The party don't start 'til I walk in

Do we know the roster of Street Fighter 6? It is increasingly looking like we do. While some characters, namely Ryu, Chun-Li, Jamie, Luke, Guile, and apparently "Kimberely" have all been essentially confirmed, the mighty leak that rolled out last week appeared to fill in the remaining roster slots, giving us a grand?? total of 22 super-strong, (and super-stylish) World Warriors.

While Capcom has not officially confirmed the contents of the leak, it did begrudgingly admit that Street Fighter fans had "seen more than they were supposed to", with the following Guile trailer �complete with denim onesie �more or less rubber stamps the leak as genuine. We have our Street Fighter 6 roster. Whether it's a launch roster, or features nu?merous DLC characters.??.. We'll have to wait and see.

For the first time in a long time, yer boy Moyse can rest easy that his main was indeed featured in the leak, sporting a slick new fringe, some M.C. Hammer pants, and some cute turquoise toenail polish. But, for fighting game fans, the nerve-wracking wait to see whether your favorite made the cut can be a brutal one. And while the Street Fighter 6 roster features ??many new and familiar faces, there's a surprising amount of omissions.

For a start, all of the original Street Fighter II cast have made it in, but not one of the Shadaloo bosses is on deck. Of course, SF6 takes place late in the timeline, and thus Shadaloo has collapsed, but you could still squeeze in Balrog and Sagat. In regard to recent newcomers, there's no sign of everyone's Bonita, Laura Matsuda, nor her brother Sean, and while SFV's Ed has made it, we can't see Falke or Kolin. Hmm... Oh, and F.A.N.G. has apparently been re?placed with a hotter, younger model i??n A.K.I.

These are just a few examples of some of the characters who, at this stage, will not be throwing up hoods to step back into the Street Fighter ring. Curiously, no C. Viper, who seemed an absolute shoo-in for both SFV DLC and SF6 inclusion. Where's Final Fight's Maki? You set the game in the graffiti-covered back alleys, but Alex no-shows? And poor old Makoto... We all miss Makoto. Nevertheless, the??re are 22 sluggers preparing to knuckle up, and undoubtedly multiple seasons of DLC characters ahead.

So, let's hear from you, the community. Who's absence from this supposed leaked roster disappoints you, and who would you like to see throwing down in Street Fighter 6 somewhere down the line?

The post Who’s missing from the Street Fighter 6 roster? appeared first on Destructoid.

Fan campaign pushing publisher

Last month's release of Guilty Gear Isuka on Steam has fans of ARC System Works' fighting games hoping that more of their titles might make it to the platform in future, and a campaign has developed to encourage publisher Kiss Ltd. to pursue this in earnest. Petitioning from fans has already triggered a response from Kiss, stating on the company Facebook page that they are indeed working to deliver more PC releases, noting that, "it is a complicated process," and, "the rights seem to be?? spread far and wide."

The publisher also asked petitioners to focus their efforts on Facebook and not the contact e-mail address listed? on their website so as to keep the inbox clear for any actual business mail relating to the titles.

I don't always play fighters but, when I do, I prefer ARC System Works. They're brightly colored, beautifully animated, delightfully weird ways for me to get utterly obliterated in a genre of gameplay I have no talent for. Where other fighting franchises will drive me away after my fiftieth beating, Guilty Gear and BlazBlue have kept me entertained. That's no small feat, so I'm a ?bi??g fan of the idea that they could expand the fan base further by publishing on PC.

[Via Shoryuken]

The post Kiss Ltd wants to bring more ARC S??ystem Works to Steam appeared first on Destructoid.

Artist Christopher Behr gives the retro cult hit a new look

To say that Earthbound, or Mother as it's referred to in Japan, is a much loved and admired game, is an understatement. From fans creating charity drives, to organized campaigns to get the game on Nintendo's virtual console -- this quirky and inventive RPG title has stolen the hearts of fans, whose numbers seem to ??grow with every passing year. Now, one such fan has shown off his love for the series by giving the game a new look for the HD generation.

3D artist Christopher Behr has spent the better part of a year giving Earthbound fans an idea of what a modern day version of the game could look like. Using his skills, he made a recreation of Onett, the hometown for Earthbound/Mother's main character. This recreation does take some liberties stylistically, but it's close enough to give people an idea of what the retro-quirky style can do with new tech. I don't know about you, but this is making me yearn for another playthrough of Earthbound. These images make me wish for Nintendo to give the series another chance. If anything, the passion fro??m fans over the years show that it's deserving of another shot.

For links to full sized versions of his work, check out the artist's websit??e.

Onett [Christopher Behr]

The post Fan recreates Earthbound with HD visuals appeared first on Destructoid.

The brains behind Jimquisition and Zero Punctuation get lyrical

This week on Rhymedown Spect?acular, Ya//jbsgame.com?/videos/view/jim-yahtzees-rhymedown-spectacular/7553-Where-the-Hype-Endshtzee turns his mind toward the wonderful world of limericks, while your ol' pal Jim Sterling tells a tale of a wandering cheese peddler.

As always, deep phi??losophical meaning and steamy commentary is hidden behind layers of beauty and elegance. You love every filthy second of it.

The post Rhymedown Spectacular: Where The Hype Ends appeared first on Destructoid.

Sega kids versus Nintendo kids

I grew up as a Nintendo kid, through and through. From the very first time I laid eyes on a Nintendo Entertainment System at a Sears at t?he age of four, ??I wanted to be a part of that world. I have no idea why a four-year-old would have the tenacity to save up money he had gotten from relatives to purchase a gaming console, but according to my parents, that's what happened.

From there, I moved onto the SNES when I was seven, because it was all I knew. After all, I was an all-out fanboy, not content with exploring other options and broadening my horizons -- I mean, what could they possibly offer me that Nintendo didn't already? Unfortunately for me, I stayed in that tunnel vision-centric mentality for quite some time -- that is, until my cousin? showed me the PlayStation, and my whole perspective changed.

Or should I say, I gained perspective.

"I want a PlayStation," I said to my parents with authority. "But I thought you liked Nintendo games," "No...?PlayStation is cooler now, Mom." Yep, that's how easily I abandoned my loyalty -- within the course of a weekend visit. Practically overnight, I was praising the new messiah -- the "cool" deity that transcended the meni??al mental circle Nintendo and Sega were now in.

It's easy to get into the fanboy mentality, especially when you're a young, impressionable mind. Perhaps you're swayed by popular opinion and constantly trash Nintendo for not delivering "core" games. Maybe you're content with badmouthing the mobile market because they're too casual. Some habits are influenced by jealousy, others, out of necessit??y. But it doesn't have to be that way if you open up your mind to other options, and at least exp?erience the vast, brave new world of devices.

I recognize that I'm very lucky in regards to how I was able to craft my gamer identity -- it was through the people I met over t?he course of my life. Although I didn't drop my fanboy card until well after the aforementioned PlayStation moment of clarity, I had been slowly introduced to other options that helped level me out. In short, it took me quite a while to get there.

The first step to enlightenment was the introduction Sega. Although I had dabbled in the Atari 2600, I wasn't truly introduced to a Nintendo competitor until the Mega Drive/Genesis came along. I started making new friends in elementary school, and naturally, I started arguments with Sega kids, ready to defend Nintendo from people who called them "kiddy." Aladdin SNES and Aladdin Genesis were at the core of many battles ?-- the SNES one is better by the way -??- and back then, we settled it with old-fashioned "play offs."

By "play offs," I mean that we went over to each others' houses constantly in a bid to win the opposing force over. Both parties attempted to wow the other with the latest Sonic or Mario game and turn them over to the light side -- it almost never worked -- at least it didn't appear to work.

