One of video gaming’s most loveable violent assassins is getting his fashion choices immortalized by Japanese fashion label Super Groupies. The various officially licensed articles ar?e up for pre-order but will only be produced if enough are spoken for.

Up on offer are replicas of his No More Heroes 1 jacket and sunglasses. That is to say, the default jacket and sunglasses because you could trade them out for new designs as you progressed through the game. There’s also a watch adorned with the shattered star design, but I don’t think Travis ever? wore one. He wore a sweatband instead.

Super Groupies previously released a replica of the No More Heroes 3 jacket, but that is currently sold out.

What I find amusing abo?ut this is that I always thought Travis Touchdown dressed in a way that looked cool to him but nobody else. That’s always how I read the character. He often speaks very dramatically in near nonsensical ways while ac??tually being rather pathetic. He’s all front, is what I’m saying.

The jacket on offer is also synthetic leather, probably because the cos?t of a real leather version would be astronomical, and it already isn’t cheap. However, it results in the jacket looking a lot lighter than the one Travis wears in the first game. His looks very stiff (perhaps d??ue to the Wii’s inability to render complex material physics), whereas this appears a lot softer.

I also don’t think I’d be able to pull it off very well. I have the height, and a high collar would help hide my unimpressive neck and jawline, but my typically slouching posture wouldn’t go well with its lines. I al??so think that a leather jacket is something you need to try on before buying, which isn’t really possible? online. However, if you were to buy it for me, I would definitely wear it. Just saying.

The No More Heroes 1 jacket can be preordered for $260, while the sunglas??ses? are $80.

The post You c??an dress like a violent otaku with this No More Heroes gear appeared first on Destructoid.

Square Enix hosted its Fan Fest for Final Fantasy XIV today, spotlighting all the updates coming to its massive MMORPG. Among the announcements of an expansion and new platform being in the mix, one of the biggest rounds of applause came for something that seems a little less grandiose, at least to less XIV-familiar folks: two dyes per gear piece.

It sounds plain, but it's a notable piece of what's looking like a big update for the fashion fans of Final Fantasy XIV. Which, really, is everyone. The big non-secret of Final Fantasy XIV is that the endgame is not Ultimate raids, or hardcore Crystalline Conflict, or even necessarily maxing out all the jobs. Those are all things you do in service of the true Final Fantasy XIV endgame: fashion. An??d boy howdy, did the feral fashion a??ficionados get some good content today.

For the unfamiliar, Final Fantasy XIV has a transmog system—a tool that lets you put the appearance of one cosmetic item on another—called Glamour, or glam for short. Th?ink of it like putting a pullover on top of a shirt. While your actual stats are determined by the "shirt" below, your outward appearance is the "pullover." These glams can be used on armor pieces and set on specific presets, letting players have a closet full of fashion at their fingertips, and those glam pieces can also be dyed to change the color, and sometimes material look, of the cosmetic piece.

[caption id="attachment_358040" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Eyes go wide for two dyes

Two dyes per gear piece means that instead of having a single point of color customization, would-be look-book creators can have two channels of color to dye. If you've visited the Eorzean Collection, you already know what a tal??ented designer can do with the tools av?ailable. Adding another? I cannot wait.

That wasn't the only update, though. Also included was the news that glasses are getting fully separated from headgear, so you can don a cap and glasses at the same time. All of this arrives through the graphics update that's due alongside Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, the newly announced expansion.

But even the graphical update itself is a big win for fashion fans. Old clothes will get a natural spruce-up from the improved textures and graphics. Final Fantasy XIV director and producer ??Naoki Yoshida said today that the team is steadily going back through ??content for the update, stretching back to 2.0.

[caption id="attachment_337316" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Come on, vogue

And for the GPose fans, who love to snap shots o??f their Warrior of Light using the?? in-game group pose (a.k.a. GPose) tool, get some great benefits from the graphics update too. More lush scenery and backgrounds for snapping pics is always a bonus.

It's charming to outsiders, it seems, seeing Final Fantasy XIV fans get so excited over simply being able to use more dyes. But it really is part of the appeal. It's that way for most RPGs, not just XIV; games like Elden Ring and Destiny 2 often see players pore over their fashion in the same way Final Fantasy XIV fans do.

Having more options, with so many different choices for color customization and glasses getting much more malleable? It's fantastic for the players that love to design their characters and put cool clothes on them. So yes, new jobs, dungeons, raids, and more are always exciting. But two dyes? That's a big win for the Final Fantasy XIV fashion fanatics.

The post Final Fantasy XIV fashion f?anatics are winning in its next big update appeared first on Destructoid.

Look as hot as The Nurse

In an interesting, but somewhat unnerving, piece of merchandising, Konami has announced that it will be teaming with make-up, erm, maker Vampyre Cosmetics in order to produce a line of cosmetic products based upon the Drop Dead Gorgeous world of *checks notes* Silent Hill.

While absolutely no images or even hints were offered up as to what the line of items will include, the comical nature of a Silent Hill cosmetics line writes itself, given the series drab, grim, and disgusting look. Are you expecting a palette of rusted metals, fog greys, and rotted flesh reds? I kid, of course, but it will genuinely be interesting to see how the grisly, depressing world of Silent Hill is reproduced in a ??beauty line. Vampyre Cosmetics, as the name suggests, is pretty sharp at adapting the darker side of make-up, so I'm looking f?orward to seeing what is eventually produced.

//t??witter.com/TeamSilentHill/status/1654521071326863360?s=??20

This is, of course, a pretty big year for the missing-in-action survival horror franchise. As revealed during the Fall 2022 Silent Hill Transmission stream, there are currently multiple projects in production at Konami, including Christophe Gans�live-action movie Return to Silent Hill, streaming series Silent Hill: Ascension, Annapurna spin-off Silent Hill: Townfall and, of course, Bloober Team's incoming remake of 2001 classic Silent Hill 2. So you can paint yourself up in the new line of Vampyre Cosmetics, and perhaps, if your ma??ke-up skills match mine, you can be the scariest t?hing in town.

Silent Hill 2 is currently in development for PS5 and PC.

The post Silent Hill is teaming with Vampyre Cosmetics for new… make-up line? appeared first on Destructoid.

Perfect Fit

Fashion label RSVLTS has expanded its range of pop-culture-themed apparel with a new line of shirts based on Capcom's genre-defining release Street Fighter II. The?? new shirts feature designs that reflec??t the style, characters, and aesthetic of the 1991 fighting game that changed the industry forever.

There are three designs in the RSVLTS Street Fighter line: "Knockout Zones," which features various World Warrior sprites against a collage of classic stages; "Super Combos," which features stylized depictions of characters such as E Honda and Zangief set amongst input terminology; and finally "Art of Ansatsuken," which sports a collage of Ryu and Ken in artwork recognizable from the Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Turbo, and Super Street Fighter II series.

