Hack to it!

The super cool indie hit Hacknet is now free over on Humble Bundle. For a limited time, you'll be able to nab the deluxe edition of the game, which comes with the soundtrack and the base experience. This is all to promote Humble's "Spring Encore" sale, which sees a lot of games on sale for low prices. There are far too many to go? over, so I'll list some of my picks for the Spring.

• Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (64-bit) - $9.99
• Dark Souls III - $14.99
• Hollow Knight - $9.89
• Mega Man Legacy Collection - $5.99
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - $11.99
• Planet Coaster - $20.24
• Resident Evil 4 – Ultimate HD Edition - $4.99
• Resident Evil 5 – Gold Edition - $7.49
• Thief Collection - $11.24
• Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 - $9.99

The post Hacknet is free over on Humble Bundle appeared first on Destructoid.

A tale of two princesses

Despite its lengthy release schedule (the first episode dropped last July!), King's Quest has wormed its way into my heart. Sure, the second chapter was a slight drop-off from the first, but it still managed to maintain the pace and most impor?tantly, keep me investe??d.

The lengthy time between episodes really does bug me, but after experiencing Once Upon a Climb, my feelings of frustration melted away.

King’s Quest: Once Upon a Climb (PC [reviewed], PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Developer: The Odd Gentlemen
Publisher: Sierra Entertainment
Released: April 26, 2016
MSRP: $9.99 per episode / $40 for the "Complete Collection"

_{[No major spoilers are mentioned for the current episode, although events of previous episodes will inevitably be discussed.]}

After a brief intro, we get a sense of where we're at in the timeline. The first chapter dealt with Graham becoming king, the second was after he was freshly crowned, and the third, according to the narration, is "several years later." Graham recounts how he's trying to make the kingdom a better place, but he's also growing as a human being, and begins to notice things like his friends drifting away and starting families of their own. It skirts tones of depression and isolation and s?prinkles in humor, to a large degree of success.

All the while, there's a larger emphasis on the current timeline (read: where Graham is possibly on his death bed), and the overarching story involving Manny, who has meddled in our hero's affairs from the very start. This is all anchored by the consistently endearing musings of old Graham (voiced by Christopher Lloyd) as a semi-reliable narrator. One part in particular was interesting, where he recounts a situation that involves three screens, all of which instantly cut to different points in his life. The puzzle involves planting seeds that will later grow in certain locations -- with him misremembering certain items depending on which ones the playe?r picks up and shuttles to new screens. It's a clever way to work in the narration conceit.

But back to the core ??theme of loneliness -- much of the tale deals with the pair of maidens that may become the wife of Graham. They're a good match for the aloof king, from their vocal perf??ormances to their characterizations themselves. You get some shared and alone time with each, and even play a card game (Moral Quarrel) with them. It's one of many lovely little moments where you're able to actually connect with the characters on a more personal level, which is rare in recent adventure games.

When it comes to pacing, it's somewhere in the middle of the first two episodes. The environments aren't quite as sprawling as the first chapter, but its puzzles are a lot less frustrating than the second. For those of you who didn't appreciate the stark changes made in Rubble Without a Cause, things are relatively back to normal.

King’s Quest: Once Upon a Climb isn't the most enthralling tale I've played, but I'm still very m??uch all-in on the series and was grinning throughout. It's a nice slice of life with a likable cast, and with the goodwill this reboot has gained so far, that's all I need.

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

The post Review: King’s Quest: Once Upon a Climb appeared first on Destructoid.

Confronting demons

To say that Telltale's The Walking Dead: Michonne has been uneven would be an understatement. Although the lead performance was enough to draw me in the first time, the second episode dragged, and struggled to introduce any compelling new charact??ers. Much like the in-game narrative, the burden was left on the shoulders of Michonne.

That couldn't be more true of the finale.

The Walking Dead: Michonne: What We Deserve (iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC [reviewed], PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360)
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Release: April 26, 2016
MSRP: $4.99 (Each Episode)

_{[Editor's note: there will be no major spoilers present for the episode reviewed here, but events in previous episodes may be discussed in future coverage.]}

Barring a short "two weeks earlier" interlude, What We Deserve doesn't miss a beat, kicking off with Michonne backed into a corner in a bad situation. She's been running from her past this entire time, interacting with mostly adult characters -- ??people she can at least partly relate with -- but now, in a household full of children, she finally has to confront what happened that fateful day the walkers came into her life.

Tragedy follows her wherever she goes, but she's not merely a victim of circumstance like a lot of other bad Walking Dead characters. Unlike nearly any?? playable character to date, I love being able to manifest all of the aspects of her personality. Her parental instincts. Her lame jokes. Her stern advice. She's more interesting than multiple cast members in a typical Telltale joint. Any scene that solely deals with the machinations of her mind and her ?past are great, and this episode has a pretty heart-wrenching one.

But most of Deserve deals with wrapping up the story -- the conflict with Randall and Norma. There's a calm before a storm, to so speak (you can probably guess what'?s going to happen based on the ending of the last tale??), and everyone gets a chance to shine here. The actual main confrontation is tense as hell, and on multiple occasions I let the dialogue/action timer run down into the red before I made my choice.

Under the surface, it just reminds me of the limitations of playing a Telltale game. With an old school adventure (or even some recent RPGs like Mass Effect 2), you get the chance to meticulously design a plan beforehand, with your choices drastically altering what unfolds later. But here, the end result is mostly scripted, and you're just altering the details. On-screen text like "Hold W to move the clock" is also equally an?noyi??ng and trite when they could easily display that information in a more organic way.

It took me thr??ee episodes to realize it, but I really wish ??this series had just been entirely comprised of the dates leading up to, and during, day zero. Seeing flashbacks of it happen, especially when it's interwoven with what's happening in real time is very cool, but the supporting cast just isn't strong enough to hold the three episodes together.

What We Deserve is an action-packed conclusion, but I wouldn't necessarily call it satisfying. It's interesting, because this Michonne series in general hasn't been the best side project, but it's far more satisfying than say, Jurassic Park, which was a failure all around. Grab it all ?on a sale if you really like the first two seasons.

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

The post Review: The Walking Dead: Michonne: What We Des??erve appeared first on Destructoid.

Beyond Bonzaidome

Call of Duty continues to be a cultural phenomenon, but often with a negative connotation. It sells like hotcakes sure, but I have trouble tracking down people in my actual life that play those games. At this point, the series has started to overstay its welcome with previous hardcore fans that were hooked by Call of Duty 4, and the fatigue and general awfulness of Ghosts didn't help matters.

But I constantly hear the same thing from people: "Treyarch's still got it." Whether they still play the series or not, reverence for one of the three Call of Duty studios is palpable; that couldn't have been more evident with Black Ops III, which packed in a Jeff Goldblum-ridden Cthulu zombies mode and an old school arcade shooter with chicken love.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III: Eclipse (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Released: April 19, 2016 (PS4) / TBA (PC, Xbox One)
MSRP: $14.99 ($50 Season Pass for four packs)

Much like the first DLC's "Splash" map, Knockout is a visual feast. Looking off into the distanc?e, players can see islands and birds flying about, and even the dock bel?ow is visible. Cherry blossom petals dot the arena on a vibrant map that eschews the typical shooter-brown hues.

As a mostly outdoor affair, the layout is a tad scrunched, and sadly, the indoor areas are too tight-knit for their own good. Having said that, there's plenty of character afoot, including a Bruce Lee Game of Death nod and a funky disco room.

Rift, on the other hand, is the obvious weak spot of the Eclipse DLC as it feels like a map that's already packed into 2014's Advanced Warfare (specifically, Horizon). It's your typical symmetrical layout packed with horizontal tunnels, despite Black Ops III's general focus on verticality.

There's still some semblance of effort here, because despite the generic layout, it has a cool theme. As a giant raised platform over a hellish ??landscape, it's neat to look down at the impending lava below and watch the trains go by on the side??s. In other words, it's not a complete disaster.

With one of the wildest layouts to date, Spire is amazing to walk around and look at. An airport that is housed entirely above the clouds, it's littered with futuristic paraphernalia like suitcases and even departure and arrival interfac??es. It's very sleek, almost like it belongs in a sci-fi film. 

The layout consists of a series of high walls that lead to chokepoints, making it perfect for objective-based games. I'm not crazy about it now that the wow-factor of fighting in what is essentially an azure Bespin is gone, but it's a great level that I'm happy?? to play when it comes up in the rotation.

Then there's Verge, which is a remake of Bonzai from World at War. Where bringing back maps as part of a $15 DLC is usuall?y a punch in the gut, the game is nearly 10 years old at this point, and this one was worth re-creating as it's near unrecognizable.

Treyarch went all out here, framing the level around two tribes that fight over a single water source, Mad Max-style. I love that there's even a tiny hint of story involved, as you don't typically see this sort of effort put into say, Halo maps. There's also a lot of cool artwork in the form of tags across the ??arena, and a central cave that makes for som??e tense firefights.

And what would a map pack be without a zombies stage? Zetsubou No Shima st?eps up t??o the plate here, as a "mysterious island off the Pa??cific."?? Stop me if you've seen this before, but Shima really deserves credit for committing to the jungle theme. Players will have to slash through webs and cut through? vines instead of merely opening doors, and a weird bucket filling/seed planting mecha??nic will keep you invested beyond seeking out the drive of exploration and combat.

It's not as impressive as Der Eisendrache or the aforementioned Shadows of Evil though. This is mostly due to fatigue from the same cast that has been around since World at War, as there's only so many times you can hear Steve Blum call a zombie a "freakbag" before your eyes start to roll in the back of your head. I really liked seeing Heather Graham kick Lovecraftian ass in the base Black Ops III map.

Let's see more of that Treyarch.

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

The post Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops III: Eclipse appeared first on Destructoid.

Familiar spirits

It's safe to say that some people have been experiencing Souls fatigue. I mean, in the last two years, if you count a remake, there have been three retail Souls games (Dark Souls II, Scholar, and Bloodborne), on top of four DLC packs, and a mobile cash-in.

Watching this craze unfold as a King's Field fan, when the general public barely knew what From Software even was, has been quite a ride. It may have something to do with the fact that Dark Souls III might be the last game in the series, but Bandai Namco is also g??oing overboard with promotion, restricting press from streaming certain sections of the game, while allowing popular streamer?s to show everything -- leading to spoilers almost a month before the retail release.

Against th??e od??ds, From Software has pulled through and delivered another masterpiece, despite some over-reliance on nostalgia.

Dark Souls III (PC [reviewed], PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Released: April 12, 2016
MSRP: $59.99 

As always, Dark Souls III doesn't immediately let the player know what's changed. In reality, it's a mix of just about everything From has acquired in its bag of tricks from Demon's Souls all the way to Bloodborne.

It took me almost two weeks, but I figured out most of the modifications. Kicks have returned. The lock-on feature is a bit more refined and doesn't drop as often. There are only two roll variations -- regular and heavy. Covenants are now items that can be equipped and are far easier to understand. Life gems and grass are nowhere to be found, but Estus Flask (read: healing potion) upgrades are more plentiful. Combat feels a smidge faster too, which is a clear nod to the advancements made in Bloodborne, even if features like Rally didn't quite make it in.

The most obvious alteration is the arts system, which sort of brings in magical properties to weapons to allow for som??e diversity. It was cool at first, triggering bonus damage for a limited time for an axe or readying another stance with a sword, but after a few hours, I basically relegated it to the basement entirely. While I like the concept because it gives some much-needed personality to each weapon type, it just? isn't as game-changing as I thought it would be.

But the action in general? It feels fantastic, and the developers have nailed the dance between tactical depth and brawling, to the point where players can adapt to an entire array of strategies to accomplish their goals rather than just follow one cookie-cutter path. Archery is more viable as a whole in Dark Souls III, and the sheer amount of magic options had me fiddling with multiple characters and playthroughs to try to find everything. Those of you who don't typically go for melee-based builds are in for a treat, and of course, shields (my personal favorite playstyle) make their triumphant return after their absence in Bloodborne. It probably has the most well-rounded combat of the entir??e series.

The development team has also streamlined a lot of little things that may have bugged players in the past. Fast travel is far more convenient, with pictures and tabbed breakdowns for every bonfire, with the game automatically highlighting your last location when returning to the warp menu. Players will need to use the hub to level, which has been the case with every game except for the original Dark Souls, but all of the NPCs available are in? easy-to-locate places, peddling their multitude of wares, with the ability to both easily buy and sell at will.

As a note, playing on PC (with 60 frames per second) made a huge difference. This should be the gold standard for a twitch game like this, where frame-perfect attacks and dodges are key to your survival. You're only going to get 30 on either console but it still worked for Bloodborne, and honestly, having tested both the PS4 and Xbox One versions, it works there too in spite of the occasional dip.

Again, on PC especially, the aesthetic choices for Dark Souls III really shine. The uniform theme of fire and strong crimson tones unite the visuals more than any other entry to? date, especially when players sport their "non-hollow" form and are pulsing with heat energy. Enemy models, all the way down the standard grunts, look fantastic. Some are even more impressive than boss characters in other, similar games.

The environments are par for the course, which isn't exactly ideal as From Software typically sets that baseline. The "united" feel of this iteration goes slightly too far in that every zone feels overly familiar, with many of them touting a standard castle-like appearance, that, while appropriately seeped in lore, isn't as memorable as past iconic hotspots. Whereas previous Souls games had you embarking on an adventure where you would never know what could come up next, nothing here, and I mean nothing, surprised me or made me gasp in awe outside of the reveal of one zone that featured an aurora boreali?s shining in the sky (you'll know it wh??en you see it).

Playing through Dark Souls III, as enthralling as it may have been, had me at odds. There are tons of little item and lore references that illicit an "Oh, I remember that!" response, but the vast majority of them didn't do it for me. Those nods and nostalgia bits were a really cool feeling while playing Dark Souls II three years after? the original, but it's not that unique anymore having t?o relive it all over again in many of the same exact ways.

But just when I thought the series was all out of surprises, one of the best boss fights in Souls history hit me. And then another moment hit that took me off guard and reminded me that I was in fact playing a Souls game -- a series that consistently rises above the pack. And then another! Almost every major encounter is well done, with very little recycled material. Suffice to say I won't spoil the nature of the brawls here, but we'll be talking about several of them for years in the same class as Ornstein and Smough, believe that.

If Dark Souls III truly is the last game for now, it makes perfect sense, since it's just as much of a love letter to fans as it is a culmination of the series. I may not have liked this iteration as much as the rest, but it's still streets a??head of most current action games and deserves a warm spot on your shelf by the bonfire.

_{[As is the case with all my Souls reviews since 2009, here's a spoiler-free screen of the character I completed the game with. Every boss was completed solo. This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Dark Souls III appeared first on Destructoid.

One more to go

Telltale was never going to top the Walking Dead series proper with their three part Michonne series. It was always presented? as a sort of tertiary tale, a gaiden that followed in the footsteps of the star, partially tied to the comic series.

The first episode reflected that spinoff mentality. So does the second, for that matter, t?o a greater extent.

The Walking Dead: Michonne: Give No Shelter (iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC [reviewed], PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360)
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Release: March 30, 2016
MSRP: $4.99 (Each Episode)

_{[Editor's note: there will be no major spoilers present for the episode reviewed here, but events in previous episodes may be discussed in future coverage.]}

I appreciated episode one because it delved into Michonne as a character, highlighting her past briefly without overdoing it, and hammered home what type of person she was, inside and out. With Give No Shelter, she is mostly just reacting to the events that unfold. There's even a moment that feels like that part where Dr. Grant is leading the kids through Jurassic Park teaching each other things along the way -- which is kind of cool? But that relationship developing spirit wal?k was already done better before, by Telltale no less with Lee and Clem, who had natural chemistry.

I'm having a tough time really connecting with any characters in this series other than Michonne and Pete. You get some much needed backstory on Sam, a previously one-dimensional cast member whose recent relationship with our heroine was literally forged in fire, but it's not enough. The grimdark, "trust no one" nature of the Walking Dead universe, permeated through all of its forms of media, can work for or against it. At times it can r?eally drive the point home that the world has truly gone to s??hit, and that there is no actual hope of anything getting better -- merely survival.

But if it's not presented effectively, it unravels as a series of horror tropes with appropriately edgy dialogue and hollow characters. Give No Shelter tap dances around both sides wit??hin minutes of each other. You have the option to make yourself vulnerable, and it means more coming from Michonne than almo??st any other protagonist in Telltale's history. Samira Wiley as the titular role once again helps carry the episode with her performance. I also give a massive amount of credit to the animation team, who provide a near unprecedented amount of nuance to Michonne's facial expressions.

For every moment of solace like this there's a regression. Shelter has some flashbacks, sure, but they largely retouch on what we already knew from In Too Deep, and give you just enough information on what happened at the start of the apocalypse to leave you wanting more. To its credit there is never a dull moment, and th??ere??'s at least one "holy shit!" surprise moment that comes out of nowhere.

In a season consisting of five or more episodes, a transitional, table-setting tale like Give No Shelter would theoretically justify ??itself. But with just one more chapter left, it feels like there should be more here. Despite that, I d?o have faith that the finale will tie it all together neatly.

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

The post Review: The Walking Dead: Mic?honn?e: Give No Shelter appeared first on Destructoid.

A little bit of Mario, little bit of Crash

Lucky's Tale was alw??ays going to be a tough sell. It's a bundled-in Oculus Rift launch game, which is often used as a tech demo for prospective buyers -- so to a lot of people, it probably looks like?? something that isn't a system seller.

And those people are probably right, but I had ?a damn good time playing ??it.

Lucky's Tale (PC [reviewed with an Oculus Rift])
Developer: Playful Corp
Publisher: Oculus VR
MSRP: Free with Rift
Released: March 28, 2016

With a setup not unlike a Saturday morning cartoon, the titular Lucky is stripped off his companion Piggy by the evil Glorp, kicking off our quest. That's basically it, with little in the way of exposition outside of a brief storybook prologue and epilogue. Whereas other games seek to build a world and fill it with memorable characters and bits of lore, Lucky is more gamey, in that regard.

