Rumors of a Castlevania film have been swirling around for years. I know at one point there were talks of doing a Castlevania III animated adaptation. On the live-action front, Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson was on board, but those plans fe?ll through as well -- he probably couldn't find a way to shoehorn Milla Jovovich into it.

Recently, the Nerdist Podcast welcomed special guest Michael Dorn, best known for playing Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He revealed that a Castlevania movie is finally ??happening and that he has a small role: "They finally got the OK from the owners, and so they're doing that. It's a fun little part.?? It's four days, and I'm playing a werewolf that's been around for a gajillion years who works for this vampire. It's not too far from Worf because there's a lot of killing and jumping and sword fights and everything. So that's what I'm doing now."

The only werewolf of any significance I can think of is Cornell from the N64's Legacy of Darkness. I highly doubt whoever is in charge even remembers what the N64 was, so I'm guessing this is an original character. But considering how far the Castlevania cast extends, I feel very uncomfortable learning that the first announced character of the first Castlevania movie is neither Dracula nor a Belmont.

Oh well. Videogame movies. Whatcha gonna do?

'Castlevani?a' f??ilm confirmed by cast member Michael Dorn [The Verge]

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Ladies and gentelmen as the Royal wedding is? upon us here in the glorious Untied Kingdom we decided this was the perfect time to further celebrate our Britishness by bringing you episode 9 of BritToid: Destructoids British gaming focused podcast.

We start with games of the week where Germany has another delightful indie rant while Seto tells us he can't play half-life because it makes him vomit. Chris browns penis makes another 'appearance' and Seto explains why he bought a 3DS and A DSi XL despite having a DSlite and Jim isn't the only Dynasty Warriors fan on staff. 

The news this episode looks at the console launches and how GAME staff were being told to purchase brand new consoles to sell them as second-hand and how Apple own our souls. GAME also decide to launch a gaming expo this year -- not to everyones excitement and we give a salute and fare??well to the now deceased gaming website UK Resistance who brought us the Blue Skies in Gaming campaign. 

BritToid is available on iTunes and via direct download. You can also follow us on twitter! 

The post BritToid Ep 9: Keep calm and have UK resistance appeared first on Destructoid.

As announced today by Torque director Eric Preisz, Ins?tantAction is closing down. It was an in-browser digital distribution outlet that allowed you to play full 3D games without having to immediately download them in their entirety.

"While we are shutting down the InstantAction.com website and Instant Jam game, Torquepowered.com will continue to operate while InstantAction explores opportunities with potential buyers for Torque," writes Preisz. "We thank all of?? our past and c??urrent customers for their support."

In a time where cloud gaming is becoming increasingly popular, and the competition is growing fiercer, it's sad to see a company go down ??like this. Let's hope they can find a suitable buyer for Torque.

Browser-based Gamin??g Platform InstantAction Shutting Down [Gamasutra]

The post InstantAction is closing,?? Torque? in the clear for now appeared first on Destructoid.

Destructoid is kind of a big deal, or so we've heard. A huge part of that is our unbelievable fanbase. Another part is the variety of outspoken borderline lunatics who write for it. At PAX Prime, fans and lunatics alike unite for Destructoid LIVE. We've been honored to hold several panels in the past, ??but at PAX Prime, Destructoid aims to give you the most entertaining, fan-servicing, AMAZING show yet?!

Destructoid Live will feature three of the Dtoid's most colorful characters -- Jim Sterling, Jonathan Holmes and Chad Concelmo. We'll be cov??ering a variety of topics, including review controversies, videogame JOURNALISM, the sometimes scary world of reader interaction, and whatever else we decide to ramble about. 

Dtoid Live is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 4th at 10:30am in the Unicorn Theatre. Dates, times and locations are subject to change and we'll let you know well ahead of time. If you're a?ttending PAX and you enjoy Destructoid, we humbly ask that you consider spending a little time with us. There will be prizes! Maybe. No definitely... possibly. 

Oh, and if you have any ideas for topics or things you would like to see us do, then TELL US! We want this to entertain you, and we will have a bett??er ide??a of what entertains you if you let us know!

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I'm informing you that Chuck E. Cheese's Party Games! is being developed by UFO Interactive Games for a few reasons: 1) I like titles that encourage me to yell, 2) I wanted to reuse Conrad's incredible photo, and 3) nothing has ever been so deserving of our ??coveted 4:00 AM time slot in the history of mankind.