Each shirt features a button-down, short sleeve design, and is crafted from the company's trademark "Kunuflex" material, which offers a snug fit with some give for fabric stretch. Available in sizes XS to 4XL, each shirt retails for $68 USD, not including shipping or any potential customs charges. You can check out the shirts and their designs, along with a detailed measurement guide, over on the RSVLTS website.

While they are all a little too brightly colored to be seen on yer favorite aging, gaming Goth, I will admit that I do like the "Super Combos" design �I dig that summery shade of green. In addition to the Street Fighter shirts, RSVLTS also produces clothing that features iconic brands such as TMNT, The Goonies, Marvel and DC Comics, and Star Wars.

The post ?RSVLTS reveals new line of retro-themed Street Fighter shirts appeared first on Destructoid.

Time to bring your best looks to the Tower

It looks like Destiny 2 is getting a lookbook. Bungie revealed Threads of Light, an upcoming digital fashion magazine, on the Destiny 2 account today.

We don't know too much about this right now, other than that Threads of Light is a digital fashion magazine that will celebrate the Destiny 2 community's cre?ativity and showcase "the best Guardian fashion styles."

//twitter.com/DestinyTheGame/status??/1440360925861535746

More is on the way about this, but am I down for a Met Gala on the Tower? Yeah, that sounds like a good time. I've been diving back down into the Destiny 2 pit with the latest season, and I've already got ?some sick threads and picture-perfect exoti?cs to show off.

Also, I dig how this acknowledges what many folks who play long-running games, be it Destiny, Final Fantasy XIV, or even a MOBA have come to terms with: fashion plays a big part in keeping you in. I may not play as much Dota 2 as I used to, but one of my most prized digital goods is still my incredibly rare and awesome-looki???ng crimson chestpiece for the mercurial Spectre.

As Guardians over on the DestinyFashion subreddit have been showing for quite some time, Destiny has got some looks. I'm down for whatever Bungie has in sto?re for this digital exploration of style and creativity, and maybe it'll give me a few ideas for? my own sets as I keep power-levelling up. If you're going to take on the forces of Xivu Arath, you should look good doing it.

The post Destiny 2 will showcase some Guardi??an fashion with Threads of L?ight appeared first on Destructoid.

My Switch could be a lot more fashionable

I remember buying the first Style Savvy as something of a lark. My roommate and I were heavily into DS gaming at the time, and for weeks, we'd been inundated with advertisements for Nintendo's new fashion game. We couldn't escape it. It was everywhere, and over time, all of those ads started to work as we became completely addicted to the idea of running our own boutique. The last time either of us felt such a crazed passion about the same game was right before Cooking Mama was released a few years earlier.

We got some funny faces going into GameStop to pick up our copies, particularly because mine was actually preordered. As soon as we got home, we popped our games into our DS Lites and played that day until our batteries died. We shared fashion tips, visited each other's shops, and faced off in runway competitions. It immediately hooked us, and for me, it was yet another Nintendo f?ranchise I would never be able to say no to.

Nintendo followed up the DS original with three sequels, all for the Nintendo 3DS: Trendsetters, Fashion Forward, and Styling Star. I've owned all of them, reviewed two of them, and since last y?ear, I've ?been saying little prayers in the hope that Nintendo and syn Sophia finally announce the fifth game in the series for Switch.

I've been thinking a lot recently about the types of games I like and trying to figure out just why it is I like them. Because the spectrum of games I enjoy is pretty vast. I mean, how many other regular Apex Legends players also make time for something like Gal*Gun or Lapis X Labyrinth? Can't be more than a handful, right? The more I've thought about it, the more I've come to realize that as western titles grow more ??"serious" in content, I need these out-there niche Japanese games to cleanse my palate, to provide some respite. Basically, they're what keeps gaming interesting to me.

That's what Style Savvy has been for me for all these years. It's an even more casual experience than Animal Crossing, and unlike a lot of its competitors -- Ubisoft's Imagine series, for instance -- it's never felt like a budget experience. Sure, a lot of the fashion and styles are reused between games, but every Style Savvy looks as though it has the same level of polish you'd expect from a Nintendo-published title. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, the doe-eyed girls of the Style Savvy series look worlds better than the dead-eyed girls of the Imagine Fashion Designer games.

There's been some speculation that Nintendo and syn Sophia had another edition of Style Savvy in the works for the Nintendo 3DS but canned it due to the handheld's rapid decline in the face of the Switch. With the Switch Lite a hit and Nintendo advertising becoming more female-focused with each new commercial, I would like to think another Style Savvy is in the cards. I know it's a relative niche franchise for Nintendo, one that isn't a priority for Nintendo of America judging by its handling of the last two games, but if Clubhouse Games can find new life and a new audience on Switch, surely this Barbie simulator can t??oo.

Just please, for the love of God, no more full-length denim skirts. I'm running a fashion boutique here, ?not a Sears.

The post I could really go for a new Style Savvy in 2021 appeared first on Destructoid.

Fashionista!

There are 17 new minutes of Shadow Warrior 3 gameplay today and you probably know exactly what you can expect from it. Lo Wang prepares way too much "demon tartar" with a katana, some guns, and his Bulletstorm-like kick. Lo Wang claps back at one of Zilla's proverbs with "The older the asshole, the louder the toots." Shadow Warrior isn't surpri??sing anyone with a tonal shift toward the serious and respectfu??l.

However, we should be surprised by Lo Wang's slow build toward fashionista with each passing game. In the 2013 reboot, he dresses in the official ninja-assassin uniform, some sort of all-black skintight garb. In the sequel, he wears kind of the same outfit but wi?th more bu?ckles and studs. That makes it trendier, I guess?

But third time is most certainly the charm. In Shadow Warrior 3, Lo Wang has a dope red bombe??r jacket with a yellow horizontal stripe. It is the very first thing that caught my attention in this very long video, and then it's all I could think about for the next 16 minutes and 45 seconds. Could you imagine him going like 300 miles per hour on a Ducati? Could you picture him chopping off a bunch of heads without a bloodstain to be found? Yes.

Lo Wang's bomber jacket is the incremental quality improvement we look for with each passing game in a series. Devolver should've started se??lling these things yesterday. I bet the zipper never gets stuck.

The post No one’s talking about Lo Wang’s sweet bomber jacket appeared first on Destructoid.

Says least stylish writer on site

I make it no secret I'm desperately waiting for Nintendo to sign off on another entry in the Style Savvy series for Switch. I've been stanning it since it was back on the Nintendo DS when I foolishly thought, "Boy, these full-length jean skirts sure are ugly. I bet they won't make it into future entries." We last heard from the franchise two years ago when Styling Star dropped in North America on Christmas Day.

