When you initially think of Call of Duty, fighting a nonstop horde of the undead probably isn't the first thing you think of. Well, at least until the Zombies mode became a staple of the Call of Duty series, becoming as much a part of the fra??nchise as its multiplayer and campaign modes.

Since its original inception in Call of Duty: World at War, many players have grown attached to Zombies, as it provides a fun co-op excursion from the series' standard modes. However, with so many titles now including the mode, the amount of available maps has skyrocketed. Here are the 15 best Zombies maps across all Call of Duty games.

15. Nacht Der Untoten - World at War

If you were someone who had just completed the campaign for Call of Duty: World at War, you may have been greeted by this map right as the credits ended. Initially, "Nazi Zombies" was hidden away from players until they completed the main storyline. Once the credits ended, players would be immediately thrust into the first Zombies map, Nacht Der Untoten. Translating to "Night of the Undead," this sm?all locale was an edited version of a building from the campaign mission "Hard Landing."

Players are trapped inside the building with no means of escape as the undead march to the many windows. You would then have to fend off the zombies for as long as possible. Nacht is a simple map focusing on the main gameplay loop of?? round-based survival. Players gain points from shooting zombies and can upgrade their arsenal by purchasing weapons with the points. Whether that's by purchasing them from the chalk drawings on the walls, grabbing the sniper from the upstairs cabinet, or taking their chances by opening the "Mystery Box" in the room on the ground floor.

Players only had their skills to rely on, as the onslaught of zombies was relentle??ss, and help wa??sn't coming anytime soon.

14. TranZit - Black Ops II

Black Ops II was one of the first games to introduce me to Zombies mode, showcasing its now classic round-based matches. In its heyday, TranZit was probably the most talked about map, where players take a deadly scenic route in a one to four-player co-op ride. You'll jump on and off a b??us, with the driver T.E.D.D. commanding its loading and drop-off ti?mes. 

As much as I want this to be a nostalgic gem, it sadly doesn't compare to Zombies mode now. Given the small size of the bus and numerous zombie hordes, it can be way too overwhelming to handle. And it's not the good kind of overwhelming that I've gotten used to, since it feels ??like there is no chance of survival. Not only does the lava on the ground burn you alive, but the fo??g makes it almost impossible to see. 

Don't even get me started on the Wonder Weapon, the Thrustodyne Aeronautics Model 23 (Jet Gun). Players will go through all that trouble of building this tool, only for it to barely kill any zombies. It also makes you move slower than usual, which doesn't really make sense for Zombies mode's fast-paced environment??. Rewards like this just aren't s?atisfying enough to make it worthwhile (But don't worry it gets a buff in the later iterations).

TranZit, despite its flaws, was a game-changer for the Call of Duty series. It was the first Zombies mode to introduce buildables, a feature that has since become a staple in the series. TranZit's innovative gameplay and features paved the way for the evolution of the serie??s, and we owe it a debt of gratitude for that. 

13. Der Reise - World at War

Der Reise, or "The Giant," was the final map to be given to players in World at War's life cycle, joining DLC as an addition to standard multiplayer maps. Since the zombies first appeared in Nacht Der Unto??ten, the mode had undergone some changes, transitioning from defending a single location to a more expansive map where letting in the undead didn't spell the end of your crew.

The map?? puts players at ground zero of the zombie outbreak, a facility run by the elusive "Group 935." While the lore wasn't at the forefront of the gameplay, dedicated players could tune into the ??many radios around the map to uncover the story of Dr. Edward Richtofen. You'll learn about the betrayal of his partner, Ludvig Maxis, and the horrific creation of the undead army, including the hellhounds that attack the player every five rounds.

Der Reise also solidified the "Perk-a-Cola" system into the game. Brand new to Der Reise was the Pack-a-Punch machine. You could now invest in your favorite weapons by upgrading them to become more powerful variants. Players who were clever enough to stick with weak weapons like the Colt M1911 would be rewarded with a pistol that shot explosive rounds, telling players that all guns are worth at least upgrading once.

Der Reise's high replayability and the formal introduction of the series' lore gave players something to think about as they waited for the next Treyarch? game to release, hoping that the questions they were left with would finally be answered.

12. Buried - Black Ops II

Call of Duty Black Ops II's Buried map incorporates a Wild West scene into Zombies mode. The area is wholly buried underneath rubble, hence t?he name, with no means of esc?ape in sight. As the new sheriff in town, there are plenty of resources to take advantage of, from chalk-drawing weapons to various Perk Colas. 

Buried is one of the few maps that offer an NPC helper with the formidable Arthur. Give him some Candy or Booze to get him on your side, and he'll eliminate zomb?ies in no time. It's also excellent for solo players who need a team?mate to watch their back. In addition to Arthur, my personal favorite from this map is the Ray Gun Mark II. It amplifies everything from its original design, making it an even more devastating weapon. 

You can use it to take on the unique challenge at the haunted mansion. Here, players will stand against a ghostly woman who tends to steal money out of your pockets. Given that cash is a big part of Zombies mode (giving you new weapons an?d upgrades), it's a thrilling challenge that w?ill test your movements and skills. 

The Wonder Weapons, including the Paralyzer and Time Bomb, are also fun to wield. While the Paralyzer helps slow down zombies, the Time Bomb sends you back in time to collect previous gear. Buried's many helpful features make it stand out amongst the maps, and it's plain fun to explore a??round its old western-themed environment. 

11. Ascension - Black Ops

Ascension refines what's already been learned in previous maps but keeps it fresh?? by adding to the mechanics in fun and intuitive ways. The map starts out with the player entering it through a lunar lander. The color fades to monochrome, and the only way to turn the ??color back on is by activating the power station.

Pack-a-Punch is opened by riding lunar landers between the three main locations on the map, allowing players to launch a rocket stationed in the background, opening the room housing t?he Pack-a-Punch.

The map functions similarly to Der Reise, though the lunar lander has to be called to each location before riding it. This waiting per?iod and the short ride back to the start provide small breaks for the player to reload and recoup before continuing the fight. Special rounds return, though the hellhounds are nowhere to be seen, replaced by terrifying space monkeys, who attack the Perk Machines players have used. If? they're stopped before dealing any damage to the perks, players can net themselves a free perk, bypassing the four perk limit set by all maps.

Ascension also introduced players to "Easter Eggs," a story quest that can be completed throughout a session to gain rewards and directly impact the series' plotline. It's not front and center, and compared to other maps, Ascension's is quite simple, but access to a 90-second Death Machine (a devastating piece of weaponry) is a fine reward for the most skilled zombie slayers. This location is a perfect map for all player types. It keeps them on their toes with special rounds but is close in complexity to World at War's maps.

10. Kino Der Toten - Black Ops

Kino is the first map players got to play in Call of Duty: Black Ops. Originally meant to be an extra map in World at War, it instead became an "on-disc" location for Treyarch's next title. This worked to its benefit, as the new engine and similar design to previous maps in the Zombies mode made it into the iconic map it is today.

Kino Der Toten (Theater of the Dead) is excellent for new Black Ops players. Its simple design guides you around either side of the theater through the backstage or onto the stage from the alleyway. Once the power is turned on, the open area on the stage provides ??plenty of room for players to eliminate zombies. Pack-a-Punch is as simple as linking one teleporter to the pad the players started the game on as well. It provides a safe spot to upgrade your weapons and a short break from the horde of zombies.

With both paths being linked to one another, multiple strategies can be executed by neglecting to open doo?rs on either side of the map, allowing for solid camping strategies ?utilizing the traps found around the map.

While it's not the most complex map, Kino Der Toten lives in the hearts of many players, as it's a map even the most hardcore Zombies fans will come back to.

9. Shadows of Evil - Black Ops III

Completely contrasting Kino Der Toten is Black Ops III's own on-disc map, Shadows of Evil. With the gameplay shift to more complex maps that started in Origins and Mob of the Dead, Shadows of Evil's H.P. Lovecraft-inspired aesthetic recontextualizes the many mechanics players loved about the Black Ops II maps.

The map consists of a lengthy "set-up phase" in which players must complete four rituals around the map to open the Pack-a-Punch Machine. Players must use Beast Mode to open rooms and activate perk machines, similar to how afterlife mode worked in Mob of the Dead. This is also how players will open the central hub underground, the main junction between all four l??ocations on the map.

Shadows of Evil includes a plethora of extra content ?to do once the set-up is complete. You can find symbols hidden in the decor while riding the train, which they can use to unlock a hidden wall underground to begin the quest to gain the Apothicon Sword, adding another weapon to their arsenal without taking up a weapon slot. Finding three fuses around the map will also net you the Civil Protector, a mechanical automaton that will help you fight the undead for a short amount of time.

While Shadows of Evil isn't a good map to introduce players to the Zombies mode, it is a perfect map for fans who want not only a challenge but a locatio?n with something to ?do around every corner.

8. Zombies in Spaceland - Infinite Warfare

One of the only maps on this list that was not designed by Treyarch, Infinity Ward decided to do their own take on Zombies for Infinite Warfare. Being completely separa?ted in lore, this iteration was a more comical take on the game mode, introducing a new story, characters, and maps inspired by movie genres of the past.

Their debut map, Zombies in Spaceland, sent players to an '80s theme park filled with out-of-this-world attractions and the undead. The gameplay loop was extremel?y similar to Treyarch's previous entries, with players first unlocking the upgrade machine by using three teleporters around the park.

However, survival wasn't the only thing players could do in Spaceland. The theme park's multiple attractions could be used to help destroy the undead, such as the spinning Escape Velocity or out-of-control bumper cars. The map is filled to the brim ?with actual inte??ractives as well; playing one of the many arcade games in the Astrocade or riding the rollercoaster will net you tickets, which you can then spend on a myriad of helpful gear.

Perks were also included in this new rendition, taking the form of "Perk Candies" but retaining the same effects as in the Treyarch maps. Previously removed perks, such as the PhD Flopper, returned in Infinite Warfare. Some perks were even based on fan suggestions, like Trailblazers?, which left a fire trail as a character slid along the ground. Dying in Spaceland doesn't set players too far back, either. Bleeding out would send you to the Afterlife Arcade, which allows players to complete fun arcade games to jump back into the match without having to wait until the round is over.

Infinity Ward managed to make Treyarch's mode their own a?nd, in turn, delivered one of the freshest takes on the mode �all without str?aying away from the original formula.

7. Der Eisendrache - Black Ops III

The first DLC map for Black Ops III brings back the Primis crew, the alternate universe ???versions of Richtofen, Dempsey, Nikolai, and Takeo that players met in Origins. Der Eisendrache, or "The Iron Dragon," takes players to a medieval castle run by the elusive Group 935, where they must fight against the onslaught of undead, including special enemies like the Hellhounds and Panzer Soldats.

Returning from Origins is a Wonder Weapon with four variants, one for each player. After feeding the dragons throughout the map, players can pick up the Wrath of the Ancients. This bow can be upgraded into one of four variants, each with its own devastating effects. The map also introduces low gravity and wall-running, which is part of the BO3's advanced movement system.