Yes, folks -- this is really happening. What's more, the words "party games" will almost certainly be conveniently placed on the game's box in loud, obnoxious font meaning Chuck E. Cheese's Party Games! will be? a commercial success. This is the world we live in.

In case you hadn't guessed already, this is bound for a release on Wii and DS. The press release kindly informs us that we'll get to "play with the King of Cool himself." You heard it here first, guys: Steve McQueen is now confirmed for Chuck E. Cheese's Party Games!.

The post Chuck E. Cheese ?getting a ?glorified minigame collection appeared first on Destructoid.

Data like the kind found in a recent study by Kaiser Family Foundation reminds me how much we as a society spend hunched over in front of a glowing screen, whether it be a cell phone, handheld, tel?evision, or computer monitor. No joke, it's an absurd amount of time.

The research was gathered by surveying kids on a nationwide level who ranged in age from 8 to 18. If you've got some time to burn, the report, "Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-year-olds," is viewable right here. So, roughly how much do they spend per day us??ing media? About 7 and a h??alf hours.

The increase in usage over the past few years is credited to th?e expanded feature sets of mobile phones in particular. Streaming video, music, texting, Internet access, g?ames ... no wonder these kids are always typing like madmen on their phones.

As someone who spends a good chunk of time combing the Internet for cool on top of regularly prescribed doses of videogame playing, I can relate. Especially since I'm a t?otal child at heart. How much do you spend in front of a screen each? week? Too afraid to determine the results?

Young people spe??nd 7 hour?s, 38 minutes a day on TV, video games, computer [Los Angeles Times]

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The other day I told you all that the patently awesome Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love for the PS2 and Wii would be arriving on store shelves in February, two-thousand-and-ten. I also told you that people afraid ??of cheesy English dubs would not ne??ed to worry, as all copies of the game would come on two discs: one with English voiceovers and one with the original Japanese voiceovers.

Apparently NIS-America is intent on making me A DIRTY LIAR, as the game's confirmed release details retroactively make much of what I told you the other day utterly false.

The less-bad news first: Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love will not be coming in February, but instead on March 23rd, 2010. That's OK, just a few weeks' difference, and finally a hard date. However, the worse news is that Wii owners who do?n't like the dub won't be getting that second disc, the one with the Japanese voice acting. You can take comfort in the fact that the Wii version will launch at the considerably lower price point of $29.99, versus $39.99 for the PS2.

Which brings me to the better news, reserved for PS2 fans. The PS2 version, while more expensive, will come with that second Japanese-language disc alongside a bunch of extra goodies, including an art ??book and poster.

Frankly I'm glad that we're getting a Sakura Wars game at all, much less a Wii port (since the original PS2 game came out before the Wii even existed), and that they haven't cut out the language option entirely, but I'm a little saddened by the fact that I'm now a liar, destined to burn eternally in Malebolge, the 8th Circle of Hell. For disappointed Wii owners, all I can do for you now is offer the picture below, which is of Gemini Sunrise cosplaying as the girl from OneChanbara.

Which version will you be getting? Is ten bucks worth the loss ??of a language to you?

The post Confirmed: Sakura Wars is blatantly?? better ?on the PS2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Uh ... yeah, I don't know about that. Look, I like Monster Hunter and everything, and I'm all for merchandising the hell out of it. Some of that stuff is pretty dope. This pillow based on the ??game's Furu Furu mon?ster, however ...

Well, you might be able to sleep on that. I have enough tr?ouble finding my way to snoozeland as it is. The last thing I need is to have this death snausage lurking in the dark somewhere. What's with that collar thing around its head? I'm guessing that's its head. There are feet and wings too, which doesn't make for a lot of appendages, but it's more than you'll have left when you wake up next to this dude.

The pillow is 105cm long and 28cm in diameter, and the aforementioned collar is easily removed for washing. Capcom says it's there because that's the spot that's most likely to get dirty. (???) Its mouth also functions as "a pocket" for storing your PSP, sleepytime provisions, or whatever body parts it happens to bite off in the night. There?'s also an equally nightmarish wh??ite version available, and both will retail for ¥9,240 starting in January.

[Via Andriasang]

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It was funny when Penny Arcade joked about the topic, but now someone really has discovered a game-breaking exploit in Scribblenauts. Guys, this is why we can't have nice things.

