In case you missed it, Xbox just wrapped up its Xbox Partner Preview for October, which ran for just over 25 minutes and included gameplay trailers and world premieres for upcoming third-party titles headed to the Xbox. It's important to keep in mind, however, that not all o??f the titles shown are Xbox exc?lusive. Let's take a dive into everything shown in the Xbox Partner Preview for October 2024 in the order they were shown!

Alan Wake 2: The Lake House DLC Launch Trailer

The first major DLC expansion for Alan Wake 2, titled The Lake House, is just ten days away from release. Xbox kicked off this Xbox Partner Preview with a launch trailer for the expansion that shows off gameplay players can expect as Agent Estevez, the main character in the DLC who has been sent to investigate a mysterious facility on the shores of Cauldron Lake. It looks like more eerie Remedy Entertainment goodness...you know, Alan Wake, and I'm so for it.

Cronos: The New Dawn revealed

Not even 10 days after the release of Silent Hill 2, which Zoey?? Handley felt was a worthwhile new perspective on the original, developer Bloober Team has revealed their next project to be Cronos: The New Dawn. Described as a pulse-pounding third-person survival horror game, the majority of the trailer was cinematic. According to Bloober Team, players will delve deep into the heart of a deadly struggle against overwhelming foes with combat-driven gameplay as they uncover the mystery of a twisted time travel story. We get a brief glimpse of gameplay at the end—well, a character walking through a pit of mangled corpses—and my initial reaction is certainly Dead Space vibes.

Blindfire enters Early Access today

Developed and published by Double Eleven, Blindfire is an online multiplayer FPS set in a shadowy underworld where the ultra-wealthy bet on illicit bloodsports while the contestants taking place in those bloodsports are lured in by the promise of riches and glory. Sounds like modern-day gladiator battles! In either solo or team matches up to 8 players, players must compete in dark close-quarter arenas rigged with traps, relying only on the rare muzzle flash or explosion to light the way. It's a very interesting concept for a competitive shooter, and the cyberpunky-bright neon color vibrancy looks really sick. Early Access for Blindfire start?s today on both Xbox Serie??s X|S and PC via Game Preview.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Naval Combat reveal

Look, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and SEGA, you already had me with Pirate Yakuza, but now you're telling me there's naval combat too? In the trailer, we see Ichiban and his crew sailing the seas and engaging in naval combat that in a way looks like the Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag follow-up we all deserved but certainly didn't get. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is set to launch on February 21, 2025.

MOUSE: P.I. For Hire headed to consoles

Previously only confirmed to be headed to PC via Steam, 1930s classic cartoon-inspired FPS MOUSE: P.I. For Hire is also headed to all consoles including Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. In this classic noir-styled retro shooter, players will wield an arsenal of mid-century weapons like the Revolver, Tommy Gun, a Hammer, and even Dynamite as they run and gun and juhmp and dodge through the dangerous and corrupt city. MOUSE: P.I. For Hire will release in 2025 on all platforms.

Subnautica 2

Subnautica is finally getting co-op! As a huge Subnautica fan, this reveal may have been my favorite of the showcase. The actual trailer itself is a brief cinematic teaser, which seems to be standard these days for initial teaser announcement trailers. But just the confirmation of its existence is enough for me. As much as I loved the original Subnautica, I wasn't as big of a fan of Subnautica: Below Zero. Then again, I don't like the cold. In the sequel, players will be able to team up in online co-op with up to three friends as they explore the deeps building bases, crafting tools, and studying exotic underwater lifeforms. Subnautica 2 is headed to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass ?via Early Access in 2025.

Animal Well out now on Xbox

Developed by solo developer Billy Basso and published by Bigmode, the publishing company created by popular Youtuber videogamedunkey, puzzle platformer Animal Well is on Xbox as of well...now. Animal Well is one of Destructoid's rare 10/10 scores for the year with Jamie Moorcroft-Sharp praising how much there is to do in Animal Well while still retaining its indie charm. Animal Well is also available on Switch, PS5, and PC.

EDENS ZERO

The hit Hiro Mashima manga EDENS ZERO is headed to consoles and PC with an Action RPG adaptation. Developed and published by Konami, EDENS ZERO relives the story of the manga as players explore an open-world planet and adventure across the Sakura Cosmos. All the characters from the manga are present in this fast-paced anime-styled space adventure. EDENS ZERO is coming to consoles and PC in 2025.

Eternal Strands Gameplay trailer

The beautiful fantasy action-adventure game, Eternal Strands, showed off more of its "Cast and Combine" gameplay feature in this trailer. Players can cast and combine frost, flame, and kinetic magic to take down massive 25-meter foes in what looks like Dark Souls meets Monster Hunter style gameplay. It's also giving me serious Dauntless vibes. Eternal Strands releases on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in early 2025. It will also be available Day? One on Game Pass.

Mistfall Hunter

Developer Bellring Games revealed its upcoming third-person action PvPvE extraction RPG Mistfall Hunter. Set in a dark and mysterious Nordic-inspired continent filled with mystical creatures, lots of loot, and the ability for players to seek and claim glory. The extraction genre seems to be getting a ton of releases lately, but I have to admit, Mistfall Hunter looks like a more RPG-centric Hunt: Showdown. Yes, please. Mistfall Hunter releases on Xbox and PC in 2025. ??A PC open bet??a is starting soon.

Wheel World Gameplay

In this wheelie cool looking open world action adventure game, players take on the role of young cyclist Kat and hop on their bike with one purpose in mind: to save Wheel World from total collapse. Players can customize their bike as they race around the open world looking for rare parts, beautiful vistas, and hidden secrets in order to perform The Great Shift ritual and save the world. Seems like a lot of pressure for a young cyclist. Wheel World is set to launch in Early 2025 on Xbox S??eries X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. It will also be ??available Day One on Game Pass.

Phasmophobia finally headed to consoles

The super popular previously PC-exclusive horror game Phasmophobia is finally coming to consoles. Like for real. Players can join up to three friends and explore various paranormal environments while trying to determine which ghost is haunting the area. Phasmophobia has long been rumored to be coming to consoles, but after a series of delays, players were wondering if it still was. Well, the answer is yes. Phasmophobia releases on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation ??5 on October?? 29, 2024.

The Legend of Baboo

Developed by Permanent Way Game Co. and published by Midwest Games, The Legend of Baboo is an action-adventure game inspired by the Eastern Fable story of Sepehr and Baboo. Together the boy and his fluffy pup must work together to save their island from a demonic invasion. Players will use the two characters to swing, jump, climb, and ride through enchanted environments as they solve puzzles across the landscape. The Legend of Baboo releases on Xbox and PC in 2025.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers gameplay

This action packed gameplay trailer for WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers highlights the games intense combat against wicked bosses. Developed by Leenzee and published by 505 Games, WUCHANG is a soulslike action RPG set in the land of Shu during the late Ming Dynasty, a time plagued with war across various factions while a mysterious illness spawns monstrous creatures. This is one that I've pushed to the back of my mind previously due to all the recent soulslike releases, but this gameplay trailer has my attention now. The deflection/parry system looks extremely well done which is always a good feature for me when it comes to soulslikes. WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers releases on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC in 2025. It will also be available?? Day One on Game Pass.