As I've waited, I've found ways to get my fashion fix in other games. I do a lot dress up in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and every time I play Deadly Premonition Origins, I make it a point to have York look his best even with such limited options. But now I can get back to the kind of dress-up I love with Stylit, a new free-to-play mobile game from Rubycuve.

Stylit is an abbreviated version of the Syn Sophia series. You design your avatar, pick a style, then go about completing fashion challenges and requests as you build your brand. It features its own in-game social media feed where users can post pictures of their characters all dressed up and posed against backgrounds found in the game or on your phone's gallery. Challenges can be pretty specific in what they're asking. I found one that says "Styling a Strict Librarian with Low Tolerance for Lateness." Requests are a bit broader with women asking you to put together an outfit for a date or?? create a look around a piece of clothing they own.

Unlike Style Savvy, you're not running a boutique here. Rather, you're akin to an Instagram model, which plays into the progression model the developers go with here. To get more requests, you have to buy more clothes. You fill out your wardrobe spending dollars or gems you earn through completing daily tasks, challenge?s, and requests. Gem?s are the paid currency here, priced at similar rates to what you'll find in other free-to-play apps. Yes, there is a $100 option, which I don't know why both Google and Apple haven't banned yet.

You can buy clothes in sets or individually and each item will either cost in-game cash or gems. Some items can be very expensive -- 1,300 gems for one pair of pants seems excessive --?? but you can reduce the costs of items with one-time use coupons you earn. There is a timer for those style requests, which I imagine is there to keep people from blowing through them too quickly, and an energy meter for the challenges that takes way too long to refill.

The game is also weirdly silent -- there is no background music outside of a few choice events -- and there is a serious lack of dark skin tones and Afrocentric hairstyles. Despite all that, I'm getting that fashion fill I've been without for more than a year now. This isn't a game I'm going to go nuts over or anything, but it's earned a spot on my phone by letting me live out a small part of my Project Runway fantasies. 

Stylit is available now on Android and iOS.

The post STYLIT is a serviceable Style Savvy substitute appeared first on Destructoid.

Final Fantasy artist contributed to the 'no photoshoot' issue

In a move to highlight sustainability concerns in the fashion industry, Vogue Italia has steered clear of photoshoots for its January 2020 issue. In their absence, the magazine invited a handful of artists from a range of backgrounds to design the cover art. One of the contributors was none other than famed Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano, who drew model Lindsey Wixson in his un??mistakable st?yle.

_{[Yoshitaka Amano, Vogue Italia]}

"All of the covers, as well as the features of our Janu?ary issue, have been drawn by artists, ranging from well-known art icons and emerging talents to comic book legends, who have created without traveling, shipping entire wardrobes of clothes, or polluting in any way," editor-in-chief Emanuele Farneti wrote on Instagram. "The challenge was to prove it is possible to show clothe??s withou??t photographing them."

The special issue – which hits newsstands January 7 – will also benefit a local cau?se. 

"Thanks to this idea, and to these artists' process, the money saved in the production of this issue will go towards financing a project that really deserves it: the restoration of Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Veni??ce, severely damaged by the recent floods," said Farneti.

If you enjoyed Amano's Vogue cover, you might like his other illustrations even more. On Twitter, Omnia Crystallis assembled all of his pieces for the collaboration, and they're staggering. What an imagination.

pic.twitter.com/5GTdwwp2qj

— Omnia Crystallis (@omniacrystallis) January 8, 2020

It's always a treat to see Amano's illustrations pop up, especially in unexpected places. Leave it to Final Fantasy to be one of the exceedingly rare reasons we ever broach fashion here on Destructoid.

Vogue Italia [Instagram via ResetEra]

The post Yoshitaka Amano did a cover for Vogue Italia appeared first on Destructoid.

Strike a pose

I have no idea if Nintendo and Syn Sophia are planning a fifth entry in the Style Savvy series for Switch, but I sure as heck hope they are. 2017's Styling Star ended up being my favorite game in the franchise and while I've enjoyed most every experience I've had on my Switch thus far, there's been a serious lack of cute-girl fashion games. That's why MODEL Debut #nicola caught my eye. 

From developer FuRyu, best known in the west for RPGs like The Alliance Alive and Unchained Blades, the game is an adorable looking model simulator that lets players create their own future fashion icons and rock the runway and print ads. While it appears to lack the clothing shop that is the central facet of the Style Savvy experience, there is enough pretty dress-up play that I can only hope one of the more e??ccentric western publishers decides to localize it.

MODEL Debut #nicola launches in Japan for Nintendo Switch on November 1, 2019. By the way, if you're wondering what's with the "#nicola" part of the game's title, Nicola ;i??s a long-running Japanese fashi??on magazine aimed at teen girls.

The post MODEL Debut #nicola intrigue?s the Style Savvy fana??tic in me appeared first on Destructoid.

These should not exist

[Getting Weird with Wes is a s??eries meant to highlight all the bizarre shit floating around? out there in the gaming universe. I hate normal things. Join me in celebrating the strange.]

What do goats, hungry babies, and leveling up purses have in common? They appear in my incredibly? stupid weekly article! Just like in the real world, there is no rhyme or reason. There is only weirdness. So get my goat. Make me your adult, human baby, and stuff me in your purse and take me on a shopping spree to TJ Maxx, because it's time to get weird with Wes!

This is stupid. There is very, very good wordplay in video games. Octodad: Dadliest Catch comes to mind. Guacamelee is legitimately great synergy with theme and title. Goat of Duty? That's both la??zy in t??itle, and lazy in execution.

That said, it's a bunch of goats with machine guns strapped to their backs shooting at one ano?ther in a competitive multiplayer game. Is it lazy? Yes. Is it something I'm totally interested in? You bet your sweet ass.

Full disclosure: I'm partial to the goat style of animals. My kickball team is called Lorenzo's Llamas. Most teams have really cringe-worthy kickball puns, like "Kick in a Box" or "Pitch Don't Kill my Vibe." The kind of shit that won't make any damn sense in five years once those songs are completely pop-culturally irrelevant. Our name hasn't been culturally relevant since Renegade went off the air in 1997. We're so uncool we wrapped back around into cool. Shit, how many of you reading this were even alive in 1997?

I don't know if a first-person shooter is any more or less interesting if that first person is a goat. I honestly don't really care. I only know that Call of Duty: Bleeps wasn't a r?eal game until recently, and if we're not here to repl??ace military-trained soldiers with goats, then why are we sticking around?

Babies are ugly. The worst thing on Earth is when someone shows you a picture ?of their daughter or nephew and expects you dote over how cute it is. It's like, no Sharon, I don't want to see a picture of this moist, skinned potato. It looks like its dad, and its dad is ugly enough already. Now delete that photo and stop talking to me.