As posted on GameFAQs, here is a solution to just about any and all action stages: attach the starite to handcuffs, place? a vending machine close to the starite, drag the opposite end of the handcuffs to the vending machine and choose "fill," then move and empty the contents of the vending? machine next to yourself.

Or, if you're really in a hurry to cheat Scribblenauts due to your lacking creativity, go watch a video of the method in action. I'd say there's nothing wrong with using this exploit?? once or t?wice on particularly hard levels, but that leads down a dangerous path, and there's no turning back.

The post Look away! Thi??s exploit will ruin Scribblenauts for you appeared first on Destructoid.

"Moral choice" is one of the hottest buzzterms used by game developers these days, with titles such as BioShock and inFAMOUS proudly boasting that their storylines feature complex narratives where actions have consequences. Despite the best attempts of recent videogames, however, these "moral choices" never quite seem to work as advertised. We asked Valve's Chet Faliszek why this might be, and he had an interesting answer -- he believes moral choices can't exist in a game.

"There's never a real moral choice you're ever making in a game, because you're never going to have to live with that choice," he explains. "We do things in our game to get you to behave better, to make you play together, to have this interaction in a game, but I don't think those are moral choices. I don't think games allow you to make moral choices. Games allow you to be evil, to do bad things. In Grand Theft Auto, I'm going around running people over, and guess what, I'm not doing?? that in real life.

"So, in the context of games having moral choices, that's a weird thing to me. I don't think they have real moral choices when I think of that. They have something else, like strategic choices, choices inside their world, but to me a moral choice i??s something that would live outside of a game. I don't see tha?t."

Chet makes a very valid point. Gamers are probably never going to be able to get past that obvious disconn??ection they feel between real life and a videogame to the point where they can truly be wracked with guilt over some moral dilemma. In fact, I'd say that the day a game truly succeeds in creating a real moral choice is a day where we've started to blur the line between reality an?d fiction ... and that wouldn't end well.

The post Valve: Games don’t have ‘moral choices’ appeared first on Destructoid.

We've seen a teaser trailer. Game creator Michael Ancel has explicitly talked about it. Nevertheless, Ubisoft's complete ignorance of Beyond Good & Evil 2 is becoming an incr?easing concern?, something that is abundantly more worrying with a recent show of skepticism in the game's release by a high-ranking executive. 

"Sometimes you come back to an IP that didn't work because you still think it could have," states North American president Laurent Detoc in an interview, "like Beyond Good and Evil, which was leaked, so now people know we're working on a new one. Wh?ether or not it comes out remains to be seen anyway, but we didn't want to abandon that IP because it has a cache and authenticity about it."

Am I the only one who finds that a little unsettling? Remains to be seen? So far, the game has been conspicuous in its absence at such events as GDC and E3, and the sheer silence surrounding the game is rather frustrating indeed. Either it's coming out or it's not. I really would like Ubisoft to clarify that, because right now, people have a lot of expectations invested in BG&E2, and it's better to?? dash their hopes sooner rather than later.

We'll try and get Ubisoft to spill the beans, but something tells me it'll be yet more sile?nce. 

The post Ubisoft boss is skeptical about Beyond Good & Evil 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Fable II, Fallout 3 and even Grand Theft Auto IV have toyed with the idea of moral choices and branching paths that have an affect on the game world. It would seem, however, that nobody thought to claim sole rights to the idea, and if this patent application is approved, future games may owe Elliot McGucken a hef??ty stipend.

McGucken has filed a patent for a "system and method for creating exalted vid?eogames and virtual realities wherein ideas have consequences." The patent includes all manner of ridiculous flowcharts providing examples of McGucken's idea. Perhaps my favorite list of potential consequences is this one:

PLAYER -??> Serve Ideal and speak truth to power? -> YES -> Spiritual victory -> Player is killed but is resurrected and the 45 revolver glows gold -> Apotheosis & showdown: Exalted consequences and ideals are rendered real. 

Uuuhhh ... yeah. The patent pertains to something a bit more complex than what videogames have shown before ("exalted subtleties of mythology" is actually said in the patent, giving you a clue as to how artsy fartsy it is) but the principal appears to be nothing new. Furthermore, will this guy actually do something with his ??"invention," or will will he just sit on it and hope to make money when somebody does?