But Lucky, as a mascot, with his cute blue cape and smile, works. The aesthetic reminds me heavily of Tomba or Super Mario World, all the way down to the bit where you start at your house. Playful Corp wears its Nintendo influences on its sleeve though, with coins (including a "100" 1UP goal), and even warps (holes, rather than pipes) to underground areas with a familiar tune to accompany the transition. It looks a lot better with the Rift on, of course, where you can better see the killer particle effects and other benefits of the engine. I really like the shimmering effect on hidden coins in VR, for example, as it's much easier to literally look around, manipulating the camera at will, for secrets. It's a neat feeling, accompanied by crisp visuals, interesting character designs, and a general positive vibe. Lucky looking at you and waving while standing still is such a Nintendo thing -- I'm expecting Toad t?o pop out at any moment.

In case you're ?wondering, yes, the VR gimmick as a whole works. The camera is pretty liberal, offering up a good view of the action at all times, sometimes panning up when ascending certain areas for added effect. I appreciate the fact that I can just tilt my head ever so slightly to look around for threats rather than move an analog stick, and it truly does add to the experience. Although Lucky can only jump, attack, and belly flop I was surprised at how deep the controls were after learning the ins and outs of the engine. For instance, the double-jump allows for more freedom than a lot of other platformers, since you get an extra jump opportunity after stomping on an enemy -- allowing for some really fancy maneuvers on trickier stages.

There were a few sections of discomfort, though, mostly involving backtracking. Like a lot of other 3D mascot platformers, the camerawork isn't perfect, and in some cases, I'd have to almost look directly down or ho?ld my neck at an angle that wasn't ideal to get back to a desired area. It's not the end of the wor?ld, but it's a clear cut indication of where VR can improve. But then again, for every occasion like that, there was an amazing section, like an uphill climb while jumping over spiked rolling logs, or a beautiful dark cave that shows off some impressive lighting effects. It's kind of tough, too! On multiple occasions I fell to my death in the game's many pits, and the last boss was absolutely brutal, and deserves to be up there in the pantheon of final challenges among other mascot games.

Lucky might seem ??like it would be light on content since it's a free game, but there's actually a decent chunk of stuff to do. Clocking in at roughly five hours, each stage has three objectives to complete (finish, time trial, and locate all the hidden coins), nudging players to replay levels multiple times. As an added bonus, because the Rift allows for full 360-degree head tracking, going back to levels will often lead to the discovery of completely new areas that players didn't even notice before. Unfortunately, the multiple objective conceit was used as a form of gating, and to move on to the next chapter, you'll need to replay any given stage two to three times over to progress. It's...unfortunate.

I was left wanting more with Lucky's Tale in the end. Each stage presents a fresh new idea, but those concepts are usually a half-measure, and the thrill is over in just a few scant minutes. As a VR experience though, Tale really sells the idea of 3D platformers, and I'd?? be very happy to play a fully-fledged sequel one day.

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

The post Review: Lucky’s Tale appeared first on Destructoid.

To VR or not to VR: Income is the question

I will never forget my first experience with virtual reality. I was at a county fair as a child, and there was a large line for a "virtual NASCAR" racing game. I took one look at the helmet, and that's all I needed to see -- I wanted in. Of course, realit??y took hold? of me after actually getting into the enclosure, and was far less impressive than my imagination. The tech simply wasn't there, and I felt like I was just wearing a TV on my head.

But VR has made a lot of strides in the past few decades. Manufacturers have figured out how to cram two 1080p screens (one for each eye) into a tiny space, and software has progressed to the point where?? developers can work with 60 frames per second or higher to create a bet??ter experience.

The term "immersive" is thrown around more than ?Katt Williams these days, but in this case, it's true. As a skeptic who has just spent roughly one week with the Oculus Rift, I'm sold.

Product: Oculus Rift
Manufacturer: Oculus
Input: Three USB 3.0 ports (one is for the Xbox controller), one HDMI port
MSRP: $599.99

There's a lo?t to parse h??ere with the dawn of modern VR, so I'm going to break it up a bit.

VR as a lifestyle:

In just one day of using the Rift, I didn't hear the door for a package, didn't hear my wife come home, and ignored my phone for a few hours. There's no built-in clock for basically everything that's offered on the Rift, so it'??????????????????????????s very easy to lose t??rack of time.

It's...weird to say the least, especially f?or the first few days, but I got used to it. I started to take the unit off more often and periodically check the time. I put my phone in my pocket and turned vibration on, and so on. I've seen a few instances of people saying they can "forget to eat" and the like but I think that's a tad dramatic. VR is immersive and can trick your brain in many ways, but it doesn't make you incompetent. Another aspect of VR (though more so with the Vive than the Rift) is physical space.

Much like the Wii owner who threw their Wiimote into the TV at launch, I can foresee a ton of "incidents" in the near future. But again, it's something I just got used to. What I've been doing is keeping the remote on the right side of my desk for UI navigation, and the Xbox controller on the left. That way I can feel the edge in front of me and know exactly where to go. It becomes second nature after a few days and is not as disorienting as one would think. There was one game that really threw me for a loop though. Esper 2 actually takes place sitting in a chair, and whe??n looking down, you?'ll see an actual virtual chair below you.

I also noticed an i??ntense feeling of isolation within VR over time. I like to share ne?arly all of my gaming experiences with my wife, with a "watch this!" moment happening on a daily basis. That basically cannot happen within the confines of virtual reality. Sure, I can tell her to put on the Rift on, and watch it on my PC's screen in a gimped 2D form, but it's not the same. This is not only a problem in homes where you share a gaming space with family or friends, but it's also an issue in terms of "selling" VR in general. On a personal level, I also like to watch TV or movies while I play some games, which isn't possible here.

While there is an adjustment period and hurdles to climb, it isn't all tha??t difficult of a concept to grasp.

Hardware:

Out of the box, bu??ying a Rift will net you a headset, sensor, remote, and Xbox controller (basically everything you see above)?. The sensor is rather small, and when placed in-between two of my monitors, I hardly even notice it. 

Setup was also really easy. T??he headset needs a USB and HDMI port, and the sensor just needs USB. It technically calls for three, but that's just taking the Xbox pad into account -- the remote is wireless. It was literally plug and play for me within five minutes after installing the software.

This isn't the VR of old where headsets would cause d?iscomfort within minutes, as the Rift weighs less than a bicycle helmet. I didn't feel it even after hours of use, which is good news for people who love marathon sessions. The headphones are of great quality, with booming surround sound and cups that completely cover your ears. They're removable too if you want to replace them with your own solution, which is great for audiophiles.

Numbers-wise, the Rift checks out. It clocks in at a resolution of 1200x1080 per eye, with a 90Hz refresh rate. It also sports a gyroscope, so it can track h??ead movements as well as gestures, like nodding your head yes or no. The?? cables for the headset and sensor are four and two and a half meters respectively, so there's a decent amount of slack to accommodate most setups.

I don't even have a major iss??ue with space right now, though I can see these V??R units piling up. If I had even just a Vive in addition to a Rift, it would be too much.

Software:

To put things into perspective, there were 14 PS3 games (seven of them were sports oriented), and 12 PS4 games at their respective launches. The Rift is kicking off with 30. Sure, a portion of them are ports or are on PC (Albino Lullaby is on Steam already), but a ton of games are kicking off as either timed or permanent exclusives. The heavy hitters are Adr1ft, Chronos, EVE Valkyrie, Lucky's Tale, and Project CARS.

I've played all of them, and here's the consensus I've reached -- nearly none of them are throwaway apps. Just about every game shows off VR to some extent, and in roughly half of the cases, justifies it entirely. Games like Fly to Kuma, a Lemmings-like puzzle title, highlight the potential of 3D cameras to present varying perspectives in virtual reality. Lucky's Tale, a platf??ormer, allows players to "look" over and around objects to locate pitfalls, like you're peeking into the world itself -- a far cry from most games that can't even nail a consistent camera angle. Expect a number of software reviews today and more in the coming days.

Oculus isn't just a gaming platform as there are other experiences, too, like short films and travel videos. Henry, a tale about a cute hedgehog, is adorable, and better than most of Pixar's shorts in recent years. There are also plenty of documentaries and sho??wcases for worldwide locations, like tours o??f Peru and Nepal. 360 videos have been around for many years now, but headsets have advanced to the point where home viewing is worth going out on a limb for. There's probably a full day's worth of video content at launch with more on the way, as well as support for personal videos and photos (the former of which can be viewed in a virtual theater environment).

So what about the app? It gets the job done and has the function?ality of some of the more basic launchers like Origin or Uplay. It also boots up directly after putting on the Rift, and users can launch programs from the app. It needs enhancements, though, which Oculus VR is claiming will arrive in the coming weeks. The first update will allow users to change the root install drive to something other than your default directory -- something that frankly should ship at launch in the era of small solid state setups. Oculus has an uphill battle with its propriety marketplace, that's for sure, as it is directly competing with the Vive's preexisting Steam marketplace.

Guys, this is the pioneer stage of VR. This is the first consumer Rift (there will be more), which is the first major player to market, in the very early stages of the industry. $600 is a massive pill to swallow for anyone regardless of income. Is VR the future? I'll let the market dicta?te that. Should it be the future in your home? I think so.

I've had a lot more fun with the Oculus Rift than I thought I would, and playing through the launch lineup was more exciting than any console in recent memory. There's something for everyone here, and all of it will feel new and exciting, especially if you're an average consum?er who hasn't tried it out at trade shows over the years. We'll have more thoughts on the Vive coming up so you can make a better decision, because all told, you should probably only get one of them, and PlayStation VR doesn't arrive until October.

_{[A full retail Oculus Rift headset was provided by Oculus VR for testing. An Oculus-ready PC was also provided, but was not used or unboxed in favor of using my home PC, and will be returned.]}

The post Review: Oculus Rift appeared first on Destructoid.

I hope you have a New 3DS

From its announcement to the conclusion of my multi-100-hour playthrough of Hyrule Warriors, I was enthralled. It was a match made in heaven, mashing up Zelda with Dynasty Warriors, and all of the parties involved deserve a ton of praise for what they accomplished. The ability to play co-op with the Wii U GamePad and the TV was the icing on the cake, ??a natural evolution of the split??-screen system that console fans have been using for decades.

Hyrule Warriors Legends, however, shrinks all of that down to? a smaller, more bite-sized experience on the 3DS. While it's a tough sell, the new content is mostly worth it, whether you're a seasoned veteran or a newcomer.

Hyrule Warriors Legends (3DS [Reviewed on a New 3DS])
Developer: Omega Force, Team Ninja, Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: March 25, 2015
MSRP: $39.99

_{[More detailed rundown of the mechanics, check out the original review. Here, I'll be speaking to the quality of the 3DS port and new content.]}

So how does Legends run on the little ol' 3DS???? It depends on which model you have.

If players aren't rocking a "New" portable, I'd advise against getting the game entirely. Performance is pitiful on an OG 3DS, to the point where I wouldn't even consider the g??ame playable. In my mind, this is a New exclusive, so don't even think about getting it unless you've upgraded.

As for the New performance, it's stellar. Sure so?me concessions have been made, as there are less enemies on-screen and the textures have been downgraded, but even with the 3D effect on, things run smoothly during massive boss battles with four allied heroes in the mix. Without the 3D on, the game is absolutely flawless -- I'm shocked at how great it is. The New controls are also a boon. Players can use the nub to control the camera, and the triggers to add some extra functionality (like instant lock-ons). I had zero control issues, in fact.

Legends has a few new tricks up its sleeve, most notably the updated roster. In addition to five new characters, Ganondorf gets his iconic trident (which is actually iconic, Ubisoft and Square Enix), and some of them are more impactful than others. Skull Kid, a character that I thought would be wildly different, is fun to play, but he has a lot in ??common with the rest of the caster squad already included, and I wasn't wild about him after a few sessions. The same can be said about Toon Link and Tetra, though they are great aesthetically, and fit the slightly altered visual style of the 3DS.

No, the characters I was most impressed with were the King of Red Lions and Linkle, funnily enough. The former is a beast, with a wide variety of abilities and a unique combat style that incorporates his human and boat forms. He's interesting at all times, and feels like a legitimate DLC character that you'd pay for piecemeal. Imagine my surprise, then, when I discovered that Linkle was actually one of my favorites -- not just in Legends -- but out of all of the cast members of Hyrule Warriors in general.

Linkle's crossbow weapon just feels good, and the team incorporated both ranged and melee attacks to make her feel like no other character before her. In addition to a standard super, she also has a tension meter on the side that allows her to shoot off a strafing attack that feels incredibly satisfying. She even gets her own mini story and the most fleshed-out personality to boot, as a hero in the making who commands a Cucco army and has a terrible sense of direction. I'd love to see more of her in the future. She's one? of the most fun characters Nintendo has created in a while.

Character switching also enters the fray, toggled by way of the touchscreen below the action. Players can simply tap any combatant to switch to their perspective, which makes some of the more sprawling battles a little more intense. It cuts down on the tedium and the touch effect is well done, sinc?e you can easily command different AI team members to a location. The My Fairy system also changes up the flow a bit, although it's not as monumental as I initially thought it would be. They're basically power-ups. While players can customize them somewhat, they just make small little tactical changes like simplified guard-break moves and the like -- though they don't detract from what's on offer in any way.

There's also a new adventure mode map, and a rework of sorts so that most of the previous DLC is unlocked through the first map, which is welcome (you can can get Toon Link almost immediately, for example). I was never really huge on the adventure mode as a lot of the tougher quests are super tedious, but if you found yourself hunting down every damn map square on the Wii U version, you'll feel right at home here -- especially since any future maps aren't coming to the con??sole edition.

So who is this release for? New players can theoretically start here if they don't mind the smaller screen real estate??, because all previous content is intact. Although you can skip cutscenes, veterans will be frustrated to know that there is no Cross-Save capability (something Nintendo typically isn't known for anyway), even going so far as to deny an import of any kind. If you've spent months on end acquiring weapons and pruning your roster, tough -- you'll have to start all over.

Nintendo seems keen on keeping Legends the definitive version of the game too, as there are currently no plans to move the My Fairy system or the new adventure maps over. This issue is compounded by the fact that the Season Pass is confusing, and won't see the release of everything on Wii U. If you buy the game on 3DS, you will be able to transfer the new characters over, however (including Ganondorf's trident), and you'll have the option to b??uy them this summer separate from the pass. There's also no multiplayer on 3DS.

Personally, I don't mind paying for Hyrule Warriors all over again with Legends. I got hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of the Wii U version, and being able to relive that is fine with me. But not everyone is as ??keen as I am, so if you're not a superfan already, it's a tough sell -- because really, this series deserves to be immortalized on a big screen.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher. This review is based on the New 3DS portable -- playing with an old 3DS is not recommended.]}

The post Review: Hyrule Warriors Legends appeared first on Destructoid.

OTGs and Victinis

When I first heard of the existence of Pokkén Tournament, I wasn't completely sold. That is, until I actually played it in Japan. At that point, I couldn't wait to get my hands on??? it again.

Having spent nearly two weeks with it on Wii U I'??m basically of the same opinion when it?? comes to its core fighting systems, but my enthusiasm did die down a bit over time due to a few console-centric issues.

Pokkén Tournament (Wii U)
Developer: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Publisher: The Pokémon Company, Nintendo
MSRP: $59.99
Released: March 18, 2016

Pokkén is a strangely deep fighter that grew on me over time. Sporting three different attack buttons, as well as a jump, a block, and a support button, there's plenty to play around with. The supports in particular have ties to the Marvel series, with the option to customize your loadout to spring anti-air attacks, or combo-inducing hit confirms. The best part? There's a full training mode that goes over the basics, as well as combo training specific to each character. Plus, an optional adviser helps coach newer players between rounds with small little pointers, like which support to take against each?? opponent. It may have a high skill ceiling, but it's accommodating.

Each character has a distinct look and feel, with significantly different play styles that are immediately apparent. For example, Pikachu feels super zippy and vulnerable, but Machamp is a hulking bruiser with strong, deliberate attacks, and armor. Then you have the technical characters like Ge??ngar, who try to fool opponents with mixups and teleportation attacks, and fighters that have a strong keepaway and ranged game like Chandelure and Suicune. Despite the fact that there are? 16 fighters, I can't help but feel like there should be more.

Although they operate differently, two are clones aesthetically (Pikachu Libre and Shadow Mewtwo), which is a letdown in and of itself. There's also an uneven mix in terms of representation, with barely any Gold & Silver era 'mon at all, and the team seemingly focused on making most of them "formidable" or "aggressive" Pokémon, so the tiny Pikachu sticks out like a sore thumb. To an extent there's nothing you can really do to satisfy the crowd in this department (someone is going to be disappointed their favorite isn't in), but I do wish there were more drastically different characters, specifically some of the smaller creatures the series has to offer. It technically has the same roster as, say, Street Fighter V, but it's not nearly as varied.

The engine takes a while to get used to, mostly because of the unique camera perspectives. Pokkén is a 3D fighter that takes place on a circular plane, with constantly shifting camera angles. The first type is the "field" camera, with a wider view, which focuses on ranged attacks. Specific combos or abilities in melee range will cue the "duel" phase, which shifts to a closer view, boosting the initiating player's synergy gauge (super meter, basically). Initially I didn't even notice it, but after playing through the tutorial, it really started to come into focus?. Certain characters who prefer a long range skirmish will generally want to avoid the duel ??phase, and other more rushdown-centric fighters will relish it.

I'm mixed on the mechanic, mostly because of how washed out the visuals are on Wii U (which surprised me) and how awkward some of the transitions feel, especially on the GamePad. While the levels themselves are endearing, with plenty of cute characters doing silly things (like chasing humans around the perimeter of the map, or exercising in absurd ways in a gym), they look dull all around, with drab colors dotting the landscape and a lack of detail for most character models. I was surprised at how it looked overall given the sharpness of the arcade edition, and although the framerate is mostly stable, I did notice some dips (especi?ally in multiplayer).