FBC: Firebreak

Rounding out and finishing up the October 2024 Xbox Partner Preview is a new game reveal: FBC: Firebreak, another title being developed and published by Remedy Entertainment. Clearly set in the same universe as their other titles (Alan Wake, Control), FBC: Firebreak is a 3-player co-op first-person shooter set in the enigmatic Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). A deadly siege of otherworldly forces plagues the Bureau's headquarters, and only the adaptable response unit—Firebreak—has the skills to handle the problem. It looks like a chaotic good time, and quite frankly, I'm down for anything that takes place in this universe. FBC: Firebreak wi?ll release? in 2025 on Xbox Series X|S and PC. It will also be available Day One on Game Pass.

So what do you think about the ??October 2024 Xbox Partner Preview? Any game trai?lers that caught your eye as we start to close out and head into 2025? Let us know what you plan on checking out!

The post Everything shown in the Xb??ox Partner Preview ?for October 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

THQ Nordic Showcase 2024 just wrapped, with the company revealing two brand new titles and showcasing first-ever gameplay for several upcoming games. Overall all five titles displayed in the Showcase are looking great, and I'm looking forward to jumping into each of them. Le?t's dive in to everythi?ng shown at the THQ Nordic Showcase 2024.

Wreckfest 2

THQ Nordic kicked things off by announcing Wreckfest 2, the sequel to the 2018 destructive Racing Sim. The first thing to notice here is how upgraded the visuals are. Not that the original Wreckfest was ugly or anything, but Wreckfest 2 looks stunning. In classic Wreckfest fashion, it appears players will once again take on the role of a Destruction Derby racer and build up their arsenal of vehicles to engage in some good ole wrecking action on the track. According to THQ Nordic, players will be able to fully ?customize their vehicles in the sequel, giving players to build up and decorate their vehicles exactly how they want.

No release timeframe was given, but Wreckfest 2 will release on PC, PlayStat??ion 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

The Eternal Life of Goldman

The Eternal Life of Goldman is a stylized hand-drawn platformer where the player steps into the role of Goldman, an old explorer who gets around pretty well and uses his cane as a weapon. I'm normally not a fan of these sorts of games personally, but the beautiful hand-drawn art and setting of The Eternal Life of Goldman have my attention. Also, the end of the trailer hints at some more sinister workings going on in the world of Goldman, ??so it seems as though his journey will be a wild one.

No release timeframe was provided for The Eternal Life of Goldman, but it will launch on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and?? Xbox Series X|S.

Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed

The remake of Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed is almost here, and THQ Nordic showcased the upgraded 3D platformer halfway through the show??. The remake of the nearly 14-year-old 3D platformer looks great, once again giving players the ability to take Mickey on an epic journey while rescuing signature Disney characters while wielding a magical paintbrush used to create and alter the world around you.

Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushedreleases on September 24 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5,? Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Titan Quest 2

As a huge ARPG fan, I have a confession to make. While most ARPG gamers' favorite early memories in the genre revolve around Diablo, mine actually revolve around Titan Quest. The Ancient Greece setting was simply much more appealing to me when I was younger, and the actual gameplay and build variety with Titan Quest felt way ahead of its time back in 2006.

In the first gameplay reveal for Titan Quest 2, THQ Nordic showed off the ARPG's high-fidelity graphics in the beautifully mythological rendition of Ancient Greece once again. Throughout the trailer, ??we see a handful of spells and abilities, unique weapons, and a glimpse at some of the mythical monsters we'll do battle with.

No release timeframe was given for Titan Quest 2, but the game looks great so hopefully, we will hear more about that soon. Titan Quest 2 will release on PC, ?PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Gothic 1 Remake

The THQ Nordic Showcase 2024 concluded with another first-look gameplay of Gothic 1 Remake, and boy I can't wait. Look, I'll admit it, I never got to play the original. But this showing of the remake has me honestly debating whether I want to jump into the original or wait for the remake. Visually, the open world of Gothic 1 Remake looks incredible, as does the combat.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature of Gothic 1 Remake, which is highlighted throughout the trailer , is the simulated living world. The developer's goal was to make an immersive and realistic living world, allowing playe??rs to live out their life how they want in this fantasy world, while the other characters around them do as well.

Gothic 1 Remake does ??not yet have a release date, but will release on PC, PlayStation 5, a?nd Xbox Series X|S.

The post THQ Nordic Showcase 2024 Recap appeared first on Destructoid.

At 3 p.m. ET on August 11, THQ Nordic will be airing its 2023 THQ Nordic Digital Showcase. THQ Nordic has promised a?? showcase with world premier??e announcements as well as further feature news and reveals for already announced titles.

Specifically, Alone in the Dark, Gothic, Outcast: A New Beginning, Wreckreation, and Trine 5 will be in the show.

Those interested in watching the digital showcase with us can do so on the THQ Nordic YouTube or Twitch channel.

You can also watch along below:

//youtu.be/6rRCEMRPo-E

What can we expect from the Digital Showcase?

Once again, we have been told there are in fact some world premieres coming to this showcase. Furthermore, some of the titles they confirmed to be speaking about are releasing in the next few months, so I'm sure they will be highlighting those in particular. Trine releases at the end of this month on August 31. Also,  Alone in the Dark releases on October 25, so I'm sure we'll? see some more gamep?lay from it.

Their showcase last year ended with a hint at a new South Park game which we have yet to get more details on. Who knows, maybe we'll ?get more info on that.

Personally, I'm hoping to see anything Darksiders. I am excited about the Gothic remake so definitely down to see more of that, and maybe even a release date. For now, all we know is that THQ Nordic considered 2024? as the realistic release window for it.

The post Let’s watch the 2023 THQ Nordic Digital Showcase today appeared first on Destructoid.

New Blood, Dread XP, Nightdive, and more will be there too

3D Realms is hosting another Realms Deep, its digital showcase, i??n September. The publisher will host its event throughout one weekend, Septem??ber 16 to 18.

The main show kicks off at 12 p.m. PT on Friday, September 16 on 3D Realms' Twitch and YouTube channels. There will be game reveals and updates, including news on Graven, Core Decay, and Ion Fury's expansion Aftershock.

Alongside those, 3D Realms pals will be showing up to share some info too. Fulqrum, New Blood, HYPERSTRANGE, Dread XP, and Nightdive Studios will be sha?ring what's new. The showcase is expected to be more than an hour and a half long, highlighting both retro-inspired and contemporary FPS, and even some non?-shooters.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-_etoZ9yko

The showcase will also include a LAN party in-person, in Aalborg?, Denmark. And for those at home, a Steam sale and demo showcase will also run September 15 through 19, highlighting recently revealed titles, playable demos, and discounts on games.

Realms deeper

Previous Realms Deep showcases have highlighted a decent mix of games, though it will most likely appeal to the old-school PC FPS fan the most. Games like the horror-themed shooter Cultic are due to make an appearance in some capacity, so if you like classic FPS ac??tion (a.k.a. "boomer shooters?"), you'll probably find something to like here.

The showcase will extend into the weekend, too. 3D realms will be giving the spotlight to creators, developers,? and personalities. Some independent games will also be taking the stage throughout the weekend too.

As the summer gaming news bonanza winds down, a demo showcase sounds pretty alright. Chances are high I'll find something interesting to put on my Steam wishlis??t during the weekend, and it's nice to be able to trial run a bunch of games without having to do all that travel.

The post ??3D Realms is hosting its Realms Deep digital showcase ??in September appeared first on Destructoid.

The 2022 Nintendo Direct Mini is at 9AM ET on June 28

Well, it's happening! Sorta! It's not the full Nintendo Direct that was predicted by some on June 29 �?rather, it's a Nintendo Direct Mini on June 28. That's at 9AM ET, actually, and the publisher says it'll be happening here when the time comes.