Sounds like this guy could b??e another patent troll, which means that if this patent passes, you can expect to hear of it again five years from now when someone actually provides gaming with a complex moral choice system. Bloody patents are the bane of all creativity. 

[Thanks, Kittwalkerphoto]

The post Can you patent moral choices? Some guy tried! appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm pretty sure that everyone and their mother is playing a certain other game right now (rhymes with beers at four - poo), but, surprise, there are other releases that have come out that may be worth your attention, such as Spark Unlimited's Legendary.

As the only werewolf-hunting, griffin-killing, golem-destroying action FPS on the market, the title certainly has a big chance to bring something new to the genre. But does the game live up to its title? Hit the jump to see whether Legendary is, well, you know ...

Legendary (Xbox 360 [reviewed], PS3, PC)
Developed by Spark Unlimited
Published by Gamecock Media Group
Released on November 5, 2008
Played to completion on Normal

Unlike most FPS games that are released, Legendary eschews the Man vs Alien rhetoric in favor o?f pitting the game’s main character (Deckard) against an army of creatures once thought to be myth. By opening Pandora’s Box, the main character immediately finds himself thrust into a disaster situation of incredible proportions. ?Without wasting any time or plaguing the player with slow and boring tutorial levels, the action begins almost instantly and keeps the player going at a breakneck pace throughout the game.

With only one minor chapter in the game to give the player a break (Council HQ), Legendary keeps the action set to high by constantly keeping you moving from one “oh shit” moment to the next. While a good few of these moments are obvious and fairly scripted, the sheer quantity and var?iation thrown at you keeps the feeling of danger tangible for a majority of the ga?me. The title does a very good job of creating tension in almost every aspect of gameplay by never letting you feel “safe.” Throughout the game, you are in constant fear of what may kill you next, while every new enemy that you come across one-ups the intensity of the last. (The Kraken battle is pretty cool.)

Facing off against the ??mythical creatures is the main thrust of the battles you meet, with the addition of the obligatory “shadow organization” thrown in to play the antagonist role. While the enemy soldier AI seems to be relegated to preset patterns, and sometimes serves as a mere annoyance, the constant barrage of werewolves, griffins, and other mythical creature??s tends to keep the player from feeling any sort of redundancy. Unfortunately, there are more than several moments in the game where a player will have no idea what to do, and will be routinely killed in a “trial by error” type of method to determine the next step in the game.

Eventually, you start to figure out that the reason you're dying so often is mostly because rushing into every room and trying to blow everything away, à la every other FPS out there, does not make for a long life for Deckard. Legendary is set up as more of an action strategy shooter more than anything else, and thinking about yo??ur next move in that mindset will keep you alive slightly longer -- although you will get yo?ur ass handed to you on a regular basis no matter what.

To help guide you, there's Waypoint feature used in the game that helps direct the player on where they’re supposed to go next, but a lot of the times it doesn’t work very well and will certainly frustrate you. Usually, these moments are accompanied by an action sequence that is purposeful??ly brutal, and the repetitive dying without knowing what to do becomes incredibly annoying to the point that some may walk away.

The first of these instances appears early in the game during the New York sequence. Upon the introduction of the Black Order soldiers while being pinned down on the city street, you are eventually led into a nearby building by a security guard who calls out to you. What triggers the security guard is still unknown to me. I died no less than 12 times in the same area trying figure out if I just had to wait, or if I had to kill all of the enemy soldiers. I still have no idea which of the two is the case. Meanwhile, the Waypoint falsely leads you around the level directing you to where you should eventually end up, thereby causing you to break cover and be killed very often. After that, you will soon find yourself doing some inappropriately placed 3D platforming in a warehouse filled with werewolves. While these points aren’t ubiquitous throughout the game, their appearance so soon into the experience may cause people to misjudge the entirety of the Legendary experience.

Thankfully, someone decided to keep the platforming confined to just one part of the game, and the rest of the title seems to borrow quite heavily from games such as BioShock and Condemned 2 with regard to its execution and level design. I noticed that the strong influence of BioShock can be seen in the game’s puzzle mechanics, so much so that any player will think “Yep. That’s like BioShock.”