If you're tired of fighters that have a bare bones level of content, Pokkén is a great respite. The entire "Ferrum League" campaign is built around a replay factor, and reminds me of some of the great retro fighters of old. There's actually four leagues in all to play through, which provide these sort of fake "ranks" and matchups against CPU opponents, giving you the illusion of playing through a real tournament. Although Pokkén doesn't really have a full ?story in tow per se, there's a big fina??l boss showdown and everything, and a sense of tangible progression.

There's also literally hundreds of things to unlock, as well as a full currency system that always makes it feel like you're earning something. I'm talking new titles, avatar items, new supports, stat upgrades, and even several extra characters. I spent days on end playing the Ferrum mode and still felt like there was plenty to do. Players can also use up to five amiibo per day to expedite the process.

Of course, Pokkén supports local play, just like any ol' fighter, which works like a charm, placing one player's camera on the TV screen, and the other on the GamePad. It does work for the most part, but I found that my neck was strained after a few hours of play on the latter, and that the colors look even more draining on the tiny screen, so I recommend switching between them at certain intervals with a friend. I also had a chance to test out online play for several matches, and everything seemed to be relatively lag free -- we'll provide updates if this changes after release. For reference, I did not get to test out the new Pokkén controller yet.

Pokkén Tournament is more than meets the eye, and it would be foolish to judge it just based on the Pokémon name alone. Bandai Namco has crafted a deep brawler th??at deserves to be up there with a lot of the competition, but some logistical issues specific to the Wii U hold the g?ame back a bit more than I'd like.

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

The post Review: Pokken Tournament appeared first on Destructoid.

Hello nurse!

We've all heard the expression "sex ?sells." It's the idea that our brains are so hardwired toward carnal pleasures that we'll buy anything so l??ong as there is a pretty face and a nice ass we can associate with it. But let's be honest, that's not true.

No amount of sex can sell a product you know to be crap. So while I can appreciate Carl's Jr (or Hardee's for you east coasters) trying to tempt me with a nearly nude Emily Ratajkowski straddling a hambur?ger, it's not going to work because I already know that story ends with me suffering from indigestion due to their disgusting, flavorless meat circl??es. 

Same goes for video games, and the Senran Kagura series in particular. No amount of boobs pushed up against a screen or bare butts smacking into one another will convince me to spend $50 if the actual gameplay is garbage. You have to give me more than sex if you want to sell, and thankfully Senran Kagura Estival Versus has plenty of fast paced beat-em-up fu?n t?o go along with its nearly nude heroines. 

Senran Kagura Estival Versus (PS4 [reviewed], Vita)
Developer: Marvelous Inc., Tamsoft
Publisher: XSEED Games
Release Date: March 15, 2016 (US) March 18, 2016 (EU)
MSRP: $49.99 (PS4), $39.99 (Vita)/ $10 more for the Endless Summer Edition physical copies

Senran Kagura Estival Versus takes place in the near immediate aftermath of Shinovi Versus. The girls from each of the four shinobi schools are whisked away to a tropical island where they're forced to participate in the Kagura Millennium Festival. As one would expect, the story strikes a serious chord that deals with the complicated issues faced by young girls, many of whom suf??fer from serious psychological issues, as they are forced to balance the deadly, age-old traditions of the shinobi with the temptations found living in a modern world.

I'm just kidding, this is a game where one character? demands you call her a "dumb bitch" becaus??e it gets her off and another suggests a panty eating contest.

While that last sentence is 100% factual, it's a bit unfair to strip the plot down to the stereotype we typically associate with this series as there is a fair amount of heavy storytelling going on. The Millennium Festival gives characters a chance to reunite with lost loved ones and they face a choice between staying in this mysterious beach paradise to be with those they miss or returning to the real world to finish their shinobi training. The Millennium Festival is the driving force of the plotline, however the game doesn't seem all that interested in getting you, or its characters, excited about it. Much of the game is spent with the girls soaking up some sun as they discuss whether or not they even want to participate in the festival because, "it's so sunny out and I want to see everyone in their bathing suits and grab boobies and talk to zombie grandpa."

If you're unfamiliar with series you're shit out of luck as there is zero explanation of who any of the returning characters are, and they constantly reference events from prior games. Estival Versus is so uninterested in engaging you in the history of this franchise, there is a moment in the game where a couple of shinobi are talking about how much one of the girls has grown (I assume they're talking about her boob size), and instead of using three sentences to tell you what they mean, the game suggests you stop playing it and go watch the Estival Versus OVA.

Seriously.

Outside of the story segments, you'll?? find a familiar combat system based around a two button attack set-up that allows for experimentation with well ti??med dashes and parries. There are still shinobi and frantic transformations, each with their own stylish undressing of the character, as well as wall running attacks and joint aerial attacks with a partner character. Don't expect your partner to be of that much help as they generally have an intelligence level equal to that of a potato.

While the tools at your disposal are still very much the same, something about the combat is off in this game and I think it has to do with the overuse of the break mechanic. Pressing down on the D-Pad activates the break which pushes back the?? enemies directly surrounding you at the cost of the little bit o?f health. The move is extremely useful if you're ever getting it from all angles, but it tends to be the attack enemy shinobi use most. I can recount multiple instances where I would hit Yomi or Mirari with a single attack, only to have them ruin any sort of potential combo with a break. Multiple fights just boiled down to an enemy and I breaking each other back and forth. Thank god the grunts you mow down don't have this move at their disposal.

The constant breaking wouldn't be as much of an issue if your attacks had any weight to them. You can unleash what you think is a devastating combo on an enemy, only to have them just stand there as though you're smacking them around with a goose feather. So long as they're not in ??a falling animation, they can use break or start their own combo attack on you whenever they please. If you don't master the parry system,?? matches can become a test of patience rather than a test of skills.

Also testing your patience: repetitive scenery. Most of the levels are HD recreations of stages from prior entries in the series. When you're not smashing and bashing your way down memory lane, y?ou're battling on the same goddamn beach stage again and again.

The story mode does a good job of introducing you to all of the 2?7 available characters in the game. Returning characters feature updated move sets (making Hibari finally worth playing again) and the newcomers are a welcome and diverse addition. Renka, with her taiko drumsticks, became a personal favorite for me as her combo setup really gelled with my preferred wa??y to play the game. Most of the characters have their own play style that can take time to master, but you'll still be able to button mash your way to victory (if you can really call getting a D grade at the end of every level a "victory").

Outside of the story mode are individual challenges for characters that you unlock throughout the game and special challenges that really test how well you've mastered the combat sy??stem. If you find yourself a new waifu, you can throw her into the diorama mode where you can pose your favorite girls in the many, many costumes you've unlocked. With a variety of poses and facial expressions to use, you can have your favorite shinobi strike a power pose in full dress or strip them down to their skivvies as they beg with tears in their eyes like it's the first five minutes of the world's most kawaii snuff film.

There is also an online mode, however there didn't seem to be anyone online during my time with the game. If the hours spent with Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson are any indication, that will be true even after the game l?aunches.

For those wondering about the Vita version of this game, XSEED sent over review copies of both versions of the game. If you only have access to a Vita I will say it is very much playable but know that it's a downgrade from the PS4 version in nearly every way. The frame rate is slower, character models have a stiffness to them, there ar??e less enemies on the screen, longer load times and the graphics take a hit. While that last one is to be expected, some levels of the game look worse than they should, like the "Downtown at Night" stage which would be considered ugly back in the Dreamcast era.

I had fun with Senran Kagura Estival Versus. The beat-em-up combo system is just as enjoyable today as it was in the first game, and there is something quite rewarding about studying the move sets of the new characters and also throwing them into a sexy diorama to "study" something else about them. I wouldn't say it's the best entry in the?? series with the excessive use of the break mechanic and the story does the game no favors, but the combination of flashy action and ?fan-service kept me satisfied throughout.

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

The post Review: Senran Kagura Estival Versus appeared first on Destructoid.

Squad goals

When I embarked upon my journey with The Division, I saw potential. The map is well crafted, the sandbox gimm??ick is more justified than a lot of other similar games, and playing with friends is fun. But after squaring off against a number of bullet sponges and similar missions, I started to feel drained.

The Division is a great shooter with ??an intriguing world to boot, but several frequently? occurring shortcomings let it down.

The Division (PC, PS4, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: Ubisoft Massive
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: March 8, 2016
MSRP: $59.99

Having spent ample time with the game, I have to say I'm not really digging the cast. The Division itself (the group) isn't compelling enough, and I couldn't tell you any of the main characters' names off the top of my head. There's a? bit of variance there with distinct enemy groups like the "Cleaners" or the "Rikers," but t??he rest may as well be called the "Sponges" (more on this later). The setting however, is exemplary.

The more I played, the more I was impressed with the setting. Manhattan is a joy to walk through, and each mission brings you? to a new location that's either brimming with life, or sapped of it in an equally cool way. Gathering new missions isn't as much of a slog as other, similar titles, mostly because I'm anxious to open up new zones and see what they throw at me. Whether it's NPCs engaging in silly conversations or a neat sewer area (for once), I was compelled to forge forward.

Part of that well-paced feel is due in part to the breaks I took with the PVP mode. PVP is done by way of the "Dark Zone," which is cooler than it sounds, as it's an area where every player could potentially be a hostile. "Going Rogue," essentially amounts to flagging yourself for PVP, and attempting to go ?loot others, which can be done with friends or solo.

Taking your own squads in to basically wreak havoc on others is a blast, and one of the most intriguing parts of the game, plus it feels like it actually has a reason to exist instead of selecting a menu option and getting zoned into Halo-l??ike matches. The stakes are actually high in the sense that you can be penalized with experience and currency losses upon death, as well as the loss of acquired loot -- lest you achieve a successful extraction. It's intense, fun, and funnels into the loot-based nature of the game. It has the potential to get old after a while??, but for now, I'm enjoying it.

I said I'd reassess the RPG elements over time, and I can more clearly see the pros and cons knowing how it all works. Loot drops can be addicting, sure. But what I see more often than not is that after acquiring all the basic weapon types, the upgrades are actually less nuanced. In a series like Borderlands, you can tell upfront that some giant gun duct taped together is going to be different, but Division often requires multiple looks to discern better equipment. As an RPG purist I appreciate this to some extent (especially since I can feel the difference, gameplay-wise between them), but I've seen enough realistic shooters in my lifetime and it doesn't really offer anything new on that front. Once you've reached max level the lo??ot search continues -- you even have your standard endgame currency to gr?ind (Phoenix Tokens), as everything is ostensibly the same as it's always been.

The RPG bits also rear their head at times in a very gamey way, most notably the bosses. They're generally ?very spongey, and by that I mean they take way too many bullets to go down, without a real need to drastically shift your strategy. That isn't to say that the locations and means in which these fights are delivered aren't enjoyable, but it gets a tad old to see the same type of enemy presented multiple times. It doesn't outright ruin the game but it robs it of its creativity, since the team could have done some really cool things with the well designed arenas you have to work with.

Online play, I have to say, has been very stable. Despite some midnight launch hiccups I haven't had any real issues with the game, which is an online-only affair. Having said that, there isn't an issue going solo, and you can play at your own pace if you want without feeling like you need to be mixed up with a group. A lot of folks are keen to call Division an "MMO," but much like using that nomenclature for Destiny, I disagree.

It's a squad-based game that just happens to take place in an open world, and that's basically it. I don't see Division lasting as long as other, similar games either month??s down the line, as it simply doesn't allow for anything on a raid-like level to truly hook in the dedicated crowd.

The Division is more fun with friends, but let's face it, what game isn't? After my group logged off and I was left alone in the world, the veneer started to wear off, and I was left f??acing the blemishes all on my own. The long-term plan is to pump out more content. I'm unsure of its efficacy but for now there's more than enough there, especially with the organic PVP.

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

The post Review: Tom Clancy’s The Division appeared first on Destructoid.

Metroid on meth, Strider on steroids

I've never done meth, but I've watched enough of the hit American show Cops to know? what it looks like when someone is under its influence; frantic movements, confusion, and swatting at non-exist??ent bees.

That is pretty much what Blood Alloy: Reborn is like, only with a bit of Strider and a whole lot of electro-synth music.

Blood Alloy: Reborn (PC)
Developer: Suppressive Fire Games
Publisher: Nkidu Games Inc.
Released: March 2, 2016
MSRP: $12.99

It seems like there has been a resurgence of games that pit players against endless enemies in small arenas with the goal being to see how many points they can get. Blood Alloy: Reborn is one such game.

As a cyborg named Nia Rhys, you'll fight enemies in three different levels while going at breakneck speeds sliding across floors and ceilings, as well as up walls. While traversin?g levels, you'll also be taking down enemies with a selection of three different guns, three types of seconda??ry weapons, and a sword. The default gun can be charged to varying degrees to unleash stronger shots, but only when stationary, and Nia's sword can be used to deal massive damage in a short period. Secondary weapons can only be fired while sliding and vary from homing rockets to a shield that can be used as a projectile.

Levels are relatively small with the first two being enclosed and the third having annoying holes that lead to your demise. Those initial two levels are a joy to play. The first is my favorite as it allows you to take full advantage of the over-the-top speeds you can achieve in every direction, while the second is all about going vertically and wall-jumping between pillars. The third level, however, is just not fun. At all. The camera? system doesn't always allow you to easily recognize where bottomless pits are at; mix that with your high-speed movement and you've got a bad time. Each level has the same set of enemies, meaning by the time you reach the third level, you've already killed each of them hundreds of times.

Aesthetically, the whole package reminds me oddly of the X-Men games for the Sega Genesi?s, which is certainly not a bad thing -- I quite liked those games. Audio-wise, you've got a pretty fantastic electro-synth soundtrack that is both catchy and memorable but with one major problem: the volume isn't normalized across tracks. What this means is sometimes you'll start a level only to be greeted by a song that is far louder than the previous, to the point it drowns out sound effects. It was enough to make me turn my system's volume lower than I have ever had to for any other game. 

Unfortunately, the problems don't stop there. I experienced numerous bugs in my playthrough. There were multiple times where my save file became corrupt, forcing me to start over. I contacted the developers about this and was informed they had been looking into?? it as multiple players had also reported the bug. Luckily, I was able to provide enough information about the issue that they were able to fix it. I guess I can add part-time volunteer QA tester to my resume now. The menu interface is clunky, not easy on the eyes, and at times wouldn't recognize button presses. This is another case of a game releasing a bit too early,?? a pattern that plagues both AAA and indie titles now.

Unlocking levels and weapons means playing the same three levels over and over to rank up your character, which quickly grows tedious. Just to unlock the second level, you'r??e probably in for at least ten or more runs of the first level, and even more than that to unlock the third. Repetition in sc?ore-focused games where each play session is just a few minutes isn't an issue if you have some goal to strive for, such as beating your friends on leaderboards, but currently, there is no such thing on offer.

Instead, you can top your own score while grinding to?? unlock levels and weapons, but I wouldn't bother as the default weapon set ended up being my preferred configuration. The slow grind only seems to be here to make it ??appear like there is more gameplay on offer and to justify the $12 price tag, but playtime doesn't equal value.

I know it may not sound like it, but I do like the core of what's here. Speeding around le?vels and blasting enemies is a lot of fun. But there just isn't enough content for this to feel like a finished product, not to mention all of the bugs I experienced. The whole game feels more like a training mode or bonus mode that would be found as ??part of a larger package.

Aside from bugs and grinding, my o??nly real complaint is that there just isn't enough, and I want more. Thankfully, the developers plan on funneling revenue from this title into a full-fledged Metroidvania game, which is really what should have been on offer here in the first place.

Currently, Bloody Alloy: Reborn feels more like an Early Access title or proof-of-concept than a finalized product, so it is hard to recommend unless you love beating your own high scores and are starving for a fast Strider-like experience.

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

The post Review: Blood Alloy: Reborn appeared first on Destructoid.

Harvest Moon x Animal Crossing

Please, send help. I can't stop playing Stardew Valley. In fact, it's runni??ng ??in the background right now. Which reminds me, I need to catch an Albacore real quick for Elliot...

All right, so, Stardew Valley. Wait, I need to cook Willie something speci??al for his gift...

Anyway, what was I talking about again?

Stardew Valley (PC)
Developer: ConcernedApe
Publisher: Chucklefish
Release Date: February 26, 2016
MSRP: $14.99

Stardew Valley is a farming and life simulator. But this isn't like the more modern wave of "simulators" that have dominated the genre. This is old school, Harvest Moon-inspired simulation. It has clear roots in that franchise, but it separates itself with many other mechanics thrown on top of just farming. In fact, there's an? ent??ire season (winter) when farming doesn't happen!

Here is a typical day, relatively early on, in Stardew Valley: Wake up, water and pick the crops, refill the dog's water, and feed the chickens. Eat a snack to restore some energy. Head out into the town, check the calendar for anyone's birthday or town events, then check the bulletin board to see if anyone needs something to be done. From there, it depends on how yo??u feel. Maybe today is a fishing day, heading to the different areas to catch all types of fish. Maybe it's an adventurous day in the mines, slaying monsters and collecting gems and ores. Or perhaps it's time to re-plant some of the harvested crops from earli??er.

There are a ton of things to occupy any given ??day. Players start out with a huge plot of farmland and some tools. After clearing some room, it's time to get some crops and plant them. Nothing is really "tutorialized" to the player, but the game does a wonderful job of introducing the player to new things and hinting at the best way of optimizing skills.

Story cutscenes are introduced sporadically, but it's mostly up to the player to advance it as they please. According to the developer, the story does have an end, but that??'s not the end of the game. Luckily, the community is filled with interesting characters to make the story worth paying?? attention to, even if it may not seem that way at first.

