Can Travis be far behind?

Recently, No More Heroes creator Suda51 held the first-ever "Grasshopper Direct" event. It's a madcap show, packed with curses and cosplay, serving as a fantastic example of modern anti-marketing. Most of the "real" content on display is non-game related news like the reveal of new t-shirts, gallery showings, and related merch, while the most shocking moments of presentation pop in under the guise of unrelated, intrusive advertisements. First, there's Pistol Yakuza (a John Wick-esque movie and game combo) at 5:59, and a trailer for Electric Thunder Tiger 14, starring Electro Triple Star (the first boss of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes) at 9:38.

It's hard to say if these projects are factual or imaginary, which is right on brand for this franchise. When Travis meets Electro Triple Star in Travis Strikes Again, he talks about how much he loved playing his games as a kid, blurring the lines between past and present, idol and villain, physical and virtual. It all ends with Travis wondering if he might star in Electric Thunder Tiger 3 himself someday. So how did we get to Electric Thunder Tiger 14 already? That's anyone's guess, but one can speculate that death and the passage of time don't work in vid?eogames like they do in the real world.

[embed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v=???THS60cC3768[/embed]

More No More Or No More More?

But one thing that definitely does work in the real world is copyright laws, and Grasshopper has confirmed with Destructoid that the majority rights to all No More Heroes characters, including Travis Touchdown and Electro Triple Star, are still held by Marvelous, their publishing partner on the ser??ies. So tha?t either means that this trailer was essentially a fake-out, or that it's a real game being developed with Marvelous's blessing.

If it's the latter, then it would be a real waste of the license to not throw a Travis cameo or two in there, right? More No More Heroes or not, we know for sure that Grasshopper is working on several projects that will swing for the fences. I'm hoping that some of those swings come from ??a beam katana.

The post Shocking No More Heroes boss may get his own game appeared first on Destructoid.

Two types of 'Cleaner' to join the roster next year

Autumn Games has revealed its plans for the coming year as it pertains to the fantastic Skullgirls 2nd Encore, which has, impressively, enjoyed a full decade of exciting, tag-fighting action �fending off competition from a plethora of fighting game releases, large and small, t??o carve itself a niche in the competitive scene.

And it seems that the part??y is only just getting started.

As we enter 2023, Skullgirls 2nd Encore will begin a year-long rollout of new characters, console ports, balance updates, and new merchandise, celebrating a full decade of fist-throwin', hair-slammin', charleston-boppin' action. The initial impact will be felt via the official launch of the ruthless Black Dahlia �the amoral assassin of The Medici Crime Family and one of the most highly anticipated DLC characters in Skullgirls' history, having been part of the game's lore since la?unch day.

Black Dahlia is my favorite character in the SG universe, so I'm p??e??rsonally very excited for her launch.

Very kindly, the development team at Hidden Variable provided Destructoid with these exclusive model sheets, showcasing the classy, sassy, Rockefeller style of perhaps the single most sociopathic woman in all of Canopy Kingdom. In a cool preview of her intro animation below, Black Dahlia and her deadly bunny girl army can also be seen strutting their stuff on their new stage, The Bunny Barrow.

Boom Boom Coming Through, M'fer.

//gfycat.com/simila??rpreciousladybug-black-dahlia-skullgirls

As 2023 progresses, Xbox and Nintendo Switch fans will finally get the opportunity to step into the world of Skullgirls 2nd Encore themselves, with the title finally receiving its official launch on both platforms. January 3 will see the Switch edition of Skullgirls receive its largest-ever update, bringing it up to parity with all other versions of the game. This update will feature a full code rewrite, which aims to bring improved performance, smoother online play, ?and faster load times for the Switch release.

For Xbox players, Skullgirls 2nd Encore will launch on Xbox One and Xbox Series X in early 2023 (exact date to be disclosed). This update, much like the Switch release, will bring the Xbox version of Skullgirls up to parity with the PC and PlayStation editions, adding all 2nd Encore updates and paving the way for the Season 1 DLC.

It should be noted that, unfortunately, the Xbox 360 edition of Skullgirls will not be updated.

In a motion amusingly titled "Skullgirls World Domination", Autumn Games notes that it hopes to transition the world and characters of Skullgirls out of the gaming realm and into the field of merchandising and multimedia. 2023 will see the launch of Skullgirls' first-ever Good Smile Nendoroid �ninja-nurse Valentine �as well as a new range of apparel from Eighty Sixed Clothing.

We will also see further adventures of the new Skullgirls webtoon, which premiered last month and has already launched its first five episodes. You can check out the initial chapters right here.

Last, but by no means least, work continues on the final season one DLC character, the hyper-destructive Goth-Lolita, Marie! Having laid a hell of a beating on the Skullgirls community as t??he game's final boss, the vacuum cleaner-swinging demon will finally be in the hands of the players. A terrifying thought. Autumn Games hopes to see Marie launch before 2023 is out, but she currently sits in early development, with much more work ??????????????????????????to be done before she can step back into the ring.

To whet your appetite, here are some exclusive early animatics of our princess in action. These are obviously very early animations, so are subject to change, but we already we can see h?er dry modesty and deadly hoover skills in full effect. Can't wait to see the OG Skullgirl when she takes her final form!

All in, 2023 is looking like another solid year for the underdog fighter that won't lay down. Skullgirls has had a tough fight since launch, with hurdles ranging from crowdfunding risks, publisher fallouts, and the nigh-on dissolution of its talented team of artists and?? designers through studio toxicity. Crucially, however, the game has endeavored �carried forth by the dedication of its developers, the faith of its marketers, and, of course, the passionate love bestowed upon the fighter by its community.

Skullgirls has fought the good fight for 10 years, coming up trumps each and every time. Constantly updated and supported by developers in its formative years, offering up its first DLC free for early adopters, and building a competitive scene despite the title's niche nature. Within a highly crowded and competitive marketplace, Skullgirls has held its own, outliving larger budgeted and more established fighting games. Now entering its second decade, Skullgirls deserves everything coming to it.

For more details on Skullgirls 2nd Encore's 2023 battle plan, visit the official blog.

The post Ex??clusive: Black Dahlia and Marie lead Skullgirls 2nd Encore into an? exciting 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

You know what? I'm more interested now

Diablo is such a weird series: and I vibed with that feeling since the very first game. I had zero idea of what to expect, and didn't understand the strange history of the Hellfire "expansion" until many years after its release. By the time Diablo 2 rolled around my little crew of Diablo-playing-friends was around 20 strong, and i?t was a?? bonafide hit that people still play today.

But Diablo 3 changed things considerably. Blizzard was already changing in terms of its perception as a bulletproof company, and the Auction House debacle was a sign of trouble to come for the publisher. In the end, D3 sold very well, but the team had a lot to prove when they first announced Diablo 4 to the world. So ??far, based ?on some hands-on time with the game, I think they're doing just that.

You can choose between more or less guidance: depending on your experience with the series

My build went up to level 25 with ??three classes (Barbarian, Sorcerer, Rogue), and contained still-in-development content from Act 1. As an FYI, my PS5 copy was watermarked: and I couldn't use my own screens or footage. And with that out of the way, onto impressions!

Smartly, Diablo 4 is aiming to pick up players of all playstyles: lapsed fans, hardcore folks, and newcomers. Immediately I was given the option of toggling on/off most tutorials, depending on your experience with the series. If you want, you can dive into the game's new skill tree system immediately, which I did with my "main," the Barbarian (something I never really do in a core Diablo as a first character).

Here ?are the thr?ee options, with all the specializations you can choose from:

• Barbarian (berserking, bleed-focused, walking arsenal [tank], or unbridled rage [damage])
• Sorcerer (frost, pyromancy, or shock)
• Rogue (marksman, imbuements, or traps)

Most of my time was spent with the Barbarian, which I had a lot of fun with. You can whirlwind and leap still, and augment each indivi??dual skill/ability with a little spice (like extra damage or more utility). On PS5 by default most of your abilities are linked to the face buttons and the triggers: with a dedicate??d dodge button.

Bringing in Blizzard's time with Diablo 3 on consoles, this is now a full-on mechanic in every build (PC included), and charges will increase over time (governed by a cooldown ?period). I immediately noticed some enemies are designed around this sk?ill, which made a lot of the typically rote fights a little more interesting and engaging.

Respeccing (changing your build) is in. Initially it's free and can be done anywhere; with a gold price associated with it. I also got the chance to speak to Joseph Piepiora (Associate Game Director), Adam "AZ" Jackson (Lead Class Designer), and Ash Sweetring (Dungeon Producer) about class spread, and learned how the team went about approaching Diablo 4's class philosophy:

Destructoid: "I feel like you've done a pretty good job of condensing down the D4 classes to a good spread of representation from D1 and D3 - Was there a temptation to add more? How did you decide on the final count and what should be included?"

Joseph Piepiora: "We wanted to make sure as we're looking to advance the world of Sanctuary...reach back into the series' past and pluck out these iconic classes to reinterpret. Anyone who's played recently sees the evolution in the Barbarian...there's a lot of opportunities for us to take skills and reinterpret them into this new system. In terms of overall count we love the number five (laughs)...but for real, the game has many layers of complexity. Five is a good enough number to hit a good amount of core fantasies, while also giving us enough space on the design side to make things complex...the broader we go the less time we get to spend with each class. There's an opportunity to grow this roster in the future."

Adam Jackson: "There's always a temptation to add more...we love adding more. But like Joe mentioned, a big part of Diablo 4 is mixing the old and the new. You also probably have noticed that these classes have a lot of depth...in order for us to really sell these fantasies and get as deep...and introduce new ways to play, we had to stick to this number to nail the fantasies. As an example the Rogue in Diablo 1 is more fleshed out in Diablo 4."

Difficulty settings follow a world tier system

We're moving into world tiers, as Diablo 4 continues to incorporate more open world game design into the series. "Adventurer" is tier 1 (the lowest/easiest), and "Veteran" is tier 2. You can increase your tier at specific statues (usually in hubs), or on the title screen: and doing so will add more challenging enemies, better drops, and increased XP and gold (the usual st?uff).

By default (at this current time in the game's development cycle), you can ?swap between the two freely, but the rest are locked. Here's the full list available to us at the moment:

• Nightmare (recommended level 50 - sacred item drops appear, and nightmare dungeons, triggered through nightmare sigils, are unlocked)
• Hell (recommended level 60 - greater chance of sacred item drops, and rare nightmare sigils)
• Torment (recommended level 70, ancestral items appear, as well as new unique items)

Each of these tiers from nightmare on requires players to beat a prerequisite dungeon at the previous tier (so in the case of Nightmare, you'd have to play on Veteran). It seems pretty straightforward, and as a Diablo player, I swapped it to Veteran tier right away, and it was?? manageable. It'll be fun trying to break into higher tiers at lower levels.

The mood feels a lot like Diablo 2

Playing through the first Act, I felt tinges of Diablo 2 in more ways than one. The design is a lot darker, and the story in general feels more dire. The intro showcased a more helpless/beaten down protagonist (they were huddled in a cave, freezing, with a dead mount), which I dug right away. I mean within minutes you're kicking some wildlife ass, but among that, you'll come across deserted and broken down cabins and towns. NPCs ask you to prove your worth instead of jumping right into the role of the chosen one straight away, like D3 did. Lilith, the new big bad, also brings an air of freshness to the game, ??as they're actually doing hands-on work in the story instead of being relegated to a mysterious force you meet basically at the end.

