When I was a kid, a lot of my favorite video games involved work. I loved filling takoyaki batter with octopus or folding a pale yellow omelette in Cooking Mama. I brushed my virtual Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with care in Nintendogs, I rushed to serve hamburgers to waiting customers in Diner Dash. I liked these games because they were gentle in their execution, free from the blood, guts, and pressure that the Call of Duty fans in my elementary school esteemed. Fuck green helmets in a fantasy Cold War, I wanted to make Krissy, the titular baby in Barbie: Let’s Babysit Krissy, giggle.

Also, I thought the Salisbury steak graphics in Cooking Mama were good for 2006.

[caption id="attachment_272327" align="aligncenter" width="640"] [Image credit: Cooking Mama Wiki][/caption]What I didn’t know is that the kind of work these games asked players to engage in was a type of domestic labor historically performed by women and often described as “women’s work.�“Women’s work�is a broad term, usually used to describe jobs performed at home and out in the world that fall under the � C’s� cleaning, catering, cashiering, clerical work, and caring. Women who work these jobs are often underpaid (according to a March 2020 report by the Economic Policy Institute, in 2019??, women on average earned 22.6% less than men with similar backgrounds) and disrespected by a patriarchal society that still asso??ciates domestic-type duties with skilless, simple labor.

According to history professor Alexandra Finley in an article for The Washington Post, this association goes back centuries, especially as women’s work often “was performed by female family members, servants, and, in many cases, enslaved women.�/p>

“During the 19th century, Americans conceptualized domestic labor as feminine,�?she wrote. “This made household labor both vital and invisible to society.�Victorian ideals like the �a href="//academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_19c/thackeray/angel.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angel in the house?,�a submissive wife that kept a tidy home without complaint or sweat, baked serendipity and grace into work that can be more accurately described as physically demanding and emotionally draining.

But this isn’t about the perfect Victorian woman, this is about video games. I am surprised by how games like Babysit Krissy and Miley’s Malibu Manicure (a Hannah Montana nail salon game), just like play kitchens and baby dolls, were primarily marketed to young girls. There seems to be no point to this when, unlike a sputtering Easy Bake Ov??en, video games seek to transform. When you play a video game, you become the character you’re given,?? or a faceless set of hands, or something outside of humanity entirely. You’re unbound by gender and what your peers could think of you if you were, for example, a little boy too nervous to ask his parents for a doll.

[caption id="attachment_272328" align="aligncenter" width="791"] [Image credit: Babe.net][/ca??ption]You don’t have to worry about what people think when you’re alone with your Nintendo DS. You can identify with Barbie while you dress her up, or an unseen chef trying to make their Cooking Mama proud. Despite marketing efforts, the soothing repetitiveness of these games could be enjoyed by anyone, and their lasting cultural relevance proves that they were.

And by making women’s work the focus of a game that you, presumably, want to succeed at, these games establish traditionally feminine work as something that can be difficult and tricky in addition to rewarding and fulfilling, just like any other job or more “masculine�Call of Duty campaign. Anyone can do “women’s work,�and everyone wants to feel va??lued ?once they complete it.

But women in the U.S. are still inadequately paid and treated for the vital work that they do. These games from the 2000s haven't prevented this current reality. But, still, I’m grateful for the importance and focus they place on women’s work, especially if they remind us to remember the women outside of them. They’ve always been there, working,?? caring, ready fo??r someone to pay close attention.

The post Unlike the rest of us, Cooking Mama values women’s work appeared first on Destructoid.

A humble PSA

Ever hear someone name-drop an old video game and then immediately feel an irresistible impulse to stop what you're doing, seek it out, an??d see how well it holds up??? Hey, me too. What a coincidence!

Yesterday, in light of Frontier's upcoming Planet Zoo, the Destructoid staff got to chatting about simulation games we wished someone would make. (Here's a freebie courtesy of Occams: a thoughtful museum sim in which you design and curate exhibits. Neat, right?) Our conversation took some detours and, at one point, Chris mentioned PopCap's fish-raising click-'em-up Insaniquarium in passing.

A??t that moment, my brain was struck by nostalgia lightning. I needed to play it right then and there.

And so I did! After learning that 1) there sure are a lot of sketchy browser-based knockoffs and 2) somehow I never got the game on Steam or Origin or seemingly anywhere else (???), I bought Insaniquarium Deluxe. It was five bucks w?ell spent. Case in point, it's been 24 hours and I've only now managed to mentally tea??r myself away long enough to escape the game's siren song. It's taunting me.

If you've never play??ed it or your memories are hazy, the structure goes a little so?mething like this:

Feed your fish – but not too much! Watch them grow. Snatch the coins they drop. Buy loads more fish. Fen?d off freaky alien invaders. Upgrade your blaster. Spend your life savings amassing so many guppies, they no longer exist as individuals with hopes and dreams and instead morph into a single screen-filling legion with no beginning or end. Beat the level. Unlock a new helper. Then happily do it all again.

A decade-and-a-half ago, Insaniquarium was an intoxicating little puzzle game. In 2019, it still slaps.

The post Insaniquarium still slaps in 2019 appeared first on Destructoid.

