Promoted from our Community Blogs

_{[Uber-popular Fortnite streamer Ninja set a cat among the gaming pigeons several days ago with his comments regarding how players react and respond to defeat in games. In this community blog, Destructoid reader Chris Bradshaw weighs in with his personal opinion on this latest talking point.]}

In the morning, between Monday to Friday, you’ll find me on the train riding to work and checking my Twitter feed. I just joined the social media site a year ago, and while I don’t have too much in the wa??y of followers, or even people that I follow, I am usually able to read everyone’s tweets in a matter of minutes most of the time. Once Twitter is done showing me most of the tweets from who I follow, it’ll begin to show me topics that I may be inter?ested in.

Among those topics, there are two that Twitter has recommended to me: "hip-hop news" and "gaming news." How it works is Twitter takes the more popular tweets from the service and shows them to yo?u. You don’t need to have followed them. Most of the time it comes from creators that have made a name for themselves online, but sometimes, it can be something as simple as a sentiment that?? people agree with. 

The? majority of Tweets that get the most action usually come in the form of very open-minded standpoints.?? They usually come in the form of someone saying something very accepting of all views and extremely inclusive of different types of gamers and play styles. Usually, they come in the form of, "it doesn’t matter 'how/if/why' gamer plays 'x game,' we’re all gamers." Personally I find these tweets to be, while technically correct, typical. I never walk away with anything that really rocks my world. However, no matter how many times I’ve tried to unfollow the topic, it keeps coming back. (Probably Twitter is reading my thoughts.)

As a consequence, I came across that famous tweet that pretty much anyone hip to gaming news already knows about. And, it read as foll?ows:

The phrase "it’s just a game" is such a weak mindset. You are okay with what happened, losing, imperfection of a craft. When you stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice. 

There’s always something to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle.

I read the tweet, shut off my phone, and fired up my Vita to play some VA-11 Hall-A. While selecting the tracks on the in-game virtual juk?ebox, I chewed on the th??ought. 

The tweet was written by Ninja. He’s the most successful streamer to ever have done it and has a serious relationship with Epic Games and Mixer. Full disclosure though: on face value I don’t like Ninja, or rather, he doesn’t appeal to me. There’s something about him that seems so damn frivolous and shallow, rocking his blue hair and Red Bull bandana while playing Fortnite. Despite knowing damn well ?he’s a millennial, everything about him strikes me as stereotypical Gen Z-style surface level goofin??ess. I don’t even hate it, but it’s not my style at all. 

But, what bothers me more than anything is that Tweet. Call me a judgemental, jaded fuck, but honestly, I can’t take any serious gaming standpoint from a guy who plays three games and comes of as the Tekashi69 of streamers. Personally, I don’t think he?’s teaching anyone anything. However, despite what I might think, people love him, and in his defense,?? I have not watched any of his material yet. He could be wonderful. 

I began th??inking of the statement by it?self. There’s definitely something fundamentally wrong with the viewpoint that strikes me and pretty much everyone feels the same way. He stated, "When you stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice." This part ?right here to me is where the mistake is, and it’s childish. Now, I don’t know if he was saying something?? like that for shock value, but I hope he doesn’t actually believe something like that. 

I have never met an expert, in any craft, in my life that claimed that it was beneficial to lose their cool. I’ve always been under the impression that reacting like that demonstrates a lack of sureness of knowing what you’re doing. It reveals a lack of the steadiness that comes with a supposed expertise in the craft, and this logic applies to everything that someone could hone their skills in: music, sports, debate, and even goofy Fortnite streaming. 

What bothers me even more about the Tweet though is how that statement i?s fortified with the sentences that comes before and after it. He finishes the tweet with the line "There’s always s??omething to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle."

Correct. But, in my opinion, he’s conflating learning and growing in the craft with non-productive over-reactions on camera. Anger about your inadequacy does?n’t improve your ability to learn. At a minimum, you won’t be clear-headed enough to see all the options laid in front of you. Trust me, I know??. 

In my experience, people who are angry usua??lly go into tunnel vision and go on the defensive. How many people do you know, when losing an argument, that will do anything in thei??r power to prove a shallow point at all cost regardless if it’s wrong? Especially in politics, aplenty. 

I’m pretty sure most people agree with the point I’ve made about anger never bein?g that productive to growth. 

However, let’s take a look at? the statement before that crap. More specifically the statement "The phrase 'it’s just a game' ??is such a weak mindset." 

I know I’ll probably?? be nailed to the cross for this, but I believe that there’s some truth to what&rsqu??o;s being said here. Some. 

I say this because I personally believe it. My life has basically become a legacy of people telling me that "it’s just a game." When people tell me this, I can’t help but feel that this statement ?has undertones of dismissing something that I care about. It’s always been like that. 

Throughout my life, I’ve had people, over and over, say that there should be this "healthy" attit?ude toward something I’m super passionate about -- in my case, video games. 

While I understand how video games can appear frivolous to most people, as they are something that is considered leisure, some people in this business take this craft seriously. I don’t expect someone as involved as Ninja is to take a very "regular" view on what gaming ought to be to the masses. I sympathize with him and others. I don’t think that gaming should be boxed into a certain degree of passi??on. Personally, I will plainly say that I would die for gaming, and if that’s not enough, I will happily state that everything I am and everything that I will be has everything to do with gaming. It’s literally my whole existence.

You have to do what it takes in order to be a true expert in the craft in my opinion. If I’m not busy drinking, I surround myself with gaming at least 15-ish hours a day, every day (8 hours bei??ng work), and I have no regrets. I’m playing all sorts of things left and right, working on a stream, working on a game, and working at a gaming company, and now, I’m writing this gaming blog. This is my life’s work, and I couldn’t be anything else if I tried. 

Where I have a problem with the statement, and this might be because his world is so removed from what’s normal, ?is how he conflates that passion he has for his craft with strength because he’s angry. I think the tweet would have read a lot better if he wrote "The phrase 'it’s just a game' is such a flawed mindset." and go on to talk about how many hours he commits to his streaming, and it&??rsquo;s in fact valid. This would be a lot better. 

In the end I never got around to making any progress in VA-11 Hall-A. While my earbuds connected to my Vita and ??were in my ears, this Tweet consumed my thoughts until the final stop. During the train ride, I just ended up looking at scenery outside the train window, looking for the substance in that Twe?et. 

It seems like an odd take from a 28-year-old man, but I’ve seen worse. Personally, I’m the king of hot takes. Again, maybe it’s just a lack of exposure that comes with the territory of what he does. Maybe it’s because his girlfriend finally asked him to calm down. Maybe it’s because he’s tired. Maybe it’s because Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 2 comes out tomorrow. 

The post Ninja’s Theory: Is it ‘just’ a game? appeared first on Destructoid.

Freed from this mortal coil

The Nioh 2 alpha has now come to an end. For about a week, a select few players jumped into a small demo of the upcoming sequel, provided they were lucky enough to get a code. Nioh was an important game to me, as it got me interested in the Souls formula of games fairly late, after I struggled to get on the original Dark Souls. I played and platinumed Bloodborne because I loved my experience in Nioh.

The good news is also the bad news: it's more Nioh. It's almost visually indistinguishable from the first Nioh and the basics of its combat are unchanged. As someone who rode the whole season pass and broke into Way of the Nioh difficulty, I still found a handful of new things to sink my teeth into, such as Yokai Force, as well as new attributes, and at least one new weapon. But even the highest profile addition, Yokai Sh?ift, is essentially a rebalanced Living Weapon mode.

The new Yokai Force mechanic, where you can pick up enemy yokai soul cores Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow-style in order to use their attacks, is probably the biggest change in combat. If the Amrita Gauge to use Yokai? Shift is your ultra ??meter, then the Yokai Force bar is literally your meter for EX special moves.

The Nioh 2 alpha only had the katana, odachi, spear, and the new dual hatchets present. Hopefully this really is an early alpha since the kusarigama, tonfas, ax, and dual swords were missing. The dual hatchets are similar to the dual swords with an abundance of skills that help it break ki bars, along with a gimmick of being able to throw them like a total madman. There aren't?? a lot of new skills for the returning weapons, so combat fits like a glove for returning players.

The only other no?table thing to change combat are new dark realm areas in stages, where an entire slice of the level is covered in yokai realm, which strangles your ki gauge, but increases your Yo?kai Force meter gain. Those sections of the game, not to mention their respective bosses, can invoke dark realm during a rage state, and definitely offer more of a challenge to returning players, while ramping up your stress levels.

I'm definitely looking forward to playing Nioh 2, after falling off pretty hard from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and not knowing what to expect from upcoming Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima. Either way, the samurai trifecta is definitely heating up. How did you like the alpha? Did it whet your appetite for more Nioh? Or is more Nioh just not the taste you're looking for?

The post Did you get a ??chanc??e to check out the Nioh 2 alpha? appeared first on Destructoid.

It's kombat time!

Right now in the fighting game scene, we're between releases. Older games have been receiving new DLC - like GT Goku arriving in Dragonball FighterZ, Blazblue Crosstag Battle getting Arcana Heart characters, while new titles, such as Samurai Shodown are gearing up for release. Currently, Mortal Kombat 11 has got the space to itself for a little while. And personally, despite not getting the game, I can see just how strong a title MK 11 is.

Two friends of mine showed off MK 11 on their brand new Switch consoles. The Krushing Blow mechanic looks like a really interesting addition, not just for Mortal Kombat, but for fighting games as a whole. Even though I thought they were just fancy counter hits, I learned later they can subtly influence your playstyle. This is because they only trigger via a variety of different criteria, such landing an attack several times in a match or missing certain parts of a string, to hitting at the very tip of a dashing attack's hitbox. I played both Injustice games, but decided not to get MK 11 because of feelings I have about how NetherRealm games tend to balance zoning and cancel wi??ndows. Still, that's just a personal preference of mine. I ?still enjoy watching casual match footage.

How have you guys been liking MK 11? I've he?ard a patch has brought the level of grind? down considerably, but for a large portion of cosmetics and unlockables, it's still all a??bout The Krypt. I absolutely love Frost's design, I can't believe Baraka is finally back properly. It's always a fun question to see which characters are being played by the community.

I agree with PatBateman17, Johnny Cage always has the best lines in any MK game:

I'm actually enjoying it and thank God for the Krypt head-glitch, which I feel was the bulk of the grind there. Johnny Cage is my best boi for life, even if he's not the best fighter. I just love the hell out of his intros and playing dress-up with him, lol.

I'm only recently into the story mode, but overall I'm having lots of fun. I'm ok using AI bots to grind the Endless Towers, although in theory it's total garbage to have to do that.

MK11 has been my game in-between bouts of Sekiro, so that might have something to do with it.

I also enjoying watching good matches, like Rabite:

The post How have you been liking Mortal Kombat 11? appeared first on Destructoid.

Thanks FromSoftware

A few weeks back, everyone started talking about difficulty and accessibility from how hard Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is and we all had a nice laugh as the internet burned down around us. But we haven't heard from how the lovelies within the jbsgame.community thought about Sekiro and its difficulty.

Sekiro rem??oves a lot of elements you might be used to in a From Software game, but offers things in return. Even though the health of some bosses can be much higher to compensate for the Shinobi Death Blow mechanic, you also have unlimited stamina and can even jump or grapple around. There are a ?lot of other little changes that can throw off the practice of dedicated FromSoftware players.

One of the most core elements of Sekiro's combat is deflecting blows. Rather than trying to use iframes to get around attacks, Sekiro expects you to stand your ground and deflect or block attacks in order to break your opponent's posture. Deflects and counters are typically the high risk/high reward option in games, so this reliance had me worried when getting into Sekiro, but then I found out that the window for a successful deflect is actually quite generous. It's nowhere near the strictness of parrying in a game like Street Fighter III: Third Strike, or even the counter shot from Bloodborne. And unlike those previous examples, an uns?uccessfu??l deflect just turns into a block.

Personally, I think the difficulty issue was just a flavor of the week topic. When you did get into Sekiro, there are plenty of options available and even open to abuse in order to make the game easier for yourself, like spamming firecrackers, Ichimonji, or even just having ?meta-knowledge - like using the evade attack on Mad?ame Butterfly.

So, what does the jb??sgame.community think of the game and its difficulty? We asked you and here is what a few of the members had t??o say:

Deediddle echoes the sentiment of how multiplayer is integrated or the lack the?reof:

It's made harder by being exclusively single player. The lack of an option to get bailed out if you're stuck makes it more likely you'll get stuck than in Dark Souls.

Of course, Pat Bateman17 replied with a mechanic I had trouble with in Bloodborne:

Counterpoint: No likelihood of getting invaded and griefed.

ScionVyse thinks the defensive options are up to snuff:

I think it's far easier, since your defensive options are far stronger than anything else in any other From game. You can pretty easily bait away individual enemies, and in one on one fights, the only way to really lose is to mistime parries or press the wrong button for attacks you can't parry.

It only really gets tough in multi-enemy fights that you can't bait away from, since the system isn't designed to be really usable without lock-on. Kinda like the old Assassin's Creed games in that sense.

Kerrik52 compares to it to Bloodborne:

Harder to learn, but not as assholish as Bloodborne can be.

Sailor Zebes and lokhe both also think it's about the same:

Still working through it. But I think it's pretty much on par with the others in terms of difficulty.

Now that we're a few weeks out of release and the firestorm, I'm still enjoying Sekiro. While it's not quite as varied in terms of equipment (except for the prosthetic tools), the combat is laser-focused. I also totally love the sound of clashing steel that comes from good combat. What did you think of FromSoft's latest adventure?

The post How difficult was Sekiro: Shadows Die Tw??ice for you?? appeared first on Destructoid.

Pin'em to the wall!

Hideaki Itsuno promised that Devil May Cry 5, the just-released fifth game in the main Devil May Cry series, would "exceed all expectations." I think many would agree that it didn't just exceed all expectations, it damn wel?l Max-Acted straight to the top before doing a level-three High Roller on everyone waiting to take the wheel again for Dante, Nero, and even V.

But after beating the game on Devil Hunter, I've come to appreciate the overarching story. Maybe not the immediate story of DMC5, of the good guys versus the bad guy, but of the arc that has always driven Dante since the beginning of the series' chronology. Also, if it isn't already obvious, everything past this point will be about spoilers, so that the ??comments can also talk about spoilers.

Ever since Vergil's introduction in DMC3, which was not only cool by itself but also re-contextualized the first DMC, we see a different side of Dante. He decides to protect humanity despite it putting him at odds with the last family he has in the world, his brother Vergil. Dante is still decidedly Dante in DMC5, but the moment we have an idea that the end of the road in DMC5 involv?es Vergil, Dante gets serious ever so slightly. Mea??nwhile, for Nero, we finally get closure on the openly known secret that Vergil is Nero's father, and we see Nero react to the fact that his father is a total asshole who tore off his arm.

There's also all the new weapons and attacks. I completely overlooked the Double Kalina Ann weapon and completely fell in love with its uniqu??e Gunslinger move, the Cascade, which basically connects two Kalina Anns together to fire off a massive laser beam. Even though Balrog is publicly revealed, I can't believe some of its level-four Swordmaster moves. Real Impact is a given, but Pyromania feels like Kick 13 on steroids. Not to mention the revelation of Devil Sword Dante allowing Dante's sword combat to function like Nero alongside his very own summon swords. It was almost poetic seeing the two brothers go in different directions, Vergil casting aside his humanity for power and Dante? embracing his demonic heritage for his own power.

I mean, these past few paragraphs are just me gushing, especially about how I think the s??tory is low-key really enjoyable. I also love how the revelation that V is the manif??estation of Vergil's humanity means that Vergil has always been a huge dork for poetry.

So what have you been liking about Devil May Cry 5?

Have you been S ranking this bad boy lately? And really, what early week spoiler is more worth talking about then the reintroduction of Vergil, the coolest guy in the series this side of Dante's right side. Let's talk openly about the game, from the first few momen??ts with Nero right down to the last shot we get of the Sons of Sparda as we possibly wave goodbye to their story.

Unless of course they break out of the Underworld again, and Devil May Cry 6 s??ees an adult Nero struggle to keep an elderly Dante and Vergil pinned down in the retirement home he put them in.

The post How are you liking Devil May Cry 5? (Spoilers) appeared first on Destructoid.

Tetris was supposed to be a joke, not a challenge

With Fortnite basically dominating the battle royale for so long and overshadowing most competition, I was convinced it'd only go down alongside the battle royale genre as a whole. But Apex Legends garnering 25 million players in the course of a couple days is no small feat when so many other games attempting the same became footnotes in history and YouTube videos studying failure. And the success Apex Legends is getting is even more surprising when the we got the one-two blow that Titanfall 3 was not in development due to Respawn focusing on Apex Legends. Despite al??l that, this game is moving through its success at a very hearty pace.

I still think Apex Legends' success if an amazing feat because Titanfall is such an esteemed game from Respawn Entertainment. And despite that love, it's easy to see why that a battle royale was created rather than a direct sequel. Battle royale titles are hot right now after all. Even with Respawn's polish on Apex Legends in a genre populated by games with awfully janky controls, there isn't a whole lot that makes sense to say this game takes place in the Titanfall universe. There's no wall-running, no Titans, and has the conflict even been men??tioned in the lore?

So more then how are you liking Apex Legends, what are your thoughts not just on it but on the battle royale fad that's taken the world by storm? For my part, it's not as if it's the first fad we've ever experienced. Remember how Mortal Kombat and Tattoo Warriors sprouted out of Street Fighter II's shadow? Or how there was a deluge in grey, gritty shooters after Call of Duty 4?

When the time comes when a new fad arrives to catch everyone's attention, I suspect battle royale won't just stop being a thing. After all, League of Legends didn't shut down just because there hasn't been big news about the moba genre. Even Tetris 99 is a thing now, so it's better to stop thinking of battle royale as a huge embarrassment and embrace that it is another ?reason why people like to play games so much.

Dango is a textbook ??answer as to why I haven't gotten into battle royale:

I haven't played AL, but I'm not hot on battle royale games. For my limited time with Fortnite, I spent way less time playing the game itself compared to any other multiplayer game. The one life thing just means that matches are over super quick for me, before I even manage to get into them, and most of the time until then is spent running away from a wall. It got old, and I'm not sure what makes people stick around.

LimoMaker is good at it, so that'??s ??all that matters in the long run:

Apex is just another Battle Royale game. It's the best one out there for sure, with the best combat, tightest gunplay and fastest movement... But it lacks a defining feature to make it even better.

But I'm good at it. So who cares. I've finally found a game I'm 75% decent at.

Flanx doesn't think it's "ep??ic" so I have to remind him Epic makes Fortnite:

I never played a BR before and I had good fun holding back Limo and Malthy last night. I got 3 kills in the first game...then 1 kill for the next 8. I think that makes me a professional :^)

I don't get it though, it doesn't feel anywhere near as epic as what the ads or other people make it out to be. Maybe you have to be good to feel the thrill. It's fun but it's not hype imo

I had no idea it was Attrition Legends, CelicaCrazed:

I still wish it was Attrition Legends.

I've been enjoying it more than I've given it credit. It controls well, the ping system is great, I like sliding around and zip-lining. Also helps that the more I play it, the more it's feeling like it's own thing and not just "not-Titanfall 3". The only other battle royale I've played is Fortnite and I definitely like Apex Legends more, but the mode is still not my cup of tea.

People in the game need to fucking chill too.

Gamemaniac has a w??hole blog about what's happening, so check that out:

Its announcement coincided with the announcement that Titanfall 3 isn't even being worked on, and Titanfall 3 was strangled in early development to make this. So I have a pretty negative opinion of its existence and I don't plan on playing it, which I'll probably expand on soon enough. Glad its doing well, glad people like it, and Im sure for what it is its fine but I'm not touching it.

As for BR generally, I don't find it overly appealing as of now.

Seymour has been left pretty smitten by the game:

This combination of a hero shooter and BR is what makes it a winner winner chicken dinner, I think.

That, and it is good.

I watched a friend play some of it last night and I was enthralled just watching. Watching a full match of a battle royale game!

The map looks kind of looks like someone went and took a Forge Mode to the second level of Halo: CE, but that's okay.