Although I would never admit it back then, I enjoyed the vast majority of the Genesis' library. Games like ToeJam & Earl, Gunstar Heroes, and General Chaos were heavenly, and were experiences that I retained in my mind throughout my journey into console clarity. Even though I wasn't willing to ?admit my enjoyment at the time, I still experienced them, which is important -- it's all part of the experience.

Through my best friend in elementary and middle school, I had the chance to play literally hundreds of PC games (before I met him, there was my uncle, who was at the forefront of IT very early on). Delta Force, KKnD, Heavy Gear, Command and Conquer -- you name it, I've p??robably played it on the PC. Because of the mere fact that his father worked in IT since the beginning of the network boom, he had no less than four PCs in his home, all decked out with the latest and greatest tech, ready to take a beating from the next big game.

It was a mecca of PC gaming, and was a big influence on my perceived stability of PC gaming throughout my life. Whenever people cry "PC gaming is dying," every couple of years so until this very day, I just laugh it off. Ad??ditionally, I still had my prior strong background with consoles, so I never developed t?hat "elitist PC master race" mentality that scares away so many prospective fans.

My transformation into a jack-of-all-trades gamer was fully complete after I met someone in middle school that turned me onto the Sega Saturn and the Dreamcast. After months of all-night Sonic Adventure, Virtual On, Marvel vs. Capcom tournaments, the rest is history. From ther?e, I got a job at the age of 15, and proceeded to slowly pick up every major cons?ole, judging them all equally on their own merits.

In an almost comical manner at this very crux of my transformation, I was still not ready to admit how much I liked Sega games. I literally remember the moment I relinquished. I was sitting on my friend's couch, playing the last boss of Sonic Adventure. I had a gigantic smile on my face the entire time as I tapped my foot to the boss theme.

After beating it, my friend asked me how I liked the Dreamcast -??- I replied, "It's okay." To which he replied, "Are you kidding? Dude I saw your face you loved it, just admit it!" After 10 minutes of arguing, I finally did admit it. The cycle was complete. I had gone from a Nint?endo fan, to a PlayStation fan, and just abandoned all loyalties -- I gained experience through all of the people I've met over my life. It's kind of fitting that this finally happened to the tune of a song called "Open Your Heart."

Looking back, all of these meetings can't be described as any??thing less than serendipitous. You want to know the secret to how I played so many retro games? I played some of them begrudgingly. I somehow forged my gamer identity through a lifetime of experience in every facet of the gaming world almost in the same fashion as a Wes Anderson film, but not everyone can be so lucky. Some people don't live in areas that facilitate gaming, or didn't have parents who even approved of gaming, limiting their options ??thoroughly.

It's limitations like these that can cause the fanboy mentality to brew in someone's psyche. When I only owne??d a Nintendo-based system, I blocked out the other options so much that I refused to even acknowledge that they were viable.

But my plea to you is this: despite how many brown-colored FPS games may seem to over-saturate the Xbox, or how many brightly colored, overly-cheery games? dot the Wii U's landscape, always remember the concept of perspective. From the outside, everything seems dull or unappealing, but if you want to broaden your horizons, give everything a chance before you trash it.

Yep, even Apple.

The post Ga?mer identity: Fanboys, tradition, and perspective appeared first on Destructoid.

Egoraptor channels Ren & Stimpy

Which i?s better!? WHICH I?S BETTER!? C'mon! Make a decision!

So here we've got another Flash cartoon by famed grump Egoraptor. The "console vs. PC" argument is by no means a new one, but that's not the real highlight of this film. Rather, what I liked most was Ego's spot-on emulation of John Kricfalusi's animation style. Who was John Kricfalusi? Why, the creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, of course!

My goodness, does that music st??ir up happy memori??es!

Console vs. PC - WHICH IS BETTER?! [YouTube]

The post Console vs. PC: The line has been drawn! appeared first on Destructoid.

Now you're playing with power

With the growing trend of videogame crossovers by fans, it was only a matter of time before Super Mario World mashed with Metal Slug. Restylzed in Metal Slug's Neo-Geo asthetic, Mario roams the recognizable levels of the arcade classic, throwing fireballs, shoulder charging, and even hadukening a train. Don't remember that from any Mario game, but sure.

This awesome clip comes from French team Gamebill Studios. This video appears to be a first for the group. Let's hope more are to come. How about Link in Windjammers?

The post Mario invades the world of Metal Slu?g, chaos ensues appeared first on Destructoid.

*Assuming you are much smarter than me

In the age of the iPhone, the benefits of an armband computer that weighs you down is ludicrous. Nevertheless, Fallout's PIP-Boy 3000 is among the most wanted fictional tech toys among game enthusiasts. Hell, even the military wants a piece of the action! But only now has a functional blueprint for the device been put before the public. Should one man (or woman)? have all that PIP power?

The detailed, demanding and downright daunting instructions come from? Instructables user Aleator777, who also posted the above video. By now, you should be thinking, "Hey, that's no PIP-Boy 3000! It's not even on his arm!" True enough. Aleator777 says it is only a prototype with armband implementation to come.

"I'm not just going to buy a plaster cast of the FO3 PIP-Boy 3000 Clock and slap an iTouch in there. My goal is a functional device, not something that just looks functional," Aleator777 wrote on his post. "I do really want to make one of the ??models from the game, but until my budget expands, bringing completely accurate copies of the devices into reality is beyond my reach."

Calling out that iTouch armband? Oh snap, no you didn't, Aleator777!

Tech geeks infinitely smarter than me, can you know make some De??us Ex nanomachines for us now? I wa?nt to be able to drunkenly land a ten story jump whenever I get bored.

How to Make a PIP-Boy (Prototype) [Instructables via Vsauce3]

The post Fallout fans: Build your own functional PIP-?Boy today! appeared first on Destructoid.

And other pearls of wisdom from the Battlelog community

It's an innocuous enough little blog post -- an article on Battlelog aiming to help Xbox 360 users save space on their hard-drives by deleting obsolete Battlefield 3 update files. Fair enough, right? Wrong! 

The otherwise unremarkable post currently houses over 400 comments from PC and PS3 users, who seemed to be fa??r more interested in this topic than?? anybody else. The obvious responses have been calls to replace one's 360 with a PC or PS3, though other comments have been a bit more venomous. 

The 360 lovers gave a good fight in response, leading to a thread that ??has escalated into something utterly remarkable. Amazing how these things just explode from nothing. 

Because pointing at comments made by stran??gers on the Internet is funny, we've got some ??examples of golden fanboy nonsense for you to admire like fine art. Just make sure to avoid it if you don't enjoy shameless displays of corporate loyalty. 