While Legendary does borrow quite a bit from games that have preceded it, it does set itself apart by creating an intense action game that provides a quality experience. And while the graphics are certainly not of the highest caliber, the game’s slideshow-esque art style lends itself to the narrative well. There are the occasional in-game engine cut scenes, though, which are inexplicably unappealing. Fortunately, they are few and far between enough to not make too poor of an impact. The only true negative factor about them is the fact that they can’t be skipped. Considering how often you will die in Legendary, this seems terribly outdated.

The storyline doesn’t break any new ground or have any huge plot twists (myth monsters + shadow organization = bad), but it certainly doesn’t disappoint. While you’re never really at a loss as to how the whole?? thing will end, getting there is a completely enjoyable, and nerve-racking, experience. My only complaint, though, is that there are no new options given to you upon completing the game. Even though the ending sets up a sequel, I would have liked to have seen the ability to play through the game again with unlimited ammo or some other feature appear that would entice another playthrough.

All in all, I think that if you approach the game in the same way that you would approach a big summer blockbuster movie (fast-paced with lots of crazy action going on, not a whole lot of depth -- think Michael Bay), you'll find an overall enjoyable ride in the experience that Legendary provides. You're constantly barraged with the feeling of "Go! G??o! Go!" from the minute you begin the game until you the time you compl??ete it, and the adrenaline levels of your brain will be set to high throughout. 

However, it must be said that Legendary most certainly has its faults, one of them being the game has absolutely no replayabilty (WTF?). But it is worth your time to sit down and play through the game at least once. While I can't recommend that you purchase the title, I can say that a rental is definitely in order if you have the time. Legendary had its hiccups, but by the e??nd of the show, I was more than pleased with the time I spent with it.

Except for the minotaurs. Fuck those goddamn things and their goddamn ability t?o kill the?? shit out of you EVERY time. 

Score: 7.75  (7s are solid games that definitely have an audience. Might lack replay value, could be too short or there are some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.)

[About this review: Unlike most reviews here at Destructoid, this review was written months prior to the game's release, and the version that was reviewed was purported to be the final build. At that time, there wasn't the ability to play the multiplayer features, so we waited until we had a retail build so that we could review the game in its entirety. It's sad to say, but I waited online for over 30 minutes with the retail copy in hopes that someone would jump into my created match, but no one, and I mean no one, was around for me to play against :( Regardless, I doubt that the one type of online play it provides will truly make any difference in the score. If I ever find anyone to play with and it does make a difference, I'll let you know.

A plus, though, was that the game actually looked a lot sharper than the build I had played for review, so there is that!]

The post Destructoid review: Legendary appeared first on Destructoid.

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has been a talkative boy today, and lately the silver-maned executive has been talking about game quality. According to Riccitiello, EA is prepared to shut down several in-development titles a year if they are not reaching certain standards. Kind of like how they killed Bullfrog, except with a reason this time.

"When something's not meeting expectations... you can course correct by giving i??t more time, more money, changing the concept or killing the game. If you're committed to quality, you take one of those paths. If you preclude any one of those paths, quality will suffer.

EA will kill a game or two a year. Forever."

Brutal stuff, but I imagine that EA's standards of quality are a little lower than some. In fact, Tiberium must have been really bad for EA to kill it off.

That said, it's a good idea to shut down a game if there?'s no chance of it ever being good. Sometimes a title is going to suck no matter how much you try and pol?ish it. I dare say a fair few games over the years would have benefitted from being put out of their misery.

The post EA to ‘kill’ at least one game a year, forever appeared first on Destructoid.

For those of you hoping that today's mandatory Xbox 360 system update brings new features, I'm sorry to disappoint. In all actuality, the patch is merely just anothe??r one of those "behind-the-scenes" sort of things that'll improve Xb?ox Live's scalability.

In similar news, Xbox Live will be down from 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. PDT on Monday for "scheduled maintenance." Major Nelson also informs us that Xbox.com will b?e unavailable and you won't be able to post on the Xbox.com forums either.

It usually isn't until the exact moment Xbox Live goes down that I want to do absolutely nothing but play online games. But seeing as how Grand Theft Auto IV is almost out and there wi??ll definitely be a sizeabl??e surge in XBL activity, the maintenance is probably for the best.

The post Mysterious 360 system update explained, plus Xbox Live ?to be offline this Monday appeared first on Destructoid.