Also, I would like to thank Overwatch and its propaganda machine. So far, I'm just calling all the heroes "Ah! There's Not Bastion. Not Mei's pretty cute as well. But, Not Zarya even further complicates things. Hmmm...".

Boxman asks, "Yo Goober? Where's the parkour?":

Haven't played it. Battle Royale just doesn't click for me.

I will say that I'm offended they even say it takes place in the Titanfall universe. Without Titans or Parkour, it has absolutely nothing to do with Titanfall as far as I'm concerned.

I agree with TurboKill, maximizing communication?? while minimizing human contact is an incredible innovation:

I just won a BR game for the first time ever. 11/10, greatest Battle royale ever made.

But in all seriousness, I have a feeling that pinging will be a feature that will go on to be used in many shooters to come. Or at least, I really hope so. Pinging is probably going to be seen as this game's greatest contribution to shooters. Sure, Battlefield already had something similar, but this game takes it to the next lever. People who hate talking on mics, like myself, appreciate it.

While I'm disappointed it's not Titanfall 3, perhaps they'll be more inclined to work on that and finally get Titanfall the attention it deserves.

Rasori's position is easy to understand:

Like all things multiplayer, I like it when I'm doing good, and I don't like it when I'm doing bad.

MajinRotty sees the profit for what it is:

The lack of marketing for it was probably a wise decision, but for all the wrong reasons. I mean it's basically EA and Respawn admitting they felt too ashamed to expose that they're just trend-chasing the latest cash cow at the expense of an actual passion project like Titanfall 3. They knew it was indefensible. Maybe it did still turn out to be a good game at the end of the day, but I'm just tired of the major publishers being driven so brazenly by greed over art seemingly without any attempt at striking a proper balance. I understand that business is business, but can we please find a reasonable middle ground and draw the line somewhere? Not every game needs to be a live service. Not every game needs to be open world. Not every game needs to be Battle Royale.

DRUbio had a whole lot to say on the subject:

The amount of small subtle innovations done on this game by Respawn will carry on to other games in the future, at least I hope so. There's not?hing HUGE that is particularly new with this game but its UI and features are on a high level of polish. Tagging is a mechanic that should be seen ?in a lot of other games around, it helps people who are shy and people whose first language isn't English, therefor making it pretty accessible to everyone. American and mostly first world countries don't understand why squad based shooters that depend on communication aren't as popular everywhere else in the world, this is one of those reasons. Second subtle innovation in the BR genre... level design. I haven't seen a better designed map since Halo 1, the level is designed to fit all of the special abilities your characters have and it is designed in such a way that people end up being funneled into battles so they don't camp so much and actual combat skill is rewarded. Third subtle innovation... its release.

I hope more games follow this trend of shipping a complete and functional game out of the blue... "hey, we're with EA, its a BR F2P game with loot boxes and it is not what you expected from us... but hey, give it a shot, its available now". THEY DELIVER. There's also something to be said about their budget management. This game was clearly done with a VERY limited budget, almost the same as a AA game and not a AAA. No budget spent on marketing other than spending some money on paying some streamers (and then having a snowball effect on smaller streamers). Other than that I have to mention how they addressed most of the pain points of the genre, making it a fresh experience.

Zalno invokes the best Simpsons gif:

Same as I think of competitive shooters in general:

And that's about it from the community comments. So how are you enjoying Apex Legends? Do you agree that pinging is lowkey a big deal? Are getting the most out of sliding down hills? And if Tetris 99 now exists, then what's next for the genre? Rhythm-action battl??e royale?

The post How’re you liking Apex Legends and battle royale in general? appeared first on Destructoid.

Promoted from our community blogs

_{[It's easy to laugh off a title like Just Dance when there are a lot of other games to play, but Boxman felt he absolutely needed the exercise. And really, with a goal of some exercise when the fail state is absolutely no exercise, Just Dance delivered for him. His experience with it here is frank and refreshing. Don't worry about it, just dance! ~Marcel Hoang]}

My work has a program we call "LiveWell." It's really just a program to encourage our employees to improve their health and wellness. This year, a big thing is "experiments." Try something for a short time, like a week. See how it goe??s. Did it help? Did you enjoy it?

A bunch of coworkers did an experiment fo??r one week where they didn't use any electronic screens for one hour before bed. This was to help them sleep. I refused to participate i??n such a ridiculous exercise, but they all reported improved sleep at the end of the week. I should probably do it. But I won't.

I lead a very sedentary lifestyle. I work a desk job and therefore I sit on my butt for eight hours a day. I then go home and sit on my butt for the rest of the evening. Then I go to sleep, wake up, and do it all over again. I'm acutely aware of how unhealthy it is. I desperately need to exercise, but how can I do it? I hate exercise! A little over a week ago, I had a realization. I should Just Dance. I decided to play Just Dance every day for at least one week. I would play? for ?at least 30 minutes each day.

This isn't a review of Just Dance. It's just a dis??????????????????????????cussion of how well it worked ??as an exercise tool.

I should start by discussing my goal with exercise. I really have only one concern: I'm overweight, but I don't really care about losing weight. If I lose it, that would be marvelous and I'd be very happy. But that isn't my goal. I don't care about gaining muscle mass. My real concern is my? heart.

I'm in my late twenties but I have absolutely horrific cholesterol. Combin?e that with my lack of exercise and I have a recipe for a heart attack in my forties. I am absolutely terrified about this idea. So what I need is some aerobic exercise to get my heart rate up for at least 30 minutes. The ideal would be to get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. I don't know that I can maintain that long term, but if I can ?at least get above zero exercise, that would be great.

I don't exercise. Almost at all. Occasionally I'll do some yoga (I'll plug the excellent YouTube channel Yoga With Adriene here), which is wonderful. But it doesn't accomplish my goal of keeping my heart rate up. And that's all the exercise I get. I need to do something. But I hate all forms of exercise.

Except, it turns out, for Just Dance. 

A couple Christmases ago I purchased Just Dance 2017 for my wife on PS4. S?he rather enjoyed it. I did not??. My biggest gripe with it is that it uses your cell phone as your controller. I have a massive phone. It's unwieldy. And if I throw or drop it during exercise, it could break.

This past Christmas I bought the 2018 version for my wife on Nintendo Switch. It's infinitely superior because you have the option to use the Joy-Con for control. These are much easier to hold. They have a wrist strap to deal with drops or throws. And of course, they're made of Nintendium. The Switch also would allow me to take it out of the house, but I haven't utilized this benefit for Just Dance. 

Just Dance is a simple dancing game. It's a rhythm action game. A licensed song plays on your speakers while the silhouette of a dancer plays on screen. Your job is to hold a ??Joy-Con in your right hand and mirror every move of the person on screen. Not complicated. Anyone can understand it. 

The game is basically all pop songs. The majority of them are contemporary (I gather that the 2019 edition is all contemporary). You'll see Beyonce, Selena? Gomez, and ?Shakira. 

Speaking of Shakira, her music is wonderful for this game. Basically all of the Latin tracks are fa??????????????????????????ntastic for exerc?ise. They really get you moving and they're very fun! Very energetic! 

Not all tracks are created ?equal. Some of the choreog??raphy is really simple. Some is just kind of dumb. Some involve a lot of spinning around. This is awful. I get dizzy very quickly with this.

If I were in charge, I would strongly discourage any spinning in the choreography of the dances. I would even go so far as to limit each song to a maximum of one spin around. Seriously though, try playing You Spin Me Round without getting dizzy. 

The choreography in the game is mostly silly. You won't be learning serious dance moves. If you perfect the dances in this game, don't expect to be able to go cu??t a rug in a dance club. A lot of the movements feel like Tae Bo, frankly:

I do appreciate that, ov??er time, you can unlock additional songs. You can even unlock alternate choreographies for various songs. You unlock things very frequently, but most of the unlocks are dumb and pointless. They're "stickers."  Very helpful to have digital stickers.

I also really enjoy that the variety of songs gives you varying intensi??ty of music. Some songs will really get your blood pumping. Others are comparatively relaxed. ?I like to do about five songs, give or take.

I'll start with one about medium intensity. Something like Eye of the Tiger. Get warmed up and energized. Then I'll do a less intense one. Then I'll do a really intense song like Footloose. Then a lighter one. Then I'll end on a medium. This is a very rough idea. I don't follow it strictly. And sometimes you guess how intense a song will be and you are way wrong. 

Another feature the ga?me has that I really enjoy are Dance Labs. They are a sequence of five activities that aren't really dances, but are played the same way as dances. The premis??e is that aliens come to earth and you must teach them all about life on earth using interpretive dance. For example, you might imitate a frog, then a miner, then an astronaut, then a jellyfish, and end as a baseball player. It provides great variety and varying levels of intensity within one routine. 

But here's the big thing to be aware of: If you're going to use this game as an exercise tool, you really ought to consider subscribing to Just Dance Unlimited. It's a service that gives you access to hundreds of songs via the Internet. Almost like a Netflix of Just Dance. If you just pl??ay the songs available on a single edition of the game, you'll get bored in a few weeks. My copy of the game came with a 90-day trial of Unlimited and it's been really fun. It provides a ridiculous amount of variety.

If I continue using this as an exercise tool, I will gladly pay for Unlimited. A year costs about $25 when I checked. If you compare that to a gym membership, it's pennies. As a game?? service, I think it's expensive. But for an exercise platform, super affordable. It's all in how you look at things (and no, this blog is not sponsored by Ubisoft in any way).

But what if you don't have money for that? Heck, what if you don't even have a game console? You're not out of luck! You can often find people streaming Just Dance and you can simply play along with them at home. ?You won't get feedback on your performance, but you'll still be getting your body moving and that's awesome! I haven't looked, but I'd wager you can find recordings of people playing it on YouTube, which would also be a free way to play.

Another thing is this is so much fun to play with other people. Four people can easily play if you have four Joy-Con. Some songs are even designed for four participants. You could even do a massive group. Put the game up on a projector screen and just have everyone play without Joy-Con. Take it to your next family reunion and lead everyone in exercise like Dan in Real Life:

One last thing I'd like to mention is feet. You hold your Joy-Con in your right hand. The game only tracks your success with the movement of that hand. Any left-hand movements are unscored. And any foot movements are unscored. At times, the footwork can be really hard to perform accurately, at least for someone as? uncoordinated as me. But if you play this game for the purpose of exercise, really try to keep up with the footwork. It will greatly improve the quality of the aerobics. Your heart rate will go and stay up much better.

Overall, I had a lot of fun playing Just Dance! I'm very surprised by this, and pleasantly so. One of the nicest things is that time really flies by when you play this. Half an hour is over before you know it, and you may even want to play more! Just Dance is super approachable.

Since it's a game, the scores provide you with instant feedback. Seeing a good score is instantly gratifying. You can even turn on "??sweat" mode which just estimates how many calories you burned after each song. This is all really great. One of the many reasons exercise is so difficult is that your only motivation is the theoretical future you that is healthier, skinnier, hotter, etc. You still? have that here but it's coupled with the instant reward of a high score. 

For my purposes, Just Dance is an extremely effective exercise tool. Depending on your exercise goals, it may not be as good a fit (you're not going to build massive biceps with this, for example). But if you just need to get off the couch and get your heart rate up, Just Dance will absolutely accomplish this. You'll have fun?. Time will go by swiftly. You'll feel good. You may even learn about some music that you weren't familiar with before. Here is my favorite song that I newly encountered this week:

My experiment was a great success. I will absolutely play Just Dance more for exercise. I don't know that I'll do it every day. But I will continue. My invitation to you is to try an experiment in your own life. It might be trying an exercise routine. Or perhaps you could add or remove something to your diet. It could be something less health-oriented. You could reduce your spending on something to save money. You could try reading a book or consuming another bit of art. You could listen to Ted Talks or something like that. You could?? journal. You co??uld do something nice for someone each day.

Just try something out for a short time (a week is great but it doesn't have to be one week). See how it makes you feel?. Did it improve your life in any way? If so, consider implementing that as a more permanent thin??g. If it didn't improve things, that's okay. Try something else next week or next month!

So please share your thoughts with us. What are you doing to improve your health or wellness? Also, what are your thoughts on Just Dance if you've played it?

Last, I'll leave this here with no context:

The post Promoted: A Week of Exercise with Just Dance 2018 appeared first on Destructoid.

How do you disrespect?

With over 70 characters to play now in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, just simply finding a character can be daunting. No, seriously, I have to remind myself the roster is in chronological rele??ase order, because it's hard to parse all that visual information into "Where is the goddamn character I wan?t to play as?"

There is a handful of brand new characters, as well as some major changes for a lot of the returning characters from Smash 4. Whether showing strong loyalty for an older character, or wanting?? to try someone new, I was wondering which characters the jbsgame.community have been getting their hands on.

For me personally, Little Mac has always been a masochistic pick of mine, but so far I'm liking how Zelda has turned out, especially with her newly buffed down special, which is an even stronger Stand now. But when it comes to new characters, I've been playing Incineroar, otherwise known as Zangief. His Revenge move is the perfect way to top off one of my favorite new moves, the Alolan Whip, which leads into the clothesline. He's also a heavyweight who hates z??oning, but his Cross Chop is a kind of hilari?ous way to get around projectiles.

But who else is there to play for everyone else?

Shadeoflight is sticking with his boy, Luigi:

Luigi is still my boy.

Right now I'm practicing to land his Up-B more consistently. If you're a Luigi main and you don't have that in your toolbox, you're simply missing out on early kills.

I'm training myself to look for the Up-B opportunity at 50-60%, and if things don't work out that way and we head to 100%+ to start looking for other kills.

Gamemaniac3434 has been getting ready for Metroid Prime 4:

Samus, since I've been playing her since the start. I tend to go for characters I like and figure out how to make them work for me, as opposed to paying much mind to deep fighting game stuff.

I've also been working on practicing more with Ridley-take a guess which Nintendo franchise is my favorite-and yeah I like him. Hes big and relatively strong but hes also decently mobile and hes got some nasty attacks.

Wes Tacos hasn't popped his cherry yet:

I haven't actually started playing yet, despite buying it on launch day. I'm saving myself for Piranha Plant.

Agent9 has been playing Ganondorf, who, as I understand him, takes a lot of punishment but onl??y needs three solid hits to take a s?tock:

A lot of Simon Belmont. I'm kind of surprised with how good he is. He does take some getting used to and initially I didn't like the way he controlled. After continued play sessions however, I really began to understand the character and now he's a solid part of my character pool.

I've also been using Ganondorf, the buffs they gave him make him a viable choice in high level play which I find great. I always liked Ganondorf but post melee wasn't kind to him. It's great to see him finally climb the ladder again.

Neronium must be blasting Gang Plank Galleon, I swear:

The King shall continue to Rool in my Ultimate team.

Siddartha85 has a solid stable of characters:

I'm using Ken, Lucina, and Samus. Ryu/Ken is pretty incredible. For some reason, they give me a feeling of competence and control. It's probably the familiarity.

Samus has probably always been my main, or the closest thing I have to one in Smash. She's just so good in so many situations. As for Lucina/Marth, I used to play a bunch of Marth in Brawl and that moveset is comfortable for me.

The biggest surprise for me was how much fun Incineroar is, which is a lot.

Zalno is a fellow man of culture:

Fox and Roy are still my boys, but I'm mixing it up here and there.

I'm playing as Shulk more frequently now, which I haven't done a whole lot in 4 after Roy was released as DLC. I love how his neutral special was streamlined to a command wheel instead of pressing the button an X amount of times, making it MUCH easier to switch to a specific Monado Art mid-match. Plus, his neutral aerial is much faster now, which makes for a much more enjoyable aerial game with him.

I'm also adding Incineroar to my crew of favorites. I love the idea of having an over-the-top pro-wrestling grappler character in Smash. It makes way too much sense! Like Little Mac, what he lacks in decent recovery options he makes up for in a ridiculous stage game. Of course, I may be a tad biased. 

Jonathan Holmes used to be cruel to K. Rool:

I hate the Donkey Kong Country games and everything they represent.

I played K. Rool for the first time today and beat classic without dying on 9.2 difficulty. He's amazing and I love him.

It's amazing how Smash can turn shit into gold.

Adzuken?? expects you to get this reference for Simon. Man, it is Simon, right?:

Pixie has Zero Suit Samus in her line up:

ZS Samus, Bayonetta, Snake, Ryu, Ken and the Belmonts.

I default to Ryu and Ken a bit though. They're good for warming up since I already know their moves by heart.

ZS Samus is my most played, Simon is #2 and Ryu has the most GSP. ZS is my No-defense Nelly.

ScionVyse presses buttons with?? Ike and gets a lotta damage:

I like Ike. I like Ike.

I love how he plays now, even more than before. He was a kind of bait and punish character, baiting out attacks then punishing with a fair or grab. Now I can just press buttons and people get hit. It's great.

Palutena and Shulk are common picks for me as well, and to my surprise, I've been having a lot of fun with Incineroar and Jigglypuff.

MAXIMUM CHRISTMAS is max for the Kremling Kommander:

GoofierBrute is actually playing K. Rool too. Have you guys scene? the K. Rool montages on?line? The guy's busted:

Among the veterans: Rosalina, Little Mac, Bayonetta and Lucas.

Among the newcomers: Simon Belmont and King K.Rool. The latter is actually a blast to play.

Retrofaction is back on the Pokemon taste train:

Pichu... so good

Parismio has a clever choice for the counter-picks:

I like to call Ultimate the Marvel of the Smash Bros. series. A lot of characters have really busted properties, like Incineroar doing 40% in one hit, Ridley's insanely strong f-smash, Pichu's crazy new damage output, and King K. Rool in general. But I wouldn't change it for the world because it's not just that everyone? is here and everyone is busted, but everyone is also fun as hell.

The post W??ho have you been playing in Smash Bros. Ultimate? appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't forget the hyphen

One of the best parts about playing a new game, right at release, ?is being able to experience everything before the internet manages to ruin every single speci??al moment it offers. On the other hand, it can be positively painful trying to discuss the story and mechanics without inadvertently exposing sensitive information to those who haven't been playing along since day one.

Spider-Man is the talk of the town right now and Destructoid is here to give you a safe place to freely discuss all of its various intricacies. There are so many goddamn little things that come together to make this a great experience, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Tell us all of the things you’ve loved and hated. Post three novellas worth of scathing criticisms explaining why all the mainstream media outlets have gotten it completely wrong, and it doesn&r??squo;t live up to the hype!

It’s all fair game within the confines of this article. I’ve been loving every fucking minute with it, but you do you. The important thing is that the societal shackles of early, post-relea??se courtesy holds no power here.

Anyone who reads beyond this point does so at their own risk.

What were your favorite fights or story ?beats? It’s positivel?y overflowing with small details that flesh out the world, delivering callbacks to past exploits. Honestly, outside of the obvious web-slinging, I fell head over heels for the chibi Spider-Dude that appears when the controller disconnects. He starts sweating up a storm and scowls at you like you just killed his puppy.

As soon as the controller reconnects, he perks right back up to his usual fun-loving self. J??ust look at this cute little bastard! How can you not love him?!? When is he going to get his own spin-off series, and why can’t I have it right now?

Besides the insanely adorable chibi Spider-Man, what’s left the biggest impression on you so far? I want to hear about it all. Let’s fucking do this, Destructoid. Spider-Man spoiler thread c??ommencing ??in three… two…. one…..

The post Let’s spin together a Spider-Man spoiler thread appeared first on Destructoid.

Tressa for best girl

Octopath Traveler has held o?nto positive public opinion for a couple of weeks now, of course the most exciting of hot takes being: "Why is this pixel game $60?"

But, this being a Nintendo Switch game, the community on Destructoid has excitedly been sharing opinions and screenshots since release. Many people love the characters, of which the?re are eight to take for a ride. Others, like me, see past the pixel art and are continually blown away by what else is on display, the dynamic lighting, the fading backgroun??ds and foregrounds, and man oh man whatever is happening when you spend BP.

Octopath Traveler can be pretty open-ended, since you have eight different characters you can start the game as. Still, some may be disappointed when you learn that the eight stories actually don't intersect in any grand way. But, in my own experience, the wr?iting ??is much tighter all around. Which leads to the inevitable question "Who'd you start with?"

