha??re? ?That’s fair game too.

We aren’t particularly picky. The important thing here is to write a damn blog. Head on over to the community blogs and be sure to use “The Fam: [insert title here]” for the title of your blog! There’s a chance you might even see your words on the Front Page of Destructoid!

The post Bloggers Wanted: The Fam appeared first on Destructoid.

Something, something, darkness

_{[Update: You know how greedy Christmas is? Halloween wasn't even here yet and there the Christmas decorations were, up well before it was time to Trick-or-Treat! Talk about encroachment.} 

_{So in response, we're extending the deadline on our October topic "Hello, Darkness" until November 15th. It's what Cthulhu would want.]}

It's been a while since we've done a community prompt, but Halloween always has been one o??f the most popular times for "Bloggers Want?ed" so we're back.

This time we're going to take a look at the darkness.

It's that place where things go bump in the night, typically associated with evil, kinda scary things at times, but it is also symbolic of the unknown, the misunderstood, or parts of ourselves we don't usually hear or are unwilling to ??face. It can be metaphysical, or psychological, or both at the same time.

Darkness can conceal things from view and that's part of what can make it disturbing. In games like Resident Evil 7 or the RE2 remake, shaders can be used to great effect, helping obscure the corners and hallways that technology once relied on pre-rendered angles for. In fact, it highlights the errors made by RE5 and RE6, where wide-open spaces and well-lit areas left less to the imagination. RE7 and RE2 want ?to actively mess with your imagination, so narrow cor?ridors and darkness rule.

Darkness can pertain t??o villainous motives. Everyone likes a entertaining, textured villain. It often turns out the best bad guys are honestly sympathetic, they were just wronged and that was never addressed, or they crossed a point of no return that made them disposed to what they do. 

And then there are the more literal monsters. Sometimes they're simply misunderstood or tragic creatures. Metroids aren't inherently bad, but who controls them often makes them a threat (and that little "scree" they do still gets to me). Xenomorphs and metroid?s, left in a natural habitat, will just evolve and multiply and be territo??rial. Crimson Heads, Hunters and Lickers, on the other hand, are just terrifying assholes that can eat shotgun. 

The darkness can be many things, but you know what? Darkness sometimes gets a? bad rap.

Turns out you have have dark powers and use them for the greater good. Soma Cruz from Castlevania and Riku from Kingdom Hearts show that this is the case. They just have to fight the darkness within them to channel it for good, which is also what Final Fantasy XIV's dark knights do. It's just as much about wielding blood magic, the dark arts and fi?ght??ing corruption as it is your shadow holding you accountable for the collateral damage you've done in the name of light and good. And also facing the guilt you may carry regarding that.

Your shadow also scrawls moody things in your quest journal for the dark knight quests that you actually cannot read when you're?? a monk or paladin, it only app??ears when you change back to dark knight. That's a nice, in-character touch. 

Maybe it's nothing.?? Maybe it's everything. Darkness.

So, for October's topic, we're all about the dark. Whether that's spooky, whether that's scary, villainous, or personal. It can be about monsters, or the use of darkness and other ?elements to spark fear in the player and more. Just head on over to the community blogs and be sure to use "Hello, Darkness: [Your title here]" in the title of your blog!

Now, back to the shadows!

The post Bloggers Wanted: Hello, Darkness… appeared first on Destructoid.

Spreading cheer one virtual tree at a time

Ah, Christmas. A time of Santa hats, snow, fancy decorations, pretty lights, and ornately wrapped presents. Sure, the "True spi??rit of Christmas" is about being with your family, love for our fellow man, peace on Earth, and all that good stuff...but let's not kid ourselves: the aes?thetics definitely help too.

Those aesthetics aren't restricted to the real world alone, many video games have special holiday events to get you in the festive mood. Popular games like Overwatch and Fortnite have special Christmas skins with all the reds and greens you could ever want. Other titles take it a lot further. In Animal Crossing you can celebrate almost any major holiday with all of your adorable animal pals, right from the comfort of your own v??illage. You'll even get special visitors! 

To me personally though, the holiday events that stood out the most were actually completely different from what you'd expect. In ??particular, they were less about a big event and more about clever little secrets (Easter eggs, if you will) you could only see on a particular holiday.

My most vivid memory is about Calendar Man, who you'll find imprisoned in Batman: Arkham City. If you talk to him on any of the days he has marked, he'll tell you a fun uplifting little story... about a murder he committed on that particular holiday. These range from the obvious Thanksgiving and ?Mother's Day to the feast day of St. Roch, patron saint of dogs (that would be August 16th, obviously). I set up special alerts in my phone to remind me of every day I could talk to Calendar Man, and after 12 months I was finally rewarded with the achievement "Storyteller". 

In a similar but significantly lighter vein, Double Fine's Costume Quest also gave you a special achievement for playing the game?? on a specific date. However, this wasn't on Halloween as one might expect. No, the appropriately titled "'Tisn't the Season"?? achievement unlocks simply by playing this game that is completely centered around Halloween... on Christmas day.

Be they Christmas, Halloween, or any other holiday, in-game holiday events are always a good time. So what are your favorite in-game holiday events? Do you make a point of visiting your little Animal Crossing village just in time for Toy Day? Do you gather your guild to partake in the festivities of your MMO of choice? Play Cave Story+ with all Christmas sprites on? Sneak up on some Holiday Hoarders in Hitman? Are you the only person in the world who ?li??ked Mei's Snowball Offensive?

This month's Bloggers Wanted theme is "Tis the season", and we want to hear all about how you celebrate the holidays in video games when you're not too busy opening presents and avoiding having to sit next to that one cousin nobody likes. Grab some hot cocoa, put on your ugliest sweater, plant yourself next to the fireplace, and head on over to the community blogs to get started! Title your blog "Tis the Season: [Your title here]" and when you're done remember to add "Bloggers Wanted" to the tags ??at the bottom!

The post Bloggers Wanted: ‘Tis the season! appeared first on Destructoid.

Ever need a game on all the things?

Ever since I got a new gaming laptop and a Nintendo Switch, I've found some of my PS4 and Vita games migrating to them. This isn't an entirely bad thing, as it frees up storage on my PlayStation platforms, (where storage is often tight anyway?), but some of it just boils down to the fact that I want a lot of my favorite games on more portable platforms.&??nbsp;

Rogue Legacy, Transistor and Dark Souls recently came out on the Switch and, despite having them on PS4, I just couldn't help but want them for the Switch. I imported Okami for Switch even though digital would have been fine and I had it on PS4, but the Zelda-like nature of Okami just feels? right on a Nintendo system. I wanted to play these games dur??ing my lunch breaks at work. A lot of games I have for PlayStation platforms just feel better on the Switch sometimes.

That's not to say my PlayStation platforms aren't home to repeat purchases. If Castlevania: Symphony of Night appears anywhere, I'll get it. I play the game nearly every year as it is, so having even a mildly updated version of the game is more than welcome. I have also owned Metal Gear Solid 3 and Super Metroid across various platforms for this same reason. It's just a matter of time befor??e I replay these amazing classics and sometimes discover new things about them. 

I have Final Fantasy XIV on both PC and PS4, because I like to watch Netflix on my PS4 and I can do crafting or questing on my PC, or maybe I just want to check in with friends there while I continue playing The Last of Us Remastered. And if I need to do various things on PC, I have FFXIV on my PS4 to attend to things there. 

Some of you may have just got Diablo III for the second - possibly third - time in six years. I'm enjoying it for the first time on Nintendo Switch. I never really played it before, so my Demon Hunter, Violet, and her loyal Hyrulian cucco are looking? forward to many great looting adventures on my lunch breaks!

So for this month, our blogging topic is double-dipping! What are the games that you will go out of your way to have on another platform? Do you just need to have The Binding of Issac or Dead Cells on everything? Are you hording multiple copies of Grand Theft Auto V just in case you lose one? Maybe you feel better knowing Mega Man is in your pocket, as well as on your PS4?

Head on over to the community blogs&?nbsp;and get to writing! Use the topic name "Double dipping: [Your title here]" and be sure to add "Bloggers Wanted" to the tags at the bottom!

The post Bloggers Wanted: Double dipping appeared first on Destructoid.

Sometimes fashion is the true endgame

When it comes to October, it's pretty easy to come up with an idea for Bloggers Wanted. Halloween presents a lot o?f options. People will start playing horror games and? marathon scary movies, but then there's the ultimate question for the day itself:

"What am I going to wear?"

Costumes are, after all, at the very heart of Halloween's fun. Whether you're playing a game with a canon character like Lara Croft, Spider-Man or a customized character in Monster Hunter World or an MMO, you're still faced with the question of what are you going to look like. Sometimes you even have stat bon??uses to further complicate things, while other games have made it so you can have all the lovely stat bonuses and still make something that looks nice to you. Some folks even take this all huge step further and will realize such costumes for real-life cosplay.

As someone that posts often about Final Fantasy XIV, I have spent countless hours obtaining all kinds of armor, weapons and accessories from various corners of the game and only for the? reason of it looking cool. In fact, once I have a job at 50, I feel obligated to give each of my jobs a fanciful glowin??g weapon before I press forward.

And then I give each job their own little pet sidekick, because I have decided my character is a Disney princess. Then I write macros that give them a blend of super sentai/Sailor Moon transformations because henshin a-go-go, baby!

But, if I'm honest, my one true love in regards to outfits in the game is the Invalician Samurai set, which I got from the Rabanastre raid. The design is pulled right from the Final Fantasy Tactics' art concept?? of the female sam??urai and is wonderfully realized. 

But sometimes looking good comes at a price, too. I remember my favorite look for my Corsair in Final Fantasy XI required me wearing pants that reduced my movement speed by twenty percent and some of the best stat-based builds in Monster Hunter can make you look silly. 

So this month's topic for Bloggers Wanted is costumes. Whether the costume is realized in-game or in real-life, we'd like for you to to discuss your favorite creations or tributes to characters, whether it's a custom look, a canon character or even a character skin like you'd find in Overwatch or Fortnite. You can discuss cosplays you've done, or ??cosplayers you admir??e. You can even talk about the plights of stat-based function over fashion.

The sky is the limit on this one, so head on over to our community blogs and get to writing! Use the prompt "Costume party: [Your title here]??" and be sure to place "Bloggers Wanted" in the tags!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have get Bayonetta dressed up. She's heard about everyone and everything becoming Princess Peach and she would like to remind the world she was ahead of?? the curve on that. 

The post Bloggers Wanted: Costume party appeared first on Destructoid.

Pour one out for my homies

There are so many aspects of a story that tend to get overlooked, but one of the hugest is the trusty sidekick. These characters are mostly subjected to simply being the butt of a joke or only exist?? to service the narrative, but they help immerse players in the world, and they&rsq??uo;re too often forgotten in favor of the star of the show.

For instance, look at Clank from the Ratchet & Clank series. This adorable robot spends the majority of the game strapped to Ratch?et’s back and mainly works to further gameplay, but the experience would not be the same without him. Even if it’s only for a brief moment, he even gets his own playable segments in the newest reboot of the franchise. This little guy means a lot to me, and it’s tough not to love him.

Then, of course, there are annoying fucks like Navi in Ocarina of Time. How many times can you scream, “Hey, listen!” before I start daydre??aming about strangling you until you’re but a distant memory? In Navi’s case, I’m going to throw out an arbitrary number and say twenty-three. I get why Navi exists, to help lead players in the right direction and offer vague tips,? but holy fuck do I wish someone had the common sense to delete that bastard fairy from existence.

For this month’s Bloggers Wanted, I want to hear about your most memorable sidekicks and companions. It doesn’t matter why you remember them, whether love or hate, but I know there are plenty out there that folks are passionate about. Hell, you could even talk about the cute, furry little creatures that all of the best developers put in their creations, like the floating death machines in Castle Crashers. I don’t care if their story is written into the script or it’s part of your own h??eadcanon that only exists inside your sick, twisted, totally fucked up brain. Lay it on me, y'??all.

To participate, head over to the community blogs and format your title as “Just For Kicks: [insert title here].” If it’s good enough, there’s a chance that you might even see your words grace the Front Page of Destructoid!

The post Bloggers Wanted: Just For Kicks appeared first on Destructoid.