After seeing this take in action, I dug into it mor??e with Associate Game Director Joseph Piepiora:

Destructoid: "Playing through the current build, I would probably describe the theme, more so than anything else, as 'dire.' In D4, my first character started out huddled in a cave and had to get hands-on help from NPCs: definitely a different vibe from D3. Obviously at some point I'll take down Lilith, and/or maybe a surprise Diablo. Will that dire theming maintain throughout the game, even as you level up? Either way, was striking that balance tough?"

Piepiora: "The story of the Fractured Peaks is the prologue, and the story is starting at a low point. We want that to set the tone in how players engage in the world. In terms of whether we keep that tone...the tone will change a little as you go. I don't even want to talk about it. But I will say as the player gets more powerful they get slightly more agency in the story, and develop more relationships. At no point does Diablo 4 cease being a gothic horror game. The character is a hero, and they're using world-shaking power to rise against unstoppable evil. That power fantasy is at the heart of Diablo 4."

There's a decent chunk of things to do

When s??couring through the Act 1 map, I came across numerous micro-dungeons and random encounters/activities. The classic "elite jumbled up ability" enemy types are still present, but the map feels so much bigger now that there's more of them. Dunge?on Producer Ash Sweetring noted in our interview that it could take players "around 45-50 hours" just to complete the campaign, with a lot more to do after that.

There's still a lot of "what ifs" with Diablo 4. The team stressed again that premium purchases will be restricted to just cosmetics: but we've heard that before. From a pure gameplay standpoint, Diablo 4 also needs to keep things up, and maintain that tension throughout every act. And the endgame (which was hyped again in this media session) needs to deliver. We'll see what happens, but I'll be more inclined to be there day one after my ti??me with it.

The post Hands on: Diablo 4 feels like a mix of its prede??cessors, and mostly D2 appeared first on Destructoid.

From the Dragons and Treasure sets

Magic: The Gathering's Jumpstart 2022 line is set to debut on December 2, and will once again inject cards both old and new into the gametype. As a reminder, Jumpstart is a product intended literally jumpstart quick games, by smashing up multiple themat?ic boosters: Angels and Dogs, Rogues and Pirates, that sort of thing.

This 2022 set is available in paper Magic, and although it isn't something I'm constantly playing, it's a nice thing to come back to, and have sets ready for. It has also been confirmed that Jump Start 2022 would not make it into Arena. Without further ado, onto the card previews!

[gallery col?umns="2" link="file" ids="350266,350267"??]

New cards/cards with new art from the Dragons set:

• Dragon Mage
• Plundering Predator

So these are an interesting duo, especially given how popular dragon tribal is in many circles of Magic. Dragon Mage is highly costed, but could make for some interesting plays?, especially in some wild jank mill decks. Plundering Predator is also highly costed for its effect: but perhaps with ent??er the battlefield/blink effects, you could do some fun things with it.

Note that Dragon Mage already exists, but the art is new.

[gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="350268,350269,350270,350271,??350272,350273,350274,350275,350276,350277,350278,350279,350280,35??0281,350282,350283"]

Reprints from the Dragons set:

• Bogardan Dragonheart
• Dragon Egg
• Dragon Fodder
• Dragonlord's Servant
• Dragonspeaker Shaman
• Furnace Whelp
• Kargan Dragonrider
• Lathliss, Dragon Queen
• Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
• Sarkhan's Rage
• Sarkhan's Whelp
• Scorching Dragonfire
• Sparktongue Dragon
• Tormenting Voice
• Dragon's Hoard
• Thriving Bluff

So there's a lot of familiar faces here, ?especially in the last few years. Sarkhan being part of the dragon set was predicable, and I'm sure some folks may not like that level of predictability: but he also opens up some options for building out dragon-based Jump Sta?rt decks.

[gallery columns="2" l??ink="file" ids="350284,350285"]

New cards/cards with new art from the Treasures set:

• Dutiful Replicator
• Rapacious Dragon

In a far wackier move, the Treasures set has some lower costed fare. Dutiful Replicator is fascinating, and given the sheer amount of token play ?in this set, it'll synergize instantly. Rapacious Dragon has the good old fashioned two treasure token effect, so it can create some im?mediate value to offset its cost.

Rapacious Dragon exists already, but the art is new.

[gallery link="file" ?columns="4" ids="350299,350300,350301,350302,350303,350304,350305,350306,350308,350309,350310,350311,350312,350313,350314,350315,350316,350317,350318,350319,350320,350321"]

Reprints from the Treasures set:

• Barrage Ogre
• Big Score
• Blaze
• Blood Aspirant
• Brazen Freebooter
• Captain Lannery Storm
• Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge
• Goldhound
• Goldspan Dragon
• Improvised Weaponry
• Kuldotha Flamefiend
• Professional Face-Breaker
• Pyre-Sledge Arsonist
• Reckless Fireweaver
• Ripscale Predator
• Sokenzan Smelter
• Sudden Breakthrough
• Trove of Temptation
• Vault Robber
• Welding Sparks
• Gleaming Barrier
• Goldvein Pick

Yet ag??ain we have a? mix of old and mostly semi-new/new cards, and the Treasure set does mostly what it says on the tin. Expect lots of tokens and literal treasure play, amid lots of big red damage. Goldspan Dragon sticks out like a sore thumb, and lucky is the one who cracks at least one of them in a Jump Start game.

The post Exclusive: Here’s a look at n??ew MTG Jumpstart 2022 cards co??ming to paper Magic appeared first on Destructoid.

Audacity

Wizards of the Coast has provided us with another exclusive Magic Arena card (that's also coming to paper Magic of course): Audacity. It's set to debut in the The Brothers' War set, which is out on November 11 via pre-release, November 15 in Arena, and November 18 in paper Magic.

As a reminder, here's a quick rundown of the lore for the rele??ase, to?? set the mood:

"Through nefarious means, the evil Phyrexians establish a foothold on Dominaria. They secretly transform ordinary citizens into deadly sleeper agents who go about their lives, ignorant of their new purpose. As word of the Phyrexian incursion spreads, the people of Dominaria attempt to band together as the?? sleeper agents threaten to tear them apart."

The Brothers' War is going to have all sorts of lore implications, and follows the Dominaria United set that arrived back in September. From here, we'll be delving even further into the story of the Phyrexians, with Phyrexia: All Will Be One, slated for January 2023. It's a pretty busy block for Magic, as the Dominaria sto??ryline/setting once again is hitting it pretty big with the community.

Destructoid's exclusive Magic Arena card: Audacity

As for the card itself, it's an enchantment aura called Audacity that costs G, enchants a creature, and provides a +2/+0 and trample bonus. When Audacity is put into the graveyard from the?? battlefi?eld, you draw a card.

This is the sort of thing you wouldn't mind drawing in most Magic formats, limited included. A low cost always ensures that it's generally playable (or very playable), and although it's not a flash/instant-speed enchantment. Plus, the art from Rudy Siswanto is killer ?and wonderfully showcases the direct conflict from the lore.

As ??usual, I can't wait to pick o??ne up and put it in a toploader!

The post Exclusive: Here’s a look at a new The Brothers’ War card coming to paper Magic and Magic Arena appeared first on Destructoid.

Limited Run pre-orders open January 28

[Update: Pre-orders on River City Girls Zero physical editions go live today at Limited Run Games.]

Our two favorite schoolyard roustabouts, Kyoko & Misako, are taking time out from curb-stomping creeps to bring you the good word on River City Girls Zero, the incoming remaster of the duo's 1994 debut. The old-school slugfest is headed to PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Switc??h in the ne??ar future.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpJ-UYq9T1k

As the dynamic duo explains in this new trailer, River City Girls Zero is a revamped edition of Super Famicom release Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka, which is the first title in the legendary Kunio-kun franchise to feature Kyoko and Misako in action. The new edition of RCG Zero will not only see the Japan-only title officially localized for the very first time, but it will receive a fresh coat of paint via all-new manga-style cutscenes, an anime cinematic, and a slick new theme song, composed by the ever-evocative Megan McDuffee.

For fans of the original River City Girls, RCG Zero will help flesh out a little of the two tearaways' backstory, including their relationships with chunky hunks Kunio and Riki, as well as their first encounters with the various good and bad dudes that loiter the streets of the troubled 'berg. This release will provide a perfect pit-stop for fans as they await the arrival of the all-new sequel, River City Girls 2, which will be winging our way later in 2022.

For physical media heads, Limited Run Games has revealed that it will be dropping hard copies of River City Girls Zero on PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. Pre-orders for these editions will open on January 28, exclusively on the Limited Run Games website. The retro remaster will be made available in three formats, including a standard boxed edition, and two goodie-filled collector's editions.Additional merch is also in the works, including apparel such as shirts and sweet baseball caps.

As for River City Girls Zero's official launch date? Well, that remains under wraps for now. The game was originally scheduled to drop in late 2021, but an unfortunate delay has since pushed the release back. WayForward has previously offered a ?new windo?w of early 2022, so it shouldn't be too long at all before we can all engage in a much-need bout of cathartic pixel pugilism.

Knuckle up for Safety.

The post Exclusive: Get up to speed on Riv??er City Girls Zero with?? Kyoko and Misako appeared first on Destructoid.

Godzilla never parried enough

As you might recall, Destructoid previously reported on a brand new city-stomping brawler, Dawn of the Monsters, which sees a roster of awesome kaijus throwing down on both each other and some pretty unlucky cityscapes. While work continues on this earth-shaking fighter, publisher WayForward has been rad enough to offer Destructoid a new video exploring DotM's combat.

The video, narrated by 13AM Games' creative director Alex Rushdy, gives us our first real deep dive into Dawn of the Monsters' symphony of destruction. While the gameplay instantly recalls the apocalyptic smashing of classics such as Midway's Rampage and SNK's King of the Monsters, 13AM Games has infused DotM with ?a combat system more akin to modern fighting games, resulting in a fun and frenzied brawler with its own added character depth, meter m??anagement, and sense of style.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWRLPr4zfPg

As explained in the video, Dawn of the Monsters features an evolving, ladder-s?tyle combat system. Your chosen giant throws fists and feet with reckless abandon thanks to an array of light, heavy, and dash attacks, all of which build a "Rage" meter, chunks of which can then be spent on unique and powerful Rage Attacks (special?s). In turn, as the player unleashes Rage attacks, they build toward mighty Cataclysm Attacks (supers), causing catastrophic damage to both opponents and the local high street.

This ladder system is also implemented in DotM's combo chain. Light/Heavy attacks can be canceled into Dash Attacks, which can cancel into Rage Attacks, which cancel into themselves. Ergo, in order to bag those high scores and sweet, elusive S+ rankings, players will be required to lay waste to swarms of opponents whilst u?sing smart meter management and situational awareness to keep the combo meter rolling and our scaly friends full stocked with Rage. Surprisingly deep for a game about stepping on bridges.

While Dawn of the Monsters rewards aggression, sometimes the best offense is a good defense... or something. Our anti-heroes can not only block attacks and perform smart dodges, but frame-perfect timing will result in a parry! Like King Ghidorah just joined the roster of Third Strike! Practiced use of parrying, dodging, juggling, and devastating combos will soon see your giant crowned King of the Monsters!... Erm... Dawn of the Monsters!

To add a little customization to the action, augments will also be available, allowing players to focus buffs on the weaker elements of their gameplan, or simply double-down on their positives. These augments range from meter build and parry ability to damage, dodge speed, and more. The video also touches upon weapons, unique character states, and the intricacies of the DotM combo system.

At this stage, Dawn of the Monsters is already looking like a fine time for those who like a bit of button-bashing between friends, while ha?ving the depth to keep die-hard kaiju fans locked in for the long haul.