Wild blue yonder

It has been quite some time since we last heard about Thatgamecompany's Sky. I forgot it was even working on a new game, let alone a mobile one. I've associated the company with Sony for the better part of a decade thanks to its ?PS3 works. Regardless of all of that, this new trailer shows us quite?? a bit of the game; 30 minutes, to be exact.

From the looks of things, this definitely is reminiscent of Journey. The game appears a little more involved since you're actively collecting things and int?eracting with environments, but it still exhibits the studio's minimalist style. You can even customize you?r character with different wigs, capes and clothing options. That is fun.

There stil??l is no release date for the title, but I'd? assume the game is pretty far along. This trailer looks like a finished game, at least.

ThatGameCompany’s Sky Special Preview ~ iOS [AllGamesDelta via YouTube]

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I wonder if HD rumble makes fart jokes work better

Jackbox Games confirmed earlier today that its most recent collection of party games, The Jackbox Party Pack 3, will soon be available for the Nintendo Switch. This will be the first Jackbox game available on a Nintendo platform, since the previous entries i??n th?e series skipped the Wii U.

We're excited to announce that The Jackbox Party Pack 3 is coming soon to Nintendo Switch™! pic.twitter.com/g5xS8fEikY

— Jackbox Games (@jackboxgames) February 1, 2017

The Jackbox Party Pack 3 seems like a perfect fit for the Switch, since the portable nature of the console will make it easy to bring along to friends' houses or family gatherings. I've tried bringing a laptop with earlier Jackbox games installed to a friend's house, and it was a big hassle trying to figure out how to connect it to his system. This could potentially be a way to interest new players in the Switch as well, though it?'s safe to assume that the Switch version will still require every player to use a smartphone or other device with online capabilities in order to play. 

There's no word on a date for the Switch version, and  no mention of earlier titles in the series being ported to the Switch just yet. The Jackbox Party Pack 3 was one of my favorite games from last year, so I'm glad that more people will get the chance to experience it on Nintendo's new?? hardware.

JackboxGames [Twitter]

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No genre is safe from zombies

Q-Games, developer of The Tomorrow Children and the PixelJunk series, has decided to move to VR for its next title, Dead Hungry. More specifically it will be coming to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive via Steam. If you were baffled by The Tomorrow Children, try to break this one down. Dead Hungry could be classified as a zombie, t??ower defense, job simulati??on, puzzle, and/or cooking game. 

Almost as if to try and one-up Counter Fight, Dead Hungry tries to be even more silly with rampaging zombie school girls, sumo wrestlers, and selling hamburgers and pizza on the streets of Japan. Seems like a lot of these types of games are going to try to ride the coat tails of Job Simulator.

A hectic and hilarious grill action VR game! [PixelJunk]

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Bringing a whole new meaning to the pantsu genre

Hoo boy, this one's a doozy! Recently put up on Steam Greenlight is a game made surprisingly not in Japan, but by a guy in Taiwan. While most soft-core hentai games like Senran Kagura or Akiba's Trip focus on seeing and collecting women's underwear, Pan Pan flips the narrative by having you play as women's underwear. That's a first for me.

It appears you normally attack by shooting Dragon Ball style energy blasts because of course you do, but there also appears to be both melee and projectile weapons such as katanas, machine guns, and sniper rifles. If only this had multiplayer (it doesn't) then the likes of Call of Duty, Titanfall, Battlefield, and Gears of War would have met their match.

The creator wants you to know it's not a dirty hentai game, and that all, ahem, garments have their own unique abilities with descriptions such as "The White panty?? is soft, the Bear panty is fierce." I don't want no trouble Mr. Bear.

Pan Pan [Steam Greenlight]

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Pang in my side

_{[Update: Added the release date for the Wii U version of the game as well as notated that the game is cross-buy across Nintendo consoles.]}

Remember Buster Bros. (aka Pang outside of America)? It's that game where you walk? back and forth shooting bubbles ?that bounce around the screen with various guns. When shot, the bubbles pop and split into two smaller bubbles multiple times till you've destroyed them all. Certain iterations of the game had multiplayer and various other additions.

Pirate Pop Plus feels like a cheap Game Boy knockoff of that series only not an adventure game, instead opting to go for a score-based arcade sensibility. It also costs a dollar more than Virtual Console ports of Game Boy titles such as Kirby's Dreamland 2, which make??s it look like a tech demo. However, it is at least cross-buy with the Wii U ?version of the game, which is a feature I wish more games would take advantage of.

Also, for some reason, it's only avail??able on 3DS if you've got the more powerful New va?riety.

Pirate Pop Plus (New 3DS [reviewed], PC, Wii U)
Developer: dadako
Publisher: 13AM Games
MSRP: $4.99
Released: October 20, 2016 (New 3DS, Wii U) November 4, 2016 (PC)

When I say Pirate Pop Plus is a knockoff of Buster Bros., I mean it, down to the same exact mechanics for the few weapons avail?ab??le. The formula is mixed up a bit, as instead of just popping bubbles while standing on the ground, you and the bubbles will be pulled onto the walls or ceiling when magnets are activated (game logic). Additionally, you can bounce your character off bubbles if you manage to fall on them. But a few small tweaks aren't enough to make me want to choose this over one of the games it imitates.