What's worse is trying to feed those annoying little weasels. They're picky eaters, get shi??t all over the place, and get hungry again ten minutes after eating. If only there were some sort of convoluted obstacle course through which the food had to maneuver to make that baby understand how difficult it is to feed the shitty little alien. Oh wait, there is!

Hungry Baby: Party Treats combines the rigors of nourishing a child with a Hunger Games-like maze of traps meant to challenge and confuse you. Why the hell would an ice crea??m cone ??need to avoid saws and aliens to make it to a baby? Who the hell would feed a baby ice cream cones? ...is that a beet wearing a condom?

T?his is either a wacky party game with puzzle-like elements, or one of thos??e newfound super-realistic simulators that everyone seems to love. I'm not sure which, but I do know that beet practices safe sex.

Speaking of safe sex, here's a mobile game about collecting purses! What do fancy purses have to do with safe sex? It's?? a safe bet you'll be doing sex to somebod?y once they see you playing this game on the train, on the bus, or on the toilet.

Happy Handbags is the exact kind of game I would make if I had any talent whatsoever. It's a weird mix of Pokémon and classic collect-a-thons that's as asinine as it is oddly appealing. You'll collect, train, breed, and combine purses in a laid-back, low-pressure mobile tapper. Take a look at how committed the PR w?as to relaying this game's relaxing qualities:

• Happy Handbags is a tap, idle and merge casual game where there are no stressful time limits, no violence or aggression or pressure.
• It is easy to learn and play.
• It is designed for people to play on the go, while they are waiting for their train stop, waiting for their dental appointment and so on.
• Players earn in-game currency while the game is paused, so they get actually get rewarded, not penalized.

They clearly don't know how aggressive ??I can get when it comes? to fashion.

I'll say this: I'm a man's man. I'm tough and? rugged and surly, and there's nothing more I like than *Googles manly things* beer and sports cars and Carmen Electra. Would some weenie of a man so delicately caress his cock like this?

Now hold my beer,? ??park my expensive sports car, and tell Carmen Electra not to wait up for me. I've got some handbags to collect.

See any weird shit out there lately? Send it my way, tacos@jbsgame.com. Nothing is too weird.

The post Getting Weird with Wes: Call of Goatee, please stop feeding this baby, and grab your best purse we’re going to Red Lobster appeared first on Destructoid.

Fashion assassin

The recent Resident Evil 2 remake is Good. It's scary and sometimes silly, an all-around engaging (and replayable!) reimagining of a classic game. Resident Evil 2's modern incarnation is a survival horror high ?water mark.

It's the haunting, photorealistic visual style that truly elevates Resident Evil 2. The Racoon City Police Department is a haunted house in the throes of chaos, a threatening mess of cluttered rooms and barricaded hallways. There's an almost obsessive level of attention to detail at play here. Capcom's collection of high-quality textures and impressively rendered models combine to make Resident Evil 2 a game that feels alive—something that's no small task considering most of the RCPD's current occupants are reanimated corpses.&nbs?p;

The few warm bodies left in Racoon City are fashionable, despite the undead outbreak. Leon Kennedy is a rookie cop so wholesome that he can't help dressing in semi-casual clothes that practically scream "I don't want to look too cool, but I sort of want people to notice me," to his first day on the job. Claire Redfield, the game's other protagonist, rocks a red leather jacket that is, among other things, rad as hell. Even Ada Wong, a shadowy agent with questionable motives, makes some bold wardrobe decisions, electing to go for a Deepthroat by way of Forever 21 look. She bursts onto the scene in a trenchcoat and wears designer sunglasses inside during the game's first half, before swapping into a maybe-too-form-fitting-for-subterfuge dress later. Basically, Resident Evil 2's cast is a bunch of fashion icons.

But there's one character who shows up late and steals the show. He's big. He's mean. And he bursts onto the scene rocking an absolutely legendary fit. Allow me to introduce you to Mr. X, Resident Evil 2's resident style icon.

Mr. X is a biological weapon. In Resident Evil 2 he's a c?onstant threat, pursuing the game's heroes?? with an unrelenting gait. He's deceptively quick—especially considering the dude is like 6"11—and stupidly strong. Mr. X can lift a helicopter with relative ease and squish a human skull without missing a beat. More than anything though, he can kill on a runway.

I mean, look at this guy. If fashion is the art of looking good, Mr. X is a master of minimalism. With just a dark duster, matching g??loves, a fedora, and boots that sound like they weigh seventy pounds, he manages to turn heads. Confidence is key, and the combination of Mr. X's vacant stare and his willingness to wear a kit of clothes people usually reserve for jokes on the internet point to a post-outbreak career as a model. The problem is that he's just too good at chasing people.

Mr. X looks like the exceptionally ripped offspring of Thanos and Inspector Gadget. He's a beefcake in a game full of slender humans. Mr. X is a style god and easily the best part of Resident Evil 2.

The post Steal his look: How to dress like Resident Evil 2’s biggest beefcake appeared first on Destructoid.

Wallets, bags and cardigans because you're 60

Super-trendy Japanese fashion line SuperGroupies, which sounds way too cool for someone my age, is releasing a range of slicking clothing and accessories based on the epic Arc System Works' anime fighters Guilty Gear and BlazBlue.

The new range, which includes intricately designed bags and smartphone cases, as well as a range of long cardigans, are based upon popular characters from the respective series such as Ragna the Bloodedge, Ramlethal, Jin Kisaragi, Hazama and shotgun-toting bunny-bride Elphelt. With most designs featuring the color schemes and crests of their respective characters. I think they've missed a trick not making a Taokaka cardigan complete with pointy ear??s and big paws.

As expected, the range isn't exactly cheap. The bags range from about ¥13,000-¥16,000 (or roughly $135), the smartphone cases are ¥5,800 (or roughly $54), whilst the cardigans roll in at about ??¥12,800 (or $115), not including shipping or customs charges.

If you're interested in any of these items, pre-orders are open from now until November 4 over at the official SuperGroupies website. The bags and cases are expected to ship in February 2019, with the cardigans following in March 20??19. You can check out all of the items in the gallery below. Let's Rock!

The post SuperGroupies reveal line of BlazBlue and Guilty Gear… erm… gear appeared first on Destructoid.

Modern life ISN'T rubbish

This weekend saw North America and Europe once again meet in the ink-stained arena of Nintendo's online shooter Splatoon 2. The difference to be settled this time around was a matter of style, tech, tastes and fashion. When it comes to your aesthetic ??choices, do you prefer "Retro" or "Modern"?

In one of the cleanest sweeps in some time, Team Modern swept the stage 3-0. The public vote went a whopping 69% in favour of the digital age, before going on to bag both Solo and Team Play points. What's more, this is a huge win for D.J. Octoling Marina, who gets the deftly-earned bragging rights this time around. Confronted with the clean loss, Pearl legitimately responded with three simple words: "I AM ERROR".