Der Eisendrache also begins BO3's ??main storyline. After completing the Shadows of Evil main quest, Richtofen will steal away the Summoning Key, a device used to harvest souls, in an attempt to "Secure a Better?? Tomorrow"

If players choose to, they can work through the main quest to gain access to Ultimis Dempsey's body and save his soul in the summoning key. This culminates in the first official boss fight in Zombies history. The map's replayability, buildable nature, and Wonder Weapons perfectly balance complexity and accessibility, sitting it comfortably on this Call of Duty list.

6. Urzikstan - Modern Warfare III

Even though MW3 Zombies removes the icon?ic round-based modes, I genuinely believe it is a step in the right direction for the series. Instead of the traditional four-player count, 24 Operators can work together across the infected Urzikstan, giving a new meaning to team camaraderie. You would thi??nk that having this many players on deck would make it easier, but it somehow still gets more challenging at every turn. 

The map comprises three Threat Level Zones: Low, Medium, and High. Players will initially start off in the Low tier until they are eventually ready to take on the High Threat Zone. You can basically think of it as Round 40 in a standard Zombies run, but with even more challenges than you can imagine. The elite zombies, from the life-sucking Disciples to the colossal Mega Abomination, will undoubtedly keep your h?e??art racing.

The Urzikstan map harnesses various Contracts to complete and provides players with Essence, MW3 Zombies currency. Most tasks, such as escort quests, guarding specific areas, and bounty takedowns, can be quickly completed. Then, you can take all your hard-earned cash over to the Buy Station, Pack-a-Punch, or Perk Cola machines to get s?ome extra buffs.

If you love Zombies lore, the Urikstan map uncovers many secrets tied to past entries in the franchise. These Story Missions are narrative-driven quests that offer objectives to complete to earn valuable rewards. The missions are designed to immerse players in the game's lore and provide a deeper understanding of the Zombies universe. One thing I love about the Story Missions gifts is the Schematics you ?gain from them. Although they come with cooldowns, Operators can build items before entering the map, which, in return, saves a lot of time. 

My only issue is the one-hour time limit, which tends to go by in a flash. The previous round-based mechanics allowed players to experience it for countless hours, making MW3 Zombies more restrictive than any other mode. Still, it's one of the most fun I've had in Zombies, and Urzikstan has only gotten better with its many upd??ates.?

5. Liberty Falls - Black Ops 6

Despite the initial skepticism from the CoD community about Liberty Falls' brighter setting, this map has proven to be a hidden gem. I know how stressful Zombies mode can get, but this location made jumping into Black Op 6's much more inviting. It's an excellent starting point for beginners, ??with its manageable size and readily available tools, all set in the heart of a West Virginian town. The map even allows for the acquisition of a Ray Gun in the first round through a simple Easter Egg trick at a v??ending machine.

Don't be fooled by Liberty Falls' compact size �it's packed with a wealth of content. Every corner of this map holds an Easter Egg, from constructing a free Jet Gun to engaging in disco zombie bowling. The map's many points of interest, including the Church, Olly's Comics, and the Liberty Falls bank,?? are ripe for exploration and discovery.

The Side Quests, in particular, lead you to the most intriguing journies, often tying into a complex series of steps. Take, for example, the Aetherella Easter Egg, which requires you to find various figurines to unlock the powers of heat vision. I never thought a Zombies mode could include superhuman powers such as this, but I suppose it isn't too out of left field with the mystical abilities of Origins.

Those who assemble the Jet Gun dive further into Liberty Fall's lore, untangling the webs of the Dark Aether outbreak mystery. The fan-favorite Richtofen also makes his mark here, where we see him wielding the powerful Wunderwaffe in the LF cinematic. While he still has yet to come back in-game, new updates for the map will undoubtedly bring fo??rth his r??eturn and more content to its thrilling narrative.

4. Moon - Black Ops

With the release of the Zombies-only "Rezurrection Pack" DLC, Moon marks the end of Black Ops' story. The DLC included all of the World at War maps, as well as the new map, Moon. Starting the map doesn't begin on round one; instead, it begins on a timer in Groom Lake. While players start right next to the Pack-a-Punch machine, an infinite onslaught of zombies will continu??e to spawn. After a few seconds, they'll pick up speed, making it more dangerous to s??tick around with just a pistol. Once you step onto the teleporter, you'll be transported to the map proper, where you can get a significant head start if you're skilled enough to survive in Groom Lake.

From here, you'll need to put on the PES Suit, as there's no oxygen. Once you turn on the power and activate the life support systems, you can explore the labs without the PES. If you happen to find the Hacker in the labs, you can switch out the PES for one of the most powerful items in all of Zombies.

The hacker can do many things, such as opening any door for 200 points, gifting any player 500 points out of your own pocket, changing any powerup into max ammo, and even refunding perks you don't need anymore. If you're playing Moon, you may also notice a zombie in an astronaut suit sporting the name of one of your friends. If caught in the astronaut's grasp, he'll teleport you to a?? random part of the map and remove one of the perks from your loadout.

Players can teleport back to Groom Lake, as it's the only way to access Juggernog, Speed-Cola,? and the Pack-a-Punch Machine. However, every player in the match needs to be on the telepo??rter pad to make their way back. This adds a co-op element but makes it difficult to head back if someone in the squad isn't playing along. With the right crew, planning trips to Groom Lake can net you and your pals more than enough points to upgrade.

The Hacker also allows players to shield themselves from the horde while Pa??ck-a-Punching. This gi??ves everyone a small reprieve, though they'll need to be prepared once the doors open. With Moon being the finale, players see the culmination of all the maps quests, using items they acquired in previous maps, players can conclude the storyline in Moon.

During the Main quest, players will come face to face with Samantha Maxis, the mastermind behind the zombies. Richtofen, in his grand scheme, will control the zombies by switching minds with Samantha, changing the voice lines for the player who's controlling Richtofen. This all culminates in the group firing rockets at the earth, destroying the planet, and setting in motion the events of Black Ops II.

Moon serves as an exciting culmination of Black Ops' Zombies mode, and its inclusion in the Rezurrection DLC proves that Treyarch was taking notice of Zombies' overall popularity.

3. Terminus - Black Ops 6

It's hard to choose a favorite with the new Black Ops 6 Zombies maps, but if I had to pick one, it would have to go to Terminus. There's even more to do here, as one of Call of Duty's most extensive round-based Zombies maps to date. Yes, it can be challenging, but isn't that what this mode is all ab??out?

You'll begin your adventures in a zombie-filled prison on a remote island in the Philippine Sea. Three AMP Generators must be turned on to activate the power to the facility, thus giving you access to handy tools, such as the Pack-a-Punch machine. Players will assume the roles of the elite Terminus team, an ensemble comprising new and old faces. Easily recognizable Black Ops figures like Dr. William Peck and Grigori Weaver have returned, along with the latest recruit, Maya Aguinaldo. The??y'll need to do whatever it takes to escape the prison, all to plot their revenge on Richtofen.

Compared to Liberty Falls, Terminus' storyline definitely has the upper hand here. It's a lot more fleshed out and entertaining, especially when you're on the expedition for the Main Quest. This time, instead of the Jet Gun, you'll need to find the parts for the new Beamsmasher, a Wonder Weapon introduced in BO6. The weapon proves essential for several Terminus E?aster Eggs, ending with the final boss through the Hacking Device.

Even though I've spent weeks on Terminus, it still feels like I've only scratched the surface. There are so many adventures it has to offer, including one of my favorites, the Cursed Talisman, which almost fee??ls like an undead treasure hunt journey. Besides the main island, many plots of land are scattered around the map to up the ante of exploration. And if you look closely enough, you may find an Easter Egg on all of them, either tying into the Main or Side Quests.

Terminus is just a classic Zombies map that's inspired by many of its predecessors. It has that same ominous? look of TranZit and an abundance of Easter Eggs like Shadows of Evil. Yet, it also brings something new to the table with its modernized spin on graphics and map size.  

2. Mob of the Dead - Black Ops II

Black Ops II's story picked up where Black Ops' left off, giving us a new plotline following a new crew of characters named Victus. However, Mob of the Dead is not a map in their story.

Mob of the Dead instead follows the story of four mobsters trapped in purgatory on Alcatraz Island. Sal Deluca, Finn O'Leary, Billy Handsome, and Al "The Weasel" Arlington find th?emselves in a twisted version of their prison where the undead run rampant??, and the warden aims to lock up their souls forever.

This is the first taste of more complex maps that would become the norm in the second half of Black Ops II's life cycle and into Black Ops III. Players would spawn as souls in the new Afterlife mode, and a mechanic where going DBNO turns you into a ghost. Aside from being able to revive yourself, Afterlife allows players to see passageways and secrets onl??y visible through their ethereal form, introducing specific ways to open up the prison's many secret rooms. There's not a single power switch that powers on everything; rather, electrical boxes players need to shock are spread around the map, and Afterlife's electric blast is the only way to power them on.

Around the map are also three hellhound heads, feeding each head a group of zombies gives them the Hell's Retriever, a tomahawk that can be thrown like a boomerang to pick up powerups, or kill groups of zombies. Mob's Wonder Weapon, the Blundergat, is a four-barreled?? shotgun that shoots one blast at a time, a powerful weapon on its own, and when upgraded into the Acid-Gat, it can easily dispatch hordes. Pack-a-Punching the Acid Gat causes its bolts t??o attract zombies, turning a powerful weapon into an even more robust tool.

Every so often, "The Warden" will appear, a powerful special zombie with unique abilities. For one, he'll disable any Perk Machine, buildable table, or mystery box in his path??, forcing the player to chalk up 2000 points to reopen it. Once you knock off his helmet, the warden will then cover himself in a smokescreen before charging at you once more. While this doesn't do anything to mask the warden, it does obfuscate any other enemies you may be fighting.

The real meat and potatoes of the map are how players will access Pack-a-Punch. Around the map are several pieces players need to find to build a plane to escape from Alcatraz. Finding all of?? them and boarding the plane will send the mobsters flying, only to have them crash on the Golden Gate Bridge, where the only escape is via electric chair. Once you come back, you'll have to refuel the plane to go again.

If you complete the main quest, you'll be greeted with an audio tour of the prison, while fighting the horde you'll uncover the story of the mobsters, as they planned their escape in the same way as they do in the map. However, the plane you fly to Pack-a-Punch on was never built, as Finn, Sal, and Billy kill Al on the roof of the prison. The three are sentenced to death for the murder of Al, placing the four in the events of Mob of the Dead. Once you fly to the Golden Gate Bridge for the final time, the mobsters will have to face off with Al once more, though this time, Al is aided by the zombies, which is the only PvP zombies interaction in the series' history. Whether the mobsters won or Al survived, the game would end, giving Zombies its first-ever win condition.

Mob of the Dead was a taste of what the new age of Zombies was going to be. Players were given a c?hecklist of tasks to complete, with optional quests and bu?ildables to make survival easier. This blend of set-up and casual survival, combined with the grungy, otherworldly aesthetic, makes Mob of the Dead a one-of-a-kind map.

1. Origins - Black Ops II

The final map to release in Black Ops II is a refinement of some of the mechanics found in Mob of the Dead. Although, what Origins did that Mob didn't, was refine what would become the standard for Zombies maps going forward in the Black Ops series.