As this is an arcade-like affair, you'll be popping bubbles for as long as you can to get high scores as well as coins. Coins can be used to unlock characters and customize the Game Boy-like border on the top screen. The game screen is in a small box surrounded by a d-pad and a single button that reacts in real time to your actions, which is probably the most interesting part about Pirate Pop. Unfortunately, the default screen size is too small and the only other option makes it bigger while forcing off the cool handheld border, defeating the purpose of playing ?to earn more coins.

If I had to say anything nice about Pirate Pop, it's that the pixel art isn't bad, and the music is especially?? decent chiptunes, though neither can save the game from becoming dull quickly.

Pirate Pop Plus feels more like something you'd have found near the release of the Game Boy than something that should be asking for money in 2016 considering there are full-length Game Boy games with a plethora of content available on the eShop for less money, and tons of even cheaper mobile games that put this to shame. If you?? don't care about unlocking all the customizations, achievements, high scores, or the few characters that hardly change the gameplay, then you'll probably get bored of this within 20 min??utes. Even at a lower price, I wouldn't recommend it. Pop your money elsewhere.

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

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Get your kicks on route 666

Demon Truck released on Steam last week, and I've been trying to work my way through it ever since. It started life as an entry in the Ludum Dare game jam, where developers try to make a game within 48 hours. It's got an interesting control scheme I'd never encountered before. I'm still not sure if I'm a fan, but I keep coming back?, so there must be something there. 

The developer calls it a twitch action game, b?ut I'd describe it more as a shmup-lite. There are only two controls, and it feels like this could have very well been intended for mobile devices. You don't have any direct control over the truck. Instead, it moves automatically, meaning all the player has control over are th??e weapon systems and the thrusters. It's like an endless runner, but there's more to it than just seeing how far you can get.

Demon Truck (PC [reviewed], Mac)
Developer: Triger Mountain 
Publisher: AdventurePro Games LLC
Release: September 26, 2016
MSRP: $4.99 

Depending on the control scheme you prefer, you can use the triggers on a controller, the left and right mouse buttons, or the left and right halves of the keyboard to control things. It's kind of fun mashing the keyboard with your fists, but I ended up using a controller for the review. While this is a simple game, that doesn't make it easy. You can't thrust and fire at the same time, so timing is important and doing well? is more about resource management than?? anything else.

There are two gauges on the left and right. The right gauge shows how many?? bullets you have left for your auto-targeting Hellgunz. This will refill over time as long as you aren't holding the fire button down. You'll earn other weapons as you play, and pushing the fire button shoots all of them at once. If there aren't any bullets in the clip you can't shoot anything, whether your weapons seem like they should take bullets or not. If you can't wait for the?? bullets to replenish on their own, you're awarded ammo when you thrust through obstacles and run over enemies.

The other gauge shows how much Soul Fury you have banked. Soul Fury is what powers your thrusters, allowing you to smash through obstacles or run over anything foolish enough to get in your way. If you tap this button, you can reflect projectiles b?ack at their source. Doing so will replenish your ammunition, so it's a good technique to master early on.

Holding the button down will dramatically increase your speed and make you invincible, but drains the gauge rapidl??y. You'll need to do this to crush the reddish-brown barriers that spawn randomly, and if you're not dashing when you run into one, you'll take damage. Fortunately, every enemy you kill will cause a soul orb to fly around the screen and get sucked into yo?ur vehicle, recharging this meter. Balancing dashing with firing and keeping an eye on both gauges is the core of this game, and it feels great to time both perfectly to take down a huge group of enemies. 

Your truck starts with two auto turrets and no other weapons, but at the end of every wave, you'll earn a ??choice between two truck upgrades. This is where the game adds its Roguelike elements. These u?pgrades are completely randomized, which means a run can become significantly easier or harder based on the first couple of enhancements you're offered. Adding more guns means more firepower, but also means your ammo drains faster. There are ways to augment your ammo and soul gauges and make them refill faster, but that won't do you much good if you don't have the damage output to back it up. 

There a??re lots of different enhancements available, many of which increase your firepower. These include adding more autoturrets, heat-seeking missiles, exploding clowns, flame jets that keep anything from sneaking past you, and the Sinbeam, a powerful sweeping laser. Each can be augmented multiple times if you choose the same bonus more than once. Other upgrades add and restore hit points, give your score a bonus multiplier, or help refill your gauges faster. 

The waves of enemies you'll face are also randomized, and I never figured out how the game decided what I'd be up against in a given level. There didn't seem to be any pattern to how many enemies I'd be facing, though the types of enemies in each stage remained consistent from playthrough to playthrough. Dashing past enemies is a valid strategy, but I'm not sure how Demon Truck determines where the level ends, either. If you manage t??o destroy every enemy in a level, there's a point bonus in it for you, and an online leaderboard tracks your score, but doesn't show how far you've gotten. 

Every fourth level is a boss fight. You're "Alarted" that a boss is approaching, and each one has a randomly generated name and title. Bosses are one-on-one battles that play out like a ??bullet hell shooter. There's a core protected by armor and guns, and you have to whittle these away, balancing your shots with boosting to avoid enemy fire. Defeating one of these bosses awards one extra hit point in addition to the upgrade you'd normally earn at the?? end of a level.