Many characters will initially come off as one-dimensional, which I think is intended. "Okay, there's the goth kid, the athlete, the tough girl" and ??so on. However, by com??pleting quests for townsfolk and giving them presents, they start to warm up to the player, and actual conversations can be had. It's these dialogues that show each character's true colors and helps the feeling of attachment to the NPCs who are constantly wandering about town.

And they really are constantly wandering. All NPCs have their own weekly schedul??es, which vary depending on the season. Sometimes I'll wonder why the farm shop isn't being tended, and then I'll realize it's the day most of the ladies in the town go work out together in the general store. This could be frustrating to some, but it's important to remember to relax and take it all in. If you're unable to buy something because the clerk is out and about, go do something else!

Though I haven't experienced it myself yet, as players build up relationships they can get married and have a family. There are a lot of bachelors an??d bachelorettes in the town to be courted, and after reaching a certain "relationship level" with someone, it's possible to propose.

Th?ere is also an overarching goal to achieve: restore the community center. Each room of the center has certain objectives that need to be completed in order to bring it back to its old luster and open up new areas of the town. These quests each involve donating specific themed items. For example, you may need to donate four iconic crops from each season in order to complete a room's objectives. Obviously these are long-term goals and cannot be completed quickly. 

In fact, the entire game pushes players to take it at their own pace. Everything is so casual, there's never something to be stressed about. Certain townsfolk requests have a two-day timer on them, but not completing them has no real consequence. Stardew Valley emphasizes motivation, not urgency. Would you rather spend the entire day fishing instead of looking for the mayor's shorts? Go a?head! 

Personally, fishing is my favorite. There is a small mini-game when hooking a sea creature that involves pressing a button to keep a bar lined up with the fish. Depending on ??the fish, it will move up and down in an attemp??t to avoid it. Fish of the same type move the same, so experienced fishers will have a good idea as to what is on the line, even before reeling it in. It almost gives the fishes a personality, and it's extremely gratifying to hook a rare fish.

Heading into the mines is also a great way to spend the day. The combat is simple, but it's for the best. Really, killing monsters is a side-effect of gathering resources like stones and ore, though the loot that monster??s drop can be great, too. Weapons have two actions, which vary depending on type. Some are better at attacking quickly, others do damage with slow attacks, and some have better range. There are also slingshots, but the control scheme makes them completely useless to me, ?and it doesn't seem to work at all on a controller.

The game is a bit rough around the edges. I will say though, many of the bugs I have encountered over my playthrough have already been patched out. Early on, I had multiple instances where a day was lost, and since t??he game only saves after each day, it was frustrating. That hasn't happened in a long ?time, and my only recent "lost" day was due to a bug during one of the festivals. Regardless, anything that causes an entire day to be lost is upsetting.

There's also something else. Either I'm going crazy, or one of my villagers simply doesn't exist. You see, even after a y?ear, I've only met 27 of 28 villagers, which is the first quest in the game. I broke down and looked it up -- I've never met Leah. So I went to her house and fished outside it all day. Still nothing! So I checked the wiki for her schedule and went to exactly where she should be, multiple times per week. Despite my hardcore stalking, I never saw her. She's also ?not at any festival. So yeah, that's a bug.

The art is incredibly endearing and beautiful. Character portraits bring be back to my old Sega Genesis days and really help the characters come to life. Everything looks great in motion. The town really feels alive while walking around, and it's not a bad idea to s??imply s??top and take in the surroundings at times. The music, likewise, perfectly fits the feel of the game. Smooth, relaxing, and catchy tunes that I find myself humming as I go about my day.

There is so much to do in this game. I haven't even brought up ??crafting or cooking! Even after an in-game year and over forty real-world hours, I still have things to look forward ?to each and every day. Whether it's working on restoring the community center, trying to make a decent buck, helping the townsfolk, or working on optimizing my farm, I know I can always be doing something. 

Did I mention that one person ?made this? One person made this.

Stardew Valley is a game that keeps on giving. There is so much I haven't even explored yet that has ??my giddy for the future. The core mechanics and relaxing aesthetic merge so well together that pla?yers will sink in to the experience and never want to leave.

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

The post Review: Stardew Valley appeared first on Destructoid.

Once more into the twilight

My relationship with Twilight Princess is one of the most complicated I've come across in my entire gaming career. I completed it within a week of its launch on the Wii, and was left underwhelmed. It wasn't necessarily the waggle controls as they weren't egregiously pointless like some Skyward Sword bits -- it just didn't feel like a Zelda game in many ways.

But years later, I rediscovered it on the GameCube, and found myself connecting wit??h it more. The dungeon design, for one, is simply wonderful, and it contains some of the best ??zones in the series. But I still had that lingering feeling of disappointment regarding many of the experience's core tenets.

With Twilight Princess HD on the Wii U, I had yet another reawakening. It may not be the best Zelda game, but it's a fantastic adventure.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U)
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: March 4, 2016

Thank god you can skip cutscenes, because the intro is still boring as sin. I'd go so far as to say it's the worst in the franchise, actually. Why are there not one, but two tedious goat-herding mini-games? On top of that, Twilight's team felt the need to essentially provide you with two tutorials??, one for the human form of Link, and another for the wolf. An hour later you're off to see the princess with a semi-open Hyrule Field, but it doesn't excuse that? painful opening.

Past that, the hand-holding mostly stops. Midna may pop up to give you hints every so often, but she doesn't outright spoil dungeons like Fi did in Skyward Sword. The "Twiligh??t" gimmick also holds up throughout, particularly when you get the chance to swap between forms to warp around and frolic about as a beast. It's built into the game inside and out, not just with the gameplay but with the theme. Midna feels like a natural extension of Link, living in his shadow, belittling him and building him up at the perfect moments.

You can easily make the argument that the story is derivative, especially when they fall back on the tried-and-true "Ganon is the bad guy" reveal, but the real magic lies within the journey itself. The dungeons are some of the most memorable locations in Zelda history, and the boss battles are just a??s striking all these years later. The Stallord confrontation still gives me chills, and the Snowpeak Ruins, a dungeon set to the backdrop of a relationship between two Yetis, is unforgettable.

Combat is possibly the best in the series. The back slice after a roll feels great every time, and the shield bash adds a new dimension to fighting turtle-heavy foes. The thrill of learning a new move from the Hero's Shade (which, according to Hyrule Historia, is the Link from Ocarina and Majora!) is still present. Each and every ability feels useful. Items like the pair of Clawshots show old favorites in a new light, and inaugural additions like the Spinner are fondly remembered even to this day. Even the Dominion Rod has its moments despi??t?e its limited use. Nothing feels like fat added on for the sake of it.

As far as the changes go, the GamePad is the most obvious upgrade. Like the recent 3DS iterations and Wind Waker HD, you can actually map items to the touchscreen, which is a welcome feature for dungeons that require multiple tools. It eliminates nearly all of the tedium, and can even be used in the thick of combat to provide for some interesting combos without having to pause the action ??over and over. The same goes for switching between forms -- no more talking to Midna and doing it manually, though you ca?n still opt for that route if you wish.

Off-TV play is also included, and does exactly what it needs to. I'm sure some of you liked the Wiimote controls in the original, and for you, the GamePad's gyro motion functionality is in for first-person aiming and the like. Otherwise, it plays out just like the GameCube edition, with the obvious touch concessions. Other changes are small, but just as welcome. Now instead of hunting down Poe souls at night, you can use a new lantern item to catch them during the day. There are also less Tears of Light to capture during each darkness sequence (it's 12, down from 16), which I didn't fully appreciate until I did that Panzer Dragoon-esque flying sequence.

Another awesome little bonus is that the Miiverse stamps are actually chests, where players uncover the Hylian alphabet in-game. It's a much cooler way of delivering stamps than a lot of other Nintendo titles. Then there's the amiibo bonuses, l??ike the forgettable Cave of Shadows Wolf Link amiibo dungeon, and the Ganondorf super hero mode that ??quadruples enemy damage -- on top of the standard double damage hero gametype that's available from the start.

But the alterations in general aren't quite as monumental as Wind Waker HD. With that release, Nintendo took an already timeless art style and touched it up to make it even more iconic. There was so much love and care that went into that game, and it showed with both iterations in spades. I'm not convinced the same amount of attention went into either Twilight Princess. I mean, sure, that awful blur effect is mostly removed and the framerate is more stable, but the art style outside of the Twilight zones isn't as memorable as other core entries. Even the main hub, Castle Town, lacks character and can't hold a candle to locales like Majora's Clock Town.

Little quality-of-life additions like GamePad item management go a long way with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. They manage to hide some of the game's less flattering blemishes, and let you focus on what it does best. While I still wouldn't put it near the top of the Zelda pile, ??it's still head and shoulders above most modern adventure games.

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

The post Review: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD appeared first on Destructoid.

Dated yet wholesome JRPG fun

Over the course of the past few weeks, I've been interviewing people regarding their first Pokémon experience, and it usually involves finding out about it a few months, or even years after it launched in the US (like Laura's first intro to Yellow). As for myself, I still remember the night I picked it up, on launch day, September 28, 1998. After getting off work, my parents drove me to Toys"R"Us to spend my allowance money on Pokémon Red, w??hich I picked out exclusively becau??se it had a badass dragon on it. The rest was history.

Even though it was a school night, I played it for hours on end, until I was stumped on Mt. Moon and had to call it a day. I'm talking flashlight (backlight, even!) under the bed, the whole kid shebang. I was addicted. To an extent, that's still how I play a lot of games today, including Pokémon Y (which I als?o picked up because it had a dragon...thing on the cover).

While it's clear that age is a factor in my recent playthrough of the first ?generation re-releases, a lot of that same spark is still there.

Pokémon Red (3DS [reviewed], Game Boy)
Developer: Game Freak 
Publisher: Nintendo 
Released: September 28, 1998 (Game Boy), February 27, 2016 (3DS eShop) 
MSRP: $9.99

[Check out our reviews for Pokémon Blue and Yellow.]

As an RPG, Pokémon ticks all the right boxes. The element of party building and loot acquisition is still alive and well, but it's on a much more personal level with Game Freak's creation. You didn't just happen to run across a Tauros as part of the main storyline -- you spent 15 hours trying to catch it on your friend's copy of Pokémon Blue??? so you could transfer it over to finally complete your Pokédex (true story).

It was a whole new world, and the trading element, spurred by the exclusivity found within the two (and eventually, three) versions was genius. It was a marketing strategy first and foremost, but it worked, and the topic of "What Pokémon did you find today?" was a common conversation in an er??a just before the rise of ??FAQs.

Of course, as an RPG from the '90s, it has all of the typical trappings you'd expect. Battles can be non-stop, especiall??y on the tight quarters of the S.S. Anne, which can dampen exploration a bit. The visual element of only engaging in fights in grass is appreciated, but caves and areas like c??ycling roads are off, pacing-wise, to the point where it can feel like padding.

But even with its multiple iterations of advancements lingering in its shadow, the original trilogy still has a ton of life t??o it. In the re-release, I spent hours in Celadon City, traversing the giant general store and whiling away in the casino. There's a reason that the sec??ond generation revisited Kanto again -- it's one of the most iconic locations in the entire series. I found myself rediscovering new hidden zones like it was 1998 all over again, and getting nervous that I didn't carry enough Ultra balls with me. The fact that I still remember every single first-run Pokémon to this day speaks to its longevity.

As for the 3DS version itself, it's not ideal that nothing was really added in at launch, but its concessions aren't the end of the world. Most notably, the removal of save states makes perfect sense, so people couldn't game the system. It would have been nice to get a few extra quality-of-life changes, like more in-game options, sure. But the fact that you'll be able to transfer (potentially broken) Pokémon over to Sun & Moon is the cherry on top of this muted sundae.

Even though it's been left in the dust by its successors (even as early as Silver and Gold, which knocked it out of the park), there's no denying that the original series, including Pokémon Red, the objective best first generation game, has its charms. As long as you're able to deal with some antiquated mechanics and a ton of random battles (you are not ??prepared, even with repels), it's worth booting up all over again.

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

The post Review: Pokemon Red appeared first on Destructoid.

Hotter than hot

Without thinking, I chucked a cue ball at the bartender, ran up and grabbed the shotgun as it flew out of his hands, and shot him point blank. I then watched as his fragile frame crumpled to the floor and shattered like glass. A bullet flew past my ear and hovered there as I paused to observe it, alerting me to the presence of another person who was about to meet the same fat??e as the bartender. I felt unstoppable.

It's a shooter at heart, but Superhot brings something fresh and unexpected to the FPS genre. It mixes thrilling, action-packed combat with meticulous, precision planning, and somehow these opposing ideas are able to unfold simultaneously. It's all just a matter of timing, and in Superhot, time is in the player's hands.

Superhot (PC [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: SUPERHOT Team
Publisher: SUPERHOT Team
Released: February 25, 2016
MSRP: $24.99

Superhot is about virtual reality, despite not actually being a VR game itself. While accessing the interface of your VR device, a friend introduces you to a crazy new program called Superhot.exe. After playing around with it for a bit, it becomes quite clear that this isn't a??n average video game as some peculiar events begin to unfold. You soon find yourself unable to stop playing.

But let's take a step back real quick. Before the player even opens Superhot.exe, they will most likely be compelled to check out the extensive main menu. The menu is set up like a computer?? interface, with different folders leading to a variety of entertaining things, including weird little animations, videos, readme files, ASCII art, and even other games to play. It's one of the neatest ideas for a main menu I've ever seen. I honestly spent half an hour or more just messing around with all the different files and folders before I even started the game proper.

Upon initiating Superhot.exe, a stark white room full of red guys will be generated. The design is all about simplicity: red equals bad, usable objects appear black, and literally everything else is coated white. It's like Mirror's Edge to the extrem??e, but it makes the goal clear. You're here to kill the red guys.

This is where Superhot gets super interesting. For the most part, it plays like your basic first-person shooter, but with one key difference: time only moves when the player moves. This means there is all the time in the world to scope out the enemy and plan an attack. When they move to shoot a red guy, the red guy will move to fire back. Bullets will appear to stop in midair, allowing ample opportunity to maneuver around them as they inch forward with every step. It's basically the video game equivalent of those slow-motion scenes from The Matrix.

Shooting isn't the only method of attack, either. Melee weapons and bare fists will come in handy, both for attacking and disarming foes. Punching an enemy will ca??use t??hem to reel and drop their weapon, which can then be grabbed out of the air and immediately used to kill the owner. Objects such as bottles, cue balls, and televisions can be picked up and thrown as well, which will also cause the enemy to stagger.

Chaining together all these different weapons and techniques to take down a horde of red guys can feel incredib??ly satisfying. Once every opponent has been killed, the entire onslaught will be replayed in normal time, allowing the player to watch as they execute an impressive display of tactics like a pro. It felt amazing to watch myself obliterate an entire gang by whacking a guy in the head with a bat, stealing his gun, shooting him in the chest, turning around to shoot the next guy while dodging several bullets, throwing the gun at another guy to stun him, picking up a katana off the wall and slicing him in half? while he's still reeling, and then throwing the katana at the guy behind him, piercing him in the stomach. And that was just half of the action!

Unfortunately, the excellent gameplay gets interrupted too often. Superhot's story is really out there, but while it was unique, I'm not exactly sure I appreciated it. Others will undoubtedly find it intriguing and get a kick out of the tricks it tries to pull, but I felt like it became a little too intrusive. It got to the point where I kept thinking, “I get it, Superhot. I just want to be back in the game already.” Eventually it even outright acknowledged wh??at I was feeling, and then kept on doing its thing anyway later on.

The real meat comes after the credits, when the Endless and Challenge Modes are unlocked. You just have to endure the main story first. These two modes offer up a huge variety of different ways to play, and greatly expand on the excellent FPS gameplay that Superhot provides. I w??ould have preferred for these to be available from the start, but at least it's something to look forward to.

Endless Mode, as the name suggests, allows the player to go on an endless killing spree. A random room will be generated with a non-stop barrage of red guys, and it's basically fight 'til you die. There are a few other options to choose from, like trying to get a certain number of kills as quickly as?? possible or kil??ling as many enemies as you can under a certain time limit. Obviously, these aren't really “endless” as the folder would imply, but they do keep things interesting.

Challenge Mode is the best part of Superhot. This folder allows the player to go through every stage from the story under certain challenge conditions, without all of the actual story bits getting in the way. There's a speedrun challenge, one where you can only use katanas, o??ne where you can't pick up anything and can only punch, one where throwing objects results in? instant kills, and more. Every option was fun. They completely changed the way I played, with the katana-only challenge being my personal favorite.

Even though the story was a bit excessive, Superhot remains a unique addition to the shooter genre. It provides a challenge while giving the player plenty of time to consider their options at every step. Do I hit the guy running at me and pray the other guy doesn't shoot me? Or go f??or the gun-toting dude first and hope the other one doesn't have time to run up and punch me? It's essentially the opposite of most other shooters, where the action can be so frantic that you barely have to time to think while bullets are flying past left and rig??ht.

The slow-motion combat might not be for ??everyone, but I found it to be just as exciting as any twitch-based shooter. Being in control of ??the situation at all times is exhilarating, especially when one wrong step could mean certain death. But don't worry, there's plenty of time to choose each step wisely.

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

The post Review: Superhot appeared first on Destructoid.

Rollin' on the river

Day 22. I've been drifting down this river for weeks now, and I'm starting to get desperate. That damn boar broke my arm, and I haven't b??een able to scrounge up the supplies to make a proper splint. Since I couldn't kill the boar, I have no food left, save for a handful of mulberries. They won't hold me ov?er for very long, I'm afraid. And to top it all off, the rain simply refuses to stop! I've been soaked to the bone for days, and the temperature keeps dropping. If I don't find shelter soon, this might be the end for me.

