It’s been a real “Will they, won’t they?�?dynamic between Vampire Survivors and Castlevania. It’s the crossover that makes the most sense, but it’s because it makes the most sense that I believed it wou??ldn’t happen. Time makes fools of us all.

Ode to Castlevania is funny because Vampire Survivors is already an ode to Castlevania. Nowhere is this more evident than with the new weapons that don’t have a lot ??to do with Castlevania. That’s because all the weapons most associated with the game were already in it originally, from throwing crosses to holy water.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. By default, a Castlevania crossover is going to be the best expansion for the game because I love Castlevania. However, it’s also the best expansion so far for other reasons.

Ode to Castlevania can be summed up as a lot of whips, a lot of music, a lot of Belmonts, and one big map. Unlike the previous two expansions, there is no new Adventure mode here; that one big map is the central focus. And it is big. It’s dominantly Dracula’s castle, filled with bosses and broken into sections via locked doors. It’s not exactly Vampire Survivors metroidvania, but that sounds like? it would be a hassle anyway.

The castle is laid out in a more-or-less linear fashion. You kick down the door and march your way up to Dracula’s bedroom to put him back to sleep. Is he actually there? Does Vampire Survivors actually ha?ve a vampire in it now? I’m not telling bec??ause that would be lame.

Much like the last two crossover expansions, this is still Vampire Survivors, but it’s wearing Castlevania’s clothes. But unlike those games, Castlevania fits Vampire Survivors a lot better. The enemies, all torn from various games in the series, look a??s though they belong here, and the castle could easily be compiled from various stages already in the game. Unsurprisingly, it isn’t much of a stretch.

The one big level is easily the best that the game has seen. It’s large enough that it’s extremely difficult to make your way through it, from start to finish, in a single round. Instead, after beating specific bosses, a nearby teleporter will be activated that you can transport yourself to from the start. This allows you to essentially continue fro??m close to where you left off without having to wade through everything again.

There are a tonne of bosses torn from the series�?history, and while many of them are just the sort that you keep your distance from while bashing on them, a few have some unique attacks that make them interesting. There are also moments within the castle where things turn into a sidescroller, which can be disorienting but feels?? appropriate.

If there’s one place that the Castlevania conformity actually hurts the game, it’s with the whips. Most of the Belmonts come packing one, and while they’re all different, most of them kind of suck. They’re often short-range and only attack in specific directions. The whips that were already in the game are far better; it’s just sort of a drag that you can spend time turning yourself into a whip machine for less ?reward than you’d usually find from holding a whip.

Sonia Belmont has the Sonic Whip, however, which absolutely wrecks house. It’s not all bad, but when you’re shoveling more junk weapons on an already threatening pile of them, it can become difficult to effectively create your desired build. There are other much more useful weapons that were added, fortunately. Although, as I mentioned before, some of them don't have much to do with Castlevania and feel like they were added because they needed to add something aside from whip??s and spellbooks.

This is all backed by an extremely impressive list of songs and remixes from the Castlevania series. The composers working with Poncle did a great job with Contra in Operation Guns, and the same is true here with tracks torn from all over the series. There are even some tunes tha?t I wouldn’t have thought to include ??that are made irresistible through their loving remixes. Easily, one of the best parts of this expansion is the soundtrack.

Overall, It’s a loving tribute from a developer who is a clear fan of the Castlevania series. So much of a fan that there isn’t a Gabriel Belmont in sight, but there is a Sonia. That’s how you really know.

It’s also only $3.99, which is a buck-and-a-half more expensive than something like Operation Guns, but I think the re??mix soundtrack is worth the value alone. In a world with horse armor, it’s a great value.

As a fan myself, this is easily the most fun I’ve had with the game since diving into the base version. The big map adds a lot more playtime than you might expect, and being able to unleash hell on various foes from the series while a frantic remix of Bloody Tears plays is, as one would expect, rather arousing. The way that Vampire Survivors has matured over the years almost feels like it was preparing to wear the Castlevania dress. And it fits so well. It�??�s almost like it was made for it. 

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The best Pokémon game that no one ever was

If you're one of the many who've lived and breathed Pokémon since childhood, it's easy to forget how many Pokémon games have come out since 1996. Even if you don’t count any spinoff titles a?nd lump all dual releases together (i.e., Red and Blue), you still have over twenty games to choose from. If you can’t count the entries in a series on your fingers and toes, there are officially too many for a new person to consider.

Fortunately, the Pokémon formula is so timeless that virtually every mainline game is a good starting point. That said, the series has plenty of peaks and valleys, some of which are truly spectacular. Here are the ten best Pokémon games ranked from least spectacular to absolutely amazing. Whether you're a beginner looking for a jumping-in point or a longtime fan on the hunt for an excellent entry to replay, here are the ten best Pokémon games.

10 - Pokken Tournament DX

It’s a shame that the Pokken games didn’t take off more than they should have. Fans had been asking for an official Pokemon fighting game for years before Pokken Tournament hit the Wii U in 2016, and the game has a lot going for it. The character roster is full of iconic Pokémon, and its unique "Field Phase" feature allows the game to shift from a two-dimensional arcade brawler to a three-dimensional fighter seamlessly. Pokken Tournament DX, an enhanced port to the Switch, sweetens the deal further by throwing in more characters and ??beefing up performance.

Unfortunately, the frustrating simplicity of its combat holds Pokken Tournament back. The complex technicality that defines many of the best fighters isn't here, and games can devolve into button mashers quickly. That said, Pokken Tournament is still a good time, and it's a superb choice for Pokémon fans and fighting game enthusiasts who don't want to sink hours int??o mastering a complex combat system.

9 - Pokémon Snap

Pokémon Snap is a lot different from your conventional Pokémon game. Akin to an on-rails shooter game you’d play in an arcade, you don't catch a single wild Pokémon or battle even one rival trainer in this g?ame. Instead, you're taking photos of the little critters to help Professor Oak’s research??.

At first, it’s a simple and chill concept, riding along a slow-mov??ing track and snapping pictures of Pokémon living in their natural habitats. However, when you unlock gadgets like Pokémon Food and Pester Balls, things get more exciting. By using these items at the right points in your photographic excursions, you'll unlock alternate paths full of new Pokémon to photograph.

Playing Pokémon Snap is like taking care of a flower: it's slow and even monotonous at first, but the game opens up and grows as you put more time and effort into it. Once you've unlocked some gadgets, snapping the perfect photo of that one Pokémon that's eluded you stops being a frustrating game of chance an?d becomes an engaging puzzle with an intuitive solution. And since you're graded on how clear and well-composed your photo is, completing one satisfying challenge usually leads to you unlocking a new one.

8 - Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee!

As the only generation of Pokémon games to be remade twice, every version of Generation One has its own unique charm. If you’re looking for a breezy way to see where the series began, however, you can’t go wrong with the Let’s Go! games.

Let’s Go! strips away many of the series' standard mechanics to draw in the massive crowd of new Pokémon fans created by Pokemon Go. Luckily, the game makes up for this straightforwardness by implementing some helpful quality-of-life improvements from Go, including Candies you can use to buff a Pokémon's stats and make it battle-ready almost as soon as you catch it. Its inclusion of follower Pokémon and Mega Evolutions also helps it stand out from other Pokémon games on the Switch.

That said, veteran Pokémon fans won't have a great time with Let's Go. The game's decision to replace wild Pokémon battles with Go-style-catchin?g sequences removes a part of the game that draws in a lot of players, and the exclusion of new evolutions and pre-evolutions of the Generation One game leaves its Pokedex feeling scant. Let's Go is excellent for beginners, but established Pokémon fans will probably want to skip these experimental departures from the norm.

7 - Pokemon X and Y

Being the first fully 3D entries in the mainline Pokémon series, X and Y had a lot of expectations to live up to. Fortunately, it bore this weight well, emerging from underne??ath the mountainous pressu??re as a glittering, polygonal gemstone.

Pokemon X and Y boast one of the biggest regional Pokedexes in the series' history, bringing back many old favorites like Charizard and Lucario while introducing fantastic?? new Pokémon like Greninja and Aegislash. Introducing mechanics like Super Training also made it easier for players to train their Pokémon, making the series' competitive scene more accessible than ever. And, of course, Mega Evol??ution gave many of the series' best Pokemon fresh forms and insane power boosts.

For all these new bells and whistles, however, Pokémon X and Y suffer from a frustrating lack of content in some areas. The game's primary campaign is a disappointingly lean experience that pits you against Team Flare, who are a major step back from the menacing, challenging antagonists introduced in the previous generation. If you're one of those fans who doesn't put much stock into a Pokémon game's pre-post-game content, though, Pokémon X and Y are pretty fantastic.

6 - Pokemon Stadium 2

The Pokémon Stadium games were like a supplement to the Game Boy titles that started it all. You transfer your team over to the game via the Transfer Pak and battle through many opponents, whether they are random CPUs in the game's stadium mode or the gym leaders waiting in the game's intimidating Gym Leader ?Castle.

Even if you didn’t have the Game Boy games and opted for the rentals, Pokémon Stadium 2, in particular??, was where it was at. The game lets you pick from all two-hundred-and-fifty-one of the Pokémon available at the time of release, and the game's then-impressive graphics allowed players to experience Pokémon battles in an?? epic new dimension.

Once you grew tired of battling, there were also a handful of score-based mini-games that were so much fun to play. While it's no replacement for Mario Party, Pokémon Stadium's mini-game mode is an excellent time,?? especially if you can get a few friends to play wi??th you.

5 - Pokémon Emerald

While the Generation One Pokémon games launched the world’s most lucrative franchise, Generation Three proved the series had staying power despite Yu-Gi-Oh giving it stiff competition. Though this generation received some impressive remakes in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for the 3DS, Pokémon Emerald for the Game Boy Advance remains arguably the best way to experience one of the s??eries' best adventures.

Between the clean visuals, stellar soundtrack, and the excellent monster variety, Pokémon Emerald has all the fundamentals of an excellent Pokémon game. Yet the feature that elevates Emerald above even the Generation 3 remakes is the Battle Frontier. Diehard fans consider the Battle Frontier to be one of the best examples of post-game content the series has ever offered, and it presents potentially the most significant challenge you'll encounter in a mainline Pokémon game.

While the game relies too much on HMs in the latter half of the primary campaign, the Hoenn region is insanely fun to explore. Even an admitted overabundance of water can't ?dilute the pure feeling of adventure t??his Pocket Monster Title provides.

4 - Pokémon Platinum (Diamond and Pearl)

Many consider the fourth generation of Pokémon to be the franchise’s best in terms of design, characters, and activities. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl delivered an epic experience by taking full advantage of the leap in hardware between the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS. Pokemon Platinum cranks everything about these adv?entures up to eleven.

The Pokémon design here was at its pe?ak: from the trio of starters to the newly introduced evolutions to Pokémon from previous generations like Rhyperior, Duskno?ir, and Electivire. The Legendaries of the Sinnoh region are especially impressive, being the first Pokemon to truly invoke divinity through their complex, intimidating designs.

The impressiveness of the game's character design doesn't stop at the Pokemon. This game's cast comprises some of the most memorable characters the franchise has ever introduced. Cynthia's elegant, layered design projects the grace and power one would expect from the Pokémon League Champion, and Cyrus' stiff posture and soulless gl??are perfectly capture the Team Galact?ic leader's heartlessness in a way dialogue never could.

Pair that with the endgame being fun and diverse, especially in Platinum’s case. If you have the third generation of Pokémon games like the Kanto games or the Sinnoh g??ames slotted into the GBA slot, you can e?ncounter additional, exclusive mons in your game. Nowadays, this is much harder to do, but this was a nifty feature at the time.

3 - Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver

Many fans consider the Generation Two Pokémon games the most innovative titles in the series. Between the unique day/night system, killer soundtrack, and arguably the best post-game surprise in any Pokémon game, Generation Two offers an experience that even modern titles can’t match. While some criticize the mid-game pacing of these titles, one thing is clear: if you’re going to play Generation 2, play Heart Gold or Soul Silver for the DS.

Heart Gold and Soul Silver are hands-down the best remakes the series has ever offered. They give the original Gameboy titles a fresh coat of paint and flesh out the ??world with new dungeons and events not found in the original, like the addictive Pokeaethlon or the enticing ruins of Alph. The game even adds additional context to the game's story by confirming a long-held fan theory about the identity of the game's rival.

What’s more, the addition of Generation 4 mechanics like the physical/special stat split for attacks and the inclusion of new moves like Earth Power go a long way to keep these games feeling modern. Heart Gold and Soul Silver didn’t need to go as hard as the??y did, but it’s easy to see why used copies of these games sell for upwards of $70 to this day.

2 - Pokémon Legends Arceus

Though Pokémon is a predominately iterative series, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the first mai?nline game to shake up the formula that has powered these games for 25 years. Some may call Legends: Arceus a proof of concept, yet nearly every risk this game takes not only succeeds, but flourishes.

The mix of traditional turn-based Pokémon battles, real-time boss battles, and catching mechanics is beautiful here. The difficulty curve is just as accessible as any mainline Pokémon title. Still, the open-world maps and powerful alpha Pokémon add enough optional challenge for longtime fans to sweat if things feel too easy. Legends: Arceus even introduces elegant quality-of-life to the franchise, like the speedy results screen after a battle and the ability to change a Pokemon’s move set at ?will from the menu.

As of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, it looks like mainline Pokémon games will embrace the open-world elements that Legends: Arceus introduced fully. Yet even if that’s the case, Legends: Arceus of?fers so much that ?it deserves a subseries of its own.

1 - Pokémon Black and White (and Black 2 and White 2)

To some, Pokemon’s Generation 5 games are a soft reboot of the franchise. To others, it is a last hoorah of Pokémon’s 2D art style before the series' leap to the 3DS. Regardless of who you are, Black and White are fantastic games that hardly show th??eir age over a decade later.

These games are the total package. The animated Pokémon sprites breathe life and personality into each monster, sometimes more than the 3D models in modern Pokémon games. The soundtrack is stellar, ranging from catchy town tracks to high-energy battle themes. Even the story veers into the thematically captivating territory, pitting players against an evil team who raise valid questions about the innate morality of the series' monster-fighting concept while still being love-to-hate antagonists. Black and White overflow with passion and creativity, and every Pokemon fan owes it to themselves to play them.

Some fans were dismayed upon release that only Pokémon introduced in Generation 5 are usable until the postgame of Black and White. However, even this gripe has a silver lining. In lieu of the usual “special edition�?game that remixes the previous entries and adds some extra content (a la Pokémon Emerald), Black and White received full-fledged sequel games in Black 2 and White 2. These titles add fan-favorite Pokémon back into their main story, and many fans consider these titles to be even better than their predecessors. P?erhaps it’s unfair to lump two sets of games together into the number 1 slot. Yet if you judge Generation 5 strictly by its quality, you’ll find plenty to love fr?om start to finish.

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Sony’s inaugural console had a pre?tty deep library, so it’s no wonder the list of standout titles is so long. It's also a well-loved console, so the PS1 is well-trodden territory now. What would go on a "best of" list is generally well-solidified for most people.

So, this isn't a ranked list, and it isn't a list of the best, but rather games you might have overlooked. I don't particularly like ranked list, since I don't think they're that useful. I say this as someone who's written a few. There's no accounting for taste and comparing something like Metal Gear Solid to Twisted Metal 2 isn't very insightful. Also, I don't really like Metal Gear Solid, and you probably already know how you feel ?about it. Me throwing it at a low rank isn't going to change your mind.

I prefer?? to just talk about games and make recommendations. So, rather than being insincere, I’m just going to list X games you should play on your PS1 if you haven’t already. Maybe you haven't heard of them, maybe you have. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but let’s start with these, and th??en you can get back to me.

Um Jammer Lammy

Parappa the Rapper is a staple of the PS1 library. When I think of its most prominent titles, it sticks out. We eventually got a direct sequel in 2001's Parappa the Rapper 2 on PS2, but before that, the formula was revisited in Um Jammer Lammy Instead of following the lyric-spewing dog(?), you play as Lammy, the riff-rocking lamb. That is to? say, she plays a guitar rat??her than rap.

It’s quirkier than the original, and while there’s nothing quite as good as Cheep Cheap’s rap, the soundtrack is overall a bit better. Parappa also focused and pretty normal teenager problems like taking a drivers test and having to poop really bad. The only problem here is that the North American version of Um Jammer Lammy changed the part where Lammy is sent to Hell. Rock & Roll is the devil??’s music, after all.

Bloody Roar

Or Bloody Roar 2, honestly. I like fighting games, but it's hard for me to get invested these days without a rival. Also, when I play them online, I get really jittery from nervous adrenaline that it makes me physically uncomfortable and I need to stop. However, I still try them out when I can. Bloody Roar is the first 3D?? fighting game in a long time to?? really get its hooks into me.

Bloody Roar sort of follows the Virtua Fighter formula, but has walls around the ring like Fighting Vipers. That's the only real distinction. Oh, no, wait, the characters can also transform into furries. That is to say, anthropomorphic animals. You have a bar that fills u?p over time, and whenever you've got it full, you can transform in a blastwave of energy and immediately be given a whole new repertoire of dangerous moves. It's a surprisingly effective twist that adds an unexpected layer of strategy to the fighting.

Rogue Trip Vacation 2012

After a confusing series of contracts and acquisitions, Singletrac, the original creators of Twisted Metal were unceremoniously ripped away from the series following Twisted Metal 2. They went to make a range of games before they were closed down. One of these was a similar vehicular combat game titled Rogue Trip: Vacation 2012.

While the premise still involves cars flinging missiles at each other, it also includes a monetary system that allows you to trade cash earned from shuttling around tourists for upgrades. Was it better than Twisted Metal 2? No. Vigilante 8? Not really. But is it a better option than Twisted Metal 3? Most definitely.

Incredible Crisis

I have a personal grudge against Titus. Most of the games the publisher released are terrible, such as Carmageddon 64 and Superman (also N64, but that's not actually in the title). I always say, "Ain't no fun if there's a fox on the box" when picking up one of those game. But one of the best things they ever did as a publisher was localizing Incredible Crisis.

Incredible Crisis is actually a bakage (stupid/weird game) from Japanese arcades. It follows a family of four as they try to make it home to celebrate their wrathful matriarc??h's birthday. Unfortunately, nothing goes as planned ?as they get involved in explosions, bank robberies, and an alien invasion. Gameplay is actually just a series of mini-games, which may give you whiplash as you try to figure out new styles of play on the fly.

Germs: Nerawareta Machi

I was originally going to keep this list specifically focused on North American releases, but I don't want to. There's some bizarre stuff that never made it out of its home country. Take Germs: Nerawareta Machi for example, which plays like the basis of Deadly Premonition. You're let loose on a desolate but fully? explorable city that is having trouble with a strange virus. This virus is possibly being spread by aliens. I don't know, you're the reporter, you figure it out.

It's an ambitious game. There's a full day/night cycle. To find your way forward you often need to return to your office to take calls from people and check your email for where to go next. You can get there by driving (or walking, if you're determined) or you can catch a ride on the subway. When you get to certain scenes, you need to pull out a gun and engage in some very Morrowind-esque real-time RPG combat.

But what makes Germs so memorable is its strange atmosphere. The city is pretty empty aside from some key people. There is no color to most of the buildings, just slight splas?hes every so often. You're given very little information to work off of a lot of the time, which leaves you free to just exist in this world sometimes. As I mentioned, it never made it out of Japan. However, a preliminary fan translation can help you figure things out.

Mad Panic Coaster

Speaking of bakage, I'm not even sure where to begin with introducing Mad Panic Coaster. Do you remember when 3D clones of Roller Coaster Tycoon started happeni??ng? One of the big selling points was ofte??n that you could ride on the roller coaster. Okay, now make the entire game that.

That's sort of Mad Panic Coaster. You ride on a roller coaster, but rather than being strapped into your seat and sent down the rails, you have to do laps around the track while avoi?ding various hazards and not falling off the track. It's not as easy as it ??sounds, especially since your cart moves at Mach 10. It can be difficult to the point of frustration, and it's by no means a short game.

But what really makes it worth recommending is its outstanding soundtrack and expressive art style. It was created by a development studio not really known for making games, and by people who seemingly weren't in the industry for long. Yet, despite that, it carries an immense amount of personalit??y. There's not much like it. It's just unf??ortunate that it was never released outside of Japan and, even there, is extremely rare.