We've all heard about how dangerous videogames are from a variety of crackpots who vilify their violent content and penchant for teaching kids how to murder people, but it's not often that the virgin-white Wii is branded dangerous. Fortunately, Dr. Bret Bruder has come out to keep America's idiocy levels rising, by? claiming that the Wii is a dangerous machine ready to e??nsnare and then hurt unsuspecting gamers.

The emergency department doctor warned viewers about the per?ils of Nintendo's albino wagglebox on Cincinnati television, pointing out how complaints ranging from sore muscles to outright injuries are piling up. Because this is?? America damn it, where somebody being idiotic and straining their own muscles past comfort limits is NOT their fault!

"Those type of injuries you wouldn't expect from indoor play with a video game," Bruder claimed. "The popularity of it, the explosion of this has been unexpected and amazing ... Young children through middle-age people (are) being over exuberant, coming in after hours and hours with their arms,?? shoulders and joints aching."

Classic. People are getting carried away and so it's the Wii's fault. What next? Will somebody who breaks his leg playing soccer go on the war??path against anything round, proclaiming all spheres a menace? Will somebody who drives their car into a wall because they weren't paying attention to the road decide to sue a brick?? company? There's only one thing that's dangerous in this equation, and it's once again a lack of accountability. If you hurt yourself playing on the Wii, you're a tool and it's your fault. 

[Via The Inquirer, with thanks to Aerox]

The post Th?e Wii is dangero??us: More dangerous than stupid doctors? appeared first on Destructoid.

As part of an update available next month, the Wii Photo Channel will be replacing the MP3 file format with the ability to play higher-quality AAC files. Also compatible will be MP4 audio files in the m4a format, but MP3 i??s about to be kicked to the curb. So much for most of my music library.

Current Wii owners should be able to simply skip the update if they wish to keep their MP3s, but all consoles sold at retail next month and beyond will come with it already installed. Additionally, the new Photo Channel version 1.1 will allow you to shuffle songs for random playback and set any picture you like as the Photo Channel icon in the Wii menu, but what good is any of that when you just finished explaining to Grandma what an MP3 is? She's going to be so confused now. 

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This week we're getting two new Live Arcade games: Shrek-N-Roll (800 Microsoft Points) and Screwjumper! (800 Microsoft Points).

Shrek-N-Roll will have you tilting and rolling to your heart's content with single-player, versus, and local co-op modes. If any of you are seriously ??looking forward to this game and you aren't a small child (with a horrible taste in games), I can't help but wonder why.

Topher already told us about Xbox Live's 100th game, Screwjumper!, last week, so here's a quick recap: in order to stop aliens from hurting you and performing other types of ??alien-related trickery, you have to destroy their mining equipment by free-falling onto various objects ... alrighty then! There will also be competitive split-screen and Xbox Live multiplayer.

I'm not feeling this week'?s games at all. ??How about the rest of you?

The post Shre??k-N-Roll and Screwjumper?! on XBLA this Wednesday appeared first on Destructoid.

Okami is one of the solid contenders in the games as art argument, and this gorgeous art book only further fuels that fire. I can only imagine Chad running around the office dancing at the sight of this treasure, so I'm sure it's just fine for the rest of you to follow suit in your respective places of business. After all, it isn't often enough that games of such quality as Okami hit the market, so I'm pretty much completely willing to fork over my hard earned cash for such g?oodies.

Amazon.com is stocking Okami Official Complete Works at a highly reasonable price point of $26; however the ship time is listed as 1-3 months. Ugh. Might be worthy to scour EBay or your favorite comic shops firs??t. What's wrong with you, Amazon? Don't you know nerds require instant gratification?

[Thanks to Golden Donut and Neogaf for scans]

The post Okami art book is highly lustworthy appeared first on Destructoid.

Well, things are back to normal here at RFGO! (whatever that means). Colette is back on the show -- she was healing from a brutal wolf attack last week -- and rejoins the rest of us as we take a walk down memory lane. Today's episode is pure nostalgia, folks, and should be some informative listening for tho?se of you wondering why we love our retro so much. Arcades people, it was all about arcades.

Random highlights!

• Chocolate Rain!

• I think that this is the third "BEST WEEK EVAR!" from Chizzo

•  Hey, did somebody want to hear about Balloon Fight?

• Soon, the Wii shall be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.

• Barcade is Toph's new heaven on earth, suicide note now unecessary
  

• Reader questions!