Again, it's important to note that this isn't a first-party Direct, and to set your expectations accordingly. Here is th??e full descriptive rundown of the Nintendo Direct Mini that ?we got directly from Nintendo:

"Watch on-demand via our YouTube chann?el starting at 6 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. ET on June 28 for roughly 25 minutes of info on u??pcoming third-party Nintendo Switch games."

So on paper, we're not getting updates on Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 or Metroid Prime 4...yet. Or an update on when Advance Wars might come out on Switch for that matter.

25 minutes is a fairly meaty timeframe, in any case, so we should see at least one big third-party announcement. I assume a lot of you will be doing avid amounts of research as to what a Nintendo Direct Mini actually entails, and we did a lot of the legwork already! You can check this ??out to get an idea of what a Direct Mini could look like.

The company was smart to move this away from the Summer of Gaming/to-E3-or-not-to-E3 week and have it be its own thing. Even if it doesn't include first-party updates, all it takes is one megaton announcement (something exclusive akin to Shin Megami Tensei V) to make waves.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKB3WXRWTCM

The post A Nintendo Direct Mini is coming on June 28 appeared first on Destructoid.

Low-poly, highly scary

If you’re into low-poly, PS1-style games like I am, today’s Puppet Combo Direct stream was a dream. It’s a smorgasbord of games coming o?ur way, both from the Godfather of lo-fi horror, Ben Cocuzza, and by way ?of his publishing label, Torture Star Video. All the titles look fantastic, but let’s go from the tip to the top.

[embed]//youtu.be/kIGMvC-KpgI[/embed]

Stay Out of the House this July

It’s been listed on Steam for a hog’s age, but Stay Out of the House will finally be in the wider public’s hands in July. Part survival horror and part “stealth immersive sim,�?Stay Out of the House places you in the clutches of a deranged serial killer. You’ll need to keep out o??f sight and find a way to escape his house.

Rather than a straight slasher game, Stay Out of the House has you avoid traps and “The Butcher��s�?family as you try to?? escape. Sounds like clas?sic Puppet Combo, but fortunately, we only have a month to wait to find out what tricks he can throw at us.

[embed]//youtu.be/6lFV1tBSF-g[/embed]

Night at the Gates of Hell comes to us from the creator of Bloodwash

For something completely different, Jordan King, the creator of Bloodwash, is bringing us the survival horror, Night at the Gates of Hell. With this gory little game, Jordan is challenging himself to present a classic Resident Evil experience in the first person with slow and menacing zombies. You play as David, who is attemp??ting to escape the zombie infestation going on in his city and to find out the truth behind them.

Featuring lo-fi visuals, lots of gruesome imagery, and a �?0s disco soundtrack, Nights at the Gates of Hell is a love letter to Italian zombie ??flicks. There’s no solid release date for this one, but we can start looking for it around third quarter, 2022.

[embed]//youtu.be/NzxXqAcxrh0[/embed]

A completed Power Drill Massacre is coming to Steam

Power Drill Massacre is something of a legendary title among Puppet Combo fans. It was originally released in 2015 in an incomplete state, but while it has ??sat like that all this time, what was presented captured the attention of fans. It’s actually the first title by him that I played myself, and it d?efinitely is a great representation of his style of slasher horror.

You play as a hapless car crash victim who goes looking for h?elp in exactly the wrong place. She finds herself hunted by the Driller Killer who�?I probably don’t need to ex?plain his M.O.

The finished game has been expanded with new areas, expanded gameplay, and quality of life improvements. There are also new playable characters, multiple endings, and new ?camera styles. Exciting stuff for anyone who experienced the original version. It'll also be launching on Steam for the first time. We’ll be waiting until Q4 2022 to see the rest of the Driller Killer’s tale.

[embed]//youtu.be/0w34WELlwLs[/embed]

Sleazy survival horror Deadly Night is coming in August

Billed as “the sleaziest low-poly slasher ever created,�?Deadly Night comes to us from Cubite Games, developers of NIGHT GUARD and La Compana. Deadly Night has hitchhiker Carol ch??eck into a motel?? that she may never check out of. Hopefully, the ice machine works.

A trailer sho?ws off some gruesome scenes and images of the kille?r that will be tracking you down. I am absolutely a sucker for gloomy parking lot aesthetic for some reason. That’s all it needed to show me and I am down. Looks like I’ll be down this August when it releases on Steam through Torture Star Video.

[embed]//youtu.be/HEsUspaWfmc[/embed]

Horror favorite Bloodwash is coming to consoles

Speaking of gloomy parking lot aesthetic, one of my favorite horror titles from last year is coming to console. Bloodwash is the story of Sara, who absolutely has to get laundry done, and the ?only 24-hour laundromat is on the outskirts of town. Girl, we’ve all been there. Unfortunately for her, the terrifyingly named Womb Ripper has been on the prowl, and she’s looking awfully pregnant.

It’s a pretty unique title that has you build the tension yourself by wasting time in a strip mall, learning of the horrible things that have gone on there. Bloodwash is a terrific example of the inventiveness found in the lo-fi horror sub-genre, so if you’re console-bound, definitely consider taking a look this s?ummer.

It’s a nice slate of games to look forward to throughout the year. Unfortu??nately, I want them now. If my ceaseless gushing hasn’t tipped you off, I’m a big fan of the sub-genre and of Puppet Combo in particular. I’m feeling deficient in lo-fi, cheap scares, so I’ll be keeping an eye on all th?ese upcoming titles.

The post A?? full Power Drill Massacre and more are coming this year from Puppet Combo appeared first on Destructoid.

Last Draws

Okay, so this last tarot prediction entry is running late, but we still have weeks of streams so we're mostly safe. My life has been in positive upheavals with minor injuries. Sprained wrists, red wine, broken pinky toe, rose ince??nse, rugburn, neat Etsy stuff, and breaking ?the next toe over. That last one was this morning.

My life has been an Alanis Morissette song as I've tried to get these summer stream tarot readings done. No, not that one. It's "Hand in My Pocket."

Anyway, here's the last set of readings. A whopping nine to close this out. If you missed the previous posts, you can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Punished Nietzsche asks: Will that rumored Marvel fighting game by Netherrealm studios show up?

Cards drawn: Eight of Strength, Six of Charisma, Nine of Charisma reversed.

The Eight of Strength, like a Belmont at ?the stairs to Dracula's throne room, suggests a group of heroes has n??eared the end of their quest. They've grown strong, moving from strength to more strength -- like Hard Drive continuing to dunk on Elon Musk.

They've done the r?ight things,? fought the good fight and a Six of Charisma says they've returned the grace and generosity others have shown them with much gratitude. Now the princess must be saved.

But with the goal in reach, a beautiful pirate queen ?pulls them off-course. She's hiring, you see. She's seen them in mortal combat. She's witnessed their deeds and thinks they would be a great addition to her crew. They agree and forget about the princess since the pirate queen pays better.

The reversed Nine of Charisma can be about getting?? distracted and materialism, so that tracks.

If a ??Marvel fighting game was happening, you'd think they'd fight DC heroes. Lots of licensing and copyright issues,?? though, which is why there's now a hero named after Gomer Pyle's catch phrase and Red Sonja doesn't hang out with Spider-Man anymore.

NetherRealm is probably sticking to Mortal Kombat.

Sam van der Meer asks: Pikmin 4?