"1. Pickup Xbox 2. Find nearest wall 3. Take a run up 4. Smash the Xbox in to the wall as hard as you can!!!! (think of all Dice's bugs to rise the anger) 5. Look at smash up Xbox 6. Do a evil laugh 7. Get the broom and bin and dump the site in the bin 8. Buy a PC with LOTS OF HDDDDDD!!!!!!" - Nick_The_Knike

"Glad to see the PC community members living up to the terrible reputation they all have. Not actually helping anyone, instead just being a bunch of snobs. You're embarrassing yourselves and your platform you hold so dear to your hearts. Try to be civil for a change PC players, you might just make a few friends along the way." - JesseTheZombie

"Just buy a PlayStation you idiots." - SnS_1kingdan

"XBOX is for CoD Kiddies." - MANFACE

"C'moon people,youre making the Call of Duty community look better than you are! Some people just don't have the money for super pc,that's why consoles are great. It's great that DICE is caring about people on consoles,just like this. Be smart - Be better than CoD community!" - Pwnstermaster

"Xbox brings a 4GB HDD? Damn, and I thought Sony was being a bunch of idiots by releasing a 12GB HDD PS3! Boooo for Microsoft! Hurray for Sony!" - KainPT

"who the fuck gives a shit about fucking xbox 360? i dont want this spam shit on my battlelog pls" - nB-12MonkeysArmy

"But Xbox sucks PC for the World gamers Realistic as hell" - Doonkeey

"lol...so many ppl 2 stupid to read and understand headlines and have to let go their anger about their analphabetism by insulting everyone not playing on their console...only strange thing is that PC and PS3 players seem to be a lot more impolite than the xbox-gamers...and even more funny is the fact that these immature kids want to convince everybody that the XBOX is for kids...very strange in my opinion..." - freako0o56

"lol @ the PC elitists. I have BF3 for console and PC, and guess what, I like it a lot more on ps3 so you can all shut your whore mouths and stop telling people where to play the game. They can play wherever the fuck they want to. Grow up and act your fucking age!" - YAH-64-_-zoomie

"All of you fuckers who are calling the Xbox shit are acting just like the prepubescent sons of bitches who play Cod and Halo on Xbox. While most people will agree that PC is a better all-around system, with consoles, you are basically paying for the specs of a low-end gaming PC to play games, and like others have said not every person can buy a gaming PC, so you don't have to be a prick about it. It's like saying that my phone is better at calling than yours because it has a touch screen. They kinda both do the same things just in different ways. DICE was just looking out for all their community members, which good companies should so. and on that thank you." - PGLuna

"i see all these pc fan boy bitches posting bs on this thread (i've played both pc and ps3)and what i would like to know is who the fuck asked you for your biased opinion in the first place????this was obviously directed at x-box players..so why would you come to the thread other than to try and start some shit ..wtf get a life and stop trying to be a bully over the internet you fucking ass holes..quit braging about the size of your penis ..i mean hard drive and go back to your wii .." - 4playy74

"BATTLEFIELD ON CONSOLE = EPIC FAIL + A INSULT FOR THE BATTLEFIELD COMMUNITY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - Guy whose name I lost but is probably lots of words with mixed caps.

"This is why PC gaming is bad. All the elitist PC fan's. Xbox players have there reasons for owning an xbox. You need a high end PC to play BF3 and the xbox is far cheaper, some people have more friends on xbox. I know there are some down sides to a xbox like reduced player count. Xbox is a more economical solution to play games." - slothdozer

"Ps3= Best, No online payments, built in controller battery (rechargeable), blu-ray, does not scratch disks when movie the console while disk is spinning, and a whole load of stuff better then xbox.... not a fanboy but ps3 is better come on think about it..., xbox is only better by how many users play... ADD PSN: xviper-legendx p.s pc is 1 of the best too because you can have the best graphics, speed etc..." - xxViPeR-LeGeNDxx

"MUAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHA!!! PC FOR THE WIN IF ANY OF U WANT I CAN GIVE 1TB FROM MY HDD HAHAHAHAHA 3 TB SUCK IT!!!! :D :TROOLFACE:" - eXc-ItachiBF3

"all you little cod pieces out there need to shut the hell up about PC being massively superior coz it ain't, all the advantages you guys really have are better frame rates and more players per server, on the down side you have cheaters, no in-built comms and most PC's are different so players aren't as evenly matched. C'mon then lemme hear it bitches...." - bLaNsHaRd "RED DEAD REDEMPTION: suck my dick pc fagboys" - liandro-live

"shitbox 3shitty" - BOFH

"X BOX SUCKS ASS IT IS JUST CRAP I WOULD NOT EVEN TAKE A PISS ON IT" - agentbrett101

"any FPS game on PC is crap. d3d, aimbot, chams, esp, ect ect. these are all doable on PC, an security is cracked everyday to update hacks. we don't have these issues on xbox, an ps3. so therefor, only thing that PC has up on console gamers is graphics." - sp4de

"lol, xbox, just lol" - LucaSexyBeting

The post ‘Who the f*ck gives a sh*t about f*cking Xbox 360?’ appeared first on Destructoid.

...and desisted, while they were at it

At least some part of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom is taking one on the chin today. The group of fans working together to produce a fighting game based on the plucky ponies has been struck by a cease and desist order from Hasbro, owners of the My Little Pony property.

The news comes by way of the developers website, which has been replaced with a message explaining?? the situation to fans expecting to get their fix of pony pugilism. It states that the group has attempted to seek permission from Hasbro but, having yet to receive a response from their PR and legal department?s (granting them the rights so desperately needed to make the dream of pony-on-pony combat action a reality), the team seems to have little choice but to comply with the order.

I think it's obvious that I think a fighting game centered around a world and characters intended to promote concepts of unity and cooperation is a brilliant idea, but eithe??r Hasbro lacks creative vision or this cease and desist order is a clear signal that they already have something along these lines in production.

Kidding aside, I hope that the folks making their game aren't too hurt by the move. Obviously, Hasbro needs to defend its properties and, if we're being totally honest here, the very premise of this game runs counter to what they're trying to engender and it makes complete sense that they would swoop in and shut it down. It's just a shame that it took them 18 months to do so, giving the group the chance to sink as much time into it as possible before it all be??ing flushed away.

Here's to those guys, and to all the people attempting to make something when the man is keeping you down. Even if you're trying to make a game I can't comprehend and would never play volun?tarily, I'm glad you're trying all the same.

The post My Little Pony ‘Fighting is Magic’ fan game has ceased appeared first on Destructoid.

Sick of the Dualshock's analog placement?

The eternal argument over the superiority of the PS3 Dualshock or the 360 controller rages on, with hardware manufacturer Gioteck newest PlayStation 3 gamepad, that looks awfully familiar.

It completely adopts the 360's style, ?all the way down to the staggered analog stick placement. It also offers wireless play, turbo, and thumb-stick sensitivity settings.

Although it would be silly to outright state which controller is "best," I have to say I've always enjoyed the 360 controller in terms of overall comfort factor. The triggers just feel better on my fingers, and for first per?son shooters, I accept no subst?itutions. The d-pad on the other hand is another story, in which case I'll switch to the PS3 in a nanosecond.

Luckily I have a soluti??on, as I bought a cheap PS3 controlle??r adapter for my 360 -- solving the d-pad issue for fighting games and platformers. For the other side of the fence, you could buy this new $40 Gioteck controller.

Gioteck [Engadget]

The post Here’s a new Xbox 360 controller…for the PlayStation 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Player choice becomes the 'best' choice

Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford's D.I.C.E. Summit presentation focused on how player choice is a good thing for games. In one of his many examples on how choice works in games like Borderlands 2, he touched on a bit of psychology, using the wo?rk of Harvard psychology professor Dan Gilbert to show that the choices players make become the 'best?' choice.

Gilbert studies the psychology of happiness. In a recreation of one of his tests, Pitchford used swag from his D.I.C.E. Summit gift bag to show how this works. In this demonstration he laid out six items from the gift bag on stage and asked the audience to quickly rank them from most to least desirable. In the Gilbert test you would take the item?s away and then come back in 20 minutes or so to tell the subject that some of the items have been made available to participants. Asking them to pick between their third and fourth most desired items, subjects would pick the third from their memory of their earlier ranking.

Things become interesting in a second part of this test. Coming back to the subjects even later, after some of the memory of their original ranking fades, they're told that the original rankings were lost, and are asked to re-rank the items. What happens is that the item that originally was third down on the list, the one they now own, ranks higher, and previously higher ranked it??ems are pushed down.

