We were moderately successful

Please allow me to crib the title from our most recent video and say that Hunt: Showdown is?? inten??se. Like, always intense. Like, you could shoot these surprisingly-harrowing zombies but maybe it's smarter to not fire your gun so you better hope you can outrun them.

As we learned at E3, Hunt has a three-stage loop to it. Find three clues in the environment, locate and kill whatever monster this summoned (in our case, a big and nimble tarantula), an?d then banish it to hell and take the bounty. But, there's a critical fourth step?: Escape with that bounty.

Even though Hunt seems largely about you and your pal against the horrors of the swamp, there are four other groups of players who want you dead. It's one and done, so getting other people out of the ga??me increases y?our odds of taking off with the bounty. There's never a moment where you're at ease.

Crytek held a brief closed alpha yesterday, and this video is what we got out of it. [Update: Turns out this was actually early access to the alpha test. The proper alpha starts today and doesn't have an announced end date. You can sign up here to try to get in.] It ran a little rough at times, but it's legitimately beautiful. The visuals and sound design make Hunt an immersive experien??ce -- no matter how frustrating it can be. Joi?n us in wading through what I call the Louisiana Fastball, because it's bayou.

Al?so, Jordan killed a horse. And he wanted to kill more. I think he's in the market for a horse snuffing simulator. ;   

The post We tried to send all of Hunt: Showdown’s monstrosities back to hell where they belong appeared first on Destructoid.

An hour of footage from the closed beta

The number-one thing to know about Sea of Thieves? You can load yourself into a cannon and have your buddy f?ire y??ou over islands and, presumably, onto other player-controlled ships if you're aimed well.

The number-two thing to know? You can get wasted, stumble around, and vomit on your friends. Doing so obscures their vision. Better yet, you can throw up into a bucket, save it for later, and toss the weaponized barf when the situation calls for it. In short, Sea of Thieves is a game about hijinks.

Brett, Ray, and I took a break from our usual PUBG shenanigans to form a crew in the Sea of Thieves beta. They're much better at solving riddles than me and I'm thankful to have them? in my (pirate) life.

I'm a bit worried ??about burnout with this game, but? it's sure going to be a joy while it lasts.

The post We had a blast goofing off in Sea of Thieves appeared first on Destructoid.

We're the foggy bottom boys

During its September update, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds added a foggy weather variant to its 8x8 kilometer map. Unlike the pretty views afforded by the sunset weather effect, or the infrequent lightning strikes in the stormy version, PUBG's fog map drastically changes how ??you have to play to get that sweet, sweet chicken dinner.

The fog's pervasive and thick. It's difficult to see more than a few meters in front of you. The combination of abandoned cities and ever-present fog can turn a Battlegrounds match into something like a bizarro Silent Hill. You never really know where danger's going to come from, but at least in the bat??tle royale game, it's another playe??r killing you instead of some twisted monster.

Yesterday, Destruct?oid editors Steven Hansen and Brett "Mad Dog" Makedonski joined my squad to fight through the fog. It wasn't pretty, but we survived far longer than I thought we would. Check out the video for a taste of what to expect if you're stuck on Erangel when the fog rolls in. 

The post It’s hard as hell to see during PUBG’s foggy weather appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm selfish like that

Death is a tricky thing in PUBG. Like half the time, you have no idea where you ended up getting killed from. The other half, you?? know that death is inevitable and that you're just gutting it out as long as you possibly can.

Here's the thing though: When I'm going to die, I want to do it where no one can find my loot. If my team can't benefit fr?om it, I want to make sure no one can. Run back into the blue wall, sink to the bottom of the sea. Take those med kits and scopes to places ??no one's gonna get.

Yeah, this is how I'm trying to rationalize JORDAN FUCKING MERCY KILLING ME AND THEN INSISTING EVER??YONE DIE TOGETHER. That's some dark shit from the D-Team Dad.

The post When I die in PUBG, make sure to bury m??e with my gear appeared first on Destructoid.

Look at that glistening tongue

And I don't just mean the Assassin's Creed-esque face! Brett and I partnered up for a few rounds of first-person mode, and the end result felt like a mix between a walking sim as we combed over houses and survival hor?ror as the weather ??took a turn for the worse and we seemingly entered Silent Hill.

I kept getting paranoid about who (or what) might be lurking behind us. Precision aiming seems a little easier in PUBG's FPS mode, but man oh man do ??I miss being able to swing the camera behind my back.

The ending, though. The ??end?ing is pure slapstick bliss.

The post PUBG’s first-person mode can be creepy at times appeared first on Destructoid.

Uhhh, I plead not guilty!

[Int. Court of law -- Day]

Judge: Mr. Makedonski, ho?w do you explain this despicable act? of team killing?

Brett: This isn't how trials work, your honor.

J?udge: It's my courtroom and I'll hold you in contempt of court if you ??question the process again!

Brett: Damn, you're good, your honor.

Judge: I ?know. This job's more than just bangin' the hammer. Anyway, back to the question.

Bre?tt: Uhh, it was bas??ically a mercy killing! Jordan was going to die anyway.

Judge: You could've saved him.

Brett: Yeah, but it was at the prison and I was super jump?y because EVERYONE parachuted into the prison.

Judge: Still not good enough.

Brett: ...At least it was funny?

Judge: Hell yeah, IT WAS FUNNY! Good job ?shooting Jordan right in his stupid fucking face! I'm gonna make you my new bailiff.

Brett: Hell yeah, a judge who says "Hell yeah!"

[Fade out]

---

In other D-Team news, check out this sweet ar??t o?f the four of us assing the whole joint up in cartoon form. I like to think it gives some lore on why Jordan won't wear helmets.

The post Everyone dies at the prison (including Jordan) appeared first on Destructoid.

(Brett tells me this is a bad thing)

When things go disastrously wrong, I like to think I can get my boys out of a jam. I strive to be dependable like that. I wanna be Their Guy during their time of need. After reviewing today's D-Team run in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, however, I real?ize that I have serious work a??head of me.

We recorded this sucker early last week and as I skimmed to the end to see how Steven, Brett, and Ray did, I realized that I was also in this recording. And the bit where things go wrong? Totally my f??ault!

Ray's disappointed sigh says it all, but I'll make this right. I swear. Step one will be to never get into the driver's seat again.

The post I think I’m the Aquaman of Destructoid’s PUBG team appeared first on Destructoid.

Stupid strats aren't stupid if they work!

What happens when the D-Team is down one Steven and decides to play more PUBG anyway? Good things, it turns out. Very good things. It's just like they always say: the journey is more important than the chicken dinner, and if you see someone that appears to be AFK, take the dang sho??t.

This particular Battlegrounds journey begins my p??referred way (with a whole lotta reckless early-game punch-outs) and ends with what I can only describe as a fateful motorbike ride. Or, as Ray lovingly puts it, "There's nothing more liberating than two dud?es sharing one souped-up hog."

We're still figuring out this whole spinoff channel thing, but we're easing into a consistent weekly schedule. If you want to keep up with our continue??d adventures, please do consider tagging a??long. We've got another full D-Team episode dropping on Friday that you won't want to miss, and also some silly "How the hell did that just happen?" bonus clips lined up for the weekend.

The post The D-Team went ??on a wild ride in PUBG? and I have no clue how we survived appeared first on Destructoid.