Such is the life of Scout in The Flame in the Flood, the debut game from newly-formed studio The Molasses Flo?od. Surviving the deadly rapids and even deadlier wildlife will not be easy, but at least Scout has a faith?ful canine companion by her side. Now if only she could find a bit of food and some decent shelter...

The Flame in the Flood (Xbox One, PC [reviewed], Mac)
Developer: The Molasses Flood
Publisher: The Molasses Flood
Released: February 24, 2016
MSRP: $19.99

In a post-societal world where humanity is scarce and towns lay abandoned and falling into disrepair, Scout finds herself fighting for survival with only her dog, Aesop, to keep her company. An approaching cloud mass sig??nals an impending flood, so Scout boards a raft and embarks on a ?journey down the river to safety.

To put it plainly, this is a survival game with crafting mechanics and randomly-generated locations. It's a genre that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, with many similar titles appearing all over the Steam marketplace. But The Flame in the Flood manages to inject some fresh ideas into the formula ??which help it to stand out. Primarily, it accomplishes this with its unique river setting.

Scout's main goal is to travel down the river to a safe location, following a radio signal that promises sanctuary. This requires her to keep moving, which is the key element that differentiates The Flame in the Flood from similar titles, such as Don't Starve, where the goal is usually to build a shelter for safety, then keep acquiring more supplies and building more things to live as long as possible. Here, st?aying in one place is not an option. At most, Scout can build a campfire to rest in one location for a day or s??o, exploring the area in order to gather as much food and supplies as can be found before she must leave.

Crafting is key to survival, but Scout won't be crafting shelter. She will need to build basic tools, like knives and hammers, in order to make the other things she n?eeds to stay alive. Other objects to craft generally fall int??o five main categories: food, medical supplies, clothing, animal traps, and raft upgrades.

But to make stuff, she first needs to gather supplies. Plants can be collected to use as food, medicine, or crafting material, animals can be hunted for food and clothing, and oth?er random scraps from abandoned towns, buildings, and vehicles can be used for various purposes. Each location has a limited amount of supplies, though, so once it has been cleaned out, it's time to move on to somewhere new down the river.

Of course, the river is not going to make things easy for Scout. It seems like everything is out to get her. Boars, snakes, wolves, and bears roam the wilderness just waiting to attack, inflicting bites, broken bones, and lacerations. Poison ivy and brambles can leave her cut up and itchy. The rain and cold can cause illness. If any of these ailments are left untreated, they m??ight worsen and create further complications.

The most u??nfortunate thing about these medical emergencies is that they usually cause Scout's other stats, like hunger or body temperature, to drop rapidly. It's crucial to cure any ailment quickly, or else she might end up burning through a lot of her food stores to compensate for her sudden insatiable appetite. For this reason, players who are just starting out will want to be extremely careful around wild animals and other hazards until they can obtain sufficient medic?al supplies. In fact, whenever I found an area with wolves or boars, I almost always ran away immediately and hopped back on the raft to find another location, unless I had some traps ready to deploy. A broken bone or laceration with no way of curing it will almost certainly lead to a swift death.

It's also important to be careful while navigating the river itself. Rocks, floating cars, and other debris can tear the raft apart and send Scout flying into the water. The raft is somewhat difficult to control at t??imes; turning needs to be done well in advance of obstacles, but there is also an option to paddle quickly in any direction in an attempt to move to safety at the last second. Rapids make things even harder, nearly doubling the raft's speed and making it much ea??sier to careen into obstacles.

While on the river, upcoming docks will appear alo?ng the map with an icon indicating which type of area to expect. For example, ma??rinas can be used to upgrade the raft, clinics contain plenty of medical supplies, camps always have a lit campfire, churches offer good shelter, and wilderness areas are often crawling with animals. It's usually not possible to stop everywhere, since the river can make maneuvering to each dock difficult, so the icons can help the player plan out the best course of action to find what they need.

All of that survival stuff might sound tough, but one of the biggest difficulties actually comes from item management. Storage space is very limited. If Scout is near the dock, she can store more?? items on the raft for later. She can also give things to Aesop for safe keeping. Should Scout die, ??anything Aesop is holding will carry over into the next game, so I usually had him hold onto my most valuable possessions just in case. It's also possible to craft a pouch to hold extra items, and increase the storage space on the raft as well. It's a good idea to get those done as soon as possible to avoid wasting time sorting through items to decide what to hold onto, what to drop, and what to eat or craft in order to make room for more stuff.

This means a lot of time will be spent in menus, which brings me to one of the biggest problems I had with the game: time does not stop when the player opens the inventory menu. If the menu is opened when a wolf is in sight, the wolf w??ill continu?e to attack even though Scout cannot move. It also means that Scout's stats will continue to drop while the menu is open, so if she's down to the wire and trying to craft something edible to stave off hunger, it's possible she might die of starvation before the food can be created.

To furthe??r complicate matters, some items won't stack automatically if the inventory is full, so if a player wants to stack the mulberries Scout is holding with the ones Aesop is holding, Aesop will need at least one blank space before the items can stack. This just leaves the player spending even more time fumbling around in the menus trying to rearrange everything perfectly, and with stats constantly dropping, that's not a good use of Scout's time.

The Flame in the Flood offers two different modes of play, each with the same ba?sic gameplay components outlined above. Players can choose between Endless Mode, to see just how far they can make it down an endless river, or Campaign Mode, which features randomly-generated locations mixed with a few static, story-related locations scattered along a finite river.

In Campaign Mode, Scout has to navigate ten distinct sections of river before she reaches the end. This mode also contains NPCs, some of which appear in the story-related areas, while others can be f??ound randomly. NPCs usually offer items to trade, or will sometimes give Scout an item for free. They might offer other things as well. In a world so desolate and lonely, it's often a shock to find anoth??er human lurking around. Sometimes they're a comfort, but other times they're actually sort of creepy.

Campaign Mode also offers a checkpoint system, allowing Scout to continue her journey from a certain point if she dies. The checkpoints occur automatically and record everything that has ??happened up to that point, including inventory, stats, and ailments. Unfortunately, a checkpoint might occur at? the most inconvenient moment of Scout's journey, like when she's already on the verge of death. In one of my games, I reached a checkpoint right when Scout got sepsis from an untreated wound, leaving me mere seconds before she died. I had to just start a new game from the beginning. The game compensates for this somewhat by allowing the player to choose from the last two checkpoints, but it still sucks to lose so much progress, especially if it happens at the very first checkpoint.

Aside from problems with the menus, item management, and possibly with the checkpoint system, I also ran into a few bugs and some general framerate hiccups. I had two instances where the game froze or crashed completely, and one instance where a sound effect got stuck on an infinite loop until it eventually caused a crash a??s well. Luckily, nothing caused me to lose any progress, but it was bothersome nonetheless.

Even with its flaws, The Flame in the Flood remains an engaging and challenging survival game. It may seem brutally difficult and maybe even a little unfair to beginners, bu??t once the basic concepts of crafting, item management, and fending off wildlife are fully understood, surviving the harsh environment becomes much more feasible. Scout's journey is definitely not impossible, and overcoming the punishing tribulations only serves to make her eventual victory all the more satisfying.

The post-societal visuals of crumbling buildings, broken-down cars drifting along the flooded river, and menacing wildlife lurking in the distance, paired with an excellent folk rock soundtrack featuring Chuck Ragan, creates a unique atmosphere of exploring a desolate frontier. It's easy to become absorbed in this world an??d end up spending much more time on this treacherous river than you initially intended. That is, until it swiftly kills you without remorse. It seems mother nature is a cruel mistress indeed.

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

The post Review: The Flame in the Flood appeared first on Destructoid.

Metroid, are you alive? Can you crawl?

Hey guys, did you know it's the 30th anniversary of both The Legend of Zelda and Metroid this year? Neither did Nintendo!

It's too busy celebrating Pokémon's 20th anniversary, which has already gotten more fanfare than any other celebration in recent memory. While I'm definitely not complaining about all the Pokémon love (I still remember picking it up at launch and playing for three hours straight), Nintendo really needs to step it up with it??s other franchises.

Let's sum up all of the things Nintendo has announced for Pokémon's ??20th. Note: we are merely in February, and have 10 months left.

• A Pokémon-centric Nintendo Direct
• The first ever Pokémon Super Bowl ad
• A retailer "Pokémon Day" bash on February 27
• Gave away the first movie for free via streaming
• Digitally remastered 12 movies for release throughout 2016
• amiibo restocks on Pokémon Day (Charizard, Jigglypuff, Greninja, and Lucario)
• A special 3DS bundle
• An appearance from the original trio in Super Mario Maker
• Splatoon Red and Blue Splatfest
• A brand new Pokémon creature reveal
• A year-long Mythical distribution event
• Detective Pikachu, a brand new 3DS game
• A Pokémon XYZ anime localization
• A retail release for Pokémon Rumble World
• The release of Pokémon Go later this year
• Droves of Pokémon merch all over the world
• A re-release of the original games on the 3DS eShop
• A Pokkén Tournament console release (with multiple worldwide tournaments)

This doesn't even include the rumors of yet another game reveal this year, which I'd put mone??y on.

To be frank, Nintendo is wasting a ton of potential here. It isn't like other publishers -- it's a character factory, churning out nostalgia at a rapid pace, offering up oppo??rtunities for players to spend money at nearly every turn within the confines of its own global ecosystem. Millions of fans will spring at the opportunity to celebrate their favorite franch??ises (amiibo proved that fairly well), but even in the case of respected series, Nintendo is coming up short.

This is especially evident for Metroid. As I stated a few years back, Nintendo didn't even acknowledge its 25th anniversary. While it did have some celebrations for Zelda's 25th, it was nothing on the level of what's going on in 2016 for Pokémon. If The Pokémon Company ?is the one making th??e push, take notes, Nintendo.

The post Nintendo, do what you’re doing for Pokemon’s 20th anniversary with other franchises appeared first on Destructoid.

Just like Phil Collins!

Telltale struck gold back in 2012 with The Walking Dead. It already had the well-crafted Sam & Max revival under its belt along with the stellar Puzzle Agent, ???but beyond that, it hadn't really delivered a breakout hit. Once Lee and Clem entered the picture, the rest was history.

While the developer has been putting out consistently good work since then (Wolf Among Us is my personal recent favorite), it's clearly resting on its laurels in some ways. This is especially the case with The Walking Dead: Michonne, but that doesn't meant Telltale ??has l??ost its edge.

The Walking Dead: Michonne: In Too Deep (iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC [reviewed], PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360)
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Release: February 23, 2016
MSRP: $4.99 (Each Episode)

[Editor's note: there will be no major spoilers present for the episode reviewed here, but events in previous episodes may be discussed in future coverage.]

Michonne, in my mind, is one of the more interesting characters in the Walking Dead series, and thankfully Telltale is following the comic's timeline, allowing her to spread her wings. I was hooked from the start with a surrealistic dreamscape of sorts that delves into the depths of Michonne's psyche. The sequence doesn't come out and tell you exactly what happened that influenced her stoic personality, instead providing bits a?nd pieces??, but it's fairly clear even if you haven't read the source material. Within the first five minutes, you'll be invested in her.

In Too Deep doesn't waste much time when it comes to pacing. This is partially because of how engaging Michonne is, to the point wh??ere you're always wondering what she's thinking, even if you have an influence over her actions. She's formidable yet vulnerable, leading to an unpredictable series of scenes where anything can happen. Samira Wiley, Michonne's actress, helps sell it. There's a strength to her voice but you can also clearly hear her trembling at points, and I'm anxious to see how she handles the next two episodes. She captures the essence of the character very well, at a level few Telltale performers can boast.

But this is also one of the most linear stories the studio has ever told, which will grate on those of you who are tired of the "adventure light" formula. The "[x character] will remember that" prompt feels even less poignant, particularly since there's only three episodes in total, and the impact of individual bits of dialogue on future events seems minimal. Picking up an item feels meaningless, as it's mainly just a means to a pre-determined cutscene's end. The big choices, as always, are usu??ally nail-biting affairs, but ?there's only several of those throughout.

I also haven't bought into the new cast, though I suspect a few of them (Norma, Pete) will grow on me. There simply isn't a whole lot of development yet. Your crew seemingly consists of swarthy, moral sc??avengers, and the other group is pretty one-sided on the opposite end. I'm sure more nuances will arise over time, but for now it's predictable, clocking in at the standard hour-and-a-half episode runtime.

Having said that, In Too Deep is bolstered by a more stylistic presentation akin to The Wolf Among Us that's a cut above Telltale's usual work. This is all too appropriate for a character like Mi??chonne, who has a big on-screen presence, and the opening number jells with the beautiful artwork. The engine is still showing its age (mostly with janky animations during dialogue choices), but it works, with little in the way of major issues, at least on ?PC.

At this point I'm starting to tire from the Telltale formula, especially when it doesn't provide a cast of memorable characters from the get-go, but Michonne herself was enough to power me through the episode and keep me interested. In Too Deep hasn't topped either season of The Walking Dead so far, but if you can still stomach a few empty "remember" prompts, you'll enjoy the story they're trying???? to tell.

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

The post Review: The Walking Dead: Michonne: In Too Deep appeared first on Destructoid.

Katakiuchi begins again!

Sometimes it's nice to go back to one of your earliest creations and give it a bit of polish, which is exactly what Tribute Games has done with Ninja Senki. Jonathan Lavigne, co-founder of Tribute, first released the ninja platformer as a freeware title a year before forming the studio that went on to create such games as Wizorb, Mercenary Kings, and Curses 'n Chaos.

Five years later, Tribute Games has decided to return to the little purple ninja who started it all, and spruce him up for a fifth anniversary commercial release on Steam and consoles. While it's still basically the same game, Ninja Senki DX offers several new features and improvements to make it worth the price tag. After all, the freeware version was already too good to be ??free in the first place.

Ninja Senki DX (PS4, Vita, PC [reviewed])
Developer: Tribute Games
Publisher: Tribute Games
Released: February 23, 2016
MSRP: $4.99 (Cross-Buy for PS4/Vita)

Ninja Senki is a simple tale of revenge. After witnessing Princess Kinuhime's demise at the hands of a demon, Hayate vows to get revenge for her death and sets out on a quest to defeat it (who curiously looks just like him). That's about it for the game's exposition, but much like many of the NES titles from which it takes inspiration, it's just enough of a premise to get the action rolling. Of course, similarities to the NES era doesn't stop there. Ninja Senki plays very much like a Mega Man title, minus the boss selection screen. It's your basic jump 'n sho?ot formula. Just swap out shooting a buster gun with chucking an endless supply of ?giant shurikens. So, jump 'n chuck.

Levels are laid out to utilize Hayate's ability to double jump, with enemies inspired by Japanese folklore scattered throughout to impede progr?ess. The kicker is that there's a nice balance between platforming and action. It never throws too much at the player at once, but still remains quite challenging due to enemy placement and sections of platforming that require precision jumping skills.

To make it through his journey, Hayate is simply given two lives and no u??pgrades to speak of. Extra lives are awarded after a certain number of points, earned by killing enemies and collecting coins (called koban), assuming Hayate is at full health; otherwise, ??the points will refill his health meter instead. Luckily, players can continue from the beginning of each level with a fresh two lives upon death.

Ninja Senki DX features several changes and improvements to differentiate it from the original version. Most notably, there are now three new gameplay modes, inclu??ding Hardcore Mode (no saving, and p??enalties for continuing), Boss Rush Mode, and Challenge Mode. The challenges involve completing each of the 16 levels under certain conditions, such as killing every enemy, collecting every koban, and finishing the level under a target time limit.

The deluxe version also features some new enemy designs. Basically, any foe that used to use similar sprites with palette swaps have been completely redesigned as new enemies, like the sumo wrestlers and the giant umbrella beasts in the final area. Furthermore, there is no longer an exaggerated blood splatter effect upon killing?? enemies, which is honestly a bummer. Now they just sort of disappear in a burs??t of light, rather than exploding in a shower of bloody spheres. For such a cute-looking game, the original effect was somehow both shocking and humorous, and I kind of miss seeing it every time I slice up a baddie.

Lastly, the UI has been?? updated to display not only health, lives, time, and score, but also the number of koban collected, enemies? killed, and target time, which is very handy for players interested in completing the challenges.

It's a relatively short game which can be completed in a couple of hours, but requires practice and a mastery of the mechanics in order to obtain the best ending. The ending is determin?ed by the number of points acquired by the time the final boss is defeated, so the player will be rewarded with one of three possible outcomes based on how well they perform.

One problem I had with the PC version of Ninja Senki DX was the controls. Keyboard bindings are kind of strange; you use WASD or arrow keys to move, of course, but then J to throw shurikens and K to jump. T?he positioning is comfortable, but it's hard to figure out without pressing every key first to see what does what. And there doesn't seem to be an option to remap keys. Luckily, there is gamepad support as well, but it would still be nice to have a screen showing keyboard controls with the option to remap if needed.

Returning to this indie classic after several years was a joy (not to mention I was finally able to beat it this time!). The controls are tight, the visuals and audio are simple and charming, enemy types are varied and interesting, and you get to shower opponents with an endless barrage of giant shurikens, which never gets o??ld.

Anyone who has a fondness for old-school platformers or action games from the NES era should get plenty of enjoyment out of Ninja Senki DX. 

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

The post Review: Ninja Senki DX appeared first on Destructoid.

Ancient, ain't it?

Diamonds played a pivotal role in the story of Far Cry 2. In a war-torn African state on the brink of collapse, these jewels were prized items of great importanc??e. They could be used to broker a false peace between two warring factions, allowing the warlords to continue their senseless bloodshed without interference from the outside world. Or they could offer someone a chance to escape that hellhole, providing a valuable asset to bribe border agents for safe passage.

The game itself was a rough gemstone, in a manner of speaking. While imperfect in some respects, it clearly had a great deal of potential. Ubisoft had unearthed something truly special, a paradigm for survival-themed shooters that allowed pla??yers to creatively approach complex situations from almost any angle in a harsh, dynamic sandbox of a world.