Taking place "on the battlefields of the great war," players would once again take control of the classic characters, Richtofen, Dempsey, Nikolai, and Takeo. However, these characters were different from the inherently goofy and sarcastic versions they had been removed from since Black Ops. These characters were more mature, refined, and grounded. The worl?d around them was n??ot.

Origins took place in an alternate, steampunk timeline, where giant robots roamed the WWI trenches, and zombies terrorized the battlefield. The map was split into multiple sections, as players had to hold out on six generators to activate the Pack-a-Punch, excavated from the mysterious d?ig site that caused the zombie outbreak.

Players would find pieces of magic staffs throughout the map by either entering the robot by shooting a hatch as it stepped on them or digging them up during the brief times it snowed. Finding the gramophone and record item would open magic portals around the ??battlefield, allowing players to find a gem to complete their staff. with four buildable staffs, each player was able to wield a powerful Wonder Weapon, allowing them to incinerate, freeze, electrocute, or blow away hordes of zombies with ease.

At round eight, a Panzer Soldat would spawn in, a powerful enemy with a flamethrower and ??a grappling hook, ensnaring anyone in its way. If you could survive that long, Origins kept you busy by having templar zombies attack the generators, forcing you to move to and stop t??hem before you had to hold out on more difficult rounds.

Challenges were also introduced as a main mechanic, permitting players to complete objectives to unlock ?special rewards. Getting 115 headshots rewarded you with a free Pack-a-Punched weapon?, while spending 30,000 points awarded you a bottle of Double Tap, letting you bypass the perk limit.

Any perk that wasn't available as a machine could be found in the Wunder-Fizz, which functioned lik??e the Mystery Box but for perks. Origins did retain its four-perk limit, but you could increase the number of perks you could hold by upgrading your shovel. Once you acquired the gold shovel by u??sing it enough, using the new powerup Zombie Blood, would allow you to see special dig spots invisible by normal means, digging them would give you a free perk. Digging enough spots with the golden shovel would net players with the golden helmet, preventing them from taking any damage when being stepped on by the giant robots.

The main quest would see players freeing Samantha from Agartha, though much like the new crew, this Samantha was different, guiding players through the mission, rather than acting as the antagonist. Completing the Easter Egg ended the game, much like Mob of the Dead. However, this ending was a fully ??animated cutscene, where players discovered that the events of the map were nothing?? but action figures being played in Samantha's imagination...

...At least, that's what players assumed... until the plot of Black Ops III changed everything.

Origins sits atop the list of 15 best Call of Duty Zombies maps not just because of how influential it is to the series but also because of its intuitive set-up phase, its many side objecti?ves, its powerful Wonder Weapons, and its entertaining and challenging main quest. It remains a map that fans will always come back to, no matter what mood they are in, as it readi??ly satisfies every player's zombie-slaying needs.

The post The 15 Best CoD Zombies maps, Ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

It's no trick! After more than four years as a PC exclusive, Kinetic Games' Phasmophobia is haunting consoles for the first time.

Released on October 29, the cooperative horror title is now available for Xbox Se??ries X|S and PlaySt?ation 5. Kinetic Games also released a launch trailer showcasing the games intense ghost-hunting gameplay.

Phasmophobia allows one to four players to kit up and tackle the paranormal with specialized gear akin to reality shows such as Ghost Hunters. It sports more than 10 unique locations to explore and over 20 different ghosts with individual characteristics to encounter and survive. The game also features the ability to create custom games, giving ??hunters the choice to make their own entirely original experience.

Phasmophobia's unique gameplay catapulted it to immense popularity on Steam, where it reached a peak of 112,241 players and still bo??asts an audience of over ?40,000 concurrent players daily. It also holds a spot within the top 20 best-selling titles on Steam.

Phasmophobia's cooperative element, open-ended gameplay, and white-knuckle scares make it quite popular with the streaming community on Twitch as well. Many streamers with large viewership numbers featured the title on stream, including Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and RDCWorld. Overall, the game ranks in the top 150 Twitch all-time peak viewership and has nearly 223 million total hours watched.

It's a treat for console gamers to finally getting their chance to get in on the fun, and just before the spookiest day of the year too. Phasmophobia is available for purchase in the Microsoft and PlayStation Sto?res for $19.99.

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Since releasing at the end of 2020, many have been waiting for Cyberpunk 2077 to get online multiplayer. However, that hasn't happened and is not going to, at an official level at? least, so it's once again being left up to the modding community to save the day.

Currently, there is work-in-progress being made on a multiplayer mod for the game (called "CyberMP"), which will allow multiple people to duke it out dystopia-style across the whole of Night City. The video below shows the latest version of the project, with a number of Cyberpunk 2077 players testing out the functionality.

It's actually pretty impressive so far. The JuiceHead narrator notes the stability of this unofficial multiplayer mode, with reference to how well it all appears to be synced up. While ??it's by no means perfect, the mod seems to be coming along nicely, and the footage above shows that, even in this state, it plays pretty solid.

There were some a few issues, of course, such as a few crashes and some animations not being present in the earlier builds, but progress is being made all the time. It's also said to be under the sole care of a single developer, which makes the project even more impres??sive, but does mean it'll take a bit of time to complete.

Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer when?

Despite how stable it all looks, there's no indication on when the general public will get to try it out. A report from DSO Gaming speculates that �as it's still in "pre-alpha" ??�we may be waiting a while, possibly another year or so. However, given what we can see in JuiceHead's video, some may speculate a much sooner release date, but these would just be guesses.

As for what happened with CD Projekt Red officially adding multiplayer in, that's definitely not on the cards now. The idea was pushed back in favor of fixing the many glaring issues that plagued Cyberpunk 2077 from day one. Add onto that the fact that the developer has now ended support for the game and there's no way an official online multiplayer?? mode will be coming t?o the game now.

It should also be noted that the mod itself won't feature co-op, so players can't team up to take on the game's missions or main storyline. Whether it'll come in the future cannot be said at this stage. Currently, it looks it's going for more of a GTA Online vibe, so expect a lot of cha?os on the streets when it does come out.

The post Cyberpun??k 2077 is getting an (unofficial) multipl??ayer mod appeared first on Destructoid.

When I received the gift of Stardew Valley from my husband back in December 2017, I never understood the importance or impact this game would have on me and my mental health. It ??is the exact type of game that I needed when I was a child, and as an adult, I'm not ashamed to admit that I e?njoy it for therapeutic reasons.

Stardew Valley is one of those games that I play when I ultimately need to relax. While I do play most games to relax, Stardew Valley takes that to an extra level, and allows me not to feel so alone in the world. It gives me purpose on days where life socializati?on or life is too much. From the style of the music, the cute pixel art, and the various activities in the game, there is always something relaxing or therapeutic about it when I play it.

The artsyle is so cute it makes me happy

The pixel style of graphics, especially for Stardew Valley, reach the inner child in me that needed this game in my past. The bright colors, the palette in general make the world blend in together in an aesthetically cute?? pixel art, and cute things always make me happy and hopeful. The bright palette adds tones of extra cheerfuln?ess of the game, which helps brighten my moods.

Even the stormy days always bring to mind somethingâ€??”my best friend who loved storms, the intense rain noises that I love listening to, even when the thunder is too loud. I also have to make sure, during the summer season, to have enough lightning rods. Though they do create batteries when struck by lightning, I also just get sad if lightning happens to strike any of my crops or flowers. Especially when crops get destroyed, as it ruins my sometimes perfected layouts and growth.

The activities bring me joy

There is so much to do in Stardew Valley that it's always fun. Ther??e is mining, which I love the exploration of the cave system, the peaceful bits of the mining, and then the bits of combat as I travel deeper. The further I travel, the more the zones change in appearance, from normal stone tiling, to a frozen ancient c?astle appearance, and then even a magma-like filled cavern. Fishing, while I use a mod on PC because the mini-game is a bit too difficult, is fun as well. I adore playing the mini-game for fishing on the Nintendo Switch, , as I can utilize the controls for it better.

I love the variety of fish that the game provides, and for some reason, the purple super cucumber caught in the ocean is one of my favorites. I love the farming aspects as well, both the crop raising and animal raising aspects. Being able to pet the animals every morning, including the starter pet from the new game menu, makes ?me happy. I love the little chicken and cow and goat?? noises, and while it's sometimes tedious, I love hunting them down for pets in the mornings. Sometimes I'll sit in their fenced-in area, just to watch them wander around and listen to the animal sounds.

The music is soft, but upbeat, and happy. It fits the aesthetic of the game perfectly, make?s it cheerful for even the most downtrodden souls. There is something about the way it transitions from the farm music to the town that seems like flawless execution, and I love that each season has various types of soundtracks that feel fitting for those months. Even the social aspect, like ma??king friends and building romances, even up to marriage and having children, makes me happy. If I'm feeling especially alone on a specific day, I know I have friends in the game that are always happy to talk to me.

Being able to relax with friends in multiplayer, or even make friends with the non-player characters in the town and see them during each of the game's festivals brings a smile to my face, no matter how I'm feeling. While I have yet to actually finish the game, or really just see all of its events, Stardew Valley is always the one game I turn?? to when I need a ??boost to my mood, when life just is too hard.

The post Yea?rs later, Stardew Valley is still the ?best reprieve on a rough day appeared first on Destructoid.

Who doesn't feel all of their neuroreceptors firing up when someone talks about good times with split-screen games, whether they were co-op or competitive experiences? Whether it's because we're older and no longer have as much time t??o play as before, or because the industry just went another �sad??der �way, I believe we all miss the golden age of peeking at your opponent's screen to get that sweetly dishonorable and unfair advantage.

A Way Out

What's better than breaking out of prison? Well, never getting caught, sure, but, if you're not that lucky or good at crime, I'd pick breaking out of prison with a buddy. That's the premise of A Way Out by Hazelight, a company that excels at co-op games, and that hit its current peak at narrative-driven gameplay with A Way Out. If you w??ant a game that does co-op well, but is also filled with Hollywood-worthy? set pieces, this is the one for you.

Timesplitters 2 

When gamers talk about great split screen experiences, their minds immediately wander to images of Goldeneye 007 while the game's sweet theme plays in the background. I'm extremely guilty of that, as that's the game that gave me the idea for this list. Still, I'd argue that Goldeneye was not the game to perfect its own formula, nor was Perfect Dark. I believe it was Timesplitters 2, the game that gave us one of the earliest �and still one of the better �PS2 shooters at a glorious 60 frames per second. I only ever got to face off three more ?people at the same time, but if you have the equipment �and an actual gang �you can play it with up to 16 people at once.

Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock

The only game series to rival Guitar Hero in the split-screen rhythm arena is Dance Dance Revolution, but I'd argue Guitar Hero 3 edges it out due to the better song selection, and also because a guitar is way cooler and more practical to have and transport than a DDR mat. Guitar Hero 3 doesn't just mark the peak of its series, it likely also ma??rks the last great moment in the history of competitive split-scre?en gaming �for the time being, I hope.