This smart gameplay divide between casual couch party fun and practiced, lab-based study has worked out marvelously for modern brawlers such as DotEmu's Streets of Rage 4. Hopefully, Dawn of the Monsters will?? find its own dedicated community when it finally brings its big ol' foot down on your local financial district.

Dawn of the Monsters is coming soon to PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintend??o Switch platforms.

The post Exclusive: Let’s break down Dawn of the Monsters kaiju kombat appeared first on Destructoid.

The phantom of the omnia is here

Publisher Rocket Panda, in association with developer MAGES, is super excited to announce that cult slugger Phantom Breaker is to receive not only a brand new content update, but also a long-awaited western localization. Phantom Breaker: Omnia? will launch March 15, 2022, on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, priced at $39.99.

"Today, the team is ecstatic to announce Phantom Breaker: Omnia," said Rocket Panda co-founder M. Panda in a statement to Destructoid. "The addition of new characters, features, and updates to the game has taken more time than anticipated - but for our first self-published game we had to ensure we’re producing the game to the best of our ability. The Phantom Breaker: Omnia project has evolved far beyond a simple port and has become an enhanced and complete Phantom Breaker experience. The fire in all of o?ur hearts will be burning next March"

Check out the heart-burnin??' action in this (very silly) new trailer:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVxA4VCaBmo

Phantom Breaker's wild storyline recounts the tale of the mysterious "Phantom," who emerges in Tokyo one dark day and manipulates a gaggle of adolescent gals into a hard-hitting fighting competition, promising to manifest the wildest dreams of the tournament's winner. Each entrant becomes the recipient of reality-defying powers known as "Fu-mension Attacks," which the Phantom deceptively hopes will brin??g about an interdimensional collapse, rendering the mysterious being the omnipotent ruler of all of existence. Anime.

Phantom Breaker: Omnia will be a fully revised and rebalanced edition of 2011's Phantom Breaker: Extra, which launched in Japan on PC, consoles, and the arcade market. Omnia will not only include two brand new characters, but will also sport an overhauled and customizable fighting system, a fully remixed soundtrack, and dual-language voice-acting, which is a first for the series. Phantom Breaker: Omnia will also represent the mainline series' first official release outside of Japan, (notwithstanding 2013 spin-off Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds.) As such, Omnia will be a perfect jumping-off point for brand new fans, as well as an exciting update for veterans. For those veterans, the wait is almost over.

Phantom Breaker: Omnia launches March? 15, 2??022 on PS4, PC (Steam) Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

The post Phantom Breaker: Omnia brings anime fightin’ action westward March 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.

An Endwalker hands-on preview

_{[This Endwalker hands-on preview is based on an in-development build of Final Fantasy XIV, and content in the final version is subject to change.]}

I've been playing Final Fantasy XIV for roughly 11 years. Well, I've been enjoying Final Fantasy XIV for X years after the Realm Reborn salvaging job came about. And it's been pretty crazy to see all of its improvements happen in real-time. Yes, Realm Reborn was pretty great at launch, but it's gotten so much better since then. That includes the upcoming expansion. It's time for an Endwalker hands-on preview.

Square Enix gave us nearly a full day of hands-on time with Endwalker. But before that happen?ed, we got a special presentation from Naoki "Yoshi P" Y??oshida himself. It was 45 minutes long. He was rocking a soul patch. Ah, the world of MMO coverage! I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Yoshida says that although he would have loved to have done an in-person preview this year, it's basically impossible, noting that Japan is still in a "tough situation," and he took some time to commend the healthcare industry for allowing his team to continue their work. It's a bizarre time for both press and develo?pers alike, but it was great to see a heartfelt message from Yoshida, as he's always been earnest throughout his career, and seems like he actually enjoys his work.

After that brief intro, it was time to get to the content. With music from the expansion blaring in the background, Yoshida gave us his spiel. Final Fantasy XIV is now officially at 24 million players, an increase of two million since the last time he checked in, and the ga?me "continues to grow." Remember when I smack-talked the original version earlier? Yoshida touched on that, noting that it's amazing how he and his team were able to turn the game around to a "core part of Square Enix's business" from what it was.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTTtd6bnhFs

It's been 11 years since they dropped the 1.0 edition, and on September 30, they'll hit 12 years and four expansions to Realm Reborn. Yoshida thanks? fans for sticking with the game for this long �something he tries to do a couple of times a year, at least �and credits the community for keeping the game alive. Again, I believe his sincerity here.

He recalls how the game grew from four million members after the launch of Heavensward (the first expansion), and how they were "super happy" with that figure because of how they were able to fix the game from its previous state. After Stormblood hit, they grew from 10 million to 16 million before Shadowbringers arrived. The next milestone was surpassed by the "highly acclaimed" Shadowbringers, which now sits at 24 million players. Yoshida vaguely mentioned "10 more years" of plans, and that just because the fi??rst saga (Hydaelyn and Zodiark) is over, it doesn't mean the end.

Onto Endwalker, which is still being referred to as their "largest expansion to date" �which he clarifies is both story and playable content. To recap, there's six areas, a new hub city, two new jobs (Reaper/Sage), better Trust (CPU party members) AI, new gear/crafting re?cipes, the Pandemonium raid, a new allian?ce raid (Myths of the Realm), new dungeons, male Viera race, Island Sanctuary ("relaxed content"), a new tribe (Loporrits), the new data center travel system, the new Oceania region data center, the Ishgard residential district, and a level cap increase to 90.

"More than anything," he believes people are inte?rested in the new jobs.

Yoshida reiterates from patch 6.1, "a new adventure will begin," so expect a big finish in the base expansion, as they "tie up loo?se ends from the last 10 years." Afterward, the team decided they wanted to "challenge themselves" with a brand new story, and thus the concept for 6.1 was born.

He reminds us that Endwalker will "downscale values" alongside battle changes, and reassures players that they have "nothing to worry about." This is mostly due to calculation overflow bugs (read: big numbers screwing things up internally), and a reduction of floating text for aesthetic reasons. A number given that was reaching untenable heights was a 440,000,000 HP boss battle. "One-fifth of original values" is the basic number provided, but the game should ostensibly feel the same, and you should "still feel stronger" when leveling. "I assure you you'll g??et used to it right away," he says, and it's for the best for "the next 10 years of service."

One immediate bonus is a reduction of leveling up XP requirements. Y??oshida says that their philosophy has changed over time, and instead of wanting to see players just focus on one or two jobs, they want to try multiple jobs and playstyles. "It will be super easy to level up every single job," he says, and you'll be able to "experience more things" as a result of spending less time leveling.

"Inflation" is another concern, which Yoshida is combating by "abolishing the 999 gil [gold] cap" on teleportation (an example of 1,200 gil fees were mentioned). The aim is to "rebalance the economy," and I'm sure people will have thoughts when the whole process is finali??zed. Yoshida reminds players that you can favor destinations to reduce the cost. "Concern for the game's lore" was also considered when adjusting these values.

A big thing Yoshida harped on in the presentation as well was the ability to do more solo content with AI party members via the Trust system. Yoshida intends to make the game more playable solo with the Endwalker 6.0 Trust enhancements, and is not concerned about "it becoming a non-MMO" as a result. One of his b??ig points is that there are people who are prone to not wanting to group up, and he wants everyone to still experience the story and the game as a whole.? He hopes that those people do gravitate toward group activities, but isn't overly worried about it.

After that, I was whisked away to the Endwalker build (Yoshida says to remind people that this is a "pr?e-release build that is subject to change") and swapped to Paladin as quickly as I could (it's not like people are scrambling for tanks when there's new healer/DPS jobs!). My demo included two new areas (Thavnair and Garlemald), level 90 jobs (including Re??aper and Sage), the Tower of Zot dungeon, and the Old Sharlayan hub were open. No quests were unlocked.

I'll start with exploration. Thavnair's? aesthetic heavily leans toward "lush jungle" and it's completely my vibe. Between the ruins and the menacing structures scattered around it, it's easily one of the coolest-looking zones in the game. Again, n??o quests or story content was enabled, so we were only able to fly around it �but I was able to clearly see some of the narrative beats that were about to unfold just due to the strong design alone.

Garlemald is a Heavensward-like snowy area. I started in Camp Brokenglass (edgy name amid a zone torn by war), and made my way to the gigantic broken castle motif, which is the ce?nterpiece of the area. It's bleak, especially when juxtaposed to Thavnair's thriving nature.  Old Sharlayan is a pristine town that reminds me a lot of Idyllshire. Right now it's not overly exciting (though I do love cities with plenty of water), but that might change ??when the main story quests tie me to it emotionally.

The other big place we could try is the Tower of Zot: a new dungeon with plenty of Final Fantasy IV flavor (the Magus Sisters are the core focus and the entirety of the boss gauntlet). You fight two of them sequentially, then all three at once. Combined with the horrifying (and tentacle-filled) art style, it has a ton of flavor. During Zot, I opted to play my go-to Paladin so our ?group had a tank, with my party members tr??ying out Reaper (x2) and Sage. We cleared it! But afterward, I had to get a feel for both of the new jobs myself and came away impressed on just about every level.

The Reaper was already going to appeal to a certain type of player just based on looks alone, but they back it up mechanically too. The job is heavily combo-based, with some traversal options and positional requirements. In that sense, it reminds me of the Dragoon a bit, but with its own distinct style on several counts. The Reaper has buffs like arcane crest (which creates a barrier for 10% of HP for you and buffs nearby party members when absorbed), or arcane circle (which buffs party damage). Hellsgate?? lets you slip in and out of jams, and sev?eral abilities have a prerequisite state when casting. At first glance, it doesn't seem like a beginner class, but should satisfy long-time players immediately. It also looks damn cool, which....c'monnnnnn.

The Sage is the healer class and the other new job for Endwalker. As one of my party members in the demo said, "it's like they made a Gundam job." Sage is one of the flashiest jobs in the game, or maybe any Final Fantasy to date. It has myriad area-of-effect (AOE) abilities that fire off cool effects and protect the party, which is especially fun to play when first learning the class. It has some straightforward heals and damage abilities, on top of stuff like Phlegma, which damages enemies and heals your party (provided you hit them with the Kardion-granting Kardia ability). It has a regen (Physis) and a few other tricks?? up its sleeve, including a mass AOE heal that's on a 60-second cooldown.

While Reaper is easily more enticing, Sage is something I can see sinking my teeth?? into across the length of the expansion.

I doubt many of you were worried about the quality of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, but based on what I've seen, it's on track to at least meet the high bar they've set so far. Shadowbringers is going to be really hard to top, but they'?re on the right track.

The post Final Fantasy XIV’s Endwalker expansion is shaping up fantastically so far appeared first on Destructoid.

Little bird, long odds, strong cards

[Update: We promised you more info on [lock-on] and [versus] if we could get it, and after dropping our hooks in the water, we've pulled out a few whoppers! Lost in Cult, the creators of this combination card game and magazine, surprised me by announcing that a card f?eaturing my art of a naked old man is now a?? stretch goal. I did not know this ??was happening! I am also not getting paid anything for it, so never fear, d??ear reader. This story is as unbiased as it ever was. But it's still pretty neat to see.

Lost in Cult also revealed a new story for the magazine side of the project about the end of Travis Touchdown, featuring a massive interview with Suda51. And as if that weren't all enough, they're also releasing another new card, this time based on Grindstone. Published by Capy Games, the smart, brutal, and silly pu??zzler is about as extreme as it gets, making it a perfect fit for this particular crossover project. Don't those pink nipples look cool? The original story follows below.]