Of course, we want to know what you think of the game overall. Has the battle sys??tem gotten stale for you??? Are you not impressed by the character stories? Or have you found the depth in saving BP and breaking shields? Have you've found someone endearing to latch onto in every way? It's Tressa for me: not only is she just a pure and endearing girl, looking for adventure as the daughter of successful merchants, but all her battle chatter is so fun from, "Open for business!" to "Time to close up shop!"

Fuzunga has already been all about Octopath Traveler, so here are his thoughts:

Well I didn't want to do Olberic or Primrose because I already played those in the demo, so it was between Alfyn and Tressa for me because they both seemed like such completely average people and that's something I found interesting. I ended up going with Tressa because her story just seemed so plain I wanted to see where it went. Of course, I then found out that you play everyone's story at the same time anyway. Turned out to be a great starter pick, though. She has a very useful path action for early on that lets you buy better gear and her "donate bp" skill is probably the most useful one in the game to me.

TheLimoMaker has been struggling wit??h one aspect of the game for awhile now:

I stared at the box in GAME for about twenty minutes and have only added it to my Amazon cart twice before cancelling it due to realising my funds need to go elsewhere.
So it's going pretty well.

ShadeofLight is inverting those gender images:

I had to wait a couple of days before I could get home to pick up my copy, so in that time I went through everyone's prologues in the demo.

Primrose was the one that stuck out to me from the very first moment. Her story is compelling and the writing is a lot more mature than I would've expected. "Put that pretty mouth where it belongs, and I may go easy on you." It made me want to help Prim get out and take back her life, so that's exactly what we're doing.

That said, I also have another self-made narrative, namely that I made up my party out of all the four girls. One thing that I really like in Job-based JRPGs is that you can go against the familiar old mold of Men = Strength / Women = Magic. In the Bravely series that meant that I switched that stereotype around 180, but in Octopath it means that I'm leaving the lads on the sidelines to let the ladies have their moment.

This is a story of four very different women helping each other out to achieve each' equally valid goals.

Bit by 8 Bit needs strong and simple motivation:

I went with Alfyn, the goodest boy. I liked the simple "help people" goal, and made more sense as to why he would want to help each of the other characters through their stories.

Just hit level 50 with Alfyn, Ophilia, Therion and Tressa. Soon I'll go and get the other characters to do their stories too. Great game!

GoofierBrute appreciates this solid gem:

I started with Olberic (he's who I went with in the prologue demo, so I transferred that save over to the main game), and I kind of regret doing that since he's made combat a joke (he's almost in the low 50s), with maybe one or two boss fights giving me a hard time. And even then they were nothing that Olberic using his ultimate attack couldn't handle.

The stories on the other hand are actually really good. The main characters themselves for the most part are kind of bland (though unlike most JRPGS, there isn't one character that I outright hate) and I could tell what was happening in each one a mile away, but the side characters that you meet are interesting and I like that each chapter is a relatively brisk stroll to complete.

I don't know if I would call it my favorite JRPG of all time, let alone my favorite on the Switch, but Octopath is a solid game for the Switch, and if you're one of those Switch owners who thought that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 focused a bit too much on the Japanese part in JRPG and not enough on the RPG part (and I know a fair number of you did), I think this is the game for you.

Shoggoth ??made a man of knowledge explore the exciting world of d??ancing:

When I started playing Octopath Traveler, I chose H'aanit. All I really had to go off of was character art because I wanted to go in as blind as possible but another factor for me was how I don't usually take on the role of a beastmaster or hunter. I was really hooked by her first chapter though and the second was pretty darn interesting too. Since it was the first shrine I found, I made it so that her first secondary job was that of the Warrior but I have since used a guide to find the locations of the other job shrines. Once I have her leveled up enough, I'm going to stick Tressa with Scholar so she too can be an unstoppable, magical, killing machine who upsells additional items and services at your own funeral.

For story/character reasons, I want to make Cyrus a dancer but the merchant skill halves MP consumption after a while so I'm feeling kind of torn. There's always grinding of course. I'm really loving this game so far, I never finished Bravely Default and I don't own Bravely Second but this game is really scratching an itch I didn't realize I had.

Pixie and H'aanit both like dunking on Z'anta:

I chose H'aanit. While I haven't gotten too far into the game, Beastmaster was one of my favorite jobs back in my FFXI days and its something of a rare sight in RPGs now. I also liked how her introductory chapter unfolded, from her relationship with her mentor to how seriously she takes her work.

While she may be all nature-loving, there's a dash of samurai in her, She believes there's an order to nature, but is also ready to put it all on the line to protect the weak in an out of the forest when the circle of life gets twisted.

I also like how she dunks on her mentor for him getting sidetracked gambling and boozing when he's got a hunt to attend to.

Agent9 will get back to us on it:

I really want this game, but haven't been able to get it. In time though, all in good time.

Octopath Traveler's community is ripe with in??teresting opinions and asides, from the eight different starting chapters, eight different experiences of writing, and eight different methodologies in combat. How have you been liking the adventure so far?

The post Wha??t does the community think of Octopath Traveler? appeared first on Destructoid.

For the Kurosawa heavyweight title

If there's one thing I was hyped for and wanted to ask the community about, it was the reveal of three new, high-profile samurai games. There have been a lot ?of samurai games in the past, but that era not only passed, but it passed us pretty quietly without much fanfare. Now, three major samurai titles had screen time at E3 press c??onferences, all from major developers.

First is a follow-up to Team Ninja's breakout hit, Nioh. Second is a new game from the biggest name in difficult games, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice from From Software. Lastly is the dark horse, Ghost of Tsushima, from Sucker Punch.

After getting a taste last year with Nioh, I knew this onslaught of samurai games was going to be exciting. But buying all three won't be cheap. I asked the community which ones they're excited for, if any or al?l of them.

Gokart Mozart hasn't played Nioh and I recommend he does:

I'm least interested in Nioh 2, but that's probably due to not having played Nioh 1 yet. I plan on doing it eventually, but I really want to work through my pile of shame that includes Persona 5, Dark Souls III, and God of War at the moment.

I'm very interested in Sekiro. The removal of RPG elements doesn't bug me as I liked the more action-oriented focus of Bloodborne. Between my fondness for Bloodborne's combat (which this appears to build upon) and this game's addition of traversal mechanics, my interest in this game is very high.

Then there's Ghost of Tsushima. I'm also very interested in this game, and again it's due to the developer's pedigree. I like the traversal mechanics and streamlined nature of their open worlds from the Infamous series, and I'd like to see what they'll do in this new setting. The melee combat looks like it may be more complex than what was in any of the Infamous titles, but knowing Sucker Punch, I suspect the controls will be intuitive and fun. I noticed that the protagonist had a rope with a grappling hook for climbing, so I'm also curious to see how that works and whether there's some ninja-ass parkour going on in that game. I'm also curious to see whether the final version on Pro looks nearly has good as the stage presentation or whether that's a PS5 game like some have wondered aloud.

GajKnight is interested ??in a respectable samurai game:

Least interested in Nioh 2. The loot grind got really tedious in the late game and almost unbearable in the DLC's. And Team Ninja just fail at telling good stories with good characters. Should still be good fun though.

I'm edging toward Ghost of Tsushima myself. It is just so gorgeous looking and a grounded samurai game is something I really want (don't remember the last samurai game with no demon stuff, perhaps Yakuza Ishin?).

Siddartha85 is looking forward to some Tsushima shenanigans:

Thank you for bringing this up. It's been at the forefront of my mind, because I'm probably playing all three. They all look dope-as-fuck.

Weirdly, Sekiro is the one I least anticipate. Nioh was my favorite Souls-like, and in my mind, does it better than From does. So Nioh 2 ranks higher than Sekiro, although I still HAVE to try that grappling hook and parasol shield stuff, obviously.

But the real standout for me was Ghost of Tsushima. It apparently wasn't designed to have Souls-like difficulty, but still looks like it has some Bushido Blade-style one-hits and high damage strikes. It also looks like Sucker Punch is attempting to hit us with feels. (Always an ambitious move in this industry.) It looks like they're taking the setting seriously and semi-historically. My confidence is high for that one.

FakePlasticTree has a gut Arkham sense and prefers a female samurai:

Nioh 2 allows me to play as a female Samurai, the game that gives me a CC is a winner in my eyes. Grants more replay ability too I feel. Sekiro looks like it wants to be an action game like Bayo or DMC, but its protagonist and story doesn’t exactly seem to have the charm of either. The combat seems to take cues from their Souls games, which I’m not sure is enough to sell me on it.

And Ghost of SushiMama just looks like another Arkham offspring, the combat is turning me off. It does seem like it wants to portray a more faithful depiction of a rarely portrayed period in Japanese history (usually it is Sengoku or Bakumatsu), namely the Mongol invasion. That aspect is still interesting. But I’m gonna go with Nioh 2 so far as the combat in the original was still a lot of fun.

Vespy thinks Tsushima is Sucker Punch's moment to truly shine:

I want to be wrong, but Sekiro doesn't look that interesting to me. I'm sure it will be good at least, but it doesn't look all that original and I personally like the RPG elements in Souls... I'm more interested in what Deracine is, tbh - VR turns me off but everything From's done with Japan Studio is pure gold so far.

Nioh was just pretty good, imo, maybe a sequel can refine it for something special. I'm thinking it'll probably just be more of the same, though. Character creator is a nice addition, hopefully they barely even bother with a story this time and focus on the gameplay.

I think Ghost might turn out great - Sucker Punch make fun games but they always fall short of true classics, I think. Maybe this will be their moment. No magic or spirit stuff is nice to see, and what they showed all looked really polished and pretty. The gameplay looks like standard Arkham stuff to me, but I like that so w/e. It pretty much comes down to the quality of the writing.

All three will at least be good, I'm sure. I'll buy em all. If I had to pick one, then Sekiro just cos it's FromSoftware.

Scrustle is pitching Ronin Simulator 2019:

It's weird how samurai action games tend to be so rare, despite the idea seeming like a no-brainer. And now we get three coming along at once!

I'm only really interested in Ghost of Tsushima though. I'm sure both of the other games will be great, but I'm done with From games, and games like them. The only one I've enjoyed was Dark Souls III, so I think that was just a fluke and the genre/style just isn't for me. Plus this open world "ronin simulator" in particular is something that I've really wanted to get my hands on. Seems like the other games are going in a slightly different direction.

Crank up the bloom for Major Tom's Cup of Coffee:

Ghost, Sekiro, and then Nioh 2. Sekiro would have been 1, but it wont let me create a character so that makes me sad. Ghost is number 1 for me right now. The art style looks like it will have plenty of high bloomy "wow" moments and I am excited to play an open world samurai game. Nioh never interested me, but maybe the second one will.

Roager is piqued by some Soulsy-ness:

Sekiro might be the first soulsy game I actually want, thanks to?? no multiplayer and no RPG elements. Ghost of Tsushima loo??ks badical, but the final game isn't planned to be as minimal-HUD as the presentation was,? and that worries me. Nioh 2... I genuinely didn't realize was a thing. I thought people were doing jokes a?bout the other two.

From Software has never failed Gamemaniac3434 before:

The From Software one, because they have a good track record so far and I want to see how this change turns out. I prefer doing new stuff to rehashing old stuff-leave them wanting more, and so on-so seeing them do something new and try something new gameplaywise is encouraging. Whether or not it pays off is another matter.

Sharukurusu is itching for some realism:

Ghost of Tsushima sits at the top of my list, mainly because of its real world setting. There are plenty of games that involve magic so I’d like to see how these guys handle the “realistic” samurai story and gameplay.

I picked the header because Pixie reminded me of Kurosawa:

Ghost of Tsushima is what I'm looking at first and foremost. I like the focus on quick, decisive combat and the whole Kurosawa look about it. I feel like we get a lot of samurai characters in games, but few games about samurai themselves.

vxxy has got top picks and top nep on Ghost of Tsushima:

Ghost of Tsushima is my top pick. It looked so good and I love the idea of playing what looks like a damn samurai film. That’s the shit right there. Sekiro might be good. No thoughts on Nioh 2 since I never played or seen much of the first one beyond a short demo.

DR Ubio dares to invoke the dead name that is Tenchu:

Sekiro, Nioh 2 and Ghost of Tsushima. I WAS interested the most in Ghost, but I was not expecting two different games that cater a lot more closely to what I enjoy to be presented.

As far as Sekiro goes it looks like typical (can we say that by now?) Miyazaki/FromSoft flair with a reimagined Tenchu style verticality to its level design (the hookshot and the fact we got a jump) and a more linear style of play. We won't have the death/bonfire shtick this time, so I'm thinking something along the lines of Demon's Souls, but with added verticality.

Then we got my boy Nioh. I'm actually kind of disappointed we won't be using William anymore as I like the more streamlined approach and character... made me feel like I was in the middle ground between a Ninja Gaiden and a Souls game. I'm a bit worried as I feel they're catering more to the Soulsborne fandom (which I'm ironically a part of as well) rather than the character action fandom (I'm a sucker for DMC, Bayonetta and Ninja Gaiden...also ANYTHING Platinum/Clover) and we could actually use the return of the big guys. The first Nioh was a test for them, they tried some stuff and some stuff worked. I fear they're missing the non-apologetic nature of Itagaki. I'm one of the guys that enjoyed Nioh's alpha more so than the actual released game and I would love Team Ninja to be able to find marriage between both things and not cater to being derivative. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Finally we've got Ghost of Tsushima. This game had me interested since the first reveal and after watching the gameplay parts and knowing the developer this seems like the thing the Way of the Samurai games always WANTED to be. I'm hoping the combat is more Bushido and less generic western game combat. Really liking the details and am really excited for the game, this would have been my #1 "Eastern Samurai tale" game to be excited if I wasn't so much of a Character Action Game/Soulsborne buff.

Now that we're on it... Can we get Capcom to release a new Onimusha? Perhaps someone to release a new Shinobi? The time is now basically. Hopefully Itsuno can finish DMC V (thank god, thank you Itsuno-San) and he can get into developing a new Onimusha. I've been reading a lot of Capcom's quarterly reports and they're mentioning a heavy focus in porting games to PC, creating new IPs and reviving dormant IPs (Dead Rising and Dragon's Dogma are mentioned as outstanding IPs saleswise, so expect news on those two soon enough) as well as bringing more HD ports (not surprising huh? They do talk about how they plan to support their IPs going forward setting Monster Hunter World as an example).

Agent9 needs more details on Sekiro before a judgment call:

I am interested somewhat in Sekiro. If it can still capture that souls like combat I'll be happy. Overall however the more I look at it, the less hype I feel. Something about it just doesn't jive with me. Perhaps it looks just a bit too plain. Time will tell however and I hope it does really well.

Ghost and Nioh also look great, but I would like to see more as well. I'm far happier with these at the moment. I can't quite say why though, unlike Sekiro they don't generate the same feelings on repeat views.

Kevin Mersereau is infamous for his interest in Ghost of Tsushima:

Tsushima is the only one I'm crazy hype for. I love the inFamous series, and I've been waiting for Sucker Punch's next game announcement for a minute now. After seeing it in action, I'm all in.

The post jbs??game.community Showdown: Ghost of Tsushima ??vs. Sekiro vs. Nioh 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Where the G rank at?

I have to say, the announcement of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate was a surprise in more ways than one. Had they announced Monster Hunter XX as a western release as Generations Ultimate a year ago, w??e'd be excited about more portable Monster Hunting for the Nintendo Switch.

But we're neck deep in a post-Monster Hunter: World, erm, world. A ?strictly narrow minded assumption would wonder, "Why would I play the older versi??on of a game when I've played the latest version?"

Truth be told, the two games are still extremely different. Different enough that I'm interested in playing Generations Ultimate after 400 hours of World. Monster Hunter: World is all about modern quality of life changes while being immersed in a living, breathing environment. but the number one thing any hunter is furiously copying and pasting into forum posts is, "When will we get G rank?" If tempere??d Kirin or tempered Deviljho isn't enough, then certainly what we need is G rank.

Generations Ultimate on the other hand leans in hard with crazy moves thanks to the hunting styles and hunter arts, like a seamless superman dive called Absolute Evasion or a special mode that doubles all your dual blade hits. Not only is G rank present on MHGU, there are even more deviant species, monsters with unique traits that come from years of surviving encounters with hunters like a Rathalos that spits out molten explosives or ??an Uragaan with a beard of crystals.

Are you still interested in playing the game Japan has been playing for years now? Or are you content with just waiting to see what future DLC Monster Hunter: World releases over the year? For my part, not only do I want to hunt some of Generation Ultimate's deviant flagships and go nuts with the new hunter arts, it's still at its base a portable Monster Hunter on the Switch for those times I want to hunt something but am waiting on a doctor's appointment?? or riding a public transportation. Let us know in the com??ments below!

The post If Monster Hunter: World exists, will you play Monster Hun??ter Generations Ultimate? appeared first on Destructoid.

Time to follow up from last year

Everyone's favorite yearly blowout is here once again! A time of hype and disappointment, E3 never ceases to surprise me in at least one way. Last year was the reveal of Monster Hunter: World. That threw me off my seat when that was announced. I went nuts on Destructoid's community Discord. 2017 was already a year of great games like Persona 5, so having E3 tell me 2?018 was going to start with one of my favorite franchises was ??huge. This year's got some big boots to fill to follow up on that.

Personally, I can't wait to hear about some new signature titles on the Switch. Octopath Traveler is on its way, so keeping the iron hot after that would be a big deal. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate has already been announced, but even with a universe of possible suggestions, I still want a steady stream of new Monster Hunter: World content to whet my appetite.

But what does the rest of the community? here want? Surely more than a couple of jaded responses or c?anned answers? Let's see what they had to see about E3.

Goemar named a game that's Kingdom Hearts levels of complicated syntax, among other games:

Monster of the Deep II: Final Fantasy XV-II (as a prequel to Final Fantasy XV-II).

Doom 4.

Metroid Samus is Back and MHW surprised the crap out of me. 2 games I said would never happen even though they really really should.

Surprise me with something good that’s definitely coming out (aka not FFVII’s remake) and I’m happy.

Super Metroid HD (no crappy polygons) - make it happen Nintendo...

bdavis is feeling the second Christmas:

E3 is always an exciting time. Now that I'm an adult and Christmas has lost the magic that it once had when I was young, E3 has pretty much taken over as my time of the year where I get to feel like a kid again.

We don't always get mind-blowing announcements, but it's fun to watch the conferences and then run and talk to your friends about everything.

The Last of Us 2 is the only game I'm really looking forward to seeing. I've seen enough of Spider-Man, the preorder for the $150 edition has been placed. So I'm going into this years E3 with pretty low expectations and hopefully that will lead to something catching me off guard.

GamesWhisperer has got a modest list going on:

I'm hoping to see more on The Last of Us part 2, FF7 remake, Metroid Prime 4 and any new info on Pokemon for the Switch!

JPF720 has those pre-E3 jitters:

You betcha! It doesn't matter if the previous year's E3 was great or sucky, every time May comes around, I start getting those pre-E3 jitters, anticipating those 2-3 days when me and my buddies gather round to watch all the awesomeness/car crashes.

Kerrik52 invokes a??n impossible name w??ith absolutely no confirmation:

DEVIL MAY CRY FIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

LaTerry believes in the word of Nintendo:

I am very much looking forward to Smash news. My Smash hype is always a little over the top and knowing that it will be featured prominently at E3 just makes me so excited.

Major Tom believes shadows die twice:

More Switch games!!!! I'm actually pretty excited to see if Fromsoft teases more of that new game. Also Death Stranding...please please please be more MGS3/4 silly Kojima and less MGSV Kiefer Sutherland Kojima.

Wirong has something to l??ook forward to des??pite being a specific genre:

Well, for MMO player, which i am, E3 is not very interesting, but I'd like to see some Borderlands 3!

sp testure mentions a game that got announced recently:

Um..... Rage 2? Also a morbid curiosity on how bad they're going to train wreck the Final Fantasy 7 remake....

Zalno menti??ons the unmentionable, that is to ??say, online services:

I'm personally looking forward to seeing how Nintendo fucks up their online service and whatever their Virtual Console analog will be for the Switch. I mean, it's Nintendo. It's gonna happen.

The Smash Bros. tournament should be fun to watch, though.