Parasite Eve

This one is a bit more high-profile, but I feel like a lot of people still missed it. It’s a Squaresoft title, but while they would normally lean into fantasy, Parasite Eve is more contemporary. It’s still an RPG, but while it uses an active-time system, it allows you to move in real time. It’s also stylish as hell, full of melty people an?d flesh monsters. The audience at an opera is set on fire, helicopters explode, and a dude jumps from a helicopter and is set?? on fire. Doesn't get much better than that.

It goes in a few batshit directions when it comes to narrative, but works as a disaster plot. It absolutely hammers on the word mitochondria. A lot of what it spouts is accurate, but the whole plot hinges on your ability to believe a portion of your cells are a?ble to gain sentience. Absolute batshit. It gets a little Kojima-esque with its exposition at times, and I?? don’t mean that as a compliment.

Unfortunately, the sequel drops the unique combat system and becomes a lot more like Resident Evil. But that just makes the original Parasite Eve a lot more unique.

Road Rash

I really don’t know why EA chose to just call this one Road Rash, as it’s not a remake of the original, and it came out on the 3DO before Road Rash 3 hit the Genesis. There's also a sort-of downport on the Sega CD which isn't the same as either the original or this version. It's confusing, so a lot of the time, this one is called Road Rash 32-Bit.

Regardless, it’s probably one of the best titles in the series if you don’t find Road Rash 64 side-splittingly hilarious. While the gameplay follows the same formula of motorcycle racing mixed with bashing your rivals with crowbars, it plays a bit smoother on 32-bit consoles and feat?ures much more detailed 3D graphics rather than the old raster trick of the original. It feels pretty great and has a lot more personality. It also had some really tacky cutscenes, which is a good taste of how tasteless that era of gaming was.

Army Men Air Attack 2

I talk about the Army Men series often, and whenever I do, someone usually says, “Oh yeah, I liked the helicopter one.�?There wasn’t a single helicopter one. If you only count original titles and exclude some markedly different ports, there were three of them: Air Tactics, Air Attack, and most importantly, Air Attack 2. Yes, a lot of (some) people talk about Air Attack and don’t even re??alize there was a direct sequel.

There was, and it's fine. The gameplay is the same action-heavy helicopter action lifted from the Strike series (Desert Strike, Jungle Strike, etc.), and it still works. It doesn't come close to the inventiveness of the first game and, to be honest, there are a lot of cut corners here, probably owing to 3DO's very tight development deadlines. The series was already speeding downhill fast when Air Attack 2 came out. But, in general, Air Attack 2 still contains a lot of the same shooty winchy action. Plus, there?'s co-op if you have someone in your presence. If you liked “the helicopter one�?you may consider checking this out.

On second thought, I'm not sure why this is here. I guess because I wanted to include an Army Men game given my history with the series. PS1 was where it was most prolific. There were 10 Army Men games released on the console, and Air Attack was easily the best. Although, I do have a soft spot for the World War games (not Land, Sea, Air).

Moon

Okay, so we didn’t exactly get Moon over here in North America until 2020, but it’s one of the first examples of Love-de-Lic’s formula of helping people for the good feels. It’s technically a parody of the typical RPG, containing no real comba?t and the simple goal of spreading altruism about. You wander a strange world, talking to strange p??eople, and helping them with their strange problems.

Moon just feels meaningful. While the gameplay is simple, it feels deep and profound. You get insight into the lives of the game's inhabitants and experience a new perspective on things. It helps that there is a fantastic soundtrack (largely by one of my favorite composers, the legendary Hirofumi Taniguchi) that you actually have t??o collect and compile in a playlist and an art style that continues to influence developers to this day.

While Love-de-Lic would only release three games (none of which were released in the West) before disbanding, the feel-good formula would be carried on by its star players who broke off into their own studios and made games like Chibi-Robo and Chulip. Unfortunately, for a long while, the genre was doomed to frequently overlook a North American release with later games like Endonesia and Giftpia staying exclusively in Japan.

Medal of Honor Underground

If there’s one area that the N64 trounced the PS1, it is in first-person shooters. While Goldeneye 007 and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter haven’t aged the greatest, what did the Playstation have? Not none, but while I can list off quite a few decent N64 games in the genre, with the PS1 it’s a bit more difficult without adding the caveat “I guess.�?Medal of Honor, however, is easy to appreciate since it helped launch the WWII?? shooter sub-category that dominated the shooter space after.

Medal of Honor: Underground is one you might have missed, however. A big score for me was its female protagonist, Manon Baptiste, but it also added enemy tanks and ?friendly soldiers to the mix. It isn’t necessarily better than the original, but it is more of the same that you might not have already e?xperienced.

Vagrant Story

Another one of Squaresoft’s often-overlooked PS1 titles, Vagrant Story is a ridiculously deep RPG with a number of intricate systems all mashed together. It’s something that shouldn’t work, almost doesn’t, but somehow does. At the very least, it requires you to develop a great deal of familiarity in its systems to truly make the most of it. You play as Ashley Riot, with the task of investigating a cult in the ci??ty of Leá Monde and the ruins beneath it.

Like Parasite Eve, Vagrant Story stands out because of its unique style. It actually won a bunch of awards from various publications, but unfortunately released alongside games like Final Fantasy IX and Chrono Cross. Because of that, Vagrant Story is often left out of many discussions of Squaresoft’s glory days. We’re lo??ng overdue for a remaster.

King’s Field

In the wake of Dark Souls�?success, the often-overlooked King’s Field series has been re-examined. That's because Hidetaka Miyazaki has stated that Demon's Souls is something of a spiritual successor to that series. Don't go in expecting too many simi??larities, however. Both games are distinct from one another, essentially just sharing their dark fantasy leanings. It shares more with early PC dungeon crawlers than it does with later FromSoftware titles.

The localized King’s Field for PS1 is technically the Japanese King’s Field 2. It’s a shame we neve??r got the first one, but the second titl?e presents the same dungeon-crawling goodness. Beyond just being a nicely stiff and enjoyable action adventure, it also feels distinctly PS1 in its level geometry and texture work. It's a look that defined the console.

Tecmo's Deception

Speaking of looking distinctly PS1, Tecmo's Deception was the progenitor to the long-running series (last seen in 2014 with Deception IV). Despite that, this plays almost nothing like later games. Oh, sure, the gameplay based around setting traps for your enemies i?s still there, but it's very rudimentary compared to what would come back. While later games would have you set up Rube Goldberg-style combinations of traps, that wasn't even possible in this game. Instead, traps work more like RPG spells; you lead an enemy into them, then trigger it at the right moment.

However, it had charm that later games lacked. You could customize your evil mansion in a lot of ways. This was largely a useless feature, but there's something satisfying about creating the backdrop to your murders. It also has a pretty unusual plot where you more or less play as the villain in the story. It's packed full of bad design choices to the fact to the point where I'd have a tough time describing it as a quantifiably good game, but, at ?the very least, it is one worth seeing.

Ghost in the Shell

I've never actually watched the Ghost in the Shell movie, which is maybe okay since this game is based more on the manga. But, like, I'm not familiar enough to know what the difference is. Anyway, you play as a member of Public Security Section 9, and the action takes place with you firmly planted inside of a spider-like tank. It's maybe not what you'd really expect from the license. ??Yet, despite that, it's actually a really great tie-in.

It has extremely interesting combat with your tank being able to climb on walls. However, it's most fondly remembered for it's era-defyingly terrific controls and strikingly well-executed art style. It has its flaws and can be a bit frustrating, but it's so strong that it counts the most that it's practically timeless. It's apparently even better if you're already a fan of Ghost in the Shell, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

Brave Fencer Musashi

Not my favorite game on this list, but I do think it's an extremely memorable one. Brave Fencer Musashi is an often-overlooked game from Square that fa??lls outside the JRPG format that the company was renowned for at the time. It's a strange game where you play as a diminutive samurai who is sucked into another world to fix its problems. And he's not happy about it.

While the gameplay maybe didn't click with me entirely, it's hard to forget its attitude. Musashi was roped into this adventure against his will, and he's not shy about telling people that. His catchphrase is practically "Not my problem, pal." In a way, it feels like a parody of the usual action-adventure game where the protagonist will allow themselves to get wrapped into petty sidequests that don't really concern them. With a day/night cycle and plenty of exploration to do, Brave Fencer Musashi is incredibly memorable, if nothing else.

Tail Concerto

The progenitor to the “Little Tail Bronx�?series by Cyberconnect, Tail Concerto technically shares the same floating universe as Solatorobo: Hunter the Red and Fuga: Melodies of Steel. Each game is a little labor of love which makes it all the more confusing that you can only really download Fuga these days. The second-hand market has Tail Concerto, in particular, pegged at a ridiculous price.

Is it worth it? I’d probably argue that no game is worth as much as a North American copy of Tail Concerto, but it’s still one you should check out if you can. The story involves, erm, the oppression of cats. Dogs and cats are living together on islands that float in the sky, but the dogs are the majority and use that position to oppress the cats. It's a bit like the leadup to World War 2, which is a bit distressing. You play as a dog, jus??t to make sure you feel more uncomfortable.

Despite that allegory, Tail Concerto has bright, charming graphics, a simple but unique narrative, and inventive ??gameplay that har?kens back to a simpler time. It's easy to forget that it's about an underclass trying to get out from beneath the boots of their oppressors. Or rather, you might not notice at all. It’s just unfortunate that it’s so short.

Street Fighter Alpha 3

This might seem like a strange inclusion because Street Fighter Alpha 3 is an arcade game, and that version is available in at least three collections on digital storefronts right now. But the reason it's here is because there are a lot of added features that make it more at home on consoles. Specifically, I'm talking about World Tour m?ode.

World Tour mode has you traveling the world with your chosen character and gradually making them more powerful along the way. N?ot only that, you unlock characters as you progress, with more fighters on the roster in this version than there was in arcade. The added bit of progression makes the game more fun to play when you're on your own without a rival to take on. Or you could just grab one of the online-enabled ports available today and play against others all over the world if you prefer, but there's still value in World Tour if you think you've seen it all.

Colony Wars

The space combat genre (or 6DOF, there's no name for this genre I'm happy with) has been stagnant for quite some time now, but it really shone during the early 3D era because of the fact that it was easy to render large environments when most of it is an empty vacuum. During that time, we got some cherished games like Star Wars: X-Wing and Wing Commander, but some excellent titles were lost in the cracks, such as Colony Wars.

Colony Wars isn't too far removed from other games in the genre, but it impressively features a branching storyline and multiple endi?ngs. For the time, the graphics were impressive to?? see on PS1. Its depictions of large space battles was more spectacular than most at the time, helped by a rather striking lighting system.

Colony Wars was very well received at the time of its release, garnering awards from p??ublications at the time. It spawned two sequels on the console. So, it's kind of weird that it fell into obscurity. After the PS1 trilogy, it tumbled off the face of the planet, which is kind of ironic, since it takes place in space.

I.Q.: Intelligent Qube

If I had to choose a favorite on this list of outside-the-norm games, it would be this one, I.Q.: Intelligent Qube. If you were alive and gaming during the PS1's lifespan, there's a decent chance that you played it on a demo disc, but did you ever actually own it? I'm not sure if I had seen one in person until fa??r later in life. It was hard to get attention in those days unless something was exploding, gushing blood, or getting wrecked.

I.Q. is just such a game. It's almost like a puzzle game; that's proba??bly the closest genre?? you can relate it to. You play as a simple dude on top of a very cube-centric playing field while cubes roll toward you, threatening to chase you over the edge or crush you. Or both. Your job is to set bombs on the ground and wait for the right moment to detonate them to remove some of the enemy cubes. Some of them cause bigger explosions, others you need to avoid taking out at all. It's hard to describe, really, but it takes a lot of concentration and can be almost zen to play.

What adds to the experience is a soundtrack that sounds like an orchestra scoring a bar fight and a reverb-soaked announcer who will give you a verbal pat on the back every time you flawlessly clear a set of cubes with a satisfying "Perrrrrrfect!" There's a sequel, but unfortunately, the announcer isn??'t as amazing, so that's a shame.

The post Try These 20 PS1 Games – A Few Of The Best Playstation 1 Games Of All Time appeared first on Destructoid.

While the first console I technically had in my household was an NES, the Super Nintendo came around when I was finally old enough to really appreciate them. So, the console is a?? familiar and dear friend. However, I’m more passionate about exploring places that I haven’t been before.

Thankfully, the SNES has a large enough library that I’m still coming across worthwhile titles that I’ve missed. There are over 700 games in the SNES library, and that’s just in North America and excluding Super Famicom exclusives. It’s hard to play all? of them, and sometimes you kick over a rock and find something worth eating. I’ve kicked over a lot of rocks, so I’m here to point you at some of the juiciest grubs.

This list is not ranked. I’m just giving recommendations. I’m also only pulling from the North American library, so we’re excluding Super Famicom and PAL-only games. It’s also difficult to define what, exactly, is overlooked. Zombies Ate My Neighbors might be a staple to me, but others may say otherwise. So, take it for what it? is. If you haven’t played these games before, con??sider checking them out.

Demon’s Crest

Demon’s Crest is one of my favorite games on the SNES, but I only found out about it a few years ago while following the Gargoyle’s Quest trail. But while Demon’s Crest retains quite a bit from the previous Gargoyle’s Quest games, it’s in a league of its own.

The Gargoyle’s Quest series is a spin-off of Ghost n�?Ghouls starring one of the most vexing enemies in those games, Red Arremer (or Firebrand). It started out on Game Boy with its sequel on NES, but those games had more of an adorable cartoon style laced with horror. Demon’s Crest is all horror. It looks more similar to Super Castlevania IV than anything else in its own series.

You also get to play as a certifiable badass. You start with most o??f the skills from the previous games and then build upon that foundation. That doesn’t make the game easy, but it does make the character feel in?credibly powerful. It helps that other demons you run into react with either respect or straight-up fear.

S.O.S.

The absolute opposite of a power fantasy, you’d think S.O.S. (Septentrion in Japan) came out in the wake of the film Titanic rather?? than four years before it. You play as one of a few characters who are on board the luxury liner “Lady Cri?thania�?when it gets caught in a storm and capsized. Your goal is to make it off the ship while saving as many people as possible.

The problem is, the characters you play aren’t action heroes. They’re regular people, so the game controls a lot closer to Prince of Persia than a standard platformer. The characte?rs are slow and cumbersome, and ??If you fall too far, you might lose consciousness or outright die. The game proceeds on a progressive clock, and as the minutes tick by, the ship begins to roll and tilt, completely changing how you navigate the ship. 

It’s not something you’ll complete on your first try; it’s going to take many failures before you figure out the best way to get around. Even then, your next challenge is getting as many of the daft passengers to the exit with you, and they are hardly reliable on their own. This can make S.O.S. very uncomfortable to play. Frustrating even. Especially since the music is like the soundtrack to a panic attack. However, you won’t find anything quite like? it, either on the SNES or beyond.

Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen

While Tactics Ogre still loves on through occasional remasters, the classic Ogre Battle style of strategy games hasn’t seen much action in a long time. It all started here on the SNES with Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen.

These games are a strange mix of strategy and RPG. Essentially, you build your party, then send them out to various strategic locations to either attack or defend agai?nst the enemies. You work to recruit new, more powerful units into your army while building and upgrading the ones you have. All this is presented against vibrant Mode-7 landscapes with a terrific soundtrack.

Th??e main downside is that it’s extremely easy to cheese your way through most levels. There’s also an extremely obtuse alignment system for characters that is very poorly explained but has a massive impact on what ending you get.

Uniracers

Aside from, say, Super Mario Kart, the SNES isn’t exactly known for its racing games. Uniracers took a pretty distinct direction by being a completely sidescrolling racer. But holding a direction until you reach the finish line would be pretty boring, so it throws in half-loops and half-pipes that force you to adjust your one-wh??eeled mode of transportation for a safe landing. On top of that, stunts are how you gain speed, so you need to be always flipping and twisting if you want to win.

It’s an intense game, featuring crazy-fast abstract gr??aphics and a pretty?? kicking soundtrack. There’s two-player split-screen if you want to see who’s better at keeping their wheel under them. I just want to know how my mother set such a record time on the first course. That shouldn’t be possible.

Metal Warriors

I feel like Cybernator/Assault Suits Valken deserves a mention in this list, so there it is. I’ve talked so much about it at this point that I need a breather. Instead, I’ll give it to Metal Warriors, which isn’t a sequel to Cybernator and isn’t even by the same developer, but you’d swear it was. It features t??he same stompy robot action and careful aiming. It’s a real “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery�?situation. Only this time, the robots are hot rod red, and you can get out of them.

Metal Warriors comes from many of the devs who worked on Zombies Ate My Neighbors. The two games are in completely different ballparks, but they both feature interesting and detailed art design. There’s also no HUD, which is a unique thing to see in a??n SNES game.

Unfortunately, this one either didn’t sell well, or just wasn’t marketed very hard by Konami. Cartridges are pretty scarce to come by and command a ridiculously high pric??e. I have ?high hopes that a port comes to modern consoles.

Shadowrun

Based on the tabletop RPG of the same name, there are actually two versions of Shadowrun: One on the SNES and another on Genesis/Mega Drive. They’re completely different, with the Genesis version sticking closer to the rules of the TTRPG and the SNES taking a page from the novel Never Deal with a Dragon.

You play as Jake Armitage, who kicks out of his own morgue slab to figure out what’s going down in the cyberpunk future of Seattle. Shadowrun’s big hook is that it’s essentially Bladerunner mixed with The Lord of the Rings. So, it’s a grim, corporate-dominated future, but there are also elves, dwarves, magic, and d?ragons.

What I absolutely love about the SNES Shadowrun is its atmosphere. It doesn’t entirely get the cyberpunk feel across, but it does capture the isolated feeling of walking the streets on a summer night. This is helped through the terrific use of its color palette and an incredible soundtra?ck by Marshall Parker. It’s worth checking out, even if its mouse interface is pretty cumbersome.

Batman Returns

Batman Returns got a game on many different platforms, and most of them are different. The SNES version is a pretty incredible beat-’em-up by Konami. It’s (mostly??) a conveyor belt brawler where you walk the festive streets of G?otham, beating the cotton candy out of clowns. You can pick them up and smash them against the scenery or even each other.

It does a great job of capturing the feel of the movie. It even features the score by Dan Elfman. But it’s the amazing physicality of Batman Returns that makes it worth playing.

Nosferatu

I often forget that Nosferatu was even released in North America. Forget that the name makes it sound like a clone of Castlevania, Nosferatu plays more like a cross between Prince of Persia and a brawler. You play as a guy trying to rescue his girlfriend from a va??mpire. To do so, he doesn’t come equipped with crosses, stakes, or garlic. His only tools in the fight again?st evil are his two friends: Left fist and right fist. That joke would be funnier if I could just say “left and right�?while raising my fists to illustrate, but since this is text, I had to make do.

Anyway, Nosferatu will really test you. Not just your ability to throw hands but also your reflexes and puzzle-solving skills. Like Prince of Persia, there’s a whole lot of instant death arou?nd, so if you want to make it to the big bad guy and feed him his teeth, you’ll need some skills to pay the bills.

Pocky & Rocky

Technically, Pocky & Rocky is a sequel to Taito’s 1986 arcade game, Kiki Kaikai, but Natsume took the core idea of it and went its own way. It’s a top-down run-and-gun, not unlike Ikari Warriors. Here, however, you play as a Shinto shrine maiden, Pocky, and her tanuki (not actually a raccoon) friend, Rocky. Pocky slings ofuda cards while R??ocky throws leaves at terrifying velocity. 

Beyond just dealing death with projectiles, both characters can do a sweep in front of them that deflects projectiles and can also dive to get out of the way of danger. The a?rt style is cute, with squat characters, amazing bosses, and detailed environments. But while the graphics are cute �?and even occasionally serene �?the action can get very intense. It is extremely fast-paced and gets pretty difficult toward the end.

A sequel by Natsume came out not long after. However, while a lo?t of the stre??ngths of the first game are retained, slight changes �?especially to the co-op multiplayer �?make it a bit weaker overall. Still worth checking out if you get the chance.