You may be surprised to hear that in the year of our lord 2021, special edition vinyl records sell better than compact discs. ??Streaming music trumps them both by a large margin, but vinyl is definitely doing better now than it was 15 years ago, and that's probably because it's as "Extremely Analog" as music gets. Now more than ever, people want the extremes. The most sought-after stuff in video games right now is either the latest tech and/or physical media like classic, clunky game cartridges, arcade cabinets, and even video-game-adjacent card games. They won't even sell Pokemon cards at my local target anymore. People got too violent over them.

[lock-on] is a new book-sized game magazine that looks to serve both fans of the latest games and of all sorts of legacy game media. It follows in the footsteps of high-end, lovingly-made game publications like A Profound Waste of Time, though it's definitely got its own identity. What really amazed me about the first issue of [lock on] is how it made me interested in AAA games that I might normally work to ignore. There's an amazing piece there on how The Last of Us: Part 2 is an achievement in game accessibility. Hearing independent voices gush about decidedly not independent games, their words sitting alongside beautiful, digitally-created artwork, all in a book you can hold in your darn hands? That'??s a lot of opposite extremes in one place, and I for one was s??mitten.

The first and second issues of [lock-on] are currently available via Kickstarter, and as a special campaign reward, they're throwing in a deck of an all-new competitive card game called [versus]. According to the campaign page, the game is "...a two-player card game that pits gaming characters against each other in a battle to reach their opponent's home base. This grid-based game is inspired by others such as Triple Triad (Final Fantasy VIII), Pokémon, Tic Tac Toe, and even a dash of Top Trumps. As well as character cards though, you'll also have access to items and traps which can really shake up the battlefield, creating a whole new level of strategy." Like Binding of Isaac: Four Souls, th??e game will feature crossovers with various videog??ame icons big and small.

Characters from Maneater, Disco Elysium, Death Trash, and a bunch more have already been announced, and there's more to come. Like this exclusive reveal of a card from A Short Hike!

If you've played A Short Hike, then you k?now that having any excuse to think about it again, in trading card form or otherwise, is an excuse worth making. This critically acclaimed adventure "about an adorable bi??rd, going on a walk through the countryside, with the hopes of finding cell phone reception" combines the best of roughing it outdoors with the joys of modern game design. Extreme opposites again! No wonder it's such a hit.

But does it get any more extreme and opposite than that? If it does, we'll be back to update the story later in the week. There's a chance we have another card or two from [versus] to show you before the campaign ends on September 1,? so stay tuned.

The post (Update) A Short Hike joins?? [lock-on], a combination magazine and?? card game appeared first on Destructoid.

An exclusive new trailer and our first impressions

I've long wondered why more game developers haven't taken the WarioWare format and stretched it out in any number of interesting directions beyond the basic idea of zany, chaotic, fast-moving "microgames" that are individually super disposable but ultimately add up to something hilarious and long-lasting. I just can't get enough of Nintendo's hijinks here, even in a year where we are getting a new entry. As such, I'm very into Spookware, a morbid yet silly spin on WarioWare that's built upon a road-trip adventure.

??Firs??t, the latest trailer, which sets up the "horror-inspired" tone.

Did I mention that you get to stroll around as a trio of teenage skeletons in a Paper Mario-esque cutout world, chatting up NPCs along the way? O??h, it's a great setup.

There's this fantastic blend of 2D and 3D styles with diorama-like rooms to duck into when you aren't trying to survive a microgame gauntlet. The characters in Spookware are cartoonish �vi?sua??lly, and also personality-wise �yet they're blended into a world where video game graphics and real-world photography collide. I really like the aesthetic. It's lo-fi in all the right ways, and it feels purposeful, not random for the sake of it.

In a preview build of Spookware for PC, I played through the entirety of the first two c??hapters, and I also dip??ped into the third. I'll keep that one a mystery.

Each chapter is a self-contained area, including Gruelling High �a high school in need of a fully? assembled band �and La Bonne Cruise, a sh??ip with a murder mystery to untangle.

The bulk of my time in Spookware was spent walking around, talking, and looking for the right s??keletons and/or items needed to move the story forward?, with some light adventure gaming. It's nice and breezy, so you won't get bogged down with mechanics.

I didn't necessarily expect the game to be like this, but I dug the dialogue �and again, the entire look of the world �enough to enjoy it, and the pace is just about right. (So far, I'm two hours in.) The high school chapter was a little straightforward, whereas the cruise ship felt like a more fleshed-out experience. I had to pinpoint the culprit by hearing out their alibi and then objecting wi??th the right physical evidence at the right moment.

I'm hesitant to overshare, since novelty and humo?r are a big part of the appeal here, but each chapter (as well as a prologue) has a microgame challenge for you to clear.

In each set, you've g?ot nine "tapes" (microgames) to beat and only three chances to screw up, which might sound like plenty, but I'll admit it: there's a learning curve.

A few of the gauntlets were tricky enough that I needed several attempts to finally push through and beat their "boss" challenge. In one case, I lost e??nough times that I was allowed to ditch one of three microgames that w?ere giving me hell. So long!

On the whole, these wacky activities are tougher than the average WarioWare fare.

The microgame controls either use the arrow keys or the mouse, and you'll know what you're getting into be?forehand. Really, the challenge is timing and reflexes.

Many of the microgames are just complicated enough that, by the time you realize what you're mechanically meant to do, it's too late. A few of them could be?? more forgiving.

That said, when you're slicing melons with a guillotine, hopping around a chessboard as a ghost-dodging pawn, or releasing "mustard" onto a h??otdog by slicing up some dude's hairy arm with a pair of scissors, failure doesn't sting too bad. There's some wild shit in here. I get the sense that no one is really meant to master every microgame on their first attempt, and I'm largely okay with that in this more story-driven game structure.

A?? few microgame examples to get you in the right headspace:

With a little tuning and minor touch-ups here and there, I could see this resonating with a lot of us �the WarioWare fans in the crowd, of course,? but even just people who crave adventure games with a neat art style. It's all w??ay higher-effort than I expected.

Spookware is coming to Steam this year, ?and y??eah, you should consider wishlisting it.

_{[These impressions are based on an unfinished copy of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Spookware?? is a silly horror adventure game with big WarioWare energy appeared first on Destructoid.

You gotta love low cost curves

Magic: Arena is still rolling along with a heavy focus on st?andard, but over the past few years, Wizards of the Coast has added several classic modes to help extend the life of the game.

"But what happens to my old cards" is always a question people ask in digital games (where resell value is zilch), and with the Historic format, Arena had an answer. Allowing folks to use their old stuff has been a boon for the game, especially as Wizards has steadily a??dded cards in via their "Historic Anthology" system.

With the fifth set coming to the game, we were giv??en five exclusive cards to show off. Hailing from sets including?, but not limited (ha) to Dragons of Tarkir, Innistrad, Scourge, and New Phyrexia, this pack adds a new wrinkle into historic play, all with very low cost curves.

I'll just take a second to say how much I appreciate cards like Dromoka's Command, which offer up multiple choices and decision points, especially at instant speed. Four, no less! And I'm a huge sucker for permanent global enchantments like Intangible Virtue, plus the potential for Stifle can get really nuanced in some Historic play. And Phyrexian mana (found on Vault Skirge) is....interesting!

It's a fun bunch!

Dromoka's Command

Intangible Virtue

Stifle

Vault Skirge

The post Exclusive: Here’s a look at some upcoming Magic: Arena Historic Anthology V cards appeared first on Destructoid.

Also, Orcs Must Die Unchained probably isn't being revived anytime soon

Did Orcs Must Die 3 pass you by? Look, I get it.

July 2020 was a busy and tumultuous month, and you may not have checked out Stadia yet. But even if you have no interest in Google's platform, Orcs Must Die 3 is coming to other platforms eventually (Steam is the only one that's 100% confirm?ed), and it's pre??tty good.

Following the launch of the game's first DLC pack, I got a chance to sit down with Pat?rick Hudson (CEO of Robot Entertainment) to see what the future might bring.

It's important to point out that this is the first "premium" Orcs Must Die game in eight years. That's a long time! Previously Robot Entertainment had been busy with Orcs Must Die Unchained, which met an untimely end in April of 2019, when the servers were officially shut down. Hudson had a few t??hings to say about that.

"I could write thousands of words on what we learned from Orcs Must Die Unchained," he muse?s. "As far as trying a free-to-play project again, we start with the ?game idea first and then decide the best business model for that game. There’s a chance that we could do a free-to-play game in the future, but we don’t have any projects in the short to mid-term that would be so."

There were plenty of great concepts in Unchained, to the point where I'm sad to see them gone entirely. Is there a chance of an offline, "complete" reboot? Well, the prospects don't look great, according to Hudson. "It's hard to see that happening," he said. "As a relatively small, independent developer you’re always calculating your opportunity cost. Reworking Unchained into a retail game would require a large effort. We’re currently focused on Orcs Must Die! 3 and a second, new project. We just don’t have the ba??ndwidth to pursue such a project without taking us away from current efforts."

However, he does concede that they "frequently discuss elements" of Unchained that "could show up in either Orcs Must Die 3 or a future Orcs Must Die project." Okay, so we got a future Orcs Must Die tease here: that's good enough for me. Where might that future project end up though? And what platforms beyond Steam will we see Orcs Must Die 3 arriving on? Hudson? is mum right now, but responded to my request of a Switch port coyly, noting "We’re big Switch fans, and we see where you’re going with this."

Shifting gears to the future, Hudson says that "ideas" for a fourth game are already in the works, and he falls short of confirming a fourth entry today: "We have a lot of great ideas for Orcs Must Die! Should that be the fourth game in the series or some sort of twist? We aren’t sure, yet. Fortunately, we’ll be supporting Orcs Must Die! 3 for a long time so we have so?me time to listen to wha??t the fans want and then figure it out."

One thing I really wanted to hone in on was the war scenario concept in Orcs Must Die 3: where you control giant weapons of war against hordes of orcs. When asked about an entire game focusing on war scenarios, Hudson responded: "We’d consider it, sure. We think the new War Guardians introduced in the Drastic St??eps expansion made War Scenarios even more compelling. There’s plenty of design space here."

You might be wondering though, "why Stadia?" Hudson says that Google was very receptive to the idea, and particularly liked "the game's? personality and humor." The publishers also dug the creativity aspect of divining up open-ended puzzle solutions, and how "longer term," it could shine a light on Stadia features like Stadia Connect: which allows for a picture-in-picture effect?? with a co-op partner (I've tried it, it's pretty neat).

Whatever ends up happening, Hudson says he and his team have a "content plant hat runs through at least the end of 2021." At least! So even if you don't catch Orcs Must Die 3 on Stadia soon, you'll reap the benefits eventually on some other platform. Eit??her way, I'm just happy this series is back in any form.

The post Orcs Must Die boss would consider a larger scale spinoff, says the team is ‘big Switch fans’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Reap the Tides and Arm for Battle

The Commander gametype has really taken off in Magic: The Gathering in recent years, no doubt due to its accessibility and the excitement of playing as a "hero," which standard Magic play can often lack.

In very basic terms, Commander games allow ??players to take one card that doubles as a "commander," that ?can be casted at any time via the "Commander Zone." There are also some deckbuilding nuances involved, but preset decks like the upcoming Commander Legends packs take care of that step for new players.

In addition to snagging exclusive full decklists for the new Legends sets (scroll down for those!), I had the chance to speak with Magic senior designer Gavin Verhey about a? few of the finer points of the Comman?der scene, to really drill down into why Commanding is so enduring.