The Bowz

_{[When I put out last month's Blogger's Wanted prompt, I thought we'd try something a little different and talk about all the games we take down fascist regimes in and the fun ways we may obliterate Nazis and those similar to them. I didn't really think about the Koopas from Super Mario Bros. fitting in there, but Genoforprez makes a pretty solid case about Bowser having these qualities. - Pixie]}

Look, someone has to take the low-hanging fruit and write about gaming's most famous fascist, B?owser goddamn Koopa, so it might ??as well be me.

It would be easy to write about all the ways that Bowser obviously fits the definition of a fascist dictator with a fascist philosophy. He’s all about overthrowing the existing government by force and installing himself as the nation’s “dear leader.” He desires and expects a never-ending flow of respect and praises in his direction. He deals with all opposition with cruelty and force—whether it’s political opposition or opposition from within his own ranks. He has even multiple times tried to rewrite history or steal/destroy priceless cultural artifacts from o??ther nations!

His track record of racist policies seems implicit in ?his penchant for imp?risoning any sentient being that isn’t some kind of reptile. And of course don’t forget about the rampant nepotism!

That’s all surface features of a fascist regime, but it’s even more fun to consider the ways i??n which Bowser is a caricature of a fascist’s psychology. First and foremost is that he’s CLEAR?LY an unrepentant narcissist with a fragile masculinity. He'??s always assuring himself of his own greatness, and pimping his?? greatness to others, despite the fact that everyone seems to hate him and despite that he has been for the mo??st part a huge? failure in everything he has ever tried to accomplish. 

It doesn’t matter to Bowser that everyone hates him and everything he stands for (they'll change their minds or else). It doesn’t matter ?to Bowser that Princess Peach doesn't want anything to do with him (she'll come around). It doesn't matter to Bowser that his fascism literally never wins against Mario et al (137th time's a charm). Sure, some FUNGUS BRAINS would tell you that his track record is just a decades-long lis?t of repeated crushing defeats, but to hell with those NERDS and their so-called “historica?l?? facts”. All of that nonsense is just propaganda spread by Koopa-hating toadstools in an attempt to smear the glorious Koopa vision of the future!

When in fact, quite a lot of good and smart people have told Bowser that his life has been nothing but victories. True, many of them are his own children and shameless sycophants, ??but they speak the truth&nbs?p;as Bowser sees it: Not the truth in a factual, historically-documented sense, but the Truth in a doctrinal, dogmatic, quasi-religious sense. The Koopas' every action is guided by a transcendent code of virtue; therefore, the Koopa party's actions have never been and could neve??r be wrong nor failures.

This is the capital "T" kind of Truth that lives in your heart, and not in some nerdy textbook, fools! This is the Truth as socially-constructed by a community of reptile??s! ?Bowser could have suffered thirteen bankruptcies? at Mario's direct hand and he and his reptiles would still be chirping next to the water cooler about Mr. Koopa's incredible business savvy, because the Truth of the party is not what th??e world is but what the world ought to be! Yes, despite all ev?idence to the contrary, our dear Bowser is still one hundred percent convinced that h??e is? a handsome genius who just can’t stop winning.

But the truest hallmark of fa??scism and racis??m is that they never learn. They suffer a defeat and then recede into some slimy hole in the ground for a couple of years, and then all of a sudden they’re back! Reinvigorated! This time with a n??ew social media strategy! Because fascism interprets all of its defeats not as an indication that it should stop or that nobody wants it around, but as an indication of oppression! Maybe the people who hate fascism are the REAL fascists, am I right, koopalings?! Why won't these toads just shut up and accept the glorious future promised by the Koopa party? It's very uncivil of them to resist us. So m??uch for PEACEFUL TOADS (smh).

But don't start feeling all high and mighty just because you know Bowser Koopa is a one hundred pe?rcent fash. Didn't you notice the way Mario is always wearing that red baseball cap around? You can't trust anyone these days.

The post Taking Out The Trash: Fascist Koopas don’t learn appeared first on Destructoid.

Bring 'em on!

July is a month associated with patriotism, humidity and fireworks in some parts of the world but when it comes to video games, we all have a shared, special heritage -- a birthright, if you will -- and we can trace it all the way back to old tabletop games. Back in those days, kids would gather around maps and pewter figurines and imagine all sorts o??f amazing ways to shoot, blow up and incinerate Nazis.

Nazis are among gaming's most popular cannon-fodder and I think that's for good reason. You can pity zombies and potentially sympathize and seek diplomacy with a dragon, but Nazis and despotic, genocidal fascists have been a very real thing at points in our history and when assholes start fencing groups of people in and committing genocide, sympathy tends to go right out the window for said assholes. It's probably the reason we have so many fantasy or science-fiction versions of fascists as well, whether that's the latest set of imperials in a Final Fantasy game or stormtroopers in Star Wars.

And since those tabletop days and all the video game genres that have emerged since, we've dug deep into history as well as all the "what if" scenarios surrounding World War II. There were weapons and vehicles on the books from that period that never made it into production, but in theory they could have changed the course of battles and this as been the subject of many strategy games, flight simulators and more. There has been research about Nazis and their interest in the occult which as led to all sorts of movies and games exploring the possibilities. B.J. Blazkowicz wouldn't have much to do in Wolfenstein were this not the case.

But in the end it all r??esults in Nazis being melted, vaporized, impaled, cursed, zombified, loopzooked, riddled with holes and so much m?ore. That's always fun and cathartic. Violent, yes, but they're Nazis and Nazis ain't got no humanity. I've never really had fun reading about or watching what Nazis did, but I have always had fun obliterating genocidal maniacs or even just seeing them get punched.

So this month's Blogger's Wanted prompt is called "Taking out the trash." We're going to be discussing destroying Nazis or various other fantasy or space fascists in all the amazing ways we can in any genre or series in which they might lurk, regardless of whether it is historically accurate or not. Tell us your tales of glory of toppling such evil empires and regimes, be it by cyborg arm, sniper rifle or magic spell. Just head over to the community blogs, get a blog started use the prompt's title "Taking out the trash: [your title here]" and go to town!

Also, fuck Nazis.

The post Bloggers wanted: Taking out the trash appeared first on Destructoid.

A Blog's Life

I won't waste too much time prattling on with an introduction this month. I'd just like to thank each and every person who comes to Destructoid and spends their time blogging, reading blogs, or sharing parts of their lives with Qtoid. Dtoid has something of a reputation for having a vibrant, active, and mostly?-welcoming community, and blogging is a huge part of what makes these cogs turn.

In this, our third month of the renewed Recaps review?, instead of posing a challenge, I'm going to pose a question: What would you like to see from the Community Team to help encourage ??bloggers?

Whatever you think the site can do to help bring in some new blood and inspire current members to blog their hearts out, let us know and we'll communicate your thoughts! Simply leave a comment below with any hints or tips you can provid??e to make Dtoid's Communit??y the best place on the internet.

Bring one another up, and you'll never be alone if y??ou fall.

Promoted Blogs

Are there any other sites out there that take the time to highlight the excellent works of their  community by putting their work front and center on the site's home page? I'm not being coy - I don't know of many that do that. What I do know is that Dtoid is one of the few that puts its trust in the voice of the community to give unique perspectives on the wide spectrum of?? topics that is video gaming. And that's a pretty special thing.

Below are Community Blogs that were Front Paged by Destructoid? for the month of May. Wanna get featured by Mr. Dtoid? It's easy - the first step is writing a blog!

* - I honestly don't think there are many places on the internet that would feature a blog comparing modern "outrage culture" to the Attitude/Monday Night Wars Era from 90s WWE, but god damn it, we've done just that. Jason Rodriguez compares that magical time in the wrestling world and how it overstayed its welcome to today's movement of outrage and anger rallying the masses to whatever needs a goo??d shouting. It's a very interesting read and one I hope prophecis?es a swift end to getting mad at everything.

* - Speaking of anger, remember the uproar over Star Fox Zero and its incredibly divisive control scheme? Zalno remembers, and Zalno wants to take a level-headed (see what I did with that one?) approach to looking back at the red-headed step child of the beloved franchise - along with its Scrappy-Doo-level cousin, Star Fox Guard. If you could??n't tell, Z??alno is a bit of a Star Fox fan...

* - I know the dude jests, but honestly if he could come up with something akin to the "Hobbit Hole Breakfast," then maybe writing the Denny's menu is his true calling? Either way, The Actual Charlton Heston has played The Forest. He has reviewed The Forest. And gosh darn it, he might have liked The Forest? I can't actually tell, but if Mike Fingersmith (The Actual Charlton Heston's real name, per site canon) reviewed the?? last time I tried to pass a kidney stone, I bet it'd be pretty fucking funny.

* - There's nothing I love more than a nice tale about how gaming has shaped the life of one of our users. Join Adzuken in their story of how Animal Crossing became not only a cherished game for her, personally, but also woun??d up being a family tradition of sorts. There's nothing quite like a game that can really bring the whole family together!

Bloggers Wanted

Free-to-play has certainly taken on a negative connotation as of late...but it's not all bad! May's Bloggers Wanted prompt takes a look at the polari?zing game delivery method, asking bloggers to expound upon t?he failures, successes, and everything in between of F2P games.

Is a Cancer on the Industry and Shou?ld be Wiped Out Completely! - Jason Rodriguez

Dungeons and Fighters - Chris Hovermale

A Little Rusty - Zalno

Living Legend - Agent9

Gwent (beta) - Salador

Get in Tenno, you look cool - Marcel Hoang

Warframed - Gamemaniac3434

Sticking the Landing - Adzuken

Comments of the Week

Did you know we got featured in the official Disqus blog for having Comments of the Week? That's pretty badass. We got recognized for recognizing our community, which really should be the rule, and not the excepti??on to it. Either way, the CotW team works super hard each week to single out the weird, funny, and usually pretty dumb things we all gather here on a daily basis to say. Give them a pat on the back!

This month featured the first attempts from WILFoftheblues, GoofierBrute, and Xeo - so give them a hand for jo?ining the team and putting together their inaugural Comments of the Week!

CotW 48

CotW 49

CotW 50

CotW 51

Band of Bloggers

Band of Bloggers has seen some pretty massive success since its recent resurrection, and this month Greenhornet214 sought to continue the trend with his prompt, A Walk in the Woods. Who doesn't enjoy a nice, leisurely stroll through the woods? Unless of course those woods are haunted, which they unfortunately always seem to be in video games.
I guess they're not very leisurely, after all.

Not Seeing the Forest for the Trees - Jason Rodriguez

Lost in Two Forests - Flegma

It's Like a Jungle Sometimes, Uh-huh Ha-ha - Luckrequired

Breath of Fire III - Rico the Penguin

Exploring the Forest Labyrinth - LaTerry

dephoenix is up this month with the new prompt of Parents. We all have had them in some form or another, and the topic is a prevalent one in gaming. Reflect on th?e idea of parentage and write a Band of Bloggers entry today!

Staff Picks

Sometimes, blogs slip through the cracks and don't hit the front page. Sometimes blogs can't be put on the front page because they're just a ??little bit...different. These are the blogs that we love that just need a little extra signal.

Casus Gaming talks in depth about how not utilizing the fast travel option in Breath of the Wild makes the true vision of the game shine. While I had many complaints about?? the game, the options and methods of traversal were not a?mong them. This is a great blog that begs for players taking the long way to experience beauty in game design.

VVerner Herrzawgz enjoyed the hell out of Golf Story. VVerner Herrzawgz hates the game of golf. Sounds like a big pickle, e?h? Not really. As they explain it, the characterization of the main characters and the mechanics of the video game more than make up for the shortcomings of the sport on which the game is based.

Salador's first blog post ever generated quite a bit of discussion! He takes us through his history of playing soccer?? (football to the rest of the world) games and a little rundown of each one. As a lifetime fan of sports games, it was fun seeing the evolution of the sport's representation in video games throughout the years. Are you a football gaming fan? Sound off!

Somethingwittyandfun suffers from a problem that I'm sure ails many of us. Simply put, he cannot finish video games. If this ??sounds ridiculous to you, then consider yourself lucky; I've started more games than I've ever finished, and it's something I've been r??eally trying to reverse. If you find the cure, please don't forget to tell me about it.

Luckrequired built a jetpack, and guess what?! He figured out a way to visit far-off video game lands! Take a ride on his strong but gentle back as he zooms his way through gam?ing locales he totally absolutely 100% visited.

Mike Fingersmith aka The Actual Charlton Heston tells a short story about the fabled celebrity dermatologist Duke Jacobs, and the story about tha?t one time he defeated one man's dreaded albino affliction and fought ninjas and what the fuck am I reading?