In the near-decade since that breakthrough, Ubisoft has studied Far Cry's faults and fortes. It has refined the prototype into a distinct formula, taking extra care to meticulously shave off any sharp corners and ?polish the surface until everything glitters and shines.

As strange as it may seem, Far Cry Primal is the next step in that evolution. Though travelling back in time to the Stone Age may seem like a bold new move for the franchise, in actuality, it's perfectly in?? line with where the series has been heading, both for better and for the worse.

Far Cry Primal (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Ubisoft Montréal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: February 23, 2016
MSRP: $59.99

Far Cry Primal takes place in Oros, a fictional valley set in Eastern Europe's Carpathian mountain range, over 12,000 years ago. It's the tail end of the last ice age and the retreating glaciers are giving rise to fertile new ground teeming with wildlife. But it isn?'t just mammoths, giant elk, and woolly rhinoceri that have been attracted to the area. Three distinct tribes of prehistoric humans have also laid claim to the land, and will have to struggle not only against packs of dire wolves and massive cave bears in order to survive, b??ut one another.

The protagoni?st, Takkar, belongs to a group of hunter-gatherers known as the Wenja. By the time we meet these people, they have been scattered to the wind, and are being stamped out of existence by the Udam, a horde of inbred cannibals that resemble Neanderthals, and Izila, a more advanced civilization of Mesopotamian origin that has begun to farm in the region.

The story, to match the primordial world, is more te??nuous than previous entries in the series. It's all about survival,?? daily resource collection, and surmounting anything that gets in the way.

At times, the sparse narrative seemed like a weakness. There often isn't a clear next step to move things forward. Instead, players will have to collect rocks, plants, and animal hide to fortify Wenja village, rather than run off on a crusade to eliminate the neighboring clans. On the other side of the coin, this allows the hunting and gathering mechanics that were first introduced in Far Cry 3 to become a truly meaningful an??d?? more natural part of the experience.

Being made to butcher a family of monkeys so the first-world protagonists of Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4 could have slightly larger tool belts never sat right with me. The idea of rich kids travelling to far-off lands to poach endangered species makes my stomach churn, if only because, setting the games' ridiculous plotlines aside, it's all ????too real and sickening a problem.

However, Far Cry Primal reframes these systems in a way that mak??es sense. In the opening sequence, Takkar and a group of his tribesmen take down a mammoth in a coor??dinated effort. It's not done for sport. It's not a gratuitous show of dominance in which the prey is being slaughtered like fish in a barrel. It's an essential part of these people's very existence. It's the difference between them being able to endure or dying out.

The mammoth hunt goes poorly, however, leaving Takkar alone to fend for himself in the wild. From there, he is forced to live off the land by crafting weapons and gear from his surroundings, but it isn't long before help arrives. Early on, Takkar meets Tensay, a Wenja shaman that teaches our hero how to connect with wildlife and? become a beast master.

In addition to utilizing an arsenal of spears, bows, and clubs, players will be able to call on a menagerie of creatures to assist them in their travels. It begins ??realistically enough, with the recruitment of a wolf and owl, but by the time the credits roll Takkar will have ridden on the backs of mammoths and charged into battle alongside leopards and saber-toothed cats.

Clearly, Ubisoft has taken some liberties with history and isn't out to make a Mesolithic man simulator, which is fine. Whether they're realistic or not, the animal companions are easily one of the best parts of the experience. Building off the buddy system of Far Cry 2 and Far Cry 4's guardian tiger??, the friend??ly fauna can be used in a myriad of ways, whether it's scouting, coordinating attacks, performing stealth takedowns, disrupting enemies, or protecting Takkar in a time of need; this system has unlimited utility and is immensely fun to toy around with.

In one instance, I rode a mammoth to the edge of an enemy encampment, hopped off, and lit a fire behind the beast. This made it charge toward my foes in a panicked state, allowing me to use my owl to scout the area and drop beehives on the unfortunate Izila below while my dire wolf and I pincered the remaining enemies in a flank attack. It was pure chaos, the sort of thing people love about Far Cry games, but elevated to a whole new level.

That said, while these flashes of brilliance do exist, the experience doesn't feel as new or thrilling as it probably should. Despite sporting a dramatically different environment and an all-new chest of toys to interact with the world, it still feels an awful lot like the past few Far Cry games. At its core, it's very much a Ubisoft-brand open-world game with outposts to conquer?? and plenty of optional side-missions to distract you throu?ghout the journey. If you'e feeling fatigued by that formula, this may not be the bold step forward you've been waiting for.

It doesn't help that Ubisoft seems overly keen on revisiting familiar territory. The narrative once again leans on over-the-top characters, like a stereotypical American redneck who asks you to collect poop for him, and drug-induced hallucinations, which left me wanting for something more subtle, nuanced, or just plain different. The worst offender in this regard was a scene involving a topless woman pushing the protagonist into a pit, echoing a moment from Far Cry 4.

In some ways, Far Cry Primal is a breath of fresh air, but the met??????????????????????????hods it uses to shake things up are largely superficial or ancillary. There's a disso?nance between what is new and what is not.

While Far Cry Primal is a well-made experience, one I enjoyed a great deal, it oftentimes had me thinking about the routine the series has settled into, and envisioning a future where the Far Cry formula may no??t be as compelling as it once was, no matter how ex??traordinary the setting.

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

The post Review: Far Cry Primal appeared first on Destructoid.

It's pronounced Vee-Two

Last summer, Destructoid promoted a blog by the magnificent OverlordZetta that asked what the deal was with Compile Heart. The question was a rhetorical one. OverlordZetta is a fan of the Japanese developer and used the premise to figure out why the company has such a vocal army of detractors. It’s a good read, but the short of it is not every game has to appeal to every gamer, and you shouldn’?t fervently hate something just because it’s not for you.

That’s a concept I wholeheartedly agree with and one I kept in mind as I made my way through Megadimension Neptunia VII.

Megadimension Neptunia VII (PS4)
Developer: Compile Heart, Idea Factory
Publisher: Idea Factory International
Released: February 2, 2016 (US), February 12, 2016 (EU)
MSRP: 59.99

If you're wondering if this game may be right for you, allow me to list off a few things you'll ex?perience:

• Characters with unnaturally high-pitched voices
• A character with amnesia
• A fully voice-acted, five-minute conversation about pudding
• A character getting naked and taking a shower
• That character trying to convince another girl to take a shower with her
• Two naked characters taking a shower
• Both characters trying to convince a third girl to take a shower with them
• Three naked characters taking a shower

That's the first 90 minutes.

Megadimension Neptunia VII is the fourth main entry in the Neptunia series. The combination RPG/visual novel divides its story into three parts. The first has series protagonist Neptune and her sister (and my new waifu) Nepgear traveling via a "Dreamcast" to the Zero Dimension. It's h??ere they meet Orange Heart Uzume Tennohboshi, the CPU for this world that faces the threat of a Dark CPU. As this universe is modeled after the Dreamcast, there are many references to the system and its games to be found. While I'm sure I didn't catch all of them, I did notice shout-outs to Seaman, the VMU, SegaNet, and having to plug your console in to connect to the Internet. Plus the entire area is a post-apocalyptic wasteland, which is what I image Sega's console design facilities looked like after the Dreamcast failed.

The story is as light and fluffy as a bowl of Cool Whip. People with an extensive knowledge of the video game industry, as well as those who are up to speed with prior game?s in the series, will get the? most enjoyment out it. Everything is presented to the player with glossy talking portraits that are animated in a way where their breasts are constantly heaving. Up and down, up and down, up... and down. Oh god, I think my nose is starting to bleed.

Combat is just as light. You control up to four characters in turned-based battles where you use their limited range of movement to position them in a way that causes the most damage to opponents. There are three different types of ??attacks (rush, standard and power), along with special attacks. Using the non-special attacks builds up your EXE gauge which can unleash team attack?s or transform your characters into their HDD Forms and the new Next Forms.

Going into this review,? I was a stranger in a strange land. I had never spent time with the inhabitants of Gamindustri before. I knew the gist of the series -- that it’s an RPG featuring four characters who represent the three major game consoles and never-released Sega Neptune -- but that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn'??t know it featured heavy visual-novel bits, I didn't know what type of writing the game had, hell I didn't even know it was a dungeon-crawler. But the basic premise was intriguing enough to make me want to try it out, to see if this is something I could get into. Four hours in, I had my verdict: I hated everything about this game.

I hated the fatuous dialog. I hated the characterization. I hated the weak excuse for dungeon crawling. I hated the combat. I hated the enemy design. I hated the story. All of it was garbage. I wanted to stop play??ing right then and give up every trying to do a review again.

But I didn't. I kept playing, and as the hours passed, I started to look at this game differently. I no longer found ?the dialog to be inane, but goofy. I no longer found the characters to be frivolous, but charming. I started to enjoy the combat as I figured out how to overcome the limitations my characters faced. The story even began to click with me as I slowly became engrossed in this, admittedly silly, game world. And what happened next? Why at Destructoid they say, CJ's small heart grew three sizes that d?ay. It was either the game that did that or the cardiomegaly I was recently diagnosed with.

Unfortunately, as I warmed to it more and more, its faults really began to stand out. For starters, nearly every dungeon theme from the first story in the Zero Dimension is repeated in part two. It gives the game an unmistakable feeling of déjà vu. This issue was perhaps exacerbated for me due to the fact the first dungeon I played in the second part of the story was a highly enjoyable excursion through a Super Mario 3D World-inspired level. The bright colors and general ??aesthetic put a smile on my face the whole way through. After that wonderful dungeon, everything else was either a retread or an original theme that lacked its imagination.

Seeing the same dungeon themes multiple times made me realize just how cheap this game is. Megadimension Neptunia VII is the series' first entry on the PS4, but there isn't anything here that couldn't be handled on the last-generation console. There are PS2-era textures, recycled enemy designs, frame-rate drops, and an extremely limited number of character portraits; some of which are reused for multiple characters. While this slightly annoyed me, there were also moments where it had me laughing out loud. One instance in particular had two characters discussing sleeping arrangements in a room with only one bed. However, said room in the background (which is the only room background in the game no matter where it's taking place) not only had two visible beds, but one of them was a queen size. Given that just a few hours prior I watched three charac??ters take a bath together??, I can't imagine anyone in this universe shying away from sharing a bed with one of the busty beauties.

Speaking of the dialog, it's mostly harmless pablum about pudding, boobs, comic books, boobs, gaming, and boobs. All of that is cool, but there's also a bunch of swearing in it. Now, I have no problem with swearing in a video game, but tossing in those words in the midst of a conversation about how delicious shiitake mushrooms are feels out of place. It would be like turning on Yo Gabba-Gabba and listening to a story about the power of sharing before DJ Lance Rock and the gang break i?nto Tyler, the Creator's "Bitch Suck Dick."

For me the biggest fault of the game is found in its pacing. While the first story progressed just like any other RPG, part two switches it up by having you play as each of the four CPUs in their own little stories. Everybody in Gamindustri has forgot about the CPUs and a mysterious new force known as the Gold Third has seized control. Each of the them ??returns to their region as the cause of this crisis is slowly pieced together.

You play the CPUs in the or??der you want and spend time leveling them up; but once you complete their story and pick a new CPU to play as, you drop back down to whatever level you started at and repeat the same process over again. For all four. While I admire the change up from a storytelling perspective, the act of basically starting from scratch three times proved jarring compared to the familiar flow of the rest of game. This issue is compounded by the difficulty level, which doesn’t increase along a curve so much as something you’d see on a heart-rate monitor. Like the hea?ving breasts of Vert, it goes up and down and up and down.

Adding to that momentum-killer are the random encounters. While enemies are visible in the dungeons, encounters on the overworld map happen at random. You move from destination to destination on a fixed path where occasionally you'll be ambushed by monsters.? These encounters do not level up with you, meaning if you have to pass over an area where you fought low-level enemies earlier in the game, you'll still be fighting those same low-level foes hours later. It's a nuisance and it wasn't uncommon for me to have five or six of these battles on a single trip across the map. Oh, and every time you emerge victorious, you have to reselect your target destination.

Megadimension Neptunia VII opts not to use its transition to the new hardware as a reason to? try and expand its audience beyond the current player base. Its story, while an enjoyable, sunny romp, is deeply rooted in the events of past games. This one is for fans only; and good on Compile Heart and Idea Factory for that. So to the Nep-heads who have enjoyed the series’ take on the console wars and its obsession with pudding and boobs: I can’t think of a reason why you shouldn’t pick this one up. To everyone else, there’s probably a better RPG you should spend your time and money on.

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

The post Review: Megadimension Neptunia VII appeared first on Destructoid.

Dang!

I've always had my eye on the Danganronpa series, even if I never realized how it's spelled until I had to write this article. I've been a huge fan of games like 999 and Virtue's Last Reward, so naturally the idea of a murder mystery game set in a high scho??ol piqued my interest.

Imagine my delight, then, when the game was announced for PC! It doesn't matter the genre or developer pedigree to me, every port has a chance of going horribly awry. There's just so many things to account for when thinking about the PC market. Luckily, Danganronpa's?? port easily justifies its purchase for fans of the genre.

Tested on: Intel i7-4770k 3.50 GHz, 8GB of RAM, Geforce GTX 970, Windows 10. Framerate measured with RivaTuner

All things told, there's not much that can go wrong with porting a mechanically simple adventure game like Danganronpa. The mechanics basically boil down to walking around, talking, and clicking on objects in the environment. That being said, there are plenty of quality-of-life option??s that?? are easy to forget about.

The visual options are in a separate, pre-launch menu. In other words, you won't be able to change the graphical options without exiting the game entirely. There aren't many options to play with in the first place, though. You can switch between OpenGL and Direct 3D9, fullscreen, windowed, or borderless (hooray!), MSAA anti-aliasing options, as well as VSync and Anisotropic Filtering checkboxes. My favorite thing about the graphical options window is that it can be navigated with a controller.? This is a huge benefit to Steam Big Picture users and a wonderful touch.

The menu also forces you to choose between mouse and keyboard or controller input. Now, regardless of what you pick, both are recognized in-game. In ot??her words, if you start off with a mouse and keyboard, but later feel like switching to a controller, you can continue playing. However, the in-game button prompts will not change. This is mainly a problem early on when learning the mechanics, so be sure to stick to one input method while learning the ropes.

It felt easier to use a mouse and k??eyboard than a gamepad (Xbox One and Steam Controller used). During segments when players can move freely, using a controller to look around felt clunky, partially because the cursor slows down when near an object. I suppose this is to help with? accuracy, but ultimately it was a nuisance. The biggest issue with traditional PC controls is that the menus do not have free mouse support, so you'll be stuck using the keyboard or scroll wheel to move up and down on the menu screens.

If you are playing with a mouse and keyboard, be careful when going to use the Steam Overlay. The default keybinding for it is shift and tab together, but shift will speed up the text t??o ludi??crous speed. I missed a bit of dialogue because of this, so consider it a friendly warning!

Everything runs inc??redibly smooth. The framerate stayed at a constant 60, regardless of what was on screen. Granted, nothin??g is very taxing and there are few animations, but it's still nice to know everything runs at 60 FPS.

During the p?re-release period, many patches have been put into place to fix a lot of the hiccups that originally existed. While it may seem insignificant, to me it symbolizes that this isn't a "release it and forget abo??ut it" port, which thankfully seem to be a dying breed these days.

While Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc isn't a very technical game in the first place, it still could have been royally scr?ewed up somehow. Thankfully, this is absolutely not the case. The ga??me runs smoothly and has some decent quality-of-life additions. It's not perfect, since menus don't have traditional mouse support, but every shortcoming is just a small nuisance in the grand scheme of things. For fans of the genre without a Vita, you should have no reservations for jumping into the series on PC.

The post PC Port Report: Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc appeared first on Destructoid.

Against the grain

Chris and I were thinking about holding a fight to the death to determine which of us would get first dibs on Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, as is the traditiona??l way to end internal? kerfuffles at Destructoid, but we called it off at the last minute.

We realized we could both do the review, together, and I w?ouldn't have to die.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: PopCap Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: February 23, 2016
MSRP: $59.99

Chris: Can I just start by saying how s?urprised I am that EA didn't waste this franchise's potential? I'm shocked that PopCap, creator of those classic browser games I played in networking?? class in high school, ended up crafting a shooter this good.

Because to me, Garden Warfare 2 immediately steps on the shoulders of the strong foundation the original built. It keeps everything people loved about the first, and expands upon concepts that needed to be addressed. For instance, the hub world turned out well. It's great that after a quick five-minute tutoria??l you're able to not only choo?se your character right away, but your faction as well. I ended up messing around in it for several hours before I even remembered that this was primarily a competitive multiplayer game. Mission accomplished, as far as solo players are concerned.

Jordan: Absolutely. The hub world is a far more realized slice of the wider Plants vs. Zombies universe, and it's so delightfully odd. Similar to you, I expected to head straight into the standard multiplayer modes after transferring my character unlocks from Garden Warfare (which worked flawlessly), but instead I ended up spending the first several hours ??running around the open world in search of quests, mini-games, and collectibles. The plants and zombies have their own base on opposite ends of the map, and there's this eternal conflict in the middle. I can't tell you how many times I got swept up in that escalating fight.

The first game excelled as an online multiplayer experience, but it didn't offer much in the way of engaging, long-lasting single-player content. This time, you can team up with or compete against some surprisingly competent AI bots, and better yet, there is also a proper storyline for the two factions. The missions are varied -- one had me dropping bombs from a living corn airship, while another invol?ved shrinking down to fight plants inside of a sick shark -- and they do a good job of introducing the six new character classes.

I'm not sure if I have a favorite newcomer, but Super Brainz is a?? contender. Aside from his fabulous head of hair, he has this fun mix of ranged and melee attacks. Also, one of his abilities is essentially a Hadoken. Bless you, Po?pCap.