When asked how important Commander is to Magic as a whole, ??Verhey noted "extremely," explaining that "Over the past nine years, it’s gone from a small format with a following to perhaps the most popular way to play Magic in the world. It does a lot of very, very important things in the Magic ecosystem.??"

Verhey also feels that it helps Magic go what I would call beyond standard, stating: "Perhaps chief among them to me is that it has created a unified default format for play. It used to be that if I said, “Let’s play Magic!” to a group of Magic players, there’s a good chance someone pulls out a Standard deck, another person uses a pile of random cardsor a Modern deck, and so on. Commander creates this default state for so many players that say, “Commander is our social, noncompetitive way to play Magic” – to the point that whe??n people ask you to play, there’s usually a pretty good chance you have a Comm??ander deck in your bag." He feels that Legends will allow people to create Commander games "out of thin air."

In the past, it was a format "to keep new players far away from," according to Verhey. While it "made sense on paper" originally, the reality was different. He explains: "If I want to join your playgroup, are you going to tell me, “Cool. Just go play other formats and learn the ropes for four months, then come back and we can play then?” No! You’re going to invite me in right then. And because of this, what we’ve learned is that we should instead lean into this amazing oppor??tunity and make sure we have products for new players geared for these formats." The preconstructed decks of Legends help Wizards realize this aim.

Wanting to push further into questions regarding the legendary archetype (a big focus in Commander), I asked him about Wyleth's kit (which you can check out below) and what goes into the design process for some of the more intricate and out-there concepts. Verhey gave us a little crash course on the term legendary as a result: "Great question. It’s funny: for most of Magic’s history, Legendary was just a drawback. Putting Legendary on a card means you can’t play a second one, so it was a thing players didn’t want. But over the past nine or so years with Commander, that has totally flipped legendary around into being an extremely desirable thing to have on a creature. In the be??ginning, we were still learning, so our philosophy was just along the lines of, 'Make more legends!' And that worked okay… But we also started stepping on our toes a lot, and even out-modding popular Commanders. People put a lot of time and energy into their Commander decks, and printing a new Commander that makes an older one clearly much worse is not a happy moment for anyone."

Verhey goes on, musing: "These days, we still want to make plenty of legends but rather than scattershotting them and ending up with overlaps, we try to look for rich veins that haven’t been as tapped?, or new ways to do popular archetypes. Every legend can be a doorway to a new kind of deck. And quite often, this comes in through the Magic community – who I try and stay as attuned to as possible. For example, a big discussion in the past year or so has been the lack of card draw available to red-white decks. Wyleth is a great Commander to help address that ask a bit, by giving the red-white color combination a way to reload on cards even if it’s playing a ton of auras and equipment. I wouldn’t say we’re never going to step on older Commanders, but when possible, we look for different mana costs to put effects or new spaces to explore – and Commander Legends is full of them. I hope you all enjoy the set!"

Speaking of! Here's a rundown of the Reap the Tides and Arm for Battle decklists, as well as an exclusive full reveal of their conten??ts. Before we get to the decklists, let's look at the art and abilities of the commanders!

First up is Wyleth, Soul of Steel by Tyler Jacobson. It's a three-mana (1, R/W) legendary creature with t?rample, with the ability: "whenever Wyleth, Soul of Steel attacks, draw a card for each aura and equipment attached to it."

It's good then, that Wyleth's deck comes with Blazing Sunsteel (Tyler Jacobson) and Timely Ward (Matt Stewart), to really help this archetype sing. With some low-cost auras and pieces of equipment, you can get? Wyleth out early and start swinging in (possibly with haste) and drawing cards immediately. The flash spee??d of Timely Ward will be key to protecting Wyleth out of the box.

Next up, Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait. It's a lot pricier than Wyleth, but if you can ramp up to it, you're rewarded wi??th more ramp. An additional land per turn with the consistency of the commander zone cast isn't bad, but you can also draw card??s off of playing lands or land recursion like Evolving Wilds.

The deck is very stompy creature-heavy, with the Trench Behemoth and Stumpsquall Hydra backing them up.

Now ??that the tablesetting is out of the way, here's the decklists!

Reap the Tides:

Arm for Battle:

The post Here’s an exclusive look at the upcoming Magic: The Gathering Commander Legends decklists appeared first on Destructoid.

Also, we talk about the secret sauce of the series

I'm fairly predictable when it comes to Square Enix rhythm games: I see one, I play it. I even have a Japanese 3DS that I primarily use to play Theatrhythm Dragon Quest. But when Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory came along, it spoke ?to me in a way that few other rhythm offerings have from the publisher.

Recently, I sat down with Ichiro Hazama (producer), Tetsu??ya Nomura (director) and Masanobu Suzui (co-dir??ector) to have a quick chat about the upcoming project.

Destructoid: With the Kingdom Hearts series now at 14 entries thanks to Melody of Memory, what would you say the secret sauce of the series is? How is it that Square Enix is able to keep Disney interested in continuously investing in this franchise with the license?

Hazama: A single director leads the production for all titles related to Kingdom Hearts, and because of this, we’re able to ensure consistency across all stories in the series. Of course, the latest title Melody of Memory is also a par??t of this. Perhaps the “secret sauce” is this commitment to cons?istency that now spans over 20 long years.

Kingdom Hearts is designed/produced to ensure that it can be enjoyed by a wide range of audiences and it does not limit Disney content as something for just children or families. Kingdom Hearts is a rare case, both worldwide and his?torically, and I believe this has only been made possible because of the partnership between Disney and Squ??are Enix.

I see that Kairi is going to be a big focus here in Melody of Memory. What led to that decision? I know fans wanted to see more of her in Kingdom Hearts III before the DLC arrived.

Nomura: At first, development started off for a new Theatrhythm title, and not really a Kingdom Hearts series title. With Theatrhythm having a few titles under its belt, though, I felt it already established its final form in its own right, and it might’ve been difficult to bring about a major change to the game. Having been involved with the development of both Kingdom Hearts and Theatrhythm, I wanted to explore creating gameplay that merged these two, and so I thought about what a Kingdom Hearts game, with its roots being in Theatrhythm, would look like.

A Kingdom Hearts series title would obviously not be a Kingdom Hearts title without world building and story, but at the time of development, I was already in the process of thinking about the next phase in the Kingdom Hearts series, and it would’ve been difficult to incorporate new story elements from a timing perspective; plus the characters that could be mobilized after the finale in Kingdom Hearts III were very limited. Meanwhile, due to the nature of this game, I realized there needed to be a character who can act as a storyteller. That’s when the puzzle piece in my mind fit perfectly – to choose Kair??i for this role.

Her past was still shrouded in mystery, too, so I felt Kairi was the best choice to be the star of this new type of Kingdom Hearts, as she will ?be narrating while ??we revisit the past.

Can you tell us a bit about any story elements of Melody of Memory? How will the game feel for a completely solo offline player?

Suzui and Hazama: Players can get the full experience of the story that unfolds in Melody of Memory from offline and single player modes. This game’s story progresses in a way where it follows the story from the first installment in the Kingdom Hearts series up to the most recent title, Kingdom Hearts III, and goes slightly beyond that.

In this game’s main World Tour mode, players will select each world and song; as they complete missions, they will gather stars that will open new doors. The worlds are arranged in series order so that they can be experienced again chronologically alongside the stories and music from the KH series. For those who have playe?d the past series titles, these stages will bring back memories of your days adventuring with Sora and friends.

It’s also designed to help you encounter the wonderful songs and understand the story from the series titles you may have not played yet. As you play through the World Tour to the end,? you’ll discover that this is also Kairi’s story, who is depicted on the game’s packaging.

Is Square Enix considering doing more spinoffs for Kingdom Hearts to ease the long waits between mainline entries?

Tetsuya Nomura: "We’ve never done a spinoff because the wait between the mainline entries are ??long; in fact, it’s more accurate to say I wanted to make the spinoffs first before getting started on the next numbered title.

There is a lot of preparation that goes behind doing a numbered title in the series; and especially due to the nature of this game utilizing IP outside of Square Enix, it takes much longer to prepare than any typical series. These hurdles need to be overcome even during the middle of development, so that might be one of the reasons why people get the impression that it takes a long time to develop a Kingdom Hearts series title.

After ??overcoming all obstacles and releasing a numbered title, we have to recharge our energy to be able to overcome that hurdle once again. Right now, we are in the process of discussing our future plans within Square Enix and with Disney and nothi??ng has been set in stone, but I do have some concepts percolating in my head."

Can I just say I appreciate that Nomura used the phrase "final form" and still has tons of Kingdom Hearts ideas after all this time? I hope this se??ries lives forever.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is out on November 13 worldwide on PS4, Switch and X?box One.

The post Nomura: Kairi was the ‘best choice’ to star in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory appeared first on Destructoid.

Crazy Legs Conti ate some hot dogs in that thing

In today's contest, you can win this one-of-a-kind prize pack, including Bite the Bullet and a prize pack featuring a real game-worn jersey!

Guys, this one of massive. The last time we gave away some Mega Cat swag, it was a literal piece of wood. Today, we're riding the theme of their newest joint, Bite the Bullet, and giving away? this exclusive prize pack, featuring trinkets from the game and our coup de grace: A game-worn jersey from world champion professional eater Crazy Legs Conti.

Yes, this man ate a bunch of hot dogs in this shirt, and now it can be yours. I fucking love my job ?sometimes.

Bite the Bullet is the world's first and only run 'n gun 'n eat sidescroller. Fight waves of enemies using your guns -- consume them using your mouth.??? In this game, you are what you eat! Every dietary choice affects your stats, loadout, and abilities, so choose your food wisely to customize your experience.

I've customized my lo??adout over qu??arantine to add +25 to my weight, and -17 to my stamina! Uh, maybe I should have made better choices.

This is one of my favorite prize packs, ever?. In addition to a key of the game on the platform of your choice, you'll win:

• Autographed World Champion Competitive Eate??r, Crazy Legs Conti Game-Worn Jersey from Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2016
• Custom engraved meat smacker
• Foiled Sticky Finger Napkins for controller hygiene
• Custom Chewie & Chewella Coasters
• Eat/Play/Love refrigerator magnet
• Two Bite the Bullet bib pins
• One Mega Cat enamel pin

A dirty jersey and a meat smacker! Incredible! Note that sh?ould you win, you have the option of the shirt being delivered as-is, or being washed first. Be adventurous. Win a dirty jersey.

Use the widget below to lea?ve your name and email address, and be sure to specify your platform. You can enter daily to earn?? bonus entries, and be sure to do the other crap in there. Because I want you to.

We?? have one prize pack to give away, as well as two keys each for Steam, Xbox One, and Switch NA. The winner of ?the physical prize must have a United States shipping address, so better luck next time, Canada.

Bite the Bullet is available now on Switch, Xbox One, and Steam.

Contest: Win a Bite the Bullet prize pack, including this ga??me-wo?rn jersey from competitive eater Crazy Legs Conti

The post Contest: Win a Bite the Bullet prize pack, including this game-worn jers??ey from competitive eater Crazy Legs Conti appeared first on Destructoid.

Collected Company and Hornet Queen

Standard rotation is nearly here for Magic: The Gathering Arena, but before th??at happens, it's spoiler season for Amonkhet Remastered!

In short, Wizards of the Coast is literally remastering 2017's Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation sets for Magic: Arena, with 340 cards that are centered around limited (dr??aft/sealed), historic and (eventually) pioneer. But before the actual set arrives on August 13, Wizards confirmed a few cards that will be reprinted along with the new remastered set.

Here's a? look at two of them, with new Destructoid-exclusive art.