Wild Guns

Speaking of Natsume, another one of their absolute bangers on the SNES is Wild Guns. It’s also a shooter, but this time, it’s a Cabal-styled gallery shooter. You move your character in the foreground ??t??o dodge incoming shots while shooting into the background. However, Natsume hit on an incredible concept for its take on the sub-genre: Cowboys in space.

Yeah, you choose from a pair of rootin�? tootin�? and also shootin�?cowfolk and unleash death on various hired thugs and robots. There’s some sort of True Grit-style revenge plot mixed in there, but it’s not important. You? just have to keep blasting.

Like Pocky & Rocky, this sugar-powered gameplay is captured with vibrant, detailed art. The backgrounds get wrecked by every shot that you miss, and the animations are packed with personality. Also, like Pocky & Rocky, ?you can take it on with a friend, which j??ust adds to the fun.

The post The 10 most overlooked SNES games appeared first on Destructoid.

Writing guides for a living, you usually leave the menu on while you work on each article. However, for this instance with the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero menus, I furiously turn off the game and go to the PS5 ho????me screen.

That's because the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero menus are so irritating that they spiral my brain out of focus. The most agonizing thing about these menus is that you'll hear the same voicelines over and over again, sometimes repeating straight after they've said them. You'll either hear the interviewer agonizingly asking questions to Tien and Android 17 over and over, or have Goku ask Dende what he's up to. Hercule is also a pain as he constantly gets spooked by Goku ap?pearing at his house by instant transmission.

The odd thing about the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero menus, however, is how the characters speak and then get no response. For example, Dende says nothing when Goku asks what he spends his time doing. It's very offputting. If you're going to have them spe?ak the same lines over and over, at least make it a conversation. It's better than Goku saying, "Hmm, what do I want?" 8 tim??????????????????????????es in two minutes.

Unfortunately, that's not the most annoying element of the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero menus. When you head to the Shop in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Bulma harasses you with the same voice lines over and over and over again, wishing that Vegeta would take her on a shopping spree. The same annoying tone of voice m??akes me s?top writing about unlocking a character and turning the game off.

They also picked the most anno??ying character for a part of the main menu, Zen??-Oh. In his frustratingly high-pitched voice, he constantly asks Goku to play with him. When you're completing Zen-Oh's Orders, he says the same line again and asks, "Hey, hey, what you gonna play today?" and says "I've got a favor for ya!" He says that second line five times in a minute sometimes. AHHHH! This is my nightmare.

It's not just the voices that are annoying, however. The way the menu is structured also grinds my teeth. You see, Goku transitions between each scene that acts as a menu location. The problem is that this makes the menu feel sluggish and if the left analog stick detects the input going a little to the left or the right, it immediately goes to another menu section. Admittedly, it's a mild inconvenience, but it happens so often that it becomes? agonizing to deal with. At one moment, I even saw Master Roshi T-Pose.

Hopefully, Bandai Namco and Spike Chunsoft bring a patch that gives players the option to mute the characters. I immediately dread booting the game up because of how annoying the menus are. T??hankfully, this fighting game is particularly awesome to play, so the gameplay makes up for it.

The post Dragon Ball: Sparking Ze??ro may have the most annoying menus ever appeared first on Destructoid.

Every month or so, I embark on a quest to find my next slice-of-life anime obsession. There's something inherently captivating about the everyday experiences of an Average Joe, a welcome escape from the ups and downs of my real life. Fortunately, my search for a new anime binge was short-lived when I stumbled upon You Are Ms. Servant, a captivating story about a for??mer assassin turned maid and a wealthy, amiable teenage boy.

The concept of a cold-blooded killer attempting to change their ways immediately piqued my interest. This was largely due to my fondness for Yor Forger from Spy x Family, another anime character who navigates a world of violence while maintaining a cozy famil?y life. Initially, I couldn't help but draw comparisons between the two, but I soon realized that Ms.? Servant, also known as Yuki, is a character with her own unique set of attributes and a compelling origin story.

You Are Ms. Servant begins with Yuki showing up at the do??orsteps of Hitoyoshi Yokoya, a high school student left alone in a big house. She asks Hitoyoshi to employ her as a servant after her previous master recommended that she go there. The reason for this career change isn't too apparent, but that just adds to her mystery. However, Yuki's idea of "serving" deviates from the typical house cleaning standards, as she only knows the ways of a murderous executioner. Essentially, all she did was take out the human trash before, bringing a new definition of what it means to be a maid. 

At first, Hitoyoshi h??esitates to employ such a person (and rightfully so) until he eventually decides to just go with it. Even though they are complete strangers, the two create memories together that can either pull at your heartstrings or make you roll on the floor with laughter. The beginning plays more into the comedic approach, as Yokoya explains to Yuki how cleaning doesn't mean flushing out human scum. This leads to a bunch of hilarious scenes where she makes a sad attempt to tidy the house.

It's hilarious to watch a merciless killer clumsily mop a floor as if it's one of the hardest things she can do. But the pa??rt that really got me laughing out loud was when Yuki discovered the delicious wonders of tonkatsu sauce. She becomes so obsessed that a living embodiment of the?? sauce talks to her in her dreams. As someone who also loves tonkatsu, I completely understand. Plus, Yuki never really had a decent meal before, so everything tastes like a five-star meal to her. 

Yokoya's reactions to this, and pretty much anything she does for that matter, make it even more whimsical. Almost every scene has him looking dumbfounded at all the wild things she does around? the house. 

Then, sometimes, their dynamics completely change to a more serious tone. Considering that both characters lived a pretty isolating life prior, the?y often go to a dark place in their minds. Even though I love to have a good laugh, I did appreciate this aspect of the anime. It? adds a sense of realism that not everything is chipper, and it helped me understand who they are as characters as a whole.

It also brings a sense o?f mystery to the story, gradually uncovering the truth about their past. There are brief snippets he?re and there regarding Yuki's violent upbringing and Hitoyoshi's peculiar family life. Each episode seems to add more pieces to the puzzle, leaving me wanting more to decipher the tangles of their past.

The blending of comedy and drama was a concept I didn't expect from You Are Ms. Servant. I know that mixing the two together?? can be challenging to do since they're utterly opposite from ?each other. Yet, this anime has just the right balance of these elements. When the two characters are alone, it leans more on the drama scope through their loneliness. On the other hand, when they're together, it's more of a comedy anime to ease the tension. This balance creates a unique viewing experience, bringing out some of the most wholesome and emotional moments between the characters.

Despite only meeting not too long ago, Yuki and Hitoyoshi already have the makings of being a Found Family. This concept, often seen in anime, refers to a group of individuals who are not related by blood but form a close-knit, supportive unit. I like that it separates from the standard romantic-based anime, as the two learn to live and help each other regardless of their differences. They also establish a pretty good teamwork system, in ??which Yokoya shows Yuki the ropes of maintaining a clean house. I admire that they equally put in the work, rather than having the maid just do everything. Honestly, I was worried that it would turn out that way at first, but I'm happy that the anime took a different direction by having them slogging away together. 

I've noticed that more and more anime have centered around the idea of a Found Family, including Spy x Family and Buddy Daddies. This further diversifies relationships, where not every familial bond is blood-related. Thankfully, You Are Ms. Servant adds to this uniqueness more with Yuki and Yokoya's distinct comp?a?nionship.

All in all, you should definitely check out You Are Ms. Servant if you're looking for a cozy anime. The show has everything for a slice-of-life, from humor to wholesomeness to drama. You can expect episodes every Saturday on Crunchyroll. 

The post You Are Ms. Servant blends comedy and drama into a whimsical? slice-of-life ??anime appeared first on Destructoid.

Steam October 2024 Next Fest is well underway, bringing anoth??er few thousand demos for people to try. There are demos from various genres, including action, adventure, puzzle, and even some co-op games for you and your buddi??es.

With so many different demos to choose from and only so much time to try them, you might be struggling to decide what you want to dive into. No need to worry, though; like with the last Next Fest, I'm here to help. Here are 10 Steam Ne??xt Fest demos you need to try.

10 must-play demos from the October 2024 Steam Next Fest

Before we begin, I should clarify that these are my ten favorite demos from the Steam Next Fest. That doesn't mean you should avoid playing any others. There are plenty more demos of solid quality, like Fallen Tree's The Precinct, that simply couldn't make the top 10. If you have the time??, be sure to do your own research. With that out of the way, let's get started.

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders

The first Lonely Mountains game is a hidden gem for me, sporting some great mountain biking and hilarious wipeouts as you master each course and complete it with better and better times. Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is very similar but manages to stand out through both beautiful snowy locale??s and new gameplay mechanics that create more split-second decisions (i.e. Controlling whether you do long or short jumps to save time or make major shortcuts). The first two tracks in the demo offer plenty of variety in both speed and shortcut opportunities, and I hope to see this carried through with the other downhill slopes.

Mandragora

There are plenty of Souls-likes in the Steam Next Fest lineup to check out, but two of them stood out among the rest. Mandragora is one of those two, sporting some beautiful visuals and great lighting effects through fire or enemy spells. It almost felt reminiscent of Moon Studios' No Rest For the Wicked, with its deeper tones contrasted by sharp visual effects. Combine this with ??some nice variety in classes, an expansive talent system, and plenty of exploration, and you've got the makings of a solid side scroller.

Windblown

I have yet to play Dead Cells, but the developer's next game is making me want to dive in. Windblown is a co-op (or solo) roguelike where you and up to two others clear out hordes of enemies as you jump from island to island, gathering resources and new loot on the way. What stood out to me most with this game was just how fluid everything felt, with dashes and swings being lightning fast without trivializing the difficulty. That's a tough balance to pull off, but I was still getting my ass kicked. While few roguelikes can come close to the influence Dead Cells has had, Windblown has the potential to be at the same level of quality, especially if post-launc??h support remains as strong of a focus.

Spilled

Every Steam Next Fest seems to have one environmental cleanup game that sticks out to me. For the past few, it was Loddlenaut and Terra Nil. For this edition, it's Spilled. Spilled sees you control a small oil tanker trying to clean out the oil and trash without the lakes and rivers near bustling, environmentally friendly cities. You even get to see the fruits of your labor as the water becomes a beautiful blue and showcases marine wildlife swimming happily through its waters. As a cherry on top, it borrows the gameplay style of games like SteamWorld Dig, where you go out to get resources, come back to sell them, then buy better gear so you can get more resources. I have a soft spot for that sort of thing, so Spilled felt right at home.

Gravelord

I'm well beyond exhausted of boomer shooters since I've played far too many that feel the same, so believe me when I say I don't add one to this list lightly. Gravelord's unique shtick is cards, which allow you to give yourself different passives that change how you play. They could be changes to the way armor works or fire rate buffs to send bullets out faster, with three slots that include new choices on every map. This is on top of some great gunplay, including a shotgun that's made with excellent sound design. If the team keeps developing the card system, including adding m????ore active cards that give you new abilities, this could truly be something special.

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel

There are a lot of Vampire Survivors-style games in this Next Fest, and while they're all good on their own, many of them feel derivative without much to separate themselves from some of the best. Jotunnslayer is one exception to that. For one, it has a visual style similar to something like Diablo 4. It?? also sports a new system in the form of subclasses, where each character gets subclass choices around level 10 that hel?p you further spec into your build. It doesn't have too much content in the demo, but what's there offers a few unique builds that I hope to see expanded upon down the line.

Lynked: Banner of the Spark

Some parts of me were admittedly a little skeptical about Lynked: Banner of the Spark. Pretty art styles have fooled me one too many times, and what little I saw of the gameplay didn't sell me. However, having played a couple of its missions, that skepticism was misp?laced. The unique combination of melee combat with the grapple claw in play allows you to weave attacks between one another and manipulate both the environment and your enemies to your advantage. It feels great in practice, almost sandboxy at times, as you approach combat encounters your way. While the demo is a little easy, I'm excited to see how the team might up the difficulty with some of the later levels.

AI Limit

You may recall me mentioning a second soulslike on this list, and AI Limit is just that. While its blend of realistic environments and anime characters was evoking gacha games like Genshin Impact, its gameplay feels like the team taking some of the better mechanics of From Software games and throwing their own spin on it. It even does away with stamina, replacing it with a new system called Sync Rate that buffs or debuffs your damage depending on how much you're hitting enemies or getting hit. Keeping the game challenging without stamina limits is a tough thing to achieve, but if my chunk of time with AI Limit is anything to go off of, they've achieved it. I don't? want to spoil anything since exploration is part of the soulslike magic, b??ut I highly suggest you take a look for yourself.

Voin

I had seen trailers and images of Voin before playing this demo, and that made it seem cool. While it's a far different experience than that material implied, that doesn't stop it from being a boatload of fun. From the stellar soundtrack to the fluidity in its movement and melee combat to even its mix of modern visuals with just a touch of retro, it's all execute??d very well. Perhaps my favorite part is, ironically, how the game doesn't immediately tell you what each weapon's attacks and bonuses are. This encourages you to try the weapons for yourself so you can see if it fits your playstyle. I'm hyped to see how the semi-open-world nature of the game translates into the full release once the other worlds are built and ready to go.

Moon Watch

Last but certainly not least is a demo I played the night before writing this piece. Moon Watch is a mashup of Vampire Survivors, a deckbuilding roguelike, and Superhot. That might scratch a few heads, but I promise you, this game has no right to work as well as it does. Time only moving when you move is a brilliant addition, giving you time to strategize without the stress of those VS-sized hordes speeding towards your doorstep. To top it all off, it even brings out that classic roguelike feeling of formulating 18 different builds you want to try in your head. That's a surprisingly rare thing to see pulled off well. If you somehow need more convincing, this game is ?helmed by the developer behind the ever-popular Backpack Hero. If you like any of those three sorts of games, I implore you to give it a go.

The post 10 2024 Steam Next Fest demos you need to play appeared first on Destructoid.

The NES version of Maniac Mansion was censored in North America. One of the few ??Game Over screens you could get required you to microwave a guy’s hamster and then show him the results. The ability to microwave a hamster was taken out. Had I not been told that, I would never have found out. Why? Because I’m not a fucking monster.

Anyway, Creature Packets is a game about microwaving small creatures. Not only that, you also put them in a blender together. It was developed in three days by KenForest as part of the Ludum Dare 56 game jam. The prompt was “tiny creatures,�?so I’m not en?tirely sure how we wound up locked in a dirty room with small appliances and a vending machine.

Creature Packets is available on Itch for the price of “name your own price?.�?It? took me less than 20 minutes to complete. You may wonder what you can do in such a short time, and the answer is not a whole lot.

You play as someone arriving for their first day on a creepy job. You’re given a list of tiny creatures (insects to start out with), and that’s about it in terms of instruction. However, there’s a vending machine in the corner that dispenses packets marked “Mic??roworm,�?which sounds delicious. If you look around, you will find various memos telling you that if you combine some of these creatures, you wind up with different creatures. Two worms make a scutigera. Ew! Ew!

Scutigera are house centipedes, and they give me the willies. Weird-ass monsters. Few insects can get such a visceral response from me. Gosh, I feel twitchy just thinking about them. Thankfully, you don’t have to touch them. Creating a new creature magically adds them to the vending machine, so you don’t need to concoct new ones each time. The packets are simply full of some sort of fluid, and they don’t actually come to life until you microwave them. It’s like a digital?? Creepy Crawlers oven. Those were so cool.

Wait, ther??e is one moment where you need to touch house centipedes. F??ulfilling an order requires you to microwave each of the listed creatures, which then dumps the living thing into a terrarium. Once you have them all, you press a button, and the terrarium gets sucked out to be delivered. A new one comes back, and it often has errant creatures still in it, which you need to squash before continuing. Screw the sanctity of life, it comes in packets now.

You might expect that Creature Packets would require a lot of experimentation, but it doesn’t. Each recipe required for the jobs can be found on post-its around the room. This is probably a good th??ing since the?re are only so many possible recipes and far more possible combinations.

However, it does make Creature Packets seem rather sparse. It was created in thre??e days, so it’s hard to expect?? much more. It has a horror vibe but never really tries to scare. It is very literally about the job put in front of you. Once you’ve made every creature and completed every job, it just ends.

I know that is entirely a limitation created by its brief development deadline, but I’m somewhat grateful for it. I generally like working a job while scary stuff happens around me, but it can get predictable. Just once,?? I’d like to do a creepy job where I clock in and then clock out, and here it is. There are no sudden sounds of doo?rs slamming. No one is staring at me through the window. There aren’t any windows. It’s that kind of establishment.

But while it’s brief and not a whole lot happens, Creature Packets is worth experiencing, if only because the job is real??ly satisfying. The environment is pleasingly cluttered, and the experience of punching a series of two-digit codes into the vending machine and then stuffing the results into the microwave one by one has a great feel to it. It’s not exciting, but it is enjoyable, and there’s nothing to get in the way of that.

More importantly, it’s a unique approach. Tiny creatures coming disassembled in packets? Blending them together to make new ones? It’s an interesting way to wear God’s dress. It could conceivably be extrapolated into a longer experience like Happy’s Humble Burger Farm did, but for now, it’s a nice tactile experience. It’s a lot more sanitary than that sick filth Maniac Mansion.

The post Creature Packets makes ??putting small creatures in small appliances comparatively whole?some appeared first on Destructoid.

Good news, chums, the release of Great God Grove is right around the corner. It’s the sort-of follow-up of Smile For Me by LimboLane. It has a lot of the same good stuff, like pupp?ets and flat characters. It also has j?okes if your sense of humor hasn’t fallen off.

It’s pretty different, though. It’s still a joy-maker adventure game about helping people out, but Great God Grove bases its puzzles around? sucking the words out of someone’s mouth and firing them at someone else. It’s a unique twist on an old formula, and I’m not totally sure how I feel about it, so I’m going to work through my emotions the way I usually do: posting questionable content onlin??e.

In Great God Grove, you are placed in the boots of a Godpoke, which is a cross between a messenger of the gods and a cowboy. Now, I’m going to admit that I don’t fully understand all the details of the sto?ry here, so things are going to get a little dicey.

Y??ou’re on the trail of King, the previous messenger of the gods. King seemingly became fed up with the gods, mailed each of them a nasty message, and left the pantheon �?and the world with it �?in complete disarray. This is a problem because a massive rift has op??ened up in the sky. Apparently, these rifts open every 33 years and threaten to swallow up the world. To close it, the gods have to work together to pull it shut. Unfortunately, in the wake of King’s nastiness, the gods don’t feel like doing much, let alone cooperating.

The rift also has the power to elevate a single human to godhood, which is where I start to get confused. King is apparently a god, so under his godhood, he was still delivering messages? Under normal circumstances, why does it take so long for the gods to close the rift? How does a human have time to enter it? Does?? something like this happen every time, where a mortal has to convince the gods to cooperate? Did the game ?explain this to me, and I just couldn’t grok it through the cutesy dialogue? I don’t know.

The important pa?rts are clear however: King was nice and now they’re not. The gods are all so absorbed in their own heartbreak that they aren’t even thinking about closing the rift, leaving the world on the precipice of disaster. As a godpoke, you need to use your power over words to restore order and close the rift.

You’re equipped with a, uh??, thing�?A suck thing. It has a name, it’s, er�?Right, Megapon. Every once in a while, someone will say something perforated. There will be little dots around it, letting you suck it into your Megapon. You can then find someone in the environment who says something like, “Ooo, I wish someone would give me a fat compliment,�?and you throw it at them, and they’ll hopefully react.

As I said, it’s a unique approach to the adventure game formula, but it also has the same problem that classic point-and-clicks had. When you’re not certain what to do, your main course of action might become just rubbing phrases on people until one of them reacts. I ran into one early in the? second area that had me scratching my head. I wound up needing to use a word given by a dog on a cow, then using a word from the cow on my target. Lo?oking back, there were certainly hints as to what the solution was, but I can also see why I was confused.

And while it’s certainly novel to use phrases to solve puzzles, I’m not sure they’re much better than items. And trust me, they feel exactly like items. You can carry five at a time, so you just have a pocket full of sentences. On t?he one hand, it’s easier for an adventure game to give you a hint when the solution always involves talking to someone. On the other hand, it’s not as exciting as carrying a hamster around in your pocket.