NeoTurbo is barking up the From Software tree:

I know I am! I always look forward to any potential surprises, and I love hearing/seeing more about stuff I like. I'm hoping we get some potential Bloodborne 2 or Armored Core new from FromSoft personally!

Here comes the snark train from Dwavenhobble:

I look forward to the annual snark off me and a lot of other people have on Twitter. It's like the ultimate attempt to hijack the publisher's hype trains and crash them into walls.

Torch knows what the stakes are after last year:

The fact that most of Sony's lineup will have to be different after this year.

Voodoome is hoping for Prime 4:

I'm hoping to see more of the FF7 remake. It looks to be in development hell, so it'll be nice to see a sign of life. Other then that I'd love to have some new info on SMT5 and Prime 4.

2017 was a pretty solid year for games. 2018 is starting out pretty nice too, but we are living in a post SMO world now and I need to see that next game that completely takes over my life.

Absolutfreak promises nothing, delivers less:

I'm coming into it with no major expectations, but I'm excited to see how it plays out.

The only specific game that comes to mind that I want to hear something about is the next installment of Gears of War.

I'd imagine it's way too early for a mention of Final Fantasy XVI, being that they are still working on content for XV. Some sort of new experience from Square Enix would be cool though.

Kevin Merserau is hoping for one hell of?? a Devo??lver Digital follow up:

I'm crazy excited to see what Devolver Digital has in store for us! Even though it wasn't an "official" part of E3, their presentation from last year was a delightful fever dream, and I have no idea how they're going to follow that up.

Rip and tear, GameManiac, rip and tear:

I'll play it by ear as I am wont to do. With some exceptions I don't get uber excited about games before they come out as much as I once did and generally some of the best games of recent years were ones I didn't anticipate liking as much as I did or ones that slipped under my radar that I later found.

Still if DOOM gets a follow up.

I mean.

I'm going to scream forever.

GoofierBrute is hoping for a great Nintendo Direct:

I'm mostly excited about what Nintendo has to show this year (I know, a Nintendo fan being excited for Nintendo news, shocker). I mean, we already know Smash is going to be there prominently, and they'll probably announce some ports of Wii U games, but I'm curious to see what surprises they're going to have up their sleeve. I mean last year was when they said that a mainline Pokemon game was coming to the Switch, and then dropped two Power Bombs by announcing two Metroid games, so I'm curious to see what surprises they have this year. A new F-Zero or Kid Icarus game maybe?

Do you have your own bingo card predictions for E3 coming up? Or are you keeping your expectations tempe??red? Leave a comment belo??w and compare conspiracy theories!

The post Put on your skepticals, E3 season is upon us appeared first on Destructoid.

A simple dream to kill all gods

While there were plenty of people initially skeptical of its tonal shift, there's no denying that God of War has really taken off. Although quite a few members of the community had said they had no interest, the Quick Posts on Destructoid are, regardless, surprisingly full of praise??.

Chris Carter loved it, and several other Dtoiders are also showing their approval. Hell, one community member personally knows one of the people who worked on it. These days, there's always a conc??ern about spoilers hanging over our heads. Which is why we wanted to put this full frontal space to allow?? everyone to talk about what they've been liking (or disliking, perhaps) about Dad of War.

Final warning. Everything past this line is fair game for spoilers. As someone who hasn't played the game yet, I don't have a horse in this race. I've already seen a few spoilers but I don't really mind, because I'm not really going t??o put in the time and money to get the game and play it, so I might as well hear about some of the sharper, pointier moments that are worth relishing.

So, what have you liked about God of War so far? What are some of the more amazing, ??or shocking, moments you're just dying to talk about amongst your peers? And did you hear about the secret ending?

The post What ??have you loved most about God ??of War so far? (Spoilers) appeared first on Destructoid.

The world eater cometh

It's been one and a half months since Monster Hunter: World released and I think it's safe to say it's been a hit. It's standing side to side with other games as a popular choice for highlights and Twitch streaming. The time of Deviljho's return is nigh as we await his arrival in the New World to thrash around Great Jagras or feud with Bazelgeuse. Now that we have a glimpse of World's post-launch plans starting with Deviljho on March 22 and the Spring festival in April, it's time to bring out all of Dtoid's hunters to ask which monsters you're hoping to see return in World's fully realized, HD landscape.

They say the flagship monster of the game you started on will always hold a special place in your heart. That's why I'd love to Seregios return in MHW. This fierce bird-like wyvern is covered in razorsharp scales, which it throws at enemies with a flap of its wings. I always loved hunting good old Steve in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate not only for its razorsharp weapons but because I always found fights with him to be very dynamic and unpredictable. A close second would be Amatsumagatsuchi, introduced in Monster Hunter Portable 3rd but making its western debut in Monster Hunter Generations. Elder dragon fights in general are fun, but I always loved how lea?rning to correctly avoid his one-shotting hurricane vacuum was the perfect crescendo to Amatsu's hunts.

So I asked the community which monsters they'd l?ove to see return. S?ome of the answers may surprise you. Like Khezu.

Lewness makes a bid for Glavenus:

I wanna see people flounder against this.

SrChurros suggests Duramboros, among others:

Nargacuga, Shagaru Magala: both my favorite monsters, very aggressive and fun fights.
Duramboros: he is dumb and have waaaaay too much HP but I like it.
Gigginox: another favorite. Love that flabby buddy.
Brachydios: the only monster I never managed to kill as a solo gunner. Fun to fight using the IG on 4U though.

Malthor's cho??ice in exploding, boxing, brute wyverns is i?mpeccable:

Brachydios would be on the top of the list of monsters I'd want to see back, fighting him with gunlance was superfun, learning how to angle yourself to block his combos really felt good. Really liked his color scheme for armor too and of course explosions are always okay with me.

Najarala would be a close second, also a very fun fight back then which I'd like to repeat, as a fan of paralysis weapons his gear was also pretty nice (we have Girros weaponry for that now, but more variety is always good^^).

Monsters that can go to hell and stay there: Gigginox and Khezu, please never remake those.

FakePlasticTree reminds us Metal Gear Solid is canon:

Metal Ger Rex.

T?heZeroOne has spent many hours hunting his favorites, c?learly:

Zinogre and Nargacuga.

Both monsters I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to fight and had to really learn how to dodge (Zinogre in MHGEN Arena and Nargacuga in MHGEN demo).

I miss my Snarly Cat-owl and Thunder God Wolf. Seeing Zinogre gather thunder bugs in HD would be glorious.

I ha?ve to take this chance to correct Chris Hovermale, Lagi is a leviathan, not a piscine wyvern:

Like you say, the flagship from the first game you play is special to ya, so I'd like to see Lagiacrus back. We don't have a lot of piscine wyverns nor electric monsters in the game yet.

Also, Seltas/Queen Seltas. I need my big bugs. I need my endgame viable bug armor. Heck, more boss neopterons in general would be great!

Occams knows what a g??ood monster ??looks like, and its name is Zinogre:

That blue and yellow lightning dragon.

Vespy believes in Fatalis, eventually:

Tigrex has always been my favourite, Narga a close second. I'd also like to see Son Goku and Purple Chicken, just for variety and to mess with the newbies (and they have cool equipment). And I can't imagine we won't see Fatalis eventually..

Sailor Zebes is coldhearted:

Zinogre is my number one choice. He's my favorite monster.
I also want to see Gore Magala and Seregios since I also really started with 4U, and would also love to have Rogue Sedition again.

Also, I hate the Khezu but want him to make it in just so new players can suffer too. <3

L3stat i??s one of the only people I've seen to make these sug??gestions:

my boy yian garuga!! gogmazios and giginox.

CaimDark can't decide, so he picked them all:

ALL OF THEM! The More the merrier! I didn't see every Monster in 3 and 4, never played generations or any of the older games, so I'm all for meeting and greeting and slashing them in glorious HD.

GetNekKid has? chosen some of the toughest figh?ts around:

Zinogre, Tigrex and Rajang are what I am really hoping for. Duramboros would also be a hilarious fight to relive!

Goemar loves the Matraca Ham??mer, like?? many good Seregios hunters:

Seregios made a damn good hammer, so yeah would love to see him back. Sure it was rumoured it’s opposite sex looked different or something as well :/

Would love to see Gore Magala come back, specially as his shedded scales could effect the other monsters in the area.

And for the sake of ridiculous quests, Rajang. 2 Rajang, Jho and BeetleJuice - pretty fun quest...

Oh - and Gobul. Like, the game is made for him. Even has baby Gobuls in it...

I told Ma?jor Tom that Nargacuga would be awesome?? with Tobi-Kadachi's wall cling move:

Give me my fucking bat panther narg!

I can't even Greenhornet214:

The post Which monsters are you? hoping to see again in Monster H?unter: World? appeared first on Destructoid.

My undying flame of hatred for Apex Gravios

If Monster Hunter: World is your first Monster Hunter game, you may have occasionally seen this question floating around: what was your first Monster Hunter game and what weapon did you start with? It's interesting. While I haven't seen this bit of trivia confirmed, it's widely believed that the fifth fleet you're apart of in World represents the fifth generation of the Monster Hunter se??ries, and each fleet before it represents the previous generations of th??e game.

For example, the first fleet hunters in the game like the Commander and the Huntsman are tired, grizzled veterans who have done it all, like the players who started playing the games way back when. The third fleet is composed of researchers and scholars, just like how Monster Hunter Tri brought lots of online resources like the wiki and Kiranico.

I started relatively recently with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, but was immediately hooked by the demo to dive in head first despite the long-lived image the game had at that point of being impenetrable. And what better weapon for a rookie to immediately get started on than the Dual Blades? Of course, like a lot of hunters, your first Monster Hunter game gets you pretty attached to the monsters it introduced. While Gore Magala was the flagship of 4U, I loved my eternal struggle with Seregios, which was the cover monster for other territories like the UK and Japan. Fighting Sergios was always invigor?ating, and its weapons had an amazing gimmick to reflect a bird covered with knives: eternally sharp blademaster weapons!

If you didn't know, Destructoid's hunting community is quite strong and vibrant. We even have our own squads on World for each platform, Palico Patrol! This is what our hunters had to say about their first MonHun games when asked about it in the quick posts.

JohnSmith123 perhaps picked the m??aster race weapon from the onset:

I had the PS2 version of Monster Hunter. I believe it was a great sword.

Didn't really get into it until the PSP games. Freedom 2 and Unite got me hooked.

Harold Hypno ??shares my woes about the new, fifth generation bow mechanics:

MH3U was my first. Started with Dual Blades, then transitioned to Longsword. In 4U I mained bow, and in Generations I split bow/longsword 50/50.

Now I still main longsword, and picked up SnS and LBG. Hate the new bow.

zatoeyes probably knows his spirit combos:

I think it was the first one that came out on the Wii? I didn't care for it so I don't want to count it as my first.

The first one I actually really played was was Monster Hunter Generations on the 3DS after my friend finally convinced me to play it with him. Shortly after I made that purchase, World got announced and I put it off because World looked like it fixed many of the problems I had with Gen and I didn't want to burn out.

In both Gen and World I started with the Longsword. In World I have branched out a lot and now use LS, Hammer, HBG and Gunlance. I switch it up depending on what I'm hunting.

Hopefully CaimDark has received MHW by now, cause it's a blast:

My first was 3U on the Wii U. I was completely hooked, but it's not as exciting on a small handheld, so that was my only MH until last year, when I got 4U on a sale.

I'm very much looking forward to World, except I got it as a gift, it was bought online and the delivery is taking forever, it's been over 20 days! I'm tempted to just forget about it and buy it myself, but that would be kinda rude. :(

I think I started with the classic sword and shield, but soon realized I wouldn't be blocking much. Eventually I settled on the Switch Axe and haven't used anything else since. When I start world maybe I'll try something fast like the Dual Blades.

I've hunted with NeoTurbo. He's ser??ious about being hooked on Charge Blade:

Started with Freedom Unite 2 on PSP. I tried lance, but couldn't figure it out so I went with the simpler hammer. Then I got hooked on Charge Blade when 4U introduced it.

Chris Hovermale is a Tri boi:

Started with Tri myself! I was indecisive as to what weapon to mostly use, but I enjoyed Long Sword, Switch Axe, and Bowguns.

These days I stick to Insect Glaive, mostly because it's time consuming enough to grind materials for one weapon type.

Gam?emaniac is a man of bacteria so of course he chose wha??t he chose:

MHW is my first, and I went for the Insect Glaive immediately. Because bugs.

ajexander is a man of cu??lture as well ?for his use of Fire and Ice:

In Freedom 1, I believe I started with a Great Sword and it went very poorly. Changing to Sword and Shield was the only way I got anywhere in that game, though slowly.

My ability with other weapons increased with each subsequent game, to the point I don't use the SnS at all any more. In World I have a near-complete collection of Great Swords and Long Swords, along with many Charge Blades, Switch Axes, and the Fire and Ice Dual Blades because holy shit they are disgusting on anything not fully resistant to ice or blast. I really need to give Hammers and the Lances another go.

Major Tom's has put a respectable amount of hours into MH3U:

MH3U on Wii U and 3DS. I played that shit over 500 Hrs, then got into 4U and then Gen, loving World. Started with Switch Axe in 3U, then Charge Blade on 4U then Long Sword on Gen and then Greatsword re World.

Gundy pours one out for the old claw meta:

I started with the original on the PS2 and used the Greatsword almost exclusively, only switching to bowguns when I could actually afford the Clust lv2 meta because money was super tight in the original and shit was expensive. RIP claw day. Also RIP being able to carry 99 wyvern claws.

LaT??erry found his way after finding the Charge Blade??:

I've actually got four different Monster Hunter games, Tri, 3U, Generations, and now World. In all but World I was so confused about what I was supposed to do that I didn't get past many of the early quests, all of which were gathering quests. I just had no idea what was going on. World drops you in and lets you kill things almost right away, and that was the hook I've needed. I don't remember what weapons I tried in the others since it never mattered since I never got to fight anything. In World I grabbed the Charge Blade and I've been using it ever since. After figuring out how to actually play these games, I've gone back to Generations with SrChurros and it's been a lot of fun. I stuck to the Charge Blade for Generations as well to see how it might have changed in World.

Vezpy brings up?? one of my persona?l favorites, Ukanlos! You know, the flying wyvern!

I've actually got four different Monster Hunter games, Tri, 3U, Generations, and now World. In all but World I was so confused about what I was supposed to do that I didn't get past many of the early quests, all of which were gathering quests. I just had no idea what was going on. World drops you in and lets you kill things almost right away, and that was the hook I've needed. I don't remember what weapons I tried in the others since it never mattered since I never got to fight anything. In World I grabbed the Charge Blade and I've been using it ever since. After figuring out how to actually play these games, I've gone back to Generations with SrChurros and it's been a lot of fun. I stuck to the Charge Blade for Generations as well to see how it might have changed in World.

Goemar sure cut his? teeth on Professor Yian?? Kut-ku:

First one was MH Freedom on the PSP. I had grabbed a PSP for the sole purpose of playing Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. A friend at college mentioned how good Monster Hunter looked and that it had co-op so I picked it up. My god did I suck... I started with the Great Sword (not realising the damage values given were massively inflated) because the game said it did the most damage. I couldn't kill anything with it, like Yian Kut-Ku slaughtered me so many times it was just shameful. As the game had cost me money (and I did enjoy killing Velocidrome like... 80 times) I went to YouTube to see why I sucked so much. After that I started using the Sword and Shield (the weapon everyone should start with) and stuck with that until probably about the end of Low Rank in Freedom 2. Pretty much used the Hammer ever since (though have used the Long Sword quite a bit as gotta cut those tails!).

ZombieCorps is an impeccable hunter:

Tri - Greatsword. 4 got me hooked with IG though. Stories was just delightful and World is fantastic. I am a srs Hunter after all...

Don't show C??loudman Sam a Lagiacrus, I'll tell you what:

Tri, I mostly got it because the trailers made it seem like my kind of game.

It was for the most part, but I just couldn't figure out how to properly play it until now. I didn't now how to properly use traps unless the quest specifically said I had to use them, I didn't know how to properly use barrel bombs, and the underwater combat didn't help in timed hunts.

Never made it past the Lagicarus hunt, but I had fun in the sandbox zone outside the village.

I mostly stuck with LS because of katanas and being a pre-teen when I played this, but I enjoyed quite a bit with the Switch axe and GS before getting my first LS.

AlphaDeus?? is ?on his first hunting game and doing well:

Monster Hunter World is my first MH game. I started with the sword and shield, but switched to Dual Blades for a while. I've been mostly using the bow and arrow.

Sailor Zebes knows a good weapon when he fe??els it:

I technically started with Tri, but didn't get into it. Later I got 4U and then it really clicked. I think I started with Sword and Shield cause it was the default, and tried Dual Blades briefly, but both of those didn't last long. Great Sword was the weapon I actually got into.

Rocket Knight is hooked on World, and for good reason really:

Tri! I did the sword and shield, for what little I played. Didn't hook me quite like World has.

Lastly is a lengthy one from SrChurros, who I know as the resident Insect Glaive speciali?st:

Never played world. But first weapon? Fun story time!

First Monster Hunter game I've played was the very first one for the PS2. Started with the Sword and Shield, and saved some money to buy that sweet first iron Great Sword, only to find out it was slow as heck (didn't knew about cancelling the animation with rolls). Ended up picking the Heavy Bowgun, and while my brothers made it to Ratahlos (I think?) I never passed Kut-Ku. I didn't know back then that you should never, ever use Normal Shot 1 as your main ammo. Gave up afterwards.

Next I used bowguns on Tri. I was frustrated that it took me 50 minutes to kill the Royal Ludroth, and then I found Socialdissonance's YouTube channel. After following his tips my kill time was reduced to 15 minutes! Ended up finishing the low rank and stopped playing it.

Soloed 3U using mostly Light Bowguns, sometimes the heavy variant and rarely bows. Problem: played the 3DS version and Bowguns are not that fun to use solo, specially on G-Rank. Even then I learned how to cut tails using freaking boomerangs. Stopped playing at the end of the G-Rank, someplace after Miralis but before Lucent Nargacuga. I swore to myself that if the next game ever had online co-op, I would mostly play online with the Bowgun.

Except I didn't do that. I freaking loved invertebrates as a child, soooo my natural choice was the Insect Glaive. As a lifelong gunner I wasn't really feeling the weapon at first, until BAM, it clicked on me and this weapon is so much fun to use, aaaah. I probably am a bit too much jump happy. Anyway, played online and solo, stopped at the end of the endgame, with just a few more ancient scrolls to translate (3 or 4).

Have an abandoned old Bowgun-main save on Generations. Started a new character to play with LaTerry last Thursday, learning the ways of the Switch Axe now. I'm not feeling comfortable yet using it, but aerial Switch Axe looks like some crazy fun.

So what Monster Hunter game did you s??tart with? And which weapon did you gravitate towards? Le??t us know in the comments and we'll see you in the new world!

The post Is World your first Monster Hunter game? appeared first on Destructoid.

Yokuso, panapticon!

A week before Monster Hunter: World launches, I look back on my time with the series. The demo for 4U was amazing, to be sure, but what's Monster Hunter without camaraderie? The hooks were in, but they wouldn't be in deep and barbed if it weren't for some friends, who noticed my shitposting about Monster Hunter on Facebook. So they invited me into th??eir ragtag guild the?y called the Sunsnug Island Panapticon.

What's a panapticon? Shut up, that's what it is. But being a part of this group of friends taught me a lot about the finer things about the series, like prancing around like an idiot or running like a coward when Rajang is running wild. It's chance meetings like this that allows humanity to truly explore the bounds of their taste and depravity. You know that disgusting anime you like? You probably got into it because of a friend, right? That's right. I'm talking about Oreimo. I... [clenching fist]... can't believe you'??re i??nto that.

With several betas going these past few months, someone's probably getting into somethin??g new they never expected to get into. Hell, it's a college old hat to get into a game because of classic dorm room game nights. So is the??re a game like that in your life, one that you never would've gotten into if it weren't for some good willed friends?