First up is Collected Company (artist Lake Hurwitz) from the Dragons of Tarkir set, which is a 4-cost instant: Look at the top six cards of your library. Put up to two creature cards with converted mana cost 3 or less from among them onto the battlefield. Put? the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.

With the right deck synergy, this could close out th??e game: esp?ecially with some of Amonkhet's powerful creatures.

Next up is Hornet Queen (artist Jonathan Kuo), which was originally printed in a commander deck, then in the Magic 2015 (M15?) set. It's a 7-cost (!) creature with flying ??and deathtouch, as well as the following card text: When Hornet Queen enters the battlefield, create four 1/1 green Insect creature tokens with flying and deathtouch.

We had the chance to chat briefly with product architect Mike Turian, who shared the reasoning behind a few of these additions and why the team decided to change the art. Turian notes: "For both Hornet Queen and Collected Company, and all the newly-added cards, we wanted to take Amonkhet Remastered as an opportunity to bring beloved Magic cards onto the plane of Amonkhet and show what they would have looked like had they originall??y b??een introduced on that plane."

He says that Collected Company's update is well deserved as it "shows a group of survivors from different races and classes of Amonkhet" coming together, and Hornet Queen deserved new art because it's "one of the most lethal creatures Magic has to offer." The new art tells a story too, he says, as the swarm has "invaded the ruined outskirts of an Amo?nkhet city."

I followed up, asking him why Amonkhet would appeal to newcomers, and the answer is as multi-faceted as I expected: "As Arena has brought in so many new fans to Magic, they likely haven’t played with most of the cards in the set. I've always loved the space that Amonkhet offered, ?and I'm thinking they will as well." Turian also believes it's a great way to intro players to limited: "Having drafted the Amonkhet Remastered set, we quickly realized th?at both Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation are filled with cards that lend themselves towards great Limited gameplay. There is a great depth of strategies, fun creatures, and the right balance of tricks and removal."

You can find an extensive list of green spoilers for Amonkhet Remastered below! Amonkhet is one of my favorite eras of Magic from a thematic p?erspecti?ve, so I can't wait to dive back into these sets.

• Beneath the Sands
• Bitterbow Sharpshooters
• Cartouche of Strength
• Champion of Rhonas
• Collected Company
• Crocodile of the Crossing
• Defiant Greatmaw
• Dissenter's Deliverance
• Exemplar of Strength
• Feral Prowler
• Greater Sandwurm
• Haze of Pollen
• Hooded Brawler
• Hope Tender
• Hornet Queen
• Hour of Promise
• Initiate's Companion
• Life Goes On
• Majestic Myriarch
• Manglehorn
• Mouth /// Feed
• Naga Vitalist
• Oashra Cultivator
• Oasis Ritualist
• Ornery Kudu
• Pouncing Cheetah
• Pride Sovereign
• Prowling Serpopard
• Quarry Hauler
• Ramunap Excavator
• Resilient Khenra
• Rhonas the Indomitable
• Rhonas's Stalwart
• Sandwurm Convergence
• Shed Weakness
• Shefet Monitor
• Sidewinder Naga
• Sifter Wurm
• Sixth Sense
• Stinging Shot
• Synchronized Strike
• Trial of Strength
• Vizier of the Menagerie
• Watchful Naga

The post Exclusive: Here’s a look at some new Amonkhet Remastered cards coming to Magic: Arena appeared first on Destructoid.

Ancient Ziggurat and Maze's End

While Magic: Arena just forged ahead with its Godzilla-filled Ikoria set, there's still plenty of old cards that need some love too. After all, Magic heavily favors standard, but folks have been clamoring for more ways to play their historic (old) library: that ch??ange??s this month.

Wizards of the Coast has announced that Historic ranked queues will always be available starting with the May update, which is scheduled to arrive on May 21. That update will also herald in new cards as part of the  "Historic Anthology 3" set, which builds upon the previous sets that utilize cards from your collection.

To celebrate, Destructoid has two exclusive spoiler cards for you to peruse: Ancient Ziggurat and Maze's End. The former is just a great land for any deck that favors creatures as it enters the battlefield untapped and can open up any type of mana, while Maze's End is another tool for gate decks, o??ffering up a ??tricky wind condition in the process.

Yo?u can find both cards below. Again, you can pick these cards up on May 21.

Ancient Ziggurat

Land

(Ta??p): Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only? to cast a creature spell.

Maze's End

Land

Maze's End enters the battlefield tapped

(Tap) Add (one colorless)

3, (Tap), Return Maze's End to its owner's hand: search your?? library for a Gate card,?? put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library. If you control ten or more Gates with different names, you win the game.

The post Exclusive: Here’s a look at some new historic cards coming to Magic: Arena appeared first on Destructoid.

25 cards in all

Wizards of the Coast is expanding the Historic format (which uses older, non-standard cards) in Magic: Arena, and they're doing it in a way that involves multiple facets of Magic.

For starters, 25 new cards are coming to Arena's Historic mode on March 12. You can nab them for either 25,000 gold (in-game currency) or 4,000 gems (premium currency), or craft them for Wildcards. They'll be playable in the following formats: Traditional Ranked (best-of-three), Ranked (best-of-one??) and "other special Historic events," like Historic Brawl.

The big draw here is Thalia, Guardian of Thraben: a two-cost legendary creature (2/1) that has first strike and makes noncreature spells cost 1 more to cast. Thalia is also the herald of the aforementioned Secret Lair tie-in, which is a 24-hour product that will go live on March 12, 2020 at 9AM PT for $29.99. Magic artists Magali Villeneuve and Johannes Voss created new art for Thalia, and Wizards is packing in a code for four card styles (just styles) in accordance with that art. As a note, the Historic Ranked queue will return (as well as a best-of-one ranked queue), and you can buy both anthologies for gold or gems (3,400 gems or 20,000 gold for Historic ??Anthology 1; 4?000 gems or 25,000 gold for Historic Anthology 2).

Wizards is teasing more Historic Anthology II info during their March 5 "State of the Game" blog series. You can get a look at the Thalia cards and Arena sleeves in the gallery, as well a??s a full list of the new Historic cards below.

The new cards being added to Magic: Arena's Historic mode on March 12, 2020 are:

1. Ancestral Mask

2. Barren Moor

3. Bojuka Bog

4. Brain Maggot

5. Dragonmaster Outcast

6. Forgotten Cave

7. Ghost Quarter

8. Goblin Ruinblaster

9. Inexorable Tide

10. Knight of the Reliquary

11. Lonely Sandbar

12. Maelstrom Pulse

13. Meddling Mage

14. Merrow Reejerey

15. Nyx-Fleece Ram

16. Pack Rat

17. Platinum Angel

18. Ranger of Eos

19. Secluded Steppe

20. Sigil of the Empty Throne

21. Terravore

22. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

23. Tranquil Thicket

24. Virulent Plague

25. Waste Not

The post Exclusive: Magic: Arena is getting new Historic cards and a Secre??t Lair tie-in appeared first on Destructoid.

Arriving on February 4

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics

The post Here’s an exclusive look at the new Dark Crystal game appeared first on Destructoid.

#BrawlForAll

Magic: The Gathering Arena has gone through a lot of changes. It's only been a few months since the "1.0" retail release, and Oko has been banned, some technical issues have been smoothed over and a friends list f??eature is on the horizon.

I sat down with Jeffrey Steefel, VP of Digital operations at Wizards of the Coast, to see? how some of the upcoming features are shaping up and how things have been going since the launch.

Destructoid: What was the thought process with the timing of releasing 1.0? Was Eldraine the perfect set for release? Was there any trepidation to wait until Theros?

Jeffrey Steefel (VP, Digital at Wizards): The timing of our 1.0 release is less related to a specific set and more about the lifecycle of Arena and where we felt the game would be as an experience at the time of 1.0 release. Eldraine timing marked the end of our first year of a robust, growing and 24/7 Arena experience, as well as our first standard rotation. Arena, like all online experiences is an always evo??lving and maturing live game and service and we will never stop crafting an increasingly enjoyable, deep and inviting game experience for our growing fanbase.

But we felt that one-year from Open Beta start, we had learned enough about how Arena works to release ver 1.0 as the starting foundation for Arena as we move into the future as a part of the amazing growth and evolution of Magic as a whole. No question we have plenty of work ahead to make Arena as fully-featured as possible, as well as gro??wing the avai??lability of content and experiences.

Can you talk a bit about how difficult programming card interactions must be? There are so many granular and meticulous interactions even with just one or two cards.

Absolutely – it is one of the great achievements from the Arena team that they have created a truly authentic expression of Magic gameplay in a fast and fun online experience. We accomplish this feat by a combination of a sophisticated rule simulation engine, devs who are not only excellent video game makers, but deep subject matter experts on Magic rules, and a close working relationship with the Magic creative team who designs the overall standard experience that drives all of Magic play. Does the Arena team have any say in regards to bans?

I know we had the Nexus situation earlier this year, but outside of that, the onus seems to be on the paper team. As a team, WOTC is learning along with our players how to best maintain both Arena and tabletop experiences in a way that keeps the critical parity of content and mechanics that allows for competitive play, while opening up unique digital experiences for Arena. Jointly, both teams are focused on what will be best for our overall Magic playerbase and it is absolutely a challenge – but after all, we make Magic, so we love challenges.

Do you have anything new in mind for the game for Theros?

26 years of Magic innovation is what has kept the game fresh, and as we become more and more experienced at supporting standard play, we will be working more and more on extending experiences in Arena similar to the exciting way Tabletop has been expanding the breadth of experiences in Magic. For more information, you can always check on our s?tate-of-the-game roadmap.

How has the Brawl queue been going? I know the team said they would monitor it to see if it could be a permanent fixture or whether or not it too directly impacted other modes, but the playerbase is really hoping it'll become a permanent queue. It might even be my personal number one request right now, actually.

We want to always keep things interesting in MTG Arena, and a big part of that is mixing up the event programming we offer.  Traditionally, we begin new limited events on Thursday or Friday, and our specialty events run Sunday through Tuesday.  We’re trying Brawl out on Wednesdays to keep adding ??variety throughout the entire week.  This could change in the future, but we think we’ve struck a nice balance at the moment.

Do you have an updated ETA for the [delayed] friends list feature? Or sharing decks? Those are probably two of the most-requested mechanics I've seen around the community.

We are doing final scale-testing on Friends and expect it to be released before the year is out – at which time you will be able to maintain friends lists, and challenge friends directly. We have plans to build on friends over time as actively as possible – Magic is a social game by nature and we know getting that experience r??ight in an online environment is critical.

The post Magic: Arena boss: Brawl outside of Wednesdays ‘could change in the future,’ friend list expected ‘before the year is out’ appeared first on Destructoid.

The PC edition will sport over 140 songs

DJMax Respect catapulted onto the scene in 2018 on PS4, and cemented itself as one of the modern rhythm greats. Amid some recent half-baked efforts with scant tracklists, Respect?? was a powerhouse, offering over 100 songs and a litany of ??difficulty options that kept pushing me to perfection.

As you may have heard, there's a PC port in the works. While the port was teased a few weeks ago, developer Neowi??z is rolling back the curtain today and has revealed more info exclusively to Destructoid.

DJMax Respect V will actually arrive very soon on Steam on December 19, in Early Access form. Neowiz is aiming for an "early 2020" release date after a "short and focused" testing period. 161 songs will be included, with collaborations from Marshmello, Porter Robinson and League of Legends songs in tandem with Riot Games. Online is going to be a huge?? focus for the PC port, with seven player matches and a 1v1 ranked ladder with skill-based matchmaking.