It’s worth?? noting that you sometimes do just pick up regular items. It’s not very common in the demo I played, but maybe it is later in the game? I’m kind of feeling that it won’t be, and maybe that’s okay. I was really getting into the flow of things toward the end.

While I may be a bit iffy on the approach to puzzles, it’s hard not to love the art style. It still uses a simplistic, angular style similar to Scott C.’s work on Psychonauts or even just simply �?0s cartoons. It feels more naturally executed than Smile For Me, which I already found great. However, I’ve found the art to be incredibly consistent and cohesive for both games. It blends well with the 3D backgrounds and effects. Whenever something looks a bit off, it’s usually easy to believe it?? was intentional.

Every once in a while, you can view explainer videos that feature real flesh-and-felt puppets. They’re pretty great, but they clearly haven’t helped me enough. They’re also complete asid??es that you can’t suck on, but watching two puppets chew on the same hoagie is worth the viewing.

The writing is charming and packed with wordplay, but it’s also maybe a smidge too much. Few folks will straight-talk with you, making you try to glean the communicated information from between cutesy intentional misspellings. The names given are often unique non-names �?er, nononyms �?and I already can’t remember people’s names at the best of times. Or? their faces. Or past encounters, most of the time. So, remembering who Sirena is just makes things tougher. So, it’s a me problem, maybe, but thank you for naming the baker “Bayker.�?I think I can remember that one.

I was given access to a slightly longer version than the demo that will be released as part of the upcoming Steam Next Fest. As it stands, I don’t really solidly know what I think about Great God Grove. I’m told I played about 40% of the overall game, so there�?�s a lot of time for me to start clicking with the things that haven’t yet clucked. Even towards the end of the demo, I was starting to get a better feel for how to overcome its word puzzles.

And I kind of feel like something is still lurking under the surface. A great reveal, twist, or dash of darkness. I don’t think all its cards are on the table, and at least with th?e demo, I really want to see what else it has up its sleeve. It’s out on November 15, so at least I don’t have to wait terribly long to find out.

The post The? weaponized words of Great God Grove show p??romise appeared first on Destructoid.

If there's one thing Blue Lock has a knack for, it has to be unpredictability. Season 1 often le??ft me guessing to the point where I just couldn't flat-out anticipate what would come next. An??d by the time I reached its finale, I was left wondering, "What's next for our boys in the big blue?"

Season 2's first episode captures that same essence of unpredictability in an entirely unique way, blending new and familiar faces alike. You'll know exactly who the key players are by the look 'em. Just spot the ones with vibrant hair colors or an updo that would make Goku proud, and you've got your main cast. Even though the name of the game remains the same, Blue Lock S??eason 2 Episode 1 kicks off with a bang, leading the way for a thrilling new arc. 

The last time we saw Isagi Yoichi and the rest of the Blue Lock boys, they were beginning the Third Selection in the hopes of replacing the all-star team of Japan U-20. But the only way to get there is by defeating the current one, or else every bit of Blue Lock will be wiped away. The stakes are high, and the tension is even hig?her within the first minute. 

Episode 1 begins with an intriguing look at the origins of Blue Lock's number one player, Rin Itoshi. I won't reveal too much, but it may make you look at him a bit differently. That's one of the many reasons why I love Blue Lock so much. Sure, the entire show thrives off selfishness and cruelty, yet underneath? it all, it's just a group of young men who will do anything to play soccer. This layering has turned even my most hated characters into my favorites, and I'm sure it'll happen again with this latest season (Except for you, Igarashi. You're still on my naughty list.)

From Rin's scene alone, I could already see a tremendous improvement in visuals, instilling more fine details to evoke the characters' raw emotions. The vibrant colors of Season 1 have evolved in the second season, making soccer almost feel like an artistic masterpiece. Especially in light of the illuminating glow of their aura, which ups the ante of Blue Lock's classic flames. Altogether, you get scenes that may be on par with top-tier visuals of anime movies. 

But despite its impressive animation, I was curious to see which way the story would go at this point. I always get a little worried whenever there's a continuation of a competition-heavy show. Will it use the same formula as last time? Or will it change up the game to bring something fresh to the table? Fortunately, Blue Lock aims to be the latter, as it introduces a new?? system set ?for the remaining members.

This time around (minor spoiler alert), the ensemble has broken down into teams led by the top six-rated athletes of Blue Lock. Anyone below them must prove their worth in a single match, earning their right to take on Japan U-20. Of course, each member still strives to be the best striker in the world. Yet now, it'll be much harder to achieve since everyone is a star in their own right. Think of it as a bunch of Katniss Everdeens rolled up into one Hunger Games?, only i??ts careers on the line and not someone's life.

I'm really liking this new direction of having almost no bad eggs on the field. Everyone's good at what they do, so we'll get som?e good soccer as a result. The actual playing of soccer, however, doesn't take place in this episode, given that it's more focused on explaining the new concept. I know a few folks out there might not favor this approach, ??but I didn't seem to mind it. I would much rather get an explainer of what's going on rather than jumping into soccer just for the fun of it. It's meant to set the stage for the rest of the season, and even if it's brief, it's enough to get me hyped for what's to come.

Although I don't know much about the new players, the mystery surrounding them fascinates me. How did they survive this far, and what crazy skills do they have to earn the top six rankings? It's also got me excited to see how Isagi will ?approach these challenges as someone known for his exceptional adaptability. That's one thing I really admire about him and the entire series, for that matter. There's always something new and fresh to behold, adding more to its unpredictable nature for the bette??r. 

I'm not even a s??ports anime kind of gal, and the show somehow dug its hooks in me from start to finish. I know it has a lot to do with the fact that it's not a traditional form of soccer, as it separates from team-based elements and highlights the greed of one's passions. The players are Egoists, after all, and it's riveting to see how f??ar they'll go for their dreams. 

While it's only the start of Blue Lock Season 2, I can already tell this arc's shaping up to be a good one. We have all the players laid out, and now all that's left is to play soccer. I can't wait to be?? in the front row for the rest of the season, seeing who will make the cut for the ultima?te soccer team. 

You can watch Blue Lock Season 2, with new episodes rolling out every Saturday, on Crunchyroll. And, if you? need to catch up, be sure to also check out Season 1 for a refresher.

The post Blue Lock Sea?son?? 2 Episode 1 is a goal-rious leadup to the ultimate match appeared first on Destructoid.

I love to pick the brains of developers when given the chance, so I knew the opportunity to interview the developers of Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster ?wa?s too good to pass up. However, something was lacking in this offer.

The offer was to ask “the development team�?questions via email. Pressing for more information, I wasn’t told who my questions would be going to. That makes it difficult for m??e to know what sort of que??stions I should ask. Would they know anything about the development of the original? Whatever, I thought, it could be interesting.

As it turns out, my questions were answered by Producer Kei Morimoto, Art Director Satoshi Takamatsu, and Director Ryosuke Murai. What’s more, I found their answers to be very insightful, so I a??m more than happy to share them with you. Stick around until the end to learn what is up with those convicts in the courtyard.

Zoey: With the original version of Dea??d Rising still available on mode??rn platforms, why did it seem like a full graphical overhaul was necessary?

The original Dead Rising had an excellent game design when it first released, and even now, I think the game feels unique. That said, Dead Rising is an 18-year-old game with certain “usability�?challen??ges by today’s gaming standards. The controls aren’t the most user-friendly for an action game either. Our goal was to preserve the original’s gameplay experience as much as possible, so we took a careful look at every element of the original game. I think the visual enhancements in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster are the most obvious change from the original game. The development team wanted to renew characters�?aesthetics and background graphics and elevate the game’s visuals to modern standards in hopes of sharing the appeal of the Dead Rising series with an even wider audience of gamers.

Kei Morimoto (Producer)

Zoey: Was the goofy, B-movie tone of Dea??d Rising intended from the start, or did it happen organically as the gameplay began to develop? and take shape? I guess what I’m asking is: what’s up with that dark-as-hell opening prologue cutscene?

From early stages of development, our goal was to create visuals with inspirations from the?? medium? of film, but we were only able to achieve a B-movie level of production based on hardware limitations at the time.

For Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, we were able to create a creepy atmosphere, more realistic lighting effects, area-specific thematic designs, and even the finer details of a zombie outbreak �?none of which were possible in the original game. Based on this, I think DRDR offers players the chance to experience the atmosphere of a horror movie. I was in charge of lighting design for the original game, s??o I’m elated to be able to reflect my learnings and know-how of the last 20 years in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. Players often emphasize the more comical elements of Dead Rising, but the story itself is a serious one. Thus, I think it’s only natural that the prologue would set the tone with darker contents that make viewers feel like they’re stepping into dire Hell-like circumstances.

Satoshi Takamatsu (Art Director)

Zoey: Was there anything that you wanted to change or add t??o the remake that didn’t get implemented?

There are certain aspects of Frank’s move set and the Psychopaths�?battle designs that could use some fine-tuning when compared to the breadth of action games available to gamers nowadays. We considered making significant adjustments to these elements, but we ultimately decided against major changes such as adding new skills to focus on creating a remaster that values players�?memories of the original game. Instead, we made detailed adjustments to item and skill parameters, increased “usability�?for some of Frank’s skills, and tweaked some of the Psychopaths�?routines among other things to make it easier for players of all backgrounds to feel and appreciate the charm of the original game. If another opportunity presents itself, I’d love to take a? stab at creating a unique and exciting action gameplay experience that preserves the essence of Dead Rising.

Ryosuke Murai (Director)

Zoey: Was i??t difficult to maintain the density of the zombie crowds when porting the game to the RE Engine?

It was difficult trying to maintain zombie density while keeping gameplay elements intact. The engine and programming language used to develop Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster were both different from those used fo??r the original game, so naturally we?? encountered some problems.

There were definitely some accidents with imaging where the number and density of zombies on screen didn’t match our expectations, but we plugged along and made corrections while cross-referencing the appearance and actual code of the original game. In addition, rendering a large number of zombies with higher polygon counts than those in the original game naturally impacted performance. Since reducing zombie count and density goes against DRDR’s c?oncept, we made various optimizat??ions to ensure we could maintain performance in the final product.

Ryosuke Murai (Director)

Zoey: One of my memories of the original Dead Rising on Xbox 360 is how frustrating it would get to try and lead survivors to safety???. I didn’t have that same issue with the Deluxe Remaster, but I had trouble identifying what the specific improvements were. Can you explain what was changed?

While the frustration of guiding survivors in Dead Rising was certainly an issue, I think the humorous moments and the sense of achievement players felt when successfully rescuing survivors were also very memorable. For this reason, we’ve done our best to preserve survivors�?original behaviors as their personalities, actions, and disregard for Frank’s requests illustrate how panic-stricken individuals would probably respond in a zombie outbreak. That said, we’ve made some adjustments to frustration-inducing elements that players can’t solve on their own, such as friendly fire among surviv??ors or survivors getting stuck in certain areas due to a poor navigation system. I think these types of improvements have helped create a less frustrating gameplay experience that stays true to the original game.

Ryosuke Murai (Director)

Zoey: Did the mechanics an??d controls (good or bad) in later entries in the Dead Rising series influence what was changed in the Deluxe Remaster?

We made sure to analyze the gameplay systems and mechanics in previous Dead Rising gam??es, but our priority for Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster was to preserve the unique charm and appeal of the first mainline entry and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that modern action game fans can play the game comfortably. For this reason, we’ve made some changes to controls that make it easier to execute skills and commands characteristic of modern-day third person shooters. However, we have not made any adjustments that would drastically affect the gameplay loop and feel of the original Dead Rising such as combo weapons or changes to item slot specifications.

Kei Morimoto (Producer)

Zoey: I’m sure there’s nothing to announce, but is there any desire to remake Dead Rising 2 in a similar way?

As pa?rt of Capcom’s strategy, we’re always looking for opportunities to reactivate Capcom-owned IP’s, and we believe that Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is one title that fits well within that strategy. If Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster performs well, I think it could open up various possibilities for the D?ead Rising series in the future.

Kei Morimoto (Producer)

Zoey: Why do the convicts keep coming back to life?

Similar to the original game, the convicts that pla?yers face after the initial encounter on Day 1 are

supposed to be different p??eople than the original trio.

Ryosuke Murai (Director)

Wow, I’m not sure if I considered the possibility that the respawning convicts were meant to represent different people. I think they technically have names and p??risoner numbers, but perhaps their appearance wasn't varied with the limita??tions at the time.

I also found the information about the game’s technology and art to be interesting. Satoshi Takamatsu suggested that the team was aiming for the feel of a higher-budget film and landing in B-movie territory to be fascinating. That makes me wonder about how Servbot heads and zombie bees came into the original vision, but I’m happy they did. Meanwhile, I imagined the challenge of getting the ??zombie hor?des to fit on the RE Engine would be difficult, and the response from Murai certainly confirms it.

I really enjoyed Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. I have a soft spot for the original, but found as?pects of it to be frustrating, but in its overhaul, they’ve all been polished over making it closer to the experience I was hoping to have in 2006. Not every glow-up turns out quite as well, but it’s obvious the team knew the mission.

The post Interview: Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster team tells us what’s up with those respawning convicts appeared first on Destructoid.

I’m still working my way through UFO 50. If you aren’t familiar, it’s a game that presents itself as a collection of 50 games from a lost platform (it looks like an old Microcomputer like the Apple II, but feels like an NES). They’re not quite mini-games, even if some are quite simple and short, but rather, they’re full nouveau retro games that you get ?to dig through.

While fictional, the games are assigned a release date from 1983 to 1989 and are depicted with similar limitations to game development standards at the time. In this way, it provides a similar experience to actually digging through a real console, publisher, developer, or genre’s back catalog. It might not even be with video games; it can also happen with movies or music. I fall down those holes all the time. I’m still kind of going through one that has me delving into any game I can find involving Yoshiro Kimura and friends.

But maybe this is the first time you’ve had that feeling. It makes you feel like a sponge absorbing every possible piece of informat?ion like dirty dishwater. It’s satisfying be?cause it’s something you’re experiencing in a complete and meaningful way. If you know what dark alley to wander down, you can download a console’s entire library these days, but if you’re only interacting with the games on a superficial level, it’s hard to stay engaged. So, if you’re looking for more catalogs with context, then I’ve got some suggestions for you.

Capcom Arcade Stadium 1 and 2

Coming up with 50 unique game concepts is a pretty amazing flex. No notes, as they say. But you can also get that sort of variety from real game compilations. Have you tried Capcom Arcade Stadium? Have you tried Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium? Together, they provide you with 60 games (30 a piece, roughly) from Capcom’s prolific arcade output. Maybe you know of Final Fight and Street Fighter, but have you tried The Speed Rumbler or Black Tiger?

While the Capcom Arcade Stadium games are largely just standard compilations and don’t do much to provide context to make it easier to dive into, it has additional features? to make it feel like a real arcade. There are not only CRT filters to make it look like the games are being played on an old monitor. You can even set it so that it’s displayed on the 3D model of the arcade cabinet, giving you the feeling of playing in an arcade. For extra credit (and I recommend this for playing arcade titles from any collection), get an arcade/fight stick. Arcade games have a degree of physicality to them, and it’s sometimes lost when using a joypad.

Nintendo Switch Online

A Nintendo Switch Online subscription gives you access to NES, SNES, and Game Boy titles, and if you spring for the Expansion Pack subscription, you also get Game Boy Advance, N64, and Sega Genesis titles. While a lot of the tit?les are just Nintendo’s own back catalog, you also get access to a lot of terrific hidden gems and titles that were only released in Japan (and are still in Japanese; just a warning).

There’s no real curation or context given to the games. You can’t even read their instruction manual without looking them up on sites that Nintendo would probably prefer didn’t exist. However, it’s at least limited and focused in a way that downloading every single ROM in the universe isn’t, which makes it much easier to get invested in delvi?ng into each title.

Antstream Arcade

Speaking of getting access to a lot of games at once, Antstream Arcade is still the place to go to get access to a tonne of arcade titles that you can’t get easy access to elsewhere. It’s advertised as having over 1400 games, which includes titles across classic consoles and microcomputers. More importantly, each game has challenges that you can und??ertake, giving you new way to interact with them. There are also constantly changing online competitions to take part in and test your skills against others. It’s a great way to get into something new.

Antstream Arcade is a streaming service, meaning you don’t play the games locally on your device, but rather through the internet. This results in some visual artifacts, especially in moments of high speed, but I found everything rather responsive. It also has the downside that sometimes games get delisted. Antstream was once one of the only places to play Midway and Atari Games�?old titles like Smash TV and Tapper, but after the contract expired with Warner Bros, they disappeared. I can’t say I’m a fan of the e??phemeral nature, but it’s relatively cheap and gives you access to a huge library with added context.

Atari 50

Compilations of old Atari games are nothing new, even recently. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, however, is no mere compilation. Assembled by Digital Eclipse (who Atari later acquired), it’s set up as more?? of an interactive do??cumentary. All the games are placed on a timeline that guides you through the history of their release. Many of them are supplemented with additional material, such as behind-the-scenes documents and interviews.

An Atari 2600 game on its own is not that impressive anymore. The console could only handle very basic designs, and they can get old pretty quickly. However, with the added context, you can earn a new appreciation for them that you wouldn’t get in a no??rmal compilation.

Hi Score Girl

Hi Score Girl isn’t a collection, nor is it an individual video game. It’s instead a manga by Rensuke Oshikiri which was later turned into an anime series. It is a slice-of-life, bittersweet romance, but more importantly, it’s set in the �?0s and heavily centers around video games. And this isn’t the mere hobby of pl??aying video games; specific games are mentioned frequently. Loads of real-world video games from different developers and? publishers. While it is particularly focused on the fighting games of the decade, it always takes time to take a tour around the arcade.

Even if you aren’t big on the romance part of Hi Score Girl, the games will keep you distracted. Video games are the central pillar in protagonist Haruo Yaguchi’s life as he grows up and learns to balance them with other developing priorities. It’s ha??rd not to find the depth of his passion infectious, and it can lead to some introspection on the way you approach the hobby.

As I said, Hi Score Girl isn’t a collection of games, but it can help act as a guide. Not all of the titles mentioned are readily available on storefronts, but the majority of them are, either through other collections (like the aforementioned Capcom Arcade Stadium) or Hamster’s Arcade Archives releases.

Pico-8

Are you looking for something less old but still made in the spirit of UFO 50? Try Pico-8 which, I know how?? that looks, but it’s not a collection of eight games. The 8 refers to 8-bit, because Pico-8 is essentially a modernized 8-bit platform. That is to say, it’s a new platform, but it’s restricted in a lot of ways that an 8-bit computer would be, so developers who work on it have to create games around those limitations, much as they would if they were programming on a Commodo??re 64. And when you impose those limitations on creators, they have to get more creative to work around them.

Better yet, it’s free. You can play games made for it in your web browser. If you want more than that, you can play it on a variety of devices. There’s even an FPGA core for the Analogue Pocket. Then, if you’re feeling inspired, it’s not a bad way to learn to design your own games. At that point, y?ou’ll have to pay for Pico-8, but it gives you all the tools you need to program your own game for it.

Game Center CX

Game Center CX also isn’t a video game. Kind of. We’ll get to that. It’s a long-running (since 2003!) Japanese TV show about a guy who plays through retro games. They aren’t Let’s Plays or longplays, though. They’re condensed into roughly an hour and include a narrator who talks about the events like it’s an extremely dramatic situation. In some of the early seasons, he also visits arcades, giving a look at that corner of t??he hobby. It’s a great way to learn about video games from a Japane??se perspective and can introduce you to some titles that may not have been released over here.

There are a couple of problems here. The first is that Game Center CX never really aired in North America (aside from a rather disappointing attempt at localization). However, there’s a fan co??mmunity around the show that releases? English-subtitled versions. I can’t tell you where these are because this is a good, upstanding website, but you should be able to find them if you browse the high seas, me hearties.

Retro Game Challenge/Game Center CX 1+2 Replay

Game Center CX even got its own series of games. The first of which was released over here as Retro Game Challenge in 2009 on DS. If anything is similar to UFO 50 in this list, it’s Retro Game Challenge. Like UFO 50, it presents a set of nouveau retro games. In this case, they’re somewhat obviously supposed to be Famicom games. There are eight in total, and while you are initially given simple goals to complete within them, you’re eventually let loose to play through them in their entirety. Also, like UFO 50, these are essentially full games.