Zalno specifies one game he ?got introduced to, but it sounds like Zalno's friend saved gaming altogether for him:

My love of Pokemon (and games as a whole for that matter) can be attributed to a childhood friend of mine. I was introduced to it shortly after we met at a musical theater group. He brought over a bunch of his Pokemon figures and a VHS tape and I fell in love. Then he told me that all of this was based on a video game. Prior to this revelation, I was uninterested in video games thanks to a bad time with Super Mario Bros. on the NES. But after subsequent hangout sessions with him and our brothers, watching them play N64 games like Paper Mario, Super Smash Bros. and Pokemon Stadium, I was thoroughly convinced.

Eventually, I got a GBA and a copy of Pokemon Crystal. Every time I hung out with my friend from that point on, I'd bring it and my link cable so we could battle together and trade Pokemon. This gave way to playing several other games together for years to come. We did this until Diamond/Pearl, where we just kinda grew apart after a while. I was hoping we could battle online to make up for lost time, but that never came.

I'll always treasure the times we spent enjoying Pokemon together.

Shoggoth2588 had a grand old ?time on PlayStation thanks ?to his buddies:

I never really got into online gaming like this but back when I was a kid it was because of my friends from school that I wound up getting things like the original Playstation (because Twisted Metal), Pokemon and, Voodoo Vince. That's actually quite a long timeline isn't it...? Those are the three that most stick out in my memory anyway.

NinjaSpped got to learn about Nintendo?? as a PlayStation ??2 owner:

As a kid, I had a PlayStation 2 and one of my friends had a GameCube so I played Super Smash Bros at his house and discovered that series as well as other Nintendo properties like Metroid and F-Zero.

It's all about the Mechromancer for GreenHornet214:

I had a roommate that got me really into Borderlands 2. He put a crazy number of hours into the first game.m and tried to get me into it. But it was a really ugly game. Once I learned about the Mechromancer in the sequel, I finally decided to give it a whirl with him. Played through a crapton of the game. All of the main game and most of the major expansions. Some sidequests, but definitely not all.

I kind of want to get it on PS4 and get my wife into it. She could play the Mechromancer.

For Jinx01?, seeing is believing, thanks to a Facebook ?friend:

Hmm, it's not multiplayer but a friend got me into Prey a few weeks ago! She was streaming it through Facebook. I'd kinda passed on the game, but when I saw it in action I decided I needed it. So glad I did, it was fantastic.

dephoenix admits he was kind of a shit until Viewtiful Joe got involved:

So when I was a kid I was a real little shit. I used to buy my friends games that I was on the fence about, basically letting them test them out for me. Most notably I did this with Sly Cooper and Viewtiful Joe. We both ended up enjoying those games so it all worked out.

Also had my oldest friend introduce me to Mega Man Legends, Uncharted, Star Fox Adventures, and lots of other games over the years. With Uncharted and Star Fox, it was mostly just watching him play them when I was over at his house. But Mega Man was another story. See, I have always woken up way ahead of my friend. And he was a bit selfish as a kid. He wouldn't let me play certain games for the simple reason that they were HIS games. So I would wake up before him, and while he still slept, play those games. Especially Mega Man Legends. That ended when his older brother moved out for college, taking his PSOne and games with him. Several years later, after I got a PSOne of my own (my older brother gave me his when he got a PS2) I found a copy of Legends, nostalgia swept over me, and the rest is history.

Ajaxender didn't let a Bullfango stop him:

Appropriately, Monster Hunter Freedom. For whatever reason, my brother got hugely in to it, possibly because of one of his friends, don't quite remember. I already had a PSP, but not MH. My first attempt to play it... did not go well. The very first 'monster' you fight - a Bullfango. A fucking Bullfango! - fucked me up every time. I did not want to continue.

He kept me going back to it, got me hooked, and I've played every subsequent entry besides Tri. I got my best friend in to it. Eventually, our much younger brother started playing it, and put us all to shame with how far he got and how damn good he was. And next Friday, I'm gonna fly to the city where they all live to play MH World together in person. Can't wait!

Halo was another that was quite memorable, because our friend just had to show us some of the more entertaining cutscenes on Legendary, and that meant passing the controllers around as we failed many, many times to get through various levels. But it certainly got us well hooked on the series.

CelicaCrazed represents Friday Night Fights OG:

Back in the day, I used to buy almost any game the old PlayStation Friday Night Fights gang collectively decided would be added to the rotation. Mostly shooters but there were even some outside my wheelhouse like Street Fighter IV. Or someone would want to host an older game on a different night so I'd have to go hunt down a copy. I just had a bad case of FOMO and it cost me a lot of money! Was too much fun.

I guess most of the games I play now are still because of recommendations from Dtoiders so nothing's really changed.

Seymour owes his obsession to a friend and a?? funk?y ass rhythm:

My friend Travis and I were playing some Left 4 Dead 2 back in early 2013, around the time Persona 4: Golden had released, and he was playing the game's track "Like A Dream Come True" over his mic.

I asked "What the heck is that funky-ass rhythm?"

He says "It's from Persona 4." and that simple trade of pleasantries was what eventually blossomed into a frothy love of a franchise that has since become my most favorite.

From there, I tried Persona 4: Golden and loved every little last bit of it's first couple hours (I wouldn't beat it until around 2 years later). I then dived right into SMTIV and loved it as well! In that first year, I probably bought up every 3DS, Vita/PSP, and PSN SMT/Persona thing I possibly could. Now, I own every single one of the PS2 titles, probably a dozen or more of the soundtracks, 3 giant artbooks, and so on.

Thanks, my friend Travis. He is a good boy.

Cedi is thankful for a certain army jughead:

There was a friend who lived next door while I was in high school who was pretty much the only gamer I knew in person. We shared some of our favorite games, and he helped me get into weeb stuff and some fun flash games. Unfortunately, we fell out of contact when I moved away, and we haven't stayed in touch since. I think he's in the army now, so it's not exactly easy to get a hold of him. Wish I could thank him properly for all the times we hung out, because he's done a lot to help shape my current taste in games.

Goofierbrute's friend performed irreparable damage on him:

My cousin got me into Goldeneye and first person shooters in general......though that was mostly because he knew every map like the back of his hand, and as such was able to find the best places to hide and shoot me with the Golden Gun. Dick. I got the game shortly afterwards just so I could show him up, but by then he moved on and I was stuck being somewhat interested in shooting people in first person. So yeah.

LaTerry never died thanks to his brother:

My brother got me into the Souls games. I was intimidated by them because everyone said they were so hard, so I never gave them a try, but then my brother started a lets play of Bloodborne and I thought it looked so cool. I bought it and waffled around a bit, but didn't make any progress before moving on to another game. Then when Dark Souls 3 came out my brother and I bought it at launch day and he let me summon him so that he could help me out. I finally caught my stride with the game and didn't stop until I got the platinum.

Gamemaniac3434 is talking about me! Neat!

Actually, somewhat ironically, Monster Hunter World. I wasn't interested before some buddies on this here dtoid convinced me that I should give it a try-you, lawman and limo helped push me into trying it actually strider-and I had enough of a blast with it that I decided I'm going to grab it and play it with you guttural swine. Playing and exploring, chasing down monsters and the organic stuff that happened during our fights convinced me to get into it and into my first Monster Hunter game. So thats nice.

What about you? On the verge of a brand new year, after such a good 2017, are? there any games you look back on that were only possible thanks to the friendships you made along the way?

The post Do you have friends who got you into certain video gam?es? appeared first on Destructoid.

The Big N's stealth attack

Whole continents of gamers, expecting a possible Nintendo Direct this week, woke up to the news that one had already happened without them. I myself stumbled across the reveal just as I was logging ??off for lunch, leading to hastily-typed announcement?s and an excuse for another cup of coffee.

No-one really minded the suddenness of Nintendo's surprise attack once they got word of some of the giant's headlines, though. Not only did we get exciting content for previously established titles such as Pokken Tournament and Super Mario Odyssey, we also got revamped editions of fan-loved games and, God forbid, some actual new announcements.

Plus, a new game for Leona Heidern.

What did you guys and gals make of the whole affair? Did anything set your world alight, or at least get you giddy for a future release? Are you chomping at the bit for a Switch edition of Dark Souls, or eager to return to the court for Mario Tennis Aces? Let us ?know what you made of the dri??ve-by revelations below.

The post What did you get out of the Nintendo Direct Mini? appeared first on Destructoid.

We're all super stars!

For me personally, there are two big marquee games that defined the Nintendo Switch's explosive entrance onto the scene this year. First was a right-straight with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, followed by an uppercut later with Super Mario Odyssey.?? Both of these games brought about this classic sense of school yard gossip and sharing. Did you know you can do this? Have you tried that? Did ?you see so-and-so?

One of my favorite aspects was the picture sharing feature that spread everywhere with the game's launch. Everything from funny memes, references to other games, even pictures displaying an existential dread of everyday living allowed everyone to experience the game vicariously through others. In fact, he??re on Destructoid, the pictures were so ubiquitous that the mods decided to put?? their foot down a bit when it came to spoilers. Still, there's something special about getting a nearly naked Mario to sit next to a grown-ass man in a business suit, then coming to the realization that Mario is the one who has figured out his life.

So what did the community think of Super Mario Odyssey? I love meme'ing it up but many community members had more complex opinions on what Odyssey did right and wrong. To be sure, expect some amount of spoilers ahead, so read ??on only if you don't mind!

GoofierBrute puts this thing neck and neck with Breath of the Wild:

It's not a perfect game, and while it'll never replace Super Galaxy 1 and World as my favorite Mario games, it's easily in the top five. The music is fantastic, the non-linearity to each kingdom is great, the music is fantastic, it strikes a nice balance with its nostalgia, New Donk City is amazing, and oh my God the music! Not to knock 3D Land or 3D World (both are great) but I haven't felt this way about a Mario game since Galaxy, and if Breath of the Wild hadn't come out earlier this year, I'd proudly declare it the best Switch game.

Mike Sounders makes a grave accusation:

It's the best Switch game. No question here. Everything is very refined, it's extremely hard to find an issue that may divide the player base experience over other than MAYBE the art direction and overexposure of New Donk along with the challenge levels, but that's just nitpicking for the most part. Cappy brings a level of mobility Mario hasn't had since Sunshine with Fludd. The capture mechanic is fun, the applications of it are great, although there are a couple I wish they explored just a bit more.

But ya. Best Switch game hands down.

Also Bowser being a total weeb is great.

dephoenix might still be riding high:

Maybe I'm still just riding the hype train a little, but it's currently my favorite Mario game. I love all the Kingdoms, and the way they're designed. I love the music, the atmosphere, the graphics. It's just really well done. The best way I've found to describe it to my friends is it's a game that is worth buying a Switch for.

FakePlasticTree requires a movie comparison to aptly describe his love??:

Best Mario game I’ve played period. No other Mario game has provided so many fun little mechanics to play around with that has kept me hooked enough to wanting to find all the collectibles. Mario World is special to me and 64 was fun. Odyssey is great, it is whimsical, bright and just a generally good romp. It is the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, all the way down to the part where you play around inside other people’s head. Well, that is not exactly what happens in the film, but you know like whatever!

Rasori makes an easy, no contest comparison:

Not only one of the best Mario games to date, but one of the best games of 2017. In an era full of loot boxes and micro-transactions, we all needed a game like this. A game you can sit down and play from start to finish, with end game content right after you're done, and all optional costumes are unlockable within the game without the need for day one, or post game dlc.

I really hope they make a sequel soon like they did with Mario Galaxy, because there's still so much to do in this world, and I'm excited to see what they can come up with.

Guerilla would totally Mario again:

It’s masterful, frankly. Super Mario Odyssey is the concept of ‘joy’ made into a video game. The controls are pitch perfect, the music is excellent, it’s utterly gorgeous and packed with content. There are new ideas in every Kingdom, new mechanics, new captures, new secrets. Nintendo somehow made it seem utterly effortless.

There’s so many incredible little ‘moments’ in this game, I could sit here all day listing them off. I’ll just drop a few here. The Mushroom Kingdom. Capturing Bowser. The New Donk City Festival. Yoshi. The many nods to Mario 64, especially in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario getting friendzoned. That pirate costume...

10/10. Would Mario again.

Cedi really reflects on the fun:

Odyssey has become my personal favorite Mario game. Maybe I'm still hyped on the recency of it, but reflecting on everything I love in a good collectathon, it delivers more on those things than any other such game I've played. Exploration and experimentation is constantly rewarded. The control is great and your moveset gives you tons of tools to mix and match for parkour shenanigans (Also, Mario has a better spindash than modern 3D Sonic. Think about that). The costumes are delightful. The environments and soundtrack are beautiful. It's constantly fun to roam around in, which is the biggest strength a game premised on roaming around could ask for!

I'm at over 700 moons and the only things I dread in 100% completing this game are the obligatory coin grind and a handful of frustrating repetition-based minigames, which I may skip because they're so insignificant. Polish that stuff out and I think you have a nearly perfect formula for a Mario game!

TurboJasper is loving this brave new world of Nintendo:

I have been really enjoying the latest releases from Nintendo. They seemed, for a while, to have settled into a basic formula with their bigger franchises:
-Zelda is triforce and temples and bosses with glowy segments you hit three times
-Mario is the run and jump with the goombas and ah, fuck it. You guys make the games now, we're over it
-Metroid. Well...less said the better
But recently it seems that there have been longterm fans within the development process or maybe Nintendo has just been getting a bit more brave and creative recently? Hard to tell, but regardless, the love that drips from every inch of Mario Odyssey is so overtly apparent. It is the first game in a long time that has really provoked an enthusiastic response from me. I was yelling at my screen and getting all excited for Bowser in a wedding suit.
The ending where peach just up and abandons Bowser and Mario on the moon? I was bouncing all over the place, reeling from what a god damn power move that is.
Odyssey really crammed itself full of little nods to forgotten titles and interesting side corners to plumb but i believe that is indicative of a fantastic little wave where the inmates are running the Asylum. Its almost as if the games are being developed under the guise of what people think the games represented to them in their youth. A great example of this was Sonic Mania, one of the best Sonic games since the second. That game just plays like what Sonic felt like in my memories. Playing those games proves i remembered incorrectly, but thats what makes it so good. these games play like the nostalgia i feel.

Seymour has 640?? power moons as a testament to his enjoyment:

I didn't think the more open structure was made to fit a game like Odyssey as well as a game like Breath of the Wild. When it comes to 3D Mario, I expect concise, objective-based platforming rather than what amounts to essentially Banjo Kazooie.

Instead of these hubs/kingdoms sometimes changing drastically to fit one of several significant objectives, Odyssey relies more on the player to create their own fun and adventure within larger biomes. As I've said, that freedom was welcomed with Zelda, but I felt it diluted the Mario experience I've come to love.

Around 90% of the more satisfying platforming sections were almost always completely segmented away from the kingdoms you'd use to access them. Much like the challenge rooms in Galaxy, but Galaxy's hubs generally felt far more cohesive given they often sported a lot of what was on offer for players wanting a healthy challenge.

Hmm. I wouldn't have thought I would have that many negative things to preach about Odyssey!

With all that said, I still adore the game. Taking into account the sidesteps and missteps, coming off of Mario Galaxy 1/2, it's merely a little way's back from what were triple 'S' tier experiences for me. Odyssey does have high quality level designs, a plethora of replayability, and it knew how to use such an expansive mechanic as the 'capture' ability surprisingly well. The game's two major climaxes are amongst Mario's best moments.

Currently sitting at 640 Moons and I don't plan on stopping until I obtain every last one!

Odyssey is Julc3's compelling argument to owning a Switch:

For me, Mario Odyssey did so many things right, in a time when we are exploiting so many things that are...well, wrong in the gaming industry.

First and foremost, for me, it's the strongest entry in the Mario Series since Super Mario 64, in terms of the exploration/reward aspects of it. Super Mario Odyssey wants you to take time and explore the various Kingdoms throughout, and when you're done? It wants you to go back and explore even more!

Furthermore, the vast amount of content in regards to Mario's attire is absolutely wonderful. This correlates back to my initial statement - there is a large amount of cosmetic content that is readily available to you with a little bit of effort, but absolutely no need for additional money. This is a very bold and well timed statement from Nintendo, and I personally can't give them enough credit for that.

Tl;dr - Super Mario Odyssey is in the right place at the right time, and is easily one of the best entries in the Mario franchise. If you had been waiting for a reason to get a Switch to this point, it makes for the most compelling argument this year.

Bass is tight homies with Cappy, yo:

I really like it! Mario himself controls super nicely thanks to his many different movement options and being able to use Cappy as a platform... And I really like most of the worlds too!

I do think the game suffers from three things. Possessed enemies are too simple mechanically compared to Mario, which eventually made that gameplay gimmick a chore when it was forced on me. I'm not too hot on the progression system of the game either, I think moons in any world should count as fuel to unlock new stages (like in 64/Sunshine), because as it is the game kind of discourages you from exploring until you beat Bowser. And finally, the last level really disappointed me with its focus on simple snippets of possession gameplay over a true test of your skills.

But overall, I had a great time! Sand Kingdom and Wood Kingdom were two super solid levels back to back in the early game.

Papa Niero is critical cause he cares:

Overall, brilliant game. It's my game of the year behind Harvey Weinstein's Man Odyssey. It's so densely packed with little magical details and holy-shit-surprise moments that per square inch it's possibly the best Mario game ever made.

* mild spoilers follow *

From the level design to the alternate modes of assisted beginner modes and hidden advanced mechanics for insanely skilled players, it's the video game you can give anyone and watch their face light up. The soundtrack really shines and the mixed-mode 2D/3D melted my face off. I didn't really care for the premise nor was I able to get invested into any of the characters, old and new, but it was enough scaffolding not to get in the way of one of the best platformers ever made. The 'festival' sequence brought tears of happiness to my eyes, I didn't expect that! It's too bad it was over in 60 seconds and mid-game with no equivalent climax, which I'll later get back to.

But if you've finished the whole game without cursing it to fucking hell, then you should be made a saint.

That said, it gets so much right that it is infuriating that some basic things are so wrong. Unlike Mario 3D World, you spend the entire game babysitting the camera. And unlike 3D World the play is way less "tight" because they force these stupid social mappings. There's brilliant 2D sections that cannot be played with your $80 pro controller's D-pad because the game lacks basic button mapping (but made a whole control menu for camera sensitivity, which by the way only responds to analog control and not the unwanted camera chase).

The game forces so much goofy motion controls while obscuring the methods to avoid making them - like who is that for? You don't want to jerk off your pro controller while a flag pole you're climbing is sinking into the lava faster than the normal movement allows. Instead of having fun I just feel like a dirty goober in one of those overly-animated stock videos of agitated gamers.

On a Sunday afternoon I want to be as focused and calm as the fucking ocean and it won't let me enjoy the game.

But my real gripe is how vapid and off-brand the game is. Peach has the emotional range of a shoe. It's worse than even the bad Pixar movies. Why do people in these kingdoms act like they've never heard of each other? Why does the princess, who rules over them, act like she's never been outside of a cave?

The art direction, who some call brave, is all over the place (four types of humanoid models plus stock photorealistic dinosaurs and PS2-era cityscapes, really?) it's like the game was leaked halfway through development before the writers and art directors could get the budget extended. Some stuff looks so good despite rendering well below 1080p. Other parts, it barely looks like a game released in 2017. Nintendo is charging $90 for a USB-C cradle that, if the hardware is worth a shit, should be able to link to a powered external video card capable of ... ugh nevermind, I'm tired of repeating myself for 10 years.

Nobody is going into this game for an emotional payoff but it's the difference from videogames as works of modern art to videogames as forever iterations of lessons stemmed from Mario 64. For the value, you get your money's worth. For the rest, we'd rather tip our hats the other way and try not to focus on the basic broken things, because we're just happy Nintendo is still in business and making very catchy amusement products. What a flawed little gem.

ZombieC0rps? really liked the capture mechanic but that's probably an under??statement:

I love Odyssey. The level designs are wonderful. I haven’t finished the main game yet because I’m way too interested in exploring ever corner of the kingdom I’m in before moving on. The “capture” mechanic adds an additional level of depth to the game as you’re tearing up landscapes with chain chomps and dinosaurs or gliding to hard to reach areas with that flying lizard character. 
The other kingdoms, with their own native people are interesting to see. I loved the skull people in Sandy Desert but it’s a missed opportunity not to see what would be the nightmarish hellscape of a Kingdom from which the Broodals have come.
Overall, Odyssey is my favorite Mario title to date. I hope to see more like this in the future.