What drew me to Demon Truck initially was the aesthetic. It's mastered the badass, trying-slightly-too-hard early 90's sacrilege of DOOM and Mortal Kombat, and the graphics and audio perfectly counterfeit a forgotten TurboGrafx 16 cartridge. Each level begins with an overwrought phrase like "Wheels of Pain," "666 Miles of Razors," and "Satanalizer." You'll notice a blood trail behind the wheels if you run over a motorcyclist, and the options for "Ultra V?iolence" are: "Enabled," "Yes," "On," "Engaged," "Is Go," "True," "Of Course," and "FTW."

The soundtrack in particular is notable, though it definitely could have used a few mo?re songs. The main theme is great, but you'll hear it constantly until you beat the first 8 levels. Since the difficulty ramps up considerably at wave 9, I didn't hear the second main theme very much at all during the time I put into this game. 

While I've got no beef with pixel art, I had some trouble with Demon Truck's visuals. Frankly, there's often too much crap onscreen at once. There are lots of particle effects to obscure the playfield; everything you kill causes something to bounce around in the level for a little while??, from the heads that come off the motorcyclists to the tires that come off the dune buggies. All of the projectiles fired at you are a distinct shade of pink, but using Sinbeam can block your view of incoming projectiles since it's red with a white core. I ended up avoiding this upgrade despite it?s power because it caused me to take too many hits I didn't feel that I deserved.

I also had a hard time figur??ing out enemy behavior when scrolling them offscreen. Some enemies disappear after you boost past them, while others appear to loop back to the top. This doesn't affect what upgrades you're eligible for at the end of a level, but it can mean that an enemy you thought was safely behind you might get another shot off from the top of the screen. It doesn't affect gameplay all that much, but I did find it odd.

Ultimately, it's my opinion that the randomness hurts Demon Truck more than it helps. The crushable objects are placed randomly in every level, and your truck will attempt to avoid them when you're not dashing. When you ARE dashing, though, (which is frequently) the truck aims for them to help refill your ammo-- which is fine, until you run ??out of Soul Fury and hit one you couldn't avoid because you can't steer yourself out of the way. This could be solved if one of the upgrades allowed you to ignore damage from failing to boost through obstacles, but there isn't one that does that. The upgrade to the demon plow instead gives? extra ammo for boosting through a crushable object. 

I can't help but wonder what Demon Truck might be like with a more traditional control scheme, one where the player controls the movement. I frequently felt like I could have done a better job of driving than ?the demon behind the wheel, and I don't think that's a good sign. Despite the flaws, however, I enjoyed my time with it. From Click to Truck to Truck is Over, it's a fun time waster, and there are definitely worse ways to spend five bucks. 

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

The post Review: Demon Truck appeared first on Destructoid.

Stars -- they're just like us!

It's actually been 6 years since Bejeweled 3 and a cool 15 since the series' first iteration, even if I still can't reliably spell Bejeweled correctly. One of the reasons King is worth $6 billion is its match-3 Candy Crush, which hadn't even been released when Bejeweled 3 came out (neither were out in 1989 when Sega put out Columns, either, but hey).

PopCap, having just delivered the surprisingly great, full 3D shooter Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, is back to serving those seeking more fleeting diversion with the newly released Bejeweled Stars.

It is free (with optional in-app purchases naturally) in the App Store and Google Play. Stars boasts, "completely overhauled gameplay" -- it's been in development for three years -- and "new challenges, powerups, challenging obstacles, charm ??emojis and much more."

I may not have an eye for the finely? tuned differences, but I do like that cartoon cat. There's also this trailer for the game.

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Zynga building is for sale

Zynga had a good run. A lot of people made a lot of money on shitty Facebook games. Now the company is looking to offload its 670,000 square foot headquarters?? in downtown San F?rancisco. Funny thing about that math, though.

When Zynga bought the building in 2012 for $228 million ($340 per square foot) it got a relative deal. San Francisco office space currently sells for over $800 per square foot, or two and a half times wha??t Zynga bought it for (~$570 million). Also an average studio apartment rents for $2,400 a month and rent prices are expected to rise 10.5% before the end of 2016, if you're curious about one reason why my life is a ?living nightmare.

The company itself, despite about $1.5 billion in cash on hand, was considered worth less than $750 million three years ago and these days it's closer to $500 million -- which is less than the building it occupies is worth. Shares were worth $10 a pop in 2011 during Zynga's initial public offering; they are currently sitting at $2.55 each. Turns out Don Mattrick couldn't save Zynga after all.

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All looks a bit fishy

[Update: It appears as though this may well have been an unfortunate misunderstanding, as the save location on the version of Big Fish Legend available from Alawar actually ment??ions Igry.ru. This screenshot showing the location has been tweeted to u??s:

While this still doesn't confirm Igry.ru have the distribution rights to Big Fish Legend, it makes it much more likely they they didn't simply copy and upload the game to Greenlight as was suspected??. 

This also still does not answer their actions while going through th??e Greenlight process. We are currently still waiting fo?r a response from Alawar.]

A game recently released on Steam called Big Fish Legend may have been stolen from its original ?developers, according to message recieved by Destructoid. According to claims sent privately to Destructoid, it may not be being sold by the true developer??s.