• The Reverend wants you dead, really

• Chizzo does an arcade top ten, disses my beloved Street Fighter II

• Stop putting your gum in the goddamn memory slots!

• I remember there being an announcement of some importance?

Of course, none of this makes any sense, but it soon will after you listen to the show. To do that,you can head over to our podcasting page or just steal our RSS feed. Try dropping by our Myspace page and participating in the BE?E SUIT!! picture barrage. Oh, did I mention that we're on iTunes?

The post RetroforceGO!: Episode 8: I miss arcades appeared first on Destructoid.

California-based developer Atlus, (makers of Trauma Center, Odin Sphere, and other neat-o games,) announced today that everybody's favorite little nosy person is back and ready to poke around people's houses and mess with all their stuff. Touch Detective 2 1/2 promises to deliver " ??... the same humor and quirkiness that made the first adventure so memorable."

Spanning five new episodes, this sequel to last year's cult hit more than doubles the number of locations to snoop through, and features lots of new unlockables and side quests, like the new Touch List and Investigation Report, which reward you with game music and art when completed. You'll also get to meet some new characters, in addition to some familiar ones from the first game. Yes, this includes Mackenzie's pet mushroom, Funghi. So weird. Any othe??r fans of the first one out there getting excited for this?

The post Touch Detective 2 1/2 announced for DS; Ma??ckenzie still looks creep?y appeared first on Destructoid.

With Father's Day behind us, Nintendo has gone forth and released some manly-man classics the Virtual Console today: NES Open Tournament Golf (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points), World Sports Competition (TurboGrafx-16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points), and Bloody Wolf (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points).

While a case can be made for NES Open Tournament Golf and World Sports Competition being geared towards the stereotypical sports loving, golf playing father, the role of Bloody Wolf in this scenario is ?a bit ??cloudier. Nintendo, however, keeps different company:

?Whether dad's a golf fan, an overall sports enthusiast or just a guy who likes to rescue prisoners with his special forces buddies, this is the week for him.

Now I don't know who the hell your father is, but if yo?ur dad's the kind of guy who likes to rescue prisoners with his special forces buddies, then you're right -- your dad CAN kick my dad's ass.

Long-time Destructoid readers will be happy to hear that Bloody Wolf features absolutely no bloody wolves, answering the important question: "How many wolves must die?" The answer, my friends, is zero. Zero wolves mu??st die.

Wii-kly Upda??te: Three New Classic Games Added to Wii Shop Channel

Father’s Day is over, but the Wii Shop Channel has plenty of competitive games to keep pop hopping. Wheth??er dad’s a golf fan??, an overall sports enthusiast or just a guy who likes to rescue prisoners with his special forces buddies, this is the week for him.

Three ne??w classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in ?the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

NES Open Tournament Golf™ (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): We all knew that Mario™ was a top-notch plumber, but did you know that he could also be a world-class golfer? You can challenge another player in Stroke, Match and Tournament modes. Play on three fantasy courses in the USA, the UK and Japan and try to win a million dollars. Make sure you keep an?? eye on the wind and distance to the hole before selecting your club, or else you’ll be racking up some high scores – which is exactly what you don’t want to do in this game. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced golfer, NES Open Tournament Golf is perfect for those days when you just can’t get to the local golf course.

World Sports Competition (TurboGrafx-16, 1-5 players, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Play through a total of 18 Olympic events in this action/sports title. Players compete in six categories of events that include shooting, archery, rowing, swimming and track and field. The game features Olympics mode, where you play ??all the events o?ver the course of a few days, and Training mode, where you can choose individual events to play. After practicing in Training mode, go for the gold in Olympics mode and break world records. Depending on your play time and ability, you can enjoy the game a number of different ways. Gather friends and play in competitions with up to five players to get even more out of this great game.

Bloody Wolf (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older – Animated Blood, Violence, 600 Wii Points): Enter alone, deep into enemy territory to rescue the kidnapped President in this ove??????????????????????????rhead-view action shooter. Take on the role of a commando in a Special Forces team and face your enemies with an onslaught of weapons, including machine guns and grenades. Earn valuable information, weapons and items by rescuing POWs. Fight your way to the end of each stage and defeat the boss by effectively using your weapons and equipment. This port of the insanely popular arcade game features refined graphics, story and cut-scenes, making this action game a must-have. This new and enhanced version includes the never-been-told second half of the story that was left out of the arcade version.

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