Pitchford explains that choice changes their thinking, and that the same thing shows in games. For example, when given a choice between two weapons with comparable power early on in the game, the player's initial choice becomes their 'best' despite its effectiveness ranking. The c?hoice a player makes becomes the good choice over time, with the one not chosen labeled as the bad one.

Pitchford says that this?? same psychology can be applied to console fanboyism. Those limited to one console make an initial decision, and eventually becomes the 'best' one for them, making other consoles the 'worst' choice. By this, I was a Sega kid because my dad bought me a Genesi?s because I asked for it first. Later, I bought my own Super Nintendo. While I loved it, I was always partial to Sega consoles. My mind made my first choice the 'best' one. For the time, at least.

The post Gearbo?x boss explains console fanboyism with psychology appeared first on Destructoid.

It's Always Sunny at Nintendo

Earlier this week, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto claimed his company had failed to "communicate the value" of the Wii U to consumers, a turn of phrase that struck me as quite amusing. As a fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, all I could think of was the first stage of De??nnis Reynolds' system of seduction, the D.E.N.N.I.S. System, whereby he "demonstrates value" to sucker a wo?man into falling for him. 

After thinking about it (and reading the jbsgame.community's reaction to the Nintendo/Dennis connection), I started to realize Nintendo and Always Sunny's lecherous sociopath have way more in common, and th?at the D.E.N.N.I.S. System may well be applied to the company's business strategy in its entirety.

Nintendo might be t?aking lessons from the show as it perfects the art of?? seducing fans and breaking their hearts for its own sordid gains. 

While the system is designed for Dennis to trick women ??into having sex with him before abandoning them, its applications in business are frightening, and Nintendo's mastery of it is absolute. Like Dennis, Nintendo is able to seduce and conquer its fans by demonstrating value, engaging physically, nurturing dependence, neglecting emotionally, inspiring hope, and then separating&nbs?p;entirely. Do you remain skeptical? Read on and understand. 

Demonstrate Value

This one's easy, because we already know, by Nintendo's own admission, that it secures customer loyalty by demonstrating the value of its product. Through marketing promotions, competitive pricing, and pledging to offer the widest variety of games to the widest variety of consumers, Nintendo attempts to demonstr??ate its value to the user. More often than not, it succeeds.

In fairness, all videogame companies utilize the first step of the system. Duping the consumer into believing a product is worth the entry fee is what the ??game industry is all about. Nintendo's as? committed as any when it comes to demonstrating its value. 

Engage Physically

No other compa??ny works harder to engage its customers physically than Nintendo. With the Wii, the DS, the 3DS, and the Wii U, Nintendo has been doing more to encourage physical interaction with users than any other company in the games market. Whether you're waggling a remote, tapping a touchscreen, o?r tilting screens left and right, when you're on a Nintendo system, you're 100% physically engaged. 

Even those shy to embrace Nintendo's whimsical world of bodily nonsense are eventually suckered in. Games like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword test the resolve of even the most adamant anti-waggle gamer, and the excellent Nintendo DS library has us all dragging styli around like they're little Weekend at Bernie's corpses! If you're a Nintendo customer, consider yourself physicall?y engaged.&nb??sp;

Nurturing Dependence 

Nintendo has the key to the cage of some of gaming's most beloved and cherished franchises. Your inner child is Reggie Fils-Aime's bitch. Miyamoto is the way and the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Mario except through him. To get your hands on Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, and so many more, you depend entirely on so-c?alled Big N. 

Nintendo knows it, too. It knows what you like, and it knows you have nobody else to turn to. Games like Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. feed your nostalgia, remind you of happier times before you became an evil-hearted adult, and convince you to stay with Nintendo if you want to keep getting that sweet, sweet hit. One look at the dogged loyalty of Nintendo's most ?ardent fans will tell you this has already been achieved. They remain hopelessly in the thrall of their master, suckling at its red, cracked teats with all the gratitude of a freshly-fed dog. 

??We're halfway through the system, and Nintendo's three for three!

Neglect Emotionally

Nintendo's demonstrated its value to you. It's engaged you physically with its cool new toy. It's nurtured your dependence with the allure of childhood memories and h??on?est-to-goodness gaming. What happens next?

Wii Music happens next. 

Yes folks, you've just ?been neglected emotionally!

Satoru Iwata's band of merry men are wizards when it comes to this step, leading fans on for so long before totally cutting them off. After stringing gamers along, Nintendo does an about-face, making its press conferences and announcements all about family-friendly crap that nobody cares for. We get some maniac woman on a stage, grinning like a bargain basement Joker as she tells you she's going to put a smile on your face. We get promises of Pikmin 3, but no actual news, while other favorite franchises are completely ignored. Reggie tells us Animal Crossing is a hardcore game and can't understand why anybody'??s feeling shortchanged.

"Nintendo has abandoned the hardcore gamer," the cry rings out,? over valley and hill. My Lord,? why hast thou forsaken me? The answer is clear -- Nintendo's neglecting you emotionally.

Inspire Hope

Wait, they just announced Pikmin 3? Holy shit, was that a new Kid Icarus? New Donkey Kong? And what's with this Wii U eShop? It's, like, actually good. Nintendo's got a new online strategy, Nintendo's promising more core games. Nintendo's back, everybody! Nintendo finally gets it. 

"Nintendo finally gets it." I've honestly lost count of how many times I've read that phrase over the years. After neglecting us emotionally, Nintendo makes some announcement or presents a fresh feature that has everybody (myself included) pull a U-turn and declare that, this time, Nintendo finally understands what we want, and at last knows how to give it to us. We are relieved. We ??are appreciative.

And then ... we bang.

Separate Entirely

Weeks without games. A sudden 3DS dis??count that pisses off everybody who supported the system early. The eShop turns out to be bereft of content and shit as always. A reality that fails utterly to live up to the promises we breathed in like sweet oxygen. And all the while, Nintendo sits there, deaf to our pleas, blind to our entreaties. It's working on something else now, and has cut its consumers loose.

It's okay, though. You need not be alarmed. Nintendo will be back, next time it needs to demonstrate it??s value ??to you.

And the D.E.N.N.I.S. System rises again.

The post How Nintendo?? breaks hearts with the D.E.N.N.I.S. System appeared first on Destructoid.

Party in Iceland with crazy developers

Tickets are now available for CCP's Fanfest, a celebration of all things EVE Online. This year, we can expect a lot of the coverage to be focused on the integration of Dust  514, since it's now an official part of the EVE server. CCP is definitely an ambitious developer, and one that's doing some intere?sting things by connecting the events of a shooter directly into what's ha??ppening in an MMO. ;

Fanfest will be happening April 25-27 in Reykjavik, Iceland and it will cost $145 for tickets. If you don't have real money, this is the first year you can buy tickets with EVE's in-game currency. And if you have someone you want to bring along on vacation that doesn't play EVE, you can buy a spouse ticket that includes access to the parties at night, but inst?ead of listening to developers talk about mining in null-sec all day, they get to visit a?? spa and explore some of Iceland's scenery.

The post EVE Fanfest has a trailer and tickets for sale appeared first on Destructoid.

All that spiked hair, oh my!

Square Enix polled 800+ Japanese Final Fantasy fans on which male characters really beef t??heir cakes. Unsurprisingly, beefcake supremos known for making happy pants tents across the globe Squall and?? Cloud placed high at 2 and 5. The #1 spot goes to no other than Zack with his dashing good looks and wonderfully toned body.