As you may have read, the whole splatfest system will be receiving an overhaul with the upcoming launch of Splatoon 2 Version 4.0, which was announced during the recent Nintendo Direct. Hopefully the great gals of Off the Hook will return to do battl?e again over a range of new - and presumably interesting - topics of discussion.

Oh, and while we're at it, Nintendo, can we please get?? amiibo of Pearl & Marina from the header image?

The post Why aren’t millennials voting Retro in Splatoon 2’s new splatfest? appeared first on Destructoid.

You're a squid now... You're a sub now...

Nintendo fans who purchase a 12-month subscription to the new Nintendo Online service will receive a couple of new items for their squid kids and Octolings to sport in Switch shooter Splatoon 2.

Anyone who signs on the dotted line for the new service will received download codes for an exclusive baseball jersey, that tells people you're paid up, and a bright-red sneaker set. Those who purchase a family subscription will receive eight codes, ensuring everyone in your family, all of whom love Nintendo and playing Splatoon 2 apparently, will bag the gear.

The paid online service is set to launch on September 18. Subscribers will gain access to a selection of old games we've boug?ht five times ?before, a paid online service that was previously free, and cloud saves that you might lose at some point.

Splatoon 2 is available now on Nintendo Switch.

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Culinary Clothing... Cuestions

Nintendo has dropped the topics for the next two splatfests, which are currently preparing for battle in online Switch shooter Splatoon 2. The nex??t team-based brawl has two different topics,?? dependent on your territory.

Japan has once agai??n turned to the topic of food for their face-off, asking players whether they prefer their delicious red-bean soup filled with boiled Azuka beans (Tsubuan) or smooth, with pureed Az?uka beans (Koshi-An) Pearl will be going chunky whilst her pal Marina will be keeping things smooth like Santana.

Meanwhile, in North America and Europe, the next splatfest is more a question of culture. That is to say; Retro or Modern? Do you prefer the looks, styles, music and such of yesteryear, or are you firmly rooted in the happening days of 2018? Pearl - Gen-X to the last, bless her - will be in the corner of Retro, while super-style icon Marina is backing Modern. But where do you stand?

The new splatfests will take place on the weekend of September 21 in their respective timezones. So that gives you a week to get your choices in order. From the launch of Version 4.0, splatfests will be changing up their routine, which you can read about right here.

Splatoon 2 is available now on Nintendo Switch.

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Get right on them Toad pants

Department store Bloomingdale's has announced that they will be partnering with Nintendo as part of the company's "Let's Play" Spring campaign, which will see vid??eo game-themed items hit the shelves in the New York-based retailer.

Selected stores will feature a range of clothing and accessories designed by companies such as Herschel, Bricktown, S'well and Sovereign Code, From ping-pong bats to boxer shorts, emblazoned with classic Super Mario Bros. themes. Som??e stores will also feature booths where shoppers can take time out to play some classic Nintendo games.

"With the 90’s nostalgia happening in fashion and pop-culture," buzzwords Group Vice-President Kevin Harter. "Nintendo is the perfect partner to take over the Bloomingdale’s Spring campaign. We are continually trying to enhance our customer experience and partnering with Nint??endo on in-store activations and limited-edition me?rchandise reinforces the notion that fashion is about having fun."

The "Let's Play" campaign launches March 10. Some of the items will also be made available at the official website.

Bloom??ingdale's partner?s with Nintendo for Spring catalogue [mr-mag]

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Runway ready

People on the internet like to argue that Nintendo will attempt to bury some products. Releasing a game on the 3DS after the Switch is already on the market? Nintendo must be trying to bury it. Releasing a game the same week as (insert popular title here)? Nintendo must be trying to bury it. I don’t believe that's true, however, if Nintendo were some nefarious company that intentionally tried to undermine its own products, there would be no better example of this than Style Savvy: Styling Star.

Here is a ??fashion game (red flag) for the 3DS (big red flag) that is only available on the eShop (bigger, redder flag) for full retail price (biggest, reddest flag) ??with a release date of Christmas Day (lord, you couldn’t find a flag bigger and redder than this). If Nintendo were trying to bury a game this would be how they do it.

And yet, like I said, I don’t think Nintendo would act that way. Because there is no chance somebody who works at Nintendo of America could play a game this charming and this positively radiant and thin??k ”Nah, let’s kill it.”

Style Savvy: Styling Star (Nintendo 3DS) 
Developer: Syn Sophia 
Publisher: Nintendo 
Release: December 25, 2017 (NA), November 24, 2017 (EU)
MSRP: $39.99

The opening moments of Style Savvy: Styling Star are like a welcomed rerun I never change the channel from. I create a character that arrives in town to take over a small retailer in hopes of transforming it into the number-one clothing destination in town. After three games of having to prove myself worthy of running an independent boutique before being given control, Styling Star puts its trust in me right away as my uncle Tim?? – a man who looks like five women are about to come forward with allegations about him – hands me the keys to his shop and tells me to go to town.

Even though I haven’t picked up Fashion Forward, the previous entry in the series, for months, as soon as I take control of my store it all becomes second nature to me. That’s because the core of the gameplay is still the same after all these years. Wayward girls, all of whom are the exact same size, wander into my shop and ask me to pick out a garment or entire outfit for them. They give me directions like “Make it bold” or “I want to rock” and I have to use my fashion know-how, as well as the generous search feature, to find the perfect piece for them. If I’m confident in my choice – and I’m rarely not – I tell them to “try it on.??” If they love it – and they usually do – I’m rewarded with a short video of them workin’ it.

If I’m ever out of supplies, a quick trip to the Exhibition Hall will fix that. This is where I find all the brands available and load up on skirts, shoes and whatever else I’m low on. Most of the fashion is recycled from previous games, including a lot of ug?ly stuff, but the new digs allow for cute and creative outfits. Customers are patient with me and if I’m out of something they want they’ll agree to come back later when it's in stock. It’s nearly impossible to fail a customer in this game. Even when I do send someone home unsatisfied, they’ll always be ready to give me a second chance the next day.

Difficulty has never been this series’ forte. Style Savvy isn’t a shop simulator meant to test my business skills and fortitude, but rather a life sim where I make people happy through the magic of fashion. The only thing easier than picking out the right top and matching earrings is working the salon or beautician’s shop, where no matter what I do I never seem to be able to disappoint anyone. I get that won’t appeal to many people, but there is something comforting and wholesome about a game wh??ere my only aim is to make people happy. It’s like playing a Hallmark Christmas movie, something that is particularly true of this entry and its focus on storytelling.