Burnout 3: Takedown

Many racing games fought for this position in my heart, but Burnout 3 was just too aggressive to lose to the likes of Need For Speed, Gran Turismo, or Forza. Burnout 3 is a fantastic game even if you only play by yourself, but it becomes a completely different beast when you turn it into a duel against your best friend �or your most hated enemy. This thing is as thrilling as a Quake 3 deathmatch, and still as fun and harmless as a game of Super Smash Bros.

Super Mario Kart

And if I'm singing praise to Burnout 3, I cannot do so without honoring the OG. Yeah, you could say that the original Mario Kart for the SNES walked so that Burnout could drift, but there's way more value to it than just that. Even though it was a two-player-max affair, the truth is that the good ol' Super Mario Kart remains highly enjoyable even for people who never ??got to experience it when it first came out.

Gears Of War

When I finished watching the first gameplay footage for Gears Of War, I mostly sat in disbelief at what I'd just witnessed. There just was no way that I was looking at actual gameplay footage. There just was no way they could make cover shooting, something the series would make ubiquitous, fun. And that was before I learned that this fever dream of a third-person shooter had serious split screen co-op and competitive aspirations. Everything felt absurd, but the planetary alignment did occur, and Gears Of War ended up providing players with one of the greatest packages in the history of shooters. I know that Gears Of War is likely older than anyone reading this who hasn't played it yet, but I wholeheartedly say it's not too late to enjoy the or??iginal campaign in co-op.

Beating Gen?eral RAAM with your bu?ddy on the highest difficulty will ensure your friendship lasts at least another 20 years.

Portal 2

To be completely honest, Portal 2 didn't need a co-op mode. The first game didn't have one, and it's still one of the greatest games in history. Portal 2, however, couldn't be content with being just one of the greatest single-player games of all time. It needed to be one of the greatest co-op experiences of all time, and it sure achieved its goal. Instead of just having players go through the base campaign with two players, Valve forged a masterful new campaign that had players working together on something that's not just mindlessly shooting stuff. I love mindlessly shooting stuff in games, but I'd argue Portal 2's co-op campaign,?? though bereft of a big plotline comparable to the sing??le-player one, remains the most interesting of the two due to the added challenge.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

Though hard to believe nowadays, at some point the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series was beloved by skaters and uncool people alike. You could play for points, go on an unhinged search for all the secrets hidden in the many awesome maps, or simply leave the game running to listen to its magnificent soundtrack. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 was always worth it, but it gained?? a whole new? dimension when going head-to-head against your friends.

This game, which I always played against either actual skaters or randos who somehow were always much better at it than me, provided me with some of the most memorable split screen moments of all time. Imagine what it can do for you �especially if you're any good at ??it.

Goldeneye 007

How great is Goldeneye's split screen deathmatch mode? Well, it's just a part of one of the best video game adaptations of one of the best 007 movies of all time, and it's still the most famous thing related to the Goldeneye name. This was, for many years, the gold standard of couch multi??player, and the first de??finite proof that first-person shooters could work, and rock, on consoles �so long as nobody is playing Oddjob.

Halo 3

This is a list and not the ranking of my favorite split-screen games, but, had this been that, there would be no competition for Halo 3. This game's co-op campaign isn't simply the best in the series, it's also the first one to use the Master Chief and the Arbiter as players one and two, showing that the devs at Bungie were well aware that the co-op factor in a Halo campaign was as important as the solo mode fo?r fans.

People lived for the idea of finishing the fight with their best friend riding shotgun. The final level where you work together to finally escape the collapsing Halo is one of the most memorable moments in video games, for the co-op partners who cleared ?it.

Oh yeah, there was also the local split screen PvP, which I'm just going to say was even better than Goldeneye's and Timesplitter 2's.

The post The best split screen games of all time appeared first on Destructoid.

The Final Chapter

Gun Media has announced that its asymmetrical horror title Friday the 13th: The Game will be delisted this December, following the expirati??on of the studio's license. The multiplayer massacre will then continue to operate unti??l "at least" the end of 2024 for those who already own it.

Released in the summer of 2017, Friday the 13th: The Game?? is an adaptation of the classic "slasher movie" series, and sees parties of Crystal Lake camp counselors attempt to stay five steps ahead of the blade of unstoppable serial killer Jason Voorhees. The title has already suffered through licensing issues, which caused the ??servers to be switched off momentarily in 2020, but it seems that this time, the red tape is far more unkillable than our hockey mask-sporting psycho.

//twitter.com/Friday13thGame/status/16668114858118??06210?s=20

"The time has come, begins a statement posted to the game's official Twitter account. "Our license for Friday the 13th will expire on December 31st, 2023. On that date, Friday the 13th: The Game will no longer be available for sale, both physically a?nd digitally. The game will, however, continue to function through at least December 31, 2024, if you already own it."

Gun Media has reduced the price of the game to five dollars, with all DLC now retailing for a dollar apiece. The publisher is currently preparing the launch of its next release, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Game, which walks a similar path of PvP action, and will see a team of Survivors attempting to?? outwit the terrifying Sawyer family, led by the horrific butcher, Leatherface.

Friday the 13th: The Game will be delisted on December 31. It is avai?lable now on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nin??tendo Switch.

The post Friday the 13th: The ??Game will be delisted in December due to licence expir?ation appeared first on Destructoid.

(And featuring a bad Bon Jovi cover)

During Summer Game Fest, Saber Interactive revealed brand new monster shooter Toxic Commando, which is headed to PC and Gen9 consoles in 2024.

The trailer sees a pack of bastards gunning the engine through a throng of terrifying mutants, using all manner of wild weaponry to cut a swathe through hordes of decaying flesh. While en masse zombie shooters are not exactly few and far between, Toxic Commando is being produced by director (and passionate video game fan) John Carpenter, who is behind such movies as Halloween, The Thing, and Prince of Darkness.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqY8YoOkmIo

It will be interesting to see how Carpenter's influence instills itself in the final product, and hopefully helps Toxic Commando to break away from the typical first-person chaos of the many previous co-op zombie shooters that have come before. We still have a while to wait, as Toxic Commando will not be with us until some point in ?2024, but given its Gen9 exclusivity and pedigree producer, it's an exciting prospect, guaranteeing a somewhat splatte?riffic release.

Toxic Commando launches next year on ?PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X.

The post Toxic Commando is a new zombie ma?sher produced by John Carpe??nter appeared first on Destructoid.

New 'single-player experience' also en route

Naughty Dog has released a statement concerning the state of play on its untitled multiplayer project set within the miserable world of The Last of Us �Original??ly announced at the start of the year as part of the series' 10th-anniversary celebrations, the studio has remained? quiet on the release, offering up little news on its concept, gameplay style, or launch window.

"We know many of you have been looking forward to hearing more about our The Last of Us multiplayer game," wrote the studio on Twitter. "We’re incredibly proud of the job our ??studio has done thus far, but as development has contin?ued, we’ve realized what is best for the game is to give it more time."

//twitter??.com/Naughty_Dog/status/1662166716892?479488?s=20

"Our team will continue to work on the project, as well as our other games in development, i?ncluding a brand new single-player experience; we look?? forward to sharing more soon. We’re grateful to our fantastic community for your support thank you for your passion for our games, it continues to drive us."

The referenced "brand new single-player experience" is something of a whispered announcement, and seemingly represents a second Last of Us project in the works at the Santa Monica developer. I doubt very much that they are openly referring to the inevitable The Last of Us Part III, but perhaps there is a VR project or some other spin-off in the works. Given the stupendous success of the series, its remasters, sequels, and remakes, one can imagine Sony is badgering N??D for TLOU pr??oducts on a regular basis.

The post The Last of Us multiplayer project needs ‘more time’ says Naughty Dog appeared first on Destructoid.

The Connoisseur's beat-'em-up is back

In recent years, the beat-'em-up, (or?? brawler, if you would prefer), genre has gone through a major renaissance. What was once confined to the golden coin-op age of the late '80s and early '90s �before falling short of expectations come the '00s �has found itself spraining finge?rs and cracking wrists once again �led by some bold new IPs and the return of some very familiar faces from the past.

In order to change with the times, these modern titles have been forced to add depth, variety, and longevity to what has mostly been a short-lived, quick-to-fatigue genre. In addition, the characters, worlds, and stories have been fleshed out to offer more context to the knuckle-dustin' action. And so, whether you're welcoming back franchises such as Streets of Rage 4 or TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, smashing up the playgrounds of Japan in River City Girls, or exploring new and exciting worlds offered in Mayhem Brawler, Final Vendetta, and Dragon's Crown. Beat-'em-up fans have it made.

But this renaissance did not, in fact, begin with any of the aforementioned games. It didn't even begin in the past few years. To look for a moment went the genre was reinvented with a roundhouse of vigor we should go back to September of 2017, and the quiet Steam release of Fight'N Rage, a game that wanted to not only capture the exci?te??ment of the games that came before it, but also offer players the excitement and depth expected of modern gaming. And it attempted to do all of the above with a single, solitary developer.

Six years later, Fight'N Rage is ready to do it, all over again, on PS5 and Xbox Series X. It's a game that is getting up there in years. But, as anyone who has watched the Rocky franchise knows, a true fighter is always rea?dy for one more round.

[caption id="attachment_379548" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image by Destructoid[/caption]

Fight'N Rage (PlayStation [PS5 reviewed], PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Seba Game Dev
Publisher: Blitworks
Released: March 1, 2023 (PS5), September 2017 (PC)
MSRP: $19.99

First released in the fall of 2017, Fight'N Rage is a passionate love letter to the heyday of arcade brawlers, developed and self-published by Seba Game Dev, which is a pseudonym for Uruguayan developer Sebastián Garcia. Garcia is the chief talent behind Fight'N Rage and created the world and its characters, crafted the in-game artwork, and coded the title itself all by his lonesome. Garcia's co-contributor is musician friend Gonzalo?? Varela, who composed and performed t?he scrapper's hard-rockin' soundtrack. The PC version was then ported to consoles by developer Blitworks.

History tells us that's it not impossible for one or two people to create something interesting, special, or at least intriguing, (for example Bright Memory by FYQD Studio), but it is rare for such a small project to not only pay effective tribute to a genre, but also to immediately present itself as one of the best offerings in that genre's history. And yet, Seba Game Dev readily handled this mammoth task, producing a title better than many of its influencers, while becoming an influence itself.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z6fl_yeaw0

Bottom of the food chain

Set against the backdrop of a miserable and dystopian future, where a devastating electromagnetic event known as The Big Pulse has destroyed all of mankind's technology, Fight'N Rage presents a world now ruled by a strange evolution, where anthropomorphized mutants have enslaved the human race. A literal natural climax to The Law of the Jungle. Most of huma??nity has now found itself languishing at the bottom of the food chain, yet there are those who wish for a better tomorrow. Three such individuals are our player protagonists.

They are the banished ninja F. Norris, the runaway slave turned martial arts master, Gal, and the human sympathizer and rebel mutant minotaur Ricardo. Facing a world willing to kill them on site, and afforded only the abilities offered by their fists and feet, our Heroic Trio finds themselves in the middle of a prison?? breakout, the first a?ct of a brutal, one-night odyssey that will lead them to the throne of The Boss �A militaristic lion maniac who has dubbed himself King of this urban jungle.