In the West we look at Final Fantasy's male characters as strange, androgynous heroes, but, in Japan, Final Fantasy's lovely batch of beefcakes practically paved the way for style and fashion. You can't walk down a street of Shinjuku without spotting at least one person that dressed themselves according to a FF game manual -- and God bless them for that!

The poll asked voters to consider personality, but I don't see Kefka on there. So, I must assume that Japan is a country full of shallow people that care for nothing more than spiky hair and incredible pecs. Fans are currently voting on favorite female characters, which you can contribute to (if you understand Japanese) here. Full list of male winners below.

1. Zack (FFVII)
2. Cloud (FFVII)
3. Zidane (FFIX)
4. Tidus (FFX)
5. Squall (FFVIII)
6. Bartz (FFV)
7. Kain (FFIV)
8. Sephiroth (FFVII)
9. Cecil (FFIV)
10. Vincent (FFVII)
11. Noel (FFXIII-2)
12. Reno (FFVII)
13. Edgar (FFVI)
13. Lock (FFVI)
15. Balthier (FFXII)
15. Laguna (FFVIII)
17. Auron (FFX)
17. Hope (FFXIII)
19. Noctis (FF Versus XIII)
19. Reeve (FFVII)
21. Edge (FFIV)
21. Kuja (FFIX)
23. Irvine (FFVIII)
23. Gilbart (FFIV)
25. Vaan (FFXII)
25. Onion Knight (FFIII)
25. Galuf (FFV)
25. Golbez (FFIV)
25. Zell (FFVIII)
25. Vivi (FFIX)
25. Mash (Sabin) (FFVI)
32. Warrior of Light (FF)
32. Ace (FF Type-0)
32. Kurasame (FF Type-0)
32. Sazh (FFXIII)
32. Cid (Entire Series)
32. Steiner (FFIX)
32. Firion (FFII)
32. Ming-Wu (FFII)
32. Rufus Shinra (FFVII)

[Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Forum via Nova Crystallis]

The post Final Fantasy fans rank the seri????es hottest beefcakes appeared first on Destructoid.

He's already in line at New York's Nintendo World Store

I'm sure you've all heard of Isaiah-Triforce Johnson by now. He's the founder of the competitive gaming organization Empire Arcadia, but you would most likely recognize him as the black dude with the Power Glove who seemingly always manages to be first in line to purchase any new Nintendo doodad -- he was the first man in America to officially buy the Wii as well as the 3DS.

Now Triforce plans on being the first person on the planet to purchase a Wii U at retail. The first unit will be sold at the Nintendo World Store in New York, so to be certain no one gets the jump on him, he's already queued up. For your infor?mation, today is October 22, and the Wii U won't launch until November 18. That's an insane level of dedication.

He's been hassled by the cops in the past for "loitering?," but they've never been able to prevent him for completing his mission!

Also, "Isaiah-Triforce Johnson" is his actual ??legal name. Wow.

At Least One Person Is A?lready Waiting In Line F??or The Wii U [Kotaku]

The post Nintendo superfan Triforce plans to buy the ??first Wii U appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm going to be upfront with you guys and admit that this may be Mega64's worst videos ever. It's not funny at all, just really morbid and forced. Not that I don't agree that reactions over Bayonetta 2's Wii U exclusivity aren't path?etic, but this video is ?simply dumb.

But I posted it anyway because I think there is another discussion that can come out of it. Namely, the hypocrisy some gamers spout when they take imagined slights to t?he extreme.

Tell me you haven't heard this before: "If X game comes out on Y console, I will quit gaming!" How about this: "If home consoles become more casual, I will quit gaming!" And does anyone remember THE Final Fantasy XIII meltdown? These are common occurrences on blogs and message boards, where people have to freedom to say whatever they want and not be held accountable for? their words. As with most posturing ??on the Internet, it all amounts to jack squat.

Being passionate about a hobby like gam?ing can be a very positive thing sometimes. However, you have to be careful when that passion gets in the way of reason. I've been g??uilty of it, as I'm sure all of you have at one point or another. We say things we don't really mean, but because this is the Internet, it's bound to bite us in the ass eventually.

Whenever I hear someone make an empty threat like "I'm going to quit gaming" because they feel like a spurned lover, that these big multimillion-dollar corporations don't care about their well being and happiness, I have to wonder exactly who they are threatening. Fellow commenters? Other gamers in the world? The presidents of these companies? No one is feeling threatened by their baseless threats. And when whatever it is they thought would shake the foundation of our hobby comes to pass, they? pretend like they never said anything incriminating.

Sometimes I really wish people would follow through on these silly threats. You want to boycott EA or Ubisoft? Then do it! Go and picket in front of the company headquarters and send letters to retailers ??u??rging them not to stock the company's software. Do some research and dig up dirt to use against the company, if you have to.

Threatening to quit gaming? Fuckin' do it! Sell off all your consoles. Stop visiting mes??sage boards. Never speak of videogames ever again. I guarantee that no one will miss your dribbling nonsense.

And though the Mega64 video above is an extreme exaggeration, it's not unusual to read about folks threatening to actually kill themselves or the game devs over videogames. Does it take someone actually going the whole ??hog for people to reali??ze how ridiculous they sound?

Maybe not the murder thing, but I really want some poor schmuck ?to permanently ragequit and never come back. I would love to read abou??t that. I would laugh my ass off. Let's get it done.

Mega64 - The Bayonetta Suicides [GameTrailers]

The post Mega64: Bayonetta 2’s on Wii U, time to kill yourself appeared first on Destructoid.

_{[Dtoid community blogger fulldamage shines the spotlight on some of the biggest videogame superfans in the industry. Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Go write something! --Mr Andy Dixon]}

I first met Zoya Street at GDC last year, giving a talk on swords and economic narrative in the Final Fantasy series, 1988? - 2009. She had a coolly-designed infographic up on the wall, and -- most interesting to me -- she wasn’t actually from a developer or publisher, giving the kind of “Tips for Breaking Into the Industry” or “Post Mortem from my Awesome Triple A Game” or “Best Middleware for Reticulating All Your Splines Efficiently” sort of talks that fill up most of the rooms. 

No, Zoya was sort of a different creature. She was a game fan, a player and an academic who was studying game design from the other side of the field -- from the audience chair -- by reverse engineering the structures she found in it, and comparing those structures t?o cultural, historical, and economic theories and examples drawn from life and from academia. 

You have to love games a lot to do that, you know? 

When I was a kid, games were an object and an experience that I coveted. It wasn’t complicated! I’d see Link flinging his burning sword at an Octorok that would disappear with a satisfyingly heavy “thrrrump!” sound, or I’d watch my friend take his Avatar hero to a shrine to achieve spiritual perfection in between orc-smashing dungeon-crawling fireball-throwing adventures in Ultima IV, or I’d see the gorgeous dreamscapes of Myst ope??n up before me, or I’d see a Ken player execute a perfectly thought-out wake-up dragon punch to finish a torpedoing M. Bison, and man that was it. Those were scenarios tha??t fired me up and filled up my imagination -- there wasn’t anything else in particular that I wanted to be doing. 

It was a simple love of games; as external experience, as pursued object, a?s a thing to Do. 

OC Remix trades heavily on the nostalgia a lot of us have for that childhood time when games were a simple, magical refuge. There’s an army of composers here who take the musical materials of those times and apply sonic alchemy to it, turning it into something quite amazing. Did you know that for this latest release they tried to Kickstart -- another Final Fantasy themed album -- they actually had to enter talks with Square in order to keep everything legit? I’m never quite sure Square appreciates the power of this kind of fanbase, this army of people who have felt the course of their lives changed measurably by these games, so much so that they have to go out and create and publish even more beautiful things to add ?to the world as a result. 