Chris: I think my new favorites are Kernel Corn and the Imp, for plants and zombies respectively. I dig Kernel's air strike ability, as it adds a new dimension to the game strategically and the fact that so many levels are built for it (read: indoor objectives often cleverly have holes in the ceiling) is great. As for the Imp, the risk-reward playstyle is constantly entertaining. You're completely open as your base class, but once you hit that mech call-in cooldown, you're in business. The new classes inject so much personality into Garden Warfare 2, on top of all of the base ones that are still in, and the multitude of subclasses that divide each core playstyle. It was fun picking it back up online and wiping the floor with people in the first multipl??ayer session -- like riding a bike again after a few years. We went 5-?0!

To speak to your praise of the hub world, the multiplayer arenas are also even more stylized than before. Missions might start with a "capture or defend the point" conceit, but they culminate in really wacky conclusions that suit the series well. Like the one where you're ruining a zombie graduation party by painting over murals on the wall, or playing a giant competitive pinball game. I don't think this franchise gets nearly enough c??redit for how unique it is. If you're looking for a shooter that isn't portrayed through a prototypical len?s of brown, this is it.

As for my time with split-screen, I'm bummed that you can't do quests or go online on the same console, but local play has been improved to the point where both pla??yers can earn their own rewards, and the entire hub and Garden Ops are technically available. It's...enough, and the ability to choose opposing sides and essentially play a 1v1 rumble in the hub is cool.

Jordan: Yeah, the pinball finale was unexpected. I spent most of my time in the original game with that mode, Gardens & Graveyards, and I can tell it's going to be the same for Garden Warfare 2. With a decent matchup, there's rarely a dull moment. I'm glad that in some of the maps, the zombie??s are on the defensive for a change. That needed? to happen. All of the other returning competitive modes were seemingly left as is, but I don't mind. Gnome Bomb is the only one I'm tired of playing.

Another thing I was happy to see altered is the way player progression works. You no longer have to worry about completing ??uninteresting challenges or using an annoying-to-obtain currency to bypass them. Instead, you just earn experience points by playing any of the modes as you normally would. The 100+ character subclasses level up independently, and there are unlockable upgrades like an increased zoom distance and faster health regeneration.

More than any of that, though, I was pulled into the optional quests. They boost your XP multiplier and give out stars, which are hard to come by, or coins. Because I didn't know any better, I carelessly spent all of my stars on cosmetic rewards only to later learn that you need them for the post-game survival mode, Infinity. I don't want to spoil who you go up against, but it's super weird. And tough! Your first attemp??ts at Infinity are free (one for each faction), but I'd still recommend setting aside stars for reentry.

As for the coin economy, payouts vary based on the mode, who you're up against, and how well you and your team performed. As an example, I took home around 6,500 coins in a seven-minute round of Vanquish Confirmed against the AI on the hardest difficulty setting. The pricing for card packs in Garden Warfare 2 ranges from 2,500 coins for an assortment of one-time-use defensive items like potted plants or zombie t??ur??rets all the way up to 75,000 coins for a guaranteed character variant.

It feels like I'm earning coins quicker than I was in the first game, but it might just be that I'??m enjoying myself even more this t?ime around. Either way, I suspect I'll be hooked for the rest of the year.

Chris: Same goes for me. It has a Warriors level amount of content to wade through and I'm completely fine with how the coin system works. Now that you can earn them with nearly every mode, they don't feel like a grind. The defensive zombies remark is spot-on, and I love some of the new futuristic defense systems they're able to utilize now -- it gives them more parity with plants so the game truly feels like a 50/50 split. The first game was very pl?ant-centric and zombies fans will have a much better experience. I'm still a plant man though, and you can quote me on that.

Jordan: And there it is. The truth? comes out. Naturally, I'm a zombie guy, so we need to be sworn enemies until I invariably grow tired of pl??aying as the still-kinda-cheap soldier class with the crossbow and switch sides.

The post Review: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

There has been another awakening

After delivering one of its best strategy games in years with Fire Emblem Awakening, I couldn't help but think "how could they top this?" Awakening had pretty much everything you could want -- an intriguing cast embroiled in a well-paced storyline, combined with the series pedigree of surgical ta?ctical action.

But for the most part, Intelligent Systems did it. It managed to build on the pillars of Awakening and deliver a one-two (well, technically three) punch with Fire Emblem Fates -- though one version exc??ited me a ??little less than the others.

Fire Emblem Fates Birthright/Conquest (3DS)
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: June 25, 2015 (Japan), February 19, 2016 (US), TBA (Europe)
MSRP: $39.99 per version, $19.99 digital upgrade fee, $79.99 Special Edition with both plus Revelations

_{[Note: This review is for the two core versions of the game, Birthright and Conquest. The DLC, Revelation, is not factored into this assessment, and is reviewed separately here.]}

We already asked if you were okay with this multi-prong approach to Fates, and most of you said yes. But for those of you who don't know how it ??works, I'm here for you.

Birthright and Conquest are two different games. Once the player reaches Chapter 6, they'll have the option to choose between th??em by continuing on the existing path, or by buying an "upgrade" of sorts to play the other version for $20. This is all stuff that's been talked about before so I'll spare you the book report-like details, but I should note that based on my personal experience, the process is rela?tively painless. Once you've reached that point in either game, you can simply skip to it instantly with the other version; so don't worry about having to replay remedial content. You don't even need to keep the save file at the "split."

No matter what version you choose, Fates&n??bsp;whisks us away to another fantasy setting, this time putting us in the shoes of a (male or female) character named Corrin. He (or she) is technically an avatar,? but they're actually built into the core narrative immediately instead of just reacting to it. Right from the get-go, you'll get a front row seat in their position of privilege as a noble and their relationship with their siblings, which plays heavily into the story ahead. Without ruining too much, the central conflict is built around the kingdoms of Hoshido, and Nohr -- the latter of which is the place you call home.

Familial ties are paramount from multiple points of view, which, for the most part, move the focus away from the archetypal "big bad boss" focus and into more nuanced territory. Although it could use more buildup, the aforementioned path-splitting decision is very juicy indeed, and helps justify the cost of both storylines. I was skeptical at first of this approach, but having played the pair, I'm more than fine with it. The fact that they are essentially standalone titles on par with Awakening, with their ?own endings, makes the prospect an easier pill to swallow.

Relationships and interesting paralogue quests are still at the forefront no matter which side you pick. There's plenty of room to forge friendships and marriages with members of your party, all of which deliver that typical dose of Fire Emblem charm -- like one shapeshifting character that claims he's so cool "it should be illegal," and Izana, the cheeriest damn host you've ever seen in your life. You can even visit oth??ers in your private quarters for a c??hat, engage in support dialogues to learn inside info between battles, and take baths with them.

All of this is even more involved due to the brand new "My Castle" system, which is a godsend for those ??of you who are obsessed with all of the simulation elements of the series. In a grid-like format (just like combat sequences) players can customize their own base, setting both aesthetic and practical foundations upon a rather large board. This includes defensive options to guard you?r camp from invasions (an optional online feature, along with local or online battles), just moving around shops to suit your fancy, or upgrading structures for advanced functionality.

I spent way too many hours in this mode due in part to the amiibo feature, which allows you to chat with and battle Marth, Ike, Robin, and Lucina. My Castle as a whole enhances the entire social crux ?of the game -- getting to know the people you fight with. You can also view your town in full 3D (though sadly, you can't actually move in this viewpoint), and surprise -- character models actually have feet n??ow! If it wasn't clear, I really dig it.

Fire Emblem hasn't changed that much in the way of combat though, which is mostly a good thing. There's still a rock-paper-scissors mechanic in place when it comes to certain weapons, and different units have special??ized attack requirements and ranges. The more you play, the more strategies you'll uncover -- like using ninjas to attack through walls, or flanking enemies with flying units. There's also no more weapon breaking, thank god. I often grow attached to items just as well as people in strategy games, so that design isn't missed.

As always, placement matters. If you put a party member near someone else they'll gain a buff, and you can pair up units again for added defensive capabilities or augment ranged strikes without reprisal. Fates adds another big element: Dragon Veins, which can alter the environment. Provided that you're a specific character with royal blood, said veins can be used to do things like create bridges, eliminate poisonous bogs, or call down acid rain upon your foes. They're usually well placed and situated, to the po??int where you don't always need them to survive, but the option is there if you're so inclined. To digress a bit, I've always loved that the DS and the 3DS for tactical games, as having the map or battle info on the bottom screen is invaluable and saves a ton of time.

For those of you who fear the increased complexity due to these additions, don't worry. There are three difficulty settings, and a new "Phoenix" setting if you're feeling really jittery. This ultra easy mode resurrects party members on the fol??lowing turn, but also ensures that as long as you do??n't fail your objective, you can't lose the fight. It's basically cheating, but I know a lot of people will be keen to use this option for tougher levels to cut down on the frustration factor, or just to see the story.

Speaking of alleviating frustration, Birthright is probably the best starting place for newcomers. Not on??ly does it offer unlimited grinding opportunities to beef up your party, but the actual missions mostly consist of easy "rout (kill) the enemy" parameters. The tale is also relatively open and shut, following a traditional storyline from a macro perspective, while keeping the complicated relationships intact. That's not to say it's a waste of time though, as you can still jack up the difficulty and add in permadeath if you want, and you still have to win those battles.

Conquest on the other hand is a mor??e enjoyable from my perspective as a strategy veteran. It's much more complex from the start, and offers bigger maps, more interesting objectives (such as point defense or sieges), and a more intriguing plot. You can't grind, so you're encouraged to instead play through the limited amount of sidequests or arena world map battles to fine tune your party makeup. This leads to a larger need for a more tactical approach from just about every facet of the game. It's more thrilling and has a different feel to it, especially if you crave a challenge and blow through other titles in the series.

Since all three stories have 27 story chapters, the game's nine save slots will serve you well. More DLC is also on the way in the form of missions and characters, and the first hit is free. Considering that I've spent more time with the My Castle system alone than many other full retail releases, it's safe to say that no matter which version you pick, Fire Emblem Fates will fuel your inner fire for more strategic wa??ifu wars.

Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright - 8.5

Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest - 9.5

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher. All three versions were playable on one 3DS cartridge.]} 

The post Review: Fire Emblem Fates (??Birthright and Conquest) appeared first on Destructoid.

No but seriously who's Corrin?

I'm sure many of you shared my reaction to the initial announcement that Corrin, the upcoming player-character from Fire Emblem Fates, was going to be in Super Smash Bros.

Who? Another Fire Emblem character? Oh...

But, as soon as some of the moveset was actually shown, it was clear that this wasn't "just another anime swordsman" addition to the roster. All things considered, Corrin is easily my favorite Fire Emblem character to play as.

_{[Note: Corrin can be played as both male or female, but I will use the pronoun "he" in this article]}

What separates Corrin from the rest of the sword-fighters is his ability to m??orph his body into a dragon. Some moves, like his tilts, do utilize his sword (which is part chainsaw, by the way), but most of his attacks have him transforming some part of his body into a gigantic dragon-spike. The result is that surprisingly few of his moves actually use his sword.

That being said, spacing (keeping a perfect amount of space between you and your opponent) is just as important while playing Corrin. His arm can turn into a giant spike, and hitting with the tip does the most damage, similar to Marth. Both his forward smash and his ?side speci??al utilize the spikey arm, so it's always important to visualize where it will reach in order to capitalize on damage output.

Corrin's side special seems to be getting the most use and attention. When used from the ground, he performs a li??ttle hop. When the player presses B again, the spikey arm comes out and will attach Corrin to a stationary position if it hits the ground. From this stationary position, pressing the button again will launch Corrin forwards with a kick, which has good damage and knockback. If used in the air, there?'s no hop, but everything else works the same.

This move is super interesting. Stabbing an opponent and latching to the ground guarantees the kick to connect, since it freezes the enemy in place. Sticking to the ground is unexpectedly useful and gives Corrin a few options. Doing nothing will drop Corrin back to the ground after abou?t three seconds. Pressing left or right will perform the kick in that direction. This can be used as an approach or an escape, and can catch someone off guard if they aren't being careful.

Speaking of catching people off guard,? Corrin's neutral B gets me every single goddamn time. It's a two-part move: a projectile and a melee chomp, both of which can be charged. The thing is, you can charge one and not the other! Holding down B will launch a big projectile that stuns after about two seconds. Continuing to hold B will release a big melee-ranged chomp after another two.

However, tapping B and then holding it immediately afterwards will release a tiny projectile immediately, followed by a charged chomp. Or you can start by holding B and immediately release it for a big projectile and tiny chomp! T?his move has way more depth than I originally noticed, and it has a ton ??of applications. 

In melee range, an uncharged projectile will stun an opponent long enough for the fully charged chomp to connect, resulting in a whopping 24% damage! Having both fully charged results in 33%, so there's really not too big of a tradeoff, considering the difference in practicality. What I always seem to forget about is the chomp. I'll evade the projectile thinking "Ha! A chance to punish!" and then prom??ptly get ?destroyed by a fully charged chomp.

Corrin's down special is a counter that hits on both sides, but nothing else is noteworthy about it. His up spec?ial spreads wings and flies up at an angle, but the angle can be adjusted. Just?? tapping the button sends him at about a 70-degree angle upwards. However, holding a direction will influence it. Holding forward gives him more verticality, while holding up does the opposite. Just something to keep in mind while recovering.

In terms of norm?als, his forward smash is easily the most interesting. As mentioned before, it ha?s a tipper, but it also has one more unique property. While charging the smash, Corrin holds out his chainsaw sword, which will damage anyone who touches it. This keeps them in place, allowing Corrin to send his spikey arm out for a guaranteed hit. Granted, this does less damage than a fully charged tipper hit, but it's still worth noting.

Really, Corrin seems to have it all. If Marth didn't just receive buffs in the latest patch, I think all Marth players wo??uld move to Corrin in a heartbeat. His forward air is great, he can keep people away and attack at range (with a tipper), he has a very solid projectile, and his average recovery isn't easy to gimp. Corrin is a well-rou?nded character that will likely see a lot of competitive play in the years to come.

The post Who’s Corrin? A great Smash Bros. character, that’s who! appeared first on Destructoid.

Super now, Ultra when it's finished

I've been playing Street Fighter as long as I can remember, and nearly everyone I've met has had a different? appro??ach to it. That's the power of this franchise -- for every person who swears by Blanka, there was someone who absolutely adored R. Mika, and taught me to love the character as well. It has managed to permeate through the fighting game zeitgeist to popular culture, and the community is just as passionate today as it was in the beginning.

With Street Fighter IV however, I felt my passion falter. It was a great, well-made game, but there was something about it that just didn't light my fire, like most past iterations managed to do almost instantly. With Street Fighter V, I feel that fire again -- I just wish it had all of its planned features at lau?nch.

Street Fighter V (PC, PS4 [reviewed])
Developer: Capcom, Dimps
Publisher: Capcom
Released: February 16, 2016
MSRP: $59.99

_{[We will continue to cover Street Fighter V as it evolves. For a rundown of how the DLC system works, click here.]}

Lets get right into it.

V follows a similar formula compared to its past iterations, but with a few differences -- most notably, the V, or "Variable" system. As an extra meter on top of your EX bar (which is still used for powered-up EX moves and Critical Arts), this one governs a few new abilities that are unique to each character. V-Tri?ggers, V-Skills, and V-Reversals are at your disposal, all of which have different uses throughout the match.

In short, Skills are bread-and-butter moves, accentuating a character's playstyle. F.A.N.G., who heavily relies on poison attacks, will throw a poison projectile. Nash, a character capable of zoning, will absorb a projectile. And so on. Triggers are more like temporary boosts (think Marvel vs. Capcom 3's X-Factor) for most, but not all of the cast, where they enter an altered state. V-Reversals are essentially combo breakers, where you can expend meter to interrupt or dodge a rival's pressure while blocking.

V-Skills are enough of a shakeup on their own, but the V-Triggers are where I found the bulk of the nuances of Street Fighter V. At first glance, a lot of these Triggers might seem throwaway, but similar to the V-ISM variant in Alpha 3, many altered states add hits and fundamentally change up combos. Other characters like Bison can dash through characters, severely upping his cross-up potential; Necali completely transforms and goes Super Saiyan for the rest of the round; Zangief gains more armor -- the list goes on.

Rather than drone on and on about mechanics, I'll just dive into some of my favorite characters. A roster of 16 is fine with me, because basically every addition has something to offer. Sure, as someone who has been playing Akuma since Alpha, I miss him. But there's so much personality in every fighter that I'm able to forgive his absence. Birdie picks his nose and flicks it for damage when remaining neutral, while R. Mika charges up moves by giving motivational speeches -- the game is silly. It's more in line with the spin-offs than core games like Third Strike and IV (I'm just saying, Ono, Skullomania would fit perfectly in V).

The new characters are also a bright spot. I love F.A.N.G., his poison gimmick, and his absurd drunken master style far more than I thought I would. Necali's brutal moveset works even when juxtaposed to some of the weirder ones (like Birdie's ability to consume donuts and energy drinks). Rashid sports insane mobility, perhaps more than most Street Fighter characters in the past. And Laura, who is a grappler at heart (a style of play I don't really dig outside of Mika),?? is slowly growing on me. Even returning members have something new to offer, as Nash has been given a complete rework with a Frankenstein-like appearance. It's great.

The Shotokans (Ken, Ryu) are still Shotokans even with the V changes, and that's perfectly fine with me. I've always agreed with the mentality of "if you want to learn a fighting game, you learn Ryu first," and that remains true of Street Fighter V. While veterans are going? to be in the lab for years on end, newcomers will still be able to pick up the sticks and practice just as they always have. It's a true testament to the power of the series and despite all of the tweaks, t??hat has not changed. Ono and his team did right by this principle.

So enough about the fighters -- onto the content. For those of you expecting a substantial single-player side, prepare for disappointment. First off, the only real solo element right now is the story mode, which, after completing all 16 prologues, can barely be called that. Capcom contracted Bengus to do the artwork for these tales, and I have to say, I'm not really a fan of his work ??here, nor am I fan? of this delivery system in general.