The slight story is all atmosphere and little in the way of deep and meaningful musings on the human endeavor, but it is endowed with a melodramatic emotion �not to mention some surprisingly bleak moments of cruelty, that give it the vibe of 80s/90s dystopia comics such as Heavy Metal and 2000 A.D. There is something about Fight'N Rage's cartoonish pixelated world that is nostalgic and inviting, while still maintaining an u?nnerving level of hopelessness and despair. I mean, we p?robably deserve it, right?

[caption id="attachment_379544" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image by Destructoid[/caption]

Contrast (and Brightness and Color) in Style

The aesthetic of Fight'N Rage is quite obviously that of the gorgeous pixelated paradises of yesterday, with d?elightfully drawn and animated characters popping out of the pixels in each and every encounter. Color-wise, there is a strange vulgarity to the visuals, with purposefully over-saturated colors and vibrant palettes that recal??l arcade monitors that should have been replaced a long time ago.

Various filters are available to enhance or decrease these effects �such as blur options, scanline emphasis, CRT curves on screen edges, muted color schemes, and even a moody black-and-white option. But however you choose to melt your eyeballs, Fight'n Rage has a disti??nctly unique style that captures the vibe of '80s in a "warts and all" fashion.

Tribute must also be paid to Varlea's ut??terly apocalyptic soundtrack, a wild, pulse-pounding mess of wailing guitars, moody pianos, and 16-bit synth. Each track is perfectly attuned to the mood and chaos of the stage, whether our heroes are picking their way through dank caverns, fighting to the death in vicious thunderstorms, or even throwing down in a tropical paradise. Varela "understood the assignment", as the kids aren't wont to say, and his score is a key ?element to the brawler's overall success.

??Varela's r?aw soundtrack demands your quarters. Hire this dude for more projects, ah'm begging ya.

[caption id="attachment_379545" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image by Destructoid[/caption]

36 Crazyfists

The audio/visual package of Fight'n Rage counts for nothing if the gameplay doesn't deliver. And, as you might have gathered from the intro, Seba Game Dev's title is genuinely groundbreaking in that regard. Fight'N Rage filtered out the elements of brawlers that made them feel good in a Pavlovian sense, before adding key combat?? elements pulled from some of the finest one-on-one fighters ever made, including combos, oki, off-the-ground attacks, wall jumps, juggles, and parri??es —as well as multiple special moves and super attacks.

And while many modern brawlers, such as DotEmu's fantastic Streets of Rage 4, also understand this method of evolution, Fight'N Rage nailed this years ago, essentially setting a standard for brawler combat th????at all of its bigger budgeted contemporaries have since adopted.

It should be noted, however, that Fight'N Rage is proud of its knuckle-destroying challenge. And while anyone can enjoy the title on its easiest setting, players battling waves of dominatrices and Dobermans on higher difficulties will be forced to master the combat's intricacies. This has, in ensuing years, turned some away from the game, but the difficulty on display here feels true to the tools afforded the player. Fight'N Rage is hard, occasionally rock solid.

You always have the capability of protect??ing yourself in battle, but it's on you to lear??n how to do so.

[caption id="attachment_379546" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image by Destructoid[/caption]

Downloadable Whatnow?

And you can do just that in one of the many modes offered outside of the standard story. Unlockable simply by playing through the game (win or lose), Fight'N Rage also offers a Combo Trials, Training Mode, Tutorials, Vs. Battle, Stage Practice, and Time Attack, as well as a metric ton of additi?onal cosmetics including 15 costumes/colors for each character, playable villains, a jukebox, unlockable game modifiers, hidden special moves, and much more. Oh, and for Speedrun fans, a special Speedrun option adds an onscreen timer, and auto-skips all cutscenes for maximum frame? efficiency.

None of these features, it must be pointed out, were paid DLC. Every mode, character, costume, and bonus feature is included with the title, which has always, generally, retailed at extremely low prices.

Perhaps this, more than anything else, is Fight'N Rage's greatest tribute to the gaming of yesterday.

[caption id="attachment_380513" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image by Destructoid[/caption]

Flaws? Unfortunately yes, there are flaws. Fight'N Rage's limited budget leads to a sense of repetition in some enemy patterns, though this again is at least reflective of the game's old-school inspirations. There is no online co-op/vs option, though a three-player local co-op is supported. Fight'N Rage is most assuredly an excellent beat-'em-up, one of the very best, but it is somewhat specialist, and its true depth lies in repeated playthroughs, meticulous training, and a commitment to its punishing challenge. While there are modes suitable for a quick Friday Night knockabout wit?h friends, some player?s may find it a little complex for their own hard brawlin' needs

Technically, the game runs extremely well, but the console port sweats a little with certain scenarios. Nothing game-breaking, but there are sporadic drops in frame rate, particularly during the ambitious, into-the-screen raft sequence. It's also important to note that the violent, flash 'n' shake heavy visuals will be rough on some players' peepers. Any video game fan who is affected by flashing imagery would do well to proceed with caution, as there is currently no option to reduce Fight'N Rage's ??range of full-screen flashes an??d possible strobe effects.

[caption id="attachment_379547" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image by Destructoid[/caption]

GO! GO! GO!

The beat-'em-up genre, almost as old as gaming itself, has been through two very specific "golden ages". The first happened in the very late '80s, and would see the arrival of Double Dragon, Final Fight,  Vendetta, and Kunio-kun. The second, well, we're in the middle of it right now, with modern classics such as Streets of Rage 4, River City Girls, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, and the upcoming Toxic Crusaders ??all capturing the excitement of their forebearers, while adding the depth and enhancement afforded by modern gaming.

But in the middle of these two wonderful eras, there's a transitional bridge, and that bridge was built by Fight'N Rage. Seba Game Dev's humble release offers gratitude and deference to the past, while paving the way for a fantastic new era of scrappers for the future. It's affordable, it's feature-packed??,?? it's compact, and it's available on almost every platform. If you are a beat-'em-up aficionado, you owe it to yourself, (and the genre) to pick it up as soon as possible.

But then, if you are a beat-'em??-up aficionado, chances are you already have.

Six years on from its initial release, Fight'N Rage retains its reputation as one of the greatest beat-'em-ups ever made, as well as a testament to the magnificent talent of its two-person development team. While its vulgar, neon nightmare visuals won't be to everyone's taste, and its rock-solid challenge is not to be denied, Fight'N Rage stands above many of its conte?m??poraries as a lesson in retrofuturistic game design, bolstered by the power of a screaming guitar and a well-placed roundhouse.

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

The post Review: Fight’N Rage appeared first on Destructoid.

Who needs Wisdom when you got POWAH?

The ink is dry on the latest splatfest, which was held this weekend on Nintendo's messy arena shooter, Splatoon 3 �In keeping with this week's festivities, Squid Kids and Octolings battled it out over 48 hours of gooey 'n' grueling mayhem to ascertain which glorious segment of The Legend of Zelda's iconic Triforce was the community's favorite.

And, in a hard-fought and quite narrow victory, it seems that the Splatoon community craves Power over all, as Shiver's Team Power segment bagged a clear victory over Frye's Team Wisdom, (there's an oxymoron), and Big Man's Team Courage. Power took the poin??ts in each and every category �including Sneak Peek, Public Vote, Open Play, Pro Play, and Tricolor �though it should be noted that Wisdom and Courage both held their own in each?? category. It was a close call, despite Power's clean sweep.

//twitt?er.com/SplatoonNA/status/1655396316925644801?s?=20

This splatfest was, of course, held in order to promote the release of Nintendo's biggest game of 2023, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which launches later this week exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Splatoon has been used by Nintendo in the past to smartly cross-promote its other releases, such as Pokemon and Super Mario, and has, from time to time, teamed with other brands for special sponsored splatfests.

This latest victory continues to push Splatoon 3 host Shiver's lead, as she claims? her fourth victory of seven total sp?latfests to date.

Splatoon 3 is available now on Nintendo Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches May 12 on Nintendo Switch.

The post S??platoon 3 Legend of Zelda splatfest sees the Triforce of Power flourish appeared first on Destructoid.

'I'm gonna take full responsibility'

Xbox Head of Gaming Phil Spencer has expressed his disappointment at the player reception to Arkane's much-maligned vampire hunter Redfall, which launched just two days ago to overwhelmingly negative reviews from cr?itics and players.

"I'm disappointed, I'm upset with myself," said Spencer this morning, speaking on the kinda Funny Games show. "There'??s nothing more difficult for me than disappointing the Xbox community."

"The critical response was not what we wanted," Spencer continued, adding "We're gonna continue to work on the game. We've shown a commitment to games like Sea of Thieves, and Grounded, to continue to go and build games. But I also know these games are $70, and I'm gonna take full re?sponsibility for lau?nching a game that needs to be great."

"We do mock reviews for every game that we launch, and this is double di?gits lower than where we thought we would be with this game. That’s one of the disappointing things: We would never strive to launch a game that we thought was going to review in the low 60s �it’s not part of our goals."

//twitter.com/KindaFunnyVids/s?tatus/1654108618990530561?s=20

Redfall, which is one of the few Xbox/PC exclusive titles launching this year, initially turned some heads with its interesting worldbuilding and vibrant, uniquely skilled heroes and villains, but many critics lambasted the title as feeling rushed and massively underwhelming, while some players have noted all manner of technical issues and bugs. While some reviewers have been disappointed with the release, others have been downright brutal of Redfall's overall release state.

The game was not only delayed from its initial release date for further polishing, but alarms were raised when Arkane announced that the co-op shooter would launch with "Quality Mode" only, locking the title to 30 FPS, which is an oddity in the ninth generation of video gaming, (A Performance Mode will arrive at a later date). Hopefully, future patches and updates can improve Redfall's standing with the community, but this? is a very difficult age for video games �one where first impressions a?nd the all-important launch month define a title's future, and Arkane's latest already has one foot in the grave.

Redfall is available now on Xbox, PC??, and Xbox Game Pass.

The post Phil Spencer ‘disappointed’ in negative reaction to Redfall appeared first on Destructoid.

Cash on Delivery

It's time to take the money and run and gun, as Infinity Ward is prepping a new update for its popular battle royale title Call of Duty Warzone 2.0, which sees a return for the frantic heist mode, Pl?under. The mode is scheduled to go live on all platforms today, alongside a new, bug-smashi?ng patch.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSasrsV9jAo&ab_channel=Play?Station

One of the initial two modes that launched with Call of Duty Warzone back in 2020, Plunder tasks teams of players with snatching up bags of cash and transporting them to a central drop-off point, while simultaneously defen??ding their horde from the sticky fingers of the opposing team members. It's a frenetic running battle that can turn on a dime, and requires strong synergy, efficient moveme?nt, and, as always, a precise aim. Warzone players will no doubt be pleased to see the challenging side-game return.

In addition to Plunder's comeback, Infinity Ward has released an update to both Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare 2 proper, featuring an array of bug fixes pertaining mostly to errors in the U.I. and HUD systems. In regards to CoD gameplay itself, the new patch adds more ammo caches to the Zaya Observatory in multiplayer map Ground War, and reduces the number of available lasers for the arsenal-running Gunfight mode. You can check out the full patch notes over on the official Call of Duty blog.