Previous Style Savvy games told stories that revolved around my avatar and her ascension to the top of the fashion world. Here, my character is more of a fashion matriarch, the guru everyone comes to when they need help picking out a skirt or choosing the right nail polish. When I’m at the salon I don’t cut hair, I merely guide Cece on what style will look best. When I’m called into Nin10 Productions, the town's talent agency that's breeding the next set of global superstars, I’m not singing a song but rather picking out the outfit? th?at will define another character’s music career. Putting me in the background of the narrative paves the way for the series’ best storytelling.

Okay, so it’s not Phantom Thread or anything, but it’s certainly on par with a good episode of Jane By Design. There are multiple girls here with multiple goals that nearly all revolve around music. Some want to be singers – belting out fully voiced feel-good tunes that sound like they’re straight off the streets of Disney’s California Adventure – while others want to open their own clubs. It’s on my shoulders to make sure they have the right look to move forward. Because of m??y constant interactions with the girls, I actually come to know and care about t??hem.

I also see the results of my guidance. In past games, customers say the outfit or shirt or skirt I picked for them really impressed so-and-so, but in Styling Star I get to see it in action. I get to see the girl??s take the stage to sing or pose for an advertising campaign. In the other games that would have been me on that stage or in that ad. Instead, I’m the Kate Young, the Elizabet??h Stewart, the Ilaria Urbinati. I stay behind the scenes and work my magic to make everyone else look good while getting my paper.

All of the storylines and much-improved personalities, even from ancillary characters, combine to make a world that is just interesting to be in. The city in Styling Star lacks a certain je ne sais quoi but these girls more than make up for it. Whether I’m watching their latest video on MewTube, sending them a text, or giving them a pep-talk after a particularly bad incident, everything I do has meaning and purpose even if there is arguably less to do than before. Fashion Forward’s fun color hunts, doll house and miniatures are out with nothing added to take their place. The Queen’s English is back though, something I expected given the quick turnaround on localization. Menswear returns from Trendsetters but with a less hands-on approach. Styling Star also isn’t as vibrant as the previous two games, trad?ing their rich color palettes for a more pastel look.

While I miss taking snapshots to unlock new colors, I’m exuberant Syn Sophia did away with the real-time clock. It never felt natural to h??ost three fashion shows, make a dozen trips to the style center, and do 15 haircuts in a single day. The short-but-not-too-short in-game clock is the key to everything here. It’s why the stories are so good, it’s why I have a real sense of progress and reward, and it’s why even t?hough this is largely the same game I’ve played three times before, I’m helplessly addicted to it.

That’s not the only improvement. Style Savvy’s biggest issue has always been the customer’s iron-clad attachment to certain brands or looks. When dressing my mannequin I have to go with a certain style, such as bold or lively, or a specific brand to get people to ??buy it. Even if I pu?t together a heckin’ cute outfit, they won’t be interested if the styles or brands are too different.

All of that is still true here but now girls really seem to take my choice into consideration when putting together an outfit. If they want a feminine look and I pair a fabulous blouse with basic pants, I find it easier to convince them it’s the right choice than in the past. They’ll still totally reject some options, a fact that can be troublesome when I’m given a more opaque request like “Match this picture,??” but as the number-one aficion??ado of all things fashionable in the city, my recommendations feel as though they carry more weight than before.

I once said I didn’t think the Style Savvy series would continue on anything but mobile, but Nintendo proved me wrong. I’m glad I was wrong because Style Savvy: Styling Star is easily my favorite entry in the series yet. It has nearly everything I love about the franchise mixed with a heaping helping of Freeform-level drama, m????aking for a genuinely optimistic experience that exudes charisma with every outfit I put together.

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

The post Review: Style Savvy: Styling Star appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a festivus miracle

Oh Style Savvy. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. One… two… three... the fourth entry in Nintendo’s fashion empire builder, Style Savvy: Styling Star, was announced just a few weeks ago for release in Japan and Europe in the last set of Nintendo Directs to feature 3DS content. Fans in North America were left in limbo on whether or not we’d even get the game, with support for the 3DS starting to wane. But limbo no more. It has been confirmed Styling Star will hit the 3DS eShop on Christmas Day.

The prime gimmick of Styling Star is… well… styling stars. We’ll be performing makeovers on up-and-coming starlets with more than 20,000 different fashion items. Apparently, how we style them will also affect their storyline. This can either be really in-depth or simply skin deep, but it’ll be neat to see just how much damage I can do to some of these girls. I mean, how wonderful would it be to absolutely destroy an actress’s career by pulling a Felicity haircut on her?

Men&?rsquo;s fashion is also back and this time around we can? hire a male or female assistant in our shop. Past activities such as starting a fashion brand, fashion shows and customizing our shops and apartment return. There will also be amiibo support.

Oh yeah, and there is also a demo available right now.

No price point has been announced yet and it is unclear if North America will receive a physical release down the road. Given we never got one for the excellent Rhythm Heaven Megamix, I’m not going to hold my breath. Either way, I am down to clown for more Style Savvy and thank the high heavens Nintendo and S??yn Sophia are keeping the franchise going and growing.

Style Savvy: Styling Star [Nintendo]

The post Santa must have got my letter, because Style Savvy: Styling?? Star is coming this Chr??istmas appeared first on Destructoid.

Releasing this year in Japan & Europe

I have to admit something. Ready? Are you sure? Okay?,? here I go:

I was wrong.

Back when I reviewed Style Savvy: Fashion Forward I said it was probably the last game we'd see in the series unless it went mobile. I based that prediction on absolutely nothing but my gut, a bit of truthiness if you will, and my gut was proven so very wrong today when Nintendo announced a fourth entry in the series will make its way to Japan and Europe for the Nintendo ??3DS.

Girls Mode 4 will release in Japan in November and in Europe as Nintendo Presents: New Style Boutique 3: Styling Star. Given how many years it took to get Fashion Forward here in the States??, I'm not anticipating a localization anytime soon. I would like to see it though because, despite people seemingly abandoning the platform in favor of the Switch, I do intend to keep playing my 3DS well into 2019 with my ridiculous backlog.

The post Yes, Virginia, there is a new Style Savvy appeared first on Destructoid.

Less revealing than most actual character costumes

Japanese fashion brand SuperGroupies, who are known for their gaming-themed range of clothing and accessories, have revealed an official line of ladies underwear based on Capcom's Street Fighter series.

The two ensembles on offer in the collection are based upon the famous fighting colours of the strongest woma?n in the w??orld, Chun-Li, and British special agent Cammy White, featuring a bra and panties pairing recalling the heroic duos classic looks.

Whilst the Camm?y gear is fairly simplistic, I think the Chun delicates are really nicely styled, though those fringed shorts are probably not very ergonomic under casual cl??othing, I don't know. If someone wants to buy me a set I'd gladly try them out and let you know.