Sometimes people’s lives get too busy to accommodate spending heavy time on games; sometimes life gets in the way, or sometimes you just realize they’re not a priority anymore. But then there’s a small subsection of folks that just Geek Right The Fuck Out and never stop. It’s hard to say where that boundary is, but you know when you tumble right over the obsession precipice and wake up and realize you’re a career game tester, or a coder or designer, or that you’ve just spent years putting together a Neverwinter se??rver that hosts hundreds of people that you have to create scenarios for regularly, o??r that you’re suddenly writing your Master’s thesis on game theory in a specific obscure foreign genre, or that your closet contains 15 unique character costumes that you sewed together yourself, or that you’re the only person in the store trying to figure out what precise color of cookie frosting would be the closest match to Master’s Chief’s armor -- nah fuck it, you’ll mix it yourself. It has to be right. 

Check out Game Design Forum. Can you dig it? Look at this article length. They got tables and flow charts up in here, B. Not because it was their professional job to come up with those originally, but because they have such a deep appreciation for this game, they have to go in and pull the thing apart by the seams, to figure out why the Final Fantasy plot breaks down the way it does, why the characters are where they?? are and do what they do, why the developers made the decisions that they made -- the Why of everything! I mean, damn son. It’s not enough to know that the game is awesome, they’ve got to g?et in there and crack its bones open and suck out the tasty marrow of awesome. 

If you’re a well-adjusted sane human being, it is possible that this level of obsession is weird or off-putting. That’s okay! I have to admit, this level of geekery changes the way in whic?h you relate to games in a fundamental way. I talk about theory, design, and compare notes on different obscure game structures and phenomena just about every day, but I’m not sure I love them any more than I did when I was a kid! Rather, they’re like my arm, now. I don’t “love” my arm exactly; it’s just a part of me. It’s how I interact with the world, and it’d be hard for me to function without it. 

The map looks like this to me. No lie!

Leigh Alexander wrote something recently that was kind of a call to arms for game journalists to ??step their game up, to start going after developers and publishers more aggressively and with harder-hitting questions, to get in there and find out the real stories about how games come to be, or come to ??fail. Game writing is its own form of obsessive geekery, and so I wish her luck in rallying her fellow writers to get a little less “markety” and a little more real. But I’m honestly not worried about it. As more people play games, I think that more people will start to dig into gaming as psychology, as theory, and as cultural landmark -- from all sorts of angles.

I’m not really invested in whether or not journalists are the first ones to do it in a ??big way. To be honest, I am much more interested in the observations and insights of driven non-developers and non-journalists like Zoya and the Game Design Forum and OC Remix. I know games reach out to people, but what really amazes me are the creative ways in which game fans reach back out to games and each other. 

And just in case you're motivated to get in there and help: 

Support Zoya’s Indiegogo 
Support Game Design Forum’s Kickstarter 
Keep an eye out for that OC Remix next?? Kickstarter 

Much love, Dtoiders. Only the best get obsessed.

The post Promoted blog: Fans of another kind appeared first on Destructoid.

The announcement of Bayonetta 2 as a Wii U exclusive is destined to go down as one of the big "betrayals" of gaming history, right up there alongside Final Fantasy VII on the PS1. So-called "fans" of the original Bayonetta were quick to express their displeasure at the news, and not even an explanation of the situation by Platinum Games p?resident Tatsuya Minami could quell the?? fire.

Bayonetta 2 is being published by Nintendo, strongly implying that no other company was willing to throw its support behind the title. Nonetheless, some gamers continue to hold out hope that the sultry?? sequel will somehow go multiplatform. Producer Atsushi Inaba decided to put the kibosh on any false hopes when he informed Polygon, "Would Bayonetta 2 not exist without Nintendo? The answer is yes."

He elaborates, "We are not viewing this as a change of platform. We were looking for a partner to create Bayonetta 2 and Nintendo was a strong, cooperative partner that was willing to create and grow Bayonetta 2 together [with us]. As a result the platform became the Wii U." There's really only one way to interpret this: Nintendo was the only company that demonstrated any ??significant interest in?? getting the game made.

Who else was going to publish it? Definitely not Sega, which recently underwent severe restructuring and had to shelve several projects, one which may have been a multiplatform Bayonetta 2 in early planning stages. Despite being out in Japan already, Sega pushed back the Western release of Anarchy Reigns for reasons unknown. If that's how?? the company handles a finished product, how do you think it would treat?? something barely in development?

Nintendo -- not Sony or Microsoft -- is making Bayonetta 2 a reality. What makes me most curious are those folks who insist that they are now "forced" to buy a new console to play a single game. They don't want to buy a Wii U, but because there is a game that appeals to them on the Wii U, they make up strange excuses, like how the "true price" of Bayonetta 2 includes $350 for the Wii U itself.

Well, hello! That's what happens when a new hardware generation begins! Sequels to games that appeared on t??he previous consoles tend to only be available on the new consoles. Naturally, the new consoles will have sparse libraries in the beginning, but that doesn't stop people from upgrading. There was crying in the streets from parents back in the 90s who complained that they shouldn't have to buy the Super Nintendo because their kids already had an NES. But change is inevitable, and you are going to have to make the investment if you want to play the latest and greatest.

If Bayonetta 2 were coming to the PS4 or Xbox 720, no one would have made a peep. Suddenly, the "true price" argument vanishes. The reason people are pissed is because the Wii U is made by Nintendo and Nintendo is garbage to third parties and third parties can't succeed on Nintendo machines and all third-party software on Nintendo consoles suck and how dare Nintendo take our games they have no gosh darn right blah blah blah blah. Just admit that this is blind hatred towards Ni??ntendo and get over yourselves.

Wake up and realize that this is a good thing, that it's an indication that Nintendo is trying to do right by these ingrates, that Platinum Games gets to make a sequel to a cult classic that wouldn't have been made otherwise, and that there is not a single logical reason why you should be upset over this. You want to be mad at something? Be mad at Sega for losing so much money that it couldn't fund development of a whole swath of games. Be mad at Sony or Microsoft for not coming to Bayonetta 2's rescue. Be mad at the ??state of modern game development that prevents a critically laud??ed million-seller from receiving a sequel via normal means.

This is just... I mean... I don't even...

'Bayonetta 2' would not exist without N?intendo, says Platinum Games [Polygon]

The post Platinum’s Inaba: Bayonetta 2 wouldn’t exist w/o Nintendo appeared first on Destructoid.

Arguably the biggest surprise at yesterday's Wii U press event was the announcement of Bayonetta 2, and that the gam??e will be a Wii U exclusive published by Nintendo. My first thought was "This will get people who think that Nintendo 'only cares about the casuals' to see that the publisher is?? making a real effort to broaden their appeal."

Turns out I was right. I just didn't expect that some people would be so angry about it. Below you'll find just a smattering of some of the comments from Bayonetta "fans" who are very upset over the news, including the usual death threats, plans for boycotts, and announcements that the anno?uncement of a new videogame has "REALLY RUINED THEIR DAY."

E??xclusivity always makes some people feel left out, and that sucks, but in this case we're talking abo??ut a game that is lucky to be getting a sequel at all. I expected fans of the original game to be universally pleased that Bayonetta's adventures will continue, even if it means that they may have to purchase a Wii U to be a part of them. 

For years, people bashed Nintendo for not having more M-rated, "AAA" third-party exclusives. When they make an effort to change that, people complain. My guess is that these people just won't be satisfied with Nintendo until they go out of the videogame business entirely. They seem to enjoy hating the comp?any, and it makes them unhappy when they are give?n reasons not to.