But more importantly, all the games are set within the context of the real world. You’re transporte??d back to the �?0s to be a kid again, and proceed through the games as they’re released. New magazines drop every so often, so you can read about tricks and secrets. It’s pretty authentic, even if it’s pretty Japan-focused.

The follow-up, Game Center CX: Arino no Chōsenjō 2 is largely the same concept but expanded to more games and consoles. It’s even better. However, the less we talk about Game Center CX: 3-chōme no Arino the better because, by many accounts, it’s not anywhere near as good, having been handed off to a new developer. Unfortunately, neither game was localized, so if you’re a monolinguistic anglop?hone, then you’ll have to rely ??on a fan translation.

To rub salt in the wound, the first two games were ported to Switch as Game Center CX 1+2 Replay. This, too, was not localized, and it?? looks like it isn’t going to be. ?That sucks. It really, really sucks.

Itch dot io

We’ve reached a point where there is no conceivable way to play every game that gets released. As such, even the most determined game spelunkers like myself have only seen a small sliver of what�?�s out there. Do you know what separates a popular game from an unknown one? Quality? Fuck no. It’s a big part marketing budget, and the rest of it is luck.

You can’t rely on someone to bring you your next favorite game, not even me! It’s better to try and seek it out yourself. And while you can plumb the depths of Steam, a better option is to dig through itch.io. Itch is a favorite of indie (actual indie, not just ??alternative) develo??pers due in part to its open revenue split and marketplace. This means that a lot of devs who are starting into game design for the first time will market their games through Itch.

An uncurated, boundaryless, open market can lead to a lot of garbage. And indeed, it has. And with garbage, it can be daunting to try and reach in and pull out something of value. However, itch is also a community. The devs collaborate and participate in jams together. They follow each other’s work, and through one, you can find other similar creators, an?d through those, you can find more and more. Usually, the games are cheap. Sometimes, a developer will use a pay-what-you-want structure and that means, yes, you can get games for free.

Video games are art, and like art, not all of it is good. But I’d argue that it’s the big marketable games like the late????????????????????????????st Ubisoft sandbox title or free-to-play gacha title that are the soulless dregs. 

The post Great game holes to?? jump down if you? loved UFO 50 or just want to get into retro appeared first on Destructoid.

Typing this with sweat streaming down my face, I can confirm Fitness Boxing Hatsune Miku game gives you a pretty strenuous and e?njoyable workout. The problem is if this game will keep you coming back regularly as it gets repetitive too quickl??y.

Upbeat, yet monotonous workouts

When you play a Hatsune Miku game, you expect upbeat, sometimes fast-paced music mixed with rhythm elements. You get that with one side of this Fitness Boxing game, but the majority of it has you jabbing and uppercutting to unlicensed music. You see, the music of Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku comprises mostly original music and some inclusions of Miku songs you know and love. Thankfully, the original music doesn't?? sound like a track from a boring infomercial and is engaging to move your body to.

The game itself has you stringing together jabs, uppercuts, straights, and other boxing moves together. As the workout proceeds, it will slowly layer in a combination of strikes to keep you moving. You'll have a ?Hatsune Miku char?acter like Kagamine Len acting as your mirror while there's a coach directing you through the routine. Sometimes Len or Miku chime in to say you're doing a good job, and thankfully, their movements accurately portray each move you have to perform. The animation is well-implemented.

The game's routines often move at a glacial pace for the first half of the workout, making the process somewhat boring to play. However, as the action picks up, Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku gets more engaging to play. It's a good respite and alternative from Ring Fit Adventure, which desperately needs a sequel, by the way. Overall, it can be fun in short bursts, but don't expect Fitness Boxing to keep you entertained every day. Mix it up with other titles like Just Dance or the aforementioned Ring Fit.

Overly long routines

Some of the routines, however, feel overly long, sometimes lasting between 10 to 15 minutes, revolving around the same type of move like an uppercut. It would be better for the daily workouts to include shorter bursts of original routines from Fitness Boxing and implement more Piapro songs that feel sparse in comparison?.

When a Piapro song is playing, the game gets far more exciting. T?he punches are flying and sometimes go too fast for you to catch up. It might be my large frame or the game itself, but the punch timing doesn't seem consistent enough when the action is faster. Additionally, when you have to swerve to the left and the right, the Joycon doesn't seem to pi?ck up this motion well enough.

Lots of stats to keep track of

Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku tracks a lot of data for you to look back at. There are grap??hs with your estimated calorie burn, and you can keep inputting your weight, so you can see your progression on-screen. It shows your BMI, punches thrown, the number of times certain body parts are trained and all sorts of information by day, week, and month.

Not enough unlockables

One thing that the developer of Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku missed out on the unlockables. You?? have three characters to unlock with Hatsune Miku, and a few costumes to unlock for each, including their original outfits. They each start with a fitness get-up a?t the beginning. There are only three costumes per character, with a fourth coming for Miku via DLC.

It feels like a missed opportunity to add more outfits by completing your fitness goals. Sega's Project Diva series has many to collect during a playthrough, and it would have been great to get additional styles for the characters to wear in Fitness Boxing. The silver lining, on th??e other hand, i??s that there are a bunch of songs to unlock by using the in-game currency you earn by working out.

Overall, Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku is a decent alternative to the likes of Ring Fit Adventure. It acts as a great detour from your usual workout routine, but there's not eno??ugh substance to make it a daily fix.

The post Hands-on: Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku makes you sweat with some cra?cking tunes appeared first on Destructoid.

Get ready for some spooks and exciting gunplay, as there are some big October 2024 games to keep us entertained for the Halloween season. From Call of Duty to Silent Hill 2, here's w??hat to watch from the month of October 2024 on PC and console?s.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC)

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software, Infinity Ward, Demonware, and more
Price: $69.99
Release Date: October 25
Trailer

Another year, another Call of Duty. However, this time feels different. This entry includes omnidirectional movement for the first time, letting you move more fluidly throughout the map as you dodge and slide your way to victory. The game will take place in the 90's and Activision promises on the game's Steam page that it will have a "mind-bending narrative" as the United States approaches the end of the Cold War. The campaign will have varied levels, from stealth sections to blockbuster action. The multiplayer mode will launch with ?12 6v6 maps and four Strike maps. Zombies multiplayer is returning as well.

Black Ops 6 will be the first in the series to launch day one on Xbox Game Pass after Microsoft purchased Activision for $68.7 billion. It launches on October 25.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)

Publisher: EA
Developer: BioWare
Price: $59.99 (PC), $69.99 (Consoles)
Release Date: October 31
Trailer

After over a decade, the next Dragon Age finally arrives in October. We'll return to Thedas and play as Rook, the ?new protagonist for the series. You'll lead a new team and become the Veilguard, the hero fighting the Elven gods blighting the world. As you'd expect from the series, you'll meet seven different companions, who, according to the Steam page, will have "rich lives and deep backstories."

"Lucanis is charismatic from the jump," said our preview, describing one of the characters in the game. "A suave assassin with a hint of magic and a darkness stirring within him? Sign me up." We'll get to meet him and six other characters when the game launches on October 31.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Deck Nine
Price: $49.99
Release Date: October 29
Trailer

Another fan-favorite series returns with Life is Strange: Double Exposure, and the ori??ginal protagonist, Max Caufield, returns as the h??ero. Instead of rev?ersing time, however, she goes into an alternate dimension where her friend Safi is alive rather than murdered in the snow. You'll be switching between?? both timelines to solve the murder and save Safi in the parallel universe.

If you preorder the game's Ultimate Edition, you'll get the first two chapters two weeks early on October 15. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for its official October 29 launch for all of the game's chapters.

Metaphor ReFantazio (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)

Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Atlus, Studio Zero
Price: $69.99
Release Date: October 11
Trailer

If I had to give the award for the most ridiculous name of the year for a game, it would be Metaphor ReFantazio. Despite that, a lot is going for this RPG. Coming from the Persona team, this magic-themed RPG has a gorgeou??s art style and a combination of turn-based and action combat.

"In a year where the high fantasy genre is well-served, Metaphor: ReFantazio could end up being a standard-bearer," said our preview. "Everything feels like it’s in place, and I left my preview feeling like Metaphor was now easily my most anticipated game of the fall season." We'll see if it deserves that moniker when it launches on October 11. You can tr??y a five-hour prologue demo n?ow if you're interested.

Silent Hill 2 (PS5, PC)

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Bloober Team
Price: $69.99
Release Date: October 8
Trailer

Spooktober is finally upon us next month, and Konami's Silent Hill 2 will likely fill your quota for a horror game during the Halloween season. Remade by Layers of Fear developer Bloober Team, we'll be exploring the atmospheric, fog-filled town of Silent Hill. The main character receives a letter from his deceased wife and decides to revisit the town where they shared memories. The game supports ray tracing tech and will feature "cutting-edge technical enhancements," according to the Steam page. Konami says, "The world of Silent Hill and its uns?ettling ambianc?e is even realer than before."

Bloober Team doesn't have the best track record with average scores from critics (The Medium scored a 71 on Metacritic, and Blair Witch fared worse), but it does show shines of brilliance within the dark atmosphere of Observer: System Redux.

Indie Highlight: Europa (Switch, PC)

Publisher: Future Friends Games
Developer: Helder Pinto, Chozabu (Alex PB), Novadust Entertainment
Price: $14.99
Release Date: October 11
Trailer

In between the shooting of Call of Duty and the scary encounters of Silent Hill 2, it will be great to chill out and relax with the stunning anime-inspired scenery of Europa. Flying around in a jetpack, you'll explore this Ghiblian-like world and solve the mysteries of a fallen utopia. As you find new biomes, you'll discover secrets about this moon Europa, in a Breath of the Wild kind of fashion. There's a demo available now if you want to check out the gam??e before buying it.

Honorable mentions

That isn't all to expect from the October 2024 games lineup. We'll also be getting a return to the Budokai Tenkaichi formula with Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero and many other highligh??ts from the fall month. They include:

• Victory Heat Rally (PC) - October 3
• SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC) - October 4
• Until Dawn (PS5, PC) - October 4
• Kind Words 2 (PC) - October 7
• Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - October 8
• Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - October 11
• Undisputed (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - October 11
• Neva (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC) - October 15
• Just Dance 2025 (Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) - October 15
• Just Dance VR (Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro) - October 15
• New World: Aeternum (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - October 15
• Super Mario Party Jamboree (Switch) - October 17
• TMNT: Mutants Unleashed (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC) - October 18
• Unknown 9: Awakening (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - October 18
• Batman: Arkham Shadow (Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S) - October 22
• Streets of Rogue 2 *Early Access* (PC) - October 22
• Date Everything (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC) - October 24
• Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC) - October 24
• Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC) - October 24
• Sonic x Shadow Generations (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC) - October 25
• Ys X: Nordics (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC) - October 25
• Shadow of the Damned: Hella Remastered (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC) - October 31

The post Here are the most anticipated October 2024 games appeared first on Destructoid.

When I first delved into Astro Bot's immersive galaxy, I was astonished t??o see how many cameos it packed in. Sure, I suspected a few would show up, but I would have never guessed to see a whopping 173 exclusive cam?eos.

The future of Astro Bot is even more exciting, with the promise of the DLC expanding the cameo collection. While their identities are shrouded in mystery, we can't help but speculate and eagerly await the next wave of characters. Here are our top picks for the cameos we hope to see next in Astro Bot.

Rayman

Astro Bot's end-credits scene fueled the rumor mill when it hinted at a few titles not shown in the game. One of which was Rayma?n, the boy wonder of PlayStation's hit platformer series. Before I saw the scene, I had actually been pondering his nonexistence in the game, especially since characters around the same period were available.

Now, it's looking like he'll be a part of the universe in some shape or form. And I just know that Rayman's unique platformer mechanics would be a perfect fit for Astro Bot, setting the stage for a challenging new world.

Assassin's Creed characters

Besides Rayman, the end-credits scene sparked excitement for an Assassin's Creed crossover. The sheer abundance of AC titles makes it hard to pick just one character for Astro Bot. However, Ezio seems like a safe bet as one of ?the most-known characters in? the franchise.

If it were up to me, I would go for someone slightly more underrated, like Kassandra in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Whatever the ?case, I just want to see that tiny Astro Bot in the iconic assassin's hoodie and maybe an option to free-fall down in a level.

Marvel's Spider-Man's Miles Morales and Peter Parker

Since Astro Bot harnesses several Insomniac Games appearances, why not add a few more with Peter Parker and Miles Morales? Both have already immersed themselves in multiple universes, so having them in Astro Bot isn't too much of a stretch.

It's not like Spider-Man hasn't been in Astro Bot title before, regarding the webified Easter Egg in Astro's Playroom. That also gives me an id?ea of incorporating a new web-slinging ability to diversify the?? bot's skills.

Cloud Strife (And basically any Final Fantasy character)

The Final Fantasy series is no stranger to gaming collaborations, from Kingdom Hearts to Fall Guys. In light of this, I'm hoping for at least one more crossover with Astro Bot. Given that Rebirth was released in the same year, Cloud Strife would be my first p??ick.

Like Spider-Man, Cloud has an Easter Egg of his own in Astro's Playroom, placing his iconic sword in a spotlight. But if not Cloud, then maybe Team Asobi could go with Final Fantasy's many other characters. They could kick it old school with the original's main protagonists or enter the modern era with FFXVI's Clive Rosfield.

The Prince of Persia

I've been seeing many desires for various Astro Bot cameos, but the one I haven't heard about much is the Prince from Prince of Persia. Since we previously dug into a potential Assassin's Creed collab, Team Asobi could give some l??ove to Ubi??soft's other title to complete the collection.

I can already see it now: a challenging desert level with the Prince awaiting your r??escue in a tranquil oasis. You could also add in the Astro Bot's Time Stopper ability to create the ultimate collaboration.

Kingdom Heart's Sora

Even though there are many staples of my childhood in Astro Bot, the Kingdom Hearts series is the only one missing. It totally makes sense for this franchise to be included, mainly since they both share the qualities of featuring cameos. Plus, the Space Galaxy reminds me a lot of Kingdom Heart's worlds with their planet layouts.

Sora would be the obvious choice for a VIP bot as the series' main protagonist. Throw on some spiky hair and a keyblade to a character, and voila, you got yourself a robotic Sor??a. Heck, even just adding a keyblade to the bot would make me happy.

Helldiver

A Helldiver Astro Bot seems like a pretty good idea, given the huge success it has gained over the past year. Not to mention the fact that it is a Sony title, which makes me wonder why it isn't in Astro Bot in the first place.

Astro Bot already features a ton of characters sporting a body suit and helmet look. In fact, I did get some Helldivers' vibes from the Killzone bot's design. It could act as a foundation for the suit if Helldivers ever makes it into Astro Bot.

Sly Cooper's Bentley and Murray

When I first saw Sly Cooper enter the world of Astro Bot, I was ecstatic to see my old childhood icon in the bot's adorable get-up. However, I couldn't help but think that Sly looked a bit lonely at the? Crash Site. The reason for that lies in Cooper Gang's constant need for togetherness, where Murray and Bentley have (for the most part) stayed at his side.

So, please, Team Aso??bi, share some love for Murray and Bentley. They are as much a part of the Cooper gang as S?ly is.

Stellar Blade's EVE

In addition to Rayman and Assassin's Creed, Stellar Blade was another title that could be in the cards. And, if I had to choose ??a VIP bot for this entry, it would have to (obviously) go to EVE. She has the combat and e??xploration down, making her the right choice for this platformer game.

I wouldn't mind getting a Stellar Blade-inspired world for a potential level, divi??ng us into a dystopi?an world filled with Naytiba-like enemies.

Twisted Metal's Sweet Tooth

To keep us on Astro Bot's nostalgi??c train, I would love to see?? Sweet Tooth cause some mayhem in the galaxy. I know he's a bit more rambunctious than the other characters on this list, but maybe we need a little insanity in this roster.

That way, a new potential racing level could be included in the game, going along with the fast-paced nature of the courses. It'll work out well for the upcoming speedrunning feature, which will be coming to the Astro Bot DLC. I mean, the game does have an area called the "Crash Site," so a Twisted Metal integration does seem highly plausible.

The post 10 cameos we want to see next in Astro Bot appeared first on Destructoid.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: The Land of Giants issue #1 in August 2024 and further explored the Borderlands universe through its versions of D&D, Bunkers & Badasses, just as Tiny Tina's titular game did. Now, we have? five pages from the seco?nd issue, which will be released on September 18, 2024, to show you.

In the first issue of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: The Land of Giants, we were introduced to the colorful cast of characters and read about their escapades in a brand new story that Tiny Tina's put together for them. After a short side quest, the party finds themselves in Boomstone, where a hill giant named Hilly the Kid has been causing a bit?? of a ruckus. That's where we left off, and the first five pages of issue 2 pick right up from that point. Trust me when I say you're going to want to read about how the party helps Hilly the Kid calm down.

5 exclusive preview pages from Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: The Land of Giants issue #2

Below, I've showcased all five of the pages that Dark Horse Comics provided for us to reveal in this exclusive preview to fans. As I said, take your time to read through them because you'll see how this is a true Borderlands story plucked directly from Tiny Tina's mind.

As you can see, the story takes a pretty wild turn. While the party is trying to figure out what they can do about Hilly the Kid, they get lost in a haircut competition, and everything goes a bit off the rails. This fits the vibe of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and its quirky twist on Dungeons & Dragons beautifully.

The main quest is?? never the main quest for long with Tiny around. The world state can change in an insta?nt, and the party often doesn't have a choice when it comes to the zany side quests because they almost always end up doing whatever Tina wants them to do.

I love that the comic translates the humor of the games so well because, as some people reported when they saw the Borderlands movie, it's not an easy universe to bring into other mediums. If you're eager to read more, head over to Dark Horse Comics and pre-order your copy so you don't miss out.

The post Exclusive preview: 5 fresh pages from Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: The Land of Giants issue #2 appeared first on Destructoid.

I told myself I wasn’t going to pick up any more games for coverage, and then the key for Star Trucker showed up. Whoops. It’s been one of my most anticipated games this year, alongside Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop and Hollywood Animal. Too bad I can’t keep track of release dates.

So, I jammed Star Trucker into my schedule as best I could, but I was still unable to get to a point where I feel confident in fully reviewing it. It should be soon, though, so I’m going to be real quick with ??this.

Star Trucker (PC [Reviewed], Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Monster and Monster
Publisher: Raw Fury
Released: September 3, 2024
MSRP: $24.99

Star Trucker is a game about trucking through the stars. Technically, portions of games like Elite and X4 involve space trucking, but Star Trucker is entirely about that life. To make up for the lack of space combat and mining, the star truck itself is very detailed. You can walk around its interior, organize your space supplies, and do maintenance. You’re not playing as the truck, but rather the eponymous Star Trucker.

Maintenance is very simple. You replace power cores whenever they get depleted, UCCs when they break, and air filters when you can’t breathe. If you hit space debris, it might punch holes in your truck, and you’ll need to spacewalk to fix it. It’s not super deep, but it’s a? lot deepe?r than you commonly get in this genre.

You use this star truck to grab delivery jobs, pick up the cargo, and take it where it needs to go. There are varying types of cargo, and new hazards show up, but it’s largely point-to-point. However, there are jobs offered by NPCs that offer a bit more variety and contain what storyline Star Trucker has. There are also hazards like electrical storms and solar flairs that you need to protect your?self from. Aside from that, it’s what it says on the jar.

Star Trucker has a lot of visual polish, a?nd the dev team seems to have had a strict plan for what they wanted to include and managed to prevent a lot of feature creep. It’s tight. I ran into some bugs with the pre-release version, but nothing too obstructive. One dude in a little forklift-like vehicle rammed me, which I didn’t appreciate. I appreciated less when someone rear-ended my truck while I was spacewalking, forcing me to fly all the way back to it. The little moments.

The game’s economy has given me some headaches. An ??air filter is, like, $3000 (if I recall accurately), and, at least into the game’s midpoint, most jobs pay considerably less than that. You have four spots for air filters, so good luck buying enough to fill them. Cores drain rather quickly, even when you have the highest quality. I’ve been able to maintain some level of profitability, so it isn’t completely unreasonable, but it can be vexing when you’re forced to keep jumping into y??our space suit because your air filter is bust and you can’t find a new one in the store.