The Steam page claims it is develo??ped and published by a company called Igry.ru, and is being sold for $6.29/£4.49. All seems above the board at first, but the claims we received do have weight to them.

Igry.ru isn’t a known developer, instead it is a free flash game website in Russia, hosting a whole load of games with dubious copyrights. Big Fish Legend is its only game released on Steam.

It’s also worth pointing out the only reason Big Fish Legend even got through the Greenlight process is due to promising keys for votes, a practise s?lammed b??y Valve a while back.

Big Fish Legend is also available as a free demo on the site of Russian developer and publisher Alawar. It already has a presence on Steam, having released quite a few games already. Companies registered as publishers on Steam don’t need to use Gree??nlight, and can simply r?elease games themselves.

If Alawar wanted to put its free title Big Fish Legend on Steam, why would it be doing ??a Greenlight under the name of a totally different company? A company which is already known as hosting Flash games?

Now this could all be a big misunderstanding. It is worth pointing out this is based on claims and rumours? from unconnected parties at the moment. Igry.ru might well be making a push into the publishing space, and this could all be totally above-board.

Destructoid has contacted Alawar for comment,?? and we will update should we hear from them.

The post Game on Steam ru?moured to have been stolen by seller appeared first on Destructoid.

It's on Steam, for starters

When I think of Insomniac Games, a few titles come to mind: Ratchet and Clank, Spyro the (pre-Skylanders) Dragon, and Sunset Overdrive. The studio's new game, Slow Down, Bull, is not like?? those -- it's a smaller project for Steam inspired by the open development happening at places like Vlamb??eer and Double Fine.

Players will guide Esteban the bull (that name sure is gaining popularity) through an upbeat arts-and-crafts world as he collects beau??tiful things and tries not to get too str?essed out by a bullcatcher.

Collecting stuff an??d trying to avoid stress? I'm right there with you, Esteban. That's the d??ream.

Based on the trailer, the game appears to be geared toward a younger audience. Speaking of which: "In partnership with Starlight Children's Foundation, 50% of Insomniac's net proceeds from Slow Down, Bull (at least 30% of the purchase price??) will?? benefit Starlight's efforts to improve the life and health of kids and families around the world."

Nice, nice. Insomniac on St?eam is something I'd like to see ??more of going forward.

Slow Down, Bull [Steam]

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But is it actually going to be any good?

The Angry Birds movie is not only a real thing, but it seems as though production is well underway, with a cavalcade of celebrity voice talent just announced today. The Columbia Pictures film will be directed by Clay Katis of Wreck-It Ralph fame, as well as Fergal Reilly, who was responsible for The Smurfs.

Jason Sudeikis will take up the role of Red, with Josh Gad playing Chuck, the yellow bird, and Danny McBride stepping into the feathers? of Bomb, the black bird. Maya Rudolph will play Matilda, the white bird, and none other than Peter Dinklage will be voicing the Mighty Eagle.

The rest of the cast, rounded out, includes Bill Hader, Kate McKinnon, Hannibal Buress, and Danielle Brooks, to name a?? few. The film is slated for a 2016 release on Jul?y 1 -- just in time to be the summer's big kids' movie.

Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Peter Dinklage Lead 'Angry Bir?ds' Movie Voice Cast [The Hollywood Reporter]

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It's mildly nauseating, but in a good way

Shortbreak Studios, a part of Techland (Dead Island, Call of Juarez), has just released its PC port of the iOS and Android arcade racer The Collider today on Steam. You might recognize that name as the studio behind the mobile spin-off of Techland's Hellraid.

Described as "The fastest game on Steam," the premise of The Collider is to hop into a particle accelerator, travel at break-neck speeds while making split-second directional choices to avoid obstacles, all the while listening to hypnotic electronic music. The game starts off slowly enough, allowing you to get the feel for it, but before long has you racing ?at considerable speeds.

Based on what I've played this morning, The Collider seems?? like a wonderful little title to kick back and unwind with, and at the reduced launch price of two do??llars, it won't be breaking your wallet.

The Collider launches today on Steam and is available for PC, Mac, and Linux.

The post Possibly seizure-inducing arca??de racer The Collider smashes into Steam tod??ay appeared first on Destructoid.

Throwing the baby out with the bath water

Last week, South Korea's ratings authority pulled the plug on Facebook games in the country, effectively disabling everything from Candy Crush Saga to FarmVille until they receive an official GRAC rating.

The move reportedly? comes as a response to social casino games, which have long subverted Korea's anti-gambling laws. Rather than specifically targeting the of?fenders, the government is cracking down on everyone. Developers and publishers will need to submit paid applications to the ratings board to get their titles back up on Facebook.

While awaiting classification, game markers stand to miss out on a substantial amount of income and risk losing dedicated players to titles on other platfor??ms.

페이스북, 9월부터 등급분류 받은 게임만 서비스 [This is Game via GamesBeat]

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Peggle me this, Batman

PopCap Games has announced that Peggle 2 is coming to the PlayStation 4 on October 14. The game will include Peggle Masters from the original game as well as the Xbox One version that launched May 7.

Just as in the original, Peggle 2 combines elements of pinball, pach?inko, and billiards combined w??ith whimsical (did I really just use that word?) backdrops and characters.