Gamer??s bombard Platinum Games with hate-filled messages over Bayonetta 2 on?? Wii U [GoNintendo]

 

The post ‘Fans’ of Bayonetta to kill themselves over Wii U sequel appeared first on Destructoid.

Tells the community, 'It really is just you.'

As we've discussed before, Silent Hill's fanbase is currently afflicted by an irrationally emotional hatred of Silent Hill: Book of Memories, the handheld spin-off developed by WayForward.???? Series producer Tomm Hulett has become the scapegoat for the community, blamed for everything bad that's ever happened. This week, he bit back. 

Over on his official blog, Hulett posted an image of Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Theatrhythm, and Persona 4 Arena. It was accompanied by the text, "Look around, Silent Hill fans. It really is just you." The message, of course, was that spin-offs happen all the time, and can be radically different from the main series, yet only the Silent Hill fanbase is flying into a tantrum over it. 

Man's got a point. 

Fans being mad at the idea of a spin-off spinning off from something is still spectacular to me. I understand the fanbase feels burned -- I also love Silent Hill and lament the series' fall from grace -- but using this as your sacrificial l??amb is just ... kind of pitiful. It's not like it's a main entry in t?he series, and it's not like anybody knows how good it is yet. It's just ... different. 

Tom??m's pretty much on the m??oney here. The fans are being ridiculous.

[Thanks, NintendoTweet]

The post Silent Hill producer calls out f??ans over Book of Memori??es appeared first on Destructoid.

Xbox fans dish out advice to PS3 users

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim received it's Hearthfire home-building DLC this week, but only if you have the Xbox 360 version. PC users will have to wait, while PS3 users haven't even got Dawnguard -- and may never get it.

Naturally, Bethesda's Facebook page is inundated with complaints, but interestingly it seems that a number of fans have been able to offer some solutions -- either buy an Xbox 360 or shut up. It's a nice little example of the modern gamer attitude, where logging a complaint is no longer a valid consumer option, and you should just keep giving the industry more of your money until your problem goes away. Well ... I guess it's a solution that works in a perverse sort of way. 

If you're a PS3 user steamed at Bethesda for its handling of games on your preferred system, you'll want to read this fantastic advice from a range?? of experienced gamers. It's the first step on the path to happiness.

[Thanks for spotting this, Charlie!]

"Love how when PS3 users get an exclusive game or DLC they rub it in then when it happens to them they rage about it ha, heres an idea why not trade in your very clearly inferior console for an xbox? And stop crying !!!!" - Daniel Anderson. 

"PS3 users quit complaining. If it sucks that much to you, quit being a bunch of cheapo's and go get a 360. Then you will realize why 360 users pay for their content. How often do you see PS3 go out and provide their fans with exclusive content. THEY DON'T! Xbox puts our hard earned money to where it should go, video games. AND THEY KNOW THE ONES TO SPEND THE MONEY ON FOR SURE!" - Logan Phillips. 

"Oh boo hoo! Not Bethesda fault that PS3 is crap to code for! Just buy it on PC since you obviously have problems with getting a XBOX! I have it for 360 and PC! As well as Dawnguard on both machines! Just buy a second copy on steam! And stop complaining!" - Anthony Darryl Abeyta.

"The PS3 will most likely not be getting the DLC! Don't you guys already know this! This is for XBOX users who actually pay for online service that in turn Microsofts spends the money on EXCLUSIVE content! Get over it, your system sucks and you all know it!" - Anthony again ... he just really wants you to know!

"Maybe the reason we (xbox players) got them first is we actually pay for a service rather than be cheap and use an inferior service because its free xbox buy rights to early content because its users pay its not bethesdas fault you ps3 players don't get DLC its Sonys blame them and buy a console that cares about its customers!" - Jack Brown. 

"There are no 'AMAZING' PS3 exclusive titles... Average ones at best!" - Stuart Robb.

"Were lucky Microsoft actually kno how to make a console, people say the ps3 is more powerfull etc, yeah ofcourse it is lol well.... enjoy ur extra bit of power, im off to play skyrim an all the dlc :-)" - Doran Doz Seddon.

"I love PS3 people complaining about no DLC. What about Morrowind that was never on PS2, not to mention 4J studios ported Oblivion over to PS3 in the first place. Your lucky you even got Skyrim, they could have never even made it for PS3. So just let them take their time in working on the DLC for a system they never worked with before. Or you could get a PC that can run it or a 360. The choice is yours." - Jeremy Jeffries.

"Anyone who truly truly is an Elder Scrolls player will in no doubt appreciate this cheap and cheerful add on. Hearthfire is for true fans of the series much like any other previous dlc. The only people complaining are pc and ps3 users. Bethesda signed an exclusive 2 DLC deal with Microsift before they released Skyrim. This info can be read on wiki and other related pages. I played this dlc today and it is great, new, fresh ect. All xbox owners should play this game. All ps3 owners should just go away." - Adam Jeffryes.

"You guys complaining about PS3 not getting stuff, blame Sony. Bethesda tries hard to get stuff released on all platforms at the same time but Sony sucks for getting stuff." - Jason Radeke.

"All I hear and see is QQ about why its not on PS3. Id suggest you all make the wise decision and buy an xbox already. With all the crap Sony has put you through, why havent you bought an xbox ages ago? oh ya thats right...some people like their account and credit card information stolen (insert darcastic face)" - Tanner "Darcastic Face" Bills.

"Ps3 players don't deserve anything." - Chris Morris.

"Oh ps3 gamers...I would feel bad if your consoles main selling point wasn't free online play haha why don't you get a real piece of hard ware instead of that flimsy pile of trash." - Matt Moffett.

And finally, Rhett Killner here keeps it real:

"It's like racism but with consoles. Awesome job Bethesda."

The post PS3 user? Mad about Skyrim’s DLC snub? Just stop crying! appeared first on Destructoid.

The purists sink lower and lower

Konami uploaded some new Silent Hill: Book of Memories screens to its Facebook page, which yet again invited a slew of hatred and animosity f??rom a fanbase enra??ged at the existence of a spin-off portable game.

So incensed are fans by the fact that a handheld side-game would not look and play exactly like a main console effort, a "Cancel Silent Hill: Book of Memories" Facebook group has been started up. It is no longer enough to dislike the game, now simply co-habiting the same reality with it has caused emotional trauma. It is, indeed, the worst?? thing to happen in the world. 

The thread's a good laugh. I've collected s??ome of the best comments below for your amusement.

"Hahaha no, I'll just be getting the game to complete the game collection, as for playing it that's out of the question." - A brave man making a real stand. 

"Way to take true fans and through them in the casm you Konami. You went from millions of fans to next to none for a franchise. Way to butcher a legendary game series." - Somebody who deserves praise for using "Konami" as an insult. 

"Hey guys, don't you just get it!!!
Stop making the game, is horrible!
Nobody will buy it!!!" - A failed haiku writer. 

"Me as a fan.
I got fuckin nightmares already.
Worst game in the entire series." - Another failed haiku writer. 

"Konami just loves isolating their hardcore fans from casual gamers. Take all their classic games and completely change everything up. Silent hill becomes an inpersonal co op adventure, metal gear becomes some futuristic sci fi hack n slash with devil may cry gameplay thrown in there, etc." - Real gamers use "casual" the same way Sarah Palin uses "liberal media."

"As someone who has played the Silent Hill games from the first part up to now I can not express my feelings in any other way than crying... :(" - Mr. Emotions. 