I also refuse to take another “Just in Time�?job. Those aren’t rush jobs, by the way. They have a threshold that you can’t deliver before, so the delivery can’t be completed early. There is no way to advance time in Star Trucker aside from jumping to a new region, and your truck continues to degrade all its cores and filters and UCCs while you sit there waiting. You can turn off some systems to conserve your parts, but I wouldn’t recommend switching off oxygen. I’m always early. I’m always left waiting on these jobs. Never again.

Star Trucker has been a reasonably good time so far. I’m about 14 hours in, but I want to try and complete some more story missions before I give a full report. I’m not expecting the narrative to get amazing, but later areas could potent??ially add some cool gameplay twists.

I will also get a bit more detailed in the full review, which I’m hoping to have done later this week. For now, it’s worth trying out. It takes some of the enjoyable parts of terrestrial trucking games, combines them with space simulators, and adds a bit of depth and character. I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve put into Star Trucker, but?? I still have to see how it perf??orms on a long haul.

The post Review-in-Progress: Star Trucker appeared first on Destructoid.

It's the weekend, and the Milton Keynes CeX store is always packed at these peak h??ours. Set within a busy city, the line is almost outside the door, and many customers are scurrying over themselves, searching for PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS4, and PS5 games.

GameStop in North America is quite the opposite of this, with plenty of Funko POP toys stalking the aisles, ??some games, and a lack of customers at most hours of the day (at least in my experience). GameStop Retro could be a difference maker.

I've lived in both?? Canada and the UK, and from my experience, shopping for games is quite different in the latter. CeX is everywhere in my home country and lets you buy retro games as well as the latest and greatest. It sells used games, in addition to movies and tech like phones and Bluetooth headsets.

Meanwhile, GAME, the GameStop of the U.K., is empty, with many? locations now?? stuck in the corners of Sports Direct stores across the country. It's even stopped accepting trade-ins. It's bizarre.

On August 28, GameStop announced it was shifting some of its stores to a retro model. According to a video by Spawn Wave, the employees didn't have much time to pre??pare for the chang??e.

Despite the snickers from some in the online community, GameStop switching to a retro model coul??d actually save the company if it can bu??ild a dedicated audience and community like CeX in the UK.

CeX has grown a culture around used games

Time and time again, I see lines build up at CeX stores all across the United Kingdom, especially in more dense cities like Milton Keynes and London. That's beca?use, for the past three decades, this store has built a culture around trading your stuff for?? decent money and getting great technology, movies, or recent video games.

There is a dedicated YouTube community with channels like Retro Ghetto and TVM, which create vlogs about what they find in these stores. That's how much of a following CeX gets within the British shores. It's a rush to go to a CeX and see what's available, despite how awkward of a name it is. It seriously calls its?? free Wi-Fi "Unprotected CeX."

In the United States and Canada, finding retro games is far less convenient. While some cities have independent game stores in ??their community, most don't. North America??ns have to rely on the steep prices on eBay and Amazon unless they get lucky at a thrift store. On top of that, they may have to pay steep shipping prices.

While I lived in Canada, I barely bothered to build a retro game collection because I could n??ever afford the prices that resellers wanted for their catalog. It would be a blessing if GameStop Retro could take away those frustrations and make retro gaming affordable like CeX.

It seems like GameStop Retro might have competitive prices against eBay and Amazon, which is a ??good sign. ??"The prices [are] not terrible; I've seen much worse on like eBay [and] if it's at a convention, good luck, right?" said Spawn Wave, describing his experience at a GameStop Retro location.

By the way, the CeX website is stellar. It tells you how much stock each store has and lets you know immediately how much trade-in credit you'll get. It's always a mystery when you go to a GameStop??,? so having that front and center would help immensely with its customers.

Ever since coming back to the UK four months ago, I've built an extensive PS3 and PS4 library of titles. For just a few quid (£), I've been able to get games like Alpha Protocol, Final Fantasy XIII, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, experiences that are hard to get on modern platforms, and it's honestly addicting. If GameStop Retro can replicate CeX's value for money and decent trade values, it could work for the chain, even if it's hard to support GameStop, however, with what the company did to Ga??me Informer and its staff.

The post GameStop Retro could work if it’s inspired by the UK’s CeX appeared first on Destructoid.

Following the D23 trailer and Marvel's 85-year celebration video showing Red Hulk's transformation in glorious HD, hopes remain high for the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. Marking Captain America's return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Brave New World is poised to introduce more compelling Marvel comic characters and begin laying the foundation for Doomsday and Secret Wars.

Indeed, characters like the Falcon, Sidewinder, and Red Hulk enjoyed comic notoriety long before their upcoming appearances in Brave New World. With that in mind and utilizing decades of comic knowledge, I have expertly selected the best comics to read in preparation for Red Hulk smashing his way into the MCU in Captain America: Brave New World.

Tales to Astonish (1959) #63

'A Titan Rides the Train,' by legendary creators Stan Lee a??nd Steve Ditko, gives fans the origin story of Samuel Sterns. A high school dropout and lowly plant w??orker, Sterns yearned for the adoration heaped upon genius until a freak gamma explosion altered his fate. This accident would birth the Leader, a hyper-intelligent, megalomaniacal mastermind.

Yet, unlike Bruce Banner, whose repressed rage manifests into the brutish Hulk, Stern's intense desire to be among the intellectual elite supercharges his brain. Here, the Leader becomes one of the Hulk's longest-tenured and most formidable adversaries, setting the stage for his appearance in Brave New World.

Captain America (1969) #117-119

In a vintage tale from Eisner Hall of Famers, Stan Lee and Gene Colan, the evil Red Skull uses the power of the cosmic cube, swapping bodies with the genre-traversing Captain America and banishing him to the Isle of the Exiles. Here, the villainous Exile??s seek vengeance on Red Skull for ma?rooning them and take the fight to their "enemy".

Marking his first appearance, Sam Wilson com?es to Cap's aid with the help of his avian companion, Redwing. In particular, Sam's acute morality and eternal optimism mesh flawlessly with Cap's training and guidance. Ultimately, taking Cap's suggestion and show??casing an original costume that inspires his future sidekick, the Falcon is born.

Hulk (2008) #1-9

Beginning with the brutal murder of the Abomination, Emil Blonksy, Hulk (2008) #1 introduces fans to the mysterious Red Hulk. Designated Rulk by S.H.I.E.L.D., this crimson goliath destroys anything?? in his path, from?? the cosmic watcher Uatu to the god of thunder Thor, and proves his power level on par with his emerald variant.

Eruditely capitalizing on the 'World War Hulk' gamma hype, the dynamic team of Loeb and McGuiness produce a lauded Hulk run. Undoubtedly, this series puts Rulk on the Marvel map, combining intrigue and various new Gamma characters and yielding an entertaining comic series that qualifies as a best comic read before Brave New World.

Fall of the Hulks Alpha/Gamma (2009)

A pair of informative one-shots narrated by upcoming Brave New World antagonist, the Leader, Fall of the Hulks Alpha and Gamma gives a concise history of the Intel(ligencia) and artistically depicts Redeemer Ross, one of Hulk's oldest adversar??ies, ?death at Rulk's hands as the game of cat and mouse between former allies intensifies.

Formed secretly to establish a New World Order, the Intel information network worked tirelessly over decades, accruing knowledge and data. Perhaps teasing potential plotlines, Alpha/Gamma gives readers vital insight into the cloak-and-dagger, shadow games likely upcoming between the Leader, Cap, and Rulk in Brave New World.

Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk (2010) #1-4

A fast-paced and informative series, Red Hulk (2010) focuses on Rulk's multi-layered revenge campaign against his villainous creators, the Intelligencia. Consequently, this series fills another vital piece in the Who is Rulk puzzle and shows readers Rulk, A-Bomb??, and Bru??ce Banner battling the Leader, M.O.D.O.K, and Cosmic Hulk.

As Intel enacts its master plan, will Rulk and his former enemies stop the super-powered A.I.Marines in time? Highlighting the ties that bind Rulk and the Leader, Intel, and their New World Order is this comic series that feels right at home in Captain America: Brave New World.

Avengers (2010) #7-12

Following the 'Fall of the Hulks' event, Captain America seeks out Rulk after his sanity returns. Here, Cap offers Rulk a chance at redemption amid the devastation he wrought, and, being a soldier who idolized Cap, Rulk joins his cause. Soon after, Rulk is called upon when the Hood ?seeks out the Infinity Gems to restore his lost powers.

The ensuing battle royale takes Rulk from the depths of Atlantis to the mystic plane, as he utilizes his strength and the Power stone to fight an Infinity-charged Hood. Eventually, Rulk's actions earn the respect of Cap and the Avengers, culminating with his official membership offer in this best Marvel read before Captain America 4.

Captain America (2012) #25

The aptly t??itled 'Who is the new Captain America?' portrays the aftermath of Arnim Zola's invasion of Earth with his Dimension Z mutates. Despite Captain America being aged and depowered by Iron Nail, the tide turns when Sam Wilson liberates his long-lost love, Sharon Carter, and "son" Nomad. But, when Zola's bomb is accidentally triggered, the Falcon heroically detonates the bomb in space, saving millions.

Luckily, thanks to Tony Stark, Sam's Doomwar-causing Vibranium equipment absorbs the blast, saving his life. After decades of selflessly fighting beside Cap, Sam's sacrifice stirs something profound within his mentor. Ultimately, this catalytic act culminates with Sam being named Captain America, the role he'll play in Brave New World.

Captain America: Sam Wilson (2015) #1-6

Teen Joaquin Torres debuts in the relevant Captain America: Sam Wilson (2015) comic series when the Sons of the Serpent and their mad scientist, Doctor Karl Malus, capture him. Hoping to create the perfect warrior, Malus experiments on Torres, splicing his genes with Cap's psion??ic vampiric sidekick, Redwing. A??fter acquiring wings, a healing factor, and heightened physical attributes, Torres aids Cap, standing with the heroes.

This defining act of heroism culminates with his official appointment as Sam Cap's sidekick, the Falcon. Thus, with Sidewinder and Torres making their MCU debuts in Brave New World, this comic run checks in as?? a top read on the canonical links ??between Cap, Falcon Torres, and the Serpent Society.

Avengers (2016) #7-11

A visually striking entry to the best Marvel comics to read before Brave New World, Avengers (2016) #7-11 follows Captain America Sam as he leads the Avengers under the shadow of 'Secret Empire.' For example, when the Avengers and the Infamous Iron Man, Fortnite legend Victor Von Doom, defend Avengers HQ against ?a magical Chronosite.

This wonderfully entertaining story arc shows the Avengers and Doom combating a mystic cult and Avenger X. Colorfully showing the power of teamwork, this comic arc concludes with the Avengers in rebuilding mode following the harrowing events of 'Secret Empire.' Hence, while Sam persevered, his mentor's betrayal and subsequent emotional scars led to Sam stepping down as Captain Amer?ica.

Captain America: Symbol of Truth (2022) Vol. 1

Without a doubt, no best comics to read before Captain America: Brave New World list would be complete sans the inclusion of Captain America: Symbol of Truth (2022) #1. Taking place nearly five years after toppling Hydr???a's Empire and Sam's gut-wrenching decision to step down as Captain America, he picks up the Shield again.

After his stint on the Champions, Falcon Torres reunites with his mentor Sam. Together, they battle, among others, White Wolf, Doctor Doom, and the Black Panther while navigating through a world with two Captain Americas. Lastly, seeing Sam don the Stars and Stripes again leaves a feeling of excitement for what's in store for this duo in Captain America: Brave New World.

The post The 10 Best M?arvel? Comics to read before Captain America: Brave New World appeared first on Destructoid.

Season 22 introduced a slew of changes to Apex Legends, but unlike many previous seasons, one Legend change has had a huge impact on competitive team compositions. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs 2024, where most of the 40 competing teams? had the Legend in their roster.

The ALGS (Apex Legends Global Series) is where teams from around the world battle it out to show they're the best and, hopefully, take home a decent chunk of the $1 million prize pool. Compositions are always reflective of what the best teams and players in the world are using, whether professionally or casually in ranked mode. I've never seen Crypto being run in a top-ranked team, and I've only seen him once at an ALGS event. Following his buffs in season 22, though, he's become a viable character who is all but essential for playing Apex Legends at the highest level.

What happened to Crypto?

When the updates in Apex Legends season 22 were revealed, Crypto's changes caught my eye the most. His Surveillance Drone ability's cooldown was reduced from 40 second?s to 30, and it was given a? huge buff. Thanks to a new ability called Off The Grid, Crypto becomes cloaked while using his drone, and while scans can still reveal him, he's hidden from Threat Vision skills.

This is pretty powerful because a player running Crypto can now serve their teammates by popping the Surveillance Drone and checking for all nearby enemies before everyone moves on. In a game like Apex Legends, you?? want to make sure that if you die, it's because you messed up, not because you didn't notice an enemy team hidden in a corner.

Furthermore, Crypto's drone w?ill show an enemy player for 4 seconds, giving a team a massive amount of information they can act on immediately. If you catch two or three teams in your area, you can move on them before the drone is finished, getting the jump on those who thought they were safe.

As the match goes on and players level Crypto up, they can increase the drone's scan duration so it lasts for 5+ seconds. The information from those scans c??an then be improved yet again by picking the correct perk to reveal enemy players with live tracking for the duration of the scan. In simple terms, Crypto players can upgrade the Legend to the point where the team can spot enemies through walls within a certain radius, see where they move, and how they react to an attack.

Crypto has never been this good in Apex Legends,? with the only players using him being those who have traine??d themselves to be experts in making his abilities and skills work for them. Now, Crypto is essential because a team with the information he provides can preemptively move and take out their enemies.

At the top level, Apex Legends is a game about knowledge, not strength, especially at the top level. If you know where the ene??my is, what abilities and ultimate they can pull out, and which ones your team has at its disposal, you stand a much better chance of winning than a team that might be able to work out what weapons and skills you've got under your belt, but has no idea where you're moving.

The post Crypto is th??e new hotness in competitive Apex Legends, thanks to Season 22 appeared first on Destructoid.

Every time I get lost in the tangles of a lengthy RPG or live service game, I'm quick to look for a casual adventure. Fortunately, the search didn't go on for too long with Studio Tulimo's upcoming adorable doggy journey, Koira.

The studio, itself, is relatively new, as a Belgium independent-led company in Brussels. Koira marks its first-ever game release with Life Is Strange and Jusant publisher Don't Nod. I got the chance to play the entry's demo for a brie??f sneak peek. Although it lasted less than an hour, it was the most calming part of my day, with the melodic tunes of its peaceful soundtrack and the heartwarming moments shared with its dog companio?n.

Music to my ears

Koira is a hand-drawn? 2D casual adventure that begins with the character waking? up deep inside a magical snowy forest. But, rather than trudging it alone, you discover a puppy desperately needing your help. This is no ordinary dog, as it has the power of illumination and song, an ability that ultimately clears away the forest's surrounding darkness. Together, the two of you explore the mystical woodlands to return home, using musical notes to communicate.

Music is, in fact, the only spoken word uttered by the playable character, who remains nameless to add to the mystery. So, if you're calling out to the puppy, you'll belt out some "ohhs" and "ahhs" to get its attention. It's an interesting change of pace from the traditional heavy-dialogue games, and it almost felt like I was being p?ut under some kind of spell with its enchanting vocals. Even the creatures and the environment have their own voice, where the subtle touch of a tree branch lets out a euphonious sound.

You'll need the power of music and the cute doggo to solve Koira's many puzzles. The demo occasionally presents them as locked ancient statues that require a compilation of musical notes. One initial challenge prompts a sing-off between the player and the puppy, collecti??ng the notes dropped from it. I will say that the puzzles weren't all that difficult, given that the solutions were easy to find. For instance, one of the statues involves the musical rendition of birds, which can all be found conveniently close by. The puppy also acts as a guide here to make the gameplay easy to comprehend. Regardless, it was nice not to strain myself with some convoluted objective, adding to the game's calming vibe. 

Dogs are a man's best friend for a reason

Besides finding musical notes, Koira sprinkles some side adventures with the dog that bring out the best moments in the game. One of my favorites plays out like "Do y??ou want to build a snowman?" which has you bunch up snowballs. Then, the cuteness factor takes it up a notch when the puppy grabs a few sticks like the good boy it is. While I was already sold on the snowman ventures, I was willing to put my life (well, my character's life) on the line when the dog initiated a game of hide and seek.&nbs?p;

It may sound as if these minigames are fairly plain, but for me, the simple stuff helped me bond a lot more with Koira's companion. As a dog mom, it also hit a little close to home, where it often reminded me of my little escapades with my own furry companion. These games are the same ones I do at home, just without the whole mystical fore??st thing. There are even some interactions where you'll need to comfort the dog when it gets terrified of strange noises and objects. And just like in ??real life, everything can be resolved once you give them a treat or a gentle pet. 

The puppy only truly indulged in this fear towards the end of the demo when a group of hunters threatened to kidnap it. This element differs from the casual gameplay I experienced initially, and it will likely be explored more with the final version. Though, I don't think Koira will have too many intense themes like th??is since it heavily emphasizes those cozy vibes and strays away from anything too stressful.

I look forward to seeing the full release to better understand how the rest of Koira goes. However it turns out, I've enjoyed every moment spent with that adorable little puppy, and I'm sure any dog or even pet owner will fal?l in love with it, too. Each moment almost always brought a smile to my face with every sweet exchange the two characters shared. 

It could be your new favorite casual adventure game, even if you aren't a pet lover. Koira's ?perfect for those who want a str??ess-free experience with puzzles and mechanics that almost any type of player can grasp. The storyline may be subtle, but hopefully, more details on this will be touched upon later. 

Koira wil??l be availab??le to play on PC on Aug. 17, 2025, and can now be wishlisted on Steam. 

The post Hands-on preview: Koira is a wholesome musical adventure?? perfect for dog lovers appeared first on Destructoid.

Sega was a big player in the arcade industry during?? the �?0s, but they had trouble breaking into the home console market. The Master System was mired in difficulties, but almost through sheer marketing, it was able to make a sizeable dent in the North American market with the Sega Genesis in 1989.

Mine was a Nintendo household growing up. But surprisingly, in my youthful days on the schoolyard, we never really argued about what was the better console betwe??en the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. I don’t know why. It just didn��t matter at my school. Besides, I was spending a lot of time on my cousin’s Genesis right around the corner.

Over the past couple of decades, I’ve grown an affection for Sega’s classic console, helped in part by the distinctive tones of its FM Synth sound chip. The Genesis, perhaps more tha??n any other console, projects itself onto its games. There’s an almost definable Genesis feel that can even creep onto games that were ported from other consoles. There’s nothing quite like it, and the following games prove that.

Before we get started, this list omits Sega CD and Sega 32X games, because I feel those are different topics. I?? don’t think any would make this list, anyway. ??I am also only including games that were released in North America for simplicity’s sake. I’m also not going to do honorable mentions because we’d be here all day, but make no mistake that the Genesis has a great library worth exploring beyond these ten games.

10. Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar (1992)

The Genesis presented a terrific selection of scrolling shoot-’em-ups, and, truly, there are a few that I could be putting here instead. Some might swear by M.U.S.H.A. or Truxton. I could have also made a deeper cut to Gley Lancer or Eliminate Down. However, I feel Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar (perhaps better known by its original name Thunder Force IV) is the most Genesis with its energetic FM Sy?nth soundtrack and heavy use of detailed animations.

This came at a price that will probably make it or break it for some folks: periods of tremendous slowdown. Whether or not a steady framerate is a worthwhile tradeoff for its ambition will ?depend on perspective?. However, for me, it’s worth it just for the stylishness.

9. Jungle Strike (1993)

You can feel free to insert your favorite game from the Strike series here, and a lot of people swear by Desert Strike, but for me, it’s the second game: Jungle Strike. I think that’s mostly because you aren’t just looki??ng at sand the whole time. The first level even takes place in ??an oddly sparse Washington, D.C.

The Strike games look like they should be all action, as most of the gameplay takes place behind the cockpit of a helicopter. But charging into combat will quickly result in getting your wings clipped. Instead, you have to search out and manage resources, carefully pick away at enemy defenses, and find the most efficient way of dealing with your objectives. For me, it’s one of my favorite relaxation games, and I think that’s largely because the soundtrack is so spa??rse and the droning of the helicop??ter helps calm my nerves.