Cards drawn: Queen of Charisma, Three of Intelligence, Ace of Intelligence reversed

The Queen of Charisma welcomes you home to a warm, hearty meal. Pies, fruit, cool ranch potato wedges, mead, coffee... it seems she also has whatever snack or beverage you'd like on-han?d.

But the Three of Swords is a woodland nymph at the table and she weeps be??cause those potato wedges and grapes were once her friends. She has memories of planting them, cultivating them, going on adventures with them, and telling them stories at a campfire with her space-dwelling friends Olimar, Minsc, and Boo.

She looks on in horr??or as the drunken wizard -- or reversed Ace of Intelligence -- asks for more cool ranch potato wedges and mead before passing out.

Pikmin is on the minds of and in the hearts of many, but it may also be a Diablo Immortal situation. An enjoyable, technically sound pseudo-sequel that goes mobile and then e??xploits what you love for more money and attention.

Lawman asks: Metroid Prime 4 and a new F-Zero.
Cygnus Rush also asks about Metroid Prime 4.

Cards drawn: Justice, Knight of Strength reversed, Eight of Wisdom

Justice has arrived on th?e scene. Long have we waited for news of Metroid Prime 4 and it seems that patience will finally be rewarded. The bounty hunter returns!

But the Knight of Wands tripped up and fell. This may be announced too soon. A delay into spring 2023 may happen and we get a Metroid Prime remaster to tide us over.

Drizzle Duder at the end here, the Eight of Wisdom, knows just as the sun is hard for him to look upon, the trut?h can hurt and still be beautiful in the end. This is why 5e gave dark elves and kobolds sunglasses as the old, racist light-sensitivity rules were dumb and sucked.

The overall reading says to be patient. Please ?und??erstand.

As for F-Zero, Drizzy says hold on to hope.

Occams asks: Will my beloved Shadow Hearts ever get a chance to shine in the sun again?

Cards drawn: Seven of Intelligence, Eight of Charisma reversed, Judgement

The Seven of Intelligence is a shifty one. Full of secrets and those secrets have secrets and also lies. And maybe some obfuscation as a treat. If he told us anything it would be to trust no one, him esp?ecially. He does look like a plausible Shadow Hearts character, though.

So we're gonna ask the reversed Eight of Charisma. She's hit the gym a lot, and pumped lots of iron so she can pound iron and steel better than anyone at the forge. In between her protein ??shakes we asked her about a new Shadow Hearts and she said if such a thing they've ke??pt it under wraps and are waiting until it is perfect, like her secret project, the Sword of Supreme Buffness +10. Or "The Amazon's Caress," as she calls it.

Judgement seems to be the only one willing to confirm anything, but he looks like The Spectre and tells us to look within and reflect, for the answers are inside us. That's actually a very Hierophant thing to say but the Hierophant would also m????ake you study to enrich your spirit. This guy just says he works for the gods but doesn't pay taxes, so I find that advice suss.

Seymour asks: Will we hear Uncle Phil (Spencer) or God Howard trot out the phrase "We know you've been waiting to hear more on Starfield..."?

Cards drawn: Ace of Charisma, The World, Queen of Intelligence

Familiar faces from our Explosion reading! And though I know this arrives late, I pulled these c??ards well before the conference.

What you're asking is definitely going to be something Todd Howard says if the Ace of Charisma is any indication. The World agrees and stands by the dwarven Ace. The Queen of Intelligence has little to add but Starfield will be on Gamepass, which seemed obvious.

She also saw me messing with Dall-E Mini and asked it what Phil Spencer and Todd Howard looked like, so here's the results.

Vesalius asks: Any word on a new Rocket Jockey or Nightmare Creatures?

Cards drawn: The Emperor, Three of Charisma, Four of Strength

Couldn't get anything from the cards on Rocket Jockey, though I looked into it. To be fair, they weren't into the Star Wars pod?? racing games, either??, so rocket-powered demolition pole-dancing was off the table.

So on to Nightmare Creatures.

A new adventure for Nadia and Ignatius? The Emperor thinks this is an ambitious choice, but the Emperor may or may not be Activision since they were the original publisher. A monkey's paw situation given they also sit on things like Tenchu. Th??e authority of the Emperor isn't always a great thing.

But the bard on the Three of Charisma sings of an opportunity for roguish critical hits! He also is a Dark Souls fan and gushes that From Software could do Nightmare Creatures justice! But every FromSoft fan says that about anything, even Burger Time.

Four of Strength, being another teamwork card, chimes in as FromSoft fanboys, too. They are now going to consider and advocate FromSoft for Nightmare Creatures and also Burger Time.

Nightmare pickles and ketchup await.

Welshmetalhippy asks: Why is Bayonetta 3 not here already?????

Cards drawn: The Star reversed, The High Priestess, King of Strength reversed

The reversed Star responds, "Why don't you a??sk your mom?" Then it blocks you on Twitter.

The High Priestes?s looks at you with serenity and calmly tells you to ask your mother. Then she says to "flock off."

The reversed King of Strength sits dejected in the dark in front of an astral projection of some fit drow ??ladies modeling bathing suits as he si?ps on a mug of cheap beer.

Reminds me of Dad after the divorce, actually.

You want to ask the king about Bayonetta 3 but he narrows his e??yes and you know you should just go ask your mom.

Muersault asks: How can NFTs be real if our eyes aren't real?

Cards drawn: Death reversed, Ten of Strength, Six of Charisma

An inverted Death card speaks of fear and an inability to accept things as they are. If sight orbs were not a thing, how would a beholder be a thing? If ?tha??t demon wasn't real, how did you feel its fire? Eyes are real and so are NFTs, it's just eyes are not a scam.

NFTs annoy like imps on a dwarf's back. T???hey exist, but we don't like NFTs.

A reverse Six of Charisma is about greed, being taken advantage of, and sowing anxiety and doubt. It's about the FOMO hustlers out to trick you into buying a lethargic monkey they want nothing to do with. Unless yo?u're Seth Green, then yo?u will buy your stolen apathy orangutan back for $300k.

Tarot cards are a thought exercise or storytelling device at the very least, even if you don't buy into the divination side of it. And you get neat cards to collect! Prof??essional wrestling is scripted, but the athleticism is real as is some of the pain -- it's just the outcome is fake.

NFTs are real, but so are baseball cards. At least you can wipe your ass with baseball cards withou?t right-clicking. I use Curt Schilling if I'm running low on TP.

Robo Panda Z asks: Will Tactics Ogre: Reborn be a reboot, a new title, or an eldritch abomination?

Cards drawn: Eight of Intelligence, The Magician reversed, The Hermit reversed

The Eight of Intelligence suggests feelings of confinement, like when you have pissed off your spider goddess and you're now doing your best impression of The Hanged Man while you're trapped in her web -- but you're still ??the Eight of Intelligence.

Reboots can be confining, too. Instead of finding new potential, you're sometimes stuck st?arting over or catching new??comers up. The Magician turned upside down doesn't care much for that, he aches to do something new or different.

But reversed Hermit feels it has been so, so long. He'd take anything. Long has he waited for a Tactics Ogre: Bicycle Race/Fat Bottomed Girls, Tactics Ogre: Bohemian Rhapsody, or even Tactics Ogre: Under Pressure! There hasn't been a proper entry since the Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together remake!

There just aren't many franchises that reference Queen. Ho?lographic Freddie Mercury needs his tribute!

Anyway, that's it for this y??ear. Or is it? ??I guess we'll see what the cards have to say...

The post Dungeons, dragons, ??and summer gaming tarot predictions #3 appeared first on Destructoid.