This game is sure to be a nice little diversion and any addition to the PlayStation 4 library is great as we wait for the likes of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which is what I'm personally looking f?orward to.

The post Finally! Peggle 2 is coming to PlayStation 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

'In the days of DS and Wii, Nintendo tried its best to expand the gaming population.'

It's fairly obvious that Nintendo has been ramping up its concerted efforts to attract and maintain its core base, and Shigeru Miyamoto's latest c?omments confirm that it's not just a coincidence.

Miyamoto spoke with Edge in an interview for the latest issue of the magazin??e to discuss Nintendo's concerted efforts on entertaining its most passionate fans. This is a move done to avoid catering to those who "passively" enjoy games, Miyamoto explains, likening casual gamers to those who might "want to watch a movie" or "go to Disneyland."

"Their attitude is, 'okay, I am the customer. You are supposed to entertain me.' It's kind of a passive attitude they're taking, and to me it's kind of a pathetic thing. They do not know how interesting it is if?? you move one step furt?her and try to challenge yourself."

Miyamoto's comments outline a refreshing attitude, and one that's admittedly quite unpopular in the current gaming landscape, especially given Nintendo's previous efforts. He explained the move further, citing an ?age where smartphones are usually the go-to devices for casual gamers, as they "take games for granted now."

"It's a good thing ??for us, because we do not have to worry about making games something that are relevant to general people's daily lives."

Check out the rest of the interview with Edge in issue 217.

Miyamoto explains Nintendo's renewed passion for the ?core [CVG]

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It's basically the same thing, but ever so slightly different

Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen has unveiled his next project, Swing Copters.

The upcoming iOS and Android title bears a striking resemblance the the developer's magnum opus, featuring familiar mechanics and visuals. You?? know, except vertical this time around.

According to Touch Arcade, Swing Copters will launch on August 21 as a free download. There ?will also be a $0.99 in-app purchase a?vailable to remove ads.

Earlier this month, Nguyen released an enhanced version of Flappy Bird entitled Flappy Bird Family on the Amazon Fire TV media platform.

Exclusive hands on with Flap?py Bird creator Dong Nguyen's next game: Swing Copters [Touch Arcade]

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Coming to Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360

Family games like Monopoly, Risk, and Trivial Pursuit will be availabl??e to play on your Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, and PS3 via the new Hasbro Game Channel, coming from Ubisoft and Hasbro this fall.

Ubis??oft and Hasbro worked together to create a social gaming experience around these popular family game brands. 

"We're bringing Hasbro's classic games to the digital age, capturing all the excitement and fun of these timeless games and building new ways to play them with the Hasbro Game Channel," said Chris Early, vice president of digital publishing, Ubisoft. "The new console experiences will offer a brand new channel with both familiar and new gamep?lay modes, various?? missions, achievements and rewards for endless fun with friends and family."

The channel will launch with Monopoly, Risk, and Trivial Pursuit. Monopoly Plus adds 3D animations that reflect? your progress in the game as well as up to six-player online play support.

??The Hasbro Game Channel launches worldwide this fall. 

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Still less frustrating than Dungeon Keeper

This mock-up of what Pokémon would be like as a free-to-play mobile game has ?surfaced on reddit and is eerily reminiscent of several of the more widely panned F2P game??s in recent memory.

It makes me sad to think of all the games that could really be fun?? and considered high quality if not for the rabid monetization of the current F2P trend in mobile gaming. Despite the low-quality Photoshop work in these images, it's still a chilling vision of a future that we're already living, somewhat. 

If Pokémon was made for the iPhone. [reddit]

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Strategic cephalopoda

Splatoon might be getting a lot of hype for Wii U squid battling, but it is not the first game featuring a squid squad to grace the console. Earlier this year, Squids made its jump from iOS to the Wii U with Squids Odyssey, and it even blazed a trail for cross buy on Nintendo systems.

Squids combines two disparate gameplay elements: tactical role-playing and skill-based slingshot physics. Squids Odyssey takes the original game, the sequel Squids Wild West, and adds in even more levels, charac?ters, and hats into an impressively large package. That said, the package seems better suited for mobile than home console.

Squids Odyssey (3DS, Wii U [reviewed])
Developer: The Game Bakers
Publisher: The Game Bakers
Released: May 22, 2014
MSRP: $14.99

Squids Odyssey tells a tale of a band of squids fighting against corrupted shellfish in the only way they know how: by pulling back on their legs and sl??ingshotting themselves into the enemies. Since the view is top-down and the action is all happening underwater, gravity does not play a part in the physics. Instead, squids and shrimp bounce around like billiard balls, taking damage for each hit or be??ing defeated completely for being knocked off an edge.

Additionally, there are four classes of squid to choose from, each with its own special abilities. Scouts can dash to go further in a turn or impart mo??re momentum on a target, shooters can hit enemies without havin?g to get close, troopers can perform an area-of-effect slam, and healers can bounce into friendly units to restore some health.

Each level has a unique setup, including points of interest like jet streams that?? wil??l push units and objects further along, anchors that can be used to keep from being moved during the enemy turn, and powerups that confer a range of random benefits.