The Strike games also came out on other platforms, but something about playing it on? a?nything but Genesis just feels wrong.

8. Contra: Hard Corps (1994)

Konami didn’t back the Genesis quite as hard as it did the PC-Engine and SNES, but what they did bring to the system was incredible. Contra: Hard Corps is one of its most significant. 

As much as I love the clean rigidity of the (NES version) original, Contra: Hard Corps pushes hard from the start and doesn’t stop pushing. Its ridiculous excess starts at the character select screen which features a sunglasses-wearing werewolf with a chaingun arm. Every level piles onto that with things like a battle while sp??rinting down the highway or riding on a missile. With its ridiculous attitude, it’s ??a very Genesis take on the series.

It’s also a very difficult one. While the Japanese version was a lot more easy-going �?even featuring a life bar instead of the series standard one-?hit kills �?the North American version gave you a paltry number?? of lives and continues to reach the end. It’s a tall order, even for veterans of the series.

7. Gunstar Heroes (1993)

The Genesis was the place where legendary developer Treasure first cut its teeth, and it did so with aplomb with Gunstar Heroes. And, like many of Treasure’s games, it’s difficult ?to re??ally describe in context with other games.

It’s a run-and-g??un �?that’s the easy part to describe �?but it has throws and kicks, as well as a detailed life gauge. You can pick up two weapons, and while you can select be?tween them, the real strategy comes from combining effects. Each level shakes up the gameplay, and boss battles are abundant.

It’s also a blast with two players. The weapon combination system allows partners to strategize with what each will carry. It’s also not as demanding as other games in the genre, so while it isn’t an easy game ??by? any mean, it can accommodate players with a range of experience and familiarity.

6. Shining Force 2 (1993)

The Genesis wasn’t a console known for its RPGs, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have any that were worthwhile. It was, after all, where the Phantasy Star series had its single-player heyday. However, the one that stands head and shoulders above others isn’t even a traditional JRPG, but instead focuses more on turn-based strategy: Shining Force 2. It’s maybe not as deep as Tactics Ogre, but the way it mixes in more traditional world exploration gives the game a feeling ?of added comfort.

While very similar to the original Shining Force (aside from plot), the sequel improves a number of facets, such as better enemy AI and improved UI. It’s not a significant upgrade, since the original was already a great game; but aside from a more awkward pace, Shining Force 2 does just enough to lift it up even higher.

5. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)

I’m not Sonic’s biggest fan by any stretch of the word, but I was around when he exploded into the world. Being a kid at the time, I can tell you that he was one of the coolest characters aroun??d. I played a lot of the first two games on my cousin’s Genesis??, and I still have a fondness for the SatAM cartoon.

And, to wit, I still really love Sonic the Hedgehog 2. While the first game was? a capable introduction, it wasn’t until the sequel that Sega was truly able to harness the hog. ??There’s more emphasis on crossing distances at high speed and less on careful platforming and waiting for safe moments to jump. The addition of Tails also means that you can play as someone other than the pesky hedgehog, but the Sonic/Tails mode was used more often to shut up complaining siblings who were begging for a turn. It sucked to be the second player, but it was something.

What makes Sonic the Hedgehog 2 endure for me is its interplay of music and gameplay. I really don’t think I’d love Chemical Plant Zone half as much without Masato Nakamura’s compositio?ns.

4. Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994)

The title of my favorite game in the Castlevania series has long remained with the NES original, and I thought nothing would come close to touching it. However, Castlevania: Bloodlines surprised me when I ??first played it a few years ago.

I already mentioned Konami’s small but fantastic Genesis contributions, and Bloodlines is the peak of that. Like Hard Corps, it resembles the original, but has some of that Genesis edge. There’s a bit of a �?0s comic?? book grunge to it. It also takes the action out of Wallachia to roam across Europe in 1917, allowing for more diversity in its levels.

The limited continues is a pretty frustrating inclusion. Unlike Contra: Hard Corps, reaching the end is a bit more of a reasonable expectation, even if it’s more di?fficult than it should be. I’d also argue that the soundtrack isn’t quite up to series standards at the time, but songs like Stage 4’s Iron Blue Intentions still pop.

3. Streets of Rage (1991)

Streets of Rage is probably the most frequent visitor to my Genesis�?(technically 32X’s) cartridge slot. While Nintendo thought it had a home run with the SNES port of Final Fight, Streets of Rage proved you could still create an incredible beat-’em-up without Mike Haggar.

While Streets of Rage follows the Final Fight formula to an almost suspicious degree, it cleans things up to create a more console-focused experience. The combat is just as solid and impactful, but while the levels have the same sense of grit to them, Streets of Rage really sells its atmosphere ?with a neon-infused after-hours look to it.

It helps that Yuzo Koshiro composed one of the best 16-bit soundtracks for it, and that it compliments the gameplay. For me, the soundtrack is just as much a part of the overall experience as the fighting. On top of that, Streets of Rage features the? b??est elevator level in the genre and includes a special attack that summons a police car to clear out the area with overwhelmingly excessive force. You just can’t beat these vibes.

2. Streets of Rage 2 (1992)

This was a hard choice. But while I personally prefer to play the original Streets of Rage, that’s mostly a vibes thing. Streets of Rage 2 is a better beat-’em-up overall, even with its less inte??resting elevator level(s) and lack of Constable Howitzer. 

But it’s a bigger and better (in most ways) game. Not only did Yuzo Koshiro provide a brand new soundtrack, his sister, Ayano Koshiro, handled design. It has more characters with better diversity in how they play (sor?ry, Adam), better variety with its enemies, and much more detailed graphics.

Whether you prefer Streets of Rage or its sequel will depend on your priorities and preferences, but you sho??uldn't miss either of them.

1. Rocket Knight Adventures (1993)

While most of the hitters from Konami’s contribution to the Genesis catalog were based on existing franchises, it’s Rocket Knight Adventures that stands as the best. Directed and designed by the director of Contra: Hard Corps and Contra III: The Alien Wars, this little platformer starring a jet-powered, armor-clad opossum seems rather unassum??ing. But beneath the s?urface is one of the most inventive games of the era.

Like Contra: Hard Corps, each level alters gameplay with new situations. Things start off rather standard with a grassy field and a burning castle, but there are harrowing minecart rides, an area where you judge your movements based on the reflection yo?u cast on a caustic lake, and a horizontal shoot ’em up sequence through a steampunk industrial city.

It’s the tight design in Rocket Knight Adventures that makes it the best the Genesis has to offer. Level after level, it keeps twisting itself, but never in a way that would alienate the player. Stages like the airship that has you take a detour around the craft’s exterior show a dep?th of thought that few other games of the era can approach. It’s sometimes overlooked but should never be missed.

The post Top 10 Best Sega Genesis games, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

I’m not the kind of person who believes that a game needs to grab your attention within the first X number of minu??tes to be worth your time. That would exclude a massive number of games with slow build-ups, which are just as rewarding. However, I do appreciate it when a game wields its introduction effectively.

From Jake Armitage kicking his way out of a drawer at the morgue in Shadowrun for the SNES, to the death and return of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 2, these moments can live on in my ??brain, even if the rest of the game is a blur.

But if we’re looking for the absolute best introduction to a video game, none can top the unassumingly cruel entrance into Yomawari: Night Alone.

B?efore I get into what makes the introductio??n so effective, I’m going to warn you that it’s best if the surprise isn’t spoiled.

Yomawari opens with the unnamed ??protagonist and her dog, Poro, stopping at the entrance of a dark traffic tunnel. She wisely decides against exploring fur?ther and turns back.

Yomawari then runs you through the basic controls. Press one button to run, press another to tiptoe. You wa??lk along the quiet, empty street and see a shadow quickly pass by. Typical horror tension building. Trite, even.

When a rock comes into view, the tutorial continues by having you pick up a rock. It tells you how to open your inventory, select it, and then, finally throw it. The protagonist gives it a little toss to the other side of the road. ?Then everything goes to shit in an instant. Poro runs to fetch the rock. Blink, and you’ll miss the? truck that abruptly speeds into view. There’s a yelp, a rustling crunch, and the screen snaps to black.

It takes around eight seconds for it to start fadin?g back in. Eight seconds where y?ou’re left with nothing but silence and a blank screen and nothing to do but take in what just happened. When the scene finally comes back into view, the protagonist sits shocked at the edge of the road, still holding the end of the empty leash. There’s a smear of blood on the road that trails over the ledge. You have no control as the girl gets up, takes a brief look around, then runs away.

Feeling strangely ashamed? You should. That’s what Yomawari: Night Alone is about. The next scene ha??s the protagonist returning home to her older sister. The sister asks about Poro, but the protagonist can’t respond. She doesn’t tell h?er what happened, so her sister reassures her and sets off into the night to search for the dog and doesn’t return.

The game then involves your search. The darkened town is dangerous at night, seemingly swimming with monsters, but you have no choice but to brave them to find your sister because, after all, it’s all your fault. Through its deceitful tutorial, Yomawari makes you complicit in the ?event that puts everything in??to action.

While Yomawari is largely a hide-and-seek horror game, where you avoid the monsters that roam the streets, the narrative is entirely symbolic. It’s a coming-of-age story about learning to deal with your shame and take responsibility for your mistakes, as hard to deal with as they m??ight be.

Each of the Yomawari games has a similar setup in that they make you take part in the horrific events that puts the narrative into motion. However, Midnight Shadows and Lost in the Dark don’t quite have the same effect, even if I think Midnight Shadows has, overall, the best narrative in the bunch.

What unites them, however, is the way they sow doubt about what happens in their opening. During your journey through Yomawari: Night Alone, it’s suggested that Poro might still be alive. Your goal seems to twist into finding not?? just your sister, but Poro ?as well. Was what you saw just the monsters in the town playing tricks on you? Did the protagonist hurry away from the scene too quickly and miss that the dog wasn’t hurt? Or are you just in the bargaining stage of grief?

You can say what you want about the rest of Yomawari: Night Alone. Personally, as much as I love the story it has to tell, I found the gameplay to ?be a chore.?? So much so that what should be an easy recommendation becomes a lot more guarded.

That’s unfortunate since its introduction is a class of its own. It turns an innocuous tutorial, uses it to trick you into participating in something horrific, and then says, “Now look at what ?you did.�?In ord??er to draw you into the plot, it needs you to feel a certain way, and it knows exactly where your weak spot is.

The post Yomawari: Night Alone is q?uietly one of the best openings in games appeared first on Destructoid.

If there's one thing that holds true in the Sims universe, it's the saying, "Expect the unexpected." You never know what you're going to get in your next playthrough, whether it be a fire that decimates your entire family or an alien abduction that impregnates your Sim. Things have only gotten weirder with The Sims 4 Lovestruck pack, a??nd honestly, it?'s made gameplay all the more better.

I first noticed its weirdness the minute I saw Sims dancing with eggplant costumes in the expansion pack trailers. But if you thought that was bizarre, wait until you finally step into the unusual dating world of Lovestruck. One Simmer got a taste of this after setting up a blind date, where the othe?r party decided to show up in that same eggplant outfit. That's one way to stand out amongst the competition.

What's more, a fellow player in the comments mentions how this ?eggplant character died of heartbreak shortly after their outing. Now I feel bad for making fun of the poor guy.

Another dating story I immensely enjoyed is Reddit user celestialkestrel's date, in which their world was completely rocked. They went on a blind date, only to have their Sims get brutally hit by a meteor. Although the outing didn't go as planned, they still somehow got? the Gold rating for good measure.

I'm starting to think these dates may be the new Sims 4 death traps, especially since one other player mentioned how they Woohooed their date to death. Now, it sort of feels like we??'re all swapping war stories, and it's become a source of entertainment for me.

I, myself, have gone on several weird but hilarious dates. More specifically, the asking-out process has turned out particularly unusual for me. Once, a presumed stalker asked my Sim out after seeing them "from afar." I would've immediately blocked that number in a normal world, but in The Sims 4 universe, I couldn't help but say yes.

What I didn't expect was that the stranger would t??ake this date inside my house, as they showed up at my door professing their love for my Sim. It got much worse when they app?eared again to try to move in, followed by a marriage proposal all in one day.

But the one dating request that takes the cake for me was when a Wealthy Weirdo asked to set up a date at a particular place and time. I made the mistake of forgetting to meet up with them, which didn't affect me initially. Then, when I tried to see more singles in the Cupid's Corner dating app, the game informed?? ??me that the app was temporarily disabled. It is here I was notified that "someone," aka me, had stood up the Cupid's Corner CEO, and he deactivated the app in retaliation.

Despite it taking away the dating app, I live for this type of content. It makes The Sims 4 so much more fun when these unique situations are waiting for you. Plus, decisions feel much more impactful, no matter how small or big. I wasn't aware that my forgetfulness would lead to the downfall of a dating app. But it's certainly a welcomed surprise that I would love to see more of in The Sims 4.

I'm also glad I'm not the only one getting these bizarre invitations, considering that Simmers have received eerie phone calls since Lovestruck's debut. Reddit user ehavery's situation perfectly exemplifies this, showcasing a supposed romance invite from Season's Father Winter.

Father Winter even tried to entice the player more by of??fering gifts. Honestly, I'm not too surprised to see him in the dating field since it's possible to have a baby with him. He's just the gift that keeps on givin?g.

Given that Sims 4 Lovestruck was released recently, more weird dating stories are bound to come up. I'm already seeing some interesting stuff in the '#LovestruckSingles' category in the Gallery, a hub that allows you to place your own characters in Cupid's Corner. There's even a hilarious number of Shrek creations who are single and ready to mingle. I'm not sure if ogres are my Sim's type, but then I suppose there are more laye??rs to them.

Other players' creations will undoubtedly bring out more of Lovestruck's strangeness. And it's nice to see that the community is just as weird as the game they play (myself included). I look forward to catching up on the tea once Simmers dive more into the new expansion pack. I'm su??re the talents of modders will stir up the pot more with their unique additions.

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Concord, a hero shooter from developer Firewalk Studios, recently had two bet??as so that anyone interested in trying the game out ahead of its August 23, 2024 release date could do so. Aside from one map and a game mode, both betas were the same, with all 16 characters from the roster open for anyone to play as from the moment they launched it.

I've seen more than a few content creators and fans out there saying that the world doesn't need another hero shooter and that Concord isn't up to the task of competing with behemoths like Overwatch 2 and Valorant because the concurrent player numbers on Steam weren't that high. Having played a few hours of the game's betas myself, I'm not saying that it can or can't make a dent in the market. But the game feels li???ke it has more personality than every other hero shooter out there because of one key and very fleshed-out component: The characters.

As soon as you initially launch Concord, it puts characters front and center. The game's story is told through weekly cutscenes that play before you jump into matchmaking and playing, meaning you'll never miss them. These show how th??e ragtag group of characters shown in the opening cutscene are doing in their journey to become the greatest Freegunner crew in the galaxy.

Every scene only features a handful of characters, but they feel like the connective tissue between larger plot points that are, ultimately, the matches you play. The scenes everyone in the beta saw were the crew fir?st gaining their Freegunner status. The second expands the universe with a discussion about how the first crew ever became Freegunners and how they made the map, which all crews now use, available for free.

In isolation, this doesn't mean much. Together, these scenes help us learn what this universe is about and give context for every match you play. Getting this information right off the bat without needing to search through menu?s and read through in-game documents makes it so much more approachable, and the story will grow in this way each wee??k, meaning it's going to feel like you're working through a narrative as long as you log in and play at least once per week. Of course, you can go back and access all this information through documents if you'd like.

Concord's characters continue to add more personality to the game over time as you play more and more matches. In most game modes, you can pick and change your character with eve?ry respawn. This allows yo??u to see them, their abilities, and their cheesy intro lines multiple times in every match. While this gets pretty boring if you're playing a specific character each time, these lines are just the tip of the iceberg.

Every character is unique and really stands out ??from the crowd through the way they speak, their abilities, and what they wear. Teo might be your average soldier, but his eagerne??ss to jump into battle, rifle effectiveness, and speed tell the tale of a hothead who wants a little more glory from life than guarding stores or working in the military.

1-Off, the giant yellow robot, is obsessed with keeping things neat and tidy. Even his weapon and abilities stick close to this theme. He can hoover enemies up or blast them away, sucking in fire to flavor his weapon if you time things right. He's a normally gentle soul, though, and you can feel that through his happy-go-lucky attitude and the way he's really just in a match to have a good time. Ultimately, he's good to go as l?ong as everything's kept clean.

Concord is also one of the few hero shooters that assigns pronouns to its characters. This might seem small and trivial to you, but small elements like this really do matter and help players identify with each hero on a deeper level. It's hard to know what gender a mushroom creature and a cleaning robot identify with, and having that on-screen means you can feel a lot closer to these shells that you wear as yo??u jump into various game modes over the course of what might end up being hundreds of hours.

Even in matches, though, every character just feels like an individual as you play as them. Kyps, a pink secret agent android?? with a silenced pistol, is a fast-paced character with simple abilities. She can deploy surveillance drones to detect enemies across the map, but her real strength is sneaking up and defeating them from the shadows.

Lark is my favorite mushroom alien character ?who uses spore-based abilities to buff allies and debuff enemies. They can drop mushrooms that create areas that will enhance a??ll allied abilities and speed while also buffing any enemies that move through them. Another mushroom becomes a respawn point they can teleport to in a pinch. Even their weapon, the Razorpod Launcher, is unique in that it fires off spores that will home in on enemies for devastating damage.

A character's archetype, Anchor, Ranger, Breacher, Haunt, Warden, and Tactician are like guidelines that give you a ro??ugh idea of how to play them. But in reality, these characte??rs are all very different from one another, and you won't make the most of them until you've learned and mastered their abilities and hidden strengths by exploring them for a few matches.

Finally, it's not just the way these characters look and what's written about them in-game; it's how they act that sets Concord out as a hero shooter with more personality than most. In matches, you'll hear them fire off ?a comment when they do pretty much everything. Reloading, healing, using their abilities, it all comes with a line of dialogue.

The variations on these all say roughly the same thing, but it's the way they're said that deepens your connection with the characters. Some, like Teo, are just barking, but that's because he wants to be short and to the point with everything he says in battle. He doesn't have time for frivolity in his sentences when he could be shooti?ng other Freegunners and winning the match.

Emari, on the ot?he?r hand, is a hulking giant with a unique shield ability. She talks about recharging her batteries when it comes to healing and even chuckles about it. These small details are exactly what hero shooters need to help differentiate their characters.

Without them, Teo is the soldier, and Emari is the tank with a shield. I think that it's all too easy to fall into the trap of treating characters like they can only be played in a specific way in hero shooters. With this added personality and the way that each character just has to be played to their own strengths and not only to fit a role, I can see Concord adopting a sizeable fan base who has been looking for a shooter with a little mo?re flair tha??n the industry is used to.

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Did you play Anthology of the Killer like I told you to? I knew I could count on you, person who replied, “Yes.�?As a reward, I’ve got a different game for you to check out. It’s Dashcam, a narrative “experience�?about being late for a parent-teacher conf??erence.

It will take you about 7-ish minutes to play. If you’re like me, it’s much better spent this way. I would have been scrolling for neat games on social media to share with you but instead found myself doom-scrolling unconsciously, only snapping out of it when I realized I was in Hell. Don’t do that. Play Dashcam instead.

You start off driving down a highway at night. You’re late for a parent-teacher conference. Your husband will remind you if you choose to honk to pick up the phone; he’s such a nag. Maybe if you demonstrate enou??gh unreliability, it will take some of the focus off whatever little Stephen is doing to disappoint his teachers.

?Once there, you’ll drive through the halls of the school to learn about how your child is perhaps up to something far more sinister than just cheating on a test. Custom tarot cards about crime, an Angst Hole in the floor of the gym for angst-ing, blackmailing a teacher �?the sort of thing that many young teens get up to.

Maybe it would please the teachers if you took corrective ??action by injecting yourself and your car into the little brat to eliminate his “Evil Gene.�?But I’m not sure that sort of discipline is the right way to go. It certainly didn’t work when my parents tried it.