Call of Duty Warzone 2.0 is available now o??n PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.

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'Sally, I hear something... stop... stop...'

Gun Media has reiterated the release date for its upcoming The Texas Chain Saw Massacre �noting that the down 'n' dirty multiplayer title will launch August 18 on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X as well as reminding Xbox Game Pa??ss sub??scribers that they will be able to dive into the action day one.

Adapted from Tobe Hooper's magnificent 1974 picture, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will pit a party of hapless survivors �all hippie hair and booty shorts �against the terrifying Sawyer family, consisting of members either directly pulled from, or inspired by, Hooper's seminal ?horror classic.

The survivors, (or "Victims" to use the game's lexicon), will be required to complete objectives and gather key items from several recognizable locales while staying one step ahead of family members The Cook, The Hitchhiker, and, of course, the horrifying, chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. All new original characters, including "Johnny" and "Sissy", have also been created to... flesh out the ?roste??r of cannibalistic killers.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is clearly hoping to carve itself a piece of the assymetrical horror pie established by titles such as Behavior Interactive's Dead by Daylight and Illfonic's Friday the 13th: The Game. These releases were, in turn, followed by Illfonic own Predator: Hunting Grounds, Saber Interactive's Evil Dead: The Game, and the currently in-development Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

//twitter.com/??XboxGamePass/status/1649488264343048200?s=20

It's admittedly something of a risky proposition, given that Dead by Daylight has all but completely cornered the market on multiplayer ??horror movie mashups, but developer Sumo Digital will be looking to capture the distinct (and suspicious) flavor of the original movie to provide an experience tha?t �aesthetically at the very least �will be quite unlike its contemporaries.

My curiosity for this plucky release is piqued, just add Stretch as a playable character, (complete with Caroline Williams providing the voice), and I'll be b?uzzin'. I think, for the title to have legs among its kin, it might have to paint itself as a full tribute to the entire franchise, eventually adding locations, characters, and "skins" (no pun intended) from th?e film's scattershot sequels, spin-offs, and remakes.

But I'm perhaps jumping the gun a little. Let's get the title through the steel-shutt?ered doo??r first.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre launches August 18 on PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Game Pass. A "technical test" is currently scheduled for May 25.

The post The Texas Chain Saw Massacre may have to pay tribute to its sequels ?to stand out from the pack appeared first on Destructoid.

No sign of Dash Dingo though

Following this weekend's closed beta, publisher Activision has released the intro cinematic for its slapstick brawler Crash Team Rumble, which sees the heroes and villains of the Crash Bandicoot universe gather toge?ther for cartoonish, platform-fighting chaos.

The delightfully colorful and highly dynamic sequence sees characters such as Crash, Dr. Cortex, "He's Literally Me" Dingodile, and the schlub-bothering Tawna Bandicoot scrapping out on the sunny Wumpa Island. Coco is on their side? Heel turn! Produced by?? Thai animator RIFF Studio, the 90-second intro is packed with colorful excitement, as Crash �through dexterity, assistance, and sheer luck �manages to get the Golden Wumpa to the goal, scoring a point for all that is good and just in the world.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDHbh-rlKu4&t

Currently in development for PlayStation and Xbox, Crash Team Rumble looks to gather the Crash community for multiplayer mayhem, as they choose their favorite characters and ut?ilize their unique skills and abilities to bring home the Wump Fruit for their team in four-vs-four action.

While tempting to typify the title as "Crash Smash Bros.", the game seems less focused on the actual fighting and more on point-scoring and objective completion. Developer Toys 4 Bob has already confirmed cross-platform support, and the new title will be looking to r?ope in the fanbase for this new take on the series. No Ripper Roo, no sale.

Crash Team Rumble launces June 20 ??on PlayStation and Xbox platforms.

The post Check ?out the action-packed intro to Crash Team Rumble appeared first on Destructoid.

There is no 'I' in 'T E A M'

Devolver Digital, in association with silly studio Pastagames, has lifted the lid on a delightful-looking multiplayer puzzle platformer, KarmaZoo, currently in development for PC and cons??o?le platforms.

In KarmaZoo, teams of 10 randomly gathered players must use spirit, synergy, and even sacrifice in order to navigate a near-endless range of procedurally generated stages, all created within a pixel-perfect realm known as "The Loop". The 10-strong team must capitalize on a huge menagerie of characters, (including a returning PixelCat), abilities, and perks? in order to ensure that the whole squad, (well, not always the whole squad), is able to find their respective path through the level and, hopefully, get? to the finish line unscathed.

Helping your teammates, leading the herd, and even committing self-sacrifice so that others may continue will all earn your char?acter the precious resource, Karma, which can be used to unlock new characters, perks, stages, and much more. Check out the action in this announcement trailer.

//www.yo?utube.com/watch?v=34FTzOMPSBo&t??=2s&ab_channel=Gematsu

In addition to The Loop, KarmaZoo als??o supports several local multiplayer modes, in which you can challenge friends and family to a variety of party-style games, such as being the first to reach the summit of a mountain, races through auto-scrolling mazes and labyrinths, and other quick-fire mini-games. Conquer as many as possible to claim your rightful place on top of the celebratory "Totem".

KarmaZoo looks like a great time-filler �especially for those homestead gatherings �sporting cute graphics, fun characters, and a nice spi??rit of teamwork and camaraderie. Definitely worth ke?eping an eye on this release as we closer to its launch window. KarmaZoo is scheduled to launch this summer on PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.

The post Devolver Digital’s KarmaZoo looks like adorable 10-player mayhem appeared first on Destructoid.

To Live and Die in HeLL.A.

During the 2014 Sony E3 press conference, viewers were treated to a surprise cinematic trailer, one that has since gone down in history. The trailer featured a meat-headed jogger taking a casual dash down Venice Beach, blissfully unaware of the absolutely bombastic chaos that was exploding all around him, as hordes of flesh-eating creatures lay waste to the beautiful people of California. Ultimately becoming one of the infected himself, the jogger is eventually wiped out by a speeding minivan, before an onscreen graphic finally reveals the trailer as a preview for Dead Island 2.

That trailer debuted almost 10 years ago. And on April 21, 2023, Dead Island 2 will finally release, two console generations on from its initial announcement, and after passing through no less than three development studios. Having been mired in development hell for almost a decade, and been the subject of cancellation rumors, internet jokes, and even a reference point for other games and studios, it seems a miracle that we finally have anything in our hands. But can the talent of British developer Dambuster Studios resurrect this long-since-decayed release??, or would it have been better left dead and buried?

Look, we all know the sto??ry, so there ain't nothing left to it but ?to do it.

Dead Island 2 (PlayStation [PS5 reviewed], PC, Xbox)
Developer: Dambuster Studios
Publisher: Deep Silver
Released: April 21, 2023
MSRP: $69.99

It must be noted that, with Dead Island 2, Dambuster Studios is not attempting to reinvent the wheel. The long-time-coming sequel essentially builds upon the general design and gameplay structure of its now-decade-old predecessor. That isn't to say that this is a case of "If it ain't broke...", because Dead Island was fucking broke. This is a title where I once kicked an inflatable beach ball, which resulted in my character screaming, keeling over, and dying on the spot. No, rather than attempting a full conceptive rebirth, Dead Island 2 is more a "Take Two" on what came before, with stronger efforts made to deliver the player experience perhaps expected of that release.

Our story concerns a party of six survivors �each one the worst person you've ever met �who crawl from the wreckage of a failed evacuation flight, crash-landing in the heart of Los Angeles, or ??"Hell-A" as it is now known. Beginning in media res, the outbreak is already underway, covering the City of Angels in blood and bodies while the local authorities attempt to put a band-aid on an oozing, pustulous wound. Choosing one member of the pity party, our "Slayer" is thrust into the thick of the carnage, and must utilize adaptation, improvisation, and smart-mouthed quippin' (boy howdy, the quippin') to find their way out of the city and to higher ground, away from millions of arm-munching, TikTok-filming posers.

What follows is an open world odyssey, as the Slayer treks through a million-dollar city o??f broken dreams �From the closed gate communities of Bel Air and the splendor of Beverly Hills, to the baking, radiant sands of Venice Beach and, of course, the star-studded avenues and alleyways of Hollywood. It goes without saying that these venues have all seen better days �less brain-encrusted days, at least �and this bizarre juxtaposition of celebrity and ??atrocity never fails to remain an unnervingly attractive take on a potential armageddon. I'll still take it over Florida.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=f70Uz0fnX7E

You Ought'nt Be In Pictures

Initially, Dead Island 2 appears poorly plotted at best and baffling at worst �why your punk-rock character chooses to instantly do the bidding of The Rich makes zero sense whatsoever �but, as the story progresses, an evolving tale of surviv?al and desperation unfolds, joined by elements of conspiracy, human evolution,? and man's endless inhumanity to man.

And though our ensemble cast is, for the most part, intolerable, a pragmatic realization gives way; These aren't bad people, per se, they're just in a bleak and thoroughly miserable situation. As the story progresses, we come to understand the stage and its players better. Even beginning to develop an actual kinship with the same folk that we originally couldn't stand the sight of. They aren't necessarily terrible. They're just human... Except for "Who Do You Voodoo, Bitch?" singer Sam B. He is terrible.

Though disconnecting at the outset, the spirit of Dead Island 2 and?? its world grows on the player as they come to understand the hopelessness that faces these stragglers �From the whiskey-soaked rock stars and uptight Hollywood divas, to bronze-skinned beach bums and simple folk just trying to survive, let alone thrive. The mask of humanity is off, and the outbreak is making a monster of many, as viral outbreaks tend to do. There are no real "good guys??", just different shades of survivalist.

While it's fair to say that the plot of DI2 is hardly original, it's still surprisingly compelling. ??By the time the final act rolled around, all of sudden, the realization dawned that the survival of this pack of awful bastards had sudden?ly become the most important thing in my life.

Look, I know the trailers are terrible. There's s??ome great performances in here. Honest.

Sun's Out, Guns Out

The core of Dead Island 2 is its combat. It's the decaying meat of the piece, and the melee-based carnage on offer here is brilliantly devised. Whether wielding swords, baseball bats, axes, steel pipes, or Triple H-esque sledgehammers, there is an effective, wholly satisfying weight and impact to the violence on display, bolstered by the addition of counters, parries, and gleefully explosive execution maneuvers. It's important that the melee is enjoyable, as it is ultimately 90% of the player's activities, and Dead Island 2's "crunch" is so delicious, that it actually becomes a tad detrimental to the game when guns finally do come into play, (though ??they do add some variety to all the home-run swingin' action).

In addition to the weaponry, Dead Island 2 has a mix-and-match build system, that affords your chosen Slayer various skills and perks, sometimes for free, sometimes at the detriment of other abilities. These range from defensive tactics such as dodges and slides, to bonuses such as damage boosts for downing zombies, or awarding health for severing undead limbs. Without giving too much away, things get pretty funky after a point, and y??ou can mak??e your Slayer quite the force to be reckoned with, finely tuned to your own bespoke playstyle.