A lot can happen in 10 minutes

June isn't done yet, and this afternoon, we've got another gaming showcase to watch. It's about time to check out the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration, which will be streaming live at 3:00 p.m. Pacific today. What's on the docket? Officially, Square Enix has promised "all the latest information relating to the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII."

Depending on who you ask (and which leaks you believe), this stream could touch on many different things �?a Steam release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, a coveted glimpse of FFVII Remake Part 2, and potentially even some FFVII "expanded universe" news.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wohQiEysqIA

You can watch the event live on YouTube and Twitch.

While the FFVII 25th Anniversary Celebration stream is supposed to be on the shorter side, the hype for this event ha?s really snowballed in the past 24 hou??rs, as is the way.

Admittedly, I'm less interested in hearing about stuff like The First Soldier and Ever Crisis, and with Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 such an unknown quantity at this point, I'm sure many of you feel the same way. If we get anything concrete on the Naoki Hamaguchi-directed game, and may??be a fun wild-card announcement, I'll be happy. ??A few details �?heck, even a bit of familiar imagery to latch onto �?can go a long way while we wait.

(Worth reminding: if Dragon's Dogma is more your speed, Capcom is also hosting a 10th anniversary stream at the exact same time. I'm fee??li??ng reserved yet hopeful.)

Y'all ready for this?

Recap �?that was a great showing!

• Final Fantasy VII Remake Interg?rade is available?? on Steam tomorrow
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the next of ?the remakes, coming next winter
• Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is getting a closed bet??a sometime this year
• Crisis Core Final ??Fantasy? VII Reunion arrives this winter for PC, consoles

It's nice to still feel a bit of that "E3" spark.

The post Let’s watch the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration appeared first on Destructoid.

June 14 at 12PM ET

These seem to be popular! In addition to a Final Fantasy VII stream this week from Square Enix, Ubisoft is holding an Assassins' Creed celebration stream today.

It'll kick off at 12PM ET right here, or you can watch it below. Here's the full description of what the Assassin's Creed stream entails:

"Assassin’s Creed is turning 15! Tune in to celebrate the 15th anniversary with a special look at the future of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, a look back at the franchise, and a tease of what’s to come this year. The Ubisoft News team will be showcasing Assassin’s Creed Origin’s new 60 FPS gameplay update alongside producer, Jose Araiza before taking a look at the news and updates regarding all the latest and upcoming Assassin’s Creed com??ics, graphic novels, Manga, and more in Assassin’s Creed Stories."

That's pretty descriptive! Whereas the Final Fantasy 7 stream tease is woefully vague, this one tells us everything we need to know. It seems like the bigger focuses are Valhalla, as well as Origins 60 FPS footage (for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S): wh??ich is part of the new June update for the game. Then some cross-media stuff.

Remember, we have a ful?l list of upcoming summer streams ?here.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fqkMF2Jp6s

The post Ubisoft is holding a 15th anniversary Assassin’s Creed stream today appeared first on Destructoid.

Updates on Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Exoprimal, and Resident Evil Village DLC

After a busy weekend, it feels like we're pretty deep into the summer gaming showcase schedule, but there's still time to hear from some of the big publishers. Next on the list is Capcom, and with Street Fighter 6 and Resident Evil 4 on the way, it's easy to be stoked. The Capcom Showcase begins at 3:00 p.m. Pacific today and will last "roughly 35 minutes."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q48j01h_IGg

Capcom says the showcase will cover "details and news on previously announced titles??."

Further keeping expectations in check, the company specifically mentioned the stream will focus on upcoming games like Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Exoprimal, and Resident Evil 4. Anything else could ju??st be a bonus �?but don't let that stop you from hoping for m?ore.

I know Moyse wants to see another Street Fighter 6 character trailer before the team steps out of the spotlight for a bit, and I'm hoping to hear concrete details about the mysterious Resident Evil Village DLC that could be anything at this point. Barring that, an "out later today!" release of RE2, RE3, and RE7 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S would be nice.

[Cindy Lou Who voice]: Where are you Dragon's Dogma 2? Why can't I find you?

Capcom Showcase 2022 recap

• A Monster Hunter?? Rise: Sunbreak demo is c??????????????????????????oming on June 14
• Exoprimal will have a Dino Survival network test
• Dragon’s?? Dogma will release a 10th ??anniversary celebration video this week
• Resident Evil V??illage expansion includes third-person mode, a Rose story, and more this October
• Turns out those free Resident Evil 2, 3, and 7 next-gen updates are available? right now

As for Resident Evil 4, there wasn't much "new" info to latch onto, but Capcom did share a snippet of Leon walking around? during the beginning of the remake. New screens:

The post Let’s watch the Capcom Showcase together appeared first on Destructoid.

June 16 at 6PM ET

So remember when Geoff Keighly said that he thinks publishers have learned that they should probably have "30 minutes plus" conferences, or less micro-conferences in general? Well Square Enix has a 10 minute Final Fantasy VII stream planned for June 16 at 6PM ET.

For reference, here's the quote:

“There were a lot of shows last year where everyone was disappointed when they weren’t really press conferences, right? Like Take-Two, Capcom, Square Enix and things like that…I think [they] have learned that if you’re going to do a press conference, you kind of need to have 30 minutes-plus of stuff, and sometimes they only have one or two great games to show, which may not be enough to do a full event around. So I think that’s going to be a bit of a shift. I have a pretty good sense of what’s coming in the next month, and I think people will be hyped about games in general.�?/p>

Welp!

The stream kicks off below at 6PM ET on June 16, with the following caveat from Tetsuya Nomura: "At only around 10 minutes long, it will be short and sweet, but we have packed in lots of information, so I hope everyone can look forward to the unveiling." Add it to the pile! Less obvious candidates include a tease for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 or some new media project; more obvious candidates are mobile developments for VII-related projects.

If Square Enix doesn't show anything related to Part 2  in this Final Fantasy VII stream, they're just setting themselves up for disappointment. Can you imagine the reaction if it was just a stream for First Soldier and Ever Crisis?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wohQiEysqIA

The post Square Enix is hosting a “short and sweet” Final Fantasy VII stream soon appeared first on Destructoid.

Neutral Gud

In today's community tarot readings for summer streams, I'm going to make sure I get some PlayStation predictions out the door before the Sony presentation. If you missed the prior tarot predictions article, click here.

Let's get right to it!

Cathedral asks: Has Half-Life 3 been confirmed?

Card drawn: Queen of Strength

The Queen of Strength has many great qualities. She speaks and ??leads with poise. She slays. She nails it??. She gets things done.

Sadly, she is not married to The Gaben and if she was she'd demand Portal 3. And ask to give Steam Decks more discreet pack??aging to prevent porch piracy.

It would be a triumph.

YT asks: Will we ever hear anything about Silksong ever again? Ever?

Cards drawn: The Magician, The Fool, The Empress

Oh, thank Lolth, I don't have look in the D&D Tarot Deck guide for this one. All upright cards, too. That's usually?? good!

The Magician bursts into the court of The Empress, shouting, "It's happe??ning. A new adventure is m?anifesting!"

The court jester's eyes widen and he asks "An adventure! For me? A? chance for new beginnings?!"

"No, you Fool! This will be a new adventure for cu?te insects who are sad," the Magician explains.

"But when will it happen?" the jester asks.

The Empress rises ??from her throne and says, "I am the reason it is happening. It will be done when it is done. Enjoy this trailer until then. I shall now return to my chamber and rest."

The ??Fool turns to The Mag?ician and asks, "WTF is a trailer?"