Agent9 felt a natural evolution:

Personally I enjoyed odyssey much more than Breath of the Wild. To me it too felt like a natural evolution of the Mario series, though it does have some miss steps here and there. Overall though, Odyssey is a solid game.

There is always a reward for those looking to explore, unlike BoTW which could leave you wandering aimlessly with no goal, no purpose, and no reward for your efforts. Collecting Moons actually gives you tangible rewards by way of clothing items and some bonus content on the moon.

The Layout of the moon's also encourages exploration (again unlike BoTW which punishes you more often than not). I often found myself testing out different captures and platforming to all sorts of areas just to see if there was a moon I had missed and many times my efforts were rewarded. On top of that many of these areas were bright, colorful, interesting, full of great music, and just so full of life. Exploring them was a real treat all around.

The boss fights were also pretty good. I felt like the Broodals while similar they had a fairly unique mechanic that made each battle a bit different. The way you played these fights was also pretty interesting. You can play it super safe and get a guaranteed shot at hitting them again, or if you're daring enough you can skip a few cycles. For instance, jumping on the hat of the poison broodal or the tall broodal will stop their berserk phase and send them back to their attack phase. hitting the female broodal with her bomb in her berserk phase will bring her back to attack, and if you listen closely to that leprechaun broodal you can hear which hat he's in (during berserk) and hit it enough times (or into the wall) to bring him back to attack phase. I actually never thought I could skip a phase in a game like mario (because things are defined pretty strictly) and I only learned about it by mistake as I was clearing bombs from the 1 broodal fight.

That said I felt like the game could have reduced the amount of moons it had without compromising the game too much. Sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed by the scope of all this. I would have also liked to see more challenge rooms but with the aesthetic of the kingdom they're in, as well as more bosses or even secret bosses. One of the best examples I can provide is from SM Galaxy where you fight KingFin.

That was an easy but great battle and I love seeing stuff like that. Hopefully they can do more in the future. Other than that I feel pretty satisfied with Mario Odyssey. This game is GOTY material in my eyes.

Fuzunga wants more, now:

Well if you really want to know, I wrote this review of it: //www.themegalodon.co...

Here's the summary from the end:

"Super Mario Odyssey is the kind of game that reminds you why you started playing games to begin with. It's the loving culmination of nearly 40 years of Mario history, and you'll be smiling with child-like wonder the whole time. I'd boot up the game with the intention of making a little progress, and before I knew it the hours had slipped away and I'd have collected another 30 moons. I don't think I'll ever get the maximum number of moons, though I did collect enough to visit every area and unlock every costume, yet I continue to play the game anyway because it's so much fun just to run around as Mario. That's the mark of an excellent game. I finished it and immediately want to go back and keep playing it. How many games can you say that about today?"

BigDoniel is convinced of Mario's quality:

Not generally a fan of Mario, or even platformers in general, but it's pretty good aye. It's a Nintendo game through and through, with little touches that wouldn't even be considered by anyone else. Also, the Ice Kingdom was probably my favorite oddly enough, that race was super neat.

Super Mario Odyssey really is a great, quality close out for the Nintendo Switch's first year! So, what did you think of Super Mario Odyssey?

The post Wh???at does the community think of Super Mario Odyssey? appeared first on Destructoid.

In Yharnam, we fear the old blood

It's been almost a whole year since I purchased Bloodborne, got slaughtered in Central Yharnam, and put the game down. But ever since October started, I managed to push through my previous failures and finally experience Yharnam in all its spooky glory. I now appreciate what Occams previously said when he stated his love of Bloodborne's Lovecraftian elements and horror ambiance.

Establishing the setting and atmosphere of a horror game is such an important and profound part of making a game scary. It kind of feels pointless to bring up the subject of setting in a horror game but it can do everything, from making a supposed horror game terrible, to tinging adventure games with a feeling of suspense and terror. Bloodborne is supposed to be an adventure/RPG-type game, but romping through the dark, fog filled streets of Yharnam, unsure what kind of terrible, malformed beast I'll meet around the next corner filled me with dread. Especially later on, when beastly monsters prowling the streets gave way to mysterious places of worship filled with.??.. unknowable things.

Last week I asked the community what some of their favorite, blood-spattered, grimy, dirty, unnerving and suspenseful locales were. We're sidestepping the prompt of overcoming fear and jumping right into the horror.

Agent9 taps into the unknown of abandoned towns:

I like abandoned towns with actual exploration. You never know what you'll find. I suppose something like silent Hill. You get the fear of the unknown with the wide open space mixed with claustrophobic areas that you'll need to enter to progress. You can also see a lot of "history" if the game is designed well. One of my favorite things to do is find documents and photos to learn about the past of the town and the people in it. It's always intrigued me.

Keiichi Morisato knows of the true horror:

New York from Parasite Eve, i love the atmosphere the game has overall. i wasn't very keen on the sequel though, as i really enjoyed the gameplay of the first game, it was a very cool take on the ATB system, and i wish more games copied that.

Lucas Fright sees the un?ne?rving aspect of watching the familiar become unfamiliar:

I always liked (scared of) mundane things gone horribly wrong like in Slient Hill 4 when the normal looking apartment goes more fucked as the game goes on. Makes me feel immersed into the world and relate to what happening.

The one common aspect to Ghostmaniac3434's choices are big, spooky mansions:

Mmm. Setting BB aside due to its mentioning above, I'd say I have a few. Resident Evils Spencer Mansion is an obvious but still huge entry on my list-its such a fascinating building to explore and you never quite know what new ghoulish horrors are waiting, and you build such an intimate relationship with it, even having zombies you leave be because its riskier to kill them.

RE7s different areas have such a similar feel to that but in the best way-capturing the tone and feel of that mansion but adding its own twisted flavor and a balmy swampy area outside that constantly puts you ill at ease.

Luigis Mansion is also similar to REmake in how the mansion feels, its twist and turns, shortcuts and the unknowns that await-its not as scary but I'm lumping it in there because its darn great and its a fun building to explore.

Annnnd Dead Space as a series. Great aesthetic and some really cool design, especially the creepier scenes of having to go into a giant necromorph in the third game or the beautiful Chruch of Unitology.

Micheal Giff reminds me of the hedge maz?e scene from The S??hining:

Garden Mazes always gave me the creeps. I mean who installs a labyrinth in their backyard? The constant uncertainty on if you're making progress or retreading old territory is really unnerving. Also there is no worse feeling than running for you life, only to be greeted with the dreaded dead end. So whether your being cased by a pack of blood thirsty hounds or a goose with your Grandpa's dentures... Garden Mazes get my vote for best spooky setting. 

Honestly I'll take the dog, geese are just plain mean!

Roxas1359 has a ghoulish choice indeed:

Believe it or not, I loved the atmosphere of Dead Money from Fallout: New Vegas a lot. The thought of a city untouched by war, but still populated by ghoulish people who were fused to their hazmat suits and gone insane really crept me out. Not to mention that the ambient music has the bomb sirens that went off in 2077 still blaring but slightly muddled out by the Cloud going off.

Dreggsao is not wrong:

The correct answer is asylums.

I mean, abandoned towns and mansions are spooky on accident of circumstances. An asylum is just aski??ng ??for wrathful ghosts to get involved.

So what are your favorite ??horror settings in games? The perfectly created asylum? Classical graveyards? Or m??aybe something new and contemporary like a dilapidated city at the bottom of the ocean?

The post What are the community’s favorite horror settings? appeared first on Destructoid.

DO NOT KICK THE DOG

[Halloween is the perfect time to go back and play some hidden horror gems from days past - which is exactly what Kerrik52 does in his Haunting Grounds retrospective! I'm a sucker for PS2-era horror games, so hopefully this tickles your fancy as much as it did mine. Get your work on Destructoid's front page by writing a kickass blog - bonus points for bringing the spoop in these waning October days! - Wes]

Haunting Ground (AKA Demento) is a survival horror game made by Capcom. It stars Fiona and her canine companion Hewie as they try to escape a variety of crazies in the grounds of Belli Castle. It was supposed to be the fifth Clock Tower game, but became its own IP instead. But it still has much Clock Tower DNA in it, as it built around escaping a variety of stalkers, not unlike Clock Tower 3.

Open in a new tab for a better look.

Low-key Horror

Something that becomes clear in the first few hours is how slow and creeping the game's horror pace is. It feels awfully realistic, even thoug??h that's evident?ly not the case. You can look around and find the odd scary thing, but oftentimes it just feels like a castle at night.

The game doesn't fill me with dread like a normal effective horror game does, at least not until a stalker draws near. As soon as their music&nbs??p;starts, a bit of panic sets in and you have to bring an escape route to mind. This is exactly what Fiona is feeling and thinking, making it really easy to relate to her. I love when the protagonist is in the same mindspace as me when I'm pl?aying.

Fiona also writes down some nice comments when she finds something of note and has some interesting thoughts when you examine the weird stuff in Belli Castle. It adds to the atmosphere and helps t??o ?develop Fiona outside of cutscenes.

Getting Chased by Stalkers

The stalkers are at?? the center of the game's mechanics and are handled in a great way. Each has their own reason for chasing down Fiona and slightly different mechanics for you to exploit. They'll either find you randomly or after certain setpieces. Then Fiona starts to panic and the hunt is on. Each section of the castle that they govern is comprised of a complex set of rooms full of hiding spots and trap?s for you to find and use.

It's interesting to try and learn the layout as soon as possible so that you can run without having to consult the map. The streamed loading works perfectly, so the pace never lets up. It's a unique way of mastery; ?usually you don't have to care too much about level design in a horror game.

What separates HG from your run-o??f-the-mill chase horror game is the fact that you're not helpless all the time. Hiding and avoiding conflict is the best option, but a direct encounter isn't entirely idiotic. Traps are awesome if you can find them and figure them out, but you have a few direct combat options as well. You need to employ both traps and ??direct combat during boss fights.

Another unique thing is that you don't have any proper health, only invisible stamina and panic meters. Both can be restored with items or time, and change during a chase. I haven't noticed much punishment for getting Fiona tired. I think it slows her down a bit and makes her unable to tackle. The real problem is panic. The longer she spends next to a stalker, the higher it gets and the screen goes whiter. Once it maxes out, she freaks out completely. It's at this point where you can barely control her, as the screen goes white, she runs super fas??t, and starts tripping. If you can endure, it'll soon reset to about half.

The camera combined with the lack of tank controls can get you quite easily when panicking, but it's no problem during normal play. It's at this point where you can actually get killed. If a stalker gets you while panicking, it's all over and you're treated to the sounds of the stalker's unique game over noises. It's a very creepy and encourages you to never hear it agai?n.

Hewie

I'm not a dog person, but Hewie is such an awesome companion that I have to make an exception. You find him chained early on and he decides ??to become your protector from then on. Fiona o??nly has a wimpy kick, some stun bombs, and a tackle, so you'll have to rely on Hewie if you ever want to engage a stalker properly.

He's just a dog, so getting him to help can be hard. In direct combat it's actually pretty easy, but some contextual actions ??for puzzles can be fickle. There are five generic commands: ”Go,” which is jump, attack, and search; ”Call,” which makes him come to you; ”Scold.” which keeps him from disobeying; ”Praise” is to reward him after doing something right; and finally, ”Sit,” which makes him sit on buttons and lets him charge a super attack. You can also make him shake with it!

Female horror protagonists with a dog deserve a comeback.

Treati?ng him correctly with praise and scolding improves your relationship, which makes him more reliable and boosts your final rank. Since it made me like him, I consider the system a great success.

The one problem I have with him is that he doesn't keep up if you run at top speed all the time. This can make it annoying when you need him for a puzzle, but I think you can alleviate thi?s by going a ?bit slower and calling him semi-frequently.

Alchemy

HG makes uses of alchemy in many ways. It's central to the plot and integral to many of the characters. It's also used for some of the stranger puzzles, which make use of a few pieces of alchemical mythology. You even get extra rewarded if you ??know the legend of the Jewish Golem.

You find the odd medallion scattered throughout the castle that you can use in an alchemy machine. This sta??rts a luck/reaction based minigame where you need to match up s??pheres as they switch colours. It's bit hard, but consumables aren't really that important. You can easily get by with only a handful.

The equipment is a different matter, as it's quite useful. I think there are a few to make, but most are either found or earned. If you get enough, you can become rather powerful in conjunction with Hewie. It's still a risk to fight, but it becomes more viable later on a?nd in NG+.

The Daughter of Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 is the game that keeps on giving. Not only is it amazing, but it also spawned other masterpieces, Haunting Ground being one of them. Belli Castle is a dead ringer for Castle Salazar, and Hewie is basically ”that dog.” It's so interesting that Capcom managed to get so much use out of spooky castles. I don't think there are other games whose failed prototypes and assets have found new life quite like RE4.

The Horror Heroine and Female Themes

[I ask for a bit of leeway on this topic, I don't usually write about this kind of stuff. Don't flamewar me please. Write some reasonable comments instead, ok?]

W?ith the game being centered around a young woman being chased around by creeps, it should come as no surprise that it makes use of fears that are associat?ed with, if not exclusive to, women.

Fiona is the exemplary woman visually, having a body many would envy. She is somewhat ??sexualised in the sto??ry and has something called Azoth inside her. I take it as some kind of alchemical lifeforce, so it's understandable why a young woman would be brimming with the stuff.

All of these facts about?? her play into the central theme of female exploitation that makes the game so real and scary, despite the fantasy aspects. Every stalker wants her for a different reason, making for an interesting cast of villains. They objectify her in their own ways, making it really scary and uncomfortable when they chase?? you.

And just to twist the knife further, the most vile of the bunch got the honour of the bad ending. Heavy viewer discretion advised on that one - it's horrible on like five ??levels.

I consider this theme a great writing success, especially since it really makes you want to keep Fiona out of harm and get out. It's horrific, but so well put together. A worthy challenger to Silent Hill 2's throne if there ever was o?ne. The dominatrix bonus costume is a? bit much though.

The Extra Room

Once you beat the game, you get access to the E??xtra Room. It's a reused room from the main game that has been stuffed with a bunch fun extras, such as costumes, movies, character models, music, and even a minigame. I wish all games made an effort to not only have extras, but also made the game's assets more readily available.

Final Judgement

GREAT

The post Traveller in Playtime: Haunting Ground appeared first on Destructoid.

From Okami to uggos

In my circle of friends, I can't stop singing the praises of Cuphead. Asides from its rewarding challenge of overcoming some splendidly designed boss encounters, its distinct 1930s cartoon aesthetic is unique and hard to compare to anything else right now. Everything feels so authentic, from the film grain effect, the rubber hose motions on everyone's animation, and the absolutely incredible music. My favorite part is the announcer hyping you up before a fight in a way that's reminiscent of Capcom vs. SNK 2.

You know what's a terrible design direction? Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. At this point it's just beating a dead horse but should still be said that the gameplay of MvCI is great! It just looks horrible in almost every respect. Jus??t when I get over the visual design and begin to enjoy pulling combos and doing crazy tag combos, the win screen slaps me across the face with some chunky faces.

I thought the juxtaposition of these two games was really interesting to me. One example of a game crafted with the utmost care and love and another with seemingly not much thought at all except in getting its tournament scene up and running. Earlier this week I asked the community when some of their favorite choices in art direction were, from great games with great art to bad games with redeeming qualities, what games would you pick for outstanding art design that isn't Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite?

For my part, Muramasa: The Demon's Blade i?s a personal stand out for me. Really though, anything from Vanillaware is worthy of praise and does indeed get the accolades it deserves.

Formerly ?G??amemaniac3434 has picks both strong and specific:

Mmmmmmm. I think one of my favorite aesthetics in games is probably Dragon's Crown - that game just looks gorgeous and in motion it's pretty beautiful. Rayman Origins and legends also look great - they're well drawn and the amusingly exaggerated way things happen really helps solidify that tone.

Fallout 3 is an uglier game in terms of graphics but I love the '50s aesthetic and how it permeates everything-its a strong theme and its one of the reasons I love the game so much, with the music helping to shore that up. And NieR: Automata, while not overly ugly graphically puts its focus on the characters and what matters, and so much of the design there is just lovely.

And Metroid has a great look to it most of the time - its sidescrollers especially have some good visual design.

Micheal Giff chips in the wacky and colorful world of TMNT:

Call it nostalgia because of the SNES craze sweeping the nation but my vote goes to Turtles in Time. That game perfectly captured the spirit and look of the animated series.

It's also a great look at what a good aesthetic can do for a game. I'm sure I'm not alone as a guy that revisits this game on his SNES on a semi regular basis. How many folks are still playing that disastrously ugly Ubisoft Re-shelled edition? Not as many I wager. So best aesthetic in games? I'm Pizza Power all the way!

Bass points out that SNK has some gre??at backgrounds at work in thei?r fighting games:

In terms of UI, Persona 5 really, really impressed me. Slick transitions between 3D models and artwork, and a very nice sense of style all around.

As for actual in-game visuals, it's hard to say. I'm still a bit of a sprite art fanboy, so something like King of Fighters has a lot of appeal to me:

Czar Kazem takes an obvious but entirel?y justified choice:

Persona 5 easily takes it for me, on nearly every level. My adoration for the game is based just as much on its total sense of style as it is on the gameplay and characters. I can't think of any other game that absolutely oozes cool like P5 does. I mean, you know what you're in for before the game even starts.

Celica Crazed was not prepared:

Nothing prepared me for the first time I played the Jet Grind Radio demo on the Dreamcast. I had seen screenshots and read previews....and it sounded like it was trying to be too cool for school. But then the demo booted up and holy shit. Holy fucking shit! I hadn't seen a cel-shaded game before and I couldn't believe video games could be...that! So bright and colourful, filled with life and neat little effects, tied with that amazing soundtrack. Definitely helped draw me into becoming more of a gamer than I already was at the time.

I think Fuzunga is the first person I've heard in a long time to actually mention his choice:

No game has ever looked more unique or beautiful than El Shaddai. Sometimes I wonder if any other game will ever reach that level.

GreenHornet214?'s choice reminds me that his?? choice is pretty clean cut and vibrant:

I really like the voxely look of games like Crossy Road. It's just pleasing to look at.

Cody Orvik doesn't??? really like Cuphead but has other ideas:

Cuphead actually has one of my least favorite aesthetics, it's just too weird for me. I like Dead Space, most Zelda worlds (Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time, Link to the Past), Super Mario World, and of course the Donkey Kong series.

LuckRequired has a clean choice:

Wind Waker. It's simple, clean and it works. I love it when games stand out from the pack. Shout out to MGS1, those dirty, blurry textures gave the PS1 classic a gritty realism I wasn't ready for back then.

C?ockaroach reminds me how much I m??iss Metal Gear Rising:

It's the age old debate of art direction versus graphical fidelity. I don't have one favorite aesthetic of particular video games. I loved Katamari Damacy as much as Dark Souls in terms of their aesthetics, and both used their art direction to full effect of their respective worlds and gameplay, and made them better games because of it. I used to love the WoW aesthetic, but I grew out of it. Still, it works for the game very well. When it comes to 3D games, I do love high fidelity fantasy, like Dark Souls, or Metal Gear Rising. MGR's aesthetic is slick as hell sci-fi mixed with industrial and urban settings. The characters are stylistically designed, from Monsoon to Sen. Armstrong, to Jet Stream Sam. They work well with each other and fit in the world nicely, and made them bigger than life when their powers are revealed.

Sonic429 has the stand out choice for shooters:

People tend to forget that Borderlands was never originally made with the cell shaded art style, that was done very late in development. While it's by no means my favorite shooter, I can't help but love the Borderlands art style. In a day and age where it's becoming difficult to tell shooters apart, Borderlands stands out.

Obviously everyone has a choice for strong games. So what about you? Here's one last swing at the dead horse, for the road, courtesy of one channel I watch. Really this picture is a great point of comparison for why the jokes may never stop about MvCI.

The post What are some of your favorite game visuals? appeared first on Destructoid.

Who Let the Blogs Out?!