As?? a base concept, it's neat. Taken a few levels at a t?ime, it can be a decent time waster. However, it does not really live up to the lofty claim of mashing up a tactical role-playing game with physics-based action. Certainly, players must employ some forethought in order to be successful, but the fact that success is based also on execution detracts from the tactical focus. 

Additionally, the role-playing elements seem entirely superfluous with the game as it is. As the player prog?resses, pearls are spent to upgrade the squids' stats, but it does not have a tangible effect on gameplay. As attack power increases, so does enemy health and defense, so where it takes roughly two to three hits to defeat a shrimp in the beginning, it stays that way despite the character progression.

Though it uses the Wii U GamePad's touch screen and allows off-screen play, Squids Odyssey still betrays its status as a mobile port. The menus work fine on the touch screen but were clearly not designed for a D-pad and buttons, and every input has a slight lag that makes it feel unpolished. The game locked up entirely for me o??nce, forcing a hard reset of the co?nsole.

Despite all that, Squids Odyssey is not bad. One of its high points is the colorful, hand-drawn artwork. Though most stages in any one set have a similar?? look, they are almost all unique backdrops, and the underwater setting makes for some beautiful environments. The sound design and music fit the theme a?s well.

Though it is not bad, it is neither great. The basic gameplay concept is fine, and it works as a way to pass time in short bursts. It seems like it could work better if it were a pure skill game rather than the hybrid it is, and it surely would work better on mobile or handheld. The sheer volume of content available for the relatively low price is commendable, but while there is a lot to play in Squids Odyssey, there is not a lot to really love.

The post Review: Squids Odyssey appeared first on Destructoid.

We could have told you that

A complaint against Electronic Arts has been upheld by the UK's Advertising Standard Authority concerning marketing for its latest mobile free-to-play version of Dungeon Keeper. The complaint was made in regards to an email campaign that emphasized that the game was free to?? download.

The email was deemed misleading, as it failed to state that without in-app purchases the gameplay is very limited thanks to its use of a timer that forces players to wait to complete tasks. In its findings, the ASA stated that the frequency and length of the timer in Dungeon Keeper, in conjunction with the ability to bypass it with in-app purchases, was likely to create a game experience for those that did not spend money on speeding up the ti??mer that would not meet their reasonable expectations if they had played based on the ad.

Because the game had potential to rest?rict gameplay beyond what would be expected by customers, and that the ad did not make the? aspect of the purpose of in-app purchases clear, the ASA concluded the ad was misleading.

EA argued that gamers would expect to find the monetization and mechanics in the game and that it was indeed possible to progress for free. EA also stated that the timer and premium currency did not only function as a monetizat??ion strategy, but as a gameplay balancer and would provide players with a sense of progression, also adding a resource management aspe??ct to the game.

They went on to say that even if no monetization was in the game that the timer would have still been a design decision. The ASA acknowledged those points, but upheld the adjudication, stating that the ad breached CAP Code rules 3.1, 3.3, and 3.9, and was misleading advertising. The ASA stated that the ad must not appear again in its current form, and that EA should ensure that future ads make clear the limitations of "free" g??ameplay and the role of in-app purchases.

ASA deems Dungeon Keeper ads "misleading" [Games Industry International]

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Addiction is a scary thing

I've played Candy Crush Saga and my share of match-three games as a mobile game fanatic, but to date I've not spent a dime ?on any of the free-to-play giants. I can understand wanting to spend a dollar or two here and there for some power-ups, but never the exorbitant amounts some players spend.

An "adult" woman in Harwich, Essex took buying some additional items so ridiculously far that I'm honestly shocked. After being appointed caretaker of her mother, Sally-Anne Turner racked up £1,000 in charges from Mom's bank account in Candy Crush Saga and other online games.

Turner's mother became increasingly suspicious as she noted that a large sum of money had ??been taken from her account between February 2012 and January 2014, and when the truth came out in Chelmsford Crown Court, Turner was sentenced t??o 12 weeks of jail, a year's worth of suspension, and a three-month curfew between 8 PM and 6 AM.

While it appears Turner's lawyer says the woman is "remorseful" for what she did, I can't help but think she's only sorry because she got caught -- or perhaps she couldn't help herself. Addiction is scary, so I'm trying to reserve judgment on this woman, but I can't imagine pocketing that much money from my loved ones on something so silly as Candy Crush Saga and other free-to-play vices. It's a weird wor??ld.

Woman stole &poun??d;1,000 from disabled mother to feed Candy Crush ??addiction [The Telegraph]

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I'm not entirely sure I'd call this 3D

After that strange Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons debacle that Kyle so kindly set straight for us, it's good to see more details emerging regarding the actual branded Harvest Moon release, The Lost Valley.

The game's E3 information sheds some light on what Natsume has referred to as "three-dimensional gameplay," which basi??cally means you can use your shovel to dig up and place soil as you see fit. For instance, you can stack the soil to create new blocks of dirt on which to stand, making pieces of the map more accessible to you than before. Alternatively, you can dig downward to alter the environment to your liking.

It sounds a lot like Minecraft, to be honest, but any new mechanics for Harvest Moon sound optimal in my book.

Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley's “3D” gameplay explained [TinyCartridge]

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Harvest Moon, End of Serenity, and Alphadia Genesis lead the pack

Natsume has announced its complete E3 roster for next week, and while it's got a few high points, it's not impressing me too much. It's a strange mishmash of handheld games and iOS releases with a stray PSP game and Wii U property for good measure. We already broke the news about its biggest game, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (not to be confused with Story of Seasons) being showcased for 3DS, but that's not all Natsume has up its sleeve. The problem is, none of what's left sound te??rribly exciting. But I suppose I shall reserve judgment until after we've actually had some hands-on time or a proper look at the games. You never know -- Natsume's first Wii U release might be an interesting departure.

First up, we've got A-Train: City Simulator for 3DS. Take up the role of the hea??d of a local transportation agency in order to make sure your fictional city's transportation system is running as smoothly as possible. You'll need to make sure buses, trains, and subways are on time and properly implemented to keep your citizens happy and the city moving along as efficiently as possible.

We've touched on End of Serenity bef??ore, the errant PSP RPG being released exclusively via the PlayStation Network, and KEMCO's classic role-playing endeavor might be worth checking out -- it's unfortunate it's only a PSP release, though, instead of being optimized for Vita players.

Speaking of the Vita, Reel Fishing: Master's Challenge is up on the docket, and it might be promising. I love a good fishing game, especially if it happens to be part of the River King series. Master's Challenge also sounds like it incorporates some RPG elements, which always ??make for a great fishing title.

Natsume's first Wii U game, Alphadia Genesis, sounds like it could be a keeper, but unfortunately there aren't any assets to go off of just yet. From the description that details a story surrounding a member of a local guild and Corone, a knight, it sounds as though it could be an RPG or a hack-and-slash -- but hopefully it's a traditional JRPG with some great-looking graphics. A girl ca??n dream, can't she?

The rest of the pack is a collection of iOS titles, including the newest Gabrielle game Gabrielle's Monstous Duel, Hometown Story: Pocket (no one was waiting for that one) and a sequel to endless runner Ninja Climb, Ninja Strike. Mobile and handheld gamers should have a field day with these announcements, but they're a little too blah for me to get any kind of hyped over. Still, I love these types of niche games, so?? I'm looking forward to further details.

The post Natsume’s E3 2014 lineup sure is a lineup appeared first on Destructoid.

Before it came into my life I missed it so bad

I'm not ashamed that I want to play the new SingStar. I am ashamed that this trailer is so awful. First of all, I just don't care about Carly Rae Jepsen anymore, and I'm going to need to see some more updated songs. I do, however, love the fact that you can use your own smartphone as a mic or the existing SingStar microphones, of which I have at least eight from the various PS2 and PS??3 iterati??ons.

It's just that this trailer highlights everything I hate abou?t marketing. Look at those teenagers. I've never seen one in my life enjoying themselves that thoroughly as though they're having some "good clean fun" with a game before, let alone karaoke. It's so fake. So polished. So stupid. I would have bought into it without the trailer, but that's just me -- I know there's an audience out there who will go bonkers for?? the game after seeing ol' Carly Rae involved.

Oh well. At least there are still a couple of Queens songs I can fall back on when I inevitably join the upcoming SingStar party. And I'll be out for blood if y??ou guys want to challenge me. 

The post This SingStar PS4 trailer i?s awful, but I still want to play it appeared first on Destructoid.

...if you dare

"Ah, dear tree, I honor you with my wee."

This is the type of thing dogs say in the dystopian alternate reality depicted in PlayStation Vita Pets. I never really wanted to know what my dog thinks when he's ruminating over which pie??ce of flo?ra to urinate on. But now I know. Thanks, Sony.

PlayStation Vita Pets is available now for $19.99. Greatness awaits.

PlayStation Vita Pets Out Today [PlayStation Blog]

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GET HYPE!

Awww! Look at the doggies! So cute! Or at least until they were until they started talking. Stop that, guys. Seriously. It's giving me the cr?eeps. I'm out of here.

The Drop: New PlayStation Games for 6/3/2014 [PlayStation Blog]

The post PSA: ?PlayStation Vita Pets comes out this Tuesday! appeared first on Destructoid.

They might look a little something like this

Ever wonder what Flappy Bird or Angry Birds would have looked like in a different, much simpler time? A time like the early '80s and '90s? Dorkly has made it possible with these absolute??ly ridicu??lous vintage covers.

You've got Candy Crush Saga (dat bulge), 2048, and Temple Run as well, each with gleefully retro covers. I especially like the Temple Run cover's faux shrinkwrap. Also, the sheer anguish on poor Flappy??'s face properly mirrors how we all feel about that game, I believe.

If Mobile Games Had Vintage Covers [Dorkly]

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'Amazing!' - Chad Concelmo

Okay, I know that this basic premise is not new. The player is a small fish, and it eat?s smaller fish to grow bigger, at which point it can eat more fish, and grow bigger still. The circle of life continues, and we mostly ignore it.

Most games with this idea stop once the biggest fish is eaten, but not Tasty Blue. In a manner reminiscent of Katamari Damacy, the protagofish continues to grow, and will eat anything smaller than it, i?ncluding sunken treasure, mermaids, and eventually helicopters. Nothing can stop the hunger of the little escaped goldfish, it seems.

The post Hahah: Tasty Blue is the Katamari of the seas appeared first on Destructoid.