The two ensembles are roughly $80 each, though it's a shame there's no Urien thong for us dudes. Also, if you aren't weari??ng the Cammy pants as a wedgie, you're doing it completely wrong.

Street Fighter lingerie [SuperGroupies]

The post SuperGroupies unveil line of St?r??eet Fighter lingerie appeared first on Destructoid.

Hadouken in style

Video game culture is no stranger to releasing some awesome foot wear. From Vans line of Nintendo themed shoes to the weirder Sonic the Hedgehog branded kicks. 

The latest game to be preserved in shoe form is Street Fighter II. An odd choice when you?? consider that Ryu is more of a barefoot guy. All the same, these high-tops? are pretty damn cool.

These shoes are decorated with pixel art of the Street Fighter cast like Ken, Ryu, and Chun Li. They also come in a pretty cool looking shoe box?? that you'll want to preserve in your closet until the end of time.

They'll run you 9,800 yen or about $89 US. UBIQ started taking reservations back in July, but you can still place orders now with shipping scheduled for the end of November. Supplies are limited th?ough, so, you may want to make your reservation sooner rather than later. Once they're gone, they're gone.

If you're interested check out the order page here.

Street Fighter? II and UBIQ collab shoes but some extra quick in your step [Rocket News]

The post Do a dope Hurricane Kick in these Stre?et Fighter s??hoes appeared first on Destructoid.

Visions of wallet-busting

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this pair of Dark Souls-inspired rings from Torch Torch.

Just like your accursed player character, you too can rock Havel's Ring to increase your maximum equip load and also prevent fall damage with the Silvercat Ring ("do not attempt this in real life," our non-existent lawyers tell me). They're currently avail??abl?e for pre-order in a few different sizes.

As you've no doubt come to expect by now, official trinkets like this aren't exactly inexpensive. These rings are $155 a piece, which, ouch.? The souls-to-?USD exchange rate is just killer these days.

Dark Souls x Torch Torch [Torch Torch via NeoGAF]

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Women be shoppin'

What do you mean Destructoid's never reviewed a Style Savvy game before?

Style Savvy: Fashion Forward (Nintendo 3DS)
Developer: Syn Sophia
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: August 19, 2016 (US), November 20, 2015 (EU), April 16, 2015 (Japan)
MSRP: 29.99

The setup for Style Savvy: Fashion Forward, the third game in Nintendo's fashion shop sim series, is completely silly. You receive a key from your grandmother that opens a small dollhouse door you've never seen open. After you unlock it, a miniature girl named Sophie emerges and tells you about Beaumonde City, a wonderful place full of bulimic beauties that's lacking in style. She shrinks you down to her size and sets you on a path to revitalize this one?-time fashion mecca.

It's all ridiculous, and the concept is quickly forgotten, but it does show how this series has evolved from a simple shop sim into what it is now: a doll simulator. This game is just you playing with dolls. You play dress up, you play make-believe jobs, ??you ??hang out with your friend's dolls, you decorate a dollhouse, you take pretend trips, and generally do what little girls have been doing with Barbie dolls for 50 years.

The core gameplay remains largely the same as the last two entries. You still run your?? own boutique, select outfits for customers, and work to expand your business empire. There are more than 19,000 articles of clothing to sell and I have to say the fashion here is the best the series has seen. Men's clothes are out, but earrings are in. I enjoyed putting together red-carpet-worthy styles for the dozens of girls who would frequent my shop. Not all of them were stylish, though. There is still the occasional girl wearing a floor-length denim dress like there’s a Mennonite community just outside town and too many of my customers kept saying “all my frien??ds say I look great in beige," with me unable to reply “honey, that’s not a compliment.”

Getting customers to actually come into your store is now your responsibility. You have to do a bit of direct advertising by talking to the various girls around town to get them to stop by. Beaumonde City is a lively little burg and it feels more like an actual place instead of just a map ??with various selectable locations as it did in the first two games. Anytime you're out and about, you can snap a picture that can be used to potentially unlock a new color you can use in your fashion.

Once the girls walk through your doors, meeting their requests is as easy as it's ever been. When helping customers pick out clothes, you can whittle down your inventory by choosing specific criteria a piece has to meet. Fashion Forward&?rsquo;s exhaustive selection of criteria means the only way you'll fail to help a customer is if you simply don't have an item in stock. With a huge backroom available at the start of the game, that didn't happen to me. Ever.

Running your boutique is only a small part of the entire Fashion Forward experience as you can now cut hair and do makeup. At the salon, you'll ask each customer a series of questions to determine exactly what type of hairdo they want. At the beautician's, girls will ask you to give them a unique makeup?? look, follow a simple set of instructions, or match their face to one in a picture. Both are slightly amusing (especially when you give a girl a garish new look) and can provide the slightest challenge at first. I will admit matching photographs exactly on the makeup did take me a few attempts. The girls were very forgiving when I messed up, often giving me a second chance to get it right.

You can also do a bit of runway and print modeling, neither of which are engaging enough to talk about beyond this sentence. Designing my own clothes was of much greater interest to me. Brands will ask you to design pieces that will be sold exclusively in your store. Options are limited -- this isn't Project Runway here -- but I ?still had a good time creating my own ??clothes and sketching my own logo.

If that wasn't enough, there is also an opportunity to do some interior designing. Throughout your experience, you’ll purchase and collect miniatures that can be used to decorate a dollhouse. That’s right, there a dollhouse inside this dollhouse world because yo dawg, I heard you like dollhouses. Once you decorate a room, it's recreated i??n a larger size for people in the city to visit and gush over.

With so many features, Style Savvy: Fashion Forward is easily the most content-rich game in the series. Why, I asked myself, am I so quickly bored by it then? Could it be that after 60+ hours of running my own boutique between the two prior games, I had become blasé to the experience? I decided to go back to the previous title, Style Savvy: Trendsetters, for a bit just to see if it had the same effect ??on me. The next three hours flew by as I was completely consumed by the experience. What a difference a time mechanic makes.

Fashion Forward employs a real-time clock à la Animal Crossing (similar to the first game) whereas the previous title featured days that lasted a set amount of time, like in Story of Seasons. There is something about that time mechanic ?that is so addictive. There wasn't a minute to spare with a short day and night cycle, as I would run my boutique, meet friends for lunch, enter a fashion show, go to sleep, wake up, and start the whole process again. It hooked me, and with the return to a real-time clock, that hook is gone. The only thing that had me coming back to the game after I had already played it that day was to take pictures in hop??es of unlocking a new color.

Slowing progress to a crawl feels like a step back and it's not the only one I found in the game. There is something about the dialog and personalities for the girls that is also regressive. My shop has been inundated with customers who say they “don’t know the first thing about fashion” with their index fingers planted firmly in cheek or girls who are way too nervous about trying a new style that’s only slightly different than their current one. The shy girls are back in full forc??e too. I had one who came in with a friend and she practically wet herself trying to ask me to pick out a hat for her. A HAT!