Dashcam is a narrative game that reminds me of the Ecto-1 segments of Ghostbusters Doom 2, because I know you understand that reference. There’s a car’s windshield framing your screen, but you still feel like a person. It makes you think, “Why do we bother getting out of our cars? We’re just going to get back in them later.�?/p>

I don’t drive, but if you replace the wo??rd “cars�?with “beds,�?then that��s what I think every day.

You can play Dashcam for free over on itch.io. It was created for the Pizza Jam #8 by ComputerJames??, the person who judges Pizza Jam.

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Solo tabletop role-playing games might seem intimidating to some, but Koriko: A Magical Year from Mousehole Press makes it easy and fun to dive into its bewitching world �?as long as you can slow down enough to make it through the opening chapters. Blending elegant mechanics with a gentle story focus, Koriko confidently? guides new players and experienced solo role-players alike in writing their own w?itchy tale.

An excellent introduction

Koriko fits very naturally into the genre of cozy solo TTRPGs, telling the story of a teenage witch leaving home for the first time to live in the exciting city of Koriko. It takes its name from the city in Kiki's Delivery Service, inspired heavily by both the Studio Ghibli animated film and the original book by Eiko Kadono. Koriko is steeped in cozy culture, from its sepia-edged pages to its gentle tale of a young witch making their way in the world, and would make an excellent game for parents or teachers to play with ki?ds.

Like many solo TTRPGs, Koriko is focused around the process of journaling the player character's experiences, but it also takes the time to eases player into solo creativity. First, it teaches you how to set up your journal step-by-step as you introduce your character, with paragraphs to copy out and customize. Koriko guides the player as they grow in confidence and slowly learn to structure their own journal entries, letters and stories. The opening is reminiscent of Princess With a Cursed Sword by anna anthropy, anot??her great introduction to solo journaling RPGs.

Magical mechanics

Gameplay is divided into 'volumes' structured around the seasons of the year, with each year pr??oviding different opportunities, promp??ts and dilemmas. At the end of each volume, the player writes a letter home to their witchy mentor.

At its heart, the gameplay loop is simple. Each season, you follow the instructions in the book to form a deck of tarot cards that you shuffle and draw in a random order. Each card you draw represents an experience your character has while in Koriko: either a moment, represented by a card from the minor arcana, or a confidante prompt indicated by a card from the major arcana. If you aren't very familiar with tarot cards, there's a hand??y explanation early on, and you can use the electronic version of the tarot deck if you don't have access to a physical one. You do not initially include certain cards like the Tower and Death, only adding them when certain circumstances bring them into your character's life.

The cards all have a linked prompt in the tables at the back of the book and in addition, each volume has a table of additional prompts called 'twists', some of which are labelled as risky. If you choose a risky twist, you add more dice to your ongoing stack of dice. When that dice stack falls, you check the most frequent?? number showing among the fallen dice against a table of consequences. I was nervous the first time my dice tower fell, as I'd become quite invested in my little witch, but the consequences table is pleasingly nuanced. The consequences always provoke some sort of change goi??ng forward: you might add a lesson to your journal, which means you might need to stack fewer dice in the future, or add one of the special confidantes into your circle so you have the chance to interact with them.

The circle is also an inspired idea: as you draw major arcana cards, you encounter confidantes around the city with their own ??dilemmas and problems, and you slowly build a 'circle' of characters as a separate deck. The confidante has a set of prompts to use on each occasion you draw them, with a final crossroads story after you have met them four times, in which you choose whether to help them (which carries a degree of risk) or refuse them.

The mechanics are introduced slowly but even so, a fairly significant chunk of the book is dedicated to explaining them. I found it easiest to briefly look through this and get an overview of the sections so I could refer back to them later rather than trying to understand it all at once. A cheat sheet that had the main mechanics and the very helpful flow diagram might be a useful download to support gameplay. Given the number of resources the digital edition provides (including access to an online tarot deck, an alternative starting experience, and a guide to playing Koriko with other people), it's clear that Mousehole Press?? has already put a great deal of thought into removing obstacles to play, and this would be a nice addition.

You end up playing a sort of narrative bingo by drawing your card and then choosing which twist to use and every decision you make inspires some sort of narrative change, which flows surprisingly well after the first few draws. The act of drawing cards and checking against the book entries (helpe?d enormously by the two ribbon bookmarks in the printed book), crossing out boxes on your twist table and stacking dice adds a level of physicality to an experience that can otherwise feel a bit ephemeral.

The downside to this is that Koriko has more setup and upkeep requirements than many solo games, with a perilous ??stack of dice and carefully-assembled card decks that need to be maintained throughout. The book contains guidance on ways you can put these away withou??t losing your place or use an alternative to dice stacking, but for many people, the effort of setup each time when they might only have time to write one entry could make this less appealing than more self-contained games.

Pacing challenges

Fair warning: Koriko’s pacing may not suit everyone. Solo RPGs by their nature require slowing down, writing things out, and creating a space in which to immerse yourself in a story. Initially, the pacing is perhaps a little too slow. I found myself eager to reach Koriko and start to engage with the more complex game me?chanics, but each page I turned was another set of prompts about my journey to and arrival in the city, often with characters and locations I might never be able to interact with again. This is almost certainly going to vary by player, and the intention is clearly for a meditative experience, but for the impatient, the initial immersion into the world ca??n feel achingly slow.

Perhaps if you could use these initial pages to set up a couple of your later Circle of NPCs, the opening section might feel a little less weighed down, but Koriko's mechanics are so delicately set up that any change would probably throw a lot of other elements out. You may just have to bear with those opening pages, but Koriko is als?o very permissive about changing or even ignoring prompts that don't fit wel?l, so it isn't much of a stretch to say that you could do one of each departure and travel day rather than two. It is well worth sticking with it, as once you reach the city, things begin to get more exciting.

If you have even a passing interest in cozy solo RPGs with engaging mechanics and creative prompts, Koriko is a great choice. As long as you are able to make time and space for it in your life, it provides a rewarding narrative of community, connection and self-discovery. Pick up Koriko: A Magical Year from Mousehole Press to begin your adventure.

_{This piece is based on a retail copy of the game purchased by the reviewer.}

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I tend to play The Sims? as a storyteller. I like to create unique characters and guide them through their lives in the most entertaining way possible, even if I’m the only one be??nefiting from that entertainment. However, I’ve always liked to do so while also utilizing the game’s own events to move things along.

It’s collaborative storytelling with the game itself. Rimworld took this concept in a more literal direction. It’s not just a survival game but also one where stories develop. You, as a player, have a hand in how your colonists react to their environment, but it’s the lack of control that defines it as an experience. I’m obviously not the only one who saw the appeal, since Rimworld has since inspired all kinds of games, including Norland.

Norland is Rimworld meets Game of Thrones meets Crusader Kings. It takes the essential colony mechanics from Rimworld while moving it to a fantasy realm where you control a noble family. But somethi??ng in that equation is co??nfused.

While Norland takes its inspiration from Rimworld, the two aren’t entirely similar. Norland ties in an additional layer of strategy, as well survival ??city builder mechanics.

You have direct control of the noble?? family, and you have to keep not only them happy, but also the peasants under them. You need to build up your kingdom’s infrastructure and production, gather wealth, and deal with the other territorie??s around you.

The key ingredient here, however, is the members of your noble house have some autonomy. T?hey have needs that include food, drink (alcohol), sleep, sex, and faith, as well as desires. If you’re not providing for them, they’ll sometimes go and satisfy their needs themselves. Right now, this mostly manifests in one of your house members paying for sex from a peasant, which may result in the birth of a bastard.

There’s also a complex-ish social system. On one hand, it’s straightforward where if you get two characters to spend time with each other, they’ll start to like each other more. But then there’s prejudices and envy. Right now, envy only seems to take the form of wanting more rings than another person, while prejudices seem to be preset involving race. It’s simple enough that you mi?ght know what a situation?? needs to be resolved, but complex enough to where it will sometimes piss you off.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of my characters starting to hate each other. When it works, it’s fun. One situation had a lord and his spouse start butting heads in conversation (which seems random) and that led to a sexless marriage. One ??cheated on the other, which resulted in a bastard, and that led to attempted murder and a huge rift in the family. That’s awesome.

Less awesome is managing their fucking rings. Their rings are a symbol of status. Except they’re expensive and tough to come by and exchange. I get that the royal coffers wouldn’t always be full enough to make every member of the family feel pretty, but considering the characters get bitchy enough about it to completely stop working and cause a breakdown in yo??ur economy which makes everyone, including your peasants, miserable, while you’re waiting for a trader to show up so you can unload enough rutabagas before realizing that you’re unable to buy enough rings for your king to reward them; tha??t’s annoying.

It would be less annoying if everything wasn’t always so pressing. My biggest issue with Norland is that nothing gets to breathe. You are constantly keeping plates spinning: bandits, peasants, cutthroats, other kingdoms, the economy, your family, prisoners, trading, politics, upgrades, production. A?ll the while, you have a finite number of clan members to keep things running, and even balancing their social life, their wants, their jobs, and their needs is a full-time job. This is because, as I mentioned, if they get pissy enough, they’ll just stop working and start fucking the peasants, which causes a bigger breakdown.

I tried to get a successful colony going in Norland four times. I'd never quite fail, but I'd get annoyed enough to start over. Each time, I’d reassess my priorities and go in looking to be more successful, but each time, I��d get hours in before I realized I just wasn’t having fun, even when things were going well. Everything would happen all at once. I’d take my eyes off the politi??cal map, and my neighbors would get aggressive. I’d focus on keeping the nobles off of the peasants, and peasants would turn into murderous criminals. And no matter what I prioritized, it came at the expense of something that nobod?y was willing to go without.

Everything was always happening at once. When things went wrong, it gave no time to recover. It never really rewards you, it just gives you more problems. Norland never ga??ve me a moment to just enjoy what was happening.

Norland is a game with a clear goal and plenty of good ideas. However, it needs?? a severe change in balancing. Certain systems need to be tweaked, streamlined, or upgraded. It is difficult to know where to start, because the issue is in the interplay between all its different facets. It’s not impossible, but if I’m feeling overwhelmed thinking about it as a player, I can only imagine what it would be like as a developer.

Norland is launching into Early Access, which is clea?rly where it belongs. There’s a lot of game there right now to the point where you could be fooled into thinking it’s essentially a complete product. However, beyond expanding what is there, Long Jaunt will need to collect and address a lot of player feedback to turn it into an enjoyable experience. For now, I w?ouldn’t let it into your bed.

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The Naruto franchise has made a name for itself across the glo??be. It's one of the biggest anime titles in the industry,? and it comes as no surprise that it has received numerous adaptations across different media �?from light novels to video games. Justifiably so. After all, we're talking about ninjas here.

Among its numerous spinoffs, a number of them come in the form of manga. If you're wondering what those?? spinoffs are, read on.

Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring

Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring serves as a prelude to the Boruto: Naruto the Movie. The manga is set 15 years after the Fourth Shinobi World War and follows Uchiha Sarada, Sasuke's daughter. The story revolves around Sarada's existential crisis and her personal mission to discover the truth behind her identity. During this, however, she gets entangled with ??a myst??erious enemy connected with Orochimaru and the Uchiha Clan.

Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring is one of the very few Naruto spinoffs Masashi ??Kishimoto wrote and illustrated himself. The mini series ran from April? 27, 2015 to July 6, 2015 and was compiled in a single volume.

Naruto: The Path Lit by the Full Moon

Naruto: The Path Lit by the Full Moon is the other spinoff written and drawn by Kishimoto. Unlike the first one, however, this is a one-shot manga, acting as a prelude to the Boruto manga series. In fact, it's included as additional content for the first volume of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.

As for the story, Mitsuki, the final member of Team Konohamaru, gets the spotlig??ht. Similar to Sarada's soul-searching, Mitsuki gets dumped in a head-scratching situation. He wakes up injured and with missing memories, and his only chance to retrieve them is by following Orochimaru's ploy. It gets more complicated as Orochimaru reveals himself to be Mitsuki's parent.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex

Boruto is both a spinoff and the sequel to the original Naruto series. It follows the story of Naruto's son as he follows his own ninja way. Unlike the original, however, Boruto tackles a more modern approach. It introduces technology and aliens to the beloved world of ninjas. But like Naruto, it features a significant timeskip. Naruto Next Generations is the pre-timeskip narrative, while Two Blue Vortex is the post-timeskip.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is still ongoing and releases updates on a monthly schedule. It's been taken over by Kishimoto's chief assistan?t, Mikio Ikemoto, an?d with the help of Ukyo Kodachi.

Naruto: Sasuke�?�s Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust

As the title suggests, this spinoff follows Sasuke as he goes on a mission to unravel the mystery of the isolationist land of Redaku. He has to rendezvous and work with his wife, Sakura?, as he pretends and mingles with d??eadly criminals. Their goal? To uncover the traces of the Six Paths.

Naruto:? Sasuke’s?? Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust is actually a manga adaptation of the light novel of the same name. It's also been adapted into the Boruto anim?e �?specifically, episode 282. Yes, the one wher?e Sasuke fights a dinosaur.

Naruto: Konoha's Story—The Steam Ninja Scrolls

Unlike the other spinoff manga, Naruto: Konoha's Story—The Steam Ninja Scrolls doesn't follow the common Uzumaki or Uchiha character. Instead, it's centered around Sarutobi Mirai, the late Sarutobi Azuma's daughter. Mirai is a fiery character wanting to prove herself as a mighty shinobi. The moment she's assigned on a mission with the?? veterans Might Guy and Kakashi, the Sixth Hokage, she puts her whole heart into the mission. However, the mission seems to be more like a vacation than a danger-filled ninja quest.

Similar to Naruto: Sasuke’s Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust, this spinoff is also based on the light novel of the same name. It is also more lighthearted and less action-focused compared to the other spinoff. That is not to say that it doesn't offer some fi??ght scenes, because it does. And it ties well with Mirai's character and lineage.

Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth Full-Power Ninja Chronicles

Like the title suggests, this comedy spinoff tells the whacky adventures of Rock Lee and Team Guy. As you would expect from this kind of title, it doesn't have any serious plot. It's all fun shenanigan??s in chibi form. And it's a big success.

The series ran from January 2013 to September 2014, with seven tankobon volumes. It even received an anime adaptation titled Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals.

Naruto: Chibi Sasuke’s Sharingan Legend

Following the success of Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth Full-Power Ninja Chronicles, Kenji Taira returns with Naruto: Chibi Sasuke’s Sharingan Legend. This time, however, the focus is on the nonchalant Uchiha. It features the chibi forms of Sasuke, the ?members of Taka, Itachi, and many more. The series ran from November 2014 to April 2017, and the chapters are compiled into three volumes.

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It seems like a no-brainer to me to turn many of the really good sci-fi books into video games, not just your regular old RPG??s. There is so much scope for multiple genres pulled from the pages of some of the best-loved science fiction books, with the right direction.

Science fiction books that should be video games

One or two of these may have already inspired video games, either obscurely or directly. However, they usually go in the wrong direction. There really aren't many scien??ce fiction novel adaptations to games out there. Not successful ones, anyway.

2001: A Space Odyysey

As a simple concept, the amazing 2001: A Space Odyssey could be turned into a vide?o game by simply having the player try to reach their destination, avoiding a murderous HAL. It would play out as a trapped horror, navigating space in which the ship itself is dedicated to murder. Variou?s ways to stay alive would be possible, making each playthrough unique. All you need to do is stay alive long enough to reach that distant planet without HAL getting the better of you. I think Arthur C. Clarke would love to see his sci-fi become a video game.

Altered Carbon

With the idea of Shells and rebirth used in Altered Carbon, the gameplay of this adaptation would make for a good rogue-lite. Akin to the book, a crime must be solved, but what if someone was out there trying to get you? Every time you die, a fee must be paid, and progress must be regained. Clues will be gradually collected, and the player will move ever closer to the answer. But every death will result in a loss of i??tems and finances.

Dune

This book has once before been made into a video game, but as a science fiction adaptation, it could do with some updating. In my mind, the Dune books could be combined into one, starting with the Fremen, deep in the desert. While playing top-down, god game style, it is up to the player to collect resources, conserve water, develop the Fremen, welcome in the Al Gaib, and, over time, take over the galaxy. Dune The Video Game wo??uld be ?a resource-collecting empire builder that eventually spans the galaxy in a game akin to EVE.

The Dark Tower series

Embracing The Dark Tower series's various worlds, interlinking storylines, and complexity as a game would be hard but not impossible. With the vast struggles of the characters in the book, it would make for a fantastic souls-like, I think. The various, weird worlds would suit the Miyazaki art style.

Travelling backward and forward through time, meeting the various monsters, and knowing death is only one Lobstrosity away would be gripping. The deep and intricate mystical science fiction i??n these books would make for some beautiful, if not challenging, games.

Judge Dredd

Judge Dredd has, of course, featured in at least one game I know of. He is shown as Judge Bro in Broforce, with his homing pistol and all. However, I think as a third-person shooter embracing the wicked stories??, it would shine much better.

An over-the-shoulder, cover-to-cover style game akin to Gears of War would suit the Judge to a T. Many of the long, arching storylines of wars in the Megablo??cks and evil monsters that live within the post-nuclear city could provide more than enough material for some serious storyline based shooter action.

The infinitely stylish comics, wi?th their high-speed motorcycles and wild weapons, would translate beautifully to the?? screen. Imagine fighting your way up thousands of floors of a Megablock. The cyberpunk art style of the science fiction books would look great, flashing across the screen of a well-made video game.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

The core of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? is about capturing rogue androids through a series of questions in the vain hope of being able to afford a real-life animal, and it's the inspiration for Blade Runner. That's a game ready to be made. Think Papers, Please combined with L.A. Noir. It would be up to you to perform the Voigt-Kampff Empath?y Test and then decide whether or not to put a bullet between the eyes of the android. There would be a goal to reach enough money to afford the animal. But, just like in the book, life gets in the way. It is a science fic??tion indie game waiting to be made with this book.

The Children of Men

The film does the wonderful The Children of Men justice in that it takes th?e theory of a world with no future and makes it into a fantastic watch. I feel that a successful game would work in much the same way as the film adaptation. An open-world RPG could be possible for this science fiction book to work as a vide?o game.

As? you make your way around a world devoid of hope, rumours of a new birth have been heard. It is up to you, a smuggler, to not only find the child but then transport it across the environment to safety. Factions, new environments, alliances, and wars could be spread across the game, creating a rich and diverse world. I would love to see the idea of a world ??devoid of a future plays out in an RPG setting.

The Commonwealth Saga

There are so many ways in which the Commonwealth Saga books could play out as science fiction games. The space opera covers a?? v?ast array of action and world building. However, the way I would like to see it play out is by playing as the Alpha Prime itself. Why not be the bad guy? Why not wipe out the human race?

As the Alpha Prime, it is up to you to spread yourself across the galaxy, terraforming planets and destroying every living thing but yourself. With a worldbuilder-style game, it is up to you to take resources and develop yourself through DNA theft and stolen tech. Over time, you can spread to other planets with the sole purpose of being the only living being in the uni??verse.

The Culture Novels

There are plenty of little and large tales you could pull from the incredible worlds of Iain M. Banks's culture novels. However, something I always loved? in his books was the Minds and their habitable spaceships that casually float around the galaxies. These mega minds house millions of inhabitants in some cases, and others work as planet-crushing war machines.

The many varied Culture spaceships are what this science fiction book-to-game adaptation would focus on. As a player, you could build your own Mind ship, taking part in the economy of the in-game universe. Do you want to focus on building a Fallout Shelter-style habitation ship, or do y??ou want to build a sc??outing ship, ready to explore the depths? Maybe you want to create a moon-sized warship. This game would be a combination of MMORPG economy games mixed with some world-building.

Fahrenheit 451

So, hear me out. It's basically a cookie-clicker g??ame, but you're throwing books onto a fire. The more you burn, the better equipment you get in order to burn more books. Subsequently, the more stuff you get to burn. You can move on to music, then plays, then art, and finally, you get to burn the literate! These are the kind of science fiction books we need to turn into mobile games.

Does this trivialise one of the finest works of science fiction? Absolutely. Does it make a statement about the triviality and dumbing down of the population with moronic, e??ndorphins-injecting mobile games, slowly pulling us away from independent, critical thinking? I don't know. What do you think?

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