Still, despite the enormous range of customizable weapons and skills on offer, Dead Island 2 remains challenging. Even as the Slayer levels up, the difficulty remains in a sweet spot that prevents the player from ever becoming too powerful. As kitted out as you become, the infected are perpetually a legitimate threat. But with clever combinations of weaponry, skills, elemental boosts, and environmental attacks, DI2 ensures that while the? numbers are on the side of the undead, the wits are with the player.

A special tribute must also be paid to the most satisfying dropkick in video game history. A move that, I guarantee, will become your best friend. Especially on rooftops and i??n front of windows.

You can't spell slaughter without 'laughter'

Dead Island 2 is a repetitive game, wholly and unashamedly. It is essentially a title that tasks the player with going on endless "Locate this person/item" quests, almost always boiling down to making your way to the location in question and slaying triple figures' worth of zombies en route. There are plenty of side quests in each district, all of which offer rewards in the form of rare weapons, blueprints, and perks, but ultimately, Dead Island 2 only has one real tr?ick, and that is to ask the player to g?et to an undead infested venue and back alive.

This in itself was a major problem?? with the first game, and would lead to boredom just scant hours in.

While DI2 doesn't stray too far from this design path, what it does do to combat fatigue is ensure that the environments are legitimately fun to explore, while constantly drip-feeding the player new characters, fun conversations, and a wide variety of different enemies to be hacked 'n' slashed. There is also a metric ton of environmental storytelling, much of which is of the tired "audio log" variety, but some of which is executed via simple set design and in-universe audio �distant screams, abandoned radios, a wedding from hell, a strongman competition turned massacre, a frightening theme park, and a horror movie set where things got a little too meta.

Dead Island 2 has a gameplay mentality that is generations old, but it uses the benefits of modern tech to polish up its 2010's vibe. The infected are large in number, varied in design, and look gruesomely gorgeous. The world itself is well-realized and intelligently mapped. Elemental and gore effects are dazzling, and cleverly limited use of music ensures that, while the combat is relentless, the player knows when shit is really going down.

Dead Island 2, at its heart, is an old-fashioned game, but it's wearing a damn flashy?? new ??suit.

Don't Forget to Bring a Towel

Dead Island 2 is far from an excellent title, and its flaws might turn away those without the patience to fully explore its world and mechanics. While it certainly gets better the deeper you delve into its world, this style of explorative, combat & craft-heavy action isn't going to be to everyone's tastes, especially in 2023. The endless grabbing of crafting components, audio logs, and keycards �actions that are so repetitive the Slayer themselves repeatedly rags on it �may? lead some players to consider double-checking the cal??endar.

From a technical standpoint, the sequel is a massive improvement over the notorious original, but still suffers from choppiness �Minor frustrations such as immovable prompts, occasional clipping, failed enemy spawns, or unresponsive enemies. Strange one-off bugs, such as a character's voice remaining echoed even after they had left a building, (all of which fixed themselves after a reload). Performance-wise, however, th??????????????????????????e PS5 edition played for review was sound, maintaining its framerate in even the busiest and messiest of zombie massacres. Most importantly, I kicked a beach ball and kept breathing.

When you combine the small technical troubles with the generally Gen-7 approach to gameplay, Dead Island 2 becomes something of a divisive release. Those who perhaps crave more in the way of firearms, vehicular mayhem, or more variety in its quests and activities may struggle to persevere to the point where Hell-A opens up its vulgar box of delights. That said, those who enjoyed the original Dead Island, or similar relentless, zombie-smashing experiences �such as Capcom's Dead Rising, will think it's fucking Christmas, with perhaps the best gaming interpretation of a Zack Snyder zombi?e flick yet.

Rewarding player experimentation and exploration, you get out of DI2 what you put into it, and thus, it's very much a game for a specific and dedicated audience. And given its except??ionally lofty $70 price tag, "dedicated" is doing a lot of lifting in that sentence.

Gods and Monsters

I'll level with you. I didn't want to review Dead Island 2, and I sure as hell didn't want to play it on my own time. If you'd had asked me to point to a 2023 release that I felt was going to be an absolute slog to play, as well as being a chore to write about, then this sequel would've probably been number one with an acid-tipped bullet. 10 minutes into playing, ??I st?ill felt this way, eye-rolling and deep sighing at the characters, the setup, and the teasing of 15 hours of fetch quests and keycard searching.

But, as time passed, as Hell-A opened up, as the combat evolved, and as I met more and more denizens of Hollyweird, I warmed up immensely to this title. I became excited to explore eac?h new district, while digging the world design, the attractively gruesome visuals, and the "Glam Apocalypse" aesthetic. I appreciated the wanton, salacious, and satisfying violence, and, most surprisingly ??of all, this atrocious cast of characters eventually became my friends, (except for Sam B.)

It is testament to the talent of Dambuster Studios that they picked up the remnants of the most development hell title of the past 15 years �a game that had "contractual obligation" written all over it �and have turned it into a great sequel. Dead Island 2 sports a solid world, great audio/visuals, and an excellent combat system, wrapped up in a resonant, bleakly comic story of mankind's inability to ever save itself. Is it perfect? No, it's not, but it is the redemption story Dead Island needed, as well as perhaps the greatest example of a ?seemingly doomed release th??at actually delivered when it finally crawled out of purgatory. I was wrong. I had a fine time with a game I absolutely did not want to play.

And, y'know wha?t? ?I actually think I'm gonna play through it again.

It shouldn't have worked. It should have been a disaster. A decade-long internet joke ending in a comically terrible release. And yet, with Dead Island 2, Dambuster delivers a sequel that hugely improves upon the original, off?ering raw, no-nonsense chaos, wrapped up in a gaudy wrapper of sun, sand, and slaughter. While the old-school, repetitive g??ameplay won't be to everyone's taste, decadent violence, tastelessly compelling environments, and a surprising amount of heart await those who have the patience to wade through the misery of a paradise lost.

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

The post Review: Dead Island 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Microsoft purchase 'changed platform plans'

[Update: Microsoft has responded to the reports that it canned a PS5 edition of Redfall in comments to Eurogamer.

"We haven't pulled any games from PlayStation," said an MS ?spokesperson. "In fact, we've expanded our footprint of games that we've shipped on Sony's PlayStation since our acquisition of ZeniMax, and the first two games we shipped after closing were PlayStation 5 exclusives. We did the same thing since our closing of Minecraft as we extended the reach of that franchise.

"All of the games that were available on PlayStation when we acquired ZeniMax in March 2021 are still available on PlayStation, and we have continued to do content updates on PlayStation an?d PC. We have always said that future decisions on whet?her to distribute ZeniMax games for other consoles will be made on a case-by-case basis."]

Original Article:

Developer Arkane Austin has confirmed that its incoming monster-masher Redfall was initially planned as a multi-platform title, but was asked to drop the PS5 edition once Microsoft acquired the studio in the ZeniMax Media purchase �which took place back in the summer of 2020.

The somewhat unsurprising revelation was made by studio director Harvey Smith in an interview with IGN France. Smith describes the Micr??osoft purchase as "Change wit??h a capital C", noting any plans for a Playstation edition of the vampire-hunting multiplayer title were instantly scrapped by the new owners. "They came in and they said 'No PlayStation 5. We're focusing on Xbox, PC, and Game Pass."

//www.youtube.co??m/watch?v=cR8?GVePOdpY&ab_channel=BethesdaSoftworks

Smith notes that he thinks it was a good idea, with the dropping of Redfall on PS5 allowing the studio to focus on one less platform and add further polish to the project. Smith also points to Xbox Game Pass' 30 million subsc??ribers as a solid install base for the multiplayer-focused shooter, which will hopefully provide Redfall with a ready-made co??mmunity of players. A Monster Squad, of sorts.

It should be noted that Microsoft is currently bitterly embroiled in legal battles over its proposed purchase of Activision Blizzard, the main concern by opponents being the possibility that Microsoft might make some of Activision's biggest franchises �such as Call of Duty �Xbox exclusive brands. Microsoft has denied any intent of this motion, though publishers such as PlayStation will no doubt use this Redfall revelation as an examp?le of wh??at "could happen", strong evidence to present to any judges unaware of the realities of the industry.

Redfall launches May 2 on Xbox Series X, PC,? and Xbox Game P?ass.

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It's all in the family

Sumo Digital's asymmetrical multiplayer take on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is locking in dates fo??r both a technical test and full release. The gory multiplayer will test the waters on May 25, with a full release scheduled for August 18, 2023.

Based on the 1974 horror film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre looks to pit hapless travelers against the Slaughter family that loves to prey on them. It seems to be following in the same asymmetrical steps of many other multiplayer horror games these days. The victims run and hide, using stealth and wits to survive as the Slaughter Family players hunt them down. And you really don't want to get caught, as you can see in today's release date trailer, via IGN:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlab3PEYzKE

Just r??eal gnarly stuff. This does ??not seem like a multiplayer game for the faint of heart.

Deep in the heart of Texas

If that seems like your type of jam, though, there will be a technical test to kick the tires of this new horror game in May. Gun and Sumo Digital advise those who want to know more about the test to follow The Texas Chain Saw Massacre social channels, or you could keep an eye on the Steam page.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre game interests me, though not solely because of my Texan roots. Many asymmetrical horror games have come and gone, and it feels like the extremely specific adaptations sometimes have trouble sticking around. Going up against established, multi-property juggernauts like Dead By Daylight has to be tough, so I'm curious to see what Sumo Dig??ital brings t??o the table to make the Slaughter Family's horror experience stand out. You know, aside from the chainsaws.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre hits on August 18 for PC, PlayStation 4?, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. It'll also be a Game?? Pass day one game, for both Xbox and PC.

The post Texas Chain Saw Massacre will hold technica??l te??st in May, ahead of August launch appeared first on Destructoid.

UFO of the River Noch*

Nintendo has announced the topic of debate that will be leading Octolings and Squid Kids into the March 2023 splatfest �And this time around it's a question of myths and legends, as hosts Shiver, Frye, and Big Man want to know whether you believe in Nessie, Aliens, ?or Bigfoot.

Believing in more than one is, apparently, not an opti?on. So get off the fenc?e and commit.

//tw?itter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1?636351619188023299?s=20

On the weekend of March 31, players will be tasked with picking their monster of choice, before rallying forth into battle against their fellow Splatoon fans. For the purposes of this particular tourney??, Shiver will be repping Nessie, Frye will be Team Aliens, while Big Man, as his name would denote, is all about Bigfoot. As per usual, a public vote will be held in Inkopolis, while match points will be tallied from Pro, Open, Tricolor, and Sneak Peek, with the ultimate winner revealed on Sunday, April 2.

So, who have you got? I know aliens exist because I've seen Marvin the Martian, and I know Bigfoot exists because he lived with The Hendersons. Additionally, I know that not just one Nessie, but an entire family of Nessies exist. I'm not sure who to roll with, so I guess I'll stick with my main girl Frye, and thus I'm f?ighting for the Xenomorphs, for E.T. for Xtro, and for the Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

The March 2023 Splatoon 3 splatfest kicks off on F?riday, Ma??rch 31 and will run until Sunday, April 2.