Did I mention the North American localization is just a straight-up port of the UK version? Pants are called trousers, the letter ‘u’ is in a bunch of words it doesn’t belong in, people talk about their friends from secondary sch??ool, and bangs are referred to as fringe. That last point really threw me for a loop during my sessions at the salon, leading me to retry a few haircuts. It was my own stupid fault as every concept in the game can easily be explained through the in-game encyclopedia.

Let's be real: unless Nintendo and DeNA take this series to mobile, this is probably the last Style Savvy game we're going to get. If Style Savvy: Fashion Forward is the franchise's last hurrah, it certainly doesn't go out on a low note as it has the best fashion and is filled to the brim with stuff to do. But readjusting to a real time clock means changing the way I enjoy this series, and without the addictive draw of a short day and night cycle, I don't see this game taking dozens of hours ??of my time as past entries have done.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of t??he game purchased by the rev??iewer.]}

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I get my hands on Nintendo's latest fashion game

Style Savvy: Fashion Forward, the third entry in Nintendo’s fashionable franchise, hits?? store shelves in the US this ??Friday. The rest of the world has had it for a year or longer, and quite frankly I’m a bit surprised Americans are getting the game at all. Deep down, I think the only reason it’s being localized after all this time is because of the NX delay. Whatever the reason, it is coming this week and it's a physical release to boot.

Nintendo didn’t send us a review copy of the game, however, I was able to gra?b one early thanks to an eBay seller who gladly broke the street date. It just arrived at my apartment last night, giving me just e?nough time to shoot this quick hands-on for you.

The post Hands-on Style Savvy: Fashion Forward appeared first on Destructoid.

This is real

The Pokémon Company has announced a new (was there an original) "fashion brand ambassador" in Drew B??arrymore. Wait, what? I'll try that again. Drew Barrymore is now Pokemon's fashion brand ??ambassador. This is definitely real.

According to Barrymore, "there's a playfulness that we're now allowed to have in fashion," and that she "likes happy things. And Pokémon is happy." She also not??es that "branding is all I think about right now,” so this seems like a perfect fit.

I uh...don't know if anything will actua?lly come of this. Endorsements often rise and fall like the sun, so?? we'll see if this will stick. In the meantime, please contact Drew Barrymore for all of your Ekans fashion related needs.

Inside Drew Barrymore??’s Posh Pokémon Party: ‘I Like Things That Are Colorful and Happy’ [The Daily Beast]

The post Drew Barrymore is now the Pokemon fashion amb??assado??r appeared first on Destructoid.

Please forgive me

When I typed up that post about Hellblade's newest developer video, somethi??ng jumped out at me: director Tameem Antoniades' hat. I made a mental note to mention it, but then ended up focusing on the motion capture. I've made a grave mistake, and I'll hope you'll allow me to make amends.

As Antoniades calmly explains the importance of animation, he's wearing a black hat with the word "FUCK" triumphantly scribed in Ye Olde English font. Through the art of the journalistic process (Google), I found that you, too, can be 'lil Tameem for the price of one hundred and ninety-five goddamn dollars. And that's 35% off, so get it while you can!

_{Why the hell would you pay more than twenty dollars for a hat. Why.}

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Get it this summer

_{[Image credit]}

Like many of the staff members here at Destructoid, writing video game stories isn't my only job. When I'm not failing at being funny here or pr??ostituting myself out to rich Saudis, I spend my days working for a toy company. While my job is, by definition, nothing but fun and games, there are certain aspects of it that I don't enjoy and all of those aspects just happen to be girls' toys.

I say this not because I'm a man but because the vast majority of girls' toys suck. Barbie, Monster High, Bratz, Ever After High, Pinkie Cooper, LEGO Friends; it's hard to get excited about selling toys that seem to just want to turn generation aft??er generation of girls into mindless consumer whores, as if the end goal of the product is to ensure every little girl grows up to be Kim Kardashian without the ass. 

"But CJ," you say into your computer like I can actually hear you, "what about the dolls where she has a career?" Sure, career Barbies do exist, but most of the ones tha??t come across my desk?? have her teaching, baking, nursing, or figure skating. You know, girl jobs.

There are, however, dolls Mattel releases in some years where Barbie gets a job that's different from all the rest. Last year was Film Director Barbie (modeled after Selma? director Ava DuVernay) and this ye?ar it's Game Developer Barbie.

Equipped with a laptop and a gaming headset that is somehow not pink, Game Developer Barbie will be available this summer. Who knows what kinds of amazing fun little girls will have with Barbie and her laptop. Maybe they'll create a Minecraft clone, or bilk the public out of thousands of dollars with a Kickstarter campaign, or even make the mistake of developing a game e??xclusively for the Amazon Fire TV. Let's just hope they don't end up making one of those terrible Barbie video games.

I genuinely hope that Game Developer Barbie takes off and we see her take on more jobs outside of the Pink Collar variety that aren't just a once-a-year thing. And if she flops at retail, they can always repurpose the toy as a Supernatural Charlie doll.

Evolution of Barbie [Mattel]

The post Game Developer Barbie ??is real ?and coming to a daughter near you appeared first on Destructoid.

::insert popular Lightning quote here::

I feel like a lot of the time when people dump on Lightning, calling her a bad character, they haven't played all of the proper Final Fantasy games she's in. Well I have, and even though I loved Lightning Returns, she's still a bad character -- now she's invading more than just every other Final Fantasy game, but real life??? as well. There is no escape.

Louis Vuitton has confirmed ??that Lightning will model for the spring-summer 2016 collection, called "Series 4." She'll appear in magazine ads for the month of January, as well as various promotional videos. I'm considering getting a copy of that mag for my potential future daughter, so she can share the pain of having to deal with 10 more years of Lighting right alongside all of us.

It's the best marriage of something popular and Louis Vuitton since Kayne's "Last Call."

Series 4 [Louis Vuitton]

The post Final Fantasy XIII’s Lightning ad campaign confirmed for Louis Vuitton appeared first on Destructoid.

It's that time of the month

[Bumping an old Dixon shirt post! -Niero]

Literally every single t-shirt in the Destructoid store is now $9.95 or less! WOW! Some are as low as $4.95! HOT DAMN! Everything you see is on clearance, meaning once they're out of print you won't be able to get these shirts ev??er again! We're making way for something new, and until then we need to clear?? up the old store front. 

Oh, and you'll still get free shipping worldwide on o??rders over $60, so be sure to buy in bulk. Hurry up and g?et these babies before they're gone for good!

The post SharkRobot Sale: Clothe yo?ur pimply milky body for $5+ appeared first on Destructoid.