ShadeOfLight has been around long enough to know one thing about Dtoid: We love butts. Can't get enough of them, really. Shade continues the proud tradition of Dtoid Butt Worship (something in which we have sadly lost our way) by taking a look at the diverse and exciting butts from Hyrule Warriors: Deluxe Edition. Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?

Michformer gives a very exhaustive and detailed blog on how to design and create effective monsters in video games. If you like a long read from a person with some industry clout, I sugges?t giving this one a sit-down and? soaking up what you can from it.

Bass delivers some thoughts on hot takes, which invariably leads to a discussion on subjective versus objective opinions. He even throws in some love to all the wonderful moms out ?there. Are his views objectively true, or is subjectivity the matter here? Read through it, and decide for yourself.

A Brief Message from Qtoid

If Twitter were tolerable instead of awful in every way, you'd have Qtoid! If you haven't yet, create yourself a Dtoid account and shitpost the day away with us in the Quic?k Posts. You won't regret it! ..??.well no less than using any other form of social media, anyway.

I don't know why, but this joke made me laugh a lot harder than it probably should have. Thanks, Qomrade Paige, for the horrible joke involving Two and a Half Men, which made me spit out my coffee.

BONUS ROUND: Forsaken Knight is the greatest uncle of all time. Dude is hooking up his nephews wit?h a new Switch, some dope new games, controllers, screen protectors - the works! Great to see people continue their passion for gaming into the new generation. Well done, my friend.

Almost every?? single contributor to Destructoid's front page started out as a Community Blogger. I think we're onto something here...

 - Wes Tacos

Picture credits:
Blog Header - MeanderBot
Promoted Blogs Header - Inquisitive Ravenclaw
All Other Headers - ZombieCORPS

I'm looking to cut Zombie down to just one header?? image, so if you want to submit an original piece for one of our headers, please contact me at tacos@jbsgame.com

The post May 2018 C-Blog Recaps appeared first on Destructoid.

Go ahead, first hit's free

Free-to-play for the longest time has been this dangerous buzzword that meant a l?ot of things. Utter the term free-to-play and people immediately think of words like predatory, pay-to-win, microtransactions, and generally bad game?s. At least that's how it was at first for me anyways. The majority of mobile games follow this pattern and a lot of PC games are like this.

For the past few years though, free-to-play seems to be turning around. Maybe the image hasn't been complet??ely turned around but quite a few games tha??t have released are much better than what the free-to-play model has any right to be.

Of course the kickstart to this change of mind for me has been Warframe. Warframe isn't even a new F2P game, releasing over five years ago, but like Monster Hunter, it's been slowly gathering more and more fans and players just by word of mouth alone. I definitely want to attribute me joining alongside this spike in popularity to the Super Best Friends channel talking about it on their podcast and playing it. F2P games can vary in how they ask money from you but in the end, fun is fun. I've been playing Fire Emblem Heroes because it offers a very simplistic strategy game on my phone and with a bit of luck, some good pulls can lead to a satisfying experience. Warframe is an extremely mobile third-person shooter and action game that can be enjoyed completely without spending a dime, but spending c??an speed up some of the craft and grind, not t??o mention some cosmetic flourishes.

Course, those are gems. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is the most recent in heavy-handed microtransaction shenanigans that requires you have energy before "taki?ng a break." I wish I were making this up.

This month's bloggers wanted is about your experience with free-to-play. Has it largely been negative because of course it has? Or have you found some gems that really shine through and even felt compelled to throw a few dollars their way in support of the fun you've had? Not everyone is like me and has played a Warframe. Plenty of people are like a Dani and have experienced a Hogwarts Mystery. So if you want to talk about a great game that's free-to-play or just want to vent about some trash you had the misfortune or trying, start a blog in start its title with "Free-to-play: [your blog title here]".

It doesn't matter what it was, on your phone, on your PC, or one of those rare but burgeoning new cases of F2P on the console (you know, like Fortnite Battle Royale). If you got t?o start playing for free, and there's a system in place that asks you spend money a??fter the fact, go ahead and share it with us, and you might see it on the front page! Editing and proofing free, of course.

The post Bloggers Wanted: Free-to-play appeared first on Destructoid.

It takes a village

Greetings, gentle gamers. It’s your old pal, Mr. Westructoid here, and I’m on a mission. Not like the Mormon kind of mission - I can’t imagine having to wear slacks and a tie while riding a bike around all day in the heat. No, my mission is far less ball-sweaty, and far more important. My mission is nob??le and pure, but also a simple one.

My missio?n is to get more C-Blogs. And I need y??our help.

This is part of the reason I wanted ??to resurrect the long-dormant Monthly Blog Recaps. I remember being a wee lad and seeing the monthly recaps, and catching up on some of the fantastic community posts I had missed? over the course of the month. It was a great way to get some new eyes on things that were posted, as well as maybe get a little extra attention to things that might have been missed in its first go-around. It was awesome. And just like that, it left the mortal coil.

Now, here we lie, directionless and monthly-recap-less with no guide to lead us to the Blogging Promised Land. Until that Moses comes to lead us through the desert that our blogs section is swiftly becoming, you’ll have to settle for me. The bad news is, I’m kind of an idiot, so you’ll need to make sure I don’t break anything, or offend any of the locals with my brash American-ness. The good news is that I’m very open to suggestions, so if you know of a way? to help make this feature the s?mashing success it once was, let me know! I’ll do my best to live up to the legacy set forth by my pontificating, pioneering predecessors.

Join m?e in highlighting the wonderful, diverse, and perverted jbsgame.community Blogs, then get out there and write your own, damn it.

Promoted Blogs

If I had to choose the one best thing about how the Community here at Dtoid works, I’d say it’s that we have the power to promote a user’s blog to the Front Page. As in, your blog shows up as a regu??lar Destructoid post that goes out to our homepage, Twitter post, and Facebook account like any other story would. It’s a power we like to abuse, when the mood strikes.

How does one’s blog achieve this goal? There’s no set way, really. Sometimes if something sparks huge debate, it’ll get the nod. Or if a blog is downright hilarious, we’ll mak??e sure our readers see it. Or if it offers a unique perspective. Or if it’s batshit insane. Or if it’s just that damned good. Each member of the Community team has their own preference for promoting blogs, which helps to en??sure that a wide variety of blogs gets to our Front Page.

So tickle me in just the right way, and get your work featured ??by Destructo?id.

Kevin Moonsereauioux wrote a blog about several heel turns in gaming - feat?uring, most notably, a heel turn of his own - but somehow forgot to consider that making a heel turn first requires one to actually be a face. Burn, Kevin!

This kind?? of stuff is really, really awesome. Who knew video games could teach you so much about life and loss? Christopher Harper knew. Read his words on Hotline Miami 2 and how sometimes a g??ame can be a gre??at parable for death.

Twitter loved this one! This is an old, previously promoted blog f??rom SpielerDad sticking it to GameStop’s wonderfully bad idea of ask?ing you to spend all your tax return money at their stores! If you don’t know what humor is, you’ll probably hat??e this article.

My favorite thing about strong opinions in an article’s title (no matter how inflammatory or “clickbaity” internet randos may find it to be) is that so few people actually read the article befor??e getting upset. I don’t love Deediddle’s title, and I disagree with most of what he said, but it’s still an interesting piece t?hat provides a well-constructed counterargument to the widespread undying love of a game (an undying love I, myself, hold). Give it a read, and consider his points as valid criticisms, as opposed to baseless clickbait. It’s how conversations used to work.

If you like science, and art, and science-based art, you’?re going to dig Gamemaniac3434’s new bl?og, since it’s about all of those things. I read through it and still don’t understand how one draws with bacteria, ?but I’m a man of reason and intellect and short shorts, not science. It’s a cool read, either way!

I bet you didn’t know we could feature Qposts, did you? Well, guess what motherfucker - we can! It’s a privilege we reserve for only the best, which is exactly? what Luckrequired delivered with his birthday wis??hes to Destructoid. Happy birthday, Dtoid! And thanks Luck, you ??killed it with this drawing.

Goemar put more thought into Bubble Bobble than anyone on the history of this planet ever has. And he’s correct. It is stupid. Read thi??s blog or I’l?l apprehend you.

Bloggers Wanted

Our monthly Bloggers Wanted prompt does the hard work for you and tells you what to write about - all’s ya gotta do it actually write it! Coincidentally, a clerical error occurred and our dog, Mr. Dogstructoid, ate our homework, resulting in no new prompt for March. But, we were still accepting entrants for February&rs??quo;s Hell Turn prompt, inspired by the sick and twisted acts of a Community Manager gone rogue. He then went rouge once he saw his face photoshopped over professional wrestler, and civil rights advocate,? Hollywood Hulk Hogan.

Anyway, here are our entries for February’s prompt! I’m including February because lol why not??? You’re not my mom.

I had considered making a special category for&nbs?p;Kyle Yadlosky (nee Vadicta) with just a picture of a trash can, because that would be pretty funny. But this blog is actually pretty do??pe. It follows the early days of Flash on the internet, and how incredibly dumb everything was. Kyle revels i??n dumb, so it’s right up his alley.

Village idiot Wes Tacos writes a lot of words about how Nathan Drake is kind of a giant douche. Nothing you didn’t already know, mind you, but his mom did pi?n it on the fridge. So, check it out, maybe?

JPF720 treats us to his favo??rite heel turn in gaming, that of the main character in Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. Spoilers abound! I appre?ciate the subject ma??tter, even though I’ve never actually played the game. Give it a read, either way.

Spec Ops: The Line was such a weird game to me. I appreciate the story and attempt to subvert the macho-man military shooters we seem to only get, but at the same time I couldn’t justify the gameplay being bad for the sake of being rote like all the others. That said, it&?rsquo;s something you should definit??ely play. TheLimoMaker does a great job of walking us through the plot, and the inevitable descent into madness ??through which it drags us.

Superman is such a fuckin’ dweeb. Zordan and I ??are on the same page here in enjoying the story in Injustice: Gods Among Us, as it gives us a glimpse of Supes we d??on’t often get to ??see outside of the comics. Give this a read!

Comments of the Week

Our comments sections are lots of fun. Ok, sometimes they’re awful and I want to burn the site down. But generally, they’re lots of fun! Our CotW team works hard every week to ensure that only the highest-quality ?comments make their roundup of highlights.

And, also, Dere’s puns.

CotW 40

CotW 41

CotW 42

CotW 43

CotW 44

Band of Bloggers

This is where I’m going to ask you, the jbsgame.community, to jump in. We used to have a Community-ran feature called Band of Bloggers, which in simplest terms is kind of like a book club for games. The organizer would ??choose a particular game or series or director, and everyone who wanted to chime in would play the game, and write about it. It’s a little like Bloggers Wanted, I guess, but less official and a little more focu??sed. We used to get dozens of entries a month, but then The Great Schism happened. What was The Great Schism? It was when Harry left One Direction, of course. It devastated the Community, and we’ve yet to recover.

This is where you come in. Or not. Up to you.

I want t??o gauge interest in bringing this feature back. It would of course mean having a Community member come in to take the mantle, so to speak, and organize and lead the front. Think you’re up for it? Well, then, get to it! Drum up some interest, and get the Community writing about games again. And if no one steps up, I guess we’ll retire the feature and give it a 21 Nailgun Salute. At least I tried.

UPDATE: Band of Bloggers has returned! LaTerry revives the old Community feature for a new generation, starting out with his area of expertise - dragons! If you wanna join in on the fun, simply write a blog about? your favorite dragon-related story, preface it with "Band of Bloggers:" then your title, and let that baby fly!

Staff Picks

Not everything can make it to the Front Page, sadly. There have been plenty of times where the staff decided som??ething simply would not work for one reason or another. It’s n??o slight against the author; in fact, it’s usually some sort of technicality or audience engagement thing that prevents these gems from getting that honor. This section is their second chance.

Here we will ?highlight our favorite blogs from the month that just didn’t quite hit the Front Page. Please also keep in mind that a blog that doesn’t make this section doesn’t mean it’s unworthy of your time - I’d like to strongly encourage everyone reading to hit the C-Blogs and check out some of the awesome stuff that gets posted there every single day. Our Community is truly our lifeblood, and the C-Blogs are a huge part of that. Keep cracking at it, and you’ll see your work featured by us.

Mozsta69 (nice) drops a doozy of a first blog about racism in a particular game fro??m a non-white perspective. Interesting read!