"Hell if I know," he?? replies. "The ways o??f Empress Cherry are mysterious."

Cockaroach asks: Will Sony announce a pc port for Bloodborne?

Cards drawn: Ten of Strength reversed, The Sun, Nine of Charisma

Adding PC releases to the mix has weighed on Sony, as the upended Ten of Strength implies. It seems like some good things are coming, though -- like Returnal.

And praise The Sun, it looks like Demon's Souls is in the cards! But a return to Yharnam?

The Nine of Charisma certa??inly screams "?Yar!" But is that a confirmation or an invitation to loot and plunder? Hahaha... I have no idea what that last part implies.

Regardless, we all want Bloodborne on PC. Do it!

CelicaCrazed asks too many things: Will Sony revive Warhawk? Will Gamepass come to PlayStation or Switch? Will we get any new remasters from the Dreamcast?

Cards drawn: Page of Wisdom reversed (center), Ace of Intelligence reversed (left). Knight of Wisdom (right), Four of Wisdom (top), Six of Wisdom reversed (bottom)

A tarnished knight is bewildered at the other people hanging upside down before him, pondering why so many others have fallen and ?why he must live and die, time and time again, no matter how good he got.

Then he gazes up to see a gnome nestled high up in an erdtree, blissful and petting a fox. He has ascended, no longer concerned wit?h matters like scarlet rot or faith builds.

He has all the knight could ever want -- every Dreamcast game on the Switch and has Gamepass, too! And a new Warhawk game!

But the knight will remain ??alone below, only to toil. Forever maidenless...

He curses the g?nome ?and then gets murdered by a Putrid Avatar.

Riffraff asks: When will I get more Pushmo?

Card drawn: Seven of Wisdom

The Seven of W??isdom is the monkey's paw of upright cards. You think you're reaching for the garden hose and it turns out to be a snake. That dwarf thinks he's getting a blessing of immortality from a faerie??, but they asked for his name and pronouns first.

The blessin??g was given and the fae is now known as Horst Alefender and gleefully added that to the list of names and pronouns he's taken as his own. Has a few dozen "he/hims," fifteen "they/thems" and forty-five "she/hers" -- and that is before we get to the other, fa??ncier ones Horst has collected.

Now, we must refer to the ... oh right... as the Nameless and Pronounless One. Has gaps in memory along with the immortality, so tattoos are needed to keep track of things. Kinda like that C?hristopher No?lan flick with Guy Richie.

So do you really want more Pushmo? Do you want another mindscrew puzzle game? Have you seen how Baba is You breaks people?

Be careful what you wish for.

Zalno asks: Will Sony honor digital purchases for PS2 games like what they're sort of doing for the PS1? Or failing that, will they port them to the PC and fuck off already?

Cards drawn: King of Charisma, The Devil, Four of Strength

The King of Charisma has his eyes locked with Ji... The Devil. The king will need our support. We must stand with him a??s he plays his Lute of Divine Justice.

If we believe in the king, he will see PAL v??ersions of PS1 games banished to hell and re?placed with NTSC versions. If we join him and face The Devil, PS2 purchases can eventually be honored.

It has to be like a JRPG spirit bomb, like when Cecil and his friends faced Zeromus. Or that time we killed everyone that made Nier Automata and Super Smash Bros.

You must look to the heavens and give the young empress a name to defeat The Nothing, Sebastián! You must trust your force and head to zee Garden of Madness! Try to remember the basics o??f CQC! Remember that love can bloom on the battlefield! Kingdom Hearts is Liiiiiight!

That sort of thing.

To be continued...

The post Dungeons, dragons, and ??summer gaming tarot predictions #2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Glorious Chaos!

Well, there's no E3 this year. Again. But there are summer live streams where E3 news would go! As such, the tradition of E3 predictions lives on. In the past, one might have asked zoo animals to divine gaming predictions for t?he jbsgame.community but I'm a night person and hate sunlight, so I use tarot cards instead.

This year I will be using the brand new Dungeons & Dragons Tarot Deck. As a small review, the deck is both beautiful and deeply flawed. The art is done by Fred Gissubel and reminds me a great deal of the tarot drawn for Dragon Age but never had a deck realized. For the gor?geous, evocative imagery alone, the deck is worth collecting.

It seems it was more geared toward DM ??scenario planning or tossing in a random event than a good tool for traditional divination, though. The suits of minor arcana are a mess with nothing ??to distinguish a Two of Strength from a Two of Charisma. Beautiful, but sloppy in that no effort was made to distinguish one suit from another.

They basically brute-forced D&D stats on the suits in a way that doesn't make sense or line up with the art. For reference Strength is Wands, Intelligence is Swords, Wisdom is Cups, and Charisma is Pentacles/Coins. Good luck? knowing which is which without the guide.

I wanted to use a full deck this year, ??though, so I decided to lean into the storytelling sensibilities of this deck and also referenced other tarot. The readings are single-card, three-card, and sometimes cross spreads.

??This is not to say more is better, I just pulled the amount t?hat felt right.

I'll be doing seven communi?ty ques??tions today, with more to come later in the week.

RLZ asks: "Will there be a big old Nintendo Direct in June?"

Card Drawn: The Chariot

The Chariot is all about drive, willpower, and victory. Nintendo is like a great old wizard �?they show up precisely when they mean to, usually smoking weed with fireworks and surprise?s in tow.

??Wait until the others are done. They'll show up before June is over.

Vincentdante asks: Will that rumored Silent Hill game actually turn up?

Cards Drawn: Three of Strength reversed, Seven of Charisma, Wheel of Fortune

Much talent has diligently tried to get a Silent Hill game ??off the ground and as you can see they are now tired and laying down ?on the left. But another hope emerges and promises to bear new fruits.

But the dragon spins? the Wheel of Fortune and it only wants one thing.

Pachinko machines, son.

Scrustle asks: Will Darksiders IV get announced?

Cards Drawn: Two of Charisma, The Lovers, Five of Intelligence

A tiefling woman sits in a parlor, conjuring an imp to fetch her a café mocha and roasted?? almonds as she reads a romance novel.

It's about a knight and wizard destined to adventure and fall in lov??e. But on their qu??est they find a pot with a genie inside. It only wants to cause jealousy and discord between the adventures with the wishes he grants.

The genie also wants a threesome early on and later conjures four horsemen for an apocalyptic orgy in heart of Baldur's Gate, much to the tiefling reader's delight. She really has the hots f?or Fury, too. She's into redheads a??nd whips.

Looks like a maybe.

Derpunkel asks: Will (the streams) be condensed in a short amount of time or will we see an endless drip feed of streams?

Card drawn: Ten of Intelligence reversed

A you??ng musketeer has stumbled and fallen off a cliff. She tried to drive her blade into the cliffside as she fell to sav??e herself but the fall seems inevitable and so she plummets toward the deep river below.

She holds her blade clos??ely, tightly, and accept?s her plunge, yet the fall goes on forever. It is eternal.

She weeps. It begins to rain. She cann?ot find a re?stroom in the freefall and so...

Endless s?treams. Endless streams are now the way of ?things, much like "roadmaps" after a botched launch. The Ten of Intelligence reversed suggests the embrace of change is sometimes for the best. Choose your streams accordingly.

Hlarge4 asks: Will I actually play a video game in June, unlike May?

Card drawn: Ten of Wisdom reversed

Outlook not so good. A reverse Ten of Wisdom suggests shattered dreams, like Ben Shapiro's sex life.?? Or the PlayStation Plus revamp.