These are placeholders, events that barely even deserve to be in the game, and I'd almost rather have them not in at all. You get tiny little insights like Ken's relationship with his family, his quest for glory, and need to party, but they're so fleeting that they're over nearly as soon as they begin. How fleeting? Try 10 minutes for each, if that. In a few hours, you could have all of?? them done, which will leave you wanting more. If you want a full-on cinematic campaign, that's releasing later (June), albeit as a free update. But that's not the only thing coming later.

Spectator mode is arriving "soon," a real Challenge Mode and Daily Challenges are coming in March, and support for larger lobbies is also arriving "sho??rtly after launch." The game is rather light on other modes at the moment, as you have versus (offline and online), training, survival (a string of opponents where you can exchange points for buffs between rounds), and...that's it for now.

Most people will be spending their time in the online component, though, and here's the good news: it works, and when more players start to really use it, it's going to be great. Capcom has implemented the CFN in Street Fighter V, which is a robust platform that not only allo??ws cross-platform play between the PC and PS4, but also allows you to quickly search for and view replays from other players. With hundreds of replays already available during my review period, this is going to be an awesome way to follow the best players and stay in the meta. Hardcore fans are going to love it, as it's more of an excuse to stay in the game, rather than theorycraft online. It's a bit raw, but nonetheless, the skeleton is there -- players just need to supply the meat.

Fight Money is also a brilliant concept, if Capcom sticks with it. Just like League of Legends, players can earn in-game currency to unlock additional content, most notably characters, which are coming with a monthly cadence. The idea is to keep people playing to work towards a meta-goal, which, honestly, is what fighting game players do anyway, and there's still a premium option like before (it's called Zenny). Right now, the exact rate of accrual isn't live yet (characters are 100,000 coins, and Capcom claims you can net enough for Alex off of solo content alone), but we'll continue to cover this system as time goes on to keep you up to date on its happenings. For now, it seems as if it is going to eliminate the need to distribute "Super" and "Ultra" versions, as Street Fighter V will remain one SKU.

In case you're wondering, yes, I was able to test out online play over the course of roughly a wee??k, mostly in the ranked arena. While it's annoying that your Fighter ID cannot be changed (and is rather finicky to begin with when signing up), I haven't had any other major issues yet. It has been very stable -- no doubt as a result of months of beta tests -- but it is a pre-release period, so we'll be sure to report on stability news as it arises. I encou?ntered some slight lag at the start of a few matches, but it was corrected in a matter of seconds.

In many ways Street Fighter V is unfinished, but as a platform, it has strong legs. If Capcom sticks to its word, this could have just as long of a lifespan as IV, if not more.

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

The post Review: Street Fighter V appeared first on Destructoid.

Another bug hunt

XCOM 2 is a frustrating game, and not just due to the infamous?? difficulty the franchise is known for. It's frustrating because there is an absolutely fantastic game at its core, a total improvement on what was already one of the best turn-based strategy experiences of the last few years. I've had amazing fun navigating its battlegrounds, fussing over what perks to assign my soldiers, and panicking as the tiny blue dot called Earth seemed to be slipping through my fingers and into alien control.

All too often though, that fun was sabotaged by game-breaking bugs, performance hitches, and a level of jankiness you just don't expect from a sequel launching on a single platform. XCOM 2 still managed to win me over, but my tacit stamp of approval comes with more qua??lifications and provisos tha?n most used car sales. It's a fantastic, but damn near-broken product.

XCOM 2 (PC [reviewed], Mac)
Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Released: February 5, 2016
MSRP: $59.99

XCOM 2 is set 20 years after humanity failed to stop the alien invasion of Enemy Unknown. It's a stranger, scarier world where the aliens rul??e a global government. A never-ending propaganda campaign and dubious gene-therapy programs have managed to convince large portions of the population into thinking the new overlords are benevolent saviors from the stars. Of course, there are some pockets of resistance out there – namely you.

The XCOM project is back after 20 years of low-key, behind-the-scenes wetwork. No longer a clandestine, underground operation funded by various world powers, the new XCOM is a more a?gile guerrilla force stoking the fires of resistance. Operating from a re-purposed alien craft&n??bsp;called the Avenger that is reminiscent of S.H.I.E.L.D's helicarriers, you travel to various ho??tspots around the globe, launching ambushes and sur?gical strikes on alien forces while trying to build a network of like-minded irregulars.

The shift from a straight-laced military group to a scrappy, insurgents has a definite effect on the game's overall tone, and even some of its mechanics. Troop customization is much more extensive in XCOM 2, allowing you to fill your ranks with all kinds of oddballs and renegades (no buzzcuts in sight, unless that's what you dig), with options to customize everything from outfits to posture and disposition. You can even write back stories for them if you're some kind of weirdo. The potential roster of randomized ??soldiers can be seeded with a batch of your homegrown troops, letting you encounter ??them naturally in the campaign. It's a nice touch that I really appreciate.

A new concealment system lets you start some missions from a stealth perspective. ?Sneaking up on the aliens allows you to cherry pick your first shot for maximum damage and adds a nice extra strategic layer to the experience. However, as a system it doesn't feel fully fleshed out or involved. You won't be infiltrating your way through entire missions Solid Snake-style.

As a repurposed alien ship, the Avenger has its own quirks. Unlike the previous XCOM HQ, which needed to be expanded by deep excavation into the earth, the bulk of th??e Avenger's potential space is taken up with (somehow) still smoldering bits of alien wreckage and junk that needs to be cleaned out before you can build over it (in a nice touch, clearing out that debris actually generates currency in the form of alien supplies). Base building is much the same as before with limited space and virtually unending demands. You'll need to plan ahead and make a few smart concessions; the world of XCOM is not a world of plenty and you'll always be short on something.

The management metagame is even more fraught than last time, with your ragtag team struggling to try and keep up with multiple conflicting demands. You need time to collect resources, but you also need time to contact resistance cells and investigate rumors. Your squad desperately needs new weapons and armor to match the alien threat, but your best engineers are too busy manning radios and clearing out al?ien debris in the lower holds to focus on developing that tech. You could spend your hard earned Intel as currency on the black market for supplies, but then you'll be unable to expand XCOM's reach into other territories, and on and on it goes.

The now jet-setting XCOM is pulled in more directions than ever and it lends a great sense of urgency and tension to every decision. This is only exacerbated by the development of the AVATAR project, a nebulous but world-e?nding enterprise the aliens are working on. The development of the AVATAR project essentially places a doomsday clock on the world. Let them finish whatever it is they are working on, and it's all over for humanity. You can delay their progress and even set them back by targeting AV??ATAR black sites and plot-based missions, but it can be surprisingly tricky to manage when you're busy spinning so many other plates at once. Who would have thought it would be so hard to liberate humanity from intergalactic oppressors?

The meat and potatoes of XCOM 2 is every bit an improvement on Enemy Unknown and its expansion. While the basic framework is the same (an isometric view over a battlefield divided into grids for movement and positioning), the level of depth and the number of tactical options at your disposal have been greatly expa?nded. Each class of soldier, from the? heavy weapon slinging Grenadier, to the Specialist with his remote-controlled robot buddy, bring a bevy of skills and potential strategies to the table without any one play style seemingly superior to any other (except maybe pistol drawing Sharpshooters, they're crazy). 

New kinks, like armor that will flatly absorb damage unless you find some way of peeling it off, or environmental hazards like acid p??ools, change the way you approach firefights and develop your team. The expanded array of items and upgrades help break the experience out of the "everyone gets a grenade" routine of the previous titles. Mimic beacons that draw enemy fire, armor vests that allow a soldier to wade through fire unscathed, and a multitude of small, one-time assembly upgrades for each weapon and character add a dash of complexity, and provide answers for tactical situations. Answers you are definitely going to need.

The aliens also have had plenty of time to develop fresh, nasty surprises for your team. New enemies, twists on old foes, and all their delightful new skills will require you to re-think your strategies and adapt. The extremely mobile Codex for example, a quasi-organic being that repositions and divides in two every time you hit it, and has the ability to jam your guns with an AoE attack, is a unit that will keep you on your toes the entire game. Cover flattening, rocket spewing, robotic MECs plated in heavy armor, force you to both focus fire while also constantly repositioning and spreading out your troops. Among many other interesting and quirky units, you'll need to be quick on your feet and employ a larger range of tactics in XCOM 2 than "overwatch everything and grenade their cover??" (even thoug?h that's still a decent fallback option).

I played through Enemy Unknown in a manner so cautious that it could have been mistaken for cowardice. Inching through every map with overlapping overwatch cover, taking out each individual alien threat in controlled, discrete fights. XCOM 2 won't cotton to such shenanigans. Enemies are far more mobile and sneaky this time out, often zipping around a??nd activating other pods or retreating to regroup with larger forces when the tides turn on them. Plenty of enemies like to hide underground and amidst civilians, only to strike at the absolute worst possible moment, turning controlled engagements into panic-ridden firefights.

The real whip at the back of your squad, though, is the merciless timer frequently applied to missions, givin??g your XCOM ??team only the smallest window to complete their objective and evac under a strict number of turns. Fail to disarm a bomb, or miss the last skyranger lift out of the combat zone and at best you fail a mission, at worst some of your soldiers are left stranded to be captured. When I say the timer is merciless, I mean it. So much so, I can see these missions being a deal breaker for some people.

I don't think it's that the timed missions are too hard. The problem is Firaxis feeds them to you too early and too frequently. Near the end of the game, when you have a full squad of veteran soldiers, the added pressure of the clock is the only thing that makes a mission challenging, so I'm glad it's there. However, taking on a timed mission in earlier on, when ?you only have four nincompoops who panic every time they stub their toe and aim like children at a rigged carnival game, they're a complete nightmare. You end up pulling your hair out, as your soldiers fail to kill a single alien turn after turn, while the timer expires.

You'll encounter timed missions as soon as you're out of the tutorial and it's easy for a few early losses to snowball into a miserable experience of defeat and failure. It doesn't feel like that charming "oh, that dastardly XCOM got me again!" kind?? of difficulty, it feels l??ike bullshit.

The difficulty ramp, in general, is unpleasantly skewed in the early missions. XCOM is, of course, supposed to be a brutal experience for players that enjoy stiff challenge, so being hard isn't a bad thing. But XCOM 2 suffers from the same problem as Enemy Unknown, ?where it is disproportionately difficult at the beginning of the game, before settling into a routine near the end where the enemy starts to run out of tricks and relies on sheer numbers to heighten the challenge.

Some early enemies just feel unfair, given th??e tools you have to meet them with. Stun Lance-wielding soldiers will blitz halfway across the map to knock one of your four squad members unconscious. The new and improved Sectoids will continuously panic your low-level soldiers, while raising meatsh??ield zombies to flank you. And not to be bitter, but a few nasty "gotcha" surprises, like the first time you meet a Faceless, seem like an unavoidable KIA for one of your squaddies. I'm not saying these enemies shouldn't exist, but you shouldn't be seeing them in the second freaking mission either.

Once you've learned how to handle those baddies and assemble a six-man team worthy of a #squadgoals Instagram post, the challenge settles into a more "tense but doable" affair. Most of the heavy lifting and nerve-wracking moments in XCOM 2 are in the first several hours, which is not to?? say the rest of the game is a cakewalk, but the back-half feels anti-climatic by comparison.

Uneven difficulty isn't what hamstrings the game, though. Bugs are the real killer. Crashes, janky game systems, critical performance dips, and baffling AI behavior, it's all on display. In trying to deal with the all the issues, I made more save files in my week of XCOM 2 than I did playing through the entirety of Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within.

I'll give you an example of one of the more interesting bugs I encountered. I w??as on a timed mission to rescue a VIP held captive in a police van. However, as soon as I came within eyesight of the van, the VIP activated ??and joined our squad as a controllable unit. Now activated, he triggered the three pods of aliens in his area who immediately started firing at VIP through the van. Saving the VIP long out of the question, the now fully-activated enemy force of about nine or ten aliens proceeded to make mincemeat out of my separated and dispersed squad. Reloading the level, the same bug presented every time, and as a VIP rescue op, there was no way to retreat or scrub the mission. Cool way to lose some squaddies. I started saving before launching each mission after that.

Lesser bugs all combine to sour the milk: aliens that can shoot you through solid floors, how the game will sometimes refuse to let yo??u move to a square that is clearly within range and available, reaction skills that fail to activate correctly, and long 30-second-plus hitches, among many others. This isn't even mentioning the occasional full??-stop crash.

Bugs are bad in any game, but they're even more ruinous in a game touting a single-save Ironman mode. Frequently suggested as the "real way to play" by the XCOM community, how anyone could even attempt an Ironman run with the game in this state is beyond me. "Goo??????????????????????????d luck" is all I can say. I don't want to be there the first time you lose a soldier to an enemy that jumps vertically through the floor to come up and one-shot you.

In a weird way, you could consider the bugs a testament to how great the rest of the experience is. If I wasn't having such an absolute blast with everything else, I don't think I'd have the patience to keep coming back. As it stands, XCOM 2 is an incredible game, but a technical mess that is hard to defend when you consider it isn't all that different from Enemy Unknown.

I would love to be able to give XCOM 2 my unreserved recommendation, but I can't ignore the elephant in the room. If you don't intend on playing on Ironman mode, and have enough patience to deal with (not so) occasional glitches, it's excellent. If you were looking forward to a hardco??re playthrough, or can't stand it when technical issues get in the way of a good time, you'll definitely want to wait for a patch or two before deploying.

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

The post Review: XCOM 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Dashing through the wubadubadub

Rhythm games are always in??teresting because of how much emphasis rests on the music. Don't like the music? Well, chances are you won't like the game, regardless of the mechanics. There's a lot of subjectivity there, which makes reviewing them a bit of a conundrum.

That being said, one thing must be true for rhythm platformers: the music and gameplay need to coagulate together to form a solid foundat?ion that the entire game is based on.

Dub Dash (Android, iOS, PC)
Developer: Incodra
Publisher: Headup Games
MSRP: Free-to-play with ads, $1.99 ad-free (Android), $2.99 (iOS), $4.99 (PC)
Release: October 7, 2015 (iOS), February 16, 2016 (Android, PC)

Dub Dash is a rhythm-platforming game that boasts an intense difficulty. Players move left and right in order to avoid obstacles, while an electronic techno beat plays in the background. Or I guess it's EDM music. Is there a difference? If there ?is, I don't know it.

Regardless, if you don't like that kind of music, this isn't for you. There's definitely variety within the genre, but doesn't stray from the same type of music. Persona?lly, as someone who never listens to this stuff on purpose, I found the soundtrack's quality t??o range from "sounds alright" to rather enjoyable. Nothing sounded awful enough to stop me from playing.

One issue is that even enjoying the music, you're bound to hear it a lot. As mentioned, the game is difficult, which means a lot of retries. A single death forces players to redo the entire song. It's possible to gain "lives," allowing players to restart at the latest checkpoint, but doing so involves playing one of the? same nine songs on a different course. It's easy to get tired of the music after so much.

The player controls a wheel of sorts, always rolling forward, and must avoid crashing into things. The main mechanic is "jumping" left or right over objects, usually on the downbeat of the song. Each of the nine ?songs introd?uces a new mechanic to the mix, but they're very hit-or-miss.

The worst mechanics are those that change the game from a top-down perspective to one from the side. One such mechanic acts like the old Helicopter Game, where?? holding a key causes a rise in altitude. This mechanic feels like it throws out the "rhythm" aspect of the game completely, and is incredibly dull and uninspired. Plus, it's a jarring transition from one perspective to the next. It can also feel impossible to react in time to the first obstacle after switching.

The other awful gameplay type is essentially a Flappy Bird clone, which is as bad as it sounds. Again, it loses its rhythm?? gameplay focus and feels imprecise ?and uninteresting.

Everything else works rather well. Some variati?ons felt frustrating at first, but after getting used to them it was clear that they worked well and I just sucked. My personal favorite is when the wheel gets split in two and players must simultaneously manage both sides at once -- sometimes jumping at the sam??e time. It's challenging in just the right way and satisfying to pull off to the beat.

What is interesting is that the "Challenge Mode" is actually the easiest mode. It only utilizes the jumping mechanics, the easiest to comprehend and execute. It will give players a song at random, and completing it awards players five lives, up to a total of fifteen. I would generally just restar??t the Challenge map until I got the easiest one, since I'm a sneaky little cheat.

There is no difficulty setting, but the player c?an influence it in a variety of ways. First of all, getting lives via the Challenge Mode makes it much easier to complete a song. Trying to pass it without messing up once is something players can choose to do in order to make the game harder. There are also three music notes scattered throughout each stage, and collecting them is anything but easy. Play?ers can mix-and-match these playstyles in order to find a difficulty that suits them best.

The PC version also has local multiplayer, which governs the reason behind the price difference. Players all move along the map simultaneously, and the player with the least amount of mistakes wins. Dying eliminates a player until the next checkpoint, which instantl?y? brings them back in. It's never too long between checkpoints, which means no one player will be doing nothing for too long. 

The transition from phones to computers could be much worse. The UI is very simple and large, but it does have full mouse support for the menus. Some of the loading screen tips are specifically catered to the phone crowd, but there's nothing that gets in the way of PC players other than so?me gaudy menu design. I tried to emulate phone controls wit?h the Steam Controller, using the left and right touch pads, but it didn't feel any better than the keyboard controls. It's also possible to re-assign the controls to anything you'd like, which is a great touch.

There are some very bright moments within Dub Dash. When the music and gameplay jive together with interesting mechanics, it really does feel quite sublime. However, too often do poor mechanics or level design get in the way, causing more frustration than anything e?lse. It's not a costly investment, which helps, but all things considered it is definitely more fit for a phone than a computer.

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

The post Review: Dub Dash appeared first on Destructoid.