I spoke briefly with the game's director, Seung-chul Baek, about the port, wherein he revealed that a prototype for a PC port of DJMax Respect was created "at the beginning of 2019," which gave him and his team the "confidence to do it for real." How did the Riot Games partnership come about? Well, it's as simple as the team being huge fans of League of Legends, both from a ca??sual and competitive standpoint. The folks at Neowiz already had plenty of experience reaching out to other studios for partnerships, and after they approached ??Riot, they "loved the idea" and got their blessing.

While Seung-chul Baek isn't going into specifics, there will be two League tracks that will be "revealed soon." If t?he opportunity arises to make more though, Neowiz will jump at the chance.

The post Exclusive: DJMax Respect V is hitting PC Early Access soon, and it’ll add League of Legends tracks appeared first on Destructoid.

We almost had a Tron Bonne homage

Shovel Knight: King of Cards and the Smash Bros.-esque Showdown mode are set to debut very soo??n, but before they do developer Yacht Club Games? has shared an exclusive piece of art with us.

If you haven't been following along, King of Cards deals with a new adventure from the perspective of King Knight, who steals a kingdom from former ruler Pridemoor. Pridemoor has a huge role to play in the narrative, but mechanically he's also one of the big boss fights King of Cards has to offer.

As it turns out, he wasn't always the Hulk Buster-armor wearing King that his finished design conveys.  Before Yacht Club Games ended up with the final look, he had varying forms of his battle armor, as well as multiple scepter concepts. The one that stands out the most is assuredly the one where he's riding on top of the mech: a motif that calls upon the Ride Armor from the Mega Man X series, as well as classic Mega Man Legends villain Tron Bonne.

I briefly spoke with artist Morgan Guyer, who worked on King Pridemoor, about the studio's thought process. Guyer notes how prolific the Griffoth enemies are in his stage, so he and the team "tried to give the mech some of those design elements...it being a giant bird face and all." The team was set on having Pridemoor actually control the mech at first, but "ended up going?????????????????????????? in a different d??irection" in the end.

They all look pretty great, but the finished design is arguably the cleanest. You can see him for yourself once King of Cards launches on December 10.

The post Exclusive: Here’s what a Shovel Knight boss looks like from start to finish appeared first on Destructoid.

'We could definitely see ourselves returning to Kickstarter in the future'

Although I had a feeling Shovel Knight would take off, I didn't think it would take off as much as it did. I mean the little guy has a cameo in pretty much everything from puzzle games to rhythm romps now, and even managed to snag appearances from God of War's Kratos and Battletoads' trio.

But this level of success didn't just come out of nowhere: it was slow going. After all, the game originally launched back in 2014! I talked with Yacht Club Games' Sean Velasco and David D'Angelo about the past, present and future of Shovel Knight.

To put things in perspective, Shovel Knight is on the cusp of releasing its final set of expansions, and it's a tow-fer: King of Cards and Showdown. The first is a traditional extra villain campaign with a card game twist, and the latter is a full takedown of Super Smash Bros. with?? multiple playable characters. It's kind of a lot. Velasco and D'Angelo?? think so too.

When asked how arduous this whole process has been, they responded with a chipper sense of pride: "It was way too long, ha! No, but seriously, we feel so honored that we were afforded the time to de??velop each of the games in Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove to its full potential. And all in a?ll, we actually made them pretty quickly… 5 games released in 5 years is unusual for any company! While it has been a long journey, we’re so proud of all five games in Treasure Trove- and we hope fans will enjoy playing them as much as we loved making them.

The team notes that they "wish they could get [their] games out there faster," but ultimately "put [their] all into each one," which accounts for the longer development times. Following up, they explain, "We do wish we made it clearer what we were developing with Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove as its scope grew. It’s been difficult to explain that if you bought Shovel Knight five years ago, you will still receive all 4 additional games added for free as updates. We worry that this unusual update concept will ??keep players from discovering the additional games, but we’re doing our best to get the word o??ut."

So near the finish line, how are all the platforms doing? Yacht Club Games says that Switch accounts for "25% of total sales on all platforms," a figure they call "wild," while pointing out that Treasure Trove is selling "decently" on everything. But everything is said and done now, and it's time to think about what's next. I asked if Kickstarter was ever in the cards again, and the duo said they could "definitely see [themselves] returning to K??ickstarter in the future," but hope they'd never be "cash-strapped" like they were in the past. With the caveat that they'd only use it for a "huge ambitious project," they explained that they adore the community aspect of Kickstarter, and "building [the game] with fans was one of the most rewarding parts of the project."

But King of Cards is just around the corner! According to Yacht Club Games, the kernel of the idea of a card game was always there, and the team "[has] a hard time not following through with a goofy idea" once it gets in their heads. The team also wanted King of Cards to be a "big send off" and feel less concise compared to the last expansion (Specter of Torment). But it's not all card-based. Yacht Club says that "skipping card battles is something we had in mind early on," and the minigame gets its direct inspiration from Final Fantasy VIII's Triple Tria??d: including the ability to skip it.

They expand on that inspiration, stating: "One of the fun parts in Final Fantasy VIII was how players could utilize their cards to get items and materials in battle. The tricky part for us was figuring out if we should have this same kind of gameplay overlap. After a lot of experimentation, we realized it would be best to keep the gameplay separated. We simply didn’t want to force platformer fans to endure a card game in order to get the best items or upgrades. We compromised by having the card battles reward you with special currency a??nd gold, which players can use to expand their platforming adventure. These rewards fed nicely into the decisions and pathing options you could make on King Knight’s map."

But there's another big expansion coming: Showdown. Yacht Club Games had a lot to say about it, calling it their biggest challenge yet: "It’s hard to say how long Showdown took in comparison to the other games because development was so intertwined. We actually worked on Showdown for the longest period, as we originally started on it during Shovel of Hope [the base campaign], pecking away at it here and there during every campaign. The last year has solely been dedicated to Showdown’s development. It’d probably be fair to say we spent around 15 months total working on it full time - comparable to the other games in the series, though the? development focus was quite different!"

As for its legacy, they hope Showdown catches on at conventions. I pointed out that Super Smash Con, with its indie corner, would be perfect for it. The team agreed, responding in humble fashion, "That’d be insanely cool, and we’ve talked about it a lot. We’d love to support something like that coming to fruition! It’s hard to imagine Shovel Knight Showdown being in the same ranks as Smash Bros or Street Fighter, though. Maybe someday. We just hope people g?ather up to play with the?ir friends and have a great time."

Stay tuned for our review of the final (!) King of Cards expansion and the Smash Bros. Showdown mode next week.

The post Shovel Knight creators talk Kickstarter, new expansions and how Switch accounts for ‘about 25%’ of total sales appeared first on Destructoid.

Marienburg, the main hub

In case you missed it, Warhammer: Odyssey is in development on ?iOS and Android, and it's a new MMO that seeks to bring a PC-like experience to mobile devices. A tall order!

Announced back in August, so far their efforts are looking good, as we have an exclusive look at the Slayer class (damage/tank) walking through Marienburg, the game's core hub zone. The development team stresses that this zone is "just a tiny sliver" of the hub area, and that they're going for a sense of scale that hasn't been achieved in mobile MMOs to date. More "iconic locations" are promised, as are episodic updates. As Warhammer Fantasy players know, Marienburg i??s already a commitment to that i?deal.

Despite the public ire for mobile MMOs, I'm interested in seeing where they go with this one, particularly with the aforementioned scale and the monetization angle. Some of the classes (Archmage, Warrior Priest) sound really fun to play on paper, and I'm just happy to return to a Warhammer fantasy setting again.

Give me some Skaven and Lizardmen to fight with a fun base and I'll be happy: at least for a little while. The game isn't in beta yet, but you can sign up for more info on the official site.

The post Here’s exclusive new footage of Warhammer: Odyssey, the new ambitious mobile Warhammer MMO appeared first on Destructoid.

'Stay with me here'

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Standing Stone Games, the current steward of The Lord of the Rings Online, and learned some fascinati??ng things about the trajectory of the game over the years.

One of the most interesting topics with any Tolkien-based property is how rights are handled; most creatives are beholden to either the Tolkien Estate directly or with Middle-earth Enterprises (who hold the rights to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books?). Standing Stone Games works directly with the latter, but the lengths they're willing to go to stretch those?? limitations can get pretty crazy at times.

By request, I was able to speak directly with Chris Pierson and Jeff Libby, senior game designers for The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) and official "loremasters."

These guys have read just about every single bit of Tolkien material (including all of those letters) and correspondence with eminent Tolkien scholars like Cory Olsen or Michael Drout (the latter of which is immortalized in-game with an NPC). Getting down to business, I immedi?ately wanted to know what their craziest idea was. Both of them looked at each other and lau??ghed: "it's definitely the Gandalf thing."

"So stick with me here as I explain this," Pierson said laughing. So I had this idea, it came to me: 'What if we killed Gandalf?' I wanted to explore a sort of alternate reality in Lord of the Rings, and in this case, what would happen if the Rohirrim had never come during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and The Witch King had defeated Gandalf." What came next was a rabbit hole?? of lore I wasn't prepared to embark upon, even as an amateur Tolkien scholar. "Ah so through a Pala??ntir vision of sorts, right?" I inquired.

"Okay, so get this," Libby continues. "So we had the idea to do that. But the more we looked into it, we found out that based on the lore, the Palantiri cannot show you the future, and they cannot lie. So we couldn't do it that easily. Then we had the a-ha moment. During the time when Denethor [played by John Noble in the film series] was sitting on his? throne, before he called for his funeral pyre, we coul??d have the player look at the Palantir with him, and share a sort of fever dream to justify it." As it turns out Middle-earth Enterprises was down with the idea, and according to Pierson, they were even in after the initial pitch. Pierson continued: "At the end of the day, players have expectations that we need to meet. But there are certain elements that need to be adapted. Peter [Jackson] did that, and we do that."

"There's lots of other interesting aspects that we have to get around due to rights issues," Pierson interjects. "So we technically know what the names of Isildur's children are, but not from The Lord of the Rings. But we wanted to put them in the game! So we came up with the idea to give them assumed names, like their identities were being protected. Sometimes players will tell us that we're not technically right, and we'll sort of say 'we know!' We just can't addre??ss it directly for rights reasons." The team also got around the Nazgul situation (in which only a few are properly named) by giving them titles instead of proper names.

Here's another wild idea from the pair: a 52-week questline that kind of got out of hand. Born out of the mind of Libby, the goal was to provide a "TV show-like" concept, where every week, for 52 weeks, players could log in and do a different quest. Dubbed "The Ballad of Bingo Boffin" (which is a take on both the insane Leonard Nimoy song and "Bingo," the original name for Frodo in an early Tolkien manuscript), the questline had a life of its own and was two year?s in the making. "I can't believe we delivered, but if I knew what was going to go into it initially, I probably would have had second thoughts."

Ultimately, despite the rights limitations, the team is able to play around with what works without having to beg the rights holders for mercy. "It's basically big-picture stuff that we need to get approval for," Pierson confirms. "We almost never get denied. I can think one time where we were: when we were building Orthanc (the tower within Isengard), they said it was too close to the films, so we had to change that. In the end we're our own strict critics. We want to get i?t right."

_{[Image source] [Travel was provided by Standing Stone Games.]}

The post What was The Lord of the Rings Online team’s riskiest pitch? ‘What if we killed Gandalf?’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Rob Ciccolini is not afraid of the new Amazon Lord of the Rings game

As I walked through the halls of Standing Stone Games, The Lord of the Rings Online had celebrated its 111st 12th birthday just several months prior.