_{*This is a reference for me and me alone, don't sweat it.}

Related: How to Transfer Y??our Splatoon 2 Save F??ile to Splatoon 3 on PrimaGames

The post Splatoon 3’s next splatfest is all about monstrous legends appeared first on Destructoid.

One console, two players

Pretty recently, a new expansion for Powerwash Simulator came out. I liked Powerwash Simulator well enough when I played it back in 2021, but this was the first time I was tempted to dip back in for more. That's because the latest update features locales from Final Fantasy VII, and the game added co-op a little while back. My girlfriend finished the original Final Fantasy VII not too long ago,?? so I figured this would be a f??un way to spend a few hours.

Until I took to Google and discovered that Powerwash Simulator's co-op is online only.

Lately, I've watched this play out with a number of AAA games. Games like Gotham Knights and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were total slogs, not just because of their poor technical optimization and bizarre design choices, but because I knew that I could have had more fun if I shelled out an extra $300-600 to play them with my partner. Both of those games heavily touted their co-op offerings in marketing, but neither of them offered anything for folks in the same room. Halo Infinite, a game I loved, would have b??een that much better if I could've roped in a friend without telling them to burn money on a new console or PC.

Where did the couch go?

I've always been a local multiplayer kind of person. My earliest exposure to video games was a Wii my parents bought to force family bonding. Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart are good online, but I'll usually only break them out when I have people over. I don't have anything against online gaming (it got me through lockdown, and any friend of mine will tell you how often I pester them about playing Final Fantasy XIV with me), but I love local multiplayer.

[caption id="attachment_361397" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

I especially adore local co-op. If I'm working with someone else towards a goal, I want to be with that person physically. Having the option for online play is always welcome, but if I can conceivably play the same game as my compani?on, in the same ?room and on the same screen, I'll always take that option. I recognize that games are constantly getting bigger, and it's getting harder and harder to justify rendering the same things twice at the same time just to satisfy an increasingly small group that cares about this kind of thing.

But for me, there's simply no energy quite like the energy shared between two (or more) people in one room sharing an experience. It's the difference ??between calling a friend and going out for dinner—sure, you'll find out what they've been up to either way, but sometimes you want to be in that space, sharing that experience together.

So as franchises like Halo, which was onc??e known for its split-screen co-op, shy away from the couch-sharing experience, I can't h??elp but feel a little sad.

Quiet revival

Blessedly, local multiplayer is down but not out. It's becoming more and more sparse in the AAA space, but indies have kept the dream alive admirably. Spelunky 2 retained the local mayhem found in the 2013 not-quite-original, and the Overcooked series has built its identity around intense, frantic same-screen sessions. It Takes Two recen?tly became the only indie game in the history of the Game Awards to take home the GOTY prize, in large part because of its local co-op offerings.

[caption id="attachment_365200" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

There are also still a few studios in the AAA space preserving the local multiplayer experience. Nintendo has been ruthlessly committed to keeping local co-op offerings available on the Nintendo Switch, a platform that initially sold itself, at least in part, on its two in-built controllers. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an absolutely perfect local experience, and the more recent Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe bumps the player count from two to four. Outside of Nintendo, Diablo 4 is slated to follow in its immediate predecessor's footsteps with a couch co-op mode. The most recent crop of Borderlands games offers local play on conso?les as well. The scene isn't thriving, necessarily, but it is surviving.

All of these games also have online offerings, and that's a great thing. Not everybody lives near the people they want to spelunk with, and I will always advocate for better online ??options. But all of these games also recognize that there is a good reason for players to want to be near each other physically. Video games can be an isolating hobby, but they also have the capacity, as a medium, to force people together. I wish more games took advantage of that inherent strength of the format, but for now, I'm simply glad that there's still space for that kind of game somewhere.

The post I love you, couch co-op appeared first on Destructoid.

Golly, what a day...

As part of this morning's Nacon Connect live stream, the publisher offered up our first look at the gameplay of co-op action adventure Gangs of Sherwood, which is currently in development at Appeal Stu??dios for PC and Gen 9 platforms. It is currently expected to launch in the fall of this year.

As the name suggests, Gangs of Sherwood is a multiplayer adventure set within an alternate, steampunk-style take on the Robin Hood legend. Up to four players will step into the roles of warriors Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, and, of course, Robin of Loxley himself. The very early game??play footage sees our band of outlaws battling their way through a castle, with each member of the party bringing?? bespoke weaponry and fighting skills as they sally forth past a squadron of guards.

The trailer ends with Sherwood Forest's finest facing off against a monstrous contraption of flesh and steel, known as "Red Roger of Nottingham". What is it with Nacon and rusty, aristocratic robots?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ_IRpUuj5c

While this alpha footage is a tad rough around the edges, I actually really dig the idea of a multiplayer hack 'n' slash title, and the novel twist on the tales of Robin Hood is a pretty bold concept. I don't see any sexy foxes, nor can I hear Brian Adams, so I'm assuming that this will be a particularly unique adaptation of the Totally Real and Definitely Existed hero. I'm especially eager to see what form Robin's nemesis, The Sheriff of Nottingham, will take in Gangs of Sherwood.

He's going to? be a massive fucking robot spider, isn't he?

Gangs of Sherwood is scheduled to launch this fall on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X. You can check out an extended gameplay preview over on the official Steam store page.

The post Check out the first gameplay footage f??or Gangs of Sherwood appeared first on Destructoid.

Vampire Night

Arkane Austin has confirmed that its upcoming multiplayer shooter Redfall will support crossplay on all platforms and across all stores �This will allow monster hunters on Xbox Ser??ies X/S, PC, and Xbox Game Pas??s to rock out together, including PC players on both Steam and Epic Games Store.

The "all-in" crossplay support is a no-brainer for the multiplayer-driven title, and will allow for a larger shared player community which can only help to grow and prolong the life of Redfall and its nefarious nocturnal activities. Up to four players step into the uniquely talented roles of four uber-hip c??haracters, before heading into the titular Massachusetts town in order to purge it of an army of unholy creatures.

//twitter.com/playRedfall/status/1632773032744828?928?s=20

Originally revealed back in the summer of 2021, Redfall would ultimately miss its intended 2022 release date, but is now pretty much cemented to arrive in just a couple of months' time. While a lack of an open beta or demo leaves us with nothing but the title's atmospheric trailers to go on, we can expect a Left 4 Dead/Back 4 Blood style team shooter, with parties of players harnessing wild weapon??s and bespoke otherworldly abilities to put the legions of the undead back in the cold, cold ground.

Redfall launches May 2 on Xbox Series X, PC, and the Xbox Game Pass?? service.

The post Redfall will hav??e crossplay support for all platforms and store??s appeared first on Destructoid.

It's all over for Crab Armor

This week will see rainbow shooter Splatoon 3 launch a brand new season of carpet-ruining action, and Nintendo is preparing to get ??the game warmed up for the coming chaos with the launch of its Version 3.0 update, which will be made available for download today.

Splatoon 3 Ver 3.0 is a huge update filled with balance tweaks, bug stomps, and various other under-the-hood adjustments in order to ensure that the arena shooter is ready to rock come March 1, when the "Fresh Season 2023" receives its global launch. The update features the addition of a huge arsenal of standard and special weaponry, ruleset changes, and support for Inkopolis DLC owners.

//t??witter.com/Splat??oonNA/status/1626219936992600066?s=20

Players who have purchased the Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass will be able to travel between Inkopolis and Splatsville via a new train, which can be boarded at Inkopolis square, offering new hangout spots and stores. Speaking of stores, Fresh Season 2023 will see the arrival of a whole new catalog of cosmetic purchases �including new gear, decorations, splashtags, stick??ers, and emotes �for a grand total of 126 items.

The new season will also see the addition of two new stages: the Aztecian Um’ami Ruins and the ocean?-set galleon, The Manta Maria. Splatoon 3's current stages have also been reviewed by the developer teams, with changes made to terrain, distance, and verticality, typically to reduce long-distance "Hail Mary"-style shooting. Th??us, you might want to revisit your favorite stages and adjust your typical map tactics.

The above is literally just scratching the surface of the extensive patch notes, which feature tweaks to player connectivity, point scoring, individual weapon balancing, bug fixes, and changes to Salmon Run, Tableturf Bat??tle, and even the Lobby and general U.I. Be sure to set aside some t?ime to pick through the details, so that you won't be taken by surprise when you dive back into the messy world of Splatoon for the coming months of colorful chaos. See you in the ring, squid kids!

Splatoon 3: Fresh Season 2023 kicks off on March 1.

The post Splatoon 3 drops its hefty V?ersion 3.0 up?date today appeared first on Destructoid.

Exorcise Class

For the students of Sakurazaki Academy, it looks like school's out �outta luck, outta time, outta this dimension. The discovery of a dusty old mirror by mischievous demon girl Kurona has led to the popular place of learning somehow fusing with the dark arts, resulting in both the interior and the exterior of the building forming a cavernous, gothic castle, while replacing textbooks, playgrounds, and chalkboards wit??h iron maidens, candlelit chandeliers, and a mass menagerie of demons, ghouls, and specters.

That Kurona... what a dickhead.

And while one would imagine that, for any young student, these events would be a positive boon, rivaling even the longest of snow days, it seems that most of Sakurazaki's students and faculty have found themselves trapped within this nightmarish world, lost deep in its centuries-old design and perpetually hounded by unholy creatures. H??owever, all is not lost. The brave and noble Kamizono sisters were yet to arrive for class when the strange phenomenon first occurred. And, fortunately for our damsels in distress, Shinobu and her younger sibling Maya also happen to be part-time professional demon hunters �duly honed in the fine art of kicking serious monster ass.

And thus, armed with an array of ancient magical arts, some surprisingly violent origami skills, and more than a round or two of good, old-fashioned lead, the Kamizonos don their finest demon-hunting armor (i.e. Goth Lolita outfits) and set out to teach Kurona and her newfound army of minions a lesson they won't soon forget. One thing's for sure, it's going to be a hell of a semester for our girls.

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge (PlayStation [PS5 reviewed], PC, Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Inti Creates Co. Ltd.
Publisher: Inti Creates Co. Ltd.
Released: February 23, 2023
MSRP: $24.99

Developed by anime-lovin' studio Inti Creates, Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a spin-off title to the cheesecake series Gal*Gun, specifically Gal*Gun: Double Peace (note the initials). There is an irony here in that the Gal*Gun franchise was originally intended to fit within a 2D adventure genre, before the executive decision was made to make it a super-sexualized rail shooter instead. As such, Grim Guardians argua??bly sees the franchise experiment with what could have been, should the initial design plan have been followed.

And, in something of a double irony, it just might be the best ??game in the s??eries.

At first glance, Grim Guardians looks to be a dyed-in-the-wool metroidvania, with a design that openly �and happily �apes the aesthetic of Konami's much-loved vampire hunting franchise. But while there are certainly elements of backtracking and exploration at play here, Grim Guardians is an arcade platformer first and foremost. It chooses to focus on forward momentum, level negotiation, and bullet-pumping action, rather than attempting to mimic the RPG elements of its inspiration. Grim Guardians is, in many ways, quite comparable to Castlevania �/em> in debt, even �/??em> but is more content to focus on '90s style platforming action, than single map exploration. Much to its own benefit.