"You know these screenshots do not change the fact that this game is the shittiest game ever." - A time traveler, obviously. 

"ONE MORE OF SHOWING OFF WITH THIS PIECE OF CRAP - and I'll definitely unlike this page along with everything connected to KONAMI... Thank you..." - Someone who knows how to really cut a publisher deep.

"Yeah it just got a little bit more Gayer!!!!" - Because you can't get any gayer than MORE gayer!

The post Book of Memories gets new scre??ens, fans go apeshit appeared first on Destructoid.

Following the introductory video that James "Angry Video Game Nerd" Rolfe uploaded the other day, here comes the epic showdown: Super ??Nintendo vs. Sega Genesis! Which is the undisputed champion?

Obviously, there is no winner. Instead, James breaks down the pros and cons of each console and offers his picks in each category, although he concedes that your mileage may vary. For example, I'm totally by ??his side on the music issue. The SNES may have had greater sound capabilities, but the raw crunchiness of the Genesis' FM synth audio was totally amazing in its own way.

Whether you've read about or watched other videos regarding the las?t true console war of our time, give James' contributio?n a look anyway. You might learn something new! Or at least you can enjoy James' much more subdued behavior, when he's not trying to spit curses every five seconds.

SNES vs Sega Genesis (Part 2) [Cinemassacre]

The post The conclusion to James Rolfe’s SNES vs. Genesis battle appeared first on Destructoid.

As the Angry Video Game Nerd, James Rolfe can be funny, crude, abrasive, or annoying, depending on who you're asking. But when he steps?? away from that persona and simply shares his childhood experiences, he's a?? pretty mellow and relatable dude.

When James decided it was time to m?ake a video comparing the Super Nintendo to the Sega Genesis, he chose to speak as candidly as possible. We've all heard the arguments, and there's no doubt a wealth of literature on the net that breaks down the ??hard facts. James understands that too, which is why he decided to take a much more personal approach.

He actually made just such a comparison movie back when he was a youngster, and he edits said footage in order to humorously "interview" his younger self. He also tries his hand at making a 90s-style smear commercial in the vein of "Genesis does what Nintendon't." It's quite enjoya??ble.

SNES vs Sega Genesis (Part 1) [Cinemassacre]

The post James ‘AVGN’ Rolfe pits the SNES against the Genesis appeared first on Destructoid.

Industry analyst Michael "Elder Foot" Pachter recently joked that Nintendo fans will buy anything related to Nintendo. Ironically, Nintendo fans totally bought it, and are raging hard at ?the silver-haired love machine. 

"I don't think Nintendo fans are so stupid they would buy a piece of cardboard," he suggested on Bonus Round. "A box on the other hand, that says Nintendo on it, they probably w??ould. Remember when you were a kid and you get gifts, and when you're really little you like ??the box better than the gift? That's how I think of Nintendo fanboys."

An eight-page thread on GameFAQS, and a pissed off post on GoNintendo are just two places where the fury was felt. Interestingly, there were very few attem?pts to refute what Pachter said, with the fans instead happy to just insult Pachter or imply that he has a vendetta against Nintendo?. 

Ultimately though, I'm not sure why people are picking on The Pach. Nintendo echoes these sentiments all the time with everything it does. Surely the entire Wii Music demonstration from? 2008 was one giant version of what Pachter said, so really we s?hould be mad at the company itself!

The post Pachter upsets Nintendo fans, says they’ll buy anything appeared first on Destructoid.

If you know someone who you think might be a Pokéholic, perhaps you ought to send them to Pokéholics Anonymous before they can do further damage to themselves or oth?ers.

This is the latest release from Underbelly, who once again brought back Stuart Zagnit, the original voice of Professor Oak in the Pokémon animated series, to introduce the video. As a whole, there are some pr?etty solid moments of comedy, though it might run a tad long.

Bonus: brentalfloss makes a guest appearance just to get cold-cocked by Jigglypuf??f.

Pokéholics Anonymous [YouTube]

The post Pokeho??lics Anonymous will lead you down Vict?ory Road appeared first on Destructoid.

As this generation draws to a close, literally everybody is asking who "won" the battle between the Xbox 360 and PS3 (nobody includes the Wii because that wouldn't be sporting). With that in mind, here's a delicious little infographic from Visual.ly that breaks down the battle and co?mes to the conclusion that ...

The Xbox 360 defeated the ??PS3 this generation. Just barely. 

This chart, hungry as?? it is for fanboy tears, is by no means perfect. It uses information from the horribly unreliable VG Chartz, but the res??t of the info seems to come from solid sources. At any rate, it gives you a pretty decent overview of where the 360 and PS3 are roughly at. 

Of course, nobody cares about that, because this is a console war and facts are for losers. Feel free to disregard any and all data before calling the? guy who made it an "Xbot" and asking how much Microsoft paid him to do it. Many have done so already, because that's what war is g?ood for.

The post Console war infographic says Xbox 360 beats PS3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Namco Bandai's chief fighting game producer, Katsuhiro Harada, has had enough of the fans. After drowning in requests to revive characters and use original voice actors in the new Tekken, the developer took to Twitter and launched a ?full-scale assault on gamers. That probably won't help.&nb?sp;

"I believe that, before whining and complaining about everything, you ne?ed practice at taking a step back and analyzing things objectively. And also at being an adult," said Ha??rada. 

He would explain how man?y voice actors change their sound over the years, and highlights the difficulty in accu??rately recreating a 16-year-old experience. As reasoned as his arguments are, however, the man seems quite notably agitated. 

"I have even compiled the requests of you all spamming me to 'bring back characters' from previous installments. You often say, 'Let's show the dev team how sincere we are by buying 2 copies if they bring back character?? X,' but did you really go through with it? Expecting you to at least pre-order the game, I was met with more spam, after you apparently didn't notice that Jun and Michelle actually return.

"I still have some characters left to be revea?led that comply with some of your requests, even 'Bringing back' several others. Even so, none of them are paid DLC. I will continue to sincerely comply with fan requests. However, I can't continue to engage the negative ones that, without knowing what you are talking ??about, or even thinking about what you are saying??, blindly repeat 'bring back, bring back, bring back ...'
After this lengthy explanatio??n, I will be quite surprised if there are still people w?ho still don't get it.

"Thanks for understand?ing or not understandi??ng. Whatever."

Ouch. I think someone might be a?? little bit angry. 

But he ??does need to BR?ING BACK THAT YOSHIMASTURU-SAN!i!i!

The post Tekken producer to fans: stop whining appeared first on Destructoid.

Music label and collective Aural Sects put out a choice compilation of game remixes, this week, called Blam Lord's Quest.

This free release is done i??n the murky, distorted style of the musical sub-genre witch house. For those unfamiliar with witch house, imagine Link, Donkey Kong, and Samus. Now imagine them wearing gimp suits in a sex dungeon, dancing in front of a strobe light and pentagram. It's kind of like that.

From what I understand, witch house is like other lethargic, druggy sub-genres of electronica from past decades (think: trip-hop), except in this genre artists iron?ically smoke crack and are missing most of their teeth.

I'm not a big fan of game remixes and don't typically seek this stuff out, but I've been pleasantly surprised by this compilation. This 49 song release features remixes of music from The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong Country, and other revered videogame soundtracks alongside some more obscure gems like Shadowrun.

Not everything here is gold, but I rather enjoy some of the ghostly ambient tunes here. Regardless, it's nice to see videogame remix artis??ts coming from a different background and perspective. Here are some of my favorite tracks on ??the compilation:

The post Pull out the crack pipe for some witch ho??use game re??mixes appeared first on Destructoid.