[For some folks, playing a game means more than taking in the gameplay or the characters. For people like JPF720, the scenery can be just as big a part of the experience as actually playing. Join him as he revisits some of his favorite places in gaming, in this our latest entry of Who Let the Blogs Out?!, our series of highlighting gems we missed the first go around. Write a sweet blog like this one, and you could see it promoted to Destructoid's Front Page! - Wes]

Following my previous blog post about the way the context and setting of certain works influence my motivation to experience them and my initial investment, I've decided to go ahead and sh??a?re some wonderful places I’ve visited in video games that really left a mark.

I tried to only pick places which are smaller in scale. Maybe some other time I'll write about towns or, at least, some slightly more ex?pansive areas (*hint*hint??*). On to stuff!

Houses by the beach - No More Heroes

For many of you, these ar??e just some regular-ass houses and one of the most nothing aspects of the entire game. But you see, for ??most of my life I've lived in apartment buildings and, like what tends to happen when it comes to apartments, the concept of living a neighborhood life in full was never a thing for me. Sure, I knew what many folks' looked like; however, for the most part, I hardly interacted with any of them.

To me, these row houses represent comfort, a place where I'd like to live and raise my kids. The fact t?hat they're basically exact copies of each other adds to the charm; interestingly, that lack of individuality is something? I usually steer away from. They're right by the beach, which comes with the nostalgia of me having spent half my life living in front of a beach.

Sure, Santa Destroy has a bunch of crazy baseball players, the mob, and deadly scorpions - and my kids would have to attend s?chool somewhere else, due to killer students and all - but sometimes, amidst all the craziness, one tends?? to crave the mundane. And that slice of regular life in a beautiful town sits very well with me.

Vincent's Apartment - Catherine

Speaking of places to live, if those hou?ses would make for a great family stay, this is the kind of place my bachelor self would be looking for. As my girlfriend would attest to, my need for practicality tends to overwhelm my sense of stylistic arrangement. And while it would never be adequate for more than one person, its compact layout fits me like a glove.

I've been living away from my parents' home for quite some time and in several different places, however there was never the opportunity for me to go look for someplace I would call my own ?and only my own. I've always lived with some kind of roommate and the closest I've been to being by myself was when this one guy almost never came home.

They were great times, don't get me wrong, but I must admit there's part of me that longs f??or that space I never got. A space impeccably represented by this somewhat claustrophobic apartment.

Hotel Ende - Nights of Azure

I love hotels. Maybe t?hey represent some kind of adventurous lifestyle, of leaving one's comfort zone. They accentuate both loneliness and the chance for random meetings. You know that one scene of some guy going to the hotel bar to grab a drink and being the only person there besides the bartender, leading to conversations that last for the rest of the night? I'm fascinated by that, and I don't even drink alcohol!

In Nights of Azure, the hotel is basically your home base, where you return to after venturing into the night to fight creatures and collect items. And it's here where most of the re??lationships unfold, where characters converse and interact. It looks ostensibly sophisticated, almost vacant and comfy, all at t?he same time. I couldn't ask for a better place to return to after my nightly walks through a deserted town.

Kamiari-an Restaurant - Root Letter

I've been talking about feeling comfortable a lot, haven't I? Well, I'm not ?stopping? now.

I may have never been to Japan, much less the town of Matsue, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Root Letter was a completely faithful rep??resentation of it. There may be a lot of interesting and historic landmarks to visit, but that restaurant is the definition of a safe haven.

The protagonist may be staying at an inn where very lovely people work, but, even so, whenever he felt a bit peckish befo??re or after a whole lot of investigatin', I looked forward to going to this place and watch the marvelous cuisine the chef kindly offered me at the usual discount.

Much like the hotel ba??r, it's not for the food itself - I could do without that whole eating food stuff if I didn't actually need it to live - but for the companionship that forms with unlikely people, in an unlikely town.

Underground Club - Maken Shao: Demon Sword

Alright, no more comfort. Especially because Maken Shao isn't the most visually appealing game. That's not the reason I’m sharing a song, though; that's because I can't find a decent screenshot of the place I'm talki?ng about. And the soundtrack is cool.

Anyways, interestingly enough those visuals work in its?? favor. I wrote a whole blog post on this game quite some time ago, but in case you're one of the everyone who didn't read it (just kidding, at least three of you did, so thank you) or didn't play the game, yo?u get to visit a whole lot of cities around the globe. Despite the not-so-appealing graphical quality derived from a Dreamcast game directly ported to the PS2, those fine folks at Atlus somehow managed to grasp the essence of many - if not most - of those cities.

I chose the Amsterdam level because of its three layers. First, there's the town, which looks like a nice,?? old European town. Then, you get to the sewers, and I am someone who tends to enjoy sewer levels more than usual (by "usual" I mean that I haven’t met a single soul who also enjoys those). After that, you end up in this night club, meaning that those people were either drunk or high as hell for ending up there. Scratch that - for wanting to go there in the first place! Even so, and despite me never having been to Amsterdam, this somehow manages to be a damn accurate representation of what people I know have told me about it.

If you liv????e there, feel free to let me know there are no shady clubs in the sewers.

Sewers - Metal Gear Solid 3

I couldn't very well let my sewer fetish go by with a simple passing mention, could I? Of course I could, but MGS3's br??ief romp through a Russian sewage system elicits a positive reaction from me.

On one hand, I find the game's overall color palette really appealing, which works wonders for the "escape through the sewer" scene given it plays out at sunset (my favorite time of day) with tha?t strong and warm or?ange contrasting with the cold walls. The architecture is interesting, seeing as those are some pretty expansive sewers. But hey, that World War II money and all, amirite?

If I were to try to explore my interest in sewers, maybe it relates to that loneliness I sometimes crave, that comfort that's to be found in enclosed spaces. Made even better by the fact that, usually, they lead to the outside, re??flecting a transitional period of one's life.

What was I thinking,? you're all just like, "Dude, you're talking about shit-infested water." Well, you’re not wrong.

What about you? Which places in games left suc?h a mark that you look forward to revisiting them time and ?time again?

Thank you for reading and keep being great.

The post My favorite places in video games appeared first on Destructoid.

We've come too far to replace our ooktar

Howdy y'all. It's your resident cave-dweller ooktar here taking the reigns of the CotW machine for the first time. It's the 13th edition and 13 is an unlucky number so if your comment didn't make it this week then don??'t direct your angry Skeletor gifs towards me as it's all up to fate now. Now let's all gather 'round and take a loo??k at what our silly Dtoiders said this week.

ooktar: Nekro's Sex Dungeon: A PS VR Experience.

ooktar: Yeah but I heard it's a rather sleazy port job.

ooktar: Cum with me if you want to live.

ooktar: That is their Cologne. Eau de Toilette.

ooktar: Any ReMore of that would've been a ReSnore.

ooktar:&nbsp;In proper sequel?? fashion, they'll be replaced by Core?y Feldman and Malcolm McDowell.

ooktar: That's usually my same reaction when ??I?? see the monthly PS Plus games for Vita.

ooktar: That's assu?ming you can even get one pre-ordered without it being cancelled.

ooktar: So all of Dere's puns are his wife's fault?

ooktar: 54% of Switch voters are terrible people.

ooktar: Jus??t remember when you're spanking it to 2B, God's watching.

ooktar: Well how can I turn ?down a request like that?

ooktar: I've doomed us all.

Well that's all, folks. I hope you enjoyed my first time rounding up your co??mments and plastering them here for all to see. Hopefully if you enjoy it they'll let me do another one of these. Or they'll send me back in the cave and push a boulder over the entrance so I can't escape again so please send your love so that doesn't happen. Thanks everybody.

The post Comments of the Week 13: We’re up all night to Get Unlucky appeared first on Destructoid.

No more game overs

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was not at all on my radar when it released a couple weeks ago. But it suddenly exploded in my feed when people talked about how dying works in the game and the fail states associated with it. After a few days of talking about the game's release, people seemed to settle on Hellblade's m??erits on treating mental illness and psychosis in gaming after everyone was done talking about how death was handled in the game.

But the whole discourse about game overs and death within games was pretty interesting. A lot of times death is just a fail state in games, nothing more than a phase of the game when you make mistakes. Other times, it can be an artistic choice. Think of dumb games like how Superman Returns gave the health bar to Metropolis in order to dictate your game progress. Or how death in roguelikes is a forgone conclusion but you keep on pecking away anyways. Sometimes it can be serious, like how gritty and gruesome the deaths in Tomb Raider are. There are montages of Lara dying in her games because they're so difficult to turn away from. But it always struck me how hilarious ragdoll physics are, like the ragdolling in the Arkham series (even though they don't die, they? just get kno??cked out).

It's even weirder when juxtaposed to the idea that there are no more game overs in Mario Odyssey.

The question was pretty open ended, so there were many comments on the implementation of death, choice in game overs and fail states, and even the general philosophy of how death is approached. But despite some vague??ness on my part, there were a lot of excellent responses to this sort of cerebral question.

Ricky Namara is a story guy:

Disclaimer: I'm a 'story guy' who judges a game's worth by its narrative, and that could lead to unfair judgments over things like roguelikes or, indeed, Souls-like games.

Having said that, permadeath always felt cheap to me. It?'s an easy way to invoke feelings of loss without investing to??????????????????????????o much thought into the narrative or character development. There are games that does it real well, true, but a lot I've seen is all "Oh you sucked at this game? Well now you permanently lost your favorite avatar! GIT GUD, BITCHES!!"

I already have enough pressure not to suck in my real life; I don't need that from ?my escapist fantasy as well, thank you very much.

Bass sees the tricky balancing act in it all:

I like them. I think they have a place, as long as they give an impression of danger to the player without being frustrating. I think a life system in particular can do a lot of good to a video game: While not any player sees a value in collecting random trinkets for a different ending or addition??al pai??ntings in an art gallery or whatever, every player can see the value of more survivability. They're a way to reward a player that is consistently appreciated no matter the play style, except maybe speedrunners.

That being said, it's also a tricky thing to balance. Make lives too frequent, like New Super Mario Bros., and the 1-up's value decreases to nothing. When dying is too easy in your game, like in something similar to Super Meat Boy or I Wanna Be The Guy, then a life system would definitely make thin??gs too frustrating. They have a time and ?place.

Death is fleeting for Siddartha85:

My absolute favorite is Super Meat Boy. You're dead, but so fucking what? It's a video game. Why shouldn't you come back in an instant? Why is that not standard at this point? If it's easy to die it should be easy to load a do-over. Then, when you finish, you get to see ??the fireworks show of every one of yo??ur attempts playing at once.

Time is valuable for Gamemaniac:

Speaking for myself, I think the Souls games generally do it well - there is a consequence to death but you do have the chance to recoup a valuable resource before it goes away forever. Yeah you'll lose souls if you die in later souls games but unlike the earlier games you aren't punished again and again for dying aside from losing that resource that really isn't as precious as it first appears-same obviously goes for Shovel Knight.?? It does force you to fight enemies again but it allows you to learn and get better without having to deal with serious consequences that make you want to stop playing.

I think generally it's best to respect a players time. Game overs from not having enough lives or due to time limits that go above a few minutes on certain levels are kind of a waste of a players time if they're having a rough time with a certain level or if part of the game design is actually somewhat broken it can induce rage and not wanting to play the game for a while - especially if the game gives you nothing at all for your time. Worst example of this I can think of is Freedom Wars - certain levels have you with certain amounts of lives or give you 45 minutes. Due to the game being bullshit difficulty wise sometimes, it can mean that you literally watch 45 minutes of your life tick away and then lose because the game thought that beating 5 super tough mechs at the same time was totes doable. And you get jack shit. I think more games should be willing to compromise like Darkest Dungeon where if you're losing or about to lose you can run and still get some resources. It's not without cost of course but at least you get some?thin??g for your time if you don't succeed.

I also think if you die, you should make it as quick as possible to get into it if its structured like a Souls game, you should strive to be like Deadbolt or Hotline Miami - if I'm going to respawn and do everything over again don't waste my time getting there just g?et me back into gameplay as quickly as you can ??if that's how it goes, especially if you don't have details on what I unlocked etc etc to share.

Salador remembers the World Tendency:

I like to see devs mess around with death and try new things. I mean, 'death' in g??ames context is completely contrary to death irl, where you have one shot, that's it, and we don't know what, if anything comes next.

I don't mind permadeath but I think the worst way to implement it is to just have a small number of lives and that be it, game over. I prefer games like Demon's Souls, where death has meaning not just in the cost to your resources, but also in affecting 'World Tendency.' For those that didn't play Demon's Souls, this was a system where doing good thin??gs like killing black phantoms o??r assisting other players would raise your 'player tendency' towards white. But doing bad things, like killing NPCs, would lower it towards black. For the world, the more times you die, the blacker the world tendency becomes, and this spawns black phantoms, unique events, and opens new pathways. It wasn't perfect, by any means, but I'm disappointed that From ditched it completely in sequels. IMO that's one of the most interesting takes on death I've seen in the past decade because it not only affected your character, but the makeup of the world as well.

That being said, not ev?ery game has to have fail states. Some games do fine being either incredibly forgiving, or just? not having failure states at all.

Kerrik52 appreciates some good checkpointing:

I'll just drop some assorted thoughts o??????????????????????????n the ??subject.

I like fail states as means to punish failure in a certain section of the game. But lives can go to hell and only add annoying tension. I like it when a game is properly checkpointed and lives mess with that, sending you back to the start of a level if you run out. That's only annoying, as you have already mastere??d the earlier parts.

If the devs want a marathon that you need to clear in a single go, they should do so. Lives are this unhappy medium where you can fail a bit, but not too much. Either give me checkpoints or have me clear the whole level. The world has room for Crash Bandicoot (without lives.) and Super Meat Boy.

Permadeath is also an annoyance. I can make my own cha?llenges runs, just have some achievements for them.

But experimenting with death can also lead to some interesting games, like Demon's Souls or Soul Reaver. It's not set in stone.

ZombZ remembers the Seymour fight:

My biggest issue with permadeath and game overs is that, if you chose to include them, you need to make damn sure your game is mechanically flawless. I've made 3 hardcore characters in D3. All three?? died to l??ag spikes. That's wrong on so many levels.

Another thing is that "time" should never be treated as an investment. If a game threatens me with having to play it again, it's essentially sa?ying it's a crap game.

Then there a glaring oversights, like watching Seymour monologue for 30 minutes every time you want to try his boss fight again in FFX. Put a f*ing save?? point ri??ght in front of your boss fights and make cutscenes skipable. And add a "retry" screen.

I'm increasingly upset with games wasting my time and death/fail-state ?systems are a BIG contributor there.

On a positive note I love the soulsborn's death system. There's always that feeling of risk, but all you gotta do to get your stuf??f back ?is.... do exactly what you did before. And you still gain souls while getting back to your corpse, which cuts down grinding later down the line. Even if you die, you're still being "productive".

Roguelikes are fine too. They just don't work if you disable the death mechanics. I got 200 joyful hours on FTL, without?? permadeath that would be maybe 5 okayish hours.

Cockaroach refused to change:

I love death in Vidya games. Lives do kinda suck as mechanic, but maybe they can be creatively used in the future. My favorite fail states are ones that move the Narrative. Chrono Trigger's "and the future refused to change" is one of my favorites, as was Banjo-Kazooie's Game Over with Gruntilda becoming pretty.

I dunno. I could take or leave lives as a mechanic. Depends on the game, and how it handles 1-ups and how punishing the game is for failing. The Lion King for the SNES was pretty good in this regard. Certain levels gave you a respawning life and continue that you could attain with enough practice so t??hat the difficult section doesn't cause a game over, at least you could indefinitely keep trying until you get better and pass the difficult section (I'm looking at you, rhino tail swinging section of I can't wait to be king level).

Cedi believes in adding weight and tension:

"Fail states are a failure on the game developer's?? part??."

... said nobody ever. Speaking extremely generally, failure states are good to have in games because they offer pla?yers an incentive to try hard at accomplishing their goals. Knowing that there is a risk of failure makes it all the more satisfying to triumph over that failure. With that said, failure states aren't necessary by nature, and I'd argue that other incentives can be used to punish the player with many smaller failures instead of one ?giant Game Over or Permadeath.

Looking closer at your own example of Super Mario Odyssey, yes, it's true that no game overs exist in it. But dying still punishes the player by costing them their hard-earned coins. Similarly, look at Kirby's Epic Yarn, where it's impossible to die, but all damage taken costs the player their hard earned beads. Failure states are but one tool to motivate a player to accomplish their goals. They are a good element to use, but like any other element of d??esign, there are benefits and detriments to their inclusion or exclusion. How much of a benefit it is depends on the other elements structured around the game.

Pixie talks about Enrage mechanics:

I look at permadeath like photography on film. It conditio?ns you to learn, anticipate, plan and improve. You become more willing to take big risks for big rewards

Checkpointing and autosaves are more like digital photography. You can retry many more times and save time while experiencing fewer consequences, but this means? the learning curve is less consistent as there is less c??onsequence for failure. Just like an avid digital photography neophyte may not learn to value the rule of thirds until further down the road, you might take longer to learn advanced tactics in a game that would have helped sooner.

A film user or permadeath player will take the failstate more seriously. You can?'t roll back and delete a bad shot on film. You either find a way to salvage it in the darkroom or you toss it.

A form of phony difficulty for me of late is offering freedom at the outset of a cooperative multi-player game and then demanding a player specializ??e by changing the reward system at endgame and employing arbitrary "enrage" mechanics.

In FFXIV, I've been reaping the benefits of variou?s daily and wee??kly point-based rewards since the start of the game. Raid content increases the challenge but also lowers the payoff by like 90%. Simpler point systems are gone, replaced by older, decrepit item systems where you fight and then win against other teammates by letting. And you can only get one drop per week.

And, of course, you will run it over and ?over during that week to ensure everyone gets one. It's designed to exert social pressure, a phony illusion of teamwork unscrupulous players are more bound to abuse.

Enrage Mechanics are like fighting Elizabeth or Margaret in Persona. A certain set o?f conditions will wipe your group without question, but the game telegraphs the 50 turn limit, so that is fair but not the item-based punishment, which is unfair.

Now add social mechanics, time limit and some roles fac??ing more performance pressure ??than others, like healers and tanks.

Enrage mechanics that are arbitrary are bullshit bad design that erode the faith ??of diligent players, but reward players that enjoy psychological ab??use.

The post What does the communi?ty think of d??eath in video games? appeared first on Destructoid.

Au Perro

Welcome back to Comments of the Week, where we take a look back at a week's worth of great quips and comments from lurkers, contributors, and regulars just like you! For the uninitiated, I am Perro, and I will be your maître d' on this journey through my personal picks of the best comments of the ??week from August 7th through the 13th! There will be laughter, tears, anger, and a couple faps to even out the shame, so strap yourselves in and get comfortable! Enjoy the show!

Wow, what a pretty hefty edition of Comments, don't ya think? I hope you all enjoyed this installment, and before I go I'd like to thank everyon?e for tuning in, as well as a special t??hanks to the COTW community - ZombZ for the awesome header and title cards, and thanks to FakePlasticTree for helping me getting the ins and outs all worked out! -Perro

The post Comments of the Week 12: Cor Blimey! appeared first on Destructoid.

Thank you, based Min Min

To me, ARMS looks like a game born out of the philosophy that gave birth to the breakout hit that was Splatoon. It is a game with a sharp visual design that doesn't skimp on color. It's also a game with a simple conceit that has a hidden pool of skill, rich with mechanics and strategy. Also just like Splatoon, it seems relatively bare for content but promises a steady stream of free ??DLC to keep refreshing th?e game.

Whether it's a casual enjoyment of the game, a deeper dive into the competitive ladder, or even the deepest of dives as Nintendo seems poised to make ARMS a part of its unique eSports scene, ARMS is a very interesting arrival of a game for the?? Switch. It'll be interesting to see where the cultural zeitgeist goes in categorizing it, as there isn??'t quite anything like it right now. It's a behind-the-head view combat game that focuses on outmaneuvering with quick dashes and fancy footwork while the majority of the offense are exchanged over a long range. There's even the classic rock-paper-scissors dynamic at play with punches beating throws, throws beating guards, and guards stopping punches.