It was one of the few MMOs at the time to take on World of Warcraft and live. It was also one of the first-ever MMOs to go free-to-play and survive the shift. LOTRO, as it's colloquially known, has even?? survived a studio change! This ga?me has been here for a long time, and if executive producer Rob Ciccolini has anything to say about it, it'll never end.

I had the chance to visit Standing Stone Games' offices this week to check in on the team to see what they've been cooking up, and what's next for the game. In case you haven't been following along, they just wrapped up the War of the Ring saga: Sauron has been defeated, and now it's clean-up time. There's still plenty of despair in the realm of Middle-earth, and that darkness continued with the recently released Minas Morgul update, which includes 250+ new quests, seven i?nstances, a Shelob raid, and a continuation of a storyline that's 12 years running.

What a lot of people don't know is that LOTRO helped revolutionize storytelling in MMOs; far before the grandeur of Final Fantasy XIV's 2.0 run. Current executive producer Rob Ciccolini is proud of that legacy, and hopes to continue it for...well..forever. When asked about the biggest impact LOTRO had in the MMO space, Ciccolini replied "the world itself, most definitely. The thing about LOTRO is that it has this huge world, and that world has a special meaning for players. Now with that world comes expectations that we'll do? right by the lore of Tolkien, but I think ??we've succeeded on that front so far and will continue to do that."

I pressed Ciccolini on what the key ingredient was that allowed LOTRO to survive this lon??g, and he immediately responded with "our players." He continued, "you see at the time, we were breaking new ground with the free-to-play model, and we really didn't have anything to go off of. We ran the risk of going too far with ?it, but we have to constantly balance between being risk-averse and going all out. Our players help guide us in that respect and I think it's worked out pretty well so far."

One of the big successes in recent years has been the implementation of legacy servers (called "Legendary Servers" in LOTRO), similar to WoW Classic before Classic was a thing. Ciccolini says that these have been doing great for the company, taking in lessons that they've learned from their other property, Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO). Ciccolini points out that the permadeath "hardcore league" has been wildly successful: allowing players to risk their character dying forever, with the concession to port them to regular servers should they fall. Seasons run in 90-day increments, with all the expectations upfront. Ciccolini cites Path of Exile as a similar, positive model f?or keeping the playerbase?? engaged beyond standard live servers.

But what about that impending Amazon LOTR game project that's supposed to run tandem with, or potentially rival LOTRO? "What about it?" Ciccolini said confidently. "?Right now we're kind of doing our own thing and don't expect anything to change. Like everyone else we really don't known anything about this new project, and everything is going great for us, ??and we intend on supporting the game for as long as possible, hopefully forever!"

Actually forever? Yes, Ciccolini confirms: "I'd love to see the game prosper long after I die. If I have to haunt the server rooms an??d tweak the game to increase player drops, so be it!" On that note, I spoke to several members of the design team (Elise Valla, Tim Dwyer, Ryan Penk), who were all bursting with ideas on what to do next. I pointed out that no one had really tackled the Fourth Age (after Aragorn became King Elessar at the end of the film trilogy, basically), and the trio pointed to it as a possibility.

"We'd love to go to Harad (the desert region in the southern part of Middle-earth), Umbar, Núrn, Rhûn, you name it," Penk told me, as the Tolkien fan inside me lit up (most of you are probably looking at those runic letters, eyes glazed over). "We're not afraid of a content wall at all," Valla said, "and really, as creatives it's exciting to keep going." "We have a good 20 years here," Dwyer chimed in. These are extremely under-explored regions in Middle-earth, and if there was one team I trusted to do it right, it's the LOTRO folks. But what about the Second Age (the period that ended after Sauron was initially defeated, which is seen in the intro for the first Peter Jackson LOTR film)? Well, no one really knows yet.

Although Second Age material is off the table for Standing Stone Games right now (who are mostly beholden to the books and Middle-earth Enterprises, under The Saul Zaentz Company – man are Tolkien rights complicated!), that could change with the possibility of Amazon touching Second Age material. Depending on how it's handled, it could be the first real time that the era was depicted in popular media ever, outside of the loopholes that most companies are able to get through references in the Lord of the Rings proper or the almighty appendices.

"It's a pipe dream sort of thing, but we'd love to do it," said Ciccolini. "We'll see." We'll see indeed! Lord of the Rings is about to get a huge boost from the upcoming Amazon television series, and it sounds like LOTRO is going to come along for the wild ri??de. I hope it really does live forever.

_{[Travel was provided by Standing Stone Games.]}

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Dtoid EXCLUSIVE!

In today's contest, we've got an exclusive signed soundtrack and copy of PSVR title Golem!

I'll give physical priz??es away until the day I die, or my name isn't Wes Quincy Addams Mortimer Voluptuous Backspace Tacos, Esq. That's my full name, anyway, but you can just call me Wes.

Today we've got an exclusive up for grabs! Golem just hit the PS Store today, but will see a boxed release next Friday. We've got an early physical copy of the PSVR title, as well as an exclusive signed vinyl OST b??y c?omposer Marty O'Donnell! You know the drill here, folks.

The developers are controlling me remotely with the??ir PSVR Special Wands and making me put in this game info.

Though bedridden after a serious accident, protagonist Twine comes into possession of a Dream Stone which allows them to control massive stone golems -- and much smaller friends -- to discover the secrets of a labyrinthian and dangerous city, abandoned and closed off from the world by a magical barrier. The city holds treasure, artifacts and foes, as well as a deeper mystery connecting it to Twine's family. Earnest exploration ?is balanced with fast-paced and punishing combat, facing ancient enemies that require a mastery of blocking, parrying and counterattacking to defeat.

Golem's haunting soundtrack "Echoes of the First Dreamer" was crafted by award-winning composer Marty O'Donnell, creator of the Halo and Destiny soundtracks, and is incl?uded as a downloadable exclusive with the physical edition o?f the game.

Golem features:

• Multiple Control Options -- Players can use PlayStation Move Controllers for a unique movement system, physically leaning forward to walk and wielding weapons with the dominant hand. A joint DualShock Controller and PlayStation Move setup offers an alternative approach, moving with the DualShock left analogue stick and controlling weapons with the PlayStation Move Controller.
• Sprawling Open World in VR -- Golem offers extensive exploration through an ancient city, which players can traverse from corner to corner, uninterrupted. Almost labyrinthian in scope and layout, the city has a wealth of routes, shortcuts, nooks and crannies. Some lead to loot and enemies, while others to crystal collectibles that shed more light on the history of this magically sealed place and its stone behemoths.
• Challenging Melee Combat -- As Twine, players command golems to face enemies in a fast-paced and punishing one-to-one melee combat where mastering the art of blocking, parrying and counterattacking is crucial. Enemy golems have their own unique attack patterns, weapons and movements that require quick responses.
• Specialized Weapons and Artifacts -- Twine can make use of a variety of primary and special purpose weapons, gems and masks to upgrade their golem's capabilities and access to different parts of the ruined city. The threats trapped within the city are forces to be reckoned with, though; if Twine's golem dies, it is returned to the main city gates and all these key resources -- and foes -- are reset.
• New Perspectives for Puzzle Solving -- In addition to the massive golems, Twine needs to control small dolls to navigate areas that require a new perspective. Danger comes in all shapes and sizes, though, as the doll will encounter insects at eye-level while exploring tunnels, armed only with a crystal light to fend off the swarm.

Ther??e's a lot to take in with this one, folks. Read up!

So, what we've got up for offer is this:

• One Grand Prize package, consisting of a physical PSVR copy of Golem, as well as an exclusive vinyl copy of the soundtrack, signed by composer Marty O'Donnell (you can't buy this anywhere, folks!)
• Five runners-up, who'll receive a digital copy of the soundtrack

To enter to win, use t??he widget below to leave your name and email address. Yo??u can enter daily. For bonus entries, follow developer Highwire Games, publisher Perp Games, and Dtoid on Twitter, and share our contest post with your friends.

In the meantime, talk about your favorite game OST.? Mine's definitely from Katam??ari Damacy, because wow it just makes me feel great. I love it to death. I might have a problem.

We have o?ne grand prize and five digital keys to give away -- you must have a United State??s shipping address in order to win the physical items. Winners will be drawn Wednesday, November 20.

Golem is available now on the PS Store, and Friday, November 22 at GameStop and retail locations everywhere.

Contest: Enjoy VR sights and vinyl sounds with Golem and this exclusive signed soundtrac?k

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It's a Unicorn!

Bethesda just announced the Jaws of Oblivion expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Legends card game, and guess what?! It's Oblivion-based. As fans recall, the 2006 game, titled "The Elder Scrolls IV," tore open the open world market and went down in history alongside of its predecessor Morrowind.

In turn it crafted some of its own unique lore, and Bethesda is aiming to get bac?k to that with the 75-card expansion arriving October 8, which features a new keyword: Invade (summon Oblivion Gates). We can share one card exclusively today in the form of the Unicorn. As a 3-cost card it's pretty humble, and it actually serves as a buffer of sorts for lower power cards, granting them Charge (creatures can attack the turn they are summoned).

As you can imagine this invites all sorts of trickery, like buffing the Unicorn's strength to create a? stampede of chargers. It'll require some finesse to really wring out its potential, but even as-is it should work well against CPUs who won't see it coming.

Unicorn

"You may remember the Unicorn in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from Hircine’s Daedric shrine quest, or ?you may have been lucky enough to run across it while you were exploring the woods of Tamriel. Whether you are attempting to ride the creature or kill it for its elegant horn, t?he Unicorn is arguably the most majestic beast you’ll come across on your travels.

A Legendary Beast from the upcoming Jaws of Oblivion expansion, Unicorn is a small creature with a huge effect. Charge, a keyword which allows creatures to attack the very turn they’re summoned, is one of the most powerful keywords in the game. Un??icorn gives it to every creature you have in the same lane with less power than itself! For starters, that’s only going to be creatures you play in? the lane with one power. There are decks with a lot of one-power creatures, like Token decks that summon a lot of Imperial Grunts; however, the best way to get value out of Unicorn will be by buffing its own power with other effects or Items! For example, if you use a Dawnbreaker to turn Unicorn into a 6/7 from a 2/3, all of a sudden you’ll be giving Charge to every creature you play to that lane with five power or less, and your opponent will have a big problem on their hands."

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A wild limited card

The next expansion up for Magic: The Gathering is Throne of Eldraine, a take on the Arthurian Legend and Grimm fairy tale motifs. Said set officially arrives on October 4, 2019, with a pre-release ceremony the weekend of Friday, September 27, and an Arena launch date of September 26. But before then, we have an exclusive reveal for you on the 20th anniversary of the unofficial video game holiday of 9/9/99.

The card is Doom Foretold, a White/Black four-cost multicolored card that could fit into some Esper/Hero decks and has some killer art.? Here's the description of the enchantment: "At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player sacr??ifices a nonland, nontoken permanent. If that player can't, they discard a card, they lose a lose, you draw a card, you gain two life, ten create a 2/2 white Knight creature token with vigilance, then you sacrifice Doom Foretold."

This has a lot of potential in limited, as four cost is par for the?? course for a lot of enchantments, and can make short work of some fairly powerful bombs (if someone drops an 8/8, you throw this down, then they immediately need to sacrifice it on their turn if it's the only thing on the tabl??e). Once they're whittled down the activated ability isn't too shabby, even if it lacks easy recursion.

There's better tech, especially in this current meta, but when the rotation happens soon enough and Ixalan/Rivals/Dominaria/M19 are gone, it could find its?? way into some setups.

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