May I suggest something bite-sized like Toodee & Topdee? I still haven't finished Elden Ring for reasons beyond me. I was so close, too. I even beat Melania. Then the April Final Fantasy XIV update came and I was sidetracked again.

I did finish five books, though! I particularly enjoyed Punderworld by Linda Sejic.

ZombieCorps asks: I'VE ONLY GOT ONE QUESTION FOR YOU! EXPLOSIONS?

Cards drawn: Two of Charisma (center), Two of Wisdom reversed (left), Queen of Intelligence (right), The World (top), Ace of Charisma (bottom)

The tiefling in the parlor desires sensual explosions. Two halflings are looking in from the outside, hanging from the roof �?p?ossibly plotting explosions. A queen passes the parlor, turning south to meet a dwarven b?lacksmith who has forged her a Blade of Combustion +5.

She hears voices from the heaven, bursting with joy, ?asking her to make him one of her Knights of Detonation. She touches each of his shoulders with the blade and he rises to become Sir ... and then there are just bits of him all over the town square.

FakePlasticTree asks: When will Atlus release Persona 5 Arena?

Cards Drawn: Ten of Wisdom reversed, The Tower, Nine of Wisdom.

EXPLOSIONS!

Oh, that was the last draw. Still, again, the reversed Ten of Wisdom represents shattered dreams, The Tower represents mass destruction and a re??versed Nine of Wisdo??m expresses disappointment.

Doesn't look likely. I say let Soul Hackers 2 get a chance to shine.

Also, did you know the Persona 5 tarot deck is like $60!? I got the Dungeons & Dragons and Urban Tarot together for like $40 �?and neither are as ugly as the P5 deck. And there still isn't a full version of the P3 deck. Grrr.

To be continued...

The post Dungeons, dragons, and summer gaming tarot p??redictions #1 appeared first on Destructoid.

Next week's LRG3 digital showcase promises 30+ trailers and physical game reveals

For the third year in a row, Limited Run Games will be a part of our summer stream smoothie, so don't spoil your appetite. (And bring money. Lots of money!) The physical game purveyor is hosting its LRG3 digital showcase on June 6 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific.

For this year's showcase, Limited Run Games will be covering "over 30 awesome game trailers and physical release reveals for bespoke, high-quality collector's editions," which is par for the course at this point. You'll be able to watch along on the company's Twitch channel. Expect to see plenty of Mega64 shenanigans, as the boys are bac??k in town.

//twitter.com/LimitedRunGames/status/15320645??73771358208

We know of at least one high-profile release that'll show up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. A tweet last month confirmed a Collector's Edition reveal at LRG3.

I feel like some of you will tune in just for TMNT, but that's just one of many games. There's plenty of room for other limited editions, and it's been great to see Limited Run (and other fo??lks doing similar work) on the rise in spite of industry trends. As we've seen, there's still plenty of demand for phy?sical releases �?especially when they're done right.

For those of you in North Carolina (or anyone willing to travel for the sake of hard-to-find video games), Limited Run recently opened its first retail store in Cary, as pictured?? above. I haven't been! But have you ever had that dream where you've somehow stumbled upon the motherload �?rare games as far as the eye can see �?and then you wake up?

With new showcases filling out the rest of June, LRG3 won't be everyone's top priority, but it's bound to be a fun one for collectors. Let's all try to sta?y on budget, shall we?

The post Penc??il in t?he Limited Run Games showcase for June 6 appeared first on Destructoid.

June 5 at 7AM ET

An Acquire (the Akiba's Trip studio) showcase is coming, helping to kick off "E3" a bit? earlier this year, on?????????????????????????? June 5 at 7AM ET.

The news was announced via their Twitter account, and they're taking questions, provided that you use the hashtag "#アクワイアへの質�?" As a reminder, we have a full list of all of the "E3" streams? for June 2022 here, and Acquire is actually one of the first, which will help ??kick things off. Before them, Sony is doing their thing with a State?? of Play on June 2, followed by a June 9 Summer Game Fest kickoff.

Acquire is one of those Japanese companies that's been around forever, quietly making games. It blew up immediately after the release of Tenchu 1 and 2, before the series was taken away from them shortly after (oh what could have been). From there they continued down a similar path with Way of the Samurai and Shinobido, before hitting it big in 2011 with Akiba's Trip.

Since then they've been collaborating with various studios (including doing some co-development work on Octopath Traveler), and supplementing their income with multiple Akiba's Trip titles. As Gematsu points out, we can expect at least one new reveal following a leak: Class of Heroes Quest.

Where to watch the Acquire June 2022 showcase:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz1f2ULi_L4

The post Akiba’s Trip studio Acquire is having a showcase stream soon appeared first on Destructoid.

The 2022 game streams are coming

2022 game streams are on the way, and I use "E3" in quotes because really, we all know it's E3 in spirit, even if E3 doesn't exist this year. I mean, the ESA made its bed, but it's still weird to call it by any other name at the current moment. It's kind of like Face??book changing the name of the Oculus Rift to something I won't even ?mention here. I'm just not ready for change!

In the meantime, here are all of the confirmed da??tes and times for 2022 game streams. It's...a lot. While "E3 is canceled," we're effectively getting a more spread out E3: with all the good and bad that comes with that.

Expect this page? to be updated when new 2022 "E3" and Summer Game Fest streams arise.

When the Sony State of Play stream starts

June 2 - 5PM ET

-

When the Acquire showcase starts

June 5 - 7AM ET

-

When the Limited Run showcase starts

June 6 - 4PM ET

-

When the Sonic Central stream starts

June 7 - 12PM ET

-

When the Summer Games Fest stream starts

June 9 - 2PM ET

When the Devolver Direct showcase starts

June 9 - 6PM ET

-

When the Netflix Gaming stream starts

June 10 - 1PM ET

When the Epic Games Store Summer showcase starts

June 10 - 2PM ET

-

When the Guerilla Collective stream starts

June 11 - 11AM ET

When the Wholesome Games Direct stream starts

June 11 - 12:30PM ET

When the Future Games Show stream starts

June 11 - 3PM ET

-

When the Xbox and Bethesda showcase stream starts

June 12 - 1PM ET

When the PC Gaming Show stream starts

June 12 - 3:30PM ET

-

When the Capcom Showcase stream starts

June 13 - 6PM ET

-

When the Assassin's Creed Celebration stream starts

June 14 - 12PM ET

When the Xbox extended games showcase stream starts

June 14 - 1PM ET

-

When the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration stream starts

June 16 - 6PM ET

When the Dragon's Dogma 10th Anniversary stream starts

June 16 - 6PM ET

-

When the 2022 Nintendo Direct Mini stream starts

June 28 - 9AM ET

-

When the Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope stream starts

June 29 - 12:00PM ET

-

When the Annapurna Interactive Showcase stream starts

July 28 -3PM ET

Publishers yet to confirm events, dates, or times, or have backed out:

• Ubisoft (Confirmed to not participate in June)
• EA Play Live 2022 has been canceled

The post Here are all of the 2022 “E3” and Summer Game Fest streams appeared first on Destructoid.

Sleep is for the weak

It's time to start blocking out your calendars for another summer of presentations, live streams, and online gatherings. In lieu of the typical (is it still typical?) E3 festivities, game developers and ?publishers will once again be taking to the airwaves to showcase their upcoming wares, projects, and plans for the remainder of 2022 and beyond.