And of course it wouldn't be a Nintendo game without easily recognizable characters, from the pop star, Ribbon Girl, to an ancient mummy awakened, Master Mummy, and even a blob with boxing gloves, Helix. If it wasn't immediately obvious, Min Min is my favorite and I have a feeling I'm not the only one. Meanwhile, you can't talk about ARMS without mentioning Twintelle, the de facto best girl and spokesperson of thicc. Maybe ARMS isn't a?? must-ha?ve game attach to Switch units, but it's a damn fine game on its own merits.

So I asked the community for their thoughts on this brand-spanking new IP and fighting game from Nintendo. Who is your favorite character and who is your main to take to ranked mode? Are you diving deep to see how far your skill can go or are you partying it up with in V-Ball mode? And what kind of expectations do you have for it's post-launch life? Here's what some community members are saying about ARMS.

LaTerry is also a fellow Min Min loyalist:

It's a lot of fun. It's simple enough that my nephew can play, but it has enough depth that it keeps me coming back to it. I use Min Min, her dragon arm lets you have a constant charge and that can be used to incredible effect. I'm excited to see what else they're going to add in over time after Max Brass.

RiffRaff hopes for the best on ARMS' future:

I'm loving it. So far I've been maining Min Min as I find the powered up left arm with a dragon arm really gives a lot of control as to where you want to push your opponent.

I'm hoping N treat it like Splatoon and give a healthy drip of new characters, maps, and modes. But with what there is already I've gotten about 40 hours and see many more in the future.

Jonathan Holmes would like to remind us that Punch-Out could've existed but it's okay:

I like it! It's probably what we're getting instead of a new Punch-Out game, and I'm OK with that.

Sure would be nice if the single-player had more unique content though.

DeadMoon is enjoying the Switch, that's for sure:

I went with Twintelle because she suites my playstyle well. I especially like her ability to hover after jumping! It's such a small thing, but it makes a huge difference when you're trying to throw off your opponent's flow! It leaves a lot of folks open for an easy hit/grab.

I really like how the game encourages you to switch ARMS between opponents and rounds too. Once I started doing that, I noticed myself getting a lot more wins. Same as the hover mechanic, the smallest little changeup can make a HUGE difference towards victory. Sometimes I'll even keep the exact same ARMS but switch which side they're on just to fuck with people's heads! (It tends to change the delivery of my combos too because I've noticed that I prefer leading with a right punch.)

My friends and I have been having a really great time with the game! Between Mario Kart, ARMS, and Splatoon, we've got our weekend multiplayer sessions pretty much covered for the next few months!

GetNekKid knows Twintelle is bae:

So far I'm up to doing Level 5 in Grand Prix and it's been really good so far. I find Max Brass to be more of a pain than Hedlok, oddly enough. Also Twintelle is the best, that aerial charge is a godsend and helps keep things unpredictable. I wish you could reassign the block button as it's a pain to have it on the movement/arm curve stick. Due to the placement, I will just play without even blocking and just rely on doing my best to not get hit which is a sound tactic but I'd love to be able to block in a pinch without having to click down the stick. Other than that and lowering the cost of timers, I love this game.

Mike Sounders has some techni?cal crit?icism on hand:

It needs more options and reduced grind.

By that I mean the Versus mode. There's a very solid selection of modes there at this time, but a lack of customization hurts the potential of the Versus suite as a whole. Why can I not have more control over how large the health bars are? Why can't I choose a timer length besides 99 or infinite like many other fighting games? Why can't I choose what items are on or off like Smash? Why can't I control how fast the Rush gauge increases? The lack of control over V-Ball and Hoops are ridiculous however. You should be able to control the score to win, no excuses.

Coins gained should be increased by +1 or +2 as well. It takes too long to get a decent amount for a run at getting ARMS without going into GP. Which is important due to the RNG nature of who gets new ARMS in that mode. I showed it to my little cousin over the weekend, and he was really excited to try Mechanica! Only to find out that they aren't great with her ARMS due to being a little harder to use, and Mechanica had no others to swap to because, despite going through it 3 times, RNG unlocking screwed that character over. He settled into playing with the other characters, but I could tell it had a negative impact on how he felt about the game.

But if they fix those, it'll be a great versus suite, and it'll be a little easier to prep ARMS for a larger group of people.

Agent9 celebrated Inde??pendence Day with some boxing shenanigans:

I haven't had time to do the single-player yet, but It is a great Family game.

I busted it out during our 4th of July celebration and everyone had a great time playing it. It's a little harder to grasp for the older folk but given time they can manage, otherwise it's simple and easy to pick up and play. The younger kids went crazy for it, and for those of us who were older, well we didn't go easy on them. As a matter of fact we destroyed them, however the important thing is everyone had fun taking turns, and more importantly watching others play in this case. I feel games like this that want some of the esports juice need to not only be fun for the players but also the viewers. ARMS is that kind of game.

For me personally I play Ninjara. I like his design and the small aerial teleport he has. In general I like the variety of characters, though I sort of wish there was more in the way of unlockable characters. I just like those unique events that net you a character. It's something that is becoming quite rare these days which I think is a shame, but what can you do.

Hopefully they continue to support the game much further down the line, even further than Splatoon.

Dennis Carden has a setup on lock down:

I've been playing Twintelle with Master Mummy's Phoenix and Mechanica's Revolver. It's been a pretty reliable little setup so far.

GajKnight knows the secrets to life:

I like arms very much, they help me pick up things and mast-, I mean, shake hands.

The post What does the community think of ARMS? appeared first on Destructoid.

Bringing a gun to a fist fight

Ah, Tekken. A stalwart f?ighting game franchise that takes a licking and keeps on ticking. A?? mysterious game that's simultaneously serious and goofy at the same time.

This is a melodramatic game that follows the story of a family line that continuousl?y dicks their children over and over in bids for power, while also starring characters such as wrestlers in ?jaguar masks, panda bears, boxing kangaroos, and a mannequin made of logs.

Keep in mind this is Tekken number 7. People have long-running attachments to characters and the way Tekken plays represents the bygone era of the 3D fighter. In a world where the mind share is dominated by Street Fighter and even Guilty Gear or Marvel, Tekken stands alone now as? the defacto 3D fighting game, complete with sidesteps and almost end??less juggle combos.

So what are your thoughts now that this game which has spent years exclusively in Japanese arcades is finally in your hands? How do you feel about the direction the Mishima saga is going? And no mention of the Mishimas is complete without bringing up Akuma's canon involvement with them. Are you going nuts with the character customization? Putting pizza backpacks on your Pauls and Laws? And where are you on the Tekken spectrum? Me, I've never been a Tekken guy, but I recognize the significance of 7 finally arriving on western shores.

Leave a comment below to share you experience with Tekken 7 (now with hopefully fixed netcode as I've heard). Here are what some of our communi?ty ??members are saying.

Nanashi dreams of a Virtua Fighter world:

I like it. And even though my guy Lei isn't in the roster, I can say this makes me very happy for the future of 3D fighting games seeing as it's quite popular and hyped up. That's two good ones on the PS4 I can think of. Hopefully it could mean... one day.... A fucking VF6.

Mike Sounders is on board with recognizing the strongest mar??tial art:

That there aren't enough pics of Akuma using a gun floating around.

GatlingCombo has an ironic name for talking on Tekken:

Fortunately the main thing I love about Tekken 7 is the combat system. It is less juggly then 6, has a few more stage interaction moments, and the rage abilities aren't hard to pull off. They can easily be stringed with other combos also. I really really love the fighting in Tekken 7. I will agree that you'll be googling what the fuck some of the rage attacks actually do because the game only tells you randomly during loading screens.

I thought it was cool (and funny) how they made several characters a little more fabulous. My main Feng Wei has gauntlets with chains dangling from them as if he ripped them off of somewhere, as well as a fashionable scarf because yeah. And Hwaorang wears a jacket Kanji style.

Now for the stuff I hate. Tekken 7 has the worse music out of the Tekken series. I get that some people like dubstep, but like most dubstep, there isn't much creative being done with it in this game. The character roster confuses me a bit with Bruce, Lei, and others missing for lame reasons. Nitpick: the hair effects and customization SUCKS, and the game doesn't look much different than 6 to me. The stages are lame and boring also compared to 3-6.

Retrofraction is on the Switch boat but forgot to get a ticket for the Tekken boat:

I have yet to play it, looks great. But I will probably need a Switch port before I can play it.

Fenriff loves what he can't understand:

The mechanics and fighting are fun, and the cast is varied and enjoyable, but the complete lack of any way for people to learn how it works is a huge oversight. The story mode was ridiculous in a good way up until the end, when it started making dumb ways to up the difficulty, and the fact that the story of this entry doesn't even actually finish. The character episodes were a big disappointment for the most part, being both short and completely throwaway. The online is totally fucked. The arcade mode may as well not exist, though that's not much of a problem because Treasure Battle helps make up for it.

It's a weird scenario, because at its core it's a great time, but there are also a lot of obvious oversights/issues.

OrochiLeona is haunted by the specter of Street Fighter V:

It's great, comfortably fills a SFV-sized hole of disappointment. Not too much has changed, but Tekken rarely changes. It could do with a bit more meat on it's features, maybe a tutorial for new players, or some combo trials for each character.

My only real regret are the *awful* character endings. Previous games have really creative and entertaining 3-4 minute movies, but T7's are short and thoroughly dull.

 I have it on PC, out of interest, it's a very solid port.

The post What does the community think of Tekken 7? appeared first on Destructoid.

It's only been one year? Mada, mada

We're all knee deep in Overwatch anniversary loot box shenanigans now. I've only received one anniversary skin, and Zarya's Cyberian skin isn't really the greatest (why is the texture on the mask so bad?). But leaving aside the question of the anniversary event, boy howdy Overwatch has been around for an entire year and it's never really completely left the video game zeitgeist. Just when you think you're ready to move on with something new to penetrate your reserved mind share, Overwatch br??????????????????????????eaks back in, Kool-Aid Man style, just a month or two later.

So what kind of feeling would you like to share since Overwatch just turned one year old? After all, it's been years since Blizzard introduced a new creative IP, and it's a first-person, team-based shooter of all games. What from Blizzard's history of RPGs and stories would've led anyone to believe we'd be playing and lovi??ng an FPS for an entire year?

This game has given us Dad 76, the most lovable Edgelord ever, a spunky British personality, Genji memes, and D.Va. Love it or hate it, Overwatch has proven that it has the staying power to live alongside Blizzard's other storied franchises, with perh?aps even greater mainstream appeal.

For my part, I got into Overwatch during Christmas time, when I got myself a PS4. I'd been seeing Overwatch since even on my social feeds because the characters of the game are just easily recognized. I didn't think I'd main Zenyatta, both out of need&nbs??p;for healing and because his damage is surprisingly high. But I also didn't think I'd still be playing a game six months since I got it. It speaks volumes to the simplicity of the gameplay but also the attra??ctiveness of the design. Also, whatever criticism gets levied against D.Va as weeaboo bait, I don't care, she's awesome.

What did the rest of Destructoid's community have to say about Overwatch's birthday?

OrochiLeona has never considered dropping it.

I'm having a whale of a time with the game. I haven't spent a penny on it since I bought it. I just want OW to continue, keep adding to it, the events and surprises, new characters and maps. I got no reason to consider dropping it.

And I honestly don't care whether I get the loot I want or not. It's nice to have, but I can go without it. *shrug* I don't feel compelled to buy it, even the stuff I *really* want.

FakePlasticTree doesn't have great luck it seems.

Getting sick of these loot box gambling shenanigans.

Jinx 01 does not have a problem.

I rarely get this addicted to online games. There have been others - Team Fortress Classic, Unreal Tournament 2k4, Left 4 Dead, Survarium - but other than TFC I don't think any have held my interest so long and so intently. There is just something super fun about the game, and it's nice that you can jump in for just a quick game.

My main issue is that it's TOO addictive. I avoid things like MMOs because I don't want a single game sucking up all my time when there are tons of different things to play. Overwatch has been almost as bad. My backlog just grows and grows. What I really need to do is ONLY PLAY DURING EVENTS. That way I get some bonus goodies but don't let it dominate my gaming life.

I think my most satisfying bits are killing people as Mercy (she's my main). Like, you'll get cornered by a Tracer or Genji or Soldier and you can tell they're like "ha ha easy kill," so when you kick their asses it's pretty fun. I used to record everything to catch good plays but it got to be too much work.

PSISomething is handing out Lucio-Oh's.

I've been having a stellar time with Overwatch this past year. Been playing it regularly since launch and that probably isn't going to stop anytime soon. My most clear memories were from playing Comp with my buds.

I was playing as Lucio on Illios one Comp game. I managed to sneak around to flank the enemy and got a triple boop kill on the lighthouse control point. A group of three strangers that were grouped up on my team all screamed "LUCIOOOOOOOOOOO!" loudly over the team chat once I got it. Then for the rest of that match, whenever I did a clutch heal or landed a kill, they would yell "LUCIOOOOOOOO!" on the mic again. I was super flattered and hyped up the whole game cause of it, and I'd say that's one of the most fun experiences I've had with a video game in my life.

Though yeah, there's improvement needed, just as ZombZ said. More standard epic items and legendary skins that aren't tied to events would be great. I was really disappointed when all of the anniversary dance emotes were locked to the event, cause they were all fantastic. 

And maybe I'm asking for a lot, but I wish I could be matched up with better players. I was just about to break into Diamond last season, but my SR plummeted cause I kept getting teamed with toxic players.

But hey, this is just the beginning. Here's to many more great years of Overwatch.

ZombZ was still recovering from Uprising when the annive??rsary hit.

Overwatch still brings the thunder. It's fun, polished and engaging. I care about my stupid diamond. I absolutely love what they have done with 3vs3 and 1vs1. I now prefer those modes to the main game!

Having said that, the anniversary event has pushed me over the edge. Coming out so soon after the Uprising event means I have no coins and didn't get a single skin from boxes yet. So let me lay down some criticism.

I'd like to see them overhaul their DLC/Box strategy. We need more skins and they should cost 1,000 coins at most. Skins should be purchasable outside of events so you have something to work towards. The way it is right now, I have no reason to log in (besides fun) outside of events. Things like Uprising and Junkenstein's Revenge should be available in Custom Games.

The report system needs to be improved. There should be feedback on whether or not any action has been taken against someone you reported. The whole process urgently needs transparency. Nobody knows what the penalties are and what sort of criteria Blizzard is working with. And no, maturity-filters do not make it okay for people to call me homophobic and racial slurs.

Balancing should be separate from the pro scene. I realize that pros can be a good way to gauge a hero's effectiveness, but the 99% of the millions of people who play Overwatch are nowhere near that level of skill, where that data matters. It doesn't matter that Hanzo is hardly viable in a pro match, his scattershot is still frustrating to deal with as a casual player. I won't go further into this, because this comment is already going into full-on blog territory.

TL;DR: I love Overwatch, but it drives me nuts sometimes.

Bromega Supreme found his aesthetic.

I want the main screen with all the characters as my theme...

CelicaCrazed suffers from some problems.

I wish I liked the game more. But my internet has been laggy as fuck the last few months which has been my biggest issue with the game and not at all its fault.

So what thoughts and stories do you have to share about how long Overwatch has been running actively? Have you been playing since launch? Partway through? Or did you drop off? Who are your favorite characters, especially with the new characters entering since you last probably answered that question? And surely there are still things you wish could be changed about the game. These are just a few of the things you could talk about. This is the Overwatch anniversary! Not just Overwatch turning one but a year of unreal suppo??rt to keep the game active.

The post How do you feel about a whole year of Overwatch? appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid Civil War: Waifu Edition

I hope you've spent these past three weeks pouring your heart and soul into Persona 5, because the time has come. I've been teasing the end of this website for a while now, talking about how the fibers of civilization that hold this community together shall be torn asunder. Yes, it's time to talk about waifus. Or more specifically, your favorite Persona 5 characters.

[Spoilers ahead as we will be talking about important characters in Persona 5.]

Discussing your favorite characters of a game is a staple topic. But ever since social links were introduced in Persona, picking and choosing the best is like aligning yourself to a covenant. I dare not uncover the old scars that are your choice Persona 4 waifus, but three weeks into Persona 5 we've all surely made a lot of p??rogress in choosing ??our favorite characters.

I have a handful of favorites who I wouldn't ordinarily call my waifu, like Munehisa Iwai. This shady model gun dealer just seems like your typical grouchy, gun-dealing adult. Get to know him though and you basically learn that the entirety of Iwai's confidant questline is just the Yakuza series. And I have a soft spot for Yusuke Kitagawa, because anyone who's been poor can relate to Yusuke's starving artist routine. He just happens to be a Fox-mask-wearing Phantom Thief, ??as well as a starving artist.

Of course, if I had to go out on a limb and choose a waifu, my first choice 'round would have to be Makoto Niijima. The student council president of Shujin Academy and a studious academic who wishes to help su??pport ??her older sister with a good job, you find through the course of getting to know her that though she is a proper and disciplined individual, beneath that cool exterior is a burning hot rage ready to spill out. In a nutshell, she's Chie and Yukiko put together.

So how is the community doing with favorite characters? These answers were fielded a few weeks ago, but you better believe there will be updated answers i??n the comments, and more from commenters like you.

TheBlondeBass is e?njoying a reinvigoration of ?the series' mechanics:

"I'm really digging how they're reintroducing elements to the game that were lost in 3/4 (ranged weaponry, demon negotiation, proper level design) in a way that still works very well with the modern formula. Really, really good so far."

DeadMoon has a choice, I'm sure, somewhere in the m??aelstrom of his mind:

"Why are you doing this to me Strider?!?

Don't make me choose....."

When I started reading LaTerry's comment, I forgot if he meant his own finals or the exams in Persona 5:

"The semester is winding down and finals are coming up, so I can't dedicate much time to Persona 5 at the moment. I'm only in the second dungeon, but even with the little bit that I've played, the game has already stolen my heart. I hum it's battle theme to myself all the time, I constantly am thinking about how to best spend my time, and wondering if Morgana will let me do the things that I want to do. Since I'm still so early in the game I haven't met very many characters yet, so there's no way for me to choose someone as my favorite. I do really like all the social links that I've been able to do so far, they've all been interesting. I only just got my kindness stat up so that I can see what Ann's social link is like and I'm looking forward to that."

FakePlasticTree has?? ??played the Japanese version before:

"Beaten the Japanese version a while ago but so far I'm enjoying the localized version, the voice actor's aren't quite on par with the Japanese cast like previous games. But they've grown on me. Mercer perfectly simulates the same kind of observant and serious tone of the Japanese actor.

Feel free to spoiler tag the below names as some might be considered spoilery, but yeah. Favorite character is probably self-explanatory but outside of that one Sojiro, Yusuke, Futaba, Makoto, Shido, Akechi, Hifumi, Yoshida and Tae Takemi."

Czar Kazem appreciates the Sakura family:

"The true P5 hero is clearly Sojiro. Pimp me out, curry-daddy I love you.

Though I mean I'm gonna marry Futaba too so I'm not committing to anything yet.

But if Makoto wants to come over and kick my ass I'm not gonna complain...

... After all if that means a trip to Bae Takemi, I'll take the hit.

I really like all of the characters. I'm working through the fifth Palace so I'm excited to actually develop the Confidants more and get to understand them but it's all been great. Even irritating dweeby Mishima."

Torchman knows true best girl:

"SOJIRO IS BEST GIRL"

Robosquid has many side girls:

"Makoto is prime dating material as well as Hifumi.

However Futaba is the most interesting character and I want to be her best friend forever. 

Futuba is a treasure and most be protected at all cost."

Bob The God Lawyer loves the Inkling:

"Futaba is best girl for me. As I said when I first saw her story she kinda spoke straight to my heart. I had to date her so I did in the end. Zero regrets. 

Second is perhaps poor Haru. Or maybe punk doctor? Best maid?..... Okay so I don't know who second is because they are all really great!"

TurboJasper is loving Futaba as well:

"Futaba seems like a progression of that idol lass from Dancing All Night and I like both of those characters. Futaba is a wonderful lady!"

elric6 knows the true struggle of playing a Persona game:

"This is going to be a tough one as I have four favorites outside of the main party alone."

Who is your favorite character in Persona 5, and dare I ask, waifu? Leav??e a comment below and sound off!

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