Deediddle writes about why he loves Dark Souls. I’m not a fan of the series, bu??t this is a really good perspecti?ve on the matter.

Zordan writes about how Arkham Asylum rescued his video game-playing career. Crazy ho??w one game can reinvigorate your passion in the hobby.

Bass forgot to make a card for me, b?ut at least the series is st?ill alive. Check out the community member-themed Magic: The Gathering cards!

Seymour? reflects on his seven years with the site on Dtoid’s twelfth birthday. Some great memories in here - take the trip down Memory Lane with him!

Dere reflects on why? he keeps returning to video games, despite his distaste with current trends in the industry. Another heartfelt read from this dude.

Lord Spencer reviews Bug! for the Saturn. I love bad mascot games, and I love inane and dumb games even more. This hits all the swe?et spots for me.

SpielerDad is truly a Renaissance Man of gaming. He does it all, and inc?reasingly with age, does it well. Let his gaming dad bod embrace you i??n its comforting grip.

LaTerry knows Final Fantasy XIII is an extremely flawed game, but he still finds himself loving it regardless of its blemishes and general reception. We can still love things we know are bad,? as he s??o eloquently states in this thought-provoking journey.

NakedBigBoss perfectly encapsulates where I am with gaming in my life right now. When is it time to give up the ghost, and put the sticks down forever? The a??nswer is subjective, of course, but this is a great blog to read if you’re at something of a standstill in your gaming life.

Genoforprez comes out of nowhere with a bomb-ass first blog doing a deep dive into? the intricacies o?f NPC interaction, using ICO (an example of great empathy-building with com?pan?ion characters in a game) and Prince of Persia (a not-so-great example) to compare and contrast different approa??ches. It even has MS Paint art! Read this.

A Brief Message from Qtoid

Do you know about Qtoid? For those that don’t, I like to put it li?ke this: Qtoid is basically Destructoid’s less shitty version of Twitter. Here, users get to post micro-musings about games, art, music, life - whatever they’ve got going on at the time. And just?? like our normal-sized blogs, comments sections are there to elaborate on your point, as well as to interact with other users on their goings-on.

Using Qtoid, we’ve commiserated with our peers, helped out our fellow gamers in need, expressed our mutual joy in new releases, and loads, loads more. And also shitposted. Can’t forget?? about all the shitposting we do there. If the C-Blogs are the Body of Mr. Destructoid, consider Qtoid his Blood.

If you’re down to cl?own around with us, join up! Further integrate yourself into the jbsgame.community until complete mass assimilation is achieved. I mean, uh, post here or something.

GetNekKid ;is our cutest boy, and as such, it is our honor to prese??????????????????????????nt him as the first?-ever Intro to Qtoid. Keep being a little dreamboat, NekKid!

Hopefully seeing all of the wonderful and weird blogs from the jbsgame.community has inspired you to join in o?n the fun. Keep at it, and you could see your work in this very recap next month!

Now get out there and blog!

 - Wes Tacos

Picture credits:
Blog Header - MeanderBot
Promoted Blogs Header - Inquisitive Ravenclaw
All Other Headers - ZombieCORPS

I'm looking to cut Zombie down to just one header image, so if you want to submit an original piece for one o??f our headers, please contact me at tacos@jbsgame.com

The post March 2018 C-Blog Recaps appeared first on Destructoid.

Technically promoted from our Community Blogs

_{[It's that wonderful time of the year again where I get to stroke my own ego and promote my own work. Sure, I could just post it to the Front Page and cut out all of the complications, but where's the fun in that? After reading this, I'm pretty sure you'll have a much better idea of where I'm coming from. If you give me even the slightest bit of power, I'm going to find some way to abuse it. I just can't help myself.} 

_{This month's Bloggers Wanted may be coming to a close, but that's no reason to stop writing blogs! Head on over to the Cblogs, and throw some damn thoughts together. If we like what you write, you might even see your own words here next time! - Kevin]} 

Freedom is such a delicate thing. I’m simultaneously terrified and enamored with the concept. That’s why I love it when video games give me the option to be a complete dick. The systems they implement are often stifled to the point of two ?basic paths, but there’s something so damn liberating about being able to throw out some virtual bad karma, almost completely free of consequences.

Sure, I’m always a predictable square during my first playthrough. That second playthrough, however, I sincerely don’t give a fuck anymore. I’ve seen everything the “good” side has to offer, and I want more. I want the world to burn.

The inFamous se?ries is absolutely ripe for the picking. I spent so much effort saving those annoying, digital ragdolls ??(aka everyday citizens) during the initial experience that it was only a matter of time before I completely stopped caring about their well-being in subsequent runs. As a matter of fact, I’d often just kill them myself.  Slowly but surely, I’d creep over to the dark side, and the payoff was well worth it. These games practically beg you to be a total asshole.

All of the best powers are locked into the villain route, and you no longer have to worry about the petty inconveniences associated with trying to be a “hero.” Heroes are chumps, and everyone knows it. What’s in it for me? I’ve been there and done that. It was fun at first, but that whol??e shtick doesn’t have much r??eplay value. Being a jerk never gets old.

Then, of course, there’s the Mass Effect series. While it makes you feel all righteous and mighty pursuing the paragon route, it’s so much more hilarious to tell everyone to fuck off as a rogue. There’s no feeling in this world quite like when on?e of the characters pours their heart out to you, and you just show a complete la?ck of respect to them in return. It warmed my jaded, bitter heart every single time.

Later on, after carefully plotting the course for my desired in-game romance (for over twenty hours at that), I’d make a point o??f cheating on them with other NPCs. Sure, the other lady may be a goofy-looking, alien chick with a voice resembling a Russian, bootleg Darth Vader’s, but I was going to bone her if it killed me. Rest assured, these scenes were about as “sexy” as watching a stray dog dry hump an old, curbside-abandoned couch. Still, I couldn’t help myself.

It was totally worth it too. Seeing their ridged, lifeless bodies soullessly move up and down each other was a comedic highlight of my early gaming years. Everything looked so dam??n bad, and I felt so wrong for cheating on my virtual significant other, but it felt so fucking right as I threw myself into a bottomless pit of maniacal laughter.

There are games that simply offer you a sandbox too, with the freedom to do as you will. In Breath of the Wild, I’d often find myself trying to set things on fire. Why? Because I could. Unfortunately for my horse, who I graciously named Dick Snot, that mea??nt they were going to spend a whole lot of time in fire pits ?and getting hit with torches. It was important for me to abuse them both emotionally and physically during our time together. We don’t all get to be the hero of Hyrule.

I've never exactly been what one would refer to as a “role model” in the waking world, but video games hav?e offered me the chance to cut loose and stop caring altogether, in an isolated environment with no real repercussions. It&rsqu?o;s downright therapeutic.

The n??ext time you’re playing a game, and they give you the option, be a bastard. Live a little. We spend so much of our lives afraid of doing the “wrong” thing that it’s positively energizing when you finally find the courage to just stop giving a shit.

The post Heel-turn: I’m a bastard appeared first on Destructoid.

Can you please...

_{[I had a couple of ideas for the heel-turn prompt, but for some reason I never thought of this one. It's a good choice really. What better heel-turn is there than this character, who literally is your ally and turns on you right at the pivotal moment? I applaud Gamemaniac's choice and look at how Atlas works as the de facto heel-turn of BioShock but, spoilers, I guess? ~Marcel]}

At the repeated insistence of local Kevin Deadmoon, I finally decided to see about writing a blog for this month's bloggers wanted. I wasn't sure what I'd pick at first - nothing immediately came to mind and I kept chewing on whether or not I could think of a goo??d heel to muse on. Eventually after some rumin??ating though, I managed to stumble upon what I think is a good one that I still think holds up today. Spoilers within, but by this point the game's so old that you’re probably aware of what I’m going to discuss here.

The opening of BioShock is incredibly well done, presenting a gilded? view from the founder of the city itself which leads into seeing the city for the first time. It's a magnificent sight and it contrasts incredibly well with what happens next. Upon your entry into the city proper you are made to watch as a man is gutted by an insane hook-wielding women. She imm?ediately attempts to get into your bathysphere before jumping back into the shadows and out of sight. Its then that the bathyspheres radio starts communicating with you and you get introduced to Atlas - a friendly face in a clearly unfriendly city.

??Atlas eases the player into moving forward, provides aid when the deranged women attempts to attack you, and explains the situation you find yourself in. He then asks you for your help in a sympatheti?c goal: he can't make it to his family without your help and begs for your aid in getting to them. You build a relationship and trust with him as you go through the game and a lot of the material you find about him leading up to the confrontation with the city's despotic ruler Andrew Ryan seems to support that he's a good guy.

Throughout the game you use the weapons you want, the plasmids you want, and generally seem to be able to explore as you wish while moving al??ong to whatever goal Atlas informs you to pursue. Soon enough you make your way to meet Andrew Ryan face to face and get revenge for Atlas's family and the numerous attempts Ryan has made on your life. But before you can take any action, he uses the phrase “Would you kindly” to take away all control you have as a player. Even his own death he takes out of your hands with the phrase, as you come to realize that you as a character - and also by proxy as a player - had no control all along.

Atlas then instructs you to stop the city from basically self-destructing and control is ostensibly given back to the player before Atlas laughs with relief and then menacingly mocks the player character. He then reveals all: Atlas was using you as a puppet to further his own ends the whole time and is actually criminal/general asshole Frank Fontaine. You were born and made to obey, a puppet that was made to be able to get close enough to Ryan to kill him, wresting control of the city from Ryan to Fontaine. The security systems not being able to pin you down immediately and the vita chambers that resurrect people related to Ryan were all down not just to serving a player pur??pose but because you were specifically made for those purposes.

The death of Atlas’s family and their existence as a whole was a fabricated lie to get the player on Fontaine's side and more amenable to liking him. Him being the only friendly voice was merely a charade and you realize how alone you were the whole time, and how you had no real control over what was happening. It impacts the character and even more heavily it impacts the player, in a very well done heel-turn that skyrockets the repulsiveness of Fontaine to the player while forcing them to consider their agency in not just BioShock but other games as well.?? Despite the fact that after the reveal the game arguably doesn't do much with the concept as it progresses towards its end, I still think the event and setup is masterfully done. 

It's a pretty impactful event and that's why it s?ticks out even now as one of the more memorable betrayals in a game story while also saying more beyond the story aspect. It's a heel-turn that's stuck with me for years after playing and it's one that in its execution does so much more than just surprise the player with a backstab. Thanks for reading, feel free to leave any thoughts below!  

The post The Heel-Turn: Atlas Shrugged appeared first on Destructoid.

Promoted from our Community Blogs

_{[I remember playing the hell out of those old PS1 demo discs back in the day, and I must have gone through that one section of Soul Reaver over thirty damn times. I miss those things so much. It's just not the same when you can download it so easily.}

_{I remember buying whole magazines, immediately throwing away the paper bullshit, and staring giddily at the little cardboard sleeve that showed me all the awesome games I'd finally get to try.}

_{Kerrik52 took me right down memory lane and threw his hat in the ring for this month's Bloggers Wanted prompt. Now his words are right here on the Front Page! If you think you've got what it takes, head over to the cblogs and slap some thoughts together. - Kevin]}

Let me tell you of a man who escaped death's door. Let me tell you of a king who brought the world to its knees. Let me tell you?? of a god who shaped Nosgoth's history. Let me tell you of Kain.

The Legacy of Kain series, with its majestic plot, has achieved much. But the character ??of its namesake stands above all else.

It's never really a question whether Kain is evil or not. The man is a bastard. You could make a case for him acting out of necessity at the start of Blood Omen when he get??s assassinated, but such a claim soon loses strength. After he acce?pts Mortanius' offer and revives as a vampire, he does hold a certain amount of contempt for his new form, but over time, he grows to enjoy it more and more.

After speaking with the elder vampire Vorador and procuring a frankly ridiculous arsenal of spells and weapons, Kain stops seeing much value in human lives beyond?? snacking. And throughout all this slaughter, he doesn't stop being an enjoyable protagonist. A big part of this is thanks to the performance by Simon ?Templeman.

He conveys confidence and pride with every word, as one would expect out of someone playing a vampire of noble descent. He has so many lines that I wonder just how muc??h disc-space is dedicated to them.

I wouldn't say that Kain is a lesser e?vil, merely the more open and dignified one. He values honesty and cuts down everyone standing in the way of his goal to slay the mad Circle of Nine to heal the land. But once the plot is done and he is expected to kill himself to save the world, the player is presented with the choice to do so.

Having Ka??in kill himself is of course the good ending, while having him live on is the bad one. But once the series changed hands, Crystal Dynamics realised that Kain thinks too highly of himself to let the good ending come to pass. So the foundation of the rest of the series is built upon Kain's arrogance and his insistence to not let vampirekind die out. That's the titular legacy.

He resurrects the warrior priests of the Sarafan (an old clan of vampire hunters) and makes them his unknowing vampire sons for the lols. Together, they subjugate all of Nosgoth and cover it with smoke to lessen the e??ffect of sunlight. Perfect setup for a plucky human to rise up against the evil empire and save the day, no?

Thankfully, ?a different story was told. Kain breaks into a chamber once owned by the Timestreamer Moebius and manages to learn of his fate. He is destined to die, thus saving Nosgoth from corruption. His selfishness drives him to change his fate, even though it should be impossi?ble.

He plays along with history's tale and feigns jealousy at the sight of his lieutenant Raziel's new wings. With that petty justification on disp?lay, he throws Raziel into an abyss of water and waits about a millennium for Raziel's vengeful return.

For a while, Kain preys on Raziel's sens?e of righteousness in order to drive him further on his ques?t for revenge, while still betting everything on Raziel's curiosity being the stronger force in the end.

After a climactic clash, Kain reveals part of his plans to change their fate, but runs away before giving a satisfying explanation, going back in time through a gate. It's at this point? that Raziel's hatred starts t??o wane a little bit.

In the past, they meet to discuss things, but it soon gives in to violence, and Kain bets his life on Raziel and his ability to change fate. This is the first time in the series where he displays fear. It's refreshing to see someone like Kain not be an unflappable badass at all times. As the series goes on, he displays a good deal of affection and trust for Raziel, in spite of their s??hared fate. You get the sense that Kain is only mostly ruthless and is willing ??to see Raziel eye-to-eye.

Kain escaping death here changes time, and the pair soon split. Raziel gives into curiosity, and learns more about his fate, while Kai??n prepares his big move so that he can save Raziel as well.

Entrenched in his fat??????????????????????????e, Raziel is close to killing himself when Kain suddenly appears. In the one moment, he has to change history and save them both. Kain wrest??s the blade from Raziel's chest and everything goes wrong.

The effect of the newly created timeline fills Kain with dread, as this change was exactly what his unknown enemies wanted. It is here we understand that Kain was right to try and change fate, as his enemies will most certainly have Nosgoth ruined, something he wants to stop after doing so himself. Still, the fact that he is standing after experiencing all of Blood Omen 2 in three seconds is mighty impressive.

They split up again and don't meet up until a murder-happy?? Raziel tries to kill Kain. Kain advocates peace and is struck down. He somehow manages to escape oblivion in a demonic dimension just in time to achieve maximal smugness in front of Moebius reporting on his death. It's such a delightful scene.

It really presents ??Kain as the magnificent bastard he is. I can't get enough of that smugness! No idea why. By all accou??nts I should perceive him as a selfish asshole. That either says something about me or the quality of the writing.

Then comes the finale, where Raziel tricks Kain into striking him down in a heartfelt scene betw?een lord and subject. Empowered by Raziel's sacrifice, and with a heavy heart, Kain beats the boss and is left with a small but distinct sense of hope.

And he remains as such SINCE THIS TIMELINE IS BULLSHIT AND THE SERIES WAS NEVER FINISHED, SO I'LL NEVER GET TO SEE THE END OF HIS CHARACTER ARC!

The post Heel-turn: Kain’s Legacy appeared first on Destructoid.

Long live the king

Last week, in the quick posts of Destructoid's community, we saw the rise and fall of community manager Wesley J. Russow. He rose to prominence with his immutable power, only to see it come crashing down as the working class clambered be?neath him and tore him down. Truly, the life and times of Westopher G. Raggamuffins was a l?esson in live fast, burn hot, crash spectacularly.

Wes went from community darling to lovable despot? over the course of a few days. It was a thing of beauty to behold. Truly, nothing is better to witness than a real-life heel turn. Wrestling is nothing without these terms after all. A "Face" is a good guy wrestler who fights the man, stands up for the little guy, and fights fairly while still winning. A "Heel", on the other hand, is a despicable, dastardly villain or even anti-hero. I loved Kurt Angle's antics as this gold medal Olympic winner turned wrestler who wasn't necessarily as likable as his gold medals imply. I loved hating that guy! A good heel is fun to hate, and there's nothing quite like the gasp of shock when watching the turn, when a face uses dirty tricks and turns into a heel.

Let me ask you this:? is Kratos a hero? Before we see Kratos return in what I'd call Dad of War, let's not forget Kratos’ sordid past as a hero. In the first game, it was a revenge tale. It was a story of a mythical Spartan warrior who wanted revenge on the God of War who betrayed him. But as the series went on, it became a story about the lengths Kratos would go to justify his vendetta against people who wronged him. He would literally destroy the world just to des?troy his enemies. Sure, we played as him, and we were taken on a ride, but would you really put your bet behind him and say, "Yeah, look at that hero!"

This month's Bloggers Wanted is about your favorite heel-turns or anti-heroes (in case a heel turn is too specific). Do you like it when Ryu turns into Evil Ryu? Or maybe you like Injustice, with its built in heel-turn Superman? I won't claim to understand the time line of Revolver Ocelot between Snake Eater and Guns of the Patriots, but I love that knucklehead.

To participate, just start a blog in our community section and title it "Heel-turn: [your blog title here]." Write to your heart's content, and if its up to snuff, you'll see your stuff published on the front page! Ju??st remember, you're telling us about your favorite heel-turns and anti-heroes, not becoming one yourself, like Wes. Rest in spaghetti, never forghetti.

The post Bloggers wanted: The heel-turn appeared first on Destructoid.

Stop me if you've heard this one. Goku and Superman walk into a bar...

Fan fiction. These two words, hair-raising to the average individual, nonetheless apply to a variety of things that do appeal to a large audience. Between the oddity of the Frasierverse, to these confusing Minecraft books for kids, to the rule 34 stuff you probably checked in secret once or twice, there’s fan-created content for everyone. And, of course, there’s the variety of tasteful and... less tasteful s??tories you can find on the web that immediately jump to mind as well.

Obama chuckled. "You mean the Chaos Emeralds?"

— Fanfiction_txt (@fanfiction_txt) April 30, 2013

On this month of festivities associated or not with religions responsible or not for the massacre of the populac??e in an attempt to suppress paganism, I figured the timing was just right to celebrate the fan-produced content we enjoy. No matter in which category it falls.

Video game fan content, in particular, has continuously impressed me over the years. From humble flash animations on Newgrounds all the way to Christian Whitehead and other fan game developers being hired by SEGA to work on an actual Sonic the Hedgehog game, there have been so many ?moments that made me go “Whoa, this is awesome.”

My personal favorite experience with fan-made content has been with the Ace Attorney series. Beyond the great lengths fans have gone to translate Ace Attorney Investigations 2, there’s just a wealth of very enjoyable standalone fan stories to be found. Fan games like Turnabout Substitution may not look as pretty as the real Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, but also don’t ask me to watch a shitty CGI concert multiple times in a row either! And what about Ace Attorney Online, the chat room that allows you to make you?r own cases… which always ??end up completely ridiculous? I love that so much!

In any case, this month’s Bloggers Wanted is a celebration of all things unofficial. It’s an opportunity to write in the Community Blog section about that fan game you love, or that Shrek x SpongeBob crossover webcomic you swear you hate (but secretly read every morning before work). All you have to do is write your story in the Cblogs and format the title as “The gift of fanfic: [your blog title here].”

And hey, if ??you want to write your own fan fiction, that??’s also fine by me.

The post Bloggers Wanted: The gift of fanfic appeared first on Destructoid.

Content out the Yakuza!

[If there's one thing I constantly hear about the Yakuza series, it's how incredibly stuffed to the brim it is with stuff to do. For some, that much content habitually crammed into a series is great! For others, it can be just a bit much. Kerrik52 falls somewhere in the middle of that distinction. Join him as he guides us through the massive amounts of stuff to do in Yakuza 5, and remember that writing a prompt for Bloggers Wanted is a great way to get your work featured by Destructoid! - Wes]

The Yakuza games are near and dear to my heart due to their drama, silliness, and face-breaking fights. After struggling to both purchase and download it (46 GB Sega! On PSN! How's that for overstuffed!?), I finally got my hands on Yakuza 5.

After playing 4 and Dead Souls, I was ??hyped to continue the story of the Dragon of Dojima and friends. And boy, what an odyssey it was.

There was a conspiracy, fa??mily troubles, Japanese quirkiness, betrayals, honour, and that special kind of shirtless final boss that always brings me b??ack to the series. But that wasn't everything, oh no.

As dictated by the title, there's five playable characters, all with their own story, abilities, sidestories, and minigames. It's an exercise in excess that I partook in fully. Since my gaming time is precious and I wanted to go for ”light completion” (do all quests) plus what else I could be bothered with so that I wouldn't be tempted to replay it for years to come. Follow your own teachings, and whatnot.

First up, there's Kiryu ”Disarmed & Dangerous” Kazuma himself, who has taken up work as a taxi driver. Play?ing as him is basically cheating, since he has Heat moves for almost?? every situation. And a drop kick that chains onto a backflip, can't forget that. He's more or less a god on the streets. Very fitting for the tutorial character.

Every character (besides Shun ”Dancing Feet” Akiyama) has a big sidequest that ??takes at least two hours, if not more. Kiryu's is centered around his service to the masses as a taxi driver. It's split between driving properly and engaging in crazy races. By playing both, you earn regular EXP and get the chance to pimp his ride. The races get samey, but they have a fully-developed story to go along with them. And that's one of the appeals of the series - the writers went through much effort to give all side activities some flavour and context.

Taiga ”The Bear Whisperer” Saejima has a hunting minigame to his name. It's quite layered, but s??till not that deep. You hunt animals with a gun, set traps, collect meat, and earn upgrades, all so you can earn a rematch with a giant bastard of a bear and punch it in the throat.

The su??rvival aspect is very easy, since hunger does little to impede your health and the western release comes bundled with a golden gun that's ra??ther easy to earn and abuse. But shooting angry animals between the eyes is rather satisfying.

Changing gears, the game then let's you play as Haruka ”The Japanese Pop Industry Is My Oyster” Sawamura, Kiryu's adopted daughter, as she tries to win an idol competition and get her big break. This is accomplished by engaging in the game's biggest timesink, as you must train her up and earn her fans in an idol sim. It's a weird thing to do in a crime drama, but it's fun for a while. Sadly, it does get tedious as you engage in yet another dance-off, listen to the same few songs or have to shake more sweaty hands than you'd ever want to. And she?? doesn't even use the power of her singing to slash airships in half or parry tank shells!

Kinda makes me wish that this was canon:

To round out?? the cast, there's everyone's favorite washed out B-Baller, Tatsuo ”Kanada!” Shinada. He starts poor and weak, so random battles are actually a bit threatening. This soon fades as you level up and get involved with his batting minigame. It's an extension of the normal batting cage, except you can make it much easier with some grinding.

Taking the main story, the sidestories and the big minigames together adds up to a lot. But this is Yakuza, w?here content rules and your free time doesn't matter. Let's go thro?ugh all the other crap you can do!

For every character (certain exceptions apply, naturally, you can't get Haruka to go on dates.) there's the main story, sidestories, and big ??minigame, as previously mentioned. But there's also the locker keys and t?own-specific collectibles to find plus tourist spots to photograph.

Then you need to scout out the restaurants for a chef for food buffs, find a master to train with, beat up Komato and his grandson in order to break the level limit, track down revelations, date a hostess, win enough encount?ers to earn the right to compete in Victory Road, compete in Victory road, and also do VR training ??with Japanese Doc Brown.

All of this culminates with a fight with the Amon family. The fight is a majestic marathon where you compete with ??each of the family members to see who can cheat the hardest. Filling your inventory with nothing but the best healing items is just enough to win, they are that evil.

I swear that Jo Amon has to be a Stand user, since he not only switches to the powers of the others, but also can summon and shoot exploding umbrellas! I call it Unchain The Rain (Power ??B, Speed C, Range B, Dura??bility D, Precision B, Potential D,). Haruka even gets a dance-off with Jo's niece!

That's where I gave up, but you can go even further beyond! There's the assorted minigames, like gambling, fishing, snowball fights, bowling, Virtua Fighter, and probably a dozen more I can't name right now. And if you're completely crazy, there's als?o Heat move and food completion. Did I mention that there's NG+ as well? Jesus ”Heffing” Chris almighty on a trampoline!

Even with all that said, Yakuza 5 is very engrossing. I feel lik??e the 80 hours I spent on it could've been reduced to 60 though. Less is more sometimes. Then again, most of what I did was optional content, so the blame is on me. Still a good game.

And I still have an unplayed copy of Kiwami resting on my shelf! And my copy of 0 is on the way! 6 comes out next year and Kiwami 2 isn't far behind! It really is a great time to be a Yakuza fan.

Loads of cinematics...

Dozens of minigames...

Hundreds of sidestories...

Thousands of collectibles...

just...great...

The post Overstuffed: Conquering Kamurocho appeared first on Destructoid.

My mind is telling me no, but my body is telling me yes!

[As he is often wont to do, Cedi gets at the subject of overstuffing one's self in games with the thought and analysis worthy of a scientific journal. Today's topic: Grinding in RPGs/mobile games! Do you, like Cedi and countless others, find yourself compelled to grind just to get so OP that you wipe that flamboyant grin off Kuja's face? Let us know in the comments! And while you're at it, contribute to our Bloggers Wanted prompt, where the Dtoid staff could find its front page overstuffed with user blogs! - Wes]

Level grinding is a very curious thing. Many times when critics refer to grinding in RPGs, it’s a complaint. Yet grinding has remained a staple mechanic of effectively every game within the genre, and even several games outside of it, for decades. It seems weird?, doesn’t it?

The concept itself was borrowed from tabletop RPGs, which are built around characters growing stronger from completing encounters. Yet the vast majority of GMs don’t want players to be too strong or ?too weak for any given plot climax, so they always orchestrate encounters in such a way to provide just enough EXP or loot for their desired difficulty curve. Most video games don’t have the luxury of being GMed by a human brain, so they’ve instead settled into the trend of repeating encounters which (traditionally) never diminish. Strange how such a tiny change completely alters the dynamic of what EXP and leveling up means in two otherwise similar mediums, isn’t it? I myself am no exception to the trap of the grind. I’ve repetitively mashed buttons for hours, days, sometimes even weeks just to get a few more points into my stats. Too many for any practical purpose, for sure.

And yet even when it’s obviously too much, I feel as if I can’t get enough of it. Not in tr??aditional RPGs, not in mobile games, not in Dynasty Warriors games, not in…anything.

RPG fans are intimately familiar with the feedback loop of grinding. You do stuff (which, 99% of the time, is defeating enemies) to fill your EXP bars. Fill the bars enough, you gain a level. You gain a level, you gain a bunch of stats, possibly with other bonuses, which make it ea??sier to do stuff like defeating enemies. So you do more stuff and, after a longer time or with more effort??, your EXP bar is full again. Lather, rinse, repeat. It’s a classic dopamine-fueled cycle of effort and reward feeding into each other. Usually, grinding is used as a means to an end, such as catching up with the difficulty curve of a powerful boss enemy, but it’s common to hear of people grinding for its own sake.

People often grind by seeking encounters in areas that aren’t too strong for them to clear. Repeatedly clearing such enemies is usually a low-risk, low-stress activity, since the party can probably spam basic techniques to easily clear basic enemies. Alternatively, the player might pursue more challenging foes that require more effort - such as the Elite Four in most Pokémon p?ostgames - but the repetition will cause them to form habits and patterns that consistently lead them to victories, thus making it similarly trivial in p??ractice. In either case, the lack of stress tends to make grinding a calming activity.

It’s easy to zone out and just fall? into the motions, trading the high stakes of a climactic battle for a calm before the storm. It gives you the opportunity to reflect on things, take it easy, maybe multitask a little on the side while you hammer away at buttons or let Auto Battle do it’s thing. It’s like when you just take a moment and relax on a sofa or grab a drink; you’re taking a break from all the stressful things around you to make yourself more willing and able to face them later. I’ve watched many Twitch streams that just consist of players grinding as they chat with the??ir audiences, and they’re a great way to unwind after a tiring day of work!

Another contributing factor to this habit, at least for me, is rooted in my love of shonen-style character growth. I enjoy seeing the weak become the strong. I enjoy nurturing the underdogs into the leaders of the pack. ??Struggling against increasingly greater challenges, discovering hidden strengths and abilities…gaining something from every little ??victory, progressing towards greater feats. Seeing arduous effort rewarded. Watching stats rise, skyrocket, multiply all the time! Me and my allies transforming into an overwhelmingly powerful team that can curbstomp the most threatening armies in the world! Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!

You ??know, just that intrinsic human desire of striving to improve.

For these reasons, grinding is a rewarding and relaxing aspect of RPGs that moderates the pace of a game. It sounds fun, right? Well…let’s not beat around the bush anymore, most gamers already know why grinding is looked down upon by so many. Oftentimes, it’s an arbitrary limitation that forces repetition to surpass number-based walls, rewarding time invested more than skill. As for why the process itself isn’t fun? If you sit on a couch doing nothing long enough, your attitude begins to shift from relaxed to bored. And if you grind for a very long period of time? It&rsqu??o;s so mind-numbingly dull you want to step away from it all.

And yet, even when I’m bored out of my skull by grinding? I keep telling myself to push on fart?her, ?until I hit a point where I feel I need to remove the game from my console.

Nippon Ichi Software develops a lot of RPGs that tout themselves for their grindiness, most iconically the Disgaea series. I love these games’ over-the-top style and gameplay, indulging in their creative worlds and creating my own armies of demonic "heroes." But boy, the advertisements aren’t kidding, these games do so much to spur me to grind. I can grind character levels. I can grind Mana to fund special features and upgrades. I can grind HL to fund new equipment and new party members. I can grind skill levels to make individual skills more powerful. I can grind stat-raising items to empower my favorite units further still. I can grind inside of my own equipment to make it more powerful. Everything you can think of and then some has a grinding aspect to it, creating multiple feedback loops that interconnect and overlap? with each other. And it i??s exhausting.

More importantly for my case, Disgaea veterans often tell me these mechanics are structured in a way that mostly rewards overpowering a single character. But personally, I have no interest in making only one overpowered unit; I want a personal army of overpowered units! So I invest even more hours and days and weeks into trying to grind up my forces for the next big challenge! And what’s that y??ou tell me? The Winged Warrior is a far underpowered class? Fudge that, I’m gonna transform this underdog into the strongest Overlord the Netherworld has ever seen no matter how much extra time it takes!

I convince myself to keep grinding even when I already have a team more than strong enough for the next story chapter, because I want to be ready for the next several battles after that! I tried so hard to overprepare myself that I end up burning myself out before I actually attempt to co??ntinue the plot! Even to this day, I’m still only at, like…Chapter 5 or so in Disgaea 5? And I never got mu?ch farther than that, if any,?? in Disgaea DS. I want to continue playing these games. I’ve enjoyed so much of my time with them, and I believe someday I will get back to them…but thanks to my grinding habits and the exhausting no??te they last left me on with these games, I struggle to find the motivation to do that at this point in time.

Yet somehow, I remain capable of consistently returning to another series (in)famed for its repetitive and grindy nature, Dynasty Warriors and its countless spinoffs. I think the big reason why is how the gameplay differs so much. It’s a very active type of game that often asks the player to juggle multiple tasks, and playing as different characters often brings different playstyles that radically break up the monotony of?? these tasks. While I am, in essence, doing the same thing for countless hours on end? I feel as if these games are always challenging me to find the most efficient ways to clear waves of mook?s and protect my defensive objectives, given different variables in my moveset and the battlefield around me. It’s still repetitive, but it doesn’t feel as repetitive as it looks.

That stil??l hasn’t saved me from burnout altogether.&nb?sp;Hyrule Warriors is my favorite Warriors game by far, thanks in part to the Adventure Maps. It’s also a? huge grind to 100% complete thanks to the Adventure Maps. There are so many different battles with slight variations that throw just enough wrinkles into the gameplay to feel distinct, yet remain similar enough to still fall into the same pattern as grinding. For the first several dozen hours, it’s a blast to discover new weapons and characters to play with and explore new battle rules! B??ut there is still an overwhelming amount of repetitive content.

By the time you reach the end of the first map, obtaining every piece of loot becomes walled off by enemies who can ruin your S rank rewards within a few attacks, if not just one. The best way to counter that, unfortunately, is to grind enough so that your attack power overwhelms them just as much. Even with all of the helpful updates to expedite the forging of an ultimate weapon and the creation of new Badges and the training to level 99 (or rather, level 255 now!), it’s an extremely long journey to get the characters needed for 100% Ad??venture Map completion up to that point. I’ve managed to come far closer to clear?ing everything than I first thought I would - perhaps someday I actually will complete it - but probably not until 2019, if even that soon. I just keep burning myself out every time I go back to it, no matter how much fun I have. And I have a lot of fun with Warriors games, as my past blogs can testify. That’s just how hot the grindstone gets wi??th the series.

And then there’s mobile gacha RPGs! I’ve already written at length what I think about them and why I enjoy them despite ??their controversies, but if there’s one of their trappings I can’t seem to escape, it’s the eternal grind. Always getting new characters I need to raise to the level cap. Always encountering new repetitive quests with valuable freemium currency as a reward. Always stumbling into limited-time events that give event-only rewards my teams can benefit from. Especially those events! Do you know how many hours you need to pour into these games to actually get every significant prize from them? The dozens of Raids in Granblue Fantasy you need to host to obtain and fully uncap the event exclusive SSR weapons? The hundreds of [insert event-flavored loot here] to get character level cap extensions in Tales of the Rays? The countless Tempest Trials you must clear to obtain every new event item and character in Fire Emblem Heroes!?

…Actually, FEH added a twice-a-day bonus multiplier to Tempest Trial runs, so that cuts down on grinding a ton. But everything else in that game! I grind so much, a part of me is actually gratef??ul when my Stamina depletes so I can more easily divert my attention elsewhere!

Even as I’m writing this, I’m trying to grind enough Toug??h Lens in Tales of the Rays to afford myself a Stahn Nexus Shard. And I’m planning on temporarily uninstalling the game immediately after I accomplish that so I can make room for other apps! I am grinding for a game I'm planning to go on hiatus for. Well, I’m doing it in part because if I don’t do that first, I won’t get to use these items when I re-install later, but the fact remains that I’m choos??ing to grind instead of freeing up my phone space immediately. That says a lot about my tendency for grinding in mobile games.

I get into these games in the first place because they always do something fun. I don’t like to keep playing a game if I expect that it only becomes fun later. If I play a game that I’m not having fun with on its own merits, I abandon it with no remorse. That’s what I did with Dragon Coins, which has very little to it other than the novelty of using a coin pusher machine as a?n RPG battle syste?m.

By contrast, Tales of the Rays plays almost much like a traditional Tales game, condensed for mobile phones. When I’m not grinding, it’s a fun and challenging thril?l to command my little fighters to victory in active combat with careful strategies and skillful combos, even against foes with a far higher Pow. Lv than my team! Even the cutscenes are interesting to watch and read! But the timed events command so much of my schedule to g??et everything of value that at times, it’s far more practical to leave the game running on Auto as I type this blog out. At that point, I’m doing it for the end result, not to enjoy the journey. And that’s the point where I become overstuffed with grinding.

Am I ever going to stop grinding altogether in games? I don’t think so, and I don’t want to either. Like enjoying good food, this mechanic has an intrin??sic appeal to my tastes that I proudly embrace. But am I ever going to stop overstuffing myself with grinding? I don’t know, but I’m reflecting on my tendencies now because I want to improve upon them. I enjoy gaming as an opportunity to explore and indulge in other worlds; not necessarily as a vehicle for escapism, but to gain creative experiences.

The fact that I’ve played certain games so much tha?t I shy away from them as if they are chores runs counter to my goal in enjoying games. I’ve done a ton of fun time-wasting things in games because they are exactly that; fun. That’s the only thing I need to justify play??ing games. That’s why we call it playing games. But when the things you normally find fun start to taste a little stale? It’s a better idea to put down y?our plate and wait for your stomach to settle, rather than try to force it all down right away. You’ll enjoy finishing your meal much more that way.

The post Overstuffed: Back to the daily grind appeared first on Destructoid.

A humble bundle lacking modesty

[Let he who doesn't have a massive, irritating fucking backlog cast the first stone! Let jaygerbomb regale you with a tale on this Thanksgiving Day of how a simple act of buying games on clearance led him to a lifelong struggle of resisting sweet gaming deals. Lord knows I'd be attending these group meetings, as well. This is a wonderful entry for our Bloggers Wanted series, where this month we're discussing gaming in all its excesses and merciless murders of brevity. Write a cool blog like this one, and you could see your work on Destructoid's front page! - Wes]

When I was a kid, my parents didn’t buy me a lot of video games. Sure, I remember getting a few for Christmas, birthdays and special occasions, but for the most part if I wanted a new NES game, I was buying it with my own money. I’d save my allowance, mow neighbors’ lawns, and shovel their d??riveways in order to save up enough to make my next acquisition. I managed to get a collection of near??ly 100 NES games at one point, and most of them I bought on my own.

A handful of those were bought at retail, but most came from other avenues. Flea markets, auctions, bartering with friends, and a local weekly classified ad sheet called “The Valley Trader” allowed me to snag some decent games at very reasonable prices. Every now and then I’d come across an insane deal. For example, I got into Mega Man starting with Mega Man 2, and by that point Mega Man 1 was damn near impos?sible to find. FuncoLand ??was charging nearly $100 for it used, if they actually had a copy in stock. But I found a copy at an auction and bought it for $5 - I was the only bidder. Thank god for kids who think auctions are boring, and adults who have no idea what they’re dealing with.

The first major video game sale event I remember was when a mom and pop video shop was going under and started selling off all their inventory. They rented video games as well, so I’d troll there for bargains. They had a coin-op Donkey Kong arcade machine they were hawking as well. I tried to swindle my parents into buying it - I’ll let you guess how that turned out. I did however manage to convince my mom to buy me WrestleMania Challenge and Batman at $20 a piece, but I was on my own from there. I picked up Simon’s Quest - my least favorite NES Castlevania, bu?t I already had the other two - for $15 that first week of their going out of business sale.

Now, as the weeks went on and their inventory reduced, they started slashing prices even further. That’s when it got interesting. You see, I started buying games that I didn’t want THAT badly, but hey - more games is more games, am I right? Gremlins 2 (actually pretty good, Sunsoft nailed licensed games in those days), Superman, Bad Dudes, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms were all mine for a mere $10 a piece. Then a couple of weeks later,? with only seven days left before the doors were shuttered, prices hit rock bottom. But all the games left sucked. Really, truly sucked.

This opened the door to what would become a horrible habit - the first time I remember buying an objectively bad video game simply because it was just *too* cheap to pass up. In April 1991, I purchased a copy of X-Men for NES, for $1. It’s not like I didn’t know how bad it was - I had rented the game before from this very store once before, and I hated it. Not just because it was a crappy game, but because it sullied the name of my favorite comic book characters. But it was sooooooo cheap. How could I *not* buy it? How could I resist bumping my NES game count by one more and maintaining my status as the kid with the most NES games in my school? A status symbol like that is important to a 12-y?ear-old, damn it!

A few years later, the Super NES would arrive, and I’d be back in the same boat of trying to acquire games on a shoestring budget. I did some things I’m not proud of - Bubsy the Bobcat, I’m looking in your direction - but in the mid-’90s I got a part time job, and that increased my cashflow significantly. I’d troll bargain bins at Wal-mart and Kay Bee Toys, and sometimes end up with a decent game to show for it - my crowning moment of glory was when I picked up X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse for $20. I feel th?at getting an actual good X-Men game on the chea?p was universe’s way of making sure everything balances out in the end.

Another interesting thing about that particular point in time was that was also when I got into computer gaming. I’m not going to lie, I pirated the lion’s share of games I played. This was back when games were distributed on floppies and had little to no copy protection - most of the time, it was just entering a word or phrase found on a particular page of the manual. But I also bought quite a few too. It was fairly common to find collections of cheap games on CD-ROM in a lot of stores. And by cheap, I mean like 10 full games for $15-20. A lot of them would be complete ass, but there’d usually be at least one really good one. I came across one that had King’s Quest V and Space Quest 4 on CD - both of which I already owned on 3.5” floppies, though that lacked voices for the characters - along with a lot of other games I wasn’t really interested in, though Gobliins did up being a pleasant surprise. But this establ?ished a second very dist??urbing data point about myself - I will double dip on a game for a slightly better version if the price is right.

My game purchasing slowed down a bit in the PS1 and subsequent generations, in part because I started adulting and didn’t have as much disposable income. I was definitely about quality over quantity at that point - I’d rather have the money to buy one Tekken 3 than a bunch of Bubsy 3D clones, after all. Also, I just got broadband (1mpbs DSL, baby!) and had modded sy?stems, so I still pirated an assload of games. Hey, at least I’m being honest about it - don’t judge.

So for quite a while, I bought games like a normal person - or maybe?? a casual? At one point, I owned a PS3, an Xbox 360, a Wii, a DS, and a capable gaming PC, and I’d generally only play one game at a time. I’d buy a game, play the hell out of it, then move on to something else. Sometimes if it were a game that really stuck with me, I’d hang onto it, but a lot of times I’d trade it in. I stopped pirating games in that era, mainly bec??ause I barely had time to play the games I actually owned.

Then, something peculiar happened in December of 2008. There was this program I had installed on my computer called “Steam.” It was a form of DRM for Half-Life 2, which I had just recently re-installed after upgrading my video card. I got a notification that there was a massive sale on Steam’s online game store - everything was at least 25% off, some as much as 75%! Now, I knew Steam sold games, but I never really paid attention - I didn’t want digital games, I like having boxes with manuals, maps, and all that other good stuff. But still…the PC version of BioShock for $4.99? How can I pass that up? The 2009 winter sale, however, really sucked me, and that was it ??for me. I double-dipped on a bunch of games I already owned for the convenience of having them tied to my?? Steam account.

Steam sales sent me on a downward spiral. I was back to buying games I owned on another platform (or even already on PC), games I didn’t really want, or games that even outright sucked just because they were cheap. I own Stalin vs. Martians, for fuck’s sake! And the worst part is, it broke the seal on my antipathy toward digital games. Once that floodgate was opened I found myself purchasing from other digital storefronts, like Origin - “Sure, EA sucks but that’s a damn good price for Dragon Age!”, and Nintendo’s eShop. The worst part about the latter is that games don’t even get that big of a discount, but how can I NOT buy Yoshi’s Woolly World for 3DS when it’s only $30?  Hell, I've got dozens of games on Humble Bundle that have I haven't even revealed, let alone redee?med the key for!

Today, I own around 400 games on Steam, and that’s only because I’ve been able to exercise some restraint because I like to be able to do things like pay my mortgage and feed my children, and they like to eat things besides ramen noodles. My brother-in-law -? who has no kids - is well over the 1,500 mark at this point. But that’s a terrible mindset - it’s like saying I’m not an alcoholic because I only black out naked on my lawn on Fridays and Saturdays, while the guy next door does it EVERY night.

The really sick part is that not only have I not played most of these games, but I haven’t even installed most of them. Hell, I don’t even know what I own at this point - it’s not u??ncommon for me to see a game is on a regular weekly/daily sale and think &ldqu??o;Oh, that’s a good price, I should get that!” only to discover I already own it when I try to put it in my cart. And then there are games I've never heard of, but own for some reason.

Between Steam, Origin, GOG, Nintendo, and various other digital storefronts, I own at least 500 games that I’ve resigned myself to the fact I’ll probably never actually play. Some of those games have been acquir??ed through seasonal sales. Some have been through third-party resellers. Some have been Humble Bundles. At this point, even if I were to complete ??one game a week, it would still take me close to ten years to get through my backlog. And yet… I want more...

The post Overstuffed: Addicted to game sales appeared first on Destructoid.

The cheapest buffet in town

[Alright, a little over halfway through the month and we're not even close to being overstuffed with blogs! Join jaygerbomb and Kerrik52 in telling the rest of the class when ??you felt filled to the brim with gaming - good or bad! Entries are subject to mass approval fro?m your peers and very moist smooches from yours truly.]

Is there a holiday or time of the year more indulgent than Thanksgiving? I mean, we cook a turkey that weighs as much as three newborn babies, whip up about a billion sides consisting mostly of carbs and butter, and top the whole thing off with nine different pies, all featuring the main ingredient of "excess." It's equal parts disgusting and awesome, and is definitely my second favorite holiday b??ehind our dearly departed Halloween.

But we were so occupied with wh?ether we could eat six pounds of food in one sitting, that we didn't stop to think if we should. That brings us to November's Bloggers Wanted prompt: Overstuffed.

Playing through Horizon Zero Dawn really got me thinking on this topic. Don't get me wrong, the game has a really cool and fairly unique sci-fi story, the combat is fun and engaging, and the art direction uses vibrant color - a concept that largely died out near the end of the PS2 era, but man, is it long. The map is huge and stuffed with nooks, crannies and collectibles, and boy, by the time I wrapped the story and collected my Platinum tro?phy the game had really worn out its welcome. It's a shame really, as I truly enjoyed the game for its main components; but by the time I had picked off my ten-thousandth evil villager and performed my ten-billionth stealth kill on a Ravager, I found myself wishing the game would end soon.

I got this feeling about 3/4 of the way into the game. That?? is not good.

Modern gaming is great in that developers tend to pack in a metric shit-ton of things to do in their games. Modern gaming is also horrible because developers tend to pack in a metric shit-ton of things to do in their games. This tendency to overstuff their games with content is often overwhelming and can cause an otherwise excellent experience to drag. It was less of a problem when I was 18 and had all the time ??in the world; at 30 with a day job an??d a family, it's a complete game-changer.

So, beloved jbsgame.community, tell of us a time you felt overstuffed from gaming! It can be from a game you enjoyed that just felt too long like above, a time you binged on all thirty-two Kingdom Hearts titles, a particularly meaty haul of games you got at a yard sale - anything at all that celebrates or at least discusses your Thanksgiving-like excesses ??in?? gaming!

Write a blog with "Overstuffed:" an??d then your subject in the title, and let the world know of your girthy gaming experiences! We love promoting blogs to the front page here at Dtoid, and Bloggers Wanted is a great way to get noticed *wink wink nudge ??nudge hip thrust*

Happy blogging, everyone!

The post Bloggers Wanted: Overstuffed appeared first on Destructoid.

I swear this isn't about a poop fetish

[For most people, when asked to overcome a fear their mind typically goes to an instance where they were spooked by something horrifying and sinister. For Kevin, overcoming fear meant to defy social convention and be the man he was meant to be. Good job, DeadMoon! Get your work featured by Destructoid by contributing to our monthly Bloggers Wanted prompt. Now get out there and get spooky! - Wes]

Believe it or not, there was a time when all I played was the latest AAA games. I mainly stick to smaller indie titles now, but that only started after XBLIG and XBLA showed me the glowing creativity that was possible at the lower-cost levels of game development. Still, there was something magical about those big blockbusters like the Gears of War series and Halo 3.? I spent countless hours after school teaming up with my friends and?? showing strangers on the internet just how the fuck it was done.

Call of Duty, however, never really struck a chord with me. That is, until the original Modern Warfare released. I still thought the online was garbage twitch shooting that lacked any real room for coordinated team combat unlike my slower-paced favorites. Although, I did manage to fall head over heels for the campaign mode. I must have beaten that damn thing on Veteran at least 30 times. It was incredibly fresh and a genuine challenge at the time. Sure, the checkpoints were fairly generous, but you had to know what the hell you were doing to actually see it through. The arcade mode was a blessing as well. I loved the score-chasing aspect of it.

If these people aren't cool, I don't know what the fuck is...

When Modern Warfare 2 hit the store shelves, I instantly fell head over heels for it. No Russian, the infamous airport terrorist scene, was genuinely really fucking shocking at the time. The game took risks. On top of that, it wasn’t afraid to be goofy either. My favorite mission, by far, was Wolverines. It was a subtle nod to Red Dawn which is one of the greatest so-bad-t??hey’re-good films of all time. Once again, I didn’t care much for the online component, but I had other?? games for that.

At that point in time, you’d be hard-pressed to find a genuine gaming fan who couldn’t find something to enjoy about the series. It was just cool as fuck. That all started to change with Modern Warfare 3. It was still a decent game, but it was mostly a rehash of everything that worked well in the? prior entry. It felt…. hollow.

This was a trend that continued within the franchise, in my opinion, for quite some time afterwards. There’s only so many times you can do an on-rails helicopter sequence before it gets stale. Over the years, Call of Duty went? fro?m that “hot shit” to something only “filthy casuals” enjoyed in the eyes of many die-hard gamers.

The series was still selling like hot cakes, but it started to take on this stigma as well. It stood hand-in-hand with bro culture, and the frat boys ruined it for the internet like one of their drunken “brothers” who just puked up a mixture of Natty Ice, Cheetos, and vodka all over the floor at a party featuring entirely too much (see: any) Dave Matthews Band and Jack Johnson ?;o??n the playlist.

The series got meme-ified to hell and back, and no longer held onto that esteemed “cool” status that it once had among my friends. It was almost embarrassing when others found out you were playing it. Granted, my friends have always been total fucking nerds, but there’s a certain hivemind mentality that takes root in most social circles. In my group of friends, Call of Duty was some weak bullshit for little kids.

No matter what though, I always stood by the single-player campaigns for Modern Warfare 1 & 2. There were plenty of hot garbage releases surrounding them, as well as the completely solid looking World At War, but those two games always stuck in my mind as excellent experiences. Years later, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Why the fuck did I ever stop playing them?” Luckily, Black Ops was there to remind me. After all of this time, they’re still pumping out the same d??amn game! What the fuck?!? I heard their multiplayer components were enjoyable, but, as I stated earlier, that never really got my dick hard in the first place. I just wanted to play as a badass war hero for a few hours whil??e drinking some beers. Did I get that? Eh, sort of. It was, overall, just a bit boring though.

So, I got to return to my friends and continue beating on this longstanding, creatively dead horse. I was still part of the pack. In between a few select modern titles, we spent most of our days back then playing Halo 2 for the original Xbox and Super Smash Bros. for the N64. Like I said, we were fucking nerds.

We were trapped in our own little bubble that time forgot. It was amazing.

Most of those friends moved away or are too busy working 60+ hours a week now to sit down and play video games. They’ve got full-fledged “lives” at this point. As I’m sure most of you are aware, I’m still an immature child trapped in an aging, bearded, bald man’s body. I make time for video games. I can&rsq?uo;t get enough of the stuff.

A couple years ago, on a total whim, I picked up Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare for my shiny, new PlayStation 4. I didn’t have a whole lot of money, and it was fairly cheap in comparison to a huge portion of the system’s library. I’d heard, surprisingly, good things and thought that maybe it was time for me t??o give the franchise another chance. You know what? I’m really fucking glad I did! It was a great game, and my friends weren’t around to give me any shit about it! Was it ?perfect? Absolutely not. It was, however, a really damn good time. The multiplayer still left my dick limp and lifeless, but the campaign was fun.

Everything I know is a lie.....

The stigma is still there for folks who play Call of Duty, but who the hell cares? My story is kind of a bit backwards. Most people typically get shit for playing visual novels and watching fan service-filled anime (*raises hand slowly*), but it shouldn’t matter what other people think. Video games are supposed to be fun. That’s al??l that matters. Are you enjoying yourself? Well then, fuck the haters! They can eat sh??it!

The post Overcoming Fear: Call of Poopy appeared first on Destructoid.

Promoted from our Community Blogs!

[Find that inward motivation to express creativity can be tough under normal circumstances. Add in the overlapping burden of family legacy, and you've got a hell of a dilemma on your hands. D-Volt shares with us a story of how his love for artistic expression hit a serious roadblock, only to be redeemed by the unlikely duo of a TV painter and a video game. This blog is fantastic, folks, and goes to show how video games can sometimes mean more than their face value. D-Volt got his work featured on Dtoid's Front Page by contributing to our Bloggers Wanted prompt, running with a new theme every month. Why don't you try your hand at it? - Wes]

Author's Note: This is the first time I'm including an audio version of my C-Blog. I know sometimes people want to read a blog, but don't have the time. I figured having the option to consume my work in audiobook-style format might make my work more accessible. You can also read through my blog while having it narrated by me or not use this option at all. The choice is entirely yours. But PLEASE, if you use this option and enjoy it, let me know in the comments! Making these takes a little extra time, so knowing whether it's worth it or not would be very valuable to me. With all tha?t said, enjoy!

When I was eight years old, I used to draw comics wi?th my older brother. We’d pull the whole art supplies drawer right out of the cabinet and dump the entire contents onto the living room carpet. Crayons, colored pencils, stencils, pastels, watercolor sets, and more cascaded across the floor. We’d gather them all up and let our imaginations run wild. My favorite creation was Stickman, a stick figure with a cape, flaming head, and strong sense of justice. My brother and I had hours of fun pitting our heroes and villains against each other in comic book form. Neither myself nor my brother were particularly great at art, but that didn’t matter in the least. When we presented our comic to our mother, who eagerly read each one with apparent interest, we just wanted to share our fun with others. Art to us wasn’t serious or difficult. It certainly wasn’t something to be embarrassed of. It was our incredible hours of fun, made manifest in?? the form of a few colorful pieces of printer paper.

Over time a chasm began to form between the level of art skills of myself and my older brother. He began creating comics at his school between himself and his friends, comics so good that his art teacher told our mom that he had “a gift.” He took art classes in high school, made art commissions for hire, and finally graduated an art major from college. My brother’s work became the real deal. I, on ??the other hand, took a different path. I was much more interested in politics and journalism as a profession. I focused more heavily on my studies, graduating in the top 10% of my class from elementary school through high school. I’m currently working towards a degree in World Politics (think a mixture between International Relations and Political Science). Art had no place in my future plans, so I let it fall to the wayside.

I had ??purposefully done this because I was afraid of creating art now. Whereas once it was a fun escape from the laborious tasks of everyday life (taking out the garbage had been considered such a task to an eight-year-old me), now I was too old to create art just for fun. When I did try picking up the colored pencils again, people would begin ?to ask, “Why are you drawing stuff if you’re not going to do it for a living?” Worse still, the people who knew my older brother would always compare my work to his. There’s nothing more discouraging than to have your amateur work compared to that of a master. I had scaled a rock wall only to see Mount Everest in the distance, its sharp, craggy surface seemingly twisted into a mocking smile.

It’s a strange feeling, having something you once loved corrupted into a fear. The only similar feeling I can think of is reconnecting with a friend years later, only to realize you no longer have anything in common. You want to be friends and you know you could be again, but you lack the time and motivation to make it happen. Far easier to reminisce over old times, say your goodbyes, and occasionally like their posts on Facebook. Art was the childhood friend of both myself and my older brother who grew closer to my brother than me. In time I forgot about my desire to create art and soon it was the furthest thing from my mind. I was no artist, a?nd I never would? be.

October 29th, 2015. It was another normal day as a sophomore in college and I had been studying in my room for much of the day.  During a study break, I decided to hop on Twitch to see what the whole “Twitch Plays” phenomenon was all about. I could never have imagined that the first step to rediscovering my love of artistry and overcoming my fears would come to me via a video game streaming service, but it did in the form of a '80s/'90s TV program. I hadn’t known it, but at the time Twitch was launching its new art streaming category, and to kick things off they were streaming an endless marathon of The Joy of Painting. Curious as to what this was, I veered off my intended trajectory and be?gan ??to watch.

Don’t mind if I do, Bob. Don’t mind if I do.

I was enraptured. Something about this program instantly grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Bob Ross would create beautiful landscapes out of nothing and play it off as the easiest thing in the world. In his soothing voice he insisted that anyone, ANYONE could be an artist. It didn’t matter if you weren’t going to pursue it as a profession or your art wasn’t particularly great. What mattered is that you made something you could be proud of and had fun doing it. This man may have died earlier in the year I was born, but he was talking to me, personally, in the here and now. You know in Pixar’s Ratatouille, when the rat Remy has that d??ead chef Gusteau always floating around him, constantly espousing his personal philosophy that, “Anyone can cook”? Bob Ros??s was my Gusteau, whispering in my ear with every scratch of his knife on the canvas: “Anyone can paint.”

If what Bob said was true, even I could be an artist once more.

I must have watched at least 70 episodes over the course of that marathon. I listened to Bob when I studied. I listened to him when I went out to lunch. I watched him before I went to bed. The seed had been thoroughly planted in my brain: I wanted to be an artist once again. At the realization of this, however, fear once again gripped my heart like a beartrap and the doubts entered my mind: Where do I even begin?! I don’t have the money for an art set! I don’t want to join an art class if I don’t know if I’ll actually enjoy it! Bob had brought me once again to the Door of Art, but it wasn’t his place to give me the key. I jumped on Amazon and searched for art supplies, how-to-draw books, and other art necessities. However, when I saw the overall price in my cart, I deleted all the items. Discouraged, I put down my phone and started playing Rune Factory 4 on my 2DS.? Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning bet?ween the eyes.

My 2DS! That was the key to opening my door! I loaded up Amazon once again and purchased Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone for $15. In the next two days until my game arrived I was in the throes of fear and loathing. The doubts about my purchase that occupied my mind were all-consuming, never leaving my thoughts for more than an hour at a time. Not even watching the The Joy of Painting marathon could assuage me now. I don’t think I ever ran to the mail center as fast as I did when I got the confirmation email my game had arrived (which is saying something, since I ran pretty fast when Super Smash Bros. for 3DS came).

Could this be the key to my salvation?

Art Academy proved to be just the key I was looking for. From the step-by-step lessons, to Vincent’s (your mentor in the game) interesting commentary on art theory, everything about the game brought out the inner artist I had been suppressing for so long. Eventually though, it was time for me to ditch the lessons and create something by myself. Though daunting, I knew this moment would have come eventually if I ever wanted to defeat my fear. I ended up making two pieces of art. One was a painting of a mug my roommate had gotten me th?at had the Seattle Space Nee?dle on it.

The other was a drawing of my fam?ily’s cabin.

And…they looked okay! They weren’t high art, that’s for sure, but I could identify what I had drawn! I was an artist once more! But why then did I still feel fear weigh me down? Though I enjoyed my hour??s spent painstakingly making these two works, I didn’t feel free from my fear. I realized the only way I would rid myself of this feeling forever would be to share my works with the world. I made myself an Instagram and uploaded my work.

I hadn’t experienced a moment where I felt time stood still until I uploaded my art to the intern?et. My fear had frozen me in place and I was left staring at the screen, awaiting the opi?nions of the world. It would either reject my art or embrace it, there could be no in-between. Every agonizing minute became an hour. I broke out in a cold sweat. Something had to happen and it had to happen now.

And then, when I couldn’t bear to wait a moment longer, the likes poured in. My notifications wouldn’t stop. Now a comment: “Wow D-Volt, I didn’t know you could draw!” My friend??s messaged me on Facebook asking why I hadn’t shown them my work before. My older brothe??r told me that my work was “pretty good.” I received follow requests from all my friends. My art had been vindicated. Maybe not by “the” world, but by “my” world. All these people who knew me personally didn’t think me weird for making art even though I wasn’t going to be pursuing it as a profession. Instead they encouraged me to make more, just as Bob had encouraged me.

I’m not usually the type ??to be moved to tears, but I cried. I cried until my eyes hurt. All those years of being terrified of?? rejection and judgment were at an end. I could make art whenever I wanted now and share it with whoever I wanted. The chains of fear that had long weighed me down were broken. I was free.

I never thought my love of video games would eventually bring me back to art. It was my love of gaming that attracted me to Twitch and brought The Joy of Painting into my life. And it was my love of games that convinced me to buy Art Academy and use my 2DS as the means to combat my fear.

Today I still make art on my 2DS, but overcoming my fear has also broadened my appreciation of art and brought new forms of art into my life. I became obsessed with mashup artists Triple-Q and BotanicSage [BS] and their amazing video game and anime music mashups months after I became an artist again. With my fear conquered, I wasn’t afraid to actually start making mashups myself.  I started out terrible, sure, but over time my work became something I could be proud of. If I hadn’??t overcome my fear, I likely would have given up the moment I made my first horrible mashup. (I'll leave a link to my mashup works in the comments below if you're interested in sampling that.)

I’m an? artist today thanks to video games and I couldn’t be happier.

The post Overcoming Fear: Can I Really Be The Artist? appeared first on Destructoid.