One of the first to stake a claim by the pool is PC Gamer's PC Gaming Show 2022, which is officially scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 12, at 12:30 PT / 15:30 ET / 20:30 BST. The show, which will be presented by hosted by Mica Burton and Sean "Day[9]" Plott, promises to feature world exclusive? reveals, brand new trailers, developer interviews, and the most recent updates on some of the latest and ?greatest titles heading to the desktops of keyboard warriors everywhere.

Among the 45 titles expected to be spotlit as this year's showcase, t?he audience can expect to see:

• An unannounced game from 11 bit studios
• A brand-new project from Klei Entertainment
• An exclusive interview on Arma 4 with Bohemia Interactive
• The final trailer for Sam Barlow's mind-bending Immortality
• New gameplay of the ambitious mod project Half-Life: Alyx - Levitation
• An update on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 from Saber Interactive's Tim Willits
• First gameplay from the highly anticipated grand strategy game Victoria 3

Be sure to tune in to the official PC Gamer YouTube channel or the official PCGamingShow website on June 12. We will, of course, bring you all of the hottest headlines and biggest scoops right here on Destructoid. As we prepare for another hot summer of streams, I once again kindly request that Keighley and pals do th?eir best to ??keep shenanigans under two hours. We have beds and families.

The post PC Gaming Show 2022 scheduled for June 12 appeared first on Destructoid.

"Nearly 100 amazing indie games" lined up for this year's Wholesome Direct showcase

There's not enough time to hear about (much less play) all of the worthwhile video games in the collective cooker, and even if we narrow down our scope to certain genres or moods, our brains can only hang onto so much information at once. But we can try! So while June is going to be another busy month for live-streamed game showcases, I've once again got my eye on the Wholesome Dir??ect, a celebr??ation of cute and cozy upcoming indie games.

The Wholesome Direct is back for 2022, and the event is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Pacific on June 11. Here's a teaser trailer w?ith a preview of some of the curate??d games.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Easppal2KtQ

On the docket so far, we've got:

• Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, a visual novel about listening (and being a barista) in a fantasy version of Seattle.
• Mail Time, a "cottagecore" delivery adventure game with a glider.
• PuffPals: Island Skies, a farming life sim that looks too pure for this world.
• SCHiM, an eye-catching platformer about jumping between shadows.
• Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, a storybook adventure with musical puzzles.
• Terra Nil, a serene building game about revitalizing ecosystems in wastelands.
• And a few more, as teased in this video.

Some of these might've been on your radar, b?ut most of them are pr?obably new to you.

The showcase will air on YouTub?e on Saturday, June 11, and you can expect to see "new game reveals, exclusive footage, and even games that will launch during the show."

[caption id="attachment_322168" align="alignnone" width="2560"] _Frogun.[/caption]

According to the organizers of Wholesome Direct 2022, there will be "nearly 100 amazing indie games in tota?l." Odds are, yo??u'll see something that clicks with you.

For me, just based on the teaser trailer, I know I'm down for Frogun. I continue to be a mark for col??????????????????????????orful 3D platforms that throw back to the ?PS1 era, and this one's a cutie.

As much as we've learned to keep our guards up during these past two summers with too many tedious streams, I think spreading the good word about "uplifting, compassionate, cozy video games" is a noble task, and it's one that's worth ??tuning in for again this year.

The post Wholesom??e Direct 2022 has more heartfelt games to share on June 11 appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's a recap of the six new games

This year has been pretty spread out in terms of ?live-streamed showcases, to the point where, yeah sure, I'?m open to watching a 10th anniversary showcase from THQ Nordic.

Hosted by (who else?) Geoff Keighley, the THQ Nordic stream starts at 3:00 p.m. Eastern and, according to the publisher, includes "six new game announcements."

//youtu.be/SKBUrGCpibw

Apart from YouTube, you can also catch the showcase on Twitch.

"Witness the return of legendary f?ranchises, where the fans are waiting for decades to get their hands on a new installment, sequels to beloved games, and new original IPs."

I like it when they lay it all out: "Besides these six announcements, new information and footage for Open-World-Sci-Fi-Fantasy RPG ELEX II will be shown and the developers from CRPG Expeditions: Rome will give an upda??te and show what they've been working on.?"

I'll be honest, while I think THQ Nordic puts out some interesting games, and the company definitely has some great older IPs, for this showcase,?? you may want to tune in more for the jbsgame.community spirit than the actual video game announcements. Or maybe they've got a particular game that really speaks to you, and that's enough of a driver.

Case in point, one of the big reveals (potentially the biggest, depending on who you ask), already leaked. With an early tweet, PlayStation removed what little surprise was left of the upcoming Destroy All Humans 2 remake. Yes, it had been heavily teased, but still.

Even if you're skipping the showcase, heads up: there are two free-to-keep games. As part of the anniversary shindig, you can grab Titan Quest Anniversary Edition and Jagged Alliance 1: Gold Edition for free on Steam. Do it for old Edward "Ears" Stockwell.

[Update: Recap time! THQ Nordic made six announcements, some of which were pretty unexpected. Here's the li??st:

• Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed, a remake for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S �?but not last-gen consoles. It's being made in Unreal Engine 4 by Black Forest Games.
• SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, a new 3D platformer with iconic costumes and songs from the show. It's "coming soon" to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch with the "original actors" on board.
• Jagged Alliance 3, a return to the tactical squad series from developer Haemimont Games (Surviving Mars, Tropico 4) with co-op support. PC only.
• Outcast 2 - A New Beginning, a kind of out-of-nowhere open-world sci-fi sequel for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S from Appeal Studios.
• Superpower 3, a geopolitical grand-strategy sim that's conjuring thoughts of Tears for Fears deep inside me. PC only.
• MX vs. ATV: Legends, another one of these for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

I know, I know. No #darksiders. But some interesting projects, al?l the same.]

The post It’s time to watch the THQ Nordic 10th anniversary showcase and claim a couple of free games appeared first on Destructoid.

It's boasting the return of "legendary franchises"

THQ Nordic turns ??a full decade old this year, and to celebrate its 10th anniversary, the publisher is host??ing a digital showcase to spotlight what's next for it. A digital showcase of THQ Nordic's upcoming slate of games has been set for Sept. 17, 2021.

The showcase will be hosted by Game Awards and Gamescom Opening Night Live host Geoff Keighley, and is set to feature six new games. ??THQ Nordic says viewers will witness the "return of legendary franchises and sequels to beloved games."

The festivities kick off on YouTube, Twitch, and Steam at noon? PT /?? 3 p.m. ET on THQ Nordic's channels.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHho7aGg0bo

What exactly could THQ Nordic have in store for its 10th anniversary? Well, in terms of beloved franchises, the publisher has built up a catalogue of revivals and sequels. THQ Nordic was behind SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bi??kini Bottom Rehydrated and the Re-Reckoning remaster of Kingdoms of Amalur, so they're no stran?ger to bringing old, even somewhat-niche favorites back to life.

One thing THQ Nordic assures it won't be is the new Timesplitters, as that is not the publisher's IP. It's also ruled out a few others like Red Faction, which have been traded out to other publishers.

Honestly, I could try and guess, but I'm really just expecting to be surprised. THQ Nordic has usually surprised me with what franchises and series they've managed to acquire and revitalize, so even if they aren't all my cup of tea, i?t's still pretty interesting to see what they pick up.

We'll see what the label ha?s in store on Sept. 17 at 3 ?p.m. ET.

The post THQ Nordic is hosting a 10th?? anniversary showcase this month